The usual open thread: talk about anything you like — what perfume you’re wearing today, how utterly freezing cold (or marvelously warm!) it is where you live, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer.
Note: image is 8116 by sakura_chihaya+ at flickr; some rights reserved.
SOTD: Vetiver extraordinaire. I have been wearing it for two weeks straight now. I’m going to Paris this weekend and plan to buy a bottle of this new love! I also plan to sniff Delrae’s Panache and de Bachmakov which still aren’t around in Germany.
Color me envious. I’ve been coveting a bottle of VE for a while now! I’ve been on a vetiver kick for most of the fall/winter. I recently scored a few bottles of vintage (pre-formulation) vetiver by Guerlain and good Lord is that stuff A-mazing! But VE is great too – and sufficiently different from the Guerlain that I could justify a full bottle. I have to move that to the top of the ‘to buy’ list!
I just discovered Vetiver Pour Elle – loving it!
Karin–you get a new shiny stone for your Virtual Enabler’s Pin….my own bottle of Vetiver Pour Elle showed up yesterday! (tis all your fault! and when the quarterly report comes around–your name will be on it!!!!! )
And one good turn deserves another dearest Daisy – I had about half of my original decant of VPE left and I actually had forgotten about it. You reminded **coughenabledcough** me when this split came up and I bought another decant! So a big shiny stone for you too! 😀
Serious??? I enabled you, the great enabler??? My work here is done. 🙂
indeed you did Karin! I had dabbed PVE before…liked it but didn’t love it….decided I should really have a bit more (it is Guerlain, after all and I am a Guerlain Ho…) When I sprayed it , I loved it! within the week I had ordered a bottle…sigh….no more $$ in my wallet.
I love VE! And wish I was going to Paris.
I want to sniff Panache too! Delrae is not sold anymore here in Milan.
I’m a big time lurker coming out to ask a wicked important question (snort)…I love vanilla fragrances but all the ones I like seem to be a little out of place come summer. I read a comment once about a vanilla white musk? I bet that’s lovely! I would love a vanilla that is complex and interesting but suitable for the heat. Money is not really a factor as I will eschew buying clothes for myself and diapers for the babies if I can find the. one. I am writing this while there is about two feet of snow outside my door so this is seriously pathetic.
Welcome and congrats for coming out of lurkdom! Unfortunately I can’t answer your question because the closest I come to wearing a vanilla fragrance in the summer is slathering on LaVanilla’s Lavendar/Vanilla body butter. I am sure other’s will respond though! Hang in there!
I wear LaVanilla Vanilla Grapefruit in the summer – it’s not too grapefruity as I like it and I am generally not a fan of grapefruit.
L’Artisan Safran Trublant is a lovely and yet cooling vanilla that I adore in warm weather. (may have spelled that wrong, I’m too lazy to check!)
Seconding the Safran Troublant – it’s very lightly spicy, which when combined with the rose, almost takes on a carnation aspect.
File under Cheap & Cheeerful: Try Vanilla Musk by Coty. It’s reasonably priced and easily found at drugstores.
Hi MixieMay, maybe try Hermes Vanille Galante, PdN’s Vanilla Tonka is good too, if applied sparely in the heat. Atelier Vanille Insensee just came out, though I don’t know how it would fare in the summer, I haven’t tried that one…
Was going to suggest Vanille Galante myself, as so many people complain about it being too “fleeting” or “pretty” and not deep enough. Perhaps just right for summer?
Oooh, Vanille Galante would be perfect in summer. It’s not your typical vanilla, and I think that’s why it’s perfect for summer. It may be my fave Hermessence! (disclosure: don’t own it)
Try YSL Cinema! It’s delightful, and can be had easily (and tested easily too) 🙂
YSL Cinema is really, really good. I wear that a bit myself. I’ll also rec the Chanel No 5 eau Premier, which is a vanilla-ish take on No 5.
I third Cinema. It’s gorgeous in all weather…
Also, what about Vanilia? It’s a really fun summertime-beach-reading trashy books, good old time.
Also Le Labo Vanille 44, and possibly the upcoming Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee.
Hi! I second Vanille galante and what about Diptyque Eau duelle?
I third Vanilla Galante. Gorgeous and sheer. Just don’t expect it to be straight vanilla. It’s a lovely lily fragrance with an underpinning of transparent vanilla.
Try the L’Artisan Traversee du Bosphore. I don’t know how it will do in summer but I get a lot of vanilla in the dry down and it’s not too sweet. I tried it late fall and it was still warm in Dallas, so it might work.
Ha! Good suggestion….I ordered this on Monday, it’s arriving on Valentine’s Day!
I second Diptyque Eau Duelle and offer AG Vanille Exquise, which is lovely and not too sweet.
wonderful! I was going to suggest Traversée du Bosphore! It has enough lift in it to not get too oppressive in summer (unless you live on the equator….in which case ….well, just move!) Traversée is addictive….good purchasing by you 🙂
Oh my! Thank you for the all the suggestions. Now the fun part, tracking down samples of all of these lovelies and then buying a big ol fat bottle!
See what happens when you de-lurk? 🙂
It’s ca-razy! I love it!
Hi Mixiemay! I second the Orchidee Vanille. Also, if money is no object, Creed Sublime Vanille is really lovely and light- a very “pure” smelling vanilla. I spritzed some on at Neiman’s last summer, in the heat of Texas, and wore it around all day. I totally would have bought it if it came anywhere near to fitting in my budget. But I don’t have any diaper funds to divert. 🙂
I agree with Robin’s suggestion on the new Atelier Vanilla. The notes sound like it would be suitable for the warm weather. In fact, it has just arrived at Lucky Scent, so you can order a sample. While you’re there, take a look at Van Cleef & Arpels’ Orchidee Vanille. While not completely “light and airy,” it’s not quite dark and heavy either so should be suitable for all but the hottest days of summer. Their Gardenia Petals is a creamy white floral that sits on a silky vanilla base, so that may also be worth a look…
The Atelier Vanille Insensée is quite smoky to my nose….it bears some similarity to both Bois d’Armenie and SDV….although quite a bit more sheer.
Oh, well then, check out the VC&As…
oh no, I didn’t mean not to try it—the sheerness of it might be just perfect. Heavens, I don’t want to un-enable anyone.
I recommend Serge Lutens Boise Vanille-a nice woodsy vanilla.
I don’t have any suggestions, but I love vanilla, too and I recently de-lurked! So, “hi!” I also love carnation, so that vanilla/spicy rose frag sounds interesting …
Hi, kindcrow! I love carnation, too!
Hello Maxiemay and welcome aboard. AG Vanilla Exquise is a beauty in the heat, immediately recognisable as vanilla, but very light and airy. It’s not too expensive, either. I’m a vanilla lover myself, and my personal favourite for the cold, dark days of winter is E Coudray Ambre Vanille, which packs in lots of spice.
I love wearing L de Lolita Lempicka in summer. It’s like gourmand suntan lotion. I also think Bulgari Black can work in the heat. Hot rubber!
Wearing L’Instant de Guerlain Homme EDP today. It was -1 when I left the house this morning for the office.
Oh my! Ok, I will stop complaining about the cold here. For a few minutes.
Hooray! I love open Poll days!
I’m being totally neurotic, and basing my choice of which perfume to wear based solely on bottle size, because I’m in the mood to marinate myself completely (I’m working alone today!). I’ve been trying samples for weeks on end, and I’m in the mood to spray liberally!
SInce you’re aching to know, it will be Ambre Fetiche, from head-to-toe. Look out world! 🙂
Marinating is good while working at home…
Over the weekend I wore a truly blistering combo of SSS Velvet Rose and Poison edt. Wouldn’t dare wear that out.
Wow, I bet you smelled fantastic, though, mals!
Mals, I love days like that; total indulgence!
I love those marinating days, too! But BEWARE! I am the living embodiment of a cautionary tale:
Anticipating a solitary day working from home yesterday, I doused myself in Ambre Narguile, and was revelling in its gorgeous apple-strudely goodness when I realised I had to run to the post office. I carefully buttoned my coat up to try to muffle the scent, but it was deeply mortifying to be standing in the queue for fifteen minutes, whistling innocently while everyone else in line sniffed and stared around suspiciously. I felt like I’d just laid a particularly gaseous and deadly fart, but without the any of the amusement that usually evokes.
I’m so ashamed.
LMAO! *wiping away tears* Thanks for that!
LOL !!! yes—I think we’ve all the done this at one time or the other—I had one of those incidents earlier in the week , and it was also the Post Office…and a full body spray down of Portrait of a Lady… I too buttoned and scarved up to muffle my sillage….but my face was so hot and red, that I’m sure everyone knew it was me who brought the overwhelming CLOUD….. yesterday I had to visit the PO again…this time in the tiniest dab of Citizen Queen…when I stepped in the door the counter person looked up with a slightly panicked look on her face…..do you think she remembers the Portrait Incident on Monday?? O_o
My goodness, I wish someone would enter my workplace in a cloud of PoAL! 😉
That makes 2 of us – I’d love to be able to smell it for free!
