Amoami Ukrainian Art Project
My great-grandmother Asya believed that art healed and her collection of embroideries and lace was a testament to her need to create something beautif...
26-05-2023 18:53
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Recommend Me a Perfume : May 2023
Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite ...
22-05-2023 18:53
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The Rooster House Now in Stores
My book The Rooster House was published yesterday by Virago Press. It’s being released during a trying time for my country. Even though its stor...
19-05-2023 18:53
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My Favorite Childhood Book
A few days ago I was going through some old photos when I came across this image of my mother and me taken in our apartment in Kyiv. I must have been ...
16-05-2023 18:53
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Learn Perfumery in Bulgaria
This summer I will will be in Bulgaria exploring its lavender plantations from June 26th to June 30th, 2023. I?m partnering with Silvia Yonkova of Ros...
12-05-2023 18:54
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Venice and Valmont
The last time I was in Venice, the water level rose precariously leaving me with no choice but to stay on the balcony of my hotel. It was a disquietin...
08-05-2023 18:54
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L?Artisan Parfumeur Mimosa Pour Moi Perfume Giveaway
Today have a generous giveaway courtesy of Bois de Jasmin’s reader Lori. She would like to give away a nearly full bottle of L’Artisan Par...
05-05-2023 18:54
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Scent Diary : Lavender and Muguet
Happy May Day! I’m writing with a bouquet of lily of the valley on my desk, and although today is rainy and overcast, the delicate sweet scent o...
01-05-2023 18:53
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Recommend Me a Perfume : April 2023
Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite ...
24-04-2023 18:53
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Celebrating Easter in Ukraine
It was a few days before Easter when I arrived in Ukraine in 2014 to stay with my grandmother, Valentina. Taking advantage of being together for the f...
21-04-2023 18:53
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Vanilla-Scented Orchids in Perfume
Stepping inside the Princess of Wales Conservatory during Kew Gardens? annual orchid festival?it usually runs from February to March?is a chance to di...
17-04-2023 18:53
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Travel to Bulgaria?s Lavender Fields with Me: June 26-30, 20
Endless fields of lavender. The scents of flowers and spice. The generous warmth of the summer sun. We will be in Bulgaria exploring its lavender plan...
14-04-2023 18:53
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Home Scents : Spring Edition
I started this morning with a stroll through a bluebell forest, continued to a Japanese peony orchard, and got lost in an Italian garden before fallin...
10-04-2023 18:53
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Pre-Order My Book in English
?A paean to hope and home, written with such gentleness and deep adherence to emotional truth that to me its words become a fierceness to cast against...
07-04-2023 18:53
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The Pleasure of Scented Creams
I am a recent convert to the pleasure of a scented body cream. I used to think that a plain lotion was sufficient, and as for fragrance, I could alway...
03-04-2023 18:53
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Rebuilding Ukraine Fundraiser : Winners
Our Ukraine fundraiser is now closed. Thought Group Chile and I are grateful for your generous contributions that allowed us to raise almost $5000. Cr...
31-03-2023 18:53
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Recommend Me a Perfume : March 2023
Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite ...
31-03-2023 18:53
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Meet Me at Passa Porta in Brussels: March 26
I look forward to the Passa Porta Festival that takes place in Brussels from Thursday, March 23rd to Sunday, March 26th. On Sunday, I will join the Uk...
24-03-2023 18:52
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Happy Nowruz! Happy New Year!
I wish you a Happy Persian New Year. May the new year bring all of us peace, joy and many good beginnings. I recently moved to a new apartment and thi...
20-03-2023 18:53
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Hay Festival Wales 2023 : Meet Me on June 2
I’m delighted to share that I will be participating in Hay Festival Wales 2023. The program is now live at hayfestival.org/wales. Friday 2 June ...
17-03-2023 18:54
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Why Classics Retain Their Appeal
Whenever I browse the list of perfume best sellers, regardless of the geographic market, I?m always struck by the enduring presence of classics. Chane...
