I love the house deep dives and the educational aspect of your essays but today reading about your adventures as a perfume fiend was a highlight. It made me happy to imagine you handing out perfume blotters and consultations like a tarot reader at work lol. Please keep enabling your coworkers!
You are a pleasure to read. Your comments are thoughtful and smart and your love of fragrance seems pure and unpretentious. It was a real treat to read this.
This was so cool! It's also so interesting to hear you say that about the Tsu Lange Yor perfumes - I also felt the same, quite shocked by how unusual they were and also intrigued specifically by 'Pool'... I'm always searching for a good tomato leaf note that doesn't bend too acrid (like the Maison Margiela one does for me).
Tomato leaf is a hard note to balance - I don't think I really enjoyed it in a perfume until I got my nose across 'Green Spell' from Eris. But yes, I gasped when I smelled Pool and made a lady across from me in the store jump a little!
Just wanted to say thanks for putting me onto the Tsu Lange Yor fragrances - I went and tested them at Mecca after your shout-out! You and I have little overlapping taste when it comes to fragrance but 'Pool' is FASCINATING. I get more coriander seed than tomato leaf on my skin, but that plus the cucumber makes me think of a sprinkler skipping over concrete on a hot day. I'm impressed!!
So I read this and immediately bought Moon Bloom sight unseen. I am just in love with the idea of it and can’t wait to smell it. I’ve been looking for a white floral fragrance for a while and this sounds exactly right
Update: it arrived today and I can’t stop smelling it. The coconut is so creamy without being suntan lotiony, it just ties all the white florals together and makes it a perfume. I adore this.
Spellbound was the subject of a succint review from Tania Sanchez in the first Perfumes: The Guide: “Frightens horses”. I have a mini bottle which I test wore outdoors in freezing temps. Nobody was frightened, horses included, but it gave me a headache. A less brutal experience was vintage Narcisse by Chloe. Have you tried it?
I think often of that review - 'medicated treacle'! It's been a long time since I smelled Narcisse but I recall finding it very White Diamonds, by which I mean gaudily delightful.
I was hoping for more daffodil (like Ostara) but Narcisse is very carnation and marigold heavy and vanilla to my nose. Even though it was launched in the early nineties she’s definitely an 80s gal. The kind of floriental that is better enjoyed from afar, preferably in a well ventilated area - lol! The perfumer is listed as IFF but Denyse Beaulieu hypothesized it might have been Betty Busse (who created other frags for Chloe). In any case, I am off to hunt for Fleur de Narcisse by Anne Flipo which may have a better daffodil
On interesting indie perfume brands, have you tried La Curie? Their perfumes are really otherworldly. Ossuary is my favorite, it’s such a dry violet. I’m not sure how wearable some of the are—but they sure are interesting.
I've tried 'Incendo', which I found to be one of those smoky perfumes that leans a bit too barbecue for my tastes, but I need to explore them further! I think we can agree there are some perfumes that are created for us to smell, admire, and to never ever wear.
I love this format! I'd also be very curious to hear more of your thoughts on Tsu Lange Yor– I received a discovery set for Christmas and have been fascinated by all of the fragrances. Pool is incredible, but I can't stop wearing Luca (and foresee a full-size bottle purchase in my future). The set also included their newest, Sala, which is humid and vegetal in a way that brought to mind indoor waterparks (??) and my grandparents' old bulk herbal lotion. Looking forward to reading more of your newsletters– thanks for sharing!
Thank you for saying so - to be honest I was hesitant about the format because my weeks are usually quite boring! The TLY scents really surprised me - they smell like they've been ruthlessly art directed, which I love. I'm considering getting the discovery set myself.
Ooo I haven’t played with Moon Bloom for a while … it’s been in my “Revisit-May be full bottle worthy” for several years now. Think I’ll check the viability of whatever is left of my sample stash and dig up my old notes. Yay! A new(old) fragrance rabbit hole to stick my nose into this week!
What a beautiful read, thank you. How do you handle scent trails from what you wore the previous day? I find that when I wear well-performing perfumes that are very different from one day to the next, my scarves, clothes and bed linens (and sometimes my skin even after showering) retain all of those scents and it doesn't always match nicely.
I love the house deep dives and the educational aspect of your essays but today reading about your adventures as a perfume fiend was a highlight. It made me happy to imagine you handing out perfume blotters and consultations like a tarot reader at work lol. Please keep enabling your coworkers!
