"(I’ve also got an empty page with the title ‘the scent of Sylvia Plath’s fig tree’ sitting in my drafts. No idea what I was thinking at the time. But it is a good concept to chew on...)"
PLEASE PLEASE CHEW MICCAELI I WOULD GIVE UP A NOSTRIL IF IT MEANT I GOT TO READ THIS
And happy new year! Your newsletter is amongst the best things I have read in 2025 :)
What an astute observation I love this "All the other elements of a perfume - price, creator, context, content, form - can be sloughed away and one can focus only on a feeling, and you would still be able to describe a perfume." ❣️
Love your writing, and this unicorn of a fig perfume sounds like such a treasure. As a fellow Aussie, I like to support local business where possible too. Fragrance for me, like you, really does stir up memories of the whole context around the purchase! It's magic like that. When I wear fig-forward fragrances, I can't help but smile thinking of my nonno's tree :)
Thank you for your writing, it is such a treat every week, and for introducing me to some of the best things I have smelt this year. Mxxx is now my favourite ever perfume, and I have gone on to explore other ambergris-based scents, including The Grudge by Beaufort and Musc des Sables, and more of Antoine Lie’s work, including the Les Indemodables discovery set. My samples of Ambre Russe and four more Parfum d’Empire are arriving tomorrow, so I have days of happy sniffing ahead! I’ve even tried Passage d’Enfer. And when I smelt Apotecario by Granado, I thought of your article on Quentin Bisch. I think he might have enjoyed formulating that one, with its bizarre medicinal/shoe polish opening which on my skin becomes a lovely tonka and myrrh.
I’m looking forward very much to your take on L’Entropiste and other perfumers’ brands, and on Zara, and thank you for the giveaway. Happy new year!
Gosh, that description of gift stores/local boutiques in Australian towns is so it. But also, the experience of truffling out the perfume section is like no other. I’m always curious about how they stock the perfume. This side of buying is endlessly fascinating to me.
I’m going to add the Woody Fig to my list immediately. It’s one of my favourite notes yet I still haven’t quite found something that tipped me into full bottle territory. In terms of photorealism, both Le Labo The Noir 29 and Profumum Roma Ichnusa (eponymously, of course) perfectly capture the sultriness of Sardinian figs in their wild, hot, herbal native landscape. Even so, they’re still not giving quite what I need. At this point I’m leaning towards Olfactive Studio Panorama as the wasabi and galbanum manage to bring the weird, steamy electric green that I ultimately want in my first full bottle fig.
And related: with fig and the Sylvia Plath in mind, I’m also interested in your thoughts on how freauently in recent years fig is being paired with salt. Is there a poeticism to this that I’m missing or is it simply hyper-literal note storytelling? This is the number one thing holding me back from sampling Arquiste A Grove By The Sea which otherwise presents as heaven in a bottle — many salty fig vials backing up my box of shame.
I was going to come back and recommend A Grove By The Sea - @aoife if you’re in Australia I can send you a sample! It’s sweeter and creamier than I expected. Kind of like eating brie and fig in a forest with the ocean nearby haha
Awwww, thank you so much, Liv! You are an angel ❤️ I don't know when I'll be back in Aus so I will gratefully decline for now. Your thoughts are so appreciated though! You've made me even more curious and I'll add it to my January samples order. Happy new year xx
This article has me thinking about top notes and a perfume as a whole - specifically because of the difference between appreciating a perfume for its artistry and wanting to wear it all day. And I’d be curious to see how others approach this too.
Recently this came up when sampling Frassai Ajedraz which is meant to evoke a chess match. The opening is amazing - dusty, academic/museum diorama hall smelling, like an old office filled with old printed books and handwritten ink on dry, decades old paper. I would want to wear this all day.
This lasts for 5 - 10 minutes max, then turns entirely boring and one note-ish to my nose and the thing is way worse for it.
So, does the 10 minutes make it great, or does it make it sad when it goes away and leaves ordinary? Not sure how to think about this, but it fits easily now in the non-wearing department.
You see this of course all over where top notes are so fleeting and have nothing to do with the rest of it - and feels like a marketing gimmick at its worst.
Anyway - thanks for the post that triggered some musing!
I wish I could figure out a way to send you my half-bottle of 2012-ish Gris Clair... if I had the money to travel to you and hand-deliver I would in a flash. You are so valuable as a writer and nose (and person!).
When you mentioned Bowral and then fig I thought you were going to talk about Perfume & Skincare Company’s Fig and Olive. I first read about it maybe 6 years ago and still haven’t tried it. Have you?
I love your articulate and researched perfume writing. I wait until my schedule is clear before I read your Substack, watch Steven Gontarski’s YouTube updates and listen to Paperback Perfumes podcast so I can give them my undivided attention.
I love your substack posts. I savor them every Sunday. I was right there with you as you were describing finding the magical shop in Bowral. That is one of my all time favorite types of shops to find too. I feel like every perfume is a potion or a spell and as I sniff them I am transported or I experience something in the way that only the power of smell can do. Cheers and thank you!
I’ve so enjoyed discovering your substack this year! Your perfume writing makes me want to reexamine the fragrances I have, and connect them back to something broader than just personal taste. Nice to think a bit more deeply about why we’re drawn to what we’re drawn to, plus you always throws up interesting new discoveries to explore!
What a gift your writing is to read! I look forward to every Sunday post and can’t wait to read more of your writing in 2026. 💖
I love your writing! Just an FYI your form for the contest says it is over its quota :)
Hi Lisa, thank you so much! Link is all fixed now, thank you for the notice 💞
Still/again says to me it's over the quota...
