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eatingmyownwiener · 4 years

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Banana Fish boys and signature scent - some options

Hey, so I asked about the scents for the characters because I'm really into perfume and wanted to do a post like this based on your opinions of what the characters would smell like.

So, here's what I think:

Eiji: You said "the sweetest scent. he smells like marshmallow and orange blossom + his hair smells like lemons"

I couldn't quite find marshmallow and those citrus scents in a fragrance I thought would be fitting, but what I could come up with was:

Chanel Les Eaux de Chanel Paris-Deauville which is a fairly recent unisex release from Chanel in an eau de cologne style. It kinda of features all those citrus notes you mentioned (though it's certainly more orangey than lemoney) and has some nice sweetness from jasmine. It's also on a base of neutral, soothing woods that smells like a very typical type of fragrance that was very popular in Japan in the 90s, the kind of "Zen" fragrance (this is just the base, though, that gives it some heft and keeps it from being too sheer like most eaux de colognes; the fragrance as a whole is not woody and is much more a sweet-citrus-aromatic). All in all I'd say the key notes for me in this are (in order from most to least noticeable): sicilian orange, bergamot, lime, lemon, jasmine, hedione, assorted greens and petitgrain. If Eiji's hair smells significantly more lemony, I would suggest he might wear Paris-Deauville on his skin, and spray a light mist of Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte on his hair, or to walk through. Not a cheap combination, though!

Hermès Le Jardin de Monsieur Li is another citrus-sweet watery unisex fragrance with slight Zen undertones (though without any of the slight woodiness of the base of Paris-Deauville). The burst of citrus here is not due to a combination of oranges and lemons but to juicy kumquat, which is a very distinct citrus smell, and pretty great for someone looking for a distinct signature scent. Like in Paris-Deauville, the sweetness here is largerly thanks to jasmine (a flower, which, like, say, tuberose, is categorized as a "white floral," a catergory of perfumery quite known for sweetness to say the least). I think this is probably the more Eiji-like fragrance of the two, or at least the one I can more easily imagine him wearing, even though I think Paris-Deauville is more on par with your description. The reasons why aren't many, but I think this one skews generally more traditionally masculine than Paris-Deauville (which is a very blank unisex, in terms of traditional gender norms in perfumery), is probably easier to find (I think the Les Eaux de Chanel range is an in-house exclusive?), cheaper (you can find some good deals on this online, generally), has less of an overall "pretty veneer" than Paris-Deauville (Le Jardin de M. Li is still a masterful fragrance, but it is less "cute" than P-D, which I think Eiji would appreciate, as he is generally self-conscious of being thought of/seen as too cute), and is a more faint, discreet smell. And I mean faint. All of the fragrances in the Hermès Le Jardin series are very watery and sheer, but really, none more so than this one. If you're in the market for a bright, tart, citrus scent, many of the fragrances in the Le Jardin series deliver (particularly as a top note), and, in fact, many of the fragrances Jean-Claude Ellena made for Hermès in general during his time as in-house perfumer there could be appealing. Ellena stepped down from his post in 2016, but many of the scents he made feature a tart, fizzy, bright, effervescent grapefruit top note, which became something of a signature for him, and is a very, very citrusy smell (though this particular grapefruit accord is not present in Jardin de M. Li).

The marshmallow note is tricky. You can find it in fragrances, but those generally skew very feminine, young (both of those as far as traditional gender norms in perfumery go; I truly don't feel scent has gender, but I do think we have become used to certain norms in smells as regard gender and age) and loud in register (big projection and longevity, which I don't think is something Eiji would seek out or be comfortable with). The best ones I can recommend if you have an interest in fragrances with this note are Demeter Fragrance Marshmallow (aptly named) and Etat Libre d'Orange Divin'Enfant, though none of those fragrances register as Eiji to me, and they only fit your bill insofar as the marshmallow note goes.

Some other ideas for Eiji, in order I find from most to least applicable: Le Labo Fleur d'Oranger 27, Louis Vuitton Sun Song, Hiram Green Dilettante, Hermès Concentre d'Orange Verte.

Ash: You said "rosemary" is his signature scent. So, this is what I came up with:

Chanel Platinum Égoiste, which is actually a very popular masculine aromatic (basically lots of herbs and spices) flanker of the older Chanel classic Égoïste (which I wouldn't recommend for Ash by the way, at least not on your brief. Flankers are basically new scents that piggyback on more established names from a perfume house's stable. Some bear a very close resemblance to the original, and with some it's just more of a marketing ploy that suggests to the public that a classic fragrance they probably have heard about has been "updated for the now" - Cristalle Eau Verte, for instance, that I recommended for Eiji as a hair mist above, is a flanker of the original 1970s Cristalle, which, by the way, is so good, though off-topic). Anyway, Platinum Égoïste, which skews warm-spicy with slight woody undertones in the base (therefore creating a slight connection with Eiji's scent, if Eiji were to wear Paris-Deauville - which would also mean they're both fragrances from the same house!), and which sells like hot-cakes in France, has a very interesting and quite delicious rosemary note (it definitely is the kind of fragrance to make you swoon if you smell it on someone - specially someone you already fancy), and is done in a very kind of traditionally masculine formulation. It feels kind of tough or a bit butch on the outside, but is kept from being simplistic or overly-macho in a cartoonish way by a deceptive quiet sophistication and harmony in the notes (I recommend letting this one breathe a bit; not applying just as you're out the door). I think Ash would really dig this one, and I think Eiji would probably dig it even more on him. To my nose, the notes that play the most significant part in the composition of this are (from most perceptible to least): geranium (which is a very interesting floral in perfumery that rarerly registers as what we generally think of as floral; it's quite warm, spicy, a bit powdery, and clean, though paradoxically quite earthy), that gorgeous rosemary note, lavender, oakmoss, clary sage, petitgrain, cedar, sandalwood and amber. One last thing to mention about this is one is the slightly woodsy base, which while it doesn't make me think of Cape Cod in the summer, does bring to mind notions of being outdoors in upstate New York, just as summer is turning to autumn. Overall, this has an easy sophistication that feels very Ash, and is also quite a comforting scent to smell on someone. Eiji would go bananas.

