January 20, 2022 by Undina

Brand Appreciation: INEKE

Many years ago, I planned to run a series of posts to feature brands that I wanted to spotlight – not because they’ve released the newest popular perfume or got some award but just because. It didn’t materialize, and I published just one post. Now I decided to come back to that idea*. And today’s choice is a local to me (San Francisco-based) niche brand named after its owner and perfumer: INEKE.

I’m not sure why this brand doesn’t get more love. I’m talking not as much of “hardcore perfumistas” with hundreds of uber-expensive uber-niche perfumes in their collection (not that I wouldn’t expect Ineke perfumes to be found there) but rather about perfume enthusiasts who clear out TJ Max perfume shelves or shop “bargain basement” of online discounters. In my opinion, INEKE has all the markers of a great brand for both “civilians” and people who report in the NST’s quarterly polls more than 15 bottles purchases.

INEKE’s perfumes are pleasant and pleasing; maybe not revolutionary or daring, but at the same time they are head above fruity-floral mass-market concoctions or cookie-cutter creations from the plethora of recent “niche” brands.

INEKE’s packaging is superb: bottles, boxes and samples are all of the good quality and tastefully decorated.

INEKE’s prices are almost perfumista-free – $125 for 75 ml, which is quite reasonable if you like a scent.

INEKE has a flexible sampling program: one can get a set of 7 samples for $30 (which includes a $15 coupon for the future full-size bottle purchase) or buy individual samples for $5.

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I wrote before about two of my favorite perfumes from this brand: four months after I wrote about Hothouse Flower, a bottle of it joined my collection. And five years later, I bought Idyllwild and published a story about it.

But somehow, I’ve never written about the first perfume from this brand that I’ve ever bought: Field Notes From Paris.

This perfume was launched in 2009. Notes include coriander seed, orange flower, bergamot, tobacco flower & leaf, patchouli, cedar, tonka bean, leather, beeswax and vanilla. Perfumer: Ineke Ruhland.

Though Field Notes From Paris is leaning a tad masculine, I enjoy its cologne-y freshness in the opening, but even more, I like the woody development. Reading “orange flower,” “tonka bean” and “vanilla,” one would expect more sweetness from this perfume. It does get sweeter 60 minutes into development, but for my nose, the sweetness comes from a tobacco leaf (not fully dried type) and not from those usual suspects. Field Notes From Paris has good longevity, especially on fabric: once I remember it surviving a washing machine on my blouse. But on my skin, it’s also quite good.

From the sample set that I bought first time (perfume names from A to G), I liked Fields Notes From Paris the most, and soon I found and bought a partial bottle from one of the FB groups. When my father, who usually wore Chanel, Jo Malone and Creed, asked me to recommend him something interesting and unusual, I figured out that he wouldn’t be going to stores to ask for and test perfumes, were I to suggest anything new. So, instead, I did what probably any of you would do: I made him a set of small decants from perfumes I thought he might be interested in and added a couple of Diptyque samples I happened to have. After Rusty approved my choices, I sent the package to my father.

Over time he went through all the decants that I prepared for him, and when I visited, he showed me two that he liked the most. One of them was Field Notes From Paris. So, for his birthday last week, I got him a bottle of this perfume. I hope he’ll enjoy wearing it.

Now I’m looking forward to their next letter – K.

Images: my own

* Disclaimer: it is not a sponsored post. Also, I’ve never received any promotional or free items from the brand (if not to count a hand-made sample I got at the event once, but it wasn’t as a blogger).

January 15, 2022 by Undina

Saturday Question: What Perfume Bottles Got Better After The Re-design?

We habitually lament perfume reformulation of perfumes. Change in packaging often goes hand-in-hand with the changes in how perfume smells (and almost always it’s not a positive change). But what if we were to look only at bottles themselves leaving aside negative connotations of the whole process of repackaging?

Saturday Question #99:

What Perfume Bottles Got Better After The Re-design?

Can you think of any single perfume or brand’s bottles in general the second (or third) change to which you think was an improvement?

A bonus question: name 1-3 brands/perfumes where you disagree with the change and wish they haven’t done it. Don’t be “greedy”: do not do the whole laundry list of grievances. If you agree with someone else’s choice, add your negative vote to their comment – that will leave you more chances to scold the offending brand that hasn’t been named yet.

