MAN REPELLER
THE BEST SCENTS TO WEAR IF YOU WANT TO SMELL LIKE A CHIC FIREPLACE
“If you want a scent that’s designed to clear bad vibes, check out Smudge.” -Man Repeller
I’m done smelling like flowers; I want to smell like wood and dirt. I want the air around me to summon sage brush, burning piñon, palo santo, and damp forest floors covered in mushrooms and pine needles, with a touch of smoke. It’s not so much a subversive desire to stop leading with sweetness, but instead a real longing to be surrounded by scents that feel safe and strong and supportive.
But a good woodsy scent is hard to find. It’s been five years since I wore a classic perfume or scent — opting for oils instead — but lately I’ve been in search of something more complex. And as I’ve sniffed around, I’ve found that natural, small-batch perfumes don’t give me the headaches that my old favorites used to, and I can actually connect and be moved by them. And thus began the hunt for the perfect one.
Below are my top five — all of which are unisex, and none of which are ranked because I’m over competition at this point in my life — along with completely subjective descriptions of what they smell like.
SMUDGE BY HERETIC:
Every year over Easter I do a women’s circle in the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The air is warm and clear, there’s steam coming off the natural hot springs, and I’m surrounded by open, loving, funny, curious, beautiful women. We meditate and dance and soak and do qigong and sing ancient songs and cry and laugh and it heals my soul and cracks me open. Each morning we burn sage, palo santo and sweetgrass around our alter. Smudge evokes the energy of that weekend for me, with all the grounding warmth of sacred smoke, and the tinge of the match you just blew out after lighting your smudges. Plus, it’s just as wearable in NoLita as it is in New Mexico. If you’re considering yoga teacher training, curious about non-ordinary states of consciousness, or specifically want a scent that’s designed to clear bad vibes, check out Smudge.
SHOP SMUDGE
