ocean

Perfume Chat Room, October 18
by

Perfume Chat Room, October 18

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, October 18, and we are at the end of a short beach trip. Weather has been spectacular! We had a great view of yesterday’s “supermoon” too, and several lovely sunsets and sunrises. I love going to the beach in the fall. The temperatures are much more bearable than they are in a Southern summer, and there aren’t many people. We can leave sliding doors open (with screens) and enjoy the sound of the waves. On this trip, we’ve seen quite a few dolphins as well as the usual birds. The one thing I do miss from visiting New England beaches are the beach roses. You really don’t see them down here, and they smell so wonderful!

Sunset over the salt marsh
Beach roses in New England

We will drive home tomorrow, stopping along the way in one of our favorite historic towns. Do you have any special plans for this weekend, fragrant or otherwise?

Perfume Chat Room, June 14
by

Perfume Chat Room, June 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, June 14, and I took my last dose of Paxlovid this morning — hurray! As some of you know, I came down with COVID last weekend. As it turned out, my husband had it first and probably caught it on the plane trip home from France, then both my daughters and I came down with it. I was able to start Paxlovid on Sunday evening, and I’m grateful to have had it although it did leave a bad metallic taste in my mouth all week. Luckily, it doesn’t seem to have affected my nose, and I’m told the bad taste stops by the day after one’s last dose.

Meanwhile, I received a free sample of Parfums Dusita’s newest fragrance, Pelagos, in the mail and I like it very much! The name means “sea”, but this is not an aquatic fragrance. Per Fragrantica, the notes are: top notes: Cypress, Oakmoss, Bergamot, Pine, Litsea Cubeba, Clary Sage and Orange; middle notes: Orris, Thyme, Tonka Bean and Jasmine; base notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vetiver, Amyris, Ambrette, Benzoin and Incense. It is more of an aromatic fragrance than anything else, with a strong hint of chypre. Truly unisex, it would smell great on anyone. It comes in extrait strength, which is also very appealing. I’ll have to spend more time with it to share any deeper thoughts, but it’s a winner so far!

Do you have any favorite beach or ocean scents?

The northern coast of Brittany
Perfume Chat Room, October 15
by

Perfume Chat Room, October 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, October 15, and we are back from a New England beach town where our niece celebrated her wedding last weekend! It was a great getaway, and one of the real pleasures was that the rental house where we stayed had a huge stand of Rosa rugosa right by the front entryway. These are the classic “beach roses” you see all over the New England coast (and other coastlines) and they are highly fragrant. This one smelled rosy and spicy, with a very clear accord of true cinnamon. It was just gorgeous, although I do have mixed feelings about cinnamon (usually when it is artificial). And as the regulars here know, I do love a rose fragrance, lol!

We also gloried in the gusts of fresh sea air right off the ocean, with all the notes of seaweed, sand, driftwood, and seaside plants. The “beach fragrances” we didn’t sense were the ones associated with suntan lotion, because it was cool enough that we and everyone else stayed bundled up. What a tonic for body and spirit! We stayed for a full week that included the actual wedding weekend, as it was quite a long trip to make from the South, and we’re so glad we did that. We don’t get to see the ocean as much as we would like, since we live at least a five-hour drive from the coast down here, and this weeklong visit was just what we needed.

Do you have any favorite scents you associate with the ocean or seaside?

Rosa rugosa