My Answer

I’m still lamenting the loss of those beautiful colored flutes of Annick Goutal, and I think that Teo Cabanel‘s glass bottles for their classic line were more attractive than the current “metallic” renditions. But I can think of at least one line whose repackaging increased their appeal to me: Mona di Orio. I know that some perfumistas preferred their champagne-bottle-style cap, but for my personal aesthetics, their second bottles interpretation for the line is much more attractive.

What do you think?

What Perfume Bottles Got Better After The Re-design?

January 8, 2022 by Undina

Saturday Question: Do You Keep Any Perfume Records? (And My 2021 Year Round-up Entertaining Statistics)

A couple of weeks ago, in another SQ post, Jyotsna suggested this question. And I decided it was a good idea to combine it with my yearly statistics post.

Saturday Question #98:

Do You Keep Any Perfume Records?

Do you have a spreadsheet of your entire collection? Or maybe you’re tracking them somewhere online, as a wardrobe in one of the perfume forums? Do you record what you wear or test? Or, maybe, what you buy?

If yes, how meticulous are you? If no, do you have a desire/urge to do it?

My Answer

As many of you probably know already, I record everything related to my perfume hobby in a database. If anyone hasn’t seen it yet and is curious, in my 2017 Year Round-up post I told more about that database and shared some screenshots. Data that I record there allows me to run these yearly calculations to share with my readers. I try to record what I wear or test daily (in the last year’s statistics post, I provided an infographic that explains wear vs test concept), but some days I don’t get to the home computer where I have that database, so then later I would try to catch up for several days, if I remember what it was.

In 2021, compared to 2020, I wore fewer perfumes (178 vs 210) from fewer brands (79 vs 96) on fewer occasions (291 vs 367). It means that for 2.5 months during 2021 I didn’t wear perfumes. It doesn’t mean that I was completely scentless on those days: if not to count several occasions when I wasn’t feeling well because of the vaccination shots, I used those days to test perfumes new to me or re-test those that I’ve previously tested. But even testing went down in 2021 (compared to 2020): I tested/re-tested 180 perfumes (327) from 68 brands (126).

My traditional Top 10 brands worn chart has the same 7 brands that keep re-appearing in my yearly posts for the last 9 years in slightly different order: Ormonde Jayne, Guerlain, Amouage, Tom Ford, Jo Malone, Chanel and Serge Lutens. The remaining three brands are new on that chart: Puredistance, Olfactive Studio and Masque Milano.

Nose Prose just did a post on the first week of the project she runs this month: to wear different perfume for each day. When I first read about it, I was almost surprised: how else? I’m so used to my routine of not repeating the same perfume for months, that I forgot that many people, even perfumistas, often rotate through some small subset of perfumes (and I’m not even talking about Brigitte who might wear the same perfume for weeks). This year, out of 178 perfumes that I wore 110 made their appearance just once. And perfume that I wore most often, Ormonde Jayne Ta’if, I wore only 6 times (plus 3 times I wore Ta’if Elixir).

The only aspect where I “improved” is the number of 2021 releases that I tested – 38 vs 22 (2020) vs 16 (2019). The list of my Top 5 new releases for 2021 is in the previous SQ post.

Now it’s your turn.

Do You Keep Any Perfume Records?

January 4, 2022 by Undina

Scent Semantics #3: LUSCIOUS

Today is the third episode of the collaboration of six bloggers: Portia (A Bottled Rose), Elena (The Plum Girl), Sheila (Alembicated Genie), Daisy (eau là là !), Old Herbaceous (Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities) and Undina (Undina’s Looking Glass).

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This month’s word is: LUSCIOUS

I read the word. I listened to my inner voice. Nope. Nothing. I don’t think I’ve ever used this word. So, not a single association, if not to count the name of the online perfume store – Luscious Cargo, but I’m not sure I’ve ever bought even samples from them. I decided to try a more straightforward approach: dictionary.

Let’s see what can be applicable to perfumes: “highly pleasing to the […] smell, richly adorned; luxurious and sweet to excess.”

This is something to work with.

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Created by Alienor Massenet in 2018 for Floraïku, I Am Not A Flower fits well that description. According to the brand’s site, I Am Not A Flower includes main notes of Ginger oil, Amber oil and Sandalwood oil, as well as additional notes of Rose, Vanilla, Sandalwood Essence and Patchouli Essence. Several other sites, including all major perfume forums and Harrod’s, list also “white oud” and do not mention the additional notes. Either they all got a wrong list from the same source or the brand has changed the description, but I can’t smell agarwood. And since I usually do not like it in perfumes, I assume I would have noticed its presence.