Other than this, probably the most prominent rosemary note in perfurmery comes courtesy of the very inexpensive and oft-overlooked Clarins Eau Dynamisante. This is a very fresh-spicy aromatic citrus, and interestingly, though there are a lot of really well-placed notes playing off each other here, the two key players really are rosemary and... lemon! Which in a way makes me think it is the perfect scent for Ash, because, as per your description, Ash's signature scent is rosemary, and Eiji's hair smells of lemons. So there you go! I think there's something really touching and sweet about Ash's signature fragrance carrying overtones from and sharing commonalities with Eiji's signature scent, as if never really wanting to be away from Eiji, and subconsciously compensating for that with a fragrance that both manages to remind him of Eiji and remind Eiji of him when he smells it. Eau Dynamisante is often marketed as aromatherapy water, specially in France (and is actually often used as a layer topper-upper - something people might spray on top of other fragrances to create a more unique scent), and is often used that way. That theory definitely holds water: just spritz it and you are likely to feel both more perky and somehow soothed. I mean, it's crazy to think you can get that effect from a bottle, but you can, and for this reason, it's usually something I like to recommend to people. It's also a fairly inexpensive scent, and one that has fallen a little out of fashion with younger consumers these days. A lot of people also ignore it on account of it coming in a non-fancy plastic bottle, but I think to do so is a mistake. Truly, this is one of the more sophisticated scents out there, and you can get it for almost nothing, and smell like almost no one else. Be advised though that this is very faint, and stays very much a skin-scent - people will smell it if they are close to you, which is probably something I think Ash would prefer. I don't see him wanting to wear something very loud, specially if he's only just recently been getting into perfumes, and might still be worried about leaving a trace.

Now, all of the other ones I'm going to mention feature prominent rosemary notes to some degree, but in neither of them is it as much of a key player as it is in the previous two: Christian Dior Eau Sauvage (a very classic "barbershop" kind of fragrance, but quite appealing - I mean, the middle and latter developments of this are quite sexy, in a wow kind of way. Definitely more of a summery scent, with again some citrus notes to throw it back to Eiji. Strangely enough I could also see Blanca wearing this as a signature.); Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio (which most people have probably smelled, and which is a more aquatic, more "sporty," more stoic, less old-school classic and less sexy take on some of the ideas in Eau Sauvage); Tommy Hilfiger Endless Blue and Yves Saint Laurent M7 (by far the least prominent rosemary note here, and one that is quite butch in a big and burly way that makes me think it might be more suitable to Blanca. I think this scent is probably more representative of other people's ideas of Ash than of Ash himself. Though released in the 2000s, it is done in a very 80s action hero kind of way that Ash was sometimes portrayed externally as). These are in order of what I think Ash would be most to least likely to wear.

Okay! So, that's pretty much it. Let me know if you like it, and I can make a Part 2 with Sing, Shorter and Yut-Lung. My picks for them are much more straight-forward.

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Oh wow! This is amazing!!! Thank you so much for taking time writing this. I'd like to read more about it, if you wouldn't mind, of course.

#if i knew i'd do a little bit more of research #thank you for the submission #banana fish #ash lynx #eiji okumura #submission

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welcometohetaliahell · 5 years

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Their scents/natural smell

*just an f.y.i these are all my personal headcanons and I chose to describe them versus using a couple of words for no reason other than I wanted to. Also, there are characters like Sealand, Seychelles, Liechtenstein, and Moldova missing because in my mind they are babies and it would just be weird for me.

The America’s

America: His scent changes depending on where he’s coming from in the U.S., one day he could have of a pine tree scent, to him or motor oil, but generally his cologne is very metallic but underneath that is Evergreen mixed with a faint scent of gunpowder.

Canada: This may seem stereotypical, but he smells sweet, like sugary donut pancake sweet, but that’s mixed with that crisp, fresh, winter air that comes like a week after it snows, thick, rich wood, and coffee.

Mexico: Her scent changes based on the seasons, or in general the time of year. During the fall/winter months for the U.S. (September to March) her scent is very subtle and maybe a little dry, not like dusty, but she just smells clean and plain. But during the warmer months is when her scent can be a little overbearing. It’s hot and salty because of the heat but very fruity and sweet, it doesn’t come off as a perfume but rather like she’s eaten a bunch of fruits in one go or had been picking them.

Cuba: He overwhelmingly smells like motor oil, but not in a bad way, like it’s mixed with sweat because I think in some ways he’s had to learn to love fixing up old cars because of his countries situation. But it’s also mixed with salt water and sand with just a hint of cigar smoke underneath.

Europe

Britain: Britain’s changes based on the weather. If it’s raining that is the main scent with a mix of smog and motor oil. But if it’s just overcast he still smells like dim weather because it’s so common, but it’s mixed with pipe-smoke, or canon smoke, and old books.

