Happy New Year! I hope that this year will bring you much happiness and that all of your wishes will come true. Most importantly, I hope that it will bring you new adventures, new discoveries and fresh motivation to learn something new. For my part, in 2018 I’m planning to share more sensory pursuits with you, and I’m looking forward to exchanging thoughts on art, books, cooking, music, and of course, scents. I know that some of you have signed up for my Perfume & Wine Course in Burgundy, and I look forward to meeting you there.
Our scent diary is back for 2018, and the premise is the same as before. You can write about anything you wish in this thread, but those who would like to use the Scent Diary to sharpen their sense of smell, I will give a short explanation. As I wrote in How to Improve Your Sense of Smell, the best way to sharpen your nose is to smell and to pay attention to what you’re smelling. It doesn’t matter what you smell. The most important thing is to notice whatever you smell around you. It’s even better if you write it down. So please share your scents and perfumes with us.
Bois de Jasmin is on a break this week, and we will return with a new article on Monday, January 8th.
Photography by Bois de Jasmin
49 Comments
Eudora: Happy new year Victoria and perfume lovers. I am quite new in my love to perfume and find that there is a lot of perfumes I want to try, old and new, but I do not have the access right now. So I look for a place to buy samples online. I am living in Spain right now. Do you recommend me a place?
I found that Etat Libre d’ Orange has a discovery set. What do you think about it? Do you know other perfume houses offering those kind of sets?
Thank you so much! January 2, 2018 at 8:37am
Austenfan: Just my two cents;
There are quite a few perfume houses offering sample(s) (sets), and I personally think that ELdO is very much worth exploring.
If you would wish to buy samples from different houses I think that probably AusLiebezumDuft is one of your best bets. Have fun sniffing! January 2, 2018 at 11:16am
CristinaM: Neos1911 has a great sampling service too. €25 for a gift card with 10 samples, which you can deduct from your next purchase January 3, 2018 at 5:37am
Eudora: Thanks for your recommendations. I really appreciate it. January 3, 2018 at 12:55pm
Gabriela: Hi Eudora, I live in Barcelona and there are many perfume shops worth visiting. In Madrid there are many options too, where do you live? January 3, 2018 at 4:17am
Eudora: I am visiting Barcelona 😍 next month so I am all ears! January 3, 2018 at 12:58pm
Gabriela: E-mail me at [email protected] and I will give you a list! January 3, 2018 at 2:56pm
Victoria: I also would love to see your list, so please share it! January 5, 2018 at 7:18pm
Gabriela: Hi Victoria! It’s my pleasure!
In Barcelona there are great options:
Regia, there you can find FM and also there is a wonderful perfume museum.
Les Topettes, mainly Dyptique.
La Basilica, wonderful niche perfumes!
Happy New Year! January 6, 2018 at 3:31am
Mj: Eudora
there’s a new Atelier Cologne counter at El Corte Inglés Pl. Catalunya. It’s fairly new by the way. January 5, 2018 at 5:01pm
Eudora: Thanks Mj, They have a 30 samples discovery set I found very interesting. I am a little ashamed to confess AC is new to me. I mean I only have your references.
