...fragrance you tested, and what did you think of it?
...thing you ate?
...thing you tried/heard/read/learned about — anything! — and said to yourself, wow, I've got to tell people about this?
A quick reminder: the damage poll is coming up on Tuesday!
Note: image is parfum au choix... by Biscarotte at flickr; some rights reserved.
Fragrance tested: Florentina 24 by I Profumi di Firenze, a sweet cantaloupe floral, nice but not much action. Food eaten: a Spanish-style omelet. Thing learned: the new “view” feature Google added to Blogger is pretty nifty. Append “/view” to the tail end of any blog URL and five new ways to view your favorite blog appear.
That’s cool. I’ll have to check it out!
1. CdG Palisander — good stuff! Gotta love swaps! This is a really nice, warm, cinnamon+red hots+ wood frag. I like it, but it’s a little sweeter than what I was seeking. Also tried Buddha’s Fig, which seemed so similar to Philosykos for so cheap! What a steal! (it’s not a dupe, but it’s good)
2. Tomato and Spinach omelet.
3. We are starting to think about having children, and I’ve been reading about nutrition and eating differently… I can’t believe how GREAT I feel. I’ve focused on eatting nutrient dense foods, and suddenly, my blood sugar is stable all day, and I feel really calm, balanced and strong. I truly can’t believe what a difference it has made in such a short time.
G, over the last three years I’ve focused on eating real food, in reasonable quantities, and increasing exercise. I’ve lost about 45 pounds, and the greatest surprise was feeling less hungry as I lost weight rather than more. I’m not actually thin at this point, so I suppose there is a point at which hunger would increase again, but it was such a HUGE relief to find that after years of gaining weight I could reach and maintain a health weight without suffering.
FYI, I used the Judith Beck cognitive behavioral therapy approach, which I’d recommend to others, especially anyone who has tried and abandoned other approaches.
I wish I’d made these changes decades ago – congratulations to you for doing so at the right time, and best wishes for your next stage of life!
That’s how I feel too! I wish I did this before! I want to hand out pamphlets to everyone I know explaining how great I feel both emotionally and physically!
I thought of myself as reasonably healthy before starting this, but I realized when I added up the nutritional value in my daily food intake that I wasn’t eating *real* food– I was mostly eating low calorie, low nutrition filler stuff. The best part of it all is how balanced and calm I feel. I think that this is the way I was meant to live.
And congrats to you! 45lbs is a huge weight loss, and it sounds like you did it the healthy way!
Nozkoz, I’m a great fan of C.B.T. in general. As far as I know its the only type of approach that has any scientific verification. I also had trouble losing weight earlier in my life: I could ‘diet’ and eat less, but eventually hunger would win out. It did seem to be either stay fat or else remain hungry, without any real alternative.
Gvillecreative, is there any kind of plan you are following? Most healthy foods do seem low on nutrition if low on kj.
My system will sound lame. I am still working it out.
My vitamins upset my stomach, so I went to this site to try to see how much vitamins I was getting naturally: http://nutritiondata.self.com/ (it turned out that there was no nutrition in the food I was eating! It was SHOCKING!) You can create an account and then put in what you eat and see how it all adds up nutritionally. And then I’d see what I was low in something (magnesium for example), so I’d google “magnesium rich foods” and add it. Basically, I made myself a list of foods that get me as close as possible to getting 100% of everything that I need to be healthy through food. And then I try to eat all of those things in a day. (fwiw, I still take a vitamin, but a lot of nutrients aren’t fully absorbed through supplements, so I am trying to eat them).
And I found a list of nutrient dense foods (ex: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthstartshere/andi.php) and try to get most of my food off that list. It sounds simple and dumb as a system, I know— but it also has me approaching food differently. I never really thought about nutrition before when making food choices. I feel great.
Merlin, my next goal is to apply the CBT principles I learned from the Judith Beck diet books to dealing with clutter. 🙂
Doesn’t sound AT ALL lame. It actually sounds very systematic – too systematic to hand out in a little pamphlet! And it sounds like it requires a fair amount of determination. Thanks so much for the links; I am going to visit there!
The overweight problem I naturally grew out of – the clutter one I haven’t. ) : I’v heard principles such as just tidy a small space every day etc, but I tend to entirely forget about tidying for a while and by the time I realise its needed, everything is a disaster. Then I become pretty non-functional until I miraculously get enough energy to deal with the disaster.
Merlin, that’s exactly what I do!
WTG, nozknoz! Three years ago I decided I wanted to be a healthy 80 year old and realized that I’d better start working toward that goal now. I started exercising 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. For the first year, I kept track of what I ate and how much I exercised on an online tracker which was enormously helpful. Three years later and 30 lbs. lighter I find I sleep better and am generally healthier. And I don’t deprive myself, I just eat less of the high calorie stuff and stick to the number of calories per day that works for me (OK, except for Christmas; all those goodies have to be worked off in January…sigh). And as a confirmed couch potato, I’m surprised that if I skip a day of exercise, I actually miss it. I would never have predicted that!
I want to be healthy at 80, too! Good for you!
Congratulations, Aparatchick! I also found that writing down what I ate was key, and that losing weight and regular exercise have improved my sleep.
I was also motivated by a recommendation on one of the NPR financial programs that a smart thing to do to prepare for a financially sound retirement is to take steps to improve/preserve one’s health. That was a lightbulb moment!
congrats GVCreative, that’s terrific news. You should feel proud of yourself.
I’ve never been a fan of vetiver. (insert collective gasp here)
Just like coriander seeds, there is something about the smell of vetiver that just rubs me the wrong way.
About a month ago, I tried Prada’s Infusion de Vétiver, and …. I liked it! The grapefruit and the tarragon made the vetiver palatable. So, I finally got a vetiver.
Yesterday, at my local discount store, I discovered a bottle of Lalique Encre Noire. I always LOVED that bottle, so i bough it. Did not try it first- as a matter of fact, i remember smelling it quite a while ago and not liking it- i just bought it. Surprise!! I like it.
I finally get vetiver–I think…
Now i need to try more vetiver!
Is there a vetiver I should try next? Or a vetiver/cardamum?
Congratulations on the Encre Noir, platinum14!
Two other interesting scents that make use of vetiver in distinctive perfume compositions are Etro Shaal Nur and Palais Jamais. Jo Malone Black Vetiyver Cafe is a light coffee variation. Hermes Sycamore has a smoky tea dimension. And there’s the floral-musk Guerlain Vetiver pour Elle. My personal fav is AG Vetiver. I’m sure you’ll enjoy exploring vetivers!
Wow, nozknoz, it seems like I’m always agreeing with you. The AG Vetiver is my favorite, too, and you know I love Shaal Nur and Vetiver Pour Elle. (Not too many people mention Shaal Nur for its vetiver. Isn’t it great?)
Haunani, it’s true, our noses often agree – I always pay attention to your recommendations and add them to my “to sample” list.
Shaal Nur is a remarkably attractive, balanced and wearable scent. I was happy to see its composer, Jacques Flori, credited for one of the Amouage Opus perfumes (IV). I hope he continues to gain recognition and commissions.
Well then, the Opus IV will be a must-try. Thanks for the info! 🙂
Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire!
Funny, I just tried this today. Like most Ropion scents, it goes through a number of changes. Along with the vetiver, it has a faint bit of citrus at the beginning, and eventually cedar becomes prominent. I’m going to have to buy a bottle of this someday.
It’s a really great scent. I had a mini but it’s turned…I think I’ve been letting my house get too hot in the summer.
I’m not a big vetiver fan, either, but I like Encre Noire as well. It may be the ideal Starter Vetiver, I don’t know, but it is rather more friendly than I usually find vetiver to be.
Just to avoid any possible confusion, I wanted to quickly point out that Sycomore is by Chanel, not Hermes. I love vetiver and Sycomore is my favourite. Hermès also do a great one called Vetiver Tonka, though.
Having said that, if you prefer your vetiver on the clean side with little smoke then you might like Armani Privé Vetiver Babylone or Diptyque Vetyverio.
Anything with Vetiver smells like grapefruit on my skin. The worst is the classic Vetiver for me, Gurlain, I think. That one gois really sour on me. Vetyver Cafe is a much more subtle grapefruit (mixed with coffee) and Fat Electrician smelled like a woody grapefruit too. I couldn’t make up my mind whether I liked it or not. Anyone else get the grapefruit effect?
All these references to grapefruit and coriander/cilantro, I’m beginning to make a connection between people’s reactions to vetiver and their responses to foods rejected by genetic “super tasters.” If you aren’t familiar with this trait, it is a simple genetic variation in which some people taste cilantro and taste soap, and others, non-super-tasters, taste peppery cilantro. Super-tasters find grapefruit too bitter, and non-super-tasters find it sweet. Anyway, since taste and smell are basically variations on a sensory theme, I’m wondering if there’s a connection, and if vetiver is similar to these two foods–sensed differently depending on genetic variation? Anyone know?