France: This man smell’s like roses like he just does. But he doesn’t smell like the same rose, there’s always something different that may hint at specific color or type of rose, hell maybe where it was grown. He also smells like cheese, which is weird I know, but like really good cheese that when you smell it you just want a cracker with maybe a piece of ham or something and gobble it up. But underneath all that is like old grime, like old metal building grime, and sweat mainly from around the time of the industrialization of Europe and America i.e. the building of the Eifel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

Russia: Now like Canada he also smells like winter, but he smells like that impending snowstorm, cold winter weather that almost leaves a taste in your mouth though he burns like a furnace. I also think he smells like old brick or masonry in general. Like an old brick building that hasn’t had a fire blazing inside in a very long time.

Germany: While I want to say he smells like a beer, which he does, but that’s not his main scent. He mainly smells like the top lining on a drum kit, not the old animal hides they used to use, that has gone through a few 6+ hour long practices with a broken stick or two. Now underneath that is the beer smell, but it’s mixed with sweat and motor oil but not only does he like working out he also likes working, mainly on cars, but every once in a while a hint of wood or fire will come through.

Italy: This boy smells like a chefs kitchen, a mix of a lot of things that sometimes makes your nose itch and you wonder what the hell is cooking. But he also smells like oil paint and canvas and marble because like Germany he likes to create, just more Bob Ross and less Rudolf Diesel.

Southern Italy: This boy like a vineyard, and I know you’ll be asking why Italy or France don’t smell like that, and idk but this boy smells like he spends every morning standing in the middle of the vineyard where the wind can pass right through him and that’s his cologne. But he also smells like shoe polish and fresh, baked bread.

Spain: This man smells like a lot of various things and changes constantly. The most prominent thing he smells like is seafood, like battered and fried seafood with an undertone of salt. But other times he’ll smell very sweet still with that undertone of salt.

Scotland: This man smells old, but not like the same old that China smells, but more like a castle – masonry old. And he obviously smells like smoke/nicotine because he smokes but it’s not seeped into his clothes its right around his head/neck area and everywhere else just smells like old linen. Like something you haven’t worn in a few months that’s been hanging in your closet clean but maybe you should’ve shaken it before you put it on.

Poland: So, if you catch him when he wakes up in between showers he’ll smell spicy actually with like an undertone of rugged wilderness, like plain grass and wheat, and water. But he really likes the flowery smells of perfume so he’ll wear those a lot though he is conscious of the impact it can have on other people, so he never wears too much and he tries to go for the more shuttle scents like flowers over things like cotton candy or berry because those are really pungent.

Lithuanian: He smells like the woods, like dead-ass middle of nowhere moss covering everything woods mixed with fresh water and sometimes things like berries with a rugged undertone of dirt and evergreen that was pushed into his scent all the time's wolves would just tackle and love all over him. During the winter his scent can get very stuffy and plain, like what happens to a house when it’s being lived in but not, yet it’s surrounded by the cold.

Latvia: This is gonna sound odd, but he smells like ham, potatoes, and alcohol. Like most of the time, he smells very plain and nothing really sticks out so sometimes he’ll wear cologne but when it’s colder out and he’s stuck inside and everything he smells like ham, potatoes, and alcohol.

Estonia: This man smells like an office/server room. It’s really clean but cold with a metallic undertone. But he also smells really fresh after he’s left the office and showered �� like fresh berries and other fruits. Sometimes he’ll smell more like potatoes and meat but that’s mostly when in the winter when the fresh fruits and all can’t be picked. There are also some earthy undertones to his scent that come out during the winter.

Austria: He smells like old sheet music, or just like old paper in general. That kinda dusty but intriguing smell you get from a really old document or book. There’s also a layer of coffee, fried bread, and evergreen. He sometimes wear a sharp cologne if he’s going out or something and he doesn’t use any super flowery shampoo or anything in the shower so most of the time he smells like old books and food – might made you hungry.

Switzerland: He can also sometimes smell like cheese, but again the good kind of cheese that you wanna eat. But he also smells like really clean, crisp water with an undertone on evergreen and metal. He’ll sometimes smell sweet and other times he’ll smell like beer but those come out depending on what he’s eaten or whenever he showered last.

Netherlands: This man is a blend of tulips, chocolate, and pipe smoke. On is always more dominant than the either and kinda gives away his mood. Sometimes he’ll have a woody-fury undertone to him from the time he's spent outside with rabbits. The heavy smoke smell typically gives away that he’s stressed or maybe even mad. The chocolate says that he’s been with his sister and could be in a good mood if it was just them, but it can also be a sign that he’s trying to relax and it’s not working. The tulip smell says that he’s suuuuuper happy and relaxed and that you could go and talk to him and he's chill. Mostly on the weekends.

Belgium: She smells like chocolate, chocolate, and flowers but with undertones of a vegetable garden and fresh air. She doesn’t really wear any perfume and doesn’t use super pungent shampoos and lotions. She mostly smells sweet but occasionally there will be this metallic, salty sea air undertone that comes out especially when she’s sweating that’ll remind that his women will kick your ass if she needs to.

Belarus: She smells very metallic but also sweet, like sucker sweet with while you have a tongue or lip piercing. Her cold undertone is the cold air that you breathe in super deep to fill your lung and try to relax, maybe the kinda cold that fills you before you start running outside or hiking.

Ukraine: She smells like wheat, but not like gross wheat but like the standing in the middle of the field kinda wheat smell that is where you’d wanna take a super aesthetic photo those it’s kinda itchy as hell. She also smells like flower, as in cooking flower, because I picture her as liking to bake and yeah. Her undertone is cold, but like the cold of seeing your breath, the also sweet cold that doesn’t hurt at first but if you stay out in it you’ll nose will hurt.

