One year ago today, my first post appeared to an audience of nine people. I still wonder how those other seven that were neither my husband nor myself, ever found it.
Now 450 posts and over 150 000 pageviews later, quite a few more than nine people pop in every day to read my thoughts on perfume.
I love to sit down every day and write about what I love most and I love to find people to talk about our favorite subject.
I have learned a lot this year, I have made new friends and I have tested a gallon of perfume along the way.
But it is not a time to be sentimental, but to look forward, and I see a lot of perfume still to be tested, worn and loved in my future.
I thought I’d use this little milestone to take one more look at the perfumes that I loved most this year, that have turned out to be the most important to me. So, in alphabetical order not ranking, here come my Top Ten Perfumes of 2010/11.
Frederic Malle Le Parfum de Thérèse
Xerjoff Lira and Oesel
Thank you all for reading, commenting and making this blog such fun. On to another fragrant year!
And now tell me – what are your Top Ten? 🙂
Olfactoria's Travels 
Oh my! Has it really been only one year? Your blog is a daily companion which makes me smile and enjoy trying new perfumes which I would not dare to before. Thank you for making me dash to my sample box or the stores to buy samples. Here are some of my favorites this year in alphabetical order: By Kilian Incense Oud and Sweet Redemption, Huitieme Art Myrrhiad, Mona di Orio Oud and Vanille, Parfums MDCI La Belle Helene and many more! Wishing you a wonderful relaxing Sunday.
Your list is great, Sandra! And expensive! 😀 Thanks for your good wishes and for travelling with me! xo
I don’t think I would have found my top 10 without a little help from you but here goes. Frapin 1270, Amouage Opus lll, Ormonde Woman, Mitsouko, Bvlgari Black, Prada Candy, Hermes Elixir de Mereivilles, Ormonde Jayne Frangipani, Serge Lutens Datura Noir.
Massive thanks for telling me about by kilian, I should now have 10 gorgeous samples on their way to me that I can’t wait to try, 1 or 2 may even get onto my top 10.
I look forward to another year of blogs from you, its the one thing in my mailbox that I look for and can’t wait to read.
Looking at my list, it looks to me rather an eclectic list, ask me again next week and it will probably have changed. 🙂
Lol, those lists have a way of changing almost by themselves! Yours sounds great though. Glad you are here for the ride with me, Andrea! 🙂
Happy blog birthday, B! I am so happy to have found your blog. You are a sweetheart, an excellent writer, and a wonderful person! Cheers, and here’s to another fabulous year of sniffing!
Thank you, I can only return the compliments! 🙂 xoxo
Happy birthday, Olfactoria !
Only one year ? I had the feeling I’ve been travelling with you for longer … 🙂
Hm, let’s see :
Bel Respiro – Chanel
Biagarade – Frederic Malle
Blenheim Bouqet – Penhaligon’s
Cacao – Mandy Aftel
Double Vanille – Guerlain
Mulholland – K.Mecheri
Oud – Mona di Orio
Tolu – Ormond Jayne
Vanilla Tobacco – Tom Ford
Vetiver sacre – L’Artisan
I know! The year has flown by, but on the other hand it feels like I’ve been doing this forever (in a good way). 🙂 Your Top Ten are very interesting, thanks for sharing!
Happy Birthday!
I’m very glad that Olfactoria’s Travels was founded a year ago! If it hadn’t I would never have met you in Twitterland and wouldn’t have had your excellent reviews to read. Here’s to many more years of Olfactoria and her travels!!
Oh and 150,000?! That is good – you go girl! 😛
Thank you, T! I’m very glad to having met you too. Give Paddington a kiss from me. And Rupert too!
Happy Anniversary- your blog is a powerful Scorpio!!
My list goes like this:
L’Ombre Dans L’Eau (which is my signature) and then in random order,
Bulgari Black
Dzing!
Musc Ravageur
Lolita Lempicka (original)
L’Heure Bleue
L Eau d Hiver
Eau de Lierre
Aimez Moi
Heure Exquise
Tell me thy perfumes, and I’ll tell thee what thou art…
Wonderful list, Alexandra! Thank you!
Congratulations to you, and all the best for the next twelve months.
Thank you for stopping by, Persolaise!
Happy b(log) b(irthday) b!
thx for bringing scents in my life!
