Smelling the holidays

Take your mind off the news and huff something good today.

It feels trivial to talk about perfume, beauty, or my nails this week. I have been doing everything I can to avoid social media and think pieces about the election results. I’ve been seeking solace in friends, being outside, and disassociating. However, reading things that aren’t about the election has also helped me, so I’m hoping this does the same for some readers. Although I briefly mention politics at the end of this post.

I asked people what smells made them think of the holidays on my instagram; here’s a word bubble of people’s responses:

Smells the word bubble couldn’t capture: oranges stuck with cloves (many wrote this in!), Constant Comment tea, Dickens Christmas wax melts, Chance by Chanel, Frasier Fir candles by Thymes (I love these!), Apres by Ellis Brooklyn, churros with hot chocolate, Pin 12 candle by Le Labo, Cardamom & Khyphi by DSH, pinon wood, wood stoves, simmering pots, douglas fir.

I’ll be sharing people’s favorite scents to wear around the holidays in a post this month. These could be fragrances to wear to a holiday party, at home while cooking, being cozy in the cold winter months, or anything people like to transition into with the seasonal change. Share yours in the comments, and I’ll include it in the post.

Here is an amazing spreadsheet curated by James Elliott of Filigree & Shadow that lists independent perfume brands worldwide. These brands have had no outside capital, investors, or parent companies, and the people who make the fragrances own them. He lists whether they sell discovery sets and whether they are women, BIPOC, or LGBTQ-owned, along with a ton of other information. This is a great resource to explore perfumers you may not have heard of and a great opportunity to support more diverse brands.

What I’m wearing this week

A friend was visiting who hates smells (I know how are we friends!?) so I refrained from wearing any heavy stuff while she was at my house. But I was already longing for the comfort of musks last week anyway. I had her smell Egyptian Goddess, which I wore when I was younger, and she said it was the smell she associated with me most, that I would walk by and just leave a train of it behind, and better yet, she loved it. That, Dedcool Extra Milk, and Gaiac 10 were what I reached for last week.

What’s waiting to be smelled

I was sent an Arquiste discovery set and a few other samples, and I am very excited to smell them all and share my thoughts. I have smelled Almond Suede a few times at Ministry of Scent and am excited to wear it and see how I like it. I loved it on paper.

What I want to smell / just bought

I’m really trying to buy fewer bottles for the remainder of the year. But I did just order this cute mini kit from House of Bo. I have been wanting to try out their fragrances for a while. I picked Bombón, Infinitoud, and Espíritu. The travel set of 3 10ml bottles is $98, but I used a 25% off Black Friday (yeah, already) promo code; it’s BFEARLYACCESS if you want to get something for yourself.

I also just heard about Harlem Perfume Co and am interested in smelling their fragrances. I love that they’re inspired by Jazz and the Harlem Renaissance.

I'm a sucker for a mini bottle.

Do you all still care about seeing my nails!? It feels so self-indulgent, but they’re honestly one of my favorite rituals each month and bring me so much joy. Here are the last three sets.

This is my favorite set in a long time, maybe my favorite all year?

A spooky set for halloween, and my most recent set which is a geometric cats in space theme.

I just finished listening to Ina Garten’s new memoir, and today, I finished watching the Martha Stewart documentary. Both women grew up in troubled homes with unsupportive parents, and both women created empires unlike any we had seen before. Both women have been hated, criticized, and scrutinized in ways men just as successful as them never would have been. I am not being dramatic when I say America hates women. Especially successful women who do not care about getting married, having children, or following the blueprint they are supposed to follow. I felt pretty meh about the Barbie movie, but that monologue was fact. It is an impossible balancing act being a woman in America and the world. I’m not even touching on the fact that this election has once again shown us how truly racist this country is. I’ll do everything I should: work hard, fight for the causes I believe in, etc. But right now, I am just angry and pretty disgusted, and I’m allowing myself to sit in that for a bit. Just unsubscribe if this offends you in any way. I am not debating or defending anything.

Stay safe and sane, and I’ll smell you later. xo