Parfums Monsillage is a Montreal-based perfume house I discovered last year while visiting that beautiful city. The husband and I fell in love with Aviation Club and bought a bottle on the spot (notes: green and metallic notes, floral notes, wood, coffee, amber, tobacco and leather. See my full review here). We've been sharing it since then.
Perfumer Isabelle Michaud, creator of Monsillage, is generously offering a free bottle of Aviation Club to one of my readers. The giveaway is open to everyone anywhere in the world (winner is responsible to taxes and duties). To participate, please leave a comment telling us about any fragrant discoveries you made while traveling- anything and anywhere. The bottle will be mailed to the winner directly from Ms. Michaud in Canada, so by entering the contest you're agreeing that I share your address with her. Winner will be chosen randomly out of all the eligible comments (open until Monday, January 16th at 11:59 PM Eastern Time).
The other legal stuff that I have to post here: No purchase necessary. Ever.◆participants must be 18 or older◆void where prohibited◆regulated by the State of NJ◆ Are we having fun yet?
Photo: Monsillage Facebook page.
My best fragrant discovery was finding my decades-old bottle of Egoiste in a drawer in my old bedroom last year while home for the holidays. You can bet I took it back with me.
ReplyDeleteMy latest great fragrance discovery was a bottle of Terre d'Hermes I brought to my husband from Greece. We've been sharing it since. I should also mention loukum (the sweet), which I am crazy in love with. Can't wait to go to Paris and try some perfume versions of it...
ReplyDeleteMy best fragrant discovery was finding my grandmother's bottles of vintage My Sin and Arpege (which I had packed up in my transatlantic move over 10 years ago) when I recently moved house. They were tucked up, cool and dark, inside my American Crock-Pot. I literally cried!
ReplyDeleteI was in Milano today and, (almost hidden) in a very well known "profumeria", found some Carons I had never sniffed: Parfum Sacrè, the new Secret Oud, and Tabac Blond EDP,(they only had 100 ml. bottles of this and it cost almost 200,00 Euros). I really liked Royal Bain de Champagne and this was the best fragrant discovery of the day.
ReplyDeleteMy recent fragrance discovery didn't happen while traveling - it happened by joining the Facebook Frangrance Friends group. I learned about so many niche fragrances - I am truly learning something new every time I'm on.
ReplyDeleteBut if I really think about the last scent that captivated me, it would have to be the scent only to be experienced in a real French patisserie last time I was in Paris (2007, sadly).
My best fragrant discovery could have been made anywhere, but it wasn't. In Atlanta, I was browsing a mall perfume shop and found Bal a Versailles. Knowing a lot of perfumistas love it, I tried it and... bought a bottle on the spot. No one in my hometown sells it, so I was thrilled to have met it in person. :D
ReplyDeleteMy best fragant discovery will be next April: I'll visit Paris and smell for the very first time Vero Profumo, ELdO, Le Labo and much MUCH more!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway.
Traveling around the North of England to the little village of Corbridge on Halloween day I found the most perfect little perfume shop. The shop keeper was pretty like a little pixy, loved perfumes and only had the best in her shop. I wasn't as knowledgeable about perfumes back then as I am now and it was the first time I tried any Carons and Amouage's Lyric. It changed the way I viewed perfume, it kick-started my interest in real, magical, fascinating perfumes and turned me into a Caron girl since. I left the shop with a bottle of Nuit de Noel and have since acquired many more amazing perfumes!
ReplyDeleteOne nice discovery had to do with my wife and Amarige d'Amour. She was running out and I just happened to run into one of those mall perfume sellers who have a cart in the middle of the aisle. As she went along with our friends toward the car, I told them I'd join them in a bit and ask the gal in charge whether she had any. She said yes, I snapped it up, and a few days later I got to surprise her with a new bottle. Nice.
ReplyDeleteI've tried Aviation Club, and I find it quite good!
