Entering the Town of Twin Peaks with The Little Book Eater Perfume Oils
Diane, have you ever wondered what Twin Peaks smells like?
There is much to be said and that has been said about David Lynch and his work in the aftermath of his passing, for now I will focus on the world which I know best, which has come to mean the most to me of his creations over the years.
I first entered the town of Twin Peaks around the age of 15 when I was completely and utterly obsessed with David Lynch. Part of this was being from Los Angeles and feeling like I could understand the environments he often referenced. Another was he was always so good at capturing a place you felt you knew, even if you had never been there before. This was the case for me with Twin Peaks, which filled me with nostalgia and longing for a place and time that had never existed.
More than any other part of Twin Peaks, it was the world that drew me in. The introduction was everything to me, the slow synth jazz of Badalamenti as scenes of birds, trees, small town streets and the falls play out in a sleepy soap opera haze. I can’t remember all the details of what happened in the plot. Rather, it all comes to me in pictures. The Black Lodge, the blue rose, a damn fine cup of coffee, a perfect slice of cherry pie, the wet Pacific Northwest, the Douglas firs, the wooden walls of the Great Northern Inn, the blinking red street light, the puff of smoke from someone speaking in the cold mountain night air, the owl and the beautiful falls, fall fall falling…..
Twin Peaks is a world of the senses, where every small detail draws you in further. I feel this lends itself perfectly to inspiring fragrances. Etsy is a wonderful place where you can buy doll clothes, typewriter ink, and bootleg cassettes (ask me how I know), and it turns out you can also find fragrance as well. It was here I happened upon The Little Book Eater, a perfume oil shop that specializes in perfume oils inspired by books and movies/tv shows. The perfume oil named Laura Palmer is what first drew me in and I somehow ended up hundreds of perfume oils deep somewhere around Anne Rice and Anais Nin. I am currently working on another post where I review all the samples that I have from her shop but in honor of David Lynch and in honor of Twin Peaks and the world that means so much to me, I thought I would do a Twin Peaks special. Besides the ones I am reviewing from the Twin Peaks collection, the shop also has a perfume oil called Audrey Horne (Cherry, Vanilla & Sandalwood) that I refrained from getting because cherry tends to smell medicinal to me.
Without further ado, let’s go into the night and enter the world of Twin Peaks inspired fragrances….
Laura Palmer (Oak Moss, Raspberry, Sage & Patchouli) -
This is the girl. This is Laura Palmer, at the heart of the show’s initial mystery and final horrors. It began and ended with that haunting smile plastered across Laura’s pristine homecoming queen facade. Laura is a mess of contradiction, or perhaps it’s layers of a carefully constructed persona hiding the darkness that lies underneath. There’s the Laura who is popular, beloved by everyone in the town, best friend’s with Donna and dates Lynch’s idea of the quintessential cool guy jock, Bobby. She wears oversize cardigans and school girl plaid skirts and volunteers for Meals on Wheels. Then there is the Laura of the night in black heels and lingerie, who does cocaine, is a sex worker, is having an affair with troubled biker “bad boy” James, and is fighting the demon BOB who is threatening to take her soul and damn her to the Black Lodge for all eternity. With the double-life she leads, one can only wonder what fragrance could begin to capture the enigmatic Laura Palmer. In this interpretation, at first there is a somewhat cloying sweetness of the raspberry, the scent of a raspberry lollipop that is somewhat juvenile (not in a bad way). Yet, something else begins to emerge over time, as if you were to begin wandering the forest, and the scent of oak moss and patchouli rises up and darkens the scent, giving it a sexy earthy undertone. This is Laura after hours, this is Laura wandering the woods, seeking solace from her demons amongst the Douglas firs. I love the sweetness and earthiness together and I think Laura Palmer is a fitting fragrance tribute to the girl at the center of it all.
The Black Lodge (Cedarwood, Douglas Fir, Fire & Smoke) -
The Black Lodge is the epitome of all evil in the world of Twin Peaks. It is a psychic hell where demons wander and take the form of doppelgängers of the souls they come to possess. The Black Lodge also has some of the greatest and most iconic imagery of Twin Peaks, from the hypnotic black and white floors, to the red curtains, the Venus statue, the flashing lights, the demon laughter, and Laura’s piercing screams. An entrance to the Black Lodge lies in the woods in a magic circle which seems to be a portal to the spiritual dimension the Lodge exists in. It is here that The Black Lodge perfume oil is perhaps invoking. Immediately, the scent of smoke envelops you and you are transported to a dark, shadow world hidden in the trees, the Black Lodge is certainly around the corner. This scent leans masculine, and reminds me of Dale Cooper’s evil double in The Return, particularly that scene where we are introduced to him as he’s driving on dirt roads in the dead of night as a slowed down and haunted version of “American Woman” plays. It is smoky and understated and I’m finding that I love a good smoke note in a fragrance, The Black Lodge is a very cool version of that.
Agent Cooper’s Jelly Donut (Strawberry Jelly Fried Dough, Vanilla & Sugar) -
One thing about Special Agent Dale Cooper is that he likes to eat, and he needs his coffee. In classic cop fashion he also appreciates a good donut with his coffee. Cooper is rumored to have a thing for jelly donuts in particular. Fittingly, we have Agent Cooper’s Jelly Donut, a perfume oil which aims to capture a photorealistic jelly donut in a bottle. With this, I was really hoping for a nice strawberry jelly smell that was gourmand but not so gourmand it was like you put dessert on your wrist. However, and for some I think this may be a treat, it really does smell like an actual jelly donut, with a carnival like fried and warm background that makes it feel like you are at the fair and just ordered a funnel cake with powdered sugar. However, for me that can begin to feel a bit nauseating and while I will never turn away a jelly donut to eat, I can’t say smelling like it is appealing to me. If you are a true gourmand lover however, this may be the one for you. I prefer the sweetness of Laura Palmer, which is balanced by the earthy base. Maybe if this smelled more like a jelly donut that rolled around in dirt it would appeal to me more.
The Little Book Eater’s Twin Peaks perfume oil collection is a fun and fitting tribute to the show. I am just getting into the world of indie perfume houses and I have more indie perfume brands I am excited to try and review in the future. I’ve had these perfume oils for about six months now, in which they have been allowed to sit and macerate (which just basically means the perfume oil is given time to blend and age to develop more fully in its scent profile). It’s a nice departure from the world of more expensive and exclusive niche perfumery and feels like something almost anyone can enjoy. I also like how so many indie perfume brands I come across have a more whimsical and conceptual approach to fragrance. I know I will be reaching for Laura Palmer and The Black Lodge regularly, while Agent Cooper’s Jelly Donut I will leave to the true gourmand lovers. I am partial to the scents of earth and smoke that create a feeling of mystery without being too heavy.
It’s nice to revisit the world that has colored so many of my dreams and I find this is a great way to have the essence of Twin Peaks with you, wherever you may go.
This is the Holy Lotus signing off for now. Meanwhile…
