Scent Diary : First of the Year

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone’s year is starting off on a great note. I decided for this note to be Frédéric Malle Lipstick Rose. This raspberry smudged rose is big, bright and bubbly, and it feels exactly right. The rest of the day I plan to spend watching movies with my husband and reading Gerard Russell’s Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms, which was one of the best books I discovered in 2014.

What perfume are you wearing? And since many of us love reading, what were some of the best books you’ve read in last year?

pistachio-marzipan1

Scent Diary is a place where we can share fragrances we encounter, good and bad, perfumes we wear and the scents around us. It’s a way to sharpen our sense of smell, but also just to enjoy the fragrance hobby in a richer way. Whether you write down 1 recollection–“I smelled coffee this morning”–or 10 matters less than simply reminding yourself to smell. You can add as many comments as you wish. You can comment today or over the course of the week; this thread will always be open. Of course, do share what perfume you’re wearing or what particularly good scented products you’ve discovered.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin, rose-pistachio marzipan

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356 Comments

  • Wendyr: Best book I read was Ian McEwan-The Children Act. I am wearing Parfumes Delrae, Bois de Paradis. Love the warm spicey close to skin smell on a cold winter day. Thank you to all for your pefume suggestions throughout the year to help me explore the beautiful world of scent. January 1, 2015 at 9:14am Reply

    • Victoria: I’m very glad, and I hope to help with more perfumed quests this year too. 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 4:49pm Reply

  • Anne: It is forecast to be 41C here tomorrow so I am a bit at a loss for perfume. Citrus suffocates me in heat and florals go off like a bomb. Maybe Ashoka for milky fig, or some Edt Mitsuoko – it sits so light on me and so diffusely it might work, always smells best on me in summer. I had on Frederick Mallee Vetiver Extraordinaire today for 35C.

    Smells around are of scorched eucalyptus, melting tarmac and pure heat, which I swear smells like dust and that particular smell pollution has: sweet detergent and plastic. I long for rain so we get that gorgeous smell of the trees just sighing in relief. Not likely though. Rotting weeds in the dryed up creek. Musty and grassy.

    At the moment everything around me smells like sun dried linen … the detergent my mum uses with the sweetness burnt out of it. Then heated polymer.

    Alas I am reading to complete my thesis… so my books are deadly dull. January 1, 2015 at 9:45am Reply

    • Melanie: H Anne. I enjoyed reading your post and can relate to it. I think you must also live in Southern Australia. I love the smell when I water the sun-baked garden in the evening after a blistering hot day. I’m interested to hear about fragrances that are fresh and cooling too. January 1, 2015 at 3:05pm Reply

      • Michele: I know that smell! I’ve been away from Australia a long time and that smell of water on a ‘sun-baked garden’ is still strong. Thank you. Perhaps this is too floral, but I love to wear Eau D’Italie’s Paestum Rose on a hot day…reminding me of the dusty paths of the Amalfi coast as the sun blazes on the sea below. January 1, 2015 at 11:28pm Reply

        • Anne: Good idea! I will try it tomorrow in the heat. January 2, 2015 at 7:10am Reply

        • Melanie: Hi Michele and Anne. I love Rose and look forward to trying the one you suggested. I’m new to the world of perfume and so haven’t tried anything from that perfumer. I received J’Adore as a Christmas gift and so maybe ‘everything’s coming up roses’ in 2015! January 2, 2015 at 3:49pm Reply

          • Michele: Hi Anne and Melanie…I am ‘new’ to this as well. I started to explore this world of perfumes a year or so ago as I love scent. Scent alters my state of mind, my moods. I discovered this fragrance through the Bois de Jasmin site. When I read of something with potential for me, I then go to Luckyscent’s website to see if they have sample sizes of fragrances. They are usually about US$4 and arrive within a week in the mail! I love Paestum Rose and also Baume Doge…both are by Bertrand Duchafour. When I found a retailer in Rome who sold these perfumes, they introduced me to a Spanish rose perfume, whose sample I used and loved. I ‘think’ it was from ‘Laborotorioolfattivo’ – gentle, perfect for hot weather. January 6, 2015 at 3:07am Reply

          • Michele: Hi again…whoops, I think I quoted the wrong perfumer. Laboratoprioolfattivo is Italian. But who cares. Luyckyscent has soooo many rose-based perfumes which are reviewed on Bois de Jasmin so there’s a world to explore. M January 6, 2015 at 3:14am Reply

      • Anne: Hi Melanie, I live in Melbourne and this was written in North East Victoria. That smell of dust and chlorophyll the plants give off is my favourite (I am no fan of heat) part of summer. The way it intensifies all scents.

        I have some odd summer choices (L’air du desert Marocain) but usually vetivers are good if tart. Also lavender perfumes, if you can deal with the lavendar (the mettalic of encens et lavande works). Short lasting things.. if it gets too much then no matter. January 2, 2015 at 7:09am Reply

        • Melanie: Hi Anne. I awoke this morning to the pungent and ominous smell of the smoke from a bushfire that started in yesterday’s 44C heat. I heard at least 4 homes have been lost. I really feel for those whose homes have been lost or are threatened and especially for the animals. Thank you for your fragrance suggestions. I would like to try some vetivers for sure. I had some vetiver soap recently and loved it! M January 2, 2015 at 3:17pm Reply

          • Michele: Dear Melanie…these bush fires are horrific…leaving smells that will linger for those who are affected. I am lucky that smells evoke only lovely things for me. January 6, 2015 at 3:00am Reply

    • Victoria: Your scents sound so exotic in comparison to what I’m smelling outside–pretty much nothing, since it’s so cold. Although later in the evening, there is always a scent of chimney smoke.

      Good luck with your thesis! January 1, 2015 at 4:54pm Reply

      • Anne: I love wood smoke as a smell (and in perfume) and am rather pining for winter … so that sounds exotic to me! But I bought in the last of my roses before they burn, so I can smell them. It will have to do.

        Thanks! I will need all the luck. January 2, 2015 at 7:14am Reply

        • angeldiva: Hi Anne,
          Ambre Sultan smells like mesquite smoke on my skin, you may want to check it out, if you don’t have it already.
          I have also noticed that when I’m wearing it – men linger a bit longer when speaking with me!
          P. January 2, 2015 at 8:38am Reply

  • Tijana: Happy New Year Victoria!

    I am wearing Bond No 9 Success is a Job in New York and loving the creamy vanilla/white floral combo on my skin. There are moments when it feels retro in a modern way, kind of like omage to 80’s florientals.

    Books wise, from fiction I really liked Paulo Coelho’s Adultery (even though it did not get best reviews from the critics). From non-ficton I loved “Pantone on Fashion – A Century of Color in Design” – it’s a fantastic book that talks about the origin and story behind the famous colors in fashion design, for example how Benetton’s famous “cyber” yellow came to exist and similar 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 9:47am Reply

    • Victoria: I haven’t read anything by Coelho, except “Alchemist”, so a new novel to consider! January 1, 2015 at 4:55pm Reply

  • Alita: Happy New Year!
    Today I’m wearing Narciso Rodriguez Essence Eau de Musc (I’m a fan of all his scents). My favourite book in 2014 was J.K. Rowling -The Casual Vacancy.
    Ready for more beautiful posts. Thanks Victoria! January 1, 2015 at 9:52am Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you, Alita! I’m planning out new posts for this month this week. 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 4:56pm Reply

  • Lucy: Happy New Year! Thanks for the book recommendation, it looks fascinating. My favorite book of 2014 in fiction was Embers by Sandor Marai. First perfume of the year Mohur Extrait, by Neela Vermiere Creations. From those two I guess you can tell I have been indulging my 19th Century romantic side. January 1, 2015 at 10:01am Reply

    • Victoria: You’ll love the book, Lucy! It’s really well-written and full of fascinating stories. Like that of the Mandaeans from southern Iraq, whose religious writings mention a demon who is part man, part book, and and he sits by the waters between the worlds, reading himself. January 1, 2015 at 4:59pm Reply

      • Karen: Wow – on my reading list now. January 1, 2015 at 5:08pm Reply

      • ElenavL: Sounds like one of Borgues stories, I am putting it on my list. January 3, 2015 at 7:39pm Reply

          • Reg: Someone just mentioned the Yasidi peacock to me which made me want to learn more about the religion. So funny to come across your recommendation now… I love it when something like that happens. Now I have to get myself the book, thanks for your link!

            I put on Santal Majuscule today but then noticed that the weather turned almost Spring like which made me look for my Atelier Cologne samples. If the weather is as good tomorrow I’ll put on Grand Neroli. January 4, 2015 at 3:04pm Reply

            • Victoria: I love such coincidences. The book is really well-written and I can’t recommend it highly enough. January 4, 2015 at 3:19pm Reply

  • angeline: i’m wearing poivre samarcande by hermes, and i’m planning on getting a couple of new scents this weekend ! still seaching & sniffing, but they will likely be office friendly skin scents. books : currently reading tinker tailor soldier spy by le carré. i’ve been doing the george smiley series in a chronological order; they’ve been good ! happy new year to all ! January 1, 2015 at 10:08am Reply

    • Victoria: Poivre Samarcande is such a serene, comforting scent for me. January 1, 2015 at 5:00pm Reply

  • Leah: Happy New Year Victoria! There must be something about roses and movies in the New Year! My husband and I are taking our 4-year old to a new year’s matinee. I also thought rose would be an auspicious way to begin the New Year but since it is over 80 degrees here I went with Hermès Rose Ikebana. Best book of 2014 was a cookbook – My Paris Kitchen by David Lebowitz. He has a short story before each recipe which really makes it come alive. The French onion soup and grated carrot salad are great staples. I baked his bay leaf pound cake yesterday and it is to die for. All the best in 2015, hugs! Leah January 1, 2015 at 10:21am Reply

    • Caroline: That book is currently in my Amazon cart–must pull the trigger. Bay leaf pound cake sounds intriguing! January 1, 2015 at 11:29am Reply

    • Victoria: At first, I was sure I would wear my Apres L’Ondee, but when I looked at my perfume shelf and saw Lipstick Rose, I didn’t want to wear anything else at all.
      Enjoy your day! January 1, 2015 at 5:02pm Reply

  • Cornelia Blimber: Hi, Happy 2015!
    I am still having a cold and, as always, fearing that my beloved Nose could be damaged. The strange thing is with a cold: you can smell less and on the other hand you smell sharper the things you can smell. My comfort in these days was Shalimar. Today I wanted the loveliest perfume from my collection: Idylle Eau Sublime and Idylle extrait. I fell recently in love with En Passant, but Idylle also has a nice lilac note, and remains my favourite.

    There are so many marvellous books on the market today, you don’t know where to begin!
    On my list to read:
    Miklós Bánffy ”Geteld, geteld”
    Gregor von Razzori ”Blumen im Schnee”
    Stephen Mc Cluskey ” Astronomies and Cultures in Early Medieval Europe” (all from Bdj, thank you Victoria and Solanace!)

    Read with pleasure:
    Henk Singor ”Constantijn”. Biography of Constantine the Great , in Dutch. Should be translated. Henk Singor is an eminent scholar and a fine narrator.
    Barbara Graziosi ”The Gods of Olympus, A History”
    Most funny: how scholars fight against each other like hooligans. Frank Kolb (”Tatort ” against Joachim Latacz (“Troia und Homer”). Hilarious and a good occasion to reread Homer.
    I am still digesting Peter Heather ‘Empires and Barbarians”. A dense book about the last years of the Roman Empire and the European history until ±1000 AD. Encounters of Romans and German tribes in the 4th and 5th century, migrations of Slavic peoples, Marcomannic Wars, Vikings and the birth of Rus. Interesting thougts about notions you could take too easily for granted, like ”peoples” and ”migrations”. Not an easy read, but rewarding.
    ”Augustus” by Adrian Goldsworthy.

    Around December I always read books about other things than Ancient (classical) History. This year: “Neanderthals Rediscovered” by Dimitra Papagianni and Michael Morse, and ”Humans Who Went Extinct” by Clive Finlayson.
    Non Fiction: thrillers by Philip Kerr (great!) and now reading ”César Birotteau” by Balzac (about a parfumeur!). January 1, 2015 at 10:26am Reply

    • Cornelia Blimber: Frank Kolb: ”Tatort ”.
      Gerard Russell is also on my list ! January 1, 2015 at 10:32am Reply

      • Cornelia Blimber: How strange! My computer refuses the title of the Frank Kolb book,,, must be a complot of the Latacz gang…”Tatort ‘Troia”’ it is. January 1, 2015 at 10:35am Reply

    • Hamamelis: Hi Cornelia, sorry to read about your cold, mine is also long over staying its welcome! So many people seem to struggle with a lasting cold at the moment.
      Lovely to read your reading list, I don’t have much time to read but it is good to have some suggestions to look into. Hopefully your cold will clear up soon! January 1, 2015 at 2:17pm Reply

      • Cornelia Blimber: Thank you, Hamamelis! Happy New Year! January 1, 2015 at 4:59pm Reply

    • Victoria: Your conversations with solanace really inspired me to take a look at those books, and I downloaded samples, but I haven’t read them year. I read a bit about that time period, but from the perspective of the Persian Empire, which I find endlessly fascinating.

      Empires and Barbarians is another book that I really would love to read. It sounds quite academic. Would it be too difficult for someone who is not too well-versed in that period of history? January 1, 2015 at 5:04pm Reply

      • Cornelia Blimber: Hi Victoria!
        Did you read ”Persian Fire” by Tom Holland?
        Every time I read about Persians and Romans, I greet Sjapoer (Shapur) I: Hi Shapur, there you are again!

        I think Empires and Barbarians is not too academic for you. but is takes much time. January 1, 2015 at 5:11pm Reply

        • Cornelia Blimber: Of course you are academic yourself! I mean, it is not too academic for someone who is not at home in that period. January 1, 2015 at 5:22pm Reply

        • Victoria: I have it, but I haven’t read it yet. What do you think of it? January 1, 2015 at 6:00pm Reply

          • Cornelia Blimber: ”Persian Fire” is for the most part about the battles, and of course the Greek side is better documented. But Tom Holland takes also a look on the Persian perspective, and I found it refreshing .He does not idealize the Greeks, which is refreshing as well- although sometimes he is exaggerating their negative sides. Tom Holland is not a learned historian, and maybe he sometimes sells assumptions as facts, and maybe his interpretation could be false (The Persian wars were probably not about the religion of Fire and Ahura Mazda, but who knows? maybe it was a factor as well).
            But as a whole he did solid research, and he certainly does not write nonsens (as some Dutch historians said). I took some things with a pinch of salt, but that’s what I always do. Even the most accurate scholars are not in the possession of the absolute truth.
            I had some agreeable and exciting hours reading all Tom Hollands books, including ”Persian Fire”. His sweeping style is irresistible. I think: Enjoy!! January 2, 2015 at 7:17am Reply

            • Victoria: Thank you so much for this tempting review and a great nudge. I might actually start it tonight, since your description is so good! January 4, 2015 at 1:42pm Reply

              • Cornelia Blimber: Please let me know what you think! January 4, 2015 at 4:25pm Reply

                • Victoria: So far I really like it! And I like that he offers a more balanced view. I also read a very good book called The Mantle of the Prophet by Roy Mottahedeh. It looks at the role of religion in the Iranian politics, and while the focus is on the more recent decades, Mottahedeh examines the past and provides a nuanced view. It’s really well-written too. January 5, 2015 at 12:50pm Reply

                  • Cornelia Blimber: Glad you like it!
                    I put The Mantle of the Prophet on my list of interesting books.
                    In our local bookshop I spotted ”Sasanian Persia” by Touraj Daryee. Do you recommend that one?
                    Persia is interesting, of course, as an ancient superpower, but also because the history of Geeks and Romans was intertwined with the Persians and their Empire. January 11, 2015 at 9:47am Reply

                    • Victoria: I haven’t read that one, but yes, Persia is fascinating for many different reasons. I also recommend reading The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat. Not a history book, but a novel. January 12, 2015 at 8:56am

                    • Cornelia Blimber: Hi Victoria! Maybe you are interested in this book: ”Darius in the Shadow of Alexander” by Pierre Briant (translation). It is a revision of the view that Darius was a coward (as you know, he fled from the battlefield).
                      Dense and time consuming but it is about a Persian king! I hope I will find time enough some day.
                      In English it costs € 39,50, I think it is more expensive in the original French. January 31, 2015 at 9:25am

                    • Victoria: Thank you so much for the recommendation. I just read this review, which makes the book really intriguing, and you’re right, I’d really love it.
                      http://www.wsj.com/articles/book-review-darius-in-the-shadow-of-alexander-by-pierre-briant-1421446368

                      Your recommendations have been spot on. I’m almost done with Persian Fire (Holland is such a good writer!), and it really made me appreciate the complexity of writing about this ancient history and the importance of learning it. February 1, 2015 at 11:13am

                    • Cornelia Blimber: Thank you for the link! James Romm says it so well… I ran to the bookshop, but happily for my wallet, the book was sold out for the moment.

