You know the drill: talk about anything you like — the perfume you're wearing today, the perfume you should have worn today, the next perfume you're planning to buy, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: image is girasole [cropped] by Sonietta46 at flickr; some rights reserved.
Anyone know how to get leftover perfume smell out of clothes? When I get my sweaters and such out of the dryer you can still smell whatever was there before. Then it clashes with whatever I’ve decided to wear that day, and all hell breaks loose in my nose. I tried Spray and Wash, but–surprise, surprise–that just added the smell of Spray and Wash. Any helpful hints?
I swear that unscented Tide works better than anything at removing scent. For extra-perfumed clothing, I use a bigger dose than usual (powder form) and do a double rinse. Will look forward to hearing whatever anyone else says.
I use unscented Tide as well and have never had problems with scents lingering on clothes…except the biggies, of course – Angel and Insolence EDP – still some remnants after one wash.
Another vote for unscented Tide….also the extra rinse helps.
What about borax?
I use dreft because I have kidlets and it doesn’t leave much of a scent after drying…
I bought something on ebay and I swear the person must have doused it in Light Blue. Totally gross. The only thing that got it out was a soak with Cra-z soap. Some people don’t like the smell of the soap, but I think it’s a million times better than stale light blue! haha
Those are the days I miss being a sig scent girl….
Agree about the unscented Tide, just be sure to use very little rather than a lot. Too much detergent in the wash can build up on clothing making it harder to get them clean. I also live in an area with very hard water and I like to add a cup of baking soda to the wash. It softens the water so the detergent can work better and has scent neutralizing properties. You can get a giant sized box of store brand baking soda for very little. I use Borax for towels and things, but somehow feel safer using baking soda on my clothes. At the yarn store we use a product called “Soak” which is the only thing I would every recommend using on wool, delicates, and fine hand-washables. It doesn’t strip the fibers but does a great job of dissolving soil without leaving anything behind. We sell it, and I’ve also seen it at Macy’s in the lingerie dept. Great on make-up brushes, too.
Good to know – I have several things I wash by hand and I’m always looking for something that will really clean my makeup brushes.
Quilters use Soak, too, for fragile items and heirlooms especially.
I don’t think this will remove scent, but on the thread of gentle cleansers for fragile textiles….. Orvus Paste is good; it’s used for cleaning textiles and also to bathe horses.
I’ve got a lot of winter sweaters that have absorbed some kind of musk, the drydown of one of my favorite perfumes (I haven’t identified which one). It’s faint enough, and nice enough, that it doesn’t bother me. I can see where it would be a major problem if it was a perfume mistake, or if the perfume was someone else’s!
I’ve noticed a huge overlap in the knitting and quilting communities! Soak is terrific. We also sell Eucalan, but is is for wool and contains natural lanolin to replace that which is stripped from the wool from washing. Soak doesn’t do that, but it also doesn’t strip the lanolin.
How about adding one cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle? That works pretty well for me.
And it’s good against calcaire, too. A double score for the nose-fussy & machine savvy.
I was going to suggest the vinegar as well; that’s what I do whenever I encounter anything with an ultra-resistant aroma.
That’s why I have a signature scent. LOL!
Do tell, Bela — what is it?
I use the unscented detergent from Costco along with about half a cup of borax and then if it’s really stubborn, half a cup of baking soda. I use unscented liquid softener too.
Now and then the base notes will stick around on my lingerie, but not enough to be a problem.
I want to try the stuff Julia mentioned: “Soak” –never heard of it before but it sounds promising….especially since we don’t know what your sweaters are made of (I’m strictly a cotton girl myself) ….but adding white vinegar to the wash removes most odors (I use this on the CEO’s yard working clothes P-U ) and baking soda is a great detergent booster/ fabric freshener.
Just don’t use vinegar and baking soda together. You can leaven bread with that combination.
good safety tip – vinegar and baking soda react, chemically, to create an acid. It’s good for clearing clogged drains – not good on hands, in eyes, or in the wash.
oops, I should have specified—when I’m working hard to get some iccky work clothes clean–I run them thru the wash a couple of times….first with vinegar added and then a SECOND time with baking soda. However mixing white vinegar and baking soda isn’t going to end the world people—just makes a nice fizzy reaction a la 5th grade science class. Good for you sweaters? perhaps not.
Thanks for all the help. I’ll try any and everything. Funny, I used to use unscented detergent exclusively, and slowly got outvoted on that one. Maybe I’ll start with going back to that. I did think about baking soda, which I used to use for everything. (Including cleaning my contact lens, which horrified my opthamologist.)
Back in the days when I used to have to go to a laundromat, the guy who ran the place — if they gave degrees in laundry, George would have been a Ph.D. — used to put a bit of ammonia in the ultra-stinky loads.
I think ammonia is supposed to be good for grease-based odors; come to think of it, that might make it good for removing scent, since a lot of the scent chemicals are oils.
There’s also this detergent called “Fit,” is is designed to get sweat and odors out of athletes’ technical fabric clothing (that stuff holds smells like CRAZY). It is good at getting out scent that seems to ‘cling,’ especially if it seems to hang around because of the nature of the fabric itself.
It can be hard to find but drugstore.com has it.
OxiClean will get anything out, and it doesn’t leave a smell.
SotD: Chanel No. 22 (and it’s one that I never regret wearing, so there’s definitely no selection remorse today!)
My next purchase will be a set of samples from Sonoma Scent Studio. Looking forward to trying that line after all the positive comments I’ve read here! However, I’m being quite restrained this quarter compared to the spending rampage of Q1, so it can wait until next month
Have fun w/ the SSS samples, when you get them! I am loving their body silk, really nice.
I’ve become a big fan of scented lotions and powder which I like to use in the heat down here. The SAs at Saks acted like I was about 85 years old when I went in for Youth Dew powder but it is great – spicy and clean smelling. Love the YD body cream, too.
Julia,
I’ve got a couple of co-workers started on Youth Dew bath oil. Of course, we’re supposed to be working in a “scent free” area, but if used sparingly the sillage is minimal….
I’m a huge fan of SSS, so I’ll be interested to hear what you think!
Today I am wearing Kyoto by CDG. I got the sample this past winter when I was on an incense kick. I actually like this goes beautifully with the kind of spring day we are having here in DC. I am noticing the floral characteristics of it much more than when I last smelled it in the winter.
Isn’t the weather simply gorgeous today? Spent my lunch break walking around outside.
Yes indeed. Puttering around the house today – windows wide open sunshine and frsh air pouring in. Headed outside for a little gardening – I have some purple irises to plant!
So, so jealous. I’ve been stuck in the office and car all week, while it’s been sunny and 80*. I’m trying to take tomorrow off to get caught up around the house…so of course, the forecast changed to 70* and rain. Bah.
Color me jealous too! We have severe storm warnings…. again! At least no tornados this time.
Kyoto is one fragrance that I think I’d wear any time of year! Would just have to go very light on the very hot days.
Oh, me too Haunani! Are we scent-twins??
BTW, back on May-Day, I layered Kyoto with C&E LOTV and it was magical combination!
We might be! Kyoto is a great fragrance.
The weather here in Baltimore is beautiful today also. I bought Kyoto last fall–couldn’t decide between that and Hinoki. However, today my bottle of Hinoki just arrived along with Byredo La Tulipe.
SOTD is FM’s Le Parfum de Therese.
I decided to wear Christian LaCroix “Bazaar Summer 2004”. I wanted to wear something like and citrusy since I was going to be visiting nursing homes with my mom and grandmother. I wanted to smell good but non-offensive. It was fine for everyone else but me. The sillage stayed so close it gave me a headache and though I’ve enjoyed it before, the weather went from sunny and nice to suddenly cool and stormy, so that totally took all the lovely fizz out and left me with sour lemons and a detergenty marine note. Should have worn: CSP Eau des Artes like I have everyday since I got a back-up bottle for my b-day.
Oh, what a shame!
Was going to wear Atelier’s Oolong Infini, ended up with Body Shop’s White Musk Breeze simply because it smells fresh and good and simple, and I wasn’t in the mood to be anything more than that today. Re: the laundry issue: add some OxyClean to the load. it doesn’t hurt colors, gets clothes clean, and deodorizes as well.
Did not know OxyClean took care of odors too, thanks.
SOTD: Heeley Cardinal. Found a generous spray sample at the bottom of a long-discarded Aedes shopping bag (they’re really very generous with the samples!) and in my humble opinion, it’ s qa light, beautiful take on incense. It’s very quiet and stays close to the skin after the initial citrus blast subsides. Me thinks: full bottle worthy.
