perfume write-ups: fumerie spring 2026 sampler
marlou, une nuite nomade, scents of wood, fischersund, mdci
Fumerie is a perfume store in Portland that, despite my various travels to Oregon, I have yet to visit in person. I did place an order with them last month though because I wanted a sample of the new Eris scent, “Mother’s Milk.” (More on that later.…)1 Seeking to pad out the order, I ended up adding this sampler. I always appreciate the opportunity to try scents I wouldn’t think of trying.
The write-ups are below but the short takeaway is that I had a lot of fun and I’ll probably get Fumerie’s summer sampler. I didn’t rank them but I really liked three, liked one that didn’t suit me, and hated the fifth. Usually I link to the perfumer’s website, but in this case I have linked back to Fumerie.
Doliphor (Marlou)
(Fragrantica / Parfumo / Basenotes)
carrot seed, costus, cumin, musk
Marlou’s thing is making animalic perfumes (or, as the brand puts it, “a perfume created by Marlou joins itself to the body’s own olfactory signaling”). I have tried one of their perfumes (“Poudrextase”), which is a very pleasant rose perfume. But, despite having samples of some of the others, their reputation unnerves me enough that when I pick a sample to try I’m always like… is today the day for “Carnicure”… and somehow, it never is. On the other hand, maybe when I try “Carnicure” I’ll think “actually this doesn’t smell all that dirty to me.”
Like “Poudrextase,” “Doliphor” is a very pleasant perfume, though in its case what it really reminds of more than anything is smelling a dandelion. It stays close to the skin and I guess this is Marlou’s version of the “your skin but better” type of perfume. I’d say, it’s sort of how you feel unshowered people smell in the movies.
I don’t know if I’d buy a full bottle of “Doliphor,” but I liked it a lot. Definitely a smell that puts you in mind of spring. I might buy a decant if I keep wearing the sample.
Silver Saffron (Une Nuite Nomade)
(Fragrantica / Parfumo / Basenotes)
iris, myrrh, papyrus, raspberry, saffron
What does saffron smell like? Honestly I don’t know. If I really search my soul I’m not even exactly sure what saffron tastes like. I know that it is the key ingredient in various delicious foods, but I’m completely unclear on what it tastes like or what its contribution is. The main thing I know about saffron is that it is expensive.