DEADLY SCENTS

By Benjamen Judd

One of the worst things about summer is the smell. And we don’t mean the stink of garbage as it sits in 40 degree heat or the rancid scent of urine from three-day weekend party-goers. We mean your standard humid B.O.

So, in order to help you combat that and make sure you never get caught out as a Sydney Stinker, we thought we’d recommend our new favourite collection of artisanal perfumes from French soap house, Cous fil de Blanc.

Entitled Les Fleurs du Mal (Or Flowers of Evil after the collection of poetry by the ever amazing Charles Baudelaire), the collection of three perfumes are based on three notes only – Absinthe, Pavot and Chanvre – each a notorious plant known for it’s intoxicating ability.

Absinthe is exactly what the name suggests – a rich mix of wormwood and labdanum with base notes of licorice and rosemary.

Pavot, or poppy flower, is slightly sweeter and a little more hedonistic, mixed as it is with musk and iris.

And Chanvre, or hemp, is the perfect day scent providing a green burst of freshness, with notes of mandarin and cardamom to bolster it in the longrun

Each bottle comes in either 50ml or 100ml and is the perfect Christmas idea for someone who you think might need some hygienic help over the summer. Or for yourself because good stuff like this should never be wasted on the unworthy.

Les Fleurs du Mal is available at the Standard Store on Crown Street in Surry Hills.