I am an avid perfume collector, flower lover, scent obsessive, cinephile and Jasmine Literary Award winner, living in the ancient city of Kamakura, Japan. I love scoping out the local antique shops and Tokyo flea markets in search of discarded vintage gems; spend much of my monthly income as a teacher on perfume, and have for years been writing about my own collection for friends who come to visit: a menu, if you like, to whet their olfactory appetites while they select a new, unknown scent to linger over and savour. In 2019, my guide, Perfume: In Search of Your Signature Scent, was published by Hardie Grant Books, an introduction to the world of scent – a scent atlas if you like – which has been nominated for the Perfumed Plume Awards perfume book of the year.
Here on The Black Narcissus, I would like to share my musings with you. A mutual exploration to appreciate these scents – all scents, from the classics to the obscure, to the latest commercial releases – from as many different angles as possible.
Perfume is another world – an escape; at the very least a beautiful enhancement of reality. It is joy, delectation, and can seem to encapsulate existence itself in our memory. A well-chosen scent can seem to capture our essence – an ‘identity card of the spirit….’
The Black Narcissus 
Neil Chapman…can I have your autograph now? BEFORE you get so popular you forget us little peons in the trenches? You made me re-think perfume. I’d never given it a moment’s thought before you.
Wonderful blog! Magnificent writing. Makes me want to go out and try all the perfumes on here. Congratulations! Looking forward to more posts. xxx
Thank you! I don’t know how it is going to pan out, but I am going to persevere with it anyway. I love it.
Keeping secrets from me? You scoundrel! I love this and you.
what is the shelf life of a perfume if I may ask?
That is a very good question. It is hard to say. I have actually had very few perfumes that have truly ‘turned’ to be honest: I think most can go on for years, even decades, although obviously in theory light is the main destructor..in all my many years of fuming I haven’t really found it to be the case though….
Is there any particular scent you are thinking of?
One of the things I love about this blog is it brings to mind so many perfumes of my past I had completely forgotten about and captures their “emotional essence”.
I look forward to future reviews (especially my beloved Nocturnes).
P.S.Thank you for being the inspiration behind my pen name and with your permission I would very much like to us it!
go ahead sweet wrists…
If I really do capture the emotional essence of these perfumes I couldn’t be happier, seriously, as that is what I am trying, consciously or otherwise, to do.
I do like to write about the new scents as well, but often my passions come more to the fore with a classic. They just seem to have so much more LIFE inside them, most of the time…
Yes, the vintage classics do indeed inspire more passion and I love the way you write about them so poetically 🙂 ! Also, I am glad that you understood what I meant regarding “emotional essence”. After using that phrase I thought “do I sound a bit over the edge/crazy?” No one I know has ever completely understood my 40 year perfume obsession 🙂 !!
Trust me, I do.
I am also planning a ‘conversations with….’ thing, so if Nocturnes is really your perfume, we could do a collaboration. I would love to hear your take on it..
Wow! big Freudian slip! Meant to say “use” NOT “us” 🙂 !!
No no.. I am the shy person who “lurks” for months before I even comment (although I was pretty quick to jump the gun on this blog after reading your vanilla reviews on OT). I am not in any way an expert and I cannot capture fragrances as eloquently as you can. So you will have to go “solo” and I can put in my “two scents” in the comments section! I have only a small amount of vintage Nocturnes left. Therefore, I do not wear it often but it was probably the one that was the closest perfume to be considered a signature scent for me. I must have gone through 20 or more bottles from my teen years into my early 30s. Very few perfume obsessed know about it, which is why I would love for you to review it..since you seem to enjoy Nocturnes as much as I do 🙂 !!
At times my reticence, fear of failure and lack of risk taking preclude me from an opportunity that could very well prove to be highly rewarding. I believe that this was such a moment. Therefore, if the offer still stands, I would very much like to participate, in whatever manner you deem fit, when you do get around to reviewing Nocturnes. Just e-mail me…
I will, definitely. Only just read this, sorry.
Hot
Wow! What a beautiful blog, and a joy to read!
I must admit I’m writing to you here because apart from wanting to congratulate you I was selfishly wondering whether – as the connoisseur that you are, and as a fellow fan of patchouli – you might be able to give me a little hint?
The thing is, I have been looking and looking for a ‘grown up’ perfume that captures something similar to a cheap fragrance I’ve been wearing for an embarrassingly long time, but that I still adore and that was discontinued in the late 90s (by now even ebay has run out of it).
Its main ingredients are patchouli, orange, bergamot, ylang ylang, lemon oil, and then there’s peru balsam, geranium, styrax benzoin and damask rose oil in it too. It’s soft and warm and rich, without being heavy or ‘old lady’.
Does anything come to mind? I know this is a bit of an imposition, it’s just I’ve been looking and trying out various things unsuccessfully for absolute ages and thought you might be the one to help… I hope you don’t mind too much, any suggestions would be massively appreciated!
Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to put this wonderful blog out there for all of us strangers to read!
Thank you very much for the kind comments, and I will think about your patchouli. In the mean time, did you read my Patchouli Patchouly post? I wrote about quite a few in that one……
Thanks so much for getting back to me!
Yes I have read that one (one of the first posts I checked out!), it made me laugh because, as you say, unless the blend is right, far from lending you a beautiful dark and mysterious note it can so easily just douse you in the universal smell of old hippies and identikit gothy/grungy teenagers. I did make a note of the ones you mentioned there, and am esp curious to smell the L’Occitane one. The one I’m looking to recreate/’upgrade’ actually is – you’ll probably scream ‘philistine!’ now, and I was too embarrassed to mention it earlier – an old body shop scent. Yep, that’s right. It was in fact the ‘sensual’ one from their early 90s ‘aromatherapy’ range.
I guess it’s the warm wood and fruit combo that makes it special (to me anyway, after all it was discontinued), along with bergamot. Not powdery, not too sweet, not too woody, you know? So the dream would be to find something along those lines… if you can think of anything that would be absolutely amazing!
I would never laugh at that because some of the old Body Shop perfumes were amazing, actually, their patchouli oil included.
My brain isn’t coming up with any bergamotty patchoulis though for some reason, as most of the ones I have come across have been either very dark and earthy, or the ambered ones like Patchouli Patch and Montale Patchouli leaves, OR the ubiquitous fruitchoulis a la Angel or Chanel Mademoiselle, which I am presuming you are not talking about.
Hang on a minute: there IS one that I really loved, actually, which was Micaleff Patchouli that I would definitely buy myself if I had the money and happened to be in London. I am not sure if that is what you would be after but it is really gorgeous, beginning with an amazing orange note, as dry as a a Campari, which laces the patchouli deliciously. It is soft, warm, but fairly dry, and the patchouli is blended perfectly. Perhaps you could source a sample somewhere (Luckyscent?) and see how that goes.
If I think of any more I will get back to you!
You couldn’t also tell me the name of the scent as well, could you?
So I’ve had a good old root around on luckyscents and have ordered a bunch of samples, including the delicious sounding patchouli leaves and Micallef, can’t wait for them to arrive! Thank you again for your time and efforts, hugely appreciated!
