“It's posh, but there is a kind of freshness to it... not lemony, but..." "Pennyroyal," said Polly, looking at Guy, who pointed his left forefinger at her as he swung back onto his stool. "Mint. I normally hate mint in anything, but it works here." "Bang on it. Just a tinge of toothpaste among all the earthy stuff to freshen it up, that was my thought." "And a very soft rose," said Polly. "I think there's a lot more to come, this is a very quiet beginning for you. What are you calling this one?" "First Light," said Guy. "I went for rose because they are one of the flowers that smell best in the morning- but not too much, because it's really all about what comes next. Do you like the name? I was going to call it Dawn's Crack, but thought better of it. But what is going to come through next is lots of lovely orris root, which has that musky morning bed smell to me- and it all just said 'waking up in the morning after serious hanky panky', so I went with that. And then there's the idea that you can experience first light after a long night without sleep, which I also like.” PerfumeMintFloralAfter SexFirst LightPennyroyal Book:The Scent of You Source: The Scent of You
“She knew what the Barbour aftershave would make her think of, and of course it did with its forest violets and cinnamon bark.” PerfumeEarthyAftershaveBarbour Book:The Scent of You Source: The Scent of You
“Oakmoss, patchouli, bergamot, labdanum, in the balance you constantly shift and nuance like a conductor, but dancing on top of that tonka, a hint of leather and a cheeky reference to Miss Dior, with some carnation. I think there will be ambergris and sandalwood in the dry-down, and I can't wait to see how it smells in the middle of the night.” NotesPerfumeHerbalOrientalWoodsy Book:The Scent of You Source: The Scent of You
“Again Polly remembered all the notes in this perfume from the event earlier, and enjoyed waiting for each one to register in the olfactory bulb in the front of her brain, while her imagination did its own thing. The neroli, jasmine and sandalwood transported her to a summer night in the south of France, wearing a crisp white shirt- this was a much fresher chypre than the first one. Then she remembered she'd sprayed this one on her wrist during the event earlier and lifted it to her nose to see how it developed since then. Suddenly, out of nowhere: David. Her eyes snapped open. Coal tar? "Has this got guaiac wood in it?" she asked Lucien, not caring if it interfered with his testing of Guy. Lucien smiled broadly. "Yes," he said, "but very, very deep inside, it's a base note, as you would know. Your nose is very good, Polly." Guy grasped her wrist and brought it to his nose. "It's just under the bergamot and before the honeysuckle," he said, opening his eyes.” PerfumeFloralOlfactorySmoky Book:The Scent of You Source: The Scent of You
“She brought her wrist up to her nose again. Mmm, it was getting even more interesting. That vanilla note, then something sharper. But it wasn't jasmine, as she'd first thought; it was more lemony, but not obvious kitchen-cleaner lemon... a kind of warm, smoky citrus. Burned lemon peel, that was it.” PerfumeScentsVanillaLemon Book:The Scent of You Source: The Scent of You
“For 'The scent of yoga' she chose Black Lapsang because its smoky opening always made her think of incense and sacred spaces- which is what she tried to create in her former dining room, but without using joss sticks because she didn't think they went well with deep breathing. She closed her eyes as the perfume developed to reveal its Assam-tea middle note, which made her think immediately of that first yoga breakfast with Shirlee and Maxine and the yogi bears.” YogaPerfumeSmoky Book:The Scent of You Source: The Scent of You