The usual open thread routine: talk about anything you like — the perfume you wish you could smell but that you can't get your hands one, the last perfume that surprised you, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: image is Bamboo , Tokyo [cropped] by mskogly at flickr; some rights reserved.
Sometimes “wishing I could smell” gets me in trouble. I bought a 15ml bottle of Odeur 53 on ebay because I wanted to smell it. Now I have 14.9ml of perfume I don’t want… That stuff is awful!
Oh my gosh – ain’t that the truth! Buying unsniffed is such a risky thing and cause for much stomach churning. I just bought a 100ml tester bottle of Miller Harris’ Jasmin Vert on evilbay because I was intrigued with what boronia actually smelled like and at $60, figured it was a good deal.
Blame it on Mandy Aftel for calling it “next to heaven” in her book and JV has that note at the top. Now I’m worried that I’ll have 100 ml of something I won’t like and the CEO giving me “the look” when he brings in yet another package for me….
BTW – SOTD is Chamade pdt and I’m wearing emerald green. Another evilbay acquisition. Fortunately with Chamade, I knew exactly what I was getting!
Mmmmm, and what you’re getting with Chamade = the good stuff!
Waiting on a split of Chamade PdT to arrive so I can layer with extrait. I have a feeling I’ll be wearing it often to celebrate the arrival of spring!
Hi ….tracking….you must be at work….PO “attempted” to deliver it—crikey, I hate having to go pick things up! Sorry! Sent you an email
I’m pulling a double today…Chamade edp on the left arm, Nicolai’s Le Temps d’une Fete on the right. Pleased to be greeting a spring-is-about-to-come day with these!
I’ve done that for comparison purposes – was surprised to find that they’re not really as alike as I had thought they’d be. Love them both, for different reasons.
Yeah, I thought they were of a family…and they sort of are…but you are right, they are their own creature(s). I do enjoy each of them. Very much.
Oh-I know that look all too well…….
I get that look…but along with the look, I get voluntary post office pickup service. Heehee! He doesn’t quite get it, but he does rather enjoy my little hobby, anyway.
Jasmin Vert sounds nice to me, as well, though I haven’t tried it. I frequently have trouble with jasmine, unless it’s the green grassy kind. Sounds like JV would be lovely, hope you really love it.
That’s what it sounds like to me as well and I certainly don’t own any grassy jasmins. Robin had favorable a review of it way way back. I’m a lover of jasmin in general so was willing to take a chance. Keep the fingers crossed!
It sounds to me like it’s going to be something you’ll really like quite a lot….you must update us when you get it.
I like to remind the CEO that I’m the CFO. I find it works wonders in those situations.
Exactly. That’s my official title, as well.
Don’t worry OF – if it doesn’t work out for you I would be more than happy to buy off you!
Hmmm, I think I like Odeur 53, maybe we can swap or something. I am Tama at MUA, too, or you can email me at matadecoco2001 at hotmail dot com. I have to revisit my sample of that.
Urgh it’s still uncharacteristically cold here. Bright and sunny but freezing. I’m choosing to ignore that though and started buying some spring scents. Last week I finally got a bottle of Diorisimo, the pre-reformulated version in pink box (yay!).
Then yesterday I had a chance to have a look around the shops in the nearest city. Got myself a sample of Sycomore from Chanel. Then tried Ninfeo Mio, loved it but they were out of samples so I left the shop….only to go back later and buy a bottle. They were doing a promotion and giving a free 15ml miniature of Ninfeo Mio with every purchase (so I ended up with 65ml for the price of 50) and the SA threw in a pile of other Goutal samples as well.
Also tried the new Hermes. The SA said that it’s being officially launched this Sat but they already had a tester out and samples available. It’s unmistakably Ellena and very pleasant. I can’t find a list of notes but I mostly get a nice grapefruit with vetiver (I think) and some soft, clean musks. Plus something herby/vegetal and mineralic but I’m finding it hard to pick things out. I like it better than the two eaux from last year.
Oh, and this has nothing to do with fragrance but last week’s chocolate post made me realise that it’s been a while since I bought any so I also picked up a bar of lavender & violet choc
Oooh, the new Hermes sounds lovely! Oooh! I’m so curious about this one! How does it compare to Terre d’Heremes?
It sounds like a good alternative to Pamplemousse Rose. I confess to buying a small Pamplemousse Rose unsniffed, and while it is nice, I don’t love it as much as my SoftSoap Grapefruit hand wash. Color me a philistine. Pamplemousse Rose has a salty musk quality that is smells pretty sweaty on me.
I’d say that Voyage is fresher, cleaner, smoother. If compared side by side, Terre would smell more masculine. Hermes market Voyage as unisex and it is very much so.
I am so envious! I would love Matin d’orage AND Ninfeo – and you smelled the Voyage! Sounds great.
So which store has it already, if you dont mind sharing?
Not at all, it was in Hermes concession in Selfidges (Manchester, North of England). I didn’t bother going to the boutique because I assumed that if Selfridges had it then the stand alone stores would too. Other department stores didn’t have it yet though. Well not on display, anyway.
Oh, I wonder. Has anyone heard when Voyage will release in the U.S. boutiques….Hoping it’s this weekend also!
I read on Gaia’s blog yesterday that AG is planning to tighten their distribution controls. Then LuckyScent sent out their announcement that they are carrying the line. Guess that even without a budget, I’ll just have to overload my plastic charges for stocking purposes on the discounters. (More “looks” from the CEO, no doubt.)
I’m currently lemming the Orientalistes scents – 3/4 I’ve yet to sniff. I’ve never sniffed Un Matin d’Orage either but would love to try it as well, and the Ninfeo Mio is also calling my name. *Sigh*
The funny thing is that for years I insisted that Goutals just weren’t my cup of tea. Then they brought out Mandragore Pourpre and now Ninfeo Mio. I love both and I’m now thinking that perhaps I should give the rest of them another chance.
I’ve experienced the same phenomenon. I used to describe them as “overly watery,” but have now decided that whatever quality it is that made me think that, I now like that about them. Can’t put my finger on what it is, but “watery” isn’t the right term.
Same here…I haven’t clicked with a Goutal yet, though I haven’t tried very many.
I always associate AG with citrus and simple florals and neither get me hugely excited, really ,so I might have been too hasty to dismiss them. Now I’ve properly worn a couple I’m wondering if there’s more to them than first meets the eye or, rather, nose.
Well, I like a “watery” quality in fragrances, but I haven’t clicked with most Goutals, either. Not sure why. I do like her Vetiver a lot, and I like (but don’t love) Mandragore and Mandragore Pourpre.
The only Goutal that clicked me with is Songes. I really like the woody element and how it eventually settles into a slightly vanilla-esque powder. Not for everyone, but I was struck by it. Though I don’t tend to wear it all that much!
is it just me, or is there cumin in Songes? (I love it, btw)
Same thing happened to me with AG – many years ago I was like “huh???” about them. Now what I smell is just profoundly natural smelling accords – very much “in nature”. Like you were just outside, just gardening, just cutting flowers, just in the lemon groves, etc. No goofy amplifiers, sugars, musks and whatevers that we are used to with other fragrances.
I used to think Grand Amour was really weird, and then one day it just clicked for me – it smells like white flowers, snapping leaves and twigs, gardening in the dirt to me: the lush beauty of an untamed garden. I love it in spring and early summer.
My fav AG is Heure Exquise though – it has all the gorgeous galbanum classic qualities of something like Chamade or No. 19, but then a well treated dry yet sweet rose and wonderful iris and warm sandalwood come in to hold a beautiful composition….. I think the type of llight sweet powdery rose in HE that was released in the 80s is replicated over and over now in things like the JHAG fragrances (esp. Miss Charming), Stellas, Rosines, Drole de Rose, etc….AG was doing that type of rose all those years ago and somehow I never noticed!!
Heur Exquise, although not my first AG acquisition, was the first to capture my heart. I did it justice when I did make the purchase and picked up a 4oz bottle of EDP refill at a SF Neimans while on vacation – had to open up a store credit because they didn’t accept Visa/MC back then.
Now I yearn for the Grand Amour EDP. Wearing it side by side with Chamade helped me understand the hyacynth note. Truely lovely.
Natural-smelling–not watery. Thank you, Ann, that’s it exactly.
It’s interesting to read all these comments about Goutal. It is beyond a doubt my favourite house. With PdN a very close second. They may not be the “best” perfumes, but they are the ones I actually wear a lot. The feminines share a certain “bitterness” especially in the opening notes.
My favourites so far: Heure Exquise/ Songes for the feminine scents and Eau du Fier/ Eau de Monsieur for the masculine scents.
It’s one of my favorites, too. Maybe not in a perfume-as-art way, but in terms of sheer wearability, AG and LAP win for me hands down, with Chanel my winner for confidence booster. I like a lot of scents from other lines for other reasons, but AG is a definite go-to line for me.
I really liked Voyage too.
Oooh, I hope you’ll review it soon, Robin!
Probably on Tuesday.
YIPPEEEEE!
Excellent! Really forward to it.
That’s “looking forward”. Duh!
Oooh! Congrats on the Diorissimo!
I’m also not a fan of AG, but can’t say I’ve tried all of their scents. I had a bottle of Le Jasmin, and ended up swapping it. Wore one of those Eau de C’s (Charlotte, I believe?) years ago, and it was pretty, but not something that wowed me. I recently purchased a roller ball of Un Matin d’Orage unsniffed. Again, okay, not not WOW. Guess I’ve never really liked straight on florals much…but I’m willing to give the line a better chance. In fact, when I saw that sample set from Luckyscent of every AG fragrance…it’s tempting me! But $70 sounds like a lot to me for samples, though there are quite a few.
Is there a stockist in your area? If so then I’d ask them for samples first. The department store here has piles and piles of them squirrelled away in drawers.
Un Matin d’Orage is getting mentioned a lot. It’s one of the samples that I was given so I’ll have to make sure to try it.
We have NADA up here. I have to travel 2 hours south to Boston to find anything decent to sniff. It’s a perfume wasteland in Portland. In fact, I keep daydreaming about opening up a perfume shop…
good luck with that Karin : ) i hope it will come true
yummmmm lavender and violet chocolate!
Chanel Eau premiere is now available in 40ml! Cool, but still expensive with 59 Euro.
Otherwise I visit daily my perfumery awaiting the new Hermès VOYAGE.
And I emptied three bottles of perfume.
