Today we're doing a repeat of a 2008 poll, which was...
...inspired by Angela's article The Leather Sisters, in which Christian Dior Diorling, Estée Lauder Azurée, Piguet Bandit, and L’Artisan Dzing! "lived together in a large house in a neighborhood that used to be popular before everyone moved across town to Fruity Floral".
The poll question: if you were a perfume, which one would you be, and why?
My 2008 answer still works for me:
My aspirational choice would probably be either Ormonde Jayne Frangipani (drop dead beautiful) or Frederic Malle Le Parfum de Thérèse (sexy and powerful), or maybe even L'Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons (light and bubbly and young). But the reality is probably better expressed by the turpentine and raw wood of Monocle + Comme des Garçons Scent One: Hinoki (straightforward, can be prone to crankiness).
Note: image is The Hinge by scott1723 at flickr; some rights reserved.
I think I would like to be Ormonde Woman. It is beautiful, but not in a conventional way, and it is certainly not everyone’s taste. It is quite happy to be itself and does not even attempt to mimic the fruity floralness or the “clean, fresh, ozonic/aquatic” of the popular crowd. It very much puts me in mind or gardens or forests, which are two of my very favorite types of places to be. In with the woods and greens there is a hint of damp soil, like the smell of the soil when I am digging in one of my flower beds of the scent that drifts up from the forest floor.
I LOVE OJ Woman for exactly the reasons you describe! For me, I think I am not that sophisticated, but I do love its individuality and strength!
Slightly off-topic, but –can anyone recommend good perfume-shopping venues in Austin? I am going to be there next week, and would like some suggestions.
I think Dee is in Austen. You might try her blog, Beauty on the Outside, and see if she makes any suggestions. (Unaffiliated, just a friend!)
By George has a few niche perfumes. Their website lists two stores. I think the inventory is different at both.
Dee has a couple of links in the sidebar of BoTO for Austin beauty stores, and it looks like Enchante and Prize carry fragrance. (I’ll fire off an e-mail to Dee, tell her you’re asking.)
breathesgelatin of Fine Fragrants also lives in Austin, so you could ask her as well.
Hi 50_Roses… I live in Austin.
My recommendations:
NORTH AT THE DOMAIN
1. Atelier 1105, which is up north in the Domain. They have Caron, Santa Maria Novella, Parfums d’Orsay, and some interesting home fragrances.
2. Also in the Domain, Luxe Apothetique. They have a variety of stuff including Juliette has a Gun, some Bond No.9s.
3. While in you’re at the Domain, you can check out Anthropologie and Neiman Marcus. The Anthro at the Domain doesn’t have the great selection that the one downtown does, though. And I think our Neiman’s is so-so. It’s got Atelier Cologne and a few things I haven’t seen anywhere else.
3. While you’re north, drive over to the Arboretum and go to Saks and Sephora. Sephora selection is pretty standard, but Saks probably has the best department store collection in Austin (better than Neiman’s and in my experience better service too).
DOWNTOWN:
1. Enchante is a local shop on Congress that carries some L’Artisan, Maître Parfumeur et Gantier, Juliette has a Gun, other stuff. Be forewarned: the owner is odd and some people have had negative experiences with him. (See basenotes thread I linked below.)
2. The Anthropologie at 6th and Lamar has a great selection and is also well-placed beside Bookpeople, Waterloo Records, and the flagshop Whole Foods.
2. Across the street from Anthropologie is LUSH, worth checking out if you don’t have access to one where you are.
3. There is a new store downtown called Prize which evidently is carrying Serge but has a pretty small selection thus far. I haven’t been there yet. http://www.prizeaustin.com/index.html
SOUTH
1. I don’t know south as well because I’ve always lived central or north, but there is a shop on S. Lamar that carries the Yosh line and maybe some others. http://www.spartan-shop.com/
2. If you go to Neimans/Saks, I can’t say that you have to hit Nordstrom’s here, but there is a Nordstrom’s at Barton Square mall if you want to go.