I’ve heard really great things about Cardinal. I love Avignon but I know that Cardinal is considered a little friendlier than the former but I’m concerned they may be too similar.
Yes, I keep hearing that they’re similar as well. But reviewers always point out that Cardinal is much lighter, drier, and easier to wear – and without the cloying sweetness of vanilla that make some perfumistas dislike Avignon.
I like incense so I’d like to try Cardinal. I couldn’t handle Avignon — it’s got that straight out the censer church smell and just waaayy too gloomy and evocative for me.
I enjoy the incense in Hermes Jardin sur le Nil and TDC Sublime Balkiss in the heat.
Like S says, Cardinal is lighter and airier, and without the spices and the personality that make the CDG incense series so appealing to me. But it is a very likeable fragrance indeed, really focused on incense and with a light feel! IMO, of course!
Hmm, I think it might be a nice alternative during the summer. Avignon is gorgeous in my opinion because it is so cold, so gothic however it’s almost to dank smelling for the summer, so maybe something a bit more inviting would work.
Just agreeing with everyone that Cardinal is a great fragrance, and yes, I can see calling it more “friendly” and wearable than Avignon. It actually reminds me a lot of CdG + Artek Standard.
I’m going to have to investigate this!
Just a warning that Cardinal isn’t always friendly — I got a sample, loved it, then bought a big fat decant and it instantly transformed into a sweaty-smelling mess. To be fair, I overapplied it on a hot day, but I haven’t worn it since! I find Avignon far easier to wear.
SOTD: Eau de Sud
I have so many scents on my wish list…Datura Blanche, Ambre Gris, Amarathine. I’m on a scent-buying moratorium for the summer and my internet purchasing finger is getting twitchy.
Just got a FB of Amaranthine! But I found a deal at MiN New York and got a good % off so I was happy! I think it is SO FBW!
Ooh – I’m jealous. That one is near the top of my FB Wish List!
Mine too! I think it’s actually AT the top.
A discount you say…? Are they having a sale?
A summer moratorium is easy for me, simply because I know my sense of smell is out of whack thanks to the seriously over air conditioned air. Without being able to give it that final “are you sure?” test, I tend not to buy.
trying out a sample of DL and Co Angels Trumpet…on the fence about it…not bad but not sure if I would need more of it…strong stuff! Lovely, true flower scent!
* I’m also looking for other scents like PG Bois Blond! Something about it draws me back again and again!!!!!
Like in what way?
I don’t mind the top notes, but the dry down (animalic maybe?) is just awesome! I get the same feel from Amaranthine’s drydown and Bois Farine…something bready? Animalic?
Elise: I’ve been curious for awhile about that Angel’s Trumpet. It’s touted as having a “mushroomy” note, no? I own the DL & Co Lady Rhubarb and I quite like that too.
That ‘mushroom’ thing can go either way on me. CB IHP Wild Hunt it is a mud scented disaster on me, but the ‘truffle accord’ of Une Rose lends a nice earthiness that balances the rose beautifully. BTW, I have a FB of Wild Hunt that was given to me in a going out of business sale which really could use a good home. I think I have a “travel size” absolute of it, too. julia941 on mua and at yahoo.
SOTD is Jo Malone Dark Amber & Ginger Lily. I got hold of sample and I’m really enjoying at the moment. Quite tempted to go for a 30ml bottle of this even though there are other things on my wish list that I probably love more. That’s the problem with the smaller bottles, they are much easier to justify. The whole limited edition thing doesn’t help either.
It may be LE, but it’s been out each of the past 3 summers. Does that help? (I have the 30 ml bottle myself.)
I think it may be part of the permanent line-up now. I bought the 30ml small bottle just last week. The website lists it as part of the Kohdo Wood collection and it has a “daytime” companion of something and lotus blossom. I’ve found all of the Jo Malones colognes I’ve tried suitable for daytime because they are so light.
I like the daytime one (I think it’s called Lotus Blossom & Water Lily) for a hot-weather incense fragrance.
I love and own that one. It has a watery feel but is perfect for summery days. Long-lasting though.
Good to hear some love for the “day” version. Its night sister seems to get all the attention!
The day one is sour on me…but if I still have a sample, now I know a few places it can go!
It helps a little, boo, but then it’s the most affordable one of the lot. Bandit is the next one up and the rest are the Chanels and Amouages and things. And it lasts much better than the JMs I owned in the past. Decisions, decisions.
It’s listed as LE on Jo Malone website (the UK version)
Love Bandit, and Chanel (most). I have to say, as much as I liked and “had to have” the DA&GL, I haven’t worn it much. Go figure.
That happens to me too. I think the chase and acquisition is a big part of the fun!
I often find once I get a new bottle, I don’t wear it much at first so I think you are right on about the chase – the hours spent sampling and deciding which full bottle to get, trolling ebay and the discounters once you’ve decided, bidding and losing auctions, looking for coupon codes, checking shipping costs, etc.
The Dark Amber & Ginger Lily is really long-lasting on me too, which is nice. I like it too.
After several days of miserably rainy & cooler weather in which I took advantage of heavier perfumes that I fear I may have too put aside for daily wear in the upcoming summer months I’m wearing my staple, Melograno, today. My fiance’ commented this morning on it being his favourite because it’s ‘me’ so no regrets there really.
It’s funny, for the first time in a while I’m not craving a perfume … well, aside from the Hermes perfume that I still haven’t bought.
Right now my main perfume task at hand is deciding which bottles to take with me on a trip to the Virgin Islands. Melograno is definitely going, but the rest of my lighter more summery scents don’t tend to last terribly long and so I don’t know if I should even bother with those.
I have Melograno too. My dad says it smells like a proper gentleman’s soap. Just a splash down the decolletage and relish in the stuff wafting up as it warms up. I wore it last summer when it was really hot, so it will be perfect for your tropical trip (lucky sod!).
It does have a soapy quality about it, though it turns very incense-y on me. I used to wear in near daily before I began expanding my perfume collection a few years ago, but it will always be my go-to fragrance. I feel terrible that usually during the Lazy Thursday Polls my SotD is almost always Melograno especially during warmer months.
I haven’t bought a lot in the last few months, but I did finally get a barely-used bottle of Melograno on eBay. I noticed that SMN has changed their packaging and I really wanted the old label design as a keepsake. Very happy to be heading into summer with plenty of Melograno on hand!
Lol. Oh, I think I may have been bidding against you on that if it was about a month ago or so b/c there was a mostly full bottle of Melograno on eBay with the old label that I wanted.
I often wonder whenever I’m bidding on vintage or niche’ perfumes on eBay how many I know through NST.
That’s hilarious — yes, that might have been the bottle!
I needed that label, just like I “needed” some Sophie Harley jewelry a couple of years ago.
Oh you have no idea how badly I sit on the Sophie Harley website staring at that damn necklace. I had a jeweler friend who was supposed to replicate it for me, but he ended up becoming too preoccupied with other things and never delivered. Le sigh.
My obsession with Vesper is bad, but it’s mostly because I just adore Eva Green like no ones business.
An obsession that has led me to doing stuff like this: http://pics.livejournal.com/klytaemnestra/pic/00086f6y
Glad to know I am not the only Vesper geek out there. Embrace it.
As far as I’m concerned, adoring Eva Green should be everyone’s business
She is amaaaaazing!
Do you have cosplay pics on DeviantArt as well? Because I could SWEAR I’ve seen your photos before, during one of my endless web trawls on things related to Vesper/Bond/Casino Royale, etc. You look incredible!! I can’t imagine the work that goes into recreating a look from head to toe!
The necklace, I’ve gotta say, is worth every expensive pound. I wear it every day. I also have the circle earrings that Vesper wears with the purple dress and will eventually get the ones that go with the black dress, just to make sure that Sophie Harley has all my money. Embrace indeed!
Yeah, I have a deviantArt so it is very likely. Thank you.
And I can imagine. I’m more or less supporting a fiance’ while he’s in law school so it’s a tad out of my budget at the current time, but the moment it’s not I will be making a purchase and asking for it for it for an anniversary present or something. It’s so gorgeous.
Luckily he loves James Bond as much as I do so it’s all good.
Hi K. – you’ll get a kick out of hearing that I’ve just spent the last half hour reading your blog. First I clicked on the link for your picture, and having absolutely no idea who Vesper was, I looked that up as well. Duh! I haven’t seen the latest Bond movies with DC, although I loved him in Defiance.
Anyway, I loved your blog, costumes and pictures. You’re a very talented and fascinating young woman. And now you’ve got me lusting after that necklace as well!
Aww, thank you. I know that in the past people have clicked there looking for perfume reviews and then find it to be some random blog with a menagerie of topics, my geeky ramblings, costumes, and whatnot. Glad you enjoyed it though.
