The usual open thread routine: talk about anything you like — what perfume you’re wearing today, the last fragrance you smelled on someone else, the 2010 release you're most looking forward to, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer.
And yes, it really is National Hug Day.
Note: image is untitled (from *flora* set) [cropped] by josef.stuefer at flickr; some rights reserved.
This morning I struggled with what perfume I was going to wear today. Then at the last minute I grabbed TDC Sublime Balkiss. I really enjoy this scent but don’t reach for it as often as I should. The last fragrance I smelled on someone else is Dolce & Gabana Light Blue worn by my co-worker –and I smell it on her every single day because that’s all she wears! Even when she is out of the office, I still smell it.
Maybe I should go out tonight and try to get a hug–I could really use one–it’s been a while–and I have a good excuse today!
And hey, you smell great so you really should!
And Hugs are for Free- take care.
By the way Robin, I love the image today…so pretty.
Same here! And the one for Kevin’s Laurel review was stunning!
We love Creative Commons copyrights
A fragrant hug to everyone on NST! My question to my fellow perfumistas: I love the stable-y, hayish notes in Dzing, and was wondering if anyone had suggestions for other fragrances where that note goes a bit further? I did sniff MKK last week, and that is way too far, but something that smells like a combo of hay and horses, and a kind of messy stable? Thank you!
Angela did a great review of Bal a Versailles and Miller Harris’s L’Air de Rien on this site:
https://nstperfume.com/2008/09/05/jean-desprez-bal-a-versailles-and-miller-harris-lair-de-rien-fragrance-review/
I’ve worn and like both of them (and own L’Air), and I don’t think either one goes as far as MKK (which I agree is a bit too far for me). Both of them have that stable/hay scent, but L’Air also has vanilla and is sweeter.
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz makes a scent called Fresh Mown Hay, which is unfortunately probably a bit too clean for what you’re after.
What about Miller Harris L’Eau de Rien?
Thanks Robin and Janice! Just read the review – LOL! Both of these sound great.
Very late here but maybe you will read my comment. I ordered a FB of Dzing! unsniffed. Not something I usually do, but I was using up a gift card. My first impression was pure camel dung and I was left wondering how I could return it. And I like animalic fragrances. Tried it again, could smell some other notes, but still regretting my purchase and wondering if I could sell it off in splits or something. A few weeks go by, and I decide to give it another try with a fresh nose. Hmm, I kind of like it. A day later, I like it better. Then I started craving it. Now, I can’t get enough of it and I’m wondering if it contains some sort of narcotic like Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I occasionally wonder if I smell like camel dung to others, but I don’t really care. I’m too busy sniffing my own wrist.
LOL at “I’m wondering if it contains some sort of narcotic like Krispy Kreme doughnuts” — sometimes it seems that way with certain perfumes, doesn’t it?
Tauer’s Lonestar Memories goes hay on me, and also Opus Oils Cowboy. Both very nice.
It also wouldn’t hurt to try Parfumerie Generale Felanilla. I’m amazed you want something that goes “a bit further” than Dzing! I mean, it’s not “stanky”, but to me it’s total horse stable.
Yeah, I thought of Felanilla too. Wasn’t sure it was “stable” enough, but you’re probably right.
Felanilla is total hay on me. I love it.
And perhaps try Bois Blond. It’s a gorgeous different take on hay.
Eau de Polder by L’essence de Mastenbroek has the most true hay note that I’ve found. It may be too clean for you if you want the horse note. . .but I’m a Dzing! nut as well and loved Polder. It reminds me of true hay fields, with a lovely clover note. Happy hunting!
That is SO cool… love the backstory of Eau de Polder on LuckyScent site (though the name makes me laugh because I know what a polder is… it’s like calling something “Eau de Pasture”, but funnier somehow). Also, nice to learn of a Dutch perfume outfit other than PoTL.
“Eau de Polder” could definitely be construed as an euphemistic term for freshly manured (is that a verb, anyhow?) fields…
By the by, I believe LS is the only place to get it anymore. When I first heard of it I made some calls, but it was not sold anywhere locally.
Eau de Polder makes me smile. I have never seen it in The Netherlands, but I can imagine how it must smell.
I’d say Jicky in extrait, or Bal a Versailles. Jicky in particular has a very warm barnyard, sexy skin scent feel to it. I love both though-very sexy stuff.
SOTD – SL Chene. Love it as my midday scent.
I’ve been waiting for one of these open threads to ask a question, or more accurately, commiserate. Maybe this has been discussed before, but I’ve never seen it. As wonderful as it is to love a fragrance so much I’ve used the whole bottle, I hate to admit that its such a letdown to have to spend the money on a replacement. I get such a thrill buying a fb of something new!
I have run out of two of my all time favorites at the same time (Fracas and Diorissimo) and must replace them, and I will, but the addict in me is a little sad that I’m not buying two bottles of something brand new! Prior to this dang addiction of mine, I’d practically hug a brand new full bottle of my two favorite florals!
Anyone else feel this way? There should be a word…
oops, meant to post this as a new comment. sorry!
Be careful with a new bottle of Diorissimo – it’s been reformulated. Perhaps this would be a good time to try out some new white florals?
Agree wholeheartedly — I hate replacing old bottles! I am nearly out of Osmanthe Yunnan and the idea of spending that much $ (not even sure how much it is and don’t want to think about it) to replace it makes me insane. It’s hard to get away from the orientation towards “new”.
Ouch, that’s a tough one to have to replace!
I do know the feeling. But maybe it’s OK to use something up and move on to new. Some of us are just oriented that way, and perhaps we should just give in. After all, so little time, so MANY fragrances!
I don’t think I could ever give up Fracas, its one of the reasons I’m a perfume nut today. I do hope Diorissimo isn’t too much changed.
I’ve heard the new Diorissimo is pretty bad, but I haven’t tried it myself.
I could not live without Fracas, Im sorry that Diorissimo has changed, to me it smells cleaner and fresher, not the way my mothers bottle smelled many moons ago….o well, I bought a bottle of it for my 12 year old daughter and she loves it! and I love it too, can’t live without Bandit.
Sonoma Scent Studio Jour Ensoleille has a beautiful hay accord that works in a classic chypre formula. Very beautiful and classy.
Oh I LOVE Jour Ensoleille! It’s my SOTD, in fact! But IMHO, too pretty to belong in a stable!
CDG Palisander.
New love: Diorella.
In Grocery store: asked customer behind me what scent she was wearing, cuz it smelled fabulous on her: Divine (Divine). Must get a sample.
Question: favorite sheer or happy jasmine scent?
Diptyque, Olène
Love Olene!
Bvlgari Jasmin Noir is a nice sheer jasmine, but I prefer the more full-bodied jasmine in Le Parfum de Therese.
Therese is indeed very beautiful!
Seconding Jasmine Noir for a nice sheer scent.
Sacrebleu, I have a vague memory of having read somewhere recently that Diorella had been re-refomulated. Do you know if that’s correct? I loved the original when I was a teen and if it’s anything like that, I see a new bottle in my future…..
Dear A: Perfumes: The Guide says it has been reformulated, but that it is still a 4(? or 5?) star perfume. I have never smelled vintage Diorella, I bought the new stuff and love it. I think LT’s description in the guide is spot-on, as is Robin’s review.
I have both a small bottle of vintage extrait and an new bottle of edt. I don’t know, obviously, what formulation the edt is. It still smells great. The extrait is out of this world gorgeous. Spicier, and less green.
I love Bulgari Voile de Jasmin (well aware that others do not share my fondness for it) and ELdO Jasmin Et Cigarette. I actually just plain love jasmine. Curious to hear others favorites.
Hey, Annick`s Le Jasmin, for spring-fever or year-round; and Andy Tauer`s Le Maroc pour Elle is jasmine/rose/woods so heady your own head will spin w/ delight!
I love Andy Tauer’s Le Maroc par Elle…it is really a heady fragrance. Another jamine I like is The Different Company’s Jasmine de Nuit.
Montale Jasmine Full is a nice one.
Parfumerie Generale Drama Nuui, most definitely.
My favorite pretty/girly jasmine is Keiko Mecheri Jasmine; it has a little sugar in it, but I think is still a photorealistic jasmine. Otherwise, I second Olene which is a bit greener (though I find it a bit sharp), or maybe L’Artisan La Haie Fleurie, if you don’t mind a bit of honeysuckle thrown in.
I don’t know how sheer it is, but my fav happy jasmin is Annick Goutal Songes. But sheer and just cheerful is BM Fleurs de Nuit.
Marc Jacobs Blush or the very similar Jo Malone White Jasmine & Mint for pretty-pretty, ruffle-clad jasmine, TDC Jasmin de Nuit for a transparant but grown-up jasmine with gentle spice.
Second the White Jasmine and Mint – on my spring to-buy list!
The new Histoires de Parfums Tubereuse Virginale has an AMAZING top/middle note of jasmine that I just love! Dries down a little to light and floral for me but if it stayed that way I’d buy in a heartbeat.
Wearing Chanel Bois des Iles today (recent split purchase — my God, I’m buying splits like they’re going out of style :D). It’s so lovely, but the EDT doesn’t stick around on my skin…enjoying the traces of it as it drifts away.
Here’s my question: would any kind soul with some vintage Rochas Femme be willing to spare me a small sample? I’ve become fixated on “educating” myself about Femme (don’t ask me why…I read blog posts and reviews and you know, one thing leads to another :)). I bought a vintage PdT bottle on eBay, but it was a bust — it’s turned and there’s pretty much nothing of the real scent left, even after the turpentine wears off. And then I just bought a tiny 3 ml splash of the modern EdP, but I’d love to be able to compare that to the vintage formulation.
The fleeting quality of LE Bois des Iles is so, so annoying. (I bought my split based on my sample from TPC, which is apparently not the Les Exclusifs version, and which is more full-bodied.) I now follow the “spray until skin is WET” theory for BdI, and it does seem to help.
Fleeting? I can still smell it 9-10 hours later, though I sometimes like to “refresh” at some point to get the development over again. This is one of the rare frags that doesn’t burn down immediately to heart and base notes on me, but develops just as it should.
I’m envious! By lunch, it was basically gone on me (except my hair).
The up side is that I’ll be a blank slate when I get home, ready for application of any splits that have arrived in the mail (or maybe that bottle of Incense Rose from Luckyscent…FedEx tracking told me LIES and now I don’t know *when* that’s going to show up)
Ahhh, I thought my TPC sample seemed to have a bit more gusto — that would explain why! I will have to spray with even more abandon…suddenly that 50 ml split isn’t looking so big.
Chasa – email me at rappleyea11 at yahoo dot com and I’ll send you what’s left of my sample of vintage Femme. Donna
Try the Bois des Iles extrait. If they still make it. Not sure.
Hi Chasa,
I have a tiny bottle of perfume (5ml) also bought from ebay that is vintage. It came in a frosted glass bottle and I’d be happy to try and pass you a couple of drops. Also have a reformulated bottle of edp from around ’02. Email me and we can discuss: mollyseb at hotmail dot com
SOTD is Etro Shaal Nur. I’m loving how it transformed over the course of the day going from a citrusy, herby incense opening into a sweeter, spicy oriental base.
Any experiences/thoughts/comments on La Nuit by Paco Rabanne?
I got a bottle of this on ebay after I read Luca Turin’s review of it on his blog. It doesn’t strike as quite as wild. Opening is a bit harsh, but it softens considerably on the drydown. I have the edt.
