Our usual open thread: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, the perfume you think would best fit Mata Hari, the last fragrance you bought but wish you hadn't, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: image is Embroidery [cropped] by The Pack at flickr; some rights reserved.
Perfect timing, because I do have a question. I’m going to the Caron Boutique in NYC this Friday, and was wondering which perfumes I should sniff while I’m there (I’m already a fan of Parfum Sacre and vintage Bellodgia, and own a body of Lady Caron, which someone gave me). Also, if anyone has any tips about visiting that shops (like how to get samples), let me know!
I have not been since they moved to their new location and don’t even know what they are currently carrying in the urns so hope someone else will chime in. I know they discontinued my favorite, Alpona. Do smell Narcisse Noir and Tabac Blond though!
Thanks, Robin! Which is the new location?
715 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10021 40.764909 -73.970378
at 58th St.
or
675 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10021
Lexington at 58th in the Phyto Universe spa.
Thanks Joe. Yes, the Madison store is now closed.
Less than a year ago they were still selling Alpona at the Avenue Montaigne location.
Thanks. I heard it was to be discontinued, but maybe that was wrong.
Who knows–it could be the last of the stock or they are just selling it at the main location. But it is still listed on their website under the urn perfumes. (Plus they are teasing online shopping. Maybe one will be able to buy the urn perfumes online!)
I wonder if they have vintage Caron fragrances in the boutiques? I’m in love with vintage Narcisse Noir. The current version isn’t bad but it so pales in comparison!
Not a brand I have much experience with (Parfum Sacre and Tabac Blond, to be precise) but I recently tried Aimez Moi and found that very likeable.
Have fun, though!
I really like Aimez Moi…got it in a violet sampler…very nice!
Do they still make En Avion? That was interesting, too.
Have fun Suddenly! I would just go crazy in a place like that, smell as much as you can without passing out. 😉
Well Caron Pour Un Homme is delicious…I get lavender and wild honey; Yatagan is beautiful in an interesting and weird way…
hate yatagan!!!! thought it would be a good chypre and it ended up on me, at least, as just a nasty mishh-mosh of cheap scents……sorry. however, i do love Parfum Sacre! a bunch……
I agree with you about Yatagan: it needs the right mood…my favourie is 3rd Man, I feel 20 years younger when I wear it.
What a wonderful gravatar, KC – surrounding oneself with Third Man and beautiful kilims is definitely the way to go!
I second Robin’s suggestions of Tabac Blond and Narcisse Noir as must-tries.
Some others that I think are worth checking out (some already suggested) are Yatagan, Nuit de Noel, En Avion, Aimez-Moi, Third Man, and Montaigne. And you’ll probably want to try the new Parfum Sacre Intense. Diane, the sales associate, is very helpful; she can probably give you some great suggestions based on what you like and dislike.
Hope you have a great time and let us know which ones you liked the best!
Oh, and make sure to see the wall of plants while you’re there!
I’m a Caron Ho…I love Nuit de Noel, but do be sure you’re smelling the extrait, or at least not the edt. I adore Poivre, and one I never hear anyone talk about which I also love is Or et Noir…it’s a very heavy rose. Diane is lovely over the phone; I imagine she’ll be a delight in person, as well!
I am very curious about their powders, too; everyone raves about them, so you might want to ask about those.
Enjoy your trip!!!
Tabac Blond is a MUST! And it is quite different in the various concentrations. The general consensus is that the Parfum is the superior. I have now tried the Edp and Parfum, and the Parfum is definitely where it’s at.
Montaigne and Nuit de Noel are also must trys.
Ooh – test the urn scents first, which are harder to get samples of. It is relativly easy to get the other bottle Carons in samples. But my favs that I’ve smelled are Narcisse Noir, Montaigne, Aimez Moi and Tabac Blond. Have fun!!
I don’t have any tips, but vintage Bellodgia is one of my favourite fragrances ever. I love carnation and current Bellodgia EdT was one of my first purchases as a perfumista and a real disappointment. I lucked into the vintage extrait for a very reasonable price and it is amazing. The vanilla is completely missing from the new incarnations (that yucky lemongrass note that LucaTania mention has replaced it) and is so much the worse for it.
It is one of my dreams to see those Caron urns in “person”. I especially love Poivre. If they have Narcisse Blanc, I’d recommend trying it, too. I also love Pour Un Homme, and I’m dying to try Les Plus Belles Lavandes de Caron. Have a great time, and please check back with us!
I was just in New York and Caron was closed. I googled it and didn’t come up with anything. Where is the new store? I’m so bummed I missed it. I did smell a small collection at Saks and at Bergorfs. A BG SA was kind enough to make a couple of samples for me. Saks did not.
Here you go:
https://nstperfume.com/2007/10/14/caron-shopping-for-perfume-in-new-york/
I’m so bummed out! I walked past this while looking for the store on Lex – but it looked like a salon, so didn’t investigate further!
Oh, sorry!
Do try Infini. I think it’s really different, and would even say it doesn’t seem to have anything in common with the other Carons; it is a bit baffling – almost a rose note (tuberose I think), with mossy notes, aldehydes and smokey vertivert. It’s sort of sweet but isn’t, and has depth but isn’t dark or light. The reformulation isn’t as good as the old (natch), but it’s definitely worth sniffing. People would follow me whenever I wore it and would want to buy it for themselves, and I was secretly happy that they couldn’t find it in the local stores!
Tabac Blond, En Avion, Poivre, Or et Noir, the oud…they would all be on my list. Narcisse Noir bugs me, ’cause it’s never what I think it is going to be (going to be a vintage whiner here), but it is still really worth sniffing…as is everything, when it comes to interest and fun, but of course.
Enjoy!
I wore Vintage Rose by Sonoma Scent Studio to bed last night and it made for rich dreams.
Oh! I have a question for anyone: What do you guys think of Maharanih by Parfums de Nicolai? I’ve been looking at it forever, but haven’t sampled it.
Definitely worth sampling!
I haven’t tried that one but I’m wearing PdN New York from last night and I just love that stuff, I want to fold and get it at BH , I love it’s crisp opening to it’s oak moss , vetiver drydown. Love it!
I need to try much more from this house.
I had tried Balkis but I didn’t care for that one really.
You should definitely try it if you get a chance! It is not my favorite from the house – and being a lavender lover, I may even prefer Maharadjah – but it is lovely. I find it a bit saturated and intense for an average day (the idea of PdN making an Intense version of Maharanih still baffles me) but on the right day it is wonderfully exotic and atmospheric. It reminds me a bit of one of the more eyelinered Serge Lutens scents in this regard – El Attarine, for example.
“one of the more eyelinered Serge Lutens scents” – perfect descriptor for those types of scents, Erin!
Thanks! Seeing as I suck at getting eyeliner on, those exotic Serges are an easier way to add a little mystery and dark drama to my day 😉
Love this! 🙂
LOL! (And bingo on where I get my dark and stormy…other than ginger beer and some rum 😉 )
I love Maharanih, though I think of it as a fall/winter scent. Do try a sample!
Do sample it. I love Maharanih and am about to buy a bottle from Beautyhabit, along with a bottle of Balkis (I’m splitting off some of each).
To me, M is very orange-spicy, like a pomander. It makes me think of a lighter version of Frederic Malle Noir Epices, which is why I like it so much.
I would totally agree with the orange-spiciness. I kind of sort of hate orange/clove/cinnamon stuff, but this pulls it off without smelling like room spray or potpourri or whatever.
Reminds me, I need to get a bottle for fall… Dang, just when I think I have my spending under control.
Ok, I re-tried Maharanih last night, and didn’t like it. Was it Maharajah that liked? Well, whatever. Lemming averted.
Maharadjah’s good. I need to pull out my sample, but I don’t like it as well. What didn’t you like? Too much potpourri action?
Actually, I don’t get any potpourri from Maharanih. I feel like it’s more sharp and sour, and smells a little like marigolds. Maharajah is the one that smells more orangey-spicey to me. Weird.
What?!? – Who said Noir Epices? Joe – are you trying to kill me???
Haha. Woops. Sorry, I’d thought I’d mentioned that before. I may be crazy, but to me there’s a connection.
Not crazy, Joe. I get the connection, too.
Maybe this will be a smell-alike situation that will end up saving my poor frag fund….. I can then cross NE off my list by substitution. Is this a tip or a curse? I hear that BH coupon calling out to me.. Ack.
I want to love Maharanih but it has too much cumin for me and is not flattering at all. It smells wonderful on a friend of mine and I definitely think you should sample first if you hane any issues with cumin. Maharadjah fits me perfectly as do many PdN fragrances. I really love most of her work.
Julia, after falling in love with PdN Vie de Chateau, I ordered up samples of all the masculines. Your comment prompted me to pull out Maharadjah – it IS wonderful! Looking forward to Fall…
I have to laugh every time Maharanih comes up for discussion… it’s a lovely quiet orange-rose oriental until the drydown, and then it seems to develop a strange, um… shall we say, worn jockey-shorts aroma. (No kidding. I even called my husband in so I could check it for veracity: dead on.)
So I did not buy it. Obviously, either I’m the only person who gets that, or it doesn’t bother anybody else.
Your nose has an amazing ability to suss out dirty scanties… better than a bloodhound!!!!! ACK!
Maharanih and Joy extrait are stalking off in a huff to sit in the other corner.
Well, you didn’t say it, but I get your point: I must have a dirty mind…
🙂
Had no idea it was Mata Hari’s birthday, but my SOTD seems to fit: Guerlain Elixir Charnel: Oriental Brulant. Very soft, very sweet, a touch of the exotic.
Like that one! If only it weren’t so expensive, I would have a decant by now. (Can’t dream of the bottle, which is a little frou-frou for me anyway…)
I was inspired to write the following on my lunch break:
http://olenska-parfumieren.blogspot.com/2010/07/elixir-charnel-oriental-brulant.html
Lovely! Love the info on Mata Hari and modern dance….
Thanks, Erin!
I don’t know if it already existed in her time but I think that Mitsouko would have been a perfect fit for Mata Hari.
SOTD is Diorella. I love it, it always manages to hit the spot so how come I still haven’t gotten around to getting a bottle?
