The lucky number birth date attributed to Chanel N°5 (the fifth day of the fifth month) is certainly a legend – Gabrielle Chanel had a well-known tendency to embellish her personal history. But May 5th is definitely the birthday of Grain de Musc.
I’ve been blogging for a year now.
What’s been tough: trying to write regularly, and in two languages to boot, while juggling insane freelancing schedules. Testing new fragrances when I would’ve rather worn my favorites. Analyzing them rather than letting myself go to pure enjoyment. Watching samples pile up, vying for attention…
What’s been great: analyzing fragrances to compound my enjoyment. Meeting perfumers who shared a few secrets to help me better understand their work. And especially, engaging with the passionate, literate people who read me in some of the liveliest, most stimulating debates in the perfumed blogosphere!
Thank you all for your contributions… Now I’ll ask you to make another effort and write me your suggestions on ways to improve this blog. I’m not saying I’ll follow them (I’m pretty stubborn that way) but if there are any themes you’d like me to work on, fragrances you think I ought to review, anything… this is the moment!
And since it’s my party, I’ll conclude by a draw: drop a comment with a suggestion, and you may win a truly exceptional decant – a whopping 10 ml atomizer of Guerlain Habit Rouge Extrait, a limited edition. You don’t even want to know what the stuff costs!
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Happy Anniversary and cinco de mayo! I enjoy reading your blog and really do not have any suggestions for you.
RépondreSupprimerPlease enter me in the drawing.
Thank you so much for your generosity!
Congratulations on your anniversary! I am struck by one line in your post: "...watching the samples pile up". LOL! That's a problem I would love to have :) No need to include me in the drawing for the Habit Rouge; HR and I do not get along for some reason. Best wishes for many more wonderful years of blogging!
RépondreSupprimerHappy Anniversary! I've just discovered this blog (via Perfume-Smellin' Things, Bois de Jasmin, Now Smell This...) and can tell I am going to enjoy very much indeed delving into the archives and reading future posts. I already like the way you invite your readers to engage through asking questions ('who wants to smell like a place?'), and your posts are so well-written, well-researched and lively. I have been hoping for a guide to buying vintage (I recently became intent on possessing some discontinued Patous) but feared it was too work-a-day a request to ask you to address... then I found your very helpful article on just this topic - hoorah! Thanks for writing, and enjoy the next year. - Emma
RépondreSupprimerHappy Anniversary! I have no suggestions; l love your blog and look forward to reading it every day.
RépondreSupprimerBest,
GalileosDaughter
Please enter me in the draw!
RépondreSupprimerGabrielle Chanel was always fascinating in that respect; I've read many articles about how notoriously guarded she could be and how much trouble biographers have had. I wonder when a perfume's birthday truly is? How does one judge that lengthy a progress and tie it to one day?
I visit your blog all the time and am truly surprised it's only been a year. When going through your archives, it certainly doesn't seem that way. And I know I don't speak for only myself when I thank you for forgoing wearing your favorites to keep us informed; when I know I'm going shopping, I don't wear perfume so that I may try things on. How naked I feel in those times!
And just a little note, I've commented before on your blog anonymously but I figured if I had an account, I'd comment more. =P
Congratulations, Denyse. I'm so glad you do blog; it's always such a pleasure to read. Would you please consider me in the drawing as well.
RépondreSupprimerD,
RépondreSupprimerHappy Birthday! (I should try harder, like you do every post...bon anniversaire!) I am so pleased you are able to meet this mark.
Honestly, I think you've already done a fabulous job of carving out what it is you do. If I have a suggestion, it would simply be to protect time so that you can keep posting regularly. (Hmm, a bit self serving, that one?)
Looking forward to Year Two!!!
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RépondreSupprimerYour blog is wonderful...well written and informative! The amount of time and effort that you put into it really shows.
RépondreSupprimerKeep up the great work and I hope to be reading your blog for many many years to come, Denyse.
Please consider me for the Habit Rouge draw. Thanks !
"Don't change a hair for Me"
RépondreSupprimerHappy Anniversary!
Happy anniversary to us, who have been enjoying your blog during the past year. Unlike many other bloggers, both your writing and your content are a joy. I suggest that you please continue.And oh yes, please do enter me into the draw.Thank you.
RépondreSupprimerHappy anniversary, Denyse! The only thing I could ask from you is to just keep blogging, and blog more often for that matter.
RépondreSupprimerI adore Habit Rouge EDT so you can pretty much guess what I'm about to say ~ put me in z draw s'il te plaît! :)
Happy Anniversary, D! You've probably guessed this by now, but I love your blog and love *you* and your passionate, eloquent, lyrical, and thought-provoking writings on perfume, fashion, art, and life in general. Bravissima!
RépondreSupprimerNo need to enter me in the drawing, m'dear.
Bisous,
-j.
Happy birthday! Honestly, your blog is so good, it feels like you've been doing this for far longer.
RépondreSupprimerI have no suggestions how to make it better - but I would like to participate in the draw. :)
I am new to the blog but I think it's the bomb and I wouldn't change a thing!
RépondreSupprimerHappy anniversary to you and I would love to be entered to win some Habit Rouge for me ;)
Happy anniversary! Your blog is like a gem; a delight to read, utterly well-informed, and stimulating for all the senses, not at least the sight - I love your illustrations!
RépondreSupprimer(strangely enough, the one you chose today I feel is in sync with the scent I'm wearing: Paris, nuit de fete)And I love how you situate your scent-reflections in a wider cultural & artistic context.
My advise, if any, must be never to allow the writing to become a burden!