My pleasure. I would love to know how you get on as well: maybe I can discover a new one myself!
stephvr-
Like Neil I am curious myself as to which Body Shop oil you are referring to…Please do tell! Neil would never berate us for loving those inexpensive beauties. During my second trip to London in ’95 I had the great pleasure of experiencing the launch of the Body Shop’s “Sweet Faith” and “Leap!”. I bought both, as they had not been released yet in the States. I also adored (with a passion) “Wood Musk”. Unfortunately all three were discontinued. Why do perfume companies do that? It irritates me to no end!
Agree with Alabaster Wrists! Though not a perfume, am currently loving their chocolate, cocoa Butter n seed pod bits soap! The Body Shop have hugely extended peoples’ everyday smell experiences at relatively affordable prices for years. In some ways they placed a value on individual scents that offer an opportunity for people to become familiar with them, as well as creating the perfumes that have their own wonderfully distinctive aroma. Wore their ‘unfragranced’ (though it DID have a fragrance) deodarant for years. As for their peach oil. Gorgeous.
YES! Ninakane1, I forgot about that gorgeous peach (as well as their cassis oil). They also had a sultry vanilla bean body butter that I wore back in the days when I craved vanilla straight up but their was none found in perfume (until Vanilla Fields arrived).Thanks for reminding me!
Big fan of their rose musk and dewberry oil for years too, patchoulie also. Many a teenage Saturday afternoon joy was had, clinking those long glass perfume sticks in the magic tester bottles. Something wonderful about the colours and textures of those oils, and wondering what the smell would be.
Indeed it was “dewberry” NOT cassis that was the name of that oil.
The old Body Shop Oils in those glass dippers! Amazing. Their new perfumes are no way near as good, unfortunately, but I have to tread carefully with what I say as my cousin’s husband is the International Creative Director!
Thanks to you too! It is indeed a pleasure to think on these things!
Neil-
You will have to satisfy our philistine cravings and do a review on a Body Shop oil!
Definitely. Too depleted from the end of term to write anything at present though. I need a few days of recuperation to get my juices flowing again!
Thanks for the continued support of this wilting narcissus….x
‘…that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.’
hmm, have to agree about the perfume oils though. Their soaps are currently my favourite product. They suddenly shifted in the late 90s from their staple and iconic fruity, berry, musky, rosey ranges (which looking back had a certain Englishiana about it, the younger sister of Laura Ashley or the more hippy cousin of Liberty) – all those little bath bubbles- and suddenly moved to cocoa and beans n nut-based products, then all the hemp which was exciting at the time. They sorta went buttery-creamy, a body-bath n hand-cream move encouraging their regulars from sniff n dab, to sniff n slather. I went through a whole love affair with their Brazilian-nut leave-in conditioner, but their make-ups were lost on me, much as I tried. Can’t tell you how many square boxes of blacks, brown, silver and blood-orange purples eye-shadow still clunk around my bathroom cabinet. Then they price-hiked and had an army of slightly-pushy sales assistants during the mid-Millenium materialist boom which put me off big-time (and their shops are not overly-easy to get pushchairs in…). But they seem to have mellowed of late and some of their relaxed and more innovative flair is returning I think. And it is iconic – had a conversation with a saleswoman in there about White Musk last time I was in – she says she’s never stopped wearing it for the last twenty years, and it’s still their biggest seller.
ooh which has led me to ponder and ask – what perfumes could you recommend that have Brazil nut or cocoa butter in them?
ninakane1- maybe not so much of a Brazil nut note but Pacifica Mexican Cocoa might do the trick? or the solid of Tibetan Mountain Temple-something in the balm formula dries down to what smells like cocoa butter on my wrist (then again the mexican cocoa in the solid would do the trick as well!) And PG Praline et Santal has sweet nutty notes…hope this helps!
Thanks Alabaster, they sound lovely! Absolutely love cocoa butter so am drawn to the Tibetan Mountain Temple in particular! Will give them a walnut whirl!
As I am always one to experiment with essential oils and create my own concoctions may I also suggest that you make your own “solid perfume” by combining raw cocoa butter with jojoba oil (melt in the microwave) and some interesting essential oils such as new caledonia sandalwood absolute (rich, woody and creamy), cocoa absolute (chocolate lovers delight) tonka bean (vanilla-esque yumminess), immortelle (bacon to me straight up but when blended with vanilla notes: superb!) and/or bourbon vanilla (sweet divinity and one our vanilla maniac black narcissus, would surely love). I purchase all my essential oils from Eden Botanicals as they sell samples.
Utterly divine! I am one for dabbling with esential oil concotions and this one sounds lovely! Will give it a go. Thank you.
hello again the Black Narcissus et al, and happy new year!
just a quick update on my orange/patchouli quest, I’ve been trying my way through those samples and so far Montale’s Patchouli Leaves is my favourite, it’s simple, warm, woody but beautiful. This came as a surprise since there’s white musk in it which I usually dislike intensely, but here it’s politely staying very much out of the picture. Profumum’s Patchouly made me smell like a wild beast roaming the savannah, which was interesting, whereas unfortunately the vetiver got in the way of both Micallef and Montale’s Blue Amber (Vetiver being the signature fragrance of a good friend of mine who is a gentleman in his 80s, so as a lady in her early 30s it doesn’t feel right on me).
I find it astonishing how most aromas sound fantastic on paper but can smell positively rank in the wrong blend, or maybe it is my unfortunate combo of an acute sense of smell (runs in the family, apparently) and what is beginning to seem more and more like scent fascism…
Anyway I really admire your ability to delve into perfumes and remain a level headed critic rather than do what I do, which is – at even the most subtle of discordant notes – react like a vampire would to garlic, hissing ‘….euurgh! impossible! get it away from me!’ I shall carry on reading with envy.
Lovely to hear from you again!
I think I am actually like you as well: acute sense of smell and I also have pretty intense reactions towards things: many niche perfumes simply strike me as VILE, often whole ranges of very highly regarded ones as well, which makes me feel like I have somehow missed the plot or am behind the times or something. Yet for The Black Narcissus I do try to remain level-headed to some extent and write vaguely objective reviews. I think I achieve this sometimes, like in that one I did of Where We Are There Is No Here by I Hate Perfume: I do actually hate that scent and yet I could see something interesting within it, some facet that appealed to the mind, or at least the prose fingers…..
As for patchouli, the white musk thing is problematic for me as well and the Montale is a little to warm and musky for me: however that house on the whole make wonderfully FULL perfumes that are like elixirs and last forever. Did you know at the Paris shop you can even have the strength intensified if you want. I mistakenly did that with my Intense Tiare, which was perfect as it was: in my stronger version it lost something and I regretted it. In other perfumes’ cases though it might be really worth it. What are your next quests?
Hi Black Narcissus,
I am editing my novel BALLROOM which will be published by Harper Collins and need some advice on perfumes that character might wear in 1999. Would you be able to advise me?
Please say yes! Please email me.
Alice
sounds intriguing.
tell me some more about the character
Love your posts- am relatively new to thus but very much on my way to perfume obsession!
Obsession is the way to go: it is a soul- ravishing pastime so welcome to the fray!