I’ve a question about extraits that come in splash bottles. Do you guys use them straight out of the bottle or do you transfer a small amount into a separate atomiser and use that? I’m a bit reluctant about contaminating the contents of the bottle but I’m wondering if I’m worrying unnecessarily.
I think of extraits as more for dabbing than spritzing – they should be more concentrated, after all. I do worry a bit about all the sunscreen, self-tanner or whatever that I might have on my hands and tend to wash them first before dabbing.
I have also thought that maybe I should transfer some of the vintage scents to more air-tight Nalgene bottles to protect them better, or put small amounts in smaller bottles for easier access and every day use, but I haven’t gotten around to it.
I’d be interested to hear ideas from those who know of good sources of small screw-top bottles.
I recommend http://www.specialtybottle.com for clear and colored glass bottles and vials. No minimum order, fast and good customer service.
I’ve not ordered from them, but http://www.sunburstbottle.com has a lot of perfume-style bottles.
I have. I don’t rave about them, but they were fine. I didn’t like that the atomizers weren’t cut to size (had to do it myself), and you don’t know how much shipping will be until it’s too late to change your mind, but I had no issues with their quality or service.
Ah, I love all the colored bottles! Perfect – thanks.
If it’s something I wear on rare occasions, I leave it in the factory flacon (the alcohol content kills stuff), but if it’s something I wear ALOT, then I do decant into a small bottle. I have these tiny crystal flacons with a dauber, so the application is easy and I don’t worry about contaminating the original.
I’ve picked them up on ebay from $3-$10 each, and they look pretty too!
I don’t like to contaminate dabber bottles of extraits…try keeping a small dropper with each bottle so you can retrieve one or two drops and still keep your bottle pristine. 🙂 (I know, I’m kind of picky)
That’s brilliant, Daisy – I’ve never found the daubers very effective, but a few drops from a little dropper would be perfect!
…and if you don’t have a dropper, a cocktail straw will do. (A clean cocktail straw.) Just saying…works for decanting, works for the controlled non-contaminating daub. 🙂
Yes! I’ve totally done that with a swizzle straw/cocktail straw!! One time was trying to decant out of a vintage mini, and the pipettes were too thick to get in the neck. The only thing that worked was one of the cocktail straws!!! It takes a while and lots of patience, but it totally works!! I thought I was the only fragrance nut who did that.
There’s at least two of us nuts out there…here… 😉
Oh no, I have a pack of those mini straws that I use either for getting drops out for myself, or for filling sample vials from splash-type bottles.
nope, I think all us perfume nuts do that—small droppers or cocktail straws work great to get just a drop or two –then I use a piece of scotch tape to attach the dropper/straw to the side of the bottle so I don’t accidentally use the same device on two different bottles. Of course if you display your bottles it doesn’t look so great to have all these straws taped to things—but my bottles are closed up in a dark cabinet so who cares?
I won a bottle of vintage Bois des Iles on ebay a while back…it was used of course…and in the bottom there was a layer of sediment…it was gross. The perfume smelled great so I carefully drew out all the fragrance that I could with a pipette….very very slowly to not disturb the ick, placed it in a decant bottle…then cleaned out the original bottle with alcohol…let it dry , then poured the fragrance back in—now it’s perfect!
Boy, you’re a frugal Scot with the cocktail straws! LOL. I throw the darn things out after one use. And … Ew! Sediment in the perfume!! I think someone talked once about getting flakes of skin in his/her extrait bottle, which I didn’t understand the mechanics of, and which grossed me out.
hahahahahaha “Frugal scot” —pleeeze tell that to the CEO , ok?
it’s more like: “I have a limited supply of these tiny straws/pipettes… ….better not waste them!” It wouldn’t be a problem if I could remember to buy new ones on one of my frequent trips to the grocery store! Besides at the rate I make samples I could go thru 10 or so each round of sample making.
FRUGAL SCOT!
I’m married to one of those. I mean literally.
I’m just enjoying the hilarity of anyone using my name and Frugal in the same sentence….
Also brilliant – thanks!
A straw is a brilliant idea!
Thanks, ladies! How good to have a place where you can ask about these things.
I’ll go ahead and decant some for quick use. As well as not contaminating the contents I think it would also be handy for travelling and reduce the chances of dropping/spilling the ‘big’ bottle since I won’t have to handle it as often.
Hi Abyss: Normally, I tranfer a tiny bit of my parfums to a 1 ml sample vial for travel or purse. I did think very seriously about transferring my Chamade and Mitsouko extraits to spray decants because I was really paranoid that I would spill them. But then I didn’t b/c I was being too paranoid, lol! And half the fun is using the gorgeous bottles, even if I am always afraid I’ll drop them or knock them over.
Ha! I totally relate to both the spilling paranoia and the utter fabulousity of using those parfum bottles.
I like Daisy’s dropper idea, I reckon that would be a low risk method for application or for transferring things into a separate bottle.
Abyss, the bottle company that Crowflower recommended to me in another Q&A here offers little colored glass or plastic dropper bottles. IF those are safe against evaporation (a hypothesis to be tested with denatured alcohol before entrusting perfume), that would be a perfect solution, I think.
So grateful that your question revealed the secret of the cocktail straws!
Oh, Ann, I totally agree about that Chamade bottle! I can’t tell you how many mornings I’ve actually *passed* on wearing Chamade for dread of dealing with that beautiful bottle. I’ve since bought some 5 ml. roll on bottles to decant it into.
I actually dropped the stopper to my Jicky extrait bottle one time. Luckily I was on carpet so it didn’t break, but my house has tile floors and it could have been very, very sad. I’ve started putting everything I use frequently in atomizers or vials. I just purchased some 2 dram atomizers and vials and I find that to be a very convenient size.
I’ve been wearing Parfums 06130 Lentisque this week…RIS…I really like it but so fleeting on me…so I oversprayed my sweater this a.m.! But I’d love to hear more about this line of perfumes…
I’d also love to know what is your favorite AMBER? I’m on an amber kick lately…
I really liked their Feuille de Reglisse… it was a more floral anise. I was meaning to get some, but then my 5 yr old insisted on getting Etro Anice, so I went with that instead. I like anise, but don’t need more than one at a time, certainly.
Oh, and for the amber… Parfum d’Empire’s Ambre Russe is nice.
Boojum beat me to it! Amber Russe is undoubtedly my favorite: ambery, boozy, honeyed tea – just wonderful.
Oh, Ambers! I love the little roll-on Amber oil from Kiehls. It’s inexpensive and lasts forever and has great projection. It’s slightly sweet, but drier than a lot of other ambers, and woody with a bit of spice (I think I get coriander out of it). It would be a great masculine Amber, but it’s totally wearable for a woman.
I also love Madini oil’s Ambre. It’s a nice dirty amber. Sweet, but pungent, with a dirtiness that’s very sexy. I love this one in the summer. It’s also very reasonably priced!
OLS-glad to see someone else enjoys Madini oils-they are great aren’t they.?
Hermessence Ambre Narguile is my favourite amber. I love it, it gets a lot of love during the colder months.
MPG Ambre Precieux, SL Ambre Sultan and Armani Prive Ambre Soie are also worth sampling if just to see how differently the note can be treated.
Ambre Narguile is one of my favorite ambers too, and definitely great in the coldest months. I also like Ambre Russe and Voluspa does a nice amber as well.
Theorema is a wonderful amber, discontinued but still around online I think. Armani Prive Ambre Soie is similar (also composed by Christine Nagel). SL La Myrrhe and Bois de Violette are wonderful. Need to test further, but I am considering an FB of SL Chergui.
Just remembered that Shalimar and Vol de Nuit are considered ambers – I’d have to say they’re my fav ambers.
I’m going to say Teo Cabanel’s Alahine everytime.<3
I like the Estee Lauder Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang. Yves Rocher has an amber that is inexpensive and worth a try, too. Not a big amber person myself, but do like it now and again.
I agree about both the EL Amber YY and the Yves Rocher Amber. The bottle for the EL Amber has semi precious gemstones on it – very lovely to hold and use. On the topic of most regrettable recent purchase, it would have to be SJP Covet. It was on clearance at TJ Maxx, and I figured it was worth $5. It wasn’t.
Ha – I have two bottles of Covet and wear it a lot! $5 was a great deal! Well, except you don’t like it….
L’Air du Desert Marocain is fantastic! Ambre del Nepal and Ambre Russe too!
Amber as a category covers a lot of ground. I agree with Ambre Narguile being great.
Cheaper options I like are Yves Rocher Voile d’Ambre, and a really amazing, unusual one (and dirt cheap) is Voluspa Baltic Amber.
Oh, and Attrape Coeur is an amazing floral amber.
Be still my heart…♥ Attrape Coeur.
Hi Elise – my favorite ambers are Coco edt/edp, Alahine, Rose Barbare, Theorema, Mauboussin, Badgley Mischka, Prada eau d’Ambree, SSS Rose Musc, Tauer’s L’Air du Desert Marocain, and for a cheapie the Auric Blends amber roll on oil perfume.
I’ve been testing Rose Barbare and the dry down is insane! I don’t know if I really love though (FB-wise), until four hours in…and there’s no way I’m getting a decant from TPC at 3x per ml price…
I know! The drydown of RB is just fuzzy, sexy, amber perfection. It is just gorgeous!
Yes, it is Amber perfection –
Annick Goutal Ambre Fetiche is my favorite so far.
I love Tom Ford Private Blend Amber Absolute, SL Ambre Sultan, PdE Ambre Russe, AG Ambre Fetiche, Hermes Ambre Narguile, JM Dark Amber and Ginger Lily.
Teo Cabanel Alahine, hands down fave amber. Although it’s got some very rich florals in there too.
Once again I’ve been faced with a difficult task: my friend is heading off to Paris for a semester and offered to bring me back some perfume. Of course my mind went to Serge Lutens, even if I’ve only smelled four of the exclusives. Seemed like the natural thing to do was order samples of the ones I thought would surely be the ones I’d take to. Right now I’m waffling between MKK and Bois de Violette. I like BdV more but it has the half-life of a pop song on my skin. Is it stronger sprayed? I’m also really into the MKK, which isn’t nearly as shocking as I was imagining. Decisions, decisions.