LOL! What an awesome tale! I’ve had a moment like that before, wearing Agent Provacateur… they look at you, you look at them, as if to say, “What, me? Oh, no. Not me.” When you each know full well it’s you. Hahahah!
I stink to high heaven (a delightful stink, I think), and feel like a cat in the sun. Totally content 🙂
If it makes you feel better, I had a very similar experience with Ambre Narguile only in my case I had to take the tube during rush hour. It wouldn’t surprise me if people started cheering when I finally got off at my station.
So funny, I had a similar experiece with CdG Daphne which smells like a BIG blast of BO on me (not in a good way). I gave myself an ample sample spray whlie in Barneys and then got on the subway. I couldn’t stand smelling my own self and felt really sorry for the people sitting next to me.
I rode the NYC subways to work in the mid-’80s when Giorgio became the big phenomenom, and inevitably there would be one woman rider who had doused herself with the stuff. Initially it was pleasant, but quickly lost its appeal and made me ill, especially in the summer – before they installed AC in all the cars. I was always relieved when we arrived at my destination.
LOL! We now need to revise the familiar question to “Who…*scented*???” 😉
LMAO!!!
SO funny, all these stories!
That is so funny!
I’m wearing a sample of DelRae’s Panache today and am loving it. Haven’t committed to a bottle yet but I think it’s just so heavenly and I have nothing like it in my collection yet. Might be a good one to round out the collection. Anyone spring for the FB yet??
Oh, I haven’t even sniffed it yet! The boutique around here that carries the line doesn’t have it yet, and I refuse to pay for a sample when I know I’ll be able to spritz it for free…
It sounds really good though, and I loved the last two Delrae’s!
No, but I recently tried Panache and thought it was beautiful. It may go on my full bottle wish list!
oh rats….I was testing Panache against something else just a few days ago ( it was a two wristed-sniff-off) and I decided that the other fragrance was better….and now I’m drawing a complete blank on what I was testing!! gah! Panache dried down smelling like lavender soap on me. (but that’s just me) I liked it quite a lot and was thinking it’d be nice and kind of cooling for summer…..now if I could only figure out what scent #2 was I’d recommend you try it….it’s in my brain somewhere….
Out on a limb… the new L’Artisan vetiver??? I’m anxious about that one too!
Dee–do you mean Coeur de vetiver Sacre? nope…not that one…that’s all sun warmed grass on me….
I REMEMBER! (I knew it was in the ole noggin somewhere) the other scent in the sniff-off was Balenciaga Paris! and yes, I liked Paris better than Panache. which is a little sad since now I won’t add a bottle of Panache to my little row of Delrae bottles…. 🙁
Sun warmed grass is good! I’m looking forward to trying it (hopefully this weekend, fingers crossed!)
heh. but if I was in that line, i might cut the queue to come closer. Who knows? Maybe someone else feels the same way. Must be better than the BO/wet wool that is MY post office. 🙂
Great story! But I could think of worse things to smell of than the ‘Nazgule!
It’s a spring day in Los Angeles and should be getting warm, so I thought I’d test two summer citrus scents: Cartier VI – Brillante and Atelier Trefle Pur.
Kristinacolonge: Panache is lovely and warm, I think it wears well in cooler weather. de Bachmakov is also lovely and interesting. In the end it smelled very LOV to me and I already have many LOV scents so I didn’t purchase….if I didn’t, though, it would be on my list! Enjoy Paris!
Thanks KRL – call me stupid but what does LOV stand for? 🙂 Is Panache turning sweet in the drydown? Because the honey note scares me a little, my skin doesn’t tolerate sweet at all…
Kristina I believe that means Lily of the Valley?
Oh, right! I didn’t even notice that LOV was one of the official notes. Anyway, I’m not a big fan of LOV scents so I might pass on this one…
I get no LOV in it at all… definitely try it! It’s all tangy, dry green mineral to me.
No, no, no LOV on me either. A gorgeous drydown that is not at all sweet.
Not stupid at all – LOV, is Lily of the Valley. I didn’t find Panache to be too sweet, and not really a honey scent in the way Miel des Bois (sp?) is. To my nose, there is a nutty quality here. I liked it well enough on fist sniff, then liked it more the more I tried it. For me, though, I don’t think it would work in warm weather…odd since it came out in the summer. Good luck with them both!
Panache kinda creeps up on you. It’s pretty much won my heart. I like that nutty element, too – I think it’s the vetiver.
LOVE Trefle Pur. What do you think of it?
I’m really liking it. It turned out not be hot today – probably around 74F, but it still works. They are now selling smaller bottles of this line, which makes it far more compelling for me!
I like it a lot, and may need a bottle for summer.
Breath of God, mm.
I still have not tried that.
Is Breath of God available? I would love to try it, but I have some very vague recollection that it was no longer available, but I might be thinking of something else.
It’s available now in Lush stores across North America, though I bought mine online ages ago, I was so desperate to try it. Did not disappoint. Also bought Smell of Weather Turning ’cause I’m a sucker for hay, but it smells a bit like rubbery dirt on me — in not as bad a way as that sounds. Will try again in summer. Lust is also gorgeous, for jasmine lovers — far and away my partner’s favourite of the lot.
Mmm-hmmm.
SOTD: Diptyque’s Philosykos. Very comforting and seems perfect for another chilly day in NYC. Says a co-worker, “You smell amazing! What is that?” I shrugged and said “I’m not sure….I just spritzed with the first bottle I could get my hands on.” Sorry but I rarely divulge!
Awww! I love divulging! I always think it’s so lovely to turn someone on to a scent they might not have known about. I know I’ve found some of my most-loved perfumes by catching a whiff of it on the street and then stopping to ask what it’s called. There’s nothing like a word-of-nose recommendation. 😉
Is it just co-workers that you prefer not to tell? Or everyone? If you don’t mind me asking (and if you’d prefer not to say, I completely understand, honestly), why?
Word-of-nose recommendation—that’s great! 🙂
I don’t divulge for a couple of reasons; the first being that I don’t want to smell “my” fragrance on another person I know. It’s a little creepy to me. if a total stranger asks, I may tell them – because there’s little to no chance that I’ll ever smell it on them! The second reason is that I think it’s a rather personal question – to me, it’s akin to asking someone you’re not familiar with what kind of underwear they have on! Now, if the fragrance houses were to put me on their payroll w/ commission, I may rethink my position – but for now, I’m happy for there to be a little mystery!
Someone I worked with fell in love with a fragrance that I wear, but not being a crazy-perfumista the likes of us, she’s unwilling to pay the $230 for a bottle of it! So it’s mine… all mine… (golem, anyone?)
I stopped divulging when my friend tried on a fragrance that I have a deep, personal, extremely sentimental attachment to and decided she would make it her signature scent. “Everybody at works compliments me on this all the time!” I simmered with resentment for a while then I had a heart to heart with her and she understood how much it means to me. If she still wears it she only does it when she won’t see me and she doesn’t mention it anymore, either. I no longer divulge my very special fragrances, but I do share all the others. I totally understand not wanting somebody at work to nab your scent. I have been known to tell people that whatever I’m wearing isn’t available in our city, which is usually true. If they’re really pushy then it is a Paris-only that my daughter brought back for me. But, generally, I love sharing fragrances.
Oh Julia, that must have been so uncomfortable! I’m glad, though, that you and your friend found agreeable ground. A cautionary tale that I’m taking to heart.
The scent that prompts people to comment on most often for me is DK Gold. Without fail, every time I wear it someone will ask me what it is and where did I get it. And then I tell them what it is but that it’s now discontinued (yeah, I know that there’s still some to be found online, but I’m not going to give them THAT much info, because then they might buy it all up and there’ll be none left for me.)
SOTD is Lalique Le Parfum….so soft and pretty!
That is a lovely scent.
SOTD is Shiseido Féminité du Bois. The cedar and stewed fruit spices are perfect..
Have you tried the parfum of this, Tamara?
No, I wish! I bet it’s lovely! 😉
FdB is one of my all-time favorites.
sigh….everyone loves FdB….but it hates me….nothing but hamster cage! I need a skin-chemistry transplant! STAT!
Hey – I can’t even smell it. Not one iota. It’s a musk block – the most beautiful invisible perfume ever!
SOTD SL Fille en Aiguilles
It was 4 degrees F when I left my house.
Ouch, another cold one!
ha! it was 4 degrees here as well…..I decided NOT to leave my house.
Somebody notify me when the weather becomes reasonable again. 🙁
As for a nice vanilla scent for the summer…I really like Eau Duelle by Diptyque. I find it to be a fairly light, slightly spiced vanilla that I think you may be able to get away with in warmer temps.
Maybe others will chime in on this.
I’d agree… it’s a fairly dry vanilla, not heavy at all. Good thought.
SOTD is Bandit, selected because it seemed to go with my plum-colored fishnet stockings.
