Alejandro Sthandier

In September 2022, Ruth Mastenbroek, perfumer and creator of her own brand Ruth Mastenbroek released the Magic Of Nature fragrance collection. Three enchanting fragrances dedicated to natural oils from fragrant plants grown by British farmers bring us English lavender, Todd's Black Mitcham peppermint, and chamomile. The fragrances are called Gaia, Marlin, and Zephyr - all of them uplifting, fresh, and green. They can be worn individually or blended together.

There was a time when out of all Franck Boclet fragrances I liked only Fir Balsam, while the others seemed unbearable. Fir Balsam didn't appear to be a perfume but rather just a pleasant scent for a special mood, a scent of winter holidays, which I used most often as an interior perfume, spraying it on curtains. And I had no idea that one day two Franck Boclet fragrances would become the ones that I reach for without hesitation when I want guaranteed olfactory pleasure. Sometimes perfumes find us.

I will never turn my nose up at mainstream perfumery as long as it keeps producing little gems like Bottega Veneta, Narciso for Her, L'Interdit Rouge, to name but a few, and most recently: Libre Le Parfum. While I wasn't particularly impressed with its predecessors, I am with Le Parfum. It sings a similar tune to Libre, but instead of autotune, it is the orchestral version: Rich, dense, and satisfyingly deep in the base.