Sorry cant answer, but I think you once posted a link to an article about this which I remember being quite fascinating. Unfortunately I dont remember all the details. So do you think that though I may smell the vetiver on my skin as bitter, it may still smell sweet to someone with a different gene. That my skin chemistry is not actually affecting it, but my sense of smell is ‘receiving’ it differently? I do, in general, have a sweet tooth…
So interesting. I’m one of those soapy cilantro people, but didn’t know it was related to “super taste” which I’m not at all sure I have (though I do cook and seem to enjoy food, um, a bit more than some others…).
The correlative to this I’ve run across in the perfume world is people who are hyperosmic (or is it hyperosmic? can’t remember right now) to certain materials–when they around we are overwhelmed by them and can’t smell anything else. I have this with a type of “spiky wood” material that Goutal uses in a lot of perfumes. It wouldn’t surprise me if people who are bothered by certain notes–grapefruit, vetiver, coriander–were hyeprnosmic to the materials commonly employed to create them. Say, the sulforous notes in grapefruit, or the citrusy facet of a vetiver note. Find an accord with less of that stuff or a different facet emphasized and you might like the note after all.
I am sure there is a link. The one well-studied is androstenone, which either has no smell, a urinous smell, or a smell like sandalwood for people.
Sweetlife, the “spiky wood” you’re referring to is a woody amber, I think, and a lot of Goutals do have a strong woody amber component. I’m sensitive to those too. I sense one in Coromandel and Musc Ravageur, making both very unpleasant for me even though I love the other notes.
By the way, it is possible to overcome Fear of Cilantro — my boyfriend used to dislike it, but I cook with it a lot, and now he quite enjoys it. So don’t assume a distaste for cilantro is necessarily a genetic block!
eggbatt–It is a good point that tastes can change. What I am referencing is an actual genetic difference in how people taste. There are these little test papers we use in science classes that are fun to pass around to kids. For most of us, it just tastes like paper, but for the super-tasters, all of a sudden they get these horrible grimaces as they taste a bitter substance we non-super-tasters can’t detect! Fun tongue-version of Russian Roulette!
Merlin, I don’t think I’ve posted any links to any articles on this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else has brought this up before me! If you recall where you ran into that article, I’d be interested to see it. 🙂
Whoops! Sorry egabbert! I didn’t double-check your name before typing!
I am still traumatised by the amber in AG’s Un Matin d’Orage. Everyone else talks about how dewy and fresh it is but I found it nauseatingly oppressive. I thought I was losing my marbles until I read Turin’s review which mentioned said amber and declared that wearing the scent was as comfortable as having one’s dental plaque removed. I never agreed with a review more!
I don’t really get grapefruit from vetiver. Which is just as well since to my nose, grapefruit reads as really sharp BO smell and renders most fragrances with a prominent grapefruit note unwearable.
Abyss – and Egabbert and Sweet Life – I’m pretty sure that the material you’re calling “spiky wood” or “woody amber” is iso e super. Once you smell it by itself, you’ll recognize it in fragrance, and both of those descriptions are apt. Perfumers Polge (Chanel) and J. C. Ellena (Hermes) have been quoted repeatedly as saying how much they love it and they use it quite a bit.
I don’t think it was Iso e super that bothered me in Matin. Hermès and Chanel are easily my two most favourite houses and, according to Turin’s review that I mentioned, the “tremendous woody-amber” is possibly Karanal or Ambrocenide. Whatever it is, I must be hyper-sensitive to it since that thing just over-shadows everything for me. Awful.
Merlin, I sometimes get a sort of “pickle juice” note when I first put on a vetiver perfume, but it goes away pretty quickly.
Yikes – thanks for catching that, Abyss!
Love Vetyverio – except remembering how to spell it…
I love vetiver, any form.
Two vetivers that haven’t been mentioned yet and that I personally like are: Maître Parfumeur et Gantier, Racine, and Etro, Vetiver.
From all the ones that I have tried, I have to agree with Nozkoz that the Goutal is my favourite too.
I like Racine, too, austenfan, for crisp autumn weather.
the most recent perfumes I tried were CBIHP Musk Reinvention (shudder) and Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Prince, which the Perfumed Court described as being “dark, inky and heated. Notes of absinthe, lavender flower, narcissus absolute, star anise, wiild chamomile, Centifolia rose absollute, Egyptian Jasmine absolute, Gallica rose otto, orris, sandalwood, ambergris, castoreum, civet, cocoa beans, leather, oppopanax, tobacco absolute, and tolu balsam” which sounded amazing but smelled faintly of mint toothpaste on me!
last thing I ate, part of a crumpet. very exciting !
the last thing I felt I had to tell people about was my review of SL MKK, which went from being a scrubber to being a peculiar addiction in a couple months time.
I could not wear Musk Reinvention either…
Fragrance tested – C&S Mimosa inspired by Kevin’s latest review. They should really change the name since I got heaps of jasmine and ylang and no mimosa. And speaking of jasmine, I just ordered some Rococo Jasmine dark chocolate floral bar which I can’t wait to try!
Thing I ate – a couple of ginger snap biscuits with my espresso
I finally caught up with BBC’s excellent Wonders Of The Universe series which was one big “wow” moment. For one, it turns out that our very own Milky Way is on the collision course with Andromeda galaxy. Yikes!
I tried to watch that programme, but after reading what Alison Graham said about it in the Radio Times I couldn’t without bursting into laughter. Men – with fringes – shouting on top of mountains…
Lol, I’m glad I didn’t read that. What I found occasionally distracting was all the filming in numerous remote locations. After all, you hardly need to be in Patagonia AND Namibia to talk about the concept of entropy/arrow of time, right? Other than that, I like Brian Cox’s enthusiasm for the subject and his way of explaining things. Using a stick and some stones to illustrate the retrograde motion of Mars (different programme, granted)? Worked for me 😀
I think I could cope with that so long as they refrain from beating their chests!
I’ve been meaning to review those chocolates! I like them.
Oh, good to know! I’ve tried chocolates with roses and violets before but never with jasmine. I’m definitely looking forward to the next chocolate post.
I absolutely adored Cox’s Wonders of the Solar System, so I was super excited for the Universe series. But much to my regret, I’ve been quite disappointed by it. It seems heavy on the standing-heroically-against-a-dramatic-landscape, and significantly light on the actual science. Which is a shame, because Cox is a really tremendous communicator of nitty-gritty physics. I’ve attended lectures he’s given, and he’s enormously charismatic and intellectually engaging, and I wish the producers had been able to bring more of that out for this series. You know?
Most recent perfume tested:
– Penhaligon’s Violetta, in a sample I got while shopping for other things. Overall, my impression was that it would make a nice soap. I like green, and I like violets, but this one just struck me as a bathroom soap I’d enjoy using if I were at someone’s house and they had it, but don’t enjoy wearing as a perfume.
– At the same time I was also given a sample of PG Iris Taizo, which smelled like my grandmother’s makeup, which also was a nice memory but not something I wanted to smell all day. Too sweet. (Iris Silver Mist is my go-to iris scent, so there probably wasn’t much chance Iris Taizo was going to win me over.)
Last thing I ate: Eggs and bacon for breakfast.
Last thing I felt I had to tell people about wasn’t perfume-related, unfortunately: It was an Alison Gopnik article in Slate about how babies learn and why rote teaching isn’t good for preschoolers.
I will look for that article, thanks! I wonder if she is related to Adam Gopnik, who writes for the New Yorker?
Here’s the link (probably should have posted in the first place): http://www.slate.com/id/2288402/. And yes, I think Adam Gopnik is her brother.
Excellent, thanks!
I last tested Piment Brulant by l’Artisan Parfumeur.
The top note (and as it turns out the dominant note throughout) is a distinct cayenne pepper that manages to smell super spicy. I actually wondered if the fragrance should be kept away from the eyes. My mother cooked with cayenne a great deal and it immediately reminded me of her. The scent is largely linear and simple, though a semi-sweet cocoa note seeps in over time, and there’s a touch of perhaps honey in the fragrance as far as I can tell, and though there is cinnamon, it’s mostly lost in the cayenne.
I love the idea of smelling like cayenne pepper, but I’m not as stricken with the reality. However, if I were on a first date with a lady and I caught a whiff of this when i got close to her skin, it would likely drive me crazy. The fragrance screams “Wild sex! Adventure! Tongues!”
Pardon me for the Freudian image of a perfume that initially reminds me of y mother, yet I find sexy. I honestly think the two thoughts are separate, but even I’m not so comfortable with the juxtaposition.
I won’t be buying it – even though it’s 50% off at Ogilvy.
Ha!
Tom! Ha! You’re cracking me up with the sexy-mom contrasts! 😀
I got a sample of this a few weeks ago, but I haven’t put it on, yet. Now you’ve got me curious! The sense of familiar/sexy is what I liked about Bang this last December.
hahaha!
Hee hee, now you’r going to have to change your user-name to oedipus! lol! Are there other l’artisan’s on sale at ogilvy? I have a friend visiting the UK soon…
No other deals I don’t think. They changed the bottle, hence the sale on old bottles.
I recently bought their 3-fragrance masculin coffret of Timbuktu, Fou d’Absynthe and l’Eau de l’Artisan and I’m super duper happy with it. It’s quickly becoming one of my favourite houses, rivaling John Varvatos for the top spot in masculine fragrances.
