If you use Google Reader to read Bois de Jasmin through the RSS feed, you’ll have to switch to another tool–Google Reader is going to be phased out by July 1st (and that’s today). There are many other alternatives to read this and other blogs, and based on my research, Feedly seems to be one of the favorite choices. But it’s not perfect, and it doesn’t pick up the correct feed if you enter “boisdejasmin”. To subscribe for Bois de Jasmin, you have to either enter “boisdejasmin.com/feed” in the search box or follow this link. You can also migrate your feeds easily from Google Reader to Feedly.
The other two choices include Newsfire, Blog Lovin’, and Digg Reader.
Of course, you can always follow me by subscribing via email (just enter it in the box at the bottom of each post) or click here. You can unsubscribe anytime, and your personal information remains private. Facebook and Twitter are the other ways for us to keep in touch.
A few weeks ago I promised you to compare the current formulation of Guerlain Après l’Ondée to the older one. I finally had a chance to do so, and I’m happy to report that Après l’Ondée still smells fantastic. It’s different in some ways–the spicy notes are milder, the musky drydown is sweeter, but overall, it’s recognizable. It’s a watercolor of violets and carnations, with a delicious twist of anise. However, some people found that they had difficulty smelling it, and it’s probably due to the type of musk and/or violet notes. So, definitely try it on your skin first.
I also updated my review of Annick Goutal Nuit Étoilée with a discussion of the new Eau de Parfum concentration. Originally I tried and described the Eau de Toilette, which I didn’t like. The EdP, on the other hand, is beautiful and intriguing.
And last but not least, I updated Paris Perfume Shopping Directory with new addresses. Voilà, I believe I followed up on all of my promises, but feel free to nudge me if I forgot anything else.
Photography by Bois de Jasmin, a letter my great uncle wrote in 1944 as he was serving in the army.
71 Comments
Nick: I can recommend Feedly. I have already migrated from Google Reader (R.I.P.). There is a version for Android, which is brilliant and now a web version. Although sad to see Google Reader go, the migration was utterly painless.
http://cloud.feedly.com/
(I do not work for Feedly, just (was) an extensive Reader user) July 1, 2013 at 8:08am
Victoria: I liked Feedly after I played around a bit and compared it to other options. I’m still not happy that their search engine doesn’t pull the correct BdJ feed (and they admitted that their search does require work), but at least, they’re responsive and seem to be aware of things they need to fix. July 1, 2013 at 1:25pm
Absolute Scentualist: Nuit Etoilee is still on my must try list, and now I’ll keep an eye out for the edp as well. I preferred the edp of Mon Cherie, Par Camille though I like and appreciate both strengths. AG is one of those houses whose newer releases still don’t often disappoint, which is reassuringly wonderful.
I just wore Apres L’Ondee to bed the night before last and since I’ve only smelled the current formulation, I must say that it still floors me with how beautiful and tender it is every time. I’m on my second decant and am seriously thinking of adding a bottle to my rotation when this decant’s all gone. Is it available in different concentrations like many of the other Guerlain fragrances? I’ve only found and tried the edt but imagine the edp or extrait must be thrilling. July 1, 2013 at 9:15am
Victoria: I was surprised how much I liked the EDP, esp since the EDT smelled sharp and rough on me. But the EDP has a velvety, warm finish. Plus, I love its dark blue bottle!
Apres L’Ondee is only available as the EDT. There used to be extrait de parfum too, but the new regulations made it impossible to reproduce. July 1, 2013 at 1:27pm
ChristyTB: what a touching postcard! July 1, 2013 at 9:15am
Victoria: Just thinking that he wrote it from the front lines and took such care to decorate it makes me emotional. July 1, 2013 at 1:28pm
Melinda: I absolutely love Après l’Ondée! I live in SA and therefore this perfume is not available here, however based on the great reviews it received, I was very curious to try this fragrance.