How often do your, dear readers, re-buy scent if ever?
I’ve been rebuying Guerlain Imperiale. I confess, I slather that stuff on like a 12 year old with a can of Axe body spray.
“Like a 12 year old with a can of Axe body spray”– LOL!
YES!! I have two of those teenage boys, but I got my youngest to wear Givenchy Play (bought Dior Homme for my eldest but he hasn’t gone near it yet, alas too much too soon!) which smells really good on him!! My poor children are doomed with a perfume freak of a mother…
Not doomed, BLESSED!
I’ll confess I have 3 boys a 17 year old loves to wear Shalimar, I think I’ve mentioned once or twice here, and my 8 year old loves and wears one tiny spray of Angel.., and my six year old loves to wear Cuir De Lancome. I also purchased Doir Homme, and the boys did’nt wear it so my 12 year old daughter and I wear it…freaky mom here too….but we all smell good!
Oh no! I think I mis spelled Dior wrong, ok it’s late.
My boyfriend found this Guerlain Imperial bottle with the glass stopper at a flea market for $20. I estimate the bottle size is 250ml. Anybody know what year this is from?
I probably rebuy 1 or 2 bottles a year. However, many of the ones ive owned repeatedly are ones ive asked for as gifts. I dont ask for expensive hard to find stuff for gifts.
I’m the same. I’ve only really emptied out bottles of Chanel No 5, and the perfumes I was gifted as a teenager — Tresor, Miracle, & a few other 90s Lancome fare. I also went through two or three bottles of B&BW Japanese Cherry Blossom — don’t judge me!
My SMN Melograno is faring incredibly well despite being my ‘go to’ fragrance since Summer 2008, though the bottle of Shalimar EdT I have is almost half gone after only a few months.
Mmmmmmm….Shalimar! I’m sure you smell wonderful!
Yes!! Shalimar is the one I repurchase and keep an extra bottle of on hand.
Ooh, you just reminded me that I need to try my sample of Melograno. And I need to get my new bottle of Ginestra out for spring!
I can’t count that high for how many bottles of Magie Noir I have re-purchased. My scent wadrobe is not all that big but other than one, the only one I have emptied and re-purchased is Stella Absolute.
Stella Absolute is fantstic stuff. I have two bottles of that myself. It is such a great scent – I think more wearable than Lady Vengeance, Bryant Park, Voleur de Roses…
I stock up as soon as the bottle is used up, or even before if it’s a holy grail fragrance, and, if the price is right too.
Ten years ago or so I did empty bottles because I probably only had four or five that I alternated between. I remember repurchasing the original Lolita Lempicka at least twice and another one I emptied was Isabella Rossellini Manifesto. These days, it’s been ages since I’ve emptied a bottle because I have so much! I will say that my bottle of Mandragore is getting close to empty because I really spray that a lot in the summer.
I don’t think I’ve ever had to re-purchase. I feel an accomplishment when I empty out a sample vial. I AM a huge hoarder though, so if a bottle was running low on juice I’d probably avoid using it.
I used to repurchase before I discovered this rather expensive hobby – I think that I went through several bottles of Obsession, Spellbound, Rafinee (the original, not the current abomination), and two each of Be Delicious and Pink Sugar (neither of which I can stand to even smell anymore).
Now, if I’m restocking, it’s usually to buy an FB after emptying a decant.
Aleksandra
You make me laugh! So glad I’m not the only one who rarely finishes a sample vial much less a bottle. But I do have this dread fear of “running out”.
I’m a very light applier, so back in my signature scent days, one bottle usually lasted me close to an entire year, and then I’d either repurchase, or if I was bored, find a new signature scent and move on. I never had multiple bottles then. Now that I do… I can’t begin to guess how soon I might need to repurchase anything, although I’m already looking at my Sur le Nil mini and wishing it had been a FB… and my teen has helped me go through a good bit of MetB #3 in the past 10 months. I’ve had to hide it in a secret, separate location.
I had to replace my decant of Le Labo Fleur d’Oranger 27, but that’s not really the same as replacing an FB. I’m going to have to either get a bigger decant or an FB of 31 Rue Cambon as well.
Back in the day, my 30ml splash bottle of Chloe edt lasted me, oh… nine years. No kidding. I don’t think I ever used up my 1 oz bottle of Cachet, either. Probably *would have* used up my mini bottle of Exclamation, but somehow that got left behind during a chorus bus trip…
Chloe was pretty bombshell-y stuff. Maybe that’s why I continue to be a light applier. In any case, now that I own a gazillion different bottles and minis and decants and samples, the only bottle that’s getting appreciably lower is the Mariella Burani.
Booj, I’ll help you out with that Jardin Sur le Nil. I have to get a package ready for you anyway.
The hilarious thing is that I’ve only slightly used the mini. I just know that *eventually* I’ll want more, and should have just gone for a bottle in the first place.
Well, let me know if I can ever help you out with that.
I only repurchased twice: my first frag, Diorella, that i got from my aunt at 17 – a small bottle of parfum that probably had only 3-4 ml left. I think she didn’t liked it, so she gave it to my mom who probably didn’t liked it too
Some 2 years ago I won partially full vintage bottle of EDT on ebay! It smells heavenly (unlike the new reformulated version).
The second one is my decant of MKK. So… it was never full bottle!
lenika, Diorella was my first “grown up” perfume. IT was wonderful! Imagine my dismay when I re-sampled it after 30 years.
Have you tried eBay? I got my Eau Premiere there for $40 for the 5 oz size.
Good question and funny you should mention that today since the Chamade pdt I’m wearing IS a re-purchase, just a different formulation. My first bottle was the edt splash and I used it for years ad nauseum. Was sure I’d never use it up, then went several years after I ran out – and one day, craved to have it back.
I rarely re-purchase because I now own so many bottles, but Apres L’Ondee was an exception. I went from a 50ml bottle to a 100ml spray refill. Normally, if I discover I love something, I’ll just buy the large bottle to avoid the shortage issue.
do back-up bottles count as rebuying? I used to wear CK Eternity for years so rebought that one many times. But since I started on this particular slippery slope…I’ve not had to repurchase because a bottle is (gasp!) empty but I’ve repurchased because (double-gasp!) something’s been reformulated.
Went through 3 bottles of Hypnotic Poison before finally admitting to myself that I liked the idea of it more than the thing itself. ):
Interesting question and answers. I don’t think I have ever used up a whole bottle of anything, but I used to move periodically and most of them away each time. Now that I’m a more settled, I’ve been hunting vintage bottles of my deepest favorites from the past on ebay, and also different concentrations and vintages of some of the classics Guerlains, etc. So that’s a qualified “yes.”
I just wish I had a perfume fairy. One that would grant me 3 new samples per day to try for free, of course! There’s just so much to try and so little time and money to do it!
Looking forward to daylight savings time and warmer weather but for now I am stil appreciating my FB of Prada!
Oh, I’d love to have a perfume fairy, LOL…
Me too! where’s the sign up to get a perfume fairy??
Daisy,
I heard you were a perfume fairy…..
You heard right, Dixie.
I think you mean THE Perfume Fairy.
well, that would explain my most recent foray into the Land of Guerlain…. now where’s my “magic credit card”??? (sparkly fairy dust optional)
You’d probably have to battle the plastic dragon for that, but at least you DO have a huge following of perfume elves and sprites who are eager to lighten the load!
bwahahahaha just wait til next week and see what I have up for splits!
I am looking forward to Andy Tauer’s new fragrance, Gabriel, which he describes on his blog as “. . . well . . .green, flowers with lots of lily of the valley and a bit more.” Sounds pretty darn nice.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh dear. Rearranging the budget…
Boo, it is not that close. first is ‘rose vermeille’ sometime septemberish, and after that comes ‘gabriel’, i just checked his blog. so you can speeeend a looooot in Q1-Q2 : )
LOL, well then… it will wait for next spring. And…I already have. :O This is my first full buying year, though, so it’s not surprising. I spent the first year sampling everything to see what was out there.
I am actually setting aside a special fund waiting for those new Tauers to come out… esp. that rose!
Andy sure has a way with roses, Ann, doesn’t he? Andy and Laurie . . . Oh, which reminds me, Sonoma Scent Studios has that new, buttery-beeswaxy gardenia coming out next. That’s another must-have.
That was my *exact* reaction: ohhhhhhhh, green flowers and LotV…
It does sound nice! I might delay ordering the samples until that’s out and is included in the set (that’s right, I till haven’t tried any of his fragrances).
That does sound yummy.
I’ve smelled it (I know, aren’t I special?)! I’m part of a little group picked on Marina’s blog to sniff a sample (made ages ago, I think) and give our impressions… It is lovely — VERY green, like crushed spring leaves, but it loses that sort of innocent character as it dries down and gains a more grown-up floral aspect — although I don’t think I’d buy it personally.
Great description; I now know I NEED some.
You lucky dawg, you! I’m as green as Andy’s Gabriel — with envy.
me too, me too : D
Wha..??? What!!! Holy cow….
Ick! I’m no fan of lily of the valley. I may have to skip this one. But of course I’ll have to give it a sniff since it’s a Tauer.
Rose Vermielle? september ? but I’m hyper-ventilating NOW!
Has anyone sampled any of the Memoire Liquide Reserve new line? I really like the sound of Vacance (I love coconut/tropical scents) but want to sample before I buy or at least hear some good reviews.
I sampled Encens and Soliel. I wasnt fond of the Encens, and the Soliel was very bland and ordinary.
I just bought a bottle of Sienne L’Hiver. This is the most expensive fragrance purchase ive made yet. =(. I think next on the list to buy is ELdO Je Suis Un Homme.
I have yet to find a decent citrus fragrance for summer.
What are you looking for in a citrus??
The one i had last summer was Crabtree West Indian Lime and it was great. I want it to be fresh and juicy, but not sickly sweet. I dont want it to smell like a household cleaning agent either.
that’s a pbm w/citrus. I like Hermes Un Jardin sur le Nil for that citrus summery bent…not sweet or “juicy” and has a nice incense base.
Warm and getting ready to storm here: SOTD Diptyque L’Ombre dans L’eau.
Ohh! Have you tried Jo Malone’s Sweet Lime & Cedar? The spray has more cedar to me, but the body products have a lovely green note without a tone of ozone. I have the body oil spray-and it’s very nice!
