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 21, and it is HOT where I live! 93 degrees with enough humidity to make it feel like 94. Interestingly, the heat revealed a facet of Pelagos that I hadn’t expected. I had applied very small spritzes, one to my neck and each of my wrists, three in all, so very little. I should have remembered that Pelagos comes in extrait strength! Because when I left my physical therapy appointment around 11, it was a bit too much. And it also “read” to my nose as more masculine, whereas when I first tried it, I felt it was truly unisex. I can’t even explain why my perception changed or what note/accord changed it, but here we are.

The good news is that I’ve completely recovered from COVID and my sense of smell is intact. Only my sense of taste was temporarily affected by Paxlovid, and it returned to normal by the evening of the day when I took my last dose. That’s a relief! The bad news is that Japanese beetles have arrived in my garden, seeking out my scrumptious roses, their favorite treat. I have gone to war. In researching the best methods that won’t harm beneficial insects or pollinators, I learned something new — Japanese beetles apparently have some kind of sense of smell and they release a pheromone when they find a food source, which attracts all their fellow Japanese beetles! Ugh.

Are you going through a heat wave? My sympathy if you are. Happy Summer Solstice too!