Question for those familiar with the London perfume scene: I will have about 1/2 a day in London at the end of March; what one perfume destination should I aim for? Much as I’d love to see the Ormonde Jayne boutique, I’ve already smelled them all, and my impression is that Les Senteurs isn’t going to have all that different a lineup from Aedes in NYC (but please correct me if I’m wrong). Harrods, maybe?
Plum fishnets!
I love matching the color of my clothes to the perceived ‘color’ of my perfume! It makes me feel secretly pulled together, even when I just look a mess. Also, very jealous of your plum fishnets : D
Am now Googling plum fishnets……..
They’re by Cosabella — can’t remember what the actual color name was, but they look plum to me. I was actually looking for black but “on sale” won out!
Sometimes I choose the SOTD to contrast with my clothes. Today I’m wearing a large down jacket and Doc Martens (-9 last night and they don’t plow the parking lot for anything under a foot of snow). I decided that I needed Narcisse Noir this morning.
Yes! Bandit’s good for that… dress all pretty-pretty and then WHAM! a stiletto to the cerebellum. Or torn jeans and something ladylike — 31 rue Cambon, say. Doc Martens and Narcisse Noir sound excellent together too…
Doc Martens and Narcisse Noir? That could work! 🙂
I suspect that the selection in London won’t be that much different from NY, really. Still Harrods is a good start since they stock so many brands under one roof. Plus you are in close proximity to Amouage flagship store and Harvey Nics just to the east as well as Chanel, Hermes etc on Sloane st. At the bottom of Sloane St there should be Jo Malone and the brand new OJ boutique. From there, you are not too far from Less Senteurs. To the west of Harrods there should be Nicolai and LAP.
Alternatively, you could concentrate on areas around Mayfair with OJ flagship and all the designer boutiques including Etro, Van Cleef, Cartier, etc around Bond St, short walk from there is Liberty and Selfridges on Oxford street which has that new-ish Chanel fragrance room.
I should add that I haven’t lived in London for a few years so some of it might be out of date so do double check things just in case.
I was thinking of the Roja Dove secret perfumista hideout — do you think that would be worth braving Harrods for?
Natalie – I haven’t been there myself, but from the pictures I’ve seen of it, I’d give a definite YES! Have a great time.
I’ll just sit here and drool over all the shopping/browsing options….while living out here in a perfume wasteland….
My vote would be the perfume department at Liberty’s, the beautiful old department store just off Regent St. They have an extraordinary collection (including hard-to-find stuff like the Maison Francis Kurkdjian collection and every last Comme des Garçon oddity), but the best thing about it is that you’re given free rein to sniff. There’s nobody standing breathlessly in front of you rationing off sprays or pushing the latest rubbish, and there’s no pressure to buy anything. There’re always plenty of tester strips, and best of all, they let you browse in peace for as long as you like. I’ve spent hours at a time in there! Made camp! Pulled out sleeping bags and thermoses and bedded down between the Rosines and Tan Rokkas and nobody’s batted an eyelid!
I am, as they say, a stan.
Oh, Liberty’s — and so much other fun stuff to peruse there, too. That sounds perfect, despite the hobos camping out in the perfume department!
good smelling hobos…
I heartily second the Liberty suggestion- I love it there. No pressure at all and the staff are lovely when you do ask for assistance. Also, the whole store is worth exploring, each corner is like a discovery!
Wearing SDV and a little Kilian Pure Oud….Pure heaven…I am not sure if this allowed, but is there anyone interested in a split of Pure Oud (the 100ml refill) ..I love it and my decant is getting low..but there is no way I’d ever use 100ml of it.
It is allowed, good luck!
Tara, email me at: rappleyea11 at yahoo dot com with details if you decide to go ahead with it. This would be unsniffed for me, but I’m sorely tempted!
Thanks,
Donna
Rapple – Remember what you told me about buying unsniffed, hmmmm?
Didn’t mean to thwart your attempt to round up split-mates, Tara. I’ve read nothing but praises for the BK Oud. It’s just that Rapple and I recently had a discussion on the topic…
🙂
ACK! You’re so right. It might end up joining my pile of unused/unloved decants! Although I generally like Killian’s stuff quite a lot…. (can you say “rationalization”?)
Hey Rapplicious—watch your mailbox for rather largish box….
SOTD: EL’s PC Ay-Ay. I am at work and find this scent is warm for this unbearably cold day and also work appropriate as long as I dab and don’t spray.
I have a question and I hope it’s appropriate to ask this here. If not, I apologize and will understand if it needs to be deleted.
Question: Has anyone purchased or used those “scent pens” from the home shopping channels or online? It claims you just stick the pen into the botttle and it sucks up the perfume then you may carry the pen in your purse all day and use for touch ups. Do they work? Do you like or dislike them?
Thanks in advance!
OOhh! I’ve never heard of those, but I now really want one. What a great idea!
Lemming on that for sure here!
I haven’t seen one but I would probably try it with a cheap thrill first. You can buy 5ml glass atomizers inside a metal canister in a variety of colours (including sparkly!) for just a few dollars online at perfume supply companies. The outer container keeps the perfume safe from light and accidental spraying. I would probably trust one of those before a pen style atomizer. Does it have some kind of lock to keep it from spraying in your purse? Is there another way to fill it? Can you get the fragrance out easily if it stops working short of breaking it? Sorry to question it so much, but I have had different atomizer styles go bad on me – or in my purse.
SOTD: To be determined. I am on my third straight day of suffering from too many lunges and squats a the gym, and I will probably pick something to lift my spirits and make me feel less useless and morose, haha.
In the Mail: I am patiently waiting for two samples that I won in a blog contest (Sorcery of Scent) from XerJoff: Irissss and Shingl. I am anxious to try them- and anxious I will like one of them and be doomed to forever guard my sample like a dragon on a pile of gold.
Craving: I just saw the ad copy for the new Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess summer collection, and am already drooling. In addition to their usual Bronze Goddess scent (which I am a HUGE fan of), they are introducing a new one, Bronze Goddess Soleil that I can’t wait to try.
Nice win in the blog contest!
Third day of suffering from the SAME exercise session? Or you’ve been doing those exercises for 3 days? Actually, I’m impressed either way.
Third day of suffering from one session. I am that pathetic! But I guess everyone needs something to complain about.
Still, you must have really worked those legs hard. I’m trying to do more squats myself, with a kettlebell, and finding it hard going.
Perfume Dragons Unite!!! Doesn’t everyone guard their vial collection like a dragon guards their treasure pile??
SOTD: PG L’Oiseau de Nuit. Am managing not to scrub. Does anybody know if there is opoponax in this one? Notes list says only “leather, artemisia, benzoin, labdanum.”
There’s also davana in here (that very sweet boozy smell).
I didn’t care for that one either, though haven’t given it a fair chance. Do I take it you don’t get on w/opoponax either? I’m not even sure that’s the culprit, but I *think* it’s what gives things a plastic/chemical edge for me.
Guess I’ll be sure to cross that off my samples request list…
I don’t know about the dreaded shaving-cream maker: oppoponax , but there’s something in Oiseau that doesn’t sit well on me either.
Shaving cream, eh? I think this is the note that makes me often think flotation device….
shaving cream does often have that “vinyl-y” note to it, that probably gives you the flotation device vibe.
I think opponax reminds me of shaving cream and Mals has often remarked (hacked, gagged and made faces) over things that have a shaving cream note.
Weather yesterday was downright spring-like, I even opened the windows to let in some fresh air. Today we are back to the more typically English grey and wet state. SOTD is the glorious 31 Rue Cambon.
A couple of weeks ago I got to do my first ever sample swap with another reader *waves* as a result of posting here. It went really well and I even made an unexpected discovery in the form of Montale’s Oud Cuir d’Arabie. It’s an absolute cracker if slightly scary and I probably wouldn’t have tried it otherwise.
Congratulations of your first swap! May there be many happy swaps in your future 😉
Thanks 😀
So glad you were pleased with the swap *waves back*. Thanks to you I discovered Une Rose which I had been put off trying because of LT’s description of it as an “angry rose”. I found out from your sample that is far from scary to me and I actually really love it. My very own bottle has now arrived safetly and I’m wearing it today 🙂
wow! fast acting perfumista! congrats on your new bottle of Une Rose!
SOTD is Stella, which I find I really like in super-cold weather (it was 7 degrees F in the sunlight when I got up this morning).
7, blech. Hope Stella kept you warm.
I started out with this as well this morning, I keep a little rollerball from sephora of it in my toiletry case for traveling, which has always been to cold weather somehow, so I agree. Its got a crisp comfort to it. I usually was traveling for work, so its my ‘working girl’ frag, maybe it reminds me of Stella herself. Love it for meetings and such. I also mentally like to put it on when I’m home and immediately transport to wherever I’d gone.
“Crisp comfort” is a great way to describe it — that’s how I feel about it too!
I wear Stella a lot in the winter too – it’s a good warm rose.