                      Happy readings! February 2, 2015 at 8:20am

    • Victoria: And I’m so sorry about your cold! Please take care of yourself, and I hope that it clears up quickly.

      How is Oscar the Cat doing? January 1, 2015 at 5:37pm Reply

      • Cornelia Blimber: Thank you!
        Oscar is doing well. He is an excellent mouse hunter, but he seldom plays, although yesterday he was playing around with my beautiful Guerlain lipstick. January 1, 2015 at 5:52pm Reply

        • Victoria: He has great taste. 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 5:53pm Reply

    • Solanace: Hey Cornelia,

      Hope you are doing better, and that your nose is well. I love the image of hooligan scholars. So true! It is a good thing that you can laugh about it, sometimes I just get depressed with the vanity of it all.
      So, what about the Neaderthal books, were they good reads?

      Have a great 2015! January 4, 2015 at 12:02pm Reply

      • Cornelia Blimber: Hi Solanace! Happy 2015!!
        I am better now, thank you! My nose still works, Jicky today.
        I think fighting scholars are very funny. I saw one at home: my father was a germanist, and you don’t believe what scroundels disagreeing colleagues were. Haha. The case of Latacz (with Korfmann) against Kolb is a slapstick. I have the impression English scholars are more polite.
        The books about the Neanderthals are very interesting, especially CLive Finlayson. Reading about proto-humans, Homo Erectus, Homo Heidelbergensis, Homo Neanderthalis, Homo Sapiens etc. has a soothing, relaxing influence on me.
        When you are depressed about the Fighting Scholars, think of prehistoric man! Where is all the struggling now? January 4, 2015 at 12:40pm Reply

  • Rebecca: What I am NOT smelling this morning is a kitchen redolent of Grand Marnier souffle, my signature dinner party dessert. As I went to preheat the oven last night, it became apparent that the damn thing was not working. I am consoling myself by wearing Nahema at breakfast time. If anyone needs a bowl of Grand Marnier flavored eggy béchamel and a bowl of egg whites, please let me know! January 1, 2015 at 10:37am Reply

    • Vanie: Oh no! That’s upsetting! January 1, 2015 at 12:56pm Reply

    • Annie O: That is a tragedy of the first order. I am so sorry! Better luck the rest of 2015. January 1, 2015 at 1:51pm Reply

    • Victoria: Oh, no, Rebecca! I’m sorry to hear this. You could turn the mixture into Omelette Stephanie or even Kaiserschmarrn. The first is essentially a fried souffle, and it’s absolutely out of this world. And it still looks really elegant. Kaiserschmarrn is a fluffy pancake, but if you have bechamel and egg whites, you can cook the mixture the same way, and it would be great. January 1, 2015 at 5:07pm Reply

    • Rebecca: Thank you for your kind support everyone! I have recovered from the Dreadful Souffle Trauma. The oven (a huge Viking monster, both loved and reviled) decided to return to life so I made some souffle variation as suggested and we had a rather grandiose tea.

      Happy New Year to you all! January 2, 2015 at 11:50am Reply

      • Victoria: Phew! I’m glad that it all worked out well. 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 1:52pm Reply

  • limegreen: Happy new year, Victoria! What are those gorgeous cakes in your photo, pistachio? It’s visually stunning, bet they taste even better.
    I’m wearing Lipstick Rose lotion! It’s quirky in a good way and I find the lotion to be more interesting on my skin than the fragrance but I’m testing both. LR was not on my radar but there’s always something interesting in the Malle line.
    For a party later today (large gathering for football) I think I will wear something with loud sillage (Tobacco Vanille or Carnal Flower?) to do my part for fumes since I don’t drink much and everyone else will be exuding alcohol fumes! (I didn’t care for it, but Bond no. 9 Coney Island smells like margaritas, wish I had sample!) January 1, 2015 at 10:39am Reply

    • Victoria: Carnal Flower’s sillage would definitely stand up to it all! 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 5:08pm Reply

    • maja: I also think that LR lotion smells better than perfume. 🙂 January 2, 2015 at 10:13am Reply

  • Austenfan: Happy New Year everyone!

    My favourite read this year was a biography of Charles de Gaulle. Well written and a fascinating subject.

    My SOTD is vintage Diorella extrait. I think the top notes are getting damaged so I want to finish my small bottle before it turns.

    BdJ was one of the best places on the web this year so a big thank you! January 1, 2015 at 10:51am Reply

    • Hamamelis: Happy New Year to you too Austenfan, and totally second your comment about BdJ. January 1, 2015 at 2:20pm Reply

      • Austenfan: Eensgelijks 😉 January 2, 2015 at 10:36am Reply

    • Victoria: Which biography was it? I feel I should read more about him.

      Thank you! 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 5:09pm Reply

      • Austenfan: http://www.amazon.co.uk/man-die-nee-zei-Dutch-ebook/dp/B00PCJL8UA/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1420212631&sr=8-23&keywords=h.l.wesseling

        It may eventually be translated into English as a lot of his other works have been. It’s crisp and to the point, and as De Gaulle is such an icon in France I wanted to know more about him. January 2, 2015 at 10:35am Reply

        • solanace: Good tip, de Gaulle interests me, too. January 4, 2015 at 5:41am Reply

        • Victoria: Thank you! January 4, 2015 at 1:46pm Reply

          • Aurora: Another recommendation for a biography in French this time would be De Gaulle: The Rebel by Jean Lacouture, a well respected French journalist, and not altogether a fan of CDG which makes it interesting. I believe it’s in three tomes (sigh) so I’m waiting for a long vacation to read it. January 6, 2015 at 6:13am Reply

            • Victoria: Thank you very much! That he is not sympathetic might make it even more interesting. January 6, 2015 at 9:48am Reply

  • Joy: Happy New! I found your website not quite a year ago and have had such enjoyment from reading it!
    My favorite book of the year was THE BOYS IN THE BOAT. It is a story of the University of Washington, my alma mater, rowing team and their path to a gold medal in 1936 in Hitler’s Germany. It is such an inspiring story. In the depression years they encountered so many difficulties. I also enjoyed reading Dicken’s BLEAK HOUSE.

    My perfume today is EL’s Knowing, rich, dark rose. It seems to fit this cold, snowy morning.

    I so look forward to your articles in 2015. Victoria, you are so right. The world scene can be quite dismal. Small pleasures are somehow comforting. January 1, 2015 at 10:59am Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you, Joy! I’ve started Bleak House, and I’m enjoying it. (Cornelia is our resident Dickens lover, and she was great at nudging me to read more). January 1, 2015 at 5:10pm Reply

  • Zeezout: Happy New Year to all.
    I began the day wearing Le Temps d’ une Fête because I longed for spring and the smell of daffodils. Now, in candle light, I”m enjoying Baghari’s oranges and spices.
    Best book of 2014 was ‘How to be both’ by Ali Smith, which is a stunning evocation of two very different personalities: a modern girl and a Renaissance fresco painter. It could so easily have been just pretentious, but it is very well done, and a celebration of the senses which should appeal to perfume lovers. January 1, 2015 at 11:01am Reply

    • Hamamelis: Hi Zeezout, welcome to another Dutch perfumista! I forgot to reply to your earlier comment about your love of salty scents, probably you have come across and smelled Eau des Merveilles? To my nose that is salt skin. I love the Ambre flanker more, but the original is also marvellous. January 1, 2015 at 2:25pm Reply

      • Zeezout: Thank you for the tip! As a beginner, my ‘must try this list’ is enormous – I have now moved Eau des Merveilles and Cornelia’s
        Reveal to the top. January 2, 2015 at 3:27am Reply

        • Hamamelis: I am happy to send you a sample of Eau des Merveilles, if you leave your email address I will contact you. January 2, 2015 at 4:09am Reply

          • Zeezout: How wonderful to start 2015 with The Kindness of Strangers! Thank you, Hamamelis. I will ask Victoria to forward my email address; when we can contact each other directly, we will see whether some of my samples are of interest to you. January 2, 2015 at 9:39am Reply

            • Hamamelis: Looking forward! January 2, 2015 at 10:04am Reply

    • Victoria: A perfectly uplifting perfume!

      Off to read some reviews of the book. The topic sounds fascinating. January 1, 2015 at 5:11pm Reply

      • Cornelia Blimber: Hi Zeezout! Reveal, the new Calvin Klein, smells like salt, it really does (I sniffed at my Jozozout to compare). January 1, 2015 at 5:18pm Reply

        • Zeezout: Thank you so much, Cornelia. I see that you are our resident Dickens lover, and for that reason alone, I am inclined to believe every word you say. Not very rational, I know – is this the result of too much sample sniffing?? January 2, 2015 at 3:33am Reply

  • Joy: I should say also, thank you to Limegreen. Your Diptique sample lottery offering this summer really allowed me to experience so many fragrances that I would have had a difficult time finding. I love many, L’Ombe dans L’eau, Diptique Geranium, Volute. A few were peculiar, but al very enjoyable. January 1, 2015 at 11:03am Reply

    • limegreen: Happy new year to you, Joy! It was fun to do the giveaways! So glad that you enjoyed the diptyque samples and they found a happy home in your collection. 🙂
      Volutes must smell so wonderful in the NW climate, it’s such a cozy scent. I’m so curious, which ones did you find peculiar? (I found Geranium peculiar, like bug spray, but glad it worked on your skin!)
      diptyque is coming out with a new fragrance, sounds like a fusion of Eau Rose and Eau de Lierre. January 1, 2015 at 1:35pm Reply

      • Joy: I did not like the geranium at first. That was in the summer. But, I recently tried it again in the colder weather and loved it. I could not commit to a full bottle yet, but it is a possibility. I did not like L’Ombre dans L’eau at first. I thought it was quite weird. As I continued to try it, I began to analyze and understand the bitter stems and leaves. The underlying rose just flew out at me. They are definitely a thinking person’s fragrances. The one I really disliked was the lavender. I usually love anything with lavender in it including my garden, but this fragrance smelled like burned medicine bundles; those sage, herbal bundles that one can find in Whole Foods. It’s smell hurt my nose. A few such as L’eau and Leau Du were pleasant out of the bottle, but were immediately lost. There are a few that I have not got to yet. I loved the Volute solid. It was so warm and enveloping. I took it to San Francisco with me as it was easy to travel with. Now whenever I smell it I think of that great city! January 1, 2015 at 9:47pm Reply

    • Victoria: Wasn’t limegreen’s package amazing? 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 5:11pm Reply

      • Joy: It was so amazing! I truly have not yet sampled everything using my own scientific method. It has given me so much pleasure and fun. It was a wonderful introduction to niche fragrances. January 1, 2015 at 9:37pm Reply

        • limegreen: What’s your scientific method for sampling/testing fragrances?
          I may have to give Geranium another try in this cooler weather. In the cooler temps, I’ve been wearing Eau Duelle EDP, nice and smoky vanilla without being overly sweet. (Try spritzing it over the Volutes solid!)
          The green tomato leaf-like note in L’Ombre Dans L’eau is my favorite part! January 2, 2015 at 12:34pm Reply

  • Anita T. Monroe: In this cold weather I’m wearing Salvador Dali, a lovely fragrance that has some similarity to Coco. The favorite books for 2014 are STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John
    Mandel and ZEALOT by Reza Aslan. January 1, 2015 at 11:17am Reply

    • Victoria: I love Salvador Dali, and I’m glad that you mentioned it. Now that you said it, I can see the similarity to Coco too. January 1, 2015 at 5:12pm Reply

  • Gisela: Happy New Year!
    My favourite read last year was Donna Tartt’s “Goldfinch” – I love the complexity of her books. The best non-fiction book: Louise Bourgeois’ Textile Works.

    I’m wearing today Amouage Journey from a sample (third day in a row) and I’m trying to decide if I “need” to get a full bottle. In ten days I will go on tour to Oman with our ballet, and I’m looking very much forward to visit the Amouage “mothership” there with (theoretically) a whole year’s perfume budget in my pocket. January 1, 2015 at 11:24am Reply

    • Gisela: And the rose-pistachio marzipan looks delicious! It’s the same green as the matcha green tea cookies I managed to bake for the holidays – aren’t green sweets just wonderful? 😉 January 1, 2015 at 12:21pm Reply

      • Victoria: I really loved the color. Unfortunately, I realized quickly that it would be a rare treat, because to get this rich color, you have to use all pistachios and peeled ones at that! January 1, 2015 at 5:15pm Reply

    • Hamamelis: Hi Gisela, I will be spending 2 weeks in Oman in February (all pleasure), and I hope to read about your visit, including ofcourse the Amouage factory, and if it is worthwhile to visit it. I hope you report on BdJ…and which if any of the Amouages you purchased.
      It has been a while since my husband and I had a far away holiday, and we are so much looking forward.
      Wishing you a very good ballet tour. January 1, 2015 at 2:34pm Reply

      • Victoria: Which towns will you visit? I traveled in Oman, and I really enjoyed it. I fell in love with cardamom coffee there, and brought back a large bag (at the souk, you can select coffee, and the shop owners will ground it up for you). I was so crazy about the scent that I carefully eked it out, and I might still have a tiny amount in my freezer. If you’re in Oman, I really recommend it. Also, spices. Spices there are really fresh and high-quality. January 1, 2015 at 5:46pm Reply

        • Hamamelis: We will visit Muscat, stay there for a few days to relax, and then drive to Bidiya, and stay in the desert. Then we will drive to Niswa and stay there for a night, visiting the canyon. Then to Al Hamra, and back to Muscat where we will have some more relax days. Thank you for the cardamon coffee recommendation, I love both coffee and cardamon! I am ofcourse very happy to bring you a bag, and send it to you, just let me know. I look so very much forward to smelling the spices and the local perfumes. My parents travelled in Oman, and my mother brought me back some Omani incense, her last present to me before she died. It smells and smells, even without me burning it, just out of its container. Did you smell the Omani incense? And did you visit Amouage and is it worth some holiday time? If you have any other recommendations to visit I am grateful to hear them. January 2, 2015 at 5:20am Reply

          • angeldiva: Hi Hamamelis,
            I am so fascinated by your trip to Oman that I have been looking at maps of that country on Google. What an amazing adventure!
            Peace January 2, 2015 at 9:31pm Reply

            • Annie O: I’ve been diving into maps as well and want to go in the worst way. It would feel like ‘going home’ somehow- a place I’ve always yearned for. January 3, 2015 at 4:41pm Reply

              • angeldiva: Hi,
                How interesting! Annie, how would it be like going home? Because of your family or love of the culture?
                P. January 3, 2015 at 5:32pm Reply

          • Victoria: I bought oud chips, which were worth the splurge, but I haven’t tried the incense. Nizwa was definitely worth the visit, and it was the first time I’ve been to an oasis, so it was surprising and exciting. I won’t tell you more, because you will see for yourself.

