Hipster Prescription

Niche house Hipster has launched a fragrance called Prescription. No official notes have been released. Would anyone like to watch the "ad" and take a guess? (And to the easily enraged and sweary fumies among you: this is just for fun.)

Top Niche Picks for 2013

It was "kid in a candy store" time when LA's Scent Bar invited me to join manager Steven Gontarski in a survey of our favorite indie fume picks of the last year or so. While Steven zeroed in on smoke and incense and leathers, I was captivated by narcotic white flowers: lily, tuberose, orange blossom. Here is our sniffing list: What We Do in Paris is Secret by A Lab on Fire Bois d'Ascèse by Naomi Goodsir Kiss My Name by Ramón Monegal Black Amber by Agonist Séville à l'Aube by L'Artisan Parfumeur (Inspired and co-created by perfume writer Denyse Beaulieu, who wrote about its creation in her book The Perfume Lover.) Cuir de Nacre by Ann Gérard Soussanne by Keiko Mecheri All perfumes available from Lucky Scent. For more Mr. Gontarski, read his blog, still-sound.

Calvin Klein CK One Shock for Him

Smelling Calvin Klein CK One Shock for Him is like revisiting some weird soda pop you loved as a kid: at first you're taken aback by how patently synthetic it is, then you're seduced anew by its cheap charms.

Clinique (Prescriptives) Calyx

When Calyx was first launched by Prescriptives in 1986, it was a nostril-flaring oddball. A fruity-floral before the term existed, before the prospect of a flower with a schmear of melon could incur instant withering contempt from fumesnobs, Calyx excited with its differentness.

Lolita Lempicka

I'm holding a purple glass apple in my hand, carefully aiming a spritz from its golden stem to my skin, and already I'm sucked into Lolita Lempicka's girly goth universe.

Katie Puckrik Smells BBC Radio 4's 'Word of Mouth'

Word of Mouth is BBC Radio 4's program exploring the world of words and the way we use them. I appeared on the "Fashion" episode recently, talking with host Chris Ledgard about verbalizing smells, or as I like to say (repurposing the Sound of Music lyric), how to "catch a cloud and pin it down".

Perfume Pen Pals: Profumum Acqua Viva

Katie,

Remember when you met my friend Diane and she wanted a recommendation for a lemon fragrance? And you thought you could pass along a list, from which she'd discover a lovely, sunny perfume and forever feel indebted to your knowledge and kindness? [I'd pitched all the usual suspects: Ô de Lancôme, Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien, Christian Dior Escale à Portofino, Fresh Sugar, Heeley Oranges and Lemons Say the Bells of St. Clement's. -- Katie] We were all so naive back then.

Nanette Lepore Nanette

Nanette by Nanette Lapore smells like exotic confectionary on a bed of ambery incense. Ish. I mean, I don't want to make out like this is By Kilian Rose Oud or anything, but it's unexpectedly sophisticated for a boutique fashion house perfume aimed at vintage-loving young ladies. (And vintage-loving not-so-young ladies: I'm a fan of NL's sweet 40s/60s/mixties style.)

The Guest Nose: Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez at Scent Bar

Sanchez and Turin at Harvey Nichols in 2008

By jtd

[They're baaaaaaaaaaack! On Friday August 16th, the original perfume whisperers Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez re-entered the fumisphere via the earthly portal of Scent Bar in Los Angeles. I was traumatized to have missed them: how unfair that they popped up in my favorite fragrance boutique after I'd relocated to London!

Christian Dior Bois d'Argent

I've known Christian Dior Bois d'Argent for many years now, usually delivered via life-affirming hugs from a couple of my friendliest friends who love wearing the stuff.

Comme des Garcons Blue Series

The word “blue” (or in its French fried form, “bleu”) in the name of a perfume is a cliché. It's not as overused as “black” (“noir” if you're posh), but it does the same job: as a signpost to a fragrance destination we've all agreed upon.

