Paperback Perfumes

I had not been exploring the world of fragrance long before I heard about Olfiction and Boujee Bougies (I may or may not have paid closer attention because of the clever play on words). One half of this astounding word-smithery is creative director Nick Gilbert. Nick has done the hard yards behind a perfume counter and has worn many hats from fragrance trainer, evaluator, fragrance writer to marketer and consultant. He is also a real joy to talk to and we cover pride, shame, power dynamics and control, as well as that Cassis can be both wonderful note and smell like cat piss. The world is not so much either/or, but more and/and.

Fragrances mentioned:

Invisible Touch - La Perla

Quir - Boujee Bougies

Guilded - Boujee Bougies

Cardinal - Heeley

Armani Prive Bois d'Encens - Giorgio Armani

Books mentioned:

Tom of Finland: The Official Life and Work of a Gay Hero - F. Valentine Hooven III

A Master of Djinn - P. Djèlí Clark

Find Olfiction on Instagram @olfictionlimited or on their website olfiction.com

Find Boujee Bougies on Instagram @bougieboujees or on their website boujeebougies.com

Find Nick on Instagram @nickrgilbert

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You have to be a little bit brave to start out as a fragrance reviewer in the world of social media these days. Charlotte has recently started reviewing scents and sewing as a side hustle to expand her collection. Charlotte like to deep dive into the history of fragrances as well as offer reviews of scents that she loves. She is a fan of a skin scent, so there are a few fragrances in her collection that are not the usual names that I would reach for. In the episode we discuss her love of the Tudors, big books and how sometimes audiobooks need a really good narrator.

Fragrances mentioned:

Citrus - Olfactive O

Bainin - Cloon Keen

Carnal Flower - Frederic Malle

Interlude Black Iris Man - Amouage

Radical Rose - Matiere Premiere

Hayat - Xerjoff

Scorpio Rising - Eris Parfums

Wonderwood - Comme Des Garcon

Copper - Comme Des Garcon

Books mentioned:

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

City of Brass - S.A. Chakraborty

Find Charlotte on Instagram @scentsofdirection

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jayanthan (Jay) Sriram is a PhD student at Concordia University in Montreal and a member of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. He is in the Interdisciplinary Humanities PhD Program and coordinates the Exploration in Sensory Design research team. His research aims to highlight the importance of smell in aesthetics through functional scenting and perfumery. His PhD project, “The Life of the Ephemeral – Building Olfactory Aesthetics,” critiques the common disregard for physical and olfactory values, focusing on the perspectives of those who create and curate these experiences. Jay also has a music blog and an interest in reading Manga, which is reflected in the book choices for this episode.

Fragrances mentioned:

Dior Homme - Christian Dior

Fourreau Noir - Serge Lutens

Terroni - Orto Parisi

Moth - Zoologist

Books mentioned:

The Haçienda: How Not to Run a Club - Peter Hook

Berserk (Deluxe Volume 1) - Kentaro Miura

Music accompaniment:

Jay has recommended some follow on listening for the books mentioned

For The Hacienda - Querido by DJ Anderson do Paraiso

For Berserk, Umbilical by Thou

Read Jay’s research on Researchgate. You can also Find Jay on Instagram and explore his music blog.

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liminus owner and perfumer, Hilary, is creating natural perfumes involves using sustainable practices, sourcing local materials, and capturing the essence of a place. Liminal spaces, both physical and metaphorical, play a significant role in personal growth and transformation. Scent has the power to evoke memories and enhance experiences, making it a valuable in assisting in this process of change.

During my conversation with Hilary, we focus on the benefits of small batch making, exploring botanicals that are yet to ‘make it big’ in the world of perfumery, as well as text that connect us to our our country and landscapes.

Fragrances mentioned:

Alba - Liminus

Thamnic - Liminus

Hwyl - Aseop

Wash Me In the Water - 4160 Tuesdays

Books mentioned:

Selected Poems - Gwen Harwood

The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature - Peter Wohlleben

The Rain Heron - Robbie Arnott

Check out Liminus’ website at www.liminus.com.au

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Corey Newcombe is perfumer and owner of Australian artisanal fragrance house, Criminal Elements. The brand has bee making fragrance for around 10 years and we discuss how Criminal Elements came about, the training of your nose, what it takes to run a small business, being in community not competition and what it’s like to make a fragrance from a dream you had that one time…

Fragrances mentioned:

Wicked Mistress - Criminal Elements

Neon - Criminal Elements

Verge - Criminal Elements

Tobacco Jam - Criminal Elements

Books mentioned:

Space Opera - Catherynne M. Valente

The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce

The Doll Factory - Elizabeth Macneal

Check Criminal Elements full website at criminalelements.net

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fliss Walton is one quarter of the UK based fragrance podcast ‘Les Oderants’ - emphasis on the work ‘rant’. Fliss has work as a professional actor, as a facilitator and has, by all accounts, an extensive perfume collection. She may also be a self proclaimed lover of a ‘pretty bottle’, but we do our best to remain focussed on the juice. In this conversation we deep dive into the work of a few perfumers, discuss the role of scent as communication, a tool for getting into character and the very different types of death that medieval weaponry can achieve.

