fraghead

Perfume Chat Room, February 23
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Perfume Chat Room, February 23

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, February 23, and I am late! It has been a bit crazy for the past week, culminating in my son spraining his knee yesterday and spending almost 4 hours in the emergency room. Thankfully, it isn’t dislocated, as he first feared. These are the times when we’re so glad he goes to university in the same city where we live, which makes it very simple to take him medication, supplies, snacks. etc.

I’m getting ready for our upcoming trip to Paris — thank you to all who sent suggestions for perfume tourism! Now, who can recommend some restaurants?

Right now is also the perfect time to plant and prune roses, so I’ve been doing some of that too. I’m very pleased that I succeeded in moving a big climbing Eden rose from a large pot to a sunny spot in the ground where I hope it will flourish. It has the most divine flowers of pink and white.

I know March will be chilly and not very spring-like in Paris, but I hope to find some blooms to enjoy. Palais Royal is on my list to visit, and apparently it has many pink magnolias, one of my favorite trees, that could be blooming in March. They are also very fragrant. I’ve never found a perfume that captures their particular scent. If you know of any, please share!

What are your plans, fragrant or not, for this weekend?

Perfume Chat Room, February 9
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Perfume Chat Room, February 9

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, February 9, and Valentine’s Day is next week! Happy Valentine’s Day in advance! Do you have any fragrant gifts in mind, for yourself or anyone else? I am saving up all my fragrance wishes for an upcoming trip to Paris — all suggestions of perfume sites to visit are welcome, especially places that don’t have branches in the US. Palais Royal is on the list for sure, for Lutens and Rosine; probably also Jovoy Paris, since I’ve loved their store in London.

Most of my fragrance interest right now is in roses — real rose bushes, that is. I have some on order that should come in March; and I’ve bought some bare root roses of varieties that are highly fragrant and have the old-fashioned blooms I love, when I found them at a ridiculously low price at a big-box store. So those have kept me busy. My spring bulbs are starting to come up now, and most of those are very fragrant also — narcissus, hyacinths, starflowers. I’m delighted to see that my lavender plants seem to have survived the temperatures in the teens we had a few weeks ago.

Please share any fragrant plans you have for Valentine’s Day, and do suggest any favorite spots in Paris, perfume-related or otherwise! We’ll be there for a week, which offers plenty of time for tourism.

Perfume Chat Room, February 2
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Perfume Chat Room, February 2

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, February 2, and it is Groundhog Day here in the US. Apparently, groundhog “Punxsutawney Phil” did not see his shadow this morning, which is supposed to predict an early spring. Unfortunately, Phil and his predecessors have been right less than 40% of the time over decades, but I’m choosing to believe. I’m ready to start pruning roses for spring and summer blooms! I’ll be uncovering the rest of my plants this weekend, having already removed the frost covers from many in the past week. And yes, I’ve checked the actual weather forecast; we may get down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit next week, but that seems to be the worst of it.

I try to grow mostly fragrant plants in my garden when I have the option. Most of my roses are varieties that have been bred for good fragrance. I also have some beautiful lavender (mostly “Phenomenal”, which was the only kind that survived the hard freeze we had in December 2022). Sage, basil, thyme, oregano are fragrant, of course. A new favorite geranium, which I saved by moving indoors as well as taking cuttings, is “Attar of Roses” and yes, when you press its leaves, it smells exactly like a rose! Then we have gardenias, hardy jasmine, evergreen clematis, magnolia trees. Right now, the most fragrant plant in my garden is mahonia, whose yellow flowers smell like a mix of gardenia and lily of the valley. I don’t recall ever seeing mahonias until we moved to the Southeast and bought an old house with an old garden that had some, and now it’s a favorite plant, ungainly as it may look. Its scent reminds me of Natalie, a gardenia-centric fragrance created in memory of the late actress Natalie Wood.

Leatherleaf mahonia shrub with yellow blooms
Mahonia in bloom, winter; image from UT Gardens.

Do you garden? If yes, do you deliberately seek out fragrant plants? Or do you have a favorite fragrance that evokes a particular plant, floral or not?

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Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Flora Verde ~ new fragrance

Estée Lauder has introduced Bronze Goddess Flora Verde, a new green floral fragrance for women. Bronze Goddess Flora Verde is a limited edition …

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Flora Verde ~ new fragrance

Look what just popped up on Now Smell This, after the love expressed here recently for Bronze Goddess!

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Perfume Chat Room, January 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, January 26, and we’ve had a nice break from cold weather by going to visit friends in Florida. Thankfully, the weather here warmed up while we were gone, and it looks as if my plants have survived unscathed. Whew!

I had a massage this week, with aromatherapy, and the fragrance was described as “earthy lavender.” It was very nice, soothing without any sharpness. I should have asked for details but I was so relaxed at the end of the massage that I forgot.

It was fascinating to see how different and tropical the native plants are in Florida. Very fragrant, too. When you think of the tropics, what fragrances come to mind?

Perfume Chat Room, January 19
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Perfume Chat Room, January 19

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, January 19, and baby, it’s cold outside! Earlier this week, our nighttime temperatures dropped as low as 13 degrees Fahrenheit, which is very unusual in our area (USA Zone 8a, for you gardeners out there). Yesterday saw temperatures up as high as 50 degrees, but another cold front is moving in and we’ll be back down in the teens tonight. Thankfully, I’ve now done as much as possible to protect my garden and plants in pots, which I got done before the last cold snap, so let’s hope we get less damage than last year, when a hard freeze killed or damaged several plants.