And isn’t that necklace absolutely stunning? I’ve been lusting over it for years. I suppose if I didn’t have my perfume addiction I might have the extra money for it, but I do have those priorities.
I certainly can’t afford the original version, but I love it enough to want to buy the knockoff! Is that what you’re wearing in the picture?
I have a Hong Kong knock off replica that’s kind of huge in comparison which I used for another version I did of Vesper, but the one in the shot I linked was actually molded out of sculpy and accented w/ scrapbook findings and gold wire. It was a last minute fix because aforementioned jeweler friend completely dropped the ball on this and left me without my necklace but it came out surprisingly well.
The have some sterling silver replicas which can be found on Amazon & eBay for a discounted price, but I would recommend steering clear of the Hong Kong replica since it’s really disproportionately large.
The sterling one from Emitations isn’t a bad compromise — I had that before I saved up enough for the Sophie Harley original.
I’ve found that a lot of SAs in department stores don’t know that much about the perfumes they’re selling. A lot of them have to deal with other products, so I grant them some grace for not being total fumies… But I wish that when a SA comes up while I’m happily sniffing by myself, and I then ask something, that they are at least aware of da basics (like which nose is behind which perfume, when new arrivals are due, what a few notes in a particular fragrance are…). I’m a bit bitter today. And maybe pining for a flesh and blood ‘fume buddy, and that’s why I’m lamenting the plebbian SAs.
SAs drive me up a wall. I will forever remember the Sephora SA who not only insulted Chanel No. 5, mentioned having Chanel No. 5 bottles of pure perfume from France sitting unopened in her closest that were ‘old & musty’ and needed to be tossed out.
I almost died.
Bonkers! I hope you managed to persuade this SA to run home and fetch Chanel for you to have?
You know, if I see her again I will bring it up and give her my cellphone number. I really want that Chanel No. 5. I had to explain to her that it aged like wine.
You should track down that SA. If she’s telling the truth about this old, dusty lil no5 just sitting in her cupboard you could be in for a lovely treat.
oh, old and musty, we like that! lol, well, some people can”t appreciate the good stuff, you should pay her a visit and maybe exchange the old and must stuff for some fresh fruity floral
She is more than welcome to have my bottle of Versace Bright Crystal in exchange for that old, musty Chanel No. 5. I really need to talk to her next time I go into Sephora.
Yikes, old and musty is right up my alley. Just makes me shudder to think that she’d discard a treasure like that!!
I’ve generally found the quality of SAs commensurate with the quality of the department store and also how extensive their fragrance department is. My local Macy’s is terrible and the actual “fine fragrance” department is pitifully small. Most of the scents are placed with other products in the line like Estee Lauder or Chanel, and the SAs with each line may or may not really like perfume. It seems a lot of them are makeup artists and skin care specialists rather than perfumistas. They barely know anything about their own line other than the “cheat sheet” they have so I’m sure they don’t know any more about another line. If I’m in a place like that I usually ask for the sheet and then they leave me to my sniffing and note reading.
Julia, you are v. wise. And yes, I agree with you that they can’t be blamed if they don’t give a toss about fragrance, and indeed this is why I’m willing to cut them a bit of slack. However, there are enough dept. stores that have very elitist fume racks and half a dozen SAs lurking about. These are the ones I’m miffed about.
I do love hanging out it private boutiques, but there aren’t all that many of them in every city.
I know what you mean about the “high-end” dept. stores which have large fragrance departments and seemingly ample staff – they should at least have the skillz to provide good customer service and do all they can to get good information for you even if they have no idea what you’re asking about. I actually had one tell me that she didn’t know about something because she missed the class and then proceeded to tell me about her appointment that day!
Also, am testing AG Petite Chérie EdP. I’ve tested the EdT before and found it has very poor staying power. Sadly, the EdP hasn’t performed much better. Has anyone else found this to be true (of the EdP, the EdT has a bad reputation, I’m wise to that)?
And has anyone noticed that when some Petite Chérie have an awful biscuit-type selftanner undertaste to them?? Why? What can be done against it?
AG’s PC is pretty notorious for smelling ‘off’. I think it has something to do with the volatile aromachemical responsible for the pear note.
Say it isn’t so, indeed! Bugger, and is there anything one can do to prevent the pear from going fuzzy? It’s really sad, because it’s precisely the pear note I lust over…….
I actually keep all my AG scents refrigerated: Eau du Sud, Hadrien, Hadrien Absolu, and Vetiver. I find that if I keep ’em cool and in a dark place, they’re pretty safe. Haven’t had a bottle turn yet BUT I don’t know if the same trick will work with PC.
Yikes, now I’m feeling a bit too chicken to invest in an EdP, even if does have slightly better lasting power……. =(
I’m testing Leslie Blodgett’s Bare Skin and I’m angry that I put it on a part of my arm I find hard to get to my nose LOL
If I have the money the last weekend of May I’m going to get a bottle of Chinatown.
Love Chinatown! One of my cool weather faves. And the bottle is so pretty.
I’m in Florida so it’s already a steamroom here. SOTD: Diorella.
Am hankering for a bottle of L’Artisan Havana Vanille. I’ve sampled it but wonder how the spritzing would work in hot weather. Anyone tried it in the heat?
I’m wearing HV today, and it’s in the mid-70’s. I was hoping that it would be boozier, but it just gets a bit syrupy. It’s still gorgeous, and I plan to wear it through the summer : )
I still aspire to a bottle of Chinatown! I’ve been making due with samples for two years now …
I’m trying to save money for it by sewing my own summer dresses which of course means I’ll be going insane but I will smell good. LOL
How fun, I admire people who can sew! I bet you’ll look good AND smell good!
Wearing Fragonard Confidential Cette Nuit La sent to me in a swap as an extra and I love it!
How nice to get something as an extra and then love it!
SOTD: Papyrus de Ciane. I love it, but think it was a bit of a mistake today, as it’s quite warm and rather summery out. One of these days I need to organize my collection better. It’s hard to choose a scent when you forget what you have to choose from.
When you organize yours, I need you to give me some tips.
I think I may just print out a list of the FBs and decants I have, organized by season, and call it a day. At least if I have a list to glance over, something is sure to strike me, and then it’s just a matter of locating it.
I love that Papyrus soon. I’d have thought it would be okay on a warm day… I love how sort of grassy/bitter it is. I bought a little vial of cypriol/nagarmotha esential oil a year or so ago, and it’s so easy to recognize the dilution of that in PdC. My decant will be gone soon!
Want mine? Sadly, it just didn’t work for me.
Oh, it’s not *bad* on a warm day, it’s just that this is warm verging on hot, and the humidity is up there too… so something lighter would have been better. Not a disaster, just… not it.
My boyfriend is finally starting to want to branch out with his scents. Any recommendations? Currently he wears Terre d’Hermes, L’Instant (for men), Vega, Orange Vert, the Hermes Jardins series.
His nose is way better than mine as distinguishing notes and he doesn’t like vanilla.
Your bf has quite nice taste!
My dad wears Terre d’H, and he also like Knieze, so maybe give that a go?
How fun! Sounds like he has good taste. My husband likes Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac and Guerlain Vetiver. We both love Coromandel and apparently our daughter does, too. I have a little decant that I keep in the bathroom and she took that home last week.
Compared to my boyfriend (and most guys I know), your bf not only has much better taste, but has more than one bottle, too! It must be nice for you, as well, to get some variation when you sniff him.
Maybe I’m a bit jealous because my bf has one HUGE bottle of Acqua di Gio, won’t use anything else, and sprays only on his clothes, saying “It lasts longer.”
This is frustrating on several counts: a) di Gio is ok, but only after a while and on skin b) it’s a supremely boring fragrance after years (considering also my last bf had a thing for it, too) and c) his methods of spritzing stink up the entire house.
I am sorry, Dixie, that I don’t have any answers for you, but I am glad to hear of a guy with more interest in fragrances (and jealous, too)!
On that end, do you all have any recommendation on a “testing other waters” cologne I might give to the bf? He likes things that smell “clean,” which of course makes it difficult to find him anything interesting to wear!
I don’t know much about traditional masculines, and the idea of getting him to branch out with one of my strange leathers or incenses or whatevers is going to keep more squarely entrenched in his perfume-mongamy neurosis.
If it helps at all the women’s fragrances that he loves are mostly fruity-candied-frothy vanilla things; most I won’t wear, and I’ve accused him of wanting me to smell of “a piece of fruit that got into fisticuffs with a cupcake.”
