Hannah, who comments on Now Smell This as krokodilgena, wants to find a new "very strange and very dark" perfume. She has excellent access to perfume stores, and is willing to spend up to $150 for 50 ml. Here is what we know about Hannah:
She's in her late teens, and she lives in the mid-Atlantic region of the US.
She's planning to be a German major, but her dream was to be a lingerie designer.
Her favorite designers are Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe, Gareth Pugh, John Galliano, and Hedi Slimane.
She loves Indian and Thai food, and also loves art (favorite artists: Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt).
She does not usually like "classic or retro".
Hannah wants her new scent to be dark and weird, but not goth: "the equivalent of some crazy Balenciaga ankleboots". She likes notes of leather, rubber, black pepper, cumin, black tea, spearmint, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, anise, birch, juniper, pine, sandalwood and opoponax. She likes citrus, but not usually other fruits, and she likes "gingerbread-y gourmands". Her current rotation includes Bvlgari Black (her everyday scent), Alexander McQueen Kingdom, Donna Karan Black Cashmere, and Yves Saint Laurent Opium (was her everyday scent in the past, but smells different on her now). Other perfumes that she considers favorites include Comme des Garçons Ouarzazate, Zagorsk & Comme des Garçons Eau de Parfum, Parfum d'Empire Ambre Russe & Cuir Ottoman, and Lubin Idole.
Perfumes that were "almost but not quite" for Hannah include Diptyque Philosykos, Eau Lente & L'Eau. In the "just ok" category, she'd include Ava Luxe Film Noir, Comme des Garçons Jaisalmer & Tar, Etro Gomma, Santa Maria Novella Patchouly and Mona di Orio Amyitis.
Hannah does not like church incense, white flowers or fruits. Perfumes she does not like include Parfumerie Generale Psychotrope, Tann Rokka, The People of the Labyrinths A.Maze, Comme des Garçons Kyoto & Avignon, L'Artisan Aedes de Venustas, Eau d'Italie Paestum Rose, Serge Lutens A La Nuit and Robert Piguet Fracas.
What say you?
Note: image is ei, seu carteiro! by .mands. at flickr; some rights reserved.
Hi Hannah,
Have you tried Boudicca Wode (Scent) ? It has juniper, leather and clove.
I need to go resniff this one…
Hannah, I don’t know if I can suggest anything for you because I tend to favor all kinds of girly-wirly things that are pretty far from being “wild Balenciaga ankle boots” (my perfumes are more like pink heeled mules, or strappy dress sandals, or black flats, or even sneakers). The one thing I might suggest would be Lancome’s Magie Noire, VINTAGE (pre-90’s), which on me is like November wind blowing through a forest, with a huge moon overhead. It’s totally out of character for me, and I would only wear it in cold weather, but it is both witchy and feminine. Daisy says it’s all pepper on her. It’s available from time to time on evilbay.
Anyway, just wanted to wish you good luck! I find Egon Schiele very interesting, and also disturbing… in my mind, I call him Agony Schiele.
LOL — I was going to say: try Lancome Magie Noire !! you beat me to it.
Maybe try a few samples from Soivohle…most things I’ve tried of hers have been both weird and dark. Palomino perhaps?
Hannah, I totally suscribe your CdG and PdE choices.
I LOVE them.
Anyway, Weird and dark?
– Tom Ford “oud wood”,
– Nasomatto “Black Afghano” (the weirdest and darkest stuff I tried, maybe too much so?)
– Andy tauer “Incense extrème” or “l’air du desert”.
[I suppose Ormonde Jayne “woman” or “man” could fit the description…]
[Since you seem to like Incense, my side suggestion is to try passage d’enfer – should work nice in summer heat]
Hannah, have you tried “Yatagan?” That stuff would be about as avant-garde as a young girl could get. And congrats for not wanting to smell like candy apples.
Great idea! Plus yatagan is so cheap that you could get another along with it!
Hi Hannah !
I second Ormonde Woman as a beautiful,strange and dark scent,I ‘d say Dzing! by L’Artisan but to me it is very similar to B.Black in some aspects,also Ava Luxe”Madame X”.
Good luck and good day to you all
Lole.
