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 27, and we’re almost at the start of May! I won’t be doing a blog May Marathon this year because we’ll be out of the country for the second half of the month, and before that we have our youngest child’s college graduation. So I’ll be running a different kind of marathon getting ready for all that! However, as most of you know, I just love lily of the valley, or muguet — both the flowers and the scent. The first of May in France is traditionally a day when the French give or wear sprigs of muguet, and French perfumers in particular have created some wonderful muguet fragrances, the most famous being Christian Dior’s Diorissimo.
Guerlain also issues a muguet fragrance every May in a limited edition flacon.
Guerlain Muguet 2016
So you can imagine how excited I was when I read two weeks ago on “Now Smell This” that Patricia de Nicolai was releasing her own limited edition muguet fragrance, to be sold only in their boutiques, called Une Fleur en Mai. I began immediately to plot how I might get a bottle, since our trip in May will be to France. Alas! according to the company website, it is already sold out! Maybe we’ll get lucky and the firm will add it to their regular line.
I know that muguet is polarizing to many perfumistas — some love it, like me, and others loathe it. Where do you fall on that spectrum?
Sasha Pivovarova with lilies of the valley; Vogue magazine.
Happy September! Anise the subject of our Notes on Notes this month, and it is a note not commonly found in perfume. The fragrance company Bon Parfumeur has a thorough explanation of anise in perfumery on its website. When one finds anise in a fragrance, it is usually anise or star anise, which come from the seeds and oil of two different plants. Anise comes from Pimpinella anisum, native to and grown throughout the Mediterranean area, while star anise comes from Illicium verum, native to southeastern China and Vietnam. Although the seeds’ fragrance and flavor resemble each other, the plants are not related; I was interested to learn that Pimpinella anisum is a member of the same plant family as parsley. Licorice, whose scent and flavor also resemble those of anise, is yet another different plant altogether, and it comes from the roots, not seeds.
Fennel with anise seeds; image by Olena Ukhova/Shutterstock.
All three are used to create an aromatic, spicy accord in a fragrance. Fragrantica had a great “round-up” of best anise fragrances in 2022, noting that fennel is another variation on the same theme (and the plant is related to anise). The substance they have in common is anethole, and I must have an innate affinity for that, because I love strong black licorice, and fennel, and anise-flavored baked goods. My love for black licorice is so familiar to my family that on the rare occasion when jelly beans appear in our house (usually Easter), they all pick out the black ones to give to me! Bon Parfumeur describes its uses in perfumery:
It is used as a top note in perfumes, providing an initial burst of fragrance. It is also used to add a touch of sweetness and richness to gourmand fragrances. In addition, anise complements the warm, exotic compositions of oriental fragrances and contributes to the creation of spicy accords, blending harmoniously with other spices. In addition, anise adds a bold, assertive facet to men’s fragrances. It can also be used to create contrast and complexity when layered with other notes. This is why anise is favored by niche and artisan perfumers for its unique, individual character.
Anise is more often used to flavor liquor and liqueurs, most famously absinthe (said to drive men mad, thus inspiring the name of L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Fou d’Absinthe), but also pastis, ouzo, anisette, sambuca, raki, and others that were created in Mediterranean countries.
La Fée Verte, by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.
That being the case, it seems fitting that the most obviously anise-forward fragrance I own comes from a Spanish perfumer: Ramon Monegal’s Lovely Day. I think I also have a decant of Réglisse Noire, from 1000 Flowers, which is focused on licorice, as befits its name. However, Elena Vosnaki of Fragrantica, names one fragrance as the “archetypal anisic floral”: Guerlain’s L’Heure Bleue, whose origins go back to 1912 (do read her review, it’s a gorgeous piece of writing). I’ve always loved its name, meant to evoke the twilight hour when the sky briefly turns all shades of darkening blue, purple, and even green.