13-03-2023 18:54
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Scent Diary : Ukrainian Embroidery
Last night I spoke with my cousin and my friends in Ukraine to find out how they have been handling these past few days. My friend Nadia is an embroid...
10-03-2023 18:54
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Facial Mists (Naturally Fragrant and Unscented)
In the grand scheme of skincare, facial mist didn?t seem to me like a relevant item, particularly since I associated it with plain water spritzers. Th...
06-03-2023 18:54
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Recommend Me a Perfume : February 2023
Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite ...
27-02-2023 18:54
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Rebuilding Ukraine Fundraiser
In more than 11 months of war, Ukraine has experienced widespread destruction. Many of its cities and villages have been so savagely bombarded by Russ...
20-02-2023 18:54
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Guerlain Releases Matisse Perfume Bottle
Do you have 17,000 euros to spare" If so, Guerlain has released a limited edition bottle created in collaboration with Maison Matisse, a design h...
17-02-2023 18:54
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Cleansing Gels with Beautiful Scents
Should it be orange blossom, lavender or pepper today" Scented hand washes make this everyday ritual that bit more enjoyable. A good hand wash sh...
13-02-2023 18:54
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Donating to Help Turkey and Syria
The disaster in Türkiye and Syria feels close to me. My Turkish teacher is from one of the affected provinces and has lost many friends and family mem...
10-02-2023 18:54
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Cartier Must de Cartier Parfum Giveaway
Today have a great giveaway made possible by Bois de Jasmin’s reader Toni. She would like to give away a full bottle of Cartier Must de Cartier ...
06-02-2023 18:54
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Rose Retreat in Bulgaria May 2023
The Bulgarian Rose Valley in Kazanlak grows half of the world’s roses for the fragrance and pharmaceutical industries. In 2019, I partnered with...
03-02-2023 18:53
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Chanel Chance Perfume Giveaway
Today have a generous giveaway made possible by Bois de Jasmin’s reader Annette. She would like to give away a full bottle of Chanel Chance, EDP...
30-01-2023 18:54
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Scent Diary : Jasmine and Chocolate
Happy Lunar New Year! We celebrated it with our friends, making dumplings and eating hot pot. At the end of the dinner, my friend served jasmine tea w...
23-01-2023 18:55
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Art Against War: Ukrainian Artist Petro Magro from Dnipro
For the past few days rescue workers in the town of Dnipro have been searching for survivors of a devastating Russian attack. A missile hit an apartme...
20-01-2023 18:56
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The Allure of Sandalwood
My mother-in-law rubbed a piece of pink colored wood on a rough stone until it turned to paste. My husband and I were about to travel back to Europe,...
16-01-2023 18:56
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Scent Diary: Dried Roses for Inspiration
I keep a tin of dried roses on my desk. I gathered them four years ago at my grandmother’s garden in Ukraine. My grandmother was sitting on the ...
13-01-2023 18:53
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Benzoin : Fragrant Resin From Laos
Luang Prabang, a town in northern Laos, is a city of magnificent temples and old royal palaces. Although far from undiscovered by tourists, it still h...
09-01-2023 18:54
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My Favorite Books of 2022
Last year held a few memorable reads for me, even though I finished fewer books than I normally would have. When I looked through my diary, I noticed ...
06-01-2023 18:53
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Recommend Me a Perfume : January 2023
Happy New Year! I wish everyone a wonderful and healthy 2023, and above all, I wish for peace this year. My fervent dream is to return to Ukraine. Our...
02-01-2023 18:53
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Best Perfumes of 2022
I’m glad 2022 is drawing to a close. The war in Ukraine, the revolution in Iran, the floods in Pakistan, not to mention conflicts in Ethiopia, Y...
30-12-2022 18:53
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My Favorite Comforting Winter Perfumes
Merry Christmas! This winter I crave comfort even more than I normally do. My workload has been extremely heavy, in addition to various activities in ...
