gifts

Perfume Chat Room, December 19
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Perfume Chat Room, December 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, December 19, and Hanukkah is in full swing, while Christmas arrives next week! We have our Christmas tree up and decorated, and many presents have already appeared at its base. I must confess, my Christmas mojo is not what it used to be. It was so much fun, though exhausting, to orchestrate Christmas for our three children when they were younger. Now we all enjoy Christmas still, but it feels more like work than it used to. Our young adult children are taking on more responsibility for logistics, especially the Boxing Day party we often host, but they still need direction since it happens in their parents’ house!

I’m excited to give them the fragrances I got for them in Seville, and I’m excited to receive more Shalimar l’Essence, which I now firmly love. I’ve been wearing some from my initial bottle over the holidays, and it just keeps growing on me.

Shalimar l’Essence

Our weather has been erratic: a week ago, nighttime temps dropped to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and we had freezing temps in the daytime, but then it warmed up to the 60s. It’s chilly again tonight but will climb into the 70s over Christmas! One nice aspect of Shalimar l’Essence is that it’s lovely in cold weather but also soft enough for weather that is cool but not cold.

So for the question I ask you all most years: are there any particular scents you expect to give or receive? Please share thoughts in the comments! And happy holidays, everyone!

Tree with lights but before ornaments!
Perfume Chat Room, December 20
by

Perfume Chat Room, December 20

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 20, and we are almost at the longest night of the year! Not to mention Christmas Eve and Christmas. I went to a shopping mall today for the first time in several months, to pick up a couple of last Christmas gifts, and took the opportunity to stroll through a department store’s fragrance area. I didn’t want to linger, but I did spritz a bit of Tiffany & Co. Rose Gold on one hand. I quite like it — no surprise, as I really love the original Tiffany & Co. and Tiffany & Co. Intense. Thankfully, I don’t feel compelled to buy this one, though I would be delighted if Tiffany would issue a coffret with miniatures of all the Tiffany & Co. flankers! I do love those bottles.

Tiffany & Co. Rose Gold EDP; image from Tiffany

Fragrantica says that the perfumer for this one was Jérôme Epinette, and that the top note is Black Currant; middle notes are Blue Rose and Iris; base notes are Musk and Ambrette (Musk Mallow). I don’t know why the brand feels a need to specify “blue rose”, as there really isn’t such a thing — there are purple roses that look very bluish, but not a true blue rose. And the purple ones smell like other roses, when they have a fragrance.

As expected, this flanker is rosier than the original, but it is still dominated by iris, to my nose. The black currant top note works nicely, now opening the fragrance instead of being one of several middle notes as in the original. A few hours after application, I can still smell the fragrance on my hand and it smells very nice, sort of a soft rosy musk.

Speaking of fragrance and gifts, I was pleased that our son asked for a new fragrance for Christmas: Azzaro’s The Most Wanted Parfum. It was very popular among many perfumistas in 2023, and it sounds appealing: ginger, woodsy notes, and vanilla. I’ll be interested to smell it on him. I know I’m getting one fragrant gift from my husband, since I ordered it, lol! It is the Guerlain’s Les Légendaires version of Après l’Ondée. Are you expecting or giving any particular fragrant gifts?