There is a good discussion of Austin perfume shopping (where I got a lot of suggestions and made some contributions as well) in this basenotes thread:
http://www.basenotes.net/threads/212440-Austin-TX
Sadly, Austin doesn’t have as much great fragrance shopping as you might hope for a “cool” city, but it’s slowly improving!
Wow, thank you so much for all the suggestions! I’ll have to see how many of these I can fit in. I’ll report back if I score anything really great.
Oh, such an interesting mine-field of a question! I was just over at Match, once again trying to decide if it’s worth the $100 to join (I have a profile, but haven’t activated it, yet). . .and I can’t help but notice how many of the profiles sound the same. . .”fun, athletic, likes to laugh, likes movies, blah, blah, blah. . .” And who isn’t? It’s like most of the men are describing themselves as Perry Ellis or some other safe, ozonic, sport scent.
And me? I tend towards authenticity over tact. If you don’t like me, I mostly think it’s your problem (although I’d prefer to be liked!). So maybe I’m Lipstick Rose? A little quirky but still approachable? Maybe that’s too high-class, though. I want to think I’m more unusual and surprising–like Bulgari Black, but the rubber note suggests a level of aggressiveness that I rarely display. I’m mostly perceived as warm, compassionate, and funny (with occasionally sharp opinions), so maybe that’s why I’m drawn towards tea scents?
Thank goodness I can change my scent regularly! Maybe I’m moderating my personality (and others’ perceptions of it) at the same time?
Ugh, the generic profiles, I know! Who *doesn’t* like going out with friends and nice restaurant dinners?
Does that mean you’ve subscribed? I’d be interested to hear more about your decision to participate (or not).
I don’t have a profile anywhere right now, and when I did it was never on Match.com, it’s not the most used around here. $100 is a lot of money! The ones I tried were either free or offered a limited free option. I’ve never been on it more than a few days before deleting my account, but I have a few friends who met their long-term partner on those sites. I don’t know if they had to pay, though! Right now I don’t think I would myself. (There should be a way that we’d pay only if we met someone good. That’d be useful!)
My (now) husband had to spend “introductory points” to be able to email me the first time, when he found me on what was for me nerve.com but for him The Onion’s site (turns out they shared a site). He also told me that he’d spent all his introductory points to contact me, “So you should look in the mirror and think ‘I’m worth at least 200 points.'” (He was quite the sweet talker. Sweet emailer?)
He later said he wondered aloud whether he should spend the money to be able to keep emailing me (I think it was like $50), and someone at work that he was talking to about it said “Do you like her? Then you’re crazy not to spend it!”
It’s true that it was cheaper than most dates. And he did like me. He does still like me.
I think $100 is too much just to get started, though. Especially when it sounds like even at that price you have to wade through dozens, if not hundreds, of boring/silly profiles to get to a good one.
Thanks, Alnysie and unseensensor! I agree, $100 is a LOT of money! I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the subscriptions. AND I’ve heard that they’ve had some complaints with the BBB about not ending subscriptions when people tried to end their accounts. It really makes me uncomfortable, and I don’t like to give my money to opportunistic companies. I can’t help but feel that they’re preying on people’s loneliness.
A woman I work with was on Match. She’s now married with 2 kids and they just bought their first home. It seems to have worked well for her.
Yes, those are the stories that keep me considering it. . .funny how a $100 bottle of perfume doesn’t seem self-indulgent but a $100 subscription to a dating service does!
I may be biased because it’s how I met my husband (without really meaning to do so, mind you) but I would suggest OKCupid. I know it’s more of a presence in some cities than in others, though I’d imagine Portland would have quite a few users. Also, it’s free and it tends to be populated by a more offbeat crowd. That can be a mixed blessing, to be sure, but you’ll at least meet some interesting folks and come away with some interesting stories. Good luck, MR!
Thanks, Emily! I had heard of OKCupid, but I wondered if the fact it was free would, uh, lower the bar? To be honest, I’m not really looking, either. I like my life the way it is, and I LOVE living alone! However, I can’t help but notice that I don’t have a confidant, and it would be nice to have such a person in my life again. Honestly, I’m too busy during the school year to do much more than “window shop,” but it’s a fun distraction!