            Omani incense is supposed to be one of the best, but I didn’t know about it when I visited, so unfortunately, I never researched it. I can’t wait to hear your stories!

            Amouage plant is worth the visit; it’s a nice place and it shouldn’t be too far out of the way for you.

            If you have a chance, I recommend Bin Ateeq for traditional Omani food. The local cuisine is varied and full of interesting flavors, but it might be hard to find it outside of home. Bin Ateeq is a nice exception. If you chance upon the Indian restaurants in Muscat that serve shrimp pilaf, I highly recommend that. Shrimp is cooked with rice and spicy coriander sauce, and it’s really a tasty dish.

            Also, be sure to try the flatbreads sprinkled with sesame seeds. They were always served for breakfast, and I loved them with labne, thick yogurt. January 4, 2015 at 1:41pm Reply

            • Hamamelis: Thank you so much Victoria, just read your comment (somehow I do not manage to subscribe to the comments)! What a great suggestions, I am going to try (and visit) them all and report back…looking forward especially to the shrimp pilaf, both my husband and myself are very fond of the Indian kitchen, one of my favourites. We are counting the days, and I will surely report back. Sampling some Amouage as an olfactory preparation! January 7, 2015 at 4:51am Reply

              • Victoria: Can’t wait to hear all about it! 🙂 January 7, 2015 at 1:01pm Reply

      • Gisela: Thank you Hamamelis, normally our tours are pretty packed and I noticed that the Amouage visitor center is quite a distance from the theater and also from our hotel. But I think I will manage somehow. January 2, 2015 at 6:01am Reply

    • Victoria: Goldfinch is on my list of books to read! I really hope to get to it in 2015.

      Enjoy your Oman visit! I thought that it was a very interesting country. If you have a chance, do try the local perfumeries. Omani blends are some of the most unique, and you won’t anything like it in other countries. Just ask what the local people prefer and you can select out of that. January 1, 2015 at 5:12pm Reply

      • Gisela: Thank you Victoria, that’s a great advice. I’ll make sure to follow it. January 2, 2015 at 6:03am Reply

        • Mileta: I’m drooling over everyone’s Omani adventures. My Saudi conversation partner brought me back some coffee and oud chips last year from Jizan. The coffee was roasted personally by his mother (you know it’s good when there is a mother involved) and was a really light golden color – and I don’t mean like the blonde roast at starbucks. It is literally the color of wheat. Slightly roasted and divine – has very distinct honey notes, and of course it was ground up with cardamom. Tastes like the tears of angels. I still have the oud chips…in fact, I think I will burn them today! January 5, 2015 at 7:05pm Reply

  • Emma: My boyfriend took me to the renowned and acclaimed Xaviars restaurant in Piermont NY last night to celebrate New Year’s Eve, it was truly amazing but I think I had a little too much to drink haha. I still feel a little tipsy this morning, I’ll definitely be wearing Cartier La Panthère but later today, this evening probably. I’m reading the highly controversial and infamous Céline Rigodon which I’m about to finish…but not today, maybe tonight. January 1, 2015 at 12:08pm Reply

    • Katy: Lucky you, Emma. My Father’s family is from Tenafly and I got such a homesick pang from you mentioning Piermont! Have you had a chance to try La Panthere in extrait? January 1, 2015 at 3:22pm Reply

      • Emma: Hi Kathy, I lived in Woodcliff Lake next to Saddle River in Bergen County for six months, Tenafly is like next door. My boyfriend and I are now in Westchester County.
        Piermont is such an adorable quaint little town, it’s just one street basically, Piermont Ave, it’s really nothing yet they have three high end French-American restaurants next to one another.

        I’ve tried to test La Panthère in pure parfum for a while now but for some reason everytime I’m in the City I forget about it, so many things to do. But actually I’m going to Bergdorf tomorrow, if they have it I’ll give it a try, I’d like to test the Diana Vreeland fragrance line, despite the terrible reviews online, the bottles look stunningly beautiful. I’m looking for a present for my mother and I think she cares more for a beautiful bottle on her vanity table than the perfume anyways. January 1, 2015 at 4:29pm Reply

    • Victoria: Wow! Lucky you! I read an article about that restaurant not long ago. The food must have been very interesting. January 1, 2015 at 5:14pm Reply

  • trudy: Happy New Year to all. Well, as a born and raised southern Californian its probably not surprising that I’m watching the Rose Parade this morning (on TV, as it’s been very cold!). I’m wearing Jo Malone’s Orange Blossom this today as I wait for it warm up a bit so I can take the four month old puppy for a very LONG walk! He has way to much energy for a New Years morning. The JM was a gift and I have to say it is quite lovely. Uplifting but soft. As far as my favorite book of 2014 I have to say that as much as I’ve always loved to read I just haven’t been able to connect with anything lately. I am happy to see all the books mentioned in the comments. These will give me some books to consider as I really feel the need to get lost in a good book once again. January 1, 2015 at 12:49pm Reply

    • Victoria: I know what you mean. There were a few months when I found nothing that I really wanted to read. Nothing that would engage me. So, I read mostly for work or tried to finish books I started and didn’t get through. January 1, 2015 at 5:18pm Reply

  • Lilly: Today I am wearing Mitsouko, a perfume I’ve admired over my 3 years of perfume obsession but never found very approachable and certainly never craved – until a few days ago when I put it on at bedtime and was unexpectedly bowled over by its beauty. As for books, I’m also delving into a masterpiece – currently reading The Grapes of Wrath, that for some reason I had never read in school. Happy New Year to all Bois de Jasmin readers and to you Victoria. Long life to your wonderful blog and may 2015 be be a kinder year for us all. January 1, 2015 at 12:52pm Reply

    • Karen: This is a fascinating coincidence! I, too, have just fallen in love with my Mitsouko after a year of trying it and never having it resonate. Could it be the cold weather? I decided to wear it while working outside in my gardens (making up for lost time in the fall when sick), and just kept smelling my wrist thinking Oh my, This is just stunning!

      My current book is They Were Counted – thanks to BdJ! It seems that reading suggestions are found as much as perfume suggestions! One of my goals is to keep track of the books I’ve read this coming year. January 1, 2015 at 4:55pm Reply

      • Victoria: It’s one of my goals too. I recently found a book journal I used to keep in school, and it’s fascinating to see what I read (and how much I used to read back then!) January 1, 2015 at 6:02pm Reply

    • Victoria: In the other thread, Therese and Sammy mentioned that 2014 was the year they finally fell in love with Mitsouko, also suddenly. I love these kind of temperamental perfumes that really force you to slow down and to court them. January 1, 2015 at 5:19pm Reply

      • Karen: Yes, it’s been quite a journey! I’m anxious to (re)try L’heure Bleu. Mentioned in the perfume advertising post that I wore it as a teen. Funny memory is that I sprayed it on my light bulb to scent my room (must have read that in a magazine), and I did it once on a hot bulb which promptly burst in to flames! Fortunately it burned itself out, but I sat there terrified that a fire would burn out of control. No more scenting light bulbs January 1, 2015 at 7:14pm Reply

        • Victoria: Wow! That must have been scary. No, definitely not a very good idea. January 4, 2015 at 12:35pm Reply

          • Karen: Im not sure about everyone else, but given all the foolish – well downright stupid – things I did as a teen, I’m quite happy to be here! January 5, 2015 at 6:13am Reply

            • Victoria: I’m sure many of us can relate to this! I certainly can. 🙂 January 5, 2015 at 1:03pm Reply

    • Joy: I find some perfumes very place specific and season specific. It may be the temperature. It may be the water. It may be the mindset. I have experienced Mitsouko in the same way. January 1, 2015 at 9:53pm Reply

  • Elisa: Starting off my day a little late with some much-needed coffee, contemplating my perfume choice for a brunch I need to get dressed for soon. Maybe I’ll follow in your violet-rose footsteps and go with Broadway Nite? Some of my favorite reads this year:

    Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles
    Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
    Thunderstruck by Elizabeth McCracken
    We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
    The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker January 1, 2015 at 1:06pm Reply

    • Victoria: Broadway Nite is an even bolder Lipstick Rose, so yes, it would be perfect too, if violet roses is what you’re after. 🙂

      Your reading list sounds really amazing. January 1, 2015 at 5:20pm Reply

      • Elisa: I ended up going with a spritz of Fendi instead — got those sparkly aldehydes plus pumpkin pie spices 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 6:18pm Reply

        • Victoria: Now, how can you resist that! 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 6:24pm Reply

    • Patricia: Thanks for the book recommendations, Elisa! I need some new things to download on my Kindle for nighttime reading 🙂 . January 1, 2015 at 5:24pm Reply

      • Elisa: These are the ones I really tore through — I hope you find one or two to love! January 1, 2015 at 6:19pm Reply

  • Julie: Today I was so undecided that I picked blindly from my sample collection and chose Dior’s “Midnight Poison”. Somehow it suits well today. Its blistery cold here with a smattering of snow on its way.
    My most beloved book find this year has been the “Flavia De Luce” series by Alan Bradley. I’ve read and reread this darling delightful books. I’m most grateful to a friend that introduced us!!! January 1, 2015 at 1:06pm Reply

    • Victoria: I’ve just looked them up on Amazon! Adding them to my list too. Thank you, Julie. January 1, 2015 at 5:29pm Reply

  • angeldiva: A Very Happy New Year To All My BdJ Tribe!
    I am reading the biography of Hattie McDaniel: Black Ambition , White Hollywood
    by Jill Watts
    I love this actress, and the book is very well researched.
    I am wearing a scent that is a MYSTERY! 🙂
    I purchased 2 very old Annick Goutal bottles on ebay, and the ribbed 100ml. has about a thimble full of juice in it! The name is gone, but there is a number: EMB 92035; C
    I need to find a replacement nozzle as I have FOUND A WAY to enjoy my beloved Le Chevrefeuille (my chevy fuel). After months of not finding the right price, I ordered 23 .o6 oz. viles for $59.00
    Oh, I hope I got a good price. As, I can’t figure out how much juice this is to save my arithmetic life.
    So, the mystery juice left in the bottle could be Mandragore. I keep reading Victorias reviews, and sniffing away. It’s spicy- there is a hint of orange.
    Can’t wait to fill this bottle with the vials when they arrive, but the nozzle drips, and I’m trying to figure out how to replace it. Victoria was so kind to answer my email. Any suggestions would be so comforting!
    Also, got up early, and went to the 8am mass. I love the smell in church, but here in Los Angeles, the incense is only used on certain special holy days.
    Peace January 1, 2015 at 1:25pm Reply

    • Jackie: Hello again Angeldiva and happy new year to you and to everyone else out there in BdJ land!

      Speaking of Hollywood and race (if I may use your Hattie McDaniel reference as a segue to talking about a movie rather than a book!), what a pleasure it was to take my two daughters to ANNIE last night!!

      Counting the joys: a movie featuring girls who aren’t mermaids, princesses or love-objects! Just kids who happen to be girls!

      Starring a brown-skinned girl with kinky-curly hair (just like my girls’!) but not “about” race! A kid who just happens to be her race, not burdened with having to “represent “it as a special case!

      AND a story that shows adoption in a positive light (that families are formed in different ways, through love). Just pure joy. So affirming for our family! (Some self-disclosure there but it was such a revelation and a great way to celebrate the new year!)

      My husband and I cried through the whole thing: pure emotion, pure joy! On top of all that, it was just a great movie and a great musical. 🙂

      I had drenched myself with Daim Blonds at Sephora before the movie, so was wallowing in that gorgeous sillage throughout with great pleasure. Now I want to run right out and buy a FB. ….And so it is we form our scent-assocations! 🙂

      In the middle of the night, our furnace stopped working and when i finally forced myself out of bed, it was 58 degrees in the house, so I warmed myself up with a generous dose of Tom Ford’s Oud Wood.

      We’re off to the mountains on this gloriously sunny day in Vancouver in search of snow!

      “It smells like snow,” as my youngest daughter likes to say!

      Happy New Year all! January 1, 2015 at 4:47pm Reply

      • angeldiva: Hi Jackie! Happy New Year!
        OHHHHH!!!!!! I’m so glad we have arrived at a discussion about FILM :):):)
        If you have a hubby who can cry at a movie- I think that’s great!
        I have now found my New Years Resolution: I wish to,”Wallow In Gorgeous Sillage!!!”
        BTW, what is FB?
        stay warm…

        Peace January 1, 2015 at 10:22pm Reply

        • Jackie: Yes, anything to do with kids and adoption and my husband’s wiping away a steady stream of tears. 🙂

          I’m very curious about your “precious Chevrefeuille.” Something worth that much trouble must be very special. I googled it: is it the Creed one? What do you love about it? I’m always curious about people’s singular obsessions. I really want to smell it! What are the notes in it that you love so much?

          I used to be obsessed with the drydown (decidedly NOT the top notes or opening) of Michael Kors Island. To this day, I don’t know what the note (or combination of notes) was that drove me mad, and after our house was broken into and my perfume collection stolen, I never replaced it and it’s been discontinued. I’m scared to buy it from eBay or amazon now as I’m worried that it will have gone off or, worse, that I will no longer like it.