That being said, he does have a thing for Feminite du Bois and Dzing!, if that helps anyone figure out what he might like on himself…
BeccaB, my husband had a ‘thing’ for Drakkar Noir (and the same freakin’ bottle since forever that had gotten very skanky). I couldn’t stand it, so when I bought the Bond Bon Bon set in 2006 I gave him Wall Street. He LOVED it, which is great because I love it too, and now he’s sad that his two bottles have run out (I’m buying him another for Father’s Day, shhhhhh!)
He also loves mySL Fille En Aiguilles, and Terre de Hermes. AND he likes Acqua di Gio, so I’m thinking these might be a good choice for your boyfriend. Finally, L’Artisan Navegar might work for him as well.
becca b,
I was going to suggest Terre d’Hermes, the new Voyage, and Hermes Mediterainee and Apres le Mousson. Three of these are at Sephora. Jardin Sur le Nil is awesome too.
Creed Erolfa is a dead ringer for Acqua di Gio. If you want a different smell, but want to stay in that fresh yet woody category, try either of the following.
Dsquared2 – HeWood
Hermes – Eau de Gentiane Blanche
Dzing! is one of the perfumes my husband has gone out of his way to compliment me on. Usually the best I can get it is “yeah, it smells nice, but you have so many I can’t tell them apart.” The other ‘fume he has done that with is Bvulgari Omnia.
I know this may not be niche, but how about Eau Sauvage or Declaration?
Im a guy and have owned a bottle of Terre D’Hermes. Have him look at Montale Red Vetyver and Comme des Garcons Incense Kyoto. I recall them both having a similar vibe to the Hermes.
Montale Black Aoud did the trick in this household. I’ve been trying to get my hubby a decent citrus scent of some sort for well over a year – citrus, because that’s what he said he wanted. Then a few weeks ago I literally dragged him into a niche perfume shop to sniff some decent citruses, but to say he didn’t get excited about anything I picked for him is an understatement. I pretty much gave up, forgot all about him and started to test stuff for myself. In the meantime he, the self-proclaimed citrus guy, found Black Aoud all by himself, loved it immediately and is now using it. Never in a million years would I have dared to recommend that!:) But am I glad he found it, it’s amazing!
My boyfriend loves Gucci Pour Homme (cedar+incense power!), Serge Lutens Santal Blanc and Mona di Orio Lux (but it has some vanilla, so your bf wouldn’t like it).
I suggest Hermès Voyage
SOTD: Escale a Portofino. Well, I’ve given this three solid wearings, and sadly, just don’t get it. No almond. No musk. No nothing except for that astringent citrus cleaning fluid. No use lamenting it over and over again. Into the sell/swap pile it goes. Darn. So wanted to like this one.
In other scent news:
Latest lust – Attrape Coeur. Wanting a bottle of this one really badly. I know, I know, I’ve been screaming it out across the airwaves. I’ll shut up now.
Latest sample test – Laurence Dumont’s Tendre Madeleine. Smells a lot like L de Lolita Lempicka to me. Luscious gourmet vanilla comfort scent.
Most recent bargain unsniffed purchase winner – Clarins Par Amour Toujours for $14.99 at our favorite brick & mortar discount retailer – TJ Maxx. Reminds me of Pure White Linen.
Most recent bargain unsniffed purchase loser – Bulgari Blu Notte. Too powdery.
Isn’t AC being discontinued? Get it soon!
I love Tendre Madeleine — just wore it the other day. And I agree it is quite similar to L!
I’m hankering after some AC as well. Going to NYC tomorrow with the DH and trying to decide if I should venture into Bergdorfs with him to ask if they have any left. The SA made a nice sample vial for me the last time I visited…
I’m staying in today. It is grey and humid, almost rainy. I put some Rose Oud on my wrists this morning, but I’ve been messing around in the kitchen and it is mostly washed off now. I think I might do a blind dip into the sample bag and see what I come up with later. I do have a samples of L’AP Nuit de Tubereuse and Floris Malmaison to play with. The latter was a surprise and on first sniff it smells like carnations – a fave of mine.
You intrigued me:I love the smell of real carnations,but I haven’t found a good perfume rendition of the flower. Must give that Malmaison a try!
I like it. I was talking to the lovely Marcy at Luscious Cargo about DSH Oeillets Rouge and she sent me a sample of this to try. Apparently it has been reformulated but I don’t know anything about the original except that it was a favourite of Oscar Wilde.
sotd: feminite du bois, EDP, I know, I know, it’s neither winter nor fall, but hey, this spring we’re having here in Europe is akin to fall, with lots of low temperatures and rain, so no remorse here
My buying record has seen, uhm, some development over the last two months: Ford’s White Patchouli, Iceberg The Fragrance, vintage Ma Griffe, Dior’s Sweet Sun and Eau de Rochas somehow found their way into my fragrance closet (pfff, quite a lot, now I am reading it!)
oh and some samples, but that doesn’t count, right?
have a nice day all of you!
Frankly, I prefer wearing overweight fumes in the summer (amber! patchouly! aoud! civet!) and the bright, bitter, crisp stuff when it’s cooler and you need something to lift the spirit, so more power to you.
Also, yes the summer sucks in EU, just got to France for my granny’s bday and it’s rotten here.
ALSO, I’m dying of jealousy of all the goodies you picked up. I’ve only bought one for myself (and two as gifts) this year, and that’s Stella Peany in Two (verrrrry good $deal$, with the body lotion). I like it quite a lot, even though it doesn’t blow my skirt way up, BUT it makes me a little bit sad for some reason.
It’s actually warm in SF today, SOTD is a mix of Jessica Mclintock body lotion and Le Labo Bergamotte 22. It’s soft and clean, and really long lasting too.
I’ve totally been on a lily of the valley kick lately. It’s the total opposite of what I usually wear too.
Is Jessica McC that wedding dress designer’s fragrance? I read something amazing about it recently (if it’s the one I’m thinking of)…… how are you finding it?
Yes, it is the bridal fragrance. I have to confess though, I used to hate JMC about 15 years ago. But I recently tried a spritz, and found it very lovely, but different from Diorissimo. It was soft and musky rather than green and fresh.
I’m happy to send a sample to you if you’d like…..
I found a 3.4 oz EDP bottle for a song on parfum1, and took advantage of their 20% off coupon.
For reals? I would love a sample….. And would send you something in exchange… Are you in the States? Here’s my email if you want to get in touch servingthegentle@gmail.com. x
SOTD: Started with Donna Karan Chaos and the sun came out and Chamade called my name… Delicious.
I have been lurking for a while soaking up all of your valuable expertise and now I would like to pose a question! I would like to get my mother a new scent for her birthday, something she may not have come across previously. Her longtime favourite is KL and a close second is Dioressence but she also wears Opium, Paloma, Narcisco Rodriguez For Her really well. Any suggestions greatly appreciated!
I think Kayliana’s mention of Natori, below, was meant for you — and it’s a great idea!
Have a sniff at Guerlain’s Oriental Brulant, one of the Elixers Charnals.
Thanks Kayliana, Annie and Robin for the suggestions. I am planning a smelling foray into Harrod’s and Selfridges and I will try those and hopefully come home loaded with samples to try for me as well. Can’t wait ….
Just read Natori review and it sounds like my mom , now just need to see if it smells like her… Thanks again!
I want to buy my first Guerlain. I’ve smelled just about all of them and finally found one I’d like to have. Paris-Moscou. I keep telling myself it’s too much money, it’s not the right season I’ll wait for fall. But it’s haunting me. It smells so damn good! It smells heavenly. I want to wear it all the time. It does all the things a great fume should, it’s there but doesn’t shout, it has great sillage and it evolves all day. It’s so yummy. But it’s expensive and I don’t know if I need 245 mls of any scent!!! HELP! I need the push or the voice of reason…..
many here will tell you to join or host a split to defray the cost. go ahead and buy it and keep 50ml, and then sell the rest off in little decants.
Kayliana my poor dear, I feel your pain. AND… I’m intrigued. Haven’t heard or sniffed this Paris->Moscou number, but I’m in Paris at the mo’ and hear the Guerlain store beckoning to me. If a lemming is unleashed due to you I will hunt you down
I push!
If you like it so much, and you can afford it, it is something that you won’t regret: the “right” perfume can make one so happy!!
And of course, nobody needs 245 ml of anything, but 245 is better than… well than not having any!!
Maybe you could look for a decant and make sure it is that much worthy for you?
I am also putting my cents aside for an expensive bottle (Carnal Flower), but I tell myself that >140 euros there are much more of a deal than putting 20 euros on something I would like much less.
If you like to swap for other things, then you can use that to negotiate swaps. If not host a split! I’d buy some because I love it! I’m mdixie17@gmail.com if you are serious.