I have previously complained about Floraiku’s minimalism when it comes to revealing notes, so I feel strange complaining now about having “extras,” but I cannot smell either rose or patchouli. Why would they mention or use rose in perfume with the chosen name is puzzling. Maybe they were afraid it wouldn’t smell as sweet?..

I Am Not A Flower is quite pleasing to the smell; its packaging is luxurious and richly adorned; it is sweet; and in the drydown one could probably add that “to excess” part.

I always thought that Floraiku perfumes were overpriced for what they were, so I didn’t really plan on buying any when I stopped by the brand’s booth at the Harrod’s Salon de Parfums. I tried the only two perfumes from the line that I hadn’t tried before. I Am Not A Flower was one of them, and I liked it immediately. At that time, it was “Harrod’s exclusive,” so for a short period of time I considered purchasing it as perfume from that trip. But it was more than twice as expensive as the “regular” Floraiku perfumes, and I couldn’t justify that price.

I Am Not A Flower would have stayed just a pleasant memory of that trip if it weren’t for an unexpected find: one of the perfume sites had it listed, probably by mistake, for the same price other Floraiku perfumes were sold, and I got a significant discount on top of it. I couldn’t pass on that deal.

I Am Not A Flower is luscious woody amber perfume with almost caramelized ginger. It is sweet and rather feminine. And it stays long on my skin, though close to it.

What Floraiku does perfectly is packaging: it is beautifully made and very luxurious, as it should be with expensive perfumes. I know that some perfumistas questioned that massive cap, so I want to clarify that it doesn’t have to be used on the bottle: the set comes with a replacement regular cap, and the one that you see on the picture above becomes a holder for the included into the set 10 ml travel spray with its own cap (see the picture below).

I Am Not A Flower is pleasing to all senses, I do not have anything else that smells similar, and I enjoy owning and wearing it. But it is not phenomenal, so I would have never paid full price for it. In general, I think that it makes sense only as a luxury item for consumers who habitually buy those for $600+ for yourself or as gifts. But as luxury items go, in my opinion, Floraiku perfumes are impeccable.

Images: my own

January 1, 2022 by Undina

Saturday Question: What Are Your Top 5 Perfumes of 2021?

So, we’re in 2022. I think, by now we all learned to be rather cautious than optimistic about the year to unfold. But at the same time, in the beginning of something new (even though in this case it’s quite arbitrary, just a number accepted by a majority as an identifier for the span of time we find ourselves in), it is both customary and easy(ier?) to let yourself to be hopeful. So, let’s hope that the next 12 months will be kinder to those who had it hard in 2021 and at least not worse for those who didn’t suffer from that year much.

That was about life in general. Perfume-wise, in my opinion, 2021 wasn’t that bad. Yes, on the downside, some perfume events had been cancelled, and many of us had less opportunities to sniff something new both locally and while traveling. But at the same time, it felt like we finally got our wish: in 2021, not everyone and their uncle has launched a new perfume brand; and existing brands seemingly slowed down with new releases. And while we still had a lot more new releases than it’s feasible to test and review, somehow it felt less overwhelming (or maybe I just got used to it?).

So, I thought it might be interesting to share our “best of 2021” perfume finds.

Saturday Question #97:

What Are Your Top 5 Perfumes of 2021?

If you tried enough 2021 releases to come up with 5 that you liked, please share those. But if no, you do not have to limit yourself with just new launches: your top 5 might be of new for you perfumes that you tried in 2021 for the first time and liked. Or it can be 5 perfumes that you finally got into your collection in 2021. And if none of these apply (if you were on a strict “no buy” or just didn’t like anything), just give us your top 5 favorites that you wore in 2021.

My Answer

I plan to look into all of my 2021 numbers soon for my traditional Entertaining Statistics post, but I already looked it up and know that I tested 38 perfumes released in 2021 from 29 brands. And among those that I tested, there are enough perfumes that fit this week’s question. And I can even rank them.

#5: Chanel Paris – Edimbourg

While I don’t think I’ll buy Paris – Edimbourg for myself, I liked it, especially on my vSO. So, one day, after he finishes the samples I passed on him, he might get a bottle of it under a Christmas Tree.

