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 6, and Portia and I both forgot to post “Notes on Notes” on Monday! October 1 just crept up on us, so we’ll post our thoughts on notes next Monday, October 8. So sorry! The notes in question will be nuts, in honor of the fall season and all the nut-gathering that is going on in the Northern Hemisphere, including in my garden. We have both grey squirrels and chipmunks in our back yard; in fact, I think we have a whole chipmunk city under one retaining wall. I actually like the chipmunks, I think they’re very cute and we had them in our back yard when I was growing up in Connecticut. I don’t like squirrels much, mostly because they constantly raid the birdfeeders and hog all the seed.
So, since we’re a week off in “Notes on Notes”, please share in the comments below any particular nuts you’d like one or both of us to discuss!
What fragrance(s) are you wearing these days? I’m on a kick with my Jardin collection; earlier in the week I was enjoying Un Jardin en Méditerrannée and yesterday, I wore Un Jardin Sur Le Toit and my husband liked it very much, so I’ll wear it again this week!
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 29, and I can’t believe September is almost over! Thankfully, we’re about to enter the season of what is usually the best weather here: October. Unfortunately, the warm, dry weather has also brought with it an explosion of ragweed pollen over the last week, though it seems to be diminishing. A week ago, I couldn’t stop sneezing and needing to blow my nose. Not a happy situation for someone who loves fragrance!
Sneezing!
So I’ve been commando, scentwise, for several days. The good news is that it wasn’t COVID, although my dear spouse had it last week, and I got the updated vaccine this week with my flu shot. The bad news is that I haven’t done much in my garden this week in spite of better weather, because I’ve mostly stayed inside to avoid the pollen. This has, however, provided the impetus for me to start using my sewing machine again. I have a very nice Husqvarna Viking Lily machine, one of the last models actually made in Sweden, that I haven’t used since our third child was a toddler (that’s a long time, lol!). But I got it cleaned and serviced this spring, and now that I’m fully retired, I’m getting back into sewing. Just in time, since my older sister’s daughter had the first grandchild in our family this spring! I’ll be traveling back to New England for the baby’s christening in November, so I have an opportunity to try making a small gift for her while getting reacquainted with my Lily.
The one scent I did wear earlier this week, to a neighborhood event, was the Chanel No.5 Eau Première I got on my last trip to Europe with my husband. It is just beautiful, and I’m so happy to have it! I can still smell traces of it on the top I wore.
I think I mentioned that I got a few samples of other fragrances when I went to pick up the Jo Malone Ginger Biscuit for our older daughter’s Christmas gift: the new Dioriviera, Tom Ford’s new Myrrh Mystère, and a couple of Aerin’s Rose de Grasse Premier fragrances. Of the latter, the Rose de Grasse Parfum is really lovely — a strong, beautiful, classic rose with great sillage. I didn’t much care for Myrrh Mystère, but then again, it’s not really my type of fragrance and I think some will love it.
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 22, and I have SCORED! Last Christmas, our oldest daughter (27) fell in love with the scent of Jo Malone’s Ginger Biscuit from a mini I had, but I didn’t have a bottle to give her and it had been a limited edition. I looked online and the prices were astronomic. I looked for similar scents but none seemed quite right. Then last weekend — tada! Someone in a Facebook fragrance lovers’ group posted that it was being reissued for this year’s holidays and it was available on Saks.com! But by the time I saw this post, it had vanished from the website and other comments said it was sold out.
However, there is a Saks not far from here, so on Monday, I went there and asked if they might have it. The lovely sales associate showed me the tester they had (!) and looked in her computer system, then said it was slated for a “soft launch” for the holidays in October but would most likely show up at the start of November. She said she would hold a bottle for me when it arrived, so I left my name and phone number. Well, just two days later I got a phone call from her, saying that a couple of bottles had just come in and she had one for me! I told her I’d like to come get it on Friday, which she said was fine. So I went this morning and picked it up! There was a brief moment of panic when the bottle was not where she had left it, then a colleague said he had moved it and she found it. Hurray! It is now safely wrapped and ready for gift-giving, either for our daughter’s November birthday or this Christmas. I can’t wait to surprise her with it! FYI, Nordstrom says it also expects to get it for the holidays, if that’s easier for any of you to reach than Saks.
This past Monday, I posted another “CounterPoint” collaboration by me and Portia Turbo; we discussed Caron’s Infini, a late 20th century classic. If you haven’t read the post yet, please do, and share your thoughts in the comments! We’ve mapped out the rest of our posts for 2023, and we’ve got some great ideas, so stay tuned.
Tomorrow is the official first day of fall. Our hot weather has finally broken and we are having cool mornings with comfortably warm, sunny days. The best is yet to come — around here, October weather is usually even better (the first half of September can still be very humid and hot). My husband has just recovered from COVID and is off tomorrow on another work trip, back to Las Vegas this time. Since I couldn’t go with him to London, he kindly brought me back a bottle of Hermès’ latest “Jardin” fragrance, Un Jardin à Cythère. It is really lovely, and I’m so happy to add it to my collection!
