When were you happiest?
This morning. Matt did something daft and silly and rude when I was momentarily out of the room. I returned to much merriment.

What is your greatest fear?
Losing my mental faculties and having moments of clarity where I’m fully aware it’s happening.

What is your earliest memory?
Falling onto a radiator edge and gashing open my head. But my mum tells me it wasn’t a radiator; it was a park bench. What does she know? I was one and a little bit.

Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Lots of people – those who get on quietly with their own apparently unremarkable lives, but who seem to touch others in exceptionally powerful ways. We all know simple human wonders like these.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Approval seeking.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Intellectual laziness (though deplore’s a bit harsh – see what I mean about approval seeking?).

Aside from a property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?
A car. I wanted to lie, but it’s often best to be prosaic.

What are your most treasured possessions?
My perfumes. And some rare plants in my garden.

Where would you like to live?
Some days Mendocino CA as it was a decade ago, some days the Costa de la Luz in southern Spain, but generally I’m content right here, right now.

What makes you depressed?
More things than there’s room to list here, if we mean a little bit grumpy. I’m easily begloomed. Properly depressed? I’ve never got to the bottom of it.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
In the past, as a child, my moles: once, on holiday, a small boy standing behind me in an ice cream queue asked his mum why I had brown dots all over me. He had revulsion in his voice (or so I thought). Nowadays the hard skin I battle with on my feet.

What is your most unappealing habit?
Finding farts immensely entertaining and using them as musical arrangements.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Matt – undoubtedly.

What does love feel like?
It’s ineffable. And never twee.

Who would play you in the film of your life?
I hope it could be William Shatner.

What is the worst thing anyone’s ever said to you?
People have always been very kind to my face.

What is your fancy-dress costume of choice?
Pyjamas.

Have you ever said ‘I love you’ without meaning it?
Of course – especially to a bottle of perfume.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
‘The key thing is…’

To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
Trevor Jones. I ruined his new felt tip pens when I was 10 – on purpose. And a boy called Robert – I’m too embarrassed to explain why. I was a bully.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
All the Perfumeposse team and the lovely commenters. Seriously. We’d also have eye-candy waiters. Why not?

What is the worst job you’ve ever done?
Drilling minute holes into the interior plastic frames of car doors so that their material coating wouldn’t bubble when it was applied. I broke a drill bit for every other hole I drilled. And there was a £1 000 000 machine that was supposed to do it anyway. Soul sucking servitude.

What has been your biggest disappointment?
Most perfume releases. However, one or two make up for it, and then some.

If you could edit your past, what would you change?
Nothing. I tend not to think like that – there lies madness. I’ve done some dodgy and risky stuff I’m not proud of though. I was lucky.

How often do you have sex?
Nobody’s interested in this question, surely.

What is the closest you’ve come to death?
Pneumonia and pleurisy, September 05. It was touch and go for a short while.

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
An energy injection every morning.

What song would you like played at your funeral?
“I’ve Never Been to Me” by Charlene (joke).

How would you like to be remembered?
As someone who smelled better alive than dead.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Nice guys and gals don’t often finish first but they jolly well ought to.

Where would you most like to be right now?
Guerlain, Champs-à‰lysées, Paris.

Tell us a joke.
What do you call a man with a rabbit up his bum? Warren (apologies to Patty’s DH).

(Shatner c/o http://kotaku.com)

Lee

I was a complete witch to The Big Cheese. We were driving to another city, and we were already behind schedule, which wasn´t his fault. But I was annoyed and wanted to get going already. Then he wanted to stop for coffee on the way out of town to perk himself up for the drive, and I whined — so he didn´t stop. I´d left the house fragrance-free because everything I own just seemed wrong that morning, which should give you an idea of my general mood. Something in the back of my mind kept chafing me – a fragrance I knew I´d overlooked, one I could smell the hazy outlines of but couldn´t quite remember. (I know that sounds nuts, but has that ever happened to you?) Then I realized what it was. Mandragore! That pluperfect pamplemousse that makes me think of the Annick Goutal boutique in Paris, which is where I bought it two years ago – in February! That was exactly what I needed to put on, and then the entire trip would be back on the right track!