Thanks! I’m tempted to buy a mini although I might try and see if I can get it in EDP.
Abyss, I love Shaal Nur, too. The vetiver in the base is scrumptious!
I tried an EDP of Paco Rabanne La Nuit, I don’t remember the scent very well except it’s “vintagy”-leathery, intense and very sexy.
SOTD: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Lumiere Noir Pour Homme,
It was difficult to choose just one to buy, they are all so good…
I bought a split of Lumiere Noire Pour Femme, unsniffed, and it is ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous. I still haven’t smelled the rest, but do I really need MORE heaven?
(kidding about that last bit.)
Wearing Dzongkha today and really loving the leather note and the cardamom, but the incense note is giving me a bit of a headache. Can anyone suggest another dry leather scent?
Also, for a guy friend of mine, he gravitates toward fresh scents and used to wear DG Light Blue. I’m trying to find him something a little more interesting… it would have to be available at the dept store/Sephora. Any ideas?
For your guy fiend I’d suggest Eau de Guerlain, Dior Eau Sauvage or Escale a Portofino.
Dior Homme? Or Guerlain Vetiver? I know those are both at my local Sephora.
My favorite leather is Piguet’s Bandit.
Oh me too by far. Wearing it today. It’s tough but cozy and also comforting on me, it’s probably in my top 10 scents of all time, *maybe* top 5.
Same here! I think it’s almost certainly in my Top 5. And it was so unexpected — I went in on a split only to learn about galbanum and didn’t even think I’d like it. I like your “tough but comforting” description…I turn to Bandit when I need a kick in the ass and to be girded for a rough day ahead.
Glad that worked out so well.
I second Bandit-great leather scent.
My vote would go toward Dsquared2 HeWood, or Bvlgari Pour Homme
Givenchy III
Favorite sheer or happy jasmine: Le Perfume de Therese (I hope it’s jasmine!). I bought a FB last week as a b-day present to myself, after sniffing it once at Barney’s. It makes me very happy! Then I tried MKK and Borneo 1834 and wow, Essence de Pungent. But now I want to go back and try MKK on skin because of Kevin’s review, but I would have to do this on my lunch hour, and I can just imagine the response of my co-workers, since Kevin said it was very long lasting …
So funny, I just bought Le Parfum de Therese (finally) last weekend at Barney’s too!
And I adore Dzonghka! I put it on when I get home almost every day. It’s more of a cold weather scent for me (I’m in Boston). A dry leather … have you tried Jolie Madam?
National Hug Day? Good timing; I could really use one.
SOTD is Havana Vanille – from a split thanks to someone’s amazing spritzing ability
and I guess that’s sort of a smoky, vanilla hug.
Yes, it is!
I’m very disappointed, because HV does something VERY sour on my skin, and fragrances *never* are “sour” on me. Plus, it disappears completely within 2-3 hours. Who’d’a thunk?
Three hours?? (sound of jaw hitting floor) I am Fleeting Scent Woman… and I got 15 hours outta HV. Of course, the last bits are really, really sweet: my kids, invited to sniff, said “candy” and “ice cream.”
HV starts out kind of funky but that doesn’t last long. I get more of the candy/ ice cream dry down too and easily 8-10 hours and it’s still there —-an overnighter type perfume. sorry it turns sour on you Joe, maybe you could make it into a couple smaller decants and use them for swaps. Life is too short to waste it on unpleasant perfumes!
Always go for the good stuff.
Poor Joe! It has been suggested to me by someone in the know that my musk anosmia would make HV a no go for me – it would either disappear or become a complete mess to my nose. Maybe you are anosmic to one of the sweet musks in it ? Too bad – a first time for everything.
I usually amp up the sweetness in things, so it’s rare for something to go sour on me, but 10 Corso Como did just that. Disappointing, for sure.
Ah, Joe. I hate it when that happens. Every rose I’ve ever tried ends up being sour soap on me.
But I didn’t have that problem with HV and it lasted a good 8 hours on me today.
That’s too bad, Joe!
Im wearing Tam Dao today, and hopefully receiving my order of Wazamba in the mail this afternoon.
Ah, but you smell great already!
A perfumista buddy just sent me a sample of Wazamba – can’t wait to try it.
It’s raining and gloomy here in Tennessee today, so I almost chose a cozy winter scent. Since it’s fairly warm today (58 degrees), I choose something citrusy instead: Dior Escale a Portofino. The cheerful lemon is really helping to counteract the gloom!
Escale a Portofino really is cheerful! Always puts a smile on my face.
I never would have thought that I would like lemon in perfume, but I just love this one! It’s just lovely!
Good timing, because I was just thinking this morning, “I really want a good lemon scent. Hopefully there’s an open post soon, so I can ask for suggestions.” I’ll have to try Portofino again. (Some time when the SA isn’t trying to de-louse me with, say, Lola.) Any other ideas out there?
Pacifica’s Malibu Lemon Blossom
Creative Universe Element of Surprise, or Carthusia Mediterraneo. The former is lovely on me, the latter is Lysol…but most everyone else seems to love it.
Carthusia Mediterraneo goes from juicy lemon to stale green tea on me within 45 seconds (no kidding). I think it has been reformulated quite recently, because I’ve read comments about the same thing happening to others who also were expecting a nice citrus.
Whoops! It looks like from the notes that Escale a Portofino is actually more bergamot and orange blossom. Rookie mistake!
L’Eau de L’Artisan is a nice lemon one though!
May I suggest AG Eau d’Hadrien?
Monsieur Balmain. It’s the best lemon ever. Just lemon and sandalwood. And it’s dirt cheap at the on-line discounters.
OMG, I totally forgot that I *have* Eau d’Hadrien! Well, I passed it on to my partner before I was a real perfumista, because it was “too masculine.” Operation Steal Back Hadrien commences!
Wrestle your partner to the ground if you have to Miss K!
Or, for more on the lines of “lemon frosting”: Shalimar Light. Yum! I also liked Un Zeste de rose of Parfums de Rosine.
Miss Kitty:
One of my favorites is Guerlain’s Philtre d’Amour. It’s not entirely a lemon scent, but has a great lemon opening with some interesting verbena, myrtle and neroli. Let me know if you’d like a sample.
I freakin’ LOVE Philtre d’Amour! Is it just me, or does it kind of smell like Aromatics Elixir? I was trying to figure out what it was reminding me of when I tried it the other day, and it dawned on me that that was what it was.
Lostmarch Din Dan is a fun one although fleeting on me. I also rec the Pacifica Malibu Lemon Blossom.
I second Rapple’s recommendation of Philtre d’Amour —to me it is like delicious lemon pie. (I happen to be splitting a bottle currently) , Un Zeste de Rose –very nice rose with a lemon zing in there, and how about PdN Cedrat Intense—lemon, bergamot all good stuff, to me it smells quite a bit like lemon peels.
hmmm now I need a spritz!
Does anyone know of a fragrance with a dominant juniper wood accord? I recently bought a shower gel from Korres called Juniper and Rum and it’s the most amazing, realistic fresh juniper wood (can’t smell the rum at all). It’s very gentle and moisturizing as well so I highly recommend it, although of course expensive for a shower gel.
I’ve been using the Korres Vanilla Cinnamon and it’s nice as well. I feel like I always talk about TJ Maxx and discounters on here, but they have had a lot of Korres products lately. I work for a non-profit, so I have to strech my fragrance budget as far as I can!
Just read about the Korres Vanilla Cinnamon somewhere (here?) and it sounds like something I would like. Wish my TJ Maxx had some!
There’s Avalon Juniper by Pacifica, which is inexpensive enough for you to test without blowing a hunk of cash.
I was going to suggest this one too… it’s my favorite Pacifica, hands down, and a bright, cheery little scent.
Sounds great, thanks!
Thank you for the suggestion, I’ll definitely try it!
Try Creed – Baie de Genievre
I send out hugs to all of you perfumistas!
Wearing Ubar from samples again today – wow, that’s fabulous stuff. Not sure I need any, at this point, but I sure see myself using up the samples.
Hugs back to you and everyone else… and yeah, Ubar is fantastic. Of course, you KNOW where you can get some if you need a decant, don’t you? HA!
I’ll just sit here and look nonchalant….
SOTD: Amaranthine. This still always strikes me as sex in a bottle somehow, so I feel a little self-conscious in the office or like I have a “secret.” Silly.
Question: Can someone confirm if Donna Karan Gold is discontinued for sure? Not that it matters because I’m amazed how much of it there is online at SUPER-inexpensive prices. I may snap up a 30ml bottle for $10 shipped just because I can. It will be a good way to push my desire for some Lys Méditerranée further into the future.
DK Gold turned up at Marshall’s too. The one I’m putting off trying is Un Lys.
It is no longer listed on the DK website, so I’d say it’s out of production. I don’t know how to be any more sure than that, since even if they tell you today it’s discontinued, they might decide to make it again tomorrow (as they did w/ Black Cashmere). But, don’t think it did well so that’s unlikely.
Whaaaaat??!!! Say it ain’t so.
Boo Hoo.
Sorry
That’s too bad Gold is discontinued. I often overlook it, but it’s my favorite lily (Un Lys is nice but I’m one of those people who gets lilac from it).
Man, I get nothing whatsoever naughty out of Amaranthine… no thigh-flashing at all. It may be a weather thing, though – it’s been very dry and chilly when I’ve worn it, so I put it away for warmer weather.
It’s chilly and rainy here, Mals, and I thought it would bring some nice humid floral vibes to my day (though I love the rain. So funny you should make this comment, because whenever I smell Amaranthine, all I can think of is your “dirty panties” analogy. To me this is sluttier than Joy extrait could ever hope to be (though I can see a similarity).
Joy Extrait is slutty? hmmmm….
I do like my decant of Amaranthigh….don’t think it’s slutty or panty-ish either….course, I also have this sinus thing going and have no idea what anything smells like right now.
Oh, I think it’s naughty. But the naughty is hidden among the folds. It’s a very mysterious fragrance, IMO. Sexy and smart at the same time.
Hey Joe – I’ve been trying to swap a bottle of Gold – interested?
I emailed Daisy and asked her to forward my email address to you. Thanks!
OK Joe – cool beans.
LOL! She’s enabling in absentia!
That’s our Daisy!
Ha! now that’s some skills!! Actually I’m busy fussing over Cynthia’s missing boxes and figuring out what to do with this big bottle of Roja Dove Enslaved I have sitting here…..it’s a LOT of parfum! yikes…musta lost my mind!
Joe, I find that I can’t wear Amaranthine to work either – it is kind of sensuous for the office.
National Hug Day? I’m blessedly on my lunch break at the moment, however I have a feeling I may need one of those before this workday is through. Though a vodka martini will suffice.
SOTD is one of my staples Chanel No 22 because it was the first one I grabbed this morning.
Thanks to a lovely review on here, I am awaiting a bottle of CdG Avignon which should be delivered to my office tomorrow and can’t wait to try it. A medieval cathedral in a bottle, count me in.
I have a question which might be a tad too involved for this post but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I’m looking for a perfume for my wedding. I’ve read in a lot of blogs that white florals are always a nice way to go, except I’m not really a floral person, instead preferring orientals. My staples perfume houses are SMN & Chanel, I prefer niche’ brands, rarely do trends and tend to like the downright bizarre dry downs. The dress will be an understated bias cut ivory, the wedding at night with lots of candles and roses & the ceremony Catholic.