A friend of mine recently went to London for work and I asked her to bring me a bottle of Après l’Ondée. Upon communicating with me, she informed me all the stores doesn’t have small bottles, only the large 100ml. I took the plunge and just hope for the best, when I told her to get it. It was a risk – incase I end up not liking it, as it was rather pricey.
Upon smelling it for the first time, it really did put a smile on my face. It is beautiful in such a delicate and feminine way. I couldn’t stop smelling my wrists and I now absolutely adore this fragrance on my skin. I can however not comment on the previous version, but I do like the fragrance.
I also really love your blog! July 1, 2013 at 9:23am
Victoria: Thank you, Melinda! I have a bit of vintage, but the one I wear daily is a more recent version. It’s a perfume that I enjoy just splashing on, and I don’t want to count drops. Which in spite of myself, I still do when I put on perfume from my older bottle. It’s a delicate fragrance, but it has such distinctive, memorable quality! July 1, 2013 at 1:32pm
Jillie: Of course I had to read your original Apres l’Ondee post, and was so touched by what you wrote about your experience of being so homesick and searching for something beautiful to lift your spirits. You are right, Guerlain is quite an amazing house, and I only have to count my “favourites” to realise how many are Guerlain.
I will now have to wear Apres tonight, as you have got me yearning for it.
Your great-uncle’s letter also touched me. I’m so glad you still have it in safe keeping. July 1, 2013 at 9:25am
Victoria: I will do as well! Apres L’Ondee makes a great scented nightgown.
My grandmother has it, but I scanned it and took some photos to make sure that the rest of us in the family have memories. I’ve never met that uncle, since he passed away before I was even born, but I’ve always felt his presence through his letters, photos and other mementos. July 1, 2013 at 1:36pm
RenChick: As much as it pains me at times to admit it, Feedly has the most features to offer someone that loved Google Reader. My migration wasn’t the smoothest, and actually was quite painful at times. But the Feedly support team is definitely responsive to adding features that we’ve become so used to in GR. I do hate seeing Google Reader go away though! It is/was the feed aggregator with the fullest feature set for what I used it for.
But I do subscribe to your posts by email, so I know I will not miss a one. Seeing a new post in my inbox always makes my day. I quite enjoy reading every one of them! July 1, 2013 at 9:39am
Victoria: I loved the simplicity of Google Reader, and I was disappointed that it was axed. I suppose that it’s good to learn about new tool as well, so I will look at it this way.
And thank you for your nice words! I in turn love seeing “[Bois de Jasmin] New Comment” notifications in my inbox from you guys. 🙂 July 1, 2013 at 1:39pm
Lucas: Isn’t it frustrating a little bit that Google decided to shut down their Google Reader.
But faithful readers will always find a way to stay close to you.
Speaking of Apres L’Ondee – I’ve got a sample of it, but I’m sure it’s the newer formulation. July 1, 2013 at 9:46am
Victoria: So unexpected! (At least, for me). But we move with the times. 🙂 July 1, 2013 at 1:41pm
Fernando: Feedly it is, on my iPad. I definitely need to try Apres l’Ondee. July 1, 2013 at 10:35am
Victoria: It’s one of my favorite classical Guerlains, so yes, I’m very enthusiastic in recommending it! July 1, 2013 at 1:42pm
Monica: What a special letter! I wish I could read Russian. It’s a nosy question, but what does it say? I can make out the date December 28 1944. July 1, 2013 at 12:42pm
Victoria: It’s a poem! In the beginning of the letter he wishes his family a Happy New Year and hopes that he will see them soon. And then he includes a long poem dedicated to his young nephew. July 1, 2013 at 1:43pm
solanace: Funny thing you mentioned it, my husband cannot smell Après l’Ondée, at all, which is such a shame! 🙁
Guess I’ll have to stick to my l’ Heure Bleue… July 1, 2013 at 12:51pm
Victoria: Or you could wear L’Heure Bleue for your husband and keep Apres L’Ondee for yourself. 🙂 But of course, L’HB is another gem, so either way, you’re golden. July 1, 2013 at 1:44pm
solanace: Thank’s for pointing out the importance of wearing perfume for oneself! 🙂 I won’t shy away from my precious Amouage samples when I’m home alone, actually, I think it’s the best time to fully appreciate them. But still, investing on a Guerlain FB that the guy is anosmic too… there are other things higher on my list, such as that Shalimar in perfume concentration I’m craving right now. July 1, 2013 at 2:25pm
Victoria: I was just teasing you, since I already know that you do. Shalimar parfum is an investment, of course, but it’s a worthwhile one. 🙂 July 1, 2013 at 3:02pm
solanace: 🙂 But I mean it, I think it is important to stress this, which might be the first law in the ‘perfumista code’:
Wear your perfume for yourself.