Thank you all for last week’s suggestions as to fragrances for this time of year and climate! I’ve added another note that works for me right now: carnation. It is floral but also spicy, so it feels warm to me. Today’s SOTD will be Caron’s Bellodgia, a classic, in its cologne version. I also have an audiology appointment, so I don’t want to wear anything too overwhelming, out of consideration for the staff!

Do you have any favorite carnation-focused fragrances?

Winter bouquet of carnations, lilies and roses
Winter bouquet of carnations, lilies and roses
Perfume Chat Room, January 12
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Perfume Chat Room, January 12

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, January 12, and baby, it’s cold outside! Update: it is now Saturday, January 13 — my posting got delayed! I’ve been running around my garden adding mulch like mad and planning which potted plants we can move into our screened porch before temperatures dip below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Last Christmas, we had a similar hard freeze, and I lost a number of plants. So I’m determined to do better protecting them this year!

I feel as if I’m betwixt and between, scentwise. Christmas is definitely over, so the warm, spicy scents that I enjoy during the holiday don’t really fit right now; and we are still quite far from spring, so I haven’t brought out greens and florals yet. I know it’s not mandatory to match one’s fragrance to the season, but the seasons do affect what appeals to me. And right now, I’m having trouble deciding! What are your fragrance choices for a chilly January?

Illustration of "January" as woman in red cloak by artist Alfons Mucha
Janvier, by Alfons Mucha
Perfume Chat Room, January 5
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Perfume Chat Room, January 5

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, January 5, the first Friday of 2024, and it is Twelfth Night!

Ross Valley Players poster, 2018

Twelfth Night is traditionally the night before Epiphany, the day the Christian church celebrates as the time when the Magi, or Three Kings, arrived in Bethlehem to see the newborn Jesus. The tradition holds that they brought gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh.

The Three Magi, following the star of Bethlehem.
The Three Magi, following the star of Bethlehem.

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday season, no matter what you celebrate. Have you discovered or received any new fragrances? I’ve been wearing Papillon Perfumery’s Bengale Rouge a lot as the weather has gotten colder; it is just lovely, especially in the drydown, and very cozy.

Perfume Chat Room, December 22
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Perfume Chat Room, December 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, December 22, and the winter solstice has arrived! In this hemisphere, the days will slowly get longer and the light will get stronger. To be honest, I don’t feel the dark days of winter as I used to when I lived in New England, when it would be truly dark by 4 pm in December. Since we’re at the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone in the US, and also in the South, it still doesn’t get dark until after 5 pm here. The real cause for celebration in our house is that our new refrigerator is now in place — hurray! A lovely countertop “fabricator” was able to come and cut just enough from the countertop to squeeze it in between the cabinets. It’s a great improvement and a much better fit than the old one.

As Christmas is only a few days away, are you planning to give any fragrance gifts this year? I have the back-up bottle of Ginger Biscuit for our older daughter, and I finally thought of something for our second daughter. She loves Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet and isn’t looking to branch out, but she has a tendency to “save” Blooming Bouquet for dressier occasions. So I’ll give her a gift set of Philosophy’s Amazing Grace Ballet Rose, which share some of Blooming Bouquet’s notes and smells similar but isn’t as expensive, so she can feel free to wear it often. I hope she likes it! Our son is well-supplied with the Chanel Eau Paris-Edimbourg, since he got some for his birthday, so I won’t seek out another fragrance for him.

I’m late posting my contribution to December’s “Notes on Notes”, but do read what Portia has written about frankincense, traditionally said to have been one of the gifts the Three Kings brought to the newborn Jesus, and I’ll add my Note after Christmas. Right now, in the Christmas story, the Magi are still en route, following the Star, not knowing exactly where it will lead them or what they will find. To all who celebrate Christmas, I wish you a very happy one.

The Three Magi, following the star of Bethlehem.
The Three Magi, following the star of Bethlehem.
Perfume Chat Room, December 15
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Perfume Chat Room, December 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, December 15, and yes — I forgot to post last Friday. So sorry! Well, the refrigerator saga continues — the new one got delivered this morning, and it turns out it is 1/2 inch too wide for the space where the old one was, despite my multiple attempts at measuring. However, we think we can deal with it by hiring someone to adjust the kitchen counter on one side, so we’re keeping the new fridge. Right now, it’s sitting in the middle of our kitchen floor, plugged in and running, but empty until we can move it into place. Luckily, our plan was to keep the old one anyway and move it downstairs, so we still have a full-sized, functioning refrigerator. Never a dull moment around here!

We’re very happy that our son is home for his university holiday break, and he has a job lined up for post-graduation! We’re all happy to see the end of this difficult semester for him, and end on such a positive note. Christmas preparations are in full swing, and the tree is up and decorated. If you celebrate Christmas, how are your preparations going? If you celebrate Hanukkah, which ends tonight, I hope you had a blessed and peaceful holiday.

What smells do you most associate with the winter holidays? For me, it has to be the scent of evergreens. Pine, cedar, balsam — I love them all.

Christmas Tree and Creche at the Metropolitan Museum, NYC
Metropolitan Museum of Art Christmas Tree and Creche
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Nativity Scene
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Nativity Scene