Esxence 2023: Highlights and a recap!

Finally I made my return to the huge annual perfume event that is Esxence in Milan, Italy. It’s been a whole 6 years since I was there last. The event is bigger now, and the niche industry has evolved a lot since. Sales have increased enormously, and we suddenly have fragrance influencers on most social media platforms, something that was more or less limited to Youtube and blogs just a few years ago. 

Of course the event is way too big for one person to sniff all the creations and meet all the brands in just a few days, but I did my best. I spent two full days at the fair, and then I used all of Saturday to see the perfume boutiques in the city. I used the map and brand list to my advantage, and took only a couple of appointments throughout. This time I wanted to be free to walk around without too many hours booked in my agenda. Next time I might try to book more slots, let’s see, because meeting brands on your own with full attention is quite nice too. In the end, there were just a few brands I didn’t get the chance to try, but I’m sure I can smell them somewhere else pretty soon. 

A few observations…
There seems to be a cacao/chocolate gourmand trend going around, as many brands have recently introduced their own take on this delicious fruit/sweet. Rosendo Mateu is one of them, launching 1970, a delicious chocolate scent. The one that stood out to me the most however, was Cacao Porcelana from Atelier Materi (it might not be a novelty, but it was the best in this trending category for me). 

I also heard the phrase “this is a rose that isn’t your typical rose” a few times too many. Personally I’m not a big fan of rose in perfume, but I actually found one or two of these “not-your-typical-rose” scents to be quite wearable! So the phrase might have been true a couple of times, but come on, if you’re gonna market your new rose scent, maybe find a more intriguing and unique way of doing it, or hire a better marketing director/copywriter (like me, hint hint)… 

Another scent trend seems to be delicate skin scents and explorations of musks. We have Sogni from Meo Fusciuni (inspired by Japanese culture), Raku from Les Bains Guerbois (inspired by Japanese pottery) and Musc Pallas from Jovoy (inspired by space) to name just a few. Japan seems to be the inspiration for a lot of things these days, and you definitely won’t see me complain about this!

The bad parts…
Unfortunately, some brands were quite rude (Laboratorio Olfattivo, wow, it’s been a long time since I met someone so arrogant). Seriously, some people need to work on their people skills, or just not be at these events at all (Musicology, I’m looking at you and your staff/owners, who seemed to want to be anywhere but Esxence).

On the last day, I was physically assaulted by the brand owner of De Gabor, who wanted to spray my whole arm with his new perfume. As I was passing by, he waved at me to get my attention. I approached him and he immediately grabbed my arm. He said “You have to experience this on skin” and was just about to spray my whole arm. I was quick to politely decline, saying I prefer to try on a blotter first. He grabbed my arm so hard it actually hurt, and wouldn’t let go! He didn’t even seem surprised or embarrassed that I was clearly uncomfortable, but then he finally let go of me. He sprayed the perfume on a blotter, handed it to me without looking at me, and said “Have a nice day” in the most sarcastic way possible. He turned his back to me and I left, surprised, a bit shaken and not really able to process what had just happened. I didn’t smell the blotter, and now I’ll never ever try his perfumes. What a horrible experience, truly… But enough about that, let’s get back to the positive!

The best part of this whole trip was finally getting to meet several of my Instagram friends. I also met many old friends from Sweden, Portugal and several other places I’ve lived or visited. Some brand owners/perfumers even remembered me from 6 years ago, that was really nice (shoutout to Francesca Bianchi, you’re amazing!). I also ran into the wonderful Victor Wong from my favorite brand, Zoologist. Just like 6 years ago, he was kind enough to show me some upcoming releases (I already know I’ll get at least two of them as soon as they’re released!). And now, let’s talk about the best brands and scents I encountered at the fair this year.

