Imaginary Authors

Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition by Imaginary Authors 2023
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Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition by Imaginary Authors 2023

Hey there crew, I don’t know if you remember the original but I had to sell mine on. It was just too much of whatever it was and drove me a bit bonkers when I wore it. It was relentless, combative and at some points disgusting. Problem was though that I loved that initial rush of opening. Yes, it was awesome and awful at the same time. That kind of contrapuntal can wear a person down after about 16 hours. Seriously. So I was very excited to read that a reimagined, less torturous version was being released last year. So now we have Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition! On my last Surrender To Chance trawl I grabbed a decant. Let’s see how it unfolds together…

Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition by Imaginary Authors 2023

Imaginary Authors give these featured accords:
Geranium, Spanish Rose, Patchouli, Black Musk, Tobacco, Sandalwood, Bull’s Blood

First I’d like to say how impressive the retail price is on a bottle. 50ml is US$105! They also give FREE US Shipping over US$75 spend. Imaginary Authors is seriously niche perfumery and could charge well above for their stellar product. That they are so generous with their talent makes me love them even more.

From the Imaginary Authors site: “The women and men in these pages are lovers and brawlers, bullfighters and boxers, soft talkers and hard drinkers. They inhabit dusty Spanish villages and dank, dark brothels…” Some of the best and funnest ad speak I’ve ever come across. There’s more too.

How does Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition smell? Straight out of the gate (see what I did there) sharp geranium and tobacco. Less car crash and more perfume than my memory of the previous iteration. Lightly salty, brine, under the boardwalk. It’s just enough to add colour and far less metallic. Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition feels more Arabic Rose/Patch/Oud and infinitely more accessible to me as a fragrance wearer. Maybe I was overcome by the marketing last time but it could also be a swapping out of costus for other accords.

Bull's Blood 2nd Edition by Imaginary Authors 2023

Still excellent longevity and above average projection. If you found the original version unwearable but loved the idea then this new Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition will probably float your boat on much calmer seas. Yes, it’s still a big deal, over the top and a little confrontational but now it does it with a smile and a cheeky wink.

Did you smell the original? Memories? Does Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition sound like a better option?
Portia xx

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Cape Heartache by Imaginary Authors

Hi there Crew. Way back in 2012 Imaginary Authors brought out an original offering of 7 perfumes. It was overwhelming at the time and I kind of ignored them until a friend was wearing Bull’s Blood one day and I became instantly enamoured of the sillage, asking what that deliciously toxic monstrosity was. It was spellbinding. This was January 2013, I instantly bought a sample set from the Imaginary Authors site (GOSH! The set was only US$38 delivered to Australia). I remember sniffing them and writing about a few. Azar, Poodle and Ainslie seemed to write about them the most on APJ in the next few years with a lot of love so I left the brand pretty much to them.

 

I have written about Cape Heartache before but recently I was sent a GWP sample in an order from one of Australia’s big niche retailers LKNU. When I tried it on it sparked such a good feeling for me that I thought I might give it another outing in print.

Cape Heartache by Imaginary Authors 2013

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Fir, Big Strawberry, Pine Tree, Woody Notes, Vanilla, Hemlock

Strawberry ice cream topping and a woody back beat. the two are so decidedly incongruous that it makes me smell and smell my wrist. It’s like one of those lenticular pictures that flash between two images depending on the light. Here I have sharp, dark woodland this unbelievably luscious lolly version of strawberries vying for my brain space. It’s enthralling. Hovering on the brink of falling into a huge vat of both but choosing neither.

That hemlock adds a green bitterness through the heart, it comes and goes. Like biting a tree branch after pulling off the bark, that vegetal bitterness.

I’m thinking the vanilla is what gives the strawberry its cartoonishly confectionary flavour, interesting how well that accord stays present during the life of Cape Heartache.

You know, I’ve had trouble trying to think of a person who would wear this as their stable go to fragrance. It’s a very weird gourmand, definitely jumping out of the box. A interesting ride, when I smell it it makes me so happy perfumers are selling such boundary pushing perfume. I feel like it should be ion a Must Try List of weird assed perfume that will blow your olfactory mind.

Portia x