#4: Eris Parfums Green Spell

What can I say? I love green perfumes. I’ll finish the sample I’ve got and then will probably get a 10 ml travel spray.

#3: Teo Cabanel Rendez Vous

Randez Vous was my favorite from the Teo Cabanel’s new line. I can see a small bottle in my future.

#2: Serge Lutens La Dompteuse Encagée

Since I reviewed La Dompteuse Encagee, I had a chance to test it in Hawaii and confirmed that I enjoy it in hot/tropical weather. But since, at least under those conditions, it is less tenacious than I would like it to be, it seems that I will “need” a bottle of it.

#1: Puredistance No. 12

I consider Puredistance to be “my brand”: I had a couple of “loves” from them over the years, and most of the rest perfumes were strong “likes.” But each of their last three releases, Gold, Rubikona and now No. 12 (why haven’t I wrote about it yet?!), was making it almost impossible for me to choose my #1 perfume from this brand. But for 2021, No. 12 is my uncontested No. 1.

What Are Your Top 5 Perfumes of 2021?

December 25, 2021 by Undina

Saturday Question, Rusty’s 13th Birthday And Merry Christmas to All!

If any of you are allergic to cats… stories, feel free to jump to the end, to the Saturday Question part.

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We all have witnessed that scenario in real life, on TV or maybe even participated in it from one of the two sides: a loving mother would tell “a funny story” from the past about her grown-up child, and the said child would be wincing with embarrassment or displaying his/her discomfort one way or the other.

Luckily for me (and him?), Rusty does not read my blog (as far as I know), so I can get off telling his kittenhood stories scot-free.

Hiding and Jumping

The apartment where Rusty spent his first year didn’t have too many places a kitten could hide. Rusty had discovered one great spot: in the corner behind the sectional sofa (on the photo below, it’s where the floor lamp stands). The spot was perfect in all respects but one: Rusty could easily get down there from the sofa, but since the bottom was too close to the floor, he couldn’t get out that way, and since the backrest was too high, Rusty couldn’t jump back up. So, once he would get bored hiding there, he would start crying, and one of us would lie on that backrest and fish him out from that corner. It wasn’t easy: that backrest was high. And one day my vSO managed to hurt himself trying to free Rusty. At this point, we gave up and moved the side of the sofa that was under the clock away from the wall, so that Rusty could get out on his own. I think that spot lost its appeal soon after that.

Speaking of the clock. It’s hard to think of what was happening in Rusty’s head: the clock didn’t have a second hand, so there wasn’t any noticeable movement. But he kept watching it for days. Then once, he stepped far away from the sofa (probably to somewhere close to the point of view for the photo above), then ran-ran-ran, jumped on the sofa, then on the back, uuuuup to the clock… What happened next looked exactly like the Glass Smack and Slide move from a cartoon: Rusty smacked into the wall under the clock and then slid down, behind that side of the sofa that we moved away from the wall. Silently. We thought that if he didn’t kill himself then definitely injured. But several long seconds later, Rusty walked out from behind the sofa, demonstrating with his demeanor that nothing had happened, and it wasn’t even him who had just fallen… He ignored that clock from that day on.

Sudden Attack of a Shopping Bag

In the same apartment, under the entryway console table, we kept a paper shopping bag that we used for recycled paper. Magazines, papers and store ads went into it as is, and for mail that one wasn’t supposed to just throw away my vSO worked as a human shredder. Rusty loved hunting in those bags. He would dive into it, find the most interesting piece of paper and play with it for a while, until either it went under the sofa, or we put it back into the bag. It went on for months, until one day Rusty managed to get his head through the bag’s handle, got spooked and started running with the half-empty bag “chasing” him. It took us some time to catch up with him and free him from that paper monster. My vSO called it “a sudden attack of a shopping bag.” It took Rusty a long time to forget about that incident. But in a while, he got over it and now considers those bags as a type of a box and either gets inside or sits on them.

Unexpected Effect of the Drought

With umbrellas, it was the opposite. For the first couple of years of his life, Rusty was fascinated with umbrellas, so whenever we would bring one into the house and open it to dry, Rusty would sniff it, sit under it or play with it. And then because of the 5-year drought we had in our area, umbrellas disappeared from Rusty’s life. And the next time he saw it, he unexpectedly got scared. Since then, as soon as he sees me carrying an umbrella, a closed one (!), he runs away. So, the only proof it hasn’t been always like that is those rare photos I managed to take when Rusty was much younger.

