Black Friday

Perfume Chat Room, November 28
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Perfume Chat Room, November 28

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 28, and we’ve had a lovely Thanksgiving. I can’t believe November is almost over, since Thanksgiving fell so late this year.

Turkey-shaped bottle of cologne by Avon
Avon Wild Turkey cologne, just for fun!

I was so full after yesterday’s feast that I didn’t feel hungry until this afternoon— and we ate yesterday in the mid-afternoon! The house was fragrant with the scents of herbs, chutney, roast turkey, etc. And I did wear my new Shalimar l’Essence. Tomorrow we fly to Seville, Spain — do you have any recommendations for perfumeries? A little perfume tourism is always fun. I’m looking forward also to the Christmas decorations and markets. We’ve visited Seville once before, but just for two nights, so I’m excited to see more of the city (including, of course, the Real Alcazar, which we visited last time).

I have another new fragrance on my hand, but this one isn’t mine — my daughters went out shopping for Black Friday, and my older daughter (the one who loves Ginger Biscuit) bought herself the recent release from Victoria’s Secret: Bombshell Soirée. It’s very pretty, a fruity floral with a warm, woody base. Nothing earth-shattering, but very nicely done. And she’s delighted with it, which is what really matters! It will smell great on her.

Please share any suggestions for Seville, and anything you’d like to share about Thanksgiving, Black Friday, or November.

Perfume Chat Room, November 24
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Perfume Chat Room, November 24

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 25 — Black Friday! I hope all who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday had a wonderful, peaceful holiday filled with love and food. I’m still recovering from the excellent meal we had (mostly cooked by me, I love to cook). Thank goodness, we ate in mid-afternoon, which provided time to go for a short walk after the feast and delay dessert. No evening supper was necessary!

I haven’t bought any fragrances for Black Friday although there are some nice discounts available, including among independent perfumers like Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, whose coupon code “cheer20” gets you 20%% off, and Scent Trunk, which has 30% off site-wide, deducted in your shopping cart. We did, however, order a new refrigerator (!) that I’ve been eyeing for some time now. The very large one we’ve had for 25 years still works fine, but we don’t need that much capacity any more and I’d rather have more floor space. We also need a fridge for the bottom level of our house, which will temporarily become an apartment for our oldest while she gets ready to apply to and attend graduate school (fingers crossed). Saving on rent will help. That level of our house has its own private entrance into the back garden, so she can come and go as she pleases without disturbing us.

It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas here, as my husband went and got our Christmas tree and put it up with our son’s help. It’s a Fraser fir, and it smells lovely. We haven’t put anything on it yet, as its branches still need to come down a bit. It was so sunny and warm here today that I spent most of the day outside, doing some late planting of daffodil bulbs and cleaning up perennials. It was a good way to work off some of yesterday’s excesses! I did make an effort to have mostly healthy side dishes, like sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. The dressing (what I call “stuffing”, but I bake it separately) was loaded with minced veggies and turkey sausage; and the cranberry chutney featured both cranberries and diced apples along with real ginger. Yum!

If you celebrated, how was your Thanksgiving? If you shopped, how was your Black Friday?

Perfume Chat Room, November 17
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Perfume Chat Room, November 17

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 17, and next week brings Thanksgiving in the US. I love Thanksgiving! I like to cook, and it is a holiday that’s really all about food and family. All three of our young adult children will be with us, as usual, and I’m especially looking forward to our youngest being home from college for a few days (although his college is near by, he lives on campus during the semester). The weather here has been mild, though cloudy — very good for planting. I have some new roses and daffodil bulbs to plant (two of my top favorite flowers), and I’m making progress. I choose roses based in part on their fragrance, so I’m looking forward to lots of rose scent in my garden next summer. Since Thanksgiving is also all about gratitude, I may also do a special post on “What Went Well”; I invite you to join me in reflecting on what went well for you this year.

We gave our daughter her longed-for Jo Malone Ginger Biscuit for her birthday last week and it was a big hit! She had guessed we might be getting it for her, because she texted me that she had heard it was reissued and when she got my non-committal reply, she thought I probably had already bought it, lol.

On Monday, I’ll be posting November’s “Counterpoint”, a 2023 monthly collaboration between me and Portia Turbo of Australian Perfume Junkies. Last week, we posted our other project, “Notes on Notes”, focusing on oud. All good things come to an end, and since those were a 2023 project, November and December will be the last of the collaboration, but I might continue with one of them. Let me know what you think!