My best traveling fragrance discovery was in Peoria, which isn't really traveling but when you live in a cornfield you take what you can get. A now-defunct antiques mall had a perfect bottle of vintage Shalimar extrait (and a perfect bottle of Emeraude edp from the 60s) that are both perfect, both gorgeous and both cost $3, each!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the very generous draw.
xoxoA
A bottle of vintage Tabac Blond, was originaly of my mother but I didn't see this since yesterday, so is a great treasure!
ReplyDeleteThe fragance that I consider my best discovery is Feminité du Bois of Serge Lutens, I really love the wood and spice components ^^
ReplyDeleteSo funny -- I was just thinking about this last night as I was putting on a travel discovery before going to bed. Many years ago (early 90's) I was in Provence with my mother and picked up a lovely little bottle of a locally-made cologne. It's honeysuckle, very delicate but surprisingly still good after all these years. No name on the bottle though, so I just enjoy it as a unique, serendipitous find.
ReplyDeleteMy most lovely discoveries have come not from my own travels, but by having a close friend who lives in the EU. She has sent me samples of so many amazing scents - but I have to say, my personal discoveries this year have been the oh-so-amazing creations of both Andy Tauer and Serge Lutens.
ReplyDeleteSorr but...what are the eligible comments?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I discovered a very old bottle of Tresor by Lancome (the smell of my grandmother!)in a flea market at Paris, was a wonderful surprise!
Thanks for the draw!
ReplyDeleteMy main fragrant discoveries were: LUSH in the UK before there were any American stores, and before I really wore any perfume (I smelled it from a block away); super-cheap saffron in Israel. Neither of these are really perfume though, but they are fragrant.
Another discovery, although closer to home: the little jewel of a Caron boutique in NY, where I fell in love with Poivre and Parfum Sacre. And developed a crush on those powder puffs!
An Iris Silver Mist bougth on my first trip to Paris.
ReplyDeleteEnough said.
Quimerula, from quimerula [at] hotmail [dot] com
I discovered Feminité du Bois in Vancouver and it was the first perfume bottle I ever bought. When I entered an elevator that night after having spritzed a bit too much, I guess, people were actually waving their hands in front of their noses. Oops. Thanks for the draw - how exciting to discover a new perfumer!
ReplyDeleterachel
Most of my fragrance discoveries weren't made while traveling...but I do have a vivid memory of enjoying a brand new bottle of Estee Lauder White Linen while traveling around Europe as a kid in the mid-80's. Since then, White Linen always reminds me of Paris and London. The Savoy hotel in London especially. Black & white tiled baths, with claw-foot tubs and white marble. And afternoon tea. And the theatre :)
ReplyDeleteMy best fragrance discovery was Serge Lutens La Myrhhe from Paris leading to an ever increasing expansion of the range.
ReplyDeleteI love Plage d'Ete from Hove Parfumeur in New Orelans!
ReplyDeleteFragrant discovery made while traveling? Hm. I recently got to try the Serge Lutens and Frederic Malle lines while traveling to Chicago! That was a definite discovery, but one I sought out.
ReplyDeleteMy best travel discovery was my first trip to London about 20 years ago and at Harods I discovered the Annick Goutal line. My first purchase was Passion and it was wonderful! I am been an AG lover ever since!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had been able to try Monsillage when I was in Montreal bu things didn't work out that way. I did come across a L'Artisan Parfumer boutique there and picked up La Chasse aux Papillons which makes me happy. I'm definitely one of those people who looks for fragrances or perfumed soaps and lotions that are locally made so I found a lovely lavender scented hand cream by Bleu Lavande de Quebec and a Lucia soap in Damask Rose & Cypress. Scents are always associated with travels for me and bring back lovely memories.
ReplyDeleteWhen I travel back home I discovered my mother's new, beautiful mock orange bushes. A little peppery, a little sweet- I wish I could bottle it. I can't find anything remotely like it.
ReplyDeleteI discovered and bought on the spot a bottle of Agua de Seville in --where else?--Seville, Spain, last June. Fabulous scent with orange blossom but so much more. The others in the line were also beautiful and the shop also sold lovely clothing as well. I think I visited it about five times in as many days--fantastic place.