SOTD is SSS Jour Ensoleille. It’s certainly sunny outside, but it’s also cold and incredibly windy, so I’m dreaming of warm late summer afternoons.
Actually, I’m playing with 2 vintages of VC&A’s First perfume. One from a carded sample I received in ’77, the year following its initial launch and another from a mini that’s supposed to be “vintage” from evilbay and looks to be of a “certain” age. Even between the 2 vintages there are differences with the ’77 version staying spicier and soapier and the mini getting more vanilla and resembling the more recent reformulated version. Wish I had played with them sooner – it’s very interesting.
Wow, shocked that the sample is still good!
I can’t believe it either – considering it’s a 1/2 mil vial! It’s lost some of its top, so doesn’t open as brilliantly as it used to but the rest is perfectly in tact. I also have a mini bottle of the edt purchased in the late ’80s, and they are very similar in character, just the perfume has more depth and roundness.
OperaFan-Hello! How have you been? I want you to know I’ve been enjoying ARP and the First sample you sent me made me want more….thank you! <3
Hi Tamara! So glad you’re enjoying the Montale. I’m loving the Sacrebleu, too. If you love the First I sent, you’re in luck because it’s the updated version and (the last I checked) fairly affordably priced! The winds of change are blowing and I’ll probably be landing in the job market pretty soon, so no more perfume acquisitions for a while….
I owe you a huge thanks, too! I have been loving all the goodies you sent, and am trying to get up my nerve to decant some Habanita for Mals. Thank you!
Do you think there’d be a way to tell the ’77 bottle from the others? Spicier and soapier sounds divine …I have a mini of what I assume is the current version, and I really like it. Funny how I seem to love the perfumes from the jewelry houses!
OMG, Habanita… Do you need decanting supplies?
Not really…what I need is to grow a pair, and just DO it! ;o)
Would it be tacky of me to send you the bottle, let you take as much as you want, and send it back?
And please do not hesitate to tell me that yes, it’s tacky!
I don’t know if the repackaging coincides with the reformulation, but the older bottles are in the dark, glossy marbled boxes while the more recent ones are in a creamy ivory box. The new formulation (in the mid-2000s) probably was due to the oakmoss restriction, but prior to the one on jasmin. The sample Tamara is referring to is from the newer batch, but even that is surprisingly faithful to the original. The newer version has a different drydown than the original, based on my 2 specimens. So besides the oakmoss reduction or substitution, it may also have been adjusted with current tastes in mind. It’s still worth a try.
Thank you, have a few on my watchlist now!!!
You may need to tell me which one you’re aiming for so we don’t counter-bid eachother…. You’ll find me on hotmail as “mollyseb”
😉
which Habanita are you dealing with here? the vintage edt or parfum? I lurve, lurve, lurve the “1849 reissue” in the parfum … gawgeous stuff! Decanting is not something to be nervous about—do you have a pipette and a bottle ?
SOTD: nothing. I’ve been wearing all the same things lately, and am just tired of them. Didn’t have time to think of something new, and have a zillion samples waiting to be tried, so left my scent-glue skin empty for when I get home. No wonder I feel bored. The temp here at noon? We’ve worked all the way up to a glorious 3* F. I hate February.
Sorry, Boojum. As of noon, we hit double digits…but it’s not going any higher. I hear you.
I don’t mind a scent break, actually. In fact, there are times when I do it ON PURPOSE (I know, revoke card…).
Well, at least there’s hope. By the weekend, we’re supposed to have upper 30s. That *will* feel like spring.
My son is at school where they’re expecting upper 40’s this weekend. He commented a few guys couldn’t wait to break out the shorts….not that it will do any good, but I did recommend he not join them.
Oh goodness, he’ll be fine. I remember doing the same, in high school. Cold legs never bothered me (then), so long as my arms were warm. For upper 40s, I might be tempted to join him! 😀
***shudders and pulls on an additional sweater***
Up in Leadville, where the snow stays on the north side of buildings until Memorial Day, the locals think 40 is just fine for shorts. I don’t live that high up the mountain, thank you.
No, no… you have the right to remain unscented.
no, no, no……we’ll call it a period of “Olfactory Cleansing” and it’ll be fine….a recommended part of the program….
see? it’s all about spin….
Hi everyone!
I’ve been pushing down my urge to buy anything in a whole bottle and have been sampling like crazy for the recent few months… I’m trying to decide which line to explore next (I’m a student so I can only spend so much every month for fragrance- boo hoo) and the two I’m most interested in right now are Parmuerie Generale and Ormonde Jayne… Can anybody recommend any of them in specific, or sort of describe the general “feel” of each of the lines? And does anybody know if Frederic Malle still sells the 5ml sets? Thanks in advance!!!
The PG line is one of my favorites, and what I like about them is a distinct “chewiness” that seems present in many of the fragrances. Even the brighter leaning scents feel like you could slice them with a knife—I find this quality winsome, while I know others dislike it.
Also, remember that Ormonde Jayne is having a free-shipping promo (CUPID) until the 14th of this month, so now is the time to snap up a discovery set!
Good luck with your sampling Hessed!
“Chewiness” – that’s a good description, Dee. I’m thinking of my Iris Taizo/Oriental. Chewiest iris I know!
LOL, it is, you’re right! Although not usually part of the description of an iris… 😉
I’m also curious about PG scents, but am overwhelmed by the number of them. No idea where to start. Any help would be appreciated – and where’s the best place to get samples?
I wanted to say, on their web site, but I just checked, they don’t seem to have the sample set on sale any more, only the luxury “orgue” set (expensive), that’s a pity. I have FBs of Iris taizo (now oriental) and felanilla, most of the others are interesting, and worth trying..the 30ml bottles are cute btw
Wish they had samples available directly from their website – would be so much easier, though probably not inexpensive. I figured Perfumed Court and Luckyscent would have some…but it would be nice if there were a complete set available somewhere, or at least sets split into genres.
Karin, you can get samples and decants through the Perfumed Court, or Luckyscent for .7mL samples…
I have, and Looove, Brulure de Rose, Bois Blond, L’Ombre Fauve, Felanilla, and Iris Taizo. Hope that’s somewhat helpful 🙂
In addition to the othe excellent PG scents already listed, I love Jardin de Kerylos, a lovely fig.
That definitely helps! Perhaps I’ll start with these! Thanks, Dee.
I have not sniffed the entire the PG line, but I have, in the course of a single month, used 1/3 of a bottle of Cadjmere. There’s not much love on the blog sites for this one, but it’s just lovely – I crave it.
Ormonde Jayne is on of my favorite lines. You can get the discovery set (as someone has mentioned), and you sometimes see one on ebay for about the same price. My two favs are Woman, which is an amber vetiver to my nose and Ta’if which is a glorious spiced rose like none I have ever smelled before. Both are “big” scents (in a good way). Good luck in your exploration!
Cadjmere is my favorite by PG, too. It opens with a bracing green sap note, then settles into a sweeter more cuddly territory on the drydown. Coconut milk is listed as one of the notes. I can’t pick it out, but perhaps it lends to the deliciousness. I wear this a lot duing fall and winter.
Musc Maori is my second favorite from PG. It smells like a cup of milky cocoa. It is also a fall/winter scent to me – in fact most of the PG line strikes me as best for cool weather.
I should really try the rest of them…if they are anywhere near as good as Cadjmere, I’ll be in trouble, though
A lot of the OJs have a similar drydown. I would describe the overall feel as sort of “foresty”. It is definitely a line worth exploring. The signature scents (Ormonde Woman and Ormonde Man) are really distinctive and truly beautiful; I haven’t smelled anything else quite like them. The discovery set is 44 pounds, which is about $70 US right now. That gets you twelve 2ml spray samples (9 women’s and 3 men’s, which is their entire line) including free shipping worldwide.
The OJs aren’t bad, but they all use a lot of Iso E super, which makes them all smell very similar. I got the sample set a while back, but I couldn’t make up my mind which one I preferred, so I ended up giving the entire set to my sister.
I remember discovering that Ormonde Woman and Ta’if smell the same to me in the drydown. Not a bad thing, necessarily, but surprising!
Hessed — this is kind of late (I totally missed the open thread on Wednesday!) …BUT if you see this note: drop me an email Daisyloo82 AT gmail.com and I can send you a few samples. I have several PG’s , all the “best” OJ’s, even a few Malles ….at least enough to get your exploration started. 🙂
Weather: blustery and cold, with colder to come. Another of the twenty or so days of winter we get her, never more than four or five in a row…
SOTD: the remains, on my shirt sleeve, of Hermes Elixir de Merveilles. So THAT’s the patch people keep talking about in that one. Never smelled it before today!
I really like the elixir – enjoy…
SOTD: Caron pour Un Homme (regardless of the fact that I am Une Femme). Lavendar-licorice-delicious!
Great scent. Never thought of it, but wonder if it’s what Jean Claude Ellena had in mind when he did Brin de Reglisse.
Brin de Reglisse is already on my wishlist. I look forward to comparing them.