Nordics

Iceland: Because he is an island with volcano’s he smells like molten rock mixed with cold seawater but with an undertone of grass. It’s very inviting and warm to smell, no sulfur unless there was a recent eruption and then he reeks of it but also sweats and he’s in a lot of pain and a cloud of smoke almost lingers around him until everything is calmed down.

Norway: This man smells like Evergreen/Pine trees and cold water with clean linens that weren’t washed with anything scented. But he can smell like chocolate, beer, and pancake mix with just a hint of pipe-smoke. (*this is coming from personal experience in Norway and this is what I remember smelling*)

Finland: I wanna say he smells like Christmas, but he’s Finland and so his Christmas is different from mine, but I will say it’s a good bet that he smells like sugar cookies and maybe wrapping paper, like that smell that lingers after you’ve cut it a bunch in the same room. Like Russia, Norway, Canada, and the rest of the colder nations he too smells cold, but he smells like snow cold, like a gentle flurry that you’d take aesthetic photos in kinda snow. But I think he has undertones of gunpowder and metal.

Denmark: This man smells like a bonfire, and I don’t really know why, but he smells like a bonfire mixed with sea water and fresh brew booze. It’s very welcoming and it almost gives you energy and makes you want to stay there a socialize with him and maybe drink and cause some trouble but that’s your decision. Unless it’s the dead of winter he doesn’t smell as cold as say Russia or Canada, but if there’s a bad storm that bonfire smell with mix well with the cold and will make you want to curl up and nap with him.

Sweden: This man smells like a wood workshop, sometimes he smells like more fresh cut wood and others he smells like wood sealer and sawdust. Again, like the others, he smells like the cold but it’s not a pungent as some of the others like you’d have to be hugging him for a while to notice it versus Russia where you’d immediately notice it especially during winter. There are some undertones of sea water and motor oil/exhaust but like the cold, you’ll have to be hugging him to notice or he just took a shower and then those are more present.

Asia

China: So like Scotland, he smells old but a different kind of old, like old wood and paper. Liked like a house that hasn’t had anyone in it for a long time but it’s not rotting or anything. But on a bad day, i.e. bad weather and such, he heavily smells like smog and he desperately tries to cover it up if he gets out of bed and has to leave the house. But he tries to purposely smell clean like fresh linen’s just washed or a sparkling clean house though in his young years i.e. Silk Road and all he heavily began to smell like opium. But he always has an undertone of warm tea.

Japan: This man smells like ink mixed with paper, and it shows on the tips of his fingers. This mainly comes from the hours he spends reading and writing various mangas and stories. But he also smells like pillow packing feathers, you know that ones that’ll stab from the inside of the pillow lining but smell great and are super fluffy. There’s also so undertones of fire embers and cats.

South Korea: His smell changes like some of the others, but its equally based on where he is and the weather. If he’s coming from Seoul he can smell like a busy street and a blend of people but if it’s raining it turns into motor oil and maybe a warm bowl of ramen. If he’s coming from somewhere like Daegu or Busan he may smell more like street food or more like the water.

India: This man smells like spice, which does seem stereotypical, but he also smells like rain and really rich tea. But it’s all brought together with a really clean, linen smell with just hint of metallic undertones. His smell is also really bright and even fruity almost or flowery with undertones of like massage oil or something.

Ottoman Family

Turkey: This man smells like olive oil, I know kinda weird, but the trees grow abundantly in the western part of the country and its used in the food. But she also can sometimes smell like fish but also sometimes just smell like the water, it kinda depends on what he eats and the weather. He has a smoke and sweetness undertone – like chocolate and maybe opium(?). He’ll also sometimes smell like mud and sweat but again it depends on the time of year and what he’s been doing.

Greece: I’m gonna say it, this man smells like cats but not like cat shit or litter, just cats. That soft, fluffy, warm feeling you have when you first interact with a cat before you realize how weird they kinda smell. But he too smells old in a way, but his old smell is like colosseum old smell – marble, stone, a bit dusty but doesn’t irritate your nose. Like it’s not dirty, just it’s been here for a while kinda old. There’s also a big undertone of sea water and linen but like none processed linen so like it’s being made into something linen not ‘oh this is a shirt or sheet’ kinda linen.

Egypt: Another one that smells old but this old can be the kind that irritates your nose because his old is the old of a place that was sealed away and not messed with for a long time for good reason kinda old. But he also smells like fruit and vegetables, nothing specific but like he smells fresh and natural (?) with a mix of fresh water.

Hungary: She smells like metal, shiny, heavy metal mixed with dirt and sweat because she’s a badass woman who fought but also, mainly because of her time with turkey, she smells a bit like hay, spice, and smoke. Though all of his doesn’t come out unless she’s either a) working out or b) just woke up because she likes to uses a lot of flower-scented products but doesn’t wear perfume.

Other

Prussia: He smells more like beer than his brother but like Hungary, he has an old metal and grime smell to him from years of fighting and wearing armor. He also smells like paper because for a long time, especially with Fitz, he played music and when he could sleep he would study it but also it’s from all his writing and home many times he’s sat down a read over his journals. I also think he probably smells slightly like smoke but no particular scent to it like bonfire or nicotine, he just sometimes smells like smoke.

Australia: This man is a bit all over the place. Mainly he smells a bit dry or clay-like, but it’ll mix with salt water and sand and sometimes it’ll turn really muddy and wet. I could compare it to a wet dog smell but its not gross he just very much resembles his environment and so it changes but in general his smell can be relaxing if you’re asking for a hug but if he throws his arm around smiling really wide that smell will likely give away the fact that he’s gonna drag you off to do something adventurous and potentially dangerous.