Here are the new discoveries I enjoyed the most:

Gini Parfum 
This brand was previously known as Homoelegans, one of my favorite brands ever. When I heard it had come back from the dead in a new shape, I had to go talk to Francesco, the brand owner. He’s one of the nicest people around, and Gini is a really lovely brand. A few of the old perfumes are still provided, albeit in a new bottle and with new names. I must say I like the new design more, even though I miss the old names. If you don’t know these scents already, you need to order a discovery kit ASAP!

L’Orchestre
I’d been wanting to try this brand for a long time, having seen it around Instagram. And it honestly surprised me! I tried the whole line, and fell for several of the scents. My favorite one being the novelty – Liqueur BPM – a licorice concoction that I hope to review and explore more in the future. Out of the brands inspired by music, I definitely find this one to be the most interesting and unique. 

Toskovat’ 
One of my favorite finds this year, and the most unique of them all. Toskovat’ is a new Romanian and very artistic brand, with 10 scents in their line. Some of the fragrances feel somewhat unpolished and raw (maybe on purpose), but they’re incredibly interesting and very wearable. This is a discovery kit I’ll return to again and again throughout this year, I’m sure of it. The perfumer David-Lev Jipa-Slivinschi has fantastic potential and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future. 

J-Scent
A Japanese brand I’ve been dreaming of trying for a really long time. I smelled all the 25 scents, and several of them are just marvelous! My favorite of course, was Roasted Green Tea, which stood out immediately as a really great tea scent (something I’m sort of missing in my collection).

Pernoire 
I looove their bottle design, it’s so simple and elegant. Minimalism for me is often much better than extravagance, so Pernoire is perfect for me. The people behind the brand were very friendly, and I fell in love with both Tierra and the new gourmand-like release Naki. Looking forward to sniffing their future releases too. 

Pana Dora Sweden 
Another brand I’ve been curious for a long time, since they’re from my country. Most of the fragrances are really well blended. I loved XVI, Swedish Woods and the new white chocolate inspired release Moonlight. Unfortunately I couldn’t talk much to the brand owner, because he was in meetings every time I passed by. 

Electimuss 
The staff of Electimuss provided the best reception out of all the brands I talked to this year. Sue was so nice, I even returned the next day to talk to her again. What a lovely and happy person, I actually told her then and there that I wish all brands would make the same impression as she did. Thank you, really! The best find here was probably the ultra smooth Vici Leather, but I loved several of their fragrances, and need to come back to this house at some point to explore them even more.

Oman Luxury 
One of this year’s biggest brands, perhaps? They seem to be everywhere recently, and for good reason. I absolutely loved the presentation we got of the fragrances, and I already have three bottles in my collection. With Amouage, and now this brand, Oman is quickly becoming a dream destination for me! I’ve even been googling nature pictures from Oman, and man that country looks amazing.

Argentum 
The people behind this brand stayed at my hotel, and it was the first brand I talked to and sniffed this year. I love the design of the brand, the tarot-like cards and the spinning wheel with all the fragrances on top. I got to draw a card blindly, and got Creator, an airy amber scent, which was just divine and fit me perfectly. 

Elixir 
I got a great presentation of the brand and the scents, and immediately fell in love with Elude, a delicious scent inspired by red wine and wine cellars. I also really enjoyed the cannabis fragrance Inversion. The brand has also created bakhoor caviar perfumes, such an interesting and great smelling idea! 

Thank you to all the brands who received me, the friends who stuck around, and the great shop attendants and store managers that I met in several of the perfume boutiques around Milan. I also have upcoming collaborations with a few brands (if you’ve seen my “perfume duel” video with Sarah Colton at a certain brand’s booth, you might have a hint there), more about that in future Instagram and/or blog posts.

And that’s it from my side this time around. If you’ve read all the way here, thank you so much for reading. And hope to see you next year in Milan (unless we meet at Pitti before that, who knows!).

