Maryland's Classical Music Station

odoriferosity!

I’m usually the one who blogs about all the tech-things or station-related news, but I wanted to shake it up a little and share one of my non-work interests with you: perfume!

The other day, Kati and I embarked on our semi-annual pilgrimage to Tyson’s Galleria for a much needed Perfume Sniffa.  For a few years now, I have been the young Padawan to Kati’s Jedi Master of Perfumery.  (She is single-highhandedly saving oakmoss from extinction!)

We sniffed our way through Neiman Marcus.  I made much sadface when I discovered they didn’t have the frag I truly wanted to buy: Annick Goutal Eau d’Camille (notes are honeysuckle, privet, seringa and ivy.)

I nosed around the Tom Ford counter a bit and found out that one of my faves (Bois Rouge) has been discontinued.  Damn you Tom, damn you!  So I tried the newest handful of TF releases… I was really looking forward to Jasmin Rouge but wasn’t immediately blown away.  I guess I was expecting Tom Ford to do to jasmine what he did to the orchid, make it BIG and Sexy.  It was just mild and unremarkable.  Lavender Palm was a true lavender and the subsequent punch to my sinuses made me hand my samples over to Kati. Violet Blonde and Santal Blush were meh.  What happened to you Tom??

After Neimans, we took a food break and ate our usual noms at the Lebanese Taverna. NOM  I might not be able to identify my food, but I sure do love the mezzo sampler.

We swung into the Chanel Boutique to sniff the exclusives and Kati snagged herself Sycomore.  She also got the SA to make me a sample of Coromandel:  “the elaborate scent unfolds in undulating detail, starting with an amber vibrato, followed by dry notes of Frankincense and Benzoin, then, soulful woody notes that add elegance and depth to the sensuous accord’s striking trail.”  Who writes this stuff?

After we left Chanel, we went to Art with Flowers (our intended destination) and ran our noses over many samples.  If you have never heard of this place, it’s a haven for niche fragrances!   I FINALLY snagged a bottle of Santa Maria Novella Nostalgia.  “A fragrance that evokes the memories of old Italian racing cars – the smell of leather, gasoline and burning tires. Top notes: bergamot, rubber and styrax. Heart: cedar and patchouli. Base: leather, amber, vanilla and birch tar.”

Oh yes, smelling like a garage is gorgeous on my husband and on me!  I’m not shy about wearing men’s fragrances thanks to my intense Jedi training.

Because I was feeling unfulfilled and petulant about not finding Camille, I picked up some “well, it’s better than nothing” frags from Miller Harris.  Figue Amere features amber, mandarin orange, violet leaf, balsam fir, cedar, bergamot, angelica, rose and narcissus and Fleur du Matin features pine tree, marjoram, honeysuckle, jasmine, neroli, galbanum, basil, grapefruit and amalfi lemon.

On our way back out through Neiman’s, I had the opportunity to meet Mark Malinowski’s wife Jess.  What a hoot!  I have to give her a shout out for being the most awesome Lancome rep I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with, and she is literally the female Mark: great sense of humor and full of personality.  If you’re ever in that neck of the woods, don’t be shy about name dropping… she’ll treat you right!

Tags:fragrance, fun