Last thing i tried: well I re-tried Idylle. There’s something in it that makes me go eww and then want to smell it again. I think tuberose may do that to me but its not listed as a note. It may be the lilly of the Valley which also goes off-kilter on my skin.
Ate: a carrot muffin
Discovery: a book called ‘A Writer’s Book of Days’, which is great for both writers and wannabee writers!
I have that book too, Merlin, and I agree, it’s great!
Yeah, i hadn’t written ANYTHING for over a week because I tend to get over-critical and had stopped being able to write anything – again. I’m really loving the write for 30 min with minimal to no thought; it makes me feel rich with ideas, instead of barren. Do you know of any other such books that are good. Actually, its my first of that kind!
Sorry, I meant over a month – not a week in my first line.
The writing for 30 minutes with minimal to no thought is similar to Julia Cameron’s “morning pages”, which I’ve been doing. Have you read her “The Artist’s Way” or “The Right to Write”? Both great.
I’v heard ‘the artist’s way’ recommended quite a lot but never given it a real try. Some new-agey stuff annoys me, but i cant remember if it was that that I disliked. I think the term ‘morning pages’ scares me as I’m not a morning person. Would I be right in thinking that ‘the writer’s book of days’ is more about the skill of writing than ‘the artists way’ which is more therapeutic in orientation?
This is a reply to your last post, Merlin — “The Artist’s Way” is more about creativity in general (I don’t consider it “new agey” though) than writing specifically. You might also want to check out Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird” (one of the best books on writing!) or any of Natalie Goldberg’s books, or Elizabeth Berg’s “Escaping into the Open”. They may be more what you’re looking for.
Jill, thank you so much! I have taken down all the references. ( :
Dulce & Gabbana Rose the One, which I enjoyed quite a bit. Love the rose and fruitiness of this perfume. Love fruity floral scents this time of year.
Ice cream from the Dairy Queen last evening. Still drinking my coffee here this morning.
Book Sugar Snaps and Strawberries! This is the A-Z on how to be successful at organic gardening from raised beds to container gardening. Not a boring page.
I will have to tell my husband about that book….he’s growing more & more of our produce every year.
Perfume: Frapin 1697— It’s familiar in a way I can’t put my finger on; it causes deja vu, but in the best way possible. I’m debating my need for a full bottle (damage poll next week people!)
Food: coffee, delivered to me in bed by my loving husband.
Discovery: A perfume, actually— Bronze Goddess. It has been making me so happy that I want to share that happiness with every one I know (my 100mL bottle has gone down to abou 70mL in the space of a week!)
That Frapin is the new Duchaufour, isn’t it? I’m DYING to try that one. Does it remind you of one of his other scents, perhaps?
Dee, is that the current Bronze Goddess?
N: the Frapin reminds me of a few of his scents— Traversee du Bosphore, and Al Oudh, but it also reminds me of the smooth amber from Dior’s Mitzah… And yet those three don’t fully explain the familiarity, because it’s more than that; the smell is familiar, but it’s a memory that I’m searching for— like it induces a scent memory that I can’t remember! If that makes any sense 🙂
Oh yes, it’s the current Bronze Goddess— and while some complain that it’s a shadow of it’s former self, I say that it’s a damned fine shadow!
Oh dear. I’ve been trying to ignore that new Frapin because the house doesn’t seem to work so well with me on general- so why is everyone raving about it?!! I’m going to try to ignore it a little harder by telling myself that warmer weather is coming and I don’t need something cozy…
I’ve been trying to ignore the new Frapin because 1270 works so well on me, and I.must.not.give.in.
In this situation, it’s probably best not to try it, because it is so compelling! 🙂 Although, there are bottle splits…
dee, it can be so hard to figure what a perfume reminds one of! I wonder if there isn’t some new aromachemical used in these several perfumes that recreates the smell of some actual thing.
For some reason this is reminding me of sampling the recreated Cologne de Napoleon a Saint Helene and realizing that it smelled like 7-Up, due to the combination of citrus with rosemary common to both (which I wouldn’t have identified unless PdN had pointed it out). This is more logical than it might seem, because the early soft drinks descended from patent medicines, and colognes were originally medicinal and made to be taken orally as well as applied externally.
noz: it may be one element, but it’s not so much a theme that is familiar, but certain elements of each of those things representing facets of the Frapin as a whole… it’s not just the Douchaufour signature balsamic base—I wish I could describe it better. Maybe after I spend some more time with it! (Which it surely demands) 🙂
Isn’t everything coming out now the “new Duchaufour”?
He’s been busy! 😉
Perfume: A very good friend gave me 3 drops of Xerjoff Irisss, and I used up 1 of them the other day – it’s perfectly extraordinarily beautiful. But the price tag spoils it all.
Food: A wrap with salami, potato salad and some veggies. And about three cups of tea.
Discovery: There is a big retrospective with Sarah Moon’s photographs in Stockholm at the moment. I had no expectations at all – and was completely blown away. Beautiful and haunting. The best art experiences are the unexpected!
I love Sarah Moon!
Thanks, Petronella – I just googled Sarah Moon and love her photos!
The last perfume I’ve tested and gave my attention was Montana Parfum D’Peau. It’s classified as feminine, but has a masculin side such as some “feminine” chypres. Another beautiful one I’ve tested the same time: Le Baiser Du Dragon. I found the two very distinct.
Women, don’t waste your time: try the 2!!!
I tested TDC Un Parfum des Sens et des Bois and although I liked it a lot I can’t see myself actually buying a bottle, it just isn’t special enough.
I had a vanilla milkshake while enjoying a very sunny and warm afternoon.
I realized that in my passion for movies I never paid much attention to Elizabeth Taylor – huge mistake! I want everyone to know that the woman is gorgeous! 🙂
I remember always thinking she was just a sex symbol and then seeing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and realizing what a great actress she was – it’s still one of my all-time favorite films.
I can’t even believe some of the photos that have been posted since she died. Good Lord, she was gorgeous! I think I’ve only seen her in Giant, bet definitely need to check out some more of her work.
Last fragrance I tried – TDC Osmanthus and PG Jardin de Kerylos. I think fig just doesn’t work as a fragrance for me. I like the smell of it, but I’ve yet to find one I want to wear.
Last thing I ate – strawberry banana mango yuzu salad.
“discovery” – recently I read a book by Mishima Yukio about a rather twisted sort of woman, and found that she provides good discussion…
Which Mishima was that, Hessed?
It was “Thirst for love” (yes… a rather blush inducing translation… I wonder what the original title is)- I liked his “Forbidden Colours” and this was his only other work at the library.
Mishima Yukio’s life is always an interesting topic to bring to coffee tables 😀 sometimes I’m more compelled to talk about him than his works…
I was fascinated with Mishima when I was in college. I’d like to try rereading his books when I have more time some day, although rereading doesn’t always work. Mishima certainly took his life and art to the ultimate extreme, didn’t he?
I’ve been testing a lot of scents mostly inconclusively – partly the restlessness of unsettled spring weather, I think.
I’ve been catching up on Liza Dalby. I read Geisha when I was in grad school and loved it. Recently finished Hidden Buddhas and now on The Tale of Murasaki.
Perfume plays a role in her books; for example, a central character in Hidden Buddhas wears zukoh, a powder incense that can be used in meditation. (She smoothes it on her hair, noting that “hair is a natural fixative.”) An article linked to Ms. Dalby’s website notes that she visited Lady Murasaki’s grave and left a bottle of Chanel No. 5! I’d like to e-mail her someday to thank her for these delightful books and note that I enjoy the perfume references.
I’d recommend Liza Dalby’s books to anyone with an interest in Japan – if you’ve already read them, please comment!
I’m going to try Liza Dalby- gotta love a writer who can render scents skillfully into her writings…
Oh, I just remembered that the twisted lady in the Mishima novel wore Houbigant. 🙂 (Though I don’t know which one… and I’m embarrassed to admit I’d never smelled anything from the house…)
Houbigant – interesting! Of course, Japanese nobles were entertaining themselves with incense blending contests a thousand years ago, so I think it’s very natural for perfume to appear in Japanese novels. I hope you’ll report back in a later post someday on whichever Dalby book you choose. I’ve also got her autobiographical East Wind Melts Ice to read next…
Oh, I love Dalby’s books too! Aren’t they beautiful? I envy anyone who hasn’t read them yet, because they’ve got such a treat in store. I wish I could go back in time and discover them all over again.
It’s so true – I’m really relishing the treat of reading the several books she’s published while I was distracted with other things. Nice to reconnect with her at a different age, too.
When I was in Cambridge, I drenched myself in L’Heure Bleue extrait from the ancient tester on the crumbling, old, more than half empty display at Colonial Drugs (what’s up with that place anyway?). I swear it must have been vintage. Of course, it was absolutely gorgeous and intoxicating, and now, of course, I’m madly in love, and how, how, how can I get some of this? (I tried to buy the tester off the guy, but he refused, and not politely.)
Instant time machine: ebay!
What a fink. I’m gently peeved on your behalf! Did he give a reason for not being willing to sell it to you? Or was it just knee-jerk store policy?
That place is a real relic. My guess is that it wasn’t store policy, just hard core New England contrariness.