We read “blue” on the bottle and we think, “Crisp! Fresh! Aquatic! Cool! Sporty! Masculine! Safe!” The Blue Series, the new trio from Comme des Garçons, toes the blue line by delivering on all of these expectations.

Perfume Pen Pals: Ramon Monegal Umbra (Part Two)

Katie,

I wore Ramon Monegal Umbra for a run (I love testing fragrances when I run -- they seem more heightened), and it's good. Though not for running. It's like running in an ascot.

Fumes in the News: Stench Soup

The branch of United States Armed Forces has researched a universal stank for use in a nonlethal capacity, reports Harper's Magazine (August 2013). In "A Brief History of Scent", writer Beau Friedlander discusses an entertaining variety of off-label uses for the smell of cadavers, including "Stench Soup".

An olfactory strategist named Pamela Dalton told Friedlander that she worked on a project for the U.S. military who had "wanted to know if there was a 'universal malodor' that caused people from any culture to leave the area."

FRAGments: a Perfume-As-Art Event

FRAGments venue: the quixotic MorYork Gallery in Highland Park.

If you're in the Los Angeles area today, Saturday June 22nd between 11am - 5pm, hie thee over to Highland Park for the underground, artisan and indie perfume event known as FRAGments.

Perfume Pen Pals: Ramon Monegal Umbra

Katie,

I made my first blind-buy in almost a year, picking up a bottle of Ramon Monegal Umbra. The listed notes are vetiver root, tree moss, black pepper, bourbon geranium leaves, fir balsam, tonka haricot.

Umbra hasn't yet arrived but I already know what you're thinking: "Dan doesn't like vetiver, he constantly complains about it and even about people who love it (there's always a touch of misanthropy in everything Dan says), and yet like a dummy, he keeps trying new vetiver fragrances."

Let me answer those charges, KP.

Viewer Mail: A Perfume to Inspire Lustful Regret

Hi, Katie,

I just turned 60, and for the past 40 years my perfume habit has been one dab of No. 5 on my neck for special occasions. Yeah, I know -- boring. I am ready for a change.

I have a big reunion coming up this summer and with it comes a perfume goal. I will be seeing the only guy who ever dumped me and when I hug him hello, I want him to think: what was I thinking? I can take care of the looking good part. Can you help me with the smelling good part?

Yves Saint Laurent Oriental Collection

Answering the call and response in the European fragrance world for elaborate, Arab-styled perfumes, Yves Saint Laurent have launched their Oriental Collection. Following on from Armani Privé La Collection des Mille et une Nuits, Christian Dior La Collection Privée, Guerlain Les Deserts d'Orient, and way after By Kilian's gorgeous and comprehensive variations on an oudy theme, the Arabian Nights collection, YSL's easterly-tinged trio provides three respectable tries to woo the lucrative Arab market.

Decennial Santal Sacre

Santal Sacré is one of four perfumes in the new Decennial line, launched by perfume e-tailer Lucky Scent to celebrate their tenth birthday -- and their home in Los Angeles.

Baby Lucky Scent grew up to encompass Scent Bar, the Hollywood smell spot where celebrity fumeheads include Morrissey (Comme des Garçons Avignon), Tilda Swinton (Etat Libre d'Orange Like This) and Debra Messing (Bruno Acampora Musc).

Lucky Scent lads Adam and Franco invited me to have a sniff round the Decennials and swoop in for a close-up on my favorite. I liked them all: Nuit Épicée -- an earthy, boys-y gourmand; the dry sweet powder of Lys du Desert; Bois Bourbon, with its creamy saffron/almond booze cloud.

But it was Santal Sacré that seized me. It's a pleasing, peppery swirl of incense, sandalwood, cedar and musk. Santal Sacré's underlying vegetation indicates that one's sacred space might be found in the chaparral of the Hollywood hills, somewhere between the Hollywood Sign and Griffiths Observatory.

Fans of robust, outdoorsy incense fragrances like Satellite Padparadscha and Sonoma Scent Studio Incense Pure will enjoy holy-rollin' with Santal Sacré.