I haven’t been buying much fragrance for myself lately, since I have so many bottles and my collection will outlast me long before I use them up. I do still have a monthly decant subscription, which I enjoy since it adds variety and access to some very expensive fragrances I wouldn’t otherwise try (the cost for a decant doesn’t vary). What’s on your mind, fragrance-wise or other?
The intended recipient of Ginger Biscuit, in earlier days.
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 15, and I’m so glad I stayed home and didn’t go with my husband to London as planned. Yes, I missed some anticipated treats like theater and museum shows, as well as some perfume sniffing, but I was here to help our son through some rough post-breakup moments this week, which is all that matters. He’s coping reasonably well, but he hasn’t been sleeping and he has been blindsided by some unexpected surges of grief. Thank goodness, he was already connected to an excellent therapist through university resources, and she has been extraordinarily helpful this week and last.
One of our daughters came over last night and we watched the Barbie movie! It was really fun, and I’ll happily watch it again next week with a close friend who hasn’t seen it yet. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were both excellent. Apparently, Margot Robbie wears fragrances from Chanel and Calvin Klein, as well as some others; she is no longer a brand ambassador for Chanel, though, as her contract with the house expired last year. She does still wear vintage Chanel outfits, though — in Barbie pink! Perfume.com published an amusing list of Barbie-appropriate fragrances, most of which involved pink of some kind. There is, of course, an actual fragrance named Barbie, launched with the movie this summer. Have any of you tried it?
Have you seen “Barbie” yet, or any other recent movies? At home or at a movie theatre? Any recommendations? Have a great weekend!
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 8, and I’m not going to London after all. Nothing major, but one of our kids has suffered a big blow (break-up) and is taking it very hard, so I decided not to tag along with my husband on his work trip and stay home this week, as said kid is at university a few miles away. Not a big deal to cancel, as I get to London most years, and it’s not going anywhere! I wouldn’t enjoy myself much anyway if I was worrying about our son the whole time. Silver lining: the friend who lives there and was going to go with me to a couple of things can use the theater tickets I had bought, which I’ve happily given to her and her husband, and one art exhibit I had planned to see is coming to the US after it closes at the Tate Britain. And there’s probably an October business trip to Barcelona on the agenda, which I’ve asked to extend to include — Paris! We got engaged in Paris, lo these many years ago, then spent part of our honeymoon there and haven’t been back since. It was supposed to be part of a big celebratory family trip in the summer of 2020, which went up in smoke like so many other COVID-era plans.
So now I need everyone’s suggestions on where to sniff perfume in Paris! Please share in the comments!
Rabbit rabbit! 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 1, and some people like to say “rabbit, rabbit” as their first utterance on the first day of the month, for good luck. Why not? Today is also the start of the Labor Day weekend, here in the US, and the official start day of my retirement. The party my kids planned for the occasion took place last Saturday, and it was so much fun! Many old friends came, including the only two people I knew in this whole state when we moved here from the Northeast, other than my husband, and two dear friends who flew in for the occasion. My lovely husband gave me a book about jewelry by Geoffrey Munn, one of our favorite experts on the UK “Antiques Road Show”, called “The Triumph of Love.” I’m truly blessed!
The Triumph of Love; Jewelry 1530-1930; by Geoffrey Munn.
The fragrance I chose to wear was new to my collection, which felt right for starting a new phase of life. It is Widian’s Rose Arabia Lily, launched in 2019. I got it this past February in Barcelona, on my visit to The Perfumery (a must if you are looking for niche fragrances in Barcelona, but you have to make an appointment). Notes listed by the brand are: Mandarin orange, bergamot, lemon, pink pepper; lily of the valley, ylang-ylang, carnation, tiare; ambergris, musk, vanilla, patchouli. It is beautiful and long-lasting.
The weather has improved here, after the super blue moon, but it’s still quite warm. The breeze helps, and it is much better than the temps of 98 degrees with 50+ percent humidity we had earlier in August. I think I’ll still be wearing my refreshing Hermès Jardin fragrances for a while. We don’t have any plans for Labor Day other than to relax, and maybe see the “Barbie” movie. Now I’m making a list of all the places I want to visit in London on our upcoming trip! I’m aiming for a mix of old favorites I haven’t seen in a while, and new experiences. All suggestions are welcome!
Please remember to come back on Monday, when Portia Turbo and I will be posting our “Notes on Notes” for the first Monday of the month. Have a great weekend!
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, August 25, and it is my last Friday as an employee! My official retirement date is August 31, next week. My family is having a “friends and family” retirement party for me tomorrow, and one of my oldest and dearest friends arrived earlier today from out of town. She’ll be here all weekend, and I’m so happy about that! We’ve been friends for 40+ years and have supported each other through many of life’s ups and downs. She is also godmother to our oldest child.
The house is now sparkling clean, and our kids will be over for dinner soon, to see her before the party crowd arrives tomorrow. There’s nothing like a beloved houseguest and a looming party deadline to motivate me for some overdue cleaning. Not my favorite activity, but I do love the results.
So that’s my weekend sorted — how about you? And if you haven’t yet read Portia’s and my most recent “CounterPoint“, please do, and let us know what you think in the comments.
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, August 18, the end of my third week away from my former workplace! So far, so good — I have so much to keep me busy, and I’m not sad to be missing some of the ongoing turmoil where I used to work. Right now, I’m still available (remotely) to answer questions and help with transition, but my successor will start on August 24, and one week after that is my truly official retirement date. One week from tomorrow, my family is throwing me a “friends and family” retirement party, which is so lovely but it also means I’m doing a LOT of house-cleaning and garden-tidying! Well, it’s good to have a goal and a deadline, and I’m getting a lot done. I’m also enjoying the birds who visit our garden during the daytime, most recently a pair of goldfinches and a very busy hummingbird.
Hummingbird and cardinal vine; image from amazon.com
Next Monday I’ll be posting another in the series Portia and I are doing this year, CounterPoint, where we record our responses to a fragrance using the same questions. Please drop by and add your own observations in the comments!
Today’s Community Project at Now Smell This is to wear a scent that has a note of something edible you might grow in a garden — just up my alley! Already this week I’ve worn Un Jardin en Méditerrannèe, Un Jardin sur le Toit, and First Cut. Today’s SOTD will be Sarah McCartney’s Le Jardin de Monsieur McGregor. Love it! I may continue the trend this weekend with St. Clair Scents’ Gardener’s Glove. I haven’t kept pace with Diane St. Clair’s newest releases, have any of you? Thoughts?
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, August 11, and we’re having one thunderstorm after another. Part of the day will be sunny, hot, and humid, and part will include torrential downpours, lightning, and thunder. Our dog Lucy isn’t happy about it, but we think the calming measures we’ve provided are helping her. We have a pheromone-based diffuser near her crate, and I give her “calming oil” in her food when we expect thunder. My SOTD for summer thunderstorm weather is Hermès’ Un Jardin Après La Mousson, a longtime favorite. It’s very refreshing!
Un Jardin Après La Mousson by Hermes; image from Hermes
I’m getting lots of work done around the house and garden, with my newly free time; we just got several vintage bathroom fixtures reglazed, and they look spectacular! Two bathtubs and two sinks, original to our 1906 house. So (fingers crossed), I think we’re finally done with bathroom renovations, which started with a plumbing disaster in the fall of 2020 at the height of COVID lockdown. I was motivated to get the fixtures reglazed this summer because some longtime, cherished friends are coming to visit in two weeks. Now everything will work AND look nice!
Our youngest moved back to campus this week for his last year of college. We miss him already! We’re very spoiled because he goes to college about a 15-minute drive away, and has lived at home every summer since he started college. In former workplace news, more senior staff have announced this week that they are leaving. I’m quite relieved to be gone myself, as those kinds of departures always impose more work on the staff who remain. My other news is that a ten-minute play I wrote will get a staged reading tomorrow at a local theater! I’m very excited. I’ve had a couple of staged readings before, but I hope to commit more time and attention to playwriting now.
In honor of theater, I think my SOTD for tomorrow will be Cabaret, by Parfums Grès. It isn’t nearly as well known as its sibling and predecessor Cabochard, but I like it very much, and I seem to be on a Grès kick lately because of the recent exhibit of Madame Grès’ beautiful couture designs I saw, and the “CounterPoint” post Portia and I did recently about Cabochard.
Do you have any fragrances that you associate with the theater? Or thunderstorms?
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, August 4, and now we’re getting lots of rain that doesn’t relieve the humidity. I continue to harvest eggplants and adapt my new favorite recipe for eggplant parmesan: Delish’s Skillet Eggplant Parmesan. Last night, I used the same tomato sauce that includes truffle, porcini, and cream, but topped the whole thing with goat cheese instead of mozzarella (which was still in the inner layers). The crowd went wild! I think that version’s a real keeper.
I have more time to cook and garden now, because this past Monday was my last day in my workplace! I’m finishing up a couple of projects and will help transition my successor later this month, but I’m basically retired now. There was a nice gathering for me with colleagues on Monday afternoon, and people said nice things. TBH, I’m not sad to close that chapter. As much as I’ve enjoyed many aspects of my work over almost two decades, it just kept getting more and more stressful, and that was affecting my health more and more. Farewell to all that!
I’ve discovered Trader Joe’s bouquets of “garden roses”, which have a lovely, old-fashioned form like the English Roses I love, but no fragrance! Such a shame, as they’re very pretty and so far have lasted well in a vase.
Luckily, the roses I grow in my own garden are very fragrant, and I’m taking better care of them now, which rewards me with more blooms and fragrance. I have quite a few other flowers blooming, but many of them, like coneflowers, have little or no scent. I love them because they support pollinators and birds, and they now come in all kinds of wonderful colors.
Do you have a favorite scented flower that is NOT a rose?
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 