Goat is a strange perfume, the notes listed are clearly deranged, but it does in fact not smell as weird as it would seem. It’s sort of a green, earthy, ashy scent which certainly smells unusual, but it’s not unwearable and nowhere near as animal is it looks on paper. To me, this earthy fungal note of truffle and mushroom dominates, its earthy facets highlighted by mosses and patchouli. Behind this dense thickness, a vibrant slightly metallic feel from violet leaf emerges, giving way to a furry sort of leather in the base. Does it smell like a goat? No. In fact, what it really smells like to me is the old, leathered hands of someone who rolls their own cigarettes, perhaps smoking one every 5 minutes of the day. That intense earthy ashiness is what puts me off this scent, but it’s not revolting by any means - just a very unique style.

Oudh 36 Nuit took me by surprise, I must admit. For a house chiefly known for creating clones of famous fragrances, I was sort of shocked how much I enjoy this scent. I don’t think it’s an original creation however, it seems to be a mix of a handful of certain famous oud-roses. There’s a noticeable similarity to Dior’s Oud Ispahan, namely the pungent rose-water effect which dominates the scent profile. But I also personally find the geranium rather prominent too, with its sappy, slightly green and particularly salty facets heightened by the rose. To me, it almost smells like Roja Dove’s Aouds and the way he utilises ambergris in those creations. It’s a very nice scent, and I’m sure for the price it originally sold for would be a great pickup. Unfortunately I believe it is discontinued now, and for the prices I’ve seen it up on eBay for, I won’t be buying. But I’ll certainly enjoy wearing my sample.

L’Aimant, one of the crowning jewels of the Coty house, and one of the final scents before Francois Coty’s death just 7 years after this creation was launched. This is one of the very few that seems to be in production, or at least is still sold in most places at a very low cost. With that in mind I consider this to be one of the best value for money scents on the market, however I was lucky enough to find a vintage EDT. This is a floral scent through and through, but it’s neither boring nor simplistic. It oozes femininity and class at every turn, pulling you deeper into its enslavement every time you wear it. A bright, hesperidic opening of bergamot and neroli is underscored by a peachy aldehyde note, before quickly developing a gorgeously delicate heart of ylang, jasmine and rose. There’s quite a prominent carnation as well which provides a much needed warmth and, almost spiciness. I do love this scent, it may not be my favourite floral of all time, and launching just 6 years after the great Chanel No. 5 I think it could have done a little better. But despite all of that I think it’s fantastic. A true vintage style floral - the first time I met Roja Dove he explained to me that this great scent was his inspiration behind A Goodnight Kiss, a scent which I consider to be one of the greatest florals ever made.

L’Origan is without a doubt one of the most important and influential perfumes ever created, and one of the first great hits from Coty which demonstrated the true extent of his genius. With this scent he was one of the first to exploit the newly discovered category materials - absolutes. Without this creation some of the most famous and incredible scents would not have come into being - Après L’Ondée, L’Heure Bleue and Bal a Versailles. The scent opens with a pronounced hesperidic burst of bergamot underscored by neroli, before rushing into a central theme of a dominant carnation note intertwined with the delicate powdery facets of jasmine, rose, violet and ylang - which is at once sweet, slightly creamy and spicy with a highly distinctive, almost grass-like, note. The warm, almost spicy facets of the carnation are heightened by the inclusion of clove and a very subtle amber base. The ingenuity of this scent is its rich floral harmonies which nod towards spiciness without actually being spicy, an effect which is warm and vibrant with the soft sensuality of coumarin and vanillin rounding off the base. Such a masterpiece of a fragrance forever ensured Coty’s fame and fortune.

Sartorial is a satisfyingly contemporary take on the classical fougere, it is the very essence of sophisticated masculinity and easily one of my favourite scents from Penhaligons. I’m not usually a huge lover of fougeres, and I’m particularly picky when it comes to lavender, but I love this one. The lavender is easily the most prominent note, it’s there front and centre from the very first spray right until the end. Initially, it’s brightened up significantly by this light, airy and metallic combination of aldehydes and violet leaf. Before long though, it settles into a warmer, slightly sweeter base consisting of smooth cardamom and delicious beeswax. It’s an odd mix of notes which simply seems to work. Despite how many notes are listed, it doesn’t smell overly complex or confusing. It remains pretty linear throughout its life, to my nose, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring. From my collection of around 105 fragrances currently, this is one of only 3 fougeres I own which says a lot.

