Encense

This week Byredo held an event in Stockholm where they sold out some products, old design editions etc. Very friendly prices. But not only was it nice to stock up with a gentle wallet-pressure, the best things was the opportunity to find some rarities from the past. I was very happy to find the home fragrance version of Encense, an amazing composition that was sold only for a short limited time before disappearing of the shelves. So now my home smells of benzoin, midnight mass, burnt coffee and... male sweat? (Not for kids!) Yes, this is an unusual one and not everyone would like it. I love it. It evokes a diachronic feeling in me and has a particular balance between austerity and sensuality that I admire. It reminds me of childhood memories of going to mass with my grandfather and grandmother, but blended with the leather of Chesterfield sofas and afternoon drinks. The smoky veil carries a tar scent that anyone who lives in city with boats and docks will recognize. And then benzoin... Oh, benzoin.

I found a really interesting review of Encense this morning on the blog Sorcery of Scent that looks further at the liturgical aspects. Recommended reading here.

And yes, I do like a good fragrance name.

Thoughts on scents

This week I got interviewed by a student at Stockholm School of Journalism. Her class is creating a magazine that will feature articles and interviews with people that dedicate a part of their life to a passion – art, music, or in my case, scents. Thought I would share the questions and my answers with you. Would be great to hear your thoughts!

Q: Tell us a little bit about how you view the role of fragrances in meetings between people?
Whether we realize it or not, we are always influenced by the scents of others. Both applied scents like their perfume or other products (creams, hair products, etc) - and by their body odors (from breath to pheromones). Scent impressions influence whether we feel good in someone's company or not, and play a significant role in physical attraction. This odor impact on others, is something we cannot control. But we can affect our own body odor with hygiene, food, etc, and with our selection of cosmetics and perfume. The choices we make say something about each one of us, about our self-image and how we relate to others' perception of us. Therefore, scents are important in the same way as any other choice of symbol and attribute that we use and expose.

Q: How do you think that scents and smells affect us? Can they make us react in different ways?
Fragrances have been used for ages, to give pleasure and to stimulate thought and emotion. Pleasant scents give us feelings of comfort and enjoyment, but what is perceived as a pleasant scent differs in different cultures, ages, eras. However, there are some fragrances that are known to affect the body in specific ways and this is something that is used in aromatherapy as well as in perfume composition. For example, citrus is invigorating. A very interesting part of the world of scents is that they are so closely tied to memories. Some research shows that this has to do with how scent impressions are connected to/transported to the brain. This has been used, for example, in therapy.

Q: Do you think we use too much fragrance today, that we hide our own personal scent?
I think you should be aware of your own body odor, care for it and be proud of it. Then some enjoy stronger fragrances on themselves, while others prefer to smell like freshly washed clothes at the most. You should use the scents that you fell comfortable with. But it is interesting to get to know yourself through the world of scents, what you are drawn to and why. With the right scent you become a more defined version of yourself, both to yourself and to others. And there are fragrances even for those who do not want “too much" or feel “perfumed”. However, I would also like to say that too much perfume is never good, it's not pleasant in any way, and we should always use scents in a way that respects others. It is also not something that I would recommend, that you try to appear to be something you are not with your applied fragrances.

Photo from pinterest.com/charmainezoe/fashion-parfumerie

Warsaw and no flowers

A couple of weeks ago I went to one of my most beloved cities in the world, Warsaw. A weekend here fills my soul with new force like few other places can. There is an omnipresent particular Central European diachronic melancholy that moves your heart, there is a sizzling dynamic feeling of progress that gives you adrenalin. There is more culture, food, music, flowers, cakes, jazz, art and great conversation than you can consume. There is simply a lot of everything for your mind and soul. I love Warsaw. And I always discover something new when I am there, even when walking in my favorite quartiers. This time my top discovery was two – a concept store and a perfume brand in my favorite neighborhood, or to be precise: Mokotowska/Chopin. 

The store that I discovered was Horn & More, a temple of things for pleasure. The first room is dedicated to fragrances but as you move forward you reach increasingly intimate product ranges including lingerie and… more. But I will leave that discovery for you to make on your own. I spent most of the time in the first fragrance room smelling Histoires de Parfums, Jacques Zolty…and Blood Concept. 