So I said to my husband, who´d just been forced to forgo his latte by his sullen wife because we were in such a big fat hurry, that we needed to go back to the house. What I said was, “We need to go back to the house right now, I forgot my Mandragore.” You know what? He turned that car right around. Didn´t even ask me what a mandragore was. My guess is either he was scared it might be some sort of Terrifying Feminine Article; or, he was thinking: yeah, and don´t forget to grab your broomstick and your cauldron while you´re at it.

The next day I let a good, dear friend – who likes to sniff my samples on occasion, and would do anything for me – smell some Donna Karan Chaos, among other things. She hoovered up that Chaos off her wrist, beatific smile on her face, and she said, wow! Wow, that is amazing! Where can I get some more of that?!? And you know what I said to this woman, who would cleave to my children and raise them as her own if I were run down by a bus, although she´d probably draw the line at having sex with my husband? I said, I´m sorry. They don´t make that any more, and you can´t fall in love with it, because it´s mine.

Okay, now it´s your turn. Tell me: have you committed any fragrance sins? Lied to someone about what you were wearing? Drove by Saks on the way to a party just so you could put on some Armani Prive Cuir Amethyste when you realized your decant was empty? Gave someone you hated a fragrance you hated? Refused to share? Trust me, nobody´s reading the blog today! It will be our little secret.

mandragore: embruns.net

March

First – Winner of the Chanel Les Exclusifs samples from the drawing about ten days ago is…. Amarie. Just hit the Contact Us button over there on the left, let me know your mailing address, and I’ll get these sent off to you.

Are you sick of Chanel yet?

Some fragrances are a little shy, aloof, and you really just have to take them off on their own, ply them with a little vino, some chocolates, talk them into taking off their glasses so you can see their beautiful eyes… and she will tell you all of her secrets. That sentence is the reason why I’m not a boy, I would have been a total slutty cad. 31 Rue Cambon is one such sullen miss when you meet her. Once you start peeling back her layers and getting to know her, she is whip-smart, funny, sarcastic and a little pessimistic. First time I spritzed her on, I just had to put her to one side… later, I said. That’s just too complext to sort out. She is a little jarring at first, but given time to develop, 31 Rue Cambon sweetened on my skin and became rich and glorious. This is not a shrinking violet, and it can be a little off-putting at first, but give it time, and you will come to love her too. I’ve heard some comparisons to Guerlain’s Attrape Coeur, and I get that a little, but 31 Rue Cambon changes so much my skin after it goes on, it’s not even close to AC. I’m thinking that a lot of these are very reactive to skin and become very individual. (painting is Biondina c. 1879)

I really can’t say much about 28 La Pausa except, she spritzed, she was beautiful — for a minute — and she left. I’ve had no problem with longevity like some people have had, except with the Eau de Cologne (this is to be expected with that one!). My sister switched her love from Coromandel to 28 La Pausa, and I totally get it, if she would just hang around! So for those of you lucky ones she sticks with, I’m pea-green with envy and officially hate you.

Now, No. 18 seemed to be doing the same thing as La Pausa at first — doing the *poof* act — but I think 18 can be overwhelmed if there are other perfumes butting in trying to get attention at the same time. There’s the “Pickle Accord” at the start that is just a little weird, but give it time and you won’t be disappointed. It slowly dries down to a really great, nutty scent. Do any of you remember the Tickle My Wickle Chestnut Vetiver scent several of us had a thing for a while back? This is that idea, but not the same combination of notes, all grown up. Nutty earth… there, that’s my best description, and it is awe-some (full Valley Girl accent). And it is the favorite of the Mister, too. He made some really scandalous suggestion after I let him sniff it *blush*.

