Every perfume I wore in June

Summer literally rolls in in San Francisco. Sheets of white fog blanket the city. Covering us from any hope of heat or sun. In my new home we’re above the tree line and often in the clouds. A view of the ocean and Golden Gate Bridge to the right and Sutro Tower to the left of us—a giant tower that can be seen from almost anywhere in the city—is magically gone from view some mornings when we wake, hidden by thick white fog. It’s as if someone was drawing the landscape and decided to erase it and start over from scratch. Sutro Tower, under a mile away from us is enormous and looming and to see it disappear so often from our back deck will probably never stop amazing me.

So you can probably guess that San Francisco summers are cold. They're our chilliest season in a city with no regard for seasons. I apologize to visitors every summer if I forget to tell them to pack coats and sweaters. If you're looking for heat, you won't find it here in June, July, or August. Maybe you'll get lucky with a semi-warm day that hits 68 degrees, but it's rare.

The east coast fall months are when the warmth comes for us. Something I’m finally used to after two decades of living here. Most people who live here are a little off beat so why shouldn’t our weather be too?

All this to say, I love that I can wear my sweaters and my heavy scents in summer. I’m not one for recommending a season for a perfume but it’s easy shorthand and I’ve been guilty of it before. I recently sold my bottle of Promises Promises by Kerosene, I have enough vanilla ambers and I just wasn’t reaching for this one. The woman I sold it to also lives in SF and told me she was saving it for winter but the next day she wore it and said it was perfect for the weather. I saw a photo of her in a puffer jacket on instagram and could smell the scent through the screen, a Thanksgiving vibe on a June day.

The move went well. We’re still hanging art and rearranging things. Settling into the place as it gets used to its new occupants too. George likes all the closets. New places to hide when strangers come over and perfect for the hours spent napping the days away. I have an entire room for my perfume collection and I will never stop appreciating the luxury of that. I love this place in the clouds high above parts of the city. And I know when summer rolls around in September we’ll wake up to blue skies and endless stretches of sea and mountains.

It’s been a busy few weeks. Scent Fest SF was incredible, mostly because so many people I adore in the fragrance world flew to my city and the action was here for once. But the brands, panels, and events were all excellent too. I hate giving people FOMO and it can be boring to drone on about an event not everyone was able to go to, but there were some incredible new brands I discovered so I will be doing a recap soon.

I was the one answering questions for a change for Sample Sluts, a very fun fragrance Substack by the great writers Anna Dorn and Crissy Milazzo. You can read it here to learn what top, mid, and base notes I describe myself with along with some other fun questions.

Onto the monthly wears which you get to read if you’re a paying subscriber. Btw, thank you if you are a paying subscriber. 💖