fragrance

Perfume Chat Room, April 12
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Perfume Chat Room, April 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 Saturday, April 12, and I have another new fragrance by Parfums Dusita! The latest is Cavatina, a beautiful tribute to vintage muguet fragrances like Diorissimo, Muguet des Bois, and others. Listed notes include: top notes of bergamot, litsea cubeba, petit grain; heart notes of lily of the valley, tea rose, jasmine; base notes of ambrette seed, Siamese woods, vanilla. Additional notes mentioned on the website, presumably used to create the lily of the valley accord, include tuberose, ylang-ylang, heliotrope, and aldehydes.

Coty "When You're in Love" ad for Muguet des Bois fragrance, by Eric
Coty “When You’re in Love” ad for Muguet des Bois
Muguet du Bonheur ad by Caron
Close up of lily of the valley flowers
Lily of the valley; image from http://www.pixabay.com

As longtime readers here know, I adore lily of the valley flowers and fragrances, and in past years I’ve amused myself by writing a “May Muguet Marathon” series of daily posts during the month of May. (In other years, I’ve done a “Roses de Mai” Marathon).

I was curious about the litsea cubeba listed, and it turns out that it is an evergreen tree or shrub native to China. According to Eden Botanicals, its essential oil has “an intense, clean, fresh, sweet-green, lemon-like aroma with light woody-floral undertones.” Seems like a perfect ingredient to create a Muguet fragrance, since lilies of the valley share some of those fragrant traits.

Lily of the valley fragrances list on Fragrantica
Photo: http://www.fragrantica.com

Cavatina is a lovely muguet. It is light, floral, elegant. The bergamot gives it a little zing at the start, and it must be the litsea that adds the lemony note that I do smell in real lilies of the valley. The muguet accord is very realistic, even without the molecules that made Diorissimo a legend but are now banned or can only be used in tiny quantities.

I won’t be doing a May Marathon this year, as I’ll be traveling (including a trip to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show! If I did another marathon series later this summer or fall, what would interest you most?

Happy Passover to all who celebrate it!

Singers with giant flower hats and flowered dresses at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show, May 2019.
Perfume Chat Room, April 4
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Perfume Chat Room, April 4

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, April 4, and my roses have just barely begun to bloom. Right now I have lots of buds and two or three actual blossoms.

While I’ve been tending my roses, I’ve been reading a new book about them, and it has a whole section on the chemistry of rose fragrance. Very interesting! I know some of you are quite knowledgeable about this aspect of fragrance.

My current fragrance is still Rosarine by Parfums Dusita, which I’m getting to know. It’s a complex, multi-layered rose scent, starting out as a fruity rose, then becoming a musky rose, and finishing up as a woody rose.

It’s too bad that most azaleas and dogwoods don’t have a scent, because ours are in full bloom, though just starting to fade.

I went with friends to view the millions of daffodils in bloom at a location in North Georgia, and they do have a lot of scent! I also wore my beloved Ostara to match, and wondered anew why, why Penhaligon’s discontinued it.

Gibbs Gardens, Georgia

I know some of you have lost fragrance loves — which discontinued favorite would you most like to see return?

Perfume Chat Room, March 28
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Perfume Chat Room, March 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, March 28, and last Friday was International Fragrance Day, which I totally missed! OTOH, I did visit the niche fragrance boutique that opened a few years ago in a nearby suburb, Indiehouse. I had first visited its pop-up store before it had its fixed location, and I’ve been to its intown location, which isn’t far from my house, but I hadn’t yet visited its main store. I’m delighted to say that it was lovely, with many interesting rinds, and the staff could not have been nicer.

Indiehouse fragrance boutique

I bought a discovery set I’ve been eyeing for a while, from the brand Grandiflora. If I can’t get to Australia this year, I’ll wear Australian fragrances!

Indiehouse fragrance boutique

The two sales associates were very warm and welcoming, and managed that great balance of offering help but then letting me wander around sniffing until I had a specific question. They were both knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and we had a great chat about Christian Dior, his sister Catherine, and the original Miss Dior.

I haven’t p,urged into my new discovery set yet because I’ve been enjoying the Rosarine by Parfums Dusita that I was “ given” in February. I’m using quotation marks because as usual, I bought it for myself then handed it over to my patient, nice husband to give me for Valentine’s Day! He’s a very good sport. Next up: Cavatina, for Mother’s Day, lol. The lilies of the valley I grow here (barely, they don’t seem to like the heat here) are already in full bloom and very fragrant.

Spring is in full swing now, and I’ve been very busy caring for all the roses and other plants I put in last spring and summer. All seem to have made it just fine through our erratic frosts, and I’m tackling the usual bugs and diseases early and preventatively.

Have you discovered any new stores, fragrances, or plants recently?

Indiehouse fragrance boutique
Perfume Chat Room, March 14
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Perfume Chat Room, March 14

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, March 14, and Spring has sprung here at home.