Painting of twilight by Maxfield Parrish
I happen to have a new bottle of the reissued eau de toilette of L’Heure Bleue, bought in January during a visit to the Guerlain boutique in The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach (highly recommended, if you’re in the area!). Like others in Guerlain’s 2021 collection of Les Légendaires, it does not disappoint. If you don’t love anise, fear not – it has been toned down in this reissue, although I can still pick it up among the top notes (it is listed as “aromatic spices”). It is definitely there, lending a tinge of spice and, dare I say, a tinge of green; more reminiscent of fennel than of licorice. It gives way seamlessly to the heart notes of violet and carnation, which segue into iris, but enough of it lingers to help the florals bridge from the top notes through the heart to the base notes of benzoin, vanilla, and tonka. This edition of L’Heure Bleue is eminently wearable, a true classic that suits modernity well while staying true to its roots.
I know some readers are devoted to Réglisse Noire; do any of you have any other favorite anise or licorice fragrances? Please share in the comments! And check out what Portia has to say about anise at Australian Perfume Junkies.
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, July 14, and it is Bastille Day! Vive la France!
Do you plan to wear a French fragrance today? I’ve already announced, on Now Smell This, my goal of wearing a succession of French SOTDs from the houses of Caron, Chanel, Guerlain, and Jean Patou, with possible detours toward Parfums de Nicolai and Atelier des Ors. Candidates include: Infini, No. 22 or 19, Parure, and L’Heure Attendue. Wish me luck!
Please drop by on Monday for the monthly “Counterpoint” blog post that Portia Turbo and I have been doing. We’ve got a great one for you, and it’s French! Full disclosure: it may go up in the afternoon, since I’ll be at my office on campus most of the day.
My countdown toward retirement at the end of July continues — it is both exhilarating and a bit weird. My kids are planning a retirement party for me with family and friends at the end of August, and it’s such fun to find out weekly who will attend, including some dear friends from far away. My workplace will have a retirement reception for me on July 31, my last day on campus. I’m glad to get that chance to say goodbye in person to many colleagues, both at my school and from other campus offices. Since I’m not moving anywhere, I will still be able to have occasional lunch or coffee with some who are particularly close work friends. What a novelty — in almost 19 years in this job, I have rarely even left my desk for lunch (I know, bad habit).
Do you have any special favorites among French fragrances or fragrance houses? Do tell!
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, June 2, and we have really entered summer where I live. The trees are fully leafed out, the roses are blooming (again), and gardens all over the city are bursting with flowers. The fragrance of the air has shifted from the springtime pink magnolias and spring bulbs to the scent of roses, white magnolias, and even some gardenias.
Eight weeks from Monday, I will be retired! It seems to be turning out that summer is a great time for someone like me to retire, because I have so many summer activities I enjoy and will have more time to do: primarily gardening at home, but also visiting other gardens, going to farmers’ markets, walking, etc. Talk to me again when the mosquitoes hit, though — I’ll probably be singing a different tune, lol!
I recently got a decant of Guerlain’s Chant d’Arômes and I’m really loving it. I hadn’t previously paid much attention to it, but it is a very lovely bridal bouquet that is perfect for June. I don’t know that I’ll pursue more than the decant I have, but I’m very happy to have it.
Do you have any perfumes lingering on the periphery of your awareness, that you haven’t yet tried?
Welcome to a new feature that I hope will appear monthly! Portia Turbo of Australian Perfume Junkies and I had so much fun doing “Scent Semantics” with some other fragrance bloggers in 2022 that we decided to launch TWO regular features as a new collaboration in 2023. The first, which we plan to post on the first Monday of each month, is “Notes on Notes“, in which we choose one note and write about it however the spirit moves us; our first Note was oakmoss. This second feature is “Counterpoint”, in which we ask ourselves the same handful of questions about a single fragrance and post our separate thoughts on it. We’re still experimenting with format, so comments on that are welcome too!
The Perfume Chat Room is back! After a brief hiatus for December’s Scented Advent, then my new collaboration with Portia of Australian Perfume Junkies, “Notes on Notes” (first Mondays of the month), I’m ready to chat again and I hope you are too.
So, if you’re new to this blog, welcome to the Friday 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 13 (yes, it’s Friday the 13th), and here in the USA we are looking forward to our three-day weekend in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. This year, the holiday falls on Monday, January 16. I don’t have any special plans other than perhaps a lunch with the other volunteers who take part in a prize program to recognize high school students who make positive contributions to race relations in their schools or communities. I helped launch this program many years ago, and it is now nationwide. We’ve met so many wonderful teenagers who are doing great work. I love it.