A question about the relationship of the Japanese people with perfume has been haunting me and I think you are the person to ask. The thought came to me when I smelled Kilian’s Asian Tales. To my nose they were blunt, colourless visions of the orient through uneducated western eyes. Then I had the chance to talk to a Korean friend who told me that there is a very strict perfume language in the Korean culture: jasmine is worn by women while sandalwood is something only men would were. There is a lack of information about perfumes created in the Far East and I can’t find any information on this. Any references or personal knowledge would be most welcome either here or through emails at memoryofscent at gmail dot com.
Marvellous site. You tell some magnificent stories. I am a ‘newbie’ to the connoisseurial domain of perfumes but have read your blog avidly and am somewhat in awe of your knowledge. You breathe passion into every scent and I am intrigued. More more please sir! I must confess to being a little regular in my toilette. Guerlain Vetiver for the week, Nuit de l’Homme for the weekend and a daring dash of White Patchouly (TF) for parties and those special evenings. Thank you for your fascinating pages. I look forward to more inspiration.
I am honoured! Thankyou so much. Once the blasted computer works again I shall roar back into action!
Hurray! ‘We want you back, don’t care what we have to do, we want you back, doodoodoodoodoodoooooo’ Luv Kylie & Co x
Actually Serafina, I think that might have been Bananarama…but I’m sure they want The Black Narcissus back too!
Ah yes, I think you’re right.
Met your mum for lunch recently and she told me about your perfume writings. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all I can find, keep writing!
Jennifer (from your childhood). Remember Lucas and Samantha
The extremely strange thing is that I was literally just talking about you last night as Duncan and I walked up the hill back home: how of all mum’s friends and the kids we had to spend time with, I liked playing with Lucas and Samantha the best. Such strange synchronicity.
Hope you are well
XX
( I used to LOVE the Sodastream you had…so envious…)
(and Jennifer, or Aunty Jennifer, as it still feels correct and polite to call you, for some reason I have no memory of what perfumes you wore (if you did: please let me know some of your favourites over the years if so: has John ever worn anything? I need to know these things…)
Somehow I see you in things spicier than what mum wears, though I could be completely wrong….
Only just noticed your question. Yes I like quite heavy, spicy scents, nothing floral. Obsession,poison ,samsara.. Recently I have quite taken to Britney Spears midnight fantasy
Samantha’s favourite is obsession,she wore that on her wedding day.
John wears what I buy, so spicy and more importantly on offer
I think I like strong perfumes because I don’t think my sense of smell is very strong
Love Jennifer
Hello. The Perfumed Dandy suggested I come look here. What a lovely, delightful site you have! I’ve enjoyed reading about muguet and violet so far, and I see I have other delicious postings to catch up on. I am looking forward to it.
I just love this whole world that exists beyond the dreariness of the everyday. I am loving it more and more.
We are “through the looking glass” now, aren’t we? 🙂
I think so..
Pingback: The Perfumed Dandy’s American Scents…Ombre de Hyacinth by Tom Ford Nice, niche but not | The Perfumed Dandy.
From among the online shops,who do you think would be the best source for Eau de Metal?I am ordering online for the first time.
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Beth Santos
From the Philippines
http://www.perfumela.com
https://www.perfumela.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1106&cat=METAL+by+Paco+Rabanne+For+Women
Here’s the link
I wish I knew! I have only ever found my vintage curiosities at antique shops or flea markets here in Japan.
Good luck with it, though. I think it is a stunning fragrance.
Brie, you’re back!!!! Hurray! I’ve missed you!!! How are you doing?
Very Dear Mr. Chapman,
Living in a quit remote spot on this earth ,the only way I could
“travel” was reading and collecting perfumes.
The second wasn’t easy..
Crazy lady [62] from a hazy country,enjoying your blog
SO much!
I am going to Japan in a month, so,one question:
are there any Japanese houses of perfume?
{I know and have [before many years] Zen by Shiseido]
…could you elaborate on Japanese scents?
best
Noya
Tel-Aviv
Noya-san!
It is true that an overview of Japanese scents is overdue.
I would say that of course, Shiseido is the main house, and if you go to any Shiseido corner store you can try their exclusives: Koto, Zen, Memoire, More, Murasaki, and so on. All nice, all very ‘classical’ scents based on famous French perfumes.
There is also a very nice shop near Shinjuku station called Parfums Satori: a Japanese perfumer who does her own scents, and the namesake scent, Satori, is pretty good actually: kind of a Shiseido/Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois but more Japanese, more woody, camphorous. Make a beeline for that shop if you can.
In terms of actual perfume shopping, only Isetan, Shinjuku is really worth visiting I would say. It has all the niche brands, and is the poshest department store I have ever been to anywhere in the world. Intimidating, almost (and SO many shop assistants!)
There is, actually, come to think of it, also an interesting perfume shop in Ginza called Down To Earth, which do their own scents. Their rendition of jinchoge, or Daphne flowers, is quite naturalistic and impressive.
Any J-info you want, let me know.
My Dear Pefume Angel,
Can you imagine that only today I have found your reply to a question
asked 3 years ago?
I have tears in my eyes..
.My daughter Ella,is now an exchange student [art,photography] at the Tokyo university,a good reason to fly again…
I have written you yesterday,but have no idea where to look for the respond…But your first answer is elaborated enough for me!
Keep on doing what you do,and know that you bring magical moments to people who are so thirsty for them
Noya
I’ve been avidly reading and loving your blog and posted to the article about Youth Dew last week although I see my post is still “awaiting moderation.” Is there something else I need to do – I’m pretty new to this blogging thing 🙂
Excellent and in-depth article in the first edition of ODOU magazine. It covers aspects of Japanese culture as well as a world wide investigation of smell haters. You should have a read. The article was so good I thought it had been written by you. And it was! Well done and congratulations Neil.
Write On,
Jordan River
Hello Neil!
Just a quick message to let you know how much I enjoyed your article in ODOU 🙂 It was absolutely fascinating and I couldn’t even fathom living in a beautifully scented world! I’m also really glad that I found out about your blog as you write beautifully and make me want to sniff all your recommendations (isn’t that one of the points of a perfume blog?!)
I look forward to reading you blog regularly,
Nafia.
Thankyou so much, Nafia. I wasn’t sure if that article was a bit too intense, but perhaps that was also part of its appeal.
I hope you enjoy the blog and join in the discussions as well.
Intense is good in my book. I think I loved it just because it was so alien and I wasn’t aware that there were places in the world with such an aversion to scent 🙂
and can you imagine being PROSECUTED for it?!!
Ludicrous!
Hello!
You have a marvellous blog here. I am enjoying it indeed. Thank you.
Thanks for reading. I really love writing it.
I found you while searching for the best coconut perfumes on Google. I have to say, you write seductively. You entice the reader into escaping into that feeling the scents have roused in you. It’s made me want to try every single one of those perfumes. Thank you.
No thank you for writing this. I appreciate it. Hopefully my seductions are not lies…
Congratulations on your Literary Award! Excellent article and highly deserved 🙂
Fantastic news Neil! Well done! You totally deserve it! xxx
Neil, congrats on your receiving the Jasmine award. Wonderful recognition and well deserved!
Thanks very much. I loved the feeling of winning it I must confess.
Thank you so much for your beautiful blog. I enjoy it so much.
Thank you. That is very gratifying to hear, as I am sometimes not sure about it and feel like an absolute fool. Arigato.
