artisan perfumer

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
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Sagan Dalya by Maher Olfactive: Fresh, Rich and Resinous

Sometimes, when you smell a material for the first time, everything just clicks. When I first opened the bottle of Siberian rhododendron essential …

Sagan Dalya by Maher Olfactive: Fresh, Rich and Resinous

Coincidentally, today I am wearing Santal Auster by Shawn Maher. This new creation sounds gorgeous and just the thing for cooler weather! It is so interesting to read about his creative process, inspired by natural materials. Perfumery really is like alchemy, isn’t it?

Some Final Bottles Available — Perfume in Progress

The last several months I have contacted many people who had written to me in Jan/Feb to request bottles. I’ve filled about as many of those requests as I can with what I had in stock (minus a few people that I couldn’t reach via email). I’m now listing the few remaining bottles here. These bottles have […]

via Some Final Bottles Available — Perfume in Progress

If you always wanted some fragrances from Sonoma Scent Studio, this is your last chance! Award-winning perfumer Laurie Erickson is retiring from the perfume business and may have a buyer for Sonoma Scent Studio. She has a small number of bottles of her fragrance creations still available for purchase. I’m sad to see such a gifted artisan perfumer leave the scene but I am confident Laurie will flourish in her next phase.