Top 5 sexiest fragrances

perfume can be basically anything. it can be sweet, dry, cold, sharp, make you think of your grandmother, clean laundry or even cat pee or a farm. perfume can also be incredibly sexy. in this post i’m highlighting 5 very different and very sexy perfumes. this is in no way a list of the sexiest fragrances in the world, but they might be the top 5 sexiest fragrances i own!

atractone musk is one of the latest releases from @ramonmonegal. this fragrance is a complex white floral arrangement, with a sweaty cumin and sweet raspberry making the bouquet quite animalic. this dirty and musky nature forms a second skin on my body, not to be confused with a skin scent, because atractone is bigger than that. it’s radiant and alive, and similarly to faïsa, another great scent from the brand, atractone is chameleon-like and ever changing.

the seductive and sensual aspects of atractone hover above me like a halo, with a powerful grip on whoever dares to approach. there’s a retro feel to this scent, and from what i understand that’s the type of musky fragrance that ramon monegal wanted to honor when he created this modern yet classic and old fashioned perfume. in other words, he absolutely succeeded!

akaba by @antonioviscontiparfume is an opulent tobacco fragrance, heavy on the tonka and woody notes. it also has a surprising note of licorice, which makes the scent absolutely fantastic. akaba is composed in such a beautiful way. every note compliments the next, and nothing is unnecessary or out of place. even though honey isn't listed as a note, this is definitely honey-centered and sweet, but never sickly or cloying. i think this might be my favorite tobacco perfume ever.

akaba is a heavily concentrated and strong perfume, with almost syrupy qualities even though it's a sprayer and not an oil or attar. i consider it one of my top fragrances, that's how good i think it is!

quality of flesh by @homoelegansperfumes is a heady, beastly and incredibly sexy perfume. this is animalic, erotic, and naughty leather at its absolute best. the castoreum, civet and styrax makes it sultry and skanky, some might even say fecal at times. the notes of juniper berries and pepper give the fragrance a spicy and pungent feel, and i envision having a strong drink in a seedy and dark gay bar for some reason. this can be a demanding perfume, and it's certainly not for everyone. i've also noticed it behaves very differently on different people, which is even more intriguing to me.

i once wore a lot of this perfume to a sold out @feverray concert and let me tell you, it was an experience. the venue was quite small, full of people, and it was in the middle of winter, meaning people weren't exactly wearing shorts and t-shirts. needless to say, it got pretty sweaty in there (as it should at a fever ray concert!) and i got quite a few looks...

people who enjoy patchouli 24 from le labo or cuir from mona di orio should like this one, as they share that smoky, spicy and kind of meaty sensation.

civet by @zoologistperfumes is on the very top shelf for me. whenever someone asks me about my favorite perfumes, civet is always one that comes to mind. this is what i reach for when i want to feel truly extra. and do i get compliments wearing this? every! damn! time!

what a masterpiece of a fragrance, created by perfumer shelley waddington (also behind zoologist bestseller hummingbird).

an intriguing adventure, an old world safari on the savannah, a special evening in the sun. civet is fruity, spicy, musky, ambery, musty, animalic and resinous all at once, and it shows no signs of slowing down. this lasts for 24 hours, sometimes even longer. it definitely works better in colder weather, but no one could stop me from wearing it in the hottest summer either! and it is sooo sooo sexy.

you can read my review of mystic sugar from @coreterno in my previous post about vanilla perfumes.

what are your sexiest fragrances? let me know in the comments on by sending me a message on instagram!

The big Vanilla post!

Vanilla fragrances can be polemic. Are they too sweet, creamy, gourmand-like? Some vanillas are dry, some feel like they’re dripping with sugar. They can also be woody, salty, fruity, ambery, or even paired with tobacco, coconut, musk, incense and pastries. The fragrances below are almost all the vanilla prominent scents in my collection (a couple more have been added since I took these pics).

I’ve collected several of my vanilla reviews into this big post (all photos are mine). Let me know in the comments which vanilla fragrances are your favorites!

