The art of smelling
Blotter, skin, patience: the perfumers’ method for hearing what a perfume has to say.
The blotter, first listen
A perfumer never puts their nose in the bottle. They dip a mouillette — a thin paper strip — hold it at a distance from the face, then bring it closer slowly. The alcohol lifts, the perfume opens: that is the first listen.
Never rub your wrists together: the friction warms the juice and breaks the unfolding of the top notes. Spray, let dry, breathe.
Skin, the only truth
A perfume is a dialogue: your skin answers back. After the blotter, spray on the wrist or the crook of the elbow, then let time do its work. Come back an hour later, then in the evening: what you smell then is the base — and that is what will stay with you.
Training your nose
The nose trains like an ear. Smell consciously: a spice in your kitchen, a lemon peel, rain on warm earth. Name what you smell. Perfumers memorise hundreds of materials this way, until they can tell a Damask rose among a thousand roses.