Next week also brings “Black Friday” and its many sales, some of which have already begun. Macy’s is having a 50% off sale on some Guerlains and others in the 1 oz. size, I noticed, and significant markdowns on larger sizes of other brands. Are you eyeing any particular fragrant purchases next week, or watching any particular websites for discounts? If you find any great markdowns, please share in the comments!

Carding Mill rose growing through Annabelle hydrangea, Summer 2023
Perfume Chat Room, November 25
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Perfume Chat Room, November 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, November 25, and it is “Black Friday” here in the USA, so named because traditionally it was the start of the holiday season when retailers would make most of their profits for the year, taking their ledgers from “in the red” to “in the black.” I’m sure your inboxes, like mine, have been swamped with various discount codes and offers. I’ve reposted some of them on the Facebook page for this blog, mostly from independent perfumers and perfumeries, so you may find some there that you can use.

I got the results last Friday of the clinical COVID test I took on Thursday and yes, it was positive. I also did a home COVID test on Friday, before I got the lab results — also positive. So then I was in isolation and had to order most of the Thanksgiving supplies and ingredients online. I felt lucky to be able to do that! My daughters both had it at the same time, about 2 days ahead of me, and one of them tested negative soon enough after her 5 days of isolation that she was able to go to the store and get some essentials for us, like the actual turkey. I’ve continued to produce positive test results on home tests, but was able to do some of the cooking while fully masked and join the family for dinner with me sitting at one end of the long table and everyone else at the other end! Today is the end of the ten-day period since my symptoms started, and I’ve been feeling fine since Monday, so I hope that will be the end of that, at least for now.

One daughter and I went out earlier today so she could do some Black Friday shopping in person, and it was fun to get out of the house and spend some time with her. We’re covered up with leftovers, so I probably won’t be cooking again until Sunday, when her boyfriend plans to come over for dinner. It’s so nice to have all the kids home! We got our Christmas tree and will put it up while they’re here. I’m looking forward to that fresh evergreen smell wafting through the house. Speaking of holiday smells, we went into the local Bath & Bodyworks store, and it was overwhelming! A veritable cacophony of fragrances, all vying with each other for world domination, and most of them much too sweet for my taste. I felt the urge to rush home and plunge my nose into a bottle of Chanel No. 19!

I hope all who celebrate it had a lovely Thanksgiving and continue to enjoy the long weekend! Share in the comments whether you’ve taken advantage of any Black Friday sales, if you wish!

Turkey-shaped bottle of cologne by Avon
Avon Wild Turkey cologne
Perfume Chat Room, November 26
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Perfume Chat Room, November 26

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 26, and it is “Black Friday”, the day after Thanksgiving in the US and traditionally a major launch to the holiday shopping season. As usual, I encourage supporting independent or small businesses, and as usual, some wonderful independent perfumers have holiday promotions.

First up is DSH Perfumes, by perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. To get 20% off sitewide (except for one fragrance), use the code light20. This includes her annual set of Heirloom Elixir fragrances; if you haven’t previously subscribed, you can buy the whole 2021 set!

Next is 4160 Tuesdays, the company founded and owned by English perfumer Sarah McCartney. Today, which Sarah calls “Hot Pink Friday”, you can buy two, get a third free — and the third one can be the most expensive of the group! In Sarah’s words: “This is how it works: It is for 30ml, 50ml and 100ml bottles of 4160Tuesdays and OML perfumes. Here’s the unusual part. The free bottle can be the most expensive one. All three bottles in the offer must be the same size. You buy two bottles of perfume, then write the name of the third one in the notes as you finish the checkout process. You get a free perfume for every two you buy. This happens until 30th November.” Sarah and team can ship 30 ml bottles to the US.

Rogue Perfumery, owned and run by perfumer Manuel Cross, has 25% off at his Etsy site, November 26-29.

Do you have any recommendations or codes for weekend sales by independent perfumers or perfumeries? I include perfumeries, because they’ve had a tough time during this pandemic, and their support is crucial to independent, artisan, and niche perfumers.