In addition to Dzing! you should check out Dzongkha from L’Artisan. It has the leather, tea, and spice notes that you listed. It makes me think of a library or gallery in a Tibetan temple. I also second Bvlgari Omnia, though it may not be dark enough for you.
Not that they neccessarily have libraries inside temples! I picture both when I smell it though!
Lalique Encre Noir (men’s) would be good.
2nd this suggestion.
3rd this. Post-modern vetivers in general might be a good category for her to explore.
Hi,
well I don’t know if it’s terribly dark but in my opinion it is definitely strange, so have you tried Diagonal, No. 4 of The Six scents series?
on a teen too dark conflicts with youth unless you are going for sylvia plath
I would recommend Dawn Spencer Urwitz’s umber (bois de rose) and serge lutens serge noire. She might even likeSL douce amere, …
Oh yeah, definitely try Serge Noire. Will singe your nose hairs in the top notes, but dries down to something incredibly dark, weird, earthy, and incensey.
And I was thinking SL Cypher Rouge, which to me has that wierd curry scent to it. There are several SL that I think you would like.
sorry DAWN SPENCER HURWITZ.
Have you tried CdG Leaves: Tea? It’s an odd, rubbery tea scent, and someone on Luckyscent left this hilarious description of it:
“Think of … A huge tea house that sells every Black tea known-to man, It has just burned to the ground and little vinyl/PVC body suit clad geisha women are throwing roses on the whole smoldering mess.”
OOh, you know, now I want to try that!
Me too!!
Hannah –
How about Montale’s Black Aoud – it’s loud, mysterious and dark. Another strange and dark brew is Comme de Garcon Tar from their Synthetic Series. Another one to try, if you like Kingdom, is The Different Company Rose Poivree – to me, it smells a bit like a beautiful, sweaty rose laying in a vat of melon pulp, eating Indian food. One last suggestion is Musc Ravageur by Frederick Malle. loads of cinnamon goodness, yet creamy and sexy and dark.
Enjoy your search!
Marko
Hi Hannah,
Just adding to the already great recs you have received:
Keiko Mecheri Oliban
M. Micallef Avant Garde
Vero Profumo Onda
biehl gs02
~Dawn
second and third and fourth onda
Yep, I was going to suggest Onda, too. It’s unique, dark…and very beautiful.
Bandit by Robert Piguet. This is the ultimate dark, intense, rebel scent! In the Parfum form, it is uber-dark! I am happy with EdP though, as it has a rougher edge. Try both. I’ll eat my cat if you don’t love it.
I second Ormonde Woman and Man.
Tom Ford – Noir de Noir (truffle, saffron and dark earthy dirty things!) Tuscan Leather is pretty intense. Purple Patchouli is dark and ultra weird.
Montale – Black oud and Oud Cuir Arabie.
I’m seconding Bandit!
Let me make up a trio for Bandit…a wonderful mix of dark, smoke, and just plain sexy.
I don’t know about anyone else on here, but Purple Patchouli smells like ‘really hot sex’ to my husband and me.
Hi Hannah,
I love your taste in perfume and second the suggestion of Dzing. You might also want to try Cuir Mauresque for another great leather, and for a non-churchy incense you might try Miller et Bertaux #2 (Spiritus). It has a pickled ginger note in the beginning tho, and I don’t know how you feel about ginger. And for strange and beautiful, have you tried Comme des Garcons Two?
I recommend one of my current favorites, LeLabo Patchouli 24. I get very little, if any, patchouli, but instead a wonderfully smoky birch tar spread upon leather. Totally delicious
Oh – also. Shalimar by Guerlain is uber dark and intense and unusual. The parfum form is the ultimate concentration. I admire it immensely, but find it too difficult to wear. Sounds like it would be right up your street though.
I agree with Montale – Black Aoud and Oud Cuir Arabie, and would also try White Aoud for a slightly ‘softer’ Montale aoud scent. My favorite Montale is Aoud Queen Roses, with the hibiscus giving it a slight leather note. Golden Aoud is also nice.
Aedes.com has a great sample program, which includes most of the Montale line. 7 samples for $15, including shipping, no tax for out of state customers. Luckyscent recently switched from .7 ml rather than the 1 ml they used to send, and there samples are $3 and up. As of last week, Aedes still sent 1 ml samples and there website says the same. Maybe add an Amouage sample or two to try out.
Good luck!