Patty

I had a different post prepared for today, because I was going to buck the trend, show some restraint, savor my samples of Les Exclusifs that arrived on Saturday, and write something thoughtful and measured about them in a few weeks.

To hell with that. If no less a personage than uber-critic Luca Turin can go a little nuts over these, so can I.

First off, they smell very Chanel-y – that strange admixture of lush restraint that Coco Chanel created along with her iconic knit suit, a beautifully cut garment that achieved both chic and comfort. These scents dazzle not just because they´re wonderful, but they´re appropriate for the house of Chanel and the existing fragrance line.

I´ve spent two days in hard sniffage, and these are my thoughts:

No. 18 – this is the ambrette seed star, and since ambrette seed is used as a base for non-animal-derived musk, I was expecting something, well, muskier. This is the most challenging of the set; it starts off with an odd, sour smell, like something pickled (sort of like that pickle note in Guerlain Sous Le Vent). Luca Turin describes it as “an iris-rose that sits next to the defunct Iris Gris in heaven,” which I´ll have to take his word on, having never smelled Iris Gris, but he´s the genius and there is definitely something floral lurking in there, even if it takes an hour or two to arrive on me. A full 16 (!) hours later I got the iris-rose he referenced, close to the skin.

Bel Respiro – with a wallop of grass and galbanum at the opening, this one conjures up associations with scents as varied as Vent Vert, Ma Griffe and Vol de Nuit, only Bel Respiro is less aggressive than any of those. I liked this one the least at the outset, but wait for the drydown! The green subsides, leaving a honeyed hay-like smell that grew lovelier by the hour.

Coromandel – a friend who is not into perfume took one whiff of me coming in the door and said, you smell beautiful. Which just about sums it up, although as I recall the name “Beautiful” is already taken. Frankincense, spices, benzoin and amber over an extremely elegant patchouli, which turns out not to be an oxymoron. I don´t even want to say “patchouli” – I want to use some made-up word that means patchouli-elegance. “Sublime” is already taken too. How bout Mon Dieu?

28, La Pausa – mostly iris, named after one of Chanel´s retreats which featured a lot of iris. Objectively, it´s lovely. To me it´s more woody and less powdery – closer to The Different Company´s Bois d’Iris than Malle´s Iris Poudre. It has the distinct metallic tang of orris, and I´d venture that fans of that note will be pleased. Any lack of enthusiasm you note is due to my failure to develop the same fanaticism for orris that I have for, say, leather or incense.

31, Rue Cambon – a blend of iris, jasmine, labdanum and sandalwood, it´s a chypre made without oakmoss – an ambitious achievement given that oakmoss is (depending on where I read) either banned outright or on a list of fragrance ingredients that are being phased out as potential allergens. A hot-button issue for me, given that some of my beloved Guerlains are (were?) made with oakmoss, and are allegedly being reformulated with less than stellar results. According to Luca Turin, Chanel “used a pepper-iris accord instead to achieve a classical (chypre) effect in a completely novel way.” The sandalwood feels harsh to me at the opening, a sensation that´s intensified by the pepper. However. The sillage (as opposed to sniffing my skin) is indeed a lovely chypre accord, so my hat´s off to Chanel. I need to keep my nose away from my wrist, though, or the sandalwood gives me a headache – and that´s worrisome enough that I´m not sure I want to try this sprayed in the usual places as opposed to a sample squidge at arm´s length.

Eau de Cologne – I admit it: I´m a cologne slut. What is not to love about the limoncello of the fragrance world, always ready to refresh? I love them all, from 4711 to the CdG Cologne series to Christian Dior Cologne Blanche. I´ll also admit that, unless I crammed for the test ahead of time, my nose probably isn´t discerning enough to tell them all apart. (Okay, 4711 I have worn so often, for so long, I should recognize it.) Chanel Eau de Cologne distinguishes itself by opening with an interesting, mild peppered-rose note that actually becomes more pronounced over time, rendering it more perfume-y and less cologne-y, with corresponding lasting power (i.e., longer than your standard eau de cologne.)