I want to capture some Old World mystery with the entire affair and would love to have a perfume to highlight the occasion.
Thanks so much for any input!
I don’t know that they’re necessarily wedding appropriate (though it sounds like that might be fine with you!)… but things that came to mind otherwise were something from the Eau d’Italie line, one of the Etro incense scents (Messe de Minuit or Shaal Nur)…or with the roses, Andy Tauer’s Une Rose Chypree (lightly applied!).
Your wedding sounds beautiful! If your floral theme is roses, maybe Guerlain Nahema? It’s a lovely, spicy rose, definitely a ‘red’ versus a white floral. Or Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere? If I were getting married all over again, I’d wear Dzonghka. Not at all floral, but rich and incensy and nutty and it just smells so-ooo-o good. It doesn’t really say ‘Old World’ so much as a completely different one. Best wishes for your happy day!
I would have recommended No 22 for a wedding, but it would better suit a daytime ceremony in spring or summer. You need something with incense (granted, no 22 has that, but still it has an outdoor ebullience to my nose). Does Andy Tauer have something to suit? I”ve yet to try his Incense Rose or Rose Chypree, so I’m just fantasizing here. More knowledgeable opinions are required here.
I was actually going to say Incense Rose — it really does smell like the name, but I found it surprisingly sparkling and not heavy. Possibly Parfums DelRae Bois de Paradis (candles, for sure) or Mythique.
Just got a sample of the Bois de Paradis and tried it out yesterday – it is lovely!
I wear No 22 so very much as it is, as well. Thanks.
I agree with Nahema. Also Amouage Lyric pring to mind. It’s classified it as a floral oriental and it’s a sot of abstract rose with vanilla base. Beautiful! Or, perhaps, something like Caron Parfum Sacre.
Sounds like a good topic for the Monday Mail!
For my (non-existent, imaginary) wedding I would probably wear one of the following –
MPG Secrete Datura
Apres l’Ondee
l’Heure Bleue
CdG Daphne
Tauer Une Rose Chypree
I immediately thought of Andy Tauer’s fragrances as well. Definitely check them out!
yeah, Andy has a big beautiful heart, that can be detected in his scents as well. i imagine it must be great to have a scent with a heart on you on your wedding day…
Another alternative: buy a decant of a gorgeous dewy rose, and layer it over a tiny dab of the Avignon.
Such a gorgeous suggestion. Incense & rose seems to be the general consensus and it would suit the mood I’m going for. Thank you!
OJ Ta’if? If I were getting married now I’d probably choose that or another one of the OJs.
Ooh, Ta’if is an excellent suggestion! It struck me as being deep and rich, somehow both sultry and sombre.
Oh, Ta’if would be wonderful!
Your wedding sounds like it will be amazing! Best wishes to you!
How about L’ Artisan’s Voleur De Roses? Dark and mysterious plum/patch/rose scent. Gorgeous stuff.
How about FM Une Rose? Rosy and dirty, with a great drydown. Would be lovely with an ivory dress.
Another great suggestion!
Congrats on your upcoming wedding K! My Chanel rec’s for your wedding are Bel Respiro, vintage No 5 parfum (easy to find on ebay and just so beatufil) or No 18. As regards No 18 – I think it is one of the most unusual and challenging fragrances, even though it is just rose and ambrette. Conceptually, it smells to me just like a gorgeous marble statue should smell. Not like I am trying to make you smell like a statue for your big day, but it is just such a unique and statement fragrance – so surpemely elegant and artful – and it is not commonly worn. It would be a tremendous bridal fragrance on the right woman.
You should also test the Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Giardini Segreti. It is just gorgeous powerdy white tuberose floral goodness. I think it is very interesting and unusual (again), and not common. It is thoroughly enjoyable to wear and very beautiful. It is the prettiest tuberose I have ever smelled and it is very romantic.
And here goes my personal favs for a wedding: Chamade extrait. Enough said.
I like the incense+rose suggestion, but I also thought of Delrae Amoureuse. A dense, rich floral (and I say this as a non-floral-lover) that has always struck me as an Occasion Perfume. I think it would suit a nighttime Catholic wedding very well imho.
SOTD: Donna Karan Chaos over Cashmere Mist creme (yes, again)
Question: What is your favorite “office scent”?
Hugs to all
oooooooooooo
In the summer I wear Bvlgari Omnia Jade a lot at the office, and as much as I hate to admit it, during the summer Versace Bright Crystal gets worn at least once a week. It’s a ‘safe’ fragrance.
The prevailing look at my office is Geek Grunge, which means I can wear anything except L’Eau d’Issey because it irritates a co-worker. If we wore suits, I think Y would go nicely with them. It’s not a big mean chypre, but it means business.
Y is a great office scent. I often wear Givenchy III, or one of the Hermes Jardin series. I work in a hospital, so I try to avoid wearing anything too loud or stonking (what a great word). Eau de Givenchy, Prada Infusion d’Iris, Hiris, Terre de Hermes. I thought about wearing Bulgari Black, but haven’t worked up the nerve yet.
Some day I’d like to meet someone for whom wearing Black to work requires nerve… though maybe it’s my nose rather than my skin that’s the issue. To me, it’s a nice light tea scent, nothing more. I was disappointed.
Hugs to those that want ’em and a wave “hello” to those that don’t.
Favorite office scent is Chanel’s Beige. Makes me feel very confident at work.
However today I am wearing my sample of Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille. I have no idea what I was thinking when I purchased this sample. I knew going in that it had been a limited edition and I couldn’t fall in love with it because I would be hard pressed to find it. I swore I just wanted to know what it was like…HA-HA! Now I am in love and totally depressed. So here is my question…. why do perfume houses do this – why bother to release a perfume that is going to be in “limited” production. I love, love this perfume! Very sad face, and now I need a HUG!
I too got a small decant of SDV and almost wish I hadn’t. It’s so amazing!
I think it’s funny how so many of us love SDV, but PTG called it “bad vanilla” or something like.
I think of that every time I smell it. It almost makes you wonder if they got a bad batch. I suppose I can see not being wild about it, if vanilla ain’t your thang, but *bad*???
Don’t despair Fuddy Duddy – SDV is available at the Guerlain boutiques. I usually do business with Bergdorf Goodman (no affiliation, though I wish!) and in a couple of months they’ll have a gift card event. That’s $25 off a $100 order.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
My office mates don’t like most of what I like. THEY like me in L’Eau Par Kenzo, Annick Goutal Chevrefeuille, and Ralph Lauren Ralph: all light, happy things. When I wear the scents I love, I get no comments; I think they’re being polite.
Fave office scent is Bvlgari’s Eau de Blanc, Hermes Un Pamplemousse Rose, or AV-very clean powdery scent, with minimal sillage.
I’ve gotten the most compliments from co-workers on Diptyque Philosykos and Hermes Kelly Caleche. I’m a very light-handed perfume applier though, so I can wear just about anything. The co-workers didn’t like Hiris, but I think that’s because we have several church members here who wear it heavily and leave it behind in the office when they leave.
I should think it impossible to wear Hiris heavily! It’s easily the most fleeting scent I own, which is the cause of much frustration and ovespraying. Perhaps I am anosmic to (part) of it and should tone it down? Don’t like the idea of suffocating others.
I haven’t found it overpowering on myself, but again, I am a light applier. The lady I’m thinking of wears it all the time. I could smell it in the hallway on the first floor when she was teaching a class on the second. Granted, she had probably walked through there on her way.
Well, I think I’m one of the lucky ones when it comes to “office” scents cause I work from home and can douse myself liberally with anything I wish and not offend anyone (except occasionally my husband if he comes home for lunch…though he never, ever says anything negative, sweet guy).
I do occasionally have to go into the office, though, and when I do, for some reason I’ve chosen Notorious, Dzing!, or Juicy Couture. Notorious somehow strikes me as an office scent, though it’s supposedly marketed as dark and mysterious. I see it as friendly and inoffensive.
My favorite in this genre is Sonoma Scent Studio’s Opal; it’s a very nice, close-to-the skin musk. Some other ones I like are Gucci Envy; Tuscany per Donna; Very Irresistible; and YSL Cinema: all very nice, pleasant, professional, and unlikely to offend.
I like Coco Mademoiselle as an office scent for some reason. I also like Bulgari pour Femme, but right now its cold and dreary and I want something with a little more heft. If I could afford more, Chanel Beige would be my office scent.
Vetiver is great for the office – a serious note that always smells good. I like Guerlain for summer, or AG spring to fall, MPG Racine for winter. There are many fine vetivers, too, depending on the accent you seek.
Not an answer, but a funny story: one day when I wore Lolita Lempicka to work (I know), someone stopped right in front of my desk, sniffed the air pointedly, and asked ‘What smells of mould?’ Hasn’t put me off though, my cubicle mate never complains and people often give me compliments, so they can’t be too unhappy!
You should of said “Oh, is it coming off your clothes?”
National Hug Day? Whose abominable idea was that?? No SOTD, I overslept and was tired and groggy, though at some point I may pull out one of the random samples I keep in my purse. Latest disappointment: Tokyo Milk Eden, though maybe I’ll like it better later. I was expecting more green, I guess. Lots of splits and swaps coming my way soon though, so I’ll have plenty of other things to help me get over it.
The idea of a National Hug Day cracks me up. Who knew?
Hope your day gets better
Aha, I see it began in Michigan…the same people who brought us Sweetest Day. Methinks Michiganders love holidays!
Well, so long as people don’t start randomly acting on it, I’m ok. Not much of a hugger, except for my lovely children. It really hasn’t been that bad of a day, I’m just tired and it’s dragging.
Boo: I’m wondering if recovered (or practising) Catholics have a problem with hugs. I have to say I most definitely got over my absolute horror within a year or two of moving to California, and now I quite like hugs. Don’t worry — I respect boundaries!
Could be, although I’ve had issues w/people touching me as far back as I can remember…particularly women, and they do tend to hug more. Might just be remnants of a too-large family.
Boo – I’m also getting a package together for you since I rec’d my split of the vintage Vetiver from Daisy yesterday. I’ll also include a hug!
LOL! Thanks!
No scent today, and no hugs please, because I’m coming down with a cold or something worse! If I didn’t have the sniffles I’d probably be wearing Plus que Jamais, a nice choice for a day spent at home during a big Pacific storm.
Oh dear — get better soon!
I’ll do my best!
Vitamin D! Not a single cold has fully manifested since I upped my D intake by 2000 units. I’ll have a day or two of “oh no, I think I’m getting sick!”…and that’s all I get.
Vitamin D is getting plenty of buzz these days. I’ll check it out.
I always enjoy the Lazy Thursday poll. Unfortunately I can’t be lazy right now because I’m at work, which leads me to my question: How do you refresh your scent at work? Do you take a sample vial with you? A FB? Or do you not refresh at all but wear something long lasting? Thanks for your replies!
All of the above. So much of my collection are decants of 15ml or smaller that they’re easy to bring to work, but I also have brought sample vials or full bottles in my bag. I refresh as necessary depending on the strength of the scent, but sometimes I just put something on in the morning and don’t bring any “to go.” As someone wrote above, it burns off by the time I get home, and invariably there’s a new decant or swap waiting so that I can put a bit of that on.
I follow the Kevin Method: 12 sprays in the AM, and then hope that it lasts til I get home. I must be killing my fellow commuters on the train … although some of the cars smell pretty bad, and I’ve had a few conductors ask me “what are you wearing? It smells great!”.
