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 Saturday, February 14 — Happy Valentine’s Day! Did you do anything special, or do you have special plans? Did anyone get a fragrant gift?
My dear husband and I spent much of the day gardening, including moving some of my beloved roses into the new rose bed he commissioned for me.
Better than a bouquet any day! Then we got cleaned up, he made us Hugo spritzes and I made us “charcuterie nachos”, which were delicious even if I do say so myself. We were so full that we skipped the real dinner I had planned and went straight to dessert: chocolate lava cakes. what’s the use of being our age if we can’t make our own rules occasionally?
Post gardening, my SOTD was the Shalimar l’Essence he gave me for Christmas. I just love it! Such a perfect cold weather scent (though it wasn’t very cold today),
How has your Valentine’s Day weekend been?
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 
Sounds like a perfect day and a great dinner. My husband and I had a pre-Valentine’s date night on Thursday, exchanged cards today, and enjoyed some roses 🌹 from Trader Joe’s. We spent the afternoon at our neighbors’ 70th birthday party celebration, which was lots of fun. The party had a 70’s theme so everyone was dressed in their best 1970’s attire. I learned that my neighbor was a musical theater star in high school and college. I had no idea! People are full of surprises! I’m wearing Dusita’s beautiful rose fragrance Rosarine today.
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I love Rosarine, you smell great! The party sounds like a lot of fun.
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That all sounds like an ideal day. I love that we can please ourselves about what we do. We both went shopping separately yesterday for dinner ingredients, I bought things that could be just popped into the oven, no prep needed, and a nice bottle of wine. Hubby arrived home shortly afterwards with two fillet steaks, some fresh raspberries and cream to make a cake. And another bottle of wine. So, we decided to take it easy, I put my food into the oven and he started on the fresh cream sponge – which turned out absolutely perfect. Yum. We polished off all the wine and had a lovely evening. And I’ve got a hangover today😀
We’re having the steaks this evening.
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That all sounds lovely! Except the hangover, of course, lol.
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The Delina display is instantly identifiable but I also see someone sitting with their back to me and wearing a hoodie covered in roses.
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That sounds a day well spent together.
DH is in the nadir week of his second treatment, very fatigued & spending much of the day in bed. It’s the treatment rather than the disease causing the exhaustion. Hence we did very little.
I did keep a date for a longer walk with Mr Jarvis as it was sunny & dry for the first time in 2026. Within 24 hours the ground went from quagmire to iron hard frost & back again. We both felt better for an hour outside though.
DH has little appetite but enjoyed the garlic fest of chicken kyiv & dauphinoise potatoes.
Not the usual Valentine’s Day but I’ll take it!
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We take what we can get, especially when a dear one is ill! I’m sorry about the nadir, I hope the treatment is working.
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One more & its CT time
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Sorry I’m so late OH, it’s been a bit fraught around here. Things to do, people to see and stuff that must be done. I’m not completely out of the woods but they do seem to be thinning.
Your Valentine’s Day sounds perfect. A commissioned rose garden! How lavish. I know you’re a David Austen fan, will there be a theme to the garden? Particular colours, heights, styles?
We don’t really celebrate V Day but we nodded to it.
I’ve still not opened my L’Essence but it’s on the cards as soon as I empty my Shal-lemur.
Portia xx
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I enjoyed your revival of Scent Diary! The rose bed will be mostly, but not only, David Austin roses, in shades of pink, peach, apricot and yellow. The centerpiece will be one of my favorite DA roses, The Fighting Temeraire, named for the sunset in Turner’s famous painting of that name. I’m having fun planning the layout and companion plants! So far I’ve installed five roses, all moved from the pots where I was growing them.
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WOW! It’s going to be a fabulous rose bed. Excited to read what you decide to companion plant. Mum had bearded iris and little white alyssum mainly but often changed it up.
Really glad you enjoyed scent Diary.
Thanks for dropping in,
HUG
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So far I know I’ll be planting creeping phlox, which is evergreen in our climate and native to the US, and “hummingbird mint”, aka Agastache, also native to the US, fragrant, and very popular among pollinators. Hummingbirds too, I hope!
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Fingers crossed for you.
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