Row of shoppers with bags
Black Friday shopping; image from waldengalleria.com
Perfume Chat Room, November 27
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Perfume Chat Room, November 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, November 27, and it is “Black Friday”, the day after Thanksgiving when traditionally American retailers offer special sales prices on all kinds of goods to kick off the holiday shopping season, hoping to get off to a strong start. This year is especially tricky for retailers, as the global pandemic has affected that sector so deeply. Brick-and-mortar stores have seen much of their business plunge; some online retails have thrived. In the middle of all this, small or independent businesses have struggled. So, if you’re doing any holiday shopping today or this week, here are a few suggestions to support such businesses:

4160 Tuesdays: Independent artisan perfumer Sarah McCartney is holding her annual special sales. “Current Collection perfumes. If you buy a 15ml we send you a 30ml. 30ml => 50. 50ml => 100. Today until 10th December 2020. Please write News in the delivery notes.” Today is also her “Hot Pink Friday” sale, which has many special buys on past bestsellers, special editions, etc. And finally, for the rest of November, with a minimum 50 GBP purchase of a single scent, you can ask her to add one ingredient to that scent to customize it for you. You pick the ingredient! Tell her in the Notes. And yes, US buyers can take part if you place an order soon; she is preparing a shipment to go to the US in another week or so.

Bookshop: Bookshop is an alternative to Amazon.com, where you can buy books and support local booksellers online, even when you can’t go to the bookstore!

DSH Perfumes: Perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has an incredible range of fragrances, including many she has created as artistic collaborations with art museums. For 20% off now through December, use the code: “bright20.” Dawn’s discount codes often work on top of a listed sale price, so try it!

Indigo Perfumery: Today through Sunday, 11/29, Indigo is offering 10% off orders of in-stock full bottles totalling $75 or more, with the code: “blackfriday2020.”

Twisted Lily Perfumery: Sadly, this Brooklyn boutique closed its retail location this summer, but it is still open online! Today through November 30, take 20% off purchases of $100 or more with this code: “EARLY20LXG7DS5T.”

Have you come across any alluring Black Friday sales you’d like to share? Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Fragrance (Black) Friday 2019
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Fragrance (Black) Friday 2019

UPDATED WITH MANY MORE CODES, including non-USA: It’s that time of year again, when there are many alluring sales on all kinds of goods for “Black Friday”, and today I’m going to share some of the possibilities related to perfumes. I especially want to highlight independent perfumers and retailers, as they are the ones bringing the most interesting fragrances to market, and if we perfumistas want them to continue, we’ve got to support them with our purchases.

Here, in roughly alphabetical order, are some of the discount codes I’ve been sent or have found: some are valid now through Sunday or Monday, and others will only work on Black Friday itself. Please add any others you have found in the comments below! Continue reading →

Fragrance Friday: Black Friday Deals
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Fragrance Friday: Black Friday Deals

Happy Fragrance (Black) Friday! Below are some codes for American fragrance lovers, which are in effect at least for today, Black Friday 2018, November 23. Please remember also to seek out specials tomorrow for Small Business Saturday, as many perfumers and perfume retailers are small business owners who need and appreciate fragrance-lovers’ support!

Beauty Encounter: FRI20 (extra 20% off sitewide)

Indigo Perfumery: blackfriday2018 (20% off full bottles)

Neiman Marcus: THANKFUL ($50 off $200 purchase, including fragrance)

Perfume.com: Pc22 (extra 20% off)

Saks Off Fifth: Beauty20 (20% off already discounted fragrance)

Twisted Lily: THANKYOU2018 (20% off entire order)

Black Friday Specials:

Demeter Fragrance Library: no code needed; special prices on select sets and samplers

Yves Rocher USA: no code needed, click on link for deals up to 50% off, plus special sets

Also, Sam at I Scent You A Day has posted her own Black Friday round-up of sales for perfume lovers in the UK. I’m envious — there are some great buys for delivery in the UK, especially from 4160 Tuesdays! One link, though, is for Le Jardin Retrouve, which is offering free shipping worldwide today through the weekend.

Happy shopping!

A Black Friday Weekend Deal for Gourmand Lovers
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A Black Friday Weekend Deal for Gourmand Lovers

After I had written my last post, about Montale’s Intense Cafe, I started looking for other coffee-based scents. Lo and behold — a new independent perfume line called Ganache Parfums consists entirely of gourmand scents, and it has a whole “Joe Project” collection of coffee-based fragrances! It also has a wonderful deal this weekend, so there are a few more hours within which to benefit, and to support an independent small business. Not only does Ganache Parfums have a 45% off discount code site-wide, d@rkchocolate, but it also offers two “Taste of Ganache” Flight Sets for $55 each. Each set (“Just Desserts” and “Coffee and Dessert”) has five 30ml bottles of some of their most popular gourmand fragrances. Two more 30 ml scents will be included as a gift with purchase, and shipping is free for orders over $50! Now that’s a yummy deal. Please share in the comments anything you know about this line, or whether you have tried it.