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 Sunday, September 14, and this week it’s time for my husband’s birthday! Yes, we’re both Virgos, and the less said about that, the better, lol.

I have two fragrance tidbits to share: one, our second daughter recently returned from Greece (where she and a friend had the BEST time), and she brought me a very nice fragrance she found in a boutique in Athens called La Maison de Stefanie. The fragrance is called Artemis, and it has an intriguing opening that smells like a mix of fruit and spice, but nothing like apple pie, for instance. I think the fruit may be fig. I’m still puzzling over the spice notes.

The other is that my BFF who lives in Florida felt the deep need for self care and re-centering that many of us in the USA are feeling in these disorienting times, and she got herself an item from her wishlist: Amouage’s Existence. She’s in heaven! It is centered on a muguet accord, so you know I’ll have to go try it locally. Have any of you tested it?

That’s all for now — gotta go think of birthday plans for my beloved.