I’m fortunate to have circles of people in my life that extend outward, so that they begin to overlap. Therefore, the world of perfumes and scent is one in which I’m continually bumping into friends old and new. For some of us, we’re lucky because we get to see these people in the flesh, we joke and laugh with them and share little bottles of this and that. For others, the world is primarily online, but nonetheless very real in that the connections we form are endearing bonds. I began to know just how important that virtual world can be as many of us in New England were stranded behind mounds of never-ending snow for months on end. My computer often became the proxy for human contact, and yet there was some beautiful peace in the silence of the snowdrifts, too.

So what does draw us together at a site like Fragrantica? The close of the year always reminds me of how I became part of this family. A number of years ago I’d been thinking about my mother, and how, before Christmas each year, I’d go out to buy her a new perfume. It had become such a strong part of the holiday season that I couldn’t imagine the two without each other. Now, in present time, my mother having passed away in 1995, I felt drawn to talk about this memory on one of the forum’s boards. I was never prepared for the outpouring of stories, affection, sharing, comparison, memories, nostalgia. I even received packages in the mail from generous folks who wanted me to feel a bit closer to my family, so they shared some samples and decants of perfumes for me. I understood very quickly that we’re a welcoming group that is instilled with a very fine characteristic: the desire to share. This was just a beginning for me, one of many beginnings, but a special one because it introduced me to a world filled with the wonders of scent, and the wonders of people.

Something else that Fragrantica does is pass along information, and we all know how valuable that is. What does this smell like? What would smell right on me? I wonder what this scent is all about? People in the perfume world have tried in many ways to convey the idea behind their scents, but nothing really beats the actual experience of smelling, of testing on the skin. The ambitious scent subscription company
Scent Trunk has stepped forward as a creative force in scent experience. They offer a unique scent subscription service in which they match fragrances to you, to suit your tastes as suggested by your answers to a questionnaire when you join. You’re then given three samples of curated perfumes shipped to you monthly for you to experience. It’s a fantastic way to experience fine niche, independent and artisan perfumes that you haven’t had the time or opportunity to explore before.

Scent Trunk is also using their influence to combat an important health issue that is often overlooked in the midst of the headline-grabbing turmoil we often find ourselves surrounded by: depression. The company is donating 1.5% of their sales revenue to the
Brain and Behaviour Foundation, an organization that gives money to researchers who are working to understand causes of depression, and improve its treatment. The campaign, spearheaded with the hashtag
#fightdepression, reminds us that scent is a powerful tool in relaxing the mind, invigorating the senses, and being a conduit for important emotional stimulus and positive memory experiences. Please visit
the #fightdepression campaign's page on the Scent Trunk website to learn more.
Fragrantica has partnered with
Scent Trunk to gift a six-month subscription to a member of our extended family, and I have chosen Fragrantica member
Loobloo.

She is a self-proclaimed lover of vintages, and collects them with a passion, and I thought it so fitting that she should have the chance to experience a whole new world of perfumes curated for her.
Loobloo comments frequently on Fragrantica boards, and has the kind of passion for perfume that truly impresses me, a great love of the transformative nature of scent. In a review in 2012 that she wrote for
Eau de Parfum de George Sand by
Maître Parfumeur et Gantier, she says, in a spirit that soars, “I am NOT going to hoard this one. I shall wear with abandon as often as I like.” It’s hard to match that kind of enthusiasm and joie de vive but to see it among the Fragrantica family is truly inspiring.
I tested this before I read harlequin1572's review. I guess I must be one of those "I am woman, hear me roar." type of folks, then. This perfume ensnares me, enraptures me......it IS me, only better smelling! J'adore.
I immediately tried to buy it as soon as it hit my skin. Alas it was no longer for sale...anywhere. But, luck smiled, I happened upon a private source, and bought all that he had - 40ml. I am NOT going to hoard this one. I shall wear with abandon as often as I like. Fortunately, this is very potent and one dab will do you.
I am not educated enough yet to discuss notes. My source did call this a "wonderful chypre" and although that's not how it is classified here, his description may add to review reader's understanding of this WOW juice.
(Great news: Scent Trunk also has a special offer for all Fragrantica readers. Use code FRAGRANT50 at checkout to save 50% off your first month of a Scent Trunk subscription!)
We communicate primarily on Fragrantica by reading and writing, and sometimes that writing really stops you in your tracks. Fragrantica member
ArkangeL wrote this year about his experience in finding a signature scent.
Acquiring a signature scent involves far more than a fragrance meshing with your body chemistry, but transporting you to a special place. It should define you note by note. You typically discover your signature when you aren't in search of one. Something like love. This is what happened with me and 1996 Inez & Vinoodh. My first impression was negative and thought, this is beyond me. After revisiting and applying the parfum distanced opposed to close range, it took me by storm. An oriental storm that is. The note pyramid displayed seems to be missing something royal or foreign to this Earth because I can find similar compositions and never come up with this scent. The patchouli is evident, but there is something effervescent and warm about it. Red and velvety even. Iris, leather and amber are three of my most favored notes, but how can they equal this smell?? However this phenomenon of a fragrance came to be, it is not only inspired by art but art itself. 1996 Inez & Vinoodh is beautiful, regal and captivating.
Finally I’d like to recognize that ever-important Fragrantica family member, the kind who keeps this site so alive and meaningful: the new user.

People just coming to the site are full of energy, enthusiasm, so willing to dive headfirst into this incredible sensory world that has fully captured them. And there is something particularly special about the new user who likes to review, because we’re seeing perfume as it opens like a very fresh new flower for them.
Such a Fragrantica member is
Angeldaisy. Just on the site since 2015, she has contributed numerous perfume reviews, and all with a particular flair for language you don’t see every day. I was particularly moved by her reflections on one of the important releases this year,
Chanel’s Misia. She writes:
I love this. it is beautiful.
uplifting, violet rose, ladylike, Chanel…
here is what i think about the violet centric perfumes i have tried:
Annick Goutal smells like an Annick Goutal violet (the most similar violet to the Misia violet imo)
Après L'Ondee smells like a Guerlain violet (more old fashioned, sweeter and otherworldly).
She Wood smells like a DSquared violet (woodsy aquatic)
Prada No.7 Violette smells like a Prada violet (iris and leather, verging on unisex, with wafts of powdery violets).
Galliano smells like a Galliano violet ( incensey voluptuousness).
and guess what?
Misia definitely smells like a Chanel violet!
i have loved every les exclusifs so far and Misia is no exception.
And i do think that iris and violets combined, might be my favourite whiff of all time.
edit: i can't stop wearing this...i really can't. it is utterly enchanting and luscious.
As we gather in these last few weeks of this calendar year, I want to thank all of you who are part of this broad and diverse community; one in which we all contribute as lovers of perfume, memories, experiences. Our cumulative experience makes us wiser, feeds our spirit, and nourishes both the intellect and the soul.
This is the wonderful warm light that glows beneath mounds of snow.