I was always the kind of person who planned her meals around desserts. I thought nothing of having a chocolate cake for breakfast and ice cream for dinner. But as time went by, my sweet tooth diminished somewhat. This morning as I was trying to pick out a pastry for breakfast, I surprised myself when I reached for a salty pretzel instead of a chocolate filled croissant.

When it comes to perfumes, on the other hand, I was never a fan of sweet, sugary blends, preferring the salty vetivers, green irises and tangy orange blossoms. Yet, as my dessert cravings diminish, I find myself craving vanilla and caramel in my fragrances. Today I’m wearing Parfums de Nicolaï Vanille Tonka and enjoying its smoky vanilla custard whipped with toasted almonds and cinnamon.

What about you? Do you have a sweet tooth or do you prefer salt, in both food and perfumes?

Photography by Bois de Jasmin, all rights reserved.

Gilded, raunchy, glamorous, voluptuous… Any of these words describe Christian Dior Dioressence, a fragrance that has been marketed by Dior as le parfum barbare, a barbaric perfume. Dioressence is still sold today, but the reason why it ended up among my Long Lost Favorite Perfume series is because the original version is gone. Marika, who asked me to add Dioressence to my list of discussions, said, “I recall it being a deliciously rich chypre, very powerful and tenacious. I liked its balance of earthy depth and elegance. It was my first perfume.”

Fans may complain about Christian Dior causing confusion with their game of renaming and reformulating Miss Dior and Miss Dior Chérie, but Dioressence has suffered the same fate through the years. When I smell the original perfume created by Guy Robert in 1969, the relaunch from the 1970s and the current version, I feel as if I’m wearing three different perfumes—an ambery animalic chypre, a full-bodied spicy oriental and a pale green chypre.

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The Museum of Arts and Design will debut its first fragrance exhibit in November of 2012. “The Art of Scent, 1889-2012 will lead visitors through an olfactory experience that showcases the artistry inherent to creating a fragrance. Featuring twelve perfumes that have significantly impacted the medium, the exhibition will explore major developments in the style and design of fragrance and provide an unprecedented behind-the-scenes glimpse into the labor-intensive process of crafting a work of olfactory art.”

“Highlights from the exhibition, organized by MAD’s Curator of Olfactory Art Chandler Burr, include: Jicky by Aimé Guerlain, Chanel N˚ 5 by Ernest Beaux, Aromatics Elixir by Bernard Chant, Angel by Olivier Cresp, Pleasures by Annie Buzantian and Alberto Morillas, and Untitled by Daniela Andrier, among others… Other confirmed works of olfactory art featured in the exhibition include: Drakkar Noir (1982), by Pierre Wargnye; L’Eau d’Issey (1992), by Jacques Cavallier; cK One (1994), by Alberto Morillas and Harry Frémont; and Prada (2003), by Carlos Benaim and Clément Gavarry.”

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I never fully appreciated the beauty of a material with a funny name like opoponax (also spelled as oppoponax or opopanax) until about a year ago when I had to test a large batch for quality. A huge vat was unloaded on my desk and as I took off the lid and leaned over to dip a testing strip into the molasses-like liquid, the wave of warm, sweet scent washed over me. It smelled of aged scotch, mahogany shavings and bitter caramel, but it was also velvety and powdery. It was overwhelming to smell opoponax in such a way, but the tactual, almost tangible presence of its scent made a strong impression on me.

Of course, you don’t need a vat of opoponax to appreciate its suave presence in perfumes. Opoponax is sometimes called the sweet myrrh, because both myrrh and opoponax are derived from the bark of the Commiphora species (in case of opoponax from Commiphora opoponax/Commiphora erythraea). Its relationship to myrrh is mostly botanical, because opoponax smells sweeter, warmer, more powdery and smoky. Myrrh makes me think of damp stones; opoponax brings to mind the smoldering embers of a fireplace. Myrrh is a somber Gregorian chant, and opoponax is a joyful madrigal.

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It’s with much sadness that I share the news of perfumer Guy Robert passing away on Monday, May 28th. Whether we are talking about Mr. Robert’s ravishing Christian Dior Dioressence or opulent Amouage Gold, sassy The Pink Room Parfum Pour Toi or glamorous Hermès Calèche, Mr. Robert’s fragrances are what French perfumery calls “grand parfums,” perfume symphonies. Mr. Robert’s creations also include Hermès Equipage, Doblis, Madame Rochas, Monsieur Rochas, Gucci Pour Homme (1976), The Pink Room Parfum No 1, Parfum Gres Chouda, among many others. It’s an impressive portfolio that reveals Mr. Robert’s creativity and imagination. “You need an orchestra to play a symphony, but you can make great music with just a flute,” he would say, and his perfumes, even at their simplest, have numerous layers and sing in perfect harmony.

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