Basenotes lunch in London - wow!

[vanille]

Just wanted to say a huge thanks to Danielle and Grant for organising a superb day. Great itinerary, wonderful goody bags, lots of champagne...and all those cream cakes to round off the day! I can't remember enjoying a day so much for ages. Lovely to meet all of you who were there. Looking forward to the next one...

[castorpollux]

I want to see pics! I'm glad you had a good time.

[CoL]

It was amazing wasnt it! Dani is a natural me thinks! She organised us all so well and without us feeling like a group of school kids! lol

[gloomy_liv]

it's times like this that I wished I lived in London!!! can't wait to read all about it...and see some pics!

[donna255]

Yes please pictures and full reports too!!!

[jacquia]

Thank you Danielle and Grant for a fantastic day out, It was great to meet some of the other perfume obsessives out there and realise I am not alone!!

Col, You amaze me! 500+ Bottle Man!

Rose the Nose What a gal! - Distract a Clive Christian saleswoman at 200 paces with something decanted in her handbag!

Come on Elieen Rock on! You missed a goodie bag!

Sylvia Hope the Ravioli was divine

And to the many that I haven't mentioned we must meet again.

P.S. I will never be a lurker again.

Jacqui X

[kissandmakeup]

Grant and I owe a huge thank you to everybody who attended the lunch. The friendliness, expertise and enthusiasm were overwhelming! We both had a tremendous time and we hope everybody enjoyed themselves as much as we did. Thank you to all the attendees for making the first Basenotes lunch such a warm and intimate event and for sharing such a wealth of knowledge and passion for fragrance. We can't wait for the next one...!

Look out for a full report, pictures, an interview with Linda Pilkington of Ormonde Jayne and more lunch news on the site in the coming weeks.

Danielle

[Taolady]

Originally Posted by gloomy_liv

it's times like this that I wished I lived in London!!! can't wait to read all about it...and see some pics!

DITTO!

[leopoldo]

Sounds wonderful. Next time, I'll be there...

[purplebird7]

I'm glad it was a smashing success. Kudos to the organizers. Looking forward to pics.

[Grant]

Originally Posted by leopoldo

Sounds wonderful. Next time, I'll be there...

Who says there'll be a next time?

Only joking -- Me and Dani were so nervous about it being a disaster, but it went really well, and the reaction was postive so we're definitely going to do it again!

[michaeld39]

It was a brilliant event from start to finish. Grant and Danielle should be very proud.

[Arhianrad]

It sounds like it was a wonderful time! I only wish i weren't on the other side of the pond (sniffle!)

[Nutmeg]

It was great fun - I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I know a full report is on its way, but in brief we first visited Les Senteurs and got to sniff the new Creed, and um, as much of everything else that our noses could manage. How nice it is to meet really knowledgeable staff; they really know their stuff. They also greeted us with some champagne for breakfast!

Next we went to Roja Dove's, and sniffed some more. Bit hit for me was Diorling; what a clean, clear, true leather, really a very pretty and somehow 'chic' leather. Might have to go back and sample that one some more...

Then some lunch, and on to Ormonde Jayne and Penhaligons; more champagne (and a jolly nice choccy truffle!) in OJs. Linda Pilkington was very welcoming, and told us about her fragrances, and about the base accord she uses in all her line, which is a blend of Iso E Super and hedione (so now we know!). I finally got to sniff the new Lily & Spice in Penhaligons - a very nice soliflore lily indeed.

Some of us managed to get a five minute microsniff in Comme des Garcons before it was time for tea, including an enormous selection of cream buns, scones and cucumber sandwiches, which I personally was too exhausted to do justice to!

In a sense though, the best bit was meeting like-minded frag loonies. I mean, in the Real World I don't know anyone who has the slightest interest in the difference between Coromandel and Borneo 1834, nor in fact anyone who has more than one and a half perfumes. Now at last I have met people who, well, make me feel normal! And what is more, they are very, VERY nice people indeed! I will forever cherish the memory of CoL, who on sniffing at least 50% of whatever came his way, saying loudly "Oh that's GORGEOUS!" with the most open and genuine enthusiasm!

My huge thanks to Grant and Danielle for organising such a wonderful day.

[Primavera1000]

Adding my thanks to Danielle & Grant for such a fabulous time, yesterday. It was a wonderful day, full of perfume and nice people.

It's so much better going into the shops as a group. When I'm on my own, I daren't ask to try any more than 3 perfumes unless I'm going to buy something, but yesterday there was the opportunity to try as many as possible. Bliss!

[CoL]

LOL! I am such a fragrance tart aren't I!

It was a wonderful day though, wasn't it! I can't wait till the next!

Such lovely warm genuine people, both on the trip and in the stores. I was particularly impressed with Linda P in OJ, what a lovely wee lady she is.

[Foth]

Shame I missed this. Would have really enjoyed it. I'm new by the way.

*WAVE* =]

Foth

[tigrushka]

Joining the chorus: HUGE thanks for Grant and especially Dani for organizing this fabulous event! Cheers and hugs!

I was thrilled to meet Linda Pilkington live and she was just as amazing as I thought she would be, tiny little thing but such a big ball of energy! And those Les Senteurs guys have such shining star quality.

Perfume-wise my coups de coeur were Caron N’Aimez Que Moi (which I splurged on), Orris Noir (loved it but not as much as Ormonde) and surprisingly: Penhaligon's Victorian Posy (well, one of my favourite dresses used to be an ashes of roses Laura Ashley sailor dress so maybe that's why it appeals to me so much...)

Last but not least: it was great to meet all you fellow fragrance freaks! It's so heart-warming to see a bunch of people with furrowed brows, nose stuck to the back of the hand/arm/wrist/paper strip/cardboard piece, taking deep sniffs and then going "mmmmmmmm..."

"We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day."

Thanks again, everyone!

[aubrgene]

Me jealous. I'm so glad it went well. I would love to read about the events and some photos of course. Wow.. sounds really wonderful!

[Quarry]

Originally Posted by aubrgene

Me jealous. I'm so glad it went well. I would love to read about the events and some photos of course. Wow.. sounds really wonderful!

Ditto that. I even hesitated reading this thread because I knew it would hurt to feel apart from the festivities. One day I'm going to attend a Sniffapalooza or something. At least I have my husband and one girlfriend who keep this perfumista from feeling totally isolated. I am happy for those who communed on all of our behalfs.

[TDDanae]

Pictures? Pictures? Pictures please, pretty please?

[Fabster]

This sounds like fun.. when is the next meet and can I come along? I feel relief that I might not be the only obsessive sniffing perfume addict around!

[Santemon]

Wow, I just read Danielle's article (Part 1) and already I am prepared to fling good sense to the winds and say I would happily fly up from Australia for the next one!!!! Congrats on what already sounds like the first in a terrific Basenotes tradition.
S

[rtamara41]

Also just had a chance to read Danielle's engaging article about the first leg of the outing...one can imagine being there...looking forward to the next installment.
Thank you!

[Twolf]

For those who have just Community bookmarked (like many of us! he-he), here is the link: http://www.basenotes.net/articles/20...oteslunch.html

Awesome job! Will be awaiting the second part!

[CoL]

Originally Posted by rtamara41

Also just had a chance to read Danielle's engaging article about the first leg of the outing...one can imagine being there...looking forward to the next installment.
Thank you!

Great isn't it! Especially the part where she mentions me

[helenann]

Also looking forward to the next instalment of your wonderful day in London. You may have lost me on the first trip past Ormonde Jayne! Thanks so much for sharing this day. Exciting reading. NZ is too far away....