Olfactics

  • Patterns of Thought (at First Sniff) – May 2020

    Patterns of Thought (at First Sniff) – May 2020

    Here I discuss three fragrances that I’ve worn during the month, letting my thoughts about them brew in the unconscious, and then emerge spontaneously. Therefore, the entirety of this post is written in one sitting: from conception to publication.

  • Six Years In: Thoughts Stemming From an Empty Bottle of Brin de Réglisse

    Six Years In: Thoughts Stemming From an Empty Bottle of Brin de Réglisse

    My bottle of Brin de Réglisse (Hermès 2004) is by and large, empty. I’m saving those final squirts – but I do spritz it every so often. It is at once my reference for good perfume, and a key to my personal history, down the sentimental tunnel of time past.…

  • Eau Lente by Diptyque (1986)

    Eau Lente by Diptyque (1986)

    Photo by Diptyque. Eau Lente by Diptyque has what I’m confident in calling the Diptyque smell – in the way a Diptyque aroma like this smells secondary, as if it comes at you from a distance. Carried along by a gentle scented cloud, as if it always almost eludes you,…

  • Cèdre by Serge Lutens (2005)

    Cèdre by Serge Lutens (2005)

    Cèdre by Serge Lutens (2005) It would be highly tempting to dismiss this scent directly off the cuff if you knew nothing about it other than its name, as some sort of outrageous trash with this semi-hairspray bubblegum style top note on opening. “This is supposed to be cèdre [cedar]!”,…

  • Spice Must Flow, 500 Years, and Experimentum Crucis by Etat Libre d’Orange

    Spice Must Flow, 500 Years, and Experimentum Crucis by Etat Libre d’Orange

    Prologue: Isolation in Two Senses On these two senses: there’s the self-imposed social-distancing I am practicing, as a member of this global community, and a sort of mental isolation. On the latter: a retreat into perfume – a real treat it is to be able to take the time to…

  • Incense Rosé by Tauer Perfumes

    Incense Rosé by Tauer Perfumes

    Incense Rosé (Andy Tauer, 2008) is the work of a rare genius. It is a fragrance situated amongst a corpus of work where it is at constant risk of being overlooked, plainly due to the excellent company it keeps. But, as good taste prevails, Incense Rosé stands completely on its…

  • Monthly Musings: On Approach – What Do I Need to Know Before I Begin to Know? (April 2019)

    On Approach: What Do I Need to Know Before I Begin to Know? April 2019 Consider my question in this way: it begins with an event, and a manner of entering into this event. Consider this event in the instance of perfume analysis. Firstly, is analysis the right word here?…

  • Nishane: Múnegu and Pachulí Kozha

    Nishane: Múnegu and Pachulí Kozha

    Múnegu (Rating: 4 / 5) Múnegu is the sort of fragrance that sets up a distinction between two sorts: those who know fragrance, and those who simply wear the stuff. It reminds me of my first experience with both Guerlain’s Vetiver and Chanel’s Cuir de Russie. The former appeared to…

  • Chris Rusak: Quasi Una Absurdia, Io, and 33

    Chris Rusak: Quasi Una Absurdia, Io, and 33

    Quasi Una Absurdia (Rating: 4 / 5) Consider this gem. In the first instance, QUA could be construed as a well-executed homage-qua-synthesis of two greats: the plush blue quiet of Guerlain’s L’Heure Bleue, and the rich intensity of Bal a Versailles. It’s as if Bal came along and told L’Heure…

  • Return to Form? Agar Ebene (Hermès) and Other Scents

    Return to Form? Agar Ebene (Hermès) and Other Scents

    I left the fragrance writing scene in January this year, my last post – but if I’m being genuine – I left that scene much earlier. I open Olfactics and look at all the posts with a strange feeling. It was always a springboard for some deeper conversation, really. I…