Who: Haydn Williams, freelance journalist and blogger. Haydn is another of our favourite music-to-perfume people, who has recently found himself writing about fragrance and grooming. He has a blog called You smell great, what is it? and can be found on instagram here, We caught up with him to find out why he’s found himself immersed in scent.
Today I’m wearing Voyeur Verde from UK Indie perfumer Maya Njie. There’s something about her style of perfumery that I really love. Both the actual juice, which is exquisite, but also her aesthetic. The way each fragrance is inspired by a particular image and a series of Pantone colours. I find this really illuminating and a helpful gateway into her perfume world. Voyeur Verde takes an image of a beaten up old Mercedes in a wooded area in rural Spain. The car is abandoned and covered in greenery and branches. Something man made slowly overtaken by nature (we’ve written about this new fragrance by Maya here).
This one is less about individual notes and more of a ‘mood’. It definitely has the citrus brightness and ‘heat’ of Spain up front, but then elements of resinous branches and leaves, beaten up leather, wood from the dashboard and a kind of dissonance that makes it really interesting. Maybe from the fennel? It’s not a pure zesty citrus that makes me feel energised and raring to go – but it’s also not an enveloping, cosy type perfume either. So for me it does a great job of taking me through the different rhythms and moods of the day.
Fragrance has become more important over the last few years. It’s a part of my morning ritual so it sets the tone for the day. I’ve also become increasingly interested in how it works ‘behind the scenes’, as it were. The artistic side of it is fascinating to me – what inspires the perfumers and why they make the creative decisions they make. I’m lucky enough to talk to fragrance brands, PRs, other journalists and bloggers and feel like I’ve joined a community of people that are passionate about perfume and understand its secret powers.
Generally I spray once a day in the morning. I’m a fairly generous spritzer, but caveat that by saying the perfumes I like are normally the less shouty ones, so I hope I’m not overdoing it! I apply on the neck, shoulders, behind the ears and wrists. I also add a cheeky spritz to the inside of my jacket if I’m heading out, so that I get to enjoy the odd waft myself.
At home, we have diffusers in the hall – currently a winter fragrance from Acqua di Parma – and bathrooms – and I have a candle in my home office. Again, lighting this becomes part of the morning ritual (if I’m WFH) to suggest it’s ‘work time’ At the moment I have the Tea candle from Miller Harris.
I’m still quite new to writing about fragrance. I started writing a blog and a social channel @yousmellgreatwhatisit at the beginning of the first lockdown. This lead to a commission to review fragrances for a website that is part of Bauer Media. Bauer also own Closer and Grazia and I was then asked to contribute articles to Grazia Daily. Usually it’s giving a male angle for the (mostly) female readership about male fragrance and gift ideas.
My other work is in music marketing for record labels and artists, so I am always keen to explore how the worlds of fragrance and music collide! I like to interview brand owners and perfumers and have spoken to the founders of Jusbox – a perfume brand directly inspired by music and musicians. I also love it when brands add playlists to add another sensory dimension to their perfumes – or even in the case of L’Orchestre Parfum an LP, with a track to accompany each fragrance.
I really like the smell of tarmac being laid onto road surfaces. Is that weird? (ed, absolutely not weird) Also the top of my dog’s head – but then any pet owner would say that, wouldn’t they…
Image by Natasha Merchant.
