I’m Kerensa Cadenas—I’m a writer and editor based in New York. If you are reading this you’ve maybe read some of my entertainment or culture writing that’s out there floating in the internet ether. I don’t really write about beauty or fashion—more so lately—but it’s always been something I’ve loved since I was a kid when I was drawing my own fashion magazines, designing custom outfits for my paper dolls or terrorizing my Barbie dolls with “custom” pen eyeliner.
My first foray into perfume I only hazily remember when I was in junior high first being obsessed with Juice Bar Cotton Candy spray which of course had a glitter component considering it was the late 90s. At that time in my life, lips coated in bubble gum Bonne Bell and not even ready for a training bra, smelling like candy was the absolute vibe. I believe I even ended up with a Juice Bar gummy bear scent as well.
Miraculously, my taste began to elevate, CK One was the ultimate that I had a tiny frosted glass bottle that I likely begged my parents for or saved my allowance for. I loved the Gap perfumes Dream and Heaven in their metal containers. Reading fashion magazines and being obsessed with pop culture, initially shaped my taste in perfume, because I would want to try and wear the most popular scents out there.
My obsession with Sex and the City in late high school and early college had me waltzing around in stilettos at my Ohio college smelling like apple martini and orchid from Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely. By proxy, my love of SATC and flipping through fashion magazines had led me to my personal holy grail—Chanel. At 19, my most prized possession was a brown and white Chanel bikini with white enamel enlocked C’s on the back of the bottom. I still own it because I could never bear to get rid of it even though it hasn’t properly fit me in at least a decade. After Lovely, my signature scent was Chanel’s Chance for several years, a juicy floral with white musk, grapefruit, and jasmine. It was a fragrance so delectable, my friend Doug, would always spritz it on himself saying they needed to advertise it as gender neutral.
Through paying more attention to perfumes and as I grew older, I was able to decipher what worked on me beyond what I was initially attracted to. I remember smelling Tom Ford’s Black Orchid and Viktor and Rolf’s Flowerbomb on the little magazine fragrance ads and thinking neither scent was for me. But the similar floral warmth of both drew me as a more ~mature~ woman to them. (The gag is that both are based in patchouli, something that growing up in my tiny hippie area of Northern California was rampant and I despised). Both scents became a staple, and I learned about surprising scents that work for me (patchouli, sandalwood). I phased out of both, the former due to a friend who stole my signature Tom Ford scent but that’s a story for another time.
I’ve always been a fangirl of fragrance and I’ll be the first to admit my knowledge isn’t entirely there and what I do have is entirely self-taught and read about. I got a chance to write a little bit about perfume during my time at The Cut which I had never done before and realized that I really loved doing. So here’s why I’m starting Middle Notes. First, I’m naming it after the heart notes of a perfume, because that’s what makes the foundation of a fragrance—it’s the lingering parts of it. The parts that are burned into your scent memory like a boy’s cologne who I danced with in 7th grade or my grandma’s White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor. I also like that it’s in the middle, which is where I feel like I fit with my perfume knowledge.
As for the substance and cadence of this here ol’ newsletter, I’ll likely post every other week, which will go back and forth between paid and free. Each will consist of a few capsule reviews of different fragrances, some sort of medium length feature about perfume whether that’s something new on my radar, a return of an old classic, mini profiles, Q&As, pop culture, who even knows! And each will end with some of my witty commentary on a perfume ad. So if you feel like sending me suggestions, perfume questions, or if you are a publicist who wants to send me perfume, please reach out. I hope you’ll subscribe and enjoy <3
What I’ve Been Wearing Lately
D.S. & Durga Bistro Waters
Over the past few years, I’ve really gotten into more gender neutral scents, especially ones that are kinda fresh, herb-y, or even plant-like. I learned about D.S. & Durga in the last few years and liked what I smelled, but it was during lockdown so I didn’t have the opportunity to peruse the store until a couple of years later. And that’s when D.S. & Durga became a problem for me. As a child of the 90s, I relish anything that echoes mall culture or 90s fine dining, so when they announced Bistro Waters—I knew I had to try it. When I got the sample, encased in its own very 90s faux menu, I was ecstatic.
With heart notes of mandarin, bell pepper, and pea flower—I wasn’t quite sure if it would work for me, but that sample became a daily fragrance so I ended up getting a bottle. There’s a bit of spice to it but it's fresh and light and a little earthy—there’s moss water and nutmeg in there too. It’s just the perfect scent to throw on with something casual when you don’t want to think about which perfume to wear (perhaps just a me problem). Sadly, I’m getting too close to needing a new bottle.
BOHOBOCO Sea Salt Caramel
When I discovered this at Scent Bar in Soho, I told the lovely person giving my friend and I recommendations that I wanted to make someone fall in love with me when they asked what I wanted to evoke scent wise. Then entered BOHOBOCO Sea Salt Caramel—I’m not typically drawn to overly sweet or gourmand scents, perhaps they remind me too much of my teen years. But I tried it and as the dry down hit, it was sweet but not overly so, and there was an acidity and saltiness to it due to the use of sea salt, seaweed, and lemon. It’s an absolutely decadent scent, that’s layered enough to really work for any season. In summer it smelled like that sticky, sweet heat of summer and possibility. And in fall, it’s like holding a maple candy under your tongue, watching the leaves fall. While no one has fallen for me while wearing it yet, at least I can smell myself.
Andrea Maack Solstice
My downfall likely will be having an affinity for things I simply cannot afford. And it’s been a recurring theme for me in the “fragrances that smell so good but I can never have a bottle of” category. Previous fragrances on this list include Memo Paris’s Marfa and The Time from House of Oud. So now, Andrea Maack is on my shitlist. On a whim, also known as targeted advertising from my beloved Twisted Lily, I decided to get some samples of some new Andrea Maack scents. Cornucopia is one of my favorite cooler weather scents, so I was familiar with her scents. While I liked everything I tried, Solstice, which is $230 a bottle, put me in a watermelon scented chokehold. If you know me personally, I am not a melon girlie, but while Solstice has the juiciness of my despised fruit—there’s something tangy, metallic, and floral about the scent. Some of the notes include violet, jasmine, and marin accord—which seems close enough to marine, so water-y right? Basically, this fragrance is fucking sexy. In a world where money was no issue, I’d have a full bottle of it while swathed in the SS24 David Koma collection which to me is the tangible aesthetic of what this smells like.
Perfume Ad of the Week
Did Sarah Jessica Parker start 2023’s bow trend back in 2005? I just remember aside from being obsessed with the fragrance (see above) and SATC—I wanted this whole outfit from the ad. The petal pink vintage-esque dress, the huge diamond earrings, the pearl ring. TBH at the time, I probably thought this would be the essence of living in New York, but it’s actually more warm beer and bike shorts.