Well, a nice perfume fairy sent me a big collection of samples about 3 weeks ago, and I’ve been working my way through them each weekend (not brave enough to try things out on a work day). Most of them so far haven’t called to me, but the thing I got very excited about was a new-to-me FB of Cuir de Lancome that was included with the samples! Lovely!
I’m still on my morning mug-o-coffee. 🙂
Marjorie Rose, sometimes I take a sample to work and spray it on one hand as a late afternoon pick-me-up. Easy to scrub the hand if it’s a fail, or to sniff as I sit at the computer if it isn’t.
I can see how that would be nice for an office job. Unfortunately (and fortunately, actually, as I love my job), I am a teacher. So, I don’t get afternoon breaks in which I could spray myself a pick-me-up and any scent I wear is shared with many teenagers! (Although maybe it’d be good to cancel out the Eau d’Afternoon Teen!) 🙂
LOL at Eau d’Afternoon Teen!
My sister’s a teen and she does not care at all for fragrances. She says they’re “fake”… well she just hasn’t tried the good stuff, that’s all.
Best-case scenario is Axe, I’m afraid! Sometimes I wish I could introduce my students to some less-expensive, non-horrible fragrances. I’d even vote for Pink Sugar over some of the arosols I smell wafting through the halls. Of course, many of them would benefit from a heart-to-heart about grooming, too, but I have to choose my “targets” carefully on that one!
Point well-taken – and glad to hear you love what must be a challenging job – it’s certainly an important one!
*swoon* Cuir de Lancome is divine. It is a cheap thrill that is not made of cheap materials. A bottle can be had for $35 online these days, which inclines me to purchase a back-up bottle.
I finally decided that although I have PLENTY of perfume, Cuir de Lancome is one I really needed a backup bottle of. It’s beautiful.
Retrying Micallef Note Vanillee. I find it so comforting. It’s similar to L de Lempicka and Laurence Dumont Tendre Madeleine. And I also discovered it smells the way Jones Cream Soda tastes. 🙂
Thing I ate: Garrett’s caramel cashew popcorn. Yum.
Thing I’m “wowing” over: The Ricky Gervais Show. I cannot stop thinking about it and laughing hysterically.
Is that the podcast? Or does he have something new on tv?
It’s an HBO show which is an animated version of the podcasts. I Netflixed it. The way they’ve done it is similar in my mind to “Dr. Katz,” if you’ve ever seen that show (which I also love).
Aha…I saw a clip of that, maybe on the Jon Stewart show. Love Ricky Gervais.
Last fragrance tested was a vintage 1/2oz bottle of Avon Cottilion cologne bought on the bay for maybe $4 – sweet oriental, with some spice and powder (and even honey? I am not good at distinguishing notes). I love it.
Last thing I ate – peanut butter and jelly with the kids!
Last thing I told someone . . . that Miss Dior Cherie had been reformulated – yikes, not happy about that one.
I bought a small bottle of that last year – it was my late grandmother’s scent, and I used to hate it. I think her bottle must have been sun-toasted and she’d kept wearing it anyway. Cotillion is not very “me” but the bottle is lovely, and the scent is much better than I remembered.
Could be my nose. But maybe not.
Last new fragrance I tested was Robert Piguet Visa. A little too fruity for me, perhaps, but I like to give things many chances.
Last thing I ate: Red grapes. Not usually a red grape fan, but I bought several bunches for a party and then forgot to put them out. Sigh.
Last thing I felt compelled to share: The story about the Florida pastor who staged a Koran burning at his church and the resulting violence in the Middle East. Yikes.
Very depressed by the deaths in Afghanistan after that Koran burning, as well as that other church that demonstrates at funerals of servicemen killed overseas. I guess it isn’t appropriate to get into religion or politics here, so I won’t go beyond sharing the pain.
OMG, you know what, I can’t remember the last fragrance I tested: I haven’t been near a perfume store/counter for ages. Hang on, I think it probably was the Jimmy Choo. I had to check my blood glucose levels after that.
Coffee ice cream – about half an hour ago. Delicious *and* cheap: two enormous tubs for £5. Tesco’s own. Almost as good as the one I make myself sometimes. The puttytat enjoyed it too. Lick lick…
The National Theatre has lost 14.9% of its Arts Council grant, and we the punters are going to have to pay more for our seats (which are already very dear). Also, property in London is two and a half times for expensive than in the rest of the country. Wish I could bear to live in the suburbs or up North, but I’m like Woody Allen – an urban animal.
Not quite within the parameters of the question, but since I gather it hasn’t been shown in the US yet, and in case you haven’t heard of it, I have to tell you all about The Killing – an absolutely extraordinary, gripping, addictive, Danish TV crime series. It is the best thing I’ve seen on the telly since The Wire. A large chunk of the world has fallen in love with Sarah Lund – the most mesmerizing detective ever. Most of us in the UK missed it the first time it was shown on BBC4, but later tried to catch up with the 20 episodes on the iPlayer (before they were removed). After spending several days glued to my computer screen, watching episode after episode, a few weeks ago, I started to believe everyone in that story was real. Actually, I still think that. 🙂
I managed to catch it on iPlayer just before it started to disappear and really enjoyed it too! Which brings me to an aside of my own – however did I ever cope without catch up services like iPlayer? I use them to watch most TV programmes.
Oh, me too! I get so annoyed now when I have to set the VCR (mostly for the odd film). The BBC iPlayer and its siblings are a godsend. Love them all.
Did you guess who the culprit was in The Killing? As someone said, it redefined the word ‘red herring’. LOL!
No, I didn’t! There were so many twists and turns that by the end I would have probably accepted anyone as the killer including Sarah Lund’s mother 😀
Sounds good, I will keep an eye out for it….maybe BBC America will show it eventually.
I THINK I read something about a US remake? I don’t really understand the obsession with having to remake everything but there you go. It can’t just be the subtitles since it seems to happen to many UK shows too.
There is a remake, and it starts tomorrow on AMC.
I would give it a wide berth: there is no way it will have the power of the original. But, of course, so many people can’t cope with the subtitles – that’s why there are so many remakes of non-English-speaking stuff.
Those of us who’ve seen The Killing can now say all sorts of things in Danish – mostly to do with alibis and claiming one’s innocence in a murder, but still, you never know, might be useful. 😉
I surprised myself by liking the remake of The Office, although it was nowhere near as good as the original.
I hope you get to see it, but it probably won’t be via the BBC since it’s a Danish production. It’s been shown all over Europe, and in Australia. It has yet to conquer the American continent, but when it does……..
Erratum: ‘can’t cope with subtitles’ *slapping myself*
Thanks for this, Bela! My husband is one of those Wire fanatics: rarely does a day pass that he doesn’t make some reference to it. (I’m currently working my way through the set he got me for Valentine’s. I’m in season two, the dockyards.) I’ll have to see if I can order him a set of the Danish “The Killing”.
Oh, I loved the Dockyards episodes. Your husband (and you) will adore The Killing too. I have no doubt at all. The DVD of the first series has just come out here (Region 2); the second series will be aired later this year and I believe the third hasn’t been written yet. The author said he would stop at three. Very wise, I think.
Got a sample of CdG Sherbet series Rhubarb and am testing that today. It does smell like rhubarb at the beginning and continues to smell nice, but not FB worthy.
Am eating a salad with croutons of the crumbled cornmeal-rich crust from a grilled pizza my husband made.( He does virtually all the cooking.) With it I’m having a glass of his latest home-brew: Snow Day Stout.
Since I recently lost a year’s worth of photos, notes, and contacts when my iPhone froze I remind everyone to back up often…
I’m really enjoying reading about the last thing everyone ate- and I think yours is my favorite (especially the part that it was someone else who did the cooking for you!)
I love the food stories too! I have second-hand munchies, though. It all sounds so good!
I just got a sample of Rhubarb because it’s a Duchaufour that I hadn’t tried yet (also loved my Mom’s rhubarb pie). I don’t expect to love it as I’ve found all the CdGs a bit slight, but I’ve decided I need at least a sample of every Duchaufour. Which is a growing challenge!
And speaking of rhubarb, I’ve remembered that ours needs to be divided this year which might mean that the amount of rhubarb crisp we eat could be low. Not a happy thought.
I have the same goal – trying all the Duchaufours. I think I have a sample of the rhubarb. Must dig it out!
NancyG, my husband does all the cooking and grocery shopping. He enjoys it, and I’m thrilled. We are lucky!
Yesterday I tested Elizabeth Taylor’s Violet Eyes at Wal-Mart. It’s not bad actually. Not what I expected, but seemed like it might be a nice cheap thrill for spring. Then the lady next to me spritzed a Tommy Girl knock off multiple times and it knocked poor Liz’s fragrance off me like a Mike Tyson TKO. I literally ran away, but alas could not escape it. My coat still smells like melon-ocean air disinfectant today. blech
Last thing I ate: a raspberry-jelly filled powdered bismark (hangs head in shame)….and half a pecan-maple long john with Bavarian creme filling (head hangs lower still) and two cups of coffee. Going to have to go outside and burn off some of this sugar and caffeine!
