Skip to main content

These Five Indie Fragrances May Give You the Travel Bug

If you’re like us, then you start planning your next trip before you even touch down from the previous adventure. In case said excursion isn’t on the horizon, leaving you to stalk professional travelers’ Instagram feeds, salivate/cry into various travel magazines, and seriously consider taking a skip year though you haven’t been a student in at least a decade, then perhaps consider slavishly spraying yourself with a fragrance that aims to transport you to the far-off land of your dreams. Here are five that will take you there sans passport.

Atkinson’s Amber Empire

Atkinsons
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Originally inspired by a Chinese snuffbox and put out in 1927, this intoxicating blend has been modernized by adding oolong tea and white musk to the original combination of amber, vanilla and myrrh. While the Far East may not seem as exotic as it did almost 100 years ago, this update conjures up that feeling without smelling like your globetrotting great uncle.

Odin Black Line Number 12 Lacha

Odin
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Also looking to Asia for stimuli, Odin found the Indian countryside to be particularly inspirational for the newest addition to its numbered fragrance collection. The spice-colored landscape translated to actual spices like saffron, nutmeg and black pepper plus carnation and suede for a deep dark fragrance that’s not for the faint of nose.

Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir

Old-Saphir
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Finding a muse in yet another far-off land, this time the Middle East, where oud (a woody note for the uninitiated) is kind of a big deal, seriously there’s probably not a bottle available in that region that doesn’t contain the stuff. But if you and the people around you can’t handle the in-your-faceness (Note: not a real word) of that hearty tree sap note, Atelier Cologne decided to put a Gallic spin on it, lightening up what’s usually heavy with bergamot, pink pepper and violet leaves.

Margiela Replica By the Fireplace

Margelia
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Though nodding to the chilly snow covered Alps in Chamonix, France, this toasty scent (available in October) also incorporates the warmth of a crackling fireplace in a mountainside chalet and the chestnuts roasting on that fire. Basically, it’s hot and cold. And if you don’t actually have a fireplace (or a French ski chalet, for that matter) this is the next best thing.

Arquiste Parfumeur Aleksandr

Aleksandr
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A frostbitten forest outside St. Petersburg isn’t necessarily the place you want to be in the winter so maybe just smell like it instead. And as we’ve never been to that particular Russian forest, we’ll just have to imagine it smells of birch leaves, moss, fir balsam, and, of course, the vodka that must be drunk to keep oneself warm.

Katie Dickens
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Katie Dickens is a Manhattan-based beauty and grooming writer. She has held staff positions at Glamour, In Style, People…
Men with curls: Here’s how to finally get the haircut that works for you
Embrace your curls, and you'll enter a whole new world of styles
Man with long hair and glasses

For the most part, we live in a straight-hair world. Personally, this has never been an issue for me — while I am follicly challenged, my hair has always been reasonably well-behaved. The occasional stray curl pops up at the end of a strand when I grow it out, but I never faced the challenges that men with curls often have to confront.
These challenges can feel formidable. Curls can be unruly and hard to tame, and that might seem like a limitation. But the reality is very much the opposite — there are plenty of great-looking choices, provided you know what you want, get a great barber or stylist, and arm yourself with a little knowledge.

Know your curls

Read more
This stylist-approved trick is helping men fight gray hair fast
Men are adding this tactic that women have known about for years
Close-up of a man smiling

As men’s grooming standards continue to change, attitudes toward hair coloring are quickly shifting as well. Younger men are more open to experimenting with coloring, and their elders are making some intriguing changes, too.
For older men, though, it’s not exactly about coloring. The quest to ward off gray hair is a never-ending battle, and they’re learning a new trick in the coloring game that women have known about for years — roots touch-ups.

A stylist’s secret weapon

Read more
Looking to up your skincare game? MasterClass has you covered with this new series
This top-notch MasterClass series will help you up your skincare game
MasterClass skincare series

If you’re looking to establish or enhance your skincare routine, relevant information isn’t hard to find. Dozens of companies are incorporating it into their approach, and a significant portion of what they present and cover has value, even if it’s mostly product-oriented and biased.
But getting comprehensive skin health info is an entirely different matter. As someone who’s constantly on the hunt for accurate information that’s easy to access, digest, and absorb, I can testify firsthand that it’s a lot harder than it looks.
Which is why the new MasterClass series on skin health should definitely be on your watchlist. It’s a “must-see” series that will increase your skin health knowledge and improve your skincare routine.

The MasterClass approach

Read more