Burberry Brit For Women EDT | by Burberry.

'Oh, that smells like toilet spray!', with an upturned nose and a sniff in their voice. There's always one. It's often me (I blame my mother). The truth is, when the right perfume hits your skin and warms up, it becomes almost 3D. It will leap off your skin and swirl around, moving from note to note, through the general stages I describe below. But some notes react differently on based on the chemicals in each person's body, so if the one you've tried doesn't rock your boat, maybe you'll need to try something else.

Most of the brands I look after are prestige - beautiful brands with a lot of money, expertise and thought spent. Azzedine Alaïa, Valentino, Elie Saab, Kenzo and Givenchy (she-von-she, heathen) are all leaders of our pack, and as you're probably aware, not brands to scoff at. 

Burberry is no exception and the original Burberry Brit EDT (eau de toilette) recently came under fire when I splashed one of my friends, proudly presenting the tester bottle (no longer distributed in Australia) like a trophy.

Being the polite person I am, I said nothing, but made a mental note to independently test my spoils at a later time. Maybe she had a point. Did I only like it because I knew the brand and the legend behind it? Had I been sold on the inspiration? Or did it actually smell like the very thing it allegedly aspired to disguise?

Here are some facets of Burberry that I dig.

• Mid 1850s, the young Tom Burberry sells out as yet another dressmaker who decides he's a big enough deal to 'do' a fragrance. Or pay somebody enough to do it. Tom loves an extra challenge, good on him.
• Burberry supplied and was worn by loads of adventurous, rad people. Forget the red carpet, back in the day Burberry was everywhere from the Arctic Circle to the South Pole. They supplied the tents, the coats and churned out some motorbike gear, aviation garb and ski suits (totally gnar).
• Emma Watson is a total babe.

TOPSIDE  Lime | Icy Pear | Green Almond

When you first spray, it's like a light cocktail of fruit punch rainbow. But the main colours would be orange, pink and green. WTF does an Icy Pear smell like? Like that.

MIDRIF  White Peony | Sugared Almond

Akin to a cheer-squad warm up session. Sweet. Sugared Almonds are good no matter the context. Mum always posts me some at Easter. And Peony is my favourite floral note in fragrance - a salacious citrus blossom. Had a winner there. 

Now smell a bit of your skin with no perfume on it, or coffee beans.

BASED  Mahagony Wood | Amber | Vanilla Beans

The mid-base notes continue for a few hours (maybe 3-4), it is light and breezy, saucy and tender. You can smell the vanilla and know that it carries your fragrance forward, but you certainly won't send Aunty Jude into a sneezing fit. 

OVERALLS - It's nice. Really nice. Take a purse-sized refill with you or layer with lotion for a longer lasting trail.

If you like this one but are looking for a change, try also Burberry Sheer for Her, Jimmy Choo Exotic, or Elie Saab La Parfum in Eau de Toilette.

Little Ramen Bar, Melbourne.

Ever since my first visit to Japan in March last year, Ramen and Gyoza rest inarguably at the pinnacle of my food pyramid, especially when it comes to a guaranteed hangover cure. Greasy, check. Hot, check. Salty, check. Comforting, check... see? This food group ticks boxes for days.

Little Ramen Bar is an easy call; date nights, friend-y outings, lunch with me, myself and I (this is how one justifies ordering for three). Location is supreme, the menu is simple, and it's intimate - seating maybe twenty-eight at a time - but the line goes fast so don't be discouraged. It's hard for patrons not to roll out the door once they've slurped up a bowl of miso that size.

#1

Date with a now ex. PM, so dinner. The place is a hive of activity, and even though the line is at least ten deep, we aren't waiting long. The waitress (those girls... just, yes.) has taken our order outside so, post-edamame (枝豆), things start arriving at our table with almost alarming speed once we're sat. I do the spicy Miso (sometimes I throw in more chilli oil, medium isn't too hectic here), with an added egg. We share a plate of Gyoza and we. are. done. Reasonable pricing means 'who pays on date night' awkwardness is somewhat alleviated. 

#2

Lunch with a bestie. The lunch rush is fine. I'm always done within 40 mins and I go all the time. We're not in such a hurry today, so take TLC time with our amalgamations. Gold star mention to the Gyozas... peppery, pan-fried parcels of pork dipped in soy, vinegar and chilli oil... Isa can't finish her broth, but I put away all but the chilli seeds in the bottom of my bowl. This place is 100% consistently good and a no-brainer, and I've never seen such enormous serves of Edemame.

On Perfumery.

pər-fyo͞o′mə-rē
noun
noun: perfumery

1. the action or business of producing or selling perfumes.

   "an oil used in perfumery"

   • a shop that sells perfumes.

     plural noun: perfumeries

     "a department store perfumery"

At some turn along my extended (and, I hope, mildly entertaining) blogging path, I apparently stumbled across the golden gem that is 'beginning any article you're not certain how to start with a blatantly copy-and-pasted definition section from Google define'. So that was mandatory, you do understand.

Before we begin - I'm no expert in fragrances, yet. I just recently landed a job in a department store as a 2IC who sells it. I've been there a month now and have worked out that it's pretty amusing listening to myself describe molecules to my customers and get the sale, without sounding like an utter omelette or dropping expletives in the process. Some of the descriptives out there would blow your mind, which is something I obviously hope to do in the near future.

So, in the name of personal development, I've decided to include the act of reviewing perfumes within this, my newest project, in order to expand my general knowledge of perfumery, vocab (in particular, adjectives and other descriptives), and the history and interesties behind your favourite, Saturday 'he's getting lucky tonight' eau de cologne that are important too. 

Lol. Enjoy, cunts.