Last thing I read: (or have been reading, anyway) Angelology by Danielle Trussoni. Not a bad book but I’m not ripping through it in 24 hours the way I do a book that truly engages me.
Oh no! Not melon-ocean coat! That’s the worst. I once got in the way of a toxic cloud of Eau d’Issey and for the next week, I had to stifle dry heaves every time I got near the dreaded garment.
Thank god for dry cleaners, right?
My coat is actually hanging up out in the garage right now. I’ve sprayed it with Zero Odor, a spray that I use mostly for cat-related stains that is the best thing ever. So far, though, melon-ocean monster is still winning. It’s my winter coat, though, and today it’s 70 degrees (!!!) so I’m hoping I can just dry-clean and store it.
I thought Violet Eyes was quite nice as well. I was just really annoyed that there was no violet IN it. Grrr.
Okay, that’s just me.
Mals, I thought I caught a brief sugared-violet in the first five seconds but that could have been wishful thinking. Now I think I’ll just wait to re-try it when there’s no one else near me!
Last new (for me) perfume I tested was Liasons Dangereuses by Kilian. While I think it’s nice and pleasant it doesn’t feel special enough to justify the price. It’s too fruity and too plain for me. So, most likely, I’ll finish my sample spray and forget about it.
Undina, that was how I felt about LD the first time I tried it last spring. Later, based on Denyse’s lovely review on Grain de Musc, I chose it for the Perfume Posse seven-day signature scent challenge last Fall and fell in love. I found the plum rose composition perfect for Fall. Of course, it may never work for you, but I’d recommend setting it aside until October or November. (Unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, of course!)
Nozknoz,
Thank you for the advice, I’ll wait for the next Fall before testing it again.
BTW, love your nickname.
Undina, have you tried any of the other Killian’s yet? I was pretty skeptical about the line as a whole, but then Back to Black and Rose Oud caused me to re-think my stance. I’m really looking forward to the Amber Oud that is supposed to be next in the Arabian series!
🙂
Dee,
I tried Beyond Love which I didn’t like (tuberose!) and Cruel Intentions which I liked enough to want to finish my sample (and maybe even get another one). And I have a couple of other testers but I keep postponing my meeting with them.
Balenciaga Paris just appeared in my local department stores (I know, late, right?) and I have been tentatively sampling it every time I stop by the mall. I can’t make my mind up about it, sometimes its gentle sweetness seems like something I *should* have for the upcoming summer, other times it seems too flat. I can’t see it clawing its way past my top three on the “to buy” like though…Back to Black, Like This, and No. 5.
Last thing I ate was rose rice with fate and lemon sprinkled on it last night. Hmm.. I am hungry.
Thing I read: Emma Donoghue’s “The Room.” What an astounding and gripping book; I would recommend it to anyone who has not had an ‘experience’ with a book in a long time (I know I hadn’t)
I completely agree with Paris… I’d gladly wear it when I feel like tossing on a pair of jeans and T-shirt, but it does not make me want to dish out money for it.
Um, I know this is a perfume thread but the last thing you ate sounds fabulous! how does one cook rose rice, and what is a fate?
“about” Paris- not “with”… doh…
The list of “I-would-happily-wear-it-if-I-didn’t-have-to-pay-for-it” is so, so long!
I’ve got to try Paris. I keep reading good things about it.
I thought “Room” was excellent. Gripping, indeed.
Ack, right. It is “Room.” not “The Room.”
I’m trying to ignore my attraction to that bottle
It is so beautiful! Love the cap!
I’ve been testing Teo Cabanel’s Alahine, and been instantly smitten. It’s so smooth and so delicious. Seriously, if you haven’t tried it yet, DO. It’s exquisite. As soon as I save up enough Silly Money, I’m going to buy a vat and go swimming in it.
I’ve been slowly cooking an enormous pot of Boston baked beans today, and been taking stealthy spoonfuls as often as my conscience allows. Which is quite often. It’s going to be quite a night, let me tell you.
New discovery: Charlene Kaye. She’s a gorgeously talented musician I stumbled upon after googling Darren Criss (the impossibly dreamy Blaine on Glee). When he’s not being adorable on TV, he’s being adorable with his musical soulmate Charlene, and when they’re singing together, the world seems so much lovelier than it was before. Watch this, and just try not to smile (it can’t be done): http://bit.ly/gwVteL
ALAHIIIIIIINE!!! Love that stuff.
Chanterais, I just bought a bottle Alahine for a steal, and the seller (eBay) still has a few left:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320677402835&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_500wt_1156
For less than $50 bucks, you can certainly swim in it!!! 🙂
(I’m not affiliated with the eBayer)
I’m curious about this one. I’ve never tested it (don’t even know where to find it in Los Angeles). If anyone can point me in the right direction… Thanks!
I’ve recently tested two fragrances…Creed Aventus reminds me of a newer Fahrenheit..Citrus and leather, well kind of. I will be purchasing a FB and splitting it with my fella paI. I also tried Chantcaille Petales which I found to be a beautiful gardenia scent. It was just a little too pretty for me. I prefer my florals a little dirtier. More green with the stem and dirt. I guess they delivered on what they said they would, it is called Petales. So, it’s a nice one.
The husband made coffee and then we ran and picked up some donuts from a local spot here in San Antonio.
I have to be honest and say that I havent really been inspired by much lately that I wanted to share with people .There is alot going on in the world. For the sake of being simple, I went and consumed some credit card calories at Neiman Marcus. I purchased a few beauty items, along with 30ml of Grand Neroli from Atelier. The item I wanted to discuss was a lip gloss from Le Metier de Beaute. It’s called sheer brilliance and I purchased the color Cap D’Antibes. This is just fantastic! I’m a burnt caramel colored lady and this just pops very nicely.
I love your phrase “consumed credit card calories” and Neiman Marcus is certainly ideal for that!
I love Grand Neroli. I like to wear it running.
The lip gloss sounds gorgeous. I wish I were “burnt caramel colored”; I’m more grade school paste! 😀
Lol…we are all beautiful with our different colors. I’m sure you would look perfect as a pinip. Think…Dita Von Teese
Well.. I had to Google Dita and LORD! I look nothing like that! I’m actually even fairer (and quite a bit older). I had strawberry blonde hair until Mother Nature gradually turned it platinum as I aged. Not much call for a skinny, woman of a certain age pin-up! LOL!
Testing PdN Weekend at Deauville today. A field of flowers and a salty breeze coming in off the ocean. Very nice and bright, but unfortunately on me the sillage is nil.
Chili. Yum.
I’ve been recommending “The Weird Sisters” by Eleanor Brown. You wouldn’t think you’d describe a story about three sisters (the daughters of an English professor) who return home to take care of their sick mother as “funny” or “delightful” but this one is. It’s written in the third-person plural which puts off some people, but after having read a lot of books my husband refers to as “dark and stark” this was a quite refreshing look at family dynamics.
OMG — the new Deauville or the old? I have and love the original and am dying to hear about the new one!
I’m just a little bit miffed that it has the same name but a different formulation. The original is my HG; how am I going to know if I’m getting the new or old formula when I buy??
I have a small decant from about a year and a half ago, so I’m guessing it’s the original. Wasn’t it supposed to be a limited edition?
Yea, but then she re-released it with tweaks (it has basil) and is putting it in the permanent collection with the same name.
Could someone translate “HG” for me? I’ve seen it here so many times, and for the life of me, I can’t figure it out! Clearly it’s something to do with fragrances people wear frequently or really love?!?
It stands for Holy Grail. 🙂
Ha! Thanks!
And this might help if any other acronyms confuse you
https://nstperfume.com/2008/04/25/a-perfumista-lexicon/
Thanks, Robin! I’m actually pretty proud to say I’ve figured most of those out by now! This is especially impressive as I do not own a cell phone, have never texted, tweeted, or blogged other than participating in this site. Yup, I’m a bit of a luddite, but being a perfume-appreciator in a scent-phobic culture will push a girl to branch out! 🙂
Last perfume tried: Roja Dove’s Diaghilev (and it’s the first perfume in forever that I’ve tried before it was three years old!). It is a stunningly beautiful scent. My decant arrived yesterday, and I am in seventh heaven.
Last food eaten: a bowl of homemade split pea soup.
WOW thing to share: U. of Ky. is in the Final Four!!!!!!! WOOOO HOOO!!! GO BIG BLUE!!!!
Sorry…..
I really want to try Diaghilev! Would you mind elaborating what it smells like?
Hessed – go here:
http://waftbycarol.blogspot.com/2011/03/thrill-meroja-dove-diaghilev.html
to read Carol’s great review. Musette also did a review of Diaghilev on Perfume Posse last week.
Thank you!
I’m hanging my head in shame as I admit I can’t really remember what Mitsouko smells like (I tried it in my very, very beginning days and it just perplexed me… haven’t tried it since.) and I can’t really get the references…
To be honest I just want to sample this because of the name. Heh…
Last thing tested: Psychotrope, by PG on Thursday. Unfortunately, it was horrible on me.
A friend of mine has been dipping that first toe into perfumista waters (she wanted my help in finding a new signature fragrance, and she’s already considering that maybe just one won’t be enough and she’s already fallen in love with Coromandel), and when I saw her on Thursday I said, “You want to smell something that DOESN’T work on me?” since she tells me I always smell so good. It was a moment of “ewwww, what IS that?”