Blood Concept is a very new Italian brand, created by Giovanni Castelli and Antonio Zuddas, that dedicates its creativity to the celebration of blood as “the river of life”. The fragrances represent the different blood types and are very different from eachother. One thing they do have in common though is that none of them includes flowers (yes, you knew I would like that, I know). The scents are charismatic, but clean if you understand what I mean. Interesting but comfortable. And the whole idea...well, it's just so very modern and I love it. The plans for this brand is to explore new creative horizons and I suspect it will be quite interesting to follow the adventure. As a communications person I also appreciate a brand that embraces social media the way that Blood Concept, or as they describe them "The most visceral niche perfumery brand ever!" does. Check this brand out, it's fun and these two Men of Ideas seem like a promise of adventure. For me, I expect to quite attached to their "0", will tell you...

A few more words on Poland/Warsaw... I am slightly disappointed to conclude after some research that there is no Polish luxury nische perfume brand. To me, who is more than slightly familiar with the Polish aesthetic soul, this would be nothing other than an obvious quest to olfactory heaven. (Which also means that if anyone in Poland reading this would be game... to create something - I am in!). To Polish readers and anyone in Poland I also whole-heartedly recommend going to Horn & More for fragrance (and pleasure...) conversations. And then after returning from Warsaw, I discovered that Polish cosmetics store Galilu sell a rather impressive range of Santa Maria Novella in their online store...a brand that can be difficult to find outside of Italy - so that's my other (third now right?) recommendation. Galilu actually generally offer an impressive selection, but Horn & More is a more interesting place to visit perhaps.

Infatuation.

Scents are a constant flow of infatuations for me, but every now and then something comes my way that really takes my breath away. Not that often though. I like many many perfumes, I love several. But then there is another level and when that happens it is magic. Recently I tried several perfumes from Pro Fvmvm. They are all exquisite but one of them was instant love. I have many feelings related to this particular perfume (I have decided not to tell you which one it is, as I wish that you get to know this perfume house and do not want to influence your preferences)... admiration, inspiration, safety. Also addiction. I look forward to putting it on and have slept with it on a few occasions…and keep smelling my own skin when I wear it. Almost have to force myself to use other perfumes as those days at this moment feel slightly “lost”. It is indeed a love affair.

It is with great pleasure that I dedicate a post to expressing my admiration for this Italian luxury perfume house and I do hope that it will lead to some amazing love affairs also for some of you.

Pro Fvmvm fragrances are hand-crafted perfumes that are created with a mix of natural and derivative raw materials. Pro Fvmvm say, “A perfume made up totally by natural essences has a less “gentle” scent, while one based solely on synthetic substances lacks “heart”. The perfumes have a very high percentage of essences; as a consequence, when vaporizing a high concentration of oil remains. 

 Pro Fvmvm recommend applying the perfume in the décolleté and the back of the neck by vaporizing the perfumes, waiting 10 to 15 seconds and then gently massaging the area in order to permit the essence to blend with your skin.

Storage
I really appreciate and like how Pro Fvmvm inform about storage of their fragrances. Storage is so important and yet talked about so little. Every box of perfume from Pro Fvmvm has a leaflet that signals the correct way to store it.

Truly handcrafted fragrances are devoid of chemical conservants and must therefore be stored away from heat and light. Fragrances for sale are therefore stored in protective cases and once bought by the customer, need to be stored away from heat and light. Direct sunlight and exposure to heat sources can damage the perfumes. Storing perfumes in the bathroom should be avoided as thermal excursion can damage the product. The best place is a cabinet where temperature and humidity are constant and the products are protected from light.

Le Labo: Tribute to the rose petal pickers

I love this idea. Le Labo has created a limited edition bag inspired by the bag used by pickers in the rose fields of Grasse. Only 300 bags have been made and each one is numbered. Every bag has been dyed and made by hand in LA (the natural overdye process includes drops of Rose 31, Le Labo’s fragrance that contains the precious Rose Centifolia).

