Inhale (2007)
by B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful

Notes: Melon, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, amber musk.

Strangeness in perfumery can make for greatness; witness Onda, Bandit, Dzongkha, Yatagan, and Tubéreuse Criminelle. Yet for every Yatagan, Onda, or Tubéreuse Criminelle there seems to be a miscarriage like Skarb, Sécrétions Magnifiques, or 100% Love.

Inhale, I fear, belongs with the last-mentioned, as an essay in weirdness that succeeds in being odd, but neither beautiful nor compelling. The culprit is an abrasive ammonia-like note of aquatic decay that's no doubt meant to smell provocative or decadent, but actually suggests recent contact with a long-dead fish. The rest of the scent is a crisp citrus, melon, and wood composition, which on its own would be pleasant, if also blunt and uninteresting. With the old fish thrown in, it's simply nauseating. The drydown, if you can wait that long, is a harmlessly mild powdery vanilla amber.

My advice regarding Inhale? Don't!

19th March, 2011. (Last Edited: 17th August, 2011.)