Olfactics

  • Tubéreuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens

    Tubéreuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens

    Only Serge Lutens could do it. Only Serge could bend the extreme into a fantasy of the even more extreme. I remember my first experience with Tubéreuse Criminelle. I, a menthol virgin, was thrown into a whirl of indecisiveness. On wearing, one ponders how they should be feeling. As I smelt…

  • Helmut Lang Eau de Parfum by Helmut Lang

    The opening of this Eau de Parfum is positively electrifying – demonstrating great olfactive vibration from initial spray. The fragility of masculine convention is maintained, then distorted enough to achieve interesting effects. Initially and quickly, capture a wave of skin-soft musks, a plush, ephemerality of citruses that lift the scent,…

  • Secretions Magnifiques by Etat Libre d’Orange: A Social Experiment.

    In clear methodical style, reviewing Secretions Magnifiques differs totally from any other review I’ve done. Without obfuscation – Secretions Magnifiques is an absolutely appalling scent, reserved for those who derive pleasure from the most lurid and unpleasant experiences. But in saying this, Secretions Magnifiques is a magnificent work coming from concept;…

  • A Moment with Carlos Huber (Arquiste)

    A Moment with Carlos Huber (Arquiste)

    It’s my pleasure to introduce Carlos Huber to Olfactics, Creative Director and founder of Arquiste. I had the delight of sitting down with Mr. Huber to discuss all things scent related, and to smell his new fragrance NANBAN, which just recently launched in Australia. Arquiste is a brand I have…

  • Absolue Pour le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

    I intend to write this review without large mention or emphasis on the obvious qualities of this scent. For some, yes, the scent smells of urine and sweat: it is obvious that this scent is polarising. But to me, it is bewildering – wild, raunchy, containing a flaunting sexuality to…

  • Shalimar Parfum by Guerlain

    I rushed into Shalimar. I rushed into Shalimar, and I sort of … Missed its beauty. Well. No, that’s not entirely true. Comprehending Shalimar’s beauty is quite easy, far easier than L’Heure Bleue for instance, but Shalimar is the most enveloping, most arresting, and most outward in its transcendental beauty. It…

  • Aleksandr by Arquiste

    Perfume is a story. It doesn’t matter if the story is real or a product of make believe – but if I can close my eyes, inhale, and capture expansive landscapes, charismatic characters and/or romantic ideas, then the perfume is achieving one of its multifarious functions. It is my belief that…

  • Douro by Penhaligon’s

    Douro by Penhaligon’s

    I have an absurd love for securing a barbershop scent. I suspect it’s just a masculine (fragrance) thing, but one of the greatest thrills I have in the morning is waking up and having a shave. The ritual of the lather, the finely honed razor, the steam, all come together…

  • Cardinal by Heeley

    Cardinal by Heeley

    Heeley’s Cardinal swings between two very distinct poles. The subject of the fragrance is indeed incense, and yet in this instance it flashes back and fourth from two distinctly different manners of treating the material. From an ephemeral dreamlike work resembling the substantial lightness of Duchaufour’s excellent Timbuktu, then to a…

  • Jicky by Guerlain

    Jicky by Guerlain

    In my world, when you come of age you should receive a bottle of Jicky. When discussing the perfume and the legend of Jicky, the idea of nobility plays a central part. For one, Jicky catapults itself into a realm of near aristocracy. It presented the beginnings of modern perfumery: grand…