Um, ‘there’ equals ‘their’…more coffee please
The Amouage scents I recommend are Ubar, Jubliation 25 (women) or XXV (men), Lyric (for men or for women). I think the 2 ‘mens’ scents might suit you well.
You’ve gotten some great recommendations already. I will add Niki de Saint Phalle, Versace The Dreamer, Costes EDP, Bond Lexington Avenue. Happy sniffing!
Olivier Durbano Black Tourmaline — Spicy incense, very dark purple, a more urbane cousin to Tauer L’air du desert marocain.
Serge Lutens Serge Noir — Smells like smoky, peppery ashes and dry incense (not churchy), a completely grey scent.
CdG + Stephen Jones — I swear, it smells like violets + meteorite, futuristic and metallic, patent-leather-like in its ‘feel’.
You should try the Escentric Molecules line if you haven’t yet. I wouldn’t classify them as dark, but I think you’d find them interesting.
Lots of my suggestions have already been said, but I’ll repeat and add to them:
Ormonde Jayne Woman
Parfumerie Generale L’Ombre Fauve
Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur
Serge Lutens Daim Blond
many of Neil Morris’s vault scents would probably work.
I was going to suggest Film Noir, a new love of mine, but saw that it was just ok to you…maybe try some other “dark” Ava Luxes…Biba, Madame X, Kama, etc. There are so many of hers to explore!
Neil Morris vault is an excellent suggestion! Gotham is very dark and definitely different.
Daim BLonde is one of my favorite scents. I feel like an idiot though, how is it actually pronounced? I keep saying “Dum Blond” which is insulting
It’s funny: as I was reading your intro, Paestum Rose was the first thing that popped into my head until I saw that you definitely DON’T like it.
I second the Montales, and 10 Corso Como is another (more affordable) aoud scent worth trying. Bvlgari Omnia seems “gingerbread-y gourmand,” but it may be lighter than what you are looking for?
Happy hunting!
I love Olivier Durbano’s Black Tourmaline, a very dark masculine incense you have to try- Cardamom, coriander, cumin, frankincense, pepper, smoked wood, oud, leather, precious woods, musk, amber, moss, patchouli. Even though you don’t like churchy incense- the smoke, leather, oud and skanky musk totally turn the frankincense into a whisper.
I second Boudicca’s Wode which evolves from wet stone to refreshing greens paired with animalic notes to spicy leather. A beautiful, strange androgynous creature.
As a tea lover L’Artisan Tea for Two- smoky chai tea- is a no brainer if you’ve not tried it and Parfumerie Generale Un Crime Exotique- as the ultimate gingerbread scent.
Have you tried anything by Christopher Brosius? Known for amazing dead on realism that is often strange- I would say you might want to try his:
Black March- fresh clean scent composed of Rain Drops, Leaf Buds, Wet Twigs, Tree Sap, Bark, Mossy Earth and the faintest hint of Spring Flower Bulbs. Strong on the dirt note.
Wild Hunt which is weird but not dark but since Philosykos was almost but not quite and they’re both natural outdoorsy smells and you love pine- Torn Leaves, Crushed Twigs, Flowing Sap, Fallen Branches, Old Leaves, Green Moss, Fir, Pine and Tiny Mushrooms
His uber woodsy leathery violet- Violet Empire- Violet Empress, elemi, violet leaf absolute, rosewood, mahogany, and Russian leather.
Burning leaves- The smoke of burning maple leaves
Greenbriar 1968- Sawdust, Fresh Cut Hay, Worn Leather Work Gloves, Pipe Tobacco and a healthy amount of Dirt. There is also a faint whiff of cotton overalls covered in Axel Grease…
M3 November- Pumpkin Pie, Fallen Apples, Bonfire, Wood Smoke, Dried Grass, Fallen Leaves, Wet Branches, Damp Moss, Chanterelle Mushrooms and a hint of Pine Forest
Russian Caravan Tea- Smoked black Indian tea, bergamot and the hint of shelves full of old books.
I third Montale Black Aoud and Oud Cuir Arabie.
Hi, Hannah! Props for not wearing Pink Sugar! I second the folks who recommended Tom Ford fragrances; a number of them seem quite dark to me, and most are interesting. Several others TFs you might like are Amber Absolute and Black Violet. A totally different kind of dark is Il mio sogno by Borsari. Also, try Chanel’s 31 rue Cambon, pretty austere and rich; and Omnia Ambra, with a brief citrus opening and a moderately dark amber.