New Zealand: They smell like grass, but not like fresh cut grass or brittle dying grass, just tall, thick, plain grass with a mix of saltwater air and mountain top cold, but this last one changes depending on where they are because they could also smell a bit dry/sandy. They also smell sweet, but not like chocolate or sugar sweet, just sweet like you a few houses down from a bakery kinda sweet.

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checkmarch79-blog · 5 years

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Those Useless Trees — The Valley Oak

A couple of days ago my friend Mike and I decided to go for a hike in Malibu Creek State Park. Having celebrated a friend’s birthday the previous night into the following morning, a good moderately strenuous ramble seemed like just the thing. We were both awed by the park’s stunning vistas as well as its many magnificent valley oak trees, the largest oak species in North America and a species found only in California.

Inside the Malibu Creek State Park

The 3,324-hectare park, although opened to the public in 1976, of course, has a much older history. The first humans to arrive in the area where likely the Chumash, who established the village of Talepop (or Ta’lopop) within what’s now the park. About 3,500 years ago — thousands of years after the Chumash settled the area — the Tongva arrived from the east and the Malibu Creek, which drains the Santa Monica Mountains, became a sort of border between the two nations. Downstream the river flows into the Pacific Ocean at an estuary the Chumash referred to as “U-mali-wu,” meaning “it makes a loud noise there.” The Spanish, who arrived in the 16th century, recorded the name as Malibu.

Languedoc?

Although neither Mike nor I had ever been to the park before, we’d both seen it in many films and television series. The striking Goat Buttes, in particular, have served as a popular setting in Hollywood fictions. Before reading a sign informing us that the outcroppings were in the series, M*A*S*H, I was reminded by the chaparral-covered prominences of a childhood summer spent in Languedoc. After learning that the semi-arid oak landscape had been used to evoke green, temperate Korea for eleven seasons of the long-running Korean War comedy, I was struck by how unlike the scenery reminded me of any I’d seen in Korea, which I visited last summer. Of course, come to think of it, the cast of that show’s hairstyles seemed suspiciously ’70s for a war which took place from 1950-1953.

Coast live oaks on a hill

The valley in which we stood was carpeted with brittle, yellow grasses and scruffy oak trees. Most of the oaks in the oak savanna were coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), also known as California live oak, those familiar oaks which during the rainy season fleetingly give the landscape of rolling hills on which they often grow the appearance of the Shire. Elsewhere in the park, there are stately sycamores and the southernmost grove of redwoods. There are, naturally, many varieties of native fungi and fauna as well, and during our visit, we observed a small herd of mule deer, various lizards, a covey of quail, a couple of rabbits, a California tarantula, a gracefully gliding heron, a red-tailed hawk, a flock of pigeons, and several other birds which I didn’t recognize.

Some of the oaks obviously unlike the others. They were taller, their silhouettes patchier, their branches droopier than the dome-like coast live oaks, the canopies of which spread out like gauzy green umbrellas over the gently rolling hills. As a child growing up in Missouri’s Little Dixie, I roamed the forests and knew my red cedars from my red maples, my black walnuts from my bladdernuts, my corkwoods from my dogwoods, my pawpaws from my possumhaws. I don’t remember learning most of their names and characteristics, though, and because of that, I hoped — however unrealistically — that I’d over time somehow simply absorb a similar knowledge Southern California’s trees. Having now lived in Southern California longer than anywhere else, I have unfortunately found that I have to make an effort to learn them.

I observed the oaks that were not coast live oaks. Whereas the leaves of the coast live oak are small, shiny, prickly, and look a bit like those of a holly shrub, the leaves of these oaks were lobed and looked almost leathery, faintly fuzzy. The leaves were clustered rather than spread across the branches’ tips. The bark was sort of silvery brown and almost uniformly wrinkled whereas the trunks and branches of the coast live oaks appear contorted and gnarled. It was clear that these were not coast live oaks — but I was no closer to identifying them than I had been when Mike had asked me what they were and so I turned to PlantSnap, an app which has, since downloading, successfully identified about 30% of the plants I’ve used it to recognize. It also identifies fungi — but with a track record like that, I wouldn’t use it for foraging unless I was completely OK with a painful death. This time the app proved successful, however, notifying me that the tree was most likely a Quercus agrifolia, or valley oak (it was) or, perhaps, a staghorn fern or loquat (it was obviously not). Valley oaks are also known as robles, as in Paso Robles.

I was struck by the appearance of the valley oaks acorns, which were considerably longer than those I was accustomed to. They provide food for, among other animals, acorn woodpeckers, California ground squirrels, California scrub jays, and yellow-billed magpies. Historically, they were also an important food source for the Chumash, who never developed agriculture as they were able to live comfortably off of what they foraged and hunted.

Mule deer eating valley oak leaves

The woody parts of the valley oak support California gall wasp, red cone gall wasp, and Chionodes petalumensis. As we approached a beckoning oak woodland, we stopped to watch a large family of mule deer, one of whose members spent a great deal of time standing on his hind legs and helping himself to the leaves of a large tree.

The roots of the valley oak have intimate symbiotic associations with many of the region’s mycorrhizal fungi which are essential to their survival — and one of the main reasons Southern California should favor the planting of native trees over imports like the pepper trees, goldenrains, jacarandas, bottle brushes, &c which, although drought tolerant, are simply incapable of slotting into an ecosystem which evolved over millions of years without them.