Of course, seducing is great, projecting a confident image feels good and comes in handy, but the real point, in my opinion, is being able to enjoy art during the day. Perfume is a kind of walkman.
And yes, I’m getting the Shalimar. I absolutely need it. 🙂 That, and a big decant of Ylang in Gold. July 2, 2013 at 5:38am
Victoria: Ylang in Gold is my favorite from Micallef so far. It smells so lush and tropical. Not something I would wear daily, but it is interesting. July 2, 2013 at 10:53am
Ari: I had an unexpected trip to the Bergdorf Goodman Guerlain counter and wanted to try the current Apres l’Ondee for myself, but was told that they were out of stock and had no tester. Hmmm. But I did get to try L’Heure Bleue parfum! It is more bare-bones than I remember, although who knows whether it is L’Heure Bleue or my memory that is at fault. July 1, 2013 at 1:21pm
Victoria: I don’t know sometimes either. I fear that I always expect the worst outcome, so I try not to judge without a side by side comparison. July 1, 2013 at 1:46pm
Elizabeth: Thank you for the Apres l’ondee update! I am very glad to hear that it is still in good shape. That Bergdorf’s tester I tried must have gone off. Sometimes I have trouble knowing who to believe when it comes to reformulations: One person says today’s Chanel no 19 is a travesty, another thinks it is beautiful, one person says that L’Heure Bleue and Mitsouko are “dead,” another says they are still recognizable. But your opinion is one I always trust! 🙂 July 1, 2013 at 1:24pm
Victoria: In the end, it’s best to try for yourself, of course. For instance, when I try the new formulations and find them very different, I think in terms of “would I wear this perfume as it is now?” Of course, No 19 is not how it was in the 1970s. Mitsouko is different now that IFRA restricts some of its key materials. But even with these changes, they are stunning, high-quality perfumes. I wear and enjoy them in their current form.
But of course, not all reformulations are this good and some fragrances I’ve just had to forget altogether (Miss Dior, I’m looking at you). July 1, 2013 at 1:50pm
solanace: I like your approach, it’s a joyful way to look at things. I never got to know the old Guerlains, but I saw what they did to Jolie madame and Cabochard. It kills me inside, but I don’t want to be stressed by my perfume! That’s why I’m so thankful to Serge Lutens, Patricia de Nicolai, Amouage and all the great brands that didn’t exist (at least for me) when I was a teen. They make me feel happy about the present. And as someone wisely said, the old days were awful for the gay, the black, the women… I don’t want to mistify the past! July 1, 2013 at 2:37pm
Victoria: Yes, yes, yes, on all of your points. I’m prone to being a bit nostalgic, since I no longer live in the place I grew up, but it all has to be kept in a perspective. July 1, 2013 at 3:17pm
solanace: I can’t deny I’m a bit of a nostalgic too, mostly because I hate cars, and there are so many of them here! I grew up hoping for the day the world’s oil supply would end, but now it seems they are going to plant fuel instead of food. It’s refreshing that we have good things that are typical of our times, too. Not only the big things, like gay rights, but also many (not so) little joys: Sofia Coppola, the return of artisanal bread (and beer), your blog (and internet in general – how hard was it to find out about a song we would listen on the radio, if the guy for some reason didn’t say anything?), Amouage, cable tv (how on Earth did people nurse a baby before?), organic markets… Not to mention that now boys don’t shoot birds any longer, and we can see many of them, sometimes even tucanoes and Brazilian eagles (carcará) right in the city! July 2, 2013 at 5:26am
Victoria: How amazing about these birds! At least, there is some push to protect them. July 2, 2013 at 10:52am
Yelena: I was just thinking about you AND Apres l’Ondee. I got a bottle of the newer release (the bee bottle). Igor says it smells like something out of the Soviet era in a bad way- like the perfume a woman at the meat counter would wear. He has asked me to refrain from wearing it (a first!!!!). I am wounded- it reminds me of la Belle Epoque and I feel so chic wearing it. July 1, 2013 at 1:50pm
Victoria: It must be the violet and carnation combo. But if he feels that strongly about it, there is no way to change his perception. July 1, 2013 at 2:53pm
Lila: Dec. 28th is my birthday!
