My Weirdest Hack for Writing Descriptions
This was a completely accidental hack I discovered after searching for perfume dupes for Baccarat Rouge that I could add to my christmas list. As I’m reading descriptions like, “a luminous cloud of saffron, jasmine, and an ambergris base that whispers opulence,” it hits me: perfume bottles and their over-the-top websites are an untapped goldmine for writing inspiration.
Yup, I’m here to tell you that reading perfume descriptions is the most unhinged, wildly effective writing hack I’ve ever tried. And it works for one very important reason: those tiny blurbs have to describe feelings, moods, and even personalities in, like, three sentences. If they can make you believe you’ll become a mysterious heiress just by spraying something on your wrist, they can 100% help you level up your writing game.
Read Perfume Descriptions for Better Sensory Writing.
If you’ve ever struggled to describe something beyond “it smelled nice” or “the air felt cold,” you need to dive into the world of high-end perfume descriptions. They don’t just tell you what a perfume smells like—they build an experience.
Take Baccarat Rouge 540, for example (the perfume that costs more than my rent). Its dupe descriptions on dupe websites are just as extra:
- “The warmth of crushed amber and cedarwood mingles with ethereal jasmine, evoking the quiet glamour of twilight on a rooftop terrace.”
- Or: “A sweet-yet-smoky enigma, like a silk scarf left behind in a room filled with secrets.”
LIKE…HELLO?! They’re out here describing air better than I describe people! I read one description, and suddenly, I’m channeling that same energy into my writing:
- Instead of “The forest smelled earthy,” you write, “The forest smelled of damp moss and resin, like the woods were exhaling their secrets.”
- Instead of “Her dress was red,” you write, “Her dress was a sin-red ripple of silk, clinging to her like a guilty conscience.”
Perfume bottles = unlocked my entire sensory writing potential.
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Thanks for the great idea!