In your opinion, you would recommend me AC or the Etat Libre d’Orange set? Thanks and happy 2018. January 5, 2018 at 5:54pm
Amalia: Happy new year Victoria and to all perfume lovers/followers of Bois de Jasmin. Good Health, luck and happiness! January 2, 2018 at 10:06am
Filomena: Happy New Year Victoria! January 2, 2018 at 10:30am
Richard Goller: Happy New Year, Victoria! Looking forward to your posts in 2018. R January 2, 2018 at 10:31am
Austenfan: Best wishes for 2018, Victoria! I hope it will be another year of travels and adventures for you! January 2, 2018 at 11:13am
lovestosmellgood: Many wishes for beautiful moments for you in 2018! Happy New Year! January 2, 2018 at 11:16am
rickyrebarco: Looking forward to more beautiful posts in 2018. I’ve been craving amber scents so far in 2018. Wearing my favorite Maitre Parfumer et Gantier Ambre Precieux today. L’Antichambre ambers the rest of the week, Le Tabac is a stunning amber with tobacco notes and Le Chocolat Ambre is really nice. January 2, 2018 at 11:25am
zephyr: A wonderful New Year to you, Victoria, and all BdJ readers! I look forward to all the posts and comments here. I haven’t commented much for several months, due to a death in my family and ongoing estate/trustee duties. Reading BdJ has been a refuge of all kinds of beauty for me – olfactory, intellectual, cultural – much-needed calm. Thank you, Victoria! January 2, 2018 at 7:09pm
Kneale: Happy New Year, Victoria! Wishing you and the Bois de Jasmin community a great 2018! I look forward to visiting more often- your site is truly special and a place of kindness and great joy. January 2, 2018 at 8:49pm
Gabriela: Happy New Year Victoria and for all the readers. I love your blog, it makes me disconnect from everything and I learn very much. Thank you. January 3, 2018 at 4:20am
Sarah: Happy New Year, Victoria and fellow fragrance fans! Wishing you all a healthy, peaceful and prosperous new year!❤️ January 3, 2018 at 5:44pm
Tam: People in the grocery store and Library smelling of Violette hairdressing and laundry detergent. A woman librarian wearing something that reminded me of a more masculine fragrance I knew as a kid. Maybe English leather. January 4, 2018 at 3:53am
penny: I often forget to get in touch with that sense when I am out and about mainly because I live in London and traffic fumes etc put me off going around taking in big whiffs of air, but i did acquire a scented candle supposed to smell of lavender and a french garden but it smells like shoe polish instead ( which i love by the way) , and also i smelt comme de garcons concrete recently which I found fascinating I think it does smell very like wet pavements i liked it. January 8, 2018 at 5:36am
Notturno7: Happy New Year, Victoria and BdJ fragrance fans. Lately, I’ve been in love with some of my recent,vintage pure perfume finds.Caron Bellodgia extract is just heavenly, especially at night, few dabs before going to bed for sweet dreams. It smells rich and otherworldly to me, like nothing else I have.
Because it’s cold and right after Christmas, Nuit de Noel extract hits the spot!
My recent discoveries, Miss Dior vintage! I never tried this fragrance before. EdT I found on ebay is just quite something. The drydown is so special. I wonder if it’s oak moss and iris. It feels so rich and precious. Old school and classy! Even in EdT!
Another recent treasure discovery, Cabochard pure perfume. With its dark green wintery and smokey notes and exquisite drydown, it reminds me of Hermes Caleche extrait I have.
I’ve also been craving and wearing L’Air de Temps extrait and vintage Femme in this rainy cold weather.
Thank you, Victoria. Your wonderful reviews made me find Bellodgia, Cabochard and Miss Dior vintage and I love them! January 4, 2018 at 6:34am
Karen A: Hello Notturno7!!! All your fragrance finds sound so wonderful! My refuge of late has been Chamade extrait – keeping me calm in this crazy world. January 5, 2018 at 5:41pm
Notturno7: Dear Karen, so nice to hear from you! I’ve been meaning to write you an email. Hope life’s good and while your beautiful garden rests in winter, you have time for weaving and maybe making clothes with those gorgeous fabrics you made.
Happy New Year 😀
Yes to Chamade, thanks for the reminder. I have an extract that I’ve been ‘saving’, silly me, cause the bottle is so precious, like a jewel, but a friend who travels a lot bought me a EdP that I asked for, because I could only find EDT and I wanted a stronger concentration. Now, I know that probably doesn’t matter cause not always that means it’d be stronger. He’s been told in many countries that they don’t make EDP anymore but he found it in Paris!
I wore 24 Faubourg today, cream first that the amazingly generous SA gave me a tester of, because I bought a lot of stuff in the past, followed by a few sprays.
Karen, did you end up liking the sample I sent you, enough to buy a FB? Anyways, it’s a beautiful perfume.