Never doubt the beauty and brilliance of the blog Mr Ginza; it’s sublime. x
x
Awesome blog 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Neil,
l I was wondering if you know anything about a perfume called White Rose by Dyjar. It is in a gorgeous little tall narrow bottle with red yellow and blue stripes going up it . It looks very art deco. I cant find anything about it anywhere. I can send photos if I have an email address or somewhere to send them to. I realise this is an imposition on your knowledge and I am extremely grateful for any help.
Thanks Jenny Dalziel
It sounds delightful but I am pretty sure that I have never heard of it.
I would love to see the bottle anyway; maybe other readers on here can help.
I figured out how to send you a photo of the bottle..It wasnt that hard. Thanks Jenny
Thanks for replying. I dont think I can up load a photo to your blog. If you sent me an email to jdalziel@inet.net.nz I could reply attaching the photos.
Thank you so much for the beer and the insightful conversation yesterday! Was great meeting you guys and hope to see you around some time soon. Please pass on my thanks to your partner (whose name I didn’t quite catch… ) as well!
Miki
How on earth did you find me on here?!!!!!!
How funny. DId I mention perfume in the conversation?
Are you on Facebook?
Also, we are probably having a house party sometime in June, so you can come and meet some new people, Japanese and otherwise: we know all types.
Your partner mentioned that you had a blog and a simple google search did the job.
I am on Facebook, if you could search for Miki Tsuruhara, that’d be great.
I will ( Duncan, by the way ).
Wonderful to have found you (at last). I comment here, since although I am appropriately wearing Gardenia today, I realised that your ‘Gardenia Crime’ was a re-post, so I couldn’t comment there. I enjoyed being there in spirit on the cemetery at night on the moonlit path surrounded by the scent of narcotic gardenia. Gorgeous.
It was rather over the top, but it had to be done…..
yes, it absolutely did.
Hello Ginza,
I have been an avid reader of your blog for a while and on top of loving your way with words, I am extremely jealous of your frequent perfume finds…
I will be in Tokyo for about 3 days in mid-July. Could you please recommend me some shops or markets that I could scour for vintage perfume? (Although I understand if not… you wouldn’t want competition 😉 )
No, it’s ok. If I were that protective I wouldn’t even mention them. It’s important you realize, though, that nothing is guaranteed and that you most of the time come away empty handed.
I do have a slightly photographic memory when it comes to these things, however, so tell me what you are after and I can take it from there. Vintage Chanels? L’Air Du Temps? What are your bargain holy grails?
thank you so much, Ginza, for sharing the wealth, And no worries — i am just in japan to eat this time around, so I would like to have something to do between mealtimes 🙂
Things i would be interested in: vintage Guerlain, Chanel, Shiseido mainly… but if there are other shops of interest I would love to visit. i will also be in Kyoto and Osaka for a few days if you know anything about those cities. Thank you once again!
If Julia was to trawl through all black Narcissus blogs she would find that information.
It is after all Neil’s intellectual property that he has invested a lot of time and money in. Should it really be given away…. if Neil was to produce a perfume hunters guide to japan … maybe it would be a best seller!!!!!
I am just putting my oar in.
I have noted some of the places that Ginza/Neil has previously mentioned in his posts about vintage perfume finds but was curious as to whether he might have other suggestions to make. Of course he is very much free to not respond.
Oh I wish I was in Japan right now! Happy perfume-hunting and delicious food-noshing O happy Nippon wanderers (and dwellers)…
Pop on over!
I’m so excited! I also live in an Asian country but it’s woefully devoid of perfume in general, other than department store ‘fumes…
Have I gauchely mistepped? Why are my comments now waiting for moderation? I have been joyfully participating here for more than a year now without ever seeing the waiting for moderation doo-hickey…..
There is no way that is intentional on my part! I am the least controlling perfume blogger out there, have no ‘rules’, and don’t edit anything.
I am having several problems with the site at present but am a total computer moron. My apologies!
What a relief! If you are are a computer moron, then I am your fellow computer moron!
Hey! This made me think of you today:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/design/a-sense-of-occasion-how-luxury-hotels-and-condos-seduce-you-with-signature-scents/article20513403/
Thanks. I enjoyed reading it. If you ever find yourself in that lobby, please let me know what it smelled like.
Hi Neil,
This is Alex over at Pinrose in San Francisco : ) I wanted to reach out to you because we LOVE your blog and thought our products might be right up your alley! We are a start up fragrance brand based out of San Francisco. We are not the usual fragrance company though…we are striving to make the process of buying perfume easy, fun and interactive. Our website (www.pinrose.com) is a virtual party that allows you to take a synesthesia test, which tells us all about your sensory preferences. We then analyze your answers and can prescribe the perfect mix of fragrances for your unique personality and panache. We send you samples of those fragrances for free in the mail in what we call “petal packs”. Petals are the perfect single dose of fragrance–great for on-the-go–and our early customers are obsessed with them (thank goodness!).
I would love for you to check out the website and take the quiz! Afterwards, please let me know what fragrances you were matched with and I would be happy to mail you some complementary samples of those fragrances and more : )
Also, check out some of our recent press if you want to get a better feel for what has been resonating with our customers!
Wallstreet Journal
Refinery29
W
Into the Gloss
Love the sound of this. I will check it out.
I would like to know about one of the images on your home page and if I can use it in my book. I would also, like your website to take the quiz. truly believe we all have a scent we carry with us when we come here, but to extract that fragrance into matter is powerful!
Hi Lauren.
What kind of book are you writing ? ( and yes, you can use what you like)
hello,
I do enjoy your website! The passion is palpable and just jumps at you.
And I find the way you place the photos and the type setting with those long spacings most elegant …
My partner and I will be traveling from Germany to Japan for the first time (Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto) and we’re already most curious.
I do also hope also to stumble over one of those vintage treasure droves: Chamade, No. 22, some unheard of Caron (Farnesiana, Violette précieuse???) you write about, oh my —
Could you give me a tip where to find a shop: you mention somewhere in an old mall in a metro station next to a vendor of old washing machines, or something like that.
Any tips or hints would be most thankfully and gratefully accepted.
Best wishes from Brussels / and Cologne
Pascal
Hi Pascal.
I am very pleased you enjoy reading the blog and hope you love Japan. You mustn’t get your hopes up too much about the vintage perfume, though. As I have written before, more often than not you come away empty handed at these places: just once in a while there is something amazing (remember, I am combing these places quite regularly for bargains, which is why I occasionally find treasures like Chamade). No 22 was a real rarity, and you would never find Farnesiana. There is always tons of vintage No 5, Madame Rochas, Diorissimo and the like, but rarely anything more unusual. I find things at the Shinagawa Intercity Fleamarket held on Sundays, and the arcade opposite the station in Jiyugaoka (closed on Thursdays). They have several versions of vintage Mitsouko at the moment if that would interest you, and downstairs there is an amazing vintage perfume shop but she charges quite high prices. The Chamade you mention was a total one-off: literally just a hardware store that on one day happened to have a Chamade parfum. My heart practically jumped out of my chest when I saw it.
