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, December 13, and we’re back from Tarragona, Spain. I didn’t post last Friday because that was our travel day; we had to connect through JFK Airport, so we left our hotel at 6:30 am local time in Spain, and finally got home around 6:30 pm Eastern US time. We were pooped! I was very disciplined and did not buy any fragrances, but I was able to sample Hermès’ latest, Barénia, in the Barcelona Duty-Free shop. I have resisted the hype both pro and con, and found that I like it. Not “love”, but a solid “like.” The words that came to my mind both times I tried it (coming and going!) were “fruity leather.” Not too fruity, and not too leathery — more like suede. It is well worth trying, if you get a chance.
Speaking of designer fragrances, I’ve been exposed more than I would like to the ridiculous TV ads featuring Johnny Depp in the desert for Dior’s Sauvage. I guess they’re airing a lot now because of holidays and gifts, but really — they are just absurd. I’ll have to watch one with our twenty-something son and see what he thinks. They definitely don’t appeal to my husband or me!
Have you tried Barénia? What did you think?
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 
Glad you had a good trip. I don’t see a lot of commercials – we watch almost everything on delay and fast forward through ads, thankfully. The Hermes sounds interesting, I doubt I’ll encounter it anywhere though! I’m winging down my 365 project this year, my “out” box has more than I would have expected in it – we’ll see if I can go through with getting rid of all of it! I’m off tonight to photograph our high school’s holiday percussion concert. Always a highlight of the season. Have a great weekend!
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Same to you! Enjoy your concert!
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Such a nice trip. Maybe i can sample Barenia. I tested Fridas thorns by Obvious , a dark cocoa patchouli with a bit of rose, i would not mind a decant…
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I just got my sample of Barenia from Surrender to Chance and I really like it a lot. I’m going to keep wearing it to see if I want a small bottle. I’m also wearing Sillage X by Manos Gerakinis, his newest fragrance. It’s a real beauty with woods, spices, vetiver and tonka to soften it a bit.
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I tried it more than once, it kind of grew on me.
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Welcome back!
I smelled Barénia on paper earlier today (I wouldn’t have even looked for it if it weren’t for your post). It was fine, but I was wearing another perfume, so I didn’t want to mix them. I’ll try it the next time I’m at a store.
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I normally don’t vibe with leather notes in fragrances, but Barenia just bloomed on my skin and it may join my collection.
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I’m not often attracted to leather notes in fragrance either, but I found Barénia’s to be very subtle and soft. I tried it on my skin a few times during our recent trip, and it definitely grew on me. Not enough for me to buy a full bottle, but I do like it.
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I succumbed and bought the 1oz bottle for my birthday on Epiphany.
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Happy birthday in advance!
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