My consolation was that Wednesday I tried Dune for the first time in years and was delighted at how lovely it was. Why do I not own a bottle of this?
Last thing I ate: The last of a chicken/cabbage/apple recipe I made on Thursday that turned out very well. It’s the very first time I’ve ever cooked cabbage, and I was a bit surprised at how tasty it is.
Last thing I read that got me talking: “The Woman Who Can’t Forget” by Jill Price. Who knew that forgetting was so essential to our mental health? (Next thing I’ll be talking about – just saw “The Social Network” last night. Amazing and hilarious and unsettling movie.)
Coromandel? She’s starting out in a good way!
[I fixed your italics since you didn’t want them]
Was just looking around at cabbage recipes last week. I keep trying to cook it, and not liking it even though I love stuffed cabbage leaves. I’m just too lazy to make stuffed cabbage leaves. All of which is a roundabout way of asking where you got the recipe?
Thanks, Robin. 🙂
The recipe was called Apple Cabbage Chicken in the cookbook “Healthy Slow Cooker” from the Company’s Coming line. Company’s Coming is a popular series here in my province, as the author lives in Edmonton and uses ingredients that are easier to find where I live (for example, even though I love avacadoes, they’re a $1 each, so I don’t buy them very often), which means her recipes aren’t on the fancy gourmet end of the spectrum.
So the recipe calls for chicken, cabbage, bacon, onions, garlic, apples and peas in an apple cider/mustard sauce. Simple, but quite tasty, although I plan on making it spicier next time. If you’re interested, I could e-mail you the recipe.
If you wouldn’t mind, I’d really appreciate it!
robin at nstperfume dot com
Last fragrance tested – Scuderia Ferrari, in local store. I like this scent! They write here it’s fresh and fruity!? :
http://store.ferrari.com/en/accessories/ferrari-fragrance/scuderia-ferrari/scuderia-ferrari-perfume.html
I don’t know, I’m not very good at discerning notes, but it doesn’t smell fresh at all to me. It smells warm and peppery.
Before that I tested Tocca Cleopatra and loved it’s sweetness (overripe fruits) and it’s dry dry-down. I only wish it’d last longer and wouldn’t change so rapidly from top to base notes.
And.. I love Boris Vian so much 🙂
Actually, I do smell some fresh note in Scuderia now, 1.5 hours after the application, but it’s subtle, and I still can’t say it’s a fresh perfume.
I had never heard of Boris Vian (and for anyone else who hadn’t: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Vian)
What do you love — his novels? music?
His novels! “Froth on the daydream” is a masterpiece.
I now read “Red Grass” – it’s great, too. His poems, short stories, too.
We studied his poems at school. He was a very witty man. Love him.
Thanks both!
Last fragrance I tried:
Acquiilssssima by Hilde Soliani. I am in love. A really interesting mix of seaweed and jasmine. Unexpected, but not “odd”, per se, and one of the best aquatic scents I have ever worn – if feels natural and doesn’t seem to have much (if any) of that very artificial “ozone” bit that I hate so much in oceanic perfumes.
Oh, that does sound nice! (the jasmine + seaweed)
Hmmm… I like the sound of that, too!
I’m NOT doin’ the damage poll! Just sayin’ 😉 😛
LOL! We have ways of making you talk.
Tamara, it’s a shame the quarterly damage poll is ALWAYS posted on a day when I have to work late or something! 😉 🙂
Recent test scents: a drop of vintage Oscar de la Renta parfum, which I don’t remember from when it was new. It reminds me of L’Heure Bleue, plus a bit of tuberose and… tobacco, maybe? Smells a little ashy.
Also, about a month ago I snagged a bottle of No. 3 by Cristina Bertrand – I’d never heard of it, but someone asked about it on a board, and it’s a white floral, and those rule my world, so I threw $13 at it. And when it arrived, I promptly “put it away” and then (duh, did anyone else see this coming?) COULDN’T FIND IT. I finally located it Thursday night and spritzed it on, and it’s really pretty. Probably more jasmine, less tuberose, than I prefer, but very very nice.
Last thing eaten: one Hershey’s kiss and a cup of coffee. I don’t know why I bothered with the Hershey’s.
Last exciting discovery: a blog about writing, here – http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/
Whereas my first thought was ONLY ONE Hershey’s kiss? Why only one?
Um… because I don’t really like milk chocolate. I always regret having eaten it.
Blasphemer! 😛
Well, I love dark chocolate, but we’re out of that. (I ate it. 🙂 )
LOL, I had the same thought! 🙂
I just tried (untitled) Maison Martin Margiela yesterday and of course I love it. The green is musky and bitter but warms up to soapy clean but not fresh, it’s an addicting perfume.
I want a FB now, I love the pretty green color too..
Just scarved down half a cylinder of reg. Pringles, am sick now! :/
…I just figured out the more I forgive , the better I always feel afterwards. Simple. Yet, very hard.
But always something that needs to be done.
And I miss NST peeps.<3
I love Pringles. Seriously, love.
My husband caught me today eating one of my guilty pleasures (that I usually try to keep to myself since it freaks people out): cold leftover steak with cold pats of butter on top. Yum. Most people would probably rather have the Pringles.
My Grandma eats this same thing…loves the (cold) steak + butter, then throws on a little Henry Baines and makes a sandwich.
Pringles! I love Pringles! Cannot buy them because I can’t control myself.
Robin, allow me to recommend Lurpak butter if you don’t already know about/use it. It’s Danish and NOT pasteurized. You won’t believe how much better it tastes! Also, raw fat is actually healthy and the body needs it!
Thank you! I buy the cultured pasture-fed butter from Organic Valley (it’s limited edition May-Sept, although you can find it most of the year), usually, or sometimes the unsalted KerryGold (as I understand it, they don’t culture their salted butter, but supposedly both are pasture-fed). Also sometimes Vermont Cultured Butter. I have not seen Lurpak but haven’t really looked for it…but I am pretty happy with the ones I buy, they’re miles better than “regular” butter.
Forgiveness. Still struggling with that in a couple of cases.
I know that feeling, mals.
Last scent tried: Tilda Swinton Like This which might be waaay too sweet or might be magical. I can’t quite figure this one out. It just might be both repelling and enchanting…if that makes any sense.
Last food: Raw broccoli as I chopped it for supper. Serving half raw, half steamed in an attempt to up the green food consumption at my house.
Last discovery: Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein – a must read for anyone who finds themselves conflicted about the “princess culture” and whether it is harmless fantasy or detrimental brainwashing.
I could not agree more with you about Like This.
Last ate some fruit toast, with fresh coffee, sitting in the autumn sun reading a Ngaio Marsh novel. All quiet, kids off playing somewhere, and me testing Dzongkha. Which I found wears strangely close to the skin. I had only dabbed it tentatively from a sample vial. Is it a fragrance more for spritzing than dabbing?
It is not loud, but I think has reasonable sillage when sprayed? I can’t remember now if I ever tried it from a vial or not.
Latest scent: trying a sample of Ormonde Jayne Frangipani. Love it for this in between winter/spring weather, but I wish it lasted longer on my skin. It is my first exploration into frangipani, are there any I MUST try next?
Last meal: A huge corned beef omelet at a good ol’ Jersey diner with my BFF.
Shout out: Just finished listening to Janet Evanovich’s Twelve Sharp audio book in the car on the way home. I love listening to her books, it’s such an indulgent cheap thrill, and I don’t get distracted from driving!
I have never found another frangipani that I liked as well as the OJ!
The last fragrance ive tested was Sounds & Visions from Mark Buxtons line. Its a fresh but spicy blend, which plays up the pepper at the beginning, but adds warm woods and scintillating fresh notes like ginger and jasmine to produce what i think is a very well rounded, well balanced scent. My only complaint, which i think must be true for all of Mark Buxton creations ive tried to date, is the longevity is kind of weak.
The last fragrance I tested was Harmatan Noir from Parfumerie Generale. I have recently discovered that very gourmand notes are nice on me (PG’s Aiomassai, Cadjmere and Felanilla in particular) and also cool green notes (like Vetiver Extraordinnaire, Menthe Fraiche, Yerbamate, Fou D’Absinthe.) So I tried Harmatan Noir and absolutely LOVED it. It is fresh and green, but with a dark, bitter undertow that is very beguiling and sexy! Good summer frag I think.
Last thing I ate………a Junior Whopper with cheese and small fries. I’m not proud of it. But didn’t have time to cook supper and was rushing around, then went to a 2 hour play. So had to take the fastest thing on offer………sometimes these things need to be done to remind you why it’s been such a long while since you last did it…….
Sadly enough, I cannot recommend anything recently…….it just goes to show what a dearth of excitement and positivity I am experiencing in my life at the moment. No! I lie! ACUPUNCTURE! I have been trying this recently and it is amazing. Ladies, if you are having problems with your Lady’s cycles, two sessions a month chosen at strategic times can make all the difference. A miracle…..
