Review by Imaginary Authors
One of my favorite things to do is smell fragrances with friends. With everyone, really. That’s why I love offerings like Emma Vernon’s Smell Club. Smelling with others opens up a scent to a deeper level—you not only experience your own reaction and vision, but also hear how it affects someone else. The power of suggestion inevitably changes perception. Someone says they smell rubber, and suddenly you smell tires on a hot asphalt road. With every scent, you embark on a journey together. That’s why I think scent parties are a great idea—they give you something to talk about with strangers that goes beyond small talk. More than once, I’ve been in a perfume store and talked to a stranger about a scent one of us had sprayed. My friend Jen (I swear, I have friends whose names aren’t Jennifer) is becoming interested in perfume, and she’s been ordering more and more discovery sets. So she came over, and we spent our Friday evening going through my collection and choosing one of my discovery sets to try. This post is going to be long, so click on it for the full post!
The Best Short Stories from Imaginary Authors
Here’s our review of all the scents in the “The Best Short Stories” discovery set from Imaginary Authors. Imaginary Authors offers several sets. I bought this one from Ministry of Scent in San Francisco, but you can also order them online. One more note: I try very hard not to say I hate anything. The deeper I delve into perfume, the more I appreciate each scent and the artistry behind it. That’s why I describe it as best as I can. I might not wear something, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. Also, it’s all very subjective! I hope I describe my scents well so you can find the scents you’re most likely to like and wear.
Our approach involved smelling each fragrance on paper and sometimes on our skin. We rated each fragrance based on its overall impression. After smelling all the scents, we reviewed each fragrance again and rated it based on the drydown and overall experience. We had a large container of ground coffee that we sniffed like glue between scents. It works!
Cape Heartache
For any new adventure, including beach bonfires, first dates, party-crashing, or just a solo pub crawl on a rainy night.
At first, I thought the name was Cafe Heartache, and I somehow liked that better than Cape Heartache. It didn’t smell at all like the name suggested. I was expecting something more floral and sexy. To Jen and me, it was a down-to-earth hippie scent. I was sure it had patchouli in it, and maybe they just didn’t list it. A fragrance often contains many more notes than the perfumer indicates in the advertising. Jen said this scent smelled like New Hope, a hip little town in Pennsylvania with artisan shops, cute cafes, and a slight hippie vibe. Fringed vests and incense. I immediately recognized the fruity note, but couldn’t put my finger on which one I was smelling. The drydown was surprisingly sweet. A pleasantly fruity, piney scent. This one received lower ratings from both of us on our second round.
NOTES: Douglas fir, pine resin, western hemlock, vanilla leaf, strawberry, jungle, mountain mist
In love with everything
This extremely versatile fragrance is ideal for any time of day or year, but its energy boost is perfect when you’re feeling down or looking for a little happiness boost to keep your body moving and your lungs laughing late into the night.
One of our absolute favorites. It was so much fun to smell and talk about. This was a real Lisa Frank fantasy. It was like an instant flashback and got us both talking about all the candy, gum, and lip gloss we loved as girls. Jen said it smelled like an apple Hi-Chew and declared, “I would eat something like that.” I indulged in all my favorite lip balms: Strawberry Lip Smackers, that Kissing Potion rollerball, the one in the tin with the slide-top lid, Kissing Koolers. We both liked the fruity candy vibe too—Skittles, Fruit Strips gum. When we tasted this one again, we liked it even more and talked about how innocent, hopeful, and sweet it was. Jen said, “It reminds me of the fun times growing up as girls.” There’s something really joyful about it. It’s like the first time you hold hands, glittering, hoping A hot summer night in the 80s, full of possibilities. At first, we laughed at the fantasy accord of “Stardust,” but in the end, we were convinced—we understood it.
With some of their fragrances, Imaginary Authors truly succeeds in creating a world that surrounds you and transports you to another world. They’ve done just that with this one. What a sweet, transformative scent! I would add it to my collection, just to sniff when I’m in the mood for a mood boost. It would also be great as a candle.
NOTES: R Raspberry, Citrus Pulp, Coconut Palm Sugar, Madame Isaac Pereire, Sandalwood, Tropical Punch, Stardust
Fox in the Flowerbed
This floral wonder highlights the beauty in everything. It’s a versatile scent that lifts the mood during the day and adds an ethereal elegance at night.
Another of our favorites: a pretty, floral, slightly damp scent. At first, I smelled something powdery, then snapdragons and a flower I couldn’t name, but perceived as fluffy and purple. Jen immediately said jasmine. She saw a ladybug in a lush green garden on a cool, wet morning full of dew. There’s something metallic and cold about it. I also smell honeysuckle and that slightly airy, tangy note. It was interesting to try it again. In the drydown, it smells much cleaner, like fresh sheets, and has almost a papery scent. Fresh, clean, and soapy. I would wear this fragrance on a foggy morning while strolling through Golden Gate Park.
NOTES: Jasmine, tulips, frankincense, wildflower honey, pink peppercorn, silver thistle, alpine air
Yesterday Haze
The seductive, dreamy quality of this scent acts like a magnet. Apply it liberally during the day and watch your surroundings be captivated as it lingers into the night.
