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, September 22, and I have SCORED! Last Christmas, our oldest daughter (27) fell in love with the scent of Jo Malone’s Ginger Biscuit from a mini I had, but I didn’t have a bottle to give her and it had been a limited edition. I looked online and the prices were astronomic. I looked for similar scents but none seemed quite right. Then last weekend — tada! Someone in a Facebook fragrance lovers’ group posted that it was being reissued for this year’s holidays and it was available on Saks.com! But by the time I saw this post, it had vanished from the website and other comments said it was sold out.
However, there is a Saks not far from here, so on Monday, I went there and asked if they might have it. The lovely sales associate showed me the tester they had (!) and looked in her computer system, then said it was slated for a “soft launch” for the holidays in October but would most likely show up at the start of November. She said she would hold a bottle for me when it arrived, so I left my name and phone number. Well, just two days later I got a phone call from her, saying that a couple of bottles had just come in and she had one for me! I told her I’d like to come get it on Friday, which she said was fine. So I went this morning and picked it up! There was a brief moment of panic when the bottle was not where she had left it, then a colleague said he had moved it and she found it. Hurray! It is now safely wrapped and ready for gift-giving, either for our daughter’s November birthday or this Christmas. I can’t wait to surprise her with it! FYI, Nordstrom says it also expects to get it for the holidays, if that’s easier for any of you to reach than Saks.
This past Monday, I posted another “CounterPoint” collaboration by me and Portia Turbo; we discussed Caron’s Infini, a late 20th century classic. If you haven’t read the post yet, please do, and share your thoughts in the comments! We’ve mapped out the rest of our posts for 2023, and we’ve got some great ideas, so stay tuned.
Tomorrow is the official first day of fall. Our hot weather has finally broken and we are having cool mornings with comfortably warm, sunny days. The best is yet to come — around here, October weather is usually even better (the first half of September can still be very humid and hot). My husband has just recovered from COVID and is off tomorrow on another work trip, back to Las Vegas this time. Since I couldn’t go with him to London, he kindly brought me back a bottle of Hermès’ latest “Jardin” fragrance, Un Jardin à Cythère. It is really lovely, and I’m so happy to add it to my collection!
I haven’t been buying much fragrance for myself lately, since I have so many bottles and my collection will outlast me long before I use them up. I do still have a monthly decant subscription, which I enjoy since it adds variety and access to some very expensive fragrances I wouldn’t otherwise try (the cost for a decant doesn’t vary). What’s on your mind, fragrance-wise or other?
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 
So happy you found the Ginger Biscuit. Jo Malone usually has Ginger Biscuit available around the holidays. It’s a favorite of mine for the holidays.
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Great score of ginger Biscuit! I saw a FB post about it, most everyone missed it on saks. We used to have a Saks here, but no longer…. I don’t think I’ll chase it even though I would probably wear it a lot. I just don’t have the drive to acquire anything new – although I did just add another camera body to my collection 😳.
Our weather is lovely now too. So much better – I hate being sweaty and gross at night. We are off to Cleveland for another game tonight, but next week is pretty light so I will be able to work on some longer term projects. Of course – wearing Stash today!
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Fingers crossed for your son’s team! C’mon, Stash, do your thing, lol!
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On my excursion to Saks (a rare occurrence), I also picked up a sample of the new Dioriviera, which I like very much, and Tom Ford’s new Myrrh Mystère. The latter isn’t really my style, but it feels like a quality fragrance (which it should be, given the high price tag). It is like a smoky resin, and a little goes a LONG way.
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Aww what a little cutie. She’ll be very happy come birthday time. My daughter’s is in October and she’s getting Portrait of a Lady and Radical Rose, both in travel size. I’m not buying for myself, like you I have enough perfume for several lifetimes. We’re in full on Autumn now, the breeze has a definite nip and I hit the button for a boost of heating earlier, though I’m not timing it on until mid October! I cleaned my windows today as it was sunny but wouldn’t you know it, it’s raining now.
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Glad you snagged Ginger Biscuit! Happy first day of fall. I’m enjoying the cooler, light jacket weather as well.
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The joy of retirement is being able to do things like make a journey to pick up something special. I’m so pleased you managed to snag something you know your daughter will love.
I finally managed to snag a bottle of Shalimar Millesime Iris as a blind buy.
My first order wasn’t honoured, but I managed to order as soon as a the first restock arrived.
I am such a completist.
I’ve had a constant headache & the sniffles so haven’t sprayed it yet.
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Glad you got your Shalimar Millesime Iris, but I’m sorry you have a headache and sniffles! I’ve had a runny nose this week and kept thinking I had caught COVID from my dear husband, but I never tested positive so I think it was just a plain cold. Now I’m coughing a bit from a post-nasal drip, but not too much. I hope you feel better soon!
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Hope you feel better soon too. I thought I had Covid too, but tested negative. We both have Covid boosters booked for next week.
I’m looking forward to getting my nose on the SMI. Reviews are mixed shall we say.
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Yes, I’ve been intrigued by the range of reactions. I’m not much for gourmand scents myself. Also, I’m fickle in my liking for Shalimar and its flankers, so I haven’t gone down the Millesime rabbit hole.
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Shalimar Millesime Tonka is my favourite from the whole Shalimar line. My least favourite is Shalimar EdP. I’m waiting until I stop sniffling before cracking open SMI.
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YAY for Ginger Biscuit. It will be here in Oz soon too.
Wore Shalimar vintage parfum for my birthday today. It was a perfect fit. we had a lovely day of doing stuff and eating. Jin planned it all out and I was flotsam in his wake. Perfect.
Portia xx
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Happy birthday!!
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Thanks OH. It was a really lovely one.
Portia xx
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