The air is full of lovely spring smells, from the daffodils everywhere to the early pink magnolias, and one of my favorite scents, hyacinth. Now Smell This had the community project this week of wearing a hyacinth scent. My favorite hyacinth fragrance is Jo Malone’s Blue Hyacinth. It smells exactly like the real thing! Another of my perennial favorites, Chanel No. 19, has a strong hyacinth note.

I bought several pots of hyacinths for a spring luncheon I hosted this week, and they still smell wonderful. Some of their predecessors, planted outside after they faded, have come back beautifully in my garden. I’m enjoying the fragrance indoors, where on pot of bulbs can fill an entire room with scent.

I plan to go on a binge of green scents starting this weekend. I have plenty from which to choose, lol. I know not everyone shares my affection for the green scents — if you do, do you have a favorite? Please share in the comments! And happy Spring!

Perfume Chat Room, March 7
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Perfume Chat Room, March 7

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, March 7, and we are about to leave Barcelona after a week in Vienna and Salzburg. While in Barcelona, I stopped by the Cathedral, which is as magnificent as always.

The niche perfume scene in Barcelona has changed in recent years. I was sad to learn that the legendary Perfumeria Regia on the Passeig de Garcia has closed as of the end of 2024. The business is now completely online. I haven’t found out what will happen to the Perfume Museum that shared its location.

The Basilica Galeria, which had a huge lower level devoted to niche perfumes, has changed location and has a much more modest collection of fragrances for sale. It felt as if they’re not restocking. I was happily able to buy two discontinued Ann Gerard fragrances by Bertrand Duchaufour, Rose Cut and Ciel d’Opale. Both are lovely.

El Corte Ingles, the big department store, still carries Chanel’s Exclusifs line at their big store in the Placa Catalunya. They also have No. 19 and Cristalle eaux de toilette, which generally seem to be more scarce even in Europe. I also noticed that Guerlain’s Les Legendaires line seems to have been pruned, in terms of what one finds in stores. I was happy to see that The Perfumery is still going strong, in its location near the Palau de Musica.

We visited Montserrat for the first time — what a beautiful and interesting site! I can’t imagine how people imagined, all those centuries ago, that they should climb those heights and build a basilica. I can’t imagine how they did it, either.

The Black Madonna of Montserrat

Altogether we’ve had a wonderful trip, and my husband’s company, which is what takes him to Barcelona for work, scored a huge success and everyone is happy. But I’ll be glad to get home to house, garden, kids (all young adults) and our elderly dog Lucy. Time for my garden to wake up!

How was your week? Any new fragrance discoveries? And hugs to alityke, whose DH is undergoing serious medical treatments.

Perfume Chat Room, February 28
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Perfume Chat Room, February 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, February 28 (I started writing this on Friday but haven’t posted until Sunday!), and we have arrived in Barcelona after a week in Vienna and Salzburg. While in Vienna, we stopped by a truly lovely niche perfume boutique called Le Parfum, suggested here by a reader.

Le Parfum boutique, Vienna

While there, I tried two scents by an Austrian brand called Estoras. It’s “story” is that the founder’s grandfather, Prince Antal Esterhazy, went on an adventurous road trip with his friend Count Laszlo Almasy (“the English Patient”) to be the first to cross the Sahara desert in a regular automobile. The first three scents launched by the brand, all in Eau de Parfum format, are meant to evoke some of Prince Antal’s adventures.

The two I tried were Port of Alexandria and Shadows of Giza. I liked them both, with a slight preference for Shadows of Giza because it is more floral. Top notes are bergamot, hedione, wet stone, and basil; middle notes are iris root, white musks, and tea leaf; base notes are leather, patchouli, violet leaf absolute, moss, and amber. It is a musky, floral, leather chypre, while Port of Alexandria is an aquatic, salty, woody scent. Both have excellent longevity of several hours. Both are well made, interesting scents, but not superior to the many I already own. Their price is 230 euros for 100 ml. The third scent in the line, which was out of stock, is Chasing the Horizon, described as woody, spicy and ambery.

Now that we’re in Barcelona, and not changing hotels, I’ll probably do some shopping as well as actual tourism. I’ll be interested to see what Chanel fragrances El Corte Ingles carries these days. They used to have the whole Exclusifs line at their big store in the Placa Catalunya.

I can highly recommend Vienna and Salzburg as destinations! This was our first visit to each, and we loved both cities. In Salzburg, we stayed at the Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron, where the exterior lakeside villa scenes were filmed for “The Sound of Music.” What a lovely setting!

Perfume Chat Room, February 21
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Perfume Chat Room, February 21

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 21, and we are on our way to Barcelona and Austria! I’m so excited to see Vienna and Salzburg. We have tickets to two music events (an opera and a concert) and a healthy list of museums and palaces to visit.

Last Friday, I failed to post here — my apologies! Valentine’s Day. Having bought myself Rosarine, I was given it by my husband for Valentine’s Day instead of roses, and I bought him roses when they were marked down the next day, lol. Gotta say, it was a nice bouquet. And my spring bulbs are starting to peek up, despite the recent freezes.

