Most of June I’ve spent either traveling or recovering from it so perfume-wise that month went like in a haze.
Since I didn’t want to bring samples with me in June I tested1 less perfumes than I normally do but I had a chance to sniff a lot of new perfumes both in Vienna and in Paris so most perfumes I tested this month were new for me.
For my trip (have you seen my pictures of linden blossom I took in Ukraine, Austria and France?) I took with me about 20 different perfumes but I wore2 only 14 of them.
What I realized was that living in the area with a great climate and adequate AC systems everywhere I’ve got a completely wrong idea about what perfumes would be suitable for heat. Not only I couldn’t enjoy many of my favorites I thought I would but also I discovered that hot humid weather disagrees with most of my perfumes: they would disappear from my skin within a couple of hours after the application and under the circumstances I didn’t even feel like re-applying.
For this month’s statistics I decided to look into how weather conditions affected my enjoyment of perfumes. I compared my reactions during this trip to the most recent pre-trip ones I had for the same perfumes.
I still enjoyed the perfumes I wore on more occasions than not. And there was even one perfume – Diptyque Volutes that I loved much more wearing there than when I tested it earlier. But eight times of twenty the weather came between me and perfumes I used to enjoy at home.
Has anything like that ever happened to you?
Quick June stats:
Numbers in parenthesis are comparison to the previous month’s numbers.
* Different perfumes worn: 23 (-3) from 19 (-1) brands on 29 (0) occasions;
* Different perfumes tested: 24 (-4) from 17 (-1) brands on 26 (-4) occasions;
* Perfumes I tried for the first time: 21 (12);
* Perfume houses I wore most often: Jo Malone, Keiko Mecheri, L’Artisan Parfumeur and Le Labo;
* Perfume houses I tested the most: Neela Vermeire Creations and Xerjoff;
1 When I wear a perfume I apply it to at least three-four points and usually I plan to spend at least 4-8 hours with the same scent so I’m prepared to re-apply if the original application wears off.
2 For the testing I apply a perfume to one area on my arms easily available for the repetitive sniffing. But, most likely, I’m the only one who can smell it. I can test two, sometimes even more perfumes at the same time.
Image: my own
Undina's Looking Glass 
I’ve definitely had weather interfere with my enjoyment of perfumes that I know I’ve liked in the past. And vice versa! I wore Volutes this week and enjoyed it – no more or less than I enjoyed it a few months ago though. Which Keiko Mecheri scents do you recommend, Undina?
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I’ve tried just several Keiko Mecheri’s perfumes, absolutely loved and boughtJohana and really liked Mogador but it needs more testing to see if I need more of it.
As to Volutes, I’m thinking about getting more once my sample is over.
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Dear Undina, thanks for the reminder to wear Volutes! Which one did you bring? The EDT or the EDP? We’ve been having nightmarish heat and humidity here in NY/NJ – I want it to be over NOW! NOW!
The perfume that surprised me as “blooming in the heat” was Carnal Flower. Color me surprised! Here I was thinking that I will wait until Winter to break out my decant but I’m glad I decided to experiment. The other 2 perfumes that worked well in the heat were Dior Mitzah and Chanel Exclusifs Bois des Iles.
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I’m still trying to decide which one I want – EdT or EdP but the one that just wowed me in Ukraine was in EdP concentration.
It’s supposed to be a record hot in here as well but I live in a blessed area close to the ocean: as soon as sun goes down a very pleasant cool breeze comes to cool off whatever got heated during the day (I even managed to get a cold sleeping under an open window!)
Earlier today I was thinking that BdI should be great now. I’ll wear it on Friday (tomorrow I’ll try to find something more… patriotic ;) ).
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Great statistics Undina! I’m very happy you enjoyed your European trip a lot!
In terms of trying Volutes, I just tried it a couple of weeks ago and I like it a lot.
I think it never happened to me so far that I liked the perfume more a few months later after a first try or after a bottle purchase earlier. Things like enjoying perfume inside/outside or on hot/cold days – yes, that happens to me.
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I have to clarify: I haven’t bought Volutes (yet? ;) ). I had a sample with me and decided to wear it – because nothing else seemed right in that weather.
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Alright! I’ve got a 3ml decant to go through :)
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Dear Undina
I do so adore your scientific approach to matter olfactory.
Yes, weather does play a huge role in my choices, and as you point out it is humidity that seems to change all.
