what does keely smell like today?
if you've ever wondered, this is your chance to find out
tuesday, july 29, 2025
marlou - carnicure
we're getting a foster cat today (one with hair!) so it seemed appropriate to wear my cat-furriest sample. i was super hyped to try marlou, and i wasn't disappointed - although i was hoping to find them a little more wearable than i ultimately did.
carnicure is warm and dusty. there's something distinctly old about it - maybe it's the orange blossom note that smells like powder makeup, or the civet note that lends it that worn in cat fur smell. in some aspects, it reminds me of maggie the cat is alive! i'm alive! from marissa zappas, which is quite possibly my all time favorite fragrance. unlike maggie, though, carnicure doesn't have that air of old hollywood glamour. it's more cozy couch hangs and unwashed blankets than flat champagne and party houses.
i do think this is my favorite of the marlous, and it probably would be the least offensive to most noses. i don't see myself picking up a full size (especially when maggie exists and i much prefer her) but this is a really special fragrance that i'm so glad i tried. maybe i'll hoard the dregs of this vial for a day when i need a little more cat hair in my life.
monday, july 28, 2025
d.grayi - Re:M
i've become maybe the world's most outspoken d.grayi evangelist since i finally picked up some samples from them back in december. the entire house is the brainchild of james nguyen, a self-taught vietnamese-american perfumer who creates a lot of the tinctures for his fragrances out of natural materials. his fragrances are all pretty high-concept, often referencing his dreams and personal experiences.
Re:M is no different. the description of the fragrance on d.grayi's website reads almost like short-form fiction, describing a dream that's intriguing in its mundanity. my dreams are like this, too. i'm usually going to the grocery store, hanging out with friends, or just generally doing day-to-day things.
wearing Re:M is refreshing and comforting. the mint note (which represents the toothpaste in nguyen's dream) is the most immediately prominent to me, with the rest blending together into a pleasant herbal funk that i find pretty emblematic of d.grayi's compositions. it leans very slightly masculine to me (maybe that's the tobacco note talking), but not aggresively so.
buying a full bottle of this one hasn't really been on my radar, but i'm really mourning the loss of this little sample. i already own a 15 ml of d.grayi's cà phê by night (my dream bitter black coffee/tomato leaf scent), and i do find them very similar at their hearts, so i'm thinking this is a pass for now. i can't count her out, though. maybe one day i'll have a dream about picking up a full size and i'll know it's time.
sunday, july 27, 2025
diptique - l'eau papier
this was the very last of a 5 ml sample i got in a bottle split from a facebook group. i'm going to miss her! she smells like chic and slightly nutty pencil shavings. the sillage is gentle but i can smell it around me for a long time. i don't think i can justify buying a full bottle because my collection is already pretty heavy on the musky/floral skin scents.
saturday, july 26, 2025
le monde gourmand - figue du foret
i'm not the world's biggest le monde gourmand fan. call me pretentious but i've smelled so many of them in tjmaxx that now they all just smell like tjmaxx to me. but i would put this one up against just about any niche fig out there. it's so ridiculously comforting, fruity without being too sweet and milky without being too funky. i had a full bottle once that i swapped for? i literally couldn't even tell you what? i likely won't repurchase since there are other figs i'd prefer to own a full bottle of, but i'm savoring my 5ml decant.