MR, if you’re mostly interested in window-shopping and you’re not necessarily looking for someone who’s on the commitment-marriage-kids-etc. wagon, then OKC might be worth a shot. It’s the only site I’ve ever used, so I can’t really speak to the relative “quality” of its offerings — though I certainly did meet some smart, interesting, and compatible people, and I have no major complaints so far about Mr. Emily.
Perry Ellis Sport — not what you want for a date!
No! Now there’s a question! What is the scent of your fantasy partner? I want me a Serge Lutens partner–unusual, not for everyone, complex, adventurous, approachable even if not mainstream. . .sigh. :]
Marjorie, your gravatar is so beautiful. Good taste, girl!
Thank you, Moore! I’m a HUGE Van Gogh fan, but someone already did that. . .So you’re stuck with my own photography.
Well, we can negotiate my painting. What do you think about it?? LOL.
Marjorie – A co-worker of mine is on Match, and she said they sometimes have promos because she doesn’t remember having to spend $100 to join. She also said they sometimes have 1st month free tryouts. Maybe you should wait for them if you haven’t already.
Thanks! That is sound advice!
What you wrote in 2008 is the key to it: there seems always to be a disconnect between what we want others to think of us, what they think of us, what we think of ourselves, and what we really are. A lot of perfumes to cover! I would like to be thought of as Ormonde Jayne Woman, interesting, outdoorsy but also refined, and intelligent. I’d also like people to think of me as confident, professional and elegant, maybe more like Cristalle. I’m actually pretty insecure, so a better reflection might be something understated to blend in, maybe Caron Aimez-moi. I’ve always thought Aimez-moi was a little too comforting and complacent for my taste, so I don’t really wear it. I guess I prefer to scent against type.
I love the idea of avoiding Aimez-moi for being too complacent and insecure! I can be pretty neurotic, but I couldn’t think of a scent I’d describe that way AND want to wear!
Aimez-Moi actually sounds like a violet scent I might appreciate, and the older bottles are freaky-awesome, but the name gags me.
Yes! Sort of the perfume equivalent of Celine Dion–“I’m everything I am because you love me. . .” Gack!
Haha! Now I’m almost willing to cut Billionaire Boyfriend some slack.
I guess it depends on whether you interpret the name as a plea or as a command. The name doesn’t bother me at all, and it is an interesting scent. To my nose it is mostly violet and licorice. If you don’t like overly sweet or powdery violets, it is worth a try, and can be had pretty cheap at the discounters. I have one of the cool, older bottles. If you turn it upside-down, you can see that it is actually a flower.
That’s a good point, 50_Roses. With the plethora of silly perfume names out there, I know it’s irrational of me to fixate on any one in particular. Licorice is one of my favorite notes, and those older bottles *are* gorgeous.
If I were perfume I would be Prada CandyMan, my imaginary male interpretation of Prada Candy perfume. I would smell a little sweet, but in a masculine way. In CandyMan you’d find a hint of dark chocolate or cocoa and and elegant suede, combined with Candy’s original benzoin and vanilla-caramel. This could be a wonderful non offensive scent for a man that can be strong and sweet at the same time. Would you give Prada CandyMan a try if it really existed?
I definitely would! Not sure about the chocolate, but I’m in for the suede!
I’m not so sure about chocolate myself. But suede would definitely give CandyMan a masculine character.
All really good chocolate has a hint of tobacco…
You’re probably right. The question is – would you go for Prada CandyMan that I suggested?
Love the name CandyMan! I would definitely try it and would hope I would have an easier time smelling it than Candy, which was like smelling water for me.
I hope our prayers would be listened and Prada would design CandyMan. That would be cool! I’d be so excited that I “foresaw” a Prada fragrance.
Sorry to hear Candy doesn’t work for you. Maybe CandyMan would suit you better
They really ought to make that — perfect name.
If only I knew how to contact Daniela Andrier, or someone else from Prada Fragrances I would tell them about my idea! Maybe I would become a part of new male perfume by Prada. I would be delighted! Thanks for nice words, I love the name too.