26-12-2022 18:53
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Shoyeido Incense Powder Perfume Zu-Koh
Incense powder is one of the oldest forms of perfume, and Japan has perfected its craft. Called Zu-Koh in Japanese, incense powder is made by mixing f...
23-12-2022 18:53
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Ukranian Petrykivka Ornaments : Holiday Gifts
A few years ago I made a memorable journey to Petrykivka in Ukraine. Located near the city of Dnipro in the eastern-central part of the country, the t...
19-12-2022 18:53
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Fragrant Gift Ideas for the Holidays
For my gift guide this year I decided to focus on fragrant selections to satisfy all the senses, such as spices, Japanese fruit, bath oils, Persian co...
16-12-2022 18:55
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5 Festive Scents For Winter
Winter arrived sooner than I expected. I didn’t want it to come. I resisted its pleasures. Yet, the other day I woke up to a ballet of snowflake...
12-12-2022 18:53
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Ukrainian Comfort Food: Milk Rice with Jam
During these cold days, I’m craving comfort. I open my grandmother Valentina’s notebooks and browse her favorite recipes. She loved to coo...
09-12-2022 18:53
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My Favorite Iris Perfumes with Real Orris Essence
As I dig for wild orchids in the autumn fields, it is the deeply-bedded root that I desire, not the flower. Izumi Shikibu (976 AD – 1030, Japan)...
28-11-2022 18:53
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Recommend Me a Perfume : November 2022
Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my American readers! Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recom...
25-11-2022 18:54
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On Scents, Memories, and Borsch
Last night I dreamt of making borsch with my late grandmother Valentina. It’s been three years since I last made it, but in my dream everything ...
18-11-2022 18:53
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Recommend Me a Perfume : October 2022
Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite ...
26-10-2022 18:53
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Scent Diary : Lavender
Lavender is still in bloom around Brussels, its almond-like scent competing with the musty aroma of fallen leaves. I always find it a surprising and j...
21-10-2022 18:53
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Reflections on Ukraine : Surviving the Unimaginable
The neighborhood where I used to live in Kyiv got bombarded several times over the past couple of days. Now every night I dream of walking through it ...
17-10-2022 18:53
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5 Ways to Cultivate Inspiration
Inspiration sometimes seems like a mysterious thing that appears out of the blue and illuminates your being. However, as most writers and artists know...
07-10-2022 18:55
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Reading Sa?di?s Gulistan
Master, ‘ostad,’ is a nickname the Persian poet Sa’di of Shiraz (1210-1291/92) rightfully deserves. His verses are elegant and his p...
04-10-2022 18:54
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Recommend Me a Perfume : September 2022
Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite ...
19-09-2022 18:53
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Three Travelogues to Read This Fall
With summer travels winding down, autumn is a good time to turn to travelogues to satisfy one’s wanderlust. I have always been a fan of this gen...
12-09-2022 18:53
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7 Best Perfumes for Moon Viewing
Mid-Autumn Festival is on Saturday, September 10th, and I already envision brewing a pot of tea and admiring the full moon in the evening. Some years ...
09-09-2022 18:54
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On The Beauty of Fresh Incense
Incense is one of those materials that changes its character depending on what else is present in the formula. It can be bright and peppery or dark an...
05-09-2022 18:54
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The Rooster House : My Ukrainian Family Story
It’s a pleasure to share with you that my memoir, The Rooster House, will be published in English on June 27th, 2023 by Abrams Press. The book t...
02-09-2022 18:54
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In Search of Eau de Cologne in Cologne
A major industrial center on the River Rhine, Cologne may not seem like a place with a fragrant history, but it was here in July of 1709 that Giovanni...
26-08-2022 18:55
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Recommend Me a Perfume : August 2022
Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite ...
22-08-2022 18:55
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Patchouli Fragrances : Part 1 Classical Patchouli
A green plant that evokes the scent of earth. A leaf that smells like wood. A wood that smells like chocolate. Patchouli is a complex, intriguing, and...
