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A Treatise on Spice: Spices in Perfumery
The chef protests that he is nothing without his spices. The perfumer protests that he is nothing without the high quality of his raw materials. I protest that spice notes are an indispensable part of the perfumer’s palette, adding not only to the aroma, but to the structure and the…
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Monthly Musings: Clouds, March 2017
It is clear that my original conception of the Monthly Musings format has not been satisfied in more recent posts. But, that’s ok. I just muse on and on about justification. Writing meaningful reviews continues to shift upwards in difficulty, forecasted in posts as far back as 2015. The reviewer…
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Jasmin Angélique by Atelier Cologne
Atelier Cologne’s Jasmin Angélique does a few things right, and then it does quite a few things wrong. It is able to showcase the broad range of jasmine, starting with the squeaky volume of the white flower, fixed with petals made of rubber and positioned to demonstrate indoles cut with…
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Meaning in Fragrance: Maduro by Fort & Manlé
There are considerable, crucial moments in perfume writing and consideration that it begins to change and shape the way you think about scent. A shift towards the most critical is what has shaped my writing on the blog, and in order to achieve that a breadth of perspective is demanded.…
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Gris Clair by Serge Lutens
I cannot think of a fragrance that captures solitude and reflection more effectively than Gris Clair, altogether able to find itself quiet yet intense. It is indeed a scent of light grey, but in no way evoking a melancholic mood. Instead, it is the olfactory equivalent of isolated deep thought.…
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Monthly Musings: Justification, February 2017
A whole mishmash for blog readers in this post! Upon self-reflection, a theme I have picked up on is reflexivity, spurred quite clearly by the comments from others on my blog posts. I make an intense effort to ensure utmost transparency and have quite clearly from time to time dedicated…
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Inexcusable Ropion: Cologne Indélébile from Frederic Malle and Soul by Costume National
No perfumer is without their faults. Cologne Indélébile From Frederic Malle Original Score: 5/5 First Posted July 2, 2015 Maxim: Divorce functionality from critical scent analysis. Fragrance isn’t practical, and judging Cologne Indélébile on that merit was plainly spurious of me. That ought not to be a condition in judging…
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Cristalle Eau Verte by Chanel
The seasoned, well-considered reviewer in my mind will often find themselves torn against multiple perspectives when analysing a scent. This is an old and often repeated theme found on this blog, as the subjective/objective perspectives are merged together to the best of my critical abilities. Despite attempts for the objective to outweigh…
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Monthly Musings: Conditions & Maxims, January 2017
The 2nd edition of Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible has recently come into my possession. I appreciate and find it totally collectible to obtain as many reference books and encyclopaedias as I can on topics that interest me. Philosophy encyclopaedias are a given, wine books are relatively easy to come by, and texts…
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Phoenicia by Heeley
Phoenicia smells like an old fragrance situated in an old place, drawing its inspiration from ancient cues and ingredients. It evokes exactly what you’d expect when an ancient coastal Levantine civilisation is involved. Phoenicia involves a seemingly total absence of florality and citrus, instead harnessing a new effect of freshness in an unorthodox…
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Olfactics 