Perfume snobbery does exist. Some people would much rather say that they’re wearing the latest Chanel or niche perfume than admit to dousing themselves with an inexpensive Britney Spears or Paris Hilton fragrance. Am I a fragrance snob? Yep. Allow me to explain. I’m a deadbeat when it comes to popular western culture. I have…
Category: Editorial

Why I Say ‘NO’ to Replica Bags but ‘YES’ to Fragrance Clones
Frangrance and handbags are two things I very much enjoy. I’m someone who has a deep appreciation for design, quality, and craftmanship when it comes to my fragrances and bags. I’m not immune to the weight and power of the brand either, even though I like to tell myself I’m not. You’d think, as a…

Chanel No. 5 – Has it had its day?
I recently read a clever article on Fragrantica by historian, archaeologist and fragrance author, Elena Vosnaki about Chanel No. 5, the title of which was “Is Chanel No. 5 Obsolete?” The article spurred me on to finally get it out of the way and talk about this iconic perfume. I’ll get to the point right…

Why Use Scent in the Time of Covid19?
In the age of social distancing, more than ever, I’ve find myself at home, dousing myself with different bits and pieces from my collection as the hours pass. Since I don’t have to worry about offending anyone with some of my more polarizing choices, I indulge myself during these stressful times. Indeed, I’ve been exploring…

How to Know if a Fragrance is FBW (Full-Bottle-Worthy)
Let’s face it, for most people, fragrances are expensive. Even if you’re not hugely into perfume and just want to buy something to make you smell good to others, it can be overwhelming in a market that’s as saturated as the perfume industry. Starting prices for most half-decent scents still start at around 100 USD…

Fragrance to Help Learning? Makes scents!
A few years ago a wee article I wrote was published in a small institutional journal where I was employed in Tokyo. I wanted to find out if scent had any affect on the cognitive process of learning, so I did a little bit of digging. I had forgotten about this piece until today, while…