You might be interested in trying Roger & Gallet’s Bouquet Imperiale. It is a great citrus with a rhubarb note. It’s juicy but not bitter. I really like it if I want a fresh light scent. The staying power is excellent, not a sillage-monster though.
I have tried that Jo Malone. I like it better on paper. Maybe the grapefruit one would be nice for me tho. I dont know any place to buy Roger and Gallet fragrances.
The Sweet Lime & Cedar smells really good on my husband. I was surprised, as the Malones have mostly not excited me much.
Rictor-I can send a sample to you if you’d like. Email me at at makeup alley, I’m SFLizbeth. I just did a search found tons of R & G on the evil bay….. and very reasonably priced too.
FYI – you can get Je Suis un Homme from me at 50% off…
I had my first experience of trying a perfume, and walking out of the store just to come back five hours later to buy it. The scent is Baltic Amber by Voluspa and the best part is that it was only $15 and I LOVE it. The box says “body spray & room aroma”, so I can also use it as air freshener and maybe even go through the entire 100mL. Haha – I feel like I’ve gaga over Glade.
I can smell it right now, and it makes me feel light headed, so I wonder if it triggers some sort of scent-memory for me. That’s my latest frugal parfumista news!
Those Voluspa sprays are a great deal! Kevin likes several of them too.
It cracks me up that they’re both a room spray and a body spray! And also last longer than some Hermes fragrances I own.
I have a “Narcissus” ‘home and body’ spray from La Maison or some sort — never heard of the brand — but you know what? It’s okay.
I didn’t even know they had fragrance sprays! I LOVE their candles, and I’m really picky about candle scents. That Baltic Amber is delish. I just discovered a little boutique in town that sells Voluspa, so I’ll have to see if they have the sprays. They had some surprising things, like the Crazy Lullu-whatever and the Poppies sticks and Tokyo Milk, so who knows.
I got mine at Anthropologie together with a lovely sweater on sale! Maybe their online store carries them too. I also tried Champaca Bloom and Fern, and it was sharp and green. a true steal!
Tokyo Milk and Tocca (some of the other fragrances I saw at Anthro) are too sweet for me, instant headache.
I have a sample of the Baltic Amber – it’s very nice and lasts a long time, but goes a little too sweet after a couple of hours. Pleasant stuff, though.
Strange, on me it doesn’t really go sweet. I’m the last person in the world for sweet, Lolita Lempica sends me reeling back from two meters away…
I just got a sample of the Baltic Amber and really liked it too! It also lasted through a shower, so the staying power is really good.
If you get the chance, try their candles too. Verrrry nice.
Aleksandra: that Baltic Amber has long been just about my favorite candle, and I’ve thought about buying the spray many times over the last two years or more. I’m just not sure I’d like it on my body as much as as a candle. Congrats on the discovery, though, and SUCH a nice bargain.
I’m wondering if anyone layers other fragrances with Muscs Koublai Khan, and if so, what.
I just got it and while it’s great by itself it seems like it might be interesting to add to it.
I like MKK too. Sometimes, I add Jicky (edt formulation) to it, or for a softer/sweeter base, I use a patchouli vanilla body lotion.
I feel the same way about MKK! I like to layer it with Etro Dianthus.
I think I will rebuy Ellenas Jardin sur le Nil and so I did that with Kelly Caleche, which is my LBD scent (little black dress
)
Love Kelly Caleche — I’ve been wearing it this week. I will probably be purchasing my first bottle of it soon, since I’ve been getting along on samples of it.
I recently discovered Kelly Caleche (thanks to Rustic Dove!). She sent me a sample, and I immediately had to have a bottle (EPD). It’s just so darned different than anything else I have. Love it…and love the packaging, too!
Oops…that should have been “EDP”!
I have to say, that made me very happy when I found out how much you liked it & purchased a FB! I felt like a matchmaker.
pass that woman a new shiny stone for her enablers pin!
***applause***
: DDDDDDDDDD
Has anyone found Annik Goutal’s Mandragore Pourpre?? (and if so, where did you find it??)
I’ve been looking everywhere in town (SF), Saks, Bloomies, NM’s, Nordies, and have had NO luck whatsoever.
Weird – it’s on the Saks website – they don’t even know when (or if) they’ll get it in?
I went looking for it at NM and saks, the SA told me that from now on you have to order it on line.
That stinks…. that was on my “to smell” list.
FWIW, Joe and I were just talking about this one last night, and neither of us find it appreciably different from the original.
That does help – because I have plenty Mandragore.
I agree with Boo and Joe—one spray of Mand. Pourpre= 2 or 3 of Mandragore…other from that they are very much the same. If I didn’t have either one and wanted to buy—I’d get the Pourpre just because it’d last longer.
Agree with boojum & daisy. Perhaps seems a bit “richer” due to the strength, and maybe more of a vetiver vibe, but the lasting power is great. I should really try the old Mandragore EdP sometime — assume that’s no longer in production (?).
Luckyscent has it on backorder…
Thanks Cynthia!
Getting closer, I hope….. I am totally lemming that scent!
oop, question already answered…
They now have it online at Luckyscent!
I’m going to say that I want to have a bottle of nearly everything sold on Aedes, I also realize that would end up being tens of thousands of dollars and so I have to remind myself that while I would love the entire SMN collection I really don’t have the storage space for many more bottles in the first place — practicality must win out in this situation.
As far as a perfume that’s surprised me, I’m a bit late to the party where this is concerned, but I’m completely loving YSL Yvresse. For me it’s just so sparkling and lovely that I have worn it for three days in a row — it arrived Monday afternoon. The weather’s a bit warmer and while I can’t really detect a season with Yvresse, there’s something about wearing it while walking in the warm sunlight that makes me happy. I believe I may be traveling with this perfume in a week. I’m going overseas and can’t really risk taking some of my perfumes and had settled that Melograno was an ideal travel perfume, but wanted something a little more dazzling for nighttime. So Yvresse may be the one for that. There’s something very chic about it, though I find it probably better suited for Southern Europe than Asia. Cest la vie.
As for a question about a fragrance, I’m not sure if anyone can point me in the right direction or not. Back in 1999 I wore a Lancome fragrance called Aroma Tonic. It was a fresh green number that reminds me a bit of a mojito. It was a fairly inexpensive, beautifully light summery lime-y citrus blended with something akin to green tea and I adored it. It has since been discontinued, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately but all attempts to find it have failed. Just wondering if anyone might have any suggestions. It was an absolute love of mine as a teenager and would love to snag a bottle of it for the summer. Thanks so much!
I still wear and love Aroma Tonic and am likewise sad it was discontinued. Luckily I’m well stocked for now. There were several bottles up for swap on Makeup Alley the last time I checked and I have seen it come up on ebay.
My next Aedes order is definitely going to have to inclue a sample of that SMN. You’ve raved about it so many times, I just have to smell it.
If I had to choose a perfume house to stick with for the rest of my life, it would be SMN. Now, it’s can be a complicated line — some of the fragrances are downright bizarre — and a lot of the fragrances don’t hold a huge lasting power — Melograno is a killer though. Excellent sillage, as well.
If you’re going with a sample I’d suggest Melograno, Citta di Kyoto, Eva, Nostalgia, or Eau Santa Maria Novella. I think Melograno & Eva might be the most inviting of the fragrances the former being their most popular. If you do try the line, please let me know what you think.
Thanks for the recs! The only thing I’ve smelled from the line so far was a sample that got tossed in an order when the one I requested wasn’t available. It was some amber & lavendar thing. I’m not sure what weather would suit it, but mid-winter certainly isn’t it… but I’m looking forward to trying it as the weather warms up, because it was surprisingly nice. (I’m not usually a lavender fan.)
I find them all to be more summery, warm weather fragrances though I do wear Melograno during all seasons. They’re just a very Italian perfume to me. Something that should be worn on a warm, sunny day with strappy high-heeled sandals and a sleeveless dress.
Can you tell how badly I want it to be summer?
I live in MN. I *completely* understand!
The mere mention of Santa Maria Novella brings their beautiful store in Florence to mind. It was formerly a chapel and I have had the pleasure of being there several times.
I didn’t know about Andy Tauer’s new fragrances coming out in the fall…I just purchased my second bottle of Un Rose Chypre, which is easy to finish because it’s so small. Also, I have repurchased Hermes L’Iris several times since it was introduced. Today I am wearing Sabi, which I always seem to forget I have.
I LOVE SABI! Someone I am close to wears this and I never knew what it was she was wearing except that she smelled soooo good. Well after I found out I discovered a terrific deal on ebay and now I will have it to sniff. I associate it with my friend, so I doubt I will wear it regularly, but I can see myself putting it on occasionally to enjoy and also remind me of her. Beautiful thing that Sabi!
Sabi is a favorite of mine, too. Nice to have company! I need to wear it soon.
*cackle* I knew you would love Yvresse!!!
I have you to thank for that one. My only compliant is when trying to find a happy spraying medium, I applied too much yesterday and suddenly it smelled like Southern Comfort for all of about a minute which was gag inducing — SoCo & I are not friends. I have learned my lesson though and now know just exactly the right amount of sprays it requires to last throughout the day.
I can’t stop smelling my wrist.
Where is your favorite place to perfume shop in Chicago? This will be my first trip there as a perfumista. So far on my list I’ve got Barney’s and the Chanel Boutique. I’ll be downtown at the Art Institute, Millenium Park, etc. (Today I’m daydreaming about sitting in the sun!!! by the Crown Fountain.) I won’t have a car, so the suburbs aren’t an option. Thanks!
Perfume Posse did a group shopping trip there…might be worth a search on their blog.
Suzy Q, I think I can help…
The Posse trip focused on the Miracle Mile, and hit Barney’s, L’Artisan (which was a separate shop then, but is sadly gone; their line is in Barney’s, though), Chanel, Hermes, Nordstrom, C.O. Bigelow (they have some nice lines, and are located in Water Tower Place, where you can grab sustenance in the food court), Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nieman Marcus. Side trips available…I would probably add in Cartier and maybe Van Cleef and Arpels–both are on the Ave, and you can sample the new stuff there. I’d also visit Macy’s (oh, that hurts…the former Marshall Field’s), because inside is a Merz Apothecary outpost and they have Santa Maria Novella there.
That’s just the main drag, of course; but there’s more there than I usually smell in a week-long bender.
Beautiful! Thanks Robin, Scentscelf and Jill. I’m even more excited about the trip now.
Macy’s on State also has a Lush boutique inside, which is fun.
