In Your Opinion: 276 posts

Last night I spoke with my cousin and my friends in Ukraine to find out how they have been handling these past few days. My friend Nadia is an embroidery master and teacher, and despite the power blackouts, she continues working. She showed me a beautiful rushnyk, an embroidered hand towel, that she finished, and explained that she selected the design of a tree of life to feel more hopeful. “Embroidery is my meditation practice,” Nadia says.

I have an update about our Ukrainian fundraiser. We now have more than 20 prizes, including vintage Coty Chypre and a brand-new bottle of Chanel Bois des Iles extrait de parfum. All of your contributions make a difference, so Thought Group Chile and I are immensely grateful. Here is a message from Cristian Wittig, the director of Thought Group Chile:

“With your contribution we will be able to continue developing the architectural proposals that have been required of us by the authorities of the Cities of Irpin and Chernihiv, for the reconstruction of their destroyed spaces and buildings. Your help will also allow us to continue with the development of our proposals for the 5 architectural projects commissioned for the City of Chernihiv, of which we have already begun to develop our proposal for the New House of Culture in Ivanivka. Your financial support and trust placed in the work of our team, encourages us, motivates us and inspires us to continue working for the wonderful Ukrainian people.

Soon we will have available our official website where you can find all the information regarding our work process for the destroyed cities in Ukraine. In the meantime, I invite you to check our Instagram account @thought4ukraine.”

Scent Diary is a place to write your observations about the scents around you. Whether you write down 1 recollection 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.

While looking through my articles, I found this article that I wrote a few years ago but that still remains popular and often-read: A to Z Tips for Enjoyable, Affordable and Rewarding Perfume Hobby. If you have any tips to add, I’d love to hear them.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

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

I’ve delighted and touched by the response to my Ukrainian fundraiser, and I wanted to mention that we now have more than 10 prizes, including vintage Coty Chypre, Penhaligon’s Ostara, perfumes by Hermès, Chanel, Neela Vermeire and other exceptional brands. All of your contributions make a difference, so Thought Group Chile and I are immensely grateful.

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

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

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

Happy Lunar New Year! We celebrated it with our friends, making dumplings and eating hot pot. At the end of the dinner, my friend served jasmine tea with fennel tea and cocoa nibs. The flavor was surprising–pleasantly bitter and warm, with a lingering spicy sweetness. The floral note of jasmine retained its dominance, amplifying the rose-like accents of chocolate. It was a lovely discovery to start off the new year on a good note.

Scent Diary is a place to write your observations about the scents around you. Whether you write down 1 recollection 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.

While looking through my articles, I found this article that I wrote a few years ago but that still remains popular and often-read: A to Z Tips for Enjoyable, Affordable and Rewarding Perfume Hobby. If you have any tips to add, I’d love to hear them.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

I keep a tin of dried roses on my desk. I gathered them four years ago at my grandmother’s garden in Ukraine. My grandmother was sitting on the bench under the lilacs, watching me. The sun was making the rose smell even more intensely sweet. So much was lost during these intervening years, but the dried rose petals in my tin still retain their honeyed perfume. I close my eyes, take a deep inhale and feel myself bathed in the warm sunshine of a distant Ukrainian summer.

What scents evoke pleasant memories for you?

Scent Diary is a place to write your observations about the scents around you. Whether you write down 1 recollection 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.

While looking through my articles, I found this article that I wrote a few years ago but that still remains popular and often-read: A to Z Tips for Enjoyable, Affordable and Rewarding Perfume Hobby. If you have any tips to add, I’d love to hear them.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

Happy New Year! I wish everyone a wonderful and healthy 2023, and above all, I wish for peace this year. My fervent dream is to return to Ukraine.

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

In other news, Bois de Jasmin has a Facebook page: Bois de Jasmin. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.

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

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

Photography by Bois de Jasmin