@rojaparfums enigma pour homme
this is my first roja bottle, and also the first roja that i truly get to know and get cozy with. and in full honesty, it has taken me this long because i have always felt a little bit intimidated to even just sniff roja’s creations. not because of the price point, mind you, but for some reason i thought i wasn’t worthy…

now on to the actual fragrance! i’m trying to find the right words to describe this stunning and sparkly piece of art. enigma pour homme is a slightly woody and creamy vanilla, and generally just a really boozy sexy juice. it is such a well-rounded and well crafted fragrance, i’m literally in awe.

i’ve been spraying it constantly and i can’t seem to get enough of it! i never ever thought i would find a signature scent (not that i’ve been looking for one), but this might just be as close as it gets. it has also made me very curious to try more of roja’s creations in the future.

@the7virtues vanilla woods (+ santal vanille, not reviewed)
this scent is simple and classic, yet beautiful and therefore also extremely wearable. a woodsy vanilla that at first seems somewhat basic and gentle. there’s some smoke in here, but it’s subtle. overall, this is a comforting and intimate scent, it won’t blow anyone’s mind but it will work really well in the office or at a dinner.

if you’re into layering perfumes, i’m quite certain this is a perfect contender to layer with sooo many scents. i have yet to try layering it myself, but i’m quite looking forward to testing it out with some of my favorites.

when i first heard about @the7virtues i was quite impressed. not only are the fragrances hypoallergenic, cruelty free and vegan, but they’re also sustainably sourced from nations rebuilding after war. i wish more brands would try to work on these things, there are so many angles you can work on too, not just the ingredients for your perfumes. and in the words of founder Barb Stegemann: “destruction is boring. rebuilding is exciting!”

@officialbyredo seven veils
a very comforting, warm and silky smooth fragrance. it's a red velvety, creamy, slightly peppery carrot cake. with touches of sandalwood, cinnamon and vanilla. it's delicious and delirious, almost ambery and gourmand-like but not quite.

the scent is based on the dance of the seven veils, whose name actually comes from oscar wilde's play "salome", where the dance was a sort of westernized version of imagined middle eastern dancing. a bit of cultural appropriation i guess, like most things back in the day.

usually i'm not a fan of powdery fragrances at all, but this is a magic blend and it never gets overpowdered (see what i did there?). shame its discontinued since long, because this is one of the absolute best from a brand of many bland and weak perfumes.

@milanofragranze panettone
this delicious fragrance from @milanofragranze and perfumer @mathilde.bijaoui.perfumer feels like it was made just for me. i can’t stop sniffing myself when i wear it.

it starts off with dried sugary orange, ginger and some vanilla. it smells quite similar to a real panettone, something i also can’t get enough of whenever i have it. there’s also rum and immortelle, two other notes i almost always love! in the dry down it calms down a lot, and becomes so smooth and lovely. and in the end it gets quite similar to another favorite of mine that you’ll find a review of further down in this post – el born from @carnerbarcelona

@coreterno mystic sugar
everything i didn't know i wanted, and more! i normally don't focus too much on the various notes in my reviews. but here i feel i have to mention most of them for you to get the sumptuously mouth-watering sensation of this spicy ambery vanilla that perfumer @lucamaffei has created.

orange and pineapple make the opening juicy and slightly tart, but the sweet and sugary notes of tonka, vanilla and cacao take over quite quickly. they are perfectly balanced by the spicy addition of ginger and cardamom, a blend which is then transformed into a deliciously smooth gourmand with a creamy and sensual sandalwood. trust me, it’s incredible! you’ll have a hard time wearing anything else once you’ve smelled this.

@kayali vanilla 28
i have to be completely honest, i was very skeptical about @kayali when i first learned about the brand. i just didn’t feel like a part of the target audience at all (and that’s fine!). to further this image, you can only find them at sephora, a shop with a target audience that’s far from mine. but because so many people on instagram kept raving about the fragrances, i had to at least smell them!

now that i’ve finally tried the whole line, let me stand corrected. well at least somewhat. i find that most of the brand’s fragrances are not for me, so i was partly right in my suspicions. even the universally praised amber invite only is unfortunately rather weak on me. it could work well for layering, but as mention above, i rarely go into that territory.

this vanilla on the other hand, is something else. i love it! and it reminds me of a couple other vanillas, maybe vanilla silk from gallagher most of all. although it gives me a warmer sensation, and it lingers for a really long time, sometimes 24 hours or more.