God, I love this blog. ❤️ Reading your comments and learning about these gorgeous fragrances is so much fun. January 6, 2018 at 1:56am
Karen A: Oh, don’t save your Chamade! Wear it with glorious abandon! You are right, the garden is resting and I am weaving and spinning – just made a wrap out of my handspun yarn and it brings me so much joy. Will email. January 6, 2018 at 9:48am
Nora Szekely: Hi Notturno7,
I have my eyes on a bottle of vintage Miss Dior EDT. I own a bottle of it made in 2011 (just before they renamed it Miss Dior Originale) but would like to smell one produced before the 90s. Hopefully I can get it. January 12, 2018 at 4:13am
Notturno7: Dear Nora,
I hope you get it. ❤️
I’m surprised how much I like my new vintage Miss Dior bottle. It is 2 Oz dab bottle so I haven’t used it much because I’m afraid I’ll use it up too fast!
Let us know how it compares with your newer Miss Dior. I’m so curious! January 12, 2018 at 2:38pm
Nora Szekely: Sure, I will report back. January 12, 2018 at 2:52pm
Karen A: Happy New Year Victoria and all BdJ people. Winter cold cold cold with snow and winds and against n I reach for either something with roses – NR Fleur Musc is my current love, or Chamade which just feels so right. January 5, 2018 at 5:45pm
Eudora: Dear Victoria, who is the one in the portrait’s book? January 5, 2018 at 5:57pm
Victoria: That’s Nikolai Gogol. January 5, 2018 at 7:18pm
Victoria: Happy New Year to all once again! I hope that you’ve started it well. January 5, 2018 at 7:19pm
Natalja: Happy New Year, Victoria. Thank you for the fascinating world of scents, art and literature you are sharing with your readers. Its that time of the year for ” Вечера на хуторе близ Диканьки” . I absolutely adore the Alexander Rou’s movie too.
Hope you are enjoying your holidays.
P.S What Annick Goutal parfume is on the photo? Thank you. January 5, 2018 at 11:37pm
Nora Szekely: Hi Natalja,
I’m not Victoria, but I think it is Encens Flamboyant on the photo. January 12, 2018 at 4:17am
Victoria: I also love that film, and I watch it almost every year before Christmas.
Nora is right, that’s Encens Flamboyant. January 12, 2018 at 10:07am
Satsukibare: Happy New Year to all! Yesterday, while wandering through the perfume section of the Isetan Department Store in Tokyo, I discovered a small display of perfumes created by Miya Shinma, a Japanese perfumista who grew up here but now lives in Paris. After sampling several of her creations, I decided to buy “Kimono Hinoki” EdP, based on hinoki, Japanese cypress, with touches of clementine, clove, aloes, musk, and patchouli. For years I’ve loved wearing Mitsouko in winter, but I wanted to start the year in something a little brighter, less abstract, and I think this is it! January 6, 2018 at 12:49am
Nora Szekely: Hi Satsukibare,
It sounds wonderful. I hope we can get Miya Shinma’s creations in my country, will have a try. January 12, 2018 at 7:25am
Aurora: Happy New Year, Victoria, health and happiness and I hope you enjoyed your time away. This morning I enjoyed particularly using my homemade face mist, I recently added rosemary to it and it has a pleasant medicinal scent now. Yesterday I was regretting not having any boulangerie accessible to buy a galette des rois. It hasn’t caught up in the UK. January 7, 2018 at 7:56am
Inma: A little bit too late but I wish you all a very Happy New Year!
Still getting used to smelling consciously…learning.
