In the Woods: Naomi Goodsir

So, there I was, minding my own business, rifling through Carolyn’s newest LuckyScent sample order (with her permission but without my reading glasses on), giving things a nice anonymous low-stakes spritz. And then it happened – that all-too-rare moment of: “wait a minute … HOLD UP, HOOOOOOLLLLDDDD UP, because what is this scorcery?!?!?”

It was extraordinary right out of the gate – less “perfume” and more of those atmospheric scents like visiting a particular place, and then you realize the next day that the scent is clinging to your shirt as a beautiful reminder. It was a little bit smoky … a little earthy … a little incense-y … it made me think of a woodworkers shop, dark and wood and resins, with a touch of linseed oil, maybe.

And that, my fragrant friends, was my introduction to Naomi Goodsir. Portia’s written about a couple of their scents which sounded wonderful (or at least interesting), but I’d never gotten it together to order any. Which is a shame because she’s working with perfumers like Julien Rasquinet, Bertrand Duchaufour, and Isabelle Doyen, so really, what am I doing with my life that I didn’t make these a priority?

clouds above the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

I’ve really buried the lede here but the one I tried was Bois d’Ascèse. A quote from the Naomi Goodsir website: “Inspiration – a wooden church nestled between the hills of New South Wales, Australia with the surrounding countryside ablaze. This perfume is a souvenir from Naomi’s childhood and homage to her family’s Scottish origins.” Notes are tobacco, whisky, cinnamon, amber, cistus labdanum, oakmoss, smoked cade wood, incense. That name sorta translates to “ascetic woods” or maybe “hermit’s wood” – I don’t see it spelled out further – and I can’t speak to its origins in Australia (or Scotland), but it absolutely does conjure my neck of the woods in the American Southwest. I was wearing Bois d’Ascèse as the thunderheads were building over the nearby Sangre de Cristo mountains, preparing for our afternoon monsoon, the clouds so white against that blue sky it looked like some AI fever dream. This fragrance (which I’ve worn every day since it arrived) combined with the view was pure sensory magic — strange, for sure, and a bit wild, but also beautiful.

Having worn it multiple times now, the other thing I’m enjoying is that for a fragrance it’s a bit “stealth” – it’s there all day, but not in that upfront way that can garner you some side-eye here in the land of essential oils. I smell less like “wearing fabulous perfume” and more like “just came from my sacred drum woodworking class up in the foothills.”

I haven’t sniffed the other five Goodsirs yet, I’ve been too hung up on this one – have you tried any? Portia made Corpus Equus sound a bit terrifying in the best way.

Endnote: I ended up springing for a manufacturer’s sample set of all six, $44 from Ministry of Scent; can’t wait to try them! LuckyScent also has samples/bottles in the US. Naomi Goodsir is from Australia and lives in France and I believe the brand’s website is based in/ships to the EU.

Cover image via Pexels.