Helen Hardy

Happy Barnes-day to all who celebrate 🤣- the fair really is Fragrance Christmas! The irresistible: - @perfumer.pia was IN MY HEAD when she made @olfictionlimited ’s newest scents Librido and Thé Tea… first stop was to confirm the eye-rolling goodness and get them before they go. And see Pia and @nickrgilbert of course! (pics 1 & 2) - @4160tuesdays brought so much newness. Which tempted me to join the Blaze of Glory crowdfunder, and to bring home Cathedral Library because who doesn’t want books so old they’ve gone chocolatey… (pic 3) - So many great new-to-me brands including @anforh (that whisky in Sorn…); Shloksha (Godfather’s Pudding wins name of the day); and @nyitacollection (some stunning ethically sourced notes g an amazing yuzu). But my favourite discovery was the exceptionally elegant @neunere.london . I couldn’t resist the rich, golden-melancholic honey and orange blossom of When All Things Were Divine (pic 4 - alongside the INSPIRED Barnes blotter notebooks) - @elix_fragrance little kits of accords / mini-perfumes to blend yourself are so playful who could resist (pic 5) The special: - So great to see everyone IRL, especially Sue @catficionado and Maddie @veganperfumegirl (pic 6 & 7) - Hayden @yousmellgreatwhatisit and Thomas @makingscentsmakesense scent and sound talk was a great brain-opening exercise to start the day. Love being reminded how perfume is part of the cultural zeitgeist; and how amazing to witness the flow between @nosuparfum and @jeigomusic , bringing new scent, sound and art into shared being with Placid Shimmers! (Pics 8 & 9) - Scent walk!! (Pic 10) - Wonderful to sniff ingredients from MANE, and to play the Perfumer’s Menu game (why yes I DID get them all right, thanks for asking 💋 ) (pic 11) Even more new things I was delighted to get my nose on: @jorumstudio Risso - all the layers of orange flowers and fruit @olfactive_o New Earth with an amazing pea note @early_modern Heavy Water - textured smell of silk, leather and dried tears, can’t wait for more Bloody Chamber-inspired ‘fumes! @walesperfumery ‘s new layerable Storii collection (number 3 was my fave) What a day! #barnesfragrancefair

Don’t tell sleepy Countess but this #caturday the lead spots on the carousel go to Luna, who lives at a chocolate shop/cafe. Yes, you read that right, chocolate and a cat. I have found my local heaven … 🐈‍⬛ 🩶

Oh the flowers, they just keep coming. And now so many are also scented in the sun it’s even better 💜🤍🩷💛💚 #dailywalk #dailyadventures

I may need to just change the name of #saturdayscenttrio to sunday… anyhow, so excited to finally get my nose on @chasingscents ! I am always so excited to smell tea perfumes, and this brand’s specialty are gorgeous tea perfumes using in-house extractions. The perfumes are not so much the photorealistic teas that One Day for instance do so well, but the whole experience of a tea in an environment - and they are all absolutely stunning. Tea service is a luminous jasmine tea , with notes of peach, goji and apricot-y osmanthus. This is peaceful but cheerful, tea with happy conversation, sweet treats and a beam of golden sunshine, an afternoon treat and so pretty. Slow World is a resinous pu’er with sweet saffron, smoky-sweet dragon’s blood, vanilla and woods. I imagine a colder morning in an old, dark wooden interior, where a cup of hot, sweetened tea offers a cosy experience before stepping outside. Private Teahouse ramps up the darkness one more notch and might be my favourite, though it’s almost impossible to choose. A dark, smoked Lapsang souchong is at the heart of this one and perhaps the most prominent tea among the three blends. Amped up by labdanum and cacao I feel a textured table of blackened woods like railway sleepers, dark and aged but never grim - a flash of peach adds mischief and lifts everything. All of these perfumes feel like silent communication - they have serenity but laced with strength and surprises, a twinkle in a sage’s eye; the discovery that wisdom, appreciation, presence and contentment are close companions. Oh and they last for ever! Which I am not fussed about but is noteworthy for tea scents which can be rather evanescent. I’ve got a sample of Rain Tea and that’s incredible too! Hooray that I can now get these delivered from Sweden. #saturdayscent #sundayscent #teaperfume #mrcologne76

A variety of suncats for #caturday - may we all bask well after another challenging week.

In a change to my regularly scheduled programming - pots!! Had such a nice trip to Ceramic Art London at Olympia today, sooo much variety and talent on display and the last few photos show what I just couldn’t leave behind and had to come home with me: 💚Staggeringly realistic porcelain moss by @annacebular_art 🩶 The most satisfying smooth inside, rough outside hand-sized form from @patriciashoneceramics 🖤 The most deceptive ’little moon’ ceramic pebble from @ceramicsbyclaire Oh and we spotted Rich Miller from the Pottery Throwdown 🤩 #dailyadventures #ceramics #pottery #ceramicartlondon

Thanks to my friends I finally went on one of Olga’s fantastic and far-too-tempting @perfumewalks , and it was outstanding. We visited Floris, Marc-Antoine Barrois, Roja Dove, Fortnums, Perfumer H, Santa Maria Novella AND Ormonde Jayne, learning loads about historic and modern brands, their boutiques and the history of the area. And what a treat to see the historic back room at Floris (pic 1)! The standout smells for me were: @marcantoinebarrois ‘s Aldebaran - a polarising outer-space tuberose where some of the more bubblegum facets meet a stoney maté and paprika that send this somewhere I have never smelled before. I got a sample and this is definitely going on my wishlist for sheer uniqueness. The gorgeous floral testing strips are a work of art in themselves! @rojalondon ‘s Serenity Blend (currently limited availability so not yet at Harrods etc) which I had to buy a travel size of - as you know I am a tea obsessive and this is a gorgeous, relaxing and lasting cup pf citrus black tea, gently sweetened with vanilla, with nuanced overtones of chamomile and white flowers - soooooo pretty. And finally even more tea - @perfumerhlondon ‘s Steam, part of their Icons 2 travel size set (which handily includes all their best things that I didn’t yet have 😅) AND the actual tea to go with it. This is a stunning green tea with mandarin, and in perfume form also plum and woods. This scent was eyerollingly delicious just on a scent strip, I can’t wait to get to know it better. The new ‘Soap’ perfume was also a LOT more interesting and lovely than someone like me who is not fond of ‘laundry musks’ expected- I should have known, because Lyn Harris os the queen of subtlety. Three hours extremely well spent 🥰 #perfumewalk #saturdayscent #collectionpotential

MORE flowers?? Always. A rhododendron special as the local park has a gprgeous abundance of them just now 🌸 #dailywalk #dailyadventures

It’s allllll about the flowers enjoying the sun just now. I’m particularly happy with this first (lucky) shot - one for those who love irises (in life and/or perfume)! #dailywalk #dailyadventures

Wow #caturday came around fast again! Here is more sunny countess plus two neighbourhood cats

#caturday yoga edition, featuring Countess enjoying the sun and also a few neighbourhood cats who are starting to be seen out and about more as the weather improves.

This week’s #dailyadventures #dailywalk