“She passed a fruit smoothie stand as one of its workers chopped up a whole pineapple using a hand ax with mesmerizing speed and skill, releasing atomized juice with each whack; it was glorious to catch wind of the tropical sweetness. She sniffed her wrist again, noticing new fruity facets of the perfume. Though that was just one of the riot of aromas that surrounded her: fragrant steam billowing from the sizzling cooktop of a Cuban sandwich vendor, carrying the mouthwatering scent of pulled pork; the peaty, mossy smell from a vendor selling potted plants and bonsai trees; the earthy patchouli of the CBD head shop; the buttery, slightly sour notes from racks of leather jackets and purses; all laced with the piquant odor of sticky summer bodies moving slowly past one another.” PerfumeScentsMerchandiseVendorsAromas Book:Full Bloom Source: Full Bloom
“There is a touch of cumin to bring harmony to the floral chord, a carnal romance at the heart of the fragrance." Rapacine reached for Iris's arm and smelled the fragrance on her; a satisfied smile spreading on her face. "And at last, a sensual and animalic base: ambergris, salty and erotic; sandalwood, milky and sacred, and... I couldn't resist an iris note, but iris is a mute flower, the bloom will not give its scent---" "That tracks, I'm a mute flower at work, too." "No, you misunderstand. Live iris has a scent, but its scent is impossible to extract like other flowers. Iris guards its fragrance fiercely. What I used in the base is orris, a material that is made from the iris root, which takes years to mature, that is tender, powdery, and intimate. You are named for a rare and precious fragrance, one whose character is both ethereal and yet rooted in soft earth." Iris was in awe.” HeartNotesSensualPerfumeNamesakeFragrancesIris Book:Full Bloom Source: Full Bloom
“In addition to the aquatic freshness of lychee fruit, the head has neroli, the flower of bitter orange. It is delicate, a little green, and more aromatic than citrus, and known for its purifying qualities." Iris thought the neroli must be the juicy nectar and the lychee the rosy pop. "Then a voluptuous floral heart. Tuberose, la fleur charnelle, the carnal flower, whose narcotic femininity was once believed to be so powerful that it could send young women into spontaneous orgasm if they smelled it after dark. Next, the flower that raised me, jasmine, a tiny white flower with an enveloping sweetness, warm and resonant as a cello line. And Osmanthus, what the Chinese call the flower of wisdom, whose scent evokes an apricot's velvet flesh, at once blushing and innocent yet strapped with a leather nuance.” HeartNotesPerfumeHeadFloralFruity Book:Full Bloom Source: Full Bloom