          Good luck figuring out your mystery bottle. January 2, 2015 at 1:23am Reply

          • Karen: What a terrible thing that your home was broken in to. What we lose when something like that happens is much more than the objects, but the memories and our connections to them. Hoping you can rebuild up your perfume collection. January 2, 2015 at 8:26am Reply

          • angeldiva: Hi Jackie,
            My precious chevy fuel is: Annick Goutal Le Chevrefeuille. A 100ml. bottle retails for $130. ++ US. I can’t find it in any of my discount sites, even O.co who carries many Annick Goutals.
            Victorias review (brill !) prompted me to order samples from Luckyscent. These were $4.00 ++ US.
            So, when wearing it I discovered my compatibility with petitgrain. There is also honeysuckle, lemon and narcissus. It’s ultra femme without being cloying. I love to place my wrists to my nose and just breathe it in. Many reviews have made a connection between this scent and childhood memories of honeysuckle. This certainly applies to me, plus getting a whiff of honeysuckle in the night air during certain seasons in California…Heaven.
            The glitch is that it doesn’t last long! And, you can not walk into that fine crystalline mist of fumes when you only have samples!
            I discovered Aesops petigrain body gel when I was at the in person Killian event at Scentbar. So, laying the perfume over this gel really does help it last.
            I can sooo relate to you not wanting to buy on ebay as my partial bottle of Le Chevrefeuille that I bought for $25. US had to be returned because it had turned. (How dare they!!! LOL)
            So, after months of searching I bought the samples with a 15% discount on FragranceX for $2.51 ea. US, and the old AG 100ml. bottle for about $7.
            I have just cleaned and re-glued the gold domed cap. I’ll need to line the inside of the plastic inside the cap with clear nail polish so the cap won’t fall off. I decanted a .06 vial with the juice in the bottom, but it will fill another.
            I am so sorry about your perfume robbery, and would be honored to send to you one of my samples. Perhaps Victoria would be willing to send your email to me- if you are OK with that.
            You need a care package!
            Peace! January 2, 2015 at 9:13am Reply

            • Jackie: Oh Karen and Angeldiva, thank you for your warm and thoughtful words. I can’t tell you how comforted your kindness is to me. : ) You are so right Karen, that we lost so much more than stuff: the thieves used a truck to haul out our safe, which contained nothing of value to anyone but us, and the only reason we’d bought the safe: our two daughters’ documents. They were both adopted, and this is where we kept not only their adoption papers and (in one case) immigration papers, and indeed every single paper relating to their existence. Many of these are irreplaceable. It included the back-of-envelope scribblings when we first got “the call,” the handwritten journals I’d kept while going through the adoptions and when first bonding with my newborn (the other one was adopted at 4); for both girls, the nurses’ handwritten comments in their files when they were in the hospital. All of it. Gone. I have nothing to show my daughters when they ask “what was I like when I was a baby?” or “tell me again about when we became a family.” OK, I’m crying about this now. The theft was actually two years ago but the pain is still raw. (AND I am still working on replacing birth certificates, adoption paperwork, proof of immigration, etc, etc. One daughter was born in Scotland, the other in the US (we’re Canadian) in a hospital that no longer exists, etc etc. You can imagine the red tape — you need one paper to get the other and vice versa — very hard to prove they belong to us — and you can imagine the trouble we have at the border!)

              Anyway, your words are soothing balms, and, Angeldiva, your generous offer to send me a sample made tears pop into my eyes — what a kindness!

              As for the perfume heist: can you believe the nerve of these thieves that they robbed me selectively? They didn’t take all my bottles, just the best ones; not sure if it was the ones they liked or the ones they thought would be most valuable (they did the same with my jewellery). I can’t even remember all of the perfumes that went missing. (It was the least of my worries at the time.)

              I’ve just in the last couple of months been able to face a return to perfume. But it’s been a Big Move for me from thinking, as I did back then, I “should” like fruity florals and not ever actually really liking many of my perfumes that much 😉 to discovering that what I really like is the deeper notes — the incenses and woods etc (and the more complex, non-saccharine florals). And coming upon Victoria’s blog has opened up a whole new world for me, which I’ve barely begun to explore!

              I would be more than honoured to receive a little care-sample from you Angeldiva and happy to have my email released to you. (Or is there any reason for me not just to post it here?)

              You are both very, very kind. Thank you. January 2, 2015 at 1:03pm Reply

            • Jackie: Angeldiva, as for your AG Chevy Fuel, it sounds delightful, and I’m going straight from here to read Victoria’s review. There are some stores here in Vancouver with pretty good AG selection, so I can’t wait to go have a spray! It’s so gratifying to discover which notes you really like and exploring scents from there. (BdJ has helped me so much in that department!) The Aesops body gel sounds like a good idea!
              And it sounds like you did a good job putting your bottle back together! Haha.
              Thanks again for your thoughtfulness. January 2, 2015 at 1:10pm Reply

              • Karen: Oh Jackie! What a terrible loss! There are no words to express how the loss of such personal papers must be. Again, I am so so very sorry. I have some samples that I would love to share with you. For me, I have tried and tried the incense and woody scents but they just don’t do it for me. I’m not sure if Victoria can pass my email on to you, but we will figure out a way to get in touch with one another. January 2, 2015 at 3:51pm Reply

                • Jackie: Karen, that is very kind. It is such a pleasure to suddenly find this support and thoughtfulness in this unexpected place. See you on email. January 2, 2015 at 8:14pm Reply

                • angeldiva: Hi Karen & Jackie,
                  Here, Here ! Bloody good idea! Chevy Fuel to the rescue, and a care package in the making 🙂 Jackie- I would click on the contact button just below the heading on this page. Let Victoria know your email, and ask her please to forward it to myself and Karen when she has time.
                  Just got my vials, and the juice is of good quality! WooooHooooo!!!!
                  Peace To You! January 2, 2015 at 8:48pm Reply

                  • angeldiva: And…
                    Here is a COUPON CODE for FragranceX:
                    $5. US dollars off a $40. order

                    SAVEWFX

                    P. January 2, 2015 at 8:51pm Reply

                    • Jackie: Angeldiva, you are an angel, indeed. To think you will spare me a vial of your precious Chevy Fuel! And, yes, Karen, I love all woodsy and incensey things. I’m sure I will love them all just because of the wonderful associations they will have. You are both too kind.

                      Perfume can be such a comfort and to now receive this kind of comfort from complete strangers! What a gift. You have both taken away some of the old pain of that event, and it feels like life is really good.

                      I’ve emailed Victoria and already heard back! I will email you now. January 2, 2015 at 11:55pm

                    • Victoria: Big hugs to you, Jackie! What a terrible experience it must have been, to have your space violated and to lose such precious things. It happened to my parents when I was little, and I still remember the shock of coming home to an apartment turned upside down.

                      Hope that we can help you replace some of your perfumes with the new ones! January 4, 2015 at 2:09pm

    • Victoria: I had no idea that incense was only for special days. For High Mass, perhaps?

      Hope that you can figure out how to open those bottles! Could the juice be Nuits d’Hadrien? It sounds close to your description. January 1, 2015 at 5:31pm Reply

      • angeldiva: Hi,
        Well, that’s the way the incense program works , here. I’m sure it’s different in Europe. I’m now going to read the description for Nuits Hadrien. The juice in the bottle was an unexpected bonus, and the bottles are genuine, so I’m going to keep them.
        You are so GREAT to answer my email!
        P. January 1, 2015 at 10:26pm Reply

      • angeldiva: Wow! V- I think you are right on the money! The mystery juice sounds (smells) like the description of Nuit’s d’Hardien!
        Not for nothin’ are you our ,”Fearless Leader.” I’m going to include a vial of this in the care package to Jackie, so she may begin to rebuild her perfume selection after her awful robbery.
        Thank-you for connecting our info. You’re the best!
        Peace January 3, 2015 at 12:16pm Reply

        • Karen: So fun to do this with you! Hoping to get mine sent by Wednesday. January 3, 2015 at 4:27pm Reply

          • angeldiva: Hi Karen,
            Indeed! I’m all packaged up- just need to drag over to the post office. ??? Is it politicly incorrect to pass along a perfume that I hate? lol I don’t like Batakuda by L’Artisan. Maybe someone somewhere in Canada would- but, I just couldn’t bring myself to include it!
            I did find some choice offerings that I will post later for Jackie.
            CAN I SHARE MY JOY!!!!!??????
            Well, I successfully created a bottle of Le Chevrefeuille! AMEN. I bought some, “Empty,” Annick Goutal bottles on ebay. After decanting 3 vials of juice left in the bottom- I placed both bottles in the dish washer. After asking V- I did get the nozzle off the 2oz bottle with a plyers. The 100 ml bottle looks like new.
            And, after some elbow grease, and a sewing needle to clear the nozzle heads – I got both nozzles to work! If you place the stem upside down under a warm faucet you can really open the flow.
            So, Ive had fun pouring so many vials (22) into the beautiful bottle. A funnel was essential. The bottle is about 40% full…
            For an investment of $66. US I have made this perfume dream come true. Did I get a good deal? Considering the scarcity of Le Chev at any discounter; yes. Ounce for ounce at a discounted rate? …I don’t think so. Those .08 samples are expensive- even with a discount.
            I just paid 2 large car repair bills, and couldn’t justify the $130.++ to purchase a whole bottle at this time. I really have to lay off the fume buying for a while! LOL
            And, after cleaning up the work space with some silk hankies- I smell amazing, and so does my lingerie drawer!
            Peace January 3, 2015 at 5:15pm Reply

            • Karen: Wow! You are way ahead of me! Where did you get your funnel/equipment for the rebottling? I have some of my grandmother’s vanity bottles – one I put some Arpege in, the spray mechanism broke and I not so carefully was able to remove the whole thing and pour it in one. I thought Femme would be a good choice for the other – not expensive and a big old glamorous scent. But this time I’d like to be a *bit* more scientific! January 4, 2015 at 7:57am Reply

              • angeldiva: Hi Karen,
                You can read my list of samples sent in the bottom 10 posts below, sure hope Jackie enjoys them. I just don’t know what I’d do if my collection of perfumes was robbed!
                The funnel is just a small white plastic funnel, I probably bought it in a drugstore. The opening is 1/3 inch, and it fit the mouth of the 100ml AG bottle perfectly. You can also buy AG on O.co- they have certain bottles that come with a gold metal funnel.
                When I would pull the pin from the vial I discovered that I could squeeze a drop out of the plastic stopper. Then I turned them upside down in a small ceramic ramekin with handle and spout. Perfect- was able to get several drops out of the bottles that way. Then the whole think rested on an oval ceramic dish. Now, if I just buy some white stickers- I’ll have 22 vials I can fill for other scents I may want to share.
                I did another search on ebay for samples, and there are some deals on AG- but, not on Le Chevrefeuille. I’m looking forward to filling the smaller rectangular male 2oz bottle. Maybe with Ninfeo Mio- another AG scent that is hard to find at a discount.
                Have A Great Sunday!
                P. January 4, 2015 at 2:33pm Reply

        • Victoria: I’m very happy to help in whatever little way I could! 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 2:12pm Reply

          • Karen: I just discovered an unidentifiable old treasure myself! Pulled out an antique atomizer of my grandmother’s thinking to clean it up and fill with something. Has some dark remains in the bottom and when I took the top off, wow! Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! Warm and rich and do I ever wish I can figure out what it possibly is/was! No clue at all as to what she used to wear, maybe a trip to Neimans to ask some (knowledgeable) SAs?

            Can’t believe after over 20 years I never thought to take the top off and smell what was in there. January 5, 2015 at 6:22am Reply

            • Victoria: I love such discoveries! And now to find out what it is… January 5, 2015 at 1:04pm Reply

              • Karen: If only I had the knowledge to break down what I am smelling! It may be that like opera, my love will be stronger than my knowledge! I said to one friend after she gave an incredibly thoughtful, nuanced and detailed response to my question if she liked a particular show that my responses are usually It was a wonderful show or Meh, not so great…..

                But now a true challenge! Identify the mystery scent in the iridescent antique atomizer! January 5, 2015 at 6:58pm Reply

                • Victoria: I really think that by smelling and talking about what you’re smelling you’ll get there. But of course, it helps if you can find a knowledgeable SA to show you something to compare with your perfume.

                  And in the end, love matters more than anything else. 🙂 January 6, 2015 at 9:43am Reply

                • angeldiva: Hi Karen,
                  Love that you have a mystery scent too. Maybe V would be willing to sniff it- if you sent a vial sample to her?
                  Also, I wanted to follow up that you should be able to find the plastic funnels at most beauty supply stores. Women use them to refill travel bottles.

                  P. January 7, 2015 at 7:11pm Reply

  • Loric: My husband has been busy cooking so my house is full of scents – predominantly bacon right now since it goes in both the black eyed peas and the Beef bourguignon.

    I haven’t put on perfume yet today but I am leaning toward Tonka Imperiale. Yesterday I wore my beloved Shalimar. January 1, 2015 at 1:29pm Reply

    • Loric: I forgot to say that I am re-reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. January 1, 2015 at 1:30pm Reply

      • Julie: Oh, I’ve just found this one earlier this year. Haven’t had time to read it yet, but it’s on my waiting list! January 1, 2015 at 1:36pm Reply

    • Victoria: Yum! Sounds like a feast, and especially nice when it’s made by someone else. 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 5:32pm Reply

  • Noele: Happy new year to all.

    Enjoying ‘Like This’ by Etat Libre d’Orange…have purchased a few tiny vials of this over the years and am realizing it’s full bottle-worthy. Perfect for cold weather.

    Also enjoying the smell of freshly ground espresso — choice of the moment is Caffe Vita’s Cafe del Sol from Portland, Oregon. Chocolatey and rich. January 1, 2015 at 1:31pm Reply

    • Victoria: You’re really making me crave a cup of coffee! 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 5:32pm Reply

  • Kat: Happy New Year to all. My favorite scent today is a scented candle – Sandalwood (by Kew Gardens). My mother used to give all of us sandalwood candles for Christmals, until her usual supplier stopped producing them. For many years I was looking for a substitute but it was really tricky. Sandalwood had fallen out of fashion and the few ones I found contained more vanilla than sandalwood. This one is finally up to my mother’s standards (and already sold out it seems!)
    Favorite books: Plain Tales from the Hills by R. Kipling; Fudokiy by Kij Johnson (a great fantasy tale taking place in Heian Japan) – and just finished this morning: Emma – the modern retelling by Alexander McCall Smith. As I love Austen (especially Emma) and McCall Smith my expectations were high but I was not disappointed. January 1, 2015 at 1:36pm Reply

    • Victoria: Emma is also my favorite Austen novel, although Pride and Prejudice is close. But Emma feels more modern somehow. January 1, 2015 at 5:33pm Reply

    • limegreen: Kat — I’m going to look for the revamped Emma by Smith, thanks for the heads up! I love Austen fan fiction. (An oldie but goodie: Joan Aiken’s Jane Fairfax – the secret story of the second heroine in Jane Austen’s Emma)
      Re: P & P — Have you read P.D. James’ Death Comes to Pemberley? It is not as good but the PBS series was so good, I decided to reread it. January 2, 2015 at 12:40pm Reply

      • Kat: I’ve read ‘Death comes to Pemberley’ but I really did not like it. But maybe I’ll give the show a try I heard lots of good things about it. I’ll have to look into Joan Aiken’s book, thanks for the tip. Austen fiction is often a hit-and-miss – the ones I really liked were Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen mysteries. January 3, 2015 at 10:26am Reply

        • limegreen: The Barron books are fun, aren’t they? I’m such a junkie, I try all the Austen fan fiction, even if they are way off. I guess you didn’t care for the Jane Austen zombie series? 🙂 January 3, 2015 at 10:58pm Reply

          • Kat: I must be the only person on this planet who’s not into zombies. Never understood the fascination. But I have to admit the premise sounds fun (if you’re into zombies that is). January 4, 2015 at 5:01pm Reply

            • Hannah: I hate everything zombie (as in the non-Haitian version of them) related, except for the movie Shaun of the Dead. But people who like zombies are very vocal and passionate about this love, so they’re like ZOMMBIIIEEE ZOMMBBIIIEEE ZOMMBBIIEEEEE all the time.
              The Haitian folklore zombie can be interesting, like the zombie episode of X-Files is one of my favorites. January 4, 2015 at 5:24pm Reply

            • limegreen: Hi Kat and Hannah — I’m not into zombies but I’m into Austen fan fiction. I always imagined that this particular series was borne out of a backlash against all the films based on the Austen novels as well as all the modern re-imaginings (“Clueless” made me laugh!). Creating an anti-Austen stance via zombies, if you will. January 4, 2015 at 6:41pm Reply

  • Annie O: Love affair this week with Les Nereides Opoponax.
    When I need to feel elegant, and need boost during the winter doldrums , then it is a whiff of a sample of Amouage Gold Cristal Womans.
    It also reminds me of my Mother, all dressed up to go out to a party, so many many years ago.
    Blessing in the New Year to all the parfum sisters, and to Victoria and her family. January 1, 2015 at 2:13pm Reply

    • Annette Reynolds: Les Nereides’ “Opoponax” was one of my first full bottle buys in the world of niche perfumery; adore it.