Our Magic Kings here in Spain broght to me a Jo Malone’s red roses soap and a Nesti Dante´s iris sensual, in the perfume section. Exploring both soaps is being a delicious experience these days. January 8, 2018 at 9:54am
Pearl: Happy New Year everyone! Whilst visiting my family in France I fell in love and purchased “Un matin d’orage” by Annick Goutal. It’s been a pleasure wearing it everyday though I do wish it lasted a bit longer on my skin (it tends to disapear after a couple of hours). Perhaps this is the beginning of a love affair with Gardenia <3 ! January 8, 2018 at 1:10pm
Nora Szekely: Hi Pearl,
Un matin d’orage is such a beautiful, unique scent. I enjoy it a lot, however it does not last too long on me either. I think Jean-Claude Ellena wrote in his scent diary that we should not judge scents based on longevity as some formulas disappear faster. So I try to keep this in mind when using my most fleeting perfumes (i. ex my beloved Apres L’Ondee EDT). January 12, 2018 at 4:11am
Nuitdenoel: Notturno7: may I ask where you get your extraits from? I rarely find those in online shops like Luckyscent etc, and I still have not dared order anything from Ebay… January 10, 2018 at 6:56am
Karen A: Not sure which extraits you are looking for but will answer, Chamade I got from Saks (same for the bottle of Nahema before it was discontinued). The Saks I go to has a full line of Chanel perfumes including the Exclusifs, so any extraits not in store they will order.
Not sure if this helps! January 10, 2018 at 7:36am
Nuitdenoel: Thank you, Karen A! Looks like I will have to go the US! 🙂 January 11, 2018 at 5:39am
Karen A: Ooops! My brain didn’t register that you were asking Notturno7! January 11, 2018 at 6:22am
Nuitdenoel: Haha, no probs at all! Appreciate all answers! January 11, 2018 at 7:01am
Nora Szekely: Hi Victoria and perfume lovers,
Happy New Year to all!
This Christmas was abundant in vintage scents which I strongly needed, as I caught a cold and only strong vintage stuff could cut through the hazy cloud separating me from the rest of the world. My family knows about my addiction …ahem.. I mean passion for scents but does not dare to choose for me so I got some nicely packed hard cash from them to pick something up for myself. I recently discovered a Hungarian cosmetics review site where perfumistas can swap or sell samples from their perfumes. It’s a great community, I recommend to all to look for a similar site in your own country. Decanting can be a huge relief for those who like myself hoarded so many full bottles, that we could eventually get a Viking funeral in our own perfume pond.
So back to my discoveries: first I found and bought vintage EDT of Poison. I know it’s a love or hate scent for many but as I love statement fragrances (go big or go home as they say), I had to have it. Oh my, it is such a beautiful monster. I simply spray in the air and walk through the mist otherwise it would make me (and everyone else on the same continent) faint. It is highly addictive and perfect for the holiday season, the fruity-floral aroma has a Christmas feel for me. I don’t always match scents with colours but this perfume is the darkest purple imaginable, think eye colour of Lucifer 😉
My next finding was Chamade vintage EDT. A few years ago I ordered a vintage sample set form the perfumed court. Chamade was the last one I fell in love with, but in the end I inevitably did. Lately I used up the last drops and resented its current price on ebay only to discover that the EDT version was offered on above mentioned Hungarian site. My EDT is only 10 ml but it should last me for a long time. The icing on the cake is that I just finished reading La chamade that inspired the scent. The love affair in the book begins on the first spring day when the heroine is awaken by the playful wind. This scent to me is the whisper of that wind brushing through my curtains and making my heart beat faster with anticipation.
From a lovely lady I bought Bois des Iles EDT and Chanel no. 5 EDC samples. Bois des Iles is a winter comfort scent, so cozy and warm that I could cut back on my gingerbread latte intake while wearing it. No.5 eau de cologne – what can I say? I feel like Marilyn when I wear it to bed 😉
The crown jewel of the holiday season is however unquestionably (for me at least) vintage L’Heure Bleue that I managed to buy the very same day the seller listed it on the site. Current L’Heure Bleue EDT is like a relfection of my own soul in its most fragile state. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the beautiful vintage bottle with its glass stopper up for sale. I contacted the seller instantly and we closed the deal. I daresay I paid a decent price and the fact that I may need to eat canned soup for the rest of the year does not sadden me one bit. January 10, 2018 at 10:48am