I sailed through the year blogging at a fairly steady pace until the holiday season, and starting at Thanksgiving time I hit a wall. Although I had lots of ideas for Christmas posts I was so busy that I never got them out. And now I am less busy but the writing lethargy remains, so I decided that looking back at the year on The Fragrant Journey would at least be a good mental exercise for me, and possibly highlight some stories that newer readers may have missed.
Is this the gate to Heaven? The Guerlain entrance, Paris, des Champs-Elysees
The strongest theme of this blog has always been scents of place and fragrances that resonate with visited locations, and later can serve as a reminder of these pleasures. A summer trip to France provided lots of inspiration for scented posts, from visits to the grand Galeries Lafayette, pictured above, which remind me of a tall spectacular wedding cake to small boutique shops that one stumbles across regularly when walking the streets of Paris. But perhaps nothing topped the thrill of wandering through fields of lavender and seeing patchwork fields of purple and green, every bit as beautiful as I had dreamed it would be. If you dream of such a trip or are interested in scents that remind you of France you can follow my journey here with Everything Is Lavender and follow the links to seven more stories.
Interviewing perfumers has been one of the biggest bonuses of blogging, although I'm not sure if readers enjoy it as much as I do. This year I got to meet two fabulous perfumers who were so generous with their time.
First was the gracious and beautiful Pissara Umavijani who welcomed me to her Paris shop. It was such a wonderful morning spending time with her and shop-dog Bambi in her elegant atelier. If you missed it you can read it here.
Pissara Umavijani of Parfums Dusita.
I also met Olivier Durbano who resides in Grasse and is passionate about the revival of this town which is so important to the history of the perfume industry. His shop is a magical lair full of wonders and he was the kindest of hosts. His perfumes seem to breathe with his positive energy. You can read more here.
Olivier Durbano
The most unusual interview I had was with author Louise Penny, whose mysteries set in the imaginary town of Three Pines deep in the woods of Canada are perennial best sellers on the major book lists. I talked with her about why she scents her main characters as she does, and she was just as delightful as you would imagine if you've read her books and enjoyed the quirky characters she brings to life on the pages of her books. You can read more here.
Me with Louise Penny
A move right before the end of 2017 meant that 2018 was the first time in 14 years that Singapore was not the place I called home. Besides the numerous personal upheavals, this move directly affected my ability to source and sample perfumes. I had been spoiled with the convenience of taking a stroll to the nearby shopping district and having access to so many brands and being able to spray the newest perfume offerings, getting my exercise along with a new review. It was heaven! It's been a year and I am still adjusting!
It was a great honor to be listed as a nominee for a Perfumed Plum Award in 2018. The article which was in the running was a story from a trip to Rajasthan, India, in 2017 and you can read it here.
It was a great honor to be listed as a nominee for a Perfumed Plum Award in 2018. The article which was in the running was a story from a trip to Rajasthan, India, in 2017 and you can read it here.
Also as I stated last year, I don't do a best of list because there are so many bloggers who do that so well and who have sampled so many more perfumes than I was able to. On a personal level, I noticed that I have a developing appreciation for lighter more transparent scents. I still love the big dogs but I also now see places in my life where softer, less intrusive scents are welcome.
Reading these best of lists from Cafleurebon and Colognoisseur has spurred a sample order and you will be hearing more about those as the year develops, at least the successful scent trials. I hated to close out without at least one perfume review. I read about Essence Rare Houbigant on several blogs and it seemed just the sort of scent I would love. I don't have access to many brands where I live but I knew the local Neiman Marcus would be carrying this one so I went to give it a try, hopes high. Initially, it was a big disappointment. It's not that I didn't like it but at that price point I expect to be moved.
Essence Rare takes an hour before I begin to understand the fuss. When I first spray it I actually dislike it, and that is not that common for me. I do not smell the profusion of flowers or the mandarin notes. Eventually I do begin to smell lily and powdery notes but everything stays muted and quiet and never develops and blooms as I would expect from a perfume of this stature. I do believe in the effects of skin when mixing a perfume so your experience may well be delightful. Essence Rare is extremely pleasant but color me underwhelmed. This is what sometimes happens when the build-up of expectations is so enormous; it's the perfect setup for disappointment. At the end of the perfume's evolution I conclude that while I would happily wear this if someone were to gift it to me, I would never, ever, lay out the money it would cost me to add this to my collection. This quick review is based on one experience and I had something else sprayed on the other arm so it's possible if I gave it a more serious try I would come to a different conclusion.
Now all I can hope is that the rather large Luckyscent sample order I just placed based on other bloggers end of year recommendations will turn out to be more successful.
Thank you to those of you who have read some of my posts this year and to those who took the time to comment, either here or on my Facebook page, bless you! These conversations and these "online friendships" with fellow perfume lovers is a big part of the joy for me.
May we all have a 2019 filled with happiness and new discoveries!
1 comment :
Your year seems like a solid year of blogging :). The most important part, in my opinion, is to enjoy what you're doing. So if you want to write, have time and inspiration, do it. If even one of these is missing, there's nothing bad in waiting for the right moment.
I also had higher hopes for Essence Rare based on the nose, notes and the fact that I like 2 perfumes from the brand. It was pleasant but I wanted more... I plan to try it once again: sometimes after the initial disappointment I might feel differently about what I smell since I start really low in expectations.
Have a great 2019!
Post a Comment