Smells I like:

• Musk
• Fig leaves
• My cat
• Almond, as in almond essence, marzipan smell.
• Roasted wattle seeds
• Cardamom
• Coal tar soap.

I've been learning lots about perfumes, trying a new sample every day, really enjoying it.

I'm documenting things on a blog: Perfume Log.

My favourite is still Monsieur, which I got for a birthday present a few years ago. As a more casual alternative I like Wood Infusion.

I'm trying to find a fresh Summer smell, trying lots of things with citruses and fig leaves.

Would also like to find a favourite musky smell, as I generally like those.

I also like wearing sweet, pink, powdery smells at home at night. I like Powdered Veil and Divin'Enfant, but am still looking for others.

I like fig tree smells. My fave so far is Fig Extasy.

Currently it's Winter and I'm trying things that are warm and prickly, like vetiver, pepper… I bought Black Calamus by Carner Barcelona…

Musk stick

Musk Sticks are one of my favourite lollies. I think the perfume model is set by Guerlain's Shalimar: musks, rose, ambers, vanilla, but not sure of the relationship between perfume and musk sticks. There's some history of musk flavoured lollies in this article: Love it or hate it, the musk stick is one of Australia's most misunderstood treats, by Kit Kriewaldt.

One's I've tried and liked are Powdered Veil by Miller Harris, which has a nice bitter rhubarb element, but has been discontinued; Musk by Lorenzo Villoresi, which is maybe the closest to the sweet; Musc Ravageur by Frederic Malle, which is somewhere between the two, but definitely closer to Musk. I guess there's also Divin'Enfant by Etat Libre d'Orange, though less so. And of course there are many more I haven't tried yet.

Had the inspiration to look for Strawberry Shortcake smelling things, these're some notes:

• https://strawberryshortcakedolls.com/perfume-guide-how-to-smell-like-strawberry-shortcake/
  • https://www.amorphousperfume.com/products/new-doll-perfume-oil

• Lore loreperfumery.com.au
• Libertine libertineparfumerie.com.au
• Mecca mecca.com
• City Perfume cityperfume.com.au - Sydney.

• Fragrance Through The Decades - Talk by perfumer Roja Dove.
• The path to master perfumer: he risked everything to follow his dream of becoming a ‘nez' - Silly name, but a good half-hour doco following a refugee from Syria as he studies perfumery in France.
• Perfume: Something Old, Something New Bottling the Memory The Smell Of The Future - Three-part doco from the BBC. There's this bit where a guy's trying to find an empty spot to try a new perfume like he's trying to find a vein.
• The Nose: Searching for Blamage - Doco about Perfumer Alessandro Gualtieri (Orto Parisi, Nasomatto). Excuse the Bitchute link, but it's the only play I could find it for free. If you want better quality you can rent or buy it on Vimeo.

Fragrantica is the site that seems to come up most when you look for perfumes. But it's owned by queerphobic, anti-vax, right-wing dickheads, and seems to attract a bunch of those types too (forums are rank). Some alternatives are:

• Basenotes - Seems to feature a lot of 'indie' perfume houses. Has DIY info on the forum, and the forum is generally pretty active.
• Parfumo - Another alternative. Haven't decided which I prefer, but Parfumo seems a bit easier to use.
• Wikiparfum - There's also this wiki that doesn't seem to actually be a wiki, doesn't have an extensive database, and looks like it's made by someone who actually enjoys watching shampoo ads…

• https://basenotes.com/community/forums/fragrance-diy/

• Notes on Fragrances