15-08-2022 18:54
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In Memory of Issey Miyake and L?Eau d?Issey
In memory of Issey Miyake. The legendary Japanese designer passed away on August 5th at the age of 84. He changed fashion by creating geometrical desi...
12-08-2022 18:54
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Aizuri-e or Japanese Blue Pictures
Azure, sapphire, cobalt. Blue traditionally has been one of the most precious colors in paintings. Ultramarine was derived from the semi-precious ston...
08-08-2022 18:54
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Frederic Malle Carnal Flower Perfume Giveaway
Today we have an amazing giveaway courtesy to Diana. She is giving away a bottle of Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower (30ml, sprayed a few times only, box ...
03-08-2022 18:54
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5 Perfume Masterpieces for Summer
Beautiful fragrances can lift your mood. Over the past few months I have been wearing my most opulent perfumes without being concerned that they might...
29-07-2022 18:54
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My Ukraine : On Storytelling and Family
In 2014 I returned to Ukraine, the country where I was born, to spend time with my grandmother Valentina and rediscover the place that shaped me. The ...
22-07-2022 18:54
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7 Effervescent Scents Against Summer Heat
These days I look at the weather forecast with a sense of dread as we are in the middle of another heatwave. I like the indolence of summer and the lo...
18-07-2022 18:55
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Recommend Me a Perfume : July 2022
Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite ...
15-07-2022 18:54
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Summer Reflections
It’s almost the middle of July, and the pace with which summer is unfolding leaves me overwhelmed. I want to stop the moment and enjoy the late ...
11-07-2022 18:55
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Resources to Support Communities Affected by Invasion of Ukr
EDIT on March 6 2022: This list is constantly evolving, and as my readers are sending me links and suggestions, I will keep on adding the information....
11-07-2022 18:55
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Doctors Without Borders Fundraiser Result
I have been processing lots of grief lately as I try to understand what’s happening in Ukraine. I haven’t lived there for years, but it...
11-07-2022 18:55
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Happy Birthday, Sophia! Happy Women?s Day!
Happy Women’s Day! Happy birthday to my mentor, my teacher, my adopted mother (her words, not mine)–Sophia Grojsman. She’s the reaso...
09-03-2022 18:52
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Contact Resources for People of Color and Minorities Leaving
This list was compiled by Marianne @spritzi_mcgillacutty, with the assistance of Roshan @uniquescents.co and Susanna. When I asked the Bois de Jasmin ...
04-03-2022 18:52
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Where Jasmine Forest Blooms
Much of my scent vocabulary comes from Poltava, a town in central Ukraine where I spent all summers for the first 15 years of my life. I was born in t...
25-02-2022 18:53
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Where My Jasmine Forest Blooms
Much of my scent vocabulary comes from Poltava, a town in central Ukraine where I spent the first 15 summers of my life. I was born in the capital cit...
25-02-2022 18:53
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Bois de Jasmin Classes: Spots Available
I have a couple of last-minute openings in Bois de Jasmin’s online classes. I thank everyone who expressed interest in my classes and who joined...
22-02-2022 18:52
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Three Classics and One Great Novel
The first time I encountered a perfume that beguiled me was on the pages of a book. The sultry red-haired witch in Mikhail Bulgakov?s The Master and M...
18-02-2022 18:52
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A Branch of Mimosa for Carmen
“I will bring you cassie, if you still enjoy its perfume,” wrote French novelist Prosper Mérimée in Lettres à une inconnue (Letters to an ...
11-02-2022 18:51
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New Bois de Jasmin Classes: Fundamental Series and Deconstru
New Bois de Jasmin online classes are now available for enrollment in 2022. I am continuing the popular Spices, Citrus, and Dark Woods series and the ...
07-02-2022 18:53
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Parfums de Rosine Rose Griotte and Dior Sauvage Giveaway
Today have a generous giveaway courtesy of Bois de Jasmin’s reader Frank. He would like to give away two full bottles: Les Parfums de Rosine Ros...
