Scent carries our memories like music, a single note bringing waves of unexpected nostalgia. For some, remembrance can bring olfactory hallucination, the two notions having become intricately linked. A moment, a touch, a conversation, a friendship or a love… waves of beautiful, visceral emotion. Here, summer is an anthology of stories, each told by scent.
Taking a mind-clearing walk on the clifftops, the waves crash below, the birds kettle high above. You brush past clary sage, eucalyptus and lavender growing wild. The ocean air fills your lungs. You notice how sea-soaked branches grasp the rocks aside your path. As your mind wanders back to your day ahead, you replace a bottle of Sh**y Day by Noyz upon the counter.
NOYZ, Sh**ty Day
The bright hum of pollinators sings across the orchard as the powdery warmth of blossom rides the breeze. Apple meets you first, followed by the blooms of rose bushes dotted between the trees, in harmony with the patchouli and labdanum growing beside them. The sweet musk of the ground reaches you as the scent creates its chorale, they call it “Feather Supreme by Jusbox”.
JUSBOX, Feather Supreme
You played pretend as a child, where afternoon tea was served with rustic tarts overflowing with raspberry jam. Tangy rhubarb compote lay between buttery sponge cake, topped with candied rose and geranium petals like you’d read about in books. Sweetened black tea was poured into tiny cups held by a finger and thumb, and the scent of bergamot and honey lifted from the cooling liquid as Queen by Eau De Boujee satiates your ever-so-real sweet tooth.
Queen, Eau de Boujee
A chance meeting, a brush peppered with fate. An intense bergamot sings with intrigue whilst orris and suede unite to create warm intentions. Orbits align as the magnetism of oud brings two beings, new to each but not to this world, together with Cupid’s kiss by Electimuss.
Cupids Kiss, Electimuss
As the day wanes, the air is charged with the scent of jasmine and tuberose, spiralling through the cooling air. A cognac nightcap is served beside slices of fresh orange with brown sugar to dip, a gourmand but refreshing treat. Jasmine Cruel by Edeniste encapsulates the energy of the day’s sun as it radiates around you, reassuring and energising.
Jasmin Cruel, Edeniste
The humbling innocence of the first date, a meet-cute of sweet jasmine and bright, hopeful lemon. Naive yet brave, magnolia meets patchouli and sweet musk. An uplifting and intriguing conversation of florals balanced by reassuring sandalwood is harboured by AQ by Decorte.
AQ, Decorte
The sun sets as you lay in a restorative savasana, and a bath of sound washes over you. Amethyst vibrates to evaporate all negative thoughts with a warm light, mirroring the last of the sun’s rays as their touch lingers on your body. Notes of pink and black peppercorn rouse you with positivity as your heart expands with the soothing tones of clary sage and lavender. Shangri Lavender by Within 51/49 carries a sense of calm as you are enveloped by deep notes of turmeric root and musk, you are lovingly held in this perfect moment of selfhood.
Shangri Lavender, Within 51/49
Lemon sorbet served in the rind, as a haze of heat ricochets off the pavements of Rome. Rich, buttery shortbread peppered with sugar, from the saucer of a bright, acidic espresso taken in Paris. Yuzu cheesecake to go, to enjoy at a park in downtown New York whilst the languid warmth surrounds you. Sweet and refreshing with the perfect balance of hesperidin tones, satiety is designed by Får by Ånd.
Får, ånd fragrance
A simple date, away from restaurant reservations and schedules, the bustle of daily life. Hand in hand, falling into step walking further into a cedarwood forest. She catches the scent of fresh pear and white peony, the aroma of hinoki wood and clary sage reaches him, intertwined by sandalwood, ambrox and salty accord. A harmony between musk and florality is reached. Real 01 by Superdry, for her and for him, celebrates the dualities that align us and make us unique.
Real 01, Superdry
Your grandmother’s garden, a riot of colour and scent, born from the love of wizened hands, and a lifetime of spare moments devoted to her garden. Freesia, magnolia… But each blooming rose marks a timeline of life events, celebrated by her favourite plant. A deep ruby flower gifted by her love whilst courting, a bright yellow bud from her closest friend to celebrate her engagement, a creamy pink blossom to mark the birth of her first grandchild, a lilac rose for their sapphire anniversary. Rainbow Rose by Bibbi celebrates the riot of life’s jubilance and abundance.
Rainbow Rose, Bibbi
The night air rushes into the open window of the car, laden with verdant and herbal tones from the passing foliage. A rush of rose and narcissus. Rain splashes onto the leather seats. Talk radio chatters softly in the background, unrecognisable but comforting nonetheless, whispering of Lush Leaves, The Scent Library.
Lush Leaves, The Scent Library
He slips onto a worn leather chair at the end of a long day. A display of crimson roses punctuates the musk of the quiet room. In low light, he sees unusual bottles stacked high atop wooden shelves, casting amber shadows across the bar. He orders a whiskey, preferring those with smokey, peated notes. As always, his tastes are acquired and his presence is bold. He sips, and the external world melts away as he ponders his next move. He eyes a rare bottle, emblazoned “Baraonda, Nasomatto”.
Baraonda, Nasomatto
The concert concluded, ears gently humming, adrenaline buzzing, they walked the scenic route home beside the river. Her silk dress ticks softly in the breeze, his leather boots create a comfortable beat, and violet and patchouli sing over the mossy walls of private gardens. London at 1 am, muted yet still vocal, undressed yet still stylish, encapsulated by Wear At Maximum Volume by DS & Durga.
Wear at Maximum Volume, D.S. & DURGA
The sturgeon moon bellows in iris tones. A blackcurrant sky is lit by the Perseids meteor shower, specked and streaked with flashes of lemon-yellow light. The midnight breeze carries rose and lily, and a sweet, powdery musk wakes from the dry grass beneath your feet. Beauty rising from ashes, rarity and enchantment, a confluence of fleeting events held in situ by Les Muses Rose Nebula, Lalique.
Les Muses Rose Nebula, Lalique
Notes of honey, plum and ylang-ylang hang in the ambience, a gorgeous florality, intertwined with cocoa, leather and oak moss. The demure tea party twists into a raucous garden shindig. Mosaïque by 27 87 is the nonchalant mist of after the party at dawn, walking barefoot on dewed grass, collecting bottles laid on the ground, the lingering warmth and pungent embers of the fire pit.
Mosaique, 27 87
He feels tiny grains clinging to the body of his young child as they experience the sand between their toes for the first time, their hands grasping his for support to stand. He admires the strength and fortitude of the body that carried his firstborn as he watches the waves gently lap against his wife’s ankles whilst she enjoys the water. His love for his family rushes in his chest, he feels the Ambre Supermassive, Les Eaux Primordial.
Ambre Supermassive, Les Eaux Primordiales
The countryside flashes past in a riot of colour on an Italian road trip. Golden wheat fields, deep verdant greens punctuated by groves of lemon, bergamot and orange. A quick pit stop to admire the view as the sun-struck leather heats beneath you. Dry cashmeran, wild thyme, and sweet blossoms of cistus line the roadside travelled by so many before you, stories passed from generation to generation told by Spice D’Arno, Electimuss.
Spice D’Arno, Electimuss
