I tried not to get too Grinch-y over the holidays, and I did pretty well, considering the world events of late 2016 plus the fact that I was suffering occasional bouts of Instagram ennui. So many exotic vacations, so many artful table settings, so many #thankful embraces scrolling past my eyes; you may know what I mean.
I'm happy with my own lot in life, truly, but sometimes I worry — not on my own behalf, but on yours, dear readers. My taste in perfume may be glamorous, but my life is pretty quiet. I hate to let you down. Still, rather than fabricate some picture-perfect fantasy life, I'll just come clean and share my own mundane activities, with the fragrances that I wear to dress them up a bit.
Just a regular day at the office: Byredo Rose Noir. This was my most-worn fragrance of 2016, because it's a "no brainer" for me: a blend of citrus, rose and modern patchouli that doesn't come on too strong. It's my olfactory equivalent of my many basic black dresses.
Waiting for my bus on a rainy/snowy/sleet-y morning: Frederic Malle L'Eau d'Hiver. I'm trying not to repeat anything from my 10 Winter Fragrances 2012 list, but I'll make an exception for this softly enveloping marvel. It it warm? Is it cool? Just perfect, that's all.
Sitting in a café with my laptop: A Lab on Fire What We Do In Paris Is Secret. I think I'm choosing this one for the Paris/café associations, and for the reason that its confectionery-like character makes me feel comfortable yet creative.
Giving a fragrance lecture: Chanel no. 5 L'Eau. I can never decide whether to wear something classic or something new when I'm speaking about perfume, and this one splits the difference beautifully. (I just try to ignore those ads with the scrawny model.)
Snuggling with the cats: Velvet & Sweet Pea Black Cat. Neither of our cats is actually black (one is a buff tabby and the other is a tuxedo, just partially black!), but this quirky gourmand would suit them if they wore perfume.
A visit with my neighborhood friends: Lolita Lempicka. I wish I'd known these women back in the 1990s. When we share a night in, we might watch a movie, we might just chat, but we'll certainly be eating dessert...so Lolita (a 90s fave) really fits the bill.
Spending an evening home alone, listening to my vinyl collection: Cacharel LouLou. Let's wallow in 1980s nostalgia! Plus, as much as I love LouLou, I don't wear it out in polite company. It demands a lot of attention.
Running weekend errands: 4711. A few spritzes of this timeless cologne keep my mood brisk and bright as I make my way from drugstore to supermarket to local Italian deli.
A Sunday afternoon nap: CB I Hate Perfume At the Beach 1966. I'd nap every day, if I could. And on a cold and cloudy afternoon, a dab or two of this oil-based scent might help me dream of childhood summer trips to Florida.
A night out: Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin. Okay, once in a while my husband and I do go out for quiet conversation over a fancy cocktail. And I just might end up Instagramming my drink.
Stay warm, if it's winter where are right now; and enjoy whatever you're doing! And do check out the winter lists at Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc, Perfume Posse and The Non-Blonde.
Note: top image via the author's Instagram page (see link above).
thank you for this lovely and relatable article
My pleasure, HK!
Nice list! I have a few of these and now you’ve given me a few more I’d like to try. ( I like your Instagram btw )
Thank you! I hope more of us will connect on IG in the future!
Great list!
I really enjoyed reading your list. I saw a few that I really like (Rose Noir and No 5 L’Eau), and one I’d like to give a try (At The Beach 1966)
At the Beach is an old favorite of mine! A bottle of the oil lasts forever, so if you end up sampling and liking it, it’s worth the investment.
I like your list and it was a fun read! I got samples of Rose Noir at a new Space NK in Willyburg, Bklyn that carries the line. I haven’t done well with Byredo on the whole, but I do like their roses.
I need to visit that SpaceNK location! Poppy King recently made a personal appearance with Lipstick Queen, and I missed it, argh.
I missed that too. I actually bought a LQ lipstick when I got the Rose Noir samples. I think the only thing different about this Space NK is the Byredos, but the neighborhood is fun to visit for a minute.
