The first part of this post is up now on NST here, with the sequel to follow on Bonkers about Perfume tomorrow…!
Image is of Suzanne Valadon Blogging, after Lautrec [cropped] by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com at flickr; some rights reserved.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Guest Post On Now Smell This: 5 Things To Think About Before You Start A Perfume Blog
The first part of this post is up now on NST here, with the sequel to follow on Bonkers about Perfume tomorrow…!
Image is of Suzanne Valadon Blogging, after Lautrec [cropped] by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com at flickr; some rights reserved.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
Terrific post Bonks!! I do believe, though, that I break some of those 'rules' - esp regarding perfumes I don't like. Ooops!!!
Hi BF,
Thanks for that - and there's more to come tomorrow...
When you say you break the rules - and of course they aren't "rules", just my twopennyworth on the subject! - do you mean you are careful not to speak ill of perfumes you don't care for?
oh no, you know the ones I don't like!
Looking forward to tomorrow!
Hi BF,
I do! : - )
It is quite bonkerish in parts, the one tomorrow...
Vanessa, that was a really good article. Well done, enjoyed reading it!
Hi Michael,
Thanks for hopping over to NST to check it out - much appreciated!
Hi Vanessa, interesting article, I could especially relate to the part about negative reviews.
To me, writing about a perfume I didn't like is never a problem, I actually find it more inspiring sometimes.
The issue is with those perfumes that smell like 100 more that came before. I try to stay away from a dismissive attitude like "this perfume is just like this and that, so buy those instead. End of review", as it's not useful for anyone.
My principle would be that not being original is not a crime for a perfume, smelling bad is, and each single one has something to say, although not necessarily something pleasant. But sometimes it's challenging to stick to it, especially with those perfumes that really smell like 100 more that came before.
But no one said it was easy, right?
Hi Andrea,
I can relate to what you say about perfumes you dislike being more inspiring, and also to the difficulty of describing fragrances that smell like what has gone before. Even being dismissive about those has some purpose, because it at least tells the reader that this is not something groundbreaking or hugely different, and then they can choose whether or not they wish to seek it out. But you are right - it would be better if reviewers could give more detailed descriptions of even the nondescript scents, though sometimes the words don't exactly flow, as you say!
Hi Vanessa,
I'm still traveling hence a very limited access to Internet and not much time for my favorite blogs, but I finally got to this post (going chronologically in my RSS reader) and wanted to tell you here too that I enjoyed reading it (and thank you for mentioning me in one of the comments :) ).
I have no problem writing about perfumes I didn't like as long as there is a story behind it - otherwise I just don't have anything to write since I'm not writing reviews.
Hi Undina,
Thanks for stopping by here too to comment on my NST post, especially as you are on the road with limited surfing time!
Yes, I do think negative reviews are a helpful part of the mix, and your "story-led" approach generally is a great idea!
Post a Comment