Both MKK and BdV have been in the export line recently (I’m not sure if they still are, though), which is available in the US in various stores, Barney’s for example. Maybe you’d like to get something you can only get at the Paris store, like Iris Silver Mist or Mandarine-Mandarin. You can get a sample set of the non-export line from Perfumed Court.
I haven’t smelled it (yet), but what about Bois et Muscs?
I went a bit crazy with all the Anniversary sales at The Perfumed Court. When I saw that Ava Luxe was discontinuing all of her edp, I bought up several decants. I got the last of (asked for 5ml, got 2.5ml) Red Tara which has the most gorgeous, longest lasting leather note I’ve found. A hit! But then I got a 5ml of Ingenue, which is quoted as a Chypre but apparently the white florals beat any mosses to submission on my arm. The top notes were bearable and actually enjoyable on their way to the middle, but then they got violent and angry and buzzed like a swarm of bees. I was scrubbing intermittently all night. lol I can *still* smell a bit of lingering tuberose this morning. I am a huge moss/chypre fan but *not* a big indolic flower fan. If anyone out there would like 5mls of the slightly younger sister of Fracas, contact me at MUA – my handle is AstridVue. Or email me at astridvue@hotmail.com.
So she’s only going to do perfume oils? Or…?
She’s been doing only oils for awhile from her Etsy shop — stopped the EDPs at least a year ago or more I think. She recently added extrait concentration back into her line though. I still really miss the EDPs.
Thanks Joe, I didn’t know.
Sorry I didn’t clarify that, Robin. I came in kind of late to this (as usual), so I figured everyone else but me was probably already aware of it! lol I couldn’t find Red Tara anywhere on her site currently, so I will be using my 2.5mls sparingly unless I can come across a bottle for a reasonable price or maybe even swap. xxcrossing fingersxx Plenty of great scents left to choose from, though. I *heart* Ava Luxe!
Oh, Le Maroc, you should send her a message via Etsy: seriously, Serena might very well mix up some extrait or edp for you if you’re really in love with it. It’s worth a try.
Sorry, I meant extrait or oil formulation.
Thanks for the suggestion, Joe. I just might have to do that. I wore it last night while I was reading a book and I kept raising my arm to my nose every time I turned a page.
SOTD is Mark Jacobs Bang, nice woody, peppery, slightly green, touch of dirty/sexy underneath.
I was telling Joe that it would probably smell very good on a cute guy, but I have realized it is “cute guy smell in a bottle”!
Really rather ingenious….
I liked it on paper, haven’t yet smelled on skin though.
I wonder if I wear it, will it make me smell like a cute guy? 😮
But, Joe, you already are, so of course you do!
Joe, right now I’m imagining your sophisticated “Mr. Aldehyde” fragrance personality fighting off cuteness like a man flicking a piece of lint off the crease of his impeccable trousers. 🙂
Dr. Jaquatic & Mr. Aldehyde.
LOL! And of course, the ladies are right… you’re a nice looking guy already.
🙂
Har! 🙂
I LOVE it….
So Bang is definitively “cute GUY in a bottle”? Not very share-able?
I love those notes, but my tastes run to the definitely girly, so perhaps I’m out of luck with this one.
I’ve been lurking here for a long time but never commented… but I’ve gathered some guts to ask a little question. I really want- make that need- Chanel’s 28 La Pausa but as most people complain, it’s just too big. Given that it’s so fleeting I’d be happy with the 6.8oz, but I’m a student and can’t shell out over 200 dollars right now. I’m wondering if I should participate in a split, which I’ve never done and have questions concerning safety and customs (I live in Canada). How does splitting work?? Is it safe? Do I need to pay extra taxes? pardon such a “newbie” question…
Oh, and I was wondering where I might be able to sniff SL’s Bas de Soie in Canada! I haven’t found any stores carrying them…
I just want to add that I love NST and that I’m so happy it’s opened the door to the wonderful world of fragrance for me!
Welcome newbie Hessed! I love when someone finally delurks!
and there are never any silly or redundent questions , ask away, I’m sure someone will pipe up. I wish I could tell more about splits but seeing as I have never done one myself, I’m of no use, it’s still somewhat of mystery to me too. Join Scent Spilts first , make a list of what you are interested in splitting and make yourself “known” on here and I’m sure it will open up to you.
Have you been to The Perfume Shoppe?? I’ve heard they have everything and that the woman who runs it (Naz) is a wonderful buisnesswoman in perfumes. I’ve only dealt with Paula in Arizona(she’s great! )
I love NST too and also Chanel’s 28 La Pausa. 😉
Good Luck!
~T
Thank you for the welcome! It’s funny how being “new” even in an online space can make one so nervous… or maybe that’s just me. I’ve heard of the Perfume Shoppe but I don’t live in Vancouver. I’m guessing it might be better to order from them than the American online retailers though…
I didn’t love La Pausa at the first sniff but something made me want to keep smelling it, and now I can’t get enough. (I’m resisting the temptation to liberally spray the remaining sample) If it were just a bit stronger it’d be perfect!
Hi Hessed! Yes I know what you mean, it’s weird to feel intimidated by virtual chat situations but never fear!
That’s why I said hello to you.Put yourself out there and have fun and be yourself , for no wrong can come from that.
Were all here because were obsessed with fragrance!
I too am enamoured with 28 La Pausa , it almost makes sense to get a ginormous bottle for then you could apply lavishly.
But like you, I have a budget and it’s just not feasible to do the things we always wish we could do.
Nice to have you here 🙂
Oh, I love splitting. I was a little nervous at first and only split small stuff in the beginning so I wouldn’t be sorry to lose the money if it were only $20 or so. The only bad thing about splitting is how easy it is to get carried away in the beginning and overspend, so I would say to set yourself a budget and stick to it (this is not necessarily advice that I take, but it’s good none-the-less).
The Canada thing shouldn’t be an issue -there are some hosts who don’t want to ship international, but they’ll announce that upfront. As for customs, most of us label things as “cosmetics samples” or even better, “used cosmetic samples” – technically true, right? The hosts who don’t ship international are generally the ones who can’t make themselves fib to postal officials. It usually isn’t hard to find international splits though – even people who don’t ship to Europe sometimes ship to Canada.
Also, you can try the split wiki at http://scentsplits.wikidot.com/current-splits – and see if anyone is splitting La Pausa right now.
I’ve just checked out the link you’ve given and I can totally see myself getting carried away… 😀 Just made a list of all the things I’d like to try and I guess I’ll treat myself with something every month or two? I haven’t bought a perfume in the past year(!!!) and the prospect of an actual purchase is getting me overexcited.
Thank you for the help! Going to contact some split hosts now…
just be aware that at scent wiki some are decanters (making a profit, so look for a mark up of the per ml cost) and some are splitting (pretty close to actual cost + a bottle and shipping) —28 la Pausa is nice slightly rooty , soft and wafty….but very short lived. It almost needs to be purchased in that 200ml vat because it needs to be reapplied so much. Have you tried many other iris fragrances?
Always nice to see another Canadian here! Welcome. Where do you live? I’m in Toronto and there are a number of places that carry SL here – Andrews is the best bet, with the other options being spotty, i.e. the upscale Sephoras having only 4-5 exports – and none seem to get the new exports in a timely fashion. Naz at TPS in Vancouver is probably eventually your best bet for Bas de Soie, but it doesn’t look like she has it in yet (and the SL prices have gone up to $120).
I’ve very, very rarely had any trouble with splits or decants arriving or requiring customs; despite their stated policy of rigorous mail checking, Canada Post and/or Customs only ever seems to bother themselves about packages that have “Must pay Customs or COD” all over them.
Thanks for the Welcome! I’m in Toronto too. I’ve never been to Andrews. Probably because I tend to avoid Hazelton Lane… I’ve been to one of the shops (can’t remember the name) to try the CB I hate Perfume line and the SA was incredibly pretentious. But I love Noor!
Reading through the policies is really pretty intimidating! It’s what worried me in the first place. Thank you so much for the answer. It’s nice to hear from someone who actually lives in Canada!
The postal and customs policies do sound scary – but I’m sure that the most that would happen to a small decant is that they’d confiscate it. Most shippers and sellers know exactly what the weight/declared value is that triggers a closer look.
I do sometimes wonder what my postal carrier thinks of me and my fetish for “cosmetics samples” and especially “used cosmetics samples” for overseas. I do worry sometimes that they’re going to think that I’m some kind of drug dealer instead of sneaking perfume into the country – lol.
lol— sudden image of opening a 6″x9″ bubble mailer and pulling out a rocket launcher like Mary Poppins and her magic carpet bag…. 🙂
Maybe I’ll see you at Noor! I’m always there – love Nahla (sp?) and Fred…
Glad you chose to pipe up! Do check out other Iris fragrances too! Prada’s d’Iris, VC&A Bois d’Iris, TDC Bois d’Iris, Parfumerie Generale’s Iris Oriental (formerly Iris Taizo). I just LOVE iris!
Good Luck!
oh lord…just last week I forked over the $185 for VC&A Bois D’Iris…had to…couldn’t bear life without it. My rationale for shelling out that kind of cash was that I am traveling for work at the moment out of the country, so all my food from Aug. 6 –
Aug. 14 is put on the company charge anyway…so I am basically eating for free. I say that is money saved, and I just decided to spend it on perfume rather than food. I know…The first step is admitting you have a problem and to stop the denial..Hello, my name is Promise and I am addicted to perfume.
denial works just fine for me…..
I fully support your rational and you need something to comfort you while away from home. VC&A Bois d’Iris is perfect. ( Perhaps one day you’ll be my sponsor).
Welcome! It is very worth checking out Scent Splits…maybe you can find someone else in Canada to split a bottle.
Hi & welcome, Hessed! Decants are a great and affordable way to obtain small amounts of an expensive scent you already know you like– or first-timer samples so that you can gauge whether or not to seek out more. The Perfumed Court is my “decant central” of choice– but there are many others as well. Most are small outfits run by one or several entrepreneurs whose personal perfume collections reflect a discriminating taste. I wish you luck in your searching !