Same here, Olenska. I love and wear Pour Un Homme, expecially when I need something calming. Brin de Reglisse is on my want-to-test list, too.
sadly for me…very, very sheer and fleeting
I’m wearing it today also, only instead of licorice, I’m getting play-doh, which is I guess is almond?
…or heliotrope?
SOTD: Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere. Just got the bottle on Sunday and have been wearing it non-stop since. It doesn’t seem to last long on my skin, but I really love it. Day 3 and not bored yet. I’m a new convert to No. 5 and am lurking on eBay for vintage (EDP or parfum) but haven’t purchased yet. Soon, I hope!
I do have a question – want to get mom something pretty for Valentine’s day. She loves Elizabeth Ardon Red Door – a very rose oriental scent with lots of silage. Before her RD addiction, she wore Opium (80’s version) or Oscar de la Renta. She doesn’t like sweet and she does not like musk at all. Any suggestions for her to try? I am so opposite her, preferring green and/or woody scents… suggestions appreciated!
Montale Aoud Queen Roses, or Czech & Speak Dark Rose are right up her alley, I’d guess 🙂
You could get her samples of a few fragrances, then let her pick her favorite! 🙂
Queen Rose might be good , I definately plan to get her some samples to try and let her pick. Thanks for the suggestions!
I’m a former Opium ho, and I love AQR; a co-worker of mine is a Red Door wearer, and she always comments when I wear AQR (about how much she likes it) so it seems like it might fit 🙂
I’m sure you’ll find the perfect scent!
You might also want to sample Teo Cabanel Oha. It is a gorgeous rose-centered scent that is not sweet, but also avoids turning sour as so many “rose” scents tend to do.
I think your mum might like Divine by Divine. It’s a big, buttery floral with plenty of sillage, classic without being dated. For something more easily available, how about YSL Rive Gauche?
Great! 2 more suggestions that I get to try too!
Divine is so lovely! One of my favorites.
Ah…sounds like your mom likes those heavy floral orientals. Right up my alley. What about the new J’Adore L’Or (you can find it at Nordstrom).
I’d recommend Cartier’s Panthere, but it’s discontinued! Amazing scent in that same genre.
Hi CM – if she likes those big orientals, I’d try Chanel Coromandel or Tauer’s Une Rose Chypre or Rose Vermeille. Lubin Idole reminds me of those old rich orientals too.
Oh, yes, Une Rose Chypree!
CM – I too wore Opium and Oscar in the ’80’s and neither do I like musk so your mom and I have some similar tastes in perfume. I’d recommend some of the Guerlains: Samsara or L’Heure Bleue perhaps.
My birthday is in two days and I’ve already received the best gift ever….excusal from jury duty! (but not because of my birthday). I am now luxuriating in a cloud of L’Eau d’Hiver, which is a creamy white cashmere shawl of a perfume.
JEALOUS! That’s wonderful for you – super happy birthday indeed!!
Elizabeth: Happy Birthday early and I bet you smell great!
Happy birthday, and glad you don’t have to spend it on jury duty!
How gorgeous! That is one of my favourites too – happy upcoming birthday. You’ll smell fabulous, that’s for sure.
Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
Wearing MH Fleur Oriental in parfum and was rather surprised at how little it presented/projected right after I applied. Pleased to report that a couple of hours later, it still offers the opportunity for happy snorfles…but the MPG Or de Indes I was sampling on the other wrist is all but gone. Hunh.
ScentSelf, I am mad at myself for not getting a bottle of MH FO in parfum when I had the chance ! Waaaah! The edp about kills me but in parfukm , it is softer , more wearable and perfect for bedtime…You smell divine!
I like Fleur Oriental, too. Some say that it’s similar to Boucheron. Do you think so?
I wore her fo body oil and got loads of compliments…itlasted the whole day, but i kept smelling a kind of mustiness in the powder!
Arguing with the weather (sleet, temps in the teens, yet another snow day) and wearing AG’s Le Chev…le Chevfeu…oh heck, the honeysuckle one. It’s quite nice and a good antidote to winter.
Le Chevrefeuille? (Which, if I remember, translates as Goatleaf?)
That is pretty – and a good winter antidote.
Wearing a sample of Sarah Horowitz’s Love…and yes, i love it! 🙂
That works then!
SOTD: marinating in the long neglected Coco Mademoiselle EDP. 🙂 Not bad. I wore this quite a bit around 2004, haven’t worn it much since. Nice to revisit it.
I couldn’t agree more about re-visiting! So much time is often spent in pursuit of the next big thing, or classic or whatever and what we own already gets neglected.
I so agree with this. I’ve stopped buying full bottles because I know I’ll never, ever get through them, and I’ve cut way back on splits/decants as well. I’m really enjoying wearing the things I already have.
I’ve been *trying* to do this, without much luck. Guess I need to try harder!!!!
SOTD is Bvlgari Rose Essentielle….my husband really likes it, and he is coming home for lunch today. 🙂
Dilemma: Among some items I won in a lot on eBay is a little case of perfume “nips” from the 50s. They’re little glass tubes, sample sized, and they fascinate me. There are 8.
Should I break them open or not? I am truly itching to sample them (Especially Shocking by Schiaparelli and Bleu Carnation by Roger & Gallet) but I am afraid they’ll be off, and I really do think they are cool to have displayed….
What I’ve discovered is that if they’ve never been opened, they’re probably okay—however, unless they have a spray mechanism, once opened you may not have much time with the top-notes. For some reason, once oxidized, they seem to deteriorate very quickly.
On that note, open them and enjoy!!! 😉
Yeah, I’d open ’em and wear ’em.
I would break them open and wear them too. I would just make sure to use just one at a time, though, and do it on days when I can really spend the time and attention to enjoy it. R&G Blue Carnation has to be one of the best carnation scents of all time. My mother had a bottle of this when I was young, and it was my favorite of all her perfumes (and she had at least 15 or 20). If memory serves, it really did smell a lot like the fresh flower, without that overdose of clove that so many “carnation” perfumes depend on.
Howdy freezing February everyone! At least the sun is shinning bright today at 8 degrees. I wore Timbuktu in honor of the gorgeous sunlight on a cold day. And then I put on some AG Ce Soir ou Jamais edp after lunch b/c I am fantasizing and planning my summer roses right now. I need all the inspiration I can get.
What an interesting transition, Ann! And nothing like a superbly pretty rose to get you into the gardening mood!
Oh, and I planted 6 David Austin roses last year and they’re all still buried under the NJ snow (biting my nails till the spring)…
Ooooh, which ones???
Snow is generally a good thing; great insulation. Bitter cold with no snow cover has been more a problem in my experience. Good luck with your roses….
Oh, wait – only 5. The 6th was Souvenir de la Malmaison, which I’ve coveted ever since I started growing roses.
The 5 from last year are mostly variations of pink with the exception of the first: Tamora, Pretty Jessica, Sharifa Asama, Port Meiron, and Wife of Bath
I also have from prior years: Benjamin Britten and Heritage
Me too – I planted three in ground and I have one in a pot that I am currently babying on my cold porch. Fingers crossed as well. Each time I figure I’ve got the 5 roses I want this year picked out, I kind of change my mind. It’s hard to tell. I want them all! And I am super jealous you have Souvenier dl Malmaison!!! I want want want that one, and Felicite Parmentier AND Mme Isaac Periere, but I don’t have enough room!
I got my SdlM from Chamblee Roses in TX. It was my first time ordering and the size and quality (potted) were excellent, as well as the price. It bloomed several times over late summer once it became acclimated. Wayside Gardens also sells them bareroot. WG’s will be bigger.
Beautyful picture. I am wearing Kenzo Amour EdP and left Kenzo Amour Florale, right arm Kenzo Indian Holi and ellbow left Kenzo Amour L’Eau. A lot I know, but all Kenzo Amour 😀 The only one I cannot smell is Amour L’Eau. It is on skin and than it is gone… Am looking forward to spring.
Have not yet tried the L’Eau, but the original is light enough for me I think.
Began the day with Dior Escale a Pondichery but it doesn’t last long. Then spritzed Escale a Portofino but it’s already gone as well. Going to put on Voyage which should last until later this evening. Reading about Vanille Galante above had me thinking about that, but it’s all lily on me so Voyage it will be!
I do love Voyage. Keep thinking I should buy that smaller bottle.
Just wondered,how’s Sycomore for the summer months? or is this mostly a cold weather scent.
thanks! 🙂
I wore my Sycomore sample this summer. Perhaps not during the heatwave but I had no trouble with it otherwise. Same with Vetiver Tonka. I think they are both great unisex option which work pretty much year round.
Thanks for the reply! it doesn’t get all that hot here so it should be great then! so looking forward to it. 🙂
I’m based in the North of England so it’s rarely scorching here too. I am waiting rather impatiently for the smaller sizes to appear here and will be snapping up a bottle of Sycomore the moment that happens.
I don’t have Sycomore, but I generally find that almost anything is wearable below about 80F. It is only when it gets hotter than 80 that I start finding my heavier scents too smothering.
SOTD is Ambre Russe. Perfect fragrance for yet another ice day in Dallas. Soooo ready for Spring! Just treated myself to a decant of Geranium Pour Monsieur and I’d like the weather to cooperate so I can wear it!
Love Ambre Russe! It is perfect in the cold weather, isn’t it?
And since I’m at home I spritzed freely!
SOTD is Hermes Rose Ikebana. I haven’t worn it for years and even though it’s frigid here today, it has given me a lift. Also, it smells as good as it did when I bought the little set years ago.
It’s so cheerful, I like it in winter too.
Scent of the day is Bluebell.
Since that article about Spring scents I cannot stop dreaming of Spring scents, which for me are mimosa, linden, and hyacinths. What is your favorite one in each category?
And maybe someone would like to send me a sample of Mimosa Pour Moi and a small spray decant of La Chasse aux Papillons? I will be happy to send back some samples/decants in return.
… I am also waiting patiently for my two wins in perfume blogs… every day I hope it will show up… the only time I had a good experience with British Royal mail is when I ordered my Ormonde Jayne… that’s why I am not bidding for a bottle of Ma Griffe on ebay that is coming from Britain and the shipping will cost about $25…
Here’s my ramble of the day! 🙂
I don’t know that I have a favorite mimosa. Favorite linden – AG Eau du Ciel (discontinued, but still available at the discounters, I think). Favorite hyacinth – Chamade.
Mals, many thanks!
I am still working out my relationship with Chamade. Do you have EDT, PDT, parfum, contemporary or vintage?
I will have to use up my last drops of Eau de Ciel sample to be sure how I feel about it. I tried it in the summer and it smelled too green on me, but definitely linden there. So I set it aside for my Mom… but I’ll use it up and see.
They discontinued Eau du Ciel??? Oh how sad!
They still sell it through Luckyscent so I think it might be a distribution issue. It is rarely at the discounters.
That’s good news. It works beautifully with Rose Absolue.
FM L’Air d’Hiver is a nice mimosa.
Jo Malone French Lime Blossom is rather lovely although I like the candle more than the perfume. And OJ Frangipani has a seriously gorgeous and very realistic linden note, probably the nicest one I’ve smelled.
For hyacinths (with iris), how about Bas de Soie?
Thanks for mentioning FM L’Air d’Hiver — I’ll have to try it.
I actually wore French Lime Blossom yesterday to test, and I can see why you like the candle better. French Lime Blossom has linden, alright, but it starts just downright rude on me. Then as the linden becomes warmed by the pretty beeswax note, I get glued to my wrist and ask for a moment to stop, please…
OJ Frangipani has linden in the top notes, and yes, the top notes are gorgeous. And after that it becomes a plum “solifruit” on me. Another case of “moment, please, stop” before even going into the heart notes!
Like Bas de Soie, I think it’s very pretty, and I’ll be testing it in Spring when it’s warmer to see if the metallic note is less prominent.
Happy to report, Bluebell ended up being quite nice hyacinths on me as well!
Thanks, Abyss!
my SOTDas well warum, yesterday and today…i was really tired and rundown and needed fresh lift…haven’t really studied it but something in it reminds me of of l’heure exquise as well
SOTD- Caron Parfum Sacre from a lovely sample swap- hopefully she has received hers as well!- and it is love. Normally, rose is not my thing but this is so dry and spicy, delicious.Tried Lonestar Memories earlier and sadly had to scrub..I like smoke (SSS Winter Woods and Fireside for example) but this was like actual fire! My 4 year old asked what was burning and my husband wanted to know if e something was on fire in the garden
Ha! I wore Winter Woods to work one day and a coworker asked if there was a fire in the building…
I don’t get “fire” out of Winter Woods, but I do from Fireside Intense.
Whoops! So, not a flier but I still really want to try L’air du desert marocain though!
Hi after a couple of years of “Just Looking” decided to jump in!!! so first post , my scent today as it has been a lovely day here in france has been Dior Cherie… hubby says I smell like giant strawberry wafting about! and tonites waft will be Dana’s Tabu talcum powder just perfect for a crisp cold night.
Welcome!!! 🙂
Tabu in powder! Lucky you.
Hi and welcome!
My SOTD is Labdanum 18. I adore this one. I find it very comforting, like a skin scent. It doesn’t overwhelm and wears very close body. I am having my last chemotherapy today (right now, actually) and I like to wear Labdanum 18 to the infusion center. So many chemo patients are very sensitive to smell and easily nauseated so something only I can smell is definitely in order.
Be well Julia, you smell deliciously fragrant<3
Congrats on your last chemo, Julie – hope it’s been effective. Not fun to go through, I’m sure. XOXO
Wishing you well, Julia. I am glad that you’ve been getting comfort from your scents throughout this whole ordeal.
Best wishes for a successful, and forever final, treatment today Julia!
Congratulations on completing the chemo, and all best wishes to you.
All the best Julia! Glad you found a comforting scent to help get you through. 🙂
(((((((healthy vibes))))))))
♥
Best wishes and healing thoughts to you. May this be the last treatment you need endure!
Congrats on the last session, and sweet-smelling wishes for good health to you… (A good way to sniff perfume without bugging other people is to stick a scented paper strip inside the pages of a book — you can open that page to smell it, but the scent is contained when you close it up.)
Best wishes, Julia. I went through chemo several years ago and remain in good health now. I deliberately went unscented the whole time though (and for some months afterward) because I so feared associating nausea with any fragrance I might have worn. (Taking a lesson from my mother, who said that Jean Nate forever made her queasy after she had worn it in early pregnancy).
YES gg! I can relate as well. I took low-dose chemo for over 3 years and on my chemo days, I was often so nauseated the only thing I wanted to eat were ginger cookies. (Ginger helps settle the stomach.) I STILL associate ginger cookies with illness, and I’ve been off meds for nearly 6 years! (Thankfully, the smell of ginger alone is still ok, since I love Thai food and such!)
Sending support and empathy to Julia, too!
Congratulations!
Best wishes for your health.
Adding my best wishes for complete recovery, Julia.
18 is Chai…life…perfect choice Julia! Refuah Shlaimah and to many more fragrant healthy years.
Julia, good for you, and hope you’ll stay healthy (and smell nice)
Best wishes & get well soon. Hope some sniffin keeps you in good spirits!
Wonderful news! Hope you start to feel better soon!
Hello all! Just a thank you to everyone who offered advice to me on collecting samples a couple of weeks ago! As a newbie, I have had lots of success in London in some of the department stores and at the lovely les senteurs, where they kindly made up 6 samples for me for free! I have come to the conclusion that I like patchouli, Rose, jasmine and musk type scents. I liked idylle and idylle duet at guerlain today and I love j’adore. Any other suggestions that might be up my street? I don’t like my perfumes too sweet. 🙂
Glad to read that you had good success with getting some samples!
If you liked Idylle then you might also like SJP Lovely and Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDT (it’s in in black bottle and pink box. EDP is more floral and is in pink bottle and black box). Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia is also quite musky. It might be a little sweet but worth trying.
Sounds like you’ve had fun sampling! There are many patch/rose combos. I’m not a big fan, so others can chime in on those, though I did just order a bottle of Agent Provocateur Diamond Dust! Since you’re in the UK, you probably have a chance to sniff this in person?
Others you may want to try – Narciso Rodriguez For Her, Coco Mademoiselle (I’m wearing it today…), Chanel No. 5, Joy.
Thanks for the tips! I sniffed the first agent provocateur today on paper and thought it was quite nice – will check out diamond dust. Also, Chanel no. 5 is one of the samples I got today! The ultimate classic – still I have never tested it on myself. Think I am addicted to collecting samples now – making the most of of while in London for work!
JHAG Lady Vengeance is a great, easy to wear, patch/rose that you won’t smell on tons of other people. It’s yum!
Thanks! I will give that a try – I like the bottles!
Give Teo Cabanel’s Early Roses a try.
Teo Cabanel Oha is a gorgeous rose scent.
You might want to try Malle’s Portrait of a Lady, it’s a very interesting Patch/Rose scent.
L’air du desert marocain today. I love its dry, austere quality. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but it was my gateway drug. Thank you, Andy!
SOTD – DKNY Gold EDP on one wrist – Hypnotic Poison on the other.
Was too psyched to spritz both eBay purchases when they arrived at the same time.
swoon.
YUM! You’re so lucky – I’ve purchased 2 bottles of DK Gold on 2 separate occasions and each time it’s turned. So disappointing, it’s a beautiful fragrance.
SOTD: Tocade. Was hoping it’d hold up in warmer weather and relieved it did! Yay!
Onto my qn: did monday mail recently and was recommended
to try no19. tried tge edt iffy on the top notes and screwed up my nose at the middle. Got home, loved the drydown. by some sheer luck, i got a vtg no19 as an extra fr a swap, and lo, what i was looking for. some pple say the modern version of the parfum is close to the vtg. does anyone know if thats true?
am hoping i won’t have to scour ebay!