Love everything about this post. As I get older it is becoming more and more apparent to me that life can be very mundane and quite ordinary but, even in its mundaneness and ordinariness there are countless delights if we really stop and consider.
Lovely list! TY!
Thank *you,* F-gal. It’s good to feel that we’re amongst sympathetic company here. I’m actually a homebody and I love having a routine…it’s usually enough for me to have vicarious moments of glamour in and around NYC! And even an ordinary day is anything but ordinary, if you look at it the right way.
What a great list. Perfume marketing people should take note as every one of your ‘images’ is far more tempting and appealing and imaginative than the typical perfume story of a semi-naked young woman doing the ‘ come to bed’ smoulder. I have several of these scents but am very tempted to check out the Lab on Fire as a perfume that is comfortable and makes me feel creative sounds heavenly. I often wear Loulou when I’m op-shopping … It seems to bring me luck and op-shops are often very strong, and musty smelling so can take it. Thanks heaps.
I *think* the Derek Lam collection was trying to capture everyday moments on NYC’s Crosby Street with its recent collection…which is a step in the right direction, even if the fragrances themselves were nothing to write home about !
Smouldering semi-naked young women (or men) have never compelled me to buy *anything.* But I may be in the minority! lol
Lovely list, and great idea of pairing your winter scents to glimpses in your daily life!
Which, by the way, doesn’t look boring in the least, and is certainly well fragranced!
Oh, and I just discovered your IG account thanks to the link above and I think I’m in love with your cats. Both of them! So, so cute!
Thanks for looking at my photos! Our tuxedo cat loves to pose for IG.
I think my life smells pretty good, too. Thanks in large part to all my fellow scent-enablers.
As a retired person with a husband and two dogs, most of my outings consist of going to yoga class, the grocery store and dog walks – no glamour or fancy table settings here. My outfits are chosen for comfort and ability to disguise dog hair.
But my perfumes are pure decadance. FM Musc Ravageur, Amouage Lyric, Heeley Cardinal, PdE Cuir Ottoman, Tauer Au Coeur du Désert. Reading books and wearing great perfume is my way of adventuring into the imagination and wider world.
“Reading books and wearing great perfume is my way of adventuring into the imagination and wider world.”
Second that!!
Ditto on that last sentence.
Oh this is a perfect top 10..I don’t know all the perfumes but most of them and those I don’t know, I am curious to try out
It’s great to know that there is others that has perfumes for all kinds of situations and not only summer/winter selections. Sometimes it’s lovely to wear what you want for different occasions
Sometimes I choose by weather…sometimes by mood…lots of different ways and reasons to scent ourselves!
The two main activities in my life are working in an office and spending time quietly at home with my beloved and our elderly cat. That might not set the world on fire, but I like it, and it’s all accompanied by perfume. People in my office seem to have robust noses and my beloved rarely complains
There are several things on your list that I haven’t tried and I must try Rose Noir again. It got a little lost in the crowd when I sprayed too many things at once.
One of our cats is a sweet and snuggly old lady. We cherish every day with her!
I wasn’t an early adopter when it came to Byredo, but a few of their scents have really grown on me. Gypsy Water is another, and the Oliver Peoples collaboration, too.
Thanks so much for the great article Jessica, which describes so very aptly how I decide what to wear! What kind of day am I going to have, with the activities in themselves not particularly thrilling: day at the office casual or day at the office with lots of meetings or day at the office teaching; hanging at home working or playing; coffee shop or out to eat; travel day etc. I also do have things that are more summer hot and more winter. This not so very cold winter has been dominated by Larmes de desert, New Sibet, Behind the Rain, Lumiere Noir pour Femme, and Kimonanthe. Oh and also Hendley’s Rosenthal and PoaL. I’ve only slowed down with Iris Cendre and L’Attesa because my bottles are starting to show signs of heavy use!
Ooh, lots of things on that list that I’d like to try! Just like lots of us, even if you don’t wander far geographically, you’re roaming far and wide through your fragrance choices!
And oh my goodness, that kitty is so adorable!
Yay for listing Byredo Rose Noir first!My very first “I-Am-in-love-niche-brand” was Byredo,with Black Saffron and Accord Oud.