I always imagined Mata Hari to be a Narcisse Noir, Fracas, lightly applied Angel (yes it’s possible lol), Bandit or perhaps even Sweet Oriental Dream sort of girl, myself. Maybe even Crepe de Chine or Chanel Cuir de Russie when trying to tone it down…
SOTD = the rest of my vial of Dzongkha on one wrist and Shaal Nur on the other in a vain attempt to decide which I love more. So far I’d have to say it’s a tie, unfortunately for my bank account.
I notice a ton of amber in Flowerbomb, and really wonder what the extreme version does with the note. I have a couple ambery frags, but often return to BBW’s Sensual Amber as a pretty, sweet and easy to wear amber. It’s one of their better frags and I still have a good amount of an LE EdP that came out a few years ago that wears beautifully.
I have a question regarding how to find and obtain vintage Narcisse Noir. I bought a bottle of the extrait this year, and while it is beautiful, it is a fleeting thing. Would this be an Ebay search? Are there any packaging specifics I should look for? Many thanks in advance. I adore NN.
Most exciting recent purchase would be my finally caving to the ridiculous shipping charges to order a bottle of Tendre Friandise. I got a decant in a swap and was instantly smitten. I only wish I could have requested specific samps rather than just selecting gender or ‘infante’ from the list at the end. There are many from the house I’d like to try that aren’t easy to find on this side of the pond.
Have a great weekend, everyone. 🙂
Congrats on your TF! I love that one.
Have never bought vintage Caron so no advice there.
My most exciting purchase lately – definitely Comptoir Sud Pacifique The (I really need to learn how to put the accent mark over the e), discontinued, but located by the lovely Daisy for me and I now have my very own discontinued (and discounted) can on the way from Kuwait.
Second most exciting – that’s tough, but probably a tie between my decant of Apres L’Ondee and my half bottle of Tonka Imperiale. Ooh… or maybe my full bottle of Citizen Queen – that’s probably third because the other two are harder to obtain.
Next purchase – I’m afraid to think about it right now. I’m trying to take a break, but it isn’t easy.
Cynthia kudos on your latest loves!
Enjoy them 🙂 I know what you mean – it’s hard to not get swept away and wanting more and more…there seems no end to my enthusiasim over fragrance. Which is a wonderful thing mind you , there is a million scents I want to try but bad for saving $$.
Especially if I find one i love. It’s truly difficult. 😉
Hey, I may not have mentioned that I just swapped for a decant of Apres l’Ondee too… so great to finally have some of that, isn’t it?
Enabling is SO exhausting! ….or maybe it was 2 hours of weeding and then swimming about a zillion laps….nah, it had to be the enabling….I barely have the strength to ask if you’re on a Mac? I don’t think you are….hmmm…well, on my iMac ‘option e’ gives you the accent mark then strike e again to put the letter under the mark….on your pc the option key might be the ‘alt’ key…..
Thè – well, none of those options worked, but it turned out that I didn’t have my keyboard set to English International. So, I changed the keyboard layout and it still didn’t work the way that it was supposed to (maybe I have to reboot?). However, I found out that if I hold down the Alt key and press 0232 pm the number pad and then the space bar it will add an accented e – è, like so. Weird… but helpful.
Except it’s the wrong accent. I just don’t bother… too terribly lazy, I guess. 😀
Wéll, that surè makés things complicatèd – what’s the other accént mark for anyway?
LOL. Both for French, depending on the word: après, café, Hermès, ambrée. Then there are àáâêëîïôû… best not to worry about it all. 😉
ha – I knew there was a reason that I took Spanish instead of French. Well, besides the fact that I went to high school in Albuquerque and college in Texas. I accidentally learned how to make a ß while messing around with the è – but I have no idea what it is.
Looks like a beta? not sure… font is too tiny on my laptop. The “wrong” accent above gives you an eh sound (approximately), and the right one gives you an ay sound. If Bela turns up, I’m sure she has a better phonetic representation than that.
alt-0232 is è, alt-0233 is é… easy when I’m at a desktop computer, but my laptop doesn’t have a numerical keypad.
On my MacBook Pro, I searched the Help function for “special characters” (after failing to find accent, diacritical mark, or cedilla) and a box full of options popped up. Whéééh! This special character option is also listed under Edit.
Thanks Daisy! I’ve had my Mac longer than you (as you know because we discussed the advantages/disadvantages of Macs), and I never knew that. Love it!
purely a product of procrastination….had work to do , but decided testing out all the keys on the keyboard sounded more fun! found lots of nifty symbols…. 🙂
For Mata Hari, I’d suggest a Parfums d’Empire, such as Cuir Ottoman or Ambre Russe.
Prompted by Tamara, I am testing Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum Parfum du Soir and BK Back to Black. Interesting.
NozKoz, what say you? Was I totally off the mark?
Is it just me?
Pray tell!
I can see the similarity, Tamara. The Loukhoum seems much sweeter to me, while the BtB is drier, with prominent camphor/honey notes. The dryness is a quality of Kilians that I like, but this Loukhoum has its own appeal, so I’m going to test each of them further. FYI, I found a couple of the small travel refill size bottles of BtB on ebay, which might turn out to be enough of that, what with the one I already have from the sample pack. Thanks for the idea of sampling Loukoum!
Ok so I wasn’t completely bonkers to compare them in my head then. I appreciate and like both also but I think Loukhoum PdS is more my style, BtB has a more cherry tobacco honeyed drydown on me but that’s why I love Tabac Aurea more, PdS is patch/rose/vanilla which I love- the patch is not strong and blends seamlessly with the other notes, I look forward to testing it more in the colder weather which will be upon us too soon.
I’m glad you liked it!
Another good point: I’ve been meaning to try Tabac Aurea all year!
SOTD is Chanel 5 Eau Premiere, which I got a vat of and can spray liberally. Not to mention I think I will see my lust object today and he told me I smelled good when I was wearing it.
I think my third quarter spending is going to be over the top! Ebay has been truly evilbay lately, with lots of enticements. Plus I just got approved for a new cc and am going to permit myself a little splurge. Ahem. I said “little” splurge. (as the card bursts into flames)
One of my purchases was an unsniffed bottle of Patou Nacre. I was worried at the reviews of it being soapy, which I normally don’t like, but for some reason I really like this one. It is quite feminine – since I am not wearing it right now I can’t really describe it. I am dying to try Colony, but so far have not found a steal like Nacre was (dare I say, $7?).
Oh, I love Eau Premiere – and the gigantic bottle does make you feel positively decadent and prone to spritzing liberally. That’s why I think that I’ll eventually buy a full bottle of an Exclusif – just to have the giant bottle instead of my more sensible decants. Now, to decide which one, lol.
I do love being able to split and try lots and lots of things – especially stuff that is too expensive to splurge on a full bottle, but it’s nice to have FBs of your favorites. There’s just something wonderful about even holding them.
Not to mention, when you’re in a rush to get ready and don’t know what you want to wear, having it in the original bottle sure helps. Nothing worse than staring at a wall of decants and trying to remember what you have to choose from (unless it’s not having anything to choose from). 😀
Ain’t that the truth! I really do have no idea what all I have in decants. It’s sort of embarrassing.
heheheheh I’d bet a dollar you end up with 31 Rue Cambon……
oooohhh….oooohh…I too truly do love the Rue!
lol – yes, but you have inside information. But, you are right, the only other serious contender is Bois des Iles – or maybe 28 La Pausa. 28LP is kind of my “go to” spring scent, the way that 31RC was my “go to” winter scent.
I am very greedy about having bottles of things. I don’t know what it is, but when I want a bottle of something, a decant won’t really do. The decants tend to be things I’m on the fence about, or know I would never wear enough to have a bottle of. But then, even things I want a full bottle of are often things I won’t use up in my lifetime so I don’t know what it is.
I’m with you on the Exclusifs. I will probably get a bottle of the Coromandel in the smaller size, and Bois des Iles in the 200 ml.
Today I bought an unsniffed bottle of LL Fleur de Coraile for $17 and it smells fine (more like Angel than the original LL to me) but I love that little bottle!
Oh, Fleur de Corail is a really nice scent. Not breathtaking, but nice, and the bottle is definitely cute.
Ooh.. I love Fleur de Corail – and it’s the only one of the LLs that I do love, or even like, really. I’m still kicking myself for not picking up a backup bottle when I saw them at Marshalls.
I don’t get an Angel vibe from that one – but I do get a lot of incense, which is the part that I like. And the bottle is adorable – but a pain in the butt to decant from.
Oh I’m the same Tama! True love just *seems* to require the total commitment to a full bottle! I’m facing the same issue with a FB of Coromandel, the only Chanel I am truly bonkers over…I love the Cristalles and very much like and wear some others, but Adore C!!
Coromandel is supposed to be coming in a smaller size this fall.
Not to entice you back to Evilbay, but one can sometimes find the 5ml Patou minis for a song — I got a mini of Cocktail for 99 cents a few months ago.
No need to worry about enticing me back – I haven’t really left!
Mata Hari: XIIIème heure (Cartier)… beautiful embroidery btw. Today I’m sampling Amaranthine once more, I like the drydown but I still don’t know how much I really want a bottle (Lumière noire and une rose chyprée will come first, anyway)
I never really decided about Amaranthine either…it is in my purgatory basket.
Yesterday’s frags were Premier Figuier layered with Kiehls Musk.
Mata Hari fragrance: I imagine her wearing (regardless of the temporal paradox) Carolina Herrera’s eponymous fragrance. Something with jasmine but not too strong.
I think of something seductive but subtle and softer than the maneater image she had.
The Kiehls does not eat up the PF right away? I am surprised, it is so much stronger.
SOTD is Emeraude and I owe a big, big thanks to Miss Kitty for championing it in a previous post.
I saw a bottle of Emeraude on evilbay that looked very 50’s and was really cheap so I took the plunge. When it arrived it was cased in that rubber stuff just like my vintage Youth Dew and the smell . . .
OMG this is HG stuff for me! I am a huge Guerlain girl and had stockpiled several bottles of Shalimar (ribbed bottles, old packaging) but I am overwhelmed, really, this stuff is beautiful.