@matierepremiereparfums encens suave
a huge hype has been building around this brand for quite some time now, and the hype shows no signs of slowing down. sometimes a hype is nothing more than a hype, but in this case it feels more than justified and deserved. because the fragrance (and the brand overall) is magnificent!

encens suave reminds me a lot of casbah – one of perfumer @aurelienguichard’s earlier creations for robert piguet. both are incense fragrances, but where the less wearable and spicy casbah is more of a resinous and woody story, encens suave instead veers into a sweeter more crowd pleasing territory. it’s not difficult to understand why people have been raving about this for so long.

@antonioviscontiparfume coeur de vanille
one of my absolute favorites. this is one of those perfumes i don't think i could ever live without (i even got a backup bottle). and what a fantastic scent it is! soft and creamy vanilla ice cream blended perfectly with fresh sawdust from a lumber mill. pink pepper, nutmeg and clove are mixed in there to make it slightly spicy, more complex. the hazelnut in the dry down also gives the vanilla a nutty touch.

i would place this somewhere in between gourmand vanilla and woody, but it's certainly not super sweet or cloying in any way. it is perhaps closer to a skin scent than what i am used to wearing, but i get whiffs of it all the time, and it lasts the whole day. i adore this perfume, and the bottle too! i wear this whenever i feel like a pick-me-up, but it's also perfect for those colder autumn or winter days when you just wanna stay indoors and watch a movie, or maybe go for a walk and watch the leaves fall.

@carnerbarcelona el born
a sweet but beastly juice. there's licorice, vanilla and honey making it warm, soft, and creamy. the reviews on fragrantica took me by surprise, because many seem to dislike the scent. someone says it's the balsamicness of it, while someone else hates licorice (being a cliché of a swede, i obviously love licorice).

i would have thought this fragrance a crowd pleaser! it's so cozy and comfy, it makes me want to sit in front of an open fire with some good wine, eat lots of chocolate and talk to my friends for hours and hours late into the night all the way til morning...

however sweet and almost candy-like, i don't consider this perfume a gourmand. there’s a touch of cold air in it to balance out the taste of sugar. i also don't feel it being as close to skin as several reviewers seem to think. to me, el born is a rather sneaky beast, grounded by beautiful florals. patiently it waits in its cage. will it burn you? maybe. will it enchant you? definitely.

and finally, the ones that i haven’t written proper reviews for… (yet!)
@maisonfranciskurkdjian grand soir
@maya.njie.perfumes vanilj
@imaginaryauthors a whiff of waffle cone
@diorbeauty feve delicieuse
@nishane.official ani
@tomfordbeauty tobacco vanille

Let me know your thoughts on these, or any other vanilla fragrances, in the comment section below, or head over to my Instagram and share your thoughts there.

If you work for a perfume brand and would like me to review your new fragrance (including photos), please write me an email or DM me on Instagram. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

When I think about woody fragrances…

…I think about so many different things. This topic came to me recently, when I asked a few friends what type of fragrances they like. The most frequent answer was “oh woody stuff!” (citrus came close second). So I thought I’d explore three very different woody fragrances I have in my collection, and share some thoughts on each.

