Smile & Shine is not something that I would have ever purchased for myself; my forest witch/eldritch librarian aesthetic doesn’t support much sunny citrus. But it is a bit of technical wizardry, which makes it interesting to me, and remarkable enough to write about. I’m a fangirl of Christophe Laudamiel, precisely because of things like this perfume.
Like Perfume Nostradamus, Chris Rusak has once again delivered the timeliest of remedies. At the end of April, we got After Every Ounce of Joy (Leaves My Body), a reflection on trauma that was deeply introspective and affecting.
Our collective trauma has only intensified in the six months since. Now, when everything else in the world feels so complex and heavy, Rusak gives us Relief, his new studio limited release. A perfume for pure enjoyment, for conjuring moments of beauty and ease.
It’s been a while since I was moved by a fragrance description. But when I saw the photos on Instagram of magnolia flowers with their waxy leaves and curly carpels and a caption that promised “a unique twist on magnolia,” it grabbed me by the heartstrings and I pretty much had to try Jurassic Flower by Fūm Fragrances. Maybe it’s the inability to travel right now, or even be outside really, that filled me with a longing for this magnolia from the sea.