On The Scent

Nicola Bonn

On The Scent is the podcast destination for anyone fascinated by fragrance (or keen to learn more) – a place where perfume snobbery is stripped away, and fragrance is accessible to all. What began as a monthly sniff-in on the Outspoken Beauty Podcast soon became so popular in its own right (and with so many listeners sending in questions and asking for more) that On the Scent just had to go weekly - this time on its own perfumed platform! Encompassing everything from icons and all-time classics to what’s new on the high street to the more ‘niche’ indie brands; Beauty broadcaster and columnist Nicola Bonn and award-winning fragrance journalist and expert Suzy Nightingale give personalised perfume prescriptions, describe fragrances in such an intoxicating way you can almost smell them and help navigate the thousands of scents out there to find the truly incredible ones. Also expect interviews with well-known figures, delving into their favourite scents of all time and opportunities to get to know some of the most exciting perfumers in the world. Whether you’ve a collection of 500+ or are just starting on your scent journey, olfactory obsessives Nicola & Suzy are on a mission to find you fragrances that don’t simply smell good, but will re-connect you to long forgotten memories, engage your emotions and very likely blow your mind.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Boutique openings, Moroccan souk dreams & smoky-sweet tobacco:

    This week we’re talking new London perfume destinations and prescribing scents that whisk you straight to the medina or wrap you in a sensuous tobacco haze. Suzy visited the brand-new @nishane.official boutique in London’s Mayfair, sharing why she’s so glad this Istanbul-born house has a home on Maddox Street. Just across town, Suzy explored the new @matierepremiereparfums store in Covent Garden, and why their single-ingredient focus feels so perfect to explore in person. Suzy was wrapped in @matierepremiereparfums Encens Suave Extrait, a smoky-syrupy incense that feels like velvet in candlelight. Then it’s on to your Perfume Prescriptions… Listener prescriptions! Katy Rosenbaum – “the good parts of a Moroccan souk” Katy asks for a fragrance that smells like the dreamy side of a Moroccan souk – oud, bakhoor, amber, saffron, orange blossom, incense and mint – but with no animalic growl or sweaty cumin. Suggested for Katy: @kayali Marrakesh in a Bottle Orange Blossom | 24 – sunlit orange blossom, shimmering spice, soft woods. @kayali Oudgasm Tobacco Oud – honeyed oud, spiced tobacco, praline-smoked warmth. Layering ideas: @emiratesprideperfumes Future Oud – inky-modern oud glow. @emiratesprideperfumes Future Bakhoor – smouldering bakhoor embers in perfume form. @27_87 Wandervogel – Moroccan mint, cool spice, wandering-soul musk. @sergelutens Fleur d’Oranger – narcotic orange blossom, honeyed white petals, shadowy spice. Scott / @blublazerguy’s picks: @contesdeparfums Marrakesh – sun-baked spices, warm skin, a whisper of cumin. @aesop Marrakech Intense – vivid souk spices, dust, dry woods. @marrakechimperial discovery set – a wardrobe of Marrakesh-inspired scents to mix and match your own souk. Layering @jomalonelondon White Jasmine & Mint with Amber Labdanum – cool garden mint over golden, incense-warmed amber. Memoirs of a Perfumer Collector – A Night in Marrakesh – inky sky, spiced markets, flickering lantern smoke. Question from Cardamomefille – sensual, feminine tobacco (pipe, not cigarette) Cardamomefille is seeking a sensual scent built around warm pipe tobacco, with a clearly feminine side rather than ashtray smoke… Suggested for Cardamomefille: @sergelutens Chergui – honeyed pipe tobacco, sun-baked hay, incense-swirled amber. @guerlain Tobacco Honey – golden honeyed tobacco, plush woods, cozy purr of warmth. @guerlain Absolus Allegoria Tabac Sahara – smoky desert tobacco, tart raspberry shimmer, ambergris glow. Sonoma Scent Studio Tabac Aurea – boozy cherry pipe tobacco, dry amber, leather and spice wrapped in vanilla.