I so enjoyed this diary type essay. You are an excellent writer. Thank you.
You are a pleasure to read. Your comments are thoughtful and smart and your love of fragrance seems pure and unpretentious. It was a real treat to read this.
This was so cool! It's also so interesting to hear you say that about the Tsu Lange Yor perfumes - I also felt the same, quite shocked by how unusual they were and also intrigued specifically by 'Pool'... I'm always searching for a good tomato leaf note that doesn't bend too acrid (like the Maison Margiela one does for me).
Tomato leaf is a hard note to balance - I don't think I really enjoyed it in a perfume until I got my nose across 'Green Spell' from Eris. But yes, I gasped when I smelled Pool and made a lady across from me in the store jump a little!
Your comment reminded me of the sample I've got of 'Green Spell' -- and so wearing it today!
Just wanted to say thanks for putting me onto the Tsu Lange Yor fragrances - I went and tested them at Mecca after your shout-out! You and I have little overlapping taste when it comes to fragrance but 'Pool' is FASCINATING. I get more coriander seed than tomato leaf on my skin, but that plus the cucumber makes me think of a sprinkler skipping over concrete on a hot day. I'm impressed!!
So I read this and immediately bought Moon Bloom sight unseen. I am just in love with the idea of it and can’t wait to smell it. I’ve been looking for a white floral fragrance for a while and this sounds exactly right
Update: it arrived today and I can’t stop smelling it. The coconut is so creamy without being suntan lotiony, it just ties all the white florals together and makes it a perfume. I adore this.
This makes me so, so happy!
I really loved this week in the life essay! I absolutely adore your writing no matter what
I really enjoyed this so much! Beautiful writing.
Spellbound was the subject of a succint review from Tania Sanchez in the first Perfumes: The Guide: “Frightens horses”. I have a mini bottle which I test wore outdoors in freezing temps. Nobody was frightened, horses included, but it gave me a headache. A less brutal experience was vintage Narcisse by Chloe. Have you tried it?
I think often of that review - 'medicated treacle'! It's been a long time since I smelled Narcisse but I recall finding it very White Diamonds, by which I mean gaudily delightful.
I was hoping for more daffodil (like Ostara) but Narcisse is very carnation and marigold heavy and vanilla to my nose. Even though it was launched in the early nineties she’s definitely an 80s gal. The kind of floriental that is better enjoyed from afar, preferably in a well ventilated area - lol! The perfumer is listed as IFF but Denyse Beaulieu hypothesized it might have been Betty Busse (who created other frags for Chloe). In any case, I am off to hunt for Fleur de Narcisse by Anne Flipo which may have a better daffodil
On interesting indie perfume brands, have you tried La Curie? Their perfumes are really otherworldly. Ossuary is my favorite, it’s such a dry violet. I’m not sure how wearable some of the are—but they sure are interesting.
I've tried 'Incendo', which I found to be one of those smoky perfumes that leans a bit too barbecue for my tastes, but I need to explore them further! I think we can agree there are some perfumes that are created for us to smell, admire, and to never ever wear.
I love this format! I'd also be very curious to hear more of your thoughts on Tsu Lange Yor– I received a discovery set for Christmas and have been fascinated by all of the fragrances. Pool is incredible, but I can't stop wearing Luca (and foresee a full-size bottle purchase in my future). The set also included their newest, Sala, which is humid and vegetal in a way that brought to mind indoor waterparks (??) and my grandparents' old bulk herbal lotion. Looking forward to reading more of your newsletters– thanks for sharing!
Thank you for saying so - to be honest I was hesitant about the format because my weeks are usually quite boring! The TLY scents really surprised me - they smell like they've been ruthlessly art directed, which I love. I'm considering getting the discovery set myself.
Ooo I haven’t played with Moon Bloom for a while … it’s been in my “Revisit-May be full bottle worthy” for several years now. Think I’ll check the viability of whatever is left of my sample stash and dig up my old notes. Yay! A new(old) fragrance rabbit hole to stick my nose into this week!
That’s an absolutely perfect description of Avignon. I love wearing it on orthodox holidays for no other reason than being a churchy weirdo.
What a beautiful read, thank you. How do you handle scent trails from what you wore the previous day? I find that when I wear well-performing perfumes that are very different from one day to the next, my scarves, clothes and bed linens (and sometimes my skin even after showering) retain all of those scents and it doesn't always match nicely.