IMAGINARY AUTHORS · EAU DE PARFUM · 2012

MEMOIRS OF A TRESPASSER

Name: Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser Eau de Parfum
Brand: Imaginary Authors
Price: 115.00 USD
Rating: 7 (2 reviews)

Madagascar vanilla poured over guaiacwood smoke and oak barrels, with myrrh and benzoin keeping it dry — a boozy, lived-in vanilla rather than a sweet one.

Olfactive family: Amber · Vanilla · Woody
Perfumer: Josh Meyer
For: Unisex

OFFICIAL BOUTIQUE$115 · 50 mlOfficial US price

Official boutique

US price checked 22 August 2026 for the 50 ml Eau de Parfum via American Perfumer, an authorized stockist; 14 ml and 2 ml sizes are also sold. Price and availability may change; verify at the boutique before purchase.

Updated: 23 August 2026

Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser bottle

Begin the portrait

HouseImaginary Authors

FamilyAmber · Vanilla · Woody

Year2012

Community scent score7.0/10

Your scent rating Choose your impression 2 community ratings

01Portrait

SECTION 01 · PORTRAIT

A perfume with a novel that doesn't exist.

Imaginary Authors works backwards: Josh Meyer composes a fragrance, then invents the book and novelist it supposedly accompanies. Memoirs belongs to the fictional Philip Sava, who lived alone on a Madagascan vanilla ranch. The scent is Madagascar vanilla against guaiacwood smoke, oak barrels and myrrh — boozy and dry rather than sweet.

“Who needs love when there is still cognac in the glass?”
— Philip Sava · the fictional author, per Imaginary Authors · verified quotation

Scent accords

01Vanilla

84%Dominant

84%
02Woody

68%Strong

68%
03Smoky

56%Moderate

56%
04Balsamic

48%Moderate

48%
05Boozy

42%Moderate

42%
06Musky

24%Subtle

24%

Accord intensity reflects an editorial estimate based on note structure and wear profile.

BEFORE YOU SAMPLE

It may not suit you if…

Longevity is the most consistent shortfall — it tends to fade sooner than you'd expect at this price.
It holds a cult following, but a meaningful share find it thin or reading a medicinal, Band-Aid-like facet.
The opening is noticeably sweeter and fruitier than the dry, smoky drydown — if you judge it in the first ten minutes you'll get the wrong impression.

Performance and perception vary by skin, climate, application and formulation. Sample before buying whenever possible.

02The olfactive journey

NO OFFICIAL STAGING — ONE LIST OF SIX MATERIALS

Imaginary Authors publishes a flat note list, not a pyramid — so here's what actually stands out.

ALL AT ONCE

Vanilla, woodsmoke and oak, arriving together.

The house lists six materials and no staging, and the fragrance largely behaves that way — Madagascar vanilla and guaiacwood are both present from the first spray rather than trading places. Oak barrels supply the boozy, cask-aged quality that gives the composition its distinctive presence; myrrh and benzoin add a dry, faintly church-like resin underneath; and ambrette seed contributes a soft, slightly animalic musk. The opening reads sweeter and more fruity than the finish, drying down into something closer to a wood-panelled library than a dessert.

BOOZYSMOKYRESINOUS

EXPLORE THESE NOTES

Madagascar Vanilla Guaiacwood Myrrh Benzoin Oak

03On skin

FROM FIRST SPRAY TO LATE DRYDOWN

The life of the scent.

OPENSSWEETER THAN IT ENDSMadagascar Vanilla · Oak Barrels

The opening reads noticeably sweet, even fruity, before it settles.

EARLYTHE SMOKE ARRIVESGuaiacwood · Myrrh

Dry woodsmoke and resin pull it away from the sweetness.

LATEWOOD-PANELLED AND WARMBenzoin Resin · Ambrette Seeds

Balsamic warmth with a soft, faintly animalic musk underneath.

WEARMODERATE LONGEVITY—

A recurring pattern: it fades sooner than expected for the price.

04The perfumer

Josh Meyer, perfumer and founder of Imaginary Authors — **Josh Meyer**Perfumer & Founder · Imaginary Authors

JOSH MEYER WRITES THE BOOK AFTER THE PERFUME

The perfumer behind the portrait

Josh Meyer left a career in real estate to found Imaginary Authors in Portland in 2012, and composes every fragrance himself. His method inverts the usual order — the scent comes first, then the novel and novelist it supposedly accompanies, complete with a fictional book cover on the bottle.

“The early exploration writing of Philip Sava bent the limits of post-modern fiction, revealing fantastical worlds that fooled many into believing they were, in fact, real.”
— Imaginary Authors · official Memoirs of a Trespasser product page · verified quotation

PERFUMER: Josh Meyer
HOUSE: Imaginary Authors
LAUNCHED: 2012
OFFICIAL NOTES: Madagascar Vanilla · Guaiacwood · Myrrh · Benzoin Resin · Ambrette Seeds · Oak Barrels

View the Josh Meyer profile and all connected Parffolio fragrances →

05Community

STRUCTURED EXPERIENCE, LESS NOISE

How does Memoirs of a Trespasser perform for you?

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SCENT—

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LONGEVITY—

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SILLAGE—

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VALUE FOR MONEY—

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THE RIGHT MOMENT

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Select every season and time that feels right. Your choices remain editable.

FINAL IMPRESSION

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Community scores are subjective, not verified purchases or scientific measurements. Abuse controls reduce simple manipulation but cannot guarantee one human, one vote.

07Scent conversations

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MEMOIRS OF A TRESPASSER

Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser at a glance

A perfume with a novel that doesn't exist.

It may not suit you if…

Vanilla, woodsmoke and oak, arriving together.

The perfumer behind the portrait

When does it come alive?

Which words fit your wear?

Elsewhere

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