Welcome to Fumes! This is a place where I write about perfume through the lens of the world. I am Miccaeli and I live on the east coast of Australia.
I believe that there is a lack of in depth journalistic coverage of the fragrance industry and aim to fill this niche. My ethos is that all perfume should be judged fairly and equally based on artistry, price, accessibility, and quality. My scope is as wide as I can make it and encompasses budget, designer, indie, niche, and vintage perfume, as well as functional fragrance and flavours: if it’s meant to smell, I want to smell it.
All perfume samples and bottles discussed on my Substack were bought and paid for by me (or gifted by my lovely friends and family). I will never post sponsored content or incentive based reviews. Perfumery is an expensive hobby, but I believe that impartial reviews are invaluable, and I wish to provide analysis that is truly independent.
Outside of perfume my interests include history and narrative nonfiction on all topics but especially Russia and the long 19th century; geography, geopolitics, and beautiful maps; television, from prestige to Survivor; a broad range of fiction from pulp romance to classic literature; biblical and religious history; mythology from all corners of the globe, but especially Hades and Persephone; world politics and culture criticism; iced lattes; and making bespoke spotify playlists. I also write fiction elsewhere.
I can be found on twitter, instagram, spotify, goodreads, and right here on Substack, twice a month.
