I hadn’t intended to buy perfume when I was away, but the moment I put my nose to @mendittorosa_odori_talismans Rituale I knew I was going to have to play packing tetris to squeeze the chunky box into my luggage on the way home from Hong Kong.

Amélie Bourgeois’s scent feels golden–that red-gold of leaf laid over pigment in icons and altarpieces. It shifts from a splash of pomegranate juice to a more viscous pool of pollen-flecked honey and beeswax. Thankfully it’s not the usual sticky over-bright red fruits with a dollop of patchouli, but something that catches the tannic bitter scrape of pith along with the bursting seeds before reaching the jasmine-rose-narcissus florals, and softening over warm sandalwood, cedar, and a dash of hyraceum.

Rituale is unusual, but possibly because of the deep traditional old-school floral roots, never weird, and while I was caught from the first sniff I know this is a perfume where there’s too much to grasp from a first meeting, or even a few wearings. This is a scent that deserves the luxury of time.

Have you accidentally (ahem) wandered into perfume shops when on holiday, and come home with unexpected souvenirs? Or is this something you plan–whether looking for local perfumeries or raids on duty free?

(Thanks to @scented_niche for leading me astray in their lovely, welcoming shop and introducing me to this beauty.)

originally posted 24 April 2019