The bag is a tribute to all the pickers who get up before dawn to work in rose fields every morning from mid May to mid June. They gently pick the petals by hand, at that early hour the petals are protected by dew which prevents their perfume from evaporation. After that the petals must be processed through steam distillation within 24 hours to create the best quality and quantity of oil. It takes about 4,000 kilograms of rose petals to produce one kilogram of rose oil which makes Rose Absolute oil amongst the most expensive perfume ingredient in the world.

You can get a Rose Bag here... if you hurry.

(Information and photo from Le Labo)

Perfume is Art.

Never forget, a perfume created with a precise balance between passion and skill, is a work of art in the same way that a painting, a sculpture a piece of music or a film is. It is a composition with a pace and a rhytm. It has textures, and characters in the form of notes that share the limelight sometimes as divas sometimes as ensembles. A perfume changes and evolves according to a dramaturgy invented in someone's mind and orchestrated with tender care. It is constant dialogue with you, with your skin and your self.

Never forget, perfume is not "cosmetics". Perfume is Art.

New discoveries

A few days ago I ordered some samples from First in Fragrance. I have not been in contact with them before so I was curious to both get my hands on some fragrances that I am curious about - and to see how their service works. I also know that some of you are interested in starting to buy samples but a bit unsure on how exactly it works. So let's use this process of mine as an example.

When you enter the website you search for a fragrance or brand. In my case I was looking for Keiko Mecheri. When you find fragrances that you are interested in you just click the sample box. I recommend using Fragrantica and Basenotes as additional sources for information if you are looking at fragrances that you have not tried in a store. After you have your shopping completed you fill in all the info, pay and wait.

After a few days you get a nice envelope that contains this.

Everything is really carefully and neatly packed and the samples isolated so they don't affect the paper strips. I think it is really nice that you get a generous amount of these!! My sample kit consists of two Keiko Mecheri fragrances and two Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 1561. The Keiko Mecheri I have tried in a store (love Musc) and the Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 1561 I have only read about.

So this is basically how it can work. My impression of First of Fragrance is that everything went very fast and smoothly so I feel that I can recommend them to you. If you are interested in sample from only one specific brand I suggest however that you contact them or look at their website as there are often very nice sample kits. 

Musc

Musk is used in basenotes and as a fixative, it extends the fragrance's life and can reinforce other ingredients. It is originally derived from glands of a male musk deer (the very word musk comes from the word for testicle in sanskrit). If you are interested in the details of musk extraction some googling will provide you with rather explicit descriptions. Today, however the musk used in fragrances is usually synthetic. The main reasons are said to be ethical and economical since the natural production has caused extensive killing of animals. It appears to me after some research though that in fact animals can rub the glands off by themselves so that they drop on the ground which means that musk should be able to be collected like this. But finding these glands would be very time-consuming of course.

Musk affects us hormonally and emotionally. It is associated with male sweat (more on this in a pheromone focused post coming up) and is said to affect a woman's menstrual cycle and her ability to become pregnant. Women perceive musk more during ovulation. It is however common that men and women cannot detect musk at all. In fact rather few people both sense and can define musk. Those who can, describe it as animalistic, earthy, primitive, clean etc.

Musk deer are originally from Tibet where musk is viewed as a remedy for a bit of everything. In China it has been used for medical treatments for at least 1500 years. It is a bit unclear when musk came to Europe but it is known that musk was part of a gift from the sultan Saladin to the Emperor of Eastern Rome in Constantinople. In the late 1200s musk appeared as a commodity in Venice. Musk was appreciated because of its healing effects but also a bit of a problem in terms of logistics because the smell affected other goods on the same ships, such as the valuable tea leaves. Even small amounts have strong effects on a fragrance formula.

Musk is a mythical and interesting ingredient in perfume. But not only in perfume... rather in scents in general. The powers will lead you into the area of pheromones if you start googling and then before you know you are in the most intricate olfactory-hormonal labyrinths.

The Scents of A Man

Tonight I am playing some seriously advanced mind games on myself trying out ten perfumes pour hommes on my skin as a part of the process of creating a perfume wardrobe for a male friend. I would say that 2/3 of my suggestions will be unisex fragrances. But that last third will be light contemporary masculinevaganza olfactory zones where I would never go on my own skin.

