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.
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.
A perfume with a yeasty, bready note with a nutty facet, to mimic the “baked goods” smell of dog paws.
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.
The viewer particularly liked this one which Katie described as a mish mash of the perfumery equivalent of leftovers.
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 