ReplyDeleteCalypso
Please enter me in the draw, I adore coffee notes in perfume, and pretty much every other note listed, and thank you!
ReplyDeleteI don't travel much these days, but I do like to take day trips around my neck of the woods. Last summer I stumbled on one of those huge indoor flea markets that sell anything and everything. Hidden in the back of the building, behind all the flashy vendors selling Britney and Paris Hilton knockoff perfumes(yes, sadly they do exist) was an antiques vendor who had some vintage perfume that I had been looking for - pristine bottles of Corina and Patrician Orange cologne from Patrician House in Germany, both of them long gone from my local shop. I think they were $4 each! The house used excellent materials and the fragrances are very good, but they are very obscure.
The fragrances available at Harrod's in London were an eye-opener for me. I travelled to England long before Roja Dove's Haute Perfumerie was in existence. Would love to experience that fifth floor!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the generous draw!
My best fragrance discovery would be Ramon Monegal and his amazing perfume line in Barcelona..
ReplyDeleteYash
the best fragrant discovery I had while traveling is Frederic Malle Perfumes. i had incredibly wonderful time in his boutiques in Paris, tried the whole line, bought a couple of bottles (Musc Ravageur, Carnal Flowers) and ended up with many samples from the line.
ReplyDeleteMy best travel-related perfume discovery?
ReplyDeleteIt's not so much discovery as I knew it existed, but I'd have to go with Serge Lutens boutique in Paris (although I did have problems finding it). :)
My most memorable fragrant discovery was during my travel to Singapore early this month. I discovered some of Tauer's perfumes in a boutique there. They were all beautifully made in my opinion and my favorite was Une Rose Chypree, it's a beautiful perfume; a unique mix of both modern and retro.
ReplyDeleteThe last fragrant discovery was the way Mona di Orio's Oud sounds in humid and hot Bangkok. It is just perfect apricot leather - like Platon's Idea of Daim Blond of Lutens.
ReplyDeleteI discovered Penhaligon's on a trip to London and fell in love with Gardenia. I find it very calming.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's a toss-up between the Andy Tauers I stumbled across in a small boutique in Ravenna (at the time, not available in England at all), and the La Myrrhe I bought in Paris from the Palais Royal. Both very special memories.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I encountered masses and masses of jasmine bushes on holiday in Tunisia, at night when they release their aroma and the night is made sweeter... I was blown away how such as small delicate flower could make me respond so dramatically, and now it is a scent I go back to again and again, to remind me of summer, of holidays and of the amazing grace of Tunisia!
ReplyDeleteWhen in Rome about 10 years ago, I happened to find a small perfume boutique in a very out of the way area. While browsing, I discovered the full Etro line. But the best perfume I discovered was Acqua di Parma's Profumo, the original version. On succeeding trips I bought a couple more bottles (at that time the lira was still in existence and the prices were a lot cheaper). I still have one unopened bottle left. I have not yet sampled the newest version of Profumo although I have read that it is also very lovely.
ReplyDeleteMy best fragrance find happened when I was traveling in Portugal, I found Azzaro's "Eau Belle" in a little "perfumeria" and it was cooling and soft which is exactly what I needed in the heat. I've never found it in the US and I fear it may have been discontinued. Everytime I travel I look for it!
ReplyDeleteIt was 3 years ago in Corsica when I discovered true cypress orchard and since then seeking for corresponding scent. Without success so far. Thx - Alica - [email protected]
ReplyDeleteMy best fragarance find was Mandy Aftelier's Fir solid perfume.
ReplyDeleteAs a teen- I traveled with a friend to visit her parents in New Jersey. My friend's mother had a huge bottle of perfume that she didn't want and offered it to her daughter. My friend said it was too "old lady" for her and I could have it. The bottle is long gone- but I still wear the scent. It was Chanel No 5.
