WHAT WE DO IS SECRET
アート／Art  安藤忠雄／Tadao Ando  クリストフ ロダミエル／Christophe Laudamiel  クレモン ギャバリー／Clement Gavarry  ゲラン／Guerlain  建築／Architecture  広告／Ad  ザハ ハディッド／Zaha Hadid  ジボダン／Givaudan  ジャック キャバリエ／Jacques Cavallier  シャネル／Chanel  シュウ ウエムラ／Shu Uemura  ジョン バーナム シュワルツ／John Burnham Schwartz  ソフィア・グロスマン／Sophia Grojsman  高砂香料／Takasago    調香師 パフューマー／Perfumer  ティエリー ワッサー／Thierry Wasserr  デザイン／Design  テリー リチャードソン／Terry Richardson  匂い／Scent  フィルメニッヒ／Firmenich  フェラーリ／Ferrari  フランシス クルクジャン／Francis Kurkdjian  三宅一生／Issey Miyake  メイド バイ ブログ／Made by Blog  吉岡徳仁／Tokujin Yoshioka  レム コールハース／Rem Koolhaas  ロホン ルゲルネック／Laurent Le Guernec 

Marina (Perfume Smellin’ Things)

Cliché as it is to look for the roots of one’s interests and obsessions in childhood and to hold one’s parents responsible for the good, the bad, and the ugly traits of one’s character, my fascination with perfume has indeed started when I was a small child enthralled by mother’s fragrances displayed on her vanity table and absolutely forbidden for me to touch. This was during the Soviet times; the Western perfumes were extremely hard to find, and I really cannot imagine where my mother unearthed her beautiful bottles. If I close my eyes, I can see some of them now…Madame Rochas in its exquisite box ornamented with golden lace. Magie Noire in the black, mysterious flacon. The light, feminine bottle of Anais Anais…They looked so chic, so “French”; when I surreptitiously applied the fragrances to my wrists, they transported me to the glamorous, thrilling world so unlike my mundane everyday existence.

Ever since I have been interested in perfume. When a couple of years ago I discovered various fragrance forums and perfume blogs, the interest has blossomed into an obsession, an addiction. Before I knew it, I had a perfume blog of my own, Perfume Smellin’ Things. It was my own little corner of the Internet, where I could indulge in talking about perfume, only perfume and nothing but perfume. Nothing pleases me more then finding and reviewing an interesting, evocative scent that touches something in my soul, that stirs a memory, that takes me to the faraway lands. I love it when a scent makes me think of a painting, a book, a song, a poem (I am prone to quoting Baudelaire and Neruda at any given opportunity and at great length in my blog).

In my non-blogging life I am a mother of a sweet little girl and a wife of a man who is thankfully very tolerant towards my perfume “hobby.” My education and professional experience lie in the field of sociology and social anthropology; neither my studies nor my work has ever been perfume-related in any way. So if you asked me what qualifications I have for writing about fragrances, my honest answer would be that I have none. My only qualification is my undying love for perfume.

I am incredibly thrilled to be a part of this project. I have always dreamed about a perfume created just for me, just the way I wanted it to be. However I am also looking forward to learning more about the process of perfume creation, to getting a peek into an exciting, mysterious world of perfumers.

Marina’s Proposal: “Holy Grail” »