scent
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The Scents of This (2026) Summer
My enthusiasm for perfume goes up and down. I discovered the world of niche fragrances almost 20 years ago and was in a full obsession mode for years. Since then, I have calmed down and there are periods where I buy hardly any scents at all (at least by my own definition, I guess most people would still consider it too much). And then there are times when the old flame flares again and I think about perfume an inordinate amount. This summer has been one of those times.
10 Perfumes I Have Been Wearing Recently
Marina asked somewhere in the comments whether I was going to do a post about my autumn perfumes this year. I have to admit this isn’t quite it, it’s just an overview of things I’ve bought and worn recently, so it has more of an end-of-summer, early autumn vibe than a true, rich October-November feel. Many of these I would wear year round, though, so let’s not get too hung up on seasonality and simply talk about the scents.
Celine Eau de Californie: French Elegance in a Bottle
or perfume are somehow by default superior to things made everywhere else. This is mostly because I resent the implication that some nations are innately more ‘stylish’ than others and also because the idea of French style, as it’s stereotypically presented*, seems restrictive and elitist to me.
10 Fragrances I Cannot Live Without
The title is of course a lie – I am currently out of at least two perfumes mentioned here and I am still very much alive (although perhaps this explains my recent health troubles…). But a follower on Instagram asked me to provide such a list and I thought: why not? I have enough experience with wearing and paying attention to perfume by now to select scents that I’m reasonably confident I’ll not change my mind about any time soon.
Neela Vermeire’s Trayee: A Spicy Masterpiece
I’m not easily intimidated when it comes to reviewing perfume – it is not Newtonian physics, where there’s only one correct answer. You smell what you smell, everyone’s perceptions are different and equally valid (if not necessarily equally detailed, knowledgeable or interesting). Reviewing Trayee gave me pause, however. It is such a complex and multifaceted perfume that I’m not sure I’m able to even capture the general mood, not to mention the nuances.
(Cire) Trudon Bruma and Its Siblings
Cire Trudon, the iconic French candle maker, launched its perfume line about two years ago. Since then, Trudon Bruma has been on my to-buy list, but 180 euros is quite an investment – and I own several iris perfumes already. The reason I am able to properly ..
The Inexplicable Appeal of Poppy & Barley
I am frankly quite puzzled when it comes to my attraction to Poppy & Barley. Jo Malone is in general not known for ground-breaking compositions, but this one is literally non-descript. I have spent several years smelling and describing perfume, with a modera..
Parfums de Nicolaï: The Most Underrated Fragrance Brand in the World?
Perfume business is a weird business. It seems so simple: obviously, people would just buy perfumes that smell the best to them, right? In reality, the whole thing is so heavily influenced by hard-core marketing, prestige, status, group-think and aesthetic c..
Ormonde Jayne Champaca: An Unusual, Addictive Floral
Ormonde Jayne, a niche London fragrance brand, was among my absolute favourites when I became seriously interested in perfume – more than 10 years ago now. Their original line-up was diverse but coherent and there were no duds in the bunch; from the gorgeous..
Dark Romance: Tom Ford’s Velvet Gardenia
It is interesting how any type of nerd culture can simultaneously connect and isolate you. I love to be a part of things like the big Marvel Avengers moment, but also get impatient with people who watch it, but don’t ‘get’ it (I do try not to be a knob about..