#fraghead

in light of Fragrantica deciding that they needed to put a banner on the site memorializing Charlie Kirk, as well as all of the other BS they've pulled over the years-

parfumo.com has pretty much everything fragrantica does, AND executes it even better. I switched over today and I'm delighted with the site so far. I highly recommend it.

notes: saffron, metal, crimson glory rose, cedarwood & blood.

right off the bat, it hits with a sharp, almost surgical metallic note. once it settles on the skin, the saffron and rose come through, but they don’t soften it so much as haunt it. everything stays strangely cool and distant. it smells like a blade left out overnight after the violence is already over.

On our afternoon walk, with dog butler. And earlier, Petey snuggling with me. Doggo does not approve of this, despite not wanting to snuggle herself.

fun and sassy in the 1990s | 3.27.26 look

I'm defining fragrance as perfume, cologne, body mist, etc. Basically, any product you wear with a scent that is worn specifically because it has a scent.

Launched in 2012, the Replica line captures memories in the bottle with photorealistic scents that smell just like the moment they’re trying to capture. I discovered these in 2017 after an influencer I followed posted about By the Fireplace, and as a lover of complex vanillas, I had to give it a try. This kickstarted my [obsession?] with the brand’s fragrance line. The apothecary jar bottles look cool on my fragrance tray, so that’s an added bonus.

Jazz Club

Notes: Tobacco leaves, rum accord, pink pepper, vanilla

Jazz Club is one of my newest additions to my fragrance collection, and is one that I slowly fell in love with over the course of several years. Tobacco is a note I feel either adds a beautiful smoky atmosphere that compliments the other notes in the fragrance, or it smells a little too much my grandfather’s Cuban cigars (which, if that’s what you’re looking for, see Tabac 28 from Le Labo. It’s uncanny). If there’s something that Maison Margiela does consistently well, it’s harmonizing sweet and smoky elements together to make a gorgeously complex smelling experience. The vanilla and pink pepper rounds out the tobacco to make it more spicy-sweet, and less heavy smoke. 

By The Fireplace

Notes: Cloves, pink pepper, guaiac wood, chestnut, peru balsam, cashmeran, vanilla

This is by far my favorite Replica fragrance, and honestly one of my favorite fragrances of all time. Like Jazz Club, By the Fireplace strikes an incredible balance between sweet and smoky. Instead of tobacco, this fragrance gets its smoky factor from a mix of burning guaiac wood, casheran, and clove oil. Vanilla adds a sweetness that’s reminiscent of a roasting marshmallow near the fire. This is my favorite rendition of burning wood in a fragrance; it smells comfortingly toasty without smelling like a burnt barbecue. I need a bigger bottle of this one, stat.

Bubble Bath

Notes: Soap, bergamot, lavender, jasmine, rose, coconut, patchouli 

Bubble Bath smells like an expensive bar of soap that sits in an upscale hotel in a big city. It’s very fresh, and the coconut adds a pleasant fruity component without coming across as beachy or tropical. There is also a warmth to this scent that smells like soap after it’s been warmed and steamed after a luxurious hot shower in the previously mentioned hotel. There is (allegedly) patchouli in here, but If you are a patchouli hater, I would still recommend giving this one a try. I didn’t even know patchouli was in here until I looked it up. I think it gives the scent a touch of spice to give it an added angle of complexity.