Day 22 in Ukraine.

Sunlight’s soft ballet
through lace of old curtains—
glimpses of empty streets.

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Dusk descends quietly
Sirens wail through the stillness,
Stars fade from the sky.

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Awoken at night
Flashes tear through the darkness,
Dawn feels far away.

Another day arrives. Why is time flying so fast? A week ago, I had a dream about waking up in the middle of an explosion (it was only a drone shot down in the fields nearby). In my dream, my house was in ruins, my dress was torn and I didn’t know where to go. I ran inside a large building and up a staircase. At the top of it stood a man holding my passport. “I found you,” he said. “Let’s go to Japan and open a porcelain studio.” (I had no idea that this was my subliminal desire, but fine, I’ll take it.)

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Thank you again for your amazing support and for joining Luca and I for our perfume talk. We decided to make our session is available as a recording. If you couldn’t participate in person, I invite you to listen to our conversation. Available here, same terms apply.

Here are the topics we covered:

• what classical perfumes make Luca’s heart skip a beat
• what exactly goes into those cheap, dime a dozen perfumes
• the future of perfumery
• is it possible to create anything new? and which brands stand out still?
• if you know nothing about perfumery, where to start? (Luca’s amazing advice)
• which classical Guerlain perfumes we don’t like (yes, those exist)
• and much more!

Luca Turin and I will engage in a series of conversations about perfumery: fragrances we can’t imagine the world without, trends we hate, industry gossip and other things. Both of us have our distinctive preferences and experiences, and Luca is someone I admire and consider a friend, so we will keep these sessions open-ended. Our goal is to raise money to help my local community in Ukraine, but I can’t deny relishing the pleasure of chatting with Luca on topics both of us enjoy. We hope that this series of conversation will be inspiring, meaningful and entertaining. And the last point is assured, especially if you know anything at all about Luca.

P.S. Did you know that you can follow Luca via his Substack?

Since I’m currently in Ukraine, I see the dire need in my local community for the most basic things. While there are plenty of charities and government-level programs, the only way to ensure that money goes to the people in need is to locate those communities and help them directly. I’ve been doing this ever since my arrival to Ukraine two weeks ago.

• Raising money for local school to supply their bomb shelters with water.
• Purchasing art supplies for the free-of-charge art studios that rehabilitate children suffering from post-traumatic shock.
• Supporting animal shelters run by the individuals I know.
• Working with local outreach programs to respond to the lonely elderly and their needs.
• Supporting local cultural preservation projects and traditional crafts.  I will share more information about these and other projects as I continue my work.

Full disclosure: 50% of the funds raised will be donated to these charitable initiatives. The rest will cover our time and my Belgian tax obligations.

The session will take place online via Zoom and will last for 1 hour. If you have questions for me and Luca, you can email them beforehand.

IMPORTANT: Your email confirmation with joining instructions will arrive within 24 hours after payment. 

Location: Zoom
Class duration: 1 hour
September 14, Saturday, 18:00-19:00 CET (12:00-13:00 EST)
50€ SOLD OUT

For more information on Bois de Jasmin classes and other course offers, please visit the Perfume Classes page.

I heard a dull sound far in the distance, a slight reverberation of the earth under my feet and then the air raid siren blared. Or maybe it was the other way around. Now I can’t remember exactly. People continued on their way to work and school without paying attention to the wail of the siren. The golden leaves in Poltava’s main park fell faster and settled on the sidewalks.

It was the first time I went into the city of Poltava after arriving in my grandmother’s village just outside of town. It was the first time Poltava had experienced such a devastating attack since the start of the full-scale invasion by Russia on February 24, 2022. Two ballistic rockets struck a hospital and a college and killed more than 50 people and wounded hundreds of others. The children who waited at the bus stop near the college were killed instantly.

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I returned to Ukraine after a long absence. After a flight, several trains and a sleepless night in a small town in Poland, I watched the familiar countryside roll past the window and felt like I was in a dream. I imagined this scene countless times. I dreamed about it only to wake up with tears. Now I was looking at orchards laden with fruit and freshly harvested wheat fields and I tried to remember every detail, every leaf, every blade of grass.

Many people asked me why I wanted to return now. I explained that I could afford to take some time off from work this fall, that I could buy a ticket, etc. These were all practical reasons, but they didn’t capture the essence of what propelled me to return. The place where we’re born shapes us deeply. For someone like me who lived most of her life abroad in many different countries, the idea of home can be difficult to define. Today I know that my home is the place that draws me back despite all of the practical considerations. Returning to Ukraine during war, living through the daily reality of rocket attacks, air raid sirens and near constant blackouts, I feel at peace.

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Our “Recommend Me a Perfume” thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite scents, and to ask any questions about scents, aromas and flavors. Or you can just tell us what perfume you are wearing.

How does it work: 1. Please post your requests or questions as comments here. You can also use this space to ask any fragrance related questions. To receive recommendations that are better tailored to your tastes, you can include details on what you like and don’t like, your signature perfumes, and your budget. And please let us know what you end up sampling. 2. Then please check the thread to see if there are other requests you can answer. Your responses are really valuable for navigating the big and sometimes confusing world of perfume, so let’s help each other!

To make this thread easier to read, when you reply to someone, please click on the blue “reply” link under their comment.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin