Favourites revisited

This past week was ever so slightly unusual for me in that I did not try anything new. Instead I wore some of my older favourites, which, thinking about it, is no bad thing.

What amazes me about these perfumes (why does it amaze me, it makes obvious sense really) is that each time I wear them, the memories and associations they evoke come flooding back and I always get that sense of "mmm, now I know why I love this so much".

Starting with Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, I realise that to me it is still my amber gold standard. What I like so much about Ambre Sultan is that it is complex and smells of more than amber, although amber is the star note. It never turns powdery on me, remaining fairly dry and herbal, and I love that. Like almost all Lutens I can think of, Ambre Sultan lasts and lasts - apply it at 8 in the morning and you will still smell it clearly at bedtime, and faintly the morning after.

On to L'air du Desert Marocain and I can't help but marvel how Andy Tauer manages to create perfumes so powerful and long lasting. A word of warning - if you encounter a Tauer you don't  like, watch out, because you will still be smelling it the morning after. His perfumes have stellar lasting power. Even so, this is a wonderful perfume, full of complexities. 

Finally, Guerlain's L'Instant for Men. I own a bottle of this and every time I wear it, I know I can justify this purchase. If you want to know what a quality, mainstream men's fragrance smells like, try this. L'Instant seems to get overlooked - I hardly ever read about it. I think it is wonderful.

Anniversary reminiscence

Tomorrow (9 September) my wife and I (who else?) celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. The traditional anniversary gift for this year is tin, and although I did contemplate a tin of baked beans as a present, sense prevailed, as did the thought of trying to make it through the next ten years.... In some ways it seems literally like yesterday that I found myself on the verge of getting married. I was a bundle of nervous energy, excited yet also filled with trepidation at the thought of the immensity of what we were getting ourselves into. Ten years later I'm grateful for the great times my wife and I have had together. It hasn't all been plain sailing, but for the most part being married is something I wouldn't change for the world. Ten years ago we were naive, both twenty-somethings with hardly any possessions. Ten years later we have moved to another country, experienced drastic career changes, bought a house (with the crippling mortgage to boot) and somehow ended up with two kids. How did we manage that? Ten years ago perfume was but an afterthought in my life. Who would have thought that a decade later I would be obsessed by it and writing a blog? On a more serious note, for some reason thinking of my wedding day brings back some melancholy thoughts as well. One of my dear family friends, Barbara, who was at our wedding, died from cancer that year. She had breast cancer about ten years before that, went into a long remission, then it came back with a vengeance in 2000. On our wedding day she was already suffering again, probably well aware that this time it was the start of the end. We didn't know - no one did that day save for her husband. Such was the selflessness of Barbara that she was all smiles and happiness that day, putting on a brave face for our sake. Less than three months later I was sat at her bedside, saying my last farewells, staring at a haggard and lifeless face whose soul was probably already moving to the next life. On a lighter note, her husband Trevor was bitten by a goat on our wedding day. The reception was held at a farm and Trevor thought the goat needed some wedding cake. Suffice to say the goat thought otherwise and Trevor's thumb bore the brunt of its wrath!

Tomorrow night my wife and I are going out for a simple dinner at a local pub, one that serves some very good food. Perhaps we will share a bottle of wine and I'm sure, a few smiles, laughter and perhaps even a few tears. Instead of the usual 10-year traditional gift, we have decided rather to treat ourselves to something we each like. I am thinking of buying a full bottle of perfume, something that will perhaps remind me of this special day. I don't know what I want though. Such is the fate of a perfume addict that one loves so many different perfumes and it's hard to come up with one single item. On my initial shortlist are Serge Luten's Ambre Sultan, Creed's Bois de Portugal and Christian Dior Homme. I'm also not sure what to wear tomorrow night. Do any of you have any suggestions?

Here's to you Wendy, my love.