Yeah, I commute too, and I just like to believe that most likely I’m bringing a tiny whiff of joy to people on the bus. It’s gotta be better than the wet wool, greasy hair, stale cigarette or other odors that usually proliferate.
I LOVE smelling my fellow commuters’ colognes/perfumes/deodorants/etc on the train in the morning. It’s so nice to think about how they put someting on that they like before leaving home, no matter if i happen to like the specific scent or not. So few people wear noticable fragrance (at least where I’m from). It’s like seeing someone making a statement with their outfit, it’s fascinating and inspiring to watch.
You are so right. Nothing is worse than when somebody who just-had-a-cigarette-before-the-train-stopped plunks down in the seat next to me. Ugh. I’m a former smoker, and the ability to smell my own perfume (finally) helped enormously when I quit.
I like to carry samples in my purse or keep some in my desk and then put on something new midday. They may overlap a little, but I don’t care!
I carry a little pouch of my sample vials or small 5 ml bottles to work for refreshing. Or I do it if I go home at lunch sometimes.
I’m in the extremely tenacious skin category with many scents lasting overnight and through the next morning’s shower. That can be good or bad depending (sampling can be iffy), but no touch up required.
Mine’s not *quite* so tenacious, but a morning ‘fume choice is definitely a commitment for the day.
I live close enough to work to go home for lunch, so I do that. I also keep sample bottles in my makeup bag in case I need a fix. I’ve been considering decanting some FB stuff into vials so I can refresh on the go.
That’s what I do. I make little atomizer spray samples from all my favorite bottles, and throw the appropriate one in my purse for the daily touch-up or two.
Yup, having a supply of inexpensive 5ml atomizers is a wonderful thing. I’ve made my own travel size sprays of most of my favorites. So easy to toss one in the bag before heading out the door. I find it very distressing to have left home and suddenly realize I’ve forgotten to apply SOMETHING…..makes me feel all nakey….then to realize there’s a small spritzer in my purse….ahhh, safety net….
Yep, leaving the house without fragrance is WAY worse than forgetting one’s earrings. Or underwear.
Uh. I think I’d feel more uncomfortable without underwear than fragrance, but it’s a close call.
Whatever perfume I’m wearing that day I take out with me in my handbag, and refresh it when I know its just about faded. Unless I’m too busy and forget!
SOTD: L’Heure Bleue, which might become my signature scent if I were limited to one. If someone asked me to describe it I’d have to say that it smells like superior Play-Doh and face powder with carnations, very old-fashioned. That doesn’t sound appealing at all, but I love it.
Two questions: If you did have to limit yourself to one perfume, what would it be? And what sounds terrible but smells good, or vice versa?
No limiting to one perfume here, but sounds great smelled terrible for me would have to be Prada Infusion Fleurs d’Oranger.
Sounds bad, smells great, almost anything by Comme des Garcons!
If I could only have one scent it would be Parfums de Nicolai, Eau d’Ete. I can wear it very often and not tire of it.
I definitely need to try this one…
Daim Blond, without a doubt.
One perfume? ONE? Its not my favorite in the sense that I like it best, but Coco Mademoiselle works for me regardless of season, weather or mood. I have others I prefer, but only at certain times.
ONE??!! excuse me….I need to go hug my perfume cabinet……
one…..hmmmm….either Amouage Lyric woman or Dia…..I have to go hug my perfume cabinet again….
Right now it would be Chanel no. 19, but if I discovered something new that would fit the bill it could change..
I started out the day with some Miss Dior…but at worked opened my desk and found my sample of Le Labo Fleur D’oranger 27…and another one of Les Nes Unicorn Spell! I’m wearing Le Labo now…I put them in my desk when I was leaving for airport last time cause I thought security would take them out of my carry on! Ah! Safe!
I just bought samples of all of the Les Nez fragrances. Looking forward to trying them! What’s Unicorn Spell like?
I recently got a sample of US and I am considering a decant (like when am I NOT considering a decant??!). It’s a very green (leafy, not screechy) violet, if that makes sense.
I love Unicorn Spell. It smells like violets and frost – pretty sharp and clean. It’s perfectly named: it would be the perfect scent to wear while walking through moonlit woods in the winter. It’s not at all a powdery violet. This was one I ordered a FB of after one sniff of my sample. However, some people say it smells like green beans. I never got that part of it, fortunately!
Yep–smells like green beans on me.
That is such a bummer!
I didn’t get green beans the first time, but I did the second time. Of course, I also get celery from Dzongkha and pickle from Sienne l’Hiver, so clearly the weird vegetable/food notes are amplified on my skin.
I also get celery from Dzonghka. I’m with ya, Booj.
There’s some greeny note that reads as mustard to me–classic, bright-yellow American French’s mustard. Sometimes it veers between pickle and mustard; I wonder if it’s some citrusy chemical that goes very vinegary on me. I dearly love Vanille Tonka, but every so often I get a whiff of this note, so I’ve got to be in just the right mood to wear it and deal with the mustard.
Green beans….that’s pretty much it. And it was so disappointing because there’s so much love for US out there that I was practically frothing at the mouth to try it…..sigh…..$$ saved, right?
No green beans for me, but preserved jalapeños.
Violet leaf and me do not get along.
I love violet leaf, and the green beans in The Unicorn Spell, and the pickles in Sienne L’Hiver and Dzongkha. For me, all GOOD things.
Ha, H…every time I say I get celery from Dzongkha, people say “oh! too bad!” and I have to say that somehow, I actually really like it.
That sounds delectable!!
I love Unicorn Spell. It smells like fuzzy green leaves to me, I don’t get the green bean thing at all.
big hugs to all of you
with the remains of reverie au jardin on me
Oh, you smell lovely!
SOTD for me is Possets Venus Black! Great! I have no experience with perfume oils. Only purchased a few unsniffed after reading reviews, etc., because my sister-in-law gave me a gift cert to Scent Addict for Christmas. In addition to the Venus Black, I bought Possets Haute Love and Silver Roses, and Wiggle Little Five Points. Not sure I like the whole oil concept – much prefer to spray – but this Venus Black is pretty darn good.
Anyone else into perfume oils? If so, which are your favorites? Which brands are the best (I’ve heard BPAL being mentioned quite a bit) and which aren’t that great?
I am one of the few that likes oils. I have enjoyed quite a few from Opus Oils, haven’t gotten any yet from BPAL. I have some Possets samples but on me a lot of them smell like baked goods. Still trying. I got one from Smell Bent for the holidays, and as I mention below, want to try more of theirs. Also like a number of scents from Sonoma Scent Studios, which come both ways, I think, and also CB I Hate Perfume is wonderful wonderful.
Possets seems to like the baked goods/gourmand concept. A lot of my samples were that way as well. I really love Alaska: Midnight Crystals and Shimmering Rainbows and Silver Carnations though, which weren’t foody at all.
Yeah, the Haute Love is definitely a bakery scent – smells like brownies. And I ordered a couple of samples cause I wanted to try the Gingerbread Crackhouse and Gingerbread Whorehouse, and a couple of others (especially High Tea, which I haven’t tried yet). Haven’t tried Whorehouse, but Crackhouse smells like a gingerbread candle! Venus Black is definitely NOT a baked goods scent. According to sakecat’s blog, notes are black musk, black pepper, narcissus, pear, sage. Smells like peppery dirt to me. Not sweet, very dry.
Amusing names! Lol!
I don’t love oils, but one of my favorite perfumers, Ava Luxe, has switched to them exclusively (for now), so I’m willing to put up with the… well, oiliness… because I love some of her creations. The reason I don’t like oils is that a couple dabs wear too close to the skin, and I don’t like to apply too much because of, again, the oiliness.
I used to be very into BPAL, and they have some terrific stuff. But somehow, there was a weird similarity in the drydown of all their scents on me — I don’t know if this is true for oils in general, or just BPAL, or if it’s just me. I have wanted to try Possets — that looks like such a fun line!
In addition to the ones I saw listed (and maybe I missed this one), check out Soivohle. I discovered I’m not fond of oils, but her fragrances are really very nice other than the oil factor.
I’ve been wanting to try Bottleneck Blues from that line.
Not all of the Soivohles are oils though.
Hrm, no, I guess not…which causes me to wonder whether they were when I tried them and that has changed, or whether something else about them causes them to behave more like an oil than not.
Possets have some nice things to be sure: the two I liked best are Perpetual Motion Machine and Silver Carnations. The others I tried share an unfortunately too sweet base, and that plus the fact that I don’t like the oil much has stopped me from further exploring them.
Some of the ones I tried back in the fall reminded me much more of potpourri instead of perfume, so I stopped trying them as well. There are still a few that I’m interested in though. A lot of their seasonal ones sound good, but of course you can’t sample those!
Someone else who knows Wiggle Perfume on Etsy!
I have around 15 of her oil scents and like them. Fun names, easy to carry around and excellent price. Faves–Buxom, Pumpkin Amber, Penelope, Liberty, Duncan, Guajira.
I am not a huge oil perfume fan; the texture is not for me, though I love the staying power. One BPAL not to miss: O. I’ve mentioned it before, but it is honey, salt and *woman*. Fascinating on its own, but I most often use it as a layering agent for fig perfumes like Philosykos.
The other oil company I’ve tried is Dawn Spencer Hurwitz (DSH), and I’ve really enjoyed several from that line: Special Formula X (skin musk), Cielle, La Rose Fleurette. . .fun to explore. She has these color inspired scents (I’m blanking on names) that are also great. I believe Robin here at NST has reviewed Viridian. Be well.
I like oils, but theres hardly any around here! I quite like the Dolphin Clinic “fragrance oils” that come in a little bottle with a dropper and are apparently a mix of natural and synthetic essences that are skin friendly, and you can use them in massage blends, pot pourri, crafts or just as a perfume. They are strong and long lasting, but only come in about 5 or 6 scents.
SOTD is Yves Rocher Fleur du Noel, which is nice and soft.
I have been playing heavily with the Tom Ford PBs and felt a need to just kind of ease off those for a day – lol. My faves so far on the TFs are Oud Wood and Bois Marocain, but there are some other promising ones. Maybe it’s just me but Velvet Gardenia really makes me understand the meaning of indolic in a white floral. Really kind of poo-ish, but not necessarily unattractively so. Hard to explain.
Just ordered the Kurkdjian samples, and have been working my way through the DelRaes, which are nice but almost too “perfumey” – lol.
Kind of interested in a couple of the new Smell Bent Leisure Cruise limited edition scents. I was impressed enough with Felix Navidad to give them another shot.
The early Delraes are STRONG, aren’t they? The later ones, esp. Mythique, not so much so.
I want, and don’t want, to order the FKs too…drat budgets!
Yeah. Budgets suck.
I’ve been having a slight allergic reaction to all of my perfumes the last few days. It’s too bad, because I bought pre-reformulated Diorissimo for a steep price while in Europe, and would love to wear it as much as I can. Alas, if I put it on I get an annoying nose itch within minutes. It smells lovely though, very soft and rich. The new version is screechy and too linear for my tastes.
hi Aleksandra,
i’m in the process of finding pre-formulated Diorissimo too.
could you please help me?
does it look like A:
http://www.parfumbolt.com/show.cgi?id=447
or B:
http://www.parfumkucko.hu/product_info.php/products_id/386
thanks a million,
ami
Hi Ami,
Both of those look like the box I bought. I saw the newest reformulated version at duty-free, and the box was uniformly white, without the pink at all (I can’t find a picture of it online). I compared the scents, and the difference is big.
thanks a lot Aleksandra,
i checked the latest version too, and it is a scrubber!!!
