From Providence Perfume Co, solid perfume balms: “Our vintage inspired solid perfume balms are blended in a base of pure shea butter, beeswax and oils. The soft buttery consistency is similar to the vintage solid perfumes popular in the 1950′s and 1960′s without the added petroleum and chemicals of the era. Solid perfumes are generously sized at 1/2 ounce and housed in thick retro glass tubs with distinctive silver caps evoking images of dressing table glamour. Solids are lavishly perfumed with natural ingredients and blended in artisan perfume fashion.” In Chiffonade, Jazmina, Lilium, Moonflower, $36-39 at Providence Perfume Co…

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Blech. Despite being born a May baby, I have never been a fan of spring. I’m sure it’s different in the other parts of the world, but every year, people above the 39th parallel in Europe and North America stand on street corners at this time of year, leaning at a 75 degree angle into gusting drizzle, and insist: “It wasn’t like this last year!” Trust me, it was. The mud, the wind, the Easter snow or hailstorm, the false hope of that one giddy day near April Fool’s when the sun shone and the warm breezes blew, like in a laundry detergent commercial, before the rain and gray chill returned — it all happened last year. I am not a pessimist. It is merely that I believe in the motto of mothers everywhere: let’s not get worked up here. Crazed displays of Birkenstock sandals and patio furniture will only end in tears. I support measured celebrations of spring’s small pleasures. For one, it is ramp season. Perhaps you have received your tax return. The road salt has melted away and you can go to 2D movies without being subjected to aliens, robots or robotic aliens. And it is time for some of your freshest, prettiest, newest fragrances to grace the air.

Composing a Top 10 for this most uncertain of seasons, I have tried not to dwell on lost favorites or the flood of recent scents I’ve missed. Jean Patou Vacances, Gobin-Daudé Sève Exquise, and L’Artisan Jacinthe des Bois are all gone and it somehow felt irresponsible to include them in the list. I have vintage samples of the many spring classics that have been damaged or ruined by reformulation — Balmain Vent Vert, Caron Violette Précieuse, the silver fluidity of Diorissimo, the mysterious smoky-green of Worth Je Reviens, the original Dior Fahrenheit’s honeysuckle-and-wet-blacktop — and I use them sparingly and despairingly. I have not tried MDCI Un Coeur en Mai, Byredo La Tulipe, ElizabethW Magnolia or CB I Hate Perfume Wild Pansy and am trying to convince myself that I don’t need to do so. With no further excuses, my Top 10 of Spring…

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In a recent post at Perfume Posse, Musette described her adolescent self as “Geek before Geek was cool”. During a week when I watched The Social Network and contemplated buying a Gregory Brothers / Auto-Tune the News t-shirt, her description was just another sign that we have lived to see the day my mother was always promising me would come: nerds have inherited the earth. We’ve come a long way since the 1980s and nerdom has evolved: gone are the high pants and the pocket protectors (as well as most of the pens), nerds of every gender and race are acknowledged, and globalization and the internet have opened up new, niche fields of nerd inquiry. No longer restricted to math, science, computing and Star Trek conventions, nerds are becoming foodies and bespectacled mixologists, pop musicians, graphic novelists and film bloggers, beekeepers, adventure travelers, market watchers, reality television competitors and whistle-blowing website activists. Nerds have money. They own the best home theatre equipment and make the coolest Halloween costumes. They know the only coffee place in town with a Clover. And, increasingly, some of them are smelling really good.

Perfume is a great hobby for geeks and systems wonks. It can involve hours and days and weeks of research into a secretive, trend-driven and detail-oriented industry. You end up collecting bottles and vials, ordering or swapping rarities through the mail and building storage units or furniture to organize your collection. You exhibit a lot of mavenish behavior, like checking currency conversion websites multiple times a day. Almost every perfumista of long-standing I know keeps a spreadsheet or electronic notepad full of data on sample testing count, fragrance notes, prices, perfumer names or vintage scent markers…

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Linda Pilkington of Ormonde Jayne will be holding a series of “Evenings with Linda Pilkington” at the brand’s new flagship boutique on Pavillion Road off Sloane Square…

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Fall? Bah, humbug. I’m a summer person. The best thing I can say about fall is that at least it isn’t winter yet.

That’s me a couple of years ago, opening the Top 10 of Fall by complaining that it wasn’t summer. Imagine how I feel now. There is nothing good I can say about winter except that at least it’s already part of the way over. So, let’s move on to the perfume, shall we?

Citrus. Angie recommends avoiding citrus in winter; instead, she says you should find a good tropical fragrance to psych yourself out of the winter doldrums. She’s right that citrus doesn’t really have the same effect when you’re wearing several layers of warm clothing, but it cheers me up all the same — some winters, I wear an awful lot of citrus. I’m including two in this category. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Pamplemousse is cheerful, reasonably long-lasting, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. As an added bonus, it layers nicely with just about anything. Aftelier’s Candide costs more (and is perhaps more accurately termed a citrusy floral), but it’s so happy, it makes me smile just to think about it…

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Ormonde Jayne fans will be pleased to know that there’s a new standalone Ormonde Jayne shop in Chelsea, just off Sloane Square. The new shop is much bigger than the tiny space in the Royal Arcade, which means that more goodies are on display, rather than tucked away in drawers.

The new flagship store, swimming beautifully in smoked mirror glass, offers the chance to sit down and have your Perfume Portrait created for you…

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From Joya & Vane, solid perfume lockets in Royal Jasmine (jasmine, tuberose, tonka bean, toasted marshmallow and sandalwood; watch chain, above center, $68), Starleaf (orange blossom, honeysuckle, jasmine, lily of the valley, honey and sweet musk; heart brooch, above left, $38) or Moro Blood Orange (blood orange, tangerine, yuzu, tiare flower, vanilla, blonde woods and musk; oval + perfume pin, above right, $38). All at Anthropologie…

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Even though I’ve finally finished my years (and years) of higher education, I still think of autumn as a season of “back to school” anticipation, complete with new books, new shoes, and new friendships — as well as the renewal of older friendships. Angela’s recent post describing her fragrance collection as a group of friends made me smile and made me look at my own fall fragrance line-up in a similar way.

Les Parfums de Rosine Poussière de Rose was one of my first “niche” perfume purchases, and it’s still one of my closest fragrance “companions.” I actually wear it from fall through spring, because it always feels right. It reminds me of rose potpourri in a cedar box; very nostalgic. We’re two of a kind.

Rochas Tocade is another longtime acquaintance, a rose-and-vanilla floriental that I bring back into rotation every autumn. It can feel a bit overdressed sometimes, and it’s definitely not shy, but I always know I can rely on it to boost my confidence for a night out.

Ormonde Jane Ta’if is a more recent arrival to my perfume wardrobe…

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Creativescreenname and 734elizabeths, please contact me by Friday to claim your prize. If I don't hear from you, I'll do a run-off for the unclaimed prizes.

…three Belle of the Ball gifts sets from Ormonde Jayne, in the Sampaquita fragrance (“The scent opens with an unmistakable summer bouquet, bursting forth with sun-kissed lychee set on a canvas of bergamot, grass oil and magnolia flowers in full seductive bloom”). Each set includes a 50 ml Eau de Parfum and a 200 ml body lotion.

Want one? For a chance to win, leave a comment…

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