It's Tuesday and International Men’s Day. What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm currently commando for a morning exercise class, and finishing off a cup of Upton Christmas Tea.
Reminder: on 11/22, we're off to Nepal! Wear a perfume that is named for a place in Nepal, or that reminds you of a (real or imaginary) trip to Nepal, or that features a local ingredient, or ?
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2024, where I'll try (but usually fail) to have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: the Josilo teapot ("These AURA QUE stoneware ceramics are handmade near Bhaktapur, Nepal by a family business run by two brothers, Santa and Laxmi. The production is organised by a World Fair Trade Organisation certified collective in Kathmandu") is $42 at Aura Que in the UK.
Just FYI, AURA QUE also has an Etsy store.
Thanks scaresbears!
I don’t have anything directly related to Nepal, but I did some research and found several connections.
Geography and Landscape: Mountains and woods suggest that fresh, crisp, and woody notes would work well.
Incense: An obvious tie to Nepal’s religious and cultural traditions.
Festivals and Rituals: The use of red and gold, such as the red tika on the forehead, the red and gold attire of the Kumari, and the Teej festival, where women often wear red.
Spices: Cardamom is one of Nepal’s main exports. Cumin, coriander, and ginger are also commonly used in Nepalese cuisine.
Tea and Honey: These are also significant Nepalese exports.
I plan to layer perfumes daily, creating my own scents loosely inspired by Nepal.
Today, I’m going for a green, woody, fresh vibe with some resins and incense:
Lush Fresh As + Ormonde Jayne Woman + Tom Ford Vert d’Encens
Fir, pine, hemlock, coriander, cardamom, and incense — imagine a mysterious airy mountain temple in the forest.
Glannys, your combination sounds fantastic! Hope thigs are going well in your corner of the world.
I have two of the three components of your layering formula (missing the Lush). I’ll give it a try later this week!
You’ve given me my SOTD, thank you. I’m so happy to see you here today because of the dramatic uptick of “activity” in the Ukraine over the last couple of days. I was worried. As always, wishing you peace and safety! 🇺🇦 Hugs to Mom and Kora Kitty, too!
That sounds like a beautiful combination! Letting us know the results of your research is very generous. I will try to follow your lead.
You are always so good about finding information for the community project. I tried looking, but didn’t have as much success as you!
Thanks for the research!
Wow, thanks as always Glannys!
MY SOTD is Heaven Can Wait (again!). This scent seems very different depending on the application. My preferred way is to spritz once, then walk through it. It has enough presence that one spray is enough and if I apply it like this I really smell the peach note, which I love. If I put the nozzle closer to the skin it reminds me of some kind of ash made from a beautiful wood.
Hope everyone’s day has one nice thing in it. Looking forward to my sauna after the gym tonight.
HA, I was about to say I’ve already had a sauna — so one nice thing, check 🙂
Time to pull out my I Profumi di Firenze Ambra de Nepal.
The weather here is perfect (43 degrees outside) for a stonking amber vanilla spice bomb lashed with woods and incense and this fits the bill. This one was HUGE on MUA with good reason about 15 years ago when I first landed there, and I wore it a lot then but have neglected it of late. It’s unabashedly likeable, warm, cuddly, sexy and yummy. I will be the best-smelling dog mom at the dog park!
I remember that one from MUA! It was a beaut.
I remember those MUA days as well: Ambra de Nepal and POTL!
Pulling my bottle out, also!
Yum!!!
Hi everyone.
I have consulted with Google and discovered that the Rhododendron is the national flower of Nepal, and here are some spices:
“The most commonly used spices in Nepal are salt, ginger, garlic, szechwan pepper (timmur), fenugreek seeds, turmeric, cumin, cilantro/coriander, asafoetida, and green chillies. Less common spices include ajowan seeds, cloves, cardamom (black and green pods), bay leaves, mustard seeds, and so on”.
The most popular fruit is mango.
So maybe that’s helpful. But today I am wearing the Oil Perfumery version of Coromandel which I really like although of course it’s not Coromandel….it smells great, though.
