Chris Rusak has launched two captivating perfumes in 2023, including the unique Caji, a modern scent with vintage nuances. Descriptions fail to capture its dualistic essence, making it a transformative experience with notes of jasmine sambac, hay absolute, real orris butter, and aged civet. Rusak continues to impress with his distinct, experiential fragrances.
Perfumer Chris Rusak has published a zine entitled “Survey of Liturgical Incense” which details fourteen types of incense from eight brands. This is a brief review of the zine and accompanying set of liturgical incense samples, sold separately.
ETA: I found this draft that I wrote in September 2019. I was quite sick at the time; I wanted to write this, but it took most of my energy…
LMB (Leaves My Body) is the new parfum extrait released by Chris Rusak in October, 2021. It was announced as “AEOOJ extrait,” which refers to a previous release which was called After Every Ounce of Joy (Leaves My Body), commonly referred to as AEOOJ.
For the night before Thanksgiving, I wore a decadent combination of Chris Rusak’s Relief and Aftelier Chocolate Saffron Body Oil. I wrote about the two scents, and what I’m thankful for this year.
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.
I’ve wrestled with writing about Beast Mode for ten months now, and I still haven’t come up with anything that conveys its simple genius, the way it’s both beautiful and serious, austere and profound, how it feels like a safe embrace and a soft armor against the world. Rather than just continue to flounder, and say nothing at all, I’ve decided to take a collection of various thoughts and feelings that I’ve written down during different wearings of Beast Mode, and simply share them. I hope you find them intriguing.
I describe the fragrance simply as “tension.” That’s how I perceive it. Pulling forces, action and reaction, exertion and transmission, and so much potential in between. Hopefully you’ll see what I mean.