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Black Eau de Toilette by Comme des Garcons is a Oriental Woody fragrance for women and men. Black Eau de Toilette was launched in 2013. The

Modern dark smoky addictive perfume, men and women can both wear it. White and black packaging with logo of Comme des Garçons Black stores. Notes: black pepper from Madagascar, incense of Somalia, leather, liquorice, birch tar, pepperwood, cedarwood, vetiver

Not to single anyone out, but there's a jar of black liquorice in the wooden herbal medicine cupboard next to the yarrow and nettle, and I certainly didn't put it there.

While I make the out-of-place discovery, a neighbour two streets over is burning raked leaves. With my face buried in the herbal cupboard - why on God's green earth is there a jar of fucking liquorice in here? - I'm too far away to enjoy the primal bonfire smell, but I can detect that someone is burning something organic nearby.

Black pepper, without the tickling note that makes you sneeze, joins the black liquorice in the wooden herbal medicine cupboard. Instead of being another misplaced food item, it somehow unifies the pepper, liquorice, and cedar, and the complementary trio pushes the strong medicinal scent aside.

Frankincense - not just "incense", but very-absolutely olibanum - charges to the front of the race after 10 minutes of aerobics (my preferred time to test perfume is when I'm exercising), overtaking the black pepper, liquorice, and cedar, though only by a short distance.

This is fucking heaven. It's smoky, but not burny; it's mysterious, yet naive in its captivation. Frankincense holds its distance as the clear front-runner, keeping the pepper and liquorice from turning into permanent-marker black.

Alas, my visit to heaven was brief. (😭) After about 15 minutes, frankincense loses momentum and is overtaken by the other runners. It's still very much in the race, but the new configuration of the three competing notes isn't as wow-inducing as when frankincense was in the lead.

Black pepper, liquorice, cedar, and frankincense somehow coalesce into gingerbread, the proper old-fashioned European kind that tastes better five months after baking. No heavy sugar glaze, no dusting of powdery icing sugar, just a dense, almost-stiff loaf of gingerbread that can be sliced like black rye.

And I mean, it's a good gingerbread. It's actually a really fucking nice gingerbread. If I were looking for a gingerbread that wasn't too gourmand but still clearly gingerbread, Black would be the hands-down winner. But for 15 minutes, I got to experience heaven, and how does "a really fucking nice" gingerbread even compete with that? Exactly.

(TBH, I'm tempted to retest this one to see whether a more generous application will lead to a longer trip to heaven.)

⚜️ Black, by Comme des Garçons

#review #Black #Comme des Garçons #Guillaume Flavigny

zarya-zaryanitsa

May is objectively the best month to be alive in Poland and I intend to smell like May whole year round.

#lilac and gooseberries you say? 👀#wishlist #zarya-zaryanitsa

Oud Al Sahraa by Parfums Berdoues is a Oriental Woody fragrance for women and men. Oud Al Sahraa was launched in 2015. The nose behind this

"Created by Christian Vermorel, this sensual EDP uses the honoured practices of French high perfumery to form a powerful and charming fragrance that pays homage to the voluptuous and bewitching note of Oud Wood. From the Arabic: "Oud Al Sahraa" or "Oud of the desert", it conjures up the land of the Orient, blending notes of Italian Mandarin Peel with Namibian Myrrh and Malaysian Agarwood Oud to create an impactful olfactory cocktail." [X]

When the first thing Brain shouts is "ALCOHOL!", you know you need to give the perfume a few long seconds to settle before leaning in for a second hit. 🙄

I don't know if they do this anymore, but back when I was a kid in the 80s, part of your dental treatment routine was a fluoride soak. There was a choice of 5-8 flavours, and the ones that sounded most appetising to a child's palate were always the most disgusting approximations of flavour imaginable (I'm talking about you, "chocolate").

