Since I first started getting into fragrances, there are few things that have consistently brought me as much joy as Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez’s seminal work from 2008, Perfumes: The Guide. It’s served me as a invaluable point of reference while researching new perfumes to add to my collection, an easy-to-pick-up casual read (pick a page, any will do!), and…
Author: O. de Parfum
Some “Ones”: Thoughts on a Few Flankers of Dolce&Gabbana’s The One
Whoever named Dolce&Gabbana’s The One either has an excellent sense of irony or zero sense of foresight, because there are no less than ten different versions of The One currently or previously available, and I’m not counting any of the versions marketed towards men, but I digress. Last winter, I got a few different versions Not “The One”, Technically Speaking…
In Honor of the Royal Wedding This Weekend, Let’s Rank the Penhaligon’s Fragrances I Own
Every time there’s a royal wedding, I forget how much I don’t really care for royal weddings just long enough to be convinced I should pay attention. In my mind, royal weddings should be occasions for once-in-a-lifetime fantasy eleganza, so I want a church full of rich people flaunting their wealth in front of the rest of us peasants, not…
I’d Love to Talk About Serge Lutens’s Cèdre If I Could Ever Stop Thinking About Its Terrible Packaging
Early last fall when I was first dipping my toes into the horizonless ocean of perfume obsession, I asked my Facebook friends for fragrance suggestions. One of the responses I got was from a guy I had a crush on in college, and he suggested I look into Serge Lutens’s line. I was obviously touched that senpai finally noticed me, despite it…
Inquiring Noses Want to Know: What’s Your Favorite Cologne?
If I’m being honest, I’m not sure I have ever smelled a traditional cologne until only very recently. I’m not talking about the highly diluted concentration (eau de cologne) or the generic term for men’s fragrances (side note: it’s a trend that is both lazy and stupid, so please stop). No no, I’m talking about the good ol’ fashioned genre of…
A Few Cultural Reference Points Zoologist’s Moth Reminds Me Of
A few months back, when Zoologist Perfumes was announcing Moth on Instagram, I commented (scent unsmelled) that the Moth artwork was giving me “lots of glamor, for some reason, like fur coats with pearl bracelets over silk gloves.” I said I was living for it then, and now that I’ve finally spent a little time with Moth, I can confirm…
Zoologist Perfume’s Dragonfly, an Aquatic Antidote to the Summer Subway Blues
Nothing good comes from summertime in New York City. Everything outside is too hot, and everything inside is too cold. The underboob sweat struggle is real. The subway stations become circles of Hell where you play fun games like “What Is *That* Smell?” and “I Hope It’s Just Vomit!” Every subway car is packed except for the one that you’ll get onto…
Guerlain’s Joyeuse Tubéreuse, or, When Too(berose) Much Is Not Enough
[via Fragrantica] Y’know, I’m of two minds about Guerlain’s Joyeuse Tubéreuse. On one hand, Joyeuse Tubéreuse is undeniably gorgeous. It’s part of Guerlain’s L’Art et La Matiere line, each of which exists to celebrate a particular material in perfumery. They’re inarguably beautiful (hence L’Art), and since they’re using high quality materials (hence La Matiere), they’re set at price points that’ll…
Fine Fragrances: Guerlain’s Shalimar Souffle de Parfum
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fine Fragrances, a record of the less-than-stellar entries in the annals of perfumery. They’re not bad, per se, just quantifiably okay, capably pleasant in a pinch but too familiar or faceless to really thrill. Today in our running tally of all the fragrances on the lowest rungs of wearability (because wearing them is better than wearing nothing…
Fine Fragrances: Yves Saint Laurant’s Paris Premieres Roses
If you’re anything like me, you have a crippling and unquenchable thirst for fragrance a lot of perfumes! You’ve probably blind bought at least a few, and while there can definitely be some serious successes and happy accidents along the way, you’ve probably ended up with at least a few that make you go meh. They’re not bad, per se,…