When I dream of beaches there are no palm trees, bikinis, or tropical breezes, just rocks and seaweed and rain and all the roaring white horses of wind-churned waves.

Strangelove NY Silence the Sea is my kind of coastline. The one where you can stand on a cliff and know there’s nothing but deep water between you and the far curve of the earth, or the sort of beach you head to to walk off a bad mood, and the wind blows your rage to shreds and you feel stripped clean after.

A few years ago, @snarlish decided he wanted a picnic on the beach for his birthday even though his birthday is in October, and we live in Scotland. So, obviously, we sat bundled in overcoats and scrunched up together under a big umbrella on the lumpy shingle, valiantly drinking masses of red wine, with sideways rain skinning our faces as the last light drained away with the tide. It was a brilliant evening.

I very much want to try the EDP, but, at £360 for 50ml including the 24k gold cap bling, I think it’s unlikely*. While I am *entirely* the target market for this scent, I am not the market for these super-luxe objects. I was given this oil by a very dear, very generous friend, and I will treasure it. She was entirely right in thinking that I would love this–and not just because she knows I am a @christophelaudamiel fangirl, but because she knows how much I like scents that walk this fine balance between strangeness and comfort.

* they later released 15ml bottles of the EDPs, and mid 2020 I bought one for $100 during a big sale. That now retails for $225 USD. ouch. But it’s still better value than a lot of the hyped “niche” where you are paying or the name and not the work.

originally posted 10 april 2019, footnote december 2025