You are very welcome. I also claim responsibility for introducing you to Monsieur PG. 😉
Oh yes thx for that, although me and pg didn’t meet in person YET……
Happy birthday Olfactoria, It’s been really nice being your travelling companion, your blog has become part of my daily perfume-life. I won’t make a top ten lists, too distressing, but I’ll thank you for some perfumes you made me discover or reconsider: Equistrius, Osmanthus Interdite and Yuzu Fou (have you tested Azemour Les Orangers? I fear it will be on top of my Christmas wishlist…), I love Coco, many Artisan’s… Best wishes for a perfumed future!
Thank you, iodine! Must try Azemour soon, I didn’t get the chance yet. Fragrant greetings to Milan!
Happy Birthday! Thank you for writing this blog that has guided and inspired me over the last year.
And thank you for asking a question I can answer…
My favourite ten perfumes of the last twelve months would have to be (in no particular order)
…drumroll…
Frederic Malle Le Parfum de Therese
Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio
Guerlain L’Heure Bleue
Comme des Garcons Avignon
Comme des Garcons Stephen Jones
Parfums de Nicolai Odalisque
Parfums de Nicolai Le Temps d’Une Fete
Histoires de Parfum 1969
Molinard Habanita
Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan
Wow, I love your Top Ten, so many gems in there! Thank you, Sombreuil!
Happy blog birthday dear B! 🙂
I see you’re counting Xerjoffs as one item on the list? 😉
My 10 favourites of the year would be a bit difficult but I’ll see what pops into my head as I’m counting down: MdO Tubereuse, Vanille, Vetiver, Le Labo Labdanum, Vetiver and Rose, House of Matriarch Carmine, Coty Fatale, SL Ambre Sultan, PdN Odalisque.
These are the 10 I only discovered and smelled this year.
Of course you caught me cheating. 😀 I had hoped nobody would count. 😉
I have never heard of Carmine! Interesting!
What what Ines, you only discovered Ambre Sultan this year, surely you are cheating too? 😉
Congratulations on your first anniversary! You have such a wonderful blog, I look forward to the next year 🙂
My top 10 for the last 12 months;
– Keiko Mercheri Loukhoum eau Poudree
– Thierry Mugler La Rose Angel
– Van Cleef & Arpels First
– Chanel Coco parfum
– Annick Goutal La Violette
– Prada Infusion d’Iris
– Balmain Amber Gris
– Sonoma Scent Studio Opal
– Ava Luxe Venezia
– Guerlain Le Petite Robe Noir 1
Thank you so much, Stef! I look forward to the next year too. 🙂
Happy birthday!
My Top Ten at the moment – not an easy list to do:
Chanel Coromandel, 22, 5
OJ Tolu, Taíf
TC Alahine
MdO Oud
Guerlain L’Heure Bleue, Vol de Nuit
Xerjoff Oesel, Lira
Well, that’s already 11 and I love so much also Puredistance I, some FM, PdN, AG etc. Top 25 might be easier 😉 Our Perfumeland is wonderful.
Isabelle, Perfumeland IS wonderful indeed and filled with amazing scents. You have many great classics on your list!
Happy birthday! It’s been almost a whole year that I’ve been traveling with you, and it’s been a wonderful year! Here’s to many more: cheers!
Top ten, in the order that I think of them:
Memoir
Opus IV
Poivre 23
Frapin 1697
Champagne de Bois
Puredistance Antonia
OJ Orris Noir
OJ Woman
EL Bronze Goddess
By Kilian Back to Black
It’s surprisingly difficult to choose ten— top twenty would be much better! 😉
Thank you for being my greatest supporter and friend this past year! I highly appreciate all you have done for me and this blog. Biiiiiig hug!
And your list – hmmmmm. 🙂
Wow B, 450 posts in one year must make you one of the most dedicated perfume bloggers as well as one of the most talented! Many congratulations on OTs first birthday, I can’t believe it’s only been a year. Finding you via Google one day has literally been life-changing for me in a number of ways, so thank-you.
Now asking fumeheads for a Top Ten is a very serious business but I will not over think it and say off the top of my head I’ve been wearing and been most happy to discover over the last year are –
CdG Kyoto, Malle Une Rose, Ormonde Jayne Ta’if, Chanel Bois des Iles, Chanel 31RC, Chanel Cuir de Russie, Dior Bois d’Argent, L’Artisan Fleur d’Oranger, Cartier L’Heure Fougueuse and Parfums d’Empire Osmanthus Interdite.
Looking forward to many, many more posts to come!