Heads up — I spent last weekend visiting one of my closest friends in West Palm Beach, and I was able to go to the Guerlain boutique in The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach. Yes, I came home with a bottle (the “new” Mitsouko). Yes, that means I made it one whole week into 2023 before buying a new fragrance. Yes, I’ll do a separate post with photos!
Are you attempting a no-buy or low-buy for 2023? I am going to try a “low-buy” but I’m not exactly off to a good start, lol. Or do you have any particular fragrances on your 2023 wishlist?
Happy Christmas Eve! I never got around to posting yesterday because I was so busy creating the first of several family feasts for last night and the next few days. I love to cook, and I love having our kids and their friends around, so this is a great time of year for me!
For December 23, my Advent SOTD was Guerlain’s Embruns d’Ylang, created by Thierry Wasser and launched in 2019. I like it much more than I expected to! Not that I dislike ylang-ylang, but it’s not high on my list of favorite floral notes. I like it a lot as a supporting character in many beautiful fragrances, but I wouldn’t normally seek out a fragrance where it has the starring role.
According to Fragrantica, the notes included are: top notes, Salt and Bergamot; middle notes, Ylang-Ylang, Cloves and Jasmine Sambac; base notes, Iris, Patchouli and Vanilla. I never know how to identify “salt” as a fragrance accord, except as a sort of mineral smell; and Embruns d’Ylang definitely has that in its opening, with a tangy bergamot. Believe it or not, the combination of salt and a bitter citrus has a long history, though mostly involving grapefruit: “Grapefruit and Salt: The Science Behind This Unlikely Power Couple.”
After the opening, ylang-ylang is the dominant accord, and it is very lovely. Interestingly, although I often think of ylang-ylang as falling on the sweeter end of the yellow flower spectrum, here it doesn’t come across as very sweet. It certainly isn’t cloying at all, and it is a ylang-ylang that would work well for all, truly unisex if that is a concern. I don’t smell cloves at all, though given the above article’s explanation of how our taste sensors can cancel each other out, I wonder if cloves are helping to reduce the sweetness of the ylang-ylang. I do pick up the jasmine sambac, but here it is a supporting player.
The ylang-ylang persists into the drydown and the base, which makes for a very interesting combination of yellow floral, powdery iris, soft warm vanilla, and earthy patchouli. I find it quite unique, and very pleasing. It also lasts on my skin for several hours, including overnight.
Ylang-ylang flowers; image from beezly.com
I find this to be a thoroughly unisex yellow floral fragrance with a unique combination of notes. Its name has a poetic meaning: seafoam of ylang, which takes into account the salt accord. This is different enough that I would suggest trying before you buy it, if you are so inclined, but it is well worth sampling.
Now I have to decide what to wear for Christmas Eve! Truthfully, I have many nice options, so I might have more than one SOTD. Happy Christmas Eve, everyone who celebrates it! Advent officially ends tonight, so I’ll wish you also a very happy Christmas; and to everyone everywhere, a happy, healthy holiday season. Thanks for joining me and other readers here on Serenity Now: Scents and Sensibilities; I look forward to hearing more from you all in 2023!
Today is the winter solstice, the turning point from dark to light, or at least lighter. We still have much winter to come, and December 21 is considered the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, but the days will start getting longer and the nights shorter.
Stonehenge at the winter solstice; image from BBC Science
In England, the group that owns and manages Stonehenge is English Heritage. They will stream winter solstice celebrations taking place at Stonehenge tomorrow, December 22.
And — surprise! My stash of Guerlain samples had a couple of duplicates, so today’s Advent sample is Angelique Noire, again! This time, the caraway seed accord was a bit more forward. I still don’t perceive this fragrance as “noire” at all.
As before, Angelique Noire has good longevity on my skin. I’m going to try it side by side with some other vanillas, like the vanilla discovery set from Sylvaine Delacourte.Mme. Delacourte was the Creative Director for Guerlain fragrances for 15 years, and Angelique Noire was created under her supervision, so I think that will provide some interesting comparisons.
Happy winter solstice! And all of you in the Southern Hemisphere, enjoy your own seasonal changes!