I so agree with La fille de Berlin for a night out!It goes very well with my purple velvet jacket as well!Lol!(Ed Hardy,supertrashy and flamboyant,do I care?No.)
Yes! La Fille de Berlin does feel “velvety.” You have to just submit and sink into it.
Jessica, I enjoyed the “slice of life” tone of today’s article. I agree with Kanuka that this is much more interesting than the “writhe and seduce” marketing (bleh!!) that is so overused.
Ugh, I know. I *think* Elizabeth & James was trying to head in a more “slice of life” direction with their photo of the napping girl and dog…but it still involved nudity.
I think some perfume ads of the 1970s-80s, for Charlie and various Estee Lauder fragrances, were more based in reality (and made reality very fresh and appealing!)…but we seem to have slipped backwards since then.
Thanks for the list. It is my goal to try fragrances from “The Best…..” lists you guys provide this year. I think i may have already tried a few, but am excited about exploring the others. The Byredo fragrance sounds very appealing to me.????
Oh good! I aim to inspire.
Nice list, Jessica, and I love how you weaved it into your routines! The collage is soooo colorful – I love it!
Thank you, P!! On Dec 31 I used an app to make a collage of my “top Instagram photos of 2016” (the ones that got the most likes?) and this is part of that collage! It was mostly cats, arts, perfume, and cocktails. All good things!
Thanks for a very entertaining post, Jessica. Can’t believe I didn’t think of employing my citrus scents to help me power through errands.
Yes! I like citrus fragrances for errands and housecleaning…and Blondie as a soundtrack!
Love your list, and how you formatted it!
Most worn: CdG Black, usually with my new completely black (even the soles!) Doc Marten’s. Makes me feel tougher on days when I feel vunerable.
When I skip the contacts and pop on my plastic glasses: SJP Stash. Weird and quirky but undeniably sexy. I enjoy it better on skin.
Enjoying the holidays with my family: Borneo 1834. I might finally get my bottle this year with my tax return.
Coffee with friends: 5 o’clock au Gingembre, or whatever sample I have in my pocket. Just bought 9 (9!!) from DSH.
Hunting for finds in the dollar record bin: Dzongkha. Perfectly meditative for flipping through a thousand records in a session.
Knitting my newest project and wanting it to smell wonderful: Burberry Brit Red body lotion. Seriously, it makes my yarn smell so subtly perfect. Just blocked my last scarf for a long time. Already planning a sweater. ????
Love your list, too.
Thanks!
This is so good. I especially like Dzongkha for flipping through all those wonderful dusty records.
I think Dzongkha is perfect for nearly any occasion, honestly. Top 10 on my list. Maybe even top 5.
Lovely list, Jessica. I adore your writing.
Joining the game too:
Waking up in an ungodly hour to access Facebook and have an anxiety crisis. (Today, inspired by many of you wonderfulperfume people, I got a book instead. Way nicer, thanks!): Rose Jam
Getting the subway and train to work: Shalimar Cologne or some big old Lutens
At work, when I feel bored, I’ll probably search for some Rosine sample in my purse, pu it on my wrists and go make a coffee.
Walking the dog to the supermarket: vintage YSL Champagne
Reading in the sofa at night: Hypnotic Poison or Jour de Fête
I love this! Fragrances for reading…that could be a whole list in itself, come to think of it!
I love this list! I was a regular on the MUA fragrance board back in the day, and I’ve been to Sniffa a few times but thanks to crazy life stuff, I had largely fallen away from perfume-related things. Lately I’ve started to miss it terribly so I’m creeping back online.
The more I read here, the more I really do need to try some of those Byredos. And yay! Another Lolita Lempicka fan. That was pretty much the scent of my first post-university job.
Sometimes the rest of life does take over…but your place will always be waiting for you here!
I was wearing LL at a similar time in my own life…including the year that I met my now-husband. He doens’t actually like it very much, ironically…but it will always hold happy memories for me!
I always look forward to your lists Jessica- thank you! Beautiful collage at the beginning.
Thank you! I’ve really come to love Instagram.