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 13, and I wish you all the best of good luck today! I’ve never really understood why Friday the 13th is supposed to be unlucky, but here we are. I’m happy to share the recent announcement below of an online (Zoom) Bois de Jasmin class with Victoria and Luca Turin. I’m sure this will be most interesting, and it’s for a good cause. I will not be taking part, because I’ll be on my way to London! I have a full week planned of cultural outings, which will include seeing the cinema release of the National Theatre production of “Prima Facie” with Jody Comer, which I’ve been dying to see and which hasn’t been announced for any showings near me in the US. And yes, there will be at least one perfume-related outing — a trip to Les Senteurs with my friend who lives in London, at her request. And since we’ll be so close by, a stop at Jo Loves too! Stay tuned for any more additions to the list …

Since I’m currently in Ukraine, I see the dire need in my local community for the most basic things. While there are plenty of charities and government-level programs, the only way to ensure that money goes to the people in need is to locate those communities and help them directly. I’ve been doing this ever since my arrival to Ukraine two weeks ago.

• Raising money for local school to supply their bomb shelters with water.
• Purchasing art supplies for the free-of-charge art studios that rehabilitate children suffering from post-traumatic shock.
• Supporting animal shelters run by the individuals I know.
• Working with local outreach programs to respond to the lonely elderly and their needs.
• Supporting local cultural preservation projects and traditional crafts.  I will share more information about these and other projects as I continue my work.

Full disclosure: 50% of the funds raised will be donated to these charitable initiatives. The rest will cover our time and my Belgian tax obligations.

The session will take place online via Zoom and will last for 1 hour. If you have questions for me and Luca, you can email them beforehand. You’ll receive full instructions before the start of the class. No recordings will be made available for these sessions. Thank you for your understanding.

Location: Zoom
Class duration: 1 hour
September 14, Saturday, 18:00-19:00 CET (12:00-13:00 EST)
50€ Book Now

For more information on Bois de Jasmin classes and other course offers, please visit the Perfume Classes page.

Do you have any special plans for this weekend, fragrant or otherwise?