I have many other stories about Rusty – both from years ago and from yesterday, even though he got much smarter with age, learned a lot and taught us many things. But I’ll leave those stories for another time. Today, for his 13th birthday, Rusty got to spend quality time on our bed, enjoyed Ricotta cheese for breakfast and turkey breast for dinner (in addition to his regular meals), and was rewarded with plenty of treats for compliments he got from my readers and Instagram followers. I hope he stays healthy for many more years, keeps his kittenish mien and brings joy to us, our friends and everyone else who knows him in RL or online. And to all of you, from Rusty, my vSO and me (that photo was a collective effort):

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Saturday Question #96:

Do You Have a Pet (and Does You Pet Like Your Perfumes)?

I know about pets companions of many of my loyal readers. Some of them virtually visited Rusty on his 10th Birthday. But I don’t know everyone’s pets, and I’m sure that many of you do not know each others’ cats, dogs, rabbits or rats (If you named your fish, I would consider those as pets as well) – so, please share your pets’ names, links to photos (if you have them publicly online) and, if you’re sure they don’t read my blog, any stories that they would have been embarrassed to hear.

What do your pets think about your perfumes (if anything)?

My Answer

As a kitten, Rusty didn’t mind any of my perfumes. Then later he started cleaning my wrists when I tested some perfumes. As he grew older, he started avoiding stronger scents if I apply them to my wrists: he might come to sit on my lap, but then he smells perfume from my wrist and runs away. So, when I know that he would be spending some time with me, I try not to scent my wrists (neck is OK).

Do You Have a Pet (and Does You Pet Like Your Perfumes)?

December 24, 2021 by Undina

What I Wore Wednesday: Perfume Advent Calendar 2021, Week 3

Even my Perfume Advent Calendar was no match to my last work week this year: I was so busy that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. The Week 2 post included 8 days, and I noticed that only after I posted it. Then I had a bad headache, so I didn’t wear anything on Day 16. And since I was too overwhelmed on my last day, Wednesday, to do this post, I decided to include the last 3 days of the calendar.

Day 17: Dior Miss Dior vintage
To catch up our breath from the year-end insanity, my vSO and I took a day off and spent it in the nearby wine country. I invited Miss Dior to join me. It was fortunate that I drew it from my Advent Calendar that day: it was easy to bring with me that parfum bottle to take pictures. Miss Dior is my long time favorite, and I still enjoy it every time I wear it. And I still think I can pull it off wearing Miss Dior if I happen to find myself in a Groundhog Day.

Day 18: Dusita Le Pavillon d’Or
An understated elegance. I chose Le Pavilion d’Or for this month for its “gold” part, but I think it wears better in warmer weather. Still, it was quite enjoyable.

Day 19: Dior Mitzah
In the past, whenever anyone would mention this perfume, the reaction would immediately follow: “Oh, Mitzah, Oh…” But it got discontinued, whereas many other perfumes from the Dior La Collection stayed there and were re-issued after the most recent revamp. Either it was too expensive to produce, or it wasn’t selling that well. Anyway, I got the bottle when it was still available. I haven’t worn it in a while, and this time I was surprised that I didn’t love it. I liked it, yes, but it wasn’t even close to how I remember feeling towards it before. It might be that it isn’t cold enough here for it. I’ll need to revisit it again soon.
Day 20: Aedes de Venustas Cierge de Lune

Many years ago I thought that I wasn’t a vanilla fan. But since then I discovered at least several vanilla perfumes that I really liked. Cierge de Lune is one of them. I wonder how the recently re-released version smells.

Day 21: Teo Cabanel Alahine
After I mentioned Alahine in the Second Sunday Samples: Teo Cabanel Les Expressions Parfumées post last month, I kept thinking that I didn’t wear it in a while – so, I added it to my calendar. It was absolutely wonderful. I love it, and I feel a little sad that the brand decided to go into another direction. It’s not to say that their new perfumes aren’t good: I liked two of them and even think of getting those. But they are very different from the first line…

Day 22: Guerlain Encens Mythique d’Orient
Encens Mythique d’Orient is has such a presence that I didn’t dare to wear it to the office, especially since one of my co-workers criticized it when I first got it. Interestingly, this time when I wore it, I think I got that whiff of masculine perfumes that she referred to. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment from wearing this perfume, but it was a curious discovery.Day 23: Shaik Chic Shaik No 30
Completely unplanned, I got in sequence two perfumes that I previously considered “not safe for work.” Small perks of working from home.

