Nosing around for some action: Making sense of scents

Author: Robert La Bua

 

Often abused, even more often re-sculpted, the nose is the neglected step child in our family of facial sensory organs. We please our ears with beautiful music, enchant our eyes with visual delights of all kinds. I won’t even go into the pleasures of the mouth, though they are most welcome to go into me. But what about the nose? Incense, perfume, aromatherapy, body aroma and more.

The waft of fine food emanating from the stove or oven(for God’s sake, NOT the microwave) or aroma of heated D&G from a nearby erogenous zone do occasionally catch our fancy, but sustained ol-factory pleasure is practically unknown in Western civilization.

Luckily, we have the sensible influence of Eastern civilization. Those Easties know the value of a good scent to invoke the spirits, both your own and those of the worlds beyond your own. India, the world’s favorite source of incense, is, perhaps surprisingly, one of the most nose-pleasing places on Earth. I was expecting suffocating curry smells, the stench of animal dung both fresh and stale, and the telling presence of the Great Unwashed to be everywhere. Instead, my nose found sandalwood, rose, spices, and 1950s-scented napes fresh from the barber shop.

I admit it. I love incense. I have a burner in every room, and I like to burn more than one at a time, mixing complementary scents to enhance the experience even further. I save the incense boxes; when they are empty, I put them in my drawers and wardrobe so that my clothes may pick up faint hints of favorites like frangipani and Nag Champa.

I find bergamot, neroli, heliotrope, lilac, and lavender amongst the most appealing of scents. There are of course dozens of others to choose from. I know each of them has its own properties, but I don’t get caught up in what is used for what, I just like them for the way they smell and the way they make my mind smile.

I know each of them has its own properties, but I don’t get caught up in what is used for what, I just like them for the way they smell and the way they make my mind smile. If you are a deviate, or would like to become one, you may prefer a whiff of gym crotch male musk, sweet anality, or un-deodorised armpit instead of fruit and flowers. Who could blame you? If you have spent time honing your nasal skills, you can certainly tell Brock from California is on your coffee table, Torben from Copenhagen is on your bedroom doorknob, the Italian guy from the construction site around the corner is on your fingers.

If you are a deviate, or would like to become one, you may prefer a whiff of gym crotch male musk, sweet anality, or un-deodorised armpit instead of fruit and flowers. Who could blame you? If you have spent time honing your nasal skills, you can certainly tell Brock from California is on your coffee table, Torben from Copenhagen is on your bedroom door knob, that Italian guy from the construction site around the corner is on your fingers.

Let’s not forget that scents come from Nature, so instead of aroma bottles and incense sticks, we can go right to the source and have fresh flowers, fresh herbs, cinnamon bark, orange zest and male musk (yes, again I can never have too much of that) in our ether. The scent of potted geraniums, for example, is not flowery, but certainly earthy and distinct. I grew big-leaf basil in the bathroom until the day I ran out of toilet paper.

In risk of violating the undeclared but omni present Creed of Homosexual Conspicuous Consumption, I am not a fan of perfumes sprayed on the body. I do like them, but not on skin. Therefore, a little puff of Old Spice on the pillow goes far in setting me up to dream the night away. DONT let your neighbor’s rancid cooking oil be the last thing you smell at night.

Now that we are ensconced in our minimalist glass-wall environments with no place to hang the art, let scent be the detail that makes your space your own without intruding on the aesthtique du jour.

You might like to check out INTI-MATE, a stunning feel good, evoking aroma that’s unlike anything else. Click here https://bodcare.com/intimate/

 

 

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