Let’s see – SOTD is Hermes Pamplemousse Rose. Yay! I finally found a grapefruit that doesn’t smell like cat urine on me!
I suppose that there a plenty that I’d like to sniff but haven’t yet – all of the Ormond Jaynes, the Boudicea line, and the new Cartiers. I’d also love to sniff the Amouage attars and check out the new Kilian Rose Oud.
Last thing that surprised me? Not sure, I’d have to think about it – plenty of things have surprised me in a bad way. I loathed both Havana Vanille and SDV after lemming for them for so long.
Glad to hear I’m not the only one. And to think I nearly bought Havana Vanille un-sniffed.
Me, too! Thank goodness that I only have a decant and not a whole bottle. I’m guessing that I’ll be able to swap it away at some point.
Me too, HV was a scrubber!
Cynthia, that is exactly how I feel about EdPR! I so wanted to love Pamplelune, but alas it turns to cat pee after an hour or two. But EdPR just stays sparkling and beautiful grapefruit all the way through! THANK YOU, JCE!
Yes – the Guerlaine Pamplemousse turned to pee almost immediately, but the PR is divine!
I got a split of PR in the mail yesterday—and it is great! no cat pee! or sweat! which is the other stinky thing that grapefruit usually gifts me with.
Yeah, I’m regretting Havana Vanille as well. Not so much loathing it, but I think it got alot of undeserved hype. Now SdV I Adore!
PS – Mixed with Tom Ford PB Tobacco Vanille..AMAZING!
Eeek! SDV was bad enough alone, I can’t imagine layering it with the Tom Ford – which was also terrible on me.
So glad I am not the only one finding Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille completely horrible, gag-reflex-inducing!
BTW, I just logged to post my first ever comment, as not only do I regularly get the “look: at the sight of another package, but also refer to my SO as the CEO. Great minds indeed think alike!
well howdy there Bureto! welcome!
“the look” from the CEO….uh-huh, get that all the time….and the “eye roll with head shake” combo pack too. It doesn’t deter me in the least though!
lol – I just noticed something today. My perfume purchases don’t get “the look” anymore – I get a resigned sigh instead. Progress! I think we turned the corner the night that I explained that perfume was an art form and I wanted to experience all of its permutations. He said “huh, I never thought of that before” and hasn’t tried to say that I have enough perfume already since then.
Not only that – when some other guy at work tried to say that his wife had a perfume habit because she bought a lot of bottles at the perfume outlet, my husband explained to him that he had no idea what a perfume habit really was. lol.
I bet you smell fantabulous.
I had a small bottle of TFTV and found it too sweet. Swapped it away. HV is *not* too sweet on me – it does go all delicious vanilla extract on me after about ten hours, but it’s so clear and almost liqueur-like that I don’t mind the sweetness.
I love Havana Vanille. It’s my SotD. SDV overwhelmed me. Interesting to read that so many prefer it to HV.
Now there, I can agree. I thought it would be complete love, but it was merely like. I grabbed a small split and called it good.
Havana Vanille smells like almost nothing on me — I must be anosmic to something in it. Not a scrubber, just sort of not there! I was disappointed.
Yep, you must be anosmic to something there. It’s not exactly a shy, retiring scent (although not a bludgeoner either, once the rummy opening is over).
I am, sadly, anosmic to Nahema, KM Peau de Peche, and Boucheron Jaipur. I can tell something is there, I just can’t *smell* it.
That’s how it is, I can tell there’s something there, but … I do get a vague rummy-ness in the opening, but then nothing! I have the same anosmic phenomenon with Blvgari Omnia, but I guess I’m not alone on that one.
I get the same thing when I wear that one and also SJP Lovely the pink bottle, and NR for her, I can’t smell them and everyone else around me can because I get complements on those when I wear them, which is not every often…can’t smell them LOL!!!
There is a sweet musk in HV that would be unsmellable to anyone with musk anosmia. I avoided this one completely as I can’t smell most musks.
Ah, that’s what’s going on, then.
I would like to sniff Ormond Jayne’s Tiare. I have tried to get a sample, but am always told they are out of it.
My tuberose day! A general spraying of Do Son + left wrist tubéreuse criminelle + right wrist carnal flower.. The combo Do Son + TC is the winner, perfect for a boring winter day alone in the office (I would probably have overwhelmed my usual office collegues
)
Tuberose days are the best ones
Yup!
Bee, hardly anyone ever mentions Do Son. It’s one of my favorites for the really hot summer days! I think Robin once described it as being like “tuberose petals submerged in water.” I think that’s the perfect description!
I recently purchased a decant of Amaranthine, thinking I wasn’t so wild about it and didn’t need a full-bottle. Now I find I am wearing it every day. I love the way it transforms on the skin, although I noticed a weird phenomena… on my left wrist only the dry-down smells vaguely reminiscent of kitty litter (and no, that is not a good thing). I haven’t tried any of the AG line, but after all the buzz I’m dying to try Ninfeo Mio and Mandragore.
All I can smell in Amaranthine is cumin. Disappointing!
How strange, I really don’t get any sweat-notes from Amaranthine! I like it very very much, though that 3D banana I get is somewhat embarassing!
I get quite a bit of banana from it too.
Amarinthine definitely has a …hmm how shall I put it, slightly pissy kick? Actually I quite like it, it’s an incredibly dirty, carnal scent on my skin. Really not what I’d expected from Penhaligon’s, but soooo good in the right circumstances.
I pretty much fell into one of the London shops on Wednesday, fell in love with Elixir (by the time I left, I was giggling like a tweenager coming out of a Jonas Brothers gig) and can’t wait for the Anthology Eau de Cologne release which is going to be a stunner.
THANK you! I have been saying for a couple of years that there are times the sides of my body (as far as each arm goes, at least) process scent differently. Folks have suggested it was dominant nostrils, or the effect of using one hand (and rubbing a single wrist) more, but I noticed it on days when my activity did not favor one arm over another. It’s not always, and I haven’t paid attention enough to see if it is related to certain scents/scent families.
I have had this experience, too!
Huh. Left wrist only? Huh.
I have nothing to offer, except that I find that fascinating. I know, it’s no help…
I get the cumin note, and I think thats what ups the sex-appeal for me. Also, smelling Amaranthine makes me so hungry! I don’t know if its the milk accord or banana leaf, but if I catch a whiff on an empty stomach I get serious hunger pangs.
Amaranthine makes me want to eat lots and lots of tapioca pudding with nutmeg on top. Not good for the diet! It is all food to me.
I want Amaranthine so much! I first sniffed it in a posh store and it was pleasant but dissapeared too fast off my skin. (That was a store with signs everywhere saying “Do not pick up bottles!” in German. so obnoxious) Now that I’ve had the chance to try it for real, I absolutely love it. Creamy, slightly foody, slightly rough smell.
“Perfume you wish you could smell but that you can’t get your hands on”
Well. That would be the bottle of Chanel Bois des Iles extrait that I bought as a birthday gift to self and is currently being held hostage by the terrorist organization otherwise known as FedEx. Chanel naturally shipped via the ONE FedEx method where they will not leave it at your door and you can’t even have a freakin’ neighbor sign for it..what’s a girl who works outside the home all day supposed to do? Anyway, I’m off tomorrow and praying that they will comply with the desperate note on my door requesting redelivery then.
(am also trying to wrest a Registered Mail package from the USPS containing a bottle of Balsamo della Mecca that I won in a giveaway…not as annoyed about that one as I didn’t pay for it and haven’t tried and fallen in love with it yet, but STILL. Please be giving it to me tomorrow, USPS!)
This is why have everything shipped to my office. I’ve made the mistake in the past of shipping to my home address and then having to wait till Saturday to pick it up.
If I ever order by phone from the NYC boutique again, I’ll know! FedEx and UPS will generally leave things at my door…not this particular shipping option, though.
I started shipping things to work, too – I had a scare with the USPS at my house. They “lost” four packages in one day and swore they delivered them to my doorstep. It took a week of phone calls and, finally, a request to file a “theft of mail” report with the postal inspector’s office before they miraculously “found” all four packages.
Wow, torture! I hope you get both soon.
Eeek! How could FedEx do such a thing?? I hope you recover BdI as soon as possible.
Shocker: sampled Borneo 1834, and after a liberal spraying on myself, I couldn’t even smell it. It utterly disappeared. What a bummer, since otherwise a bottle would be mine.
Just purchased: Carnal Flower and Une Fleur de Cassie. I have finally come around to Apres L’Ondee, and I feel UFdC is inspired by that. Both are wet and fantastic- I look forward to wearing my Cassie in the spring!
Une Fleur de Cassie is one of the most emotionally affecting fragrances I know of and it’s also technically one of the most masterful, imo. (Thanks, Dominique Ropion.) Good on ya, Jared.
Carnal Flower! I envy your bottle: it is a stunning fragrance!
Would you believe I bought it unsniffed? (GASP). Well, I did sniff it once back in September, but still.
Une Fleur de Cassie is gorgeous! It just might be the FM I’ll buy next (I already own and love L’Eau d’Hiver). Apparently, it’s Malle’s bestseller in France (and generally under-appreciated in the states), so you’re in good company.
Oh, interesting. Yeah, when I was reading around on blogs it did seem to have the reputation of being unloved here in the States. But then again, I have that “European” sensibility anyway it would seem, so I’m not surprised! I do wonder why Cassie gets the reputation for “skank” and “decay”, but again, I have a tolerance for such things. Except for the new M. Micallef scent Shanaan that’s at Luckyscent now. Holy crap! Talk about stink!
To me that touch of decay is what makes its beauty so compelling, Jared. And I think the French don’t mind if fragrances don’t smell squeaky-clean. That’s why I love vintage French extrait so much: most of it has something . . .feral . . .about it.
Yeah, gimme that feral! It still fascinates me that I like that kind of thing so much in perfumery, given my marked distaste for smelling other people who aren’t wearing deodorant, say at the gym, for example. But hey, when in France…
“feral” – that’s so perfect, Robin! I’m so into scents like Le Dix that have underlying animalic notes – like a fur lining to the silky violet. It’s just so much more compelling than the floral by itself.
Jared: Wow, the new Micallef is stinky? I’d been looking at that and thinking about a sample. And you love MKK, so that’s saying a lot!
I actually really like my Shanaan sample and wouldn’t call it stinky at all. But that’s just me (and my nose). I’ll have to give it another sniff.