All these years I hoped one day I would come across this brand somewhere at a store to try their other offerings, including masculine ones. But it hasn’t happened: after that first time many years ago in Vienna, I haven’t seen these perfumes anywhere, and none of the US decanter sites carries the brand. So, while I’m still curious to try those, for now I’m satisfied with the one that I have (but I still can’t get over that strangest packaging it came in).

Day 24: Amouage Ubar
As I’m writing it, this 24th day hasn’t happened yet. How do I know what I will be wearing? As for a couple of other cases, I pre-arranged perfume for that day because Ubar is one of my traditional perfumes for this holiday. I plan to wrap into it tomorrow to celebrate Christmas and Rusty’s birthday.

For more pictures of Rusty, see the Advent CaTendar on my Instagram account (@undina_ba) or stop by the blog in the next couple of days to celebrate Rusty’s 13^th Birthday.

Images: my own

December 18, 2021 by Undina

Saturday Question: Which Perfume Gets You The Most Compliments?

Today’s question is, again, courtesy of Brigitte.

Saturday Question #95:

Which Perfume Gets You The Most Compliments?

I realize that the last two years weren’t the best in terms of sharing your olfactory presence with others, but maybe you remember from before our “new normal”: do you think one of your perfumes prompts positive reactions more often than other perfumes in your collection?

Bonus question: Do you choose to wear that perfume for some particular occasions because of that?

My Answer

If it weren’t for my database, I would have told you that Tom Ford‘s Violet Blonde was my mostly complimented perfume (which makes me regret not buying a bottle of it when it was available: my decant has probably a couple of applications left in it). But I would have been wrong.

After running some calculations, to my surprise, I discovered that perfume that over the last 10 years got me twice as many compliments as the next contender (Violet Blonde, so I wasn’t that off) is… my second all-time favorite Ormonde Jayne Ta’if.

If to think about it, it’s not a complete surprise: as my special occasion perfume, I wear it to those occasions where people are more inclined to compliment me. But still, it didn’t come to my mind on its own, intuitively, without involving dispassionate numbers.

Which Perfume Gets You The Most Compliments?

December 16, 2021 by Undina

What I Wore Wednesday: Perfume Advent Calendar 2021, Week 2

As the year is coming to the end and with my Christmas vacation time approaching, the level of the work-related insanity got up to eleven. So, the help from my Perfume Advent Calendar in making a daily choice was greatly appreciated:

Day 8: By Kilian Amber Oud
Amber Oud, my perfect By Kilian perfume that I found five years ago, isn’t much about the “oud,” and I love it about that perfume. Amber Oud is a beautiful amber, and I enjoy it every time I put it on. This time wasn’t any different. It’s still available in Europe in a refill form, but I haven’t seen it in the US for a while.

Day 9: Hermès Eau de Mandarine Ambrée
Eau de Mandarine Ambree is one of the winners in my Search For The Perfect Mandarin. It feels right for the holidays season. This time it was surprisingly tenacious and didn’t require re-application.

Perfumes for the following three days do not have their stories told yet on my blog, but I plan to get to them eventually.

Day 10: Masque Milano Madeleine Le Donne di Masque
Madeleine is new to my collection, but with notes of chestnut, whipped cream, milk and vanilla it felt very season-appropriate (this isn’t the full notes list).

Day 11: Xerjoff Pykovaya Dama 2018
This is one of those perfumes that in my personal classification is a special occasion perfume. We don’t get too many of those recently, so I was glad to pull this name on a weekend: at least I wore it to a nice dinner at our friends’ place.

Day 12: Puredistance No. 12
No. 12 is my new perfume love. It was one of several perfumes that were pre-designated for a particular date: I thought it would be very fitting to wear perfume No. 12 on 12/12/21 and planned to do a post. It didn’t happen (unfortunately, I had to work that Sunday instead of writing my post). But I still hope to tell you its story soon.

