Yosh Omniscent Rocks

One of the words from Luckyscent’s description of Yosh Omniscent eau de parfum is Feast. Omniscent is a feast. In my own words, had I not ever read Luckyscent’s description, I would have used cacophony. This got me thinking about how we have better and more accurate words to describe abundance and beauty for many of our other senses but not many words that describe the intricacies of our sense of smell. Feast is a word for our sense of taste, it’s describes a large pleasurable meal. Cacophony describes our sense of hearing, it’s not really meant to be a positive word since it best describes unpleasant sounds in combination; such as a racket, a discordant blast of dogs howling and babies crying. But, for me, there is often the occasion when a slight cacophony of sound turns into a masterpiece; such as rock ‘n roll.


I remember a few months ago, when I went to see the Black Crowes in concert, that Brian expressed surprise at the fact I love the Crowes. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, how my taste in music actually parallels my taste in perfume. Sure, I love all sorts of music, but the type that resonates with me the most and can pull me out of any bad mood is good old fashioned rock ‘n roll. I mean the real stuff; the loud, raunchy, rebellious, aggressive and unrestrained stuff that gets your adrenaline surging, your head banging and causes you to make a fool out of yourself in public. Depending on who you ask, rock ‘n roll is probably not considered elegant or sophisticated music, but there’s something about that forceful driving beat that makes me feel Alive.

I always seek this rock ‘n roll sensation in the perfumes I wear. I’m looking for a feast of smell, a cacophony of scent, which leans far more toward aggressive, unapologetic, loud, unabashedly unique and free than anything labeled subtle or sophisticated. Rock ‘n roll takes a stand and so do most of the best perfumes. I consider many of the classics to be rock ‘n roll perfumes. I know most people would describe the classics as sophisticated or elegant but I think of them as rockin’ good; perfumes such as Jean Patou Joy (totally rocks), Lanvin Arpege, Opium, Shalimar, Amarige, Poison and Angel. Categorizing perfumes this way, listing in my head which rock and which don’t, I’ve come to the conclusion that the dwindling of rockin’ good perfumes over the past decade parallels the absence of rock ‘n roll music in popular culture. Rock is no longer popular in the mainstream music scene; instead we have all this crappy pop, talentless hip hop and boring ballads. The fate of mainstream fragrance is quite similar with a huge wasteland of celebrity scents like Britany- this, Katy- Perry-that and too-sheer bland nothings. Fragrances companies don’t take as many risks anymore; they just aim to sell their junk for that one season. No risks, nothing enduring.

I realize I’m constantly on the hunt for rockin’ perfumes. I know I’ve described Teo Cabanel Alahine as elegant in the past, but I’ve changed my mind and decided Alahine turns into rock ‘n roll on my skin. I would rather pair Alahine with leather pants than Alahine with a cashmere twinset and pearls. This is all in my imagination, of course, but everything about fragrance is in our own personal imaginations our memories and tied into our emotions. For me, rock ‘n roll is raw emotion and energy and the perfumes that speak to me the most share this raw emotional connection. Plus there's a bit of recklessness and definitely a few risks.

My latest rock ‘n roll perfume find is Yosh Omniscent in eau de parfum. I know nothing of Yosh’s previous works, especially the oils, because I just don’t do oils and never bothered to try them, but Yosh’s newer eau de parfums are especially nice. Omniscent is amazing; it’s an oriental by definition but with a carefree quality that’s bright and warm and laughs just a little too loud. There’s definitely a nod to YSL Opium because if you think about it, you can identify the Tunisian opium in the heart and there’s an overall similar smoldering vibe. But Omniscent isn’t nearly as aldehydic as Opium and it takes all the lavish warmth and spicy, smoky fruitiness to new levels. Omniscent is a searing electric guitar that lives large and rocks.

Yosh Omniscent edp notes: Gardenia, Egyptian tuberose, fig, lilac, violet, kush, Tunisian opium, vanilla, sandalwood, basil, clove, geranium, pink grapefruit

For fun ~


A long time ago, when Axl was hot