I would totally try CandyMan and would probably want a bottle.
Who knows… Maybe one day this cream will come true.
of course I meant *dream.
LOL. Cream fitted perfectly.
Now noone will believe me that it was a misspelling
I’ve already forgotten that. Did you?
haha, good point
Yuuuuum, a male gourmand by Prada. Excellent idea. Would worth a blindbuy!
I would definitely go for Prada CandyMan myself. It could have the same bottle but with black/green emblem and bluish juice. That stuff would be good.
That bottle is so beautiful, but the spray seems to be fragile.
Prada Candy has a cute bottle, agreed! I had a chance to use some sprays, as my mum wants a spritz everytime we visit perfume shop and it’s less fragile than it really seems to be.
Ooh, tough question! I’ve always been bad at these “what X (animal, color, fragrance) would you be?” I guess I’d be a fragrance whose top notes seem quiet but that becomes much more assertive and fun as it unfolds. What could that be? Or maybe I’d be something like Like This… Neither quiet, sultry, classic, nor violently exuberant, but different and interesting. That’s how I’d like to see myself anyway!
OT, but I wanted to ask: I’m very sad that Caron Violette Précieuse was reformulated, I fell in love with my sample of the vintage scent, and I’d love to find a fragrance that’s similar to it. It doesn’t even have to be violet, but something that’d be as beautiful and dark and classy as that fragrance. I know it’s very vague, and a rather silly question, but would anyone have suggestions? The few other violets I smelled were too fresh and bright for my taste: PdeN Violette in Love and AG La Violette, for example. I don’t know where to look. Maybe SSS Wood Violet?
Have you tried SL Bois de Violette? It’s my favourite violet and the only SL that I truly love. Beautiful!
No, I don’t think I have! Thanks, I’ll sniff it next time I visit the Lutens counter!
I don’t know Violette Preciouse, but I did sample Wood Violet. My notes say “violet flowers with a touch of sandalwood in top notes. Musk pushes to the fore quickly. Becomes a boring fruity musk.” So, I guess not a recommendation from me! I hope someone else can speak who’s got experience with the Caron violet. Good luck!
Hahaha! Thanks for sharing your notes!
I haven’t had the opportunity to sample VP, but you might try vintage Balenciaga Le Dix (a violet leather), Caron Nuit de Noel and Parfum Sacre, and the classic Guerlains. These are a lot easier to find and quite wonderful. I also like the Patou re-issues like Adieu Sagesse, but they are heavy on the aldehydes, not everyone’s cup of tea. Some of the older Nina Riccis are nice, too. It might be worth exploring vintage samples from The Perfumed Court (no affiliation) to see if something clicks. Also Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist is a dry floral – I think that is what was so wonderful about the vintage Carons – they were dark and just complex enough without being heavy.
Please let us know if you find anything that satisfies the VP lemming!
Thanks for all those suggestions, nozknoz! I’ll have a sniff!
Having met you I can vouch that you have a similiar quiet gorgeousness as Like This!
I think or would like to think that I am Tubereuse Criminelle.
I wouldn’t mind being TC either
What fun! I’d like to be a beautiful badass that is bandit Bandit who occasionally dresses up as the impossibly refined and elegant Cuir de Russie. In reality I’m probably more like Jicky who is mostly affable with its vanilla and lavender but also sports a dose of civet which is not to everyone’s taste.
It would be fun to be a beautiful badass Bandit wouldn’t it? But people tend to find me funny so my big fear is that they would describe me as something light and fruity.
I think I would be either Fireside Intense, or Lonestar Memories, which I’m wearing today. And, Robin, I have to say that I think your reality is more interesting than your aspiration!
The grass is always greener
Great poll – it’s fun to think about. Well, I’d love to be Amouage Lyric Woman: deep and feminine and elegant with a strong core. I’m probably much more like my Jacomo Art Collection 02. Pleasant, approachable, with a little bit of fun thrown in and some garden dirt under the fingernails.
Jacomo 02 is a terrifically fun scent. I’ve been occasionally dipping into a sample vial, and am considering promoting it to the FB list.