First daffodil is up!

As always, I took the opportunity to check out the duty free perfumes in the international terminal. I tried the 2021 version of Guerlain’s Champs Elysee , and the newish Barenia from Hermes. Champs Elysee was lovely, but I have plenty of Guerlain to last me a long while. Barenia is intriguing. Whenever I try it, the opening smells a bit fruity to my nose. I guess this must be the unique “miracle berry” note that is listed as a main feature. I’m not familiar with that Berry, but it’s real. Apparently it gets its name because it makes sour foods taste sweet.

The fruity phase doesn’t last long, maybe half an hour, then the fragrance becomes more floral, with a woody undertone. As it dries down, the woodiness becomes more evident. Barenia is very pleasant but I don’t feel the need to own it. Have you tried it? I’m looking forward to trying some new scents in Austria, too.

Perfume Chat Room, February 7
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Perfume Chat Room, February 7

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 7, and the gardening frenzy continues! I’ve moved a few of my roses that were in large pots, bought a couple of new (fragrant) roses, and have been pruning like a madwoman. Luckily the weather has been fine, and it’s a great distraction from the news to be outside digging and pruning.

Next Friday is, of course, Valentine’s Day. Having bought myself Rosarine, I graciously offered it to my husband to give me for Valentine’s Day instead of a rose bouquet, lol. I may have enough new rose fragrances soon to do another “Roses de Mai Marathon“. If not, I can fill in with posts about my new actual rose plants.

Are you hoping/expecting to get any fragrances or fragrant items for Valentine’s Day?

Perfume Chat Room, January 31
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Perfume Chat Room, January 31

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 31, and I’m back home from our quick trip to New England. It has warmed up here quite a bit (temps in the 60s) so I’ve been able to resume some gardening. I planted cool season vegetables this morning, and now we’re getting a gentle, soaking rain as expected, so I feel very productive!

I caved recently and bought three new fragrances, partly as consolation for having a much-anticipated trip canceled. Since most of our travel is based around my husband’s work ()which takes him to many interesting places, when that work schedule changes, so does our travel. No complaints — I’ll go with him on another lovely trip! And our trip to Vienna at the end of February is still on — whew!

I’ve been watching Parfums Dusita’s Cavatina and Rosarine for a while and had samples of both, so when one of the online discounters had them both for a significant price reduction, I bit. The third fragrance I bought was the 2021 Les Légendaires version of Guerlain’s Jicky eau de parfum. I already had an earlier version of the eau de toilette, which I love, and I recently learned that Jicky was to be discontinued entirely, so I took the plunge and bought the 2021 Jicky edp. I like it very much! Right now, I’m comparing the older eau de toilette on one wrist with the newer edp on the other wrist. I still prefer the opening stage of the eau de toilette — it has more citrus up top (bergamot, lemon, and mandarin orange) than the edp, which gives it a lively, fresh burst combined with the rosemary and lavender. The opening notes of the 2021 edp are lavender, bergamot, and rosemary, but the combination smells muskier to me than the edt. Within an hour, though, the two smell almost indistinguishable from each other (and they smell great!).

When I wore the 2021 edp the other day, on its own, I liked the opening but missed the lemon. After a while, the middle stage had almost an animalic tinge which I didn’t like much, and which wasn’t reflected in the list of heart notes (fougère accord, rose, pelagornium, woody notes) but that didn’t last very long and the drydown stage was lovely. It lasted a long time, too, about 12 hours; still detectable on my skin when I woke up the next morning. Fragrantica has a very nice review of it here: Guerlain Jicky Eau de Parfum: A Marvel in a New Dress.

Guerlain’s Jicky; image from Fragrantica.com

I’ll be interested to see what happens with the rest of the Les Légendaires collection; I’ve noticed that more mainstream outlets like department stores and airport duty-free shops only carry a few of the scents, and others are popping up for sale among the online discounters, which is often a sign that a fragrance is on its way out. I’m very happy to have the ones I’ve already bought: Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit, L’Heure Bleue, Après l’Ondée, and now Jicky. I’m intrigued by Chamade, as it has so many notes I love, but I have a bee bottle of that and I’m on the fence. Some commenters have said the 2021 version is much better than that, but not outstanding on its own. Thoughts?

Guerlain’s Jicky; image from Guerlain.
Perfume Chat Room, January 25
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Perfume Chat Room, January 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 Saturday, January 25, and I’m in snowy New England! Flew up here with one of our daughters to visit my sisters and my niece’s new baby. She’s a cutie, and her sister is a darling. It is very nice to see the snow in the sun.

Here is the new addition to our family!

New baby in our family!

I brought with me a travel size of Jo Malone’s Ginger Biscuit, which has been perfect for hanging out with little children on a wintry day. I hope they associate me with that lovely warm scent!

Do you ever choose a scent on purpose to charm someone other than a romantic interest, lol?

How was your week?