The valley oak is endemic to California, where its range stretches along the valleys and foothills of San Diego County in the south to Sikiyou County in the north. They live to be up to 600 years, which means that the oldest trees were alive during the fall of Constantinople, the invention of the printing press, the domination of Central Asia by Tamerlane’s Timurid Empire, and closer to home, the rise of the Inca and Aztec empires.

Until it fell on 1 May 1977, the tallest valley oak was the so-called “Hooker Oak,” which stood until then in Chico. Because its trunk had a massive diameter of 8.8 meters, its age was at the time estimated to be over 1,000 years old. However, once dead it was determined that the tree owed its girth to the fact that it was in fact two specimens, both of roughly 325 years of age, which had long ago grown together into one. It appeared in many films where it proved a natural in its many roles as a tree.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), co-starring the Hooker Oak

The current tallest valley oak is the so-called “Henley Oak,” a specimen which towers 47 meters above the floor of the Round Valley in Covelo. It is named after Thomas J. Henley, a one-time Superintendent of Indian Affairs notable for opening the region to European-American settlers in defiance of a federal order which had promised the land to Native Americans, resulting in a great deal of regrettable bloodshed between indigenous Californians and immigrants. The tree is believed to be more than 500 years old, meaning it sprouted from an acorn and was possibly producing its own well before the first Spanish galleon, San Salvador, sailed along the coast.

The Henley Oak (source unknown)

Mike and I turned back after reaching Rock Pool, and again we crossed the valley featured in M*A*S*H. This time, surprisingly, I did find myself somewhat reminded of Korea — or at least of Korean (and Chinese) landscape painting. By this time, the sun had set and the gold hour was transitioning to blue. The oak woodland seemed to be climbing up the base of the improbably steep sandstone hillsides. Tipping the scales of perception, perhaps, was the presence of a Korean family attempting to take photos of a toddler with the scenery as a backdrop.

Korean landscape painting? Oak woodland at the base of low mountains

I sometimes have a physical sensation of being pulled into the woods and the longer I looked at the trees, the stronger the pull seemed to grow. I had to fight the urge to enter the forest because the park had officially closed the moment the sun sank behind the horizon and currently, there is no overnight camping because in June, 35-year-old Tristan Beaudette was shot to death in the tent he was sharing with his two young daughters. Since then, rumors and other reports of gunfire in the park have emerged both following the murder and stretching back to 2016 and there’s an ongoing investigation.

Vacant campsite under a canopy of oak trees)

Hopefully, the murderous gunman will be caught and peace and campers will again return to the park. It looks like a really wonderful place to pitch a tent for a weekend, perhaps do a bit of forest bathing, or even just contemplate the scenery. As we continued toward the exit, the crescent moon (which had hung in the sky throughout our day) was now shining brightly and bats were flitting about in search of a meal. We hurried our pace and left the park without incident.

Eric Brightwell is an adventurer, writer, rambler, explorer, cartographer, and guerrilla gardener who is always seeking paid writing, speaking, traveling, and art opportunities. He is not interested in generating advertorials, cranking out clickbait, or laboring away in a listicle mill “for exposure.”

Brightwell has written for Angels Walk LA, Amoeblog, Boom: A Journal of California, diaCRITICS, Hidden Los Angeles, and KCET Departures. His art has been featured by the American Institute of Architects, the Architecture & Design Museum, the Craft & Folk Art Museum, Form Follows Function, Los Angeles County Store, the book Sidewalking, Skid Row Housing Trust, and 1650 Gallery. Brightwell has been featured as subject in The Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Magazine, LAist, CurbedLA, Eastsider LA, Boing Boing, Los Angeles, I’m Yours, and on Notebook on Cities and Culture. He has been a guest speaker on KCRW‘s Which Way, LA? and at Emerson College. Art prints of Brightwell’s maps are available from 1650 Gallery. He is currently writing a book about Los Angeles and you can follow him on Ameba, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Mubi, Twitter, and Weibo.

Click here to offer financial support and thank you!

Source: https://ericbrightwell.com/2018/09/18/those-useless-trees-the-valley-oak/

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toddrogersfl · 5 years

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Weeding matter: dig deep into Jo Malone London’s latest collection

As spring erupts all around us, Jo Malone London are as ever bang on-trend with their latest Wild Flowers & Weeds quintet, the latest limited editions – inspired, this time, by quintessentially British plants which don’t often enjoy a place in the sun, fragrance-wise.

For this collection, Jo Malone London Fragrance Director Céline Roux enlisted two Givaudan star perfumers to work alongside each other: seen above, Yann Vasnier (who also created 2018’s Bloomsbury-inspired collection), and – making her debut for Jo Malone London – Brit-born, Paris resident Louise Turner.

What did you want to capture in this collection?

Céline: Our Brit collection is always an opportunity for us to explore new olfactive territories. For this one it was the idea of wild flowers – not the typical wild flowers you find in a field like a daisy or a daffodil, but flowers that are almost not really flowers but weeds. What I love about wild flowers and weeds is that the nature takes over, with no rhyme or reason – and makes things unexpectedly beautiful. You often find these types of flowers next to canals. So we went on an adventure! In Britain especially, a lot of people have memories of going on barge holidays, and the boats themselves are really special and unique. The boats also helped us when creating the scents – they are often decorated with flowers and herbs, and you have the woodburner inside the boat. Those were key points we wanted to capture in the collection.

Did you look to anything in particular for inspiration?