I also ment the bottles, not just the box. does your have a sticker on it, or the name diorissiomo is just scarved in the bottle?
try applying it on your wrist, not aruond your nose, it might help.
My bottle has Diorissimo written on it in paint, no paper label. But the Diorissimo bottle I had seven or more years ago definitely had the sticker. So maybe a sticker is a sign of an older bottle? Or they just have an old photo?
If you don’t mind my asking, what’s the language on those websites?
thanks for all your help Aleksandra
it is Hungarian, I’m from Hungary
Is it a bad big difference? I’m afraid to ask …
the latest one is really yukkie for me
The new version is sharp and not rich like the old one. It wasn’t a scrubber for me, but it’s a different mood of a fragrance, even though the lily of the valley is still there. I am still not very good at describing how things smell.
Ami: that explains why I was stumped – Hungarian both looks and sounds unique, unlike any other language I’ve ran across. Good luck on finding a great bottle of Diorissimo!
Helg at Perfumeshrine.com had a great post about how to age the Dior boxes. Go to her site and search on Dior and you should be able to find it.
Aleksandra, yeah, pretty difficult one to learn as a foreign language : ) and not really useful outside Hungary…
Rapp, thanks for the advice, I have already checked that, very useful information
SOTD is AG’s Quel Amour! I’ve been meaning to try this forever, and also trying Un Matin d’Orage this week. Really liking the sweet-tartness of Quel Amour. Matin d’Orage is really pretty and I do love the “after a storm” aspect to it, but I don’t think it’s very “me” and I’m not sure I’ll wear it much.
Many samples on their way from Luckyscent … ack.
Good to only love 1 out of 2 though, right?
SOTD is Fracas de Robert Piguet layered with EL Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia body cream, very rich.
Oh, that sounds wonderful!
SOTD: CDG Series Red: Carnation. It’s my HG carnation – warm and spicy and perfect for this wet, gray day.
This past Monday Holiday a girlfriend and I spent the (wet) afternoon working through an enormous backlog of MUA swap samples. Favorites of the afternoon: Ubar, Ambre Russe, Sycamore, Patchouli Noir, Patchouli Leaves, Cuir de Russie. A perfect not-at-work day.
That sounds like so much fun! And great picks for a rainy afternoon.
Not really a perfume post, but a perfumed shower gel one. I just bought Avalon Organics Rosemary shower gel. Anyone else tried this? If you love herbal scents, this is AWESOME. They also have a Sweet Orange & Bergamot scent that is wonderful…
I haven’t used the Avalon Organics in a while, but I do know they at least *used to* have a Rosemary shampoo and conditioner. Great aromatherapy–nice to be able to boost your mood just by washing your hair.
Thank you — love that brand & will check it out. Does the scent linger forever? Because that’s a no-no for me with shower gels.
Hi Robin. It doesn’t linger at all as far as I can tell. I also don’t like shower gels or lotions for that matter that “hang on”. Would rather save my skin for perfume!
Perfect, thanks!
The Avalon Organics line is great…love the rosemary. The lavender and ylang-ylang are nice too. Just the right amount of scent.
SOTD: Chergui. It’s keeping me warm on a rainy winter day.
Sounds perfect!
I’m envying everyone their SOTD’s, since I’m at work, scentless.
I know, I’m breaking everyone’s heart. I’m glad CdG Avignon was mentioned, though, so I can go home and put that one on. Embarrassed to say that I got it for Christmas and have maybe worn it twice since then.
Oh poor Kitty – scentless is no fun.
Oh, I’m scentless too…despite the fact that I have several samples in my purse just about a foot away. Some days, it’s just too much work, and I wait until I get home. The bonus there is that if something new arrived in the mail, I don’t have to wait.
Miss Kitty: Don’t be embarrassed. I bought Avignon close to a year ago and have maybe worn it twice since then. Ack!
You don’t even want to know how many poor, unloved bottles I have that didn’t get worn in all of 2009. Ack.
It’s cold rainy today in SF. MY SOTD is Shiseido’s FdB-in extrait. So comforting…..
Sounds lovely!
I wont hug anyone. I have an icky cold…. though I can still smell the Muscs Koublai Khan I put on yesterday. I didn’t seem that funky to me, but I’ll try it again when my sense of smell comes back to totally normal not just Sudafed aided.
Oh yuck, do get better soon!
I’m SO glad about this open thread today cause I was dying to share that my SOTD is 31 Rue Cambon and I’m happy I don’t have to put it as a random comment somewhere.
I just received my decant yesterday and of course already had fragrance on [Theorema], so I was practically foaming at the mouth with anticipation to wear it today. Aaah – loverly. Hugs to all you sweet smelling souls out there.
One of my resolutions for 2010 is to get a sample of 31! So great that you are loving it!
Oh Dzingnut – you really owe it to yourself to try it!
I was wearing my sample of Rue Cambon last night, and my partner said, “That’s nice. It’s sort of older ladyish.” I said, “I know. That’s what I like. Although I would call it ‘classic’.”
Um yeah – classic is a MUCH better term! Old ladyish my foot! [That’s an old lady expression though I suppose.]
Today I’m wearing Bond No. 9’s Harrods Swarovski Oud. It is similar to Pure Oud by Kilian, but there is more dirt in the Bond fragrance, something that smells like barnyard. The lasting power is not good, after 4-5 hours I could only smell the slightest hint of fragrance on my wrist. Tomorrow I will wear it again and see if it lasts longer on clothes.
Too bad! I cant’ remember how well the Kilian one lasts.
On my clothes the Harrods Oud lasts much better (more than 10 hours), but after a strong start it wears very close to the body.
Harrods Oud starts with familiar notes, woody and dry. It reminds me of Cruel Intentions by Kilian, but without all the fruits and flowers. Everything that was toned down in Cruel Intentions is the center of attention in Harrods. The oud is detectable right from the start. It blends well with the cumin and pepper. The cumin adds a dirty, almost animalic feeling to the composition. This fragrance smells very opulent, like a luxurious palast. After that, the fragrance gets even more woody and earthy. I can smell the myrrh, which smells great in combination with the amber. Balmy, woody, earthy… I think I’ve smelled it before. It is very similar to Pure Oud by Kilian. But intead of the oily note in the Kilian, Harrods has the already mentioned dirty something in it. It is like walking over a big field, like you can smell the earth and the incense, which comes from far away! Harrods is Pure Oud’s evil brother. A cigarette smoking brother which wears a leather jacket. After some time, the oud enfolds more and more and gets all the attention. This is an very edgy eau de parfum! I can’t smell any obvious synthetics, they’re well blended. Harrods Oud is stunning, like an arabic market. The perfect balance between dirty and luxurious makes this scent unique!
The first edgy Bond fragrance! All the other fragrances from Bond are lovely and soft compositions, but Harrods Oud is really dirty and woody. I never thought that Bond could produce something like this, some would think it is a perfume from Kilian or Montale. Unfortunately, it’s just a limited edition and not available in germany. Why? This eau de parfum is gorgeous and everything I wished Bond No. 9 Perfume would be!
I am wearing Parfumerie General No. 2 Coze, my all time favourite (well for now!). Just had a sniff of my daughter’s Magnifique by Lancome, a floral but well behaved perfume which I’ll have on tomorrow!
It’s my son’s 8th birthday today, so big hugs all round to everyone.
Quick question: if you buy perfume from e-bay, what’s the difference between buying a tester and the proper bottle? There is a considerable difference in price – is there a catch here?
You don’t get a box, and you may not get a cap…that’s usually all there is to it.
I’ve been very happy with the testers I’ve bought.
I’ve been happy with testers too, and if the cap’s important to you, make sure to read the descrip closely or send the seller a question. There’s one more possible difference — some testers have never been used but others are what they say: testers that may have been out on the counter at some shop. I’ve bought some that were in that category and were totally fine, but one runs the risk of the juice being “off” if it was under hot lights or whatever. Often testers are labeled “brand new” or “never used”, which usually means you’re not getting something that was baking under halogen lamps at a boutique beauty counter somewhere.
No catch, they just pay less for them, so they charge less for them, and as others have pointed out you might not get the same packaging (caps, sometimes they’re in plain white boxes).
Been on a Geisha Noire kick for a few days. My sis gave me some B&BW “Warm Vanilla Sugar” bath gel & spray for xmas and I’m not a huge fan, but trying to use it all up, so I’ve been layering with my Geisha Noire (that I need to use up by Spring) and it smells pretty awesome! My hubby AND my 3 little boys have both commented on how great I smell “Mommy, you smell so pretty!” It’s more the Geisha Noire with hubby – that stuff can be dangerous! But I love it! Although my work BFF (who wears Tova and it smells great on her) tells me I smell like a head shop. (I’ll take THAT as a compliment!)
Next perfume purchase is Narciso Rodriquez for her. Smelled for first time when buying some Flower Bomb for Mom for Christmas and absolutely FELL IN LOVE.
Even your little boys — how sweet!!
I also received a sample of Geisha Noire with my Tauer Un Rose Chypre FB, is yours like a oil? I was having a hard time trying to open the sample, and i spilled a little drop of GN on my finger, and about 45 min. later I just fell in LOVE, it is like strong oil, and i was already wearing Encense Rose, I will need to order me some:)
Heard Miller Harris is pulling out of Saks in NY. There is a sale on their whole line. Not sure if they are leaving the US in general (which would be v sad) or if they will only sell through online sites.
I’ve seen prices slashed on several sites…hmm. Lucky I got my Fleurs de Bois for Christmas, I guess!
They have slowly disappeared from many US websites, so guessing the are no longer w/ Gary Farn and we’ll have to hope they find a new US distributor.
Robin: The whole MH website appears to be down for the moment, which is probably unrelated to the fact that it’s not clear if Gary Farn is in business at all anymore as they filed Chapter 11 in November and their former Connecticut operation center was recently sold. Interesting as they also distributed Lalique and Annick Goutal and not sure what others… maybe that’s why we can’t find Mandragore Pourpre!
Oh, see — did not know that about Gary Farn. Still, you can find the MP here, just not very widely distributed, and AG does not seem to be evaporating from the US the way MH is, so perhaps there is more to it.
You used to be able to get some Miller Harris at fragrancenet. I really really want a bottle of the Rose en Noir, but you can only get that in UK anyway…. It is too bad they don’t get more attention. It would be nice if they offered a smaller bottle choice.
Oh, I’d love some of that too…
(
)’s to everyone.
I need help!!! I want a Chanel. I like pretty floraly woody-musky florals. Did I say I like florals? It doesn’t have to be a Chanel, but I don’t care for any of the Mainstream ones..maybe Chance but it’s not distinctive enough and 19 or or 18 was too whiffy or “perfumey” if you know what I mean. The notes of No. 22 sound intriguing. And Beige and Gardenia sound interesting. I like white flowers if they are not too cloying or sweet.
It doesn’t have to be a Chanel. I do not want something that smells “interesting” for a bespoke fragrance. I want a scent like me, Romantic, whimsical, naughty with a bit of depth, and a subtle sophistication of one who is over 40 but doesn’t act like it..but that’s a lot isn’t it? How about Romantic with some depth? I’m not a fan of a lot of patch or pines.
HI Alot!