After selecting your flavour, the dentist would fill a pair of foamy-plastic dental guards with fluoride, which had the consistency of Elmer's Glue, and you would bite down on the guards to soak your teeth for several minutes while you were shamed for not flossing and/or not brushing adequately.

If you've never had the pleasure of experiencing the treatment and now feel a sudden void in your life, I have good news for you - especially if you were the freak-child who would've requested something distinctly citrusy - the mandarin note in Oud Al Sahraa is spot-on for orange-flavoured fluoride.

(Just to be clear, I was not a citrusy freak-child. Undiagnosed autism was systematically working its way through all the flavours offered to find the least offensive. I'm willing to concede, though, that orange fluoride was less disgusting than chocolate fluoride.)

I wouldn't have guessed oud was one of the three listed notes, and I certainly wouldn't have guessed myrrh was either. (Oud is sort of my husband's thing, and myrrh is sort of mine, so I feel pretty familiar with the spectrum of both notes after spending about twenty years swimming in the perfume pool.)

Maybe it's just skin chemistry, or maybe it's just sample age, but the only things I'm clocking are orange-flavoured fluoride and baby powder. Not, like, straight-up cheap talc, but a delicate, smooth Johnson's baby powder formulated for delicate skin. No projection, no longevity, but a hefty dose of relief that something that should have worked spectrally failed to even clear the launchpad.

(THOU SHALT NOT COVET LONG-DISCONTINUED PERFUME.)

⚜️ Oud Al Sahraa, by Parfums Berdoues (DISCONTINUED)

#review #Oud Al Sahraa #Parfums Berdoues #Berdoues #Christian Vermorel #oud

Ramón Béjar discovered Oud thirty-three years ago and learned of its historical significance among Asian royalty and elites. Despite its ini

Ramón Béjar discovered Oud thirty-three years ago and learned of its historical significance among Asian royalty and elites. Despite its initial unfamiliarity in the West, Ramón was captivated by its peculiar scent and decided to introduce his first Oud spray to the Persian Gulf market. This bold move revolutionized Oud’s place in perfumery, making it a global trend. Over the years, Ramón created various Oud-based perfumes, but Holy Oud combines sacred materials like incense, myrrh, benzoin, and sandalwood with natural Oud from Indochina. This fragrance elevates the spirit, frees the mind from its limits, and envelops you in serene, timeless elegance. Notes: Oud, Wide wood / Nutmeg, Benzoin, Amber Fleur / Incense, Agarwood oil, Sandalwood, Myrrh

$820.00 😭

#wishlist #holy oud #Ramón Béjar #Ramon Bejar #oud

Wonderoud by Comme des Garcons is a Oriental Woody fragrance for women and men. Wonderoud was launched in 2014. The fragrance features Agarw

One of nature’s most precious gifts, worth its weight in gold. An aromatic resin, scented with subtle notes, Oud is known as The Black Gold of Perfumers. Used only for the most precious and mythical concoctions, its powerful and rich character brings a woody, animal, balsamic and even honey feel and texture to a fragrance. 100% Natural Oud extracted from resinous Aquilaria trees grown sustainably in South East Asia. Notes: Texas Cedarwood Fraction OrPur, Oud Wood, Indonesian Patchouli, Australian Sandalwood, Haitian Vetiver, Guaiac Wood, Pashmino

Wonderoud has been one of my husband's signature scents for quite a number of years, so I anticipate that reviewing this sample will be difficult because it's so familiar and so strongly associated with him.

Initial dry-down yields a light, skin-kissing musk (Egyptian?) that is quickly overwhelmed by an unruly tangle of bitter yellow weeds. Projection retracts briskly as the pungent weeds dry to oblivion, leaving a fragrant whisper of smooth, creamy woods set against a backdrop of golden musk.

One of the recurring criticisms of Wonderoud is that it isn't a true oud perfume; it's more of a collection of precious woods, with oud as one of the many components rather than the main player. I think that's a fair critique of this perfume. This isn't a front-and-centre animalic oud, but more of a team player, sharing the field with the other woods on the squad.