"(I’ve also got an empty page with the title ‘the scent of Sylvia Plath’s fig tree’ sitting in my drafts. No idea what I was thinking at the time. But it is a good concept to chew on...)"
PLEASE PLEASE CHEW MICCAELI I WOULD GIVE UP A NOSTRIL IF IT MEANT I GOT TO READ THIS
And happy new year! Your newsletter is amongst the best things I have read in 2025 :)
I just thoroughly enjoy your style of writing, please keep up your highly interesting musings.
What an astute observation I love this "All the other elements of a perfume - price, creator, context, content, form - can be sloughed away and one can focus only on a feeling, and you would still be able to describe a perfume." ❣️
Happy New Year 2U & for your Sense &Scents!🥳
Love your writing, and this unicorn of a fig perfume sounds like such a treasure. As a fellow Aussie, I like to support local business where possible too. Fragrance for me, like you, really does stir up memories of the whole context around the purchase! It's magic like that. When I wear fig-forward fragrances, I can't help but smile thinking of my nonno's tree :)
Thank you for your writing, it is such a treat every week, and for introducing me to some of the best things I have smelt this year. Mxxx is now my favourite ever perfume, and I have gone on to explore other ambergris-based scents, including The Grudge by Beaufort and Musc des Sables, and more of Antoine Lie’s work, including the Les Indemodables discovery set. My samples of Ambre Russe and four more Parfum d’Empire are arriving tomorrow, so I have days of happy sniffing ahead! I’ve even tried Passage d’Enfer. And when I smelt Apotecario by Granado, I thought of your article on Quentin Bisch. I think he might have enjoyed formulating that one, with its bizarre medicinal/shoe polish opening which on my skin becomes a lovely tonka and myrrh.
I’m looking forward very much to your take on L’Entropiste and other perfumers’ brands, and on Zara, and thank you for the giveaway. Happy new year!
As soon as your newsletter hits my inbox I JUMP at it- I have a sample of Bengal Rouge en route thanks to you. (Also, I’m wearing Olympea today 😆)
Gosh, that description of gift stores/local boutiques in Australian towns is so it. But also, the experience of truffling out the perfume section is like no other. I’m always curious about how they stock the perfume. This side of buying is endlessly fascinating to me.
I’m going to add the Woody Fig to my list immediately. It’s one of my favourite notes yet I still haven’t quite found something that tipped me into full bottle territory. In terms of photorealism, both Le Labo The Noir 29 and Profumum Roma Ichnusa (eponymously, of course) perfectly capture the sultriness of Sardinian figs in their wild, hot, herbal native landscape. Even so, they’re still not giving quite what I need. At this point I’m leaning towards Olfactive Studio Panorama as the wasabi and galbanum manage to bring the weird, steamy electric green that I ultimately want in my first full bottle fig.
And related: with fig and the Sylvia Plath in mind, I’m also interested in your thoughts on how freauently in recent years fig is being paired with salt. Is there a poeticism to this that I’m missing or is it simply hyper-literal note storytelling? This is the number one thing holding me back from sampling Arquiste A Grove By The Sea which otherwise presents as heaven in a bottle — many salty fig vials backing up my box of shame.
Looking forward to more of your writing in 2026!
I was going to come back and recommend A Grove By The Sea - @aoife if you’re in Australia I can send you a sample! It’s sweeter and creamier than I expected. Kind of like eating brie and fig in a forest with the ocean nearby haha
Awwww, thank you so much, Liv! You are an angel ❤️ I don't know when I'll be back in Aus so I will gratefully decline for now. Your thoughts are so appreciated though! You've made me even more curious and I'll add it to my January samples order. Happy new year xx
This article has me thinking about top notes and a perfume as a whole - specifically because of the difference between appreciating a perfume for its artistry and wanting to wear it all day. And I’d be curious to see how others approach this too.
Recently this came up when sampling Frassai Ajedraz which is meant to evoke a chess match. The opening is amazing - dusty, academic/museum diorama hall smelling, like an old office filled with old printed books and handwritten ink on dry, decades old paper. I would want to wear this all day.
This lasts for 5 - 10 minutes max, then turns entirely boring and one note-ish to my nose and the thing is way worse for it.
So, does the 10 minutes make it great, or does it make it sad when it goes away and leaves ordinary? Not sure how to think about this, but it fits easily now in the non-wearing department.
You see this of course all over where top notes are so fleeting and have nothing to do with the rest of it - and feels like a marketing gimmick at its worst.
Anyway - thanks for the post that triggered some musing!
Thank you for the writing and have a very happy new year! It's been a joy to read.
I wish I could figure out a way to send you my half-bottle of 2012-ish Gris Clair... if I had the money to travel to you and hand-deliver I would in a flash. You are so valuable as a writer and nose (and person!).
When you mentioned Bowral and then fig I thought you were going to talk about Perfume & Skincare Company’s Fig and Olive. I first read about it maybe 6 years ago and still haven’t tried it. Have you?
I love your articulate and researched perfume writing. I wait until my schedule is clear before I read your Substack, watch Steven Gontarski’s YouTube updates and listen to Paperback Perfumes podcast so I can give them my undivided attention.
I love your substack posts. I savor them every Sunday. I was right there with you as you were describing finding the magical shop in Bowral. That is one of my all time favorite types of shops to find too. I feel like every perfume is a potion or a spell and as I sniff them I am transported or I experience something in the way that only the power of smell can do. Cheers and thank you!
I’ve so enjoyed discovering your substack this year! Your perfume writing makes me want to reexamine the fragrances I have, and connect them back to something broader than just personal taste. Nice to think a bit more deeply about why we’re drawn to what we’re drawn to, plus you always throws up interesting new discoveries to explore!