While this doesn’t really qualify as “dark”, Ormonde Jayne’s Champaca has notes reminiscent of Thai and Indian food, which you mentioned you liked. If you ever need a change from dark. . . .
you are to be commended for not reaching for the latest celeb fragrance…..tabac blonde, l’heure blue, narcisse noir…all weird in their own way but all totally irresistible
oh yeah…guerlain nahema
forgot to mention Etat Libre d’Orange;s Tom of Finland and Delicious Closet Queen.
Hannah,
we seem to share some preferences for food and scents.
I second the SL Serge Noir suggestion.
I would also suggest Frederic Malle Epices Noir (dark, spicy, and woody).
I was wearing L’Artisan Tea for Two yesterday. I normally shy away from tea scents, but this is fairly smoky and dark (with a touch of vanilla and spice).
Happy exploring!
Definitely try SL Noir, as well as Chergui. Chergui is a mysterious Saharan wind carrying spices, dust and Oriental whipers. Okay, that sounded cheesy but it is fantastic
Oh my goodness! Bad typo, I meant whispers!
Hey! I also second Noir épices. But to be truthful, given your tastes, the first thing that comes to my mind is (as someone else already mentioned) le labo Patchouli 24. As you probably know, it was designed by Annick Menardo, just like Bulgary Black, and it is considered by many as Black’s moodier and dirtier sibling. Personally I find it even more sultry and intoxicating than black!
Maybe Alan Cumming’s “Cumming” or Andy Tauer’s “Lonestar Memories,” since Hannah (like me) is a fan of rubber notes. Not sure I’d call Lonestar dark, exactly, but pleasantly weird.
I second the vote for Cumming.
Not suggested yet but I think she might like Bandit, Jicky, iris Silver Mist from SL ( in case noir isn´t it) Putain des Palaces from Etat Libre, or Rien ( might be too much incense going on). And yes the Aouds are definitely an area to explore.
Second the Bandit, as well as an exploration of the Etat Libres line.
Putain de Palaces? Love the name: Palace Whore. What’s in that one?
I thought about Cumming also, but Soivohle Purple Love Smoke or Ava Luxe Midnight Violet come to mind. PLS is the more “weird” of the two, and both depend on you liking violet to some degree.
I may go out on a limb here and suggest sniffing YSL Kouros, which can be found on any dept store men’s counter.
Good luck sampling everything!
Agree with Frederick Malle Noir Epices. Chanel Cuir de Russie is probably not edgy enough, but I think of it as plenty dark. If you want to go really weird and dark, try George Sand by Maitre Parfumeur. Notes are: Tahitian gardenia, Corsica peach and Hawaiian pineapple; middle notes of clove, Indian jasmine, lily of the valley, and Moroccan rose; and base notes of sandalwood, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla and white musk. This one takes a strong personality (like George Sand).
Hannah, it’s not quite what you’ve asked for, but what about Dior Hypnotic Poison? It’s by Annick Menardo, the nose behind Bulgari Black, and I find the two similarly interesting and surprising. I second Dzing and Encre Noir and Russian Caravan Tea. Also, what about Tauer Incense Rose? It’s incense, but not churchy, to my nose.
I would suggest Tar, from CdG’s Synthetic series. That sounds like the edge she is looking for?
I’d like to complement your taste
Serge Lutens Five O’Clock Au Gingembre–gingerbread + weirdness since it’s Serge
Ormonde Woman–weird (black hemlock, etc), but also really sexy
Les Nereides Imperial Oppoponax
L’Artisan Tea for Two–very smokey, spicey, black tea
L’Artisan Poivre Piquant–unusual black pepper/milkey combo
Frederic Malle Le Parfum de Therese–beautiful leathery base; does have some fruits and flowers but they’re done in a really unusual way
“compliment”…right…
Agent Provocateur’s Strip would be perfect for her!!!