Jared-maybe you have anosomia to the scent but others can smell it?
I love Borneo-heavenly dark chocolate and patchouli. I can’t get enough of it.
Oh, I smell the Borneo when I spray it on. But it lasts for about ten minutes and then I have to plaster my nose to my hand in order to smell it. Sad! Usually I at least get some wafting. Although, I do have to say, I recognize some Fumerie Turque in there, which makes me wonder about the whole Lutens line. I mean, it’s like there’s the lineup of exclusives, and then the exports are like just broken off pieces of them? Hmmm. Anyway, at least I have Coromandel, which is, I think, better in the long run anyway.
My bottle of Chergui arrived today and it is luscious. It is my first FB by SL – I also really like Coromandel and find them similar. Maybe I think they are because I know they are both Christopher Sheldrake and it is the power of suggestion, I’m starting to understand and recognize his style, or the generous applications of Coromandel last night and this morning before the Chergui arrived. The Chanel will probably be my next FB.
I have a sample of UFdC that I’ve been waiting for the “right time” to test. I should probably just go ahead and devote skin space to it one day.
Love Al’O, love Carnal Flower – have decants of each, and they’re precious.
Maybe the right time is right now, C.
I’m with you Mals – I too have had a sample of UFdC and need to test. My sniff of it didn’t inspire me though, but I know that’s not a fair way to judge. On three, let’s spray…..
Oh, I’m dying to try Apres L’Ondee. Everyone says it’s like L’Heure Bleue, but with violets… and coincidentally, if there’s one thing I love more than L’Heure Bleue, it’s violets! I’m glad to hear you are a fan.
At first I didn’t like it at all. Now, I’m wishing there was an EdP concentration. That EdT just doesn’t last, and I have a feeling it would be achingly beautiful in EdP or parfum. And you know, it really does work when I sit down to play Debussy.
I’ve noticed that many people, myself included, refer to Apres L’Ondee as achingly beautiful. And it is.
Debussy, yes. Watercolor melancholy…
Trying out Anya’s Garden Kaffir today. Strong Ivory soap scent. OK, but I’m not loving it.
Really anxious to try the new Moulin Rouge 1889 by Histoires de Parfums. Anyone out there tried this one yet? Impressions?
Oh, I liked Kaffir! Have not tried the HdP yet though.
I think Daisy said it was a scrubber on her. I found it bitter, but I’m the freak who hates fig leaf, FWIW.
Good memory Mals! Kaffir was a scrubber …I wanted to love it but alas, I had to get it OFF! Moulin Rouge however is quite nice …to my nose it’s all about plum, iris and musk . It’s my new favorite in the HdP line…..Karin, do you still have my email?
Hi Daisy! Don’t know if I ever had your email? You can email me at krnszn at gmail dot com.
oh! I thought we swapped somewhere along the line…will email you.
Kaffir didn’t work for me, either. It sounded SO good!
Ditto.
Moulin Rouge is the most unusual and captivating scent I have smelled in a long time! I’d be surprised if it doesn’t become a huge hit once it lands ‘over there’ (it’s been available here in Europe for a couple of months now).
I recently had to do all sort of gimnicks to get a sample of Kai!
, just saying!);
(I liked it !)
But I still have so many things that I long to smell and can’t:
Guerlain: BDA, the new TI, A-C (I’d love to read their reviews, here @ nst
le labo vanille 44,
and so many from the SL palays royal: TC, BdV, RdN, CM…
I need to go to Paris I guess….
I shocked myself by liking Kai, too… I’m not normally a white floral girl. Just more proof you can’t rule things out based on a list of notes!
Kai is very nice IMO.
So true! I never seem to get my lemmings right, based on the notes, and vice-versa! And the strange thing is that the more I sniff the more my tastes seem to change(I seem to embrace mote things, rather than the other way around), so not only the lists of notes are misleading for me, but my own nose hijacks my scientifically documented impressions! Pfff..
I haven’t tried Kai perfume but it makes a great light moisturizer.
The nice thing about Kai is that it’s got some green to go along with all the white flowers. I like it quite a bit, although not sure why it has such a crazed celebrity following. It’s nothing incredible.
I love Kai – it just smells wonderful in an uncomplicated but not vapid way.
Today I am happily wearing my sample of Nasomatto Silver Musk and have fallen head-over-heels in love with it. Has anyone else tried it before? It’s a great close-to-the-skin scent. I can’t stop burying my nose in the crook of my arm!
I need to try that one. I love love love Black Afgano and China White. I have high hopes for the rest of the line.
ooh , I have been lemming Silver Musk and Black Afgano…
I’m on Spring Break! And today I am wearing 31 Rue Cambon – the perfume I’ve been wearing lately when I need the extra confidence boosting required to complete difficult or psychologically challenging tasks. It works for me! (I’m working on three different proposals this week, so I need all the help I can get.) Who knew Chanel had aromatherapeutic effects…
One question: has anyone else here developed a hyposmia (or god forbid anosmia) to 31 Rue Cambon? Sometimes I feel like I can barely smell it, despite giving myself several spritzes!
I wear 31 RC, and it’s pretty strong on me. I haven’t noticed any disappearing act…
I’d BETTER not! Just got that huge bottle for Christmas!!
Haha! But that’s why I figure I need the big bottle (which I was recently gifted.) At this rate, I will definitely fly through the big kahuna in one year’s time!
I know, but isn’t it great? It’s just so HUGE!!
If you do, S, I volunteer to give your bottle a very happy home . . .
hehehehehe : )
No answer for your real question, but for your hypothetical one… I did! If I have a performance review or (like today) a parent-teacher conference, a Chanel is always a must.
I totally agree. Chanel is all business! I also like 24 Faubourg for a similar affect.
I hated that one…hated it! and then I smelled it again last week and thought hmmm…why did I hate it? It’s clearly growing on me.
That is EXACTLY what happened to me. I had a sample that I received with an Hermès purchase and I absolutely thought it was not for me, that it was for a much older, more mature woman, that it was not my style, etc. etc. And then, over the course of this past year my nose developed, expanded, and learned – enough so that I finally came around to appreciating some other fragrances I did not “get.” So I tried 24 Faubourg again. And I liked it enough to buy a mini on the bay. And now, I think it’s wonderful! Really beautiful, in fact. Perhaps you will learn to enjoy it too!
No. 19 (vtg, preferably) is my favorite invisible-armor scent.
Oh wow that sounds great! I’d love to try the vtg. sometime. I do have a very small decant of the current extrait on its way to me, though!
I snagged a small, partly-used bottle of extrait on the bay last summer for about $7 (I KNOW! incredible!) and can compare it to the edt… my preference is actually for the lightness of the edt. Surprised me.
Wow, how interesting. Great price,too! I will have to compare the extrait to the edt to see if I have a preference. (It would be financially beneficial to prefer the EDT, that’s for sure!) Thanks for the tip.
i like the vintage No 19 extrait, but the current No 19 edt!! And yes, Chanel is the go to house for confidence! I actually wore my No 19 parfum to a meeting the other day and just felt great!
One of mine, too.
All this Chanel talk reminds me I’ve got “Coco Before Chanel” from Netflix at home right now. I’ll wear 31RC while I watch it and drink some wine, pretending it’s not from California.
Interesting–I don’t think I’ve developed an anosmia to Rue Cambon, but I *have* noticed that it smells very different to me now than it did at first. So I can still smell it, it just doesn’t smell the same. I don’t get it. Then again, this seems to happen to me a lot. Enough to make me question buying any FB’s for a while.
miss kitty, it happens to me all the time. i just realised i must not wear a scent more than once a week, but defintely not next day.
After a while of wearing Rue Cambon, all I could smell was salty amber. It became disappointing and very linear. I was a bit sad, but then I just swapped it away. But since then, I can’t stand any fragrance that has even a whiff of salt in it.
One of the things that I like about 31 RC (besides the heavenly aroma that is) is that it wears like an EDP. I can smell it all day long and it lingers for days on clothes. I do like to rotate fragrances so that I don’t get used to them, though.
Yes, I find it lingers for AGES on cloth, more so than any other fragrance I know. Amazing. I do the same with Chamade EDT – that does a real disappearinag act, at least on my skin. I’m wearing ot today, wit a tiny mist of Chanel No 19 EDP in the background. (‘I’ll have a double shot of glabanum please!’)
The exact opposite happened to me with Rue Cambon – something in it grew stronger and stronger (a similar note to one in Osmanthe Yunnan, which did the same thing) until it was overbearing. The more I tried it, the worse it got. I finally gave up.
Recent surprise: prada IdT… Has anyone tested it? I tried it on mouillette and it was almost candied! I wasn’t expecting Prada going for sweet on this one. It also opened on a surprising orange note.
I didn’t like it on strip, but as for the list or notes or fragrance family, I expect things might be different on skin.
This is the new Prada tuberose thingy? How’d you get lucky enough to get your mitts on it?????
Wait. You’re in Europe, aren’t you?
The Prada boutiques in Milan have the tuberose and vetiver infusions since several weeks now – maybe they wanted them to be available well in time for the fashion week frenzy?
Anyway I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t devote them any skin space: the Prada exclusives polarize my attention each time I feel brave enough to enter these uber-elegant shops… I am so in love with the fleurs d’oranger (not the Meh! infusion FDO) and Myrrhe – the latter might appeal to you, too!!
I’d probably like to try the myrrhe one – I know I’m lusting in my heart after the tuberose. Whenever it crosses the ocean.
I’ve been keeping an eye out for these but I haven’t seen them in the shops here yet.
Gaaaah I’m so jealous you got to try it!!! Candied you say? I am cautiously keeping my hopes up…
I just realised I’m a big fan of guaiac wood, I could bathe in my brother’s bottle of armani code. I’m hoping to find a great guaiac wood fragrance for women to wear this spring – not too citrusy, not too light blue-ish…Still searching, still learning about the perfume world. Great blog, btw!
Try Le Labo Gaiac 10! Unisex though. Red Flower also makes a Guaiac with rose, very pretty.
I’m suddenly in love with Rive Gauche (vintage)
Where did you find Rive Gauche vintage??? Do tell!!!
On ebay, of course. It’s a 4 ml mini, but i think i saw one or two full size vintage bottles last time i checked. Anyway, i want to buy full bottle now, i even want to try the reformulated version: they say it’s not bad. Did you try it?
