Would you like to swap any perfumes? 30 Perfumes to Exchange

After nearly a year of MyPerfumeLife I've amassed a stack of perfumes. Sadly, I can't hang on to each and every bottle, as much as I would love to. So here, in no particular order, are some bottles of perfume that I would love to swap. Most of them are 95% full. Some of them are in their original box, but not all of them. And some of them are fabulous, but not all of them. 

I'd be happy to swap with other fragrances; scented candles and fragrant products of any nature. You don't have to have a full bottle. I'm not interested in a like-for-like swap. I just feel sorry for these unloved bottles sitting on a shelf. They need to be loved and used by somebody who will appreciate them more. The only tricky issue might be posting between the US and the UK, but where there's a will there's a way.

Jo Malone - English Pear & Freesia Cologne 100ml

Miller Harris - Fleurs de Sel EdP 100ml

Heeley - Sel Marin EdP 100ml

Boucheron - Jaipur Homme EdP 100ml

Fergie - Outspoken (Avon) 50ml

Houbigant - Quelques Fleurs EdP 100ml

Annick Goutal - Rose Absolue Eau Parfumee 100ml

Michael Kors EdT 50ml

Diesel - Fuel for Life EdP 50ml

Sanctuary - Green Tea & Jasmine 50ml

Lacoste - Challenge EdT (pour Homme) 75ml

Lacoste - Touch of Pink EdT 50ml

Lacoste - Love of Pink EdT 50ml

Diesel - Only the Brave EdT (pour Homme) 35ml

Marc Jacobs - Apple (Splash from the Patisserie range) EdT 300ml

Benefit - Sofia EdT 30ml

Benefit - Laugh with me Lee Lee EdT 30ml

Benefit - My place or yours Gina EdT 30ml

Sanctuary - Pomegranate & Cassis 50ml

D&G - 18 La Lune EdT 100ml

Jean-Charles Brosseau - Fleurs D'Ombre Ombre Bleue EdT 100ml

Salvador Dali - Little Kiss Me EdT 50ml

Ralph Lauren Big Pony 2 EdT 75ml

Ralph Lauren Big Pony 4 EdT 75ml

Ralph Lauren Big Pony 3 EdT 75ml

Officinia Profumo Santa Maria Novella - Ottone EdC 50ml

Officinia Profumo Santa Maria Novella - Porcellana EdC 50ml

Ermenegildo - Zegna Colonia EdT 75ml

Nicole Miller EdP 50ml

Natori EdP 50ml

Please do send me any swapping proposals, as I'd love to send these perfumes to a new home.

Ruth Mastenbroek

Some perfumes just grab you. Not sure if it's the name or how you hear about them. Anyhoo, I read about Ruth Mastenbroek EdP quite some time ago and have been desperate to try it ever since. In the press release she says,

Very simply, my life's work is fragrance. I am a 'nose' - a perfumer, a former President of the British Society of Perfumers.

Interesting? I think so too. I've never heard of this lady, but even in the first line I'm thinking this perfume is going to be great. She goes on...

For the past 25 years I have worked with oils and essences, flowers and spices, creating fragrance for some well known brands like Jo Malone, Jigsaw and Kenneth Turner.

Hmm, 'fragrance' and 'Jigsaw'. Now there's a thought. Fragrance and Kenneth who?

Well, to cut a long story short, I've tried it and I'm not a fan. In part it's the marketing that's put me off. But, I am looking forward to the next perfume from Ruth Mastenbroek. 

Sunny Fruit Grove vs Indoor Smoke - No Contest

The problem with Autumn and Winter is that I want everything to smell like..

..and..

..and..

But, in fact everything smells like.... well, I don't know. The problem with wintry scents is that they're not related to fruit and sunshine. Instead they're very indoorsy. For instance...

..and..

..and..

Not just indoorsy, but smoky indoors. Eww.

Think I'm going to be hopping straight to some spring blossoms sometime soon.

Coral Reef and Aircraft at Tate Britain

We went to Tate Britain a week or so ago. The Turner Prize display was sadly disappointing. But there were a couple of terrific exhibits. Firstly, there are some aircraft as works of art. This one seems perched precariously upside down...

.. and there is another one suspended by it's tail end from the ceiling. Breathtaking.

There is also an installation entitled Coral Reef. It's a labyrinth of rooms. Simultaneously claustrophobic and compelling. Definitely worth the visit.

Loving Liberty

I always look forward to finding out which perfumes Liberty is featuring in its seasonal catalogue. Liberty is probably my favourite store for perfume shopping. Uniquely in London, nobody in the perfume section bothers you, which means you can have a proper look around. It's the perfect place to spend a late shopping evening.