Frangrances I would be happy to wear in hot dry weather can when wading through a day made warm wet cloud become unbearable.
Without wishing to sound lacking in bravery or choices, I do find myself in such circumstances relying more on clever cirtrus, cooling greens and light florals. Though the odd bold choice, especialy when vegetal, has often proved invaluable.
Do keep th mathematical observations coming.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
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I should have taken more Jo Malones with me! But since I have them all in reasonable 30ml bottles decanting seemed like a waste of vials and bringing full bottles like a waste of suitcase space. Oh, well…
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Dearest Undina
Yes, Jo Malones, Aqua Allegorias (the better ones), Jo Loves and colognes all work well for The Dandy when caught in humidity.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
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The other week I was in Fargo where it was cool and dry and I wore one of my summer favorites Iskander. Wrong! Iskander needs hot and humid to work on my skin.
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I associate Fargo only with Coen’s film and didn’t think of it as of a place to be (or wear your favorite perfume) :)
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Interesting, Undina. I feel like a broken record as I mention this so often on blogs, but I find I prefer almost all of my perfumes worn in the heat and humidity of summer. I did one time, though, have a bad experience with Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille, where the intense summer heat caused the vanilla to smell nauseatingly expansive.
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It seems like I prefer all my life to be not “in the heat and humidity of summer” :) Even when in Hawaii I prefer the dry part of the island.
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Oh to have Air Con and live by the ocean! We are supposed to get a two week heatwave in the UK starting tomorrow and people are bound to start complaining. I mostly find it tough at night and on the underground. Perfume-wise I will cracking open L’Heure Brilliante and maybe finishing my bottle of Ca Sent Beau. Unsurprisingly Ambre Narguile was positively suffocating when I tested it in the heat but I still want it for winter.
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During this last heatwave I was freezing in the office (I spent a couple of days covered with wool poncho ;) ). My comfort zone for temperature outside is very narrow: ~ +16 – +26C.
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I so enjoy the way you keep coming up with new variables to analyse – and I admire the fact that you still managed to keep up your meticulous recording despite being on the move for half of June.
And yes, I have had weather interfere with perfume – usually heat rather than cold, though I can’t cite chapter or verse. Hmm, except maybe powdery or incense-y scents seem wrong in the heat and in two famous cases – Floris Snow Rose and OJ Ta’if, one of my all-time greatest loves! – gave me a slight headache. That hasn’t happened since and I am hoping it was an isolated incident, as I would like to wear those year round.
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Thank you, Vanessa. I’m trying to keep these posts enterntaining :)
As for the record keeping, it became a necessity: I feel a little lost when I can’t figure out which perfume I wore last Monday ;)
Ta’if was one of the perfumes that worked great despite the weather (I wore it to my class re-union). So you should give it another try.
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I haven’t noticed such a major difference with as many fragrances. Maybe a couple seem to have seasonal shifts. I am surprised to hear you liked Volutes more, which I would not think would love the heat. (I am assuming it was hot.)
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It was! And unexpectedly it felt very natural in the heat.
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Jo Malones sound good in our weather, and probably are pleasant all year long for you-you are lucky.
Otherwise I like Keiko Mecheri too, have you tried her Patchoulissme?
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We are lucky with the weather – and I always remember and acknowledge that.
There are no stores that carry Keiko Mecheri line so I have a very little exposure to it (4-5 perfumes). I haven’t tried Patchoulissme (yet?)
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Terrific post, Undina! I actually had the reverse: going from hot and sticky NYC where monster a/c is few and far between (I only run mine at night to save on bills), I went to visit my parents in the midwest where everything is a/c’ed to death! I quickly had to adjust my summer perfume strategy which is normally to douse myself because it’s so hot outside that perfume just flies off my skin.
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We almost never turn on A/C at home but in the office I’m getting cold even when it’s 90+ outside. But my perfumes love that cool temperature :)
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I’m sure! NYC is so sticky and awful in the summer. I dream of a place where I almost never have to turn on the a/c!
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Undina, every time I visit your page I always get stucked at your sthatistics :) Usually I am searching for additional informations, reviews, but you should make a registered trademark – Undina’s sthatistics :) :)
J.
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It’s not my fault! :) I do not mislead people: these posts have only “my stats” category, I do not “stuff” my posts with brands key words just because I mention them in the statistics post.
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