woody

by

I Am Trash

I am trash edges*(sigh)*
“Les Fleurs du Dechet” sounds so much prettier, but…

I Am Trash is found object art, a lovely re-purposing of unwanted scraps into elegance.

The opening is shocking–orange rind and a vodka note of fermenting potato parings, but then apple peel quickly takes over and blooms into bruised rose petals, and it’s suddenly gorgeous.
The flowers stay for an hour or two at arm’s length, then fade into a sweet woodsy musk that lingers comfortingly on second hand sleeves all afternoon.

I love the cleverness of it.

by

Enchanted Forest

enchanted forest edgyHappy Merry to me.

Vagabond Prince’s Enchanted Forest is exactly that: dark balsam fir woods and tangles of black currant shrubs and wine and roses.

The first spray turns one into a wayward elf, dressed in flowers and drunk on berries. The acid bite of the fruit slowly softens with benzoin, sweet on the skin, and lofty on clothes for hours.

I feel like I’m the heroine in an epic fantasy novel saga wearing this stuff.

This is an enchanting take on a Ukrainian Midsummer folk song.

by

By the Fireplace

Maison Margiela promo card touting “Burning wood and chestnut” and spray sample with amber l’eau.

Sweet roasted nuts. (TWSS.)
Nice. I’d burn the candle in November.

Edit – 8/30/21

Talking to a cosmetics savvy friend the other day about Replica–By the Fireplace is her favorite of the house.

I still have the same reaction to it, that it’s lovely, but I want the smoke and heat of a candle to cut through the sweetness. The spice is nice, and the cashmeran dries it out, but the chestnuts get swamped by the vanilla, and they’re the most interesting facet of the fragrance to me.

Lasts all day in socially distant space with long trailers.
On the caramel top of unisex.

*

Mushaboom by Feist is sweet and a bit nutty.

by

L’Eau Majeure d’Issey

L'eau Majeure d'Issey edgyThis scent is strangely enveloping, just like an Issey Miyake coat, the fabric overwhelming in its comfort.

L’Eau Majeure drowns you after a squeeze of grapefruit to clarify the water, and a sprig of mint to make it even fresher.
At the bottom is a shipwreck–sea eroded pine beams–in the softest sand.
Trendy and fun.

This was the trendiest song of 2017. It’s fun and comfortable, I suppose.

by

Ore

ore edgy
Decant vial on printout of Slumberhouse flask. The juice is very amber colored.

Smoke, leather and cocoa powder.
Peppery milk chocolate grows slowly, endlessly, with maple and balsam and kerosene.

This could be worn by a wounded-football-hero-turned-reclusive-lumberjack when he decides to clean up nice.
He has no clue that he’s sexy AF.

It fades after a long day to an herbal kiss on sweaty skin, left with creamy lip balm.

This song has that same sweet roughness. (Seven Nations is an awesome Celtic-American folk-rock band.)

by

Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin

LL Au Masculin
Charred tree stump, with mini lavender L.L. Masculin log shaped bottle.

This guy can dance, and knows how to choose a drink for someone else based on what shoes they’re wearing, but he’s got a dark gleam in his eye, and won’t hesitate to get you drunk.

Opens with Sambuca–aniseed liqueur–with a touch of absinthe to make it herbal, then gets almondy with an amaretto chaser for happy hour. Sandalwood tones the sweetness down, then the evening ends on smooth and smoky vanilla single malt scotch.

You let him take you home.

One of my favorites from Lazaretto. Definitely not smooth.

by

Norne

norne edgy
Slumberhouse flask with olive green liquid, casting funky shadows.

A Midwinter’s orgy.
Opens with fir and sticky chocolate, incense and sex.

Seriously. This stuff is like having violent Viking-love in a heap of furs in front of a balsam bonfire. It writes runes on your body with spruce psychotropics and sweet ash.

The juice is dark and lays heavy on the skin, like hands and honey and pine tree sap, and stains clothes with green spoor.
Amazing.

Norne can  refer to a calypso orchid, or to the three Norse goddesses of destiny.

by

Eros

Square teal bottle with raised maze, medusa medallion and gold detailing.

Manly mint, and lemon.

Nice, but stuffy at first. This guy orders Woodford Reserve on the rocks when he really wants a Malibu and Coke with a straw loaded with fruit.

After a bit it loosens up to vanilla and vetiver, and longing glances toward the karaoke bar.

This was the biggest song in Italy in 2012, when Versace released Eros.

by

Every Storm a Serenade

every storm a serenade edgyRain on the sea and blue spruce, with a smear of mint camphor rub on the chest.

Moody and clever and so wet.
The man wearing this might be prone to rough fisherman’s sweaters and prefers strange tasting akvavits.
The woman wearing this also wears eyeglasses instead of contacts at business meetings, so people will take her more seriously.

This one is from Above. An incredibly moody and clever album.

by

Eleventh Hour

eleventh hour edgy
Byredo bottle cutout paper tester (stained with eau) on notebook paper.

I get lime and cigarette tobacco–freshly lit.
Maybe baked apples with cloves, but possibly dried figs and sweet pepper, and a quick finish to what I can only call “expensive coat closet”–slight animal, cedar and rum.

The liquid bites at the skin a bit, and it doesn’t last long.

I could almost compare it to Tank Battle, with the spicy bubblegum notes, except this has more Y chromosome at the bottom.
I like it.

*

I love Leonard Cohen songs. Especially when sung by other people.