The Black Narcissus

I must admit that despite all the suave aromatics – the Hermès Poivre Samarcande, the Quince, Mint and Moss, by Union; Eau du Gloire by Parfum D’Empire, the sensual, elegant, gentlemanly lavenders – Sartorial, Jicky, Ungaro, Lavande Velours de Guerlain; the occasional spicier, and dirtier scent such as Czech & Speake Cuba or 4160 Tuesday’s spicebomb Shazam, among others, that, despite the olfactive prowess and style these scents show, and the trails of intrigue that they leave in his presence, I would trade them all in, in an instant, for the scent, on Duncan’s skin, of Coppertone SPF 30 UV Protect.

The boy will steadfastly not consent to a floral, and yet here he is, inadvertently wearing one; all fresh air, frangipani leis, salt-kissed skin, and manly, oceanic florality doused in sweet, delicate memories of waves, of the beach, of the sky, and freedom; a delicately arousing sillage, sun-fused with…

Blue can be cold and detached – the retraction of the self into remorseful reflection. The colour of melancholy: formal, austere, even chilling, and the doleful and anguished depression of Picasso’s Blue Period, where he retreated from society following the suicide of his friend, only ever finding solace in painting almost exclusively in blue.

But blue is also the most tranquil of colours – calming and rehabilitating to the human spirit – the blue of lakes, of rain and the sea, unburdening and psychially liberating. A colour in which to plunge.

In perfume, while in traditional masculines, blue usually signifies mainly marine-centred, preconceived ideas about conservatism, money and the outdoors, it also, in more thoughtful perfumed creations, can signify a real sense of interiority and mystery.

As a person far more drawn to reds and pinks, corals and crimson ( I am a fire sign after all), I am ambivalent…

Donald Trump is interesting in that he provokes two extreme reactions in me. On the one hand, I could write reams and reams and reams about what he represents, on analysing his self-centred, bigoted, and very dangerous impact on the world. Simultaneously, at times, he quite simply renders me speechless.

Today, tired from work and from reading about him all morning in the weekend newspapers, I am veering more towards the latter.

I have never smelled any of the fragrances released by the house of Donald Trump, nor do I intend to, so I will let other people talk about them instead. “Success” is one of his other more recent releases, ” Trump “his eponymous and original signature perfume, though that last word, perfume, is not one that the misogynist and homophobic, illiterate fools that support him would be very likely to use themselves.

No, there are no Donald…