Great teapot today!
Thanks for the helpful list ringthing!
Yes, ditto!
I read the bit about spices too! Between you and me, we found quite a few ideas for the CP.
Yes, thank you!
Looks like you and Glannys get the prize for getting all the information for the CP. Good work😊
Fragrantica had nothing so it had to be Google 👍
Aha, so if the most popular fruit is mango I will put on some Parfums de Nicolaï Eau Exotique — if I can find it!
I’m wearing Infusion de Vetiver, from a mini. It has cardamom, so according to Glannys, I fit the CP. I think I would like this as a spray, because the mini is a splash, so it is sticking close to the skin. I do really like it though.
I’m wearing a sample of Byredo Eleventh Hour. I thought I was very clever to spot the connection to Nepal, it being inspired by a quote from a Swiss explore who reached Nepal in 1951. And it also contains a note of Ban Timmur pepper from Nepal. But I think the joke is on me because the scent does not evoke Nepal at all. It’s a iso-e super, fruity spicy thing.
I will pull out my old bottle of Ambra de Nepal for Friday.
Wow, super creative! Well done!
Well, this morning I smell mostly of bleach solution (long, sad story), but later on I plan to wear something spicy or incense-y. Maybe Indochine, or Hindu Kush. I was kinda hoping that the Hindu Kush range extended over Nepal, but it appears not. Or there’s IA O Unknown — not for its notes, but because the imaginary story that accompanies the fragrance mentions Nepal.
Thanks to Glannys and her hard work of teasing anything and everything to do with Nepal I’m wearing Korres Safron, Amber, and Cardamom from a bottle sent to my by a very generous NSTer. I’ve really enjoyed this one which has surprised me. It’s not sweet at all, kind of dry, and generally not my “style.” Just goes to show you, you can’t judge a perfume by its notes! Waft on, perfume people!
Today I am wearing L’Artisan Mont de Narcisse and drinking a cup of black dragon tea.
I’m in Glossier You.
More gray today. I can hardly take much more, but I just keep taking my vitamin d and getting out for a lunchtime walk regardless. Counting the days until the days start getting longer again.
Thanks for reminding me about the vitamin D…
👍🏻🌞
In the fail-safe L’Attesa for a day at the office.
Perfect opportunity to try my Hima Jomo samples from Indigo: Spring in Bome, and Summer in Paro.
I’ll start with Summer today, for the Nepalese sichuan pepper.
SOTD is FM Iris Poudre. Always a favorite of mine!
I do love Iris Poudre. Think I’ll plan to wear that tomorrow. 😀
House Twins
Although we have an upcoming “cyclone bomb” weather event, it’s fine this morning and I am wearing Wulóng Chá by Nishane which happens to work for both our teapot Tuesday and for Nepal (which I discovered grows and exports oolong tea). It’s lovely, although I may need something a bit heavier duty for tonight! Off for my walk.
Yikes, what is a cyclone bomb weather event?! That sounds scary!
I had thought of incense for Nepal, but thank you to Glannys and Ringthing for so many other suggestions!
I’m wearing Tiger By Her Side for the spices, and I just checked that there are indeed tigers in Nepal.
ps meant to say this morning that Now Smell This is finally on Bluesky.
https://bsky.app/profile/nowsmellthis.bsky.social
What is BlueSky?
SOTD is Hima Jomo Autumn. I bought the sample set and this was the clear winner for me with a cinnamon note in it.
Nepal smells a lot like all of the Himalayas – to me, anyway.
Incense, marigolds, smoke from indoor and outdoor cooking, sewage, wet wood, dry wood, chili peppers and yak butter tea. The tea is an aquired taste.
Sikkim and Bhutan are much the same. In the winter, everything smells cold.
in POAL-
Again..I can’t smell it but those around me love it on me.
Reading Horse, not sure where the author is going with this book but so far I like the back and forth between 2019 and 1800’s.
Sipping a cappuccino with oat milk