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 2, and we are slowly digging out from the holidays. I wish you all a very happy New Year, full of fragrance, family, friends, and fun! Instead of writing about a particular scent, I’m going to share some photos of some of the fragrant destinations that I was privileged to visit in 2025. I look forward to seeing and smelling more in 2026! How about you?
Luz de SevillaCrime Passionel, CopenhagenLes Senteurs, LondonRHS Chelsea Flower Show, LondonDavid Austin English Roses at Kew Gardens, LondonLiberty LondonBarnes Fragrance FairLe Parfum, Vienna Barcelona
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, December 27, and we’ve had a lovely Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day! The kids were all home, even the two whose apartments are less than ten minutes away. We hosted our now annual Boxing Day Party and I think about 50 or more people came. It’s a casual open house buffet, and this year it was sort of a potluck, so I didn’t have to cook for that size crowd.
Christmas tree, 2026
The Christmas Eve church service was beautiful, as always, with magnificent flowers and music. Santa, aka my lovely husband, had a few surprises up his sleeve. He gave me the expected Shalimar l’Essence, but also the exhibition book from the Cartier exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum which I saw in London this past spring. He also got various t-shirts for all of us, which were big hits. The kids really liked all their gifts from us, which is always so satisfying, and they did an excellent job choosing gifts for us. We feel very fortunate.
One funny thing: I couldn’t decide which of them should get which perfume from Seville, so I thought I’d wait until later in the day to bring them out and they could try them and choose for themselves. But after we’d opened all their gifts under the tree, they complimented me on NOT giving them perfume this year! So now I’ll keep the Seville perfumes for myself, lol.
I hope everyone who celebrates holidays at this time of year has enjoyed them immensely. Do you any any special plans for New Year’s Eve, fragrance-related or not?
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, December 6, and we are just back from several days in Seville, with one overnight in Madrid. I found a lovely small perfumery in Seville, Luz de Sevilla.
Luz de Sevilla perfumery
I bought a few of their perfumes as gifts for family members, and it was hard to choose! The one that is the most unisex, to my nose, is Soleá. It is described as a tribute to the tomato blossom, which is combined with orange blossom, so prevalent in Seville, mint, verbena, black pepper, and sandalwood. Green, herbal, and spicy, with a touch of white flowers, it is very fresh and different. I don’t think I can name anything that smells just like it, and it smells really good. I even pick up a bit of star anise, though it’s not listed.
Luz de Sevilla has 17 fragrances, each one focusing on different aspects of Andalusia, with various blends of florals, spices, citruses, woods, etc.
The perfumes at Luz de Sevilla
It’s also a very pretty boutique, with some accessories, home fragrances, and soaps. (There is a second location elsewhere in the city). In addition to perfume, though, Seville is an ideal city for another of my loves: gardens. We were able to visit the holiday nighttime illuminations within the gardens of the Real Alcázar, a magical experience.
The Real Alcázar at night
More illuminations (play with sound on)
We had visited Seville briefly several years ago, loved it then, and always said we wanted to return for a longer stay. It did not disappoint! I revisited the grand Cathedral, and the Real Alcázar gardens in daytime, both as spectacular as I had remembered. But to see Seville and its lights, street decorations, and Christmas stalls before Christmas was a truly special experience and one I highly recommend! Combining perfume tourism with holiday and garden tourism was a win-win-win!
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 