Gwen's blog

^{Mimosa or Acacia dealbata, 10x magnification- Wikimedia Commons - by Aelwyn, 2008}

^{Kate Moss in Bella Freud sweater - coolspotters.com}

Well, I've been bugged. I'm feeling poorly, down for the count, off the grid, so to speak. In short, I've got the flu.

My energies are focused on fighting this thing - ginger tea with lemon and honey is going to be what I'm sniffing all day long.

So no post today, but Kay and I will be back on Wednesday March 9 with our regular Nose-to-Nose conversation.

Gwen

^{Nanban bottle and box - arquiste.com}

Arquiste, the niche fragrance line launched by architect, history buff and designer Carlos Huber, has become one of my go-to lines since it was launched in 2011. The fragrances are gorgeous evocations of a specific time and place in history.

Photo: Courtesy of M. Micallef

Photo: Gabriella Chieffo courtesy of Maison Gabriella Chieffo

One of my most exciting fragrance discoveries has been Ragù from Italian niche line Maison Gabriella Chieffo.

Patchouli is used in many, many, many fragrances, usually in the base as a fixative and balancing note, but sometimes as the star attraction. Paired with woods and mosses, florals, spice and gourmand notes, patchouli scents seem to appeal to everyone, and are the perfect shared fragrance. Here are four of our favourites.

Note Series #12 – PATCHOULI
4-1ml. decants for $12.00, regular $16.00. Gift-wrapped.

Photo courtesy of Farmacia SS Annunziata dal 1561

Just before the holidays, we decided to renovate parts of our house, so for Christmas I was given a copy of the hot new book ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up’ by Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo.

I have a single girlfriend who has made it very clear to all her friends that she would like to meet the right man. One afternoon, when I dropped round her place to return a book I had borrowed, I noticed a sports station playing on the radio in the background as we chatted.

“Since when did you start following hockey?” I asked.

My secret garden in Venice. Photo: perfumeniche.com.

Venice is a place of secrets, a result of its geography, I think. Built on 117 small islands, linked by bridges and canals, Venice is a maze of hidden entranceways, narrow corridors and passageways, just big enough for surreptitious meetings and clandestine assignations.