Here lies nostalgia; we might as well place it in arguably one of the best places in the world.
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California and Me
Here lies nostalgia; we might as well place it in arguably one of the best places in the world. When Noir Lone was first starting, that’s when the boom of all ideas came in. Years ago, there was this cologne that was, and always will be, my favorite scent of all time: Armani Code Profumo by Giorgio Armani. It was beautiful, and I miss it every day. That cologne shaped what I wanted California and Me to be. It just brings nostalgia, and California and Me brings that feeling back, but in the modern day.
When Noir Lone was first starting, that’s when the boom of all ideas came in. I had ideas for names, plenty of scents I wanted to try. But I also knew where I wanted to take Noir Lone and how I would fit these ideas in to match what I am trying to convey.
Years ago, there was this cologne that was, and always will be, my favorite scent of all time. It was Armani Code Profumo by Giorgio Armani. It was beautiful, and I miss it every day. Anyway, this cologne would shape what I wanted California and Me to be.
This cologne that I miss just brings nostalgia. California and Me brings that feeling back, but in the modern day.
Composition
Twelve materials, three movements.
Top
First minutes
Heart
The first hour
Base
Hours later
01 / 12Top · First minutes
Coffee
Absolute
The material that started the direction. Dense and roasted at the surface, with a dark sweetness beneath. Not a beverage, but something older than that. It dissipates quickly, leaving only the impression of it; a trace that changes everything that comes after.
The spice that opens a door and then steps aside. Precise and aromatic, with a warmth that is almost architectural. Here it exists as punctuation: a sharp, deliberate mark at the beginning that asks you to pay attention to what follows.
Cedar seen from the corner of your eye. The material that makes space, that turns a collection of ingredients into something felt more than smelled. At enough concentration it becomes addictive; the nose searches for it even after it has gone.
Dry hay and cut grass compressed into a molecule. The memory of summer without the sentiment of it. Sweet enough to hold on to, dry enough to avoid the obvious. It is what makes the composition feel like something already understood.
IFF's oakmoss alternative, the memory of forest floor translated into something safe for skin. Earthy and quiet without demanding attention, it forms the textural underpinning beneath the heart, grounding what would otherwise drift away.
Isobutylquinoline. The material that reads as leather before you know what leather means in a fragrance. Dry, almost smoky, with a character that resists description but is instantly recognizable. It is the darkness behind the warmth.
Methyl dihydrojasmonate: jasmine extracted from its context. Not floral in any readable way; more like the principle of jasmine, something floaty and diffusive that amplifies everything it touches. The material that gives the composition its air.
A lactone that reads as milky, coconut-adjacent warmth, though only subtly, the way skin sometimes smells like something edible without any of the sweetness. It rounds the heart, softening the edges of Iso E Super and IBQ into something less abrasive.
Radiant and skin-forward. Derived from ambergris, the material that made perfumery possible before it was called perfumery. Here it serves as anchor: depth without heaviness, the warm thing that waits beneath everything else and does not leave.
Almond, hay, and time compressed into one material. Tonka carries the composition into comfort. Not the obvious kind, but the quiet kind that arrives after the novelty has passed. Its natural coumarin content bridges the heart and base without disrupting either.
Three times the intensity of natural vanilla, and nothing like sweetness. This is vanilla as architecture: the thing everything leans against in the final hours. It is what remains longest on skin, and what you remember after everything else has gone.
Cistus resin from the western Mediterranean, one of the oldest materials in perfumery. Warm, ambery, and slightly animalic, with a leather edge that keeps it from becoming soft. It gives the base its gravity and its age.
These are the moments recorded so far. The composition is still becoming itself.
April 2026
The name
California and Me is named after the beautiful song by the artist Laufey on her Bewitched album released in 2023. The melancholic songs speak of a lover leaving which leaves the sense of sadness and nostalgia.
May 7, 2026
A direction
After a brief conversation about favorite fragrances, I had gotten an inspiration behind what the scent should be. There was a cologne that had been my absolute favorite for a long time, that being Armani Code Profumo released back in 2016. It plays directly into the story of nostalgia and loss. I want this fragrance to take inspiration into the direction of this scent.
May 12, 2026
The first formula
The first formula was created.
May 14, 2026
The second formula
The second formula was created.
June 16, 2026
Tested in the open
From the formulas previously created, it was then distributed in public for opinion/testing.
June 22, 2026
New bottles selected
After trial and error, the previous bottles had a leaking issue. Following that, a new bottle was chosen and a new label to come soon.
IFRA 50th Amendment compliant. Iso E Super ≤ 6.2% (Category 4). Coumarin (combined from raw material and Tonka Bean Absolute) ≤ 0.45% (Category 4). EU allergens declared above 0.001%: Coumarin, Linalool.