Thanks a lot! I wondered around Shinagawa – totally lost yet quite
exhilarated… What a fantastic place Japan is! Am in Kyoto at the moment. Perfumewise I may stick to EBay Europe – but otherwise I’ll be back!
Thank you for your advice and all the best
Pascal
Glad you are enjoying it. Tell me more!
Neil, thank you for your lovely blog all these years. Not a week goes by without me enjoying your musings. I serve in healthcare so wearing ‘fumes is a no-no (until I get home, that is, at which point I practically anoint myself). My hubby & I will finally get to travel to SE Asia at the end of this year (right after X’mas) incl. a 3-night stop in Japan (the last time I was there was in the ’80s, as a kid)! We’ll be staying in Shinjuku area, but hoping to spend one day in Kyoto. Any places you’d recommend checking out that would give a concise yet well-rounded taste of Tokyo? Also, if you happen to live/be nearby that last weekend of 2014, I’ll happily pack along a sealed 1/4 oz vintage Shalimar parfum for you (in its suede purple box, purchased during a random past extravagant moment but now sits unhappily in my frag chest unworn as I only use my “vaporisateur” EDT/EDP bottles).
P.s. You should consider turning the hilarious “I WENT TO A JAPANESE WEDDING and the only scent was mine” into a haiku.
P.s.s. I’m from Indonesia, so to learn that you got to visit Java & experience the beauty there truly made my day!
I LOVED Java, as you can tell. I still don’t think I have properly processed it, to be honest, and doubt I ever will; it sent me into a total dream.
As for Japan: just three days? Get back to me nearer the time and I will have a good think (and yes, you MUST go to Kyoto. The bullet train is so quick and smooth that it wouldn’t be painful to do a one night stay trip).
You are too kind with the Shalimar…..I would love it, but unfortunately we are away, in the States at that time, livin’ it up in New Orleans.Thanks anyway though (unless you were to pop it in the post…he said outrageously).
Tell me what kind of things you fancy doing in Japan and I will give you some suggestions.
Well, you certainly helped convince us to stay overnight in Kyoto; we in fact booked two nights! We’re in our mid & late 30s, generally low-key, laid-back & fond of anything retro, hence our desire to spend more time sight-seeing the more traditional part of Japan. Places & local/authentic foods are what we generally seek when traveling. I understand we might be limited in terms of choices due to the colder season in Japan come late December. In any case, perhaps you can share a few interesting spots that you’d recommended friends & family in the past? For our last 24 hrs (in Tokyo), I hope to at least experience the night life (I think you’d mentioned about dancing/clubbing in Roppongi in one of your blog entries?). I also want to check out the Daikanyama T-site bookstore, as books & perfumes are in my Top 5 of what makes life worth living.
As for the Shalimar parfum, if there’s a safe U.S. postal address for me to ship it in December (as late as the 19th), I’d be happy to! Feel free to e-mail me with the mailing info and I’ll send it via (3-day) Priority Mail with delivery confirmation. Consider it a holiday gift from a long-distant friend who appreciates you very much.
Dear Neil
I am going to Tokyo next Friday and will be there for 3 days followed by another 2 days in Kyoto. The last time I was in Japan was 20 years ago and now my spoken Japanese is almost non existence. I love to go to those small little shops and flea markets and bat my eyes saying chotto takain ne.
This is, however, not a happy trip as my sister had broken her leg and I was to pick up my sister from a hospital in Kyoto. But since I have to travel all the way to Japan, I thought I might as well take a quick tour.
I am wondering whether you can give me a few tips looking for vintage perfume. I am looking for vintage Shiseido, Guerlain and Chanel perfume. This to me is….my mother’s smell. Due to a series of family illness, I am in and out of hospital for 10 years as both my parents were diagnosed with cancer. For 10 years, before my parents passed way, the only smell I know is the smell of hospital – of disinfectent. For many, many years, I am scent adversent.
I am now trying to recall my mother’s smell – and discovered to my horror, all modern reincarnation of perfume is different from how I remembered what my mother smells before my mum was terribly sick. I still could not wear vintage poison – the smell of its bring tears to my eyes. However, there are also other vintage perfumes that I would love to lay my hands on that do not bring tears to my eyes but happier memories.
So any tips? My email address is tissuepink@gmail.com
You can get tons of vintage Chanel, always, not so much Shiseido, although their entire range is still available in most drugstores or neighborhood Shiseido stores ( Zen, More, Murasaki, Sourire, Koto, among others, and they all smell pleasantly old fashioned and would also make quite unusual gifts.)
What perfumes in particular are you after? I might know where they can be found.
Hmmm….I would love to lay my hands on vintage Chanel No 5, 19 and 22. For Guerlain Samsara, Chamade, Nahema, Liu, Vol de Nuit and anything in EDC. I dislike Shalimar though :-). For Hermes, Caleche. For Shiseido,White Rose (I think I read in one of the Japanese boards that the current formulation is different from the older ones), Blue Rose and anything Rose or specific to Japan. I hope I am not TOO greedy. And I know a very very very slim chance, vintage Serge Lutens (with the Shiseido label) and Frederic Malle pre-2005 Une Rose.
Dear blacknarcissus,
I just found your incredible website and tried to find how send it to others but ……did the person who constructed your website forget to include that feature? Please, can you add a way to do this, for dummies? Thank you.
Sincerely, Melissa Pride, retired Sacramento homicide psychic
forget to include what? Je comprends pas..,..this was just constructed by me and funcan
I found your website because I was reading about Djedi on Facebook. I am like you. Quite obsessive about fragrance. I have a large collection of vintage perfumes and keep collecting. There is little that is more exciting to me than fragrance. Can’t live without it since I was a child!!!
Hi
Nice to hear from you.
Tell me about some of your vintage treasures ( I agree :there really is little that is more exciting).
Hi Neil
What is the best email address for your office? I would like to send through a media request for your thoughts on rose notes in unisex and male perfumes.
Many thanks
Melissa Pearce
Journalist
Sydney – Australia
It would be interesting to talk to you.
opoponax8@hotmail.com
PS I don’t know when you are in Paris next but if you haven’t been here, it strikes me it would appeal to your vintage leanings
http://www.belle-de-jour.fr/fr/
Looks lovely!
What a beautiful blog. Is there a way to contact you privately? I didn’t see any contact info here on the site. I’d love to get your thoughts on something.
Sure. opoponax8@hotmail.com
and thanks for saying that. Hardly anyone reads it.
Everybody reads it or everyone who is anyone!!
Yes, I am its only reader, and all the others are phantoms. Welcome reader no 2. What’s your posion?
People often ask me how I get my clients.. I always say..”God sends them” I am sure that is true with the black narcissus as well.. those “in the know” will wend their way here…
Yes, there goes another phantom!
Wait, I read it! I emailed you awhile ago but never heard back… Kyoto was so lovely & utterly memorable that my hubby & I intend on visiting again in the future, but our next trip will most likely be somewhere in Europe (Sweden, Denmark & UK hopefully). Your return trip back to Japan sounded like a nightmare, I was shocked just reading about it 😦
Many people read your fabulous blog Neil, it is utterly captivating and informative. I am sure there are many more who have read it but have yet to leave comments; some people are cyber shy.