ReplyDeletepetuniahiggenbottom at yahoo dot com
Many years ago I was in a little boutique in Paris and picked up a small bottle called Cafe Noir (not the DSH creation). I don't remember any other identifying name on the label. There are few things in life I enjoy more than my coffee (black) in the morning, so I picked it up and paid a ridiculously low price for it - perhaps 10$. That perfume turned out to be a deliciously dark chypre with all of the animalic leather base I now love; the epitome of the jolie-laide scents I now search for and crave. Unfortunately, I was too young to appreciate it and found it too *forward* and sophisticated to wear. I let that bottle disappear in the midst of many moves and travels, and have never come across anything else like it since.
ReplyDeleteBut in a way, this little bottle of Cafe Noir made me understand that beautiful strange things come across our paths all the time, and sometimes we see them and appreciate for what they are, sometimes not. Who says fragrance can't teach us a thing or two about life?
My traveling fragrant discovery was in the early '90's on a cruise. I discovered Lou Lou by Cacharel. It was like nothing I smelled before and I felt so exotic when I returned to my job in a supermarket, sparying with abandon. I very recently purchased a small bottle just to dab on occasionally.
ReplyDeleteI managed to find a vintage Miss Dior, which was my favorite back in the day. Putting it on evokes so many memories! Now I need a vintage Mitsouko, and I will be back in college.
ReplyDeleteMine is not terribly exotic, but it's very sentimental to my husband and me. We visit San Francisco every summer, and five years ago, I wanted a fragrance to remind me of this particular trip. We ended up at Barneys, where they have that great FM nook with the smelling tubes and a wonderful SA who knew the line cold. It was such a fun hour, even for my husband, who advised me to choose Le Parfum de Therese over Lipstick Rose. He was so right. And now, I always take my bottle of Therese back to SF each summer, and when I wear it here at home, it takes me back.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, during a port visit somewhere in the Med, I discovered Duende. Looking back it wasn't anything spectacular, but I ran through a bottle and half of the backup before moving on. I think the perfume itself was less important than the fact that it kicked off a love of scent.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting this exciting giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThe smell of tatami in Japanese rooms: so fragrant and comforting!
I can't wait for my next trip...^_^
My olfactory adventure was on my first trip to Paris (a week during which I ended up not eating much but bought as many perfume bottles as I could). I had at that time, only smelled the few fragrances avail. In Montréal (poison, l'air du temps, Lauren, and everything by Avon). I went to visit a Goutal boutique and fell in love with Gardénia Passion, at Palais Royal I found exquisite and intricate beauty in a bottle of "Féminité du bois" (a smille that was envelopping Paris at the Time, mostly worn by m'en.) And also came back with A bottle of JPG - this was at the height of Madonna's career with the Blonde Ambition Tour.
ReplyDeleteI would love to try out something from a Canadian perfumer! I haven't discovered anything scent wise while travelling because I don't even thing I've done any travelling since my obsession with fragrance began. I better rectify that!
ReplyDeleteWhen I moved into my new house several years ago I found a vintage bottle of Dioressence by Christian Dior that I had carefully packed away months earlier in preparation for the move. This has always been one of my favorites and I thought I had used the vintage bottle up. I was overjoyed when I found it!
ReplyDeleteAfter spraying myself silly with Chanel No. 5 for years in department stores across America, from NY to Alaska, I finally bought myself a bottle when I went to Paris. It wasn't a "new" discovery but I did "discover," or at least finally allow myself to believe, that I was a grown woman who could pull off an iconic fragrance. And where better to buy my first bottle than from the rue Cambon boutique in Paris?
ReplyDeleteMy email is cat1851991 (at) hotmail (dot) com, I've forgotten this detail, sorry!
ReplyDelete(I'm the same Caterina Saman of the 12th comment)
Thanks for this draw, include me into this please.
Probably my greatest fragrant discovery was Onda of Vero Profumo at Paris, a soul-stirring masterpiece, 7.5ml of pure love.