Yes! I have a bottle of the reformulated version, and it’s not bad. They’re not the same scent, but very similar. I wore Rive Gauche in the early 80’s and loved it…would love to smell the original again.
I recently got my first decant of the much adored Cuir de Russie. It is the EDT and I quite like it- it’s smooth, elegant, and beautiful. I think I could even love it and deem it FBW if only (you knew there was an if only) the scent wasn’t so faint on my skin! I don’t think I wear my ‘fumes at toxic levels, but I do lspray liberally and ike to be able to smell them substantially. Cuir just seems so faint… Like its barely there, even when if first apply it! I have to bury my nose in my wrist like an Italian pig hunting for rare white truffles! So, could y’all give me some advice? Maybe the EDT would be stronger sprayed instead of dabbed from a vial? Maybe there is a stronger concentration I need to look into? Maybe this one just won’t work for me? Please help perfume friends and lovers, please! I want the Cuir de Russie to work for me! Has anyone else had similar problems?
Well, I assume you are referring to Chanel Cuir de Russie? If so, I’ve not tried that one, but I was discussing above how 31 RC sort of disappears on me. I know it’s there, but I want to smell it more (truffle pig & all that – love the analogy!) Also, I do know there is/was a Cuir de Russie extrait – but I’m not sure where or if it’s available – possibly only in Europe? Or limited distribution in the boutiques. Someone here with more experience ordering from Chanel will know. I have heard the best way to get the Chanel LEs to last (was it Robin or someone else on this blog who said it?) is to give your arm several strong spritzes and let it air-dry (without patting or rubbing). I just tried it with my 31 RC after remembering I read about this methodology and, so far, it seems to be working!
Yes, I did mean Chanel Cuir de Russie. It’s too funny, I hadn’t fully read all of the previous posts when I posted my quandary, then looked back and saw that you had written something so similar about 31RC… quelle chance!! That’s too funny. I guess maybe I need to start with trying a spray version of CDR- then I can douse myself to my heart’s content. If that doesn’t work I can start thinking about the possibility of extrait… but I’m betting somehow that the extrait isn’t in my scent budget at this point.
I have that problem with most of the Les Exclusifs EdTs (Coromandel is the exception). Yes, spraying definitely makes a difference for me. And when I spray, I do not dab and spread it around around like I would with something more concentrated — I just spray and let dry, which seems to help.
And if you get all crazy, you can buy a bottle of extrait to layer with a fleeting EdT…if I ever get my Bois des Iles extrait away from FedEx, I’ll be doing just that
I usually layer Cuir de Russie edt with the parfum…love it that way . The EDT is too light all by itself .
Hmmm, I’ve never tried CdR sprayed (I only have one of those adorable Chanel samples) but I dab liberally and while it’s no sillage monster, I find it fairly noticeable I must say though that I rarely dab fragrance on the wrists and prefer somewhere closer to the nose (neck, chest, on the collar for extra longevity). That way I get to smell the fragrance without it being all around me and too intrusive to others.
But if the EDT is too light then CdR is also available in extrait, as chasa mentioned.
Recent surprise… I sprayed one of the Ange ou Demons (can’t remember which, think it was last year’s flanker) on a paper strip, and wow. It smelled like peach Jello! I um.. didn’t try it on skin.
PEACH JELLO… holy moly.
It cracked me up! I’ll have to smell it again next time I see it and see if it still strikes me that way, or if I’d just smelled too many others before it.
Apres L’Ondee, I want to smell it..(before I die).. but not able to get my hands on it , although I still would like to smell quit a few like almost all the Serge Lutens….did’nt care too much for the new one. The bottles I keep replacing when I run out is Shalimar, and L’Heure Bleue Extract…:)
I love Kai, the oil..I’m in the process of ordering a gift set “the Holiday trio contains a 4 oz body lotion, a 4 oz body wash and a nightlight candle from Beautyhabit, for only $49.00.
Have you tried the Perfumed Court? That’s where I bought my sample of Apres L’Ondee.
Apres L’Ondee is gorgeous. I bought a small decant of it on ebay (um, yeah, that’s illegal now, and was when I bought it – I just didn’t know) unsniffed, and I was just overwhelmed with how beautiful it is. I wear it only rarely because it’s special.
Apres L’Ondee is my SotD…very special indeed! Where are you, ajuarez? You can definitely find bottles on eBay and they’re not even too horribly pricey…Escentual.com (UK seller) carries it…Bergdorf’s in NYC…would any of those work for you?
Thank You all for your kind recommendations.–Oh, my SOTD is Envy, by Gucci It’s a green floral, 85 degrees here in Austin Tx. I need to organize my perfume cabinet..s
Lalique Encre Noir pour elle- I really thought it would be better. First perfume I have returned in a long time.
Better than the original? (Did you like the original?)
I’m not much of a vetiver fan, so I can’t comment on the difference. Hope you find something to replace it, though.
Returned? Really? I didn’t know it was ok to return perfume (I’m a novice). Does the SA give you a hard time?
SOTD: Mildew Sweater Surprise. I can’t wait to get home and get this thing off and hose myself down with some Ormonde Jayne Woman. (This will be my third day in a row wearing it–a record for me. Usually I can’t maintain excitement for a new fragrance for more than a day. Sad. I have a problem.)
I’m wearing the OJW today too. I have to put a ton of it on – is that an issue for you as well?
I put on about three spritzes, which is two more than usual, but that’s mostly due to excitement and not being able to control myself. But keep in mind, am not able to put on any in the morning, so i couldn’t say how it wears over the course of the day.
Ok, I came home and put on Bandit. It was a mood, I couldn’t fight it.
hahaha – when I read “this is a third day in a row for me wearing it”, I thought you were talking about your mildewed sweater.
I thought – wow, that woman is a glutton for punishment!
Sadly, I do own three of the same sweater.
I like something, I buy it in bulk. But I try not wear them three days in a row. And hopefully they don’t all smell of mildew.
Mz Kitty–I do that too! Find something I like, nice and comfy etc….I’ll buy it in every color (2 in purple!)
I hate dragging something out of the back of the sweater shelf and finding it smells all iccky from being smashed in the back for a year or more—a couple spritzes of febreeze and 5 min in the dryer usually gets that smell gone. I could not live in a world without clothes dryers…..
Scents of the day: DSH Perfumes’ Wedding Bouquet on one wrist, Amoureuse on the other. Both gorgeous, but the Amoureuse is so *elegant* as well as beautiful. I love the way the white florals play against the oakmoss and honey.
Wedding Bouquet is very pretty (stephanotis, gardenia, lily, white rose). Picked up a sample because I had stephanotis in MY wedding bouquet, and you almost never see that note listed. If I’d wanted a transcription of my own wedding bouquet, it would have had carnation, ivy, and LotV in it as well, and no gardenia.
Oh Mals, I love l’amoureuse!!! I’m so glad you like it. I also love the way honey blends with everything else, giving a golden glow… Now, if only I didn’t break my sample vial…
My Fav DSH fragrance is Giardini Segreti and then the Mille Fleurs Bouquet. GS is just heavenly beautiful with all kinds of good flowers and tuberose. MFB starts out shakey-fougery, but then has a lovely and persistent patchouli base that is similar to the powdery patch in Coromandel.
And I’m going to do a shout out for DSH as I just got a promo email from them – they are having a sale! Read below:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello, Everyone~
Happy almost Spring!
It’s been a super long winter and in honor of the “return of Persephone”, we’re having a Spring SALE at the DSH website : https://www.dsheprfumes.com .
We’ve got some of your favorite Essense Studio and Essense Oils scents and bath / body products on sale from 15%-65% off! Plus, if there’s something you’ve had your eye on, take an additional 10% off anything (including our sale items!) using member code: SPRING.
That’s not all: product orders over $75 get a free preview mini dram of our newest scent:
Bancha – soon to be launched at the site.
website sale from March 8 – 31, 2010.
oooh , thanks for the heads up…I am president of the DSH fanclub ( LOL ) and my faves are Vintage Patch , Parfum de Grasse and Minuit…my debit card is twitching …!
Holding my fingers back from clicking the link. Everytime I go to DSH, I end up spending $$$…
Mals – Have you ever tried Floris’ Stephanotis scent? I think they have a whole line. It was nearly 15 yrs ago when I tried it in their shop in London, and I remember it to be just beautiful.
I considered Stephanotis for my wedding bouquet, but settled for bouvardia – I got the same look, just not the scent – but the 3 pink peonies made up for that.
It’s cold here today on the edge of Europe, and I’m wearing Poupee with a very light layer of AG Tuberose. (I’m probably punching the air all around me!) Can any of you very knowledgable people think of any perfume that contains notes of my fave tuberose, coconut, vanilla and cinnamon? Get your thinking-caps on, girls and boys. Recently purchased Carla Fracci Giselle (unsniffed) as it sounded a bit delish to me, but I’m sadly disappointed by this one. It smells to me like sour honey, and I don’t get the coconut in it at ALL. Oh well, the search goes on . .
Hypnotic Poison lists notes that include coconut, tuberose, and vanilla, but no cinnamon. Try typing the notes into the OzMoz search field and see what comes up!
Found another one – Azzaro Oh Lala – tuberose, cinnamon, vanilla but no coconut…
Ooh, that Azzaro even SOUNDS fabulous. Will go hunting. And I like the Hypnotic Poison, the only Poison that I do like.
This will be a very tricky combination to find! Coconut is such a tropical note that I can’t imagine it being in a perfume that also had cinnamon.
I found Parfumerie Generale’s ‘Tubereuse Couture’ to have a stunning spicey coconut, almost burnt, note, but since I’ve already got some of the big hitters in tuberose, I’m (only just) holding off – the tube-coconut seems to be a classic pairing, I think the stunning ‘Carnal Flower’ by Malle has a touch, not to mention the uncool but fabulously over-the-top Michael Kors…these are mad scents for the height of summer to my mind!
Ha ha, I love Michael Kors, and I don’t care who knows it! For me, it’s definitely got that WOW factor.
Cassieflower, biehl has an excellent rich floral-woody scent by Egon Oelkers that might be just the thing. No tuberose, but a rich orchid and a bright muguet. It’s eo01 and these are the notes:
Tangerine, blood orange, cardamom, nutmeg, apricot, coconut, rosewood, pimento, iris, orchid, muguet, styrax, vanilla, cinnamon, tonka bean, cedar, vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood, ambergris, musk.
