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Perfume Chat Room, February 21

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, February 21, and we are on our way to Barcelona and Austria! I’m so excited to see Vienna and Salzburg. We have tickets to two music events (an opera and a concert) and a healthy list of museums and palaces to visit.

Last Friday, I failed to post here — my apologies! Valentine’s Day. Having bought myself Rosarine, I was given it by my husband for Valentine’s Day instead of roses, and I bought him roses when they were marked down the next day, lol. Gotta say, it was a nice bouquet. And my spring bulbs are starting to peek up, despite the recent freezes.

First daffodil is up!

As always, I took the opportunity to check out the duty free perfumes in the international terminal. I tried the 2021 version of Guerlain’s Champs Elysee , and the newish Barenia from Hermes. Champs Elysee was lovely, but I have plenty of Guerlain to last me a long while. Barenia is intriguing. Whenever I try it, the opening smells a bit fruity to my nose. I guess this must be the unique “miracle berry” note that is listed as a main feature. I’m not familiar with that Berry, but it’s real. Apparently it gets its name because it makes sour foods taste sweet.

The fruity phase doesn’t last long, maybe half an hour, then the fragrance becomes more floral, with a woody undertone. As it dries down, the woodiness becomes more evident. Barenia is very pleasant but I don’t feel the need to own it. Have you tried it? I’m looking forward to trying some new scents in Austria, too.

8 thoughts on “Perfume Chat Room, February 21”

  1. Enjoy your time in Austria! I tried Barenia a couple of months ago and kept it on my mental wish list, and smelled it again recently. To me it’s a fruity top with a Galop-like leather accord, and it draws me in but I also haven’t felt the urge to take the plunge so far.

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  5. Love traditional roses. Just coming on here to share that there is a perfume shop in central Vienna called Le Parfum at Petersplatz 3 where my elderly father had a good shopping experience and even got 3-4 niche samples for me. I see that there are mixed reviews about the staff, but it may still be worth a look. The Dior boutique in Vienna on the other hand, would not recommend. My stepmother and her sister had to wait outside for close to 30 minutes before being let in some years ago (both well dressed to the standard of Vienna and native speakers of Austrian German).

    Finally wanted to let you know that Austrian apricot jam (Fruchtaufstrich) from Staud’s Wien is excellent. A nice alternative for presents. There are also other brands obviously. I once got a jar with a painting by Klimt on the lid.

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  7. Barcelona and Vienna are two of my top 4 cities! I hope you’ll have the most wonderful time there.
    I also tried Barenia at a duty free shop. I agree with others that it has some Galop DNA – and that’s why I don’t like it. Most Hermes perfumes from their main line do not work for me, even though I can’t say that they are not interesting.

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