onsdag 1 december 2010

In my part of the pond...

Perfume blogging is usually a very peaceful occupation. That Swedish teen blogger like Kissy and Sissy get headlines and also making a lot of money on their blogs is totally un-beliveable for me.

My blog posting don´t attract any headlines and I don´t make any money on the blog either (OK, OK I actually have earned about 20 € this far this year, that´s the reason I cleaned away the commercials or stuffed it way down, If they´re not generating any money they don´t deserve to be in people´s faces).

Perfume lovers -and bloggers usually also are very peaceful, friendly and helpful people. Of course a person that has as his bigest interest to sit down peacefully and smell on different fragrances must be quite serene, nice and even a little withdrawn.

Perfume blogging isn´t that big, and in Sweden there are few other perfume blogs and non as I know of that update often and regularly. From a global point of view it´s of course bigger, but still only a small part in the total of all different blogs. Surely, there are room for new perfume blogs? Apperantly not, one of the old and established perfume bloggers feels that all the new blogs drains fokus in discussions which are supposed to be on that blog!

Some of the established perfume bloggers are hanging out with people in the perfume industry, that seem not to be a good thing either. I think it must be impossible to live for instant in Paris, write about perfume for years without learning to know a lot of different people in the perfume industry and among those surely there are a coupple that you happened to like so much that you eventually become friends. This of course make way to an insider look on perfumery that perhaps isn´t always good, but also hard to get pass.

Anyway, if I felt like having lunch or go to parties with Serge Lutens, Pierre Guillaume, Olivia Giacobetti and Kilian Henessy I so live in the wrong place! But on the other hand nothing stops me from having really good connection with some perfume folks, especially within the indiebrands, but also among large and established brands I´ve encountered so much friendly and helpful people when I´ve contacted them. It´s apart of my "job" to contact perfume people and perfumers.

Of course my blog is considered new if I compare with blogs that have been going for about ten years. But at least I´ve had it for more then 2 years and even more important, it´s regularly updated at least every single week for 2 years. If counting all my postings, I´ve got quite a few by now.

The thing is that newcomers has to find their own style. Style of writing is very personal and to review the same fragarnce can be done in so many different ways.

I can´t keep up with perfume bloggers that lives in paris and other big cities when it comes to having sneak pre-views. I don´t automatically get samples from the big brands when they release something new. And with a limited income (hehe, 20€ is a very limited income, right?), i can´t manage to order samples from every new release. So keeping up with news will not be my thing, that I realised a long time ago...

My thing is to find those small unknown indiebrands or perfume houses out for their first round. Maybe my blog will be the only one ever mentioning these scents? OR, they eventually become popular and then this little blog was the first one that you read about that brand on. As I am having a little reporter personality a scoop always feels good.

I also like to hunt down those un-familiar brands, which sometimes isn´t the easiest thing. A lot of mail that I send never get any answers, for instant, the Swedish niche company Byredo NEVER had answer any of my mails, I have no idea why, but I think it´s a bit sad...

I´ve also got so many boring answers, like this: I write a very polite mail presenting myself and my blog and pointing out that I have perfume interested readers all around the world and would like to write about the brand and evaluate their fragrances. "We dont give samples to customers, but we can tell you wear you can buy or perfumes" "Thank you, but I´m sure you don´t have a retailer in Sweden, I respond" "No, we don´t, the closest to you is in Paris" "OK, thank you, then I can´t write about your brand" Oh well, it´s not my problem if they haven´t figure out that to be mentioned on a blog (even though a somewhat small blog) is usually good and -almost- free marketing!

The perfume world (at least western perfumes with some arabic and japanese influences) is a small pond. All perfumistas knows about new releases from Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle and Guerlain in no time. But also smaller actors like Ava Luxe (you know the very moment Serena decide to re-launch Midnight Violet it will be sold out), Andy Tauer and Neil Morris is out on the street in no time, and much thanks to devoted perfumista followers. And when a perfumista has decided to get a certain fragrances nothing will stop her. It could take months to get it but eventually the sought after scent is arriving and the fealing when you opens that envelope... oh yeah!

