Fragrances and books

Looking at scents through books is something i do quite often and many times without even realizing it i pair certain scents with characters in the novels i read. Same as in perfumery, there isn't a style that slips my hands, reading calms and makes me dream.

A journey of self-discovery. That is what Orbi (Blind) by Petronela Rotar is all about. Unintentional self-destruction through bad choices due to a ruined childhood. Finding yourself might sound as a self-centered goal, but it's actually an unselfish process that unveils the origin of what and how you are today. Start by loving yourself in order to really love someone else.

A beautiful book that takes the reader through a series of events that lead to a coherent narrative of a woman's life after exploring her past over the present. I pared it with two relatively new fragrances in my collection, À L`Iris and Magnol'Art by Le Cercle des Perfumeurs Créateurs. The first, an imagine of what it seems simple at first sight, innocent and common - powdery and clean, the second reflects the weight of the past over the present, with a heavy heart of flowers. The easy choice of continuing the way one is or the hard decision of fighting the past' ghosts.

La Ira del Fuego (The Fury in the Fire) by Henning Mankell. The story of a young girl who fights poverty and oppression in one of the poorest places in the world, Mozambique. Sofia is 9 and all of the sudden her life changes dramatically in the moment when her foot steps on a land mine while running together with her sister. Since that day her journey is all about fight and survival.

Azzaro 9 is also a survivor of opulent florals, big orientals and woody musks in the 80s. The fragrance is a composition of all the known and unknown materials used in perfumery. Despite that particularity, the fragrance is so well and naturally blended that it reflects a sheer and green floral as a whole, without allowing any individual note shining by itself. Flowers, fruits, spices, mosses and woods knit together in this unpretentious yet charming floral fragrance.

Oraşul cu salcâmi (The Town of Acacias) by Mihail Sebastian. Just begun to read this book. It's about a 15 years old girl who passes from the age of innocence to maturity.

Classique by Jean Paul Gaultier (Extrait, 1993) is a recreation of that transitional period - its naive fruity facets with a boost of citruses and ginger are melted by the seductive side, represented by vanilla, spice and naughty florals. Jacques Cavallier managed to perfectly combine and balance both parts into a strong never overbearing potion. Timeless.

"Puedes decir que soy un soñador
 Pero no soy el único."