So I have to thank Google for sending you! 🙂 It’s been a good year. And some of those 450 posts are there thanks to you! xo
Logging on from St Gallen to congratulate you on your first blogoversary – and what a rich body of reviews you have managed to “lay down” in that short time. They are a great resource to perfumistas at any stage of their own travels! (I just discovered Amouage Honour Woman yesterday, and went straight to your review of it…) I count myself fortunate to have met you in person, swapped with you and acted as ad hoc mail person. ; – )
Ten loves – off the top of my head – from this year would be Amouage Honour Woman(!!), CarnerD600, Juniper Sling, Prada Candy, L’Agent by AP, Elie Saab, Byredo La Tulipe, Puredistance1, Bottega Veneta and TF Violet Blonde.
Wohoo!!! I love that you fell hard for Amouage Honour Woman. And I feel honored that you sought out my review. 🙂 I loved meeting you too and hope we can repeat that some time!
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Well, Happy Birthday pretty baby!! Sending you fragrant hugs, B, and wishes for another wonderful year. 🙂 Since I already keep a top ten list of perfumes on my blog, I’m going to add ten new ones that I’ve been enjoying in recent months (a couple of them thanks to your most enticing reviews!): SL Muscs Koublai Khan, MFK Absolue Pour le Soir, Frapin 1697, Vamp a NY, Annick Goutal Heure Exquise, Annick Goutal Ambre Fetiche, Chanel Coco, DSH Bancha Extreme, Prescriptives Calyx, and PureDistance Antonia.
That is one amazing list! 😉 Thank you for your good wishes, Suzanne!
Great list! My top ten?! Let’s see…. Antonia, Traversee du Bosphore,
Orris Noir, SL Ambre Sultan, Lonestar Memories, Mitzah, Eau des Merveilles,
Lipstick Rose, Odalisque, Alahine. If you ask me tomorrow, the list would
likely be different!
Today’s list is great in any case! 😉 Not one, I wouldn’t take too!
Happy birthday. I know I should have been the first to comment since I was your first reader and subscriber…
Even if some of the tested scents make me nauseous and I give you a hard time because of it I am very proud of what you have done. And as far as my favorite scents go the top ten are P, R, O, S, C, I, U, T, T, and O. And of course “M” not sprayed but dabbed on. Love you. DH
Thank you very much! You have learned a lot too this year, impressing many with throwing around words like sillage, longevity and top notes. Thank you for putting up with my relentless spraying, saying “Smell this!” and devoting a part of our disposable income towards perfume. And I should have asked for the Top Five of course! (B, A, C, O and N). 😉 BB
Happy blog birthday!
Here’s to many more years of your sharing with us your wonderful perception on fragrance.
Thank you! 🙂
Dear Birgit, it really feeels as if your wonderful blog has been going on forever.
Reading it and “talking” to you is always a pleasure.
My current Top 10 (in no specific order):
Amouage Lyric
Amouage Epic
Ormonde Jayne Ta’if
Montale Black Oud
Eau d’Italie Bois d’Ombrie
Chanel Les Exclusifs Coromandel
Guerlain L’Heure Bleue
Dior Diorella (for hot weather)
Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur
Carthusia Ligea
I always enjoy talking to you. And your list shows that we could indeed be fragrant twins! Thank you for joining me on my travels, Caro!
Dear Birgit,
Congratulations on your first blogoversary! It is hard to believe that your blog is that young, it sounds very mature for its age. I hope it stays this way – young in the spirit and wise in the content for many more years.
In real life I’m not adventurous, I do not like changes. And your blog with its daily postings gives me the comfort of stability. I would check other friends’ pages (or my RSS feed) to see if there is anything new but I know that here, in your online home, I will find something new. Thank you for that.
Let’s try my list of top 10 (though while reading other commenters’ lists I counted much more than 10 that I also like):
Amouage Ubar
Annick Goutal Heure Exquise
Chanel №19 EDT
Escentric Molecules Molecule 01
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady
Jo Malone Sweet Milk
Ormonde Jayne Ta’if
Puredistance Antonia
Teo Cabanel Alahine
A predictable schedule is comforting, I think we are very much alike in that preference. Thank you for taking the time to read every day!
I love that your list ranges from Molecule 01 to Ubar, quite a journey!
Dear Birgit,
Happy Blogoversary, and prost for many more years and travels to come.
Listings are frightening things, but amongst some of those that I discovered this year, I’m simply not sure I remember, but there would definitely be several Mona di Orio in there, De profundis too, and yes onda. And then one month after the discontinuation of Attrape Coeur, I sniffed it the first time, and discovered I couldn’t live without it. Which brings me to the happy end, that I got it, thanks to the wonderful people in this community, who are always willing to help and share, and without whom I would not have made the discoveries that I did:-)
All the best wishes
Thank you, Asali!