Fragrances mentioned:

Baccarat Rouge 540 - Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Andalusian Soul - Merchant of Venice

Tweed - Lentheric

Azuree - Estée Lauder

Diorling - Dior

Aromatics Elixir - Clinique

Andrea Maack - Coven

Maja - Myrurgia

Noir De Noir - Tom Ford

Obsession Night - Calvin Klein

Trésor - Lancôme

Feminite du Bois - Shiseido

Rose - Mercedes Benz

Sara Baker - Jungle Jezebel

Giorgio - Giorgio Beverly Hills

Verdant - Boujee Bougies

Delta of Venus - Eris Parfum

Belle De Jour - Eris Parfum

Mxxx - Eris Parfum

Books mentioned:

Miss Benson’s Beetle - Rachel Joyce

Scent and Subversion: Decoding A Century Of Provocative Perfume - Barbara Herman

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diffractive Studio is an independent fragrance house in Newcastle, UK. Owner and perfumer Alessandra started out as an academic, but branched out into the fragrance space creating fragrant art installations, as well as commercial product. Recently Alessandra had an article, “Beyond the Scent of Blood and Gardenias” published in the fragrance journal, Alabastron. This first issue of the journal focussed on the ‘Scent of Identity’ and Alessandra’s piece focused on the queer experience of an olfactory identity (a new term that I will be using at any given moment from now on).

If you love a good love story, if you like powerful women, if you like mixtapes and you are not afraid of pink, then this episode is for you.

Fragrances mentioned:

So Cute - Diffractive Studio 

Coven - Andrea Maack

Musc Ravageur - Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle

Both Sides of Clouds - 4160 Tuesdays

Dolce Treviso - Acca Kappa

Vaniglia Fior di Mandorlo - Acca Kappa

Fracas - Robert Piguet

Yuzu Soda - Strangers Parfumerie

So Fetch - Strangers Parfumerie

QH - Redolescent

Luna Dust - Mabelle O’Rama

Pink Sugar - Auqolina

Zucchero a Velo - Aquolina

Bowmakers - D.S & Durga

Pop Culture - Diffractive Studio

Books mentioned:

The Cyborg Manifesto - Donna Haraway

Soft Science - Franny Choi

Light from Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki

One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we had barely touched on any of the extensive Filigree & Shadow’s range of fragrances, this week is a return conversation with James Elliott from Filigree & Shadow. This time. staying on track came a little more easily and we touch on community, dug a little deeper into the DIY punk ethos and breeze past self diagnosis.

Filigree & Shadow is an artisanal perfume house based in Seattle, Washington State, where each fragrance has a personal story, as well as possible origin based around music. The brand ships internationally and is water based (for all or sensitive skin souls), so if you are able to whittle down you selection to 7 scents, it’s really worthwhile picking up a discovery set.

Fragrances mentioned:

Notget - Filigree & Shadow

Blume - Filigree & Shadow

Rema - Filigree & Shadow

Surfer Rosa - Filigree & Shadow.

Anonymity - Filigree & Shadow  

Books mentioned:

The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet - Benjamin Hoff

On the Road - Jack Kerouac

Adrienne Rich

Olga Broumas

Suheri Hammad

Inga Muscio

Larry Kramer

How to Be Idle - Tom Hodgkinson

You can find out more about Filigree & Shadow via the website - they are also on Instagram and TikTok

The image of James Elliott is AI generated and stunning

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes there are people that you really want to interview just because they seem like the type of person incredibly good conversation would happen with - James Elliott from Filigree & Shadow is absolutely one of these people.

Filigree & Shadow is an artisanal perfume house based in Seattle, Washington State. James has seamlessly blended a DIY political punk ethos into the world in a way that makes you surprised that it is not standard. From fundraisers with fellow perfumers to raising awareness of other small businesses, James seems to take any idea and just runs with it.

This episode is called Unhinged because James warned me about how things were going to go before I hit record, and the conversation really got away from the both of us.

Fragrances mentioned:

My Most Meaningful Relationships - Filigree & Shadow

Eau Savage - Christian Dior

Notget - Filigree & Shadow

Blume - Filigree & Shadow

Books mentioned:

Anne Rice

Poppy Z. Brite

Clive Barker

Carrie - Stephen King

Requiem for a Dream - Hubert Shelby Jr.

The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet - Benjamin Hoff

You can find out more about Filigree & Shadow via the website - they are also on Instagram and TikTok - I thoroughly recommend following (if you are not already).

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Map of the Heart is an Australian fragrance brand founded by Sarah Blair. The brand was started by Sarah and Jeffrey Darling, who were both working in film and became fascinated with fragrance. The fragrances are known for their unique bottle designs and the scents are crafted with a focus on authenticity and emotion. The conversation also touches on themes of body image, racism, and the power dynamics within relationships. However, because there is light to travel alongside the dark, there is also community, making connections, offering care and living into the people and the places that bring you joy.

Fragrances mentioned:

V.5 Valour

V.6 Ecstasy

V.2 Darkness

V.4 Peace

V.1 Freedom

V.3 Passion

V.8 Abundance

(Map of the Heart)

Books mentioned:

Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder - Asako Yuzuki

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

Eclogues- Virgil

We Come With This Place - Debra Danks

You can find out more about Map of the Heart on their website, or on Instagram.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. If you would like to know more about NAIDOC week, which is is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories you can find out more on the committee’s official website.

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.