Thank you Robin R. This sounds really interesting, I’m not familiar with this line at all, is it to be found on the net? I’m not in the U.S. but will be visiting Miami in May.
Found it, unfortunately they don’t ship to my part of the planet.
PdN Cococabana has tuberose and coconut.
I have had two scent surprises recently, both from Annick Goutal.
The first was Songes which I thought I had spritzed at the counter a few years ago and found to be a big overwhelming, loud floral. I received a sample recently and was surprised by a) how different it was from my recollection, and b) how many twists and turns it took as it developed – from jasmine to soft white floral and onto woody wonderland.
The second was this weekend when I went looking for Ninfeo Mio (sadly none in Toronto yet) and on a whim tried Musc Nomade. I recently had a terrible disappointment with Donna Karan Cashmere Mist. I LOVED the body cream and ordered a FB of the perfume only to have arrive and find myself in a musk-induced waking nightmare when I tried it. Was ready to swear off musk…but Musc Nomade was lovely, not nearly as sweet as I anticipated and had a delicate woody nature to it that I found quite addictive. Not like anything I currently wear. But might be soon…
I like Songes better dabbed than sprayed, I think. It really can be overwhelming if you put on too much.
You just intensified my lemmings to try Musc Nomad. A sample on its way to me – with a todler, full time job, and part time step kids, I have no time for shopping except the supermarket. SIGH…
Oh, except for the opera, of course! (and that’s “toddler”…)
Anyone else blow some tax refund green on ‘fumes? I’m going to take a deep breath, and tell everyone the shameful truth of what I did with my refund… full bottle of Fracas, full bottle of Bronze Goddess (plus the body oil to match), a full bottle of Songes, an array of decants from Perfumed Court (Tonka Imperiale, Vent Vert, Sables, Havana Vanille, Knize Ten, Bois des Iles, and Etro Shaal Nur), a womens’ sample set from Amouage, a sample set from Ineke, and a sample set from Smell Bent. I may not be able to buy anything else perfume wise all year! Please someone else chime in any second now and say that you spent as wildly and uninhibitedly as I did…
How did you deal with the Bronze Goddess bottle?? The first one was fine, if a little strange with that bull’s eye, but the new glitter-encrusted version is so funny looking! I miss that pretty blue Azuree Soleil bottle…
I totally agree with you Ari- this year’s Bronze Goddess bottle is a little clunky and not all that attractive. I actually kinda liked the bullseye bottle last year, and the Azuree Soleil botte was really even better. But I was determined I would get BG while I could this year; it is such a perfect scent for Florida summer. And it sealed the deal for me when Bloomies online had an Estee deal- spend $65 and get two Private Collection minis free (Tuberose Gardenia and Jasmine White Moss- which I love). I am a sucker for beauty and fragrance freebie deals when they’re really good ones
Don’t like the bottle either, so I’m actually considering buying the cream instead. I have a small decant of the perfume anyway, that will get me through this summer.
Congrats on your purchases! Look at it as your patriotic duty to put that money back into the economy. Don’t feel bad; I think you have lots of company here. I bought a split of Guerlain’s 180 Ans before I even got my tax refund check!
I agree – you shouldn’t feel bad at all. Heck, I owe on my income taxes and I still went on a ‘fume bender recently – including an FB of Bronze Goddess. I was determined not to miss out this year and they had a good GWP at Macy’s. I kind of like the bottle.
Cynthia, I was the same way- determined I wasn’t gonna miss BG this year. It’s such a great summer scent and perfect for Florida. They should have state perfumes… You know, like state birds, state flowers, and so forth. Florida’s state ‘fume would be Estee’s Bronze Goddess. Its interesting to think what the other states’ perfumes might be…
state perfume, it is sooo funny : D
do not worry K-scott, we all spend all or money on perfume. i might ask my company to transfer my salary to TPC directly……
Hmm… I pretty sure that the Texas state perfume would have the smell of charred meat, BBQ sauce, horseflesh, and Aquanet in there somewhere. I’d rather have the Bronze Goddess…. although I would definitely give the Texas one a sniff.
My tax refund is paying off last years splurges.
But congratulations! At least I can live vicariously through your expeditures…
Hold that list. The quarterly damage report is coming up…
ME ME ME ME !!!!!!!!!!!
I SO TOTALLY WANT NARCISO RODRIGUES ESSENCE !!!!!!!!!
LOL !
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR LIKE A YEAR TO COME TO MEXICO AND FINALLY IN SOME MONTHS IT’LL BE HERE SOOOOOOO EXCITED !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh how nice! Have you even tried it yet, or you’re waiting for that too?
yes !
is lovely , i know i should be more exciting about niche lines , but honestly i have been dissappointed about some of the stuff i have sniffed , i disliked almost all the hermes except for vetyver tonka and rose ikebana , but narciso has something sooooo cool about his fragrances that when i first tried it in cancun i wanted soooooo bad . sadly it was duty free shop , so i could not get it , since i was not traveling abroad !!!!!!!!!!!
that is why i MUST HAVE ESSENCE !!!!!!!!!!
Aw, then hope you’ll have it soon!
Has anyone here ever smelled AG Eau de Fier? It sounds like a Goutal I’d actually like, but I’ve never run across it… Is it discontinued?
Hey N! Hop on over to the blog I Smell Therefore I Am – Abigail and Brian just reviewed it!
Thanks so much! I just popped over to read it and was even more interested by the comparison to SMN Nostalgia. I just went in on a split of Nostalgia, and it’s a wild ride but definitely not for every day.
Yes, it’s absolutely wonderful. I think I heard you can still buy it in Paris.
I guess I’d better spring for a TPC sample before I hop on a plane, huh?
I bought a bottle in ’03 for my then boyfriend, now husband – because I thought it unlike anything I’d ever smelled. The SA at Bon Marche told me that it’s the preferred scent for “artistic” persons. My husband liked that when I told him.
He loves it. It’s a strange scent, even now with the dry tea/tar/leather thing going on and I could swear I smell a rose note somewhere. When he ran out of it last year, he chose (and I gifted him) Timbuktu for its replacement.
I think you just sold a couple of samples….
Hey Everyone,
I’m doing on research on perfumes and it looks like I’ve found the right place! I work at the Denver Art Museum and we’re getting ready for an exhibition on King Tut and the Pharaohs. Does anyone know of any information, articles, or even people who could help me out with learning about Ancient Egyptians and their perfumes?
There’s a perfume line called Scents of Time (you might try to Google it) and I think he’s done research into Egyptian perfumes. Good luck!
There is actually a book on this topic. I believe I’ve seen it on Amazon, or possibly in a Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogue.
I’ve read that Sandrine Videault, the nose who did LesNez Manoumalia, also did a reconstruction of ancient Kyphi for the Egyptian National Museum in Cairo based on ancient Egyptian recipes. I don’t think it is available any longer, but there might be a way to learn more about it.
Helg at Perfume Shrine has done several posts on this topic and I think will be a great resource for you. Here’s a link to one:
http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/2009/03/mystery-of-egyptian-elixirs.html
Just do a search on the site using “Egypt” and you’ll find more. She has other wonderful posts about the history of perfume in various other ancient cultures too. I visited your museum last fall and really enjoyed it.
DSH has a Kyphi scent , and if you google kyphi you will get great information . Perfume Shrine also has some historical info…
Great! These are all very helpful. Thanks everyone!
I’m interested in MFK Lumiere Noire Pour femme – so that’s on my list.
Also – how does one put an icon next ot your username- so far mine is a ….black box !
I like the black box. Great style! Thought it was intentional. Maybe the universe is telling you to make it yours.
Go to gravatar.com.
You mean that black box is not on purpose? Because I’ve never seen that before!
That black box is hilarious. I love it!! Very stylish.
*LOL* No , the black box was somehow assigned to me ! *LOL* thanks for the link !
So many great perfumes out and about here !
Wearing Fracas now !
hey, I thought the black box was on purpose too! I thought it was kind of “edgy” .
The black box is very striking!
You have a face *now* – no more black box!
I love Lumiere Noire pf – it is rather naughty on me, as well as beautiful. Makes me think of tango.
Lumiere Noire p femme is a very, very rich and bold fragrance, and yes, beautiful and stunning. I can see why you’d like it, Mals.
I have Bond No. 9 Silver Factory on right now for the first time and I’m sneezing my face off. This is a no go. Does this make anyone else sneeze?
After going to a second Bay(hbc) last night I got my bottle of Narciso Rodriguez Intense EDP, but MAC wasn’t getting Liberty of London until this morning so I was still kind of sad. LOL
More silly thoughts on things I’ve tried:
SL Chypre Rouge: Black wine gums and that goulash stuff my Dad used to make with curry powder.
Dior Escale a Portofino: Ack lemon Palmolive!
Bun-bun: That’s how I feel about Escale a Portofino too! I thought maybe it was just me, Luca gave it such high marks in The Guide. I actually quite like Pondicherry on the other hand though.
Maybe I’m a dolt, could you fill me in? Is Liberty of London doing a frag through MAC? I knew they were doing some specially designed makeup packages… But it sounds as if you were looking for a Liberty perfume at MAC?
I couldn’t find a tester of the Pondichery one in either Bay store. I saw it under some glass display thingy though.
nah, no Libetry perfume. I was just looking for the lipstick, I bought one online today. I’m just whining because I had to go to two malls to get the NR and the sales person at the first one was seemed to think she was gonna hard sell me something I didn’t want with inaccurate info. Blah!
that should have been Liberty… ugh. Bad fingers. Bad.
I’m so silly, just got a little excited hoping there might be a Liberty frag because I love the Liberty prints and was thinking a bottle with their prints would be so lovely- not withstanding what the juice might smell like.
I also disliked Portofino, liked (but didn’t love) Pondichery… sounds like for different reasons though. It starts out fine, but within about 5 minutes falls completely flat.
Boo – we really are evil scent twins! I didn’t like the first half, but the drydown was nice! LOL!
Oh, how funny!
Curious. :/
I’ve been wanting to try Vero Profumo Onda. Luckyscent doesn’t sample it and TPC is just too expensive.
Maybe Luckyscent will pick up the new EdP version & then they’ll do samples?
I got samples directly from their website in Switzerland (to Australia) no problems except “kiki” had leaked; they are little roll-ons and quite generous – and bloody gorgeous, all of them!!! Stunningly rich with a tiny hip retro vibe and smell like they are full of naturals without the full-on ‘oil’ thing! I’m sort of vacillating a bit waiting for the EDPs too, but don’t think I’ll hold out much longer on “Onda”…
Thank You!
