One of my favourite books of ALL TIME  is by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, entitled Perfumes:The A-Z guide. This is THE   ‘bible’ to scent and is so readable that is often supplants all others in the ‘what shall I read?’ stakes. Unlike lots of my books, I ALWAYS know where this book is!

Its power lies in its compelling style, its dazzling ability to seduce the reader’s olfactory sense(s) with the range of recommendations, put downs and general capacity for the swash-buckling’ phrase that sends readers at once to ebay:

”Although Angel is sold as a gourmand for girls, spoken of as if it were a fudge-dipped berry in a confectioner’s shop, it’s all lies. Look for Angel’s  Adam’s apple, a handsome, resinous, woody patchouli straight out of the pipes and leather slippers realm of men’s fragrance…”

It is great for students studying creative writing too, whether for academic purposes or your own creative pursuits, as it devotes hundreds of pages to descriptions of smell. So much writing relies heavily on the visual yet our memories and reactions to others often depend upon our sense of smell.

Try this review of Tocade by Rochas:

”if the devil is in the details, so are the angels…The vanilla was too weird, perfectly judged between ice cream, smoke, and candy floss. Everything, from the juicy top notes to the butter-cookie dry down, meshed together perfectly, gracefully, happily, to give a perfume with vivid eyes, a ready laugh, and pretty dancing feet.”

A dazzling dance of a review and when I sit here inhaling Tocade, I have to salute Turin for his gifted ability to  synthesise olfactory awareness with radiant language.  Linguistic chemistry for noses!

My first recommendation now is for a Swiss Arabian perfume called ‘Noora’ meaning ‘Divine Light’ in Arabic. It is easily  found on ebay and is fresh, open hearted and yet caressingly  intimate. A day or night perfume  and one you can guarantee will make others smile in your playfully scented atmosphere.

My nose is not Turin’s but I do love Noora’s ‘mukhalat’(mixture) of oranges and honey, lily, musk, sandalwood and vanilla!  Noora Dances through the air lightly,  yet makes you want to lean forward too and keep smelling it again up close!   Something is lingering too like that fruity ‘mukhalat’  as you step out into the holiday heat when your aircraft doors have just opened and you have arrived!