      After my shower this morning I decided on “Sun” by Zents. Really needed something summery, and “Sun” is a true favorite.

      Best wishes for the new year, Annie O! January 1, 2015 at 4:42pm Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you very much, Annie! Best wishes to you too!

      Les Nereides Opoponax is a perfect cashmere blanket of a perfume. It would have been great for our cold day today. January 1, 2015 at 5:34pm Reply

  • Annette Reynolds: All right. I confess. It’s 11 a.m. and I’m still sitting in front of the computer in my robe… Eeeek!!!

    It’s a very cold 34 degrees Fahrenheit here in the Puget Sound, but the sky is completely clear. Sun everywhere! (This is my dog, Kokkie’s, favorite weather. I know she has some husky in her, so that must be why she loves it.) As a matter of fact, I believe the sun’s been out every day for the past five days. Unheard of! When you go outside your nose/sinuses are anesthetized by the freezing temperature.

    Right now, as I write this, I’m testing A Lab On Fire’s “Paris L.A.” and I actually like the citrusy/sweet/zest of it, although I doubt that I’d buy a full bottle of the stuff. It just feels like a fun New Year fragrance to try…

    On my nightstand is “From The Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden” by Amy Stewart. Cute little garden memoir that brings me bittersweet feelings of wanting desperately to go back home to the Monterey Peninsula (California)… I recommend the book to gardeners, perfumistas, and anyone in between and on the fence.

    So, bonne annee a tous, and thank you, Victoria, for another wonderful year of learning, loving, and living with fragrance in all its forms.

    And seriously? Rose Pistachio Marzipan?!! Did you buy this or make it, Victoria? It sounds like my idea of heaven! January 1, 2015 at 2:23pm Reply

    • Hamamelis: Hi Annette, as a gardener, perfumista, dog lover and finding Pugent Sound maybe the most beautiful place on earth (I visited it twice) it was lovely to read your comment, and I will look up your book recommendation. I’ve read two books situated in and around the Sound, I can’t remember the titles but they all involved the Japanese community and internments during ww2. Poignant. .. January 1, 2015 at 2:48pm Reply

      • Karen: Several years ago the Renwick Museum in DC had the most amazing exhibit of art work done by people in internment camps. I was expecting – well, not sure what I was expecting – but nothing like the huge variety of intricate, beautiful pieces. Walked out with such an appreciation of the desire to create beauty. January 1, 2015 at 5:02pm Reply

      • Nightingale: I’m wondering if one of the books you are referring to is Snow Falling on Cedars? It’s one of my all-time favorite reads and I couldn’t recommend it more. A more recent book with a topic of WWII internment is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. It was on the top seller list in the Pacific NW for quite a while a few years ago. January 1, 2015 at 10:09pm Reply

        • Hamamelis: Hi Nightingale, what a lovely alias, and yes, one of them was Snow falling on Cedars. A very moving and atmospheric book. Books that keep hope and beauty in the midst of sadness are such treasures, and even more of course people that are able to muster that, like those whose work Karen saw. Thank you for that comment too. January 2, 2015 at 4:15am Reply

    • Victoria: I love huskies, and yes, I can imagine why yours would enjoy some cold weather. They really have such warm, fluffy coats!

      I made this batch of rose pistachio marzipan, but while it looks pretty, I think I prefer the almond version.

      Happy New Year to you and everyone else! Thank you for all of your nice wishes! January 1, 2015 at 5:40pm Reply

    • angeldiva: God Bless Kokkie!!! January 2, 2015 at 9:52am Reply

  • Filomena813: Happy New Year Victoria and to all Bois de Jasmine Bloggers! I am going to a New Year’s Day Open House later in the afternoon and trying to decide which perfume to wear. Lipstick Rose may be a good one for me as well. Sadly, I have not read that many books this year but am now in the process of reading “Gone Girl”.
    My New Year’s resolution is to read more books again instead of magazines. January 1, 2015 at 2:33pm Reply

    • Annette Reynolds: Loved “Gone Girl.” Thought it was masterfully done. Happy 2015, Filomena813! January 1, 2015 at 4:34pm Reply

    • Victoria: If you want an enveloping perfume with a big presence (but not overwhelming or suffocating), then Lipstick Rose is perfect. Enjoy the party! January 1, 2015 at 5:45pm Reply

  • Hamamelis: I smelled our bathroom scented with sandalwood as the bangalore soap Victoria recommend arrived and what a gorgeous smell it is.
    I wore first Cuir d’Ange from a gift I received yesterday from my husband, and it lasted 5 hours on my well moisturised skin. Absolutely lovely, chic and refined. Then a small spritz of Rose Ikebana, lovely as well but maybe more suitable for Spring. For relaxing abd reading this evening it is l’Ambre Merveilles.
    I am reading “Perfume and alchemy” by Mandy Aftel, just started but very interesting so far. Favourite book this year was Elizabeth Gilbert’s “the signature of all things”, a book to disappear in. And Inspector Gamache whom I met through BdJ. January 1, 2015 at 3:00pm Reply

    • Victoria: Yay! Very glad that you’re enjoying the soap. It will definitely perfume the whole bathroom, so if you love sandalwood, it’s a good choice.

      Sounds like you have a nicely scented day! 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 5:51pm Reply

      • Hamamelis: Just to let you know that going into our bathroom and washing my hands with the gorgeous Sandalwood soap is one of the pleasures of my day. Indeed the whole bathroom is scented, making it a special place. January 7, 2015 at 4:54am Reply

        • Victoria: I’m so happy to hear this! 🙂 January 7, 2015 at 1:02pm Reply

  • Wilma: Happy New Year. I love reading BDJ and have so expanded my fragrance world because of it. So, today I am wearing vintage Bal A Versailles that I found on my 90 year old mom’s vanity. I would never have looked at it before. Also there is vintage Shalimar parfum, Samsara, and a big bottle of Chanel no 5. They are all still lovely.
    Thanks to everyone for the book suggestions. A good fantasy I read was The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Weker. The plot bounces through centuries and continents. There are lots of opportunities for fragrance and plot pairing! January 1, 2015 at 3:02pm Reply

    • Victoria: You’re lucky to have such rare, precious perfumes. Bal a Versailles is like a period ball gown, and it’s one of my favorite fragrances when I want an escape. If you have an older version, yours will also have all of those delicious, dark, musky bits. January 1, 2015 at 5:52pm Reply

  • Bernadette: Happy New Year to everyone!

    Thank you V., Elisa, Andy, Patricia and all of the BdJ community for this wonderful blog!!!

    Victoria, I am sending wishes for a comfort & strength to your loved ones for the year ahead.

    I enjoy both fragrance & reading for the same reasons: strength, comfort & happiness.

    Today’s perfume is a JCE from 1994, Van Cleef & Arpel’s “Miss Arpels”–a lovely mossy floral reminiscent of a beautiful, classic perfume style to me.

    Currently, I am reading “The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2014”. The description “the pieces in this collection reveal our world and ourselves, both beautiful and astonishingly complex” is accurate and not overstated. The same could be said about this blog 🙂 . January 1, 2015 at 3:20pm Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you so much, Bernadette! I also wish you a wonderful year ahead, and of course, lots of great scents. 🙂

      Miss Arpels is a little gem! I kind of regret JCE moved away from the opulent, symphonic style and into minimalism, but I can enjoy his Miss Arpels and First. January 1, 2015 at 5:55pm Reply

  • Katy: I was just completely blown away by Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend. This story is about 2 friends growing up poor in Naples in the 1950’s. It is part of the Naples trilogy. I do not think I have ever read a book that explores the friendship between two woman so brilliantly. I highly recommend it! January 1, 2015 at 3:28pm Reply

    • Victoria: I read her Days of Abandonment, and it was visceral and just brilliant. If you haven’t read it, I also recommend it. Will definitely check out My Brilliant Friend next. January 1, 2015 at 5:56pm Reply

  • FeralJasmine: Scents of New Year’s morning:
    My husband’s brilliantly potent coffee.
    My husband’s Raghba
    My dogs’ clean warm fur
    The healthy barnyard smell of my goat and chickens
    Bacon frying
    My perfumes: vintage Opium on one wrist, DSH Euphorisme d’Opium on the other
    Snow approaching
    Happy 2015 to all. January 1, 2015 at 3:56pm Reply

    • Karen: Wonderful! Years ago, I raised goats, sheep and chickens – sheared the sheep, spun and wove the wool. Still love the fragrance of lanolin. And so many happy memories of my goats! January 1, 2015 at 5:05pm Reply

    • Victoria: Some people laugh at me when I say that it’s possible to smell snow approaching, yet, it’s true, you can! January 1, 2015 at 5:59pm Reply

      • AndreaR: Without a doubt!. One can also smell rain approaching. I used to say that to my sixth grade students and they’d look at me with disbelief. However, when it started to rain….:-) January 1, 2015 at 9:32pm Reply

        • Victoria: 🙂 I love it! I imagine the looks on their faces. January 4, 2015 at 12:38pm Reply

      • bregje: You totally can!
        Just the other day i was bringing the garbage outside and i smelled its scent.And sure enough a couple of hours later it started to snow.. January 2, 2015 at 10:10pm Reply

  • Figuier: Thanks all for another great year of blogging, and all best for 2015!

    I got back from visiting family on Tuesday, and have been enjoying being reunited with my perfume collection. Today I’m in Goutal’s Neroli, a gorgeous crystalline scent; for New Year’s eve dinner with friends I went for the glamorous By Kilian Rose Oud; turns out it goes very well with the scent of mulled wine 🙂

    I’ve read a lot of wonderful things this year, for both work & pleasure; but as a Christmas present I got volumes 1 to 3 of Karl Ove Knaussgaard’s My Struggle, and am really enjoying ripping through it, despite the odd moment of Mars/Venus dissension from the distinctly masculine culture-head Scandi-centric view of life… January 1, 2015 at 4:27pm Reply

    • Victoria: Rose oud and mulled wine– sounds like it would be an interesting perfume pairing! And sounds great.

      My Struggle had good reviews, and I added it to my list, but I haven’t started it yet. January 1, 2015 at 6:05pm Reply

      • Figuier: It’s a lovely feeling, that, having an untouched cache of good books to look forward to, isn’t it? Knausgaard’s great on the small pleasures (and many discomforts) of domestic life, also clouds, natural and manmade textures and atmospheres, cafe life, existential angst, buying books. In the novel/memoir he claims not to care about food but you get quite a lot of it; in vol. 2 he’s forever dismembering & consuming hapless shellfish. There’s something about the literalism and dogged enumerative narration, so painstaking that it becomes almost (at times) sublime, that reminds me of the Irish writer Colm Toibin. January 2, 2015 at 5:06am Reply

        • Victoria: It’s really the best feeling! I love researching which books to read next, browsing them at the bookstore, selecting the next book, the whole process. January 4, 2015 at 12:49pm Reply

  • Jackie: Looking back over 2014, one of the best things that have happened for me is the (re)discovery of perfume and the discovery of this blog, my mainstay.

    Thank you to Victoria for your wonderful writing and to everyone else who contributes so informatively and delightfully to the blog and comments. This is what I read these days. 😉

    Smells around here other than my generous dabs of Oud Wood:
    — my daughter’s Prada Candy she got for Christmas (only 7, but a little perfumista!), mixed with the smell of her hair.
    — The smell of snow, says same daughter; though we don’t have any, it’s only a 20-minute drive away on the mountains, where we’re headed for some tobogganing.
    — The comforting aroma of husband’s turkey soup simmering

    Happy New Year! January 1, 2015 at 4:56pm Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you, Jackie! 🙂

      Ah, see, your daughter can also smell the snow coming. I was just commenting to FeralJasmine, who can also smell it, that such thing is really possible. January 1, 2015 at 6:06pm Reply

      • Jackie: Ah, yes, I see that now! Snow definitely has a smell, especially when you don’t get much of it, though I’d be hard-pressed to put it into words. 😉

        There’s something in 28 La Pausa that reminds me of snow…

        I think I’ve seen discussions on your blog about this before, but i think because our culture focuses so much on the other senses, especially sight, our sensitivity to smell is diminished. I’ve always talked to my daughter a lot about smells and encouraged her when she’s paid attention (her attentiveness seems inherent), so it’s interesting to see how attuned she is. She’ll stick her head out the door and say “snow,” and, sure enough, there will be new-fallen snow on the mountains. January 1, 2015 at 11:44pm Reply

        • Kat: The smell of snow is a subject that that creates a lot of interest. I’m a writer and I do have a smallish blog where I discuss lots of things mentioned in my novel. I’ve written many little texts on Belle Epoque fashion, Japanese poetry and other subjects I thought fascinating. But the second most read text is dealing with the scent of snow and what science has to say about it. Considering my grades in physics and chemistry I’m a bit shocked but there you go. January 2, 2015 at 5:14pm Reply

          • Jackie: Kat, sounds very interesting! What is your novel and what is your blog, if you don’t mind sharing? 🙂 January 2, 2015 at 8:15pm Reply

            • Kat: Well they’re both in German but if you want to have a look I’ve added the link. There’s also an entry about the perfume one of the character’s used – Jicky, the scent description is courtesy of Bois de Jasmin (I did ask for permission). January 3, 2015 at 10:28am Reply

            • Kat: Well they’re both in German but if you want to have a look I’ve added the link (click on my name). There’s also an entry about the perfume one of the character’s used – Jicky, the scent description is courtesy of Bois de Jasmin (I did ask for permission). January 3, 2015 at 10:29am Reply

              • Jackie: Thank you, Kat. Alas, I don’t read German, but it sounds very interesting. I always love scent descriptions in literature; it adds a rich dimension. January 5, 2015 at 3:22pm Reply

          • angeldiva: Hi Kat,
            It’s so cold here in Los Angeles, that it actually snowed in Orange County!
            P. January 2, 2015 at 9:52pm Reply

        • Victoria: It never fails to amaze me how much potential we have when it comes to our sense of smell! January 4, 2015 at 12:43pm Reply

  • Brenda: I have been surprised to be enjoying wearing Gold – by Victoria’s Secret Wings. I chose it via gift card….& am not the least bit disappointed. It really does have a sensual feel to it….not inappropriate for New Years. It remains on clothing and scarves in the most subtle way – all in all, a lovely surprise. This year I read and enjoyed “We are Water” by Wally Lamb. He is my favourite author….and although this was not my favourite novel of his…I was excited to read it and not disappointed. I read and enjoyed many books this year….all while wearing a scent of some kind. Relaxing with a books and enveloped in a scent I love is very relaxing to me….and a cup of Earl Grey decaf doesn’t hurt either! Happy New Year one and all….from a prairie girl in chilly Canada! January 1, 2015 at 5:11pm Reply

    • Victoria: VS perfumes are a mixed bag, but some of them are really well-done, and the price point is reasonable. One can find great fragrances in all price ranges!

      I’m finding so many authors in this thread that I haven’t read, so I expect that 2015 will be a year of more new reading for me. 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 6:09pm Reply

    • angeldiva: Earl Grey decaf = Heaven! January 1, 2015 at 10:46pm Reply

    • Jackie: In which part of the Canadian Prairies are you, Brenda? I grew up in Saskatchewan (lots of snow) , but have lived all my adult life in Vancouver (almost no snow!).