It is everything I love about Shalimar without the parts that make me uncomfortable in the eau de toilette.
Thank you Miss Kitty for opening my eyes to this beautiful fragrance, I will be forever grateful.
Isn’t vintage Emeraude marvelous? I had given up on it due to the reformulation, but Miss Kitty and mals gave me the courage to go vintage hunting on eBay and I won a couple of bottles of truly wonderful stuff.
Coty shouldn’t even be allowed to call the new stuff Emeraude.
Do you know just how vintage yours is? I have about 10-12 ml left of my circa 1980 bottle of Emeraude, and I think it is very nice. It probably had already been reforumlated several times since the 1922 original, but I like it nonetheless. I am sure if I could find some from, say, the 1950’s or 1960’s I would probably love it even more.
It’s got to be 50’s/60’s because of the rubbery casing around the bottle, old gold lettering and the gold cap has a crown and insignia on the top.
I have one gift set that looks like it was probably from the late 60s or early 70s, one small bottle that looks like the early 70s parfum de toilette, and a bottle of spray mist that is from the 50s or 60s.
I wish that there was a good article somewhere about the various packaging and when it was manufactured – maybe there is one and I haven’t found it. Mals did a nice review of vintage Emeraude on her blog that give good advice about what types of bottles and formulations to look for.
I do love vtg Emeraude so much!
Someone just sent me some pix of her really-vintage Emeraude hoping that I would be able to help her date them. Sadly, I’m not that expert – they are really stunning and really old, and I was afeared to ask her how much she paid for them!
The packaging differences I’m fairly sure I’m dating correctly are much more recent than the 1950’s. The 80’s edc isn’t too bad, actually, but whenever it was that Coty went to a sour-apple-candy color for Emeraude… well, let’s just say avoid that stuff like the plague.
I have some vitage Emeraude too, and I think it totally outdoes Shalimar, which I still like. I find Shamilar is much sweeter than E, and I prefer that rich amber smokey aroma of vintage E. Great stuff. Mals is the queen of vintage Emeraude and will eventually chime in on some clues to it’s age, I imagine. She has also reviewed it on her blog Muse in Wooden Shoes.
Mals was actually the one that got me hooked on snagging vintage Emeraude on ebay. I’ve always loved it, but it has without a doubt been reduced over the years to almost nothing. (I admit I have a new bottle that I use as room spray. There’s just enough of the real Emeraude hidden in there somewhere for it to work when sprayed in the air.) Ruth, is your bottle the pale green one? It might be from the 60’s, if it’s the one I’m thinking of. I think the early 80’s is when Emeraude started really going downhill. If you’ve got a bottle from the 50’s or 60’s that would be a major score. I found a bottle from the 1920’s on evilbay once, and am still kicking myself for not buying it. It wasn’t even that expensive, all things considered. (I don’t know how much it could have held up over time, but it would have been fun to have.)
This bottle is tall, green with a gold cap over the spray nozzle, 3.5 oz (it was almost full) titled “Emeraude Mist” and has a triangle base. As I said above, it has that rubbery casing around the glass bottle so the juice was fully protected.
It is heavenly and I snagged it for under $10 w/shipping.
The bottle color is more of a sea-foam green if that helps!
I feel very lucky.
I think that’s the one I’m thinking of. Lucky you! I bet it’s wonderful! Now I’m wanting to troll ebay in case any more shows up. Which would be bad, since I may not have an income soon.
I would like to share a source of fun and affordable scents!
I have made many a happy purchase from wiggleperfume on Etsy.
I like her 5 ml roll-on bottles which last forever and travel well. She also has samples and larger bottles. Some of my favorites are Penelope, Pumpkin Amber, Guajira, Duncan, Liberty, Speakeasy Vanilla, and Little 5.
Disclaimer: I have no connection other than being a pleased customer who like to share my finds!
Blasted typos!
I had never heard of them, but I think Jessica is going to review some of them soon. Thanks!
I know it’s not ~high art~ vanilla or anything, but when I read that CSP Vanille Extreme had been changed along with its new packaging, I panicked and immediately got myself a bottle. So much for careful and thoughtful purchasing! 😉
Question: Can anyone compare the two versions of Molinard Vanille, i.e. the “Les Senteurs” in the blue bottle versus the newer one in the clear bell-like bottle?
And I’ve looking for 5ml-10ml bottles for decanting. Any personal recommendations (other than TPC)? Thanks!
I’ve heard mixed reviews, but have always been personally satisfied with the product and service from Best Bottles: http://www.bestbottles.com. For it to be relatively affordable, you have to buy a flat of atomizers, but I just stock up with enough for a year or so and mine have always arrived all the way from California in great shape (maybe 1 out of 180 some odd broken.)
The only thing w/Best Bottles is that their bottle sizes aren’t consistent. My last batch of “10 ml” atomizers, for instance, only hold 9 ml. That’s frustrating when you’re hosting a split and discover you either need to recalculate your price for 9 mls, or send a spare 1 ml in a vial.
Bestbottles has great prices and nice quality stock…but like Boo said; you have to be aware of batch variances in the 10mls…I think they have them listed as 9ml right now…but their 5ml really do hold 5ml.
Another good place with excellent prices is Exoticfragrances dot com. They have true-sized 10ml also 15ml and 30ml —always packed very nicely, never a broken one
I used exotic fragrances for my first split and their bottles are great! They were the best option for 10ml in terms of cost (since I wasn’t going to be able to get to the $50 min for best bottles) and they are actually 10ml. They are glass with a metal sprayer and look really sturdy. They also have very cute 15 ml sprayers too.
Rei Rien sells some different size decanting bottles too, and some other supplies. I just ordered some 10 ml decant sprays from them. Sometimes I get decant supplies from The Perfume Court, and sometimes from essential oil/natural body product sites like Camden-Grey or Brambleberry… it just depends on if I am in need of other supplies. I’m always looking for shipping bargains, etc too – it just depends on where it the best price and availability at the time I order.
Thanks for the tip about ReiRien.
I have the Les Senteurs in the blue bottle, but I haven’t smelled the clear bottle one. I have 3 Autour De La Vanilles–Vanille Marine, Vanille Patchouli, and Vanille Fruitee. I like the patchouli one the best. Check my comment above for bottle recs.
Thanks for the bottle recs, guys! I’ve seen most of these sites before but never knew if other people used them. Good to hear all the advice.
For 5-10ml bottles for decanting I would recommend Accessories for Fragrance, especially if you are in the US with lower shipping charges. I have used Madina, who were super cheap, but the quality was not great. If you want nice metallic purse sprays, can also recommend the range on the Perfumer’s Apprentice.
Today I just drained the last of my Damien Bash Lucifer 3 samples and am feeling a bit lost. I never normally finish anything! That is simply the best sandalwood ever if you can get past the rather weird opening.
Re the title of this thread, I used to do competitor market research – NOT industrial spying, though Mr Bonkers will have you believe that’s what it was. I still managed to earn the nickname “The Mata Hari of the Spindle World” from a satisfied client, after I interviewed an acquisition target company which made stairparts. : – )
Great story! 😀
LOL — that is excellent!
I finally splurged on a full bottle of China White. I’m convinced there has to be oak moss in there and I hope they violate the IFRA restrictions.
Forgive me if I’ve asked this before, but I’m always on the hunt for something I’ve never tried before.
What is your favorite Chypre?
My top 3 chypres are undoubtedly Bandit, 31 Rue Cambon and Jubilation 25. They would definitely make my Top 10 All Time Favourite Fragrances list.
I like Aqua di Parma Profumo. In The Guide they describe Baghari and Diorella as chypres so if they qualify then I really enjoy them too. Not bad for someone who for a long time insisted that she didn’t like chypres 😀
Hmmm… I would have never guessed that Baghari was a chypre, but it’s some good stuff.
I know, right? It doesn’t have a typical chypre vibe to me either so I was surprised to see it described as that. I wore it a couple of days ago which reminded me just how very lovely it is (provided you like aldehydes).
I also love L’ame Soeur by Divine. It has an almost fruity aldehydic thing going on in the opening though there isn’t any fruit listed in the notes. But the drydown is pure heaven and reminds me a great deal of another love, No. 5. Montale’s Chypre Fruite is a nice one for the summer as it isn’t too heavy and doesn’t overwhelm even on the hottest days. But I’d have to say Bandit, the original EL Private Collection (I can’t wear it as it is my mother’s signature scent and I just feel weird about that), Ungaro Diva and Crepe de Chine are among some of my favorites. I have a lot of exploring to do in this category, which I look forward to doing. 🙂
I never really think of Baghari as a chypre when I wear it, regardless of how dry it is. It will always be a dry aldehyde floral to me….
Baghari is fabulous! That opening is to die for. I need to revisit Baghari and Diorella. I enjoy Dioressence and vintage Miss Dior. Rue Cambon is lovely, but no oakmoss?
I think that was the party trick with 31RC. Hey, look, no oakmoss!
Actually, I can’t believe that I forgot to mention Chanel Pour Monsieur (the original, not the Concentrée flanker). It’s great stuff and, despite the name, I find it almost smells like a cross between Mitsouko and Cristalle.
A cross between Mitsouko and Cristalle? Lemming alert!
Dixie: I love me some chypres, but my absolute favorite is Lancôme Sikkim.
I love Sikkim as well. I’m dying to try the vintage formulation, but I keep getting outbid on ebay.
mine too! I adore Sikkim!
I really like Guerlain’s Parure. Many chypres are too sharp or bitter for my taste, but not that one. I find it very warm and smooth, and very classy smelling. It is definitely a grown woman’s fragrance (as all chypres are, actually). Another one I am liking is the vintage Revlon Intimate I got off eBay recently. It was my SOTD yesterday, and I have to say–WOW! It really packs a wallop. There is supposed to be a slug of aldehydes in the top note, which I do not detect. Quite possibly they have evaporated. The oakmoss is qute apparent, however. I place the bottle as ~1970’s. It is labled as a “cologne”, but it is much more potent that one would expect form a cologne strength. It was a really good price, too, and seems to pop up on eBay quite frequently.
