Magazine Street

Just Hanging Around, a photo by Yonaton13 on Flickr.

In a balancing act, sweet florals and earthy musks create one of the most harmonious and interesting perfumes. Simultaneously wearable and intriguing, it evokes summer nights spent outdoors, armed with mosquito repellent, and enjoying the murmurs of grass creatures at nights and the whispers of climbing vines and nocturnal butterflies.

Beginning with the sweetness of white magnolia and the effervescent, clean-woody linalool of ho-leaf. Don’t let Magazine Streets’ initial Southern Belle demeanors fool you with her crisply starched linens and satin-bowed hairdo: these fruity, innocent white petals are only one part of the equation; Her other half is a street musician containing green yet sensual botanical musks, husky vetiver, just a smidgeon of patchouli only ever so slightly sweetened with the complexity of woodsy-smooth vanilla absolute. And the most beautiful thing about it? The whole thing diminuendos smoothly into a skin-scent that can become deceivingly a part of you.

It’s no secret: Magazine Street is my favourite of all the Strange Invisible Perfumes I’ve sampled. It was love at first sniff several years ago in Venice, and I had to get a sample online, which soon should be replaced by a proper supply – probably the EDP spray, because I find this format gives the line much more justice than the dense, dark extraits which often suffocate the essences (this is true to most natural perfume lines, I’m afraid).

Top notes: Ho Wood
Heart notes: White Magnolia, Jasmine
Base notes: Vetiver, Botanical Musks, Vanilla, Patchouli