The Discomfort of Discovery: A Diary of an Exploration of Scent, Part One.
Would you wear a different perfume every day? Co-Editor Naomi Lake embarks on an adventure through scent, wearing an unknown fragrance every day for a month. Across our three-part series, from new notes to unearthing unexpected emotions, we dip into her journal to hear her most private musings during the project.
Spring, 2026: A passing spritz in the beauty hall as I ran between meetings left me unexpectedly enamoured throughout the day. It sparked an idea: for 30 days, across three seasons, I will wear a completely unknown fragrance each day. Exploring my extensive collection of samples, and welcoming further chance encounters, I will intentionally open my world and attune my senses to the new bottles I happen upon.
Picked with spontaneous ease, I hope each one lets me explore my relationship with notes and styles, and the habits and emotions linked to each tincture, set against the backdrop of thawing weeks as layers lighten and days lengthen.
Day 1: Creed, Queen of Silk: Rich and incredibly multifaceted for a floral. An eccentric smattering of Javanese patchouli and passion fruit laid across amber. A long, lingering, and powerful finish I crave upon myself as I idle through my day, returning to my wrist again and again to reignite the affair.
There is an exhilaration of the unknown, but also an uneasiness; what if a transient spritz clings to me in a way I do not enjoy over the passing hours?
Day 2: Czech & Speake, Dark Rose: A deep woodiness brings a powdery yet sonorous tone to the classic rose bouquet. It’s refined, without being dated. Chic, without being too obvious or fresh. It feels enveloping and shielding, the scent like a mysterious amulet.
Day 3: Miller Harris, Violet Ida: A skin-like musk meets a laconic creaminess of sweet, soft, leathery notes. Uplifting yet grounding, Italian bergamot sits above liquid amber for a complex yet harmonious dry down. I am wearing a personality I’m not sure fits me, but exploring it for the day has been expansive.
Today was challenging. I awoke irritated and craving comfort. I reached for a brand I knew, but a scent I did not—still with intense trepidation—reminding me how much solace I draw from a chosen fragrance. I notice now how I have unwittingly reached for the familiar within my senses in moments of discomfort to regain my control.
Day 4: Initio, Musk Therapy: At first, I am profoundly aware of its existence, as it sits upon me as an unfamiliar aroma. However, its evolution was deeply settling and murmurous, with an intensity that stayed throughout an exceptionally long and strenuous day. Yet, it remained an enhancement rather than an overwhelm, for which I was incredibly grateful.
Day 5: Parfums De Marly, Delina Exclusif: An opening of intense damascena rose and a potent citrus feels outwardly challenging, until strings of sweet fruit notes are plucked by musky incense to create a symphonic dry down that feels suede-like in its olfactive texture. I feel refined and elegant. It received compliments all day. For a fragrance I was so unsure of, I would really enjoy wearing this again.
Day 6: D. S. & Durga, Bistro Waters: It’s fascinating that a fragrance that could be described as good enough to eat could be so savoury: the brusqueness of capsicum, the verdancy of pea flower and moss. I thought this would be at odds with me, but it dissolved into the backdrop of the day, while remaining refreshing, uplifting and satisfyingly piquant.
When I first sprayed this scent, I didn’t expect to be able to wear it for the hour, let alone the day, much less ever want to return to it; yet days later, I still find myself thinking about it. It’s another bottle I'd love to add to my collection in full size.
Day 7: Thameen, Rivière: A cohesion of fresh, yet warm, yet aqueous notes. The saffron-and-cinnamon combination is exquisite and rare. Rivière: a string of perfectly matched diamonds in a necklace; French: River. I can’t think of a better-named fragrance. It’s an honour to wrap this across my décolletage.
I forgot to add a fragrance as I left the house this morning. It’s 6 pm, and I wondered: is there any point now? It’s late, I'm home alone, and I’m only doing chores. Then I remembered: a fragrance serves no purpose except to be savoured, just as it is.
Day 8: 27:87, #hashtag: Inimitably fresh, briny and clear, of petrichor or ozone. A sharpness to the scent remains electric throughout the day as it rides high in my senses; it’s exhilarating and so unlike the heavier, richer scents I usually reach for, and could not be more different to the bottle from the same brand I have worn regularly, which smells like wood ash at dawn.
Day 9: Ffern, Spring ‘26: An opening of cool florals. A lesson in how a soft, honeyed petal can fill the senses with something ozonic and clarifying, as petitgrain offers a breeze of sweet, woody citrus, while broom offers a congruent bitterness. Like melting, fractured spicules of ice on dried grass before the bluebells push through bare earth.
Day 10: A celebrity fragrance: The woody, vanillin notes are perfectly pleasant, but seem flat against the complexity of the products I’m used to, and do not grasp my attention or my skin. I am loath to speak poorly of something based upon my subjective opinion; hence I decline to name it, but it was disappointing, unimpactful, and easy to forget.
Musings…
After just ten days, my foolhardy ease towards completing an ensemble has been a fascinating experiment. More than a fashion statement, these fragrances are an olfactory cue to who I am. Does this affect how people view me, as it does how I view myself?
I knew I wasn't dedicated to a single fragrance, even a handful; I am, say, somewhat polyamorous with my bottles, but connecting to so many scents in different ways makes me wonder whether this is a deep appreciation of the nuances of notes, or, a disconnection from what I really value in a fragrance, and in my presentation of myself?
At this point, I find I don't miss any particular fragrance from my usual rotation. Still, I yearn for the autonomy to pick each day based on what I need emotionally, and know for sure that connection, for me, is intrinsically linked to scent.
Want more inspiration for your scent wardrobe? Find Best Summer Fragrances for Men 2026: 7 Heatwave-Proof Scents or discover how cocktails and fragrance interlink in Bouquet From The Back Bar: From Glass to Bottle; Cocktail-inspired Fragrances.