ReplyDeleteAmber, leather, tobacco? Green and metallic notes? I must sniff this perfume!
lima_tuti (at) hotmail (dot) com
When I spent a few months in Mexico in the 1970s, I discovered the Spanish perfumes of Myurgia--Maja and Maderas de Oriente. I also found some really ancient Bourjois Evening in Paris. I didn't care much for the fragrance, but the bottles were a lot of fun, especially the octagonal talc one.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite fragrant discovery was years ago in Charleston, SC when I found a little perfume shop with an assortment of fragrances that I had never tried. They had the Creed line, and we managed to find a fragrance for my brother that he still wears.
ReplyDeleteFragrant discoveries happen to me often, though they're not always of a perfume nature. One of the best was on a visit to the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, where an impending rainstorm was blowing in waves of perfumed air (from the desert flora). It was unlike anything I'd ever smelled before. Incredible.
ReplyDeleteOn the perfume front, however, I'd have to say it was a visit to Los Angeles, in the Apothia boutique, where I found myself in front of a lovely mirrored wall of never-before-sniffed Serge Lutens bottles. Heaven. I went home with Chypre Rouge.
My fragrance discovery was getting to smell jasmine on the vine during a trip to Sicily last year. It was in Siracusa, and the flowers were draped over a wall surrounding a church. Not a heavy scent, but a light fresh one that reminded me of honeysuckle.
ReplyDeletePlease enter me in the draw. I haven't done any traveling since my full-blown perfume obsession started, so I don't have an answer for this question!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a teenager and inexperienced in the world of fragrance, my uncle gave me some money when he dropped me off at Gatswick. I had to spend the pounds before I returned to the states, so I wandered the duty free shops. I had been wanting perfume, and so I ended up buying a collection of mini perfumes from Elizabeth Arden. I don't think I liked any of the fragrences, but I was excited at the time to try them. It has clearly been too long since i have traveled.
ReplyDeletei found a travel size Fleur de Narcisse 2006 by accident in Budapest, not so far back, just November last year. they sell L'Artisan and I was just asking really to break the silence if they had any. they just got it from the back, it was there for over a year now, nobody wanting it. :)))). Magnus
ReplyDeleteMy best fragrant discovery was more of a re-discovery and not of a perfume. A few years ago my BFF Bitsy borrowed her brother-in-law's Honda S2000 and we pit-stopped in my hometown for lunch on the way to the Berskires. We stopped at Atkins Farm for "supplies". I'd completely forgotten the smell of cider donuts and concord grapes. Yum.
ReplyDeleteI'd also forgotten that there's a Dunkin Donuts about every 30 feet in New England. So much so it became a running joke with us. But I admit, their coffee kicks Starbuck's a$$.
My best fragrance discovery has to be Niki de Saint Phalle Parfum- I first found it in Paris MANY MANY years ago and continued to buy it in the States for years. I haven't smelled it in years, but it was an oddly hypnotic and distinctive scent that was rich and lovely (as I recall). I'm not even sure it is still being made, but I intend to find out. I do know that Niki de Saint Phalle (who was a French artist) died a few years ago- she was an extraordinary talent!
ReplyDeletethe scent of roasting chestnuts, in the winter, on the streets of tokyo. it is so evocative. i had never smelled them before (despite hearing about them forever in christmas songs!) it took me quite a while to figure out what they were. elements of coffee, but really quite different. and so surprising to smell on the cold street; it just cancels out the exhaust fumes completely:)
ReplyDeletei actually far prefer the fragrance of roasting chestnuts to the taste and texture of them. my preferred way to enjoy it now is in my beloved chaud les marrons tea, from my favorite tea shop in ikebukuro.
My discovery is less exotic, but I receive a bottle of Dior for Christimas and I love it so much.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week and thanks for the giveaway
My best discovery so far is Tabac Blonde; in Paris, ofcourse. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOh how wonderful! I think most of my favorite traveling discoveries are of the fragrant variety! Mine is definitely the gorgeous incense that is burned everywhere in the Middle East. I love how perfuming your surroundings is a part of their culture. Of course I bought myself a whole kilo of the beautiful stuff to bring home with me. Another one is actually from my parents' travels. I asked for some Santa Maria Novella when they went to Italy several years ago (this was before I could easily find it in the US). They couldn't find the SMN, but they picked up a bottle of very lovely perfume which I have yet to smell anything similar. No company or contact info on the packaging, so I don't know who/where it was made and my parents can't remember any details, so it's a bit of a mysterious treasure to me!