My Guerlain Advent scent today is Néroli Outrenoir, another “citrus aromatic”, created by Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk and launched in 2016. It’s very, very appealing. Per Fragrantica, top notes are Petitgrain, Bergamot, Tangerine, Lemon and Grapefruit; middle notes are Tea, Neroli, Orange Blossom, Smoke and Earthy Notes; base notes are Myrrh, Vanilla, Benzoin, Ambrette (Musk Mallow) and Oakmoss.
That citrusy opening is very uplifting, a mix of greenness and, well, citrus. It reminds me a bit of Miller Harris’ Tangerine Vert. To my nose, the most prominent notes are the petitgrain, tangerine, and lemon, but I definitely smell the bergamot, and a whiff of the grapefruit. Very soon, tea is served, and it is a black tea with lemon in it. It does have a floralcy that comes from the néroli and orange blossom, but to me the strongest impression is of black tea and lemon, with a tinge of smokiness. Almost like a lapsang souchong tea, but not as smoky or tarry.
This scent is like chiaroscuro, the painting technique that famously contrasts light and dark, the leading examples being the paintings of the great Caravaggio. It starts out very bright and sunny, with all the citrus notes in the opening. Then the brightness dims a bit, and softens and blurs, with the arrival of accords of tea and flowers. As it dries down, it gets gradually darker but also warmer, with the base notes especially of benzoin, ambrette and oakmoss. Myrrh and vanilla accords are present, but to a lesser degree.
Neroli Outrenoir has decent longevity on my skin, though nothing like Épices Volèes. It’s also a different kind of citrus/tea fragrance, one with more depth. I think it’s totally unisex and it would smell wonderful in warm weather, especially warm summer evenings. It’s fresh enough for hot weather but sophisticated enough for evening wear.
Very nice! Do you have any fragrances that contrast light and dark this way?
Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence, by Caravaggio; image from Photo Scala
The Guerlain sample I pulled today was one that I tried and liked in the Las Vegas boutique, Frenchy Lavande. This version was launched under that name in 2021, but it is basically the same as Le Frenchy, which was launched in 2017. Like a few others, it was renamed and moved into the collection “L’Art et la Matière”. It is called an “aromatic fougère”, so classified largely because of the central role that lavender plays, but others have called it a citrusy aromatic. Fragrantica lists its notes as: Top notes, Lemon Verbena, Lemon and Bergamot; middle notes, Petitgrain, Lavender, Citron, Sage and Neroli; base notes, Ambergris, Vetiver and Tonka Bean. Eddie Bulliqi reviewed it and Herbes Troublantes recently for Fragrantica: “Herbs for Winter; Guerlain’s Frenchy Lavande and Herbes Troublantes.”
The opening is lovely, and even my nearby husband looked up and commented, “That’s really nice, what is it?”. While the opening notes are in fact very citrusy, I also smell lavender right away. The lemon and lemon verbena are more prominent than the bergamot, and the lemon verbena adds a distinctly herbal tint to the lemon and lavender. I can’t pinpoint the moment when lemon gives way to citron, but I can say that the partnership of citrus and lavender continues in the middle phase. I only get glimmers of sage, and the neroli is a latecomer to this stage, at least to my nose. It gradually replaces the lavender, as the fragrance moves toward its base notes. Vetiver continues the aromatic, herbal aspect of Frenchy Lavande. I can’t really distinguish the ambergris and tonka bean accords, just that the base slowly becomes warmer and less herbal.
Believe it or not, there is actually a blog called “The Traveling Frenchy” by a young woman named Alex, and in it she has posted a guide to visiting the lavender fields in Provence. I highly recommend it if you are thinking of seeking out French lavender fields; she gives very specific information on the locales she prefers, and even lists particular villages and roads.
The Traveling Frenchy blog’s Ultimate Guide to the Lavender Fields in Provence
Ultimately, though I like Frenchy Lavande very much, it is a bit like Herbes Troublantes in reminding one of a cologne, although it is in a eau de parfum format. I wouldn’t say that it is much nicer than my Jicky eau de toilette or even that it lasts longer; and it certainly costs a lot more. Bottom line: if you want a Guerlain lavender, I recommend Jicky. In fact, that may be my next Guerlain purchase, from its reissue of several Guerlain classics in the collection “Les Legendaires”.
Do you have a favorite lavender-centric fragrance?
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