All of these are available from Bergdorf Goodman in NYC and the Chanel boutiques in ginormous 200ml bottles for, I think, $175 apiece. (Both my local boutiques snidely insist they´re not carrying Les Exclusifs, so my apologies.) If you want to sample them all, Miss Patty is selling decant sets of the six over there to the left on her Fragrant Fripperies website. They all have decent lasting power on me, some longer than others, but lasting power isn´t generally a problem for me, so I´m probably not the best judge. No. 18, Coromandel and Rue Cambon seemed to last the longest, but even the Cologne stuck around for the better part of the day. I´ve heard a rumor that some of the scents that already existed (Bois de Iles, No. 22, Cuir de Russie and Gardenia) may have been tweaked for their re-release as part of Les Exclusifs, but haven´t read any definitive opinions on the subject, so please comment if you´ve tried the new versions of those.

image: actress Romy Schneider at Coco Chanel’s Rue Cambon apartment ca. 1960, www.verdeau.com

March

As I mentioned yesterday, I find it very comforting that people are picking wildly different favorites from the Chanel Les Exclusifs, which is a great when there are a number of scents released at once — that means it has broad appeal and has the ability to hook into our personal scent kinks.

BTW, if you want to order a bottle, you can get them from Bergdorf Goodman in NYC or several Chanel boutiques. Jennifer at Chanel in NYC is awesome, and I highly recommend her. 212-355-5050 to get ahold of her, and tell her that I sent you so she knows I love her.

So let me snag a couple for today to do a little closer inspection on than I did yesterday with almost no sleep. First, other than the Eau de Cologne, so far I’m not finding any of these to be too short-lasting. I’ve gotten a good five hours out of at least two of them, and while fainter, they are still ticking.

Bel Respiro — green, green, green, but a beautifully soft green. This makes me think of a tamed Gobin-Daude Sous le Buis –which, let’s face it, beautiful as it is, Sous le Buis is difficult to wear. I see a lot of this in my future, it is just beautifully elegant, but enough different that I can’t think of something else I own that is like it.

Coromandel – still my favorite of all of them just from the “well, that blows me away” standpoint. I do smell the patch in here, but it is softly done and has the hay feel (hay for me, I have no idea what the rest of you think of when you smell it!) that makes me think of the hayloft of the barn full of fresh straw, the place I spent so much of my life as a kid, reading and hiding and playing with the latest litter of kittens and imaginary friends. Do I detect some Borneo, as Luca mentioned? Well a little bit of the drydown Borneo, but clearly no chocolate, it just stays beautifull hay’ey and earthy. Remember, for me, Borneo is a GREAT thing! I really didn’t expect to like this one a lot because of the patch and amber –not a huge fan of either… Prada for women should be banned as a lethal substance. Anyway, it is TrueLove ®, and I see a long future ahead for me and Coromandel. (painting is Forbidden Fruit by Reid, 1899)

Eau de Cologne — definitely SNM Eva’esque, but not exactly the same, just the weight and feel of it, which is a great thing for me. Light, bright, sunny and crisp, this will be a summer staple when we are in the 90+ degree days and need something exactly like this. They are selling this in the 400ml bottles, as well, and I’m thinking bathing in this can’t be a bad thing. This is the one they need to make into soaps and lotions. This one is pretty short-lasting, maybe two-three hours per shot.

I will do the drawing for the Chanel drawing and post the results either Saturday or next Tuesday. Sorry I’m slow on that one!

For this week, the drawing will be for a little smidge of Caron Parfum Sacre extrait. This is almost impossible to find anyway, but so worth smelling. I wish I had more than the teeny bottle I have! Just drop a note in comments that you’d like to be in the draw!

Patty