Céline: One sunny April afternoon back in 2017 we went on a trip along a canal with the perfumers, the fragrance house and some of the Jo Malone London team to immerse ourselves in the inspiration. We were mesmerised by the grace of the weeping willow, gently draping into the water. After exploring the canal by boat, we moored up to see what we might discover along the banks. There we uncovered wild and wonderful weeds, plants and flowers – from delicate white flowers of hemlock to the jagged edges of the stinging nettle leaves. I had found a book of photos called Along the Hackney Canal by East London-based photographer Freya Najade that captures the ambience of the banks, which I sent to the perfumers as a surprise gift to inspire them. I also had a copy of The Wind in the Willows, which is such a British classic that I bought years ago.

Why did you choose to work with two perfumers for this project?

Céline: This is the first time we’ve worked with Louise Turner and it was very appealing to work with an English perfumer for this collection. I thought she would understand the inspiration better than anyone, and be inspired by her own memories of visiting canals in England when she was growing up. We’ve worked with Yann Vasnier before and he really understands the Jo Malone London signature. So it was great to combine their talents to create the collection.

How did you interpret the brief?

Yann: For me it was all about natural beauty, creating something very free-spirited, bohemian and wild. Visually, the collection represents a lot of things – a cloudy morning, the mist on the water, greens and yellows, the sun, the leaves and a bit of smoke.

Louise: I saw it as a journey. The idea of walking along a riverbank, or taking a boat down the river, and discovering things as you go along. The fragrances as snapshots of what you might find on your journey. I have fond memories from my childhood of collecting wild flowers. I really enjoyed pressing them to create homemade cards for family and friends. I particularly liked spring flowers, such as primroses, bluebells and lupins.

Were there any challenges when creating the collection?

Yann: When we were working on Willow & Amber, Celine really loved the base of the accord. It was a challenge to take that and translate it into a true Jo Malone London fragrance. I had to find the right ingredients to open it up and add structure. In the end I added citrus notes of bergamot and pink pepper to the top to bring the freshness, and woods to lift it.

What is it that is so unique about this collection?

Céline: In general, you don’t hear about ingredients like willow, lupin or wild achillea in perfumery. Hemlock is known to be poisonous and nettles can sting you. It’s the contrasts and the ingredients that make the fragrances so original.

And those fragrances…

Willow & Amber Says Céline: I loved the image of the weeping willow draped over the water, and I really wanted to capture that in the collection. It brings something a bit more sensual with the woods. The image of the tree is very appealing from an olfactive point of view, portraying sensuality, freshness and lightness. Willow trees are always in movement, and the fragrance represents this.

Yann: The fragrance has the clarity of the woods, the twigs and leaves and it’s very close to the headspace we used. The soft woods, such as cashmere wood, bring lightness, as well as the bergamot and pink pepper.

Louise: It’s not a dark scent – it has something very fluid and transparent about it. It expresses a texture and the fluidity of the weeping willow.

Lupin & Patchouli Explains Yann: This fragrance started from a lupin accord, which was very vegetal and floral. The patchouli adds the fun – it reminds you of a walk by the water with your friends.

Céline: Lupin is the first flower we wanted to include in the collection, with its beautiful array of colours. To bring it to life I asked the perfumers to use a chypre construction, pairing it with the patchouli. The patchouli takes you on a journey down memory lane, back to the bohemian lifestyle of the 70s.

Louise: The lupin in this scent is an interpretation of its colour and its verticality. We took something visually stunning and transformed it into something olfactive.

Nettle & Wild Achillea

Céline: Nettle has such a strong sting – Louise really captured the sting of it in the scent.

Louise: It was a real challenge to take a nettle, which is so green, stingy and natural and transform it into something you could wear as a fragrance. The wild achillea balances it out, adds very clean and fresh notes. This scent really adds variety to the overall collection.

Hemlock & Bergamot

Céline: I wanted to have a powdery, floral fragrance in the collection, but with a modern twist.

Yann: We used mimosa to represent natural hemlock, which gives a really yellow, powdery scent, as well as cassie. This is complemented by the cucumber, birch leaves and the white musk.

Louise: The scent is powdery but really fresh and soft.

Cade & Cedarwood

Céline: ‘This scent captures the feeling of getting into the boat at the end of the day. When we were on our boat trip, the owner of the boat actually mentioned to me that the woodburner on board was new, and we had it on during our trip. They’re such a central part of the boat. Cade & Cedarwood adds that warmth and comfort of going inside from the cold. To enhance the woody, caramelised notes we re-used the exclusive English Oak absolu that was created for our English Oak collection in this fragrance.

Louise: Cade comes from burnt juniper wood, and is something you don’t often use in a fragrance, so it’s very original to have that in the scent. It really captures the smoky, resinous effect of the woodburner and adds warmth and sensuality.

What are your favourite fragrance combinations from this collection?

Céline: Nettle & Wild Achillea with Hemlock & Bergamot.

Yann: English Oak & Hazelnut with Willow & Amber.

Louise: Red Roses with Cade & Cedarwood.