ReplyDeleteI don't travel and that is why fragrance is so wonderful - it can transport you to anywhere!
ReplyDeleteThank you both for this drawing!
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I think my favorite scent discovery while traveling was probably Andy Tauer's line, which I encountered in person before I'd even heard of it.
It wasn't fragrance, but I was scent relaxed...traveling with my family to Creede, CO in my early HS days...
ReplyDeleteIt was the first trip where my parents would let me go out and do my own thing. I spent my precious freedom time sitting at a coffee shop (neither of my parents are coffee drinkers. Yes...c'est tres tragique!)
I think about Creede and I smell fresh mountain air and raspberry cappuccinos, which remain a guilty pleasure to this day.
- Kathleen
My best perfume discovery actually happened over the past weekend. I went to spend the weekend with my elderly mother and, lo and behold, sitting on her dresser was a vintage bottle of Bal a Versailles! I asked her about it and she told me that she has had it for many, many years and had forgotten about it until her storage was cleaned out recently. She never particularly liked the fragrance, but as it was a gift from a lover so long ago, she had not been able to just toss it out. It had been with her throughout the years and many moves. She knows I am perfume-addicted, so she asked if I would like to have it! I'm sure you know what my answer was and, for me, the scent and the old romance behind it makes it perfection. Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeletecrystesmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
I used to transit the Frankfurt airport often and kill time in the duty free shops sniffing perfume. New 'fumes often launch in Europe before the US, so there were usually vibrant displays of the latest. I still have my treasured bottle of Hiris, but I had to turn to ebay to capture a bottle of Joop! Rococo like the one I gave away before a move. Actually, time travel on ebay has yielded the most amazing discoveries. ~~nozknoz
ReplyDeleteThanks to Isabelle and you for the draw! I've only been a perfumista for less than a year, so I unfortunately haven't yet discovered any fragrances while traveling... But I'm sure my trip to Paris this summer will change that! Already looking forward to visiting Parfums de Nicolaï and so many great other places...
ReplyDeleteMy fragrance discovery was Kiehls Musk oil when I was on study exchange in Scotland. One of my study partners wore this every day and it was fabulous!
ReplyDeleteIn Athens' duty free, I smelled Prada's "lEau Ambree"- it's the exact moment I started my perfume journey and interest
ReplyDeletemany thanks for the draw
My fragrant discovery was while visiting London for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in the 70's. I must have been nine or ten, and was traveling with my grandmother. I remember receiving my first perfume ever, a violet soliflore in a tiny hand-painted bottle.
ReplyDeleteMy best discovery was while travelling in Dubai where I tested -and bought on spot- my favorite Bois Farine which judging by the reviews online, I'd never consider even trying till then. Also bought Daim Blonde there, which was second choice I have to say, as Tabac Blonde -my first choice- was way too expensive to buy.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago in Paris I came across a shop called "Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque" (on the Place des Vosges). Their perfumes left me cold, but the "Cire et Chiffons" (i.e. wax and rags) roomspray is wonderful: like keeping beeswax candles between your linens. Like a well polished table (beeswax, of course)and a freshly ironed linen tablecloth with a whiff of the fresh air and the clothesline between the trees it dried on. I wear it as a personal scent when I need some cozy comfort.
ReplyDeleteHaving a hard time getting my comment in. Lentisque and Lierre Rose, on clearance at the barney's outlet, were really fun discoveries. My whole family loves them both, and Lierre Rose draws a lot of compliments, including one form a woman who said she loved that it did not make her sneeze (?!) Would love a chance at the Aviation Club. Thank you for all the fun content on your blog!
