Tuberose is one of my all-time favourite notes, I know a good tuberose when I smell it - this is not one of them. I seriously don’t understand the hype around Maison Crivelli, everything I’ve tried has been disappointment after disappointment. It’s not terrible, but for the price I expected a lot more. To me, this highlights everything people don’t like about tuberose, usually because they’ve only smelled this sort of stuff in most mainstream releases. It’s intensely sweet, like bubblegum, with this fruity sweetness intensified and made slightly dry by the inclusion of osmanthus. Cinnamon is present, and seems awfully out of place, messing everything up. I don’t like this; as I said it’s not awful, but it smells like it costs a fifth of what it actually does. It just smells vulgar, crude, plasticky and fake - not for me at all.

Daim is a scent I expected to enjoy from the note breakdown, but unfortunately I can’t get along with this. As it settles on my skin I can feel it taking up residence in my sinuses, battering my sense of smell and leaving me with a headache. I won’t even use the rest of this sample - this doesn’t make it a bad scent though, it’s just not for me. The suede accord is what I can’t tolerate; I adore leather fragrances and consider them to be one of my favourite scent categories, but it turns me off when they smell hyperrealistic. Combine that with this weird plasticky, soapy jasmine and frangipani note and it all just becomes a bit too much. I feel like I’ve smelled this exact scent profile a few times before, but I cannot place where. Overall, I don’t enjoy this scent unfortunately, but for some I imagine it may be more than satisfying.

Salome is unspeakably impressive. It’s hard to find the words to describe such a scent, but for this is something that can only be experienced to be understood; though even then you never might. It takes the idea of chypre to regions uncharted, and yet still retains subtle characteristics of bygone masterpieces we know and love. The scent itself is very dry, surprisingly so, a central theme of warming carnation and tobacco find themselves leaning into their spicy facets through an outrageous dose of cumin, giving the scent this almost sweaty filth. Hyrax, hay and oakmoss further this dry dirtiness, whilst the sweet, dense nature of castoreum and vanilla create what seems almost fruity in its flair when combined with the indolic charm of jasmine, orange blossom and rose. There’s so much going on in this scent, it’s impossible to find where it ends. You’ll spend hours scrambling your way through this dusty boudoir, only to find dirtier secrets within, the longer you look. If any scent defines what a modern masterpiece means, it is this one.

I think Dior did a fantastic job at resurrecting their beloved classics, and Diorling is no exception. This scent is a jasmine and leather combination to die for, a scent which seems as though it was scent down from heaven itself. I am yet to experience the original formulation of Diorling unfortunately, but I can only imagine how stunning it is. As is frequent in contemporary marketing, the notes are very much trimmed to the basics. Jasmine is the leading note, with its airy, soapy qualities mingling beautifully with an ever so delicate leather note which is brisk and mellow. There’s a touch of green sharpness, perhaps hyacinth, alongside a whisper of oakmoss. I’ve fallen in love with this scent, more than most of my recent pick ups, which is ironic because it is also one of my cheapest. For a scent that I can spray care-free without worrying about running out, Diorling is perfect. I will always own this.

Edmond Roudnitska claimed Diorella as his proudest creation and although absolutely justified, I do not think it is his best creation. That aside, I adore this scent. Roudnitska created a new type of floral chypre with Diorella, one which was inspired by the great Eau Sauvage and to a lesser degree, Eau Fraiche. The airy freshness of jasmine, along with a rindy bergamot and lemon, is a major key in this composition. But he somehow removed the sweetness and headiness of traditional jasmine, amplifying the floral heart through carnation, rose and cyclamen which are given a natural feel through the inclusion of basil - whose aniseed warmth, alongside a traditional Chypre base, stops the scent from feeling cold. Whilst the current formulation is also beautiful, the restriction of certain materials over time, namely oakmoss, means that nothing will compare to the original formulation. This is such an incredibly unique take on a floral Chypre with it’s satisfying herbal freshness, a true masterpiece.

Muscat was a total blind buy during the Black Friday sales last year, during which I secured a brand new bottle for just £65 - an insatiable steal. I did not know what to expect, but I was very surprised by what I smelled, for it was instantly recognisable - Oud For Greatness by Initio. It’s got the exact same overwhelmingly sweet saffron note, so much saffron it fills a room with ease and hangs in your nostrils endlessly. However whilst OFG goes in a slightly spicy direction, Muscat leans into the dry, incense-y facet with more prominence, as well as the oud accord being more noticeable. Oud For Greatness was a scent I used to own and love, but eventually grew tired of the DNA and sold it on. It feels good to own this scent profile again, but one that feels improved and more refined whilst still retaining its impressive performance.

Bengale Rouge exemplifies the seriously impressive ingenuity and talent Liz Moores holds as a self-taught perfumer. It’s inspired by the scent of her Bengal cat, whose warm, fuzzy fur is often imbued with the muffled cocktail of Liz’s many perfumes rubbing off as they cuddle. Whilst this is quite a niche and far-fetched idea, there’s something wholesome about it. This is a myrrh scent through and through, if you don’t like myrrh then don’t even bother with this. The myrrh is intensely dry, thick, dense and gummy, like a chewy, spicy wall and warmth complemented by the sharpness of rose. This is beautifully balanced by a smooth base of orris, woods and vanilla. Fragrantica lists honey, but this is not one of the official notes - but I understand where it comes from. It definitely has a sappy, honeyed effect. This is easily the best myrrh scent I’ve ever encountered, it’s so incredibly cosy and comforting. Definitely worth checking out, and easily one of the best from the house, this is a must have for me.

It seems like some people’s lives revolve around gourmands, I am not one of those people, however there are a select few gourmand scents that speak to me; Noir Extreme is one of them. This has always been one of, if not my favourite Tom Ford fragrance. The best word to describe it is addicting. The scent is dominated by this supposed kulfi accord, a dessert which I have never eaten personally, but I definitely get the association. An indulgent creamy, vanillic sweetness with a slight nutty facet to it, balanced beautifully by a hefty amount of cardamom and lots of vanilla. It just smells absolutely delicious, and there’s also nothing else on the market that smells like it. This is the sort of thing which made people love Tom Ford; imaginative and unique scent profiles which are still easy to like. I don’t care how popular this gets, this will always be a firm favourite for me and among the greatest gourmands ever made in my opinion.

I have long-since adored the current formulation of Cabochard, but have always remained curious of a more vintage composition. And so I set out to find an old EDT bottle, and my god is it breathtaking. There are few classics which embody the idea of leather as Cabochard does, it is simply a master stroke of Bernard Chant’s genius. The scent is based upon a central leathery core of isobutyl quinoline as all great leather scents are, but it’s balanced beautifully by its violet-like ionones interplaying with rose and jasmine. It’s very dry in the base; patchouli, tobacco, Vetiver and spices mingle with the leather creating a bold and headstrong aroma, as the name Cabochard suggests. This truly is one of the great classics of French perfumery, a lesson to anyone bold enough to tackle the leather-chypre subfamily. Whilst the vintage is stunning, and well worth experiencing, I would still opt for the current formulation to wear day to day because of the much improved longevity.