Inside the Collection: Tynan Sinks

A beauty editor and perfume podcaster shares his deep cuts

One of the strange and lovely things about meeting people in the fragrance world is that I often feel like I already know them. There’s a familiarity that builds through social media—DMs, hearts on stories, mutual obsessions—and suddenly someone you’ve never met feels like an old friend. That feeling is even stronger with podcasters. These people you don’t know are in your home, keeping you company while you shower, do the dishes, and get ready for bed. You can’t talk back, but you feel like you’re a part of the conversation.

That’s exactly how I felt about Smell Ya Later. There’s something so easy and familiar about the way best friends Tynan Sinks and Sable Yong talk to each other. With their roots in beauty journalism, their insights are informed, their opinions refreshingly honest, and their dynamic is very fun. So when I finally met them both in person at the Fragrance Foundation Awards last month, it felt surprisingly natural. I already knew I liked them, and I wasn’t wrong, they were just as cool in person.

One of my favorite things about Smell Ya Later is that Sable and Tynan have such distinctly different tastes. I especially love that Tynan unapologetically likes what he likes, niche, designer, DTC, whatever. I remember them talking about Wicked after it came out and how Tynan was fully Glinda, all pink clouds and sparkles, while Sable was more Elphaba. I probably gravitate more towards Sable’s tastes, but I’m fascinated by Tynan’s, and I love hearing him talk about what he likes. Side note—if you haven’t smelled Sable’s fragrance, Die Hot with a Vengeance, you need to get your nose on it. Longtime readers know I’m obsessed.

Beyond his quick wit and podcast charm, Tynan is also a beauty editor, creative director, and brand strategist with a career that spans beauty, skincare, fragrance, and luxury lifestyle. He brings that smart, seasoned perspective to everything he shares. Follow him on instagram for daily stories featuring pink cars, products he actually finishes, and unfiltered beauty takes. And if you’re not already listening to Smell Ya Later, that’s a situation you should fix immediately.

I knew getting a closer look at Tynan’s collection would be fun, and I’m so excited for you to get this peek into his world. Don’t blame me if you’re ordering a bottle of Cloud before you finish reading this. Also, he organizes his collection by color!!! I love that so much.

Oh god, I mean it has to be my big three:

1996 by Byredo - This is my all-time-favorite fragrance. On me, it’s all suede, iris, woods, amber, and vanilla. It’s just so good. I remember the first time I smelled it and was like “Oh…this one is gonna be with me forever.” And it has been, so far at least. It reminds me of the time that I was wearing it daily, but I’ve lived so much of my life in it that it’s seen me through so many different eras.

A few years back, there were whispers of it being discontinued and I think it allegedly was for a minute, which of course sent me into a panic and I bought another full-size 100mL bottle. But it’s back now and I’m stocked up so it’s a win-win.

Intoxicated by Kilian - Oh my god, this one is too good, come on. I fell in love with it right around the time I discovered 1996, actually. I guess fragrances were especially impactful to me during that time, or maybe lightning struck twice, who knows. It was kinda early on in my writing career and not everyone was as generous with samples as they are today. They gave me a little sample vial and I was so taken by it that I immediately requested a full-size and they were like “no.” So I treated it like the precious commodity that it was.

It’s this beautiful blend of coffee, cardamom, chocolate, and vanilla. It’s stunning, unlike anything else I own or have smelled. I know it sounds very sweet and gourmand but it’s really not, it’s smooth and silky, hands down the best coffee scent ever.

About a year later, I think I placed the scent in an article or maybe just got friendly with the PR but one day, out of nowhere, a full bottle of Intoxicated showed up at my door. I felt like I had really made it.

Cloud by Ariana Grande - There’s no point in pretending that I’m not an Ariana Grande stan but let the record show that I am an adult and a beauty editor and can separate my love for her music and my reception of her products. Cloud is exquisite and I won’t hear anything else about it. It’s this fascinating, creamy, electric mix of marshmallow, pear, and charged air, like humidity before a storm. My friends always make fun of me for that description but it’s true!