A lot of people really love No. 19 parfum… I don’t. I love the vintage edt – and the parfum is *close* but seems to lack the airiness of the edt. Edp is said to be rosier/friendlier, but if you loved the iris/vetiver/leather drydown, you might not want the edp. And you might be just fine with the parfum – sometimes I like the denseness of parfum, but not in this case. It’s worth a try, but I really like to scout ebay for vintage stuff, so that’s what I do.
Thanks mals! Don’t know if you’ll see this (cursed time difference), but thanks for the info. 🙂
fumemad – I actually like the vintage parfum, but not the vintage edt or edp – I find they get too much strong leathery vetiver for me. I think one of the reasons I like the vintage No 19 parfum, it that to my nose, the opening is so similar to Chamade parfum- gotta love those rich galbanum florals!
Snowing like crazy here (central Ky.) and temps falling to single digits. This storm is coming up out of the South and that’s where we get our worst storms from. But it’s actually supposed to get above freezing this weekend – can’t wait!
SOTD: L’Heure Bleue parfum. What a beauty!
You’re tempting me to cut the chord on my vintage bottle….
Oops! I meant – cord…. I think…
LOL! The perfect slip for “opera fan”! CUT. THE. CORD! Savor the beauty now. 🙂
Does anyone know what happened with the smaller sizes of the Chanel Exclusifs? Last year, our local Chanel boutique in SF said they would be coming in early in 2011, but the last time I asked, in mid-January, an SA there said that they would only be available in Europe. But I’ve been misled by SAs before. There are several I would like to buy, but I’m reluctant to spend more than $200 on one of those Costco-sized tubs.
They’re available! Check out the Chanel website…
Gee, thanks! Suddenly it’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas!
Ha ha – yeah, I’m psyched about those small bottles, too! I ordered samples of No. 22, Sycomore, and 28 La Pausa from Perfumed Court – need to try No. 18 as well. I don’t care much for BdI (sacrilege, i know) or CdR (sacrilege again), and I have a LARGE bottle of 31RC. 28LP smelled a lot like 31RC to me – so much so that it made me wonder if PC made a mistake in labeling my sample wrong. I could see a bottle of 22 in my future, and 28LP, and I haven’t tried Sycomore yet…or the Cologne…or 18 (which I think I will like). No interest in Beige, though…based on bad reviews.
Great minds think alike!!! I just ordered bottles of No 18 and 28 La Pausa today! woohoo….but you know I love those big vats of the stuff…. 🙂
Uh…are you splittin’ any of that off, dearest D? Or are you keeping it all to your beautiful self??? If you need to part with some…ahem!
I was wearing TF’s Tuscan Leather this morning. Then I put some LL Patchouli 24 on top. Almost redundant and yet amazing.
Bet that packs some sillage, too!
Hey Robin — thanks for the Wednesday poll….I need some mid-week help! In this frigid February I seem to be in a rut, rotating my Tauers (Reverie/L’Air/Incense Extreme). I am not unhappy with them, but tomorrow I have to speak at a luncheon to a group of graduate students and want to wear something else! Don’t want to put people off of lunch, but need a power scent to go with the casual power suit (cashmere turtleneck, denim coat/jacket, black trousers, Hermes scarf)……any suggestions my fragrant friends???
OJ Woman! 🙂
CdG 2 Woman always makes me feel incredibly competent.
That’s usually when I pull out a Chanel… especially BdI or No. 22, but many of the Chanels have that vibe.
Thanks for the suggestions….actually Chanel was on my mind, maybe No 19!
31 rue de cambon or mitsouko
I look for something slightly dry and austere when I need to feign assuredness or general competence 😉
Chanel 19, hiris, Eau des Merveilles, 31 RC…. ? Or even a bracing cologne.
SOTM was Alahine–warm amber to combat the cold. It was gone from my perfume-eating skin by early afternoon, so I am now wearing l’Ame Soeur. Every review describes this as a floral aldehyde, but I get a whole lot of bright, sweet powder out of it. I would say midway between dusting powder and powdered sugar. I know there are powder-phobes out there, but for me “powdery” is a very good thing. I have discovered something else about it. When I first tested it, it reminded me of something but I couldn’t think just what. I finally realized that it smell a lot (to my nose anyway) like Xerjoff Ibitira, which I fell in love with last summer but didn’t buy because no way will I spend $345 for 50 ml of EdP. I have even tested them side-by-side to make sure, and while not quite dead ringers, they are very similar. Naturally, I had to get a bottle of l’Ame Soeur (actually a large decant from TPC). I got my sweet powdered-sugar-floral fix and for $300 less than the Xerjoff.
A big win! I ought to spring for more samples of the Divine line – already love my samp of the eponymous Divine.
I think “sweet powder” is a pretty good descriptor for aldehydes! L’Ame Soeur is really attractive, and so relaxed for an aldehydic fragrance.
Oh, and I LOVE Alahine. Wearing it this evening. Delicious floral amber…
Oh, I need to try Alahine…maybe in a swapamania someday
Oh, jealous! I love l’Ame Soeur!!! It reminds me so much of what I would consider a true modernized update of real vintage No 5 parfum. It opens with that sweet powdery blast, and thereafer smells nearly identical to me as the old 30’s No 5 I have. Good for you!!!
Just a quick FYI if you’re interested. Tonight on CBS, the episode of Criminal Minds focuses on a murderer a la Grenouille in Patrick Suskind’s “Perfume”. This shouldn’t spoil anything, as it’s only 20 minutes into the episode and I’ve kinda figured that out already. Oh, and there are some really cool black perfume bottles with tassels featured in the first five minutes. 🙂
Oh, and in case you want to Google, hulu or youtube it later the episode is called “Sense Memory” and it’s a new episode as of tonight 2/9/11.
i Wish i was in the STates to watch that…BTW somebody on ebay scored a vintage Grenouille perfume, together with bois de ilse, scandal, loads of vintage molinard solids and some other very hard to find vintage extaits for about$350. I would have “killed” for that lot…and especially after have seen “perfume”
Wasn’t sure how to reply back to all the responses I got- so I’m just pasting a new comment hoping all the kind people would see them! Thank you for your recommendations and a set of OJ samples is definitely coming my way soon. (squirms with happiness)
I’m glad to hear it Hessed! You’re probably going to be very happy with them! 🙂
It may be too late, but I do have a burning question. I wore PdE Cuir Ottoman to the office the other day, and a colleague swooned, “Oh, I haven’t smelled that for years!” Obviously, it cannot be Cuir Ottoman, which launched in 2006, that she first smelled in the 1950s at an ice skating performance and again some years later.
I’m curious if leather lovers familiar with Cuir Ottoman have any idea what the mystery scent may be. I don’t find Cuir Ottoman much like my other leathers (maybe Etro Gomma, but that’s fairly recent and uncommon).
I can’t help, but just curious — didn’t she remember the name herself?
She never knew the name – just smelled it on other people and loved it.
That would drive me crazy, but I’m pointing out to her that whatever it was, even if it still sold, it’s probably been reformulated beyond recognition and she should grab Cuir Ottoman before it’s too late.
Then I’m just wondering if what she remembers is just a popular style of perfume, and not really a specific perfume. But who knows.
Someone on here once recommended Cuir d’Ottoman to me since I loved Worth’s Je Reviens. CdO is still on my “to try” list so I can’t comment on any similiarity, but JR is a very old scent so could that be it?
Interesting! I’ll have to try my JR to see if I detect any similarity. It would certainly fit the period.
I just discovered mixed sample lots on Ebay!! Just now, I won an auction for Guerlain My Insolence, plus 5 different Givenchy’s, for $4, free shipping! Woot!
Cool!
Had a rough day at work, and came home to my split in the mail of SL Bois et Musc. This is lovely stuff!
Nothing beats a new perfume at the end of a rough day! Glad for u!!! Hope the next one was/is better
QUESTION: How “spicy” or “spiced” is the lily in Frederic Malle’s Rubrum Lily candle? Or is it just like a flower? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW!
Sorry, I have no idea. I’d take the candle though 😉
I’m wearing Flower by Kenzo. I tried it for the first time last night (got a sample from Nordstrom). I put some on this morning, and I can still smell it tonight. Gentle, yet persistent. I love the violet, and I like what I think is the opopanax. I was afraid that the opopanax would become too strong, but it didn’t. It’s like a grown-up, classier version of Vanille Violette (Laurence Dumont). I have a bottle of the Vanille Violette, and I enjoy it, too (yes, sometimes I want to smell like candy).
Kindcrow, on a somewhat related note, I too sometimes want to smell edible, and I always turn to LD’s Tendre Madeleine! Deee-licious! 😉
Dee, Tendre Medelleine is on my “must try” list. Sounds lovely!
Daisy got me hooked, and I’d like to think that I’ve finally earned a stone in my enabler’s pin for the amount of people I’ve pushed TM on… it’s so easy to like—and such a great layering scent! 🙂
co-enablers, we are 🙂
Never heard of this one, but I like kenzo flower. Can you tell me a bit more about TM?