This is something some in perfume industry knows a lot about, while some don´t.

Anyway, I´ll leaving town tomorrow, so you have to manage without me for a few days, during this time I suggest you read Brians post at I Smell Therefore I Am:
http://ismellthereforeiam.blogspot.com/2010/11/are-you-perfume-blogging-snob-take-this.html

12 kommentarer:

  1. His post did seem to generate a lot of noise. :)
    Honestly, at some point I got the feeling that my little blog can never compare to those big blogs that seem to have all the connections. But then I thought to myself, basically, I'm doing this for me - I like perfumes and I'll keep smelling them, so people who are interested will read, those who aren't won't but I'll have fun either way. :)

    SvaraRadera
  2. Ines: Usually all perfume lovers are so friendly. Which is good, but at the same time we aren´t more the human non of us. Of course there is prestige, envy, competition and ego´s among us as well.

    I try to avoid comparing this blog with the large elephants, I compare it to what it was two years ago. Both me and my blog have developed since then, I know much more then before about perfumes, my English has been much more fluent, I have readers from a lot of places, I´ve got new friends and also some connections thanks to the blog and have been able to test so much lovely scents, so a lot of things have happened in those two years.

    I think it´s important when you have a "small" blog to fokus on your self, if you start writing to make money, make a lot of followers, get some influence or contacts, people also starts to feel that it´s kind of a fake surface. As long as we love what we´re doing I think it´s just fine...

    SvaraRadera
  3. Thanks for this post - I really liked this line that you wrote:
    I think it´s important when you have a "small" blog to fokus on your self

    SvaraRadera
  4. I agree with Bloody Frida. Keep writing. I like your style!

    SvaraRadera
  5. Hi Rebella,

    Thank you for a interesting blog!Just FYI re:
    "...in Sweden there are few other perfume blogs and non as I know of that update often and regularly". There is actually, see
    http://www.parfumistansblogg.blogspot.com/

    SvaraRadera
  6. Rebella, in my overblown opinion it's about how you connect with perfume, and the world, and with other people. It doesn't matter what you're smelling or when you're smelling it. Your perceptions are special and valuable, totally unique. I'm so happy so many people are blogging now. I'm trying to catch up! I feel like I went to sleep for a while--I got busy and distracted--and now I'm getting up to speed with everyone and what they're doing and thinking and smelling. It's fantastic if another blogger wants to smell the latest thing--however pricey or exclusive. I'm happy to hear the different takes on it. But I find that most of the time I just like wandering around seeing what people have to say. What they're smelling, what their pocket of the world sent their way. All of us have memories of perfume from childhood, and that isn't always or even often about the latest thing. Thanks for writing and for listening to my voice too.

    SvaraRadera
  7. Greeting from one very very small blogger :) :)
    Just to let you know that my mom told me you package came to my home :D Everything is great except one vial broke and ruined sweets :(

    SvaraRadera
  8. Bloody Frida: Yes, because if you´re losing yourself you lose the thing that makes you stand out in a crowd. :) If we´re trying to be like someone else we can never be anything but second best...

    SvaraRadera
  9. brian: Nice to see you here. Your post was both refreshing but also a little disturbing, but that´s something the perfume world can need from time to time. We can´t all holding hand and sing "Cumbaya" to everything.

    And since I don´t only write but also reed perfume blogs I love all the different styles that is. Such a variety of people and experience and knowledge and way with words. Being partial I do think perfume bloggers in general holds very high standards and are really good in what they´re doing. But, it´s also important to remember that each and everyone (having a computer and internet) can start blogging (and also doing it), some bloggers have expert knowledge but the big mayority don´t (in any subject) and I don´t think it´s how much we know about our subject that is most important, but how we present it.

    SvaraRadera
  10. Bellatrix: Welcome to the bloggosphere. :)

    Nice to hear that it has arrived, but sorry to hear that one vial was broken. :(

    SvaraRadera
  11. Hi Rebella,

    I've enjoyed reading your blogs... I love that you review obscure fragrances... I found Jose by Jose Eisenberg through your posts (which second down on my full bottle to-buy list).

    Thanks,
    Geordan

    SvaraRadera