    50 min
  2. 5 FEB

    Season 7 Episode 23: Scenting Emily in Paris Season 5

    In this week’s episode of the podcast, we’re picking perfect perfumes for the cast of Emily in Paris (well, Rome when season 5 begins). As the show progresses we see all manner of complicated liaisons, along with a general theme of growth, glamour, ambition, & escapism. Here’s how we’d scent it! Suzy suspects the fictional house of Muratorio in the show takes inspiration from Brunello Cucinelli. The designer set out to reinvent Italian luxury, marrying craft with conscience. Based in Solomeo, the restored Umbrian village now stands as the heart of his brand — a symbol of beauty, ethics, & enduring craftsmanship. To properly scent the cashmere house of Muratori, Suzy chose: @brunellocucinelli_brand Pour Femme A crisp Umbrian morning, bottled: citrus & spice over creamy chestnut, woods & musk atop a chicly paired-back but supremely soft cashmere embrace. Marcello Muratori Suzy: @brunellocucinelli_brand Pour Homme Bright spiced citrus evokes Umbrian countryside air, warming into woody, resinous, balsamic notes & a handsomely smooth, amber-y dry down. Nicola: @acquadiparma Colonia Essenza Sparkling lemon, orange, bergamot and grapefruit over polished-wood woods; a vibrant, woody-citrus twist on the iconic Colonia – effortlessly elegant. Emily Suzy: @ormondejayne Gelsomino A Freddo Ambrosia Extrait An iconic Italian house showing its elegantly addictive side via cardamom & lemon over jasmine enfleurage, black tea & myrrh melting into sweet, creamy woods. Nicola: @cartier La Panthére eau de parfum Utterly confident & chic: luminous gardenia wrapped in velvety musks & chypre notes, a feline-floral aura with unmistakable poise. Mindy Suzy: @grittifragrances Duchessa Dark cherry, bitter orange and saffron swirl with chocolate, jasmine & brown sugar for a fun, more-ish gourmand radiating plush hedonism. Nicola: @thameen.london Centre Stage A spotlit cabaret fantasy of orange blossom, lavender and cardamom, grounded by leather & animalic nuances for a provocative trail. @ormondejayne Sybarite For the life & soul of the party, pink and Timur peppers, hazelnut & jasmine sashay over vanilla, labdanum, smoked woods & musk, pulsing sensorially. Alfie Suzy: @gallivant.stories London Urbanite spring floral leather: rose, cucumber & violet leaf over sandalwood, patchouli, cedar & worn-leather nuances with a twinkle in its eye. Nicola: @experimentalperfumeclub Cardamom Moss Cool & sizzling spices collide: ginger, turmeric, cardamom & cinnamon on an Ambroxan/moss base, with salty woods, tobacco & powdery musks. Sylvie Nicola: @maisonfranciskurkdjian Grand Soir An amber evening glow: labdanum, lavandin & cinnamon leaf melting into sumptuous amber-vanilla & benzoin, dressed-up & impeccably sensual. Suzy: @goutalparis Ninfeo Mio eau de toilette A proudly Parisian take on Italy: juicy citrus & green fig conjuring a lush, sunlit garden near Rome - leafy, sparkling & transportive.