I’d love to be Lyric!
I would want to be Safran Troublant (warm, comforting, maternal), but really, I’m Pascal Morabito Or Black (dry and sardonic).
Funny how many of us are dry when we don’t want to be…
China White-a modern version of an old fashion style fragrance. I love antiques and things with character yet always appreciate modern conveniences.
What a great description – you are making me want to try China White again, too!
I would love to be EldO Rien. Uncompromising, bold and brave.
I’m not as brave as all that in real life, although I can be prickly. What fragrance would suit that?
Miel de Bois?
I hate Miel de Bois! But fun suggestion.
I would like to have the Amazonian strength of Rien, myself. At least my posture is better when I wear it…
Tough question. I guess Bvlgari Black might be a good one for me. At first glance I seem a cold and guarded because of the rubber notes but also intriguing and a bit off beat, but in a good way. Once you get to know me you find that I do have another side that’s all warm and fuzzy with that touch of vanilla.
I love the way you describe Black! (And I have been really enjoying your new avatar! Super funny!)
Thanks! That’s my baby Stanley. He’s as much of a goofball as he looks in the picture too.
I figured if I really liked it and it was being discontinued I needed to make a decision so I got it. I wasn’t going to because it doesn’t last long on me but it makes me happy for the time it does last so I’ll just keep spritzing.
Oh, and my bottle of Tea for Two came today.
Does that mean I’ve earned my enabler’s pin?
Absolutely! You are an enabler. And you get bonus points because I still may get the other one too.
Nice purchase! I can’t wear Tea for Two because of the tea, but I love it from afar and was sad to learn it was discontinued!
I’d love to be Confetto, L’heure bleu, De profundis or Tresor. Quirky, fun, poetic and very beautiful. But I think I’m Stella. Educated, black clothes and a bit goth/rock but the doc Martens are embroided. Conservative and talks too much.
Conservative and talks too much describes me as well….my husband says my perfume is AG Rose Absolu, but I SO want to be Party in Manhattan.
Anna, I love your self-description : )
Ok, I’m in a bit of a sarcastic mood, so how about
a) Boyfriend: I have a co-dependant personality, with boundary, identity and gender issues.
b) Secretions Magnifique: I agree with Freud; the rest of my personality is a cover-up.
c) Jasmin et Cigarettes: Ok, so I wake up as Jekyll and go to sleep as Hyde; or worse, I’m both at the same time.
d) Angel: the clinic said paranoid delusional – but they’t just going to hell with all the others who are DISOBEYING GOD”S MESSENGER!
e) Envy: If I was a perfume I would be Envy, but I’m not. I just hate perfumes for being able to be perfumes. Why cant I be a perfume; what did they do to deserve it that I didn’t.
f) Sexy Delight Forbidden Magic Fantasy: I’m one of those flankers that have so many flankers they forget which one they are meant to be.
g) Obsession: With what, I wonder???
h) Addict: To what, I wonder???
i) Guess.
Are you going to FedEx my new keyboard to me, or send Parcel Post?
I nearly choked when I got to “one of those flankers that have so many flankers they forget which one they are meant to be.”
An author called Finkelstein made this remark referring to children in orthodox families who have MANY siblings. Not only can it be hard to tell the kids apart, but one sometimes wonders whether THEY can tell each other apart! (no offense meant to anyone.)
My grandfather was one of 26 children. I don’t think any of them had any trouble knowing who they were, but he said there was always a rush to get to the supper table!
( not Orthodox, unless there is an Orthodox hillbilly sect I am unaware of!)
TWENTY-SIX! Now that, is a lot of flankers. lol.
Orthodox hillbillies!
LMAO at orthodox hillbillies!
LOL! Now that’s some funny stuff.
Love it, Merlin! But wouldn’t Freud suggest Opium?
Actually, I think he scented himself with Cocaine…
But sometimes a perfume is just a perfume.
You are hysterical. I love this blog, you people are brilliant. Let’s see, a BRILLIANT perfume… who’s got one? Hm. Perhaps Dzing!