Lots of folks pooh-pooh them but for flowers I love Creed’s Fleurissimo and it is widely available. I think it’s fresh and not too sweet. I’m saving up for some Acqua Fiorentina, too!
Have you tried No. 5 Eau Premiere? I don’t go for the “regular” No. 5, but EP is wonderful (wearing it today). Other florals that spring to mind (and my mind just turned 53, so I’m past the youthful fruity-floral stage):
Chamade – Guerlain
Fleurissimo – Creed
Spring Flowers – Creed
Le De (Les Mythiques) – Givenchy
L’Interdit (Les Mythiques) – Givenchy
Cheap and Chic – Moschino
Bulgari Pour Femme
Cristalle EDP (not the EDT) – EDP is more floral
All are pretty, and floral, but made for a grown up!
Love Pour Femme! Reminds me a lot of YSL Paris (can’t believe YSL’s phasing it out!!!) and somewhat of Lipstick Rose. All very nice recommendations
Oh, are they? Might have to get some for my sister…it’s the only thing I’ve ever known her to wear.
Boojum, you better hurry. I believe Paris is still on the Sephora website, but it’s no longer in stores. A month ago it was in Macy’s, but it seems to be gone there too. They seem to have replaced it with Parisienne, which is an… interesting decision. I found a bottle of Paris at Filene’s Basement, but unfortunately something about it nauseated me and I had to return it. I am hoping for better luck with the bottle of Yvresse that the lovely Karin sent me
Eeek, that’s like pulling Coco because Coco Mademoiselle sells so well. Unthinkable!
Beige!
Have you tried Coco Mademoiselle? I’m sure you have, but that’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a more floral Chance. I also LOVE Cristalle- it is just gorgeous. Smells like sweet wet grass. I am not all that familiar with the Les Exclusifs range, but I believe Beige and Gardenia are florals, and maybe No 22. I would LOVE to try No 22….
Have you tried Les Exclusifs 28 La Pausa? Soft floral/woody has a calm sort of feel to me. I’m certain I have your address somewhere, I’ll send you a sample.
My brand new split of vintage Ubar! Yum yum yum yum yum. Just opened it from the mail last night! Yum yum yum yum yum. Bought it because of the NST review! Yum.
I love Ubar, a just got my samples of lyric, and gold and ubar and can’t make up my mind which one to order (when tax $$ arrives hay) I love them all, but i promised i would only get one…Hugs
That is going to be a tough decision!!! All 3 are sooooo gorgeous! hmmmm…..I love Lyric ….but I think Gold could more easily be an all-season fragrance….it’s BIG but could be applied lightly in summer so it didn’t overwhelm.
Thanks! I will get the Gold (I Love it) It is a great scent
Oh, I applaud that decision! I adore Gold so much, but the sharper notes (a bit civetty?) makes it a bit much for some people around me – I get more compliments with the Ubar. But I love breathing in the Gold!
SOTD today is L’Occitane Eau de Miel. Wanted something cozy as we are having a grey windy rainy day here in normally sunny San Diego, and something other than one of my many vanillas.
You probably needed the rain, right? I do miss SD.
We always do. Although if you lived here, you probably know there is no drainage and everything floods if we get more than a day of rain, and we’ve have 3 or 4 days, on and off. But we did get lightning last night, which almost never happens, and hail today!
I lived there some time ago, and every January I wonder all over again why I left. I know lightning was rare, and can’t remember if I ever saw hail!
**hugs the blog** This month is my perfumania “anniversary.” I feel like a dork to even think about it in those terms, but oh man, I can chart the past year in fragrance highs and lows…
Thanks especially to everyone on this blog. You guys are amazing.
Speaking of lows, I’ve fallen out of love with Bois de Paradis. I bought it on impulse in August (because I just *had* to buy something from Aedes while I was in NYC), which I know I shouldn’t have done of course — should’ve decanted frst etc etc — but I did enjoy it a lot for a few weeks. But then I started smelling a kind of candle-like waxiness that I now can’t ignore. Now everytime I try it again, hoping it’ll re-reveal itself to me or whatever, all I get is that candle smell. Argh! It’s Apres la Mousson’s late-breaking-melon-note all over again!!
Oh how nice — happy anniversary!
And you know, sometimes if I put something away and ignore it for months, it works again. (of course, sometimes not)
Hugs to you too Ojeda! And you’re NOT a dork! Now I’m wondering when my “anniversary” is – I think it’ll be one year at about June this year since I first discovered this great blog.
SOTD: Atrape-Coeur
Question: Is anyone else obsessing about the new Kilian sample set of 8 x7.5 ml? What a fantastic idea – one of each for the price of their travel refills. I am not saying $140 is a bargain, but not outrageous either.
If there are 7 in the set, as I remember, it comes out to be $20 each. Not bad.
My limited experience with the line has not been favorable… so no, not me!
Oh….also annoyed by the fact that there is only a single spray mechanism. It’s not like you can move it from one to the next!
yeah, you would think they could afford to have a spray top for each with what they charge.
What?!? The whole set has only 1 spray? Are you sure? That’s incredible.
It says it includes 8 fragrances, each .25 oz., and includes 1 atomizer pump. Also only shows one in the box. Maybe I’m missing something, but it sure seems that way.
Yep, this is true.
Wow. Chintzy.
You just made me giggle. Given how over the top the line is, that word choice was extra hilarious.
So you have to reuse the spray mechanism on different scents? Not only is that chintzy, but it’s adulterating each successive fragrance….and you pretty much have to use one up to move on to the next one….are these people TRYING to aggravate me?
LOL!
Of course not – I really like them.
Thanks again, Miss Kitty.
Good smelling hugs to everyone! My SOTD to celebrate a beautiful sunny winter day (in anticipation of spring) is some vintage Chamade edt. It is so beautiful!!
Here is my question to everyone – of course we think many fragrances smell good or are masterpices, etc. But there are some fragrances that when I wear them I just think I smell FAN-TASTIC! The whole way through, top to bottom, on the skin, in the air just FANTASTIC. It is not in my top ten, but now when I wear Timbuktu (thanks Joe), I think: MY GOD I SMELL FANTASTIC!
So, what fragrances do you think make you smell FAN-TASTIC?
Fracas, which as it happens is what I’m wearing today. Just gorgeous from beginning to end.
I get that with Angel by Thierry Mugler, it smells great! on me.
Bulgari pour Femme, someone stops me to ask me WHAT IS THAT??! when I wear it in an obvious manner (at work I only wear enough for ME).
L de Lolita Lempicka also pleases me.
AnnS, Timbuktu would be mine, too! It’s jaw-dropping good, and never fails to make me crack a big smile.
What made me smell fantastic was this tiny crystal bottle of Molinard which I bought somewhere in the early 1970’s, and to this day I still don’t know which Molinard it was, but it was gorgeous, delicious and smelled ‘expensive’. Kind of rich ambery sweetish floral. Would love some now.
l’Air du Desert Marocain! People have followed me around.
I got a sample of Ineke Field Notes From Paris and I. AM. OBSESSED. It’s official! I used my tiny vial up in about 3 days because I just could not stop applying more, more, MORE! (I’m one of those generous appliers, for better or for worse) Guess I will end up having to spend more money I don’t have to buy a FB and satisfy my obsession, but at least the fact that I will be supporting a brand that seems original and indie will make me feel less guilty about it.
On a different note, I bought Perfumes: The Guide, and I am having kinda mixed feelings about it. I know that many people on NST consider it the bible, and it really is wonderful in many ways- comprehensive, great indexes, and the writing is so witty and entertaining. However, I have some misgivings… I disagree with several of the reviews and its not like the blogs- you can’t write back and share your point of view or see if other people feel the same way!- so I end up feeling like I just must be stupid and have bad taste. It kind of hurts to see perfumes you love or even just like get slammed, and HARD. (Though from the opposite angle I felt redeemed that RL Notorious, which I love, got a favorable review, and that one’s always getting slammed on the blogs.) Maybe I’m just being a baby. Should I just get over it and learn that Luca is always right?!
No! You get over it and learn that YOU are always right! I love the guide, but I look at it for fun. (Although I, too, felt validated by their review of Notorious. But see, now we don’t need the Guide, we have each other!) For everything you love, there are always going to be ten people who hate it, and for everything you hate, you can always find ten people who love it. Like I said, read it for kicks, but rely on your own taste and intuition.
Well said Miss Kitty! I love, love, love The Guide – but I read it for fun and to inspire myself to try things I would otherwise pass by. It’s your nose: trust it!
Many thanks for the inspiration Miss Kitty! As somewhat of a newborn perfumista I think I just needed some reassurance that disagreeing with the “experts” sometimes doesn’t necessarily make you wrong. As they say, beauty is in the eye (nose) of the beholder! And after all, I always have my beloved NST to find others who share my scent-loves.
The book is great fun, but some of the negative reviews have a tone of “If you like this perfume you must be dumb”. If someone feel happy wearing, say, Midnight Fantasy then well and good. The whole point of perfume is to increase the amount of happiness in the world.
Annie, I agree. There’s definitely a snobby and consecending thing going with there. However, paradoxcially the catty tone is part of the reason I think its such a fun read in the first place. I guess what I really want is a book that has glowing reviews of everything I love and catty hilarious reviews of everything I hate… looks like I need to start writing my own guide
Chandler Burr gave Midnight Fantasy 4 stars and Notorious 2! So all in the “nose” of the beholder…
Yeah, what Kitty said! Locked in a room together, LT and I would probably come to blows….I’d win, because I’m not opposed to biting….then I’d hold him down and give him a good dousing with Spiritueuse Double Vanille! Ha! Then, of course, at times, he has the good sense to redeem himself by praising something I like.
I adore the Guide; TS and LT are inspired writers, the book is great fun to read….but like what you like.
That is true, I was wearing Lyric (from my new sample vial) out to dinner with my hubby, and next to our table a young lady and her boyfriend were sitting kinda close to us, and I could smell the young lady was wearing Aquolina Pink Sugar, and hubby loved it he said that is what he would love to smell on me! so what next?
What next? I’d probably slap the hubby. LOL! Lucky for mine, he’s too smart to ever say such a thing (regardless of what she was wearing…I mean he’d never “notice” another woman or her fragrance, at least not positively).
Ha, even his co-author won’t say he’s always right…did you notice there are sometimes 2 very different reviews for a frag? Honestly, they themselves say there is a definite degree of subjectivity. Look at Amarige: “We almost gave it 4 stars, but we hate it, so gave it 1,” or something to that effect.
That alone said to me “we know what we’re talking about, but take us with a grain of salt.”
Gosh, I don’t know anyone who considers it the bible in the sense that they feel that the author’s tastes are not to be questioned. I think it’s a simply fabulous book, but I disagree with many of the reviews. So, you should get over it and accept that nobody is always right, and that your own taste rules no matter what.
Has anyone found a place that sells Robert Piguet Futur? I’ll have to overcome my chronic fear of high end department store SA’s once again …
I think it might be exclusive to Harrods still.
If you don’t want to deal with snooty SAs then you could try emailing Piguet folks via their website. I found them pretty helpful in the past.
Bergdorf’s has Futur. Also I’ve seen a couple of bottles pop up on Rei Rien and ebay…although not really discounted yet alas…
I was about to say—I’ve seen it at Reirien.com
Just think of us, the entire NST community behind you when you approach those high-end SA’s!
SotD is Safran Troublant.
