Welcome to the weekly Perfume Chat Room, perfumistas! I envision this chat room as a weekly drop-in spot online, where readers may ask questions, suggest fragrances, tell others their SOTD, comment on new releases or old favorites, and respond to each other. The perennial theme is fragrance, but we can interpret that broadly. This is meant to be a kind space, so please try not to give or take offense, and let’s all agree to disagree when opinions differ. In fragrance as in life, your mileage may vary! YMMV.
Today is Friday, August 28, and I am ready for August to end.Our weather has just been gross — hot, humid, overcast, daily thunderstorms, beset by mosquitoes. I can barely get out to my garden, which is becoming a jungle. My most frequently worn scent this month has been the eucalyptus and lemon oil combination I spritz to try to ward off the mosquitoes when I venture out to deadhead my roses and pick tomatoes. Yes, we are infested with those “Asian tiger mosquitoes” that don’t wait until evening to come looking for juicy victims. I take all the recommended steps to empty even small areas of standing water, where they breed, and yet they flourish. I’m not willing to bring in professionals with chemical sprays, as I try to keep my garden user-friendly for pollinators, so I’ll try a spray that has essential oils in it like rosemary and peppermint. Wish me luck! At least my yard will smell nice …
Labor Day Weekend starts a week from today — any big plans? Do you have your eye on any Labor Day fragrance sales? Speaking of which, the department store chain Lord & Taylor will go out of business this year, after having closed many of its stores last year. Right now its website has 10% off fragrances. Most of what they carry can be found at a deeper discount from the usual online discounters, but you might find something you’d like! Are you looking forward to September?
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 
I am also looking forward to fall; Denver has had near record hot summer with 70ish days over 90 degrees. Good for you for not using chemicals in your garden, healthier for all. Labor Day weekend is unplanned and uneventful for me, but I will appreciate the holiday none the less.
I am sad to hear thatLord and Taylor is going out of business. I emptied a bottle of Dame Duality, I’ve rarely used a full bottle of perfume ever! I love it so much and don’t want to be without, I ordered another bottle. The price is incredible for such a well-made and qualitive perfume. Happy weekend!
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I agree about Duality! I love it too and will soon buy a backup bottle. Haven’t thunked my first one yet! Jeffrey Dame’s fragrances are just great, and well-priced, as you note. Happy weekend to you too!
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It has been hot and humid here but the mosquitoes haven’t been that bad, fortunately. Not really looking forward to September. My son is starting his junior year remotely; decided to switch his history class to AP at the last moment so a stressful weekend ahead as he tries to catch up. Our community is very divided over the process that led to the remote start. Lots of social media scolding, distressing to see the behaviors of people I thought were kind. My preschool won’t be opening until November at the earliest, so I have more time to *not* get my long term projects done as I try to get through each day. I’m trying to make an effort to actively choose a perfume each day to lift my spirits. This week it has been Si Lolita, which is a peppery spicy bomb which still feels light enough to wear in the heat. I hope everyone else is hanging in there!
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Sounds like a stressful fall for you, I’m sorry. My kids all took AP history classes; there is a great series of study aids called Five Steps to a 5 on just about all the AP subjects, and they’re really helpful to use during the semester, not just for the exam. Which AP history is he taking?
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Mosquitoes are the worst. Please keep us updated as to whether the essential oil blend works! Don’t know about any specific fragrance sales but I might get to visit some antique shops and maybe find something there. Hope everyone gets to enjoy the time off and leave the stress behind for even a short time.
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You know, I live in a city where there are plenty of antique stores, vintage stores, resale shops, estate sales, and I have never once found a decent fragrance for sale at any of them! And by that, I mean anything a step up from Bath and Body Works (which I know many people love, I just think of BBW as “bargains” even when brand new).
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It seems to be hit or miss! I’ve mostly seen Avon stuff. My best find was probably a small bottle of Poison with the stopper cap, a few years ago.
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I wish you the best of luck! Happy hunting!
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So “Now Smell This” has a great Friday “community project” theme today: Dealer’s Choice, meaning that each perfumista chooses his/her own theme and a fragrance to match. I’ve been so grumpy about the weather lately that my them is “Rain, Rain, Go Away.” I’m wearing Un Jardin Apres La Mousson, and I may switch later to Apres L’Ondee! Any other rain suggestions? I’ve read that Zoologist Dragonfly has rain scent notes — comments on that, anyone?
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The tiger mosquitoes seem to have made it to my part of Germany too, they were seen just 5km away from us. Not good…
I wore Chypre Mousse today, because it was cloudy and grey and later also rainy. A good scent for this kind of weather.
Although it has been hot here I do not long for fall and longer nights, I hope we get at least a nice fall weather with not too much rain
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Yes, I’d like that too!
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I’m sad about the L&T closing. We don’t have those stores around, but in the last 4-5 years I’ve been getting periodically something from their online store (they carry a couple of brands I wear). But after going to the mall past Monday (I had a day off and needed to pick up my purchase from Nordstrom), I’m not sure how many stores would survive. Currently, only those that have an entrance from the street are open. All smaller ones inside the mall are closed, together with the mall.
I have a personal project: to go through the list of perfumes I own and remind myself about “summer” perfumes I didn’t wear this summer and do it while I still can.
I love Fall/Winter season, but suspect it’ll be very strange this year.
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I agree. It is sad to see the demise of these great old stores. I have mostly felt sad when their original stores on Fifth Avenue have closed, because I have happy memories of walking up Fifth Avenue at Christmastime and looking at all the wonderful windows. It is weird, though, to think of a world where there is no Lord & Taylor. There was a freestanding L&T near where I grew up, and it was my mother’s go-to department store. It always had lovely dresses, in particular.
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I think Zoologist needs to come out with a “Mosquito” perfume! They probably will- LOL. I’ve been staying indoors or zooming from the house to the pool. I look forward to wearing some heavier fragrances in the fall. I’m sampling some Widian scents today and they are extraits, so quite heavy. I like them a lot but they are definitely not for Florida summers.
Very hot and humid here as well. I’m ready for fall, but I’d like to skip to October as we always seem to get the edge of a hurricane or at least a bad tropical storm in my area every September. I weathered Hurricane Andrew in Miami so I literally have hurricane PTSD.
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OMG, a “Mosquito” perfume would be so funny! I assume there would be a citronella note …
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