Journal

Man and woman walking a misty forest path at sunrise with god rays through the trees.
Leave a Trail
Bandholz is original oil perfume for people who want their own trail. Not a dupe. Not a trend chase. Close to the skin. Read more...
Snowy Scandinavian campfire and tent in an evergreen forest at night.
What Is Norse Winter Perfume?
Norse Winter is a snow-hall perfume. The story is December in the pines, sacred resin, fir balsam, oak, and leather. Stay warm. Celebrate life. Read more...
Green herbal resin on a dark wood table with coffee and a tobacco leaf, porch doorway in the background at night.
What Does Hashish Smell Like in Perfume?
Green hashish in perfume is the first air on Four Vices: earthy and herbal, not a smoke-shop gag. It opens the porch night before tobacco, coffee, hops, and woods take... Read more...
Man and woman on a night porch looking into a stone chamber, lantern and smoke.
Four Vices vs Temple Smoke
Four Vices and Temple Smoke are two rooms. One is a porch after Saturday night. One is a chamber with woodsmoke. Neither one wins. Four Vices and Temple Smoke sit... Read more...
Two people on a wet night street with moss, neon, and rain.
What Is Ghost Tracer Perfume?
Ghost Tracer is a wet street perfume. The story sits in 2225. Rain hits concrete. Neon flickers. Moss and fungus take the broken machines. Ozone hangs in the air, and... Read more...
Desert highway at sunset, vintage car door open on a worn leather seat, man and woman small beside the car.
What Does Leather Smell Like in Perfume?
Leather in perfume smells dry, with a little smoke and a little animal. It feels like a worn thing next to skin. It is the seat on Desert Road, the... Read more...
A man and a woman at a cabin table, night visible through an open door.
How to Layer Two Perfumes
Layering two perfumes means wearing two rooms on purpose. Oil sits close, so you can start light, wait, and add. Here is the house method, and how to pick a... Read more...
A man and a woman on a late-night porch under a warm lamp.
What Is Four Vices Perfume?
Four Vices is a porch perfume. The story is Saturday night sliding into Sunday morning: hops, hashish, tobacco, coffee, and agarwood. The table is green hashish, a drink, leaf, and... Read more...
Pale golden frankincense resin on dark tree bark at dusk.
What Does Frankincense Smell Like in Perfume?
Frankincense in perfume smells like bright resin: lemon-pine air, then dry incense, then a warm floor that still has space in it. It is the sacred resin in Norse Winter... Read more...
A glass roll-on bottle with a steel ball on a sunlit workbench.
What Is a Perfume Roll-On?
A perfume roll-on is a small bottle with a ball in the neck. You roll the ball on your skin. The perfume comes with it. You put scent on you.... Read more...
A man in a pearl-snap shirt at a cabin table, a cigar in the ashtray.
What Is Bold Fortune Perfume?
Bold Fortune is a cabin perfume. The story is a grandpa in a pearl snap, a 1911, Hoppes 9, and a cigar in the ashtray. The table is saffron, whiskey,... Read more...
A weathered grey lump of ambergris on wet sand at dusk.
What Does Ambergris Smell Like in Perfume?
Ambergris in perfume smells salty, mineral, and warm on skin. It is the floor under Black Sails citrus so the open is not a fruit stand. It is not the... Read more...
A man and a woman at a coastal cabin table, a galleon outside the window.
Black Sails vs Bold Fortune
Black Sails is the coast. Bold Fortune is the cabin. They share cardamom and tobacco. Here is how they smell different, what they share, and how to wear them together... Read more...
A sunset galleon on the water, a man and a woman at the rail.
What Is Black Sails Perfume?
Black Sails is a maritime perfume built around bourbon, tobacco, and ambergris. The story is the Carolina coast. The table is citrus, drink, and a salty floor. This is our... Read more...
A bergamot tree heavy with fruit at an open doorway at dusk.
What Does Bergamot Smell Like in Perfume?
Bergamot in perfume smells like bright citrus peel with a bitter green edge. It is a top note, so it is built to leave. Here is how it opens Black... Read more...
A lived-in porch at night, the room itself.
What Are Perfume Dupes?
A perfume dupe copies someone else’s formula and sells the likeness. That is different from a counterfeit. Here is why we do not make them, and what you get instead. Read more...
A man and a woman on a dusk porch looking out at a wet road.
How to Pick a Perfume
Pick a perfume by the room you want to wear, then test it on skin and give it hours. Paper is not enough. If it is wrong, we swap or... Read more...
A patchouli plant in a wet garden at dusk after rain.
What Does Patchouli Smell Like in Perfume?
Patchouli in perfume smells like damp earth, a little camphor, and a dark sweet underneath. It is a mint-family leaf, not a wood. Here is how it sits in Four... Read more...
A man and a woman walking a late-day pine trail with a cabin in the trees.
How Long Does Oil Perfume Last?
Our oil perfume lasts about 6 to 8 hours at about 20 percent fragrance. That number is detectable on you, not a room that still smells like you left. Read more...
A glass roll-on with a steel ball on a towel at a cabin washstand.
How to Apply Oil Perfume
Apply oil perfume on dry skin after a shower. Roll two to four pulse points with a steel roller. Here is the house method, and why wrists are convenient until... Read more...
Dried tobacco leaves and an open tin on a sunlit wooden table by a window.
Does Tobacco in Perfume Smell Like Cigarettes?
A tobacco note in perfume is usually the leaf, not a lit cigarette. Here is what that note is doing in Black Sails, Bold Fortune, and Four Vices. Read more...
A small chip of pale wood with dark resin in the heart, on a sunlit workbench.
Oud vs Agarwood in Perfume
Is oud the same as agarwood? Agarwood is the wood of Aquilaria trees. Oud is the aromatic resin in that wood. Read more...
A split coconut, golden oil, and a steel roller on a sunlit workbench.
What Is Oil-Based Perfume?
Oil-based perfume puts fine fragrance in oil instead of alcohol. It is not the oil you cook with. What Is Oil-Based Perfume? Oil-based perfume is fragrance dissolved in a carrier... Read more...
A person at a sunlit perfumery bench with oil and alcohol as materials.
Oil vs Alcohol in Colognes & Perfumes
Most people don't put a lot of thought into what fine fragrance is about. It's a spray that is really strong and you like it or you don't. What you're... Read more...