It's classified as an unisex scent, but it does lean a little masculine. And when I say "a little", I mean just a hair down that path. This isn't Brut or Aramis, and it doesn't make me feel like I'm a 6-year-old kid wearing my best Sunday dress while shuffling around in my dad's oxfords, or anything like that. Had I bought this sample for myself, I would have been pretty insistent that my husband try it, too.

⚜️ Wonderoud, by Comme des Garçons

#review #Wonderoud #Comme des Garçons #oud

Discover 6 iconic Byredo woody scents, including Super Cedar & Mojave Ghost. Receive a $60 voucher towards a full-size fragrance. Exclus

La Découverte Boisée features 6 x 2 ml vials of iconic woody scents: Super Cedar, Black Saffron, Bibliothèque, Oud Immortel, Mojave Ghost, and Accord oud.

I have a Neanderthal-themed discovery set that I haven't even opened, and I'm already shopping for a new set. 🙄

#wishlist #discovery set #byredo

Oud possesses a great cultural significance because of its use in traditional incense and perfumes, and it is also mentioned in one of the w

Oud possesses a great cultural significance because of its use in traditional incense and perfumes, and it is also mentioned in one of the world's oldest written texts - the Sanskrit Vedas from India. When the once-light Aquilaria tree heartwood becomes infected with a specific type of mould, it defends itself with a dark, fragrant protective resin. This now dark wood, oud or agarwood, holds a complex fragrance, resembling few or no other natural ingredients. Oud Immortel is a chypre woody fragrance that merges patchouli and papyrus so the whole composition has a smoky character. Tobacco leaf and moss contribute to the depth and complexity of oud, while rosewood and incense cause the elegant silage on skin. Notes: Incense, Cardamom / Brazilian Rosewood, Papyrus, Patchouli / Moss, Tobacco Leaves, Oud

"CANDY!" Brain shouts in all caps.

"What kind of candy?" I ask.

"I, uh, don't know. Gimme a minute," says Brain. "Obviously not chocolate, though. Obviously."

After several seconds of consideration, Brain settles on hard candy (aka "boiled sweets" here in the UK), like a Jolly Rancher or a pear drop. Something solid and brittle-crunchy once you get past the first few molar-impenetrable layers. No powder, no sour citric acid - a shiny, lemony pineapple gem.

(Limoncello isn't mentioned in Byredo's official description, but it is listed as a top note on Fragrantica.)

That yellow-fruited sweetness makes such a bold impression that you assume it will be integral to the perfume's scent evolution, yet within five minutes the candy bowl begins to fill with ash, burying the sunny saccharinity beneath a layer of powdery residue.

"That must be the incense," Brain offers.

We're both in quiet agreement that the incense note leans more towards discarded cigarette ash than towards the dusty remains of precious woods and resins. That pungent stickiness of nicotine is absent from the ash; this isn't the cigarette break room, but someone definitely had a one-off smoke break here about a week ago.

"You know what this reminds me of?" I hear wistful nostalgia in Brain's voice. "The clothing section in a department store. It smells like those brown carpet tiles that JC Penny and Sears used to soften the floor, distinguishing the browsing sections from the laminated-tile walkways."

"Fuck, you're right, it totally does!"

"You can even smell the coldness of the metal clothing racks and the newness of all the still-tagged clothing."

At this point, I silently wonder whether Brain is merging childhood department-store memories with those of seated smoking islands sunk into the ground floor of 1980s malls (which were absolutely a thing until smoking was banned indoors, when those sunken areas were transformed into water fountains), but I don't say anything lest I ruin the sentimental moment we're sharing.

Lemon surprisingly reappears without pineapple, adding a citrus nuance to the cigarette ash. The two notes gently support one another, softening the most extreme elements on either side. The lemon removes the cigarette aspect of the incense, and the incense removes the candy sweetness of the lemon.

