It’s the run-up to Thanksgiving on Thursday here in the US and I am … taking it easy. Glad my days of hosting big family gatherings, with the attendant preparations and drama and exhaustion, are behind me. We’re making Peruvian chicken and a side dish or two, and dessert of course.
We’ve had some rain for a welcome change, and the advent of this cold, wet weather has me reaching for orange fragrances, blossom and/or the fruit itself, which always read more “fall” to me than “spring.” Why? No idea. But it’s been a perfect time for some orange-forward fragrances in rotation.
Fendi Theorema – the original, the OG, the GOAT. Perfumistas of a certain vintage probably have at least one bottle of this stashed away. From 1998, nose is Christine Nagel; notes are nutmeg, cardamom, lemon, pepper, Brazilian rosewood, orange blossom, jasmine, cinnamon, spices, carnation, ylang, osmanthus, rose, amber, benzoin, guaiac wood, sandalwood, patchouli. A warm, spicy mélange of a comfort scent that manages not to overwhelm despite those notes.
I Profumi di Firenze Arancia Dolce — My little orange dabber from iPdF – between usage and evaporation this is almost empty. Sadface. More the juice than the blossom from this one. Bought at the shop near the Uffizi. I will miss this when it’s gone. I’d love to get back there some day.
L’Artisan Seville a l’Aube — launched in 2012, Bertrand Duchaufour; notes are petitgrain, olive blossom, orange blossom, beeswax, lavender, tobacco, jasmine, benzoin, olibanum. A fascinating, more animalic (at least on me), less flowery take on orange blossom, with a sharpish green that never goes away. Unisexy, lasts forever on my skin.
Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger — created by Christopher Sheldrake in 1995 (can that be right?!) with orange blossom, jasmine, tuberose, white rose, musk, hibiscus, cumin. An ad blurb says it “surrounds you but is at the same time unobtrusive.” Mmmmmmkayyyy, “unobtrusive” is not how I’d describe it — less “bodyguard” and more a hostage-taking situation. Anyway, this is not for everyone, with that weird, intense cumin-y opening. This is also autumn in a bottle to me. I love finding hints of it on my sweaters that have been packed away.
Any particular fragrance note calling to you these days? Special Thanksgiving plans? Travel plans in general coming up? Sooooooooo glad not to be traveling on Thanksgiving!
images via Pexels
What a fun post! How will you cook the chicken Peruvian style?
I’ll have to put on some of the Seege Lutens tonight.
I wore Coco Chanel from a 2015 bottle bought in Epcot’s Paris section. It was perfect for the weather and smoothly aged.