u/dashboardhulalala

I'm on a bit of a project at the moment with informed purchasing and I'm trying to put together a list of companies/products in various sectors that are a) amazing b) (relatively) local and c) recommended by enthusiasts. I'll be putting up similar posts in chocolate, clothing, skincare and other local subs.

For this one it's perfume. So I'm in Ireland and my attitude to entire thing is, list local to Ireland, then next circle out is to the UK (although there's a neat Venn diagram there of Northern Ireland) then onto continental Europe. Could I satisfy my perfume needs, whatever they maybe, from the houses and makers out as far as well...where does Europe end?

At this point I don't want get political about it, the person chooses according to their values, I just want the list. I was going to put it into a cute infographic (love me some infographics) if I get some traction in this sub. I don't mind if it's some tiny perfume made for gift shop along the coast, or whatever Paul Costello made for "his ladies". I know that Floral Street is registered in Dublin, but possibly made in the UK?

Ladies, gentlemen and assorted intergalactic life-forms, start your engines! What Irish/British/French/Spanish/German...ok you get it, continental Europe recommendations do you have? The only rule is that the company must be registerd in Ireland/UK/Europe, preferably all *made* in those countries and bring actual decent jobs to those countries. Give me your fragrant wisdom!

My gift to you, I'll share back the infographics I do for the other products too, for the Irish girls and guys and theys.

I got back from seeing the Odyssey this week and I was trying to explain to my father the extent to which that bow pluck just scratched that spot in my brain so much and the best I could come up with was "Dad you know at the start of Hotel California the 1977 live version when there's a really long pause and then the drummer goes bap bap? It's like that." He understood immediately (he likes spoilers he prefers to know at precisely what point in a movie he can go for a wee). So I'm trying to think of other moments like that in movies and music and I'm kind of stuck - I know them when I see them but it's different for everyone! What's yours?

I travel semi-regularly for work, usually through Istanbul Airport. I always choose two smells to stop at the duty free and spray on a card and then one on each arm and sit with and ponder. It's not the most straightforward approach, but when I get to the plane the first thing I do is wash up as far as my arms with soap so that I don't have to put the passengers through anything more offensive than Molton Brown. But I'll sit with them while I'm waiting for the flight, looking up the notes on Fragrantica, still wrestling with terms like dry down and sillage.

Today's choices were L'Eau d'Issey Solar Violet, which is the soft violet of my dreams with precisely 3 notes - violet, pear and iris. I am in love, it's gone straight into the perfumes folder in my notes app, from which I'll either choose something very cheap and cheerful regularly or don't for a while and then go all in on something terrifyingly expensive for yes, Mama, it is a bottle of coloured water but IT BRINGS ME JOY. LET ME HAVE THIS. THE WORLD IS BURNING AND THAT DICKHEAD IS STILL ALIVE. But I digress

The second entry into the notes folder is Un Jardin en Méditerranée by Hermès which very much did the job it said on the tin  (I can't afford any of theses on the shelves in the department stores in the UK so I'm using every minute of my transit time in Istanbul to its fullest effect by going straight for the spendy ones) This was beautiful, nostalgic, evocative of my years teaching along the North African coast and travelling through the Turkish beaches. The cypress and juniper provided a herbal counterpoint to the lemon and bergamot and the cedar was evident throughout (PS - I'm going to Trabzon in October to hunt waterfalls and stare longingly into the Black Sea like those mad Turkish dramas - would appreciate a scent rec to take with me to turn it into a sensory memory)

I stored those and their 100euro price tags away for a good payday, and moved into the 20 euro range, where I discovered Jil Sander Number 4. I could tell it was created in the 1990's, because much like many fragrances back then (Sun, Moon and Stars), perfumiers created potions like the witches they are. Look at the absolute state of this mix:

https://preview.redd.it/25tjmosm9mfh1.png?width=634&format=png&auto=webp&s=17903056eaef2b2406651bd69416d84503b51d64

Someone was having fun that day. It's down as an Oriental Spicy and I do get that, but there's a lot of softness in it too with a silky, powdery feel. I couldn't pick out any individual notes, but it feels like something a female lawyer might wear in her Ally McBeal era. That got the purchase approval (I'm not arguing with 20 euro) and I may wear it tomorrow, where several grey faced men need to listen to what I'm saying and then action it, so if I smell like their mothers it might help.

On my way back, I want to try these:

https://preview.redd.it/mbfk6r45amfh1.png?width=331&format=png&auto=webp&s=5a8490009ff8ad56f2f39f6f5ad93462822603d7

and these:

https://preview.redd.it/pqi0r0q9amfh1.png?width=336&format=png&auto=webp&s=badde342752b7ed2f67ac0fec02e5a2e94a1aa02

Does anyone know these little cuties, which seem to be local Turkish houses. I've a 4 hour layover when I go back, and I might smell one or two but also make a decision on the Hermes vs the L'eau D'issey.

My day is over, I smell ultimately like Impulse Amalfi Coast because I was out in 42 degree heat and I didn't want to attack someone with overheated perfume, eucalyptus shower gel and some really strange honey flavoured popcorn. No hate, just strange.

I'm working on my vacation plans for this year (10 days in October) - I'm from Ireland but I got into the dizis when I was teaching in the Middle East. This year I want to be influenced by the TV dramas who make a point of setting their shows in various parts of Türkiye to increase tourism. Well, it's working. Taşacak Bu Deniz been working overtime to convince me to spend my holiday in Trabzon. I was thinking of spending 5 days of my trip there, and visiting the monastery, maybe some of the beach villages, getting into the mountains.

For those of you who are either familiar with the area or have had their IG's go wild with Trabzon related content since they started watching the show, are there any particular places to stay/eat/visit you'd like to throw out or recommend? I know this isn't directly related to the show, but I think it's great to be able to say that a show has directly persuaded a foreigner to go there!

(My other option is Mardin, because Kan Çiçekleri and Uzak Şehir or Istanbul because...all of 'em, but I've left too many tears in that city)

I'm working on my vacation plans for this year (10 days in October) - I'm from Ireland but I got into the dizis when I was teaching in the Middle East. This year I want to be influenced by the TV dramas who make a point of setting their shows in various parts of Türkiye to increase tourism. Well, it's working. Taşacak Bu Deniz been working overtime to convince me to spend my holiday in Trabzon. I was thinking of spending 5 days of my trip there, and visiting the monastery, maybe some of the beach villages, getting into the mountains.

For those of you who are either familiar with the area or have had their IG's go wild with Trabzon related content since they started watching the show, are there any particular places to stay/eat/visit you'd like to throw out or recommend? I know this isn't directly related to the show, but I think it's great to be able to say that a show has directly persuaded a foreigner to go there!

(My other option is Mardin, because Kan Çiçekleri and Uzak Şehir or Istanbul because...all of 'em, but I've left too many tears in that city)

I spent a lot of time in Turkey and countries where Turkish food is popular and I miss it something fierce. I know there's a fair whack of restaurants advertised as Turkish around the place and I've every intention of trying them all, but would anyone have any recommendations for places that have really good meat sarma or dolma?