Scents for Your Senses

Karen Seiger
2 days ago
3 min read

Scents for Your Senses

I don't know if it's the perfume itself or the story behind it that captivates me more. But I do know that the combination is sublime.

Last month, I wrote to you about our Jewel Box Books travel series. Today, I'd like to tell you about Paris Perfume, the first book about Paris in the series. We are collaborating with the perfect author for it: Dr. Daisy Bow, a perfume historian and professor of French and world literature. We recently visited 11 perfume houses together, and it was wonderful beyond my wildest dreams.

Many perfume stories are astounding. One scent was created for Louis XV, the king of France from 1715–1774, and it has been recreated with modern ingredients and safety standards. A spray of it, and you're mingling in his "Perfumed Court." Another perfume won a prize at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris. I felt like it was the scent I've been seeking forever.

The one that amazed me the most, however, was an Ancient Roman perfume recreated from a recipe found in the writings of naturalist Pliny the Elder (23/24–79 BCE). Another perfume conjured up Agatha Christie's beloved detective Hercule Poirot. One sniff, and I was sitting in the dining car on the Blue Train with a champagne cocktail in my hand and a small dagger in my handbag.

Dr. Bow took me to perfume houses with modern and minimalist aesthetics and stylish fragrances. Other boutiques felt like we were visiting a favorite great aunt who had traveled the world in luxury. Some shops were filled with warm, wooden display cases, while others were inextricably linked to high fashion. One house offers a perfume so rare that the owner lowers the gorgeous box in a beautiful basket from her office window upstairs down to an overjoyed customer standing just outside the front door.

I was happy to find that many perfume houses offer refills so that you can keep using your original bottle. Some use recycled materials in their packaging. We sampled one perfume that is actually made from recycled and upcycled ingredients. It was one of my favorites.

I adore perfume, and I wear many different ones rather than a "signature scent." But, honestly, I've never been one to pop into an intimate boutique and start sniffing bottles. I learned from Dr. Bow that the experience you have in a store is part of the magic. You can simply spray on a scent to see how it smells on you over the next few hours.

The best way to approach a perfume shop is to ask for help. A staff member, or maybe even the brand owner, will gladly take you on an olfactory journey filled with roses, irises, lavender, musk, cedar, orange, blackberry, cardamom, frankincense, and many more natural ingredients that go into making perfume fragrances.

I was excited about the idea of Paris Perfume before. But now that this luscious guidebook is becoming a reality, I am beyond thrilled! I cannot wait for you to see it in the spring and put it to good use during your next visit to Paris.

Thank you, Karen Seiger, Publisher