About the author: By profession Vanessa Musson is a freelance market researcher, specializing in industrial products. Her work involves a lot of overseas travel, to places as varied as chemical plants and wind farms, oil fields and cotton fields, stately homes and sewers. In her free time Vanessa writes the blog Bonkers about Perfume, which combines lighthearted perfume reviews with zany travelogues and the occasional post on beauty products for that unfortunate crossover condition of “problem mature skin”.

I am a relative newcomer to perfume: for most of my life I was largely indifferent to scent, occasionally succumbing to the heavy sell tactics of sales assistants at airport duty frees, and politely wearing whatever anyone might think to give me as a gift. Not very often, mind, for when I was struck down out of the blue by “sudden onset perfume mania” in 2008, I had just one rancid bottle of Estée Lauder Intuition to my name, barely touched in the seven years I had owned it.

But all that changed, and within weeks I went from zero to raging “fumehead”, and I’ve never looked back. 18 months on, I decided to start a blog. For the previous eight years I had written a humorous column for a business magazine, based on my misadventures on overseas work trips. Its sudden closure prompted me to seek out another creative writing outlet, and my newfound interest in fragrance provided the perfect vehicle. Bonkers about Perfume was born. And now another two years or more have passed, and here you have it: 5 things you might wish to consider if you are thinking of starting a perfume blog of your own…

Do you have anything new to add to the conversation?

A while back, there was a post on Grain de Musc about the recent proliferation of perfume blogs. Denyse used the colourful phrase: “metastasising like crazy”, which troubled me at the time, though I don’t think the analogy between newbie bloggers and rampant tumours was meant to be taken too literally…

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Jil Sander will launch Sun Sorbet, a new limited edition fragrance for women, in March. Sun Sorbet is a flanker to 1989′s Jil Sander Sun and follows 2011′s Sun Eau de Soleil…

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New at b-glowing: Sarah Horowitz Perfect Coconut.

New at escentual (UK): Etat Libre d'Orange Bjijou Romantique.

Deal at evelynavenue: buy the Tableau de Parfums Miriam fragrance (full or travel size) or Miriam DVD, get a free rose scented soap by Andy Tauer, offer good while supplies last.

New at harrods (UK): Tom Ford Lavender Palm

New at neimanmarcus: A Dozen Roses Electron.

New at nordstrom: Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb (pre-order), Bvlgari Omnia Coral.

New at perfume.com: Jennifer Aniston Eau de Parfum.

Perfume coverage in the February issues of Allure, Details, GQ; please comment on any fragrance-related coverage you’ve seen in other fashion & beauty magazines:

Allure

Cover: Zooey Deschanel

Scent strips: Chanel Chance Eau Tendre, Burberry Body…

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Indie line Smell Bent has launched Vocabulary, a new collection of six fragrances…

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Imagine seeing a friend in person after almost fifteen years apart — perhaps gray hair and wrinkles will startle you, or you’ll be amazed at how unchanged he is, or how your friend has finally learned to dress (no more neon colors, chicken-sized athletic shoes, or gym pants).

I’ve not “seen” (or smelled) my old flame Etro Magot¹ since 1998 — back in the day we were very close, in fact, Magot was once all over me. After an affair that lasted a good two years, Magot went his way, I went mine, and I never thought of revisiting that “relationship” till now.

“Original” Magot’s fragrance notes² were lime, lemon, tuberose, jasmine, iris, lavender, clove, peach, vanilla, cedar, patchouli and musk. I remember Magot as a dark, intense Oriental perfume — a fragrance that went from a syrupy brew of flowers and spice to a rich, opulent powder-house of peach-saturated patchouli, amber and oak moss.

My old “beau” has changed…

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New at escentual (UK): Diane by Diane von Furstenberg.

New at first-in-fragrance (Germany): Etat Libre d'Orange Bjijou Romantique, Micallef Royal Rose Aoud.

New at houseoffraser (UK): Diane by Diane von Furstenberg.

Deal at luckyscent: get free shipping on orders over $75 with coupon code feb12, good through 2/29.

New at neimanmarcus: Valentino Valentina (pre-order).

Deal at perfume.com: take 10% off with coupon code ROMANTIC, good through 2/14.

A unique new advert is set to make commuters' mouths water as it replaces the usual bus shelter aroma with the scent of freshly cooked jacket potatoes.

Commuters waiting for buses in York, Manchester, London, Nottingham and Glasgow will be able to experience the 3D adverts for McCain Ready Baked Jackets.

— From Jacket potato ad smells of success at Yahoo.

From 10 Corso Como, their signature fragrance in a limited edition bottle celebrating their 20th anniversary. $138 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum at Beautyhabit….

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The 2011 UK Jasmine Awards (“celebrating excellence in fragrance journalism”) ceremony was held today. This year’s winners include:

Jasmine Literary Award (magazine): Tony Marcus for Designer Fragrance: Art Reflecting Life, from the Spring edition of 10 magazine…

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