Author: Mara

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Knowing by Estée Lauder

This one’s an exciting little mystery—like you’ve just stumbled on a secret no one else knows about, and you feel very in-the-know. Let me tell you why.

First off, this is not your average safe, blind-buy, crowd-pleaser. Nope. This is a complex, grown-up kind of fragrance. It reminds me of my mum, who swears by classic chypre-floral perfumes—the kind of woman who has a signature scent, a strong opinion on handbag quality, and a fabulous coat collection to match.

Knowing is sophistication and complication in a bottle.

Crafted by Harry Fremont (yep, the same nose behind CK One—wild, I know), this is a deep, woody-floral experience where every note feels intentional. It’s not florals fighting florals—it’s florals conspiring with florals, scheming in harmony.

Now for the notes, and fair warning—there are a lot:

• Top notes: Aldehydes, mimosa, rose, coriander, green notes, tuberose, plum, and melon—an opening that feels bright, textured, and a little mysterious, like you’re being pulled into something intriguing.

• Middle notes: Patchouli, cardamom, orris root, cedar, bay leaf, jasmine, orange blossom, lily-of-the-valley, and pittosporum. It’s vintage elegance with a spicy, green twist—think velvet, but with an edge.

• Base notes: Oakmoss, patchouli (again!), civet, vetiver, spices, sandalwood, orris root (again!), amber, and musk. This is where the magic happens.

The dry-down is the star of the show. Imagine wandering into an enchanted forest—you’re not sure why you’re there, but with each passing minute, it starts to make sense. It’s earthy, a little moody and vintage, and entirely captivating. You don’t want to leave.

Packaging? Well… the black lid throws me off—it feels disconnected from the rest. The liquefied plastic-looking base is oddly cool, but that gold band in the middle? Unclear vibes. Stylish chaos. Somehow it all works? Kind of?

At the end of the day, Knowing is alluring, mysterious, unapologetic. It doesn’t try to please—it just exists confidently in its own world.

A bold 4.5/5, especially if you love a scent with real presence, personality, and a whisper of drama.

 
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Good Girl by Carolina Herrera

This has got to be one of the best perfumes that doesn’t neatly fall into the usual stereotypical categories—it’s not just gourmand, floral, or spicy. It’s more like a bold blend of all of them, in the best way possible.

Created by master perfumers Louise Turner (yes, the same nose behind Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry) and Quentin Bisch (who brought us Amouage’s Guidance), Good Girl was designed to embody every side of femininity—from light to dark, softness to strength.

But let’s be honest, you don’t really care about all that. What you want to know is: what does it actually smell like?

Imagine moody confidence bottled up. It opens with bold top notes of almond, coffee, bergamot, and lemon—a sharp, slightly sweet, and roasted kind of intro. Then it transitions into a heart of jasmine sambac, orange blossom, and tuberose, giving it a creamy floral twist. Finally, it grounds you with a deep base of tonka bean, cocoa, vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood, and honestly, about a dozen other notes—because yes, it’s one of those fragrances (shoutout to our beloved Fragrantica for the full note breakdown).

As for the packaging: you already know. It’s the iconic black stiletto. Bold? Yes. Recognizable? Absolutely. A little tacky? Definitely—but in a charming way.

At the end of the day, Good Girl is effortlessly sexy. If you’re looking for something that gives you confidence and a sense of control to take on your day (or night), this is it. And if you can look past the heel-shaped bottle, it’s an easy 4/5.

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Mona Lisa

Colour is false advertising.
You don’t believe me?
Take the Mona Lisa:
leave it in the heat,
watch the colours seep out
like scattered sheep,
see the colours try to
withstand the light,
but they can’t –
they can’t coalesce.
Instead the pigments manipulate
each other,
destroy the saturation within
themselves.
Until what’s left
is an ugly damaged Lisa.

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History of Contemporary

Each design movement builds from its

predecessor

or reacts against it,

Baroque became the embellished

version of Renaissance –

It kept its fundaments of symmetry,

logic and order but the focus

was on the design elements, these

elements evoked emotion,

                                              energy,

                                                              excitement,

Rococo saw what Baroque did,

swapped its deeper tones to lighter, ethereal

curves and stones

but kept Baroque’s logic,

Art Nouveau became the new

Rococo, materials were twisted

into more loco curves,

its emphasis placed on nature

and craftsmanship,

Art Deco held on to Art

Nouveau’s craftsmanship but

loosen curves’ grip

and dipped into geometric

luxe lines,

But Deco became distressed in

its depression,

which turned into the Great depression,

Its flash faded away,

became Modernism –

Modernism only cared about

practicality and being minimal –

its ethos was survival.