Among Edmond Roudnitska’s fantastic creations for Dior, Eau de Cologne Fraîche often flies under the radar compared to the great presence of his other masterpieces. However, I do not think it deserves the neglect it recieves, for it is truly a beautiful scent. As eau de colognes go, this is one of my absolute favourites. It’s dominated by one of the most beautifully realistic lemon notes I’ve ever smelled, heightened further by verbena - it doesn’t smell synthetic or like a cleaning product as some lemons do. To counter this is a divinely serene creamy base of oakmoss and rosewood. For the most part, that is the entire scent, but it thrives in its simplicity for the balance between everything is perfect. Due to the fact this scent is so overlooked, you can often find it incredibly cheap online. I bought a full 60ml bottle for about £20. You will run into the risk of the top notes being lost, but I was very lucky that my bottle smells beautifully intact. Definitely seek this one out if you’re fan of lemon!

Joy is generally regarded as one of the greatest perfumes ever made, and I found myself agreeing as soon as this precious liquid touched my skin. This was a scent which, at the time, was the most expensive perfume in the world - double the price of gold bullion - which was released shortly after Wall Street crashed. Instead of shelving the project, Patou went ahead with the release and it became a worldwide sensation. I managed to find an amazingly well-kept vintage parfum online, and I truly believe this is one of, if not the, greatest floral fragrance ever created. Every 30ml bottle contains 10,000 jasmine blossoms and 336 roses with a whisper of civet - a scent profile which is undeniably joyous. It thrives in the simplicity of its composition, as there is nowhere to hide or cut corners. The success of this scent relies almost entirely on the astounding quality of the finest materials in the world. It doesn’t smell like the jasmine fragrances you find in todays market, overly clean, soapy and synthetic. Instead, it’s intensely thick and indolic, sultry and slightly lustrous with that delicate hint of civet. It’s undeniably Jasmine and rose, done to perfection. It makes you realise just how much passion and dedication went into perfume at this time. A true masterpiece.

L’Air du Temps is a scent which has been the victim of its own success, a creation which, at the time, was so marvellously unique and masterful that it’s popularity made it commonplace for many women to wear it. Because of this, it began to get left behind and its beauty and charm all but forgotten by most. It is a warm, spicy floral scent which captivates the heart immediately, seemingly moving and swirling in the air around you. A fresh, vibrant harmony of bergamot, neroli and aldehydes radiate off the skin through the inclusion of a gorgeously smooth and comforting rosewood note. Among a typically vintage floral heart, the profile is made warmer still by an overwhelming dose of carnation, but also that slightly bitter-spicy clove note. The end result is enchanting - dry, spicy and warm, wrapping the wearer in a blanket of dense florals. I love this fragrance, I think it should continue to receive the praise it deserves. I have two bottles in my collection, a vintage EDT and the current EDP. There is a great similarity between the two, but I find where the modern formulation is much smoother and more rounded with the floral heart, the vintage is far more confident and brash in its spicy facets. Both are stunning, I often layer them together as the vintage doesn’t last long on my skin.

CK One Essence is a bit of a pointless release, you could argue. It lives off of the previous success of the original, retaining its core values but attempting to mould it into something more modern and refined. I think it achieves that, but in doing so strips away the very character which made CK One so popular. It’s still got that scratchy, musky, minty citrus cocktail feel about it, but very much smoothed out by an increase of the tea notes. Additionally, a surge in juicy blood orange makes the overall scent a little sweeter and fruitier. I can’t deny it smells very pleasant, but I just don’t see much need for it to exist. I will admit, I am a huge lover of CK One - no one can deny how iconic it is and despite my usual tastes, I love the original scent profile. Whilst I can appreciate the thought process of this one, you’re better off just sticking with the original if you want this sort of scent.