The Discomfort of Discovery: A Diary of an Exploration of Scent, Part Two.
A new fragrance each day for 30 days: Co-Editor Naomi Lake continues her journey exploring our relationship with aroma. In part two of her three-part series, we discover the ten bottles that became the backdrop to the summer heatwaves. From diaphanous, fresh notes to deep woody florals, we take a glimpse at how each shaped the day.
Summer, 2026: After an initial ten days uncovering ten new scents, selected at random with no prior details, I duplicate the same pattern of inquisition and flux. As each fragrance interlaces with each day, will I deepen my overall connection to individual notes, and better understand how each shapes my mood?
he dog days of summer: the sluggish days are chaperoned by cloying heat and wakeful nights, and a general feeling of discomfort in my own skin, but will each scent offer respite, or preoccupy?
Day 11: Within 51/49, OM Mimosa: A glassy petaled scent, suggesting the elegant waft of a silk scarf worn by someone effortlessly chic: perfectly humble and transparent in their intention. I feel deferentially empowered by heliotrope's tenderness, while turmeric adds an enduring, sure musky warmth.
Day 12: BDK, Pas Ce Soir: It’s the sip of a bittersweet, effervescent drink on a hot day, or a bite of a ripe, juicy fruit to accompany a picnic, set under blossom-laden trees. The perfect balance of invigoration and risque intrigue: the inebriating musk of skin, tacky from nectar, offers a subtle undertone, as bees hum around the orange groves and the grass starts to singe.
I had to wear the same perfume for three days in a row. After receiving some jarring news, my mind, completely numbed of all of its senses, was unable to comprehend the nuance within the scent. Whilst this repeated fragrance has been a solace in some ways, calming my nervous system, I couldn't initially register each note, or the emotions I drew from each, while so distracted.
Day 13: Nancy Meiland, Jasmine Sacré: Sweet yet not confined to gourmand, floral but without powder. Incense carries an addictive potency, whilst apricot retains a golden chatoyance, a steady percolation of golden ambrosia. A glorious embodiment of the season at its most heady beat.
Day 14: L’Entropiste, Semence Douche: A lactonic almond gourmand gives way to saline musk. A seductive, pheromonal haze of metallic, honeyed saffron whirs beneath the clean, ozonic verdancy of tulip. Fascinating and euphoric, and one my partner particularly enjoyed on me too.
I’ve never been one to care much for what others think of the fragrances I wear; I enjoy the subversive defiance. An expression of self that cannot be seen. Whilst I enjoy letting my partner choose from time to time, I would never remove one from rotation at another's request. Yet there is still a quiet thrill in knowing it’s enjoyed by another too, and knowing there is alignment in how each of you perceives it.
Day 15: Electimuss, Black Caviar: An opening, seemingly of salted woods, is surpassed by a coastal breeze of herbal notes, mint and lavender, towards a musky citrus, neither cooling nor warming. A perfect amalgamation of aromas which lay lustrously over the skin in equal balance with remarkable endurance.
Usually I can't abide mint as a note, finding it too heady and crisp, yet paired with lavender, it seems a winsome pairing, as in Clive Christian’s Timeless. It makes me wonder what other direct pairings I might find that always work in unison, and rarely alone.
Day 16: BIBBI, Radio Child: The ozonic lift of petrichor; the unyielding scent of a new car. And yet, a cool open, verdant with static, mellows and melts onto the skin, defrosting and reorganising to a clear scent of woody, sun-warmed musk.
Day 17: D. S. & Durga, Debaser In Bloom: By pure luck, the accidental selection of a juicy, fruity floral hits home on a hot summer's day, I had feared spraying something swarthy and confined. The nostalgic hit of Haribo sweets, fig rolls, and the buttercream crowns of French Fancies, with a faint whiff of coconut sunscreen. It’s summertime in 1996, given a new, grown-up purpose.
I notice how floral fragrances, an olfactory family I don't usually spend much time with, are easier to wear in the heat, especially when paired with the interest of stratospherically bright notes, sweat-like salinity and skin-true musk. I relish how a scent can offer heat and chill in equal measure, working to dissolve the enervating summer heat.
Day 18: Ode Ona, Everjet: An opening of warm leather and bitter cocoa reaches me first. I feel a moment of panic for its potential depth in this season; the weather has started to break, yet I am not ready for a heavy aroma. However, a lift of alpine air strikes true with citrus notes of bergamot, lemon, and mandarin, bringing the wearer into the moment, tethered by olibanum and labdanum. Unexpectedly, it flawlessly balances the heat of the season, but equally, would astutely frame a winter’s chill.
Day 19: Goldfield & Banks, Sunset Hour: Mandarin; coconut; sandalwood… The woody, citrus scent evokes the feel of warm concrete underfoot as you return from the beach, with saltwater and wet sand gently holding onto your skin against the susurration of the breeze. It really is a seductive summer's eve, bottled.
Day 20: Jusbox, Wave Of Freedom: A creamy coconut and pineapple heart signals summer—but without kitsch—diluted by a fresh, juicy pear, deepened by tonka bean and amberic notes. It’s a welcome tonic for the heat and humidity, settling on my skin like a linen shirt in summer's fervour, close at times, yet still leaving room to breathe.
Musings…
The intense heat of summer has been an intriguing time to explore new fragrances. Frustrated by the feel of almost anything on my skin, the unintentional selections of gourmands and florals were a sweet, iced drink to allay the season's torridness.
It’s never a season I feel comfortable dressing for, much preferring weightier clothing and cosy layers, but somehow these fragrances became the final addition to each outfit I needed.