Of all eight scents, this is the one we would both be most likely to wear. I sprayed it on my skin to see how it transformed there. At first, it was hard for me to grasp it—perhaps because of the name’s suggestion—but to me, it felt like a blurry memory I couldn’t quite see. We smelled something very familiar, which we later recognized as fig. We also smelled coconut, rose, and something green. I was sure it contained ambroxan and kept noticing a warm, musky note. We got peppery and soapy. Jen said it reminded her so much of Kimpton’s Atelier Bloem Kodota Fig, and at one point she was repeatedly calling out, “Kodota Fig!”, “Kodota Fig!” When she finally remembered what seemed so familiar, it transformed on the skin in such a wonderful way. I would buy a whole bottle and wear that one.
NOTES: Fig, iris, cream, tonka, tree bark, walnut bitters, orchard dust
Slow Explosions
With hints of rose and saffron, this fragrance explodes on the skin, awakening the senses. Every breath opens the mind to escape, encourages risk, and encourages you to truly lose yourself.
I was eager to try one of the scents before we looked at the names, as the names were so suggestive and could greatly influence our perception of the scent. This scent was so good for blind smelling! Jen got Rose and Rubber, and that led me down a path of tar and asphalt, and then I saw a big, burly guy crashing down a hot, steamy road, getting run over by big, black tires (I don’t know, guys, that’s just what came to mind). This one was synthetic in a deep, mysterious way, with a slightly floral undertone. Jen immediately named the rose, but neither of us said leather. Once we knew it was in there, we got it—and my big, burly guy made more sense. Maybe he was a leather daddy. I also saw those big, black tires crushing mounds of flowers. I absolutely loved this one. It was dirty and worn, like an old leather jacket or broken-in cowboy boots. This one and “In Love with Everything” were the most transformative and really took us on a journey. I would wear this one.
When we tried it a second time, I was totally hooked and ran to my collection to pull out Violet Ends by Boy Smells—something about it reminded me of it, and of course, it was the leather. Later, we went through some of Jen’s samples, and I remembered that Black Saffron by Byredo also belongs to this family of deep, dark leather scents with a beautiful floral note. I never thought I’d be drawn to this fragrance family, but I’m a huge fan of Violet Ends and Black Saffron and would definitely add Slow Explosions to my collection.
NOTES: Saffron, rose absolute, leather, apple, benzoin, cashmere, Arpora Night Market
A hint of a waffle cone
With its decadent complexity and warmth, this highly wearable fragrance will make you as desirable as a luxurious scoop of Salt & Straw. Don’t hold it against us if a line forms.
I’d smelled this fragrance before and was really excited for Jen to try it. The last time I applied this fragrance, I could have sworn I could smell it for days, even after I showered. It’s exactly what you’d expect, and Jen immediately exclaimed, “MAPLE SYRUP!” when she smelled it. She smelled sausage. and waffles. And for me, that’s like eating the most comforting stack of pancakes in the brightest, cheeriest kitchen imaginable, surrounded by all the things you love. It’s a warm embrace. Familiar and cozy. Jen said she would love this scent as a candle. Even though we had at least 40 different scents in my apartment, this was all I could smell when she left. And then, on the way home, she texted me this:
There you go—Jen’s Uber ride also received her approval.
NOTES: Vanilla, salted caramel, Saigon cinnamon, whipped cream, sandalwood, orgeat, ice cream parlor
Memoirs of a Trespasser
A true adventure scent. Wear Memoirs of a Trespasser while traveling and
then back home to conjure comforting memories. (Advertising copy by Imaginary Authors.)
This scent was our least favorite and received the lowest rating of the eight. Although I liked it considerably better than Jen. Jen spelled spicy hot, cinnamon in the top note and said it reminded her of big red bubblegum. I smelled more caramel and woody notes. It definitely felt more masculine (I know, I really try not to gender perfumes, but it can be a helpful shorthand for describing something). It’s a deeper, darker, spicy fragrance. None of us really noticed the vanilla notes. This is a great autumn scent. Very atmospheric and rich.
Notes: Madagascan vanilla, guaiac wood, myrrh, benzoin, ambrette, seeds, oak barrels
Saint Julep
When the weight of the world seems too heavy to bear, a prayer to Saint Julep not only soothes but also gives the confidence needed to carry on.
This fragrance rose in our ratings the second time around. The first impression was fresh and fruity, but in a ripe way, not sweet. It was green, peppery, lemony, and spicy, but the finish dried down in a truly wonderful way, where everything came together like a hot, humid summer day. This scent wasn’t particularly appealing to either of us, but our noses were definitely a bit overworked by this point in the evening (we’d already smelled a lot of my collection before delving into this discovery set).
Notes: Sweet Mint, Mandarin, Magnolia, Bourbon, Grisalva
Sugar Cube
Thanks for reading if you’ve read this far! Have you ever smelled the Imaginary Authors fragrance? If so, which was your favorite? I’m a huge fan of this brand and look forward to trying more from them.