I do say this so lovingly but anyone with half a brain will realize that Cloud is not a dupe for Baccarat Rouge or anything else. Sure there are parts of them that are similar but they are wholly different fragrances. It’s easy to smell the differences on your skin and honestly even easier to smell on someone else. I love Cloud. Everyone loves Cloud. It’s disarmingly lovely and a little weird, which is what makes it a mainstay. Ugh it’s so good.

Tell me a story about a bottle in your collection.

I’ll tell you two but I’ll keep it quick:

Beyond Paradise for Men by Estée Lauder - “For men” ew I know, can you imagine? Anyway I bought this in…200…5? I was 15 or 16. I fell in love with it in Marshall Field’s (throwback) because, and I’ll be honest, it smelled so beautiful and, like a typical “woman’s” perfume but it was labeled “for men” so it felt safe for me to wear and get away with. It’s very breezy and tropical. I think

Luca Turin 🇮🇹🇪🇺

called it the best men’s fragrance ever made in the book he co-wrote with his wife, Perfumes: The Guide. He definitely gave it five stars.

This became my “vacation fragrance” because it smells like vacation to me (surprise!!!) and I bring it wherever I go that’s even remotely a leisurely trip. I love smelling it on my skin because I know I’m somewhere…else. It’s a mindset thing.

Lost Cherry by Tom Ford - Sable gave me this in the fall of 2018 at our mutual best friend Kara’s wedding. I had known Sable for years and been writing for her at Allure for the better part of three years. She was the only one who really let me talk my shit about perfume, because no other publication, beauty or otherwise, wanted to run any scent content because it “didn’t get clicks.” Look at it now.

One night, we were all doing our makeup at the dining room table of the house we’d rented in the Twin Cities, and she whipped out a bottle of Lost Cherry and was like “Oh I brought this for you. It’s a Tynan Scent.” That meant a lot to me because, obviously I have the utmost respect for Sable and the fact that I took up any place in her mind kinda boggled my own. This was years before Smell Ya Later, but she and I have always had a special connection with scent. Though we like very different things, we speak the same language in that way.

What's a bottle you never wear but will never give away?

This is a hard one! Probably my bottle of In Love Again by YSL. I bought it because I love the name, and my mom had it when I was little (though she swears she did not) and I just think it’s the most personal and evocative name. In Love Again. THAT is a fragrance name, honey.

The first bottle you would bring to a fragrance swap?

Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid. It is such a beautiful fragrance, a big vanilla under the guise of a floral. It’s sensorial, it feels like ribbons on your skin. It’s just not the vanilla I reach for so it doesn’t get much wear, but someone will love it.

If I was over right now what would you spray on me?

I’d let you pick! I know I’m a loudmouth but I’m very careful about not imposing my taste on anyone. I’d just want to let you drive. We’d chat about what you like or what you’re curious about and then go wild from there.

Which bottle do you reach for when you want to feel comforted?

LOVE DON’T BE SHY BY KILIAN. I don’t care! I don’t care!!!!! I love that fragrance so much. It’s just undeniably good. And interesting!!! You don’t like Love Don’t Be Shy? Oh please, grow up.

I’m a pretty anxious person and there are times when I do look to it to chill me out. I don’t know why I gravitate to that one over my big three, or another fragrance with my favorite notes in it, but I do, always. And it really does help comfort me. It just smells like this hazy dream of humid cotton candy fields.

Anything else you want to share?

I love the Dry Down Diaries! I’m so happy you created this space for fragrance lovers. Beauty and fragrance are integral parts of connecting with each other and finding ourselves, and the more spaces to do it, the better. I really look up to people like

Arabelle Sicardi

and Sable who talk a lot about how beauty is a communal experience. I never really thought of it that way until hearing them talk about it sort of broke something open in my mind, so now, I’m grateful for anyone who shares their love of fragrance with others and invites them to share it as well.

Thank you, Tynan! 🎀 💖