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, May 21, and I’ve just picked the first ripe tomato in my garden! If you’re thinking, that’s very early, you are right — it’s a variety called “Early Girl”, and I also bought a mostly grown plant, as opposed to the usual seedlings, just to get a headstart on the tomato season. There is just nothing like a fresh, homegrown tomato, which is why I persevere in spite of marauding birds and chipmunks. Have you ever heard of a book called “The $64 Tomato”? That’s me.
You may wonder why I’m carrying on about tomatoes here — yesterday’s May Melange Marathon scent was Eve, by St. Clair Scents, and it has a prominent note of tomato leaf. Perfumer Diane St. Clair also used tomato leaf to great effect in one of her first scents, Gardener’s Glove. No surprise — I’m a fan.
What scents are you wearing these days, as we transition from spring to summer?
Featured image by Susan Mulvihill, http://www.spokesman.com. My tomato fantasy, not my reality!
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 
This is early for tomatoes in my mind; however, how wonderful for you. Homegrown tomatoes are delicious! When we return home from vacation next week, I will plant tomatoes plants. This is about the appropriate time in CO due to volatile spring weather in the Rockies. This will be my first attempt at a small garden; my raised planter is built and painted.
I’ve been wearing 24, Faubourg this week.
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Love homegrown tomatoes! I’ve mostly been using samples from my Floraiku discovery set, all of which are pleasant but none of which I love enough to shell out for a full bottle. My favorite so far is The Moon and I, listing notes of maté absolute, matcha tea, and cedar oil. It smells like sweet tea and I wish it wouldn’t disappear within a few hours.
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Ooh, that sounds beautiful!
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But isn’t that set just fabulous (visually)? 🙂
I was going to wear it soon because I won’t be buying any FB from it but don’t want them to go to waste – they all are nice enough to wear a couple of times.
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Hey OH,
I love tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato plants and the smell of tomato leaves. Sadly, I don’t love hot tomato soup but do love gazpacho. Most tomato leaf in perfume becomes overpowering after about an hour for me and so I steer clear. I think it was the Hilde Soliani Stecca that really did me in.
Have been wearing a bunch of new arrivals. I’ve been on a little bit of a buying frenzy now work is back in business.
Portia xx
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I haven’t found a Hilde Soliani fragrance yet that really worked for me.
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24.09.11 is my only Hilde Soliani bottle. It’s the most beautiful amber incense.
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Ti Amo Iris is my favorite HIlde Solani. It’s a sweeter iris, really nice.
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I also love gazpacho! 🙂
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Me too! I just can’t have any that has raw celery in it, I’m actually allergic to that (so silly, but it has triggered anaphylaxis, so I avoid it). I recently had an amazing mango-based gazpacho — yum!
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OMG! Raw celery! That’s terrifying OH!
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YAY for a gazpacho snap Undina. There used to be a terrific remade one in Spain that came in a one litre milk carton. It was so delicious I used to down half for breakfast on consecutive days.
My mouth is watering in harry memory.
Portia xx
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I love homegrown tomatoes! My grandmother used to grow great cultivars of tomatoes: it was her hobby – to do a lot of different types of different fruits and vegetables, so every summer that I spent at my grandparents’ house I would taste a lot of wonderful produce not available anywhere at stores or even farmers markets. You just can’t mass-produce great things. So, I understand your “$64 tomato” 🙂
I’m testing/wearing something new I recently bought that I shouldn’t have. I’ll write about it at some point, I think.
I’m behind in reading your Marathon, but I hope to catch up during the weekend.
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I’ll look forward to reading about your new one. Yes, one of the great things about growing one’s own vegetables is that one can grow heirloom varieties that don’t ship well, so you won’t find them in stores but they taste wonderful. I have a Russian variety I’m eager to try; it’s called Black Prince.
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We planted our tomatoes in our allotment last weekend and hope for a big harvest. Of course I love tomato in all its forms. I think I should test some scents with tomato leafs for summer
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Love eating tomatoes
Love tomato leaf as a note…two favorites that come to mind, Annick Goutal Folavril and Pucci Sole 149…. sadly both discontinued.
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That’s a shame. Other than in Diane St. Clair’s scents, have you found any other good tomato leaf notes?
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Miller Harris Cassis en Fueille which I think is still being produced.
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I need to try the St. Clair scents. I like the smell of tomato leaf. Malin & Goetz had a candle in 2020 that smelled like tomato plants. It was delightful! And who doesn’t love eating tomatoes? I need to try growing some as I love those heirloom tomatoes. Yummmm
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