: D FAHANTASTIC
I would probably be Timbuctu -a little off beat and most people wouldn’t really know what to make of it.
Timbuktu is a lovely perfume to be!
Glad to see you here hedonist!! But please, change this gravatar! That’s not you!!!
Thanks Moore. Great to see you here too.
Can’t seem to change it from the ipad.
Sorry to not be able to help you. There’s a long time since I’ve changed mine. I tried to find a way but had no sucsses.
I’d be ELDO Like This. Nowhere near a serious femme fatale, but crawls under your skin and you can’t get enough of the slightly spicy creaminess.
Like This is a nice choice. I finally tried it this week. It’s not quite what I expected, but in a good way. It might make it onto the FB list.
I love this idea for a poll! Angela’s perfume soap opera left me wanting more…
I would love to think that I would be Shalimar, a siren whose attention promises afternoons with nothing but her and the sound of a ceiling fan overhead and sun slanting through the blinds and who leaves a trail of lingering glances behind her but that’s not the case!
Reality would be either vintage Emeraude -warm ,womanly, unassumingly sexy and casually classy or Chaos -slightly mystical with the incense vibe, complex yet warm and easy to be around.
Wow. Shalimar has never been my thing. Your description makes me want to retry it!
Okay, so the hubby just called me the queen of negativity. So now what perfume am I? Something dark and brooding perhaps. Avignon maybe?
Avignon works!
bit off topic but can someone rec a good floral incense and/or floral musk? would be greatly appreciated!
My first thought for a friendly, easy-to-wear floral musk is EL Sensuous. And for about $30 for 1 oz., it probably qualifies as a cheap thrill.
Yes, Sensuous would be a good choice. Also check out Narcisco Rodriguez for Her in EDT (the black bottle); I happily wore that nonstop for a year or so.
Ugh, I meant “Narciso” — should refrain from Internet commenting after my two-glasses-of-wine quota has been satisfied.
If you want a clean floral musk give Love, Chloe a sniff. It’s a bit on the powdery side. Starts off powdery floral and dries down to a clean soapy musk on me. I think it’s almost too clean but it does seem to last which is amazing.
I’ll also put in a vote for EL Sensuous as well.
I can’t fight it; I *am* DKNY Gold. Too sweet? Too bad. It’s all real, baby. Too loud? Back up a little. Expensive and wearing a gold-plated dress; a mix of elegant casablanca lily and cuddly amber/vanilla. You’d just be lucky if I snuggled you.
And a bit too clingy and hard to wear in the car.
Love Gold, and your self portrait is fabulous!
This choice seems a bit strange, given that I’m not even remotely a spiritual person — but I think I would have to be Dzongkha. I love its cool reserve, its juxtaposition of stony, earthy, and cerebral qualities, its modern take on the ancient, and the fact that it takes a while to figure it out.
That being said, I definitely have my Chanel No. 19 “I’ll walk all over you” days (with tongue-in-cheek thanks to Christopher Sheldrake).
Ha! So the song ‘These boots are made for walkin’ , better suits Chanel No 19, not Guerlain’s Petite Robe Noir? I agree?
Oh, I definitely agree! (I haven’t even smelled Petite Robe Noire, but I can’t imagine anything better suited to that song than No. 19.)
The Duchaufours really have personality and intelligence, don’t they?
Cool post! I am all of my frags on different days and in different situations, being the gemini that I am, with loads of extra subdivisions:-)PHEW
I’ve never been good with this type of assignments but I’ll try.
I think I’d be Chanel No 19 EdT – “Audacious and assertive. Never conventional.” Though “some people might find it a little stuffy and angular” (©Angela)
No. 19 is fantastic!
I think people perceive me as Shalimar: sunny and open (the citrus and welcoming vanilla), but also bossy and a bit too confident (the leather, the sillage). Some might get an impression of Mitsouko: a soft peach with Marlene’s cheekbones.
I would like to be like Fracas: friendly and intelligent, with no harsh edges.
I fear that I am more like Bandit, if Bandit had a smiling, deceivingly friendly citrus top. Maybe Fidji is a good compromise.