      Books, tea, and perfume: life is good! January 1, 2015 at 11:49pm Reply

      • Brenda: I live in Winnipeg…”Winterpeg” to many! We contend with extremes…glorious warm summers and chilling winters…as you would be aware…Saskatchewan not being so different. Ah, yes…lovely British Columbia…I have the fondest memories of residing there for five years. When I find a few spare moments today, I’ll read a few pages of The Rosie Project…by Graeme Simsion…& perhaps it will be a day to enjoy wearing Cabochard. January 2, 2015 at 8:56am Reply

        • angeldiva: Hi Brenda,
          Is there still a movie theater in Winterpeg that is still showing, “The Phantom Of The Paradise?”
          Great cult film.
          P. January 2, 2015 at 9:57am Reply

          • Brenda: You’ve reminded me of something I had forgotten all about! I see the movie was released on blu-Ray in 2014…but I don ‘t know if it ever runs here. Winnipeg and Paris…something in common- both cities love this movie..who knew? January 2, 2015 at 1:59pm Reply

            • angeldiva: De Palma Rocks!

              P. January 2, 2015 at 9:57pm Reply

        • Jackie: Ah yes, Winnipeg, not much different from Saskatoon! Dramatic seasons alright! My parents are out visiting right now and very happy to be evading the bitter cold. January 2, 2015 at 1:14pm Reply

  • Alicia: A very cold day, so I am wearing a warm fragrance, Scherrer, Nuits Indiennes. I am reading a book I just received as a gift, a mystery around a fictional François Villon, “La Confrérie des Chasseurs de livres.” Two excellent books I have read lately: Jose Saramago, “Memorial do Convento”, and Ulrich Maché, “The Stranger behind the Copernicus Revolution.” Also reread during the year two superb Latinamerican novels, Ernesto Sábato, “Sobre héroes y tumbas”, and G.García Márquez, “Cien años de soledad.” January 1, 2015 at 5:22pm Reply

    • Victoria: I like both the original Scherrer and Nuits Indiennes. They’re relatively underrated but really interesting and with lots of character.

      Have you read Jose Saramago’s Blindness? January 1, 2015 at 6:10pm Reply

      • Alicia: Yes, Victoria, “Esaio sobre a cegueira” is a magnificent parable of desorientation and loss. Now I have to read its sequel, “Esaio sobre la lucidez”. Saramago is a superb writer,and I have liked everhing I read by him. January 1, 2015 at 7:13pm Reply

        • Victoria: I will probably start with his Blindness then, since I already have a copy. Thank you, Alicia. January 4, 2015 at 12:34pm Reply

          • maja: Blindness is in my top ten ever. I love Saramago. January 4, 2015 at 5:57pm Reply

            • Victoria: Oh, great! Another vote to move Saramago further up my very long list. 🙂 January 5, 2015 at 12:55pm Reply

      • Alicia: The original Scherrer is one of my most beloved chypres. I think Scherrer’s is supremely elegant, and never tire of it. January 1, 2015 at 7:21pm Reply

        • Victoria: Yes, it has so many layers! January 4, 2015 at 12:36pm Reply

      • Alicia: To receive the New Year I also wore roses, one of my very favorites, Nahema. How I love that Guerlain! I can’t count the ways.
        Victoria, a happy 2015 to you and yours! With my gratitude for enriching my 2014 with your splendid posts, and your suggestions,which I often follow, such as the delicious Mysore Sandal Soap. Thank you! January 1, 2015 at 7:42pm Reply

        • Melanie: I must try to find the Mysore soap. I went to Mysore in the 80’s and it was such an weirdly wonderful thing that the whole town was redolent of sandalwood. That experience stays with me still. January 2, 2015 at 4:10pm Reply

        • Victoria: Happy New Year to you and your family as well, Alicia! And the year in roses seems like a great start to me. 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 12:37pm Reply

  • AndreaR: I brought the New Year in with Lipstick Rose and am wearing Rossy de Palma today. It always makes me smile and I hope that’s a harbinger of whats to come in 2015 for all of us, along with joy and magic.
    This year I especially enjoyed Burial Rites by Hannah Kent as well as The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris.
    Happy New Year! January 1, 2015 at 6:45pm Reply

    • Victoria: Happy New Year, Andrea! So, many of us really wanted to start off a year in roses, and I hope that the rest of 2015 will also be likewise uplifting and bubbly. 🙂 January 1, 2015 at 6:49pm Reply

  • Tasha: I have been wearing Orange Sanguine for the last couple of days and it pairs beautifully with Russian salad, holodets, pelmeni, for and champagne. 🙂
    And yes, the smell of snow in the mountains!
    I went for a walk tonight wearing checkered pajamas, furry boots and a silly skiing hat and the brought scent of oranges once again completed the happy experience. 🙂 January 2, 2015 at 3:09am Reply

    • Tasha: Fir*
      Bright* January 2, 2015 at 3:10am Reply

    • Victoria: Mmmm, sounds delicious and deliciously scented! I haven’t had pelmeni for ages, I think. Tonight we’re having buckwheat crepes with smoked salmon and sour cream, and I’m enjoying the toasty, nutty scent of the batter as it cooks. January 4, 2015 at 12:47pm Reply

  • Polinia: Happy New Year!
    This site was my gates to the world of scents in general and fragrances in particular. I’ve made huge progress during the last 8 months.
    Not many smells available in my country this time of the year. Few days ago I enjoyed smell of snow but it’s gone. For the first day of 2015 I wanted to smell Kiss Me Intense, its sweetness and playfulness
    help me to cope with dark and cold weather. But today I am wearing Cedrat Enivrant to the office as I need pick-me-up scent.
    Recently I’ve finished the first book of Alexander McCall Smith “The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” and now I am reading “Tears of Giraffe”. Before I didn’t have a clue about life and traditions of Botswana – it was as far as moon. It’s always been fascinating for me to read about faraway lands. January 2, 2015 at 10:32am Reply

    • Kat: Oh, more McCall Smith in this thread, great. And you’re in for such a treat if you decide to follow Mma Ramotswe in her many adventures! I also like some of his books set in Edinburgh but since I had not the faintest clue about Botswana before reading the No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series those books hold a special charm for me. January 2, 2015 at 5:20pm Reply

    • Victoria: Interesting book suggestions, and I’m not familiar with Botswana, so this could be something for my list.

      Cedrat Enivrant is an instant boost for me too. I love that it keeps its sparkling character from top notes to drydown.

      Isn’t it interesting how much more you notice when you simply start smelling and paying attention to scents? This part is so exciting, I think. 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 1:46pm Reply

  • Deborah: For New years day I wore Brut for comfort and was laughingly remembering being 15 going to discos and discovering boys! The best book I read was No more Parades a trilogy by Ford Madox Ford. One of those books that is a bit like broccoli – you know it’s good and you will finish it but sometimes you wish you didn’t have to. January 2, 2015 at 10:33am Reply

    • Victoria: That’s a fun association. 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 1:46pm Reply

  • maja: I am wearing a little bit of Agent Provocateur dabbed. I entered 2015 perfume free unfortunately because my guests arrived earlier than they should have so I had no time to choose. 😀
    This for me was a year of finishing books I started some time in the past and never finished. My favourite were Eichmann in Jerusalem, Blind Assassin and Aroma:The Cultural History of Smell. 🙂
    Wishing you a very Joyful and healthy New Year, Victoria! Hugs! January 2, 2015 at 10:44am Reply

    • maja: *The Blind Assassin January 2, 2015 at 10:45am Reply

    • Victoria: The Blind Assassin is the book I started in 2014, so that’s in rotation. I will definitely finish it, though, since it’s engaging. But in 2014 I finally finished a book I started 6 years ago. It was a book on 100 Essential Philosophers. Interesting, but a bit dry, and the format got repetitive in the end. Still, I managed to finish it at long last!

      Happy New Year, Maja! 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 1:49pm Reply

      • maja: Oh, do finish The Blind Assassin, the first 100 pages are kind of dull but later it becomes engaging. The final pages are wonderful. I cried a bit… Ok, a lot. 🙂

        Wow, 100 philosophers, sounds like something I could like and try to brush up on. 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 5:48pm Reply

        • Victoria: OK! I will definitely finish it. January 5, 2015 at 12:53pm Reply

  • Sarah: I’m wearing vintage Diorissimo perfume today and I feel like like I’ve walked into a London florist in springtime (I used to work round the corner from Moyses Stevens in the 80s and I’d often collect the flowers for conferences. It’s a nice memory 🙂 )

    In between reading perfume blogs my best books of 2014 were: Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman. It’s a mystery set in Victorian London with a strong female lead and a really strong sense of time and place. It focuses on the experience of ordinary people and has no Upstairs Downstairs stuff which is refreshing. The other is The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler, a history of cosmology from ancient times to 17th century with psychological portraits of Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo. The writing plunges the reader into their life and times. The book also details how scientific discovery can go backwards as well as forwards. Took me a couple of goes to get into it but it was worth it 🙂 January 2, 2015 at 11:46am Reply

    • Hamamelis: Hi Sarah, great to read that Philip Pullman wrote another book, I loved the Golden Compass and although the movie was o.k. it seemed to make it more like a children’s book than it is. I will order it for sure. My mother used to wear Diorissimo, I can smell its loveliness in my mind… I hope to find a decent formulation that is affordable one day. January 2, 2015 at 3:21pm Reply

      • Sarah: Hi Hamamelis, I have The Golden Compass next to my bed to read next, I’m looking forward to it. I won the vintage extrait on eBay, it came with Miss Dior extrait and Diorella EDT. They’re all miniatures and cost less than 20 GBP. The Diorella was spoilt but the other 2 are perfect and very lovely. I think it’s worth buying vintage miniatures as they are quite cheap so not too risky; full bottles of vintage are out of my budget! I just bought a vintage mini of Vent Vert off US eBay based on a recommendation from Angeldiva, again for a good price. January 2, 2015 at 6:10pm Reply

        • angeldiva: Hi Sarah!
          How are you getting along with the Vent Vert? Feeling like A Bond Girl?
          Sure hope you like it,
          P. January 2, 2015 at 9:23pm Reply

          • Sarah: 😀 Hi again Angeldiva, I haven’t achieved Bond Girl status yet as I’m waiting for it to arrive from the US. I’ve read great reviews about Vent Vert here on BdJ and elsewhere so I’m really looking forward to wearing it. I just read Victoria’s review of Odalisque, sounds like another beautiful Chypre, have you tried it? January 3, 2015 at 6:44am Reply

            • angeldiva: Hi Sarah!
              Firstly, congrats on purchasing the vintage of Vent Vert! I know that you were debating which version to try. I can attest to the thrill of the current formulation. There are great buys on O.co.
              I haven’t tried Odalisque, but will now read the review! I think I tried so many chypres in 2014- that I am now branching out to other perfume families of scents.
              For instance: on my second try of L’artisan Fou D’Absinthe I loved it!
              This is my year to ,”Lighten Up And Branch Out!”
              P. January 3, 2015 at 11:37am Reply

              • Sarah: The Vent Vert arrived! It’s the perfume, in the 70s bottle, square with a black screw cap. I’ve been sampling it at work today. I like how it’s light, fresh and intense at the same time. Sadly it doesn’t last a long time on my skin but I guess that may be the age or that I’m dabbing it from a miniature bottle!
                Usually vintage fragrance takes me back in time but this doesn’t evoke any era for me; it’s timeless and quite distinctive. Extraordinary that it was created nearly 70 years ago.
                A nice discovery was that I recognised the box as one my grandmother had in pink. I googled it and found that this would have been Miss Balmain.
                I’m still not experienced enough to distinguish different notes but I love the overall impression. It’s bright and breezy with depth and elegance. Thanks for the recommendation 🙂 January 6, 2015 at 12:52pm Reply

                • angeldiva: Sarah! That’s wonderful! I think you may like the latest edt version of Vent Vert as well. It lasts on me, and is very alluring.
                  Gee, this must be the happy feeling Victoria gets when she recommends a perfume successfully!
                  I just ordered a 3oz. bottle of Eau De Courreges unsniffed! It was only $21.US- and has all the notes I love, so we shall see..,
                  Peace! January 7, 2015 at 2:24pm Reply

            • angeldiva: Balmain Vent Vert 2.5 oz. $35.99 US on O.co today

              *you can also join the club, get a coupon and 5% credit back on your dollar amount spent.

              Glad to see that O.co sold out of the popular Gucci Envy!!! I hope it was the BdJ tribe who took advantage of that discounted scent.

              Read the Odalalisque, and it’s going on my list of samples to order. Also, I’m really curious about Kenzo Summer.
              P. January 3, 2015 at 12:36pm Reply

              • Sarah: That’s a great resolution 🙂 thanks for the info on the website, I’ll take a look January 3, 2015 at 5:06pm Reply

        • Hamamelis: Hi Sarah, you are in for many hours of wonderful reading, there are such important concepts buried in these books! I hope to read one day hhow you liked it. Ruby in the smoke should be on its way to me. Thank you for the EBay suggestion of mini’s. I will try it one day. January 4, 2015 at 5:20pm Reply

          • Sarah: You’re welcome and I hope you enjoy Ruby, it’s a page-turner 🙂 January 5, 2015 at 2:30pm Reply

    • Victoria: Ruby in the Smoke sounds great! I just read a snippet online, and I’m adding to my list of reading as well. January 4, 2015 at 1:49pm Reply

      • Sarah: Hi Victoria, I’m glad you like it 🙂 January 7, 2015 at 8:14pm Reply

  • Hannah: My perfume of the day is Fille en Aiguilles.
    Today’s smells: rotting cilantro (:(), cabbage, carrots, beets (unwashed and then washed and cut).
    For New Year’s, I made pear gruyére turnovers, because I was watching Pushing Daisies and they make a pear gruyére pie on that show. So I looked online and found a recipe, and decided to convert it into little turnovers. I’m eating one right now, so I smell the buttery crust with a vaguely gruyére smell, the port-infused pears, and burnt port syrup that had leaked out. Mine look like empanadas so I wondered if there was a tradition of fruit and cheese empanadas, and I found recipes for guava and cheese ones so I’m going to make those soon. I think I’ll also make apricot and brie ones sometime too.

