Spicy

Mace is the peculiar crimson lace that wraps nutmeg's seed—and it smells like nutmeg's sophisticated, slightly sharper older sibling. Imagine warm spiced honey with peppery heat, yet somehow more refined and delicate than its relative. There's a subtle floral-woody dryness beneath, almost like old library leather dusted with cinnamon and clove. When you smell it pure, there's a gentle sweetness that doesn't cloy, paired with a warming piquancy that tingles faintly on the olfactory nerve—familiar yet distinctly aristocratic.

Spicy

Black pepper smells nothing like sweetness—it's sharp, almost peppery bite that makes your nose tingle pleasantly. Imagine crushing fresh peppercorns between your fingers: you'll catch pungent, slightly woody warmth mixed with an almost citrusy brightness. There's a clean, dry heat to it—reminiscent of cracked pepper on a steak or the spicy tingle after biting into a fresh chilli, though less aggressive. It feels simultaneously warming and slightly cooling, prickling against the inside of your nostrils.