“The stars may behold my tears, and the winds drink my sighs; but my thoughts are a sealed treasure, which I can confide to none. But can I express all I feel? Can I give words to thoughts and feelings that, as a tempest, hurry me along? Is this the sand that the ever-flowing sea of thought would impress indelibly? Alas! I am alone.”
Mary Shelley
Our Mary Shelley moodboard during the development of the fragrance
Why I chose Mary Shelley
When a friend suggested that I should try reading science fiction, it knocked me out of my four-year reading slump. I began furiously devouring books like I did in elementary school. I, and other avid sci fi lovers, can thank Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley for the emergence and popularity of the genre. Her book Frankenstein began a sci-fi revolution. When we celebrate science fiction authors, we owe thanks to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the mother of science fiction.
Initial vision for the Mary Shelley scent
When Joelle reached out about collaborating on a scent, my mind drifted towards a sparkly, green, petrichor-y/dirt-y, and bookish scent. Something like sitting in the woods near a lake, reading (or writing!) a book in the shade, while the water sparkles and bends the sunlight out in front of you. As if I were part of the group sequestered away at Lake Geneva during the year without summer. I shared my vision with Joelle, who then worked her magic.
Thoughts on the final scent
I love how Joelle took different snippets from my ideas and transformed them into the most lovely & unique scent. There’s a super funky mushroom note in the beginning that dissolves pretty quickly into a spicier scent/book note. As it dries down, I get an airier, slightly sweeter note - almost an atmospheric note. The book note feels just a little spooky because of the underlying mushroom and the graveyard dirt notes. You can also almost feel the ink drying and the plane trees swaying in the wind. Thank you so much to Joelle and the incredible Poesie team for lending their talents towards making this earthy and mysterious take on a Mary Shelley scent a reality - I’m so excited for everyone to try it! I know I love it.
AJ
About AJ
AJ is a full-time graduate student pursuing her PhD in neuroscience. Perfume testing and reviewing is a passion that she explores in her studies as well. She loves finding ways to incorporate her South Indian culture and heritage into her love for perfumes! AJ began her perfumetok account reviewing Poesie’s Studio Ghibli inspired collection Magic in the Wind. Her favorite Poesie scents include Mysterious Fossils, Bookish Brew, Awakening - but her all time fav. is Queen Bee.