    47 min
  3. 16 JAN

    Season 7 Episode 20: Modern fragrances with a vintage vibe

    In this week's episode we're leaning into the our nostalgia needs and exploring the wonderful world of vintage inspired fragrances. Here's what we discuss: @guerlain Shalimar L’Essence Eau de Parfum Intense “Shalimar celebrates its 100th anniversary. To mark this exceptional event, the Maison is revealing Shalimar L’Essence, a new intense variation which concentrates Shalimar’s distinctive codes: its quintessence. A homage to the timeless modernity, daring and seduction of Guerlain’s most famous scent for women. Delphine Jelk has added the precious Madagascan vanilla tincture stemming from Guerlain's ancestral know-how to the ethylvanillin found in Jacques Guerlain’s original formula, giving Shalimar a new intensity. Discreet and subtle, bergamot illuminates the floral heart which blends rose absolute with the powdery elegance of iris. Little by little, Shalimar’s amber note unfolds. Used in abundance, vanilla infuses it with new facets – smooth and woody with a hint of leather.” “To wear Shalimar is to let your senses take over.” - Jacques Guerlain @bienaime_1935 Vermeil @gather.fragrance & @fioleuk We’ve previously talked about this one quite a lot, but you must also check out their gloriously evocative new fragrance… Bienaimé Vesprée @gather.fragrance & @fioleuk “Vesprée captures the quiet, luminous moment between day and night. As the sun dips and the air cools, an elegant breeze of cardamom, bergamot and lavender unfurls - soft, serene, and full of anticipation. TOP NOTES Cardamom, Bergamot, Lavender, Carrot Seed, Celery SeedHEART NOTES Peru Balsam, Rose, Geranium, IrisBASE NOTES Vetiver, Benzoin, Vanilla, Cedarwood, Labdanum, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood The fragrance opens with fresh spice and aromatic brightness before revealing a warm, resinous heart wrapped in iris and rose. As it settles, Vesprée becomes deeper and more textural, grounded in vetiver, benzoin and smooth woods. The result is a softly glowing, gender-fluid composition - equally comforting and refined, evoking the stillness and mystery of twilight. @jouissanceparfums La Bague d’O (1954 inspired) “Beguiling, intoxicating, romantic. A bruise-coloured bouquet. TOP:Steel Chains, Pink Pepper, Orange Flesh MID: Geranium, Jasmine, Rose, Violet BASE: Amber, Animalic, Musk, Patchouli @discothequefragrances Baise Moi on the Dancefloor “Silky waters, crystal goblets and champagne bottles, iris sprigs, wild vines of jasmine, intertwined limbs and steamy handprints, a timeless ruse, a poet and a muse, an ocean of violets in bloom, “love is a reciprocal torture,” breathed through a cloud of powder. 1979, PARIS TOP — Violet Leaf, Cassis HEART — Orris, Jasmine BASE — Cashmere, Sandalwood.” @officine_universelle_buly Héliotrope du Pérou The “unique water-based fragrance, reveals a bouquet of white flowers stung with tonka beans and violet. Charismatic, she rolls like velvet on the skin, without ever imposing herself to excess. Heliotrope, leather, sandalwood, tonka, violet and ebony.” @naomigoodsir Iris Cendre @soliflore_store “fresh floral tone, led by bergamot, tangerine & spices. A rich & powdery heart of incense & purple iris. Sensuality is enhanced by cistus, tobacco & amber.” Lipstick, leather & smoke. @jeroboamperfumes Origino Top notes are Bergamot and Pink Pepper; middle notes are Juniper and Nutmeg; base notes are Sandalwood and White Musk. “Worn on bare skin, Origino speaks for itself. The Esperanto word for beginnings, Origino was invented by perfumer Vanina Muracciole and marks nothing less than a new beginning; the genesis of a completely new brand and the creation of a new olfactory universe. Whilst every Jeroboam perfume is based around a musky cocktail, each one is distinct, enticing and seductive and given that the great majority of modern perfumes have a musky base, the Jeroboam stable of unisex perfume extracts are all designed to have universal appeal. Origino has top notes of bergamot and pink peppercorn that give way to a heart of juniper and nutmeg which, in turn, gives way to a base composed of sandalwood and a blend of enigmatic musks.” @andreamaack Craft “Purifying aldehydes and smouldering incense recall the crystal-clear mystery of a frozen lake at nightfall. Glittering metallic notes promise salvation, grounded in the holy sacrament of ancient resin. Top notes: Aldehydes, Ice Heart notes: Cold metal, Cedar Wood Base notes: Elemi, Patchouli.” @erisparfums Ma Bête @wild_iris_perfumerie “MA BÊTE (My Beast) caresses you with the suggestiveness of perfumed fur. A collision of the floral and the animal, MA BÊTE combines a regal Tunisian Neroli with spices and a 50 percent overdose of Antoine Lie's own animalic cocktail. "Ma Bête is a fierce beast with raunchy elegance." – Antoine Lie (Perfumer) Available in 50 ml / 1.7 fl. oz. atomizer bottles at eau de parfum concentration. FRAGRANCE NOTES Aldehydes, Tunisian Neroli, Indian NutmegIndian Cypriol, Honduran Styrax, Indian Jasmine SambacVirginia Cedarwood, Indonesian Patchouli, Synthetic Animalic Accord.”

    57 min

About

On The Scent is the podcast destination for anyone fascinated by fragrance (or keen to learn more) – a place where perfume snobbery is stripped away, and fragrance is accessible to all. What began as a monthly sniff-in on the Outspoken Beauty Podcast soon became so popular in its own right (and with so many listeners sending in questions and asking for more) that On the Scent just had to go weekly - this time on its own perfumed platform! Encompassing everything from icons and all-time classics to what’s new on the high street to the more ‘niche’ indie brands; Beauty broadcaster and columnist Nicola Bonn and award-winning fragrance journalist and expert Suzy Nightingale give personalised perfume prescriptions, describe fragrances in such an intoxicating way you can almost smell them and help navigate the thousands of scents out there to find the truly incredible ones. Also expect interviews with well-known figures, delving into their favourite scents of all time and opportunities to get to know some of the most exciting perfumers in the world. Whether you’ve a collection of 500+ or are just starting on your scent journey, olfactory obsessives Nicola & Suzy are on a mission to find you fragrances that don’t simply smell good, but will re-connect you to long forgotten memories, engage your emotions and very likely blow your mind.

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