04-02-2022 18:53
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My Name is Red : Perfumes That Evoke Scarlet
?I?m so fortunate to be red! I?m fiery. I?m strong. I know men take notice of me and that I cannot be resisted? Wherever I?m spread, I see eyes shine,...
31-01-2022 18:51
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Georgia: An Adventure For All Senses
The place where Jason and the Argonauts went in search of the Golden Fleece The oldest wine-making region in the world The country so renowned for its...
28-01-2022 18:53
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Recommend Me a Perfume : January 2022
Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite ...
24-01-2022 18:52
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20 Best Narcissus & Daffodil Perfumes
I’ve always been drawn to narcissus, a spring blossom with an autumnal soul. The narcissus poeticus typically used in perfumery is a delicate bl...
24-01-2022 18:52
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Summer Cologne for Winter
I’ve noticed over the past few years that my most worn winter perfumes have been the most summery ones in my collection. Or at least, the ones t...
14-01-2022 18:52
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Spices, Citrus, Woods, Rose, Orange Blossom, Iris : New Clas
New Bois de Jasmin online classes are now available for enrollment in 2022. I am continuing the popular Spices, Citrus, and Dark Woods series. I will ...
10-01-2022 18:53
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Chanel Gardenia and Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia Perfume Giveawa
Happy New Year! I hope that your year has started off well, and to make it even more so, today we have an amazing giveaway courtesy to Fabienne. The f...
03-01-2022 18:52
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Perfume for the New Year
If I were to select one scent to represent this year for me, it would be iris. Its dove-grey leitmotif ran through 2021 for me, whether it was the maj...
31-12-2021 18:52
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Spices and Perfumes
Nothing about my masala dabba, an Indian-style spice box, looks exotic. It’s a round tin, with a double lid and several compartments, that after...
27-12-2021 18:51
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Scent Diary : Chamade and Ice
I like when I wake up in the morning expecting another grey winter day and find everything touched with ice. Belgian skies are grey, fog has a grey ti...
24-12-2021 18:52
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5 Perfumes for a Snowy Day
Imagine that snow is falling outside your window. Everything is white and opalescent and soft shadows fill your room. It’s a moment of winter st...
20-12-2021 18:52
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The Colorful World of Japanese Kutani Ceramics
The first time I made my own clay pot, I must have been six or seven years old. My mother’s family comes from Poltava, the central region of Ukr...
13-12-2021 18:52
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Nest and Tom Ford Perfume Giveaway
Today have yet another amazing giveaway made possible by Bois de Jasmin’s reader Leslie. She would like to give away two full bottles: Nest Coco...
06-12-2021 18:54
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Scent Diary : Mitsouko and Japanese fairy tales
Yesterday came the snow. It always feel magical to watch the city disappear and melt behind the curtain of whiteness. Even when the snow melted, the s...
03-12-2021 18:52
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New Online Classes : Spices, Citrus, and Dark Woods
Three Bois de Jasmin classes are now available: Spices, Citrus, and Dark Woods. These classes are for students of all levels of interest in perfumery....
02-12-2021 18:52
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How to Find the Right Perfume and Seduce Yourself
?What perfumes do men like"? is one of the most common questions I am asked, followed closely by ?What perfumes will make women fall for me"...
29-11-2021 18:51
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Recommend Me a Perfume : November 2021
Our ?Recommend Me a Perfume? thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite ...
22-11-2021 18:51
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Saffron Biscotti with Pistachios and Chocolate
Saffron’s fragrance is complex. A leather accent shimmers darkly against the brightness of green and herbal notes. A languid floral undercurrent...
19-11-2021 18:51
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Why Do We Like Floral Perfumes"
One of my favorite childhood pursuits was to make perfume. At least, that?s what I called it?my great grandmother?s description was ?pestilence.? I sc...
15-11-2021 18:52
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D. S. Durga and Stella McCartney Perfume Giveaway
Today have another generous giveaway made possible by Bois de Jasmin’s reader Leslie. She would like to give away two full bottles: D.S. & D...
08-11-2021 18:52
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