I have to douse myself multiple times throughout the day with ALO and even then I’m only vaguely aware of it. I’ve seen where a lot of people compare ALO with Malles L’Eau d’Hiver. Personally, I find lEdH more similar to Lutens Claire de Musc, so I layered ALO and Claire and it was lovely. July 1, 2013 at 1:53pm
Victoria: I love your layering combination idea, and I will definitely try it. Claire de Musc with a shot of violet sounds very nice. July 1, 2013 at 2:57pm
Austenfan: Love the letter. My nosy self is thinking of lots of questions but frankly all of that is none of my business!
Unlike you, I rather enjoyed the EDT of Nuits Etoilées but so far haven’t acquired a bottle. I clearly need to try the EDP as well and then decide which one I prefer.
Après l’Ondée has been on my wishlist forever. I am glad that you think the current EDT passes muster as bottles of the extrait are occasionally sold on ebay for outrageous amounts of money. July 1, 2013 at 1:57pm
Victoria: I really don’t mind!
I would be curious to hear what you think on edt vs edp. Perhaps, you will miss the bracing sharpness of the edt, since the edp really plays up the warm, ambery notes more.
Buying extrait de parfum of Apres L’Ondee at exorbitant prices is not worth it to me, since it’s such a delicate perfume and there is a good chance it won’t be fresh. July 1, 2013 at 3:01pm
Austenfan: I just wondered where he served and did he survive the war?
I will report back on the EDP.
I just finished watching a small documentary about the potato, the first installment was in Belarus. It was on Flemish television. July 1, 2013 at 3:43pm
Victoria: I need to ask my grandmother where he served exactly, but by the time he was writing this letter, he was near the Polish border. And yes, he survived the war and continued his work as a musician. He died very tragically though, in a car accident a few years after the war. I will try to insert his photo in a sec. July 1, 2013 at 3:57pm
Victoria: Here is my great uncle, around the time he was writing that letter.
Austenfan: Thank you so much! July 1, 2013 at 4:12pm
Maja: Great photo. Pensive but somehow calm gaze. Love it. “Soobshchaju chto ja zhiv…” That is so touching.
I will miss Google Reader, tried Feedly but it didn’t work properly so I gave up. Going to follow on FB as usual. Or just type Bo… in my address bar! 🙂 July 1, 2013 at 5:12pm
Victoria: “I’m letting you know I’m alive…” My great grandmother kept his photo above her bed, and it seemed as if he really were around. I wish I had asked her more about him and other family members when she was still alive, but you don’t often think of these things when you’re a teenager. When I was visiting my grandmother recently, every evening as we had tea, she would remember different stories, and I wrote them down. July 1, 2013 at 5:36pm
Mer: /off topic
I loved the potato documentary, however Belarus was not the first installment. The first was in Peru, the second in Spain, the third in Ireland if I remember correctly, then perhaps came Belarus. It ran a few months ago for the first time, and was now being rerun (this way I got to watch the first two which we had missed). July 3, 2013 at 11:34am
Victoria: I want to see it too! What is it called, or on what channel is it shown? July 3, 2013 at 12:52pm
Mer: It was “De Patat” in Canvas. There’s a wiki apparently: http://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Patat
So Belarus was second last. I loved the countryside.