"You know what this reminds me of?" I ask, prompted by repeated inhalations. "That one lemon tea perfume by The Body Shop we wore way back, fifteen or twenty years ago. Thé Citron, I think?"

"Oh my God, yes! Absolutely! That was the crowd favourite. It was the one that inspired the most compliments from strangers."

"Crazy that it takes a decant of a $300 perfume to make you appreciate something that probably cost only $20 back then. I know we prefer funky, faecal ouds, but this has been kind of charming."

"Mm," Brain agrees as we let our nose linger just above our wrist, reminiscing about times past and perfumes past.

⚜️ Oud Immortel, by Byredo

#review #Oud Immortel #Byredo #Oud

"For rebel hearts and freedom fighters comes a blend of fire tree, oudh and lemongrass to stoke a fire in your soul. Rich and earthy on

"For rebel hearts and freedom fighters comes a blend of fire tree, oudh and lemongrass to stoke a fire in your soul. Rich and earthy on the skin, evocative and deeply affecting on passersby." The Smell of Freedom by Lush is a Woody Spicy fragrance for women and men. The Smell of Freedom was launched in 2010. The nose behind this fragrance is Simon Constantine. The fragrance features Lemongrass, Woodsy Notes, Neroli, Ginger, Jasmine, Agarwood (Oud), Sandalwood, Pepper, Clove and Orris Root.

A pensive cap-sniff brings back the memory of that one mahogany-brown perfume on your mom's dressing table that you grew up coveting, because something about it seemed so classy and adult.

First impression - before any notes become distinct enough to draw you into a structured, contemplative path - is that it smells vintage-old. Like, before-your-time old.

So old, in fact, that you can't recall a time when she actually wore the scent, and its presence in her perfume collection is now just a relic of who she was before becoming "mom".

Initial dry-down is dark and muddled - not dank or heavy, but the notes seem almost stuck together, as if reluctant to be distinguished from one another - and leaves a turmeric stain on the skin.

As The Smell of Freedom settles on my wrist, I'm 8 years old again, lifting the cap off my mom's very vintage mahogany-brown perfume (which was gardenia-based, btw), inhaling deeply and thinking, "Wow, so this is what classy adult perfume smells like!"

Beyond nostalgia, there's nothing particularly distinctive or attention-grabbing about the scent's composition. I get the impression of precious woods and a tamed, almost muted touch of spice, with a hint of sandalwood soap bringing up the rear.

There's a disconnect between the bold copy and the perfume's actual performance. I guess there's an expectation when descriptive words like "rebel", "fighters", and "fire" are used to promote the concept of a fragrance.

The combination of ginger, pepper, and clove suggested that The Smell of Freedom would be an Aries flex of cardinal-fire heat, but that fiery spirit just wasn't there. Instead, it was a leisurely walk through a jumble of nondescript woods, overlaid with a spectre of faded spice - nothing that would "stoke a fire in your soul".

⚜️ The Smell of Freedom, by Lush (DISCONTINUED)

#review #lush #gorilla perfumes #The Smell of Freedom #Simon Constantine

Elegy by Jorum Studio is a fragrance for women and men. Elegy was launched in 2021. The nose behind this fragrance is Euan McCall. Top notes

Elegy is an aromatic déjà vu where perfumed flowers swirl over elegantly powdered skin. There are beautiful contrasts woven throughout Elegy, expressing the soaring joys and deep sorrow that life entails. Notes: Bergamot, Lavender, Petitgrain, Heather Absolute, Rose Absolute, Jasmine Absolute / Orange Flower Absolute, Geranium Bourbon, Ambrette Seed, Benzoin, Cedar Absolute, Patchouli Absolute, Hay Absolute, Oakmoss Absolute, Musk, Labdanum Absolute, Ambergris

Elegy is one of the perfumes in Jorum Studio's Mainline Sample Set, and the third fragrance I've tested from that specific set. If you love powdery floral scents, this one's for you.