A split sounds so reasonable, but who keeps the bottle?? I’ve never done it so I don’t know it works…
Typically the host has first dibs, but if s/he doesn’t want it, or if someone else is taking a larger portion of the ‘fume, sometimes it gets sent on to a participant.
I am going to Miami in early october.
After 3 years of going to the US and having visited San Francisco (2007) and Houston (2008/9) I used to have access to great perfume stores (or department stores/malls) in those cities.
Where should I head to while on Miami for fine fragrance buying? (and perhaps a cave that carries long discontinued jewels?)
No clue, but hope someone else will know!
South Florida doesn’t have much-I live in the Ft. Lauderdale area. The Towncenter Mall in Boca Raton has a Saks that has a Chanel and Guerlain boutique that sell the exclusifs. They also have Kilian, Creed, and Bond #9. The Nieman Marcus there has Serge Lutens, L’Artisan, Robert Piquet, and Van Cleef and Arpels exclusifs.
There is a Hermes Boutique in the Bal Harbor shops in Miami.
That’s all I have found down here.
All?!? I don’t have ANY of those scents within, oh, I don’t know, a couple of hundred miles at least! Only the very mainstream dept. store stuff.
Thank you Daisy! it is more than enought to start
Cheers
Natori for your mommy!!
SOTD = Jardin sur le Nil. This and Mousson (YES, I love it!) have just seemed very right lately for some reason.
Otherwise… I just plan to enjoy scrolling through the poll on and off all day and evening! As always, comments here can make my day. You’re all a bunch of funny and interesting people.
Joe, I am so into the Jardins right now…..every year or so I go througha Jardins stage, I think they are so perfect for spring when you have no idea what the weather’s going to do. Good call.
Back atcha Joe.
Joe, both those fragrances are cool, but I’m always more mesmerized by the people who choose to wear them. And that was very sweet, what you wrote, I feel like that too when I read this blog.
Joe: You and I should be co-presidents of the Mousson Lovers Club! (You are the only other person I know who loves it too!)
And that’s why we enable each other so well in our purchases/splits, I can’t help but think.
I love (and own) it too!
I love it too! The other Jardins don’t speak to me though. I bought a FB of Mousson after going through a sample only. I usually graduate from sample to decant to FB. It is my “go to” scent.
I can’t love it… I get so much pepper, it actually makes me sneeze.
SOTD: Annick Goutal Le Chevrefeuille. Totally faded by now, though, so if I don’t reapply I’m going to go for Annick Goutal’s Sables (it’s chilly and rainy today, I need something exotic and warm).
Next perfumes on my list to buy are Sinfonia di Note Blanc Des Cotons (LOVE it), Micallef Vanille Aoud, Micallef Mon Perfum, L’Artisan Al Oudh (have a large decant, need a bottle), and a couple more…..and purchased in the last week: Hermessence set (Vanille Galante, Poivre Samarkande, Vetiver Tonka, Osmanthe Yunnan), Micallef Ananada mini, Micallef Watch mini, Hermessence Ambre Narguile.
Yum, love Chevrefeuille!
I wanna know what you ladies think of Felanilla? I am thinking of ordering unsniffed,should I go for the 30ml or jump right to the 50ml.The notes sound so good!
i dont think you should buy anything unsniffed. Im pretty sure you have enough fragrances in your collection to hold you over while you wait for a sample to arrive.
Hey Parfumesse – I also thought the notes sounded good, but I loathed Felanilla. I don’t really remember why though… anyway, sample first!
wow you guys are scaring me now. *LOL*
Parfumesse, I’m with Helle on this one.
Do you like Shalimar? Felanilla instantly reminded me of it.
I love Felanilla (and am not a Shalimar fan). I think it’s a yummy vanilla/hay scent, but I’d also recommend getting a sample vial first.
I think Felanilla is gorgeous! But probably not a good idea to order unsniffed. I can send you a sample if you like. I’m givemesomescents on MUA.
The first time I tried it I LOVED it, the second time…not so much. I would sample it first.
Today I am unscented!
It is like when you forget your favorite scarf on a chilly day and you think about it all day long!
I wanted to keep my wrists “bare” because I planned to do some skin tests in a couple of perfumeries at lunch-break and then after work…but didn’t manage to do any. I had on my list:
Teo Cabanel Alahine, Isabey Gardenia (to check if it has really been reformulated), Patou 1000 and habanita.
Well it seems I’ll have to wait: tomorrow there’s no way I am going to leave for work without some huge favorite – it was such a non exciting day, today, not having anything nice to sniff!!
Oh, let me know about the Isabey Gardenia if you find out!
SOTD = Mythique, which is gorgeous, but I would love to smell it sprayed rather than dabbed. Nice choice for the 80 degree weather in Maine, but it’s almost completely gone now. I’m usually partial to orientals (favorites are Patchouli 24, L’Heure Bleue, Shalimar, Ambre Sultan) – anyone have any suggestions for a lighter, lower sillage oriental for warmer weather? I’ve had to stop wearing Patchouli 24 to work because it gives my boss a migraine. She also hates the smell of lapsang souchong tea, so I’m thinking it’s the woodsmoke that’s the problem.
I’m still kind of new here — is Eau De Shalimar a silly suggestion??I love the favourites you listed, Patchouli 24, L’Heure Bleue and Shalimar.
Eau de Shalimar or Shalimar Light both work, or Etro Shaal Nur is worth a try.
Oriental Brulant and Coromandel are fairly low sillage. Oriental Lounge is too, but that one has a motherload of cumin.
Since you listed other classic Guerlains, what about Chamade?
A girl after my heart! Maybe L’Eau Ambree? I find it light with low sillage but pretty good lasting power.
Thanks for all the fabulous suggestions!!!
ALAHINE! Ahem, sorry, I’ll calm down now. Teo Cabanel Alahine. I just decanted some samples the other day, and although I probably wouldn’t wear it in the summer, where I live, it is a gorgeous, rich, friendly oriental (a bit of citrus, some muted florals, a lovely amber).
I often struggle with the tarry, smoky aspect of Shalimar, and with the dusty-earthy aspect of patchouli in just about anything. The orientals that I enjoy are Shalimar Light, Alahine, vtg Emeraude, and Bulgari Black.
Oh, this sounds gorgeous. thank you!
SOTD: Flowerbomb. I got a free sample of it. It’s not that bad. How’s that for a commendation?
I’ve been loving the Ellena’s Hermes frags lately, and am especially enamoured of Jardin en Méditerranée. However, sadly, it doesn’t seem to last more than 2 hours on me, and it’s so so quiet! Anyone know how to amp up a scent, and make it linger? Or know of a more agressive Jardin en Méditerranée twin scent?
Looking forward to trying the Jardin sur le Nil!
Don’t they do matching shower gels and body lotions? Perhaps layering a couple of products might help?
To make scents last longer, make sure your skin is moisturized before applying. Also try layering with body lotion – I believe Hermes makes body lotions for all the Jardins.
Thanks guys — I knew about moisturizing, but didn’t know there were lotions in the Hermes series.
I have found that for fragrances without much staying power a bit of Vaseline on the skin first ‘fixes’ it whilst still letting your body heat and chemistry do it’s thing.
If you spritz some on fabric, it will last longer. When I tested that one for the first time, I accidentally got some on my leather watch band… where it lingered and haunted me for days. Yum.
For the rose fans among us (I asked recently about finding a really good deep, dark rose) I have found a very nice one: Yves Rocher Rose Absolute. It’s wonderful.
It seems to unfold several facets of rose through the day – from a lighter tea rose to darker, jammy rose. A nice find for the price too!
Awesome! I have been looking for one! TY!
It doesn’t smell “deep dark” to me (but I don’t have the most sophisticated nose ….) but I will second that it’s very, very pretty and a steal at the price. And it has nice lasting power, too!
I reccommend MFK Lumiere Noire Pour Femme or Czech & Speake Dark Rose.
I love Rose Absolute! To me it’s creamy, spicy, and yes, jammy rose. It’s kind of a comfort scent for me.
A great scent and so reasonable….the body lotion is good too. but for a really sexy dark rose, I love FM’s Une Rose.
I’m a fan too of YR’s Rose! Excellent value if you wait for the special offers, and I have the edp, eau fraiche and parfum versions – together with their body lotion, which is quite yummy. Is is my imagine, or can I smell vanilla as it mellows?
Hi all! I’m testing Caron’s Le Troisieme Homme / The Third Man for the first time today. It’s very beautiful and more complex than Pour Homme, which I recently fell hard for. I do get the lavender, and a little whiff of warm carnation, but I didn’t expect the animalic aspect, which for me starts very early in the wearing. I got a distinct leather smell just a few minutes after I put it on, and now I smell what just has to be civet. (?) I’m either going to fall in love with this or decide it’s too sophisticated for me. The jury is out!
