By Tara
Perfumes Lovers London is a Meetup group that was launched earlier this year by Lila Das Gupta, with support from Basenotes.net and Escentual.com. Fragrance fanatics convene at the New Cavendish Club in London’s West End to hear a perfume related talk, meet other like minded individuals and sniff along with scent strips thanks to the many tester bottles available. These are proving to be incredibly fun and informative events and the one led by Katie Puckrik, of the “Katie Puckrik Smells” YouTube channel and perfume blog, was no exception.
One of the features on Katie Puckrik Smells is “Viewer Mail” where people who follow Katie’s YouTube channel or blog can ask her advice on finding a perfume to meet a particular “need”. Over the years this has resulted in some unusual and fascinating requests which Katie has admirably countered with well thought-out and innovative perfume solutions. Scent strips with some of her suggestions were passed around for us to try, but a summary of all the questions and Katie’s answers are as follows:
Help Me Fake A Sex Life
This question was posed by a man who wanted to make his recent ex jealous when she came round to collect her things.
- Mugler Cologne by Thierry Mugler
This one just seemed very green, fresh and pleasant to me. Nothing reminiscent of manly secretions on first sniff, but maybe it gets sensual in the drydown.
- Musc Kublai Khan by Serge Lutens
Surprisingly unscary! Very warm, fuzzy and ever so slightly sweet and powdery. No doubt a very different beast with heavy application but I was impressed.
- Putain des Palaces by Etat Libre d’Orange
Strong, spicy pungency on top, revealing a feminine powder puff of rice, violet and rose underneath.
Other suggestions: Amaranthine by Penhaligon’s, Feminite du Bois by Serge Lutens and Boudoir by Vivienne Westwood.
I Want To Smell Like My Dog’s Paws
A viewer who loved the smell of his dog’s paws but didn’t want to smother himself in the American corn chip snack “Fritos” to achieve the same effect.
- Bois Farine by L’Artisan Parfumeur
A perfume with a yeasty, bready note with a nutty facet, to mimic the “baked goods” smell of dog paws.
- Like This, Tilda Swinton by Etat Libre d’Orange
A warm pumpkin pie of a perfume to give you the same comforting sensation as sniffing Fido’s toes.
I Want To Smell Like A Skunk
- Black Afgano by Nasomatto
Apparently the smell of skunks, while extremely unpleasant up close, can be pleasing at a distance. Katie made the link between skunk the animal and skunk the “herb” and chose Black Afgano, which has a cannabis note. I intensely dislike the smell of cannabis, but happily Black Afgano didn’t smell like that to me. It is very distinctive all the same and apparently sells out as soon as stock is available. A dark, but not overwhelming mixture of smoke, incense, woods and oud.
I Want To Smell Like Chinese Air Pollution
This viewer had spent time in China in his youth and wanted to recreate the smell which included polluted air. However, he didn’t want anything too heavy because he so that it would be suitable summer wear.
- Jasmin et Cigarettes by Etat Libre d’Orange
A masculine take on jasmine with a background of stale cigarette smoke.
- Dzongkha by L’Artisan Parfumeur
This is the perfume that the viewer chose on Katie’s recommendation and while it doesn’t smell like air pollution to me, I can imagine it conjuring up China. It combines the mineral dryness of stones with smoked tea, soft incense and a somewhat watery vegetal note.
Femme Fatale Fragrances for Men
A male viewer who wanted to smell like a film noir screen siren with red lips.
- Black Orchid by Tom Ford
The viewer particularly liked this one which Katie described as a mish mash of the perfumery equivalent of leftovers.
- Nuda by Nasomatto
A warm, heady and alluring jasmine.
Other suggestion: Mitsouko by Guerlain.
After Katie’s talk we were at leisure to chat, grab a sample or another glass of wine. All in all it was a hugely entertaining evening with an extremely engaging host.
Next month the guest speaker will be none other than our very own Olfactoria! She will be talking us through her love of amber perfumes. What else would you expect from the “Queen of Amber”?
Olfactoria's Travels 
Katie Pukrick Smells is just wonderful . It is one of the more eccentric perfume blogs, but also, one of the very best.
Also, Birgit – I hope you have a fabulous time when you come to London.
Totally agree, chris. Katie’s take on perfume is quirky and entertaining but she sure knows her stuff.
It certainly were an intriguing evening! I could sit and listen to Katie talking about her crazy viewers for days without a break.
Me too! Hearing about the reaction she got in the early days was a real eye opener. You Tube can be a weird and scary place.
What fun Tara! I wish that I could have been there… And especially wish that I could be there for Birgit’s talk!
Thank you for reporting back for us 🙂
It was fun dee and I got to meet Persolaise too! You will be missed next month. Hope you make it over to London one of these days.
Great write up, Tara! Thanks for being our eyes and ears in London.
Thanks B, it’s my pleasure!
Katie is hilarious, and I just love her flirty style! Thanks for the report, Tara. (And glad to hear that you were rather delightfully surprised on smelling MKK, one of my faves.)
I love Katie’s funny and friendly style too, Suzanne! Hopefully you will be able to see the gorgeous red dress she wore when The Candy Perfume Boy posts his write up.
I thought of you when testing MKK! I’m very glad I got on well with one of your faves (and The CPB is going to generously give me a little).
Thank you for the write-up Tara, you captured the spirit of the evening perfectly 😀
In other news, I am completely in love with Nuda, I cannot stop smelling the scent strip! How are you getting on with Mon Numero 8?
Thanks, T!
I’m glad you are still smitten with Nuda. It manages to strike a good balance, unlike the overwhelmingly indolic jasmines and the fresh, bland versions. My attention has been taken up by Bamboo Harmony since my By Kilian samples arrived. It’s good, but for me, OJ’s Champaca already fills that slot and at a much cheaper price point.
Thank you for reporting, Tara! Katie’s YouTube reviews are so entertaining; I can imagine she is great fun in person.
I love that one of the viewers was trying to capture the smell of Chinese air pollution. I have a similar love, which is a smell I have caught whiff of at several rivers around the world, a slightly moldy but sweet-floral-ish smell that I have finally been able to get my husband’s opinion on. His succinct diagnosis? “Treated effluent.” Yum! 🙂
Your husband has a great way of summing up odours, even if it’s not always complimentary! You make it sound a lot more appealing. I sometimes read about perfumes with a mildrew note but the only one that popped into my head was Nuit de Tubereuse, if you haven’t tried it already.
Katie is a real pro and great fun. I’m glad she persevered with You Tube after finding it attracted a lot of satanists, conspiracy theorists and very mean 12 year-old girls…
What a great way to spend an evening and meet with fellow enthusiasts! 🙂 And meeting Katie!
I’m really looking forward to hearing how Olfactoria’s evening will smell like…
It is a lovely way to spend a Thursday evening, Ines! Wish you could come along. I’m very glad that Lila set-up the group.
I have no doubt that B’s evening will smell GREAT!
Oh my God what kind of questions and quite good answers. You made me laugh with dog’s paws ;-), ;-), ;-).
Considering the difficultly rating of the questions, I think Katie’s answers are inspired! Glad the post raised a smile 🙂
Thanks for this great report – what a scream it all sounds – like Natalie, I was most amused by the person who wanted to smell like Chinese Air Pollution. Sorry to have missed Katie’s talk and seeing you guys again, but look forward to catching you at Birgit’s… : – )
It was highly entertaining, Vanessa! Katie’s “Viewer Mail” is priceless, it was a good topic for the talk.
Can’t wait for next month!