The Smell Of Things To Come

I am not really a perfume person. There are days when I don't wear one because I think a scent can be very powerful in conveying certain signals of what you are as a person. By not wearing a scent then it limits the chance of you being read. That is why I'm very selective of the scent I wear. I tend to favor a unisex kind of smell. Atlantis by Bench was a cologne that somehow mimicked the androgynous scent of cKOne. It was the cologne that defined my highschool years. In college, when I had a little bit of money I was into ck One and ck Be. Minimalism entered my conciousness and I was enamored with the whole reductionist lifestyle. This was the phase where I was wearing almost all-black everyday. The green tea infused scent of ck matched the whole minimalist phenomenon of the mid 90's. By early 2000, I switched to Gucci Rush, the one for women, because I liked the fruity, spicy notes. I would only wear it during night time because it was too strong for daytime use. This was when I was working already. Rush smells like you want to have fun and I guess it matched my lifestyle of partying almost everyday.

I had other scents like Acqua di Parma, L'Eau D'Issey Miyake, Benetton Tribu, Gap Grass, Perry Ellis 360*, and others, but I'd often give it away after several use or use as perfume for the toilet.

Today the scent I use are Helmut Lang's Eau de Cologne and Cuiron Pour Homme. The former has a very masculine, old-world smell. When I use it I feel very grown-up and I like wearing it for special occasion because it has been discontinued. The latter has a bursting, after-shave smell that reminds me of modernist buildings and metals. I don't know why Cuiron is like that to me. I've been using both scent for a good 6 years already.

I also use Higher Dior Energy, a sporty, energizing scent. It's my day scent because I like how it reacts to my sweat. It's a very easy scent to wear and I like that it smells less powdery than the original Higher Dior.

When I want to be avant-garde then I wear Comme des Garcons Odeur 53. It's a very heavily layered scent that changes with time. The first burst smells of rubber, alcohol and nail polish. Then it gradually becomes floral and woodsy. The effect is quite fascinating for me because it'll be a week and I can still smell it on my skin. Powdery butter is the finale notes I can discern.

Recently, I had a sample of Maison Martin Margiela's (untitled), a leafy, woody scent that reminds me of vintage leather seats and intimate dinners.

I think I found my next scent.