The first person who ever said to “stop and smell the flowers” most certainly did not live in NYC. Between those ubiquitous bodily-fluid scented trees outside, and apartment-friendly non-blooming cacti inside, there’s not a lot to pause and sniff on most blocks. Even perfumer Francis Kurkdjian told us that the bits of against-all-odds jasmine that manage to survive in Central Park get to mingle with the effervescence of “horse shit.” So, perhaps since “stop and smell the Nutz4Nutz” isn't as appealing a thought, Brooklyn-based fragrance house CB I Hate Perfume decided to take a minute and bring the flowers to us.

CB I Hate Perfume’s Rare Flowers project is comprised of six single-note rare floral fragrances from perfumer Christopher Brosius' collection— Champaca, Jasmine Sambac (night blooming jasmine), Jonquil, Narcissus, Neroli, and Tuberose—that are so animated, exquisite, and lifelike, they transport your senses from subway-stranger-armpit to a field of wildflowers. It’s as if you’re really really there, laying in the sunshine—only minus the allergies, grass-stained elbows, and weird grass imprints on your legs.

Photos by Elizabeth Brockway.