I was wondering; how exactly do neroli and orange blossom differ in scent and which fragrances would you recommend to contrast & compare the two? Fragrances, since I regrettably have no access to EOs of sufficient quality.
Zeezee – Neroli is from the bitter orange blossom and is not as sweet and is a bit greener than orange blossom. Are you familiar with petitgrain, distilled from the leaves of the tree? Neroli has some of that smell.
My favorite neroli scent is Guerlain’s Philtre d’Amour. I’m not an orange blossom fan, but there are several “fleur d’oranger” scents out there that come highly recommended.
Rapple, yes I do kinda-sorta know petitgrain, and I had figured some similarity. They both have a sometimes piercing raspiness to them, or at least, what I *think* is them.
Ive tried a bunch of the fleurs d’orangers -though not side by side- and the differences are so great! That’s why I was wondering which would be the “purest” rendition of the note so as to be able to compare it properly.
Strictly speaking, neroli refers to orange blossom oil that has been steam distilled. “Regular” orange blossom might be extracted via some other method, such as solvents. Neroli is usually a deeper, richer scent.
But in practice, lists of notes don’t always adhere to that level of specificity, so you might just see “orange blossom” when neroli has been used.
Robin – I’ve never heard of that distinction in aromatherapy. The books differentiate between neroli as citrus aurantium var. amara (the Seville orange) and orange blossom as citrus aurantium var. dulce. But you’re right, in perfumery, doubtful the distinction is made and most is probably synthetic anyway.
I don’t know what terminology is used in aromatherapy, but that’s the terminology in the perfume field. There’s a nice explanation of all the various products from the orange tree on Ayala’s blog:
http://ayalasmellyblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/bitter-orange-or-bergamot-giving-tree.html
Oh…and absolutely agree that this doesn’t mean the terms are used correctly in the lists of notes that PR departments hand around!
I think Annick Goutal Neroli is a beautiful example of neroli. For me it is drier, greener than the sweet white, floralness of orange blossom.
Could try it along side Jo Malone Orange Blossom…
Hmm, I thought neroli and orange blossom were the same thing.
Fleur du Male smells just like blossoming orange trees in spring.
So in a rare moment of boredom and downtime at work, I just composed my What I Would Want Right Now If Money Was No Object list. The grand total, should I go gambling this weekend or win the lottery, was $2,000. Is it wrong that I don’t think that’s that bad? Anyway, curious what others would have on their list. Here’s what I came up (I know I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and remember a crucial oversight):
PG Bois Blonde
L’Artisan Mure et Musc, Passage d’Enfer, and The un Pour Ete
SSS Lieu de Reves and Bois de Champagne
BK Liaisons Dangereuse and Cruel Intentions (I factored in the travel spray refills into my total expenditures, not the FB’s)
PdR Amoureuse
SL Borneo
Nasomatto Black Afgano (might also add China White to my list–not sure right now)
and… Divine L’Ame Soeur (which may not be able to wait until a windfall)
Man, I’m greedy.
My perfume fantasy is:
I’m in a large, long room. A bottle of every perfume currently in existence is in the room, conveniently located at the perfect height to read the labels. Except for the boring ones that I wouldn’t like, those aren’t included. The bottles are organized by maker. Along the back wall are bottles of vintage fragrance and bottles from makers long gone. All of those bottles, although vintage, are perfectly new, so that I can smell Dioressence the way it smelled when it was first created. To top it off, I am able to sniff dozens and dozens of scents without schnoz fatigue or any kind of olfactory confusion. And the scents I don’t like magically disappear from my skin so that I can keep going and going. And one of the bottles, with a black label and no lettering, smells exactly like kitty breath. Seriously, this is the fantasy I use to lull myself to sleep at least once a week.
That’s so funny about the kitty breath perfume! I have a dream that some house will make a perfume that smells like my beloved black cat’s fur. Warm, sun baked, fresh black kitty fur… total comfort scent!!!
Sharp sweet kitty breath? Maybe puppy paw pads too!
Love it (except for the kitty breath part)!!
Good thread! What would I want if money were no object? Big ol’ bottle of Iris Pallida; Iroaz by Lostmarc’h (hay and rose); huge bottle of Carthusia Mediterraneo; Mille et une roses; Mimosa pour moi; Safran troublant; Tilleuls au vent; OJ Sampaquita and Champaca; Shalimar Light; Penhaligon Violetta; Bois des Iles; Comme des garcons carnation; Amouage Lyric Woman, or most everything they sell.
A gallon of Chanel’s Cuir de Russie and Beige. Vintage Diorissimo. Un Bois Vanille. Burberry Brit Gold. Goutal’s La Violette.
if money isnt a concern, why arent you getting the full bottles of the Kilians? my list would be much too long to write down here if money didnt matter. I dont think i would stop purchasing fragrances long enough to take a second to spray any on myself. haha
I refuse to pay for the packaging. The BK bottles are lovely, but since I lock everything away in a cabinet, no one would ever see them anyway.
Hey, I was proud of you Kitty, for being fiscally responsible smack dab in the middle of your perfume fantasy! I laughed when I saw that.
I feel the need to mention that this didn’t start out as a fantasy–I was tallying up everything I wanted, just to see if *maybe* it would all be doable. My tax return, alas, will not be that much. But I still intend to at least get a couple on my list.
Oh–and I *am* a bargain hunter, I can say that much about myself!
Your perfume fantasy would include a ginormous perfume cabinet then? wait…forget cabinet….you could have a perfume cellar, like a wine cellar…..rows and rows of shelves…..sigh….
Ooooh! I want one of those!
Now THAT’S a fantasy!
I think it should come standard with the perfumista chateau.
Oh dear.
Annick Goutal Mandragore
Comme des Garçons Ouarzazate and maybe Daphne
Diptyque Eau Lente
Etro Anice
Gucci EDP
Hermès Vanille Galante
Il Profvmo Touaregh
L’Artisan Safran Troublant
Maître P et G Or des Indes
Profumum Olibanum
Reminiscence Musc
Serge Lutens Chergui
The Different Company Bois d’Iris
That’s a grand total of just over €1000. Ack. Good thing I’m not winning any lotteries, soon.
Very nice list Miss Kitty. Here are my current ‘wants’
L’Heuere Bleue Extrait, Cruel Gardenia
BK Liaisons Dangereuse, Love
PdN Sacrebleu
LA Havana Vanille
Chanel #18, Cristalle EdT
SSS Bois de Champagne
Caron Parfum Sacre extrait
HdP Violet Blanc
SL Sarassin, Tubereuse Criminelle
Amouage Lyric, Dia
Tokyo Milk Gin and Rosewater
Ooh – cool Miss K. Don’t have the time to compose a full list right now, but off the top of my head:
CdG Daphne
Frapin 1270
VC&A Bois d’Iris
Several FB [as opposed to decants] of the CHANEL Exclusifs: 31 Rue Cambon, Bois deIles, 28 La Pausa, Cuir de Russie, etc., etc…
Amouage Lyric Woman
And assorted vintage treasures…
If a bunch of money suddenly landed in my bank account to be spent on perfume then this is what I would go and order straight away
Amougae Dia
Amouage Jubilation 25
Chanel Cuir De Russie (possibly in extrait)
Chanel Sycomore
Robert Piguet Bandit
Annick Goutal Mandragore Pourpre
Diptyque Philosykos
I, too, live a rich — FILTHY rich! — fantasy life…
So as I bask in my Venetian palazzo, private gondola at the ready, I will have the following on my Fortuny silk-covered dressing table:
Kilian: Pure Oud
Cartier: XIIIeme Heure
Kurkdjian: Cologne pour le Soir
Olivier Durbano: Black Tourmaline
Chanel: 31 rue Cambon, No. 5 extrait (vintage)
Kenzo UFO (toss the fragrance, keep the super-cool bottle)
Armani: Bois d’Encens
Eau d’Italie: Baume du Doge
Frederick Malle: Bigarade Concentree
Hermes: Caleche (vintage)
Profumum: Olibanum
Jean Patou: Cocktail, Normandie, Colony
Oh, and a bottomless tab at TPC.
Hmmm… Right at this moment? An urnful of Narcisse Noir parfum and a bottle of Jabu.
Kitty, I love this question. Here’s my list:
Chanel 31 Rue Cambon – big vat, unsniffed, what the hey
Chanel Bois des Iles parfum (vintage)
Ormonde Jayne Woman
Ormonde Jayne Frangipani
Agua de Sevilla – Agua de Naranjos (which I haven’t bought ’cause I can’t suck up the fact that the shipping costs from Spain are almost as much as the juice)
Iris Nobile
SMN Eva
L’Artisan Les Epices de la Passion
and
Dzing! Let Me Play the Lion and SMN Nostalgia for my hubby
Daisy for my daughter
Kiton Black for my son
Sexy Beast for my dog – I mean if we’re throwing caution to the wind, what the heck, I’d also get her a good ultrasonic cleaning to freshen her breath (labs, ya know)
Whew! That was really good. Not going to ruin it with a tally – after all I’m a rich princess so who care
and Bigarade Concentree (thanks Lilydale)
No, no its not wrong! I would LOVE to go into this department store I know has EVERYTHING in perfume, complete with off-putting SA’s that WON”t put me off, and wander around with a /large/ shopping basket, and do impulse buy after impulse buy, perhaps with some carefully considered buys thrown in. Well, dreams are free..
Hmmm, off the top of my head –
TF Bois Marocain
Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire, Bigarade Concentree
BK Back to Black
Guerlain Vetiver Pour Elle, Apres l’Ondee, l’Heure Bleue extrait
Tauer Reverie au Jardin, Incense Rose
Joy extrait
Lutens Fleur d’Oranger
Le Labo Rose 31
everything Vero Kern
On a happy note, a good outcome to my “forced” purchase of Songes edt instead of edp – it is that gorgeous deep bright orange color I saw at Saks and loved, and I likr the drydown MUCH better than the edp. Yay! But I annoyingly left it at work. Oh, well, I have my new FK samples to play with.
I’m wearing a sample of the new Edp version of Vero Profumo Onda – it is awesome! Still that same rich scent, but with more “air” between the molecules and less of the base notes. I hear it’s being released in March – probably at Luckyscent. Can’t wait!
That one has been on my ‘to try” list forever.
Uh oh, mine too! LOL! Certainly one of us is bound to love it then, right?
Yep! But then it could be our next SDV.
Or its antithesis.
Hmm…. good point!
Chasa — I’m late to the party, and haven’t had time to read more than the first 30-40 comments, but if you’re still looking for vintage Femme, e me at ctaft@earthlink.net. I have a bottle of eau de cologne, circa 1988 (acckk!) that, amazingly, still smells almost exactly as I remember it. This is the first time I’ve sniffed it in several years and I’m truly amazed at how it’s held up. Anyway, let me know if you want some.
Well, I hit the ole local perfume store and walked out needing three bottles of three different things. Which is going to be interesting in the developments. I’m enjoying my sample of Nasomotto’s China White which has surprised me. I mean, it sounded like something I would like but all my… critical… friends have been not-disgusted with it. And I think it’s just magic.
The other two are Lubin’s Vetiver (which I’ve already ranted about somwhere) and Keiko Mecheri’s Fleur de Peau. My SA made me a sample of the latter, telling me it was the closest she’s ever smelled to vintage Tabac Blonde, which I haven’t smelled yet. But, um, yum! It’s so rich and warm. Of course I’m not sure it’d compliment the heat of summer fast approaching (hello from Houston! Dx ) so I can put of purchasing this one.