The perfume community is an amazing group of people indeed. I’m glad you got your Attrape Coeur!
P.S: Do you know that I only just now realized who you are? Lol, I feel like an idiot that I never brought your screen name and your real one together in my mind! But now I saw the familiar email address and it finally clicked. 🙂
Hihi, I should have mentioned it 🙂 Sorry, I didn’t.
No problem! I was a bit slow… 🙂
My top 10 Scents this year:
TF Extreme
PG Querelle
PG Guerriere
FM French Lover
NR limited edition
Valentino the classic one for ladies
Barneys Route du The
Van Cleef First
Great choices, G!
Happy blogoversary!!! 450 posts in a year, I’m amazed 🙂 Keep up the good work!
Thank you, I hope I will be able to (real life permitting)!
Congratulations on your first birthday and let’s wish for many more to follow! I have never commented before but have been an avid reader since the beginning. I stumbled on your blog whilst searching for reviews for Iris Silver Mist. Needless to say I was moved by your impressions of this perfume and by those hauntingly beautiful images. Your blog has remained a pleasure to read ever since. Thank you for sharing with us your gift for beautiful words, your wit and personality. To put thoughts and then words into something as abstract as perfume is no easy task and the quality of your posts show your passion and dedication. Your posts are personal and moving and I find this most endearing. I also enjoy reading the discussions that follow. Your review of No. 19 was especially helpful to me on a personal level when I had to fly long haul and alone with my then 20 month old son. I found my “inherent grace” and in the end flying alone with a toddler wasn’t so tough after all even for this first time mum. Your review nailed it, this Chanel is chic but she is also smiling and kind. I think No. 19 remains cool and relevant even to this day, lovely to see it listed here.
Here are my top perfumes of this past year:
The romantics: L’heure bleue edp, Une fleur de Cassie, Nuit de Noël vintage extrait, Farnesiana extrait
(Musc Ravageur and L’eau d’ambre for my husband)
Body armour: Mitsouko edp, 31 rue Cambon, Bottega Veneta
For when it’s freezing: Carnal Flower, MFK Lumière Noire pour femme, Chanel Cuir de Russie extrait, Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia
For the home: Shanghai Tang Ginger Flower room spray
Sorry, that’s much more than 10, I couldn’t help it.
I am looking forward to testing the Vero Kerns (especially that Onda extrait!) and so much more after your reviews. With this bad economy it’s nice to dream a little, even if it’s from a little sample and more so from these fragrant pages of Olfactoriastravels.
Merci and hats off to you and Tara!
Faithfully reading with my morning cup from Strasbourg.
Hello Veronica,
thank you so much for your comment! I’m very happy to hear you are enjoying my blog.
I can imagine the stress (or horror rather!) of flying with a toddler, I only once flew long-haul with my then six-month old and that was stressful enough, I don’t want to imagine it with a kid that age. You did great! Chanel N°19 was a perfect choice for such a situation. 🙂
You list of favorites is awesome, you obviously have great taste.
Thank you for reading!
Happy blogoversary and may you have many more! Let’s see, scents this year:
Terre d’Hermes
Voyage d’Hermes
Une Rose Chypree
Tauer Zeta
Puredistance I
OJ Woman
OJ Tolu
No 19 EDP
Bandit
Guerlain Vetivier
Tomorrow I’m picking up a package at the postoffice (birthday present to myself) with a number of new samples mostly Amouage and Mona di Orio. That’s going to be such fun!
Wonderful list, Eva!
Happy Birthday to you! Amouage and MdO sound like perfect presents! 🙂
Congratulations Birgit, what a fantastic year you’ve had! I am so glad that you started Olfactoria, and admire the talent & effort that you put in to build your success, you are truly great at this. And I am completely honored to be in your top 10 list, thank you!
– Mandy
Thank you, Mandy! I’m honored that you are commenting here. One of the best things this past year was getting to know you and your work.
Happy blog birthday! A very cool milestone! You deserve the readership, so keep sniffing…and writing.
Thank you, Charleston Girl! I will.
Happy blog birthday! Here’s to another year of your top notch reviews and intriguing Monday questions!
Adding your top ten of the year was a great idea. I won’t do a Top 10 myself (my everchanging moods don’t allow for rank LOL) Instead, I’ll list 10 fragrances that I’ve recently sampled and loved.
L’Occitane Labdanum and L’eau des 4 Voleurs
Lord’s Jester Anthea
Dior Hypnotic Poison and Dolce Vita
Lolita Lempicka pour Masculin
Michael Storer Winter Star
Aftelier Candide
Odin 04 Petrana
Worth Courtesan
Thank you, Joanne!
