8
" So, putting aside the yucky ones, the positive smells of a dog for me are the next-day cold-stew smell of his meaty food, and the aroma of a roasted chicken right out of the oven, which will have him running to the kitchen like a rocket. The dry seed and hay hum of a pet shop, and the sickly rotting meat of his treats.
Grassy fresh air and mud on long winter walks. The rubbery tang of the toys he likes to brutalize. The worn-in leather of his collar and lead. The sweet, musty smell of his velvety ears, which I love to stroke, and yes, I admit it, I kiss them.
My scents for a dog are (a bit of a challenge in all honesty, but it's fun to stretch yourself sometimes!):
Barbour For Him by Barbour
Grass by The Library of Fragrance
Dirt by The Library of Fragrance
Cuir de Russie by Chanel
Piper Leather by Illuminum
Mûre et Musc by L'Artisan Parfumeur "
― Maggie Alderson , The Scent of You
16
" 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. "
― Maggie Alderson , The Scent of You
18
" 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. "
― Maggie Alderson ,
