Victoria: 2669 posts

Ann sent me a link to the SFGate article about the indie perfume line Sonoma Scent Studio and its creator Laurie Erickson. The article, Sonoma Scent Studio’s Complex Fragrances, was published in October 2012, but Ann and I thought that it would be interesting to share. Erickson’s story is quite amazing and inspiring.

“Injured in a horseback riding accident when she was 20 years old, Erickson has spent the past 30 years adjusting to new normals…. She discovered a new career in perfumery that appealed to her creative side and also accommodated her physical constraints, allowing her to work from home. ‘Technical writing is similar to perfumery in that you have to use both sides of the brain: the scientific, detail-oriented side and the creative side.’ ” Please click here to read the rest.

Women’s magazines often have features titled “What’s Your Type?” You’re supposed to figure out in under 60 seconds how to fit your personality into various boxes : romantic, edgy, rock-n-roll, etc. Heaven forbid that someone who likes rose printed dresses would want to listen to Massive Attack, or that a bookish, academic type might have a passion for red lipstick and frilly lingerie. In the ideal glossy world, someone who likes Chanel No. 5 would steer clear of Aquolina Pink Sugar and would never let the twain meet upon the vanity table.

My idea of fun is to mix things up, and for this I need Pink Sugar. The gourmand fragrance style isn’t meant to be serious; it’s all about delighting the senses and teasing us with a suggestion of something mouthwatering. I’m not eating a piece of chocolate cake to get my daily intake of calcium. I’m eating it because I love chocolate. It’s the same with gourmand perfumes. I wear them when I want to smell like a piece of candy. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need to make a cold, rainy city feel warmer or to make a stressful day less so.

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I’m happy to bring back the much requested series on fragrances that influenced perfume history. If you’re new to this feature, please start with Series 1, in which I describe how this project came about and how I made the selections.  Perfumery evolves slowly, and classical ideas continue to influence new creations. As I mentioned before, you need not enjoy classics (and you certainly shouldn’t feel bad about disliking Chanel No 5 or not “getting” Guerlain Mitsouko). Every perfume, as is the case for art, music or literature, has its own era and its special flavor, and some of us gravitate to contemporary examples. But smelling classics at least once is important if you want to understand where modern perfumery gathers its inspiration.

Series 1 :: Series 2 :: Series 3 :: Series 4 :: Series 5 :: Series 6 :: Series 7 :: Series 8 :: Series 9 :: Series 10

41. Coriandre          (Jean Couturier, perfumers Gérard Pelpel and Jacqueline Couturier, 1973) The 1970s were the era of the chypre, a mossy woody fragrance family. It developed much earlier in the 20th century with Coty Chypre giving it a modern form, and then Guerlain Mitsouko making it more accessible, but the love affair with moss really exploded in the 1970s. If you enjoy this genre, the 1970s perfumes are going to be a great discovery.

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At one time, preparing to celebrate the New Year was a very stressful occasion for me. I created elaborate plans and agonized over my menu and outfit to make sure that the new year was met in the most exciting and auspicious way. Then, one year my husband and I were in India preparing for our wedding, and on New Year’s Eve we had just arrived at our hotel. When the clock struck midnight, I was slumped over the overstuffed suitcases wanting nothing but a shower. But there was no hot water and no clean towels either. Oh, did I mention that this took place in the only dry state in India, Gujarat? Forget about toasting the year with anything stronger than tea. And even that never arrived.

You know what? None of it really mattered, and being with someone I love made the holiday feel festive, the dire lack of bubbly notwithstanding. While my preparations are now streamlined, I still love selecting a perfume for the occasion. I wore Guerlain Après l’Ondée, a fragrance that makes me feel like I’m floating on air. And that’s the most auspicious way to greet the new year.

I wish you a wonderful start for 2014. May it bring lots of happiness, good fortune and fun adventures. Thank you for visiting, for reading and for making every day special with your stories and comments.

What fragrance did you wear to usher in 2014?

Photography by Bois de Jasmin,  year of the horse

My most profound scent experience of 2013 happened as I walked down an avenue lined with linden trees not far from my apartment in Brussels. Suddenly I smelled the Kiev of my childhood–the heavy odor of wet asphalt, honeyed lindens and gasoline, and the longing to see my family gripped me  so intensely that I cancelled a pending seaside vacation and instead traveled home. That trip to Ukraine started a series of other visits and other quests.  Several months later as I was having a cup of tea–incidentally, it was linden from my great aunt’s garden–with a cousin I knew only from my parents’ stories, I realized that this year I’ve been on a linden trail.

While experiences like my linden triggered journey don’t happen often, all of my favorite perfumes transport me out of the routine of my day and spark fantasies. In making my best of 2013 list, I included the most interesting fragrances I’ve encountered, but also the ones that made me dream. Patricia and Elisa will also share their favorites below.

Marni

Marni charmed me instantly. I loved its combination of rose and Indian incense, its quirky accents of ginger and cardamom and its lingering drydown of patchouli. The notes are rich and heavy, but the interpretation is sheer and effervescent. It’s a skin scent, rather than a perfume that announces your presence a mile away, but it has plenty of character.

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