I have not smelled that in so long, can’t remember it well…always liked the Pour Homme though.
After wearing it all day, I’m thinking that the animalic bit might work better in fall. Also, I think the Pour Un Homme suits me better (LOVE that one!).
OK, this is probably a dumb question, and has most likely been discussed previously, but here goes. The oakmoss controversy -we all know how the IFRA is allowing only trace amounts of this ingredient to be used in perfumes, completely changing the character of many classic scents to the sorrow of chypre lovers. My question is this: with the variety of aromachemicals available today, shouldn’t it be easy to recreate it in the lab, or at least to approximate the smell of the real thing? It would seem this would allow the classic chypre base to continue, instead of fragrance houses trying to come up with “new chypres” that have no relationship to the real thing at all. Or am I all wet?
SOTD: Mariella Burani
Not a dumb question and I would like to know everything Fleurdelys knows too, please.
I am no expert, but I think it is possible,in principle,to acquire the molecular fingerprint and therefore reproduce any smell… So oakmoss should be no exception. But I suppose that accurate representations may be very expensive, as a natural occuring smell is conveyed by hundreds of molecules… and well I suppose that if the solution was convenient it would have been already embraced.
I am so sad that these techniques are not exploited to faithfully render the beautiful smells of gardenias and carnation. The only true gardenia I met was a FM candle, and oneof the most expensive ones I’ve come across!
Running oakmoss through a GC/MS (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) machine would provide a spectrum, which is basically a graph of the fragmentation patterns of the compounds within the sample after they have been zapped by an ionizer. GC/MS doesn’t quantify the amount of each compound in a sample though. That must be roughly calculated by adding a known quantity of another totally unrelated and identifiable compound as an internal standard. Then you just have to so a little math. I imagine that knowing the exact amounts of the component compounds would be important in trying to exactly duplicate the scent of oakmoss. Companies that produce designer impostor perfumes probably use GC/MS technology all the time, but their fragrances usually smell like crap.
I can’t offer anything very useful on the oakmoss issue, although I know that some small perfumeries are testing a version of oakmoss with the particular allergen removed, which is close but doesn’t smell exactly the same. I think it may be a more expensive option, if that tells you anything.
I love Mariella Burani.
http://www.perfumerflavorist.com/fragrance/rawmaterials/natural/90265777.html
Just one solution. I think one question is whether companies that already reformulated will do so again. The “musty” part of oakmoss is something the vast majority of consumers probably aren’t losing sleep over, LOL…
Ah ha, thanks for the link Robin. So they do have options, just wonder why the reformulators keep going for a different take on a classic fragrance, rather than trying to recreate it as closely as possible?
Well, those are kind of new. And bear in mind that the perfume companies are rarely out to ensure that something smells exactly as it used to -> they’re out to make things that will sell. Classic chypres with “real” oakmoss, musty bits & all, are no longer huge sellers.
Has anyone ever actually met someone wearing ELd’O Secretions Magnifiques and if yes, was this person mind-blowing or psychotic?
No, thank goodness! But today walking on Prince Street in Soho I caught the gorgeous scent of ISM coming off the well-presented young man walking a few steps ahead of me. And was duly impressed…
What’s ISM? My brain is too slow to keep up….
That great fume boutique Lafco or whatever is on Prince, and they’re generous with samples… I’ll try to get ISM there once you tell me what it is
I’m guessing that would be SL Iris Silver Mist.
Yes, Iris Silver Mist. Yum… A SL Paris exclusive, for now anyhow. Did you say you’re in Paris right now…?
Yes, I am, because it’s my granny big bday, but I kind of moved to NYC, it’s just tricky for me to stay there because I only have an I-94….. And I already renewed it twice so now we’re not sure what will happen if I go back a third time in such a short period of time. But yes, in Paris at the moment, so will check out the Iris in the mist
I own it and wear it occasionally. The top note is a bit scary, but the drydown isn’t bad, and I don’t mind the challenge. I’d rather think of myself as eccentric rather than nuts, but it’s not for me to say.
However, I did show this to a friend once, and he loved it, and was hoping I’d leave it with him. He’s French though, so maybe that explains it.
Oy, I’m French too, we’re not all whacko
Rick, I would love to meet you. I always imagined that someone balsy enough to brave this stuff would be a wonderfully eccentric individual. Enjoy, and brava says the boring girl who’s wearing something called Petite Cherie today. Ah well.
(BTW, I do usually like dirty scents, soiled nappies, ladies’ emissions, sticky fun and weeing in the bushes, mmm. It’s not all tart & pear notes, I’m happy to say.)
George: Tell me, does the rest of your family suffer from insanity?
Gracie: Oh no, they enjoy it very much.
(If you don’t know who George and Gracie are, look them up on youtube.)
I was in Paris when I first tried Secretions Magnifiques, and I had the same reaction most people do, but it’s almost impossible to wash off and lasts forever. After a few days I started to realize the drydown wasn’t bad at all, so I bought a bottle.
Enidan, I hope we meet some day, too. We ought to form a Secretions Magnifiques Fan Club. Or at least an Appreciation Society.
I DID have to look up G&G. I also saw “It’s the Egg Man” for the first time this week, so I feel my education is now complete.
Until we meet again, Rick!
enidan: The question you asked is one I have thought about many times: What would Secretions smell like on another person? Does anyone wear it regularly?
I actually did my own experiment (after I gave my first sample away) where I had to try a goodly amount on skin to see what the effect would be like from a distance. I could see some of the floral and light incense aspect of it, but the metal/blood/tissue scent was too much if I brought my nose too close to my skin.
So yes, I’m fascinated by the idea of people wearing SM.
Yes, it’s good to experiment. I tried out VW Boudoir on my skin the other day, after bearing a grudge against it for years. When I finally did try it, I found it to be completely inoffensive, nothing like I remembered (from when I was maybe 19, things have changed since then) — cotton candy territory actually (yeech).
Perhaps I’ll follow your example and try SM on the skin… So far, it’s been only paper, and I haven’t ever gotten past the licking-cold-metal-till-your-tongue-begins-to-bleed stage… but after what you and Rick say about this worthy drydown I’ll give a go.
Has anyone here ever tried CdG Series 5 : Sherbert Rhubarb?
Yup, Have a bottle. I really like it…it’s one of my spring/summer evening scents, but it doesn’t really remind me of rhubarb.
Carlos: LOVE. Need I say more? HA! I own the solid, but really wish I owned the EDT.
Hmmm…and it’s only $42 for a 30 ml. Guess you know what I’ll be buying next. HA!
If you don’t like it … or lose interest quickly… hit me up BEFORE eb*y. HA!
what a reasonable price! i am curious about that one too – love to eat rhubarb, but not sure if i want to wear it.
Yes, to me it is very green and not as sweet as Lady Rhubarb.
SOTAfternoon: PdN Le Temps d’Une Fete, thanks to Angela’s review. Angela and I are scent twins.
SOTM: Histoires des Parfums 1725 (Casanova), thanks to a sample from my evil scent twin. It’s a warm and comforting and just “a little dab ‘ll do ya.”
I have an image of Angela in my head thanks to all her lovely reviews. She’s spoken of the type of clothes she wears and her little house with lots of flowers in and around it. A good person to be perfume twins with, I reckon.
I love Le Temps d’une Fete.
I’m planning to buy Le temps d’une fête. I tried it three days ago for the first time and I think it was instant love
A good friend of mine sent me New York and L’Eau Mixte too. I find New York a bit masculine for me, but it’s an impressive fragrance.
Now I don’t know what perfume will be my next buy, because ELDO Nombril Immense was top of my list until I tried Le temps…
Isa, that happened to me, too. It was love at first sniff with Le Temps… It’s been perfect for spring. Thanks to PdN for the small bottle options.
SOTD: Cuir Beluga…felt like some heliotrope…
Oh I need to try Cuir Beluga.
It’s nice! Several of the Art et la Matieres caught me by surprise… I’ve developed a full blown obsession with Angelique Noire!
I’m Angelique-Noire-obsessed, too!
A club! I’m hoping I can hold out until Bergdorf’s has another friends and family discount…
Overlap! I love AN too!
SOTD: Vanille Galante and I’m glad that I wore although it was a last-minute thing – as in, I was running out the door, looking for a warm weather scent and it was in my eyesite. I really have to organize my collection more so that I have easy access to everything.
Does anyone have a good organizing system? Or is everyone else’s a mess like mine?
