They say you are what you eat and apparently the same goes for what you pour over – you write what you read. So I’ve been balancing out my Daily Mail ‘Sidebar of Shame’ sessions with something a little more high-brow, Jean-Claude Ellena’s, ‘The Diary of a Nose‘. A year-long look into Jean-Claude’s life as a ‘parfumer exclusif‘ for Hermès where he divulges his inspiration, formula and the processes that go into his vials of work. If he didn’t pen this book at the end of each day while slurping on a rather large glass of vino then I’ll eat my hat. Its thought-process filled verse makes for a relaxing read and sort of makes me want to crack out a glass of the red stuff for myself; and as a newbie to the fragrance arena I’m penning plenty of notes (and yes my pad’s getting pretty full these days with all my beauty-centric scribbles). It’s short, it’s snappy but the wordy pages make for a welcome substitute to my usual glossy reading.
I picked up my copy from Anthropologie where it was in the sale for a grab-and-go price of £8. Engaging, enriching and for the next week or so I’ll be nose deep in it. I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.
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