My Fragrance Adventures in France: What I Bought, Where I Bought It, and What I Wore

When one travels with a spouse who not only dislikes fragrance, but also may get headaches from being inside a shop, one picks and chooses one's excursions carefully. Also, really, I do love perfume, but I also love art, architecture, food, and chocolate shops. So I planned my French forays with great care.

I knew that I would buy Vol de Nuit parfum in Paris. Why? So that every time I would apply it, I would remember. I decided to forgo the trip to the Champs Elysees store to buy at Le Printemps because I had a coupon--well, I didn't read the small print! I still have my fabulous VdN, but next time I go to the crystal paradise that is the Guerlain flagship store.

Then I was off to the Divine store on rue Scribe. It was wonderful to see this underrated house in its own house! It is a lovely shop with a charming SA. We spoke about the need for a Divine presence in New York. Divine used to be carried at Takashimaya, but hasn't found a home since Tak closed. I recommended Henri Bendel and gave the address to the SA. And I bought L'Inspiratrice and L'Ame Soeur.

I finally visited Grasse. I have wanted to go ever since the perfume museum reopened in 2008. The museum was charming. Seeing the collection of vintage bottles behind glass was so tantalizing. Really, I wanted to crash through and smell Coty Chypre! The factory tours were predictable. But I did shop at the Molinard boutique. My daughter wanted Habanita parfum in the beautiful flacon. I bought Nirmala, which got a lot of love here on Basenotes several years ago. There was also a new release, Patchouli Intense, which I fell in love with. With such a purchase, the SA threw in a tasteful burlap bag, soaps, lavender edp, and loads of samples.

When I travel, I bring along decants and samples to use. What did I wear daily? Histoires de Parfums' 1969. It felt so right every single day. One of these days, I must get a big bottle.

After these two glorious weeks (or after a Sniffapalooza purchase orgy), I sit sated and can't imagine ever needing another new fragrance. Have you ever felt the same? It's funny how the feeling passes....

Twolf, dear:
I got the Nirmala edp, accompanied by body milk. Only one formulation was available.
The Patchouli Intense is deep, warm, with a bit of chocolate, and most like Krigler's Lovely Patchouli.
And the Vol de Nuit in that beautiful splash bottle is just unbelievable: it feels, and smells, like velvet on the skin.

My daughter loves her Habanita, especially the tasseled squeeze bulb. Larimar, I have never smelled Enslaved. I will need to now. And I thought that I would never need to smell anything new again!

Thanks, Diamondflame.
I was alive and kicking in 1969, and the fragrance really does evoke the late sixties for me. Patch and fruit and heat. I have always loved patchouli in the summer. It was a year of righteous anger and hopefulness and strong belief that we could make a glorious change.
In honor of that spirit, I bought, in Paris, a copy of Indignez Vous!, by Stephane Hessel. Hessel, now in his nineties, is a former Resistance leader, who exhorts today's youth to rise up to fight injustice. It is a wonderful way to practice French for me!

By the way, the fragrance that I sniffed most frequently in France was Angel!