I’m going to suggest several from the men’s side of the shop:
Fracas for Men – dirty, smokey, very cool – and dead cheap online
Ungaro III – Dirty, dark rose
L’Anarchiste – Caron’s really loopy one. I love it
Insense – Givenchy’s left-fielder, flowery-ish…but not…
Zino Davidoff – Dirty and dark and sexy
Pallisander – One of the great CdGs
Santos de Cartier – Dark like Zino, but a different take
CdG 2 Man – A dark vetiver like Encre Noire
I’ll second the recs for Kouros and Yatagan too…
I think any of the above would be amazing on a woman of any age, really sexy as well as intriguing.
I would like to add my vote for Dzing!, having just discovered it myself. I don’t think it’s very dark, but it’s wonderfully, deliciously weird. I don’t really have a lot of experience in the weird and dark department, so I’m not much help here, but I felt compelled to echo the suggestions for Dzing!
Thanks for the recommendations
Just to clarify my age, I’m 19 and I’ll be 20 in a few months (probably by the time I get to half of these recommendations)
Oh, I just thought of Dior Addict. I believe it is both dark and weird. I was reading ‘The Guide’ and they pretty much hate it – but I thought it was such a different and interesting scent. But, caution – It’s also quite heavy.
Too late to be particularly original but I would (also) suggest:
Parfumerie Generale L’Ombre Fauve (what’s not to like about a perfume that translates as “Bestial Shadow”? : – ))
OJ Woman
SL Serge Noire or Borneo 1834 or 5 O’Clock au Gingembre
Strange Invisible Perfumes Black Rosette (spearmint, black tea, and a smoking rose!)
Histoires de Parfums Noir Patchouli
L’Artisan Dzing! (agree it is weird more than dark)
Comme des Garcons 2
Kenzo Power (for when you want to lighten up slightly on weird but still be spicy and different)
I almost completely forgot about Black Rosette
Thank you
Ah V, you beat me to it! Black Rosette sprang to mind immediately to me too! See you Friday xxx
I also third Cumming: the fragrance. I have never tried this one, but I keep hearing a lot about it as a very individual scent. Apparently it isn’t too masculine and has notes of bergamot, black pepper, scotch pine, whiskey, cigar, heather, douglas fir, rubber, leather, Highland mud, peat fire, and white truffle. And according to our own Robin ‘The top notes have all of the above, plus a heavy dose of pine and some burning rubber.’ Sounds like your cup of tea, except of course without the black tea note you desire!
Oud would definitely be interesting to explore. The three Montale’s aouds I tried – Black Aoud, Aoud Rose Petals and Aoud Damascus – all had prominent rose, so Hannah may not like them if she does not like rose (i.e. in A*Maze).
Ava Luxe has an excellent oud — Bois Fonce/Oude Wood.
As a side note, and since Hannah like opoponax, Ava Luxe also has a great opoponax scent – Opoponax Intense. (Eau Lente is predominantly an opoponax fragrance, but it opens with lots of cinnamon which I find jarring).
Of the ‘classics’, I’d recommend trying Cinnabar by Este Lauder. It can be found at most Estee Lauder counters.
Okay, I suggest Histoire de Parfums 1740 Marquis de Sade – wonderfully dark with lots going on and a great drydown, lots of patch and earthy spicy stuff.
Also I would suggest the sample set of the “Fetish” line from Opus Oils – Voodoo is one of my favorites but there are several interesting and unusual fragrances there, plus they are aesthetically really fun and the samples are cheap.
Just about any of the CdG Synthetics would be worth a try – I like Garage. Also Odeur 71, which makes me smell kind of like a boy. And definitely try CdG 2.
As several people have mentioned, Montale Black Aoud is definitely worth a sniff. Also their Aoud Lime. Geisha Noir by Aroma M has a wonderfully rich tobacco note.
And I know you said you’d like to keep away from “goth” scents, but among the trillions of them at Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs, you may wish to take a peek at “Sin”. It’s quite dry with very strong woody notes (esp. sandalwood), and every time I’ve worn it I get many compliments. Good luck!
Hmmm, it was hard to think of something nobody has named yet, but here goes: Montale Greyland and Dior Eau Noire. If you haven’t tried these yet, you definately have to!