    I don’t know what the best book I read in 2014 was. I think the only new book I read was the World of the Shining Prince, which I enjoyed. For Christmas I received the Pillow Book, which I’m reading now. I also received I am a Cat by Soseki Natsume.
    I spent way too much time watching tv in 2014. My favorite tv of 2014 would be Orange is the new Black. January 2, 2015 at 1:10pm Reply

    • Sarah: I’m with you on this one Hannah, OITNB is the best show I watched last year and I watch a lot of TV … I even think I prefer series 2 to series 1, I loved all the girls’ back stories. I think Jenji Kohan’s a great writer, I’m a fan 🙂 I feel hungry reading about your pear gruyere turnovers, wish I could cook pastry! January 3, 2015 at 6:49am Reply

    • Victoria: Your pear gruyere turnovers sound mouthwatering! January 4, 2015 at 1:53pm Reply

  • paola: Best book of the year THE CORRECTIONS by j. Franzen. I also liked FREEDOM by the same author.Today I’m wearing a Christmas present: DIOR HOMME LE PARFUM. It’s a masculine fragrance but perfectly suitable for a woman too. January 2, 2015 at 3:19pm Reply

    • Victoria: I agree on Dior Homme! It’s a fragrance suitable for anyone, men or women, and it’s very sexy. January 4, 2015 at 1:55pm Reply

  • rickyrebarco: I awoke as usual to the smell of fresh ground coffee. I am wearing the lovely S.T. Dupont Miss Dupont today. I wanted a fresh scent to start off the New Year. January 2, 2015 at 3:43pm Reply

    • Karen: Interesting! A while ago I did a blind buy of Signature by S.T. DuPont and found it to be simply lovely! Have worn it more in warmer weather, but may have to bring it out for a cold-weather try. Bought it for the red box and that it was made in France (I know, what reasons!), as I had never heard of the company and was very curious. January 2, 2015 at 3:59pm Reply

    • Victoria: That’s a great choice! January 4, 2015 at 1:55pm Reply

  • minette: had a respiratory bug through the holidays, and i craved roses! first fm use rose, then lancome magnifique, then chanel no. 19, which is very rosy to me. i’ve been wearing it for days now, and find it extremely comforting.

    today, i was shopping at a shop that sells odds and ends and supplies for artists and teachers, and opened a large glass jar containing old doll parts – arms, legs. it smelled so rank, i had to out the lid back on it. i didn’t even want to study the smell it was so putrid. i don’t know if a kid spit up on the bit of cloth still attached to one of the legs or if the rubber and composition and plastic materials somehow ganged up to create the noxious fumes. it was like the smell you might expect in a ghost story! crazy.

    glad to be able to smell things, though. for a while there nothing was getting through.

    cheers and happy new year! January 2, 2015 at 6:37pm Reply

    • Victoria: I hope that you’re feeling better now, Minette! No 19 has such a delightful green rose note to me, and I love when it peaks out of the iris and green leafy notes in the heart. January 4, 2015 at 1:59pm Reply

  • minette: um, i meant une rose. danged spell corrector changed it to use. January 2, 2015 at 6:38pm Reply

  • Fogdew: Hi people! Happy New Year! Love reading the comments here! And it goes without saying that I love BdJ, I discovered it a few months ago by chance and am now hooked.
    So about the smells. I got Shalimar and No.5 edp for xmas, and Im currently obsessed by Shalimar. Using it everyday, specially to sleep because its so comforting. Its like a lullaby.
    I cant get over the way Id never describe it as an oriental, but gourmand. Anyway, musings.
    The other smells Ive been experiencing these days are God given daily rain, happy plants and that smell of rain that actually comes before it has even fallen.
    Also mate tea that I have been drinking a lot and enjoying how its strong and fresh.
    Other than Shalimar I have been also wearing Insolence which is adorable and of course the mentioned No.5, which is probably my second favorite smell in the world (the first is Coco), but unfortunately I find Chanel rather weak. If the formula was very much more concentrated Id love them even more. Maybe if I had a 2 L extrait it would last me a month.
    On books, I have been reading Chanels biography by Lisa Chaney and rereading Murder on the Orient Express! I only read for fun since Ive dropped out of History and I dont regret it!
    Ill be looking forward for your posts Victoria! January 2, 2015 at 6:53pm Reply

    • Victoria: Happy New Year!
      Mate tea has such a distinctive scent, and I love this note in some perfumes like Annick Goutal Duel. But nothing compares to the real thing!

      Did you see Murder on the Orient Express move adaptation with David Suchet? It’s one of my favorites. January 4, 2015 at 2:01pm Reply

      • bregje: Love the book and the movie!
        I must confess i have a weak spot for agatha christie.
        I still remember reading the murder of roger ackroyd for the first time…(in my teens). January 5, 2015 at 10:26pm Reply

        • Victoria: Me too! I read every single thing she wrote, including a very odd novel called Passenger to Frankfurt (not my favorite, though). January 6, 2015 at 9:47am Reply

          • bregje: I don’t think i’ve read that one;).
            Is that one of the later ones?Where she focusses on complot theories about the third reich etc?
            I thought i had read everything(some in english because not everything is available in dutch)!
            I also love rereading them when i’m sick because they’re easy to read and somehow i always forget how the story goes exactly.And of course the scene she sets.Nobody can describe types of people,their behavior,clothes,houses,hairdo’s quite as well as Christie could.
            And the tv-adaptation with David Suchet really brings that to the screen.
            Now it does help that the twenties(or late 19 hundreds up to 1920’s to be exact;art nouveau/art deco) are probably my favourite era when it comes to style,art and architecture.The brooch that Poirot wears(with a fresh flower in it) is just gorgeous. January 6, 2015 at 11:14pm Reply

            • Victoria: Yes, that’s the one! You’re right about Christie capturing everything, and with few words too. I love the detective genre, but I really can’t think of anyone who approaches Christie in terms of crafting surprising, gripping scenarios. January 7, 2015 at 1:00pm Reply

  • Fogdew: PS: does someone recommend me any instagram accounts? January 2, 2015 at 6:55pm Reply

    • Victoria: I don’t use Instagram, but were you looking for something perfume related? January 4, 2015 at 2:02pm Reply

      • Fogdew: Yes, Victoria, I love instagram and was looking for some perfume related accounts! And I havent seen the movie, I wonder where could I find it! Xx January 6, 2015 at 9:43am Reply

        • Sarah: Hi, the UK perfume blogger Persolaise has an Instagram account, it’s Instagram/Persolaise. January 7, 2015 at 8:10pm Reply

        • Hannah: I just made one and occasionally I will post about perfume but for now I’m mostly digging up old Berlin and Hamburg pictures until I do something exciting. My name there is tubereusecriminelle, which I am very proud I was able to snatch that name. January 7, 2015 at 8:51pm Reply

  • MontrealGirl: I’m still not quite over a cold so I went with something simple and that felt fresh and clean: Anais Anais.

    As for books, my most memorable reads were:

    1. The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony
    2. The Story of the Human Body by Daniel E. Lieberman
    3. Gardens in History:A Political Perspective by Louise Wickham
    4. The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever by Teri Agins
    5. Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel’s Secret War by Hal Vaughan
    6. A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette’s Perfumer by Elisabeth de Feydeau. January 2, 2015 at 7:32pm Reply

    • Victoria: You have such a diverse and interesting reading list! January 4, 2015 at 2:02pm Reply

  • Brainfodder: A very happy new year from England!

    Bois des Iles ended the year, and Iris Poudre started the next. Both deeply elegant and pillowy comfort blankets of one form or another on my skin 🙂

    The books I read in 2014 that I recall with fondness and admiration include All the light we cannot see, Stoner, The Summer Book and Out Stealing Horses. January 2, 2015 at 8:25pm Reply

    • Victoria: Elegant and comforting is one of my favorite perfume styles, and I agree on Bois des Iles and Iris Poudre falling in that category. 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 2:04pm Reply

  • bregje: Happy Newyear everyone!!!

    Wearing la fille de Berlin.

    Best books i read in 2014 were:
    Murakami-Kafka on the beach
    and the diary of Etty Hillesum(a sort of grown-up Anne Frank who managed to reach a state of enlightenment during the second world war;she wasn’t afraid and refused to go into hiding,facing everything head-on.Apperently she was also of great comfort to others in the camp where she ended up.Unfortunately she did die in Auschwitz.But i found her writing very inspiring and it’s interesting because you can literally see the shift that happens inside of her on the pages.

    love,Bregje January 2, 2015 at 10:21pm Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you for recommending the diary of Etty Hillesum. I just read a bit about it, and I will have to read it. January 4, 2015 at 2:05pm Reply

  • Jackie: Wanted to share this little scent moment and a recipe:
    As I write replies to the wonderful, generous posts above from Angeldiva and Karen, my husband and two daughters are in the background making almond comfits from the delightful book, Alice Eats: A Wonderland Cookbook, which look exactly like the ones pictured here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/6-alice-inspired-recipes-for-a-winter-wonderland-1.2419303
    (It says the cinnamon is optional, but I definitely recommend it, and we use coconut sugar, which adds a little something too.):) January 3, 2015 at 12:07am Reply

    • angeldiva: Hi Jackie! Life IS Good!
      There is a care Package coming to your emotional rescue! Ships out Sunday:

      Le Chevrefeuille EDT .08 sample
      Annick Goutal *** Mystery Scent! V and I both think it is: Nuits d’Hadrien .08 sample
      Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan EDP .03 sample spray
      Clinique Wrappings EDP .08 sample
      Juicy Couture EDP .17 crystal bottle sample

      Wipe your tears, and hug your family!
      So Much Love!
      Peace January 3, 2015 at 5:50pm Reply

      • angeldiva: Also:

        L’Artisan Premier Fuguier EDT .o6 sample

        P.! January 3, 2015 at 6:04pm Reply

        • Jackie: Ooohhh, am I ever lucky! I cannot WAIT to receive these, Angeldiva! I am excited about all of these, but especially your precious Le Chevrefeuille and the AG mystery scent, and especially touched that you are so generously willing to part with these precious drops. I’ve been very curious about the Clinique Wrappings, which sounds right up my alley, and I’m a big fan of L’Artisan!!! So it’s all wonderful, and you and Karen and V have all conspired to make me feel grateful and happy. Thank you. January 4, 2015 at 10:15pm Reply

          • Karen: Jackie – Angeldiva is way ahead of me, I am still poking around trying to think of what all to send! It is fun going through and thinking, hmmmm I wonder if she will like this! January 5, 2015 at 6:27am Reply

            • Jackie: Poke away, Karen! I will enjoy it all because of its intention and purpose. So much more goes into scent than the smell itself. 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you come up with, but please take your time. 🙂 January 5, 2015 at 3:14pm Reply

              • Jackie: Angeldiva! Your care package arrived yesterday!! What a thrill. I was on my way out and had to dash, but I tore open the pkg because I just HAD to smell that Chèvrefeuille! … Ohhh, I LOVE it! A breath of fresh air after all the incenses I’ve been testing!! It made me long for spring!! When I had my two daughters smell it after school, they, too, loved it, and my youngest, whom I’ve described as having quite the nose, said “lemon meringue pie”! I kid you not! A while later, I read Victoria’s review in which she mentions lemon meringue pie! By bizarre coincidence, my daughter’s grade 2 class read that day a book called Lemon Meringue Pie, so it was top of mind for her I suppose. 🙂

                Victoria’s scent description (as always!) is spot on. Everything she says about Chèvrefeuille so perfectly articulates my scent-thoughts (if that’s a term), it’s like she’s reading my mind: citrusy without sharpness, serene yet effervescent. It’s a masterpiece!! And such a happy scent! And I know what you mean, Angeldiva, about that special, elusive something, must be the petitgrain, which is so captivating (have you found other things with that note in it that captivate you?) Sorry to go on, but I LOVE it! I must have a bottle!

                The second one I was dying to try was Clinique Wrappings! Just opened it about 20 minutes ago: it’s developing as I type, but, I must say, it was love at first sniff. I’m a long-time fan of Aromatics Elixer (though I don’t wear it often) and there’s something reminiscent of that here — though this seems like a kinder, gentler version — not sure what –same patchouli note maybe (?).

                I was so thrilled when you said you were sending this as I’d recalled reading a comment by Elisa on BdJ, who said it was like a lit up, tinseled Christmas tree, which really appealed to me, so it’s such a treat to actually have a sample!! At first, I was really getting the green notes and the nutmeg with a distinct hint of rose, but after about 10 minutes, the leather and something else I couldn’t identify until I googled it: salty notes! Aha! The rose continues pretty prominently on my skin – rose mixed right in with woods. Gosh! I might have to find a bottle of this too!!

                So tomorrow it’s on to the Mystery Scent (Nuits d’Hadrien?) SL’s Ambre Sultan, Juicy Couture Gold, and L’Artisan Premier Fuguier! I’m eking it out!

                So thank you from the bottom of my heart, Angeldiva; you have brought me much pleasure.

                [This was actually written last night, but somehow it didn’t post. I was supposed to sample something else this morning, but I couldn’t help myself: it was straight back to the Clinique Wrappings!] January 16, 2015 at 2:20pm Reply

                • Jackie: Eeks, sorry! Now that I’ve posted that, I see how long it is! That was the edited version! January 16, 2015 at 2:21pm Reply

                  • angeldiva: Hi Jackie,
                    You are so welcome! 🙂
                    The perma seal Is Glad Perma Seal (?)
                    One of the BdJ women’s’ husband is a chemist and she said that the Glad is the same as the seal V recommends. Cheaper to keeper!
                    Sorry, I was offline for so long, and very relieved the package arrived.
                    Wear it and be wonderful!
                    Angeldiva
                    Peace January 17, 2015 at 12:49am Reply

    • Victoria: Yum! Thank you so much! January 4, 2015 at 2:31pm Reply

  • Jehanne Dubrow: Hi, Victoria! Is there a recipe for that beautiful rose-pistachio marzipan? It looks delicious.

    In 2014, I fell in love with Fille en Aiguilles (how was I so slow to discover this one?) and Victoria Minya’s wonderful peach bouquet, Hedonist. My love affair with Coco also continued; I’ve almost drained both my bottles of the edp and of the parfum.

    Since books are my job, it’s often difficult for me to remember what I read last week, much less a month or two ago. But, here are some of my favorite poetry collections from 2014: Seam by Tarfia Faizullah, Copia by Erika Meitner, and Citizen by Claudia Rankine. January 3, 2015 at 10:39am Reply

    • Victoria: The recipe comes from Julie Sahni’s book, Classical Indian Cooking, but it’s not that great. The results are pretty, but I didn’t like the texture that much and the rose flavor is too mild. So, I will have to find something else. I loved the color, though. January 4, 2015 at 2:33pm Reply

    • Jackie: Jehanne, we have a couple of things in common: I, too, have recently discovered Fille en Aiguilles, and fell in love. I also love Coco. I will therefore have to seek out Hedonist! Books are my job, too, and my extra-curricular reading this term has been Victoria’s poetic perfume reviews. 🙂 January 5, 2015 at 3:18pm Reply

      • Jackie: *fallen* 😉 January 5, 2015 at 3:19pm Reply

        • Jehanne Dubrow: Jackie, yes! Do check out Hedonist (I found my sample at Lucky Scent). On my skin, it’s not a heavy oriental, but I find the peach note really amazing–perhaps the best I’ve smelled in a long time. I desperately want a full bottle, but have cut myself off for the next few months. 🙂 January 6, 2015 at 2:10pm Reply

  • ElenavL: I had ambitious delicious plans of starting the year inside a white cloud of Chanel 22 (the longed-for perfume concentration I got for Christmas). Once the cloud has evaporated I would have gone on a trip to the FM store I found 80 km away from my house to finally smell Carnal Flower I’ve heard so much about. However a common cold has rendered the world around me almost odourless so (alas!) my plans have to wait.

    On the plus side, garlic is the only thing I can still smell, so when my husband was emptying the diaper bin today and called the bag full of them “The Lily Bomb by Victor&Rolf” (Lily is the one-year-old fully responsible for the content of the bag) I could laugh out loud without having to suffer any consequences of the explosion. January 3, 2015 at 10:40am Reply

    • ElenavL: And the book of the last year would be “The History of Love” by Nicole Krauss. January 3, 2015 at 7:53pm Reply

    • Victoria: Feel better soon! Hope that your nose will get back in shape for smelling everything (but the timing for the explosion is probably good 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 2:31pm Reply

  • JennyJo: Most impressive books: Life and Fate, by Vasily Grossman. Some books become part of you, and this was one of them. Also by Grossman: Everything Flows. Oh, and Helen MacDonald’s H is for Hawk.
    In spite of the weather being cold and grey I find myself reaching for greens: Chanel 19 & Cristalle , Jacomo Silences. Also Shalimar and La Petite Robe Noire Couture. January 3, 2015 at 5:00pm Reply

    • Victoria: Greens feel perfect on a cold day to me, especially No 19 and Silences, which are my anytime, anyplace favorites.