⚜️ Elegy, by Jorum Studio

#tag review #elegy #jorum studio #powder powder powder #this is powder that isn't shy about being powder #it shimmies btwn basic baby powder #and flower-scented crabtree & evelyn body talc #eventually a mother's day bouquet #of roses and jasmin #overtakes the powder #but the powder note is still very visible #in the bouquet's rear view mirror #abt an hour into application #the tailgating powder starts to indecisively weave #btwn the lanes of floral body talc #and a bar of generic hand soap #never really committing to the soap lane #but never really committing to the talc lane either #super huge big fan of the listed base notes #but they don't grip the wheel #to guide the powder out of its indecision #as a consequence they become lost and faint #when the powder ultimately decides #it'd rather be a floral body talc #than a cheap unbranded bar of soap #there's practically no gas left in the tank

When a tip from a clairvoyant leads 23-year old Neal Orris to a rural Connecticut barn housing his deceased father’s secret obsession,

23-year-old Neal Orris is desperately searching for a getaway ticket from his dead end job and the decaying Virginia town where he grew up when a tip from a clairvoyant leads him to a barn housing his deceased father’s secret obsession, a pristine 1964 Shelby Cobra Roadster. His first stop is the tobacco farm where his best friend, Ike, is employed, and the two never look back. Aiming for the Palm Springs race tracks and prize winnings that would keep them afloat, their journey is a blur of seedy motels and stiff drinks, cool swimming pools and hot debutantes, burnt rubber and cigarette smoke. Each stop finds the friends inventing new pseudonyms and personas for themselves, their innocent game hurtling them into the throes of decadence and desolation. Notes: Lemon, Orris, Tobacco Flowers, Leather, Hay Fields & Asphalt

The Cobra and the Canary was our second blind buy of the year, and the fragrance that successfully brought me out of reviewing retirement.

Imaginary Authors announced at the beginning of March that they would discontinue the perfume at the end of the month. A quick glance at the description revealed notes of leather, asphalt, a new-car smell, and lemon, which was enough to pique interest.

Finding a factory-sealed bottle at a discount price, along with a usable coupon, sealed the deal for a blind buy. It was purchased with my husband in mind, but despite the detailed description, we found the perfume quite unisex.

TL;DR - aged leather & sun-dried hay & gorse yellow

⚜️ The Cobra and The Canary, by Imaginary Authors (discontinued!)

#tag review #Imaginary Authors #The Cobra and The Canary #hot asphalt & sun-warmed leather #leather isn't car interior though #it's a beloved vintage leather jacket #well-worn and still in use #hard edges soften with age & wear #no spectre of body odour haunting the internal lining #there's a clean almost desiccating scent of sawdust or cedar chips #(that note turned out to be hay)#(i read purple prose descriptions)#(but avoid listed notes)#(to see what my nose picks out as the scent evolves)#i do smell yellow #but it's gorse blossom & not lemon #(gorse is like a creamy not-tropical coconut)#(kinda like coconut divorced from suntan lotion)#nose is very insistent abt background vetiver #which is not a listed note #however #bloom perfume mentions iso-e-super #(“...at times smelling like cedar or tobacco or vetiver or black pepper and very strong black tea at others...")#so that's probably the super #b/c this was a blind buy #i expected to write it off as “okay”#but it exceeded expectations #and i spent the entire afternoon reluctant #to hit the shower post-kickboxing #because i didn't want to wash off

Unspoken Gesture by Jorum Studio is a unique fragrance crafted by perfumer Euan McCall. This scent features an intriguing blend of notes inc

A comforting embrace captured in scent, a vivid sensory experience. Unspoken Gesture exudes soft skin-like salinity, cocooned around a tender heart of rice and sweetened cardamom, hazelnut, almond. A trail of pollen-drenched mimosa petals precludes lingering memories of musk, sandalwood and ambrette seed. Notes: Cardamom, Hazelnut, Fig, Almond, Canaga, Violet Leaf, Mimosa Absolute / Hay, Malt, Rice, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Musk, Ambrette Seed

2026 is shaping up to be a reckless and wild year, with not one, not two, but three full bottle-blind buys over the past two (three?) months.