Fracas, created by the perfumer Germaine Cellier, is one of those secrets that is highly rated by those in-the-know. Launched in 1948, Fracas does now seem a bit old-fashioned. Most modern perfumes focus around one or two key notes whereas Fracas is a true medley including tuberose and a classic 'white flower accord'. It can be a bit too much. Definitely worth trying if you're a fan of white flowers, but try before you buy. 

Contrasting with this old-school classic, Eau Duelle has just been launched by Diptyque. This was the description that Diptyque had in their window last month.

I've heard Eau Duelle described as a 'chilly vanilla', which is pretty accurate. The solid perfume is a bargain at £28, and with covetable packaging it's sure to be on my Christmas list.

One of my absolute favourites, Ninefo Mio by Annick Goutal is included in the next selection:

Whilst I can't heap enough praise on Ninfeo Mio, I was underwhelmed by Ulrich Lang's Nightscape. It's very woody, and a bit flat. Serge Lutens, the grand master of woody fragrances, also features in this selection. Cuir Mauresque is, according to Basenotes, a 'rich, smoky leather'. Good for this time of year perhaps. And finally, Rose en Noir from Miller Harris, which has been created by Miller Harris exclusively for Liberty. The reviews on Make Up Alley are extremely positive if you're searching for a femme fatale vibe.

Very Vetiver

Vetiver is one of those fragrances that I'm never quite sure if I like or not. It can easily be overpowering, or too strong. But I'm coming round to the idea that, with a light touch and in a well put together perfume, vetiver can be pretty enticing. A recent Stylist magazine article suggests some key vetiver fragrances.

Vetyverio is by Diptyque, who manage to make the most avant garde perfume combinations wearable. As you would expect Vetyverio is gentle and complex enough to smell exotic and sophisticated.

Vetiver Dance by Andy Tauer. I haven't tried this one, but Andy Tauer is a genius for exotic, ethereal fragrances.This should be pretty good.

Vetyver by Chantecaille. By chance I came across the Chantecaille perfume range in SpaceNK a couple of days ago. I hadn't heard of or seen Chantecaille perfumes before this week, so I'm looking forward to sampling them.

Wonderwood by Comme des Garcons. The only place that I can reasonably travel to to test Comme des Garcons fragrances is Bluebird on the Kings Road. I will be making the trip in the near future to try Wonderwood, even though the name sort of puts me off.

InStyle Magazine's Autumn Winter 2010 Scent Selection

InStyle magazine selects their top scents for Autum and Winter. They include the new Thierry Mugler fragrance Womanity, Paco Rabanne's Lady Million, Chloe's Love and Estee Lauder's Sensuous. 

A curious combination of some extremely different scents.

Personal Perfume Consultation - Sort Of

If you are thinking of trying a new perfume and don't know where to start, then I would love to help by making some suggestions. 

Simply write a comment with three key facts and I will suggest a perfume for you to try. The three key facts are:-

Your favourite food

Your favourite season

Your favourite film

I'm looking forward to hearing from you...

Vogue Editorial Photo November 2010

This Vogue photo is so good, I had to reproduce it here. The perfume bottles included are Sisley Eau du Soir, Guerlain L'Heure Bleue, Caron Nuit de Noel, Dior Eau Sauvage, Boss Orange Sunset and Jean Patou Joy. I wish I could creat images like this. Gorgeous.

British Vogue November 2010 - Perfume Ads

So, a little bit late, as I seem to have had the latest copy of Vogue for a few weeks. Here are the perfume ads that feature. 

Firstly, Miss Dior Cherie. Still doing her cutesy pink thing. I love this advertising, although it is a bit on the cheesey side.

Diane Kruger features in a one page ad for Calvin Klein Beauty. And there's a sample of the perfume. I'm still not loving Beauty yet.

Justin Timberlake, in his jaunty hat, promoting Givenchy's Play. I read a quote from Timberlake saying something about how Play 'reinvents' perfume. Hmm. Just do the pictures Justin. 

A one page advert for Guerlian Idylle. Something about the choice of colours suggest a Christmas build-up.

Next it's Narciso Rodriguez For Her. I love this purist picture of Carmen Kass. 

Issey Miyake's L'Eau D'Issey. Not sure what the image is: a lily, a white tulip and a piece of bark? Criptic? Or just economising?

The Jennifer Aniston fragrance, which was initially called Lolavie, but is now just Jennifer Aniston, The Debut Fragrance.

Love by Chloe. According to the Huffington Post, the faux pas in the ad is that Raquel Zimmerman is accidentally wearing a YSL belt. The devil's in the detail.

Peace Love by Juicy Couture.