It quickly birthed Post- modernism,

This era tried to be expressive

and decorative, but couldn’t

quite break free of its parents’

struggling hold.

It constantly criticised

Modernism’s rigid doctrines,

but realised all its values

were a reaction against

Modernism, it didn’t have its

own identity. In its anguish,

Post- modernism gave birth

to Contemporary

which brings me back to you.

Sweet Contemporary…

You don’t have one design

that’s prevalent,

You’re a mix of all the above,

But you don’t have a clue about

your history –

You don’t know why you

think the way you do,

why you feel the way you do,

why you act accordingly –

You don’t know the

thoughts,

habits,

trauma

transferred

from

one generation to eventually you

Contemporary,

By understanding the paths that

lead to these trauma replications,

you can start to disrupt this cycle.

Let’s start –

oppression imposed on Deco

lead to

depression in Modernism,

which lead to

aggression in Post-modernism.

So, how does that trauma show up in you,

Contemporary?

What are you attracted to?

What do you run away from?

Are you vulnerable to revictimisation?

What emotions do you to use to

avoid feeling overwhelmed?

Does it help?

Do you miss key danger cues?

Is your focus on the relief rather

the trauma?

I advocate understanding its patterns,

how it manifests and the form it takes –

From there, you can

start the healing process and

disrupt the cycle for

Post-contemporary,

so this little design isn’t

defined or buried

by the family’s history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cocktail

I move my bourbon lips towards this boy.

I suck on his hardened crystal

and start to work on it.

I submerge it in this bourbon,

spit on it, gargle on it, choke on it,

until it dissolves into a sucrose syrup.

I add three dashes of Angostura bitters

to balance this sweetness,

garnish with mandarin peels to excite his palate,

add ice to impede the melting process.

It calms my spicy caramel notes.

His sweetness becomes pronounced;

my temperature drops rapidly

but I continue to stir.

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If you want a whore

If you want a whore 

inhale the main blueprint

memorise and study its notes

trace the pink pepper on the print 

search for the creamy white florals 

that settle within the crevices,

pay attention to the blueberries

that spoil with each sniff 

and the bitter bergamot blotches

that linger as you reach into 

your shallow pockets

If you want a whore

make sure you pay her, darlin’

It’s important 

She told me 

you forgot last time 

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F***

We use our mouths and utter

You fucked up

We fucked

I’m gonna fuck him up

For fuck’s sake

Fuck her

But they all mean the same thing

Because once you’re in that state of fuck

Your mind isn’t functioning in this realm

Of normality

As you’ve been transported to a

Construct that your mind can’t

Comprehend;

Can’t ascertain

A place where decorum bows down

To emotions; that the mere thought

Of translating these emotions

To an acceptable form is

Laughable and inconceivable

Where extremities bare all

Feelings penetrate the surface

It draws you deeper

As it rotates around you

Grabbing its hands around

Your waist

Your arms

Your throat

 

And the only thing you can do is

To fuck the fuck

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Crazy

you call me crazy

you don’t know crazy

if crazy isn’t pouring cyanide

on your open cuts

if its calloused claw isn’t gripping 

your collar

if steel shavings aren’t squeezing 

your spine 

if crazy isn’t skinning you like a cheetah

ripping your carcass open;

freeing your intestines

 

so, call me crazy again 

and 

see what will happen 

 

‘crazy’ poem reading video – CLICK ME 

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Dark Matter

Neurologists are infatuated with the dark matter in the

Brain, philosophise the concept of sparse firing

Love to speculate some neurons are in fact silent

perpetually drift into an inactive state

neurons defiling their main function turns them on

the glossy lustre is enough for them

They claim to love the science, love the whole brain

But seem to always find themselves

debating and thinking only about the dark matter

they dream about dreaming about dark matter

til they become the dark matter

Then they realise they didn’t want to be dark matter

in the first place

 

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