This Is A Sniffa

(Today Karen has offered to share a bit about one of her passions…fragrance!  I look forward to learning more about this myself. –Déjà Pseu)

This is my neighbor, Colleen, and I having one of our periodic “Sniffa” sessions. A Sniffa is like a wine tasting for the sense of smell, our own little olfactory opium den wherein stressed mommies inhale heavenly (and legal) odeurs in an effort to reach an enlightened state of being.

Today we are at my place. Colleen is a MAJOR fragrance collector. She is not only an aficionado but connoisseur, and has gladly been tutoring me on the detailed histories of perfume houses and scents commercial, niche and indie. She keeps detailed notes on her library of hundreds of fragrances (full bottles and samples) and is teaching me to do the same so that I build my own references. I’m also learning descriptive vocabulary like “skanky,” screechy” and “animalic.” We frequently swap bottles and samples since we live so close together, and we are both members of a larger fragrance lover’s community on Makeup Alley. It’s about the only place in the world where it’s all scent-talk, 24/7.

Today Colleen and I have decided to test my newly arrived sample kit of the indie perfume house 40 Notes. We usually have a gameplan for our Sniffas, or a theme. Sometimes we’ll go through all the samples we have from a certain house, like the cultic Serge Lutens. Or sometimes we will compare fragrances that are “dupes” or similar to a certain fragrance such as Guerlain’s Shalimar. Or we may examine the “flanker” offshoots of originals such as Poison/Midnight Poison/Hypnotic Poison. Sometimes we test different concentrations of something in Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum and Parfum, noting differences in top, middle and basenotes. One Sniffa could be all vanillas, the next all violets. Invariably, Colleen fills me in on the minutiae of which perfumer made what perfume, which version is better–reformulation, pre-reformulation or vintage.

We bring tons of perfume to the table as you can see, though we don’t always get to it. If we really like something we want to test out, we find four spots on our arms where we can squirt a little juice and assess the drydowns. We were amazed today to find that an amber fragrance from 40 Notes was very similar to Prada Candy due to a hefty dose of benzoin. That’s another thing Colleen’s teaching me; obscure ingredients that I’m trying to memorize in isolation –heliotrope, indole, galbanum, labdanum, oakmoss, aldehydes, different patchouli and wood notes, vanillin, resins etc.

Colleen and I both feel utterly lost and incomplete as humans without our scent wardrobes. I vary my fragrance with my outfits, my moods and the weather. Fragrance is CRUCIAL for styling my entire day. After I bathe at night I lavish on something hubby loves and that relaxes us both as we go off into dreamland.

Next time, we will talk about Colleen’s extremely sensitive gift for fragrance styling. How she selects her Juice du Jour is so complex and interesting!

If you are interested in learning more about perfuming your life, there’s several great resources that Colleen and I recommend.

Blogs:

Yesterday’s Perfume
The Perfume Magazine
Ca Fleure Bon
Fragrantica
Bois De Jasmin


Books:

 Karen
~

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11 Comments

  1. What a fun way to spend an afternoon. I tend to wear fragrance seasonally. I have a winter and summer scent, but I can’t resist taking a sniffa when I’m in stores selling perfumes. Burr’s books are currently on my reading list.

  2. Perfumaniac here from Yesterday’s Perfume. Thanks for putting me on your list! What a cute post. I’ve been on a hiatus, but began blogging again today. I missed it!

    I see you have Carthusia’s Ligea there. Doesn’t it remind you of vintage Shalimar/Emeraude a little? Anyway, I love your dedication to scent, and it’s awesome you are getting into the nitty gritty with perfume ingredients. It’s an amazing, and as you said, LEGALLY intoxication hobby. Sniff on!

  3. I have always loved perfume – but my body doesn’t seem to retain any scent after 15 minutes. I keep trying new scents – but havn’e come upon any yet. If you like thrillers – read Damage Control by Denise Hamilton. The heroine uses various scents – and pairs them to the action. I also like Hamilton because she writes about LA – and as I’m a resident – I know the locales.

  4. Yes, the Ligea reminds me of Shali, though i have never had the plaisur of snifing the vintage!

    For those who find perfumes that dont seem to last, try using unscented oil on the skin first. Also remember we get used to our pefumes, but others may still be able to smell them.

    The Hamilton read sounds great!

  5. I love the “idea” and intrigue of perfume, more than the real thing. Most turn horrible on me after the dry down. Coco Mademoiselle Chanel is my daily perfume (when I’m in the mood) and Chanel #5 in the real perfume for special occasions. But it sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon. Curious what perfumes you use Pseu?

  6. A fun online community to discuss and learn about fragrances is basenotes.net. I second the recommendation of Luca Turin’s book; its hillarious! My favorites are Chanel’s Coco and Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune for summer. My teen daughters love Coco Mademoiselle.

  7. This sniffa thing does resemble the wine tasting events, only it is healthier. I understand Karen learning it for her business, and would not be surprised of sniffa parties.
    But this is not really my thing. I have never even taken part in a Tupperware party ; (.

  8. This all sounds like so much fun! I admit, that like the French women I know, I feel absolutely undressed if I am not wearing a few dabs of my signature scent on my pulse points.

    And that isn’t just when I go out. It’s daily.

    We forget how important our sense of smell can be. Occasionally, if I need a small measure of renewal during a long afternoon, I have only to “sniff” my own wrist, and feel oh-so-much better.

    ‘Twould be great fun to learn more about perfumes, and to recognize their elements – much as we linger over wine and its bouquet. So much to learn!

    Lovely post.

  9. that sounds fun and enlightening!
    i don’t feel dressed without fragrance. it lifts my spirits throughout the day.
    i’ve learned a lot just by visiting some of these blogs. great resources!