After posting our interpretation of the fragrance brief from the iconic tv show Killing Eve on our socials, we asked you all to send in your hyper-specific fragrance briefs…because these are sometimes the most fun fragrance consultations. They’re all about creating a story and interpreting the essence of someone’s words without leaning too heavily on fragrance notes.
And you did not disappoint with the briefs!
It turns out that most of you are into the dark, moody vibes with a hint of the supernatural and we are loving it. Here’s a glimpse into the briefs we were working with, and of course the original that kicked it all off! After re-watching and being inspired by the iconic Villanelle from Killing Eve going into a perfumery with a hyper-specific brief, we couldn’t resist the temptation to get to work and fragrance match this!
Imaginary Authors Bull’s Blood – The first obvious answer is this one! This is an extremely powerful fragrance, it’s intense and long-lasting – rose, patchouli, black musk, tobacco; all of those really strong and rich notes but what really sets this fragrance apart is the bull’s blood accord. It is mineralic and metallic; it is tacky just like semi-dried blood, it is almost a little gag-worthy. So I think that Villanelle would definitely be after something that smells like this!
Matiere Premiere Falcon Leather Extrait – This is my next instinct – it’s an Extrait, so it is very, very strong. This is a fragrance that is supposed to smell like a falconer’s glove – it’s oud, leather, saffron, and resins. It’s powerful and bold, it’s rich and it’s dark. I can definitely imagine a Roman Centurion smelling like this.
Etat Libre d’Orange Rien Intense – This is a fragrance with frankincense and leather layered throughout; it’s really dark, it’s quite austere and very, very powerful.
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Stora Skuggan Thumbsucker – So you want to smell like the beautiful vampiress Carmilla – lesbian vampire styles…this is it, it’s cherry, candle wax, and a little bit of honey. This is like Carmilla creeping under the bed at night as a giant black cat figure.
Map of the Heart v3 The Red Heart – Sticking with the theme of red, we’ve got the Heart of Passion. This is a little bit of apple, peppercorn, and a beautiful feijoa note to round it all out. It’s very tart and it really incites the love that Carmilla feels for Laura.
Etat Libre d’Orange Putain des Palaces – If, like me, and you’re familiar with the Carmilla web series, Putain des Palaces is for me what that lovely room would smell like. This is a soft musk, but it also has ginger and a raspberry tang to it making it kind of bitter but in a beautiful way.
Heretic Parfum Poltergeist – This is the first natural choice for the witch as she is reborn and passing through the forest portal. It is an extremely smoky fragrance and it is also quite mossy and green, damp and woody. It’s like an apparition in a forest and I think it makes sense that her rebirth would smell just like this.”
Trudon Aphelie – This is the scent of the witch reclaiming her powers – a rose scent, but the rose isn’t super prominent, it’s actually more about the blackcurrant and moss in this fragrance so it’s really green and has an ethereal feeling to it. It’s like the blackberry brambles from Sleeping Beauty or a really thorny rose.
Chasing Scents Weeping Rose – This scent represents when the witch is beginning to summon her followers. If I needed to summon followers I would spritz on Weeping Rose because I honestly don’t think I have been complimented on a fragrance more than when I’ve worn this – it leaves such an enticing trail. Again, it’s a rose fragrance but the rose is rosebud tea and there’s a bit of juniper and fig leaf and it just provides this beautiful edge, it’s intoxicating, it’s narcotic and I think this is what she would smell like.
The Raconteur Daintree Rain Tea – This feels like you are in a rainforest, sheltering in a canopy from the rain, and what really sealed the deal for me is this poem that accompanies it and there’s a line in it that says “drops hit the leaves like a secret hymn, let if fall, let them cleanse, let them soak through my bones” and I think this is just perfect.
Tulita Agati – Spraying this scent feels like a sacred moment and a self-care practise. This is like the peak of the mossy forest floor fragrance genre for me. Sandalwood and cedarwood, it’s just really grounding and earthy and special.
Heretic Parfum Dragon’s Blood – This is named after a fascinating tree called the Dragon’s Blood tree. It weeps this blood red sap that’s used for medicinal properties, and it’s claimed to have magical properties. And beyond those interesting anecdotes, it is such an interesting tree. It draws moisture from the clouds, from fog and delivers that down into the ecosystem, so it’s a little bit of a topsy-turvy inverted water delivery system. This is definitely one for people who are a little bit more of an unconventional thinker.
Heretic Nosferatu – This scent really captures that scent that you have created with this request. Now, leaving out the whole vampire element of this fragrance – it captures the scent of the witch as she is walking along the Scottish coastline. It is rugged and the beach smells wet and damp, it’s freezing cold and there is a thick white fog as she scavenges for ingredients to use in her brew. So you’ve got a really musky and mineralic petrichor note that is most prominent and gets muskier as it settles on the skin, but then there’s the lilacs and violet so it’s got these cool purple, wintery floral notes.
Stora Skuggan Hexensalbe – Such a perfect option as it’s inspired by witches and their broomsticks and the lore that goes along with that, particularly witches making this incredibly poisonous concoction and then subsequently getting high from their broomsticks. This fragrance has wormwood and hemlock for the poison element. It’s like what the witches brew would smell like. We also have earthy floral notes with tuberose and angelica, then a hint of licorice. This fragrance has green, damp floral notes but also a soft, warm earthy base that captures the creation of the brew perfectly.
Etat Libre d’Orange Secretions Magnifique – Inspired by the scent of bodily smells, this is giving the scent of the witch as she creates her concoction. It’s the scent of adrenaline. There’s a seaweed note in there, a blood note. It’s like everything that has been thrown into the brew and the sweat and adrenaline as the witch furiously mixes her potion with anticipation.
Carthusia A’mmare – This scent is actually quite light and breezy and it is quite reminiscent of the sea as I feel like the sea is this beautiful unknown body of water – focus on the unknown – it is alluring, it’s intriguing and I think when you wear this scent it draws you closer and closer until BAM! The sea witch has eaten you alive and she’s really taken everything, even your soul. There are mint leaves, rosemary, salt crystals, cedarwood; this scent has a warm and unassuming air to it.
Imaginary Authors Every Storm a Serenade – The name really says it all. We have eucalyptus, cologne, ambergris and heather; but there is also a funk to this fragrance. When I smell Every Storm a Serenade it almost has a sour tone to it, it’s really dramatic and beautiful, but maybe something is lurking in the depths of the shipwreck…
Orok Fragrance Vapor Bloom – This fragrance has a gas note to it which gives a sharp, intense and intoxicating top note but in the base there is heliotrope and vanilla . It is such a strange scent, almost like a scent you shouldn’t like…but you keep going back to it which is like the curiosity of the sea witch. We want to know all about her but she doesn’t want to know about us.
We hope that you enjoyed these virtual fragrance consultations. Part 2 will be coming soon, so stay tuned for more hyper-specific fragrance briefs answered by the Lore team online and via socials!