I was contemplating between Harmatan Noir and Eau Rare Matale from the PG samples, and chose the latter to regret it later on… Going to take your suggestion and try Harmatan Noir next time! Felanilla and Cadjmere sound nice too, though I’m trying to sample things I’d want to wear in warmer weathers at the moment…
I too am a fan of acupuncture- it really does wonders!!
I have had to visit the 2 big cities far north of here recently-that have a great choice of perfumes to test & fell in lust with Balenciagia Paris (since ordered off the net and due to arrive any day now) but i also finally found and bought a bottle of CdG Red Carnation just in time for winter!
Last ate toast and vegemite for breakfast with a strong coffee.
I am reading a book by Kate Morton- The House at Riverton-mystery drama-an elderly lady in 1999 telling a story set in the 1915-quite good!
I liked that novel. Have you read her latest – The Distant Hours? I enjoyed it the most of the three books she’s written.
I have The Distant Hours on hold with the local library-it could take a while before it becomes available!
Vegemite… you are a brave person!
I am a vegemite kid! Raised on the black pungent stuff! Yum!
I ate about half a piece of toast with Vegemite once.
Once.
Perfume: Mona di Orio Vétyver
Ate: Bacon and asparagus sandwich on buttered toast (God help me!) Crazy delicious.
Had to share: the fact that there’s a book called “Perfume Guide” by a perfume historian I’d never heard of: Susan Irvine. (Why has she never shown up in my Amazon perfume book searches?) It’s on the way, and I can’t wait to read it! Anyone read this one?
That sounds like a delicious sandwich, B!
I have heard of that guide, but haven’t seen it. I’m sure you’ll be blogging about it at some point…
Yes, I have the Irvine book. I enjoyed it and thought it gave a good overview of the subject.
Fragrance – Just tried the whole Atelier line at Neimans the other night. I had very high hopes for them after all the raves online. Orange Sanguine was AMAZING, but I already have Mandarine Basilic, so don’t feel the need for another orange. The Vanille Insensee was nice also nice, but didn’t have much time for spritzing as they were closing up when we got there (why close at 7 when the rest of the mall closes at 9?). Was not wowed by any of the others, but didn’t try on skin so I’ll have to go back.
Last thing I ate was some very very good birthday cake. Hosted a party in our backyard for a friends’ child’s 3rd birthday, with bouncy and all.
Books – Prodigal Summer (Barbara Kingsolver) and Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell) are the last 2 books I read and highly recommend them both.
Music – Listening to The Joy formidable fright now – they were recommended by a friend and the album is excellent so far! Kinda My Bloody Valentine-esque, but happier.
…thing you tried/heard/read/learned about — anything! — and said to yourself, wow, I’ve got to tell people about this?
Sorry – those last 2 lines should not be there! I always cut and past into my comment so I can remember the questions!
Ah, that party sounds like it was fun!
I just came back from downtown SF where I smelled a bunch of things, including Le Labo’s Iris 39, which really impressed me this time, and I’ll eventually buy a bottle of this. I also picked one of the 14ml bottles of HdP — 1725 this tiime, for only $32.
The last thing I ate was an egg salad sandwich, but the last interesting thing I ate was a 62-degree egg at Baumé in Palo Alto. It’s one of these “molecular gastronomy” places, and if you’re interested in fragrances, you ought to check out one of these places. At one point they brought out a box of liquid nitrogen with slices of bergamot to “refresh the table” see http://picplz.com/user/joshu/pic/rt99c
I suppose I should let Tama bring this up, but she’ll be leading another SF Sniff on May 7. This time we’ll be going with the Basenotes group, so there will be quite a crowd of us terrorizing (or liberating) the Union Square shops. Mike Perez from Miami will be joining us!
Finally, someone mentioned eccentric British scientists above. If this is your cup of tea, here you have them creating a Valentine’s Day fragrance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrNHyJGTt20
So in other words, they just let the box sit on the table for the smell, in-between courses?
They just brought it out once between a couple of courses. In more traditional French they usually bring out a small cup of lemon sorbet to “clean the palate.” It was kind of like that. It was interesting seeing this bergamot-flavored fog pour over the table.
Right, I was just trying to be sure I understood…it was to refresh the air only, there was nothing to eat? Very cute idea.
I dropped by Sephora this week to sniff the latest. On blotters, Jennifer Aniston was banana jasmine, then soap (boring), and Boyfriend was heavy vanilla w/ synthetic wood. Left with samples of Love, Chloe and 24 Faubourg instead.
Last thing I ate was salmon with charmoula, roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes (made by me!), and a glass of sauvignon blanc.
Share: a good article on Discover about why we need male birth control pills (by a man, no less!).
That dinner sounds really good!
It was! I ate the leftovers for breakfast today. I wanted something hearty before going into jury duty …
I KNEW that Jennifer Aniston scent was gonna be beyond boring, when she kept talking about “perfume that doesn’t smell like perfume.”
Dinner sounds lovely.
And heck, yeah, there oughta be male birth control, and I do NOT mean condoms.
I know! I think I read somewhere that she used to wear the CLEAN line. Thumbs down.
Mals: I was reading a book that Cheryl reviewed here called Glamour. When she got to the part about Charlie, which I’ve written about, she mentioned that perfume historian Susan Irvine called it “the first feminist scent” which was my impression, too. It intrigued me so I got the book, and you’re right — I’ll probably blog about it! As for the aspara-bacon sandwich, it’s beyond delicious!
Rick, I hope I’m around for that SF Sniff in May. I’m dying to see how Andre at Jacqueline Parfumeur handles a group of perfumistas! He’s a card, that one.
Also want to meet some Basenoters!
This past week, I dropped by Scent Bar to spray myself with Jeux de Peau and take home a sample — three times. I decided that was enough to inform a decision to buy a bottle and immediately I regretted it. While I adore the salted caramel opening, it soon becomes sour on me and I cannot understand why I never noticed this before. I’ll continue to try this as weather and moods and (dare I say it? my cycle) changes. I also tried Unicorn Spell once more. Maybe I should stay away from compelling and interesting scents for now…Grapefruit and lemon trees are blooming in my neighborhood and the scent is intoxicating. I think I’ll be wearing Jo Malone’s Orange Blossom in the coming weeks…It was downright hot, 91 degrees yesterday and I’ve decided Trefle Pur will be a fantastic summer scent. I’m also thinking En Passant might be nice for spring.
In the food department, I’ve been enjoying papaya lately. Yum.
In recent weeks, I’ve become obsessed with news from the Middle East/Africa. But don’t think sharing here would be appropriate…but it’s really caught my interest.
Oh, I’m so sorry you regret your purchase! Hope it will grow on you again (?)
Long time lurker, first time poster… I love reading all the posts from people who, like me, love to sniff- I sniff everywhere I go, whether body wash at Walgreen’s or Chanel testers at Dillard’s or fruit at the grocery store. I love beautiful (and stinky ones, too, sometimes) smells!
Last test: Bronze Goddess. I tried it last summer and simultaneously couldn’t stop smelling it or wishing I could wash it off. However, I tried it again at the EL counter recently and was instantly taken to a hot sandy beach with a muscled up hunk. LOVE!
Last thing eaten: Diet Pepsi and a tamale, on the run at work.
Last read: I re-read 1984 and am re-freaked out. That book never fails to get me absolutely paranoid and start unplugging my TV and covering it with a tablecloth!
Hi and welcome!
Yes, and the older I get, the more plausible 1984 seems. Eek.
Last perfume i tried was datura noir, which is lovely but contains that dreaded white flower note thats a deal-breaker for me. If you think im a white-flower wimp, you should see me with rose notes :p Last thing i ate was chocolate-covered vanilla candy. Last thing i read was ‘far from the madding crowd’ im a sucker for stories about unrequited love set in the english countryside.
Last tested: My daughter and I tested all the Harajuku Lovers, and I think we both fell in love with all of them. They’re so cute! So, I bought the coffret set for her big 11th Birthday that’s coming up. I also tested Dior’s Forever and Ever and thought it was lovely too, perfect for Spring. I’ve ordered lots of samples – 12 from SSS, and lots from Luckyscent and TPC, so lots more testing to come.
Last eaten: if I’m honest it was Cadbury’s chocolate (well it is Mother’s Day after all!).
To share: starting a new job on Monday in Windpower Renewable Energy, so I’m expecting the next few months to be full of learning and excitement. I can’t tell you how good it feels to be involved in something that stirs your heart!
Congrats on the new job! It’s pretty amazing to be working for something *good* and not evil. 🙂
My first weekend poll here, an hour or so late, here on the West coast haha.
Last fragrance tested: Diptyque Jardin Clos – it’s very pretty! Up close it’s a little too watery-smelling for my taste, but the sillage from it is beautiful, very green spring + flowers. =)
Last thing I ate: 1 scoop each of honey lavender, coffee toffee and ricanelas (cinnamon with snickerdoodle chunks) ice cream, topped with a cone & spiced pecans from Bi-rite Creamery. Heavenly!!! 😀 😀 😀
Last thing I really wanted to tell people about: This breathing exercise for de-stressing that my doctor taught me! It really works!
