Chiyogami

Never in my years-long career of sniffing things that are supposed to smell like nature and loving the sea have I run across such a genuine ocean scent. There are plenty of contenders that smell very nice, but rarely do they really do what's on the label. You get bits and pieces of it in Acqua di Salé, Sel Marin, Megamare, et al., and some great blends in indies (Pineward's Acadian and Coastal Veil hit), but this is almost gruesome in its realism.

That smell you get when the tide is out and the beach is covered in rotting vegetation is on full display here-it's almost gag-inducing. The waves do come in to cover it back up, fresh and freezing, but the tide isn't quite in yet. I think a lot with this scent will come down to chemistry and what your skin plays up. The sharp rotting seaweed note is probably going to be horrendous if that's what your skin latches onto, but if you really want to smell like the actual sea? I can't think of anywhere else to go that would do a better job. Dark, dirty, beautiful and gross. An oceanic triumph!

Truly phenomenal. I always want my incenses to be darker, smokier, grimier, and I never want to wear clean scents. Cardinal is the soaring exception to these rules. It is airy and cool, but still grounding. Ever so slightly rosy later in the wear. Whenever I put this on, I'm whisked to a near-silent church; cold stone walls, high wooden beams, silent except for the chirping of crickets and calling of birds from outside in the pastoral setting. I'm not even religious!

This works for all seasons, but I wear it in the spring and summer and Eau Sacree in the fall and winter. To me, it feels like it was meant to be smelled on a golden hour breeze, pushed toward me by the sea. Certainly starts out with the classic Avignon incense, but it becomes so much more complex throughout the day.

Initial blast of fresh pine boughs and campfire, drying down into pleasantly balsamic resins that transition into a smooth vanillic amber. Heavy wood smoke accompanies you on each part of your journey through the autumn forest. Feu is gorgeously wild but also comforting, a perfect fall hike/snuggled in bed watching a scary movie after said hike kind of scent.

This is one of those scents where you can clearly smell every single note if you close your eyes. The first spritz is heavily liquoricey, grounded by a beautiful vetiver that leans more smoky than earthy. The incense and woods are a somehow airy anchor, and the pepper adds a crunchy spice to the whole mixture that really pulls it together. This perfume is simple but not basic, and absolutely hits the deep, dark, impenetrable woods brief that I'm always after.

The longevity is so-so, but the sillage is perfect-fairly intimate but big enough that I get to keep smelling myself for the lifespan of the scent. Didn't expect to be so taken by this, but my sample is rapidly draining!

On my skin, this is basically pure lanolin and Pineward's gorgeous beeswax accord, which is my favourite across the billion houses I've tried. It's phenomenal. I had concerns that the sheepiness would be offensive to others if I wore it out, but after wearing it, I honestly don't think so. It smells like an idealized cozy wool sweater that's been hanging in a fire-warmed cottage with lavender drying in its eaves, in the early autumn. Try as I might, I get no raspberry, and if honey is present, it's a very light touch-which is great, as it's a note I really don't like on my skin.

Nick hitting it out of the park, as usual.