‘Dirty ashtray wrapped in floral notes’: The unusual perfumes worth trying

A friend who is a serious fragrance addict once – rather foolishly – revealed her signature scent to me: Portrait of a Lady, from Editions de Parfums By Frédéric Malle ($436 for the 50ml EDP). I then shared her secret with the world in my book, Secrets of a Beauty Queen.

I am now a devotee of this intoxicating oriental rose with a blend of benzoin, cinnamon, patchouli, musk and frankincense; I have nicknamed it my “fragrance heroin”.

Having betrayed my friend’s trust, she proudly (and rather smugly) revealed that she had a new signature scent, and that she was never going to give it up. I poked and prodded her for details, and she talked tantalisingly of it smelling like a newborn baby’s head combined with breast milk. Not to be deterred, I Googled the heck out of it. My instinct tells me it’s Demeter New Baby ($35), all lemony and cream.

Tom Ford is always a fountain of inspiration when it comes to out-there fragrances. There is his F---ing Fabulous ($1600 for 250ml), which he describes as being “undeniably the most straightforward name for such a beautiful scent. Why make it complicated?” It is explicit, sexy, earthy and bold with notes of oriental leather, bitter almond oil, tonka bean, orris root and clary sage oil. Another Tom Ford winner is Vanilla Sex ($395 for 30ml).

The crazy kids at Libre d’Orange are always coming up with surprising scents including the renowned Sécrétions Magnifiques ($150 for 50ml), which smells like several bodily fluids including blood, sweat and saliva. Its creators refer to it as “subversive” and “disturbing” saying, “It’s love or hate at first sight. Like blood, sweat, sperm, saliva, [it] is as real as an olfactory coitus.” This rather daring and experimental scent is softened with coconut and sandalwood notes.

Also from this scent stable, we love Jasmin et Cigarette ($260 for 100ml). The name says it all: dirty ashtray wrapped in floral notes.

Another on our list of unique fragrances is Moth and Rabbit Perfumes’ La Haine ($165 for 50ml). It is an intoxicating unisex scent with notes of birch tar, cedar, leather and musk.

And, finally, an oldie but serious goodie is Fracas de Robert Piguet ($299 for 100ml), which should be worn with extreme caution, as it can attract serious attention. It is an incredibly lush white floral with tuberose, jasmine and gardenia as its seductive top notes, with a base of sandalwood and musk. I once had to do a death-roll from a car to escape an unwanted advance while wearing it.

If you are on the hunt for a new fragrance, sniff no more than three in one sitting as your nose will go into meltdown. And always shop for fragrance in the morning, when your sense of smell is at its best.

ASK STEPH

What is the best way to add volume to my limp hair?
To add a good dose of volume, apply dry shampoo at the roots and then blow dry; this is a great tip even for freshly washed hair. Try our all-time favourite, Klorane Dry Shampoo With Oat & Ceramide ($12).

Send questions via Instagram, @mrssdarling.

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