Santal Sacré is available from LuckyScent.com at $150 for 75 ml

Katie's Perfume Collection Update: Part 4

This is the final installment of my stream-of-consciousness ramble through recent additions to my perfume collection. Fragrances discussed in Part 4 are:

1. Black Orchid Voile de Fleur by Tom Ford
I've rekindled my interest in Voile de Fleur due to the recent ylang-ylang kick I've been on. VdF has fun-fun with ylang-ylang.

2. L'Agent by Agent Provocateur
This is the one based on a perfume created expressly for an Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress by fragrance designer Azzi Glasser. Leathery apricot tropical teasyness. (That's my description of the scent, not of the actress.)

3. Old Spice by Proctor & Gamble
My late father Augie's signature fume, his olfactory jam. He wore it well.

4. L'Homme Sage by Divine
A very satisfying amber, saffron, and incense affair.

Please click on the perfume names for prices and more info.

For Part 1 of my perfume collection update, click here.

For Part 2, click here.

For Part 3, click here.

Katie's Perfume Collection Update: Part 3

Here is Part 3 of my perfume collection update. Topics discussed:

1. Eating beans while surrounded by goats on a Mediterranean hillside.

Viewer Mail: A Mother's Fragrant Legacy

Dear Katie,

My name is Emily, I’m 26 years old and I'm from Baltimore. I wanted to share a story with you that I hope you'll appreciate.

My incredible mother, Robyn, passed away on January 10th of this year after an over thirty year battle with multiple sclerosis. She was a beautiful woman inside and out, and while my heart aches that she's gone, I know she's no longer in pain.

For as long as I could remember, my mother had her perfume collection on her dresser. The one that sticks out clearly in my head is Van Cleef & Arpels First -- that was her signature scent.

Fumes in the News: Google Nose

Imagine my wonder and amazement when I turned on my computer today and read on Google's front page: "New! What’s that smell? Find out with Google Nose."

Katie's Perfume Collection Update: Part 2

Ready for another nose around my perfume collection? (Remember, pinky out when handling Amouage attars -- if you're fancy!) In Part 2 of my perfume collection update, verbal sketches are scribbled of the following olfactory paintings:

1. Prada Myrrhe No. 10

2. Amouage Ayoon al Maha (Fawn's Eyes)

3. L'Artisan Parfumeur Safran Troublant

4. L'Artisan Parfumeur Mon Numéro 8

Please click on the perfume names for more information.

For Part 1 of my perfume collection update, click here. For Part 3, click here.

Perfume Pen Pals: Allergic to Axe?

Katie,

Here's something fun in the New York Times:

Freedom High School in Bethlehem says one of its students was recently taken to a hospital after being exposed to Axe Body Spray. Now, officials are asking students to stop using it as a cologne or fragrance while attending the school.

The perfume people will joke about it being Axe, but I'm telling you, these "allergies" are psychological, they're similar to "sick building syndrome" (something that only occurs in America and only in the past couple decades). Remember Safe with Julianne Moore? Half the country is turning into Julianne Moore's character!

Katie's Perfume Collection Update: Part 1

The time has come, my frisky fumies, for me to fess up to my recent perfume promiscuity. But in current company (that's you guys), it's less a shame-faced confessional and more like plain ol' bragging (notch on the bedpost style).

Notice in the video how I attempt to reframe my obviously rampant hunting and gathering as "the perfumes that I allowed past the Puckrik velvet rope." That's one overcrowded V.I.P. room, is all I can say.

Fumes in the News: 8 Chairs -- a Perfumed Art Installation

Albert Einstein once said, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.” I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking about perfume, but he might as well have been. A compelling smell is nothing if not mysterious: a chance encounter with a scent commandeers our head and heart, frogmarching us into unforeseen territories.

Perfume designer Azzi Glasser has orchestrated her own brand of mystery with her Agent Provocateur creations Signature and L'Agent, as well as in fragrance collaborations with pop singers, fashion designers, and movie stars.

