Our winter so far has been mercifully mild (other than that freak October blizzard). Still, it is winter so I'm all about winter scents and little pleasures that focus on keeping warm. As you can imagine, the cats are very supportive of any activity that includes fuzzy blankets and me not moving. So, here's what I'm loving this winter:
My Kindle. Need I say more? One of my worst childhood nightmares was being stuck with nothing to read, so the immediate satisfaction of ordering my books and having them delivered instantly is the most gratifying thing ever. There are quite a few perfume-related books in Kindle version. Right now I have waiting for me Perfume by Jean-Claude Elena, Essence & Alchemy by Mandy Aftel and for quick reference the Turin-Sanchez Little Book Of Perfume.
Still on the Kindle front, since this is Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee year, the royal biographies keep coming out. I finished the newest one about Prince Philip's youth and have two other books about the Queen herself (The Real Elizabeth and Elizabeth The Queen). I also picked Not In Front Of The Corgies. The name alone is delightful and it was only 89 cents.
I keep my extra blankets in storage ottomans in the living room and in my bedroom. I love placing fragrant items in there, so the travel sachet from Monsillage Perfumes was a welcome gift.
Perfume: Winter is Onda, Onda is winter. Other than that and most free skin goes to Ambre Sultan, Amber 114, Amber Absolute, Ambre Fetiche, Esteban Ambre, AmBrosius... Do we sense a theme here? But the best new release lately is Nostalgie from Sonoma Scent Studio (review coming soon).
Also: I'll sell my soul for more (more! MORE!) very vintage Jolie Madame.
Tea: Harney & Sons Ginger Licorice. Can someone please make me a thick and dark perfume based on this one?
Food: The sourdough rosemary bread we get from Whole Foods is not my favoride bread in the universe, but nothing beats it when toasted and topped with avocado. Add a squeeze of lemon and a dash of salt and I can live on the stuff for days.
Restaurant: Sinus-clearing wonderful Thai food in a place that's happy to accommodate vegetarian weirdos like us. If only Ayada was not as far as Queens. (Ayada Thai restaurant, 7708 Woodside Ave, Elmhurst, NY Tel. 718-424-0844)
Oil: For the body and for my face. I just reviewed the wonderful sandalwood one from Clarins, but there are also incredible (and natural) body oils from Providence Perfume Company and Aftelier. I'm completely addicted to Mandy Aftel's Chocolate & Saffron body oil/hair elixir. It's as good as it sounds (and then some).
For more scented things and other stuff to brighten your winter please visit my friends on I Small Therefore I Am ❆ Katie Puckrik Smells ❆ All I Am A Redhead ❆ Under The Cupola ❆ Waft By Carol ❆ Perfume Shrine (and thank you, Elena, for organizing this project).
Images: 14k.gold on Flickr, The Daily Mail, Parfums Monsillage, Serge Lutens, Ayada.
Ha! Kindle is my favourite device ever! :)
ReplyDeleteI used to get so upset when I had to wait for some new releases to come here (usually 2 months after the release) and now I can have any book I want in an instant!
I'm not really known for my patience I have to admit. :)
And on the plus side, all the books I order for Kindle are much cheaper than if I ordered them in physical form.
Great post Gaia, thank you. I'm looking for an intense smoky incense and I'd like your recommendations. I understand they may not smell the same on me as they may on you, but you are the closest scent twin to me. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteright there with on the vintage jolie madame. and i love my nook.
ReplyDeleteI love your list Gaia, and am so glad to be on it! You are one of my favorites all year ‘round. I’m grateful for your appreciation of Essence & Alchemy, and excited to be working on a new book.
ReplyDeletexo Mandy
I have YOU to thank for my obsession with Harney & Sons tea. Now I will check out this licorice one you speak of...
ReplyDeleteI, too, share a fixation on all things British and Royal. :)
A friend sent me some vintage Jolie Madame recently and I agree it's just so insanely good. It makes me emotional and a little sad.
Between you and Abigail talking up your Kindles, I have sci-fi book envy. I need to get with the 21st century, man!
ReplyDeleteI'm a face oil fanatic, so I'm going to give that Clarins one another whirl. I like what their Blue Orchid one does, but the smell is just so big and definite, and cancels out any perfume I might be wearing.
Thanks for your brainwaves.
LOVE Thai food! Very tingling-the-tongue photo, btw.
ReplyDeleteWeirdly enough, I prefer Ambre Sultan in the heat; the herbal aspect seems very masculine to me in the winter. But I find this is a very skin-specific, mind-associating peculiarity on my part. Ambre 114, now that's an amber I associate with winter; I guess powdery, sweet ambers lean more wintery. (nitpicker, who, moi?)
Have a great weekend!
Great review! I bought my daughter a Nook for Christmas, and now I'm longing for one myself. I'm quite impulsive and varied in my reading picks, and I love that the books can be downloaded immediately "on demand" any time I desire. Thus far, I've refrained from stealing my daughter's, but that time is approaching quickly if I don't get one for myself. Self-control is not my forte.
ReplyDeleteI plan to investigate your other loves as well. I've recently discovered Aftelier, and after the first set of samples arrived I immediately turned around and order all the others. So glad you turned me on to Mandy's lovely creations!
Lutens perfumes are great at keeping one warm. I have my own list of winter syrups, starting with Lutens:
ReplyDeleteChergui
Vendetta
Opium
KL
Coco
Alahine
Fendi
Geisha Noire
Theorema
Anne Pliska
Poison
Habanita
Madness
No Regrets