My next purchase is probably going to be the Hermes Voyage – I’ve talked to the CEO into stopping in at Hermes to get a sample for me and, if I like it, it’s next.
Me too! I would love to know how the organized among us organize their decants and samples and FBs…
I organize my samples in a divided lucite tray that sits within a shallow drawer of my dresser. The divisions are labeled “oui,” “non,” and “peut-etre.” The real secret I have to share, however, is double stick tape. I lined the bottom of each section with double stick tape. That way all samples stand at attention like little soldiers, saving space and making their labels easy to read.
Oh, the tape is clever! I use a beader’s tray from the craft store, and organize them alpha by house. Of course, they’re all lying down, so if any leak, it can be a mess… but I haven’t had much trouble with that so far. I have one tray for scents I’ve thoroughly sampled/taken notes on, and one for scents I either haven’t sniffed at all, or haven’t made up my mind about.
Ah, yes. Alpha by house – I’m going to make that my next organizational priority.
I hesitate to call this an organizing system, but I have two trays: one with the wamer weather perfume and the other with the cooler weather perfume.
me too! plus 4 ‘samples bags’: 1 warm weather, 1 cold weather, 1 anytime, and 1 only-if-i’m-desperate-these-are-ok-but-not-my-faves.
I keep my current ones in the bottom drawer of my bed table…..when they’re out of season I move them to the closet and put the next batch of seasonals in the drawer. THat way, I can see them all from the top at the same time and pick the one that I like so there’s no rummaging.
I keep meaning to organize my samples, but there are too many now to deal with effectively. But I’d love to hear about other people’s solutions. I basically have some little boxes- the “love it” box, the “I’m not sure” box, and the “wow, this stinks” box.
I keep trying to love Vanille Galante, but on me it smells like band-aids stuck on a banana.
eek – I wouldn’t love it if that’s what I got out of it either. It smells like salty lilies on me.
Yes, wonderful salty lilies on me, too!
SOTD: Paul Sebastian’s “Design”. Had a friend who wore this years ago (and it’s still her signature scent) and I love it, so when I saw some at TJ Maxx last month, I scooped it up. Love it – even though it’s easily identifiable, as nothing else really smells like it. (my hubby’s siggy scent is PS for Men – that stuff drives me – and women he works with – crazy! Love it – good stuff!!!)
Have never smelled it!
I agree about PS–beautiful. I’ve bought it for favorite male friends and they love it, too. It’s cheap cheap, sensuality bottled.
SOTD is an old childhood-favorite: Anais Anais! A couple of weeks ago I picked up a 30ml bottle for a song on clearance at Targét
just for the heck of it and I was surprised (and relieved) to discover it smells exactly as I remember it. No reformulations!! 
I’ll never forget how painful – like a dagger in the heart – to smell the reformulated L’Air du Temps, which was another fragrance I cherished as a child.
Other than that, I’m stressed out about my upcoming move and stress=weakness in the face of perfume lemmings. I’m trying very hard not to go on a spree right about now…
Anais Anais brings back memories for me too — my mom and sister wore it many years ago. I’m glad to hear it smelled the same as you remember!
There are a lot worse things you could do to cope with the stress of moving, Mit!!!
Question re SOTD-dilemma… what’s your favourite scent for a cold, but clear and sunny day?
I have no problem finding scents for hot days, humid days, cold and dreary days… but for some reason cold + sunny always stumps me!!
Thinking something bright and warm… like PC Jasmine White Moss, or .. or.. or
Vanilla Galante is a great big banana on me, so that’s out
Ormonde Woman! I think it’s a perfect scent for a crisp, clear day although perhaps one in September rather than May.
I really like FM L’Eau d’Hiver for a cold, sunny spring day. Of course I like it pretty much any time of year!
Ooh – great suggestions. I always forget about D’Hiver, and Ormonde Woman is gorgeous too.
In the end I went for Kelly Caleche.. and not regretting it one bit. Looks to be a popular SOTD today!
Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille – but then I like it on cold and dreary days too.
…. and vintage Samsara.
Bandit.
My SOD is Guerlain “Oriental Brulant”. It behaves in much the same way as Coromandel on me, but lasts waaaaaay longer – lovely. I’m not sure if I will spring for a FB though. I have been purchasing more and more decants these days and, if I get through a decant really quickly (in a couple of months) then I go for a FB. It doesn’t happen too often. I guess I just enjoy sampling new fragrances instead of wearing the same one every day.
I really don’t need any more FBs either. Ever. But keep buying them!
There seems to be a pretty big disconnect with us perfumistas between what we “need” and what we actually buy! lol!
SotD today is Kelly Caleche. Think it was a good choice for a sunny, slightly warm day here in San Diego, although it seemed very powdery when I first put it on, which I hadn’t noticed before. Aside from that, it is lovely.
Haven’t bought any FBs lately, just tons and tons of splits. I have been thinking about getting the AA Mandarine Basil (among others), but I just snagged a sample at Sephora, so maybe that will do for now.
That’s interesting, I’ve never found Kelly Caleche to be powdery either. I’m due for a full bottle of that one soon! I really like it.
Wearing Harajuku Lovers G today. I so enjoy it — it reminds me so much of a great vacation I had in the Virgin Islands a couple of years ago. It just brings back the beachy, floral smells.
And, I think my No. 19 mini just arrived in the mail!
I love ‘G’ too – was just sniffing the summer version (sunshine cuties) and trying to decide which one I like better. I should get a bottle of it (just have a few samples) but I already have a few coconut scents and feel I don’t need another.
I didn’t know there was a summer version — how is it different from the regular one?
It is very similar. Did side by side sniffing at Sephora last week and couldn’t identify what was different – they were certainly very very close. According to the Sephora website, it is a “creamy-musk twist on her original scent.”
Sunshine Cutie ‘G’ Notes:
Coconut Water, Mandarin, Bergamot, White Peach, Heliotrope, Exotic Tiare Flower, Orange Flower, Vanilla Bean, Tonka, Skin Musk, Creamy Sandalwood.
G Notes:
Mandarin, Coconut, Apple Skin, Jasmine Sambac, Freesia, Magnolia, Coconut Cream, White Sandalwood, Cottonwoods.
Interesting! I like the sound of creamy musk, though of course I probably don’t need both of them! I’ll have to give it a sniff when I’m at Sephora. Thanks Odonata!
L’Heure Bleue. I’m having a great hair day and I wore a navy-and-white striped top, so I had to add something French to my wrists.
Hey, congrats on the good hair day, LOL…I’d wear something wonderful too
I don’t think I’ve had a good hair day since the early ’90s, when my hair was still curly.
SOTD–Tauer’s Lonestar Memories. Just sampling this one and it may not make my top Tauer list, but it is sure is different!! Will be out and about tomorrow so I plan to sniff my way through several boutiques and Nordstrom’s if I have time. What should I try? Suggestions any one???
Gosh, not so much new at Nordstrom that I know of, but so many things that are supposed to launch in the next four weeks. OR maybe they have something new I don’t know about — report back if you find something wonderful!
Had I known that it’ll be so humid last night, i wouldnt have worn Ambre Fetiche. I should have worn amaranthine instead
Humidity really makes perfume carry, doesn’t it?
Cool and sunny here today- winter is on its way. Boo hiss! I hate cold weather. SOTD is SSS Vintage Rose- just love it but with the AUD$ collapsing this week (down from 92 US cents to about 81 US cents) may have to postpone any major perfume purchases from US sites for a while. What a bummer… I hate the GFC as well as cold weather!
I hear you redscorpio! I’m in sydney and the exchange rate has put all my sample purchasing on hold. Probably not a bad thing
I’ll second that. I only just heard about it on the news on the way home tonight. The party is over for a while.
I wore Cartier’s La Treizième Heure and it’s so nice.The only way I’d hock up $255 for 75ml if the bottle had an attached motor vehicle built for two. It does have moments, though, when it smells a little like pan drippings and hot rolls but it is just so interesting. It’s like Borneo without all that sugar.
And tomorrow I’m hitting up an estate sale that apparently has enough vintage perfume to make my head spin. This time I’ll know that if there’s vintage Joy, snatch it up. ;3
Oh, lucky you — tell us what you find!
Oh, pick up all the good vintage stuff you can find!! Hope it’s fun.
SOTD is YOSH Sottile. I got the sampler set of YOSH perfume oils from Lucky Scent a while back but hadn’t tried them yet. This is very nice; at first, it was a little too strong, even though I tried to apply it sparingly. By the time I got to work, though (~40 minutes later), it had settled down. Very long-lasting–I can still smell it now, after ~13 hours. I tried Czech and Speake Dark Rose recently, and liked that too. May have to do a side-by-side to compare. Both are very good rose soliflores, not too sweet and girly, and not too sour.