Happy Anniversary! I enjoy your blog so much that it is impossible for me to think of anything that needs to be changed. Thank you for your work.
RépondreSupprimerI'd love to be entered into the drawing as well.
Love to get to try this!
RépondreSupprimerAnne
Happy Anniversary! Thank you for all your work on such an enjoyable and informative blog. I hope year two is even better.
RépondreSupprimerPlease enter me in the drawing.
Thanks...
P.S. I agree with Natalie that your illustrations are stunning and very interesting!
Happy Anniversary, Dear D.
RépondreSupprimerYour blog has been a tremendous contribution to the lives of us perfume fans, and a fabulous read to boot.
Keep on writing your luscious bilingual prose, and keeping us thinking and sniffing.
Thanks, dear!
Happy Birthday Grain de musc!
RépondreSupprimerYour blogs ahs been hosting very intersting discussions.
My improvements ideas: a friendly archive by fragrance review/inteviews/....
But your blog is already very nice as it is.
Please enter me in the draw.
Happy birthday Grain de Musc! I've been enjoying reading your blog for several months now. Thanks so much for your good work, and I would love to be entered into the drawing!
RépondreSupprimerHey, happy belated birthday! You've been a wonderful addition to the old blogosphere, and always a pleasure to read and correspond with.
RépondreSupprimerEverybody: I can't begin to answer everyone individually, but thank you all! I'm very touched by your encouragements and congratulations (and no, Dusan, I can't possibly take more time to write unless I find a sugardaddy... or work that takes less time and pays more).
RépondreSupprimerLove to all, and everyone is included in the draw unless otherwise stated.
You have truly added a distinctive voice to the blogroll, D. and we are lucky to have you. I hope Grain de Musc will continue to bring fragrant opportunities your way. Many congratulations on your anniversary.
RépondreSupprimerAnd yes, of course, please put me in the draw!
Congratulations! What a wonderful year it's been.
RépondreSupprimerWould you please enter me in the draw? I would love to join.
Congratulations on one year of great perfume blogging - I especially love the fact that you manage the feat of producing elegant & witty posts in both languages...no suggestions, but love that the blog's bilingual so it would be great to see it continue if at all possible!
RépondreSupprimerPlease enter me in your (very generous) draw
Thanks
Katarina
A belated Happy Birthday. I only recently discovered your blog, but it has quickly become a daily habit and one of my very favorites. I love your writing and your viewpoints. Best wishes for continued success in all that you do.
RépondreSupprimerDonna
OK, I've never sniffed Habit Rouge, but I know it's good. Please include me in the draw. Thanks, Denyse!
RépondreSupprimerI've always been impressed by your range of topics and the intelligence with which you address them, so I won't offer any suggestions, just my thanks. Of course, I hope you draw my name--
RépondreSupprimerGretchen
Happy anniversary! I honestly cannot think of one thing to request. I love your blog and I applaud you for writing in two languages. The range of topics is amazing as well.
RépondreSupprimerNo need to enter me this time around. Just stopping by to say thank you for adding such a gem to my daily reading.
Don't change anything, really. I love the mix of vintage and new that you do, along with the perfume reviews and explorations of perfumers and style. Plus, I adore your writing and often read both the English and French versions for the pure luxury of it.
RépondreSupprimerHappy Birthday! Shouldn't *we* be sending *you* presents?
Bonne anniversaire! I often wonder how much time it must take to write and then translate - impressive! I would love to be in the drawing for the Habit Rouge.
RépondreSupprimerHappy Anniversary! I think the blog is very good and individual so I'm not sure what to suggest, maybe more info about things that can only be bought or found in France and the shops to find them in? but otherwise I think carry on as you are.
RépondreSupprimerAgain, thank you all! I'll continue to blog in both languages even though it's a lot more work: I have as many readers in France as I do in the US (each a third of my readership, the rest being all over the world), and of course most perfumers are French...
RépondreSupprimerRose, there are already a lot of threads on Perfume of Life about Paris addresses so it never really crossed my mind, but "boutique portraits", like Now Smell This does, are a good idea.
Funny-
RépondreSupprimerSomehow I thought you must be rich and famous, and had loads of eprfumes to sample and loads of time to write about your findings!
I respect you more now I know that is not the case.
Happy anniversary, and will you please include me in the draw?
Sincerely,
Carole MacLeod
Carole: loads of perfume is right. Loads of time, definitely not (good job I write quickly). Famous? Hey, there have been micro-bursts of notoriety here in Paris, but that's just the media machine feeding. Rich? I wish. So, no, poor intellectual worker here...;-)
RépondreSupprimerYou're in the draw.
Happy anniversary! Your blog is really insightful and your writing is so comprehensive that I learned a lot about perfume reading it.
RépondreSupprimerThank you for this wonderful blog.
P.S. Please enter me in the draw.
Congratulations on a long year of great work..... and here's to many more.
RépondreSupprimerPlease enter my name into the draw.
Thanks!
dea
Just discovered your blog through Bois de Jasmin; love your voice and your visuals...
RépondreSupprimerPlease enter me in the drawing!
Thanks and congratulations!
Welcome here, Chubby Rain. You're in!
RépondreSupprimerHappy Anniversary! (just a bit late..) I'm catching up after a trip, so just got to read this announcement. You've made a big difference in my perfume knowledge over the last year -- many thanks!
RépondreSupprimerYour blog also serves a dual purpose for me -- many years ago I was conversant in French but time has taken a big toll on my ability. So, I try to read Grain de Musc in French and see how far I can get before giving up and switching to English. I appreciate all the work you put into it and that you make re-learning French a lot more fun!
Here's to another year of perfume!