Lemon, almond, vanilla, maybe even a little gingerbread… a very realistic take on the little cookies it’s named for—it’s totally decadent, and totally addictive! And, it’s a total cheap-thrill at a little more than $0.50 per mL 🙂
(another one bites the dust! consider yourself enabled!)
It was so much fun reading this — this thread was a lovely bedtime story for a dark, cold night. SOTD was SSS Wood Violet, I’ve dispensed with my usual winter scents even though the temps are still in the single digits. Have recently fallen, unfortunately, for Tribute Attar. I’m not sure quite what to do about this. I really, really cannot afford it!
Perspective! You just need some perspective: If you don’t buy anything else for, say, six months, that bottle could be yours by August… right?
I say this because I’m in a similar place with an Amouage—and I’m about a month a way from my bottle! 🙂
U have great self control
I always enjoy reading this…like a bedtime storyeven int hemiddle of the day
I have a question (if anyone other than me is still awake). How close are Plus Qe Jamais and Ginestet Botrytis? I adore PQJ and am looking for something similar and have heard that the two are close. ..Thanks
Where the heck is Daisy??
Yeah second that….where are u daisy?
Hi! I am ALIVE! well, some days at least. sorry y’all it’s been a busy time with too many projects….and I’ve been fighting some sort of sinus/ upper respiratory thing off and on for the last two months; so I’ve been extraordinarily tired …..at night when I’d like to sit down and read thru the blogs I just sort of run out of gas and zonk out. I can’t believe I totally missed Owen hosting a weekend poll and now this lazy day thread. bummed….
Very glad to see you (and your humor) drop in, Daisy! Hope you get (and FEEL) better soon. I’ve been fighting these sinus infection for the last several years because of my (now) 4yr old. He’s been sneezing by the craploads lately so I’m having to increase my doseage of immune boosters to counter…
I have a question about ‘doubling up’ within fragrance categories. For example, I love Bois des Iles, Serge’s 5oclock, 31 RC, … but sometimes I think they all serve the same purpose (warmish, spicy-ish), if you know what I mean.
Also EL jasmine white moss, chanel 19 edt and A Scent; the pour un ete and mugler Cologne, etc etc.
So… Which ‘double ups’ do you have in your fragrance wardrobe? Are there some fragrances you just ‘have to have’, regardless of whether they’re similar to something you already have?
Oh lord, where to start?
I have enough roses to scent a small country. I suspect I will double their numbers before I die, because I cannot resist roses, although I have learned to stay away from Rose de Mai, which smells like Ban Roll-On to me.
Carnation and violet always get me, as do indolic jasmines and the Orientals….. and you do not want to be between me and a bottle of something that someone has said smells old-lady-ish, cuz I will probably do you bodily injury trying to get to it.
They may all have a similar vibe, but they are all distinctly different, and so serve distinct purposes…… mood, clothing, activity, weather, nostalgia, etc.
to me double up means…back up ie another bottle incase i run out!
LMAO!
EXACTLY! double up , triple up….goodness knows if you love it: it’ll get discontinued!
DJ—I have so many bottles for each slot of the perfume wardrobe it’s ridiculous!! For example Guerlain Rose Barbare bears a great deal of similarity to SL Rose de Nuit….do I have both? Absolutely! endless examples. I think there’s different ways to approach your perfume purchasing: are you interested in building a working wardrobe? if yes then you may not need a gazillion roses or 15 different ambers. One or two of each may be plenty…but then there’s those of us who are basically rabid and get a whiff of something then just have to have it, knocking old ladies down to get to it…..umm yeah, I’d be a proud member of that second group 😉
that’s the difference between having 15-20 bottles that you are happy with and wear all the time or having 350 bottles while drooling a bit over some new release….not that I have 350 bottles….well, alright, I DO have 350 bottles…but every single one is special!
Okay–there’s plenty of folks in the middle too. 🙂
Rolls eyes over the remark about the 350 (and growing) bottles…
😉
Do you really think RB and RdN really smell alike? I’ve sampled both (not simultaneously, though) and didn’t recall any similarities, in fact, I found them to be quite different. For one thing, RB fades quickly and RdN I couldn’t seem to scrub off. Maybe I should try a round 2….
LOL —are you SCOFFING at my 350 bottles? You think my collection is PALTRY and I should buy MORE immediately??? I think I love you….my hubby is somewhere hating you right now…heheheheh
all I know is it was silly to click that button on my bottle list that inserts numbers! eek! I un-clicked it right away.
Rose Barbare and SL Rose de Nuit —I thought there was enough similarity between the two that I hesitated to purchase the RdN….for a good couple of hours! do you still have samples to do a side by side sniff-off?
Don’t worry, oh Great Queen of Enablement! I have samples somewhere that I should be able to locate and try. Will report back to you if I find the link.
Frankly, I envy your 350 + bottles, and since I’ve been a beneficiary of a small percentage of them – am rather grateful as well. Your CEO should be grateful too, to be married to such a generous and giving soul!
Initially, I hesitated to buy FBs in the same category, e.g., I loved Heeley Cuir Pleine Fleur and PG Cuir Venenum but did not buy them because I already had a vat of Dzing! I’m happy to say I overcame that handicap and now own dozens of everything (though often large decants instead of FBs). Oddly, I never reversed my decision on CPF and CV, although I really should.
That’s so funny joliefleurs – I find myself coming up with ridiculous ways and sub-sub-categories of distinguishing them too. Cloudy mornings, rainy days, particular events, clothes, moods etc.
I am not that organized….
Has anyone tried Guerlain’s L’ïnstant pour homme …the eau extreme version?
i’ve worn it once but i’d like to know how good it really is before i make a blind buy…saw a bottle at some shop…apparantly it is a limited edition i hear……
so what do you people think of it?
Oh! Just remembered something I wanted to share on the next open thread – has anyone seen the French movie Prête-moi ta main (I Do) with Alain Chabat and Charlotte Gainsbourg??? Really enjoyable movie about a 40+ year old perfumer (Chabat) with five sisters and a mother who are trying to marry him off. He hires Gainsbourg to pretend to be his girlfriend. In the end, he creates a perfume for her, which reminded me of Ghesquiere’s use of Gainsbourg as his muse in the creation of Balenciaga Paris…
Haven’t seen it, but a friend told me she love Charlotte Gainsbourg in that. Glad you reminded me that I ought to see it!
It’s not Wednesday anymore, but I just have to share my glorious luck – I found a FB of Piguet Fracas and an almost FB of Givenchy Organza at the Salvation Army! So thrilled!
Holy goats, great find E.!
wow! great finds! congratulations! Sooooo did it scare them at all when you rushed up to the check out and squealed: THESE!! I’LL TAKE THESE , RIGHT NOW!!! just curious. lol
No, I was trying to be quiet and sneaky and not draw attention to my fabulous find, to avoid any nearby shoppers from wrestling me to the ground and taking them away before I could pay for them!
I recently purchased Montale Black Aoud without trying it first. I was expecting love-at-first sniff because of all the wonderful things I’ve read about it, but… I’m on the fence about it. I must admit I’m a little disappointed. Wanted to add another outstanding rose to my collection to go along with Paestum Rose, which is a big fave of mine. Maybe I’ll try a Tauer rose next.
R., set it aside for a while before coming back to it—I think that BA is one that grows on you 🙂
Also, the new Armani Prive Oud Royal has a gorgeous rosy blush in the opening that rings clear and true, followed by a tumultuous oud that is very appealing—a little easier to love at first sniff, and very smooth taken as a whole experience.
I agree with Dee—give Black Aoud a few tries…it has a harsh whollop up side the head for an opening but the dry down is a pretty nice vibrant rose.
…and the winter drags on. Got up this morning to -12*, and I can’t even remember the windchill… -25, -30, something in there. So, so cruel. Thank goodness, this is the last day of it. Low tonight will “only” be zero, and we’re supposed to see 40* this weekend. SOTD: testing a little dab of Oriental Lumpur, and wondering if anyone else has smelled this one.
But Boo, you live in the frozen Northern tundra – it’s supposed to be cold. I, however, live several hundred miles south of you, and it was below zero here this a.m.!!
I join you both in lamenting my frozen extremities….I’m so sick of this horrid cold. I’m hiding inside as much as possible—at least I can see the sun today (it gives me hope) –it’s still freaking freezing outside but at least it’s not GRAY and freaking freezing…
Just getting over that cold virus that has been going around. Taking NyQuil reminded me of so many marine scents-Yek! So, to get my mind on other things, I thought of what my ultimate fantasy fragrance would consisit of : Indian sandalwood, incense, leather, carnation, rose and some Madagascar jasmine to bring just the smallest bit of sweetness along with just a titch of animalic dark musk. Ahhhh!
…and that your nose would be un-stuffed enough to smell it.
Hope you feel lots better soon Dolly.