You breathe in and out deeply, trying to focus on the in and out of your breathing and how your body physically feels. (I have a hard time concentrating, so I count 1-2-3-4 in, 1-2-3-4 out, 2-2-3-4 in, etc up to 10 and then backwards from 10.) Then, when you’ve got a steady pace going, think of something that makes you happy, that you’re appreciative of, that plasters a stupid silly grin across your face and focus on really reliving/experiencing that. (It can be anything! For me, silly videos of animals on Youtube never fails :D)
You can actually hook yourself up to a little EKG and watch your heart rate variability (your “heart rate” is an average, usually over a minute, but the space between individual heartbeats is actually variable) achieve a perfect sinusoidal curve, which is ideal for relaxation (when we are stressed, the heart rate variability is all over the place, spiky, rather than sinusoidal). After this, if you want to keep going, you can imagine sending the positive energy to someone you care about, then to someone totally random (store clerk, for example) and then to someone you don’t like so well.
This really works though for destressing, and it’s helped me a lot, especially with anxiety. Also excellent for prepping for sleep if you have trouble falling asleep. 😀
That is very, very cool about the breathing and visualization. My doctor sucks! Do you go to a special kind of doctor for this kind of stuff (my doc always says that I am too anxious and then tries to get me on rx– not that there is anything wrong with that, but I wish she would try anything else first).
Thanks belletrist9; I can always use a good de-stress method.
Testing this evening: Honoré des Prés Vamp à NY. It really IS buttery and salty, almost a gourmand. I’m liking it very much!
Last eaten: Chicken Adobo, sauteed choy sum and onions, and brown rice, made by my husband.
Let’s see… something to share… a perfume friend recommended a book – a memoir – called The Unlikely Lavender Queen, by Jeannie Ralston. I just read it and enjoyed it!
Still waiting for my Vamp sample- buttery and salty sound great. I hope it lives up to my expectations (which keeps soaring after all the rave reviews)
First, can I just say I love perfume people! The book, art and food recommendations are fantastic!
Last fragrance I tested was Bronze Goddess and it was delish. Now if only we could have so warm weather! The UK is doing it’s usual with a few gorgeous Spring days followed by cold dreariness.
Last thing I ate was Apple Buttermilk Cake- fir breakfast! Ha ha!
Last thing I wanted to share was my love for 2 healthy but decadent cookbooks- ‘Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache’ and ‘Snog : Healthy Treats’. The recipes I have tried are wonderful, particularly Apricot Cardamom Frozen Yogurt and Birthday Cake (made with rice flour, courgettes and ground almond- brilliant)
Speaking about Bronze Goddess, can someone recommend nice inexpensive alternative to it (since it’s descontinued)? Sort of a refined version of a suntan lotion…
Sun 365: I don’t think BG is discontinued. My understanding that it is re-issued every year in the spring for a 3 month window of time.
That’s right, and it’s on counter now.
Someone commented that the new BG is more citrusy and not so tropical…
That’s the new Bronze Goddess Soleil. You want the regular Bronze Goddess, which they also brought back this year.
Yup, just tested both at my local Macy’s yesterday. Bronze Goddess was love at first sniff. Soleil was nice, but wasn’t a must-buy for me. My non-perfumista friend even said that it smelled like other scents on the market. The SA said they would only be around for another month.
What they all said! 🙂
Get thee to the EL counter!
That was I jist did 🙂
There they were: BG and BG Soleil side by side.
I’m just testing Bronze Goddess today. Nice!
Seconding your love for perfume peeps! <3
Yes- the recommendations are wonderful here! (I’m actually taking notes) and apricot cardamom frozen yogurt?! Sounds like my ice cream dream come true- love apricot, love cardamom…
I can email the recipe if you like! witchypurple@yahoo.co.uk
well yes, I do want to recommend to all (European) NST-readers to go the the esxence fair next year, if you’re interested in niche and can reasonably manage it to Milano. I was there yesterday and had a great time sniffing around, even if most exhibitors are more interested in finding new distributors than encouraging perfumistas. So, no samples, no sales etc., but I can’t count how many scents I tried on paper, I now want to check out the Italian line “scent bar” (nothing to do with the shops in the States), and the “nez à nez” lines in more detail.
It’s been AGES (probably several months) since I posted here. I had a setback with my illness. Worst of all, I became very anosmic — lost sense of smell and taste for most things — my idea of HELL! I’m doing better now and getting some sense of smell and taste back. I can smell Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, so have been wearing that. I can’t smell most my other scents or they smell different. I hope it all returns!
Something I have tried and can savor is a recipe from Nigella Lawson for Linguine con Vongole (Linguine pasta with small clams). I had my own recipe which I liked for years, but decided to try Nigella’s — viva la difference! It is a meal for one and she says it is her favorite thing to make when she is eating alone and wants to pig out and spoil herself. All I can say is FABULOUS! I learned from her that Noilly Prat vermouth makes any recipe that calls for white wine better.
Spring has arrived in the Netherlands, although, like in the UK, pleasant days alternate with cold, rainy ones. My beautiful camellias are in bloom!
I’ve been making notes of recommended scents that I’d like to try if/when my sense of smell returns. Thanks for the anti-stress exercises and the diet/nutrition recommendations. I love NST!
Jonette
I’m sorry to hear about your anosmia… here’s to hoping everything gets better Quickly!
Jonette, I’m praying for a full-on recovery and want you to know that everybody here cares. We love you too!
Forgot to mention what I ate today: Physalis fruits. I really like these, but they leave pesky little seeds stuck between your teeth. I also had some kumquats.
Jonette
Sorry about the setback ) : A few months is a loooong time. But its great you can smell sur le nil – all the Jardin’s are quite subtle to my nose so I’m sure that bodes well. Like Hessed, I hope a full recovery is not far away.
Welcome back, Jonette! Vongole is delicious, and phrysalis sounds interesting, too. You are reminding me I should never pass up an opportunity to try a new fruit.
Last tested: SL Gris Clair (thank you Barneys), Amouage Memoir Woman and Humiecki & Grae Clemency (thanks LS.) Ick to all. I think something is wrong with me, all I can smell is sandalwood, very persistent, can’t be scrubbed off sandalwood. I had such great hopes for Clemency in particular.
Last eaten: a very nice Caesar salad.
Current book: SuperFreakoncomics. Great fun, and a new way to look at the world.
Thanks!
Last sampled were all of the versions of Guerlain’s Shalimar. I have always wanted to love this perfume and really hoped that at least one version would return my love but alas, very sadly, it is an unrequited love. Oh well ~ sighs.
I also sprtized some Gucci Guilty on my wrist while at the mall yesterday and was not impressed. Nice, but just not even tempted to buy. I think I am finally getting more discerning and am no longer buying up everything l just “like”. And I only consider this a “drive by test” which has helped me decide whether I should order a full sample or not. And no, I won’t be.
Last eaten was asparagus wrapped in bacon and a sprinkle of warmed balsamic vinegar. Great Sunday appetizer.
In the process of re-discovering Oscar Wilde. I never appreciated him when I was younger learning about him in school. Now, I can’t find enough of his work to read!
Asparagus and bacon sounds fabulous, and so does Oscar Wilde, Fuddy Duddy!
Hi all
-fragrance you tested, and what did you think of it? Safran Troublant, and I loved it. I immediately swapped for a fb…..
-thing you ate? For lunch: Arugula greens salad with dijon viniagrette, green apples, grape tomatoes black berries, toasted walnuts, and avocado. For dinner, I’m thinking asian-inspired baked salmon over swiss chard greens with tangelo raspberry granita for dessert.
-thing you tried/heard/read/learned about — anything! — and said to yourself, wow, I’ve got to tell people about this? I tried an anti-inflammatory diet and it worked wonders, that changing what you what you eat does make a difference. It does take planning and consistency though.
Smokey Toes, I have been meaning to do that diet deal you talk about foreverrrrrrrrrrrr. You should pm the details sometime , I really should do that , I bet it would work wonders for my RA and fibro.
ST is a sweet lil’ gem of a perfume isn’t it? 🙂
Hey Tamara
I sure will, I can tell you that it’s made a world of difference in my Crohn’s management and joint pain. Following the diet not easy but it’s well worth the trouble.
I do love Safran Troublant-I get a lovely spicy dusty rose with a vanilla drydown… it’s super good stuff.
Last fragrance tried: Mitsouko. Bought a (reformulated) bottle maybe a year ago, never opened it and it sat in a closet until I moved. Discovered it while unpacking and decided to give it a test drive over the weekend. Since it’s an EDP, I decided a single spritx should do it.
Where do I begin? I’ve been fond of fragrances before….even professed undying love to one or two – before the reformulations began. But I’ve never experienced anything quite like this. It’s so incredibly beautiful, it took my breath away. I sat there on my sofa for well over an hour just awestruck. How did I not know how beautiful this thing is? Heady, lush, warm, powdery and sensual – it’s all those things. And it’s the very first scent I’ve tried with a iris note presented in such a way that I ‘get’ it.
Feeling bold today, I wore it work. Yes, work. The bus driver stopped me as I was exiting the bus to ask what it was. Two female co-workers asked about it. When I wouldn’t tell them, one said : C’mon, you’re a guy…what could I do if you told the name of your cologne? Surely I can’t wear it myself…”
If they only knew.