Dreams Unlimited, the New Fragrance from The Body Shop.

Ralph Laurence Romance, the perfume that Tania Sanches labels 'reprehensibly dull', in Perfumes The A-Z Guide.

 And this month the back cover belongs to Flowerbomb.

It's a bumper crop this month and quite a few new adverts that I haven't seen in Vogue before.

Womanity by Thierry Mugler

Is Womanity being pitched as a fragrance that women can buy for themselves? A great trick for doubling sales. The name, after all, implies independence, even exclusion, from men. The tribal-themed packaging and advertising are quirky and appealing in an angry-young-woman kind of way.

Mix the Thierry Mugler marketing juggernaut with some key perfume trends from the last few years, and voila - a formula for a big-bucks winner.  Woody base notes have been popularised by the luxury house of Serge Lutens. Salty notes are a rising trend and a perfect counterpoint to the oh-so-sweet concoction of Angel, Mugler's first huge hit. And fig perfumes typify the current trend for back-to-nature beauty products.

Womanity is sadly a formulaic approach to perfume production. Blend some key trends, pour cash into the marketing campaign and pull out a cash bonanza. Will it work? Well, maybe for now. But the perfume world is changing. And I think it's going to have to do better than this. 

Scratch+Sniff Perfume Evening

I wasn't able to go to the Scratch+Sniff event in London at the end of last month. But here are some photos from the organisers. It looks like a lot of fun, so I'm going to try to make the next one.

It's always intriguing to find out if other people respond to perfumes in the same way that you do. So, perhaps surprisingly, there's always a lot to talk about at an event like this. That really comes across in these pictures. 

Cupcake Birthday Party

There have been a lot of cakes this weekend. For my daughter's birthday she made cupcakes with some of her friends.

Then there was more cake at tea time.

I'm still recovering from the overload of cake. But the weekend has been great fun.

Autumnal Wedding with Heavenly Cupcakes

Yesterday we went to a gorgeous wedding in Brixton. The decorations were orange and yellow - perfect for an Autumnal October celebration.

And the cakes were home-made by one of the family. Possibly the best cupcakes I've ever tasted.

The Essence of Perfume by Roja Dove

My husband recently gave me Roja Dove's sumptuous book, The Essence of Perfume. Having recently seen Roja give a guided tour of the Perfume Diaries at Harrods, I've been desperate to hear more from him. This book is the next best thing.

The Essence of Perfume is an enticing blend of history and anecdote. By describing the cultural mood of the time, Roja brings the perfume industry to life. He sets the scene for key perfume launches and clearly explains the reasons behind their success. Whether it's the aviation craze that inspired the name for Guerlain's Vol de Nuit or the creation of Charlie for the Cosmopolitan generation, it's clear how and why some pivotal perfumes filled a gap in the market and sparked new trends. Along with this, Roja includes intriguing details about the personal lives of the perfumers and the relationships, and often rivalries, that drove them.

The book is also a visual feast, brimming over with photos of beautiful perfume bottles and incredible packaging. Highly recommended.

Coco by Chanel

Another new perfume...

Well, it was my birthday at the weekend. Thanks to my lovely sister-in-law, Vicks, for giving me such a sumptuous classic. Coco is not to be beaten. It's sexy without being heady or in-your-face. There's an amazing buttery quality to it, which creates a uniquely rich scent.

When I started writing about perfume nearly a year ago, I didn't like Coco. Or perhaps I hadn't ever tried it. But having tested a perfume a day for the past eleven months, my nose has changed. I've had the chance to wear and revisit many different fragrances. Coco has depth and layers but avoids being overwhelming or taking over. Unlike many other scents, Coco truly stands the test of time.

If you haven't tried Coco recently - I would encourage you to revisit it - a classic fragrance.

Ninfeo Mio by Annick Goutal

My ever-generous husband has given me a bottle of Annick Goutal's fresh and wild Ninfeo Mio. I smelt this briefly only once before and fell in love with it. I'm wearing it now and it's a lush outdoors fragrance evocative of wet grass on dewy morning walks.

Ninfeo Mio is theoretically a fig fragrance, based on the smells from an Italian garden. It's THE freshest perfume I know. Perfect for lovers of the outdoors. Even though it's not advertised as a unisex fragrance, this is definitely a bottle that my husband is going to be sharing.

October Pumpkins

October is without doubt my favourite month. Not least because I love pumpkins and their bright Autumnal colour. At the weekend we went to choose, probably the first of several, pumpkins for this year.

There was a whole field of exotic orange pumpkins to choose from.

The children loved having the choice from a whole field. And I can't wait to get carving some spooky halloween pumpkins.