Dear Neil, Spring is here and I was thinking of the watermelon notes of Kenzo Homme which for me means, “Cambridge in Spring/you” but for you meant Rome. And so I found you! Hope you and Duncan are both well. Artemis
Artemis! Xx
I wonder if you find all of this readable or just self indulgent crap.
Delighted to hear from you. Are you well? Still in Switzerland ?
opoponax8@hotmail.com
loved the vetiver / rain post. am going to sniff next time it rains to try and pick out the vetiver smell.
i am delurking (avid reader for a number of years) to ask about perfume hunting in the flea markets of Tokyo. I have read a number of your posts about it and am hoping to do some ‘hunting’ during my trip to Tokyo next week. But your posts don’t have specifics for how to get to the stalls / stores. I am wondering if I can email you to get directions to your favourite haunts as I have been drooling over your descriptions of vintage Chanel and Guerlain!
Hi Neil!Longtime reader,not so big on comments though.Love the blog.Just wanted to say Hey.xo Johano
Hello to you too : I love it when people start writing something.
#TBT #Japan2005 #Kamakura Ayano my sweet and kind co-worker at NCR Japan took me to see the Giant Buddha statue at Kamakura, when I was in Tokyo and was working a short assignment with NCR Japan in 2005.
Just wanted to get a notification when you reply to my post. Thank you. I love Dior’s.
We can swap if you like.
great blog
Thank you.
Hi there, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind having a look at an old vial of Narcissist brand essential balm for me. I’ve been scouring Google for some info, but I can only find what appears to be remakes like this ( http://www.parfumminis.com/shop/images/narcissusBrandEssentialBalm_3-0ml_Balm_46mm.jpg ) but the lid appears to be metal, slightly thinner and has an indent for it to screw in, rather than the ripples on this image. I’d really appreciate any information you might know or if you know where I should ask. Please E-mail my public address at “animeniac.of.the.rose@gmail.com”
Thank you very much for reading this through
Hi Neil
I was told to get in touch with you by Portia Turbo of AFN.
I’m head to Japan in a few weeks and would love some tips with regards to finding some vintage treasures in Tokyo and Kyoto!
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Andy.
Hi Andy
Don’t know anything about Kyoto, and even in Tokyo it is completely hit and miss, but one place to go is the Shinagawa Flea Market on Sundays at the Intercity Centre – you can usually pick up something there, or else the Jiyugaoka Arcade next to the station that has a good shop upstairs with a glass cabinet full of treasure. Have a good time.
Thanks for the tips. I’ll certainly give it a crack!
Expect nothing and then you might be lucky. The flea market often literally has nothing I need and then another week I can come back with a bagful. It just adds to the excitement.
I was wondering if you could help me. I’m looking for a specific perfume.
It has to be 1930’s or 1940’s.
Japanese
It smelled like cherry blossoms and something almost like sandalwood but much lighter.
I’ve been looking for it my entire life.
If you know would you please email me
‘Blooms a rose in the deeps of my heart’…
Beautiful.. It is talking about a woman in her true wildness.. It is talking about me and all women.. Thank you xx
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/02/insider/1966-2016-the-last-hot-type-printer-puts-down-his-tools.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FStrikes&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=0
Wanted to share this with you (and I hope the link works!) for two reasons. First, I know you are a fan of the NY Times and read it religiously. Secondly, you know the subject of the article’s daughter….(hint: the middle aged skinny blonde who love Nocturnes de Caron).
Did not know where else to post except here! Hope you don’t mind!
And , like you, he enjoys all forms of fragrance (he is currently working his way through full bottles of Dame Perfumery …not just the ones for men but the ones for women as well!
https://thefragrantman.com/2013/06/16/a-fulfilling-life-inekes-chemical-bonding/
Hello, I just happened to find your blog and read about Nakanojo Biennale. I also experienced the one last year for the first time as I came back to my hometown, Nakanojo, afteter 40 years to take over my family business, a hot spring inn. It was nice to know how people, no locals, feel our town and the festival. Please contact me if you have another chance to come to Nakanojo in the future. I’d happy to show you around! 🙂
I would love it! We really like Shima.
My WONDERFUL friend! How delighted I am to find this work of yours … how perfect, how totally you. Glad to see the project evolve, tho I have some catching up to do on all your last years’ … so going to enjoy reading thru everything. And going to be totally envious and driven nuts that I can’t experience the scents in person … ATM 😉 I am on social media now (for the the first time … ‘this time you know it’s the last time’ …) come find me. Respect, Carla
If this is MY Carla, I am delighted we are finally back in touch. And apologies, still, for how we parted. x
Wonderful evocative musings! Perfume writing is akin to food writing in its ability to fire synapses and wire memory to senses – almost conjuring the absent – and you turn a lovely phrase – thank you (though not thank you at the moment because I’ve been glued to the screen reading them all evening and now have sore eyes!)
Was intrigued by your scent terrorism – I am freshly disappointed by a blind buy of a FB of SL Fleurs d’Oranger which, after an initial tiny flash of rounded blossom in the bottle when i opened it (but sadly not on the skin), I find too harsh and slightly headachey. I wondered if I could soften it a little – any thoughts/ideas would be gratefully received if you ever get a spare moment. Warm wishes, L.
Hope you didn’t buy it on my recommendation! I do like it, but it is definitely headachey, just like Fragile (see my review). And thanks for the compliments: I am kind of at a low ebb at present for various reasons so appreciate it.
Ha, no – bought fleurs in search of a lutens I scented briefly in a shop about 10 years ago which I loved but couldn’t buy at the time – was sure it was called neroli or had neroli in it but haven’t been able to find it since…. Sorry to hear of low ebb – know that part of the emotional beach well – particularly in the slide to winter UK side – keep on keeping on – it all counts, lows as well as highs
Lovely lovely Neil. Your writing is beautiful, your creativity is enviable..your scent knowledge is off the scale…how I would have loved to share conversations with you about perfumes…instead you did my music theory homework for me when we were at school together. (Tracey Allcock back then)… if I only had a few pounds left I would spend them on flowers, a candle for my home or perfume. We obviously had more in common than we realised. I shall keep reading your wonderful words.x
Tracey Allcock? You are kidding me. I still feel terrible regret about that thing I did to you in art class and still talk about it.
I APOLOGIZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Incredible to have you on here. How did this happen? Was it because of Gwen getting hooked up with the Tudor Grange set again?
What are you up to these days by the way?
Neil, inspired by your experiences I am keen to spend a good portion of my fortnight-long Tokyo holiday next month box diving at flea markets and antique/thrift stores. Any recommendations for markets/stores I can’t miss? Or those I should avoid?
Check out the Shinagawa flea market at Interforum (near the station) on Sunday from about 9am but don’t expect miracles. Sometimes these places really give, others they don’t. Definitely the old arcade at Jiyugaoka – there is a shop there that always yields if you are after Mitsouko etc.
Thanks for these recommendations! Can’t wait!
But don’t expect too much! It’s total roulette. Please let me know if you have any good finds.
How to reach ur shop at Fujimicho.
I am at nakano Fujimicho pls give me address
sorry just seen this. taxi?
I was at the Frieda Khalo Exhibition and took a photo of her perfume bottles. I wondered if you might be interested?
