Introducing my new site!

A while ago I wrote a blog post about how perfume gets such a stepmotherly treatment up here in Scandinavia (for the whole post, read here). I had several ideas about the reasons for that, including our tradition of protestantism, social democracy, white and airy Scandinavian design and the horrendous Law of Jante, saying you should never be better than the rest.

But seriously, just think about it, all the people here that right at this moment are pouring their souls into choosing the perfect wine to accompany the perfect meal, wearing the perfect garment in their perfect living room, just because they like it. That does not sound like people are buried under a pile of protestant, et all, beliefs, does it? Concerning perfume, there just HAS to be something else!

And I think the answer is very very simple. Here, there is no tradition making perfumes and most raw materials used in perfumery are not available naturally here here, so all those references are missing. The perfume supply in the shops is extremely limited (if you don't live in one of the biggest cities) and there is no tradition giving out samples for free. Taking all this into account it's not strange that most people just haven't come across a scent they've seriously fallen for. The rabbit holes in Sweden are sparse and far apart.

But now, Sweden is also a country of nerds. It's considered a good thing to be serious about your hobbies, excel at quizzes and just do a good job in general. I believe that with just the tiniest nudge people wouldn't have any problems tumbling all the way to the bottom of the before mentioned rabbit holes - and I believe they are just as deep as anywhere else.

And in order for that to happen I have created a new web site where I introduce some of my favourite fragrances and explain what I find so great about them. Coincidentally, these scents are also offered for sale, at competitive prices, in different, usable, sizes.

But I want more. Perfumeland, with its beautiful inhabitants, is a glorious place. I want to facilitate for everyone to get to know it. Therefore I'll move this blog over to the new site, and I want to feature as many other perfume bloggers as I possibly can on my new blog roll. So, if you want to be on it but aren't, please, tell me!

Also, I'll continue to do this blog in English, even though the rest of the site is in Swedish. And, even though you don't speak Swedish, don't let the language scare you. Seen one web shop, seen them all. The names of the perfumes and companies are the same. And although I'm starting out with only support for payments within Sweden ("I had to start somewhere so I started here", as Jarvis Cocker of Pulp used to sing), I'm all for international business. Just pop me a mail and we'll talk about it.

So, as this will be the last real blog post here in a while, I want to thank EVERYONE who has read this blog from the bottom for my heart! I got very surprised when I first realised anyone was reading it and I still get just as deliriously happy whenever I see one of your lovely comments! I'd love if you'll update your bookmarks and subscriptions to the new site (yes, you can link directly into the blog and never have to see the shopping part!) and stay with me and see what the future brings. Love, thanks and big hugs to you al!

And finally, the url to the new site:
http://riktigparfym.se  (I'll be grateful forever and ever if you share!!!)

And for only the blog:
http://riktigparfym.se/blog

Hope to see you there :)

Cats and Iceland

I feel so out of the olfactory loop that everyone seems to be in now. First everybody had spring but we had winter. Then everybody had summer, we had the coldest June in 20 years and the most rainy one for 100 years! Now everyone is having heat waves and what did I do? I went to Iceland. No heat waves there.

But I did have a great few days. I managed to meet up with my relatives, spend lots of time with my kids, youngest sister and mom and catch up with the local gossip of Reykjavik. I also managed to get some cat pictures for you. My mom has 4 georgeous cats. 3 are Maine Coons and one is a local blend.

Tara

Bertil

Birta

Kissemissan

I also managed to try 2 Icelandic perfumes at the airport, Ella Day and Ella Night. Ella Day started with a harsh lemon note that wasn't my thing at all but Ella Night was actually quite lovely, smelling of fur and vanilla, making me miss the cats even more. It lasted the whole trip on my wrist, the fur fading and the vanilla getting thinner and thinner and more like vanillin sugar as the hours went by. Not terribly complicated, but I'm not complaining, I seldom like vanillas so I'm happy I came across this one.

Neighborhood smellies

I've been so busy this week, preparing to go with the kids to Iceland, wrapping up things at work before the holidays, taking care of the garden etc etc that I haven't had time to prepare a proper perfume post. So instead, I figuered I'd show you some other great smelling things that grow around my house.

The area I live in is full of older houses with georgeous gardens surrounding them. A funny thing is that most gardens tend to be very similar when it comes to what plants grow in them. When spring first started the lawns were covered in squills (scillor) and wood anemones (vitsippor). Then came the daffodils in the flower beds. After that came major lilac season, they were everywhere. Then rhodedendron. Currently there are three top players, presented below:  

Mock-orange

Up until a year ago I thought mock-oranges were jasmines. In Swedish they're named "Schersmin" which, very confusingly, is pronounced almost exactely the same as jasmine. But apparently they're another species altogether. Nontheless they smell DIVINE. It's a sweet, heady and almost fruity scent. So strong you can smell a few flowers from across the street and so syrupy I wouldn't mind eating it with a spoon!

Peony

And peonies! Their scent makes me think of a fat-free, sugar-free rose, but what they lack in scent they make up for in looks. They're so ridiculously big and colorful, make me swoon every time.

Elder flowers

The scent of elder flowers is an interesting one. They remind me of mimosa - minus the almondy facet. Though, I've only ever smelled mimosa in perfume so this might not be a very valid observation. But there is some anise in there, and caraway. According to the Fragrantica database only 4 perfumes have elder listen as a note. That's very few! I'd love to see what a good perfumer could do with this one!

So, this is what I smell at the moment. Coming up plants are lovely honeysuckle and roses. What are you smelling? I'd love to hear!

Pics: my own