I Lost Myself
The Scentaur
by Sophie
4d ago
Beloved reader, I’ve rewritten this post dozens of times. I hate every version of it, and yet I can’t move on until I’ve put something out there. And so I’m challenging myself to write and publish some version of it while frying up a pan of midnight eggs (it’s bulking season, baby!). Due to circumstances that ought to have been entirely foreseen — namely, taking a remote job very ill-suited to my nature and moving to a soul-dead suburb — the kind with “Township” in the postal address because there is no town to speak of, no center of life and activity, just endless strip malls and highways an ..read more
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L’Air de Rien Eau de Parfum by Miller Harris Review
The Scentaur
by Sophie
4M ago
I don’t understand Miller Harris’ L’Air de Rien. This isn’t spitty. I was led to expect spitty. I almost wanted spitty, dammit. Some people talk about L’Air de Rien like it’s the literal bottled embodiment of sex and sweat and spit. Like it’s some sort of hot-and-heavy, spitty-spitty-bang-bang, oh-those-naughty-French-people-with-their-liberated-sexuality-and-hairy-armpits sort of perfume. And it just… isn’t. Warm, intimate, spicy, sure. Maybe a little musky. But it isn’t at all eyebrow-raising or literally sexual. Not on me, anyway. On my skin, L’Air de Rien is a warm and pleasant amber, saf ..read more
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Ink Eau de Parfum by Akro Review
The Scentaur
by Sophie
4M ago
This is ink with kink. Ink that winks. Ink that makes you think. Rich metallic ink with zinc. But is it ink that stinks? (Alright, I’m not going to pull a Matcha Meditation with this one. Too much work, not enough rhymes.) This is ink with warmth. Ink with soul. Not as clean as the magazine printing press glossy ink of Paper Passion, Akro’s Ink feels warmer, dirtier, earthier, more distinctly metallic — not metallic like blood, but cool and flecked with minerals. It feels like wood for sure at the bottom, under the façade. Cold, black dripping vetiver, not unlike in Lalique’s Encre Noire, but ..read more
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Nomade Absolu de Parfum by Chloé Review
The Scentaur
by Sophie
4M ago
“But I miss you most of all, my darling… when autumn leaves start to fall.” “Autumn Leaves,” a jazz standard based on the French “Les Feuilles mortes” Forest glades and fallen leaves. Grass slicked with dew and trees overgrown with moss. Apple-plum-cinnamon pies baking in the distance, and a sandalwood incense stick waiting to be burned. This is the autumnal wonderland of Chloé’s Nomade Absolu. Fresh. Clean. This is a more masculine sort of clean than that of the Nomade Eau de Parfum, but just slightly. The EdP smells quite just-showered squeaky-clean in the opening. This one still has some ..read more
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Every Barbie from the Barbie Movie as a Perfume
The Scentaur
by Sophie
6M ago
As perpetually late to the party and awful with kairos as I am, I have only just watched Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie. Three times. Over the course of a single week. God, what a film. If you haven’t seen it, go do so. Right this instant. Tonight. It’s well worth the $12 cost of a theater ticket (or $20, if you have the glamorous misfortune of living on the West Coast). It’s a decadent, dazzling, glorious pink spectacle of a film that manages to explore some challenging feminist themes in an approachable and utterly hilarious way, all while somehow getting the Mattel stamp of approval. It’s a k ..read more
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CyBorg Queen Extrait de Parfum by Aether Arts Perfume Review
The Scentaur
by Sophie
6M ago
My boyfriend thinks this smells like the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I haven’t been to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum since I was three, but somehow, I can’t disagree. cyBorg Queen was created by Aether Arts Perfume’s nose Amber Jobin to commemorate online fragrance magazine ÇaFleureBon’s 13th anniversary on March 22, 2023. And it’s all-around knock-your-socks-off peculiar. This is not one of those generally office-safe modern plastic-y niche numbers. (Akro Ink, I’m looking at you.) No no no. Step aside, kiddos. This isn’t amateur hour. cyBorg Queen isn’t messing around. She’s a s ..read more
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Orchidee Vanille Eau de Parfum by Van Cleef & Arpels Review
The Scentaur
by Sophie
6M ago
Vanilla cake, chocolate, orchid, lychee, and musk. Orchidee Vanille is Britney Spears’ Fantasy all grown up. The general themes are the same, but Fantasy is much more loud and pink, forever girlish and forever young. Orhidee Vanille is still sweet as ever, but softer, quieter, a bit more restrained. She’s wearing a cream-colored blouse and sensible shoes and is on her way to the bank. Orchidee Vanille is innocent yet irresistible, a soft and sweet perfume for a soft and sweet woman. Quiet, subdued, yet delicious, Van Cleef & Arpels’ Orchidee Vanille is a versatile, classy vanilla gourman ..read more
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What Does Acetyl Pyrazine Smell Like?
The Scentaur
by Sophie
7M ago
Finally, I’m writing one of these about an aromachemical rather than a natural material! Acetyl pyrazine (or acetylpyrazine, or 2-acetylpyrazine if you want to get technical) is an aromachemical that is often used in fragrances and perfume. It is also used as a flavorant in production of many processed foods, especially baked goods. Both in food and perfume, Acetyl Pyrazine imparts a warm, nutty, slightly dry and dusty effect. It’s comforting and warm and slightly sweet, making it a popular component in both fragrance and processed foods. Okay, but What Does it Smell Like? The scent of acety ..read more
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Heliotrope Eau de Toilette by Etro Review
The Scentaur
by Sophie
7M ago
This is the ultimate playdough vanilla. At first whiff, Etro’s iconic Heliotrope is all ice cream cherries. Anisaldehyde galore. Cherry, almond, an almost anise sort of situation, rich brown and red, warm and a little spicy. Nutty, almond-y, rich and lovely. Then that opening impression fades into the body of Etro’s iconic Heliotrope, which is all playdoughy heliotrope vanilla. Powdery and doughy and… well… a little plastic-y. Sharp, acrid plastic-y. Like a doll’s head plastic-y — not subtle, faded nostalgic suggestion doll’s head, but an actual literal plastic doll’s head that’s been meltin ..read more
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Eau Duelle Eau de Toilette by Diptyque Review
The Scentaur
by Sophie
7M ago
What is Eau Duelle? Eau Duelle is a dream of rich foreign marshmallow candies and sun. It’s that perfect outdoor temperature in August that feels a little like you’re swimming, like the air is caressing you. It’s rolling your eyes when your mother tells you to drink a hot cup of tea to cool down, only to find it actually kind of works. It’s the innocent prettiness of cream-colored linen dresses and dainty gold jewelry, an earnest girlhood quest for the ultimate little summer triumph — something sweet. In the bottle, Diptyque’s Eau Duelle can be rather herbaceous, piney, and sharp, reminiscent ..read more
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