Scents of the Season

Not that I'm running around trying to make sure magic happens...but...

It's my first winter holiday season as an out and proud perfumista.  My historical tradition is Christmas, but that was always a cultural celebration, as the holiday did not involve any trips to religious rituals.

Hence, the fragrances suitable for the season are going to incorporate baking, merriment, snow, evergreens, thick syrupy, refreshing whatnot, with but a hint of the incense.  I'm keeping a running list in a box on the left; I'll offer my rationale/associations in the post.   If you have time, I'm curious to hear what is on your mind--or wrist.  

Incidentally, this is one post that will develop.  Content will grow over the next 48 hours.  I'm not sure what editorial policy is on such a thing, but notification seems appropriate.  :)

Organza Indecence --  ummm, vanilla with a hint of a kick; it has a syrupy middle that seems, well, appropriate.

Ambre Narguile -- spicy baked goods; this time, vanilla gets a strong dose of amber

Nuit de Noel -- Okay, the name, duh; colored by a lovely darkish spiciness as it dries down.  This one is rather complex, and being snowed in gives me time to really appreciate it.

Mandragore -- Hah! You say summer; I say citrus is as refreshing in winter...think pomander, Earl Grey tea, and the oranges that were the only thing Uncle Rufus got in his stocking.  PLUS it's spicy, it's green...so are the ornaments on my tree!  Let's go!!  Things to do!  Roust from your somnambulent fire gazing, and finish your preparations!!  BTW, you smell good

Journeyman -- Liz Zorn has created my most recent favorite leather, so a) why not wear things you love when you are happy & celebrating, and b) if I need to draw a more direct metaphor, I can assure you that with 8"+ of snow out there, the leather glove is an apt motif.

Sensory Overload?

Or deep cover?

Have spent a week wearing perfume, and reading all my favorite blogs, but have been plum out of writing.  Even though I have a couple of mostly composed posts in the hopper, awaiting attention, I could not turn to them for relatively painless content.

Life is full this time of year, of course, but I think my brain is taking a virtual "full breath." Things perfume have gone into deep percolation, and I can't really access the processing (or simple settling) that is going on.  I do know that I chose to wear a scent every day to work this week, which is not necessarily typical for me.  What?  gasp!?!  It's true...between being a person who needs to ramp into my sensory day, and working with highly sensitive peoples, I have to be careful about how I go about wearing scent to work.  And sometimes, it's not worth the effort.  Which doesn't bother me...I'm not one of those folks who feels like I'm "going commando" without an extra scent layer.

What did I pick to wear?  Let's see...here was an innovation:  Mandragore for a day I was worried stress might lead to a headache (again, a reason to avoid scent), but really did feel I wanted a layer of scent for finish.  (There we go, one of my inner conflicts; apparently, I don't feel wrong for not wearing scent, except on days when it DOES happen to strike me as a useful layer of armor.)  And you know what?  It was perfect, and who knew, given the cold weather.  It functioned as Eau Imperiale can for me (headache tonic), while imparting a certain subtle sense of being pulled together and functional in a "if you care to notice" way--perfect for the potentially difficult meeting I anticipated.  And I didn't worry that anyone would be put off by it.

What else did I wear?  I looked at Bois des Iles almost every day, since that is a faithful slam for me.  But no; I also wore Liz Zorn Violets and Rainwater, and who knew?  Either by the power of subliminal wishes, or a trick from Liz, I was surprised to find a leather note emanating from my skin by the end of the work day.  Hunh!! Now, I don't mind me a leather (Cuir de Lancome, I will have you some day), but I've got to tell you, title and test drive on this one did NOT lead me to expect this outcome.  But it was just right; don't confuse the fact that the flower smells sweet with the notion that it is not powerful and firmly rooted in the ground.

I took the easy route one day.  Showered with BBW Sandalwood Rose body wash, followed with a spritz of the same; that stuff has excellent lasting power on me, and really works well as a skin scent plus touch of something else.  Sometimes, I mentally review if an old faithful is the right choice for a given day, and the 8-Ball says "please try again."  But that morning was "signs point to yes," and the signs were right.

this just in...BBW offers to revive discontinued product for the sake of one needful customer...

...wouldn't that be nice???  

So, it wasn't a week to experiment, to try out new things...though discoveries were inadvertently made.  (The potential for leather.  In Violets and Rainwater.  Who knew?  Must follow up in other contexts.)  And it wasn't a week to articulate.  But I don't feel like I was in retreat...I was just...a little bit somewhere else.