ReplyDeleteoops-- I think I forgot to put my name oin my comment-- I am Mary-- Lierre Rose and Lentisque were the discoveries I shared. :.)
ReplyDeleteAh, due to family illness I have not been able to travel, but I was given a bottle of Sharif, which allows me to indulge my inner English Patient Fantasies!
ReplyDeleteCarole
In a souk in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia- I found something without a label- I think some type of oudh that has lasted twenty years now...it is so strong...and hasn't lost any of its potency or beauty!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite fragrant discovery is the incredibly rich smell of real orange blossoms once I moved to Arizona. I think the scent is hypnotic when mixed with hot, dry air. I'm going to sorely miss them when I move.
ReplyDeleteA business trip to New York and getting to test the Les Heures de Cartier fragrances.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful drawing.
My first trip to Montreal, I discovered L'occitane verbena soap. It was the first time I fell for a bath product and had to have *that exact* one for years! I still love verbena, though I have since branched out some.
ReplyDeleteI think it must have been my bottle of Ta'if when I visited Ormonde Jayne in London.
ReplyDeleteIn college I studied abroad in Provence, France - I wish I could find a perfume to capture Provence in the spring (especially the markets with the lavender, honey, fresh baked breads, homemade soaps, and the cool Mistral breeze!). Since I don't really like floral perfumes, I haven't found one that worked for me. On another note, I did find my now favorite perfume on a trip to Los Angeles recently - I got the chance to visit the Scent Bar by Luckyscent and came away with a bottle of Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau :)
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago, my sister and I were driving to the Grand Canyon and stopped in the middle of the night at a roadside park outside of Flagstaff. When I opened my car door to get out, I was overwhelmed by the loveliest fragrance in the air. I think it might have been pinon pines, not sure. It was a magical moment, though, and I think about it often.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the stories about amazing perfume finds! One of the things I do whenever I travel is visit all the local perfume shops. Fun whether I find anything I like or not.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went on holiday to the Cote d'Azur, I was really looking forward to visiting Grasse and visiting the factory of Molinard, who I only knew as the creators of Habanita. When I went there, I smelled Molinard de Molinard and fell in love on the spot. I would never have sought out or tried this little gem, but I came away with a bottle and have worn it far more than I wear Habanita. It has a brightness to it that reminds me of sunshine and a very expensive suncream I one had.
ReplyDeleteI discovered some fun Lili Bermuda scents on a wonderful trip to Bermuda! Thank you for the giveaway, Gaia!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite discovery was a bottle of Flora Danica in a Tucson resale boutique
ReplyDelete[email protected]
I wandered into a Annick Goutal store in Paris years ago adn was hooked. I've never been able to choose a favourite. Every time I even see a bottle it takes me back.
ReplyDeleteI have never made any perfume discoveries, but this sounds lovely.
ReplyDeleteSunny
[email protected]
My best fragrance discovery was finding a small bottle of oakmoss oil (2oz) in a thrift store. It smelled DIVINE and it was only 3 dollars!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy best discovery was L'Artisan perfumes in a small boutique in Stockholm, Sweden a few years ago. That was my first experience with niche fragrances, and what made me fall down the rabbit hole.
ReplyDeleteThese are fun to read. I love how scent becomes attached to memory. On a rainy day my friend and I found a newly opened perfume shop in West Seattle. So the newness of the flooring and the space are mixed with the perfumes I sampled ... Amaranthine and Cuir de Russie. In Paris a long time ago I remember the rain hitting the street..that was an amazing smell of heat and dust and layers of summer air and dirt and concrete.
ReplyDeleteCheryl
I discovered Givenchy's Organza Indecence while wondering around Harrods in London. It's vanilla/cinnamon/musk perfection, so warm, so sexy, I'll think I'll put some on right now:-)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite fragrant discovery was given to me by my mother. It was a bottle of my incredibly glamorous Grandmother's Chanel No. 5. I have long been a fan of the fragrance, but to have a vintage bottle (with perfume still in it!) is so special to me!
ReplyDelete