Favorite chypres (my favorite category of scent period!): vintage Femme, Colony (discontinued but still turns up) and vintage Mitsouko (of course!).
I didn’t care for Femme-it wears me as does EL’s Knowing. But I adore Mitsouko which is probably my all time favorite!
I can understand that. I was shocked when I first started reading blogs a few years ago to read some of the descriptions of scents like Femme and Bal a Versailles – two of my favorites! Oak moss seems to just blend seamlessly with my skin though.
I adore Mitsouko, too, but another one I really enjoy is Paloma Picasso.
So far the three chypres that seem to suit my taste best are Aqua di Parma Profumo, YSL Y, and Niki de Saint Phalle.
Oh, favorite chypre…
A really kind and yet demonic person sent me a sample of vintage Coty Chypre and Millot Crepe du Chine. They immediately became my favorite chypres…and, of course, are tough tough tough to find, let alone afford. (Got lucky on a fleaby Coty edc and mostly used Millot…I’m happy to have them, ’cause those 1ml vials weren’t going to do.)
Diorella and Miss Dior are among my more contemporary favorites, but even those have been altered recently. Sous le Vent I like…and if you count No. 19 in this category, it goes on the “like oodles” list.
Gah. Forgot YSL “Y.”
I love chypres! Favorite of all time– Givenchy III Favorite new version chypre, but for spring-ish weather–Chinatown. Also love Caron Infini , I periodically fall back in love with it and nothing else hits the spot.
Gah! Forgot Givency III. 🙂
Never tried Infini! I will have to seek some out! Thanks!
ACK! I too forgot Givenchy III. I haven’t worn it in years though! Boy, was that a great one.
Two of my faves not yet mentioned are: Chanel No. 19 and Ormonde Jayne Woman. Mmm mmm mmm. Love chypres!
For Mata Hari, I would choose Penaligons Malabah. I think it is highly suitable, but I’m also picking it beause I can’t really wear it too much: my husband says it reminds him of his mother. 🙁 My first thought was, sheesh, your mom has great taste in perfume! Yet, I suppose I shouldn’t go there.
Latest disappointment: Monyette Paris. I so wanted this to work on me, but all I smell is The Body Shop’s Lilac perfume oil (which is very nice, but costs way less). The drydown is sweet, but dammit, I just can’t smell anything but lilac. I worked at The Body Shop decades ago for several years and that was my favorite, so I guess I’m burnt out, still.
Other duds: Juliette Has a Gun’s Calamity J, Pilar and Lucy The Exact Friction of Stars, L’Artisan Tea for Two and L’Ete en Douce.
Is there anything new that I DO like? Yes, one. L’Artisan Fou D’Absinthe. It makes me think of a man that does not exist. Grounded only in mythology, he walks between worlds. He’s a fairy, that’s it. Oh, boy, I think I need a nap.
Have you tried the body oil version of Monyette? I own both it and the roll-on and find the oil is a bit lighter and more heavy on the incense and gardenia to my nose. It’s wonderful.
Just as an aside since you mentioned working for The Body Shop, I was horrified to discover they no longer carry perfume oils. According to the rep on their site when I emailed them, they’re discontinuing all of them. I was stunned and yet again, I lost more respect for the company, which seems to be careening downhill since Anita Rodick passed away and it was taken over by some cosmetics company. The quality of the oils had been slipping, but Japanese Musk was and is one of my fave perfume oils of all time.
As I recall, TBS was sold to L’Oreal, but I don’t know if that was before or after Anita Rodick’s passing. She had the chance back in I believe it was the very early part of this decade (or perhaps the late 90s, my memory is fuzzy) to sell the company to Carlos Slim Helú but declined. *suddenly feels a NEED to track down sme TBS perfume oils, especially since the last time she visited a shop most were on clearance and she didn’t know why at the time… and is now slapping herself for not having purchased any, as inferior to the originals as they may be*
She sold to L’Oreal in 2006 and passed away in 2007.
Absolute, I totally agree with your comments about The Body Shop. I was on their website a while back looking for their Woody Sandalwood oil as a substitute for my Gap Smooth Sandalwood oil (which I gave away, stupid) and was surprised at how few oils/perfume offerings they have now compared to 8-10 years ago. They seem to be doing away with all the old classics and really streamlining the brand lately, which is too bad.
If I ever get myself in gear today, I was planning on wearing Soivohle Acoustic Flower, written up as lime-gardenia but probably more citrus-jasmine. Very nice. I picked up some 5ml sprays at the 3-for-2 Soivohle sale last month. Also loving the Pêche et Vert.
Most recent purchase was a secondhand DelRae Amoureuse for splitting — it’s so terrific. As mentioned above, about to take advantage of the BH “oprah” discount code by buying PdN Maharanih & Balkis, also for splitting. I’ve had my eye on them for quite awhile. It’s hard to not be pushed over the edge by a 25% discount, eh?
Yummm…. Amoureuse is a great one, isn’t it?
Joe, I too love Acoustic Flower, it is more of a jasmine on me also and lasts a surprisely long time, I’m almost through my 15 ml of it, it’s been a pleasure to wear over the summer.
And I’m so jealous of your Amoureuse score!
I really think that’s a gorgeous fragrance, I love it’s voluptous qualities. Yes the BH deal is too great, I want PdN New York ,Le Temps D’Une Fete and Sacrebleu 30 mls.
Perfume will be the death of me. 😉
Dude, I’m so glad it’s got a new home. Looking at it on my perfume tray all these months gave me heavy guilt at its non-use.
On this chilly day in England, I ventured out and did the perfumista unthinkable at an old pharmacy in my town: bought a 100ml bottle of Old Spice EDT. Taboo…or so I thought. Having no real recollection of Old Spice, I went home and carefully poured half of the famous off-white bottle into an atomizer bottle. Spritzed myself. The air. A nearby scarf. Waited…a few minutes in….and had to lie down. It’s a wonder. I smell clove! I smell carnation! I smell a creamy vanilla! Woodsmoke! I smell a man, a catch, who will make you coffee in the morning! I can’t really explain what it did to me. I hear it’s been reformulated often over the years, so I have no idea how well known this version is. As Kevin said in his review, “Just because a fragrance is inexpensive doesn’t mean it has to smell cheap.” Today I learned that wise lesson. To my nose it’s definitely not far off CDG Series 2 Red: Carnation. Love it and will now be wearing it often. Shamelessly and proud.
Has anyone had similar experiences with this classic? Please share!
You smell like a man who could bake you a gourmet cake in the dream kitchen he built for you with his own hands…
Seriously though, great story! I should get a little. Even though it’s cheap, I don’t know what the heck I’d do with 100ml of it. Give some to all my friends? (not a bad idea) I wonder if your bottle is quite old (old pharmacy, you say?) or if the new stuff is just as good?
Joe! lets find an old bottle with the little metal pin to split!
Joe, very old pharmacy, yes, but from the regular ole Speedstick/Rogaine men’s aisle. I just had no idea the Old Spice we get today smells so rich and well-done. I’m a sucker for carnation, though. Yes, hand it out to friends! My bottle set me back a whole £7.
Old Spice really does smell great! I think it just tends to get downgraded in perfume circles because (1) it is really inexpensive; and (2) everybody and his brother, father, uncle, and grandfather wears or has worn it. Familiarity breeds contempt. Let one of the niche perfumers come up with a similar formula, put it in an artsy looking bottle, call it Vielle Epice, and price it at $120 for 50 ml, and watch everyone rave about it. Oh, and the opposite saying would hold true as well: just because a fragrance costs a lot of money doesn’t mean it necessarily smells expensive!
Very true, 50_Roses! I completely agree. I’ve encountered many carnation themed perfumes and none of them smell as comforting and gorgeous as Old Spice.
Your experience with Old Spice sounds wonderful. I also get major carnation and heavy cream from it. It is a big comfort scent for me. I also think it bears a strong resemblance to the CDG Carnation as well as this Red Moscow fragrance. Mals sent me a decant – anyone who loves carnation would love it.
So comforting! And I don’t really know why – I can’t remember anyone in my family ever wearing it. But I just want to spray my linens with it now! A beautiful eye-opener this side.
I need to give that one a better try (have it sitting right next to my computer, how do you like that?!)… but today is not the day. I think my sluggishness has just proclaimed itself to be the beginning of a migraine. Oof.
Nice! It can be a bit heavy at first…so, yeah, maybe not on your migraine day (hoping it doesn’t get to that, of course!)
Perhaps an icy day in November? Would be brilliant then. Actually putting mine away ’til wintertime.
Oops, out of order comment, and I wasn’t terribly clear… I have the Red Moscow sitting by the computer. I’ve actually never (knowingly) smelled Old Spice.
Sorry about the migraine, Boojum…if it helps (“helps?”), you are among quite a few I’ve heard about today. Including, I am not so pleased to report, myself. I chased mine off; hope you can/did, too.
It seems to have not gone the migraine route after all… just allergies, I guess. The weather was great the last 2 days, but today it is steamy again. Now 10 at night, and still over 80* out. Ick.
Actually, while it only got 3 Stars in The Guide (which is two more than some of my favorites, lol), it was described as a “delicious Tabu-like oriental”. I haven’t smelled it in years (although I did run out and buy a bottle of Stetson after reading the guide – 2 bottle because it was BOGO, if I remember correctly) – so I might have to give Old Spice another try.
We used to give a giant bottle of it to my grandfather every Christmas when I was a kid – I wonder if it will trigger any scent memories like my grandma’s Emeraude did?
The Tabu reference confused the heck out of me… because I HATE Tabu and Youth Dew (sorry… sorry sorry, don’t shoot me, I just do), and I LOVE Old Spice. However, for me it’s the smell of my dad, so wearing it would be *deeply* strange.
My brother last minute asked me to go to a Rush concert tonight in Auburn Wa.and of course I’m wondering what to wear for it.
I don’t mind mild sillage in a crowded space,
I kinda prefer it cause what if other peeps don’t smell too good -ha.
Hmmmmm just wondering what you guys would wear?
Do tell, I would love to know!
