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, October 13, and I’m looking forward to the delivery of a new embroidery machine! I’ve wanted one for years, and the Online Marketplace That Must Not Be Named had a great half-price deal on a high-end Singer machine this week for Prime Days. My always-generous husband agreed that could be my big Christmas gift, and it is on its way to me! I have a lovely sewing machine, bought 23 years ago when I thought I’d have more time to sew, which I’ve recently taken out of storage and am re-learning. The new machine will sew AND embroider, though I think I’ll mostly use it for the embroidery function. Yes, this is one of the hobbies for which I have more time in retirement!
Speaking of which, I visited a big chain bookstore yesterday for the first time in a while (I mostly go to a couple of small, local, independent bookstores) and saw a novel called “The Scent Keeper”, by Erica Baumeister. I didn’t get it, because I’m trying to use the Libby app to read more from our public library system instead of buying more books, but it piqued my curiosity. Have any of you read it?
I’ve been enjoying NST’s “community project” this week, which is to wear scents that remind you of India. It turns out that I have more of those than I would have expected, and some are true favorites, like Un Jardin Après la Mousson and Bengale Rouge. Some that I’ve worn this week I have had for ages but hadn’t opened yet, like Berdoues’ Assam of India, a lovely tea scent, and Jean Patou’s Sira des Indes, which Portia Turbo and I both wore yesterday, by sheer happenstance. Wearing Bengale Rouge reminded me again what a genius Liz Moores is — it lasts a LONG time, and it is a delightful shape-shifter. The final stage is truly “your skin but better”.
Assam of India smells to my nose just like a cup of black tea with lemon. I bought it a few years ago for a ridiculously low price when our local Anthologie store had it on clearance, but I hadn’t opened it yet. So this week’s CP was the perfect excuse! And I’ve always loved the parade of tiny elephants on its packaging, so I’m glad to find that the scent is also delightful.
Have you recently tried any scents you’ve had for a while but hadn’t worn? I’ve learned not to open every new bottle of fragrance right away; I leave them sealed until I’m ready to really WEAR them, in hopes that they will keep longer.
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 
I’ve been wearing Niral by Neela Vermeire. The bottle and the scent both are elegant reminders of the Indian subcontinent.
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That reminds me that I could have added Nirmal to the week’s scents, though the only connection to India is that the name comes from Hindi.
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Neela Vermeire is Indian and all her perfumes have references to places in India.
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I seem to be in a lull fragrance wise. All week have been spraying Nishane Ani, simply because I can’t seem to choose anything else. Sometimes I enjoy wearing the same scent multiple days in a row, though, to see how it behaves differently from day to day. Meanwhile, my fall season is slowing down, soccer is over for my team and only a few HS football games left. Tomorrow off to Cleveland where the forecast is 100% rain for the entire game 😩.
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Oh dear, I hope you have some very good rain gear!
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Ack, I hope you can stay dry!
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I really liked that bottle with the elephants when it first came out, but never picked it up. I did read the book, thought it was so so. But I did love her newest book just out recently, the name of which escapes me. And it had nothing to do with scent. My recollection was that the book was a bit slower paced and dreamy, and I had probably been reading a lot of fast paced murder mysteries, my usual genre, so don’t take my diss on the book too seriously.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it! I’m slowly transitioning back into reading fiction, as a recent retiree. Somehow most of my reading had turned to non-fiction in the last several years.
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I still have perfumes in intact packaging, but they are ones I’ve had before. I bought Tuscan Leather a few months ago but it was too warm and then I was on a binge wearing Masque Milano Ray-Flection most days to finish the bottle, and only recently opened TL to start wearing.
The elephant design is really cute!
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Hey OH! What a fun SNAP on Sira des Indes. Turns out I have MANY more India-centric perfumes than days to wear them. What an enjoyable Community Project.
I’m reading Roald Dahl’s short stories. Still in the war section. What a writer.
As to bottles in packaging. Yeah, there are a bunch here. Sometimes just holding the unopened box is enough until I have a reason to open it.
Portia xx
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I’ve never thought about holding an unopened bottle!! As a buyer of mostly vintage and second-hand bottles, it has seldom been a choice. I might at least think about it now, though, since you, and some other readers, mention it. I am so behind on decants and samples that it would make sense if it’s one I’ve tried. A few years ago, I stiffened my resolve against back-up bottles, but I do have a few of those still unopened. Regarding finding unworn perfumes in the collection, I usually have not worn my scent of the day in while because I love to change things up.
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Apols for it taking me since Friday to read all you piece. I kept starting then getting interrupted & forgetting to start reading again.
I keep trying to rejoin NST but I can’t remember my password from 10+ years ago & the site won’t let me change it or let me rejoin as Alityke. I stopped trying in the end. Moan over.
It’s strange, I made curtains & blinds in the 90’s & clothes in the late 70’s but I have no idea how to use my machine now.
Yes I have sealed bottles, DH just added another, a gift from his holiday. A bottle of current Dior Dune. Current Dune I’d better than no Dune in my book.
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Have you tried contacting Robin directly? Since it’s not formal enterprise AND you are not a random new person but someone with a live blog, she might be inclined to believe that this is your account and reset the password for you.
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Thank you
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Congratulations on your early Christmas gift! I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as you think you will. Now you’ll have time to use it to make some Christmas gifts for your family. There are so many personalization ideas if you look on YouTube – that’s unless you already have your own, which might be since you are so creative in other areas.
My unopened bottles are usually back-ups or those perfumes that I bought before finishing my sample or decant – so, they are waiting their turn.
Assam of India was a completely unexpected find for me. I tried it only because someone on NST kept mentioning those elephants on the bottle. I loved it and bought a bottle.
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