I think the episodes might be around YouTube. July 3, 2013 at 1:44pm
Victoria: Thank you very much! I will definitely check it out. Here in Belgium I’m totally in love with bintjes potato variety. It tastes exactly like the potatoes my grandmother used to grow (and now even she moved onto new, high-yielding hybrids). July 3, 2013 at 4:53pm
Mer: I love bintjes for frying. We did have access to them as I was growing up (we definitely didn’t know how to pronounce it, though, hehe), they had them in a stall in the big market (this was in Barcelona). We like very crunchy, rather thin fries and they are perfect for that.
Funny that here they seem to be considered basic, tasteless potatoes. Indeed some firm varieties are so delicious boiled, not to mention roasted, I never knew a boiled potato could be so good. July 4, 2013 at 3:36am
Victoria: That’s what I also don’t understand. They taste buttery and creamy to me. When you fry them, you get a perfect melting soft center and crunchy outside. Heaven! July 7, 2013 at 3:25pm
Mer: Fried, yes they’re the best 🙂 although I still prefer thinner fries that don’t have too much of a soft center (they are also fantastic for tortilla de patatas, which I make with very thin and crunchy slices, very different than what was showed in the documentary) But roasted or boiled, funnily enough, they’re not all that amazing, I think. July 7, 2013 at 4:43pm
Austenfan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZduDjh707Q
Just found the Belgian one! July 5, 2013 at 7:06pm
Austenfan: Yes I read that in my tv guide. I enjoyed it very much. I’m sorry to have missed the others.
I especially loved the presenter talking to the Belarussian(?) grandmother. She was clearly quite taken with him, and he, bless him, didn’t mind at all. July 5, 2013 at 7:04pm
Mer: Yes, I still remember that :)) July 7, 2013 at 4:38pm
Austenfan: Well I have now tried the EDP and I am very glad I did. While I like the eau de toilette the edp is gorgeous. It seems more coherent, more seamless and overall just a “better” blend. I clearly need a bottle! July 6, 2013 at 1:09pm
Victoria: Isn’t it just? I was completely smitten when I tried it, and I really didn’t like the EDT. July 7, 2013 at 4:07pm
Donna: Thank you for letting us know Apres hasn’t changed much as I’m planning on trying it at last. My need for it has been fueled by its consistent good reviews and also that it is mentioned in one of my favorite books, Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford. July 1, 2013 at 3:02pm
Victoria: I wouldn’t say that it’s identical to what it used to be, but it still smells very good and is still an interesting, memorable perfume. So, I hope that you have a chance to try it. (I can relate, I’ve always wanted to try No 5, because it was mentioned in one of my favorite novels, The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov.) July 1, 2013 at 3:32pm
annemariec: Oh yes, I know that reference in Love in a Cold Climate – it’s when Linda was in the refugee camp in Perpignan. She took her perfume with her. Because of that I was curious for years about Apres l’Ondee – and then disappointed when I finally tried it. I’m one of the ones who can hardly smell it! Ah well, there’s plenty of other perfume to love. July 2, 2013 at 6:39am
george: I wont get to see nijinksy dance for the Ballet Russes, and won’t ever own an imperial faberge egg. But- hey!- I’ve got a bottle of Apres l’ondee, and tweaked or not, it still absolutely feels like a masterpiece from that time, and it’s mine! July 1, 2013 at 4:29pm
Victoria: Beautifully put, George! I’m wearing it right now, and it’s like a scent from another time. And, I suppose, it really is. July 1, 2013 at 5:31pm
Courant: Starved as we are of niche fragrances and exclusifs I went on a fragrance bender during my recent vacation in the USA, but I didn’t buy anything. I ended up buying a bottle of Chanel No 19 EDP on my re-entry. Some of the perceived loss is due to reformulation but some of it is due to being de-sensitized. There are so many excellent fragrances available. I guess the same applies to Apres l’ondee. Where once it was stellar now it is brought to earth July 2, 2013 at 4:09am
Victoria: In the end, this is true that you have plenty of choice in the market today. The only issue is that it is so big that exploring it can be exhausting. July 2, 2013 at 10:50am
Merlin: From the look of the letter, and photo, your great uncle seems to have been such a romantic! July 2, 2013 at 7:11am
Victoria: He really was! The flowers framing the angel are the real dried ones. Have no idea where he got them in the middle of winter! July 2, 2013 at 10:56am
Annunziata: I wish I liked Apres l’ondee better, I always found it so melancholy and just faintly unpleasant…ah well, more for the rest of you.