I will suggest the original Agent Provacateur b/c of the dark and slightly skanky saffron note, as well as Montale’s Aoud Queen Roses – both of these are smooth, dark, and very sexy. AQR is a bit more difficult to wear b/c of the aoud note. Dior’s Dioressence is major league, complicated fragrance with strong unusual and sophisticated characteristics and a rich, dark, balsamic drydown. Dior’s Dolce Vita is also a dark, woodsy, spicy musk that has a warm, sexy and yet irritating quality that makes it challenging to wear. Another dark and rich fragrance is the Miller Harris Rose en Noir, which is limited edition. Rose en Noir is very dark and “pungent” but in a good way -it’s hard to wear and very sexy. It has a lot of the shape-shifting characteristics of many of the Miller Harris fragrances, so that is also good to convey mood. I’ll also throw in Estee Lauder’s Azuree which is leathery and wonderfully unique – feminine and aggressive, also could be worn by a man.
I really just want to congratulate Hannah on her excellent taste, and at so young an age! I was thinking “Bulgari Black” before I even got to the point of reading it. In spite of not liking “churchy” scents, I’d recommend Annick Goutal’s “Encens Flamboyant.” And I second (or is it third?) the motion for L’artisan’s Dzonghka.
As I love Bulgari Black, too, I might also suggest Serge Luten’s Chergui and Chypre Rouge. Not sure what the connection is, but taste is a slippery thing.
I was going to say Encens Flamboyant aswell, untill I saw you don’t like incense… so maybe you might want to try this anyway…
I am like Mals86 when it comes to fragrances (except for Bugari Black, which I find no rubber, just a striking clear note, it’s smells like soothing tea and a little vanilla to me). So I thought I’d tell you what I don’t like: You like lingerie right? How about Fifi Chachnil? She looks so flirty and nice, but smells like burning rubber and cloves and weirdness to me, and I really wanted to like her. Guerlain’s L’ heure Blue. L.A. Dzing, Tabac Blonde, Even Apres L’ondee, which is blasphemy here, but it smells very melancholy to me.
Good luck and have fun.
Wow, overwhelming response for you, Hannah! I think the following were really good recs: Ormonde Woman, Rose Poivree, Noir Epices, Borneo 1834, L’Ombre Fauve, Dzongkha, Chergui, and Midnight Violet.
I want to add Annick Goutal’s Mandragore (not heavy and dark, but very interesting); Frederick Malle’s astonishing Une Rose (rose, earth, and wine dregs); and three of Neil Morris Vault fragrances: Assam, Izmir and Dark Earth (he offers nice big samples via his website if they – or others – interest you).
I hope Hannah can find something awesome from this thread — I sure learned a lot. Upthread someone mentioned Ava Luxe’s “Biba” and I remembered I had a sample I’ve never tried somewhere — oooh, that stuff is lovely!
As others have suggested – perhaps Ormonde Woman. Or perhaps Etat Libre d’Orange Jasmin et Cigarette or Donna Karan Wenge?
Hmmm..Dark, edgy stuff…try SL Fumerie Turque, (really smoky, though) , and I’d second the Hypnotic Poison and Chergui. I’m also a big Timbuktu fan, although I’m not sure it’s all that dark.
I forgot a couple:
Soivohle Underworld – “A dark earthy pairing of vetiver & balsams, with a touch of Jasmine and Rose in the heart, set against a smoky leathery base.” This one has a minor cult following and is one I really want to try myself but have not gotten around to it.
Czech & Speake Dark Rose- saffron, Bulgarian rose, oud, sandalwood, patchouli, white amber, musk- supposed to have a smoother oud than the Montales.
Tiptoeing through Chambers of the Moon by Pilar and Lucy is an absolutely intoxicating scent. The name is creative and sold me immediately. It lingers like an intense kiss on the skin. Bella!
Versace Crystal Noir.
I don’t like getting under a certain amount on my debit card (I’m -$10 below this limit so it’s not tooo bad)
but I ordered the following samples anyway:
Lalique Encre Noire
L’Artisan Tea for Two
L’Artisan Dzing!
L’Artisan Dzongkha
Montale Black Aoud
Serge Lutens Serge Noire
Heeley Spirit of the Tiger (not a recommendation, but I want to try it and I got skeptical of Chergui right before I placed the order)
Patchouli 24
Comme des Garcons Tea
Comme des Garcons 2
Les Nereides Imperial Oppoponax
I have about a hundred more to go!!
french lover by frederic malle, it’s one of the most severe, dark, peppery smells i’ve ever encountered.