Sununyatta from Untamed Perfumes invited me to California to visit a brand new niche/indie perfume shop in Carlsbad called The Dry Down, and I decided to vlog the whole experience so you could come along. The coolest part is that Untamed is now stocked there, which means if you’re in the States you can buy her fragrances without the border/customs hassle. I also got to sit down with Shia (the owner) and talk about why she opened the shop, how the niche world exploded during lockdown, and why smelling in-person matters so much more than blind-buying based on notes. I also share my first impressions of Untamed’s new release, I’ve Known Giants (it was in a soft launch phase when we were there). On my skin it opens with airy, natural citrus (bergamot, bitter orange, green mandarin, lemon blossom), then you get this smoky-sensual, soft velvety incense (frankincense and myrrh) pretty quickly, and it settles into a woody, earthy, grounded cedar/pine/fir vibe. It wears closer to the skin but lasted me around 5–6 hours, and to me it’s unisex leaning masculine—rugged and mountainous, but still calming and sensual. Plus: I met fragrance friends (including Janine from Snif Societe), smelled some fun things around the shop, and soaked up all the green, lush California energy.