What I’ve been absorbing and ingesting lately…

Reading: I’m re-reading Patrick Suskind’s Perfume: The Story of a Murderer for the first time in about a decade. It’s even better than I remembered, and I’m laughing a lot more than I did last time around. (Although it’s not a comedic work, it includes quite a bit of social satire.)

Art: An afternoon at The Cloisters is always a memorable outing. I spent some time looking at this tapestry, which is really a marvel.

Video: The final season of Wolf Hall!

Drinks: Lots of high-quality, locally roasted Colombian coffee. Will the tariffs make this an unaffordable luxury? We shall see.

(Tr)eats: Easter pastries. An excellent dinner (plus cocktails) from a local Honduran restaurant named Perquín.

Beauty Products: I used up my Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Function Dry Oil and bought a new bottle, deciding to try the newer Florale scent this time. It leaves a gentle aura of lily, rose, and white musk in hair or on skin.

Fragrances: Speaking of which, it’s time for dewy rose perfumes and soft white florals! I’m also enjoying a bottle of Quartana Parfums Beaut’Air (gifted by the brand, who are longtime friends) and need to review it soon.

Garb: More of a related-product thought: I’ve found that Soak liquid laundry soap (not an affiliate link!) really works for many “dry-clean only” garments. I bought a bottle in the scent “Lacey” and I’ve been using it to wash dozens of dresses, scarves, and delicate little jackets while saving lots of dry-cleaning money along the way.

Pleasures: Catching up with a few former coworkers, because I miss so many of my office friends. An afternoon at Coney Island. Time at Olfactory Art Keller and other perfume events.

Up Next: I’m coping with some kind of painful knee issue right now and literally can’t put weight on that leg — still getting it diagnosed, and hoping it will be something manageable. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I need to get back out onto the street and the subway and into the library and various perfume boutiques!

What have you been up to lately?

Image via Google Bard, one of my very rare uses of generative AI