• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

Hard-to-place perfume & suburban shampoo

Posted by Robin on 30 August 2009 15 Comments

Packaging; brunch; nail polish; sweet meat; hard-to-place perfume; plywood; upscale perfume; knish; charcoal; garbage; suburban shampoo; calamari; ceviche; beeswax; falafel.

— The smells of the Bowery, from Scents and the City at the New York Times. (found via note de tête at twitter)

Filed Under: perfume in the news
Tagged With: new york city

Advertisement


15 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. lilydale aka Natalie says:
    30 August 2009 at 11:52 am

    I was just about to e-mail you this! The one that really confused me was “woman purposely wearing no scent” in Midtown South — so she smelled bad? She smelled like nothing at all? Did he know her, and if not, how the heck did he know it was purposeful? Did she LOOK like she should have been wearing perfume? So many questions!

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      30 August 2009 at 11:59 am

      That was weird! Also liked the “rum or cologne” in Hamilton Heights.

      Log in to Reply
    • Nlb says:
      1 September 2009 at 12:33 am

      Ha! Maybe he meant the “baby’s head” smell—slightly dry-oiled, clean hair against skin cleaned with “unscented” soap (the smell of either lavender, rosemary and vegetable oils or the “french-fry–creamy” scent of the rendered, beef-fat tallow without masking agents added)? Maybe the totally unsweetened creaminess of “unscented” body lotions/products (but certain things are always added to cancel out the screeching, chemical bitterness of certain ingredients)? Hmm…

      Log in to Reply
  2. Jill says:
    30 August 2009 at 1:39 pm

    That was so much fun! I liked the mentions of “horse” and “dog”.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      30 August 2009 at 3:37 pm

      Every city needs such a map :-)

      Log in to Reply
      • ScentScelf says:
        30 August 2009 at 7:13 pm

        I loved this piece when I found it in my paper this morning…and I think it would be way cool to map cities across the country!

        Log in to Reply
        • Robin says:
          30 August 2009 at 7:19 pm

          It would be a fun website project…there’s something similar in Japan.

          Log in to Reply
  3. Joe says:
    30 August 2009 at 11:54 pm

    That’s a fun little article. Love the concept.

    I’m laughing at “suburban shampoo,” however; as if urban dwellers never use the cheap stuff…

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      31 August 2009 at 9:45 am

      Yes, exactly! That cracked me up too.

      Log in to Reply
  4. Pimpinett says:
    31 August 2009 at 12:03 pm

    Lovely. Makes me want to map my own city, too.

    I read the woman purposely wearing no scent more as the kind of person who doesn’t wear fragrance as a statement of some sort, not someone who smells bad. There’s always the smell of hair, skin and clothes, even if it’s just faint whiffs of laundry detergent and clean human being, you know? You’d have to get close, though. Feels more like a comment on the kind of people inhabiting that neighbourhood, perhaps. :)

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      1 September 2009 at 12:47 pm

      Possibly!

      Log in to Reply
  5. Nlb says:
    1 September 2009 at 1:17 am

    What tickled me most about this article is how often he mentioned that lingering “urinal/metallic/coffee garbage” smell. Yes. It’s called “garbage juice”. And it coats many streets in NYC (to be fair, it coats the streets of many super-urban metropolis’–except D.C. It’s creepy-clean in D.C. The subways smell like benzoin and lilacs. Even when it’s not cherry blossom season, so it’s not some sort of olfactive hallucination. WEIRD. ) Notice how often he mentioned “zingy” scents (ah, but is it a “Tocca-esque” powdery-vinaigrette zing or the “sauce-pan-being-smashed-with-metal-spoon” zing of “Eternity”?) Anyhow, that’s consistent NYC frag trends in a nutshell and it never goes away (at least, hasn’t in the past 10 years). Walk down nearly any street: Prada, Flowerbomb, Armani Code, Vera Wang, Miss Dior Cherie, Cashmere Mist, Flowerbomb, A Calvin Klein fragrance, Issay Miyake, DKNY Be Delicious, Ooo…Stella, Coco Madmoiselle, another Flowerbomb. Maybe, if you’re trailing someone a tad older than the “latte-caps-and-cardigan” set, you’ll smell Chanel No. 5 (yawn), oooh Fleurissimo, Chanel No. 5. Hum. Near Columbia: Books and sweet-metal, someone’s wearing “Infusion d’Iris”, maybe Keihl’s musk. More rarely, Shalimar (and that’s the edgier of the choices…)

    But every once in a while, you pass another hidden in the crowds: that creamy whiff, followed by something tart but basalmic, a smashed-floral potion that seems borne from euphoric joy, angst or agony–distinctive, such character, fascination, a painting!–tilting heads in confusion, your eyes meet in surprise with almost joyous acknowledgement of one another. Then you pass, sillage trailing like swirling fingers, shaking hands. You’ve just met another one of “us” and with an olfactive nod, encouraged them to continue nasal-shaking bloodless creatures back to life—reminding them of how exquisite, miraculous or cosmically unlikely living and breathing really is…

    Log in to Reply
  6. Nlb says:
    1 September 2009 at 1:30 am

    Disclaimer: I’m of the camp that it doesn’t have to be pricey to be fascinating and full of life (or death, if you love rocking the goth-poe aesthetic ;) ). So, the above cannot be read in a blase, snooty tone; some of the most gorgeous scents I’ve smelled have been under $20. Some, even more gorgeous, have been under $10. It’s just funny how cities do have collective smells and how people who become a piece of the greater city-animal, begin to take on eachother’s scents—almost wearing some scents like it’s a requirement as an active member of a cheerleading squad. Peppered (Chance-Chanel!), musky-sweet (Angel!) and metallic citruses seem to keep the worker-bees pumped. In the same sense, maybe dirty-civet-coffee mixed with tear-laden roses and lilies isn’t the “pick-me-up” most people need to get them through the work day…

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      1 September 2009 at 12:48 pm

      Hey, you need to write an article!

      Log in to Reply
  7. Nlb says:
    3 September 2009 at 1:29 am

    Thanks, Robin!

    Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

From NST at Twitter

  • "Report: L'Oreal Set to Acquire Byredo" (perfumer flavorist) https://t.co/JchKx25FBD,
  • "Inside China's Booming Olfactory Economy" (that's mag) https://t.co/AoIn1oLAHu,
  • "Magnum ice cream and https://t.co/Smhe2fTapP teamed up to launch ‘chocolate-scented’ nail polish — and the colors… https://t.co/lv59O29ogv,
  • "Postcard from Paris - A guide to the city by Chanel perfumer Oliver Polge" (conde nast traveller) https://t.co/8UEUnwUyef,

Browse by…

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

23 April ~ swapmeet

14 May ~ haiku challenge

21 May ~ splitmeet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2022 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.