I don’t know which I would be, but I would WANT to be the oud worn by a young, globetrotting Saudi sheikh. I think I could live happily behind his ears to take in the sounds of the exotic cities he visits on business, and sleep sprayed on his chest at night
That’s worth one incarnation, at least!
Me as a fragrance? Difficult question
Until this year, for the past 13 years or so, it would have been “Hypnotic Poison”. Not any more. Ioved “Azuree Soleil”by Tom Ford but it’s discontinued and whatever they kicked out when creating Bronze Goddess ruined it for me.
Also like Bottega Veneta, Tuscan Leather, Jardin en Mediterannee, Eau des Merveilles and Premier Figuier Supreme, but whether I would fit completely into one of these bottles, don’t think so.
I love:
– Citrus – sparkling tangerine and bubbly orange, fresh lemon and mildly bitter lime
– Frangipani – my favorite flower note
– Sandalwood
– Cedar
– Vetiver
– Coconut
– Rosemary
– Thyme
– Mint
– the unique, amazingly fresh green (unripe) Pineapple note in Ananas Fizz
– Leather – to be used with a light hand
– Apricots and peaches
– cardamom, chili peppers and all kinds of peppercorn
– old books
– AMBERGRIS
– sea skank (driftwood, seaweed)
Hard to make one perfume out of this, but it’s the fragrance of a free spirit, living by the sea, close to a wild windswept beach, with lots of quality books, lovely bags and gloves, bowls of fruit, and herbs on the windowsill.
What a wonderful list – as Haunani notes below, this is why we need perfume wardrobes!
And she paints a beautiful picture! I want to be in that house by the sea.
Totally OT but does anyone know if anyone who posts on here lives in the Midwest and whether or not they are okay after the tornadoes?
I think Rappleyea (sp?) may be in that neck of the woods, but I wouldn’t swear to that–my memory is beyond horrible. How kind of you to think of those in the affected areas.
Rappleyea is in Louisville, KY. I know there was some damage in that area, but I’m not sure if Louisville proper was badly hit. I do hope we hear from her soon.
I’m also wondering about Musette. I’m sure there are other midwestern NSTers, too. But I don’t know or recall the exact location of either, and twisters are quite localized in their effect. Hope everyone is OK.
I’m in Iowa, Poodle, and work for an insurance company. We’ve been picking up some of the slack as far as phone and claims coverage (computerwise, I mean, I’m in agency, not claims,) but the last of the updates we got through on Friday indicated that power was back on in most of the near-in areas (MO, NB, IL) that our part of the region was covering. The real problem, and what takes the longest with disaster recovery, is the rebuilding and replacement of goods. So everyone may be perfectly okay, and we just still won’t hear from them for quite a while.
Not comforting at all, I know. Sorry about that.
It takes a while to get back to normal even if all you lost is power. It’s awful to see the pictures on the news. We had some strong winds from the ones that went through Massachusetts last year and that was scary enough. Stuff can be replaced but I just hope everyone is okay.
Reporting in… by the grace of God, no tornadoes touched down in Lexington proper, but they were all around us. At one point, I was looking out of my bedroom window on the second floor (I *should* have been downstairs taking cover), and I saw a huge, black wall cloud with several mini-tornadoes pointing down out of it. Thankfully, none developed and touched down. It was plenty scary, and this type of weather is about a month early! Doesn’t bode well for spring.
I love you all at NST – thanks for caring. <3
So good to hear from you, Rappleyea (and apologies for getting Lexington and Louisville mixed up). I’m glad that you came through this okay — take care!
Hey there! Glad to hear you’re okay!
Glad to hear you are okay.
Hooray!!! Thanks for checking in. Tornado activity is nothing to sneer at, clearly. (Second floor window?!!! Are you TRYING to tempt the Fates?).
Good grief – what a monstrous image! Glad you are OK – I knew the odds of a tornado hitting any given spot are low, but I saw one CNN weatherman describe the line of rotating supercells sweeping across the midwest “like a rake” – very alarming!
Oh good. Except about the not boