Perfume Chat Room, December 27
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Perfume Chat Room, December 27

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 27, and we’ve had a lovely Christmas Eve and Christmas. And Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to all who are currently celebrating those!

Christmas flowers and an angel

As I wrote last week, our son asked for a new fragrance for Christmas: Azzaro’s The Most Wanted Parfum. It smells great on him, woodsy and spicy. It’s strong, so I advised spritzing sparingly! I asked him how he had decided on that one, and he told me one of his friends had seen his bottle of Chanel’s Paris-Edimbourg, asked him about it, and said he was into colognes. So our son asked if he had any new favorites, he mentioned The Most Wanted flanker, which our son liked. Now he has his own! My husband gave me Guerlain’s Les Légendaires version of Après l’Ondée, as I had asked (and ordered, lol). It’s really lovely.

Do you have any special plans for New Year’s Eve?

Perfume Chat Room, December 20
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Perfume Chat Room, December 20

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 20, and we are almost at the longest night of the year! Not to mention Christmas Eve and Christmas. I went to a shopping mall today for the first time in several months, to pick up a couple of last Christmas gifts, and took the opportunity to stroll through a department store’s fragrance area. I didn’t want to linger, but I did spritz a bit of Tiffany & Co. Rose Gold on one hand. I quite like it — no surprise, as I really love the original Tiffany & Co. and Tiffany & Co. Intense. Thankfully, I don’t feel compelled to buy this one, though I would be delighted if Tiffany would issue a coffret with miniatures of all the Tiffany & Co. flankers! I do love those bottles.

Tiffany & Co. Rose Gold EDP; image from Tiffany

Fragrantica says that the perfumer for this one was Jérôme Epinette, and that the top note is Black Currant; middle notes are Blue Rose and Iris; base notes are Musk and Ambrette (Musk Mallow). I don’t know why the brand feels a need to specify “blue rose”, as there really isn’t such a thing — there are purple roses that look very bluish, but not a true blue rose. And the purple ones smell like other roses, when they have a fragrance.

As expected, this flanker is rosier than the original, but it is still dominated by iris, to my nose. The black currant top note works nicely, now opening the fragrance instead of being one of several middle notes as in the original. A few hours after application, I can still smell the fragrance on my hand and it smells very nice, sort of a soft rosy musk.

Speaking of fragrance and gifts, I was pleased that our son asked for a new fragrance for Christmas: Azzaro’s The Most Wanted Parfum. It was very popular among many perfumistas in 2023, and it sounds appealing: ginger, woodsy notes, and vanilla. I’ll be interested to smell it on him. I know I’m getting one fragrant gift from my husband, since I ordered it, lol! It is the Guerlain’s Les Légendaires version of Après l’Ondée. Are you expecting or giving any particular fragrant gifts?

Perfume Chat Room, December 13
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Perfume Chat Room, December 13

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?

Perfume Chat Room, November 30
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Perfume Chat Room, November 30

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, November 30, and I’m a day late posting! In my defense, I’ve just wrapped up the annual food fest that is an American Thanksgiving, and our two kids who don’t live here just left today. We’ve been so productive — got the Christmas tree up and decorated, put up outdoor lights, cleaned up the house post-holiday (just in time for the next holiday!), and finished the leftovers.

This is such a fragrant time of year! Fresh evergreen smell from the Christmas tree, hot apple cider mulling on the stove, the late roses I cut yesterday before we get hit with our first frost tonight. Brrr!

Illustration of "January" as woman in red cloak by artist Alfons Mucha
Janvier, by Alfons Mucha

I’ve been doing a lot in the garden to get ready for freezing temperatures, so I went for a massage this afternoon to get the knots out of tight back muscles before I spend the night on an airplane tomorrow night. The aromatherapy I chose was lavender, and it just smelled heavenly.

We head to Barcelona tomorrow, with our final destination being Tarragona for the week. I don’t expect to do any fragrance shopping, as I really do have so many already and I’ll be getting one for Christmas (the updated Après l’Ondèe eau de toilette from Guerlain). I’ve even resisted Black Friday! Speaking of Guerlain, I’ve read on Basenotes that they are discontinuing Jicky! And it’s not on the Guerlain website. I really like the eau de toilette that came in a bee bottle several years ago; for a long time, it was my bedtime scent. Do you like Jicky? In what formulation?

GUERLAIN Jicky (Eau de Parfum 75 ml)

Perfume Chat Room, November 22
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Perfume Chat Room, November 22

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, November 22, and here in the USA, it will be Thanksgiving next week! I do love Thanksgiving; how nice to have a holiday that is dedicated to expressing gratitude and giving thanks. I’m thankful for all of you readers, and for the privilege of being able to own and write about many fragrances and other interests. Of course, I’m always thankful for my lovely family, and thankful that they are healthy and happy. And I’m thankful for the privilege of being able to travel to lovely places! We’ll be back in Spain in December and then again in March combined with a week in Austria. I’ve never been to Austria, and I am so looking forward to seeing Vienna and Salzburg! I’m looking at calendars of musical events, now that I’ve nailed down hotels and a schedule. What an abundance of options!

