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, January 25, and I’m in snowy New England! Flew up here with one of our daughters to visit my sisters and my niece’s new baby. She’s a cutie, and her sister is a darling. It is very nice to see the snow in the sun.
Here is the new addition to our family!
New baby in our family!
I brought with me a travel size of Jo Malone’s Ginger Biscuit, which has been perfect for hanging out with little children on a wintry day. I hope they associate me with that lovely warm scent!
Do you ever choose a scent on purpose to charm someone other than a romantic interest, lol?
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 10, and it snowed here this morning! Since I live in the Southeastern US, this is a rare and exciting event, to be cherished as long as the power stays on and my friends and family are safely ensconced in their homes. We knew the snow was coming, so when I woke up very early this morning, I just stayed awake so I could see it. Our elderly dog Lucy was not so excited. I let her out at about 6 am, just as the snow was beginning; she went out very briefly then rushed back inside. When she went to the door a while later, I opened it for her, she stuck her nose out, and she retreated back into the warm house and her even warmer bed. Color Lucy not impressed.
Lucy, not impressed by snow
As of this afternoon, we’re getting the dreaded “wintry mix” of icy rain and sleet, which means some of the snow is melting but it will soon freeze over again when the temps drop below 32F. That’s one reason why snow and ice are actually quite hazardous here — we might get less than three inches of snow, but then it turns into two inches of ice. And because it’s a rare occurrence, most folks here don’t know how to drive safely in these conditions and the local governments don’t have a lot of equipment to clear the roads. Best to stay inside!
I’ve been enjoying some cozy fragrances, including Jo Malone’s small holiday set of Orange Bitters and Ginger Biscuit. They’re not so Christmasy that I feel out of sync, given that the twelve days of Christmas ended last weekend. We even took down our tree, though I haven’t yet packed away all the ornaments. Maybe today, while I’m indoors and can’t be out in the garden! This is the season we jokingly refer to as “second winter”, coming as it does after “false spring”, when we get a burst of warm days that fool many bulbs into peeking above ground. Luckily, the sudden return of the cold doesn’t harm them. Bengale Rouge will probably make it into my rotation this weekend; it’s a lovely warm fragrance that doesn’t scream “Christmas!”. Perfect for “second winter.”
I’ve also enjoyed wearing the Guerlain fragrance that was a Christmas gift, Après l’Ondèe. I think I’ll be putting it aside until we reach the “spring of deception”, when we’ll get another thaw and unseasonably warm(er) temperatures. It really is more of a spring/summer scent, I feel. What about you? Have you been wearing any holidayish fragrances, gifts 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 Friday, November 22, and here in the USA, it will be Thanksgiving next week! I do love Thanksgiving; how nice to have a holiday that is dedicated to expressing gratitude and giving thanks. I’m thankful for all of you readers, and for the privilege of being able to own and write about many fragrances and other interests. Of course, I’m always thankful for my lovely family, and thankful that they are healthy and happy. And I’m thankful for the privilege of being able to travel to lovely places! We’ll be back in Spain in December and then again in March combined with a week in Austria. I’ve never been to Austria, and I am so looking forward to seeing Vienna and Salzburg! I’m looking at calendars of musical events, now that I’ve nailed down hotels and a schedule. What an abundance of options!
It has suddenly turned quite cold here, after an unseasonably warm fall, so I’m turning my attention to warmer, cozier fragrances. One of my favorites for this time of year has become Bengale Rouge, by Liz Moores of Papillon Perfumes. And both of our daughters now have cats! This is Hazel, exploring her first Christmas tree:
Hazel
I love all the smells of Thanksgiving and Christmas: the baking, roasting, spices, fresh evergreens, etc. What are your favorite holiday smells, whether they are perfumes or not?
As Undina requested, here is a photo of the other family cat, Goose., in his Halloween costume!
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, February 2, and it is Groundhog Day here in the US. Apparently, groundhog “Punxsutawney Phil” did not see his shadow this morning, which is supposed to predict an early spring. Unfortunately, Phil and his predecessors have been right less than 40% of the time over decades, but I’m choosing to believe. I’m ready to start pruning roses for spring and summer blooms! I’ll be uncovering the rest of my plants this weekend, having already removed the frost covers from many in the past week. And yes, I’ve checked the actual weather forecast; we may get down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit next week, but that seems to be the worst of it.
I try to grow mostly fragrant plants in my garden when I have the option. Most of my roses are varieties that have been bred for good fragrance. I also have some beautiful lavender (mostly “Phenomenal”, which was the only kind that survived the hard freeze we had in December 2022). Sage, basil, thyme, oregano are fragrant, of course. A new favorite geranium, which I saved by moving indoors as well as taking cuttings, is “Attar of Roses” and yes, when you press its leaves, it smells exactly like a rose! Then we have gardenias, hardy jasmine, evergreen clematis, magnolia trees. Right now, the most fragrant plant in my garden is mahonia, whose yellow flowers smell like a mix of gardenia and lily of the valley. I don’t recall ever seeing mahonias until we moved to the Southeast and bought an old house with an old garden that had some, and now it’s a favorite plant, ungainly as it may look. Its scent reminds me of Natalie, a gardenia-centric fragrance created in memory of the late actress Natalie Wood.
Mahonia in bloom, winter; image from UT Gardens.
Do you garden? If yes, do you deliberately seek out fragrant plants? Or do you have a favorite fragrance that evokes a particular plant, floral 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 Friday, January 12, and baby, it’s cold outside! Update: it is now Saturday, January 13 — my posting got delayed! I’ve been running around my garden adding mulch like mad and planning which potted plants we can move into our screened porch before temperatures dip below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Last Christmas, we had a similar hard freeze, and I lost a number of plants. So I’m determined to do better protecting them this year!
I feel as if I’m betwixt and between, scentwise. Christmas is definitely over, so the warm, spicy scents that I enjoy during the holiday don’t really fit right now; and we are still quite far from spring, so I haven’t brought out greens and florals yet. I know it’s not mandatory to match one’s fragrance to the season, but the seasons do affect what appeals to me. And right now, I’m having trouble deciding! What are your fragrance choices for a chilly January?
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 4, the first Friday of the last month of 2020. Hurray! This year has been famously destructive in many ways, but I see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. In my own religion, Christianity, the season of Advent began last Sunday, and it is one of my favorite times of the year. Not just because of preparations for holidays (with most celebrations on hold this year), but because it is a season of hope and anticipation. Many religions and cultures have some observance of this time of year, leading toward the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice when the Earth is tilted furthest away from the Sun and the day is shortest, night longest. Not surprisingly, a common theme is the emergence of light from darkness, since our winter solstice marks the end of daylight diminishing and the start of the gradual increase in light.
The season also brings with it many wonderful smells! Classic associations with this time of year are evergreens like pine and fir; spiced drinks like mulled wine and apple cider; beeswax from lit candles; incense from places of worship; sweet and spiced baked goods, often including vanilla; woody and smoky scents that recall hearth fires. I enjoy them all. Some perfumers try to create fragrances that evoke cold, like notes of snow, or ice, or frost. I was so excited in 2018 when Jo Malone had a limited edition fragrance called White Moss & Snowdrop, I thought I’d love it. Sadly, I didn’t. It was pleasant enough, but it didn’t make a big impression. My wallet was grateful! Now I’m excited at the news that Dawn Spencer Hurwitz will create a new fragrance for Zoologist, called Snowy Owl. Can’t wait to try it!
What fragrances do you enjoy at this time of year? They don’t have to be perfumes, you can list any scent!
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 