L'Antichambre

I hang around at Los Angeles' premier perfume shop Scent Bar so much that the owners decided to put me to work. "Smell some stuff!" they exclaimed, "Then tell some people!" Done and done.

What I'm smelling here is a line from Brussels called L'Antichambre. Scent Bar (and their online store, Lucky Scent) is the only joint outside of Belgium offering the brand. The perfumes are elegant and vivid, each with a distinct presence.

I go into detail on my especial favorites in the video, but here are my quickie notes on the ones that popped out for me from L'Antichambre:

Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir

Some perfume lovers have synaesthesia, wherein they experience scents as colors, music, numbers. I have a lesser-known neurological condition known as sweaterthesia. I smell a fragrances and immediately visualize a sweater.

Here's what I "smelled" while wearing Estée Lauder Sensuous Noir:

Chanel Chance

Over the winter holidays, I put in a handful of days at Scent Bar in Los Angeles in what they billed as a "residency", a fancy way to say "Saturday girl". Whatever, this Saturday girl was in her happy place: playing with all the perfume and confabulating with the customers. (By and large, fumeheads are an intriguing bunch whose inquiring minds and multidisciplinary backgrounds turn Scent Bar into an instant salon.)

A Dozen Roses

The rose is an astonishingly sensual flower. Its deep and vivid hue enraptures, the velvety, eerily skin-like feel of its petals titillates. Not only is its aroma a twitterpating syrup of wine and lemon and earth and honey, but depending on the preparation of the rose, you can also eat it, drink it, or schmear it.

I'm a long-time devotee of the cult of the rose, and years of pursuing its seductions has resulted in the following bouquet of delights, picked just for you.

Bruno Acampora Musc

A few years ago, I was talking to my friend Steve Gontarski, artist and Scent Bar manager, about an upcoming trip to London for a reunion of the first TV show I ever worked on, The Word.

"What's your scent concept for the party?" he asked, as if "scent concept" was automatically the first consideration in any important circumstance. "Scent concept" immediately entered my vocabulary, as did the ideal perfume for the occasion: Bruno Acampora Musc.

I love how warm and involving, yet subtle, it is -- perfect for parties where people lean in close to whisper gossip and naughtiness in your ear. I call Musc "the smell of slept-in sheets and lost weekends", because while it makes an ideal party partner, its primary directive is to enhance your mojo while "gettin' cozy", as my dad coyly used to put it.

This is down to Musc's in-built gaminess -- though nowhere near as "critter hindquarters" as Serge Lutens Muscs Koublaï Khän or Parfum d'Empire Musc Tonkin. Acampora's dark intentions are elevated from animal to human by a clutch of overheated roses and violets, wilted after a night nestled in a voluptuous, sandalwood-scented decollatage. It's more "bad girl" than "bad dog".

Penhaligon's Sartorial

Penhaligon's Sartorial is inspired by the smells of a Savile Row tailor: vanilla-scented pattern paper, beeswax-coated thread, leather, steam from an iron -- along with traditional cologne ingredients of lavender and balsams. Norton and Sons is the classic London tailor featured in this frolicsome Penhaligon's video, alongside frolicsome Sartorial perfumer Bertrand Duchoufour:

Are You Too Young or Old for a Fragrance?

I am asked "Am I too young/old for this perfume/cologne?" all the time. This is where fragrance shifts from being just a good smell into a deceptively complex psychological statement.

In this video chat, I discuss what affects our (and others') response to the scents we choose to wear. Long story short: wearing fragrance is a chance to express different sides of our multifaceted selves. Why limit yourself to one, peer-approved version of you? Playing it safe is risk-free, but surprise and joy-free, too. Perfume is an invitation to a dream, and dreams provide the cushiony upholstery on the wooden frame of our reality.

Fumies, I'd love to hear your stories about growing into "inappropriate" or "wrong" fragrances.