I love Lubin Vetiver (and also L’Eau Neuve…) And that is very interesting about Fleur de Peau…must try! I’m having a leathery week with Tabac Blond as SOTD and vintage Scandal as SOYD (yesterday). Maybe tomorrow will be not casual Friday but … Bandit Friday!
I still haven’t sniffed Bandit! D= It’s neither niche or department store fare so no samples are to be had! And I’ve been lusting after some Scandal ever since the write-up in Vogue about it. Don’t have a Paypal or enough funds for blind purchases. =P
But leather week! That sounds awesome! =D
I’d be more than happy to send you a sample of Bandit. Just send me a message at MUA. (I’m there under the same name, all one word.)
Dzingnut: My recommendation is Eau de gentiane blanche definitely hayish
SOTD: Chinatown creme and Park Avenue scent and loving it.
Looking forward to an awesome fragrance for 2010 that is outstanding, anyone have any recommendations!!!
SOTD: oldish Vol de Nuit extrait. What I find very interesting is that when I wore this the other day, it was all petitgrain and galbanum. Today it is jonquil and iris! All beautiful though.
Forgot to add the last perfume smelled on someone…. Angel! I honestly don’t think I’ve ever smelled it before on anyone.
Me neither. Weird…how can that be?
Last scent I smelled on someone–a work colleague today–is Fou d’Absinthe which is quite nice but also quite fougere-y…
I just acquired a bottle of this (not vintage, but still gorgeous). I wish I could distinguish individual notes, but that’s not my forte.
My nose just knows that something smells goood in there.
I got Fille En Aiguilles with my Perfume House birthday gift certificate. To me it’s the best pine ever!
Tested SDV this week. I have a small vial of vanilla absolute from Liberty Naturals, and it’s my opinion that if SDV was not yet in your budget, you could slow your lemming by applying the van. abs. over a suitable base fragrance–haven’t decided what yet. The top of SDV is the vanilla-plywood scent of the abs.
Congrats on your new bottle!
I hope you all can help me… I moved to New Zealand a few years ago and fragrance shopping here is not what it could be. Certainly not what it is in the US.
Luckily I have family that loves to send gifts… but they have had a horrible time trying to send packages with perfume. If they’re honest the USPS and FedEx refuse to send.
Is there a service that can/will send perfume internationally?!
Any help appreciated.
Cheers,
~Freda
Have you tried Luckyscent in the US or Les Senteurs in London?
Your friends and family aren’t sending “cosmetic samples”?
or “craft supplies” ???
‘Cosmetic samples’ is a good idea.
I have had fantastic success with luckyscent. Their shipping is quick and their customer service very good.
However, given the exchange rate, I don’t buy from them terribly often.
I will tell family to try marking things as ‘cosmetic samples’. Hopefully close enough to true that they’ll go for it
Thanks!
I live in Tasmania and also have a few problems with shipping- the standard net sites that ship here-that I have found- are Strawberrynet, based in HongKong and Fragrancenet from US. I have never had any probs with either but neither sell a huge range of niche fragrances.
For those I buy decants from The Perfumed Court. Hope that helps.
Love New Zealand- we holiday there often!
Sorry should have added- NZ and Tas are in roughly the same part of the world!
Fellow New Zealander here, your’e so right. Not as much choice and way more expensive.
Sampled the Maison FK at bergdorfs the other night. I liked. The only one I tried on skin was APOM Homme. Lovely smelling hand for the entire evening while having tapas with a good friend.
I have not yet tried the men’s, and want to.
did you try the women’s?
Yes, plus the colognes and the aqua universalis (sp?). All nicely done, don’t love any of them.
Hi–
I’m new; I’ve been lurking for months, but this is my first post.
SOTD: Tea for Two, a corrective to yesterday’s very bad experience with Champagne de Bois. (“Too much! Too much! Abort mission!”)
Hi and welcome! Sorry you hated CdB, glad you’ve made up for it today
Oh, I didn’t hate CdB at all. I loved it when I spritzed it on my hand and wore it around my house. It’s just that when I wore it to work I put on way to much. I kept waiting for it to settle…
*too much. Darn typo.
Gotcha.
I love Champagne de Bois—dabbed the sample—bought a bottle—sprayed it all over myself—and almost made myself ill—it is a big scent and can get even bigger on warm skin. I’ve learned my lesson and now just have 2 spritzes at a time. Now I’m on my second bottle.
If it’s “too much” as a spray —-then maybe the answer is to transfer a portion into a small roll-on. Easily done since the atomizers unscrew.
If you don’t have any roll-ons, let me know–I have a bunch.
2nd the roll on. I’m a big roll on fan. Joe’s antithesis.
Yup, roll-on’s the way to go. Or try putting it on the back of your neck or on the lining of a jacket (somewhere inconspicuous in case it stains). I find the drydown of this one delicious, even the next day.
Laurie at SSS is working on a new version of Encen Tranquille and that one is going to have the same great snuggly drydown.
Thank you all for the advice. I’m going to bury my face in my cat for a few days and then try again with the adventurous smells.
SOTD is Incense Rose, from my big fat new bottle! I’ve had two samples of it, but I never got the burst of clementine at the beginning that I get sprayed out of the bottle. I don’t love that note as much as the rest of it — I have no idea if anyone else finds it wildly sultry on me, but I feel like I’m smokin’! — but it’s an interesting twist.
Meanwhile I’ve been pondering separated-at-birth scents — perfumes that to my nose bear a definite resemblance but aren’t really “supposed” to smell like each other… Like Guerlain SDV and Le Labo Patchouli 24, for instance, or Ava Luxe No. 23 and DK Black Cashmere, or Philosykos and LAP Bois Farine. Or maybe it’s just my oddball skin, which seems to reduce most fragrances to their lowest common denominator (what I think of as “Vat No. 1, Vat No. 2,” etc.).
Congrats on your big fat new bottle! I would love more clementine, but my samples were sprays so don’t know if it made any difference.
I do that to fragrance too! Doesnt matter what I have sprayed on, by the end of its notes, as long as I havent resprayed, it all smells the same.I have always thought it was my skin type too.
Very warm day here today-middle of summer- so Im wearing Prada- which has absolutely no smell on my skin in winter but today it has lasted with just one top up.
After being in the perfume business since Xmas1994, I can still honestly say my favourite is Jessica McLintock. Nothing ever seems to be written about her line.
I haven’t seen a JM tester in eons.
Fun thread today! My SotD was Vanilia; SotE is Havana Vanille. Sending vanilla-drenched hugs to all of you!
Nice vanilla day!
Has anyone here smelled Lalique Encre Noire pour Elle? I’m curious about that one but haven’t seen it anywhere.
I haven’t seen it either.
Yep, I have. And it didn’t impress me… I just adooore the men’s though.
SOTD: SL Bois de Violette (I knew I would have a demanding day and decided I needed TLC – I guess that counts as a hug!). Most eagerly awaited release: carmencanada revealed that Duchaufour is working on a new scent for L’Artisan – I can’t wait! QUESTION: what can you do with a vintage spray bottle with a sprayer that stopped working and then got snapped off (oops!)? I can’t think of anything other than chipping away at the plastic or breaking the bottle…
Bois de Violette is a truly beautiful scent. A very good choice for some TLC at work, I’d say. It is incredibly elegant and at the same time comforting. Thanks for reminding me what a great scent it is! I had a 2ml tester of this last year, and havn’t thought about it since. I must get another one.
Talking of scents one tries and loves then doesn’t visit for a while…… I ordered a sampler of L’Air du Desert Marocain after not smelling it for about 6 months. It revealed itself to me again with even more richness, beauty and complexity than I remembered. I shall be wearing it again today, in the grey sombre rain that London is generating!
L’Air is so profoundly good! It is very wise to give scents a second or third chance.
Yeah. I’d get one of those bottle cutters and take off the whole neck.
do you mean the little plastic tube (that the nozzle sits on) broke off?
I’ve always wondered if you could insert a needle/syringe into that tube and draw the perfume out? If you have a container to transfer the perfume into, I wonder if you could gradually uncrimp the collar and lift out the atomizer pump……that would take some careful work. One time, to completely empty a Guerlain aluminum recharge cannister; my CEO grabbed the crimped collar with a pair of pliers and ripped it right off the cannister….it was awesome! and now Datura is enjoying every last drop of that vintage Jicky….
However—with glass I’d try the gentle prying.
Wow, that IS awesome! I’ll have to test the metal. And look for a bottle cutter. I could use the bottle as a little bud vase (it’s Femme, with that black lace pattern). THANKS!
I broke one of those off once – I wound up actually filing the metal crimped piece off from the edge of the bottle until it lifted out.
Today a co-worker complained to me about the perfume one of the people I supervise was wearing. The co-worker said it bothered her sinuses.
The employee I supervise did put in on a little strong considering we’re a scent-free workplace but the main trouble is: I gave her the perfume she was wearing – oops!
LOL! That’s hysterical.
My random perfume question: why have I not seen ANYTHING on the new(ish) Galliano scent (in the funky purple bottle and illustrated outer box) on the blogs? Of course I may have just missed it, but it does seem to me that this rather odd bird is getting no attention. It starts off with a very aggressive snarl of aldehydes, striking horror into co-workers when I spritzed a tiny spritz in the office (I’d just received it as an office Christmas present). Bu then an hour or so later, it becomes the MOST inoffensive, quiet little rose-violet thing, quite schizophrenic, really. I’m glad to have it, especially for the charming bottle, but I hesitate to wear it due to other people’s distaste for the jetfuel-blast of the topnotes. Anyone else know it?
It has not launched in the US. Originally it was supposed to be here after it launched overseas, and assume that the fact it never appeared means it didn’t do as well as expected? Or it’s just late.
Anyway, I have seen it written up on blogs, just not US blogs.
After some two years of hesitation I’ve finally bought me Fleur du Malle, and I love it so much! It became my everyday scent. I feel that now for the first time in my life i’ll maybe finish a bottle of perfume.
It’s a really great scent — I’d like to have a bottle.
Hasn’t anyone here tried Moulin Rouge by HdP yet? I cannont believe no one is mentioning it, I got completely blown away by this one!
It’s my SOTD and the most unusual scent I’ve smelled in a looong time.
I haven’t! Will eventually I’m sure.
Happy Friday!!!
Chose LesNez Manoumalia for my scent today. I love this unusual tropical / floral / earthy / bohemian / sensual fragrance. One of my favorites.
I am also currently loving the latest incarnation of DIORELLA. It’s a great everyday and year round kind of scent that does not get boring. I love it.
~Dawn
I’ll have to try the new Diorella, thanks!
Hi Robin,
Saks is the only brick and mortar store carrying it at the moment. You can also find it online, but if you are out and about and want to sample it, stop by Saks.
~Dawn
That takes care of that — I don’t do Saks! I’m sure other places will have it eventually.
You will probably have to ask for it – they usually keep Diorella, Diorissimo and Dioressence out of sight at Saks, but at least they have them – mustn’t offend the Addict customers with those “old lady” scents…..if they only knew what they were missing!
Late to the party. Joop le Bain.
Better late than never
Has anyone else bought Giorgio recently? I did, and I think it may have been reformulated. Its gentler, and really quite lovely. It reminds me of the Molinard that I bought in the early 1970’s (which Molinard I don’t know). If it has been redone, I would say its been quite recent.
I have not tried it in years! If it’s gentler, I’d probably like it better.