Last time I went to a concert the woman I was squeeshed next too all evening in a smallish nightclub in downtown Seattle (I saw Minus the Bear-love them!) told me “You’ve smelled so good all night!”
I was wearing Badgley Mishka Couture.
Have a great smelly weekend everyone!
I don’t have a suggestion (Gucci Rush, maybe? HA!), but it’s great to have someone say, “You smell so good.”
HA! Clever Joe 😉
I haven’t smelled that Gucci for years.
But really, what wouldn’t you mind smelling on a person in this situation? I am at a loss!
T., I’m going to see the Scorpions and Dokken tonight (go ahead, everyone, laugh– I can take it), and have decided that Black Afgano is the way to go. I feel like there aren’t as many stoners at shows as there used to be, but at least my hash perfume will blend in if there are any about. 🙂 Is the show outdoors? I’m trying to remember what’s in Auburn– long time, no Washington for me. I feel like anything that isn’t too sweet is a good choice for crowds. Too spicy can also be bad. Do you have any fragrances you’re considering in particular?
Hey, I like a little Scorpions from time to time!
Oh, Miss Kitty, You ROCK! Can I come? We’d have some fun for sure! (I saw Rob Zombie in Salem all those years ago. It speaks to my inner anthropologist nerd/rock chick. The music may be good, but the people watching is AMAZING!)
Ann, the people-watching is THE BEST. I think it was last year that my friends and I went to see Def Leppard and Poison, which was hilarious. I wish I had brought my camera. They were selling Poison panties at the merch table, and there were men walking around wearing them on their heads like a hat. And not just one or two men, but several. When we saw the first guy my friend turned to me and said, “Please tell me that man is not wearing underpants on his head.”
I need to send you a copy of this Henry Rollins spoken word/comedy routine that goes over this ancient rocker/old hair band concert stuff. It is pretty funny.
Ohh, I have some HR somewhere around here. Nearly forgot about him. 😀
Ann, I already have all his stuff. I don’t remember that, but then, I don’t remember a lot of things.
Kitty – why I am NOT surprised that you already have Mr. Rollins?? You are like my hipper self – the one that stayed behind in PDX. It’s spoken word Live at Westminster something or other. He’s talking about the band Ratt….
Oh, I’m sure I’m not anyone’s hipper self. 🙂 I mean, I went to see the Scorpions, right? You can still be the hip one, I’ll let you.
Miss Kitty, I ended up wearing Acoustic Flower which I love but sort’ve regretted cause it was a cooler, rainy night, I could have worn something much stronger and not been out of place. We had box seats so it was nice! Rush is frikkin awesome! They did a 3 hr. gig and the they still can rock out with their c— out! ha. I loved it! I’ve never been to the White River Amphitheatere (didn’t spell that right :/ ) Next weekend is Chris Issac at the winery, I wish I had some URC for that. Actually wish I had URC period!
Now you have an excuse to get some. 😉
Miss Kitty! Don’t you dare tempt me! I am trying to hold out for the bigger bottles in Oct. Aaaaaggghhhh! It is torture waiting.
If BH would have sold Tauers I would’ve had URC in a frikkin minute though!
Miss Kitty, what did you wear to your shindig????
Tamara, I went with the Black Afgano. I really wish I had worn more of it than I did so I could have overpowered the smell of the people around me– geez, I wish people would at least shower before going to a crowded venue. I think I’m going to start handing out bars of soap and deodorant at future shows.
Tamara: I notice Acoustic Flower doesn’t last long on me. Granted, I don’t really spray heavily (for fear of bowling over people around me within the first hour). It’s a common problem for me; my skin eats many scents. But I love it for the first hour or so.
Joe it is really lovely isn’t it?
I would love to smell something like it on a man- I bet it smells great on you!
I’m wearing Chamade right now and it’s pretty great!
I wonder if Le Temps D’Une Fete is like this like I’ve read?
I really am diggin’ it.
It’s so hard, I want to buy stuff at BH like crazy 🙂
long live big hair bands!!
those were 2 of my favorite bands in high school! so jealous!!! i still listen to the “arena rock/hair metal” stations whenever i can. i know i must still have a dokken t-shirt somewhere in my mom’s house.
Hope you have fun! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them!
After a stroll through the mall, I’m wearing Pacifica’s new Star Jasmine, which is exceptionally nice – fresh, interesting, great price. Bought the rollerball. Highly recommended, as LT and TS wold say!
Have you ever tried their Tunisian Jasmine? I’d love to know how this one compares.
Hi Everyone! We are finally having this crisp, cool, sunny weather. After a summer of oppressive heat, it feels positively early-fallish so I busted out some of my warm weather fragrances. I’m wearing SSS Rose Musc – yum!
Ok. I promised I would report on my Smell Bent samples that I got REALLY quickly at the beginning of this week. I got samples of Never Never Land, St. Tropez Dispenser, Chili Vanilli, Bollywood or Bust, Monaco Dependent, Gauguin-Tuan, and Prairie Nymph.
I’ll keep this brief as I can. First, aside from how fab the packaging is, they are just such interesting and unusual fragrances. They smell like there was a lot of fun and a lot of experimenting going on, and the enthusiasm is contagious. They all have a slight gourmand tendencey – I’m not saying they are all sweet, but there is something nearly edible about all of them. There is also something almost like the richest , most gorgeous “essential oil ” like aromas you can get. There is nothing traditional or “perfumey” about any of the ones I tried. I didn’t smell a stitch of aldehydes or anything safe (read:test marketed) at all. That alone was a lot of fun and very refreshing.
I’ll start with my least favorite which is the wonderfully named Chili Vanilli. This is a powerhouse of cinammon essential oil for the first 20 minutes. After that it smells like a more casual version of Theorema adn lasts forever. It’s not bad, but I already have a bottle of Theorema. If you love insanely dense cinnamon, this one is for you.
Brent threw in a sample of St. Tropez Dispenser, which I would never have picked out for myself, but I found myself strangely compelled to keep sniffing, and almost completely unable to describe. I need to revisit it with a clear and analytical head. Technically it is jasmine,musk and some other goodies. It made me want to eat my arm. I can’t say anything more constructive about it, except I highly recomment it!!!
My favs of all of the ones I mention above are Prairie Nymph and Never Never Land. Prairie Nymph is an impossibly fun, happy, edible combination of carnation and clemintine (mandarine), dripping with honey-vanilla. It lasts forever. It is a smile in a bottle. I got the 4 ml spray decant, and I wore this fragrance on 3 days this past week. It is just super. I rarely say this, but most definitely not a unisex fragrance. Sorry guys – if you want it, buy it for your gal. This one is on my must buy list now.
Never Never Land is amazingly weird and compelling. Again, one I could not stop sniffing and also one I find very hard to describe. I rarely feel a fragrance is “sexy”, but this one is. I loved it on myself, and I wish even more I could smell it on a man. If a man was wearing it, well, I leave things to your imaginations. It has this weird depth to it that got me a little cross eyed. It lasts FOREVER and the drydown is amazing. It goes through a few different stages. It is altogether a gourmand, green, incense, woody-smokey chypre. Makes no sense. I say, you need to try this yourself. At one moment it is like witchcraft of Mitsouko, L’Air du Desert Maroccain, Amazone, Givenchy III all got stuck in the pot with something like the best Thai food you ever ate. Makes no sense. I am completely in awe of Never Never Land, and this too is now on my must buy list.
Gauguin-Tuan is gorgeous gourmand white flowers – imagine something sweet, woody and white flowers. It’s not my style, but I may buy a bottle for my older sister who loves sweet gourmands. It’s really well done.
Bollywood or Bust smells like something else from my long lost youth, and I can’t really explain it. I apologize that I can’t describe it any better. I need to revisit this. It’s unusual, and definitely unisex.
Monaco Dependent is the most goregous orange blossom I’ve smelled since I bought my bottle of Dilmun. Imagine Dilmun with a sense of humor and a large dose of sunshine. How can an orange blossom fragrnance be any more sunny than orange blossoms already are? This one is. Very gourmand, not too sweet, just great super wonderful orange blossom.
Ok. A+ for Smell Bent. I want to test the rest of the line. It just made me happy anyway to smell such innovation at such good prices.
Ann, those all really sound like a lot of fun. I had a bunch of samples months ago and moved them all along for others to appreciate, except for Sunshine, which I would (and may) buy. The one called Hungry Hungry Hippies totally made me laugh out loud.
I think the name St Tropez Dispenser is hilarious in how silly it is, and you’ve made Never Never Land sound pretty amazing. I want to support this line because anyone having that much fun with their fragrance (and still creating quality product) deserves to be successful. I’ve noticed some of the line is carried at Urban Outfitters — I need to stop at my local shop to check that out.
I didn’t smell sunshine or HHH – it sounded too foody for me, but I’ll probably break down and smell them eventually. I want to support Smell Bent too – it’s just refreshing to smell such fun stuff at such good prices. It’s nice to see a successful line thumbing the nose at the general blah blah market. I can see why Urban Outfitters carries the line. I’d be interested to hear other comments about NNL especially. There is something in there I just can’t make out, and I’m dying to know what it is!
Yes, this line seems like an excellent fit for Urban Outfitters. I’m joining you in the Prairie Nymph love; I got the 4.5 ml sample earlier this summer and I’m seriously considering a full bottle. Hungry, Hungry Hippies was fun (and brought back memories of growing up in 60s/70s Oregon!).
Yeah, Prairie Nymph is a lot of fun and so pretty. You make me super curious about HHH though – I can only imagine Portland in the 60/s70s!!
Very interesting! Where did you get the samples, Ann?
Hi Noz – I ordered them directly from the Smell Bent website. They were having a free shipping special. I’m not sure if it is still up though. But you can order diferent samples – some come in the frag oil which is less expensive than the edts, and you can get sample sets, or the 4 ml size… a good selection. They thre in a freebie sample too. There were a whole bunch I haven’t tried yet. Shipping from LA was remarkably fast too.
Thanks, Ann – I clicked over there and ordered up a few!
Ann, thank you for your reviews! I’ve been putting off trying these, and must.
Oh good! You have to let me know what you think!
A report from the field! Fabulous. Thanks, Ann.