When picking up Jorum Studio's latest spring release last week (Risso), we also treated ourselves to their newest sample pack (Mainline Sample Set). Unspoken Gesture was one of the samples included in that pack.

⚜️ Unspoken Gesture, by Jorum Studio

letterful

#🤐

A seasonal limited-release fragrance from Jorum Studio celebrating all things Spring!

A chroma of gilded blooms awash with hazy vernal sunshine enticing noses to hover ever closer.

Impression: Petitgrain sur Fleurs, Quince, Marigold, Sunflower, Magnolia, Narcissus, Jonquil & Jasmine Absolutes

Fade: Hickory, Paprika, Goldenrod, Hay oil, Hay Absolute, Eau de Brout Absolute

This would come out a day after my fucking birthday. 🙄

#wishlist #vernus #jorum studio #one day too late to add to my birthday wishlist (🙄🙄)#big fan of both jorum studio & fragrant narcissus

"There’s something powerful and fulfilling about putting your hands in the soil, the feeling that you got all the roots in your hands and kn

Inspired by the molten lava that bubbles beneath the earth's surface and has shaped the once-volcanic terrain of southern Italy, Terroni is an intense, fiery fragrance for those with passion for their roots. Bursting with ferocious doses of spice, earth and deep, musky woods, this is an Orto Parisi through and through. There's something powerful and fulfilling about putting your hands in the soil, the sense of belonging to the Earth- and Terroni is, foremost, a fragrance that celebrates that earth in all of its power and pedigree. The world began with an explosion- and now with Terroni, that explosion can be worn.

#wishlist #aries #Terroni #Orto Parisi #'if you keep praising this man for his ghastly creations he will keep on making them' - vincentlassi (⬅️ i LOLed)#Alessandro Gualtieri #(⬅️ Nasomatto nose)

Shop for Bonded Eau de Toilette by Rogue Perfumery at Luckyscent, Find Bonded Eau de Toilette by Rogue Perfumery

Bonded is a fragrance inspired by the imagery of oakmoss steeped in a vial of whisky. Crafted over several months, this unique scent features a meticulously developed bourbon whiskey accord that transcends the typical sweet gourmand experience. At its core lies a mossy foundation, harmonized with the richness of tobacco and Vietnamese agarwood. The result is an amber cocktail of masculine woody notes, seamlessly blending with the bold character of bourbon. It is warm, sophisticated and intriguing.

#wishlist #whisky #Bonded #Rogue Perfumery

Shop for Safran Secret Extrait de Parfum by Maison Crivelli at Luckyscent, Find Safran Secret Extrait de Parfum by Maison Crivelli

Safran Secret recalls a mysterious adventure lived by Thibaud Crivelli during which he discovered a saffron field shrouded in a very thick fog. This deep, sensual composition is as captivating as it is enigmatic. It sees the brightness of a comforting saffron contrast with the opacity of warm and highly-diffusive woods.

#wishlist #saffron #Maison Crivelli #Safran Secret

ghoulnextdoor

A free read for everyone on my Patreon today: The April Marinade

This month, I've been communing with bottles that sigh, weep, and dream in shades of green—feral greens that reclaim abandoned places, that seep through sidewalk cracks, between forgotten stones. Green as both color and voracity—ancient, insatiable, gloriously indifferent to human concerns. Beneath concrete and compromise, the truth emerges: we're all still crawling with green.

#ghoulnextdoor #list #Eris Parfums #Chanel #Naomi Goodsir #Jean Couturier #Mihan Aromatics

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