Day 13: Jo Malone Sweet Milk
Sweet Milk is one of those perfumes that has the strongest olfactory connections to my childhood years, and it feels so warming and cozy and calming. I needed its support in the beginning of the week that came after a not exactly restful weekend – and I got it.

Day 14: Ineke Idyllwild
I can’t believe Idyllwild was launched four years ago: it feels like I just got this wonderful evergreen perfume. If you haven’t tried it, please read my original story. It was such a joy to wear it! And, just in case you have tried Idyllwild or just don’t want to go to the old post, I’ll put here the photo of Rusty from that post because I liked it but had a feeling that it was underappreciated (I’m sure that happened because everyone was taken in by my brilliant writing, I’m sure).

If you were considering purchase of any of Ineke’s perfumes, there is a nice promotion on the site now: for the price of the full bottle ($125), you can get their discovery set (currently $30) with a free delivery plus a coupon code for the full bottle with free shipping. This way you can get the discovery set free – either for yourself or to give it as a present to someone. If you’re not familiar with this brand, their discovery set (extremely well presented) comes with a $15 discount code against future full bottle purchase.

Day 15: Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan
By the time I got into the rabbit hole, discovered and bought Ambre Sultan, my first ever Serge Lutens bottle, it was such a well-loved and discussed perfume, that other than mentioning it here and there in amber-related posts or my Entertaining Statistics posts, there wasn’t much new to tell about it. Hence, there are no relevant links to provide. But I wanted to wear it this year, because I noticed my tendency to postpone wearing Ambre Sultan until it’s “cold enough,” which sometimes doesn’t happen with our winters. I still think it was worth the hype, though, of course, in the last decade many brands, both mainstream and niche, came out with really good amber perfumes. But I’m glad I have this classic of the genre for reference.

I first tricked and then bribed Rusty into posing with the Week 2 perfumes under our lit but not decorated yet Christmas Tree. For more pictures of Rusty, see the Advent CaTendar on my Instagram account (@undina_ba) – a count up to Rusty’s 13^th Birthday on Christmas Eve Day.

Images: my own

December 11, 2021 by Undina

Saturday Question: What Are You Looking Forward To This Holiday Season?

Holiday season is in full swing, so I thought it would be nice to talk about nice things that are either happening already or being anticipated. We don’t need to limit ourselves by just perfume-related sides of our lives (but of course don’t hold off any of those).

Saturday Question #94:

What Are You Looking Forward To This Holiday Season?

Do you have any family or friends gatherings planned? Are you giving or expecting to get any special gifts? Are there any special dishes you know you’ll cook or get to eat? Will you have any time off? Do you travel somewhere? Will you do anything special for yourself?

My Answer

I have just 7 work days left this year: starting December 23 I’m taking time off until after the New Year holidays. I hope to survive until then because the amount of work I have to complete before my staycation is just insane. But I’ll get there and will have a 12-day break – I didn’t have such a long vacation in… I don’t remember how many years.

We plan to decorate our house outside tomorrow before the predicted with the 100% probability rain on Sunday, which is a positive thing on its own because my vSO and I love rain. And while it rains outside, I’ll be decorating the Christmas Tree. I’m sure Rusty will be “helping.” And since I’m not driving anywhere, I’ll start playing my Pandora Christmas Music channel at home whenever I can. (Love-love-love all those Christmas songs that people complain getting tired of!)

My Perfume Advent Calendar turned out even better than I expected: I genuinely look forward to opening the next numbered bag every morning. I anticipate wearing my most favorite perfumes for the celebration days ahead. And I’m thinking about one last important addition to my perfume collection (about which I’ll tell you if it happens).

I plan to cook several dishes that I do only around these holidays. I don’t have the complete list yet, but I will definitely make a cranberry-apple-walnut mold salad (see the picture below) and a cheese pie. Just thinking about these two dishes makes me happy.

During our staycation, we plan to meet with several friends whom we haven’t seen in a while, make several day trips and hopefully spend more time outside of our house.

Undina's Looking Glass

Perfumed Reflections of Life

Author: Undina

Brand Appreciation: INEKE

* Disclaimer: it is not a sponsored post. Also, I’ve never received any promotional or free items from the brand (if not to count a hand-made sample I got at the event once, but it wasn’t as a blogger).

Saturday Question: What Perfume Bottles Got Better After The Re-design?

What Perfume Bottles Got Better After The Re-design?

What Perfume Bottles Got Better After The Re-design?