🪵 Gucci Guilty Absolute for men (2017) by @guccibeauty is a very, and I mean veeery, dry woody fragrance. I see before me a person in a leather jacket, getting off their Harley Davidson, only to enter a forest that hasn’t seen rain for years… There’s leather, cypress, patchouli and vetiver, to make it as woody as possible. These notes also make the fragrance dark, a little dirty, slightly medicinal, and most of all – dry as fuck. And even though I don’t wear it that often, I have to say I love this scent. And basically each time I've sprayed it I’ve gotten compliments. But I really don’t like the shape of the bottle (I have the 150ml bottle and I’m always scared it will fall over and break). I am also firmly against “masculine” / “feminine” classifications of perfume. A scent is a scent, it does not have a gender and is always going to be unisex for me. Having said that, the price is great for this level of quality. What do you think of Gucci Guilty Absolute? I understand it’s quite a polarizing fragrance!

🪵 Gheorghe by @strangers.parfumerie is what I like to call a rustic wood fragrance, with elements of peat, hay, whiskey, tobacco and a certain sweetness you’d only find in the countryside. The tobacco makes it slightly medicinal somehow, but not in a cold way. It’s earthy without becoming humid or bitter. Perfumer @prinlomros took inspiration from the beautiful film “God’s Own Country” when creating this scent, making it part of the brand’s interesting “LGBTQI” series. In my opinion he did a wonderful job in matching the perfume with the film. This was a blind buy for me back in 2019 and before I had watched the film. I can only say it was a great decision! If you haven’t smelled it, try to find it somewhere, and do watch the film as well!

🪵 Gaiac 10 by @lelabofragrances is one of those scents that I personally couldn’t relate to at all when I first tried it. I couldn’t even smell it in the beginning. to be honest! I’ve had it in my collection for several years, but it’s just recently that I’m starting to understand the true power and beauty of it. I think this is mainly because of the musky feel that it has. I’m generally not a musk lover, and I rarely use scents that are categorized as close to skin. Apparently this is the top seller out of the Le Labo City Exclusives (this one belongs to Tokyo), and that makes sense, since it’s a very safe and crowd pleasing fragrance. In general I’m that type of perfume person who likes weird and crazy scents, so it’s natural that Gaiac 10 has never been a favorite of mine. but like I said, I’m starting to reconsider…

Have you tried any of these three? What do you think about them? Let me know in the comment section below, or head over to my Instagram and share your thoughts there.

If you work for a perfume brand and would like me to review your new fragrance (including photos), please write me an email. Looking forward to hearing from you soon :)

Christmas market in Malmö

Dear friends,
This weekend (1-2 December) I will be selling postcards and posters at the Christmas market at Mitt Möllan in Malmö. Most of them are plant themed. Some pictures are going out of print and I’ll be selling the last copies, these are limited edition and will not be printed again!

New for this market is that I’ll be bringing small surprise packages with different perfume samples, as well as bigger samples (5ml) that I’ll also be selling. Perfect and affordable Christmas gifts!

Come say hi, have a piece of chocolate and buy a print or two. See you there!

Facebook event

Perfume week in Milano

Hi friends! I've been super busy lately, with commissioned freelance work, as well as traveling and having friends visiting from overseas. In the past couple of days, I've been in Milano for Esxence, a fantastic perfume fair. I encountered some really nice people, both professionals and perfume nerds, made new friends and eventually left with a bag full of samples and bottles (for a pre-flight visual, check my latest post on @scentrified!).

My favorites from the fair were: Regime des Fleurs (incredibly nice people and interesting scents, one of which was the biggest surprise of the fair to me, and they made me want to go to LA so bad!), Neela Vermeire Créations (Trayee and Bombay Bling are two new favorites that I might need to buy eventually), Nishane (their Pachúli-Kozha blew my mind, mostly because it was so damn potent! the house as a whole really peaked my interest, I'll need to sniff all of them soon) and last but definitely not least: Homoelegans, my favorite brand of all time. I ended up getting several of their bottles and now am only missing one (Ivre de Vie) from their collection. 

I was so high on all the fumes from the fair that I completely forgot to take any good photos, even though I was carrying around my camera four days in a row. But I did find this one shot of the entrance to the fair in my phone (they celebrated 10 years this year), something I must have taken before entering the scent haze.