The fragrances will of course smell entirely differently on him than on me, but to get some sort of feeling for how they live and breathe with human skin and warmth I am doing a first round on my arms. The effects of this experiment are unknown. The atmosphere in my apartment slightly surreal with all these olfactory testosterone ghosts lingering.

This is fun. So much fun. I have found a few matches, a few risky adventures and a few surprises. Some question marks regarding whether EdP or EdT will be more suitable. But what great questions these are to dwell upon...

Wearing perfume: EdP, EdT, etc.

Seems there are many questions around this topics so I have updated two old posts and merged them to this one guideline to concentration types an things related. First; don't feel stupid if you feel unsure about the abbreviations and what their purpose is. Just grab a coffee, sit down and let's go through the basics, and soon you will see that those little letters on the bottle are not there to confuse you but rather to help you find what is right for you. If you are at home you might find it helpful to do a little exercise - go get your fragrance bottles.

Many people have a mix of perfumes, Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette standing in their home. (That's another important topic: keep your fragrances in a place where they are not exposed to heat and sunlight!). It is not unlikely that this mix has been created quite subconsciously. Perhaps you preferred the EdT of one fragrance but the EdP version of another. Perhaps you just didn't notice. Perhaps...you are confused why your fragrance does not smell like it does on your friend or like when you "tried it another time in that store...". This post can provide you with some answers.

What do the abbreviations mean?
Perfume oil is always diluted with a solvent (ethanol or water/ethanol), so that it does not cause an allergic reaction. The abbreviations tell you the strength of a fragrance, based on the concentration of the perfume oil/aromatics used in it.

Guideline (taken from Wikipedia):
▪ Perfume: 15-40% aromatic compounds
▪ Eau de Parfum & Parfum de Toilette: 10-20% aromatic compounds
▪ Eau de Toilette: 5-15% aromatic compounds
▪ Eau de Cologne: 3-8% aromatic compounds
▪ Aftershave: 1-3% aromatic compounds

Why does it matter?

The concentration affects application, longevity and your experience of a fragrance. You don't have to be either a perfume, EdP- or an EdT-person. Stay open to experimenting and finding your personal comfort level from fragrance to fragrance. Think about situations. Ask yourself how impactful you want your scent to be, to others and to yourself. However, it is also not unusual that someone does in fact prefer one of the categories. For example, I am a perfume person, probably to a large extent because I am drawn to base notes. 

Quick summary
Perfume: gives you the fullest, purest, most long-lasting experience of the fragrance. Perfume is gently caressed onto skin, not sprayed.
Eau de Parfum:
 has lower concentration than perfume and is often focused on heart notes. Still provides you with a rich sensation.
Eau de Toilette: 
the concentration of perfume oils is not so high and if you want the scent to last the entire day you will probably need to reapply it. It is the lightest version of a fragrance.

Application: pulse points or mist
Traditionally, experts recommend putting your fragrance on your pulse points, that is on the wrists, behind your ears, on neck, behind the elbow and backs of your knees. If you do all of them or just one is highly individual. I have a couple of perfumes that I avoid having near the face but love on the wrists for example. Also the sillage affects what application amount/method works best. A perfume that diffuses a lot should be applied with caution. Perfume is gently applied to pulse points and don't rub it when it is on the skin.

A more modern method is that of spraying your fragrance in the air and then stepping through the mist. This works great for an EdP or EdT. Nota bene, spraying here means once or twice, not more. You might also have read about perfume in your hair – applied by spraying your fragrance on your brush before brushing your hair. 

Key message: be moderate. Too much perfume is never a good way to go. Never.

Photo Frank Carter 

It should be added here that fragrances do last longer or shorter, not only depending on perfume oil percentage, depending on the person. For example if you have dry skin you are likely to feel like your fragrance evaporates faster.

You know already that fragrances smell differently on different people. But a fragrance can also seem different on you from one occasion to another. Stress, medication or hormonal changes can make a fragrance smell in a new way, (probably worse, if you noticed it). That also explains why sometimes people use their old favorite fragrance and suddenly do not like it at all. Try another one, or just give it some time and then re-unite.