My Top Ten list changes a lot too, especially in the lower ranks, but my Top Five are pretty stable by now… 🙂
Your recent loves sound great.
Congratulations on your one year blogoversary! As a newbie perfumista on a very limited budget, a great deal of my pleasure comes from reading good perfume blogs and I have been enjoying yours very much. The pleasure you take in the scents you review, and the honest interest you direct to even the ones you don’t care for, radiates through your writing. The occasional comments from “the husband” are charming too. And I really appreciate the hard work that must go into posting with such regularity and responding to your commenters. I’m so glad you are going to be continuing.
I don’t have a top ten list, but right now, outside of vintage finds, I am giving much attention to Champagne de Bois, Pandora, and Miriam from Andy Tauer’s Tableau de Parfums.
Hello Lindaloo,
thank you for your kind words! I’m glad to have you as a regular reader.
I’m so curious about Miriam… glad to hear you like it.
first time commenting here on your blog, but I pop in regularly, there’s always something interesting to read about…You’re the first I heard mentioning puredistance scents, I immediately ordered the samples, so for the last 12 months, that was discovery 1 (no full bottle, though), I also discovered my love for vetivers (as a group, that’s, no. 2), then:
3. absolu pour le soir
4. réglisse noire (1000 flowers)
5. retrying OJ woman and suddenly loving it totally
6. armani la femme blue (a decant I cherish)
7. bottega veneta (probably next purchase)
8. folie de rose
9. going to esxence (? spelling?) in Milan and being overwhelmed, but retaining scentbar scents, Italian company, have to retry scent 100 (I thinks it’s the one)
10. mixed feelings on Candy
Hello Bee, thank you for de-lurking! 🙂
Your list sounds very attractive! I’m glad I inspired you to try Puredistance, I’m still very happy with my bottle.
Armani La Femme – oh, that sounds just sooo good.
Happy Birthday Birgit! Seems like you have been around much longer. Love the cake.
Top ten (not in any particular order)
Azuree – Estee Lauder
Epic Woman – Amouage
Ormonde Woman – Ormonde Jayne
Tiare – Ormonde Jayne
Colonia Intensai – Aqua di Parma
Chanel No. 19 – EDP
Le Labo – Rose 31
Coze – Pierre Guillaume
Eva – Santa Maria Novella
Chanel No. 22
Many, many happy returns!
Thank you very much, Lila!
I love your Top Ten – Epic Woman is so gorgeous!
Thank you for reading!
Congratulations, Birgit! As others have said, to me it really does seem that your blog has been going for longer than 365 days. I have enjoyed your friendship and your words and thoughts about perfumes. I, for one, have learned a lot over this past year. And I look forward to reading your blog for a long time to come. Now, my current top ten:
Guerlain Vetiver
Dior Eau Sauvage
YSL Rive Gauche pour homme
Guerlain Habit Rouge
Caron Pour Un Homme
Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet
Bvlgari Black
Chanel Pour Monsieur
Givenchy Gentleman
Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel
Thank you for travelling with me this year, Jim! I really value your (virtual) presence, reading, commenting and tweeting. And I really love the first two fragrances on your list! 🙂
Happy Blogaversary! I am also surprised it’s only been a year. Not sure how or when I found your blog, but I have enjoyed reading it very much. Hmm, top 10 at the moment would be:
SL Chene, AG Duel, AA Herba Fresca and Mandarine Basilic, Jardin en Mediterannee, JM Nectarine & Honey Blossom, MAC Africanimal, Guerlain SDV, Givenchy Organza Indecence,and CBIHP Burning Leaves.
I guess that is a good sign that you feel my blog has been around longer. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your Top Ten! The CBIHP line has such interesting scents… I need to investigate further soon.
Birgit I’m continually impressed by your impressive standard of English in your blog posts. Congratulations on building such a following.
Thank you, Aaron, my high school English teacher would be proud! 😉
Thank you for reading and commenting, I truly appreciate it. It is the immediate interaction that makes blogging so great.
Congratulations, Birgit! I have enjoyed every minute of Olfactoria’s Travels this whole year! I am not only thrilled to read you blog each and every time, but overjoyed to be in your top ten list! I am honored and blessed by you! 🙂
I am wishing you many years of inspiration and brilliant writing to come!
oxox~
Dawn
Thank you so much for stopping by, Dawn! And I want to thank you for being such an inspiration. Many of your creations have moved me this year, especially Mata Hari and Pandora are very dear to me.