How Do You Describe A Smell?

One of the things that fascinates me about the fragrance community is how everyone describes how something smells. Combining this with my obsession with language I wanted to make a post about how people describe fragrances and how effective the methods are.

We are going to get a little bit philosophical now, hold on to your hats (or pipes)...

Josh Asks - Whose nose is more important, yours or your partner's?

Josh doesn't "do" perfume.

He wears Tom Ford For Men because his girlfriend's mum bought it for him.

However one evening in the pub he started asking some great questions so I started a feature called "Josh Asks..."

The full question is -

Whose nose is more important, yours or your partner's?

Do Tastes Change?

I spoke to Rob Armstrong (Youtube Reviewer) about whether tastes change over time, particularly as you get more into fragrance as a hobby. Below is the transcript, my words in bold.



So, you've been wearing fragrance for how many years Rob?

Review - Frapin "L'Humaniste"

Dam you.

Dam you short lived sensation.
Fading sunset.
Ephemeral beauty.
The subtle lure that longs for permanence but knows it's appeal lies in the very thing that makes my soul twist with anguish - low longevity. (Too dramatic?)

Josh Asks - What Deodorant Should You Use?

Josh doesn't "do" perfume.

He wears Tom Ford For Men because his girlfriend's mum bought it for him.

However one evening in the pub he started asking some great questions so I started a feature called "Josh Asks..."



Today's question -

"With male deodorants nowadays being heavily scented how does that work with selecting your perfume?"

Interview with Greg Frag-Head - Fragrances For Special Occassions

I love the community around fragrance and wanted to add more interaction to my blog posts rather than just a review or my opinions.

I was chatting to a man called Greg "Frag-Head" online and realised that what we were discussing could make decent material for a blog post with a different format than the usual reviews.

Review - Bottega Veneta "Pour Homme"

Distinct

I find there are broadly two types of perfume composition, blended or distinct. The distinct style has obvious and distinctly detectable notes throughout the dry-down whereas the blended one can have lots of notes but they are less discernible as individual pieces. Instead they give a merged quality throughout.

Josh Asks - Does Consumption Influence Perfume Development?

Josh doesn't "do" perfume.

He wears Tom Ford For Men because his girlfriend's mum bought it for him.

However one evening in the pub he started asking some great questions so I started a feature called "Josh Asks..."

Josh's full question is

"What impact does the way fragrances are bought have on how they're developed? There is a nose bamboozling mix of smells in shops so surely brands are trying to make a big impact on that first sniff, does that impact overall quality?"

Short answer - Yes, you can design something just to sell.

Long answer-

Review - Dior "Eau Sauvage Extreme"

You smell like my grandad.

Is that a compliment?

Yeah, he always smelt good.

I think that comment perfectly summarises ESX and I could do this as a brief review, however that doesn't really give you an idea of what the scent is like, so I shall continue.

Wall of Scent - An Afternoon with Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays

I recently attended "The Wall of Scent" hosted by Sarah McCartney who runs 4160 Tuesdays, a British perfumery based in London.

On this day you spend time sniffing a variety of scents from Sarah McCartney's collection as she educates your nose.

Some of them are originals that you can no longer buy (Vintage Chanel), some are hard to find, and some are easy to find (Justin Bieber. No joke.)

So much to smell!

"Why I Don't Like Florals"

I wrote an article for fellow perfume blogger "The Smelly Vagabond" after we were discussing florals.

You can read it on his blog here.

Review - L'Artisan Parfumeur "Dzing!"

I love an odd scent, one that makes me pull my head back in surprise and say with wide eyes,

"Ooh, how strange!"

Made by Olivia Giacobetti, apparently she was given free reign with this and I guess this is what happens when a perfumer lets their hair down.

Before reading any further I encourage you to smell this yourself and form an opinion first before reading my interpretation so that your sniff isn't clouded by expectations.

Review - Six Scents "M"

The full title of this should be-

Six Scents - Series 3 - Number 6 - M by Ohne Titel and Yann Vasnier

Quite a mouthful.

I await the day that I wear M and am asked what aftershave I'm wearing, I'll probably just say M.

Review - 4160 Tuesdays "The Dark Heart of Old Havana"

I like it but I wouldn't wear it regularly.

It's skanky sweet, filthy nasty. Yet it absolutely works.

I can totally see why it has divided opinion online, however it suffers from the expectation curse whereby people read "Havana" and wanted it to smell a certain way, thereby disregarding what it actually smells like.

Review - Dior "Fahrenheit 32"

I wanted Fahrenheit, the (literal) father scent.

When I arrived at the Dior counter I saw numerous flankers and thought I might as well have a sniff of some, I could be pleasantly surprised. Most were guff. Nowhere as good as the original.

Then there was Fahrenheit 32. I immediately thought ugh, this is awful synthetic nonsense. I was after Fahrenheit and this couldn't be further from the stuff.

Review - Bvlgari "Black"

Sometimes notes in a perfume strike out like rectangular speed bumps, very jarring and obvious. But if that bump is rounded, it fits within the composition in such a way as to say yes, this note is here, but blended smoothly to the whole.

Squash Ball

And that's what Black does.

It's a day of handling thick rubber tractor tyres, dusting off your hands, wiping your forehead and breathing in the slightly acrid aroma.

Review - 4160 Tuesdays "Invisible Ben"

I know when I've found a good scent because of two things -

1. It makes me smile when I smell it
2. I keep sniffing my arm on the way home.

Although this fragrance was designed for the person who doesn't wear perfume I think it would be folly to ignore it on this basis. Is it safe? Yes, but not in the generic modern fragrance sense.

Review - Comme des Garcons "Wonderoud"

I got a sample of this from a lovely lady in House of Fraser-

The oud is shown here as the gold interlaced between the cracked wood.

If you liked Wonderwood, you will probably like this. I found them both a bit too harsh on the dry woods for my liking.

An Introduction

Welcome,

This blog intends to document my travels through the wonderful world of perfume.
Perfume has been a long standing interest of mine, from using dad's Opium and Fahrenheit, to wearing JPG Le Male at school, to buying my first Creed fragrance.

But now it's getting serious!