Victoria: 2669 posts

The more time I spend in Brussels, the more I understand why the Surrealist movement gained a momentum here. The fact that a city of less than 2 million people contains a dozen governments should already tell you something. There is the European Union government, the Brussels region government, the French Community of Belgium government and its Flemish counterpart, each of which has its own representatives. If that weren’t enough, Brussels consists of 19 municipalities, each with its own mayor and laws. It’s no wonder that each trip to city hall leaves me with a minor nervous breakdown.

On the other hand, the diversity of people that Brussels attracts is the best thing about the city. You can cross the city on foot in a couple of hours, but sometimes turning onto a new street makes you feel as if you are in a different country. When it comes to food, the choices are limitless. Whether you have a craving for moules frites, the famous Belgian specialty of mussels and fries, for Sicilian cannoli or for something as exotic as mwambe, a Congolese chicken stew with peanuts, you can discover it all quite easily.

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My first whiff of real sandalwood came from a necklace my aunt’s husband sent her while he was working abroad. As fate would have it, he had to leave for the Middle East just as they got married, and his letters and gifts were always a big event for us. As my aunt read one of his passionate love letters, the necklace was forgotten on the table, and I came closer to inspect the small carved beads. Tan brown and small, they didn’t look like much, but their perfume of roses, warm milk and incense was so vivid that today, more than two decades later, I can recall it perfectly.

This early romantic and exotic association with sandalwood inspired my love for this materials. When I look at the notes I took during my perfumery training, the part on sandalwood covers about 10 pages. Although classified as a wood, sandalwood smells of cream and flowers. It has none of the raspy sharpness of rosewood, the pencil shaving bite of cedarwood or the earthy or damp tang of vetiver. Sandalwood is reminiscent of something one can enjoy in a dessert sprinkled with candied rose petals, and in some parts of India sandalwood flavors milkshakes and sweetmeats.

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The idea of picking up and moving to a new place has always seemed exciting to me. I was attracted by the idea of meeting new people, learning a new language, and cooking new foods. So, when it became obvious that my husband’s Belgian project is likely to turn into a permanent one, I fully supported his decision to accept it. The first few weeks of our stay in Belgium were a whirlwind romance, when every single quirk seemed charming and every new discovery a minor epiphany.

My vie en rose started to color grey the first moment I set foot inside the city hall that smelled of dust and desperation.  It suddenly became obvious to me that I’m not going back to the States at the end of the week and that this is not a vacation. As my list of things to do grew, everything became tougher. I didn’t know the rules. I missed the obvious social cues. A simple shopping trip felt like a nerve wracking oral exam in foreign language. One morning I felt so tired of everything that I just curled up under the blanket with hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

Anyone who has moved to a new place knows how hard these adjustments can be. I desperately missed my mom, my friends and my old way of life. Without having yet figured out the way things were done here, I felt very much out of my element. But I had to pull myself together. If I felt awkward and out of place, then I had to find small pleasures to comfort me while I got my bearings. Someone else might have poured themselves a drink, but I reached for another type of alcoholic substance–perfume.

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If you’re in New York on July 19th, don’t miss a book event at Book Court in Brooklyn. Author and blogger Alyssa Harad will be reading from her perfume memoir, Coming to My Senses: A Story of Perfume, Pleasure, and an Unlikely Bride. You will also get a chance to smell niche and vintage fragrances and enjoy cocktails created by Julianne Zaleta of Herbal Academy. The cocktails are inspired by Maria McElroy’s Aroma M perfumes, Geisha Blanche and Geisha Green (the samples will be free with the first 20 books sold).

7:00 p.m. July 19
Book Court
163 Court St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Free admission (Via press release)

Today is Bastille Day in France, so if you’re celebrating, I wish you clear skies and beautiful fireworks.

My topic for today seems straightforward–you open a bottle of perfume and just spray wherever you want, but every perfumista has her favorite tricks.  So, how do you wear perfume? Do you dab behind the ears, spray all over, walk through the scented mist? What’s your favorite way to perfume yourself?

The trick I learned from my mom is to apply fragrance when I’m fully dressed, so that a bit lingers on my clothes. Fabric retains fragrance really well, and this kind of application can be a great sillage booster for ethereal fragrances like anything from the Hermessence collection or L’Artisan Parfumeur. On the other hand, heavier blends work well dabbed right on skin. I apply Guerlain Shalimar parfum by dabbing a bit under my collar bone, on my wrists and behind my knees (to help the scent rise up).

Photography by Bois de Jasmin: escargots and hamburgers food truck.