Journal

An unbranded perfume spray bottle and three scent blotters on a timber table in window light

How to test a perfume before buying it

A simple routine to test perfume before buying: sort on paper strips, wear the favourite on clean skin, revisit it later, and buy the version you tried.

How to test a perfume before buying it

A simple routine to test perfume before buying: sort on paper strips, wear the favourite on clean skin, revisit it later, and buy the version you tried.

A white jasmine flower and a drop of clear liquid on a glass slide on a dark timber bench

What Is Hedione? The Material That Makes Flower...

Hedione is the airy, dewy jasmine material behind most modern florals and a lot of citrus scents too. What it is, what it smells like, the 1966 bottle that made...

What Is Hedione? The Material That Makes Flower...

Hedione is the airy, dewy jasmine material behind most modern florals and a lot of citrus scents too. What it is, what it smells like, the 1966 bottle that made...

Folded white cotton cloth and a clear glass perfume bottle on pale stone in soft morning light

What Is White Musk? Where the Clean Skin Smell ...

White musk is the clean, soft, just-showered smell under most modern perfume. What musk was, what white musk is now, the difference between them, and the Stuga scent built around...

What Is White Musk? Where the Clean Skin Smell ...

White musk is the clean, soft, just-showered smell under most modern perfume. What musk was, what white musk is now, the difference between them, and the Stuga scent built around...

A lump of dark golden labdanum resin next to pale amber crystals on slate in warm light

What Is Amber in Perfume? Not a Stone, Not a Tr...

Amber in perfume is not the fossil stone and not ambergris. It is a warm, sweet, resinous blend of a few materials, and it has been the base of the...

What Is Amber in Perfume? Not a Stone, Not a Tr...

Amber in perfume is not the fossil stone and not ambergris. It is a warm, sweet, resinous blend of a few materials, and it has been the base of the...

A glass beaker of clear Iso E Super beside a curl of cedar wood shaving on a dark timber bench

What Is Iso E Super? The Wood You Cannot Quite ...

Iso E Super is the soft, velvety wood note behind half the perfumes made since the 1980s. What it is, why some people cannot smell it, the famous bottles built...

What Is Iso E Super? The Wood You Cannot Quite ...

Iso E Super is the soft, velvety wood note behind half the perfumes made since the 1980s. What it is, why some people cannot smell it, the famous bottles built...

Split vanilla bean, a dish of caramel sugar, a cinnamon stick and a small perfume bottle on warm timber

What Is a Gourmand Perfume? The Sweet Scents Ex...

Gourmand perfume means a scent that smells good enough to eat. What counts as gourmand, the three materials that make it sweet, the famous bottle that started it, and the...

What Is a Gourmand Perfume? The Sweet Scents Ex...

Gourmand perfume means a scent that smells good enough to eat. What counts as gourmand, the three materials that make it sweet, the famous bottle that started it, and the...