I have read your blog and I dont see something very important mentioned that I think should be mentioned by you. As you know, the european union has stuck their nose into stuff where their nose does not belong-…in this case fragrances. In fact, the industry critics call all fragrances past 2012 that are made in france, IFRAGs. That is why every perfume you smell smells like shit. The perfume industry is not allowed to use real essential oils ( only in minute bullshit quantities that only a dog’s nose could detect) and are required to use synthetic crap. You are right: your lysol in your cupboard contains more natural citranol then perfumes you can pay up to 1000$ USA for 250 ml. You are paying for pennies a liter synthetic chemicals, with fake oud, fake musk and fake everything, a bottle, and marketing. I used to be nuts over perfumes. The change that has entered the perfume world is so dissapointing I have been forced to make my own , or tweak perfumes I buy buy adding my own additional genuine non synthetic essential oils into it. Tom Ford’s Santal blush…even that one past 2012 has gone to the dump. ugh.
All of this is a very good point. And I should mention it for sure.
Hi Neil – it is Helen Harte (née Garner) here ! How are you? Would love to get in contact with you! Hope all is well Helen
This is amazing. Miss Anaïs herself !
My mum gave me your email yesterday, so I will contact you
You write beautifully, damn it!!
Do I ? Thank you!
Hi, I was reading your posts about flea market shopping for vintage perfumes – my wife and I are visiting Japan in September and we collect fragrances. Do you remember the names/addresses of the places you went to? Thanks so much, I’m really enjoying reading about your finds!
The glory days are over in that regard I am afraid, but it’s worth trying the Shinagawa Fleamarket on Sundays.
Plus Strawberry Fields in Kamakura
Thanks so much! I’m adding them to our itinerary
Do you have advice on any other fragrance-related activities while in Tokyo and Kyoto? Do you have any favorite shops, or know any ones that specialize in niche and/or vintage? We are going to stop at Parfum Satori but other than that I haven’t found much advice in this regard.
Satori is definitely worth a trip as is Nose Shop in the Ginza Tokyu department store.
Hello! Do you know which bookstores in Manhattan or Brooklyn are selling your book? I’ll be there next weekend and I’d love to buy it in person instead of online, if I can.
It is the kind of thing I wish I DID know ! Please tell me if you find it somewhere
Dear Neil.
Hi, I am editor of VOGUE JAPAN. And I am now making a fragrance story.
And if possible, i would like to interview you about the scent and the memories. Can I have your e-mail address so i can send you the questionnaire? I need to do this within next week as we have a deadline coming up soon. I hope to hear back from you soon! VOGUE JAPAN KYOKO
Wow !
opoponax8@hotmail.com
Dear Neil, My name is Michel Duran I just finished reading your book Perfume. I’m developing http://www.frenchmanmagazine.com, a silver man blog and just did a small post about your book but would be thrilled if we could expand on men’s approach with perfumes. Your saying that we can wear woman or man perfumes is so true – our tastes are not defined by gender, race or age. Would you be open to a discussion/interview? Michel
I would love it! Please email me.
opoponax8@hotmail.com Did you like the book?
Just to say, I got your Perfume book this week and have been devouring it. Thank you and I’ll now get more regular updates from your blog 👌🏻.
We also share a love of Japan. I spent 2 very happy years in Nagoya in the mid 90s. Such a wonderful country. 🇯🇵
Thanks, Haydn
(You smell great! What is it?’ on insta/FB)
Hi. Glad you are enjoying the book.
It’s a bit heady !
You will also get regular Japan fixes here as I am always writing about it.
Please comment whenever you feel like it : I love all the dialogue we get going on here.
I’ve always loved perfumes more so their connection to memories…emotions new and old. It’s only recently I’ve realised my passion in scent. If only I’d have known this in my younger years. 43 years old ripe and I choose to continue my affair with fragrances as a hobby
Join the fray !
We are all obsessed with it – and this blog in particular is all about life, emotion and memory.
I hope you enjoy it!
Hello Neil, what’s your email address please? Would love to interview you about your wonderful book. R
Or you can mail me at rpgoller@gmail.com. Richard here.
Hello! I have just bought your book, and i spendt the all day reading it!!It’s perfect, in my opinion. I would ask you a question, since i can’t find my favourite parfum anymore. It’s Relaxing Fragrance by Shiseido, i think you know it. It’s a green fragrance, i can’t find nothing that could remind it to me. Do you know anything that is very similar? Maybe it was not a great fragrance, since it’s discontinued, but for me it’ s so peculiar…!
Hi! I am glad you enjoyed the book. As for Relaxing Fragrance, I am afraid that although I have smelled it before, I don’t know it well enough to be able to recommend alternatives. Is it not available on eBay?
Hi! Just found your blog whilst searching for perfumes and am glad. I enjoyed your style of writing and, interestingly enough, your blog reminded me of another blog that I used to peruse a long time ago(2012-13). It was also dedicated to perfumes and olfaction. I think it was run by a man who used to teach at Oxford or Cambridge and I think he was either a historian or a theologist. Would you be familiar with that blog? I have been searching for it to no avail. I initially thought it was you but I can’t really find any reference to a university on this blog.
Hi. Thanks for reading. I am not sure which blog you are referring to: I know I used to like Perfume SmellinThings back in the day. That was quite erudite.
Hi Neil.. great stuff.. how do I reach you? needed to discuss your content.. please email me at digital@fourplusmedia.com
Will you please subscribe me to your blog?
Thanks!
Hi Neil! I’m wondering if you have found the one and only true gardenia soliflore ? I’ve got this gorgeous plant in the pot and am dying to find it in Perfumery!!
They smell utterly stunning, don’t they? I don’t know if I have ever found a perfume that accurately replicates the smell perfectly, to be honest – the closest probably being this https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hawaiian-GARDENIA-PERFUME-Roll-On-By-FOREVER-FLORALS-Hawaii-New-NIB-Lei-Flowers-/251518485439
Cheap as chips (and you might have to throw away the box) but I remember it smelling just like a gardenia!
Oh, thanks a lot! I’ve looked it up and they don’t deliver to the UK 😭😭😭I was on the verge of blind buying santa maria novella gardenia as a last resort..
I like that, but their florals are very hot and heavy – musky and not quite like real flowers. Gorgeous in a way though: I was thinking about their Tuberosa the other day.
Thank you for letting me know, I had an impression (after reading multiple reviews everywhere) that SMN are quite light and easy wearing ones. kind of No Malone but Italian style😄 Probably better to start with their discovery set.
And for now for gardenia I will have to stick to Isabey Gardenia in pure parfum and Lutens Une Voix Noire.
If you happen to find another realistic or just big gardenia, please make a HUGE post about it! 🌷😊
Will do.
Santa Maria Novella like Jo Malone though – SO WRONG! COMPLETELY WRONG!
ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! 😄😄😄 I’d be only happy to be wrong about SMN! I will try and get their discovery set!
Their perfumes are musky, ‘brewed’, old fashioned, but also very fresh and timeless simultaneously. And some of them are seriously odd, like Frangipani, which I respect them for.
