#perfumista

I want to smell like a pretty boy in a nicely tailored suit in like 1960s Europe in a smoky jazz bar smoking a cig and drinking a nice whiskey

So I definitely lean more toward cologne and I do not like smelling sweet or delicate I def want it to be masculine and I have a scentbird and I buy random things that seem appealing as I find them but everything I’m finding is soooooo sweet

My current go-to is to layer an APO Givenchy Gentleman dupe and Maison Margiela Jazz Club and that’s nice but it isn’t exactly what I want

I'm always on the verge of literal tears when thinking about this guy having the same level of olfactory obsession that I do. Like genuine fuzz fuzz happy tears🥹. Go fragheads🥰

On the topic of unnecessary gendering of products:

Did you know that the "men wear cologne, women wear perfume" convention is technically wrong? In the cosmetics world, it's all perfume. Then, based on concentration of perfume ingredients vs. alcohol (or other carrier material), it's a body splash, an eau de cologne, an eau de toilette, an eau de parfum, or other options. But "perfume" is the correct general term. Yes, males. You wear perfume. Hate to break it to you. But you can use the term "scent" or "fragrance" if you can't abide the word "perfume."

Today I'm sharing three fragrances I have a love-hate relationship with:

Place Vendome by Boucheron

I actually don't like this fragrance at all. I'm ashamed to admit that I bought it purely because of the gorgeous heavyweight bottle. Otherwise, I find the syrupy concoction of benzoin, honey and praline headache inducing. That bottle though....

------------------------

Magie Noire by Lancome

This is a masterpiece with a gorgeous opening. I love ylang ylang and it is blended beautifully here with Bulgarian rose and raspberry. My bottle is not the original but it is older (from over a decade ago) so it still contains oakmoss, vetiver and civet. And that civet is where the problems begin and end for me. On my skin all the wonderful floral and aromatic notes give way to pure civet. And I like a little skank, but no matter how I try, this always becomes stale urine on my skin. In St. Lucian folklore and kweyol, a magie nwe is one of the many ghouls that haunts your sleep at night. Sadly Magie Noire is more monstrous than magical for me. I'm still going to hold onto it forever!

------------------------ Arpege by Lanvin This is the perfume which taught me about indolic jasmine. This is a complex perfume  with a gorgeous progression--just not on my skin. My body chemistry transforms Arpege into something sweaty and almost fecal. Much like Magie Noire, I appreciate the artistry that went into it, can't bring myself to give it away, but these are definitely the wrong kind of 1-2 punch I'm going for.