I liked Monaco Dependent, too – I bought the full-on bottle of oil unsniffed and wasn’t sorry. The other one I got unsniffed and really love is Felix Navidad, from Christmas. I must must try Prairie Nymph – it sounds so me I can’t imagine it not working. I have a few other samples to work though (I was one of Joe’s lucky recipients, plus they sent me a gob of extras). I really want to try Violet Tendencies – more for the name than anything.
Prairie Nymph sounds like me, too…
Mata Hari?!?! I would have her wear Bandit, perhaps Tubereuse Criminelle!! Perhaps Ormonde Jayne’s Woman or Orris Noir.
I havn’t bought fragrance for a very, very long time. My wish list includes Cuir Mauresque which is going to be released into the Export Line this xmas apparently………
Thanks, I can’t keep track of what is going in & out of export anymore!
I just scored full, vintage bottles of Rochas Femme and Jean d’Albret Ecusson bath oils for 10 bucks. Best day EVER.
Envy…envy 😉
Huge congrats, those are great deals!
Wow. WOW. You rock…
I love vintage scents on ebay.
Oops, hit post too soon.
My latest ebay score was several weeks ago – a bottle of Avon Cotillion, which I wouldn’t have bothered with, except my late grandmother used to wear it, and I’d have sworn that her bottle had gone bad but she kept wearing it anyway. So I snagged this attractive late-60s bottle of it (no kittens or parrots or other wacky Avonesque things, just a half-moon shape lying on its back) and tested it, and it’s actually quite nice. Aldehydic floral, unless I miss my guess – and so I was right, my gran’s bottle was definitely past it.
SOTD: OJ Woman. I was underwhelmed when I first tried it but finally succumbed, bought a bottle, and have been inundated with compliments every single time I wear it — my other scents NEVER get compliments, poor things!
Last weekend I was in Brooklyn and finally made the trek to CB I Hate Perfumes. I thought I’d be bowled over by the scents, but to be honest, I wasn’t (then again, I’ve been underwhelmed before — see above); the scents definitely fell in the category of “interesting smell, but do I want to wear an interesting smell?” Still, I did buy a bottle of Faggot, which is similar to Burning Leaves, but more complex — not quite as sweet, and with incense and cedar notes. Not sure what I’m going to say if anyone asks me the name of this one!
I feel that way about a lot of his scents, but a few fall into the wearable category (and I haven’t tried *that* many yet). My favorite wearable so far is A Room With a View (about ready to buy that one), and I think my favorite “interesting smell” is Wild Hunt.
Yes, the most perfume-y ones were definitely Room with a View, Black March, and Wild Hunt, but I felt like they were somehow missing their underpinnings — nice smells put together but no real structure to *hold* them together, if that makes sense.
SOTD: TDC Bergamote layered with Miss Dior, with a dab of Daim Blonde I’m sampling… maybe a weird mix, but it’s late and I’m home alone, so no harm no foul 😉
I got a great discount on the Bergamote — the 50 ml bottle was on sale at half off. And it’s good it was (relatively) cheap, because I swear it lasts about a half hour on me and I keep re-spraying because I’m in love with the top notes… It made me randomly spray Miss Dior just to have something on that lingered.
Is it only me, or has anyone else had any TDC scents disappear on them entirely in under an hour? Because there’s a few others still on sale that sound interesting from reviews, but they may not be worth it if they have similarly low lasting-power.
My birthday is in a few days and I’m getting me a FB of Philosykos… so excited 🙂
Um, on sale where? I love Oriental Lounge. That is longer lasting.
On sale at Douglas, this perfume chain in Europe… There was also Osmanthus and whatever their Jasmine scent is called, though I didn’t see Oriental Lounge.
Happy birthday! Philosykos didn’t work for me at all… too coconutty… but the last time I tried it, it was better. Hoping eventually my sweet-amping powers will subside and I’ll be able to wear this one; after the top notes wear off, it’s a lovely milky green scent.
Happy birthday Dominika!
I wish I could wear Philosykos-but it gets waaay sweet. In fact most of the Diptyque scents do. I was totally shocked to be able to wear Do Son. It smells very ethereal and light to me.
One thing that has worked for me is to put on Philosykos right before my shower. The sweet gets washed off and the lovely green drydown remains. Of course, my skin holds frag really well, so YMMV.
I think a good scent for Mata Hari would be MKK by Uncle Serge or Jicky by Guerlain.
SOTD is Shalimar-extrait, I haven’t worn it in a while, I can’t stop smelling my wrist.. I like the smokey top notes, and ambery drydown. The edt is sweeter and more balsamic-I like that too, it’s just a little different-smelling to me.
Great picks, and for that matter, your Shalimar extrait would work!
Thanks to LaMaroc for the heads up about the sale at TPC. Have just ordered a couple of 5ml decants/samples (is 5mls a sample or decant?) of Chanel Gardenia, SL 5 O’clock Eau Gingembre and AG Songes. Now I have something to look forward to in the post!
Almost forgot SOTD: Arpege
Late to the party as usual–Robin, I love the fabric photo that heads this post…it would look terrific in my bedroom as a pillow, or comforter, or drapes…..hmmmm, do I need to redecorate?
Of course Mata Hari would wear Bandit or Jicky…but a modern Ms. Hari would wear Tauer’s L’Air or Maroc Pour Elle or Une Rose Chypree.
I’m wearing my a variety of Jasmine in anticipation of winning the Star Jasmine draw tomorrow!! Almost as good as a lottery ticket.
I love that photo too…wish I’d learned how to embroider.
I love Caron fragrances, and have been wearing them since the early 80’s– En Avion and Tabac Blond are both just as wonderful now as ever, in my book. Tabac Blonde is grand in the perfume concentration, but the EDP is great for warm weather–you can spray a softer veil of it, if you know what I mean. Same for En Avion. I have read about a special Jasmine Oud which they have in Paris– check and see if they have that in NY. I also have a lot of love fpor Infini– I think it is an underrated gem And have a wondeful time.
I wish they were distributing their ouds…I don’t even know how many there are, but at least 2 or 3.
I think I’m in love with Olivia Giacobetti. I recently found Safran Troublant, which I am craving (and ordered from BH); Lubin’s Idole, which I also bought from BH); just got a sample of Philosykos, which I’m liking very much. Bought Tea for Two years ago and wore it quite a bit..may like En Passant enough to buy next spring; and enjoyed Costes enough to consider buying, but think it may be too similar to Idole which I already own. She is on my radar now!
I love Olivia Giacobetti too — her stuff is up there with JC Ellena for me. I’m loving Costes 2 right now!
You should also look into the IUNX fragrances, four of the dozen or so she created for the original store are sold in the new store next to the entrance of Hotel Costes in Paris. Very beautiful, very transparent, woody, incense perfumes, although very light and not very natural. You don’t hear much about them since they’re not available in the US, but you can get decants from Perfumed Court.
Thanks, Rick
Ah, and she did Dzing! – one of my favorite leathers – and Hiris. It is definitely worth following her work.
And, of course, she has her own line – Honoré des Prés – which includes those latest 3 NYC scents.
Oh, I had no idea she had her own line. Note to self: check this out! Thanks so much
Scent of Day = Messe de Minuet, just craving bone dry incenses and ambers in the cold of winter Downunder….I sampled it recently and it was oh oh oh. You know…then I got a couple of decants, and then probably tracked down the only mail order source in the world….and its been WHAAA reformulated, and from trying to fathom out the fact its not on the Etro site, its probably d-d-d- DIScontinuned!
The reformulated version is a lovely lemony dry dusty incense, but its lost the wonderful mouldy crypt thing that caused such a stir! I suppose its oakmoss.
Hrrmmpph!
Oh dear…that was on my short list to acquire soon, too. 🙁
Whaaaat? Blast!!!! I’ve been looking for an old-style discounted bottle of MdM since early spring, when I bought my cheapo Anice. Now it will be impossible to find. Thanks for th sad news…
I’m late… been CANNING TOMATOES all weekend. Urgh.
Did anybody else get pushed over the edge at TPC with the anniversary discount? I wuz baaad. For months, I’d been looking and looking at, and wishing for, that partial bottle of La Myrrhe, which I love. But $150 for an ounce? Nope, can’t do it. Not even for a Paris exclusive. But at $120, it looked like a deal… and I took it.
And I was doing so nicely this quarter, too!
Hey Mals,
I got sucked in by TPC’s discounts last month and again by the anniversary sale this month. Just bought lots and lots of samples.
Power to you on the canning, by the way. That’s probably my most hated chore.
Yes, kudos to Mals on the canning! That’s a skill I haven’t attempted yet, I was interested this year, but I didn’t plant any tomatoes, lol, so maybe I’ll be ambitious enough to try next year. Just think how good those tomatoes will taste come January. 🙂
SOTD: Jicky edp. Yes, I know I’m way late to the Jicky party. Years back, I’d tried the edt and walked away from the Guerlain counter confused. I simply didn’t ‘get’ all the fuss. Recently though, I sampled the edp and fell in love. A definite HG perfume moment for me. Why this version of Jicky is not available in stores or Guerlain boutiques in the States is beyond me.
Guerlain is so poorly distributed here…I guess we are lucky we get Jicky at all.
My SOTD is Lolita Lempicka Fleur de Corail which I found at TJ Maxx for $16.99 for the 1 oz. size. And I dove right in and purchased, unsniffed. It’s okay so far, I don’t love it, I don’t hate it. It seems like a good summer oriental/gourmand, which is what I was looking for. I think I just need to wear it a few more times to get used to it before I start to crave it.
“A good summer oriental/gourmand” is probably not ever going to hit my personal needs list, Prudie – but I’m glad you found something nice at an excellent price!
I’ve probably got a category of fragrances that strikes you as “Who’d ever need THAT?” Which is, I suppose, why there are so many different varieties of smells…
Indeed, we are all on a different quest, and sometimes I don’t know what I’m looking for until I find it!
This Fleur de Corail is just hard to categorize, it’s sticky-sweet (fragipani blossom, orchid vanilla), then it’s musky (amber, musk). It’s kind of perplexing, but not unpleasant.