SoTD is one of the two scents which have surprised me lately: vintage Samsara. It is so much better than the current edition. My other recent surprise was Guerlain’s 180 Ans. What a beauty and a shame they haven’t released it. I’m wondering if it’s IFRA compliant though. Maybe not since it wasn’t sold.
I’m curious about Guerlain’s newest one, Tonka Imperial but I’m sure I’ll sample it eventually.
Everything Guerlain is better in vintage, sadly. Not just Guerlain either, didn’t mean to pick on them really.
I want to know why it appears like some people have custom icons and others, like me, have a random kaliedoscope design? I feel like i should be able to upload my own icon image. Is there a way to change it?
You can – here’s the link!
http://en.gravatar.com/
beat me by a second!
http://gravatar.com/
Has anyone smelled Guerlain’d L’Instant? or Fresh’s Strawberry Flowers from Sephora?
I love luminous florals, with very few if any fruit, not much patch or cedar, I like em purty and romantic, like Pure Poison which is too white and Beautiful, which now smells kind of uniney now for some reason. The Strawberry Flowers might be fun, it sounds sparkling and not very serious, plus, it’s only $28.50.
L’instant sounds like it could well be my bespoke fragrance, if it isn’t cloying or too honey heavy.
Anyone? Or if someone has an idea I’d love to hear it. I just can’t find anything I love enough to be a signature.
Maybe Robin would let have do-over on the “Find that girl some fume”???
I recently bought Strawberry Flowers unsniffed (I got suckered by the low price). Sparkling and not very serious — absolutely, and it’s a very light fragrance. It’s also not very “strawberry” — just a hint of strawberry, IMO. I like it and think I’ll probably make good use of it in warm weather.
I find L’Instant to be a heavy floral. It’s “sticky” to me. It doesn’t do well on me at all-and I love Guerlains.
Now L’Instant for men is another story….. that is an amazing fragrance for men.
Guerlain’s Jardins de Bagatelle might be more of what you’re looking for. It’s a sparkling, fairly light floral without the Guerlinade base or the heavy amber of L’Instant.
I’d like to have a sniff at Divine. I finally got to smell Back to Black and am *exceedingly* grateful that I didn’t buy a bottle of it.
If you write to Divine, they will send you a scented card. Not so wonderful as getting the liquid, but it will give you some idea.
lol – I love Back to Black, but I have it on good authority that the honey note morphs into cat pee on some people.
yes, us “some people” were highly offended by the pee.
Divine also has a wonderful sample pack. Can’t remember the price but it was beautifully done.
I wrote to Divine, saying I was interested in a sample of the three fragrances that sounded up my alley; and they sent them to me for free. They were very quick and very nice.
I enjoyed Divine by Divine very much; though I don’t know if I want a FB. It is very womanly, quite aldehydic, and has a beautiful honeyed base. It is all dressed up and not exactly me… but despite the aldehydes it is not soapy or overwhelming, and I’m a sucker for honeyed bases…. (Except for back to black…I hate it!)
SOTD Burberry Brit I purchased for $20 Canadian at my local drug store. Pretty nice.
I also got a bottle of Obession Night for $20 and it is not half bad. both are 30 ml bottles.
Oh, and I bought a bottle of Pink Coral White Linen LOVE it.
Does anyone know of any stores in Virginia, DC, Maryland that sell rare/vintage/niche perfumes? Or just good thrift shops?
I’m driving to Baltimore from FL. So far had one good find, Anais Anais by Cacharel 80% 50ml bottle for $1 in one of the rural thrift shops. I’m not a big fan of Anais Anais but I couldn’t leave it there for that price
I wasn’t into perfumes back when I lived in MD, so I’m no help there. But it is a decent size metro area with upscale malls and shops so I’m sure if you look a bit online, you’ll find stuff.
For thrift stores, you must check out Village Thrift in Laurel – it’s off the 95 before Baltimore, so it’s right on your way. http://www.yelp.com/biz/village-thrift-store-laurel
I think there are a few other ones nearby so check google maps.
Go over to Perfumeposse.com and use the “Contact Us” to ask March. She’s in that area and will know.
There is a charming old town outside of Baltimore called Ellicott City that has some great antique/vintage shopping. Of course, inventory changes frequently and there’s no guarantee that vintage perfume will be available, but if it’s convenient for you to check out the area – it really is a cool little village.
SOTD – Body cream Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile. Scent that I’d love to sample but don’t know where to find Robert Piguet Futur. Does anyone know where to sample?
I know Bergdorf’s in NYC has Futur, not sure where else.
SOTD was vintage YSL Y for day and a sample of Chergui this evening. Surprises: I tested The Party in Manhattan and Killian Pure Oud last weekend and, to me, at first blush, anyway, they smelled wonderful enough to justify the steep prices. What I Want to Try: Papyrus de Ciane and the next L’Artisan plus everything else that y’all are raving about that I haven’t tried yet. But what I really need is more time and more arms, rather than more samples. Obviously, the Perfume Goddess is one of those thousand-armed deities!
Ha!
Ooo, I love both Pure Oud and the Party in Manhattan! If bottles of both appeared in my collection I wouldn’t mind in the slightest. I did sample the Papyrus, and my first thought was: Bandit. Mind you, Bandit without the leathery ashtray stuff. It’s that green bite, but I found Papyrus to get a bit sweet underneath where Bandit stays nice and bitter. So, to each his own. I’ll stick with the Bandit!
So, SO true! That’s the one bad thing about having skin that holds onto scent for hours and hours on end… I can’t go home after work and test something new.
Thursday’s almost over but I wanted to add that I received a tiny decant of Shaal Nur in the mail today and have been swooning over it all evening. Evil-bay only had the shower gel and body milk. Has anyone tried the body milk?
No, but I love Shaal Nur and I’m glad you do, too!
I haven’t — please report back if it’s wonderful! I didn’t even know they made one.
I’ve been going back and forth between buying Vento de Fiori or Come La Luna from Bois 1920. They came out together and reviewers seemed to differ about which was better. I’ve lusted after La Luna since I first tried it, but the $180 price tag is kind of high. I’m finally about ready to spring for a FB, but which one? Now I’m finding myself loving the sample I have of Vento de Fiori and leaning more towards it. Maybe it’s just the seasons–it may seem more spring-like. They’re both really beautiful fragrances and I love the big round bottles with gold foil lids.
I will be no help, sorry! Those are really gorgeous bottles though.
Is there anybody out there who could do a review of dunhill london and dunhill black…..please…..
i could only smell it once and since then i’ve been loving it. but before i go ahead and buy it i would like to know about its longevity and all that.
beacuse, i used to buy perfumes without properly testing them and wasted most my money.
also im quite new to this so i would like if someone could do a proper review.
You can check http://www.basenotes.net/content/1-home or http://www.makeupalley.com for fragrance reviews – or just google “dunhill fragrance reviews” – I’m sure there are plenty out there!
Hi, I’m new here. I have a question. I just found out that my 2 current favorites both contain amber and lotus. What does lotus by itself smell like? I haven’t seen it listed as often as some other floral notes.
Hard to describe — a pale, watery floral. (in perfume, that is, not in real life)
thanks Robin!
Hi everyone. I’m new as well although have been reading the blog for a while.
My thought of the day – was told by a SA at the Gucci store that Gucci EDP is going to be discontinued. He didn’t give me a date – don’t think he knew. Maybe this isn’t news to everyone but definitely made me sad!
You know, he might have been right, but SAs in stores frequently say things are to be discontinued when they’re not. Personally I wouldn’t worry about it just yet.
I think I need help. In a span of 2 and a half months, I’ve already bought 8 bottles of perfume (2 of which I gave away because I realized I didnt like it when I opened it). And all bottles are now half empty so Im thinking of buying some more. Do you think I’m sick or something?
Btw, we dont get “samples” here, and malls don’t usually carry the small bottle so I end up buying the big bottles.
You’re asking the wrong crowd if you think that we’re going to discourage you. I went from having a respectable 5 – 6 bottles to well over 100 full bottles and decants, as well as well over 100 little sample vials in the space of a year after I found this blog and the lovely people who comment on it. *We* all think that you’re normal – other people in your life may disagree.
As for samples – I started out begging them at Sephora, morphed to buying them online (which I still occasionally do), and then started swapping in earnest. Although I’m not as, umm…., helpful as some people, it does take up some time, but it’s really, really fun and exciting – I love padded envelope day in the mail. Or better yet, decant boxes!
There. Order for 2 more perfumes sent. Should be here in 3 days *excited*
Even the guard at my apartment complex is always doing that “tsk tsk” thing whenever he hands over those padded packages to me. Is this what they call addiction?
Too bad malls here (PI) do not carry small bottles nor give away samples. So post opening a new bottle (yes, I order even without sniffing) and if I didnt like it, I just give it away. (sis, aunt, friends even my nanny!)
Btw, one of my friends told me that I am “too young” to be wearing Shalimar and Pleasures. Eh? Is 25 still considered young nowadays?
Well, Shelley, Shalimar and Pleasures are at opposite ends of the floral spectrum. I’d say that you have eclectic taste rather than call you too old or too young. I discovered and wore Van Cleef & Arpels First (perfume no less) since I discovered it at 15 (granted only for very special occassions). Now in my ’40s I still love it. Don’t worry about your age, if it feels right, wear it!
“If it feels right, wear it!” – thanks thanks thanks =)
hey maybe you can help me too. do you know of any lotus soliflores? can you describe what lotus smells like? It’s listed in the notes of two of my faves, but IDK if that’s just coincidence, or if I really like lotus.
ILJP – I don’t know what lotus smells like, but DSH does have a scent in her Beaux Arts collection called “Padme Lotus” and Donna over at Perfume Smellin’ Things blog reviewed it a year or so ago. She may also have a lotus scent in her Essence Oils collection. Check out AnnS’ link a few threads above this one. All of DSH’s fragrances are available for sampling.
thanks Opera Fan!
Jazzypoo,
A late comment, I know, but wanted to say that Pacifica (pacificaperfume.com) sells a fragrance called Lotus Garden.
Web site description: “A meditative and intoxicating blend of sparkling yuzu, lotus blossom, jasmine, olibanum and bright, radiant green notes.”
Not a soliflore maybe, but sounds lovely nonetheless and has matching shower gel, lotion and other goodies.