I am so moved by the letter and picture, how I wish I could read Russian. I own several grammars and an enormous dictionary, and when I have time I try, hoping to someday limp through a little Tolstoy in the original…but I often think, ruefully, of Nabokov referring to Edmund Wilson’s ‘long, hopeless infatuation with the Russian language’ — oh, well! July 7, 2013 at 3:15pm
Victoria: Can you read Cyrillic? Wow! That’s already impressive. My cousin learned several languages and he recommends a system of studying 5 words a day. You learn a lot!
And you can start reading something simple and then move onto Tolstoy. Please let me know if you need any recommendations. July 7, 2013 at 4:27pm
Annunziata: Victoria, you are so kind! I agree with your cousin, when I was studying French, I made lists of words all the time. If you have recommendations for me, I’d be very grateful, the textbooks are always full of rather dreary stories of someone on the Moscow subway…maybe I should try reading children’s stories to start. I know the alphabet and can sound out words, but I suspect I am teaching myself a very peculiar, previously unknown dialect! July 7, 2013 at 6:17pm
Victoria: It’s so much fun to talk about books, so I’m more than happy to give you some recommendations. I realized that many of my early children’s stories, the ones I read at school, involved Lenin somehow. But you probably don’t want to read those. On the other hand, I would recommend these:
Рассказы и сказки Григория Остера–these are hysterical, especially a collection of rhymed pieces called “Вредные Советы.”
Корней Чуковский — Сказки
Виталий Бианки — Рассказы и сказки (these are stories about animals, nature, and I loved them as a child)
Андрей Некрасов — Приключения капитана Врунгеля
Михаил Зощенко — Леля и Минька
Петр Ершов — Конёк-Горбунок
Анатолий Рыбаков — Бронзовая птица
Сергей Аксаков — Аленький цветочек
Валентина Осеева — Динка
Владимир Одоевский — Городок в табакерке
(And Туве Янссон — Сказки про Муми-тролля (not Russian, but I love love love Tove Jansson’s stories; can’t resist adding a personal favorite))
If you google any of my recommendations, you will find several links to Russian libraries, from which you can download digital copies (provided the work is in open access). Depending on your level of comprehension, you can see what works best. Or another trick is to read a book in Russian you already know really well in English. Knowing the plot would help your comprehension and you will find learning vocabulary easiest. At least, I find it helpful. July 8, 2013 at 6:37pm
Annunziata: You are so generous with your time and knowledge. I’m really rather overwhelmed! I’m going to copy the titles by hand for the sheer pleasure of it. You’ve given me so much to start with. And yes, a little Lenin goes a long way, I think.
Spasibo! July 9, 2013 at 7:19pm
Victoria: It really was a pleasure to make the list, since it gave me a chance to glance at some of my old favorites. A little indulgence! 🙂 July 10, 2013 at 8:00am