I do love the Czech & Speake, and want to try the new EdPs from Yosh — I am not an oil person.
I spent sooooooooooo much $$ today on sample buying, it boggled my mind and kind’ve scared me (in a good way)
I mean I never spend as much as I did this time- what a rush!
and now I get lil’ presents to myself all next week, what’s not to love?
But still – the price tag looms over my head and I feel kinda guilty, such recklessness in these hard times, such petty wants, but I still did it.
And I know it’s never enough, I just create more and more desires for myself but I think I’ll cool my jets for awhile. Wheeeeeeeeeeeew!
I had to get that off my chest .
I’m with you. Petty wants indeed. Still, I don’t spend money on much else. My resolution, and who knows if it will last, is to try and save up for extraits where possible, ie to focus on what I really want and resist the lure of samples, eau de toilettes and every passing whim.
Thanks Annemarie for saying something.
After I wrote that I felt like everyone was going to think I was a DebbieDowner! But eeek I just felt a lil’ sheepish and couldn’t say anything to anybody else about it.
But like you, I don’t really spend $$ on anything else for me. It’s pure enjoyment for the most part but yesterday I just went way overboard, maybe I justify it by thinking it’s something so little( the samples) aha stupid huh?
But they do add up and I get so greedy and want the 2 mls. instead of the smaller ones. Ahhh such a exspensive habit
Anyway have a wonderful day and thanks again for tellin me I’m not the only one.
Fret not, dear lady! It won’t make you fat, you’ll be sober, you’ll smell beautifully different everyday, sometimes every hour and it’s fun to tinker with vials and scents. I admit I feel that guilt sometimes, but thank goodness for samples–can you imagine if you had to buy fb every time you wanted to smell something?
MeadowBliss you frikkin sweety!
Amen to that!
Your right on all counts, heck yes it’s fun and nooooooo I cannot imagine how any of us could live on our scents alone.
But the thrill of samples is intoxicating, my most favorite right this second is Montale’s Aoud Queen Roses, she is very FB worthy
And yes Annemarie I do feel much better today and I am excited for all my goodies and grateful I could get them.
The only thing that keeps me from going mad is knowing other people out there “get it” and that they smell beautiful
I appreciate with all my smelly heart your kind words<3<3
Hope you are feeling better today. Think of all those lovely treats headed your way. Meadowbliss is right – there are far worse obsessions to have than this one. But I do get the guilts tho’, like you. Guilt can be a good thing – hopefully it stops us from going completely mad!
SotD: Puredistance I. Heaven in a 1ml. vial.
You have expensive taste
Won a 1mL sample in a blog drawing, gratis. So my bank account is safe and sound
Lucky you!
Definitely. I would never otherwise have been able to encounter this scent, I think. Even the low-cost refill is beyond my budget.
Has anyone here smelled Cartier Xieme Heure? I splurged on XIII (alas, no sports car included, superlongusername!), and the SA threw in samples of the other ones. Xieme is fruity, but tart fruity instead of sweet, and I swear it’s like the Body Shop’s Dewberry grew up and got sophisticated. Nice stuff, although no way am I shelling out ANOTHER $250!
Oh, no car? Shoot. ;3
Yesterday I wore Chanel’s Coromandel for the first time. I hadn’t had it on for more than five minutes before I got a compliment on it!
So that is why I am wearing Coromandel today! I now have a horrible lemming for it and love it so much that it might be my HG. I’m serious!
I am going to have to find someone to split with me for this. It only comes in that ridiculously large bottle, but, at least, there would be plenty to go around……
It is absolutely gorgeous, sexy without being skanky. I will no doubt run out of adjectives, but it is worth every one of them……
It’s a beauty for sure.
Late to the party again!
I forgot to wear perfume today….
My car has cost me lots of money this week (some expected, some not so much) but I am determined to still have some money for the Sniff this weekend – I am so looking forward to it! I got Barney’s to make up a gift-with-purchase for us and we’re working on NM, too. Regardless, it’s going to be fun. Might RAIN (grrr) but oh well.
Sorry about your car
Shalimar. Picked up nearly 5 mls of extrait VEEERY cheap. And oh my lord, those few mls will last a long time. I don’t have much experience with extraits because I don’t have enough determination to save up for them, so I was staggered at both the lasting power but also the gentleness of Shalimar in its most concentrated form. Only a few TINY dabs from a stopper that doubles as an applicator lasted all day easily. Even on the way home I was getting beautiful clear little wafts of scent. And yet I swear it was not an overpowering scentzilla at the beginning of the day. Amazing. I had no idea that parfum has this slow release quality. They are certainly worth the investment, if it’s a scent you really adore.
I always seem to do better with Guerlain parfums than edts – Shalimar and L’Heure Bleue are just unwearable for me in edt. I mean, totally hideous, while the parfums are lovely.
I think you’re right about the slow-release quality. A bonus: I love dabbing, it seems so elegant.
SOTD: paco rabanne Calandre; which I wore in my twenties (30 years ago). which I have been using sparingly from a roll-on decant. which I fell in love with all over again about a week ago, and ordered a FB. gosh, it’s good stuff.
It’s so nice to rediscover what great taste you had years ago, isn’t it?
I’m rocking a cheap thrill today, SOTD…Smell Bent Prairie Nymph. I’m in love with this little number! I have a thing for oils, which is how I found this EDT and something about it just loves me! Sometimes it’s the sleepers!
Nice
I’ve been trying various gorgeous fragrances for the last few weeks (some L’Artisan, Annick Goutal Songes, Bois 1920 Come la Luna, and several more), but have been quite dismayed to find that almost every fragrance I find and like completely evaporates from my skin within about an hour. It’s particularly tragic with the L’Artisan scents because I think they’re absolutely amazing- Tea for Two and Al Oudh in particular.
Long story short, if anyone has a recommendation for a perfume line with A) gorgeous fragrances and B) excellent longevity and sillage, I’d love to hear it.
Okay, I’ll be the one to say it – do you count Estee Lauder? Or are you after niche?
I do like niche perfumes, but certainly won’t turn my nose up at more mainstream fragrances. I’ve probably tried Estee Lauder at some point, though I can’t say any of their scents stand out in my memory. Any recommendations?
Wow…I don’t find any of those short lived. Any chance that either a) your skin is very very dry or b) you’re just having olfactory fatigue? Also curious if you’re trying from vial or spray?
I know I have very dry skin, despite my best efforts to the contrary. When I was younger I mostly stuck to pure perfume oils for scents, as they were the only things I could get to last for any length of time.
Some of the scents I’ve been dabbing from sample vials (mainly the L’Artisan), but I’m lucky enough to have a full spray bottle of Songes. Generous sprays do seem to help with longevity- possibly I’ll just have to shell out for larger spray decants in the future.
Many people find Songes VERY strong. Quite possible it is not lasting on you, but also would be interested to find out if other people can still smell it after an hour even if you can’t? It’s quite possible, esp. if you’re anosmic to one or more synthetic musks.
hi Pinkster
Andy Tauer scents last forever, at least on me. however, do not give up, use some scent free moisturizer and when absorbed use the perfume, it helps a lot
Thanks for the tip! I mostly use a lovely rose, geranium, and bergamot body oil for moisturizing, but while it smells great on its own, tends to layer horribly with some of the perfumes I like. Sounds like unscented moisturizer is going to be the way forward for me.
I’ve tried a sample of Tauer’s Incense Rose, which did have pretty impressive longevity. I wasn’t hugely impressed by the scent itself (ended up a bit sickly on me, though that might have been the warm day), though I’ve been considering trying Orange Star. Now if only I can find a decent decant…
For a truly amazing moisturizer try Melalueca. I’ve got extremely dry skin-it’s the only one for me and it’s unscented. I am the queen of dry skin creams, tried them all — this product is a miracle.
I’m a bit late for this, I know! But yesterday I wore Maroc Pour Elle during the daytime. It was a scorcher here in London, and this scent melded perfectly with the heat and my skin. Then I showered before heading out for the evening, and my hand hovered over Ta’if and my Tubereuse Criminelle sample…….in the end, I went for the TC!! Again, perfect for a hot evening out!
Today I’m going to douse myself in Reverie au Jardin. I ordered a sample the other day. It’s been about one year since I last wore it, and I am looking forward to smelling it again!
I love Reverie – I am going to order some next month if I can.
Blimunda: as strong as Le Maroc is, I think it’s great in the heat, where it can really bloom. I love it. I need to pull out my sample of Reverie again because I don’t remember what it smells like.