I’ve got their discovery set now! First impressions, already sampled : Melograno, don’t laugh, but it reminded me my vintage (from 60s-70s) Chanel no5 extrait! (Upon first application it made me sneeze twice))) Neither of 2 have heliotrope, but something gives that impression to me in them both!! Anyway, I tried also Pot Pouri (very calming thyme/clary sage beeauty and strangely attractive non-perfume, haha), Fresia (neat soapy floral), Rosa-Gardenia (such a beautiful gardenia first few minutes after opening!!! i think i may buy their Gardenia soliflore if it’s that good!), Angeli di Firenze (innocently floral bouquet with ozonic vibes laid on a woody base), tabacco Toscano (this one made me scratch my head as all i could smell was iso-e super.. I must have oversniffed today!!!))) I’ve got 2 left (Rosa and Acqua de la Regina) and will sample them tomorrow!
Thank you so much for recommending this brand ! I am very pleased and enjoying this little olfactory journey!
This is good to hear! I am glad they are pleasing you (I also think that Pot Pourri is a very unique perfume). And Melograno does indeed smell like vintage no 5 – you are right
I’m torn between 2 Gardenias atm : Chanel edp or parfum and Santa Maria Novella. I’ve got a sample of modern Chanel in edp and it’s more airy and more jasminey, but I still love it ( might be just a mad fan of Ernest Beaux legacy 😜even though reformulated ) And santa maria novella gardenia would be a total blind buy. Could you help me by any chance and help to compare them? I read your review about them, but still can’t compare them as such. I own 2 other Gardenias : Isabey in pure parfum and Serge Lutens Une Voix Noire, I love them both but for different reasons.
I personally also adore the Chanel as it is crisp and gorgeous, with that sharp pimiento note that is the clincher for me. Get that one first – I personally think it is very underrated.
Yesterday, before I got to read your reply I dropped by in John Lewis and got a bottle of Chanel Gardenia pure parfum, (2018 batch). It’s a total bliss, I don’t understand why english speaking fragrantica hates it with such passion. It’s been blamed for not smelling like gardenia and for not lasting long enough amongst other sins. I think it DOES smell like gardenia, I’ve been smelling a live plant for the past 4 months now, indoors, and can recognise many of real flower nuances in this Chanel Gardenia. And I don’t think it’s such a bad thing that it is not a monster of longevity or projection, i can spray clothes or hair to make it last. Also it’s shooting itself in the bum if a perfume smells too strong, as it makes me anosmic to it in couple of hours. I don’t like (tried many times!) Ellie Saab Essence no 2 Gardenia, it feels flat and cloying, but this one seems to be everyone’s favourite real gardenia.
PS: Still thinking of SMN Gardenia…
So glad you got the parfum – how many ml? I also think the parfum strength smells like real gardenias more than the other versions (and who cares if it doesn’t?)
It’s 15ml extrait. I was actually going there to buy edp, but changed my mind last moment, i remembered the picture from your book where you reviewed Gardenia, there was definitely an extrait bottle outlines, and then I thought about your review here on this blog, there were photos of vintage gardenia bottles of extrait, those beautiful ones with a very thin glass and tiny stopper.. So cute little treasures! And I also remember Chanel extraits being better than edp.. So i thought if to invest into Gardenia, better go for the best available option!
Wow ! What a blog ! I am a Frenchman living in Kyoto and perfume lover, too. With my deepest sympathy and admiration.
How nice to meet you.
Let’s be friends !
What perfumes float your boat ?
What pieces were you drawn to on here, if I may ask ?
Hi Neil,
I’m the executive editor at The Slowdown (www.slowdown.tv), a New York-based media company focused on nature, culture, and the future. We produce daily stories themed around the five senses, and would love to interview you for a story in our Smell column. Can you let me know the best way to get in touch with you, so I can send additional details?
All the best,
Tiffany
Hi. Sounds great. My email is opoponax8@hotmail.com. I will delete it on here after you contact me. Thanks for noticing me!
I Also Love Fragrance. OLD and NEW. Collect old miniature bottles. Jasmine for Happy Days Patchouli for Moody Moments…Vertiver for Spring.
Adore all three.
Your knowledge & expertise about perfumes is *absolutely fantastic*.
I was looking for some photos of
“Lucien Lelong” perfumes and “Le Galion” from the 40s & 50s.
I’d greatly appreciate if you could show them on this website.
Those perfumes remind me of my childhood in Cuba, as they were among my Mom’s favorites.
Sincerely,
Conchita Mazorra
I don’t think I have ever encountered a Lucien Lelong perfume, sorry! I may have mentioned some Le Galion on here before, though.
Hi Neil, this is Matthew form Meleg Perfumes. I lived in Japan for a decade, and started making perfumes upon my return to Canada. http://www.melegperfumes.com I’m now looking to set up shop in Japan. Could you please contact me? Or is there a way I can contact you? I you have the time, I a couple of questions about setting up my small perfumery in Tokyo or Kyoto. Thanks for your time and kindness, your commitment to perfumery, book and writings is beyond amazing. I admire you greatly!
Hi – nice to meet you. My email is opoponax8@hotmail.com
What a truly inspired blog, written with such lyrical passion and articulate verve! I’m happy to have stumbled upon your articles; such a pleasure to read.
I’ve never quite been able to get into big name branded or luxury scents, mainly because too many of their fragrances have synthetic components that, while quite pleasing to begin with, often end up too cloying for my tastes, plus they trigger my sinus allergies. That is not to say there aren’t great fragrances from the big names that I love: there are a few favourites you have mentioned, but I generally stick to custom oils blended by small artisan perfumers using interesting and unusual aged oils.
I know a few perfumers still making fragrances the traditional way using only pure essential oils, absolutes, and tinctures. My collection is very limited but comprise some interesting aged sandalwood, oud, musk, ambergris, vetiver, etc from decades past but seem to only get better with age. Someone here asked how long perfumes keep: my answer is it depends on the constituent ingredients. Non-alcohol based oils tend to keep longer, since alcohol is very volatile, but not all oils keep. Oils from woods and resins keep well, if not improve over time. Vetiver only gets better, and so do many other spicy oils. In general, florals and fruits don’t keep long. But I have found that when blended into accords some take on new properties and can age well, if not improve in complexity over time.
The best oils are like fine wine, they age and develop complex layers even if their potency may seem to soften or mellow; their tenacity persists.
A suggestion if you wish to age your fragrances and experiment: always keep them in their purest form (as essential oils, absolutes, or accords if you have blended them), and only convert to EDP/EDT as and when you want to use them. As for most alcohol-based perfumes, storing them in cool dark places, even in a fridge, makes a huge difference. I’ve not come across stale perfume and one that I have had for over 25 years still smells great albeit sans its more volatile components.
Thank you for this eloquent and useful info – I hadn’t thought of any of this before. Perhaps you could do a guest post on this? ( I could print it as is if you like)
Certainly! Feel free to quote or use it in your blog. I have been perusing your fascinating posts and am loving them
Here is a list of some of the natural oils I know of that improve aromatically with age:
Agarwood
Sandalwood
Cedarwood
Rosewood
Muhuhu wood
(…and virtually all other wood oils)
Deer Musk
Ambergris
Civet
Saffron
Patchouli
Cade
Cinnamon
Labdanum
Vetiver
Carrot seed
Rose Damask
Is there an email to contact you at?
opoponax8@hotmail.com – even though putting this email up has led to SO much junk and spam!