Jo Malone London Wild Flowers & Weeds each £49 for 30ml – or buy the full collection and you can choose one of the gorgeous tins, below, to stash them in

Buy them at Jo Malone London

Written by Jo Fairley

The post Weeding matter: dig deep into Jo Malone London’s latest collection appeared first on The Perfume Society.

from The Perfume Society https://perfumesociety.org/weeding-matter-dig-deep-into-jo-malone-londons-latest-collection/

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iconicbutbasic-blog · 7 years

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Coromandel Review

The first thing that one should understand about this instantly recognisable fragrance is that, even though it is legendary, it is by no means a classic. It is classical in every other meaning of the word. Released in 2007 officially to the clientèle of Chanel boutiques worldwide, it took the scene by storm. Marketed towards the more refined shoppers, it envelopes you like no other Chanel fragrance on the market. History Like all of the other fragrances on the Les Exclusifs line, there is an interesting tale behind Coromandel. To those who know a bit about interior design it might be a little obvious as to what that story is. To those that aren’t sure, do not fret. Gabrielle Chanel was well known for her fascination for the Orient. This often extended to how she decorated her home. One of her very favourite methods of doing so was installing the Coromandel screens of China across her apartment in Paris. She was an avid collector of Chinese folding screens (owning more than 31), but her love peaked when encountering the variety of Coromandel. Many parties that she held within her apartment were decorated with these screens in such a way that it blocked the exiting door, to prevent people from leaving. You can imagine the fun that Ms. Chanel had with this. Notes, Features and Legacy The most amazing thing about Coromandel is that it never seems to actually leave your presence. Once you spray it you can detect it on your skin and clothes for hours, or even days. It is a longevity that rivals even that of Coco Mademoiselle. When I first inhaled, I was overwhelmed. Then continuously overwhelmed. It is a very potent perfume, even in it’s Eau de Toilette concentration. It is a fragrance that follows the strict ‘a little goes a long long way’ rule and can be fatal if dosed incorrectly. Aimed for use in the Autumnal beginnings of Winter and the length of winter, it is a dry and warm scent that combats that cold, wet and slightly uncomfortable weather of this period. As stated above, it envelopes the wearer and creates a pleasant shield that ensures that they are always comfortable. The main issues that could be had with this fragrance have only occurred when I have worn it in the warmer seasons. When worn in these times, it becomes gluggy and slightly unbearable. It develops a sickening sweetness that is hard to understand. That being said, it is definitely not entirely easy to understand to begin with. Even when worn in the right conditions and in the right doses, it comes across as something not quite interpretable that you either want to understand, or have remaining in the shrouds of mysterious dignity. While I stated that it is vastly different from the rest of the Chanel fragrances, there are many similarities it contains when compared to many of them. For example, it is incredibly powdery like No. 5 & No. 22. The top notes were distant in their entry to my pallet. This is a similarity to many fragrances in general, but only really amplifies its uniqueness. It starts off with heavy notes of both amber and patchouli. Both often paired, but not with the juxtaposition that Coromandel poses. The amber presents a cool wave of freshness. I say ‘cool’ and ‘fresh’ not as a description of pallet or cleanliness, but in a more colloquial sense. Patchouli, however, screams class. There are also very faint notes of citrus, like what you would find in a ripe and juicy orange. The middle notes are more floral. At first I noticed the continuation of the patchouli, even though it now smells more earthy and refreshing. I then began to notice the jasmine notes that, for some reason, remind me of jasmine tea. Finally, there’s a wave of rose that brings it home. It’s not entirely noticeable at first, but when mentioned it’s a lot more noticeable. It’s not a red rose, definitely. It’s the delicate scent of a white rose that is the first thing you smell when you walk out the door on a cool morning. The base notes are by far the most intriguing. Almost everything floral goes out the window. The only floral essence remaining is that of the jasmine which is pleasantly mixed with the incense notes that this particular fragrance is well known for. It also amplifies the oriental aspect of the fragrance to an extraordinary level. The aroma of white chocolate appears and is somehow reminiscent of a viscous, though delicious, buttery syrup. For some, this may be a turn off but I found it to be delicious. It reminded me of camp-outs which is perfect because when this thought occurred, it was followed up by a strong blast of deep and earthy wood. There was no detectable smokiness which I was relieved by. Lastly, there was a faint essence of benzoin. It wasn’t at all chemical like it occasionally is in perfumes that it is contained in, it was balsamic in it’s most natural form. This leads you back into the jasmine/ incense spiral and sends you through an endless loop that leaves you sniffing your wrists in public and looking slightly obnoxious. One thing I found somewhat annoying about this fragrance, though, would be the fact that if sprayed on the clothes, it never really develops. Obviously this isn’t entirely possible as it doesn’t have direct contact to the skin, but most perfumes generally reach the middle notes and slowly fade away. There was none of this when some of the perfume was accidentally dosed onto both my neck and my shirt that I was wearing. It lingered strongly and never changed once. This isn’t exactly a fault, but annoying nonetheless. Coromandel is a modern monument of Coco Chanel’s impeccable taste with a mix of her wit, humour and timeless class, Jacques Polge managed to create a fragrance that perfectly captured a grand aspect of the pioneer’s legacy. Rating My overall rating of Coromandel is based more on my first and second time wearing it, as the last few wears have been slightly uncomfortable due to the seasonal conditions. To judge it based on misuse would be both unfair and misleading. The Notes - Fascinating. Some notes that aren’t often combined, but come together beautifully in this perfume. They work together in almost complete harmony. The only issue I have is related to the white chocolate. Not something I particularly enjoy smelling all of the time. However, it does work well with the overall theme of a woody, incense laden scent with a bitter twist.It’s occasionally unpleasant and occasionally yummy. 7/10 The Longevity - Astounding, it managed to last up to 8 hours on my skin. This was also at full to mid range strength. It still didn’t completely die down after I bathed. For an Eau de Toilette, this is amazing. 9/10 The Sillage - Decent, though not entirely like a fragrance from the 70s or 80s. Which is, in a way, quite good. It could be quite heavy for people around you and cause headaches. The projection itself is slightly above average, which is favourable in the long run. 6/10 Overall Intense, classy, full bodied and %100 unapologetic. It takes no prisoners and leaves you wondering what happened. Stunning, sensual and deep. There’s no real debate. 8/10

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