It has suddenly turned quite cold here, after an unseasonably warm fall, so I’m turning my attention to warmer, cozier fragrances. One of my favorites for this time of year has become Bengale Rouge, by Liz Moores of Papillon Perfumes. And both of our daughters now have cats! This is Hazel, exploring her first Christmas tree:

Hazel

I love all the smells of Thanksgiving and Christmas: the baking, roasting, spices, fresh evergreens, etc. What are your favorite holiday smells, whether they are perfumes or not?

As Undina requested, here is a photo of the other family cat, Goose., in his Halloween costume!

Goose
Perfume Chat Room, November 15
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Perfume Chat Room, November 15

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, November 15, and I apologize for not posting last Friday. Without going into details, as this isn’t a place for politics, I was dejected. However, the sun rose brightly this morning, the sky is blue, my garden got some good rain this week including last night, and I will plan my next steps while planting more in my garden. I still have lots to get done to address the new raised beds in the back, and I still have to clear out the remains of the summer vegetable garden, plant bulbs, move plants, and do LOTS of weeding. Thankfully, the mosquitoes are pretty much gone by now though they put up a good fight and kept biting through last week.

Because I’ve been so immersed in tending to my roses, and roses are on my mind, I’ve continued wearing some of my rose fragrance even though fall is now truly upon us. Most recently, I’ve worn Christian Dior’s La Colle Noire, named after M. Dior’s home in Grasse. It is just lovely. It smells like my garden roses after rain, so it’s very appropriate for this week!

Do you ever feel that you choose your fragrances according to weather, as opposed to tying them to a season?

St. Clair Scents, from I Sniff Before I Sleep
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St. Clair Scents, from I Sniff Before I Sleep

St. Clair Scents

This is a great post and interview with Diane St. Clair, a very gifted independent perfumer. Thank you, I Sniff Before I Sleep! I love her fragrances, starting with Gardener’s Glove and First Cut.

First Cut, by St. Clair Scents; their image.

Perfume Chat Room, November 1
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Perfume Chat Room, November 1

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, November 1, All Saints Day, and we’re still having the kind of weather I associate with what used to be called “ Indian summer” in New England. Cool nights, warm sunny days, clear skies with little humidity. My roses are blossoming again for the fall, with the cooling temperatures, and they’re so pretty (fragrant, too). To coordinate, I’ve been wearing some autumnal rose scents, including Mizensir’s Rose Exaltante and some Aerin samples I got a while ago at Nordstrom’s.

Munstead Wood rose and friends

Last night was Halloween and we had quite a few cute goblins visit. My favorites are the toddlers who have to be coached on how to say “trick or treat”. Our neighborhood goes all out for Halloween; we block off a couple of streets to cars, and it’s a very safe locale, so families from other parts of the city often come to walk around and ring doorbells.

We’ll be setting our clocks back an hour in the US tomorrow night, which is always a bit of a jolt. Now that Halloween is over, everything everywhere all at once seems to be covered in Christmas decor. Are we skipping Thanksgiving? We’ve now officially begun the annual forced march through the holidays, from Halloween to New Year’s Day. I do love the holiday season, but it’s a lot of work!

My husband and I are planning another trip in late February and we’re thinking about Munich and Salzburg. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

Happy November, everyone!

Perfume Chat Room, October 25
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Perfume Chat Room, October 25

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 25, and we’re back from our short beach trip, which was lovely! I’m enjoying another sample I got from the Jo Loves boutique in London in September: Jo by Jo Loves. Fragrantica classifies it as a “citrus aromatic”, which seems about right. Notes include grapefruit, lime, bitter orange, black pepper, vetiver, mint, guiac wood, cedar, and hedione. I happen to like a grapefruit note, though I know some do not, which is good because that is the strong opening accord. I like the way the citrus notes engage with each other, with lime and bitter orange playing hide and seek with the grapefruit. As it dries down, I smell more of the vetiver and mint, which bring an attractive green tinge to the composition. Basically, Jo by Jo Loves smells to me like a spicy, woody grapefruit! It is wholly unisex, in my view, and I think many men would enjoy it as a fresh cologne that doesn’t smell like everyone else’s. I’ll have to ask my son what he thinks!

Next week is Halloween in the US, but many of the parties celebrating Halloween will take place this weekend, when all the young adults can costume themselves, drink, and generally shed their inhibitions. I’ll be staying home, thank you! I do love the actual night of Halloween when the children come trick-or-treating. Our neighborhood goes all out for Halloween; we block off a couple of streets to cars, and it’s a very safe locale, so families from other parts of the city often come to walk around and ring doorbells.

Do you have any scents you associate with Halloween? I’ve enjoyed some of the offerings of Solstice Scents, which can be very spooky, such as their Riverside Hayride. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Perfume Chat Room, October 18
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Perfume Chat Room, October 18

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 18, and we are at the end of a short beach trip. Weather has been spectacular! We had a great view of yesterday’s “supermoon” too, and several lovely sunsets and sunrises. I love going to the beach in the fall. The temperatures are much more bearable than they are in a Southern summer, and there aren’t many people. We can leave sliding doors open (with screens) and enjoy the sound of the waves. On this trip, we’ve seen quite a few dolphins as well as the usual birds. The one thing I do miss from visiting New England beaches are the beach roses. You really don’t see them down here, and they smell so wonderful!

Sunset over the salt marsh
Beach roses in New England

We will drive home tomorrow, stopping along the way in one of our favorite historic towns. Do you have any special plans for this weekend, fragrant or otherwise?