The Perfumes of Dorian Gray: Chapter Ten

“The heavy odour of incense seemed to cling about its pages and to trouble the brain.”

Perfume Lovers London an Evening of Incense with Chris Bartlett of Pell Wall Perfumes

This past Thursday, 29th January, I attended Perfume Lovers London Evening of Incense with Chris Bartlett of Pell Wall Perfumes.  It marked a very special evening for Perfume Lovers London as it was also the group’s third birthday.

Perfume Lovers London: The Fragrance Library Comes to the UK

Today I emerged from my Thanksgiving induced coma to an inbox chuck full with Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails that sounded more like the coming of the apocalypse than the holiday season.  Although that may be debatable judging from some of the news footage I have seen of hungry mobs clawing at the door of their local Asda for that ever elusive £7.00 blender.  Aside from the delicious smorgasbord of delights I feasted on over the past few days, my weekend had a fantastic start at the Perfume Lovers London event which took place last Thursday to introduce us to The Library of Fragrance.

Dissecting the Decadent Rose of Nevermore by Frapin at Bloom Perfumery and Exploring 1697, Terre de Sarment, Speakeasy and Caravelle Épicée

Photo courtesy of thewomensroomblog.com

On Tuesday 9th September Bloom Perfumery on Hanbury Street in Spitalfields played host to Frapin’s Creative Director, David Frossard, who spoke to us about the creative process behind Frapin’s latest fragrant launch, Nevermore.

Photo courtesy of Fragrantica

Contemplating Angela Flanders Breath of Hope

 

Photo from The Women’s Room Blog

6:30 AM. Torn from my sleep by the audacious din of the alarm. Luckily a steaming cup of coffee has been left on the bedside table to lure me out of my duvet cocoon. I had a very early pre-assessment for surgery appointment at a hospital, which I suppose is nothing anyone really looks forward to. Hospitals, in my experience, have always struck me as such odd, peculiar places. Places that are meant to be havens of health and recovery that to me feel a bit tarnished in a faint essence of miasma that despite the overpowering, clinically sanitary smell of over-scrubbing with an army of cleansers and chemicals designed to seek out and burn away bacteria like some sort of molecular level Inquisition never seems to dissipate entirely. And despite the makeshift decorations and pitiable little plants, although trying their best, there is often times little cheer to be brought to such places.