      I started Grossman’s Life and Fate last year, but some of the events he describes befell my family, so it was very hard to read it and not get completely overwhelmed. So, I’m moving through it slowly, and I finally got Everything Flows, which apparently was quite difficult to find in Russian. Which is a shame, since the books are as relevant as ever. Also, Grossman and my great-grandfather crossed path in Kursk. January 4, 2015 at 2:15pm Reply

  • Ariadne: More escapism for me…have been reading all the Outlander books on my Kindle. Diana G. seemed to have been in a different mood when writing each volume so it has been fun. I rec’d Poncet’s Pleasant Promenade edp as a gift and I really recommend it to those delighting in a woodsy spicy scent mixed with subtle floral notes. Lasts a long time and develops nicely. A wrist sniffer for sure.
    Lots of future reading on my list now from reading everyone’s post. THX! January 3, 2015 at 6:12pm Reply

    • Victoria: That sounds lovely! I haven’t tried this perfume yet. January 4, 2015 at 2:15pm Reply

  • solanace: Happy New Year, everyone!

    Some of my best reads of the year were inspired by BdJ: first, Anna Karenina, a Victoria’s favorite. What a masterpiece! It’s so good, it hurts. Then, The Fall of Carthage, a suggestion by Cornelia Bimber. I took it to a work trip by the beach, best company ever! Also loved reading Epicurus’ letters, and going deeper into Vitruvius’ De Architectura, Kepler’s Dream and Lucian’s True Story. Also happy for having discovered Gunther Adams. I think I’ll get more into the anti nuclear thing, Fukushima really pisses me off.

    As for the scent diary, yesterday we took the kids to a little farm up the Mantiqueira hills, and the stables smelled amazing. Of course there were the horses, but something else was there, taking the entire thing to another level. I looked up and voilà, huge eucalyptus trees, all around us! Such a beautiful fragrant landscape. The coffee and mango trees were full of unripe fruit, only slightly fragrant, but a very uplifting sight after the severe draught we had.

    Wearing vintage Armani. January 4, 2015 at 6:01am Reply

    • Karen: Anna Karenina was just incredible, wasn’t it! I gave myself a year to read it – sometimes stopping to read other books, and was so surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Just finished They Were Counted and did the same thing, took occasional breaks to read another easier read.

      Two that I enjoyed while taking the breaks were Euphoria and Land of Marvels. Got Land of Marvels simply from the Jules Verne quote, One day you will travel to a land of marvels. January 4, 2015 at 8:10am Reply

      • Solanace: Just googled They were counted. Sounds great, I think I’ll have to place an order. Thank you for the tip! January 4, 2015 at 12:24pm Reply

    • Victoria: Happy New Year!

      I also re-read Anna Karenina last year, and I loved discovering something new about it. Although I admit that the more I read it, the less I like Levin. His bouts of jealousy, his unfairness to Kitty recall Tolstoy’s own ill treatment of his wife (not to mention his numerous infidelities). Of course, this unvarnished portrait only adds to the novel and to its complexity. January 4, 2015 at 2:26pm Reply

      • Cornelia Blimber: I read Anna Karenina when I was young. I think I should read it again.I still remember how I cried at the death of Wronski’s horse. January 4, 2015 at 4:34pm Reply

      • Tati: Anna Karenina is one of my all-time favorites, and I imagine I’ll go back to it for the rest of my days. I remember as a teenager finding Anna so romantic, but decade by decade one revises one’s opinion of her. The most heartbreaking thing I’ve discovered on my last reading is the unworthiness of Vronski taints her grand gesture of love. January 4, 2015 at 5:45pm Reply

        • Victoria: That was something that struck me too on the most recent re-reading. January 5, 2015 at 12:52pm Reply

      • Solanace: Gotta love such a book, infinite like nature itself. January 5, 2015 at 3:10am Reply

  • Sylvia Long: Happy new year to all! I am reading Garment of Shadows by Laurie R King. I smile every time I see the title. I’m wearing last years discovery( thank you Victoria!) Estée Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia. It is cold and dry and gloomy here, and it is a lovely green bright surprise! It’s a keeper. BDJ is a looked forward to part of every day! Thanks to you all! January 4, 2015 at 8:23am Reply

    • Victoria: Glad that you’re enjoyed Tuberose Gardenia! It’s such a glittering floral, and I love all of its stages. January 4, 2015 at 2:21pm Reply

  • Teresa: I’m late to the party here, but I woke up this morning to the smell of new snow. I enjoyed watching my new puppies experience snow for the first time. I love the attitude of dogs. They just take new things in stride and enjoy life.

    I just dabbed on a little Caron Fleur de Rocaille and am contemplating buying a full bottle.

    I, too, would be interested in the recipe for the pistachio-rose marzipan. It should be made for the beauty alone – lol. January 4, 2015 at 11:03am Reply

    • Victoria: I found the recipe in Julie Sahni’s book, “Classical Indian Cooking,” but I’m still trying to develop something foolproof. Her instructions “cook sugar and nuts” can result either in a soft fudge or in a granular, borderline inedible cake. January 4, 2015 at 2:27pm Reply

  • sara: happy new year to victoria and to all BdJ readers. I wear numbered scents on their corresponding days of the month (just one perfume quirk of many) so I wore Parfums de Nicolai #1 on New Year’s Day. January 4, 2015 at 11:12am Reply

    • Victoria: Happy New Year, Sara! Number One sounds like an ideal and auspicious choice. 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 2:28pm Reply

  • Danaki: Today I’m wearing L`Artisan Parfumeur Traversee du Bosphore. On New Year’s Eve, I wore Ann Gerard Cuir de Nacre…perhaps too serious for revelries and partying, but it was a great counter balance.
    In 2014, my favourite read was Amin Maalouf’s Les Désorientés – a story of loss and being lost. I actually bought Gogol for this year based on Victoria’s recommendation and will also read Sagan, A Certain Smile – a short reading list that should hopefully do for at least the first half of 2015. January 4, 2015 at 11:33am Reply

    • Victoria: Which Gogol novel did you buy?

      Can you please recommend more Lebanese authors (in French is ok too)? January 4, 2015 at 2:28pm Reply

      • Tati: Hope you don’t mind my chiming in here, but one of my favorite Lebanese authors is Rabih Alameddine, author of The Hakawati, and An Unnecessary Woman. Both are beautiful books. January 4, 2015 at 5:51pm Reply

        • Victoria: Of course, I don’t mind. On the contrary! Thank you, Tati. I’ve sent samples of both to my Kindle a moment ago. January 5, 2015 at 12:55pm Reply

  • Jackie: I am blown away by the loving-kindness of people on this blog, and I thank you, V., for connecting us and for your warm hugs and kind thoughts too. 🙂 January 4, 2015 at 10:20pm Reply

    • Victoria: I’m so glad we could do at least something little to help. 🙂 January 5, 2015 at 12:59pm Reply

  • Michaela: The book I loved most this year was Eowyn Ivey’s Snow Child, a touching story based on Snegurocika fairy tales. That inspired me to read a beautiful book with commented Russian fairy tales and Gogol’s Viy.

    BdJ is the blog I kept returning to this whole year and my dearest place to visit on the web. Thank you so much. Have a very, very good year to everybody!

    I wear hot, spicy, dear Kenzo Jungle today. Just a small spray well hidden on the chest, because I have to be in the office all day long, among innocent people, but I’m sniffing it from time to time and I can’t get enough of it. January 5, 2015 at 6:37am Reply

    • Victoria: You smell wonderful, Michaela! I love Kenzo Jungle, especially on cold days, when it really feels like a warm layer of cashmere against my skin.

      Have you seen Viy, the film? If not, I really recommend it. It was so good. I found a version on youtube with English subtitles:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjiB6aWp5wQ
      This is the 1st part of 5. The film is just over an hour long. January 5, 2015 at 1:17pm Reply

      • Michaela: Thank you so much, I can hardly wait to see it! January 6, 2015 at 3:51am Reply

      • Michaela: This film is excellent, thank you! And the actors are great! January 7, 2015 at 5:22am Reply

  • Abigail: Happy New Year! My first comment but have been lurking for a while. It is warm and muggy here and I am wearing Encre Noir, seems quite masculine but very refreshing. Ian McEwan’s book The Children Act was a favourite read this year as well as The Goldfinch by Donna Tart and I see that they have already been mentioned. Love this blog! January 5, 2015 at 6:54am Reply

    • Victoria: Welcome, Abigail! And Happy New Year to you too. Encre Noire is one of my top favorites, and I prefer the original masculine version to the feminine one. It’s so bracing and yet very elegant and polished. January 5, 2015 at 1:18pm Reply

      • Abigail: Yes, I have the masculine one in the lovely black bottle, it is like having two perfumes, fresh and zesty initially and then a deep accord later…..the scent on my clothes the next day is lovely. January 6, 2015 at 12:53am Reply

        • Victoria: That’s probably one of the best parts! January 6, 2015 at 9:48am Reply

  • Andy: Joining in late after having taken a break from all my technology over the New Year–being free from all of it is the best luxury, really.

    Nonetheless, I rang in the New Year wearing vintage Youth Dew carefully layered with Youth Dew Amber Nude, talk about starting the year luxuriously! Wishing health and wonderful fragrant discoveries to all in 2015! January 5, 2015 at 12:18pm Reply

    • Victoria: Minimal access to technology can also be a good thing time to time. 🙂 I love your layering idea, which sounds so opulent and appropriately grand to start the new year. January 5, 2015 at 1:21pm Reply

  • Mileta: Victoria, that book sounds lovely. I’ve just added it to my amazon wish list!
    Best book I read this year was Maleficium by Martine Desjardins. It is about a heretic priest (don’t you just love those) who sits and listens to 7 very distrubed men in his confessional. All these men have returned from travels and work in the east. All of their tales are very sensory – one is a saffron merchant, etc. In all 7 tales, there is a woman whose face is mysteriously marked in the same distinct way each time. She is the means to each one’s doom. I will not reveal anything further, for all those who are intrigued, I highly recommend this book!
    I decided to start the year with warmth and spice, so Hermes Ambre Narguile 🙂 January 5, 2015 at 7:14pm Reply

    • Victoria: Your book also sounds fascinating, so I’ve added it to my wishlist. And you’ve really intrigued me. 🙂 January 6, 2015 at 9:44am Reply

  • Rowanhill: This year my Christmas fragrances were limited to only two, which is an all time record, even when travelling. SL Daim Blond had had unusually little use the past year so I decided it was time to rehabilitate that bottle and then an unexpected other fragrance NR For Her won a ticket to Finland. I immediately missed Guerlain’s Plus Que Jamais, Chanel Bois des Iles and Cartier La Panthere which has probably been my most used fragrance this year. It is lwhay Paloma Picasso’s Mon Parfum was to me back in the eighties and nineties, instant recognition and delight. As for Christmas foods, I love the smell of the traditional swede casserole (lanttulaatikko), a modest tuber but when laced with cream, dark syrup, butter and nutmeg it is just amazing. Returning back to Brussels always comforting and soothing Chanel No 5 helped in picking up the routines after the holiday excesses. 🙂 And now bizarrely, I am wearing Dior Escale a Portofino for the second day in a row. Who knew, in January, or perhaps it is just time to clear the palate from the spices before taking another look at the winter fragrances.
    As for the latest reads I have kept it light if somewhat gory with the murder mystery The Silkworm. Wishing you Victoria and all your readers a very successful new year 2015. January 6, 2015 at 7:31am Reply

    • Victoria: Your holiday in scents sounds wonderful! Welcome back to Brussels. I’m not done with my holidays yet, and with the Orthodox Christmas and the old style New Year come up, I still have occasions to wear something festive. Although with perfume, one can make every day a holiday. 🙂 January 6, 2015 at 9:50am Reply

  • gentiana: Happy New Year, dear Bois De Jasmin Community! All your best dreams come true in 2015!
    First of january begun at 12, or 0,00 o’clock. The smell of snow, nostrils sticking because of the frost at minus 30 degrees. the smell and taste of Champaigne. Strong smell of Fireworks. Back to restaurant, people in furs warming up, mix of several perfumes, several furs. Cigarette smoke, all kinds of drinks, food. I Am wearing something special: Mona di Orio’s Oud ( sample bottle 7 ml batch 2011- darker colour and stronger smell than the other, identical, bought 2 years later) . Music louder, people louder, dance wilder, some really swaty, two Moldavian-russian guys totally drunk, smelling like two vodka-tanks getting friends with all mankind, hugging everybody, talking with everybody in russian, nobody understand a yotta, it doesn’t matter, WeeeAaareFrieeends!!! Party over, col outside, smell of snow, nostruls stcking again, the smell of BMW enterieur, another party still raging, other foody smells, other mix of perfumes and people’s smells. 7.45 a.m. snow, sticky nostrils, car… Home. Friendly, cozy smell of my room. My bed. The warm, familiar smell of my pillow. Sleeeeeeeeep. 2.00 p.m. New air freshener in the bathroom? Smell of kitchen.Tea with lemon. Pillow. 5 p. m. Kitchen. Soup. Pillow. 9 p. m. Tea. Pillow. That’s all. January 6, 2015 at 8:26am Reply

    • Victoria: Happy New Year! Well, it must have been a fun party. 🙂 From your description I could just picture it all. January 6, 2015 at 9:59am Reply

  • Carla: Happy new year. I wore Ambre Narguile Nee Years Eve because we stayed in this year-cozy. I wore Bois des Iles New Years Day. So beautiful. I loved the Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. She is brilliant. I also recommend In Sunlight and In Shadow but not half as highly-at times I was so fed up with Mark Helprin! Is he pretentious or a genius, I can’t decide. But I love how he creates heroes and heroines. My huge discovery last year was Middlemarch. Now it’s my favorite novel. Also finally read Woolf and listened to To the lighthousr and read Mrs Dalloway. Ok, so now I know Woolf, moving on, sometimes the mental illness thing is depressing. Can’t remember what else I read right now! Started and set aside quite a few, as I am pretty picky. January 10, 2015 at 8:14pm Reply

    • Victoria: Oh, another Middlemarch suggestion! I will definitely have to read it this year. January 12, 2015 at 8:53am Reply

  • Anne-Catherine: Talking about new perfume launches…Last week I purchased a Discovery kit directly from Etat Libre D’orange. I was lucky to get an avant première of True Lust with additional samples. I am exploring iT and it’s a real multi-layered beauty! It’s like a film with rum in the leading part, accompanied by either rose, coconut, violet, Rice powder or the whole together in a perfect harmony. In THE drydown I detect putain des palaces and a dry sandalwood. Because of the dabbing shape of the sample, i’m not sure about the sillage. It’s not as fatal as I supposed from the ad, but an easy to wear and still remarkable perfume. I hope you will all discover it soon February 1, 2015 at 4:11am Reply

    • Victoria: I can’t wait to try it, especially after such a wonderful description! February 1, 2015 at 11:36am Reply

      • Anne-Catherine: Dear Victoria, thank you for making my day! All praise goes to you. It must be the influence of your excellent reviews that I love to read. Though I have not enough background, i like to try to analyse perfumes, it’s very similar to describing a work of art. February 2, 2015 at 3:12am Reply

        • Victoria: I agree with you! It’s the same thought process. After all, a perfume is a product of artistry and someone’s imagination. February 9, 2015 at 7:37am Reply

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