Weird Comments on Perfume and Other Short Stories

"Have you rolled in gunpowder? What is it you are smelling of?" he said with an air of surprised distaste. This is what my tender 14 year old years met with one memorable afternoon as I was decked to the nines to go play at a piano concert organized by the Conservatoire. The delivering agent of the comment that would apparently shutter my childlike innocence was my own beloved father as we were entering the car, off to a -not so good- start to the concert in question. Flubberbusted and quite self-conscious for the rest of the afternoon (of which I have little recollection otherwise) I was rolling the info I had on the  innocuous Anais Anais by Cacharel I had just sprayed on in the back corridor of my mind.

Source: ghastlydelights.tumblr.com via PerfumeShrine on Pinterest Photo of Ina Balke, 1962 by Jeanloup Sieff

The guy has a good nose, you see, and I never for one minute doubted he would not be smelling what he said he was smelling. It's enough to make you a bit paranoid, though; if Anais Anais smells of gunpowder (on your skin? in general? who knows?), then what the hell do other, less conspicuous but more questionable, smells really smell of to those meeting you? Still, the experience was enough to make me doubt my perception and to start paying more attention to everything my father remarked on regarding smells.

It took me years to finally figure our that yes, my father had his nose screwed on the right way (this sounds much naughtier than it it's intended to be) and that yup, he was in fact smelling gunpowder indeed. It just wasn't coming from my Cacharel perfume, but rather from the Normaderm spot treatment gel which I used as a precaution on my forehead to deter stray pimples forming from my mousse-ed bangs sticking to it. The treatment contained sulfur, as I found out later on. In retrospect it's a good thing he didn't say I smelled of rotten eggs instead (which are highly sulfurous), my confidence would have been shredded to pieces and I doubt I would have ventured beyond the car. But the story goes to show that a weird comment regarding our scent can have an impact on our day; sometimes if we're obsessive enough, on more than one day. I mean, look at me, I'm rambling on something that happened years and years ago (more than I care to mention)!

I guess not everyone is as occupied as I was at 14 with what impression they give when going out wearing their latest perfume fling. (All right, all adolescents are a bit wrapped up in how they present themselves to the world, so take that statement at its face value). Otherwise things like Burger King fragrance or Zombie cologne spray wouldn't even be possible. But apparently they are, so there's something there. Do some of us secretly hide a frat-boy in our heart of hearts, longing to play pranks and engage in scatological questionable humor, their scent-du-jour included? Are there many others out there who are so afraid of giving off the wrong impression that they censor their fragrance wardrobe and limit their exposure, however? I bet there are. If you're one of those who upon hearing the word "diapers" (or "incontinence", "baby wipes", "ass", "like weed", "lady bits", "mothballs" and the dreaded "old lady" in relation to any fragrance) shudder and start viewing your beloved perfume bottle with the disdain reserved for child molesters, you know you're one of them.

And why are we so horrified of giving the wrong impression via our smell, much more so than our fashion sense, our world views or our home decorating? Probably because like the state of our complexion it is a biological indicator that speaks volumes without uttering a sound and, at the same time, like the books that we like or the art we enjoy a gauge of our taste & statement of the self.

So fire away in the comments: what are the weirdest comments you have had on your fragrance? I'm dying to know.

Tale of Two Scents by Rosie Jane

I was sent info about an Australian-inspired duo of fragrances, Leila Lou and Tilly by Rosie Jane (Launched in May 2013) which I thought might interest my readers.

Inspired by time spent with family, a relaxing day on the beach of her native Australia and named in honor of her daughters Leila and Matilda , celebrity make-up artist Rosie Jane Johnston has bottled up blissful moments in these travel size 5ml roller balls you can see all cute up in the photo. Made from pure essential oils and the highest quality ingredients, as per the company, Leila Lou and Tilly are free of carrier oils, animal products and preservatives. They are also paraben, sulfate, phthalate and phosphate free and come in 100% recyclable packaging, for those of us who search for a concern-free product.
Leila Lou blends notes of pear blossom, jasmine, vanilla and fresh cut grass, while Tilly, reminiscent of a relaxing day at the beach, is full of notes of grapefruit, coconut and tropical gardenia. The two fragrances are available as 5ml rollerballs for 35$ at b-glowing.com

The winners of the draw...

...for the Harad book are Larie, Marjorie, and Cacio. Congratulations and please email me using Contact with your shipping data so I can arrange getting your prizes in the mail soon.

Thanks everyone and till the next one!

Serge Lutens La Vierge de Fer: the Iron Maiden Referencing New Fragrance

She walks on through the night
Her circumstances slight
Are only helping her to fail
And though she feels she's right
She tries with all her might
And makes the deepest peril pale
Oh, but she is unreal
Oh, but she doesn't feel
Oh, but she is unreal

She chooses who to love
And then unlike a dove
She takes the laughter from their smile
She wears a velvet glove
Her friends may find it rough
It is a gauntlet all the while

via laparousiedejesus

Could Serge Lutens have been listening to the 1970 Iron Maiden song by Barclay James Harvest (one of my long favorites[1]) and thinking of his own mother, who entrusted his keeping to the hands of relatives as a small child? We'll never know.

What we do know is that this hard-as-nails recollection is mixed: the fragrance pays tribute to Serge's own mother, poignant, since the anthropomorphic torture device know to us from the Inquisition days and the heavy metal band replicates the iconography of Mary, mother of Jesus. Aside from any notions (and involuntary misunderstandings) of grandeur, the concept of tending to fragility, to past traumas for the semi-abandonded Serge (much like a device of torture would reference), is at art's core and thus drives creation. And his fixation with 19th century romanticism (De Profundis or Vitriol d'Oeillet) and its darker side (Douce Amere), all the way through to German Expressionism (La Fille de Berlin) continues...

Vierge de Fer, the latest perfume to adorn the sumptuous Lutens line means Iron Maiden (also referenced as "Virgin of Nuremberg") and recalls the Inquisition dungeons we have come to associate with heavy metal bands, gothic tales and heavy SM tones.



The fragrance focuses on lily (a flower highlighted in Lutens's Un Lys previously) with a mineral, hard and cold aspect, that recalls the hardness of iron, and incense. According to Lutens himself: "The lily in Vierge de Fer is more glorious than in Un Lys. That one was fresher, more lily-like actually. It played on the whiteness of lily. This one [Vierge de Fer] plays on the heady aspect. It's a lily whose pollen hasn't been dusted off, it has kept its stamens and anthers. This is a lily which affronts, once again."[2]

Vierge de Fer has just been presented and will be widely available in September at Les Salons du Palais Royal in the beautiful bell jars of 75ml eau de parfum concentration and on the official Lutens e-boutique.

[1] For some reason or other, I first loved it as a teenager. Must have been the glorious bass line, as I loved following songs with strong bass lines.
[2]quote via Nicoals Olczyk translated from the French

Help Support a Niche Line: Join the Kickstarter Campaign for Le Cherche Midi

I had covered Le Charche Midi in the past, noting the attention to detail and no-frills approach of Nathan Motylinski who heads it. Independent entrepreneurs are to be admired for their courage in this highly competitive world where behemoths clash their swords with family-owned houses who try to resist as best as they can. The scents by Le Cherche Midi are good too, so now that they've embarked on a Kickstarter campaign to fund their future plans, I thought it worthwhile to share with you so that you too can put your money where your mouth is and help support an indie.

This is the page on the Kickstarter site and they have 11 days to run till completion. There are clips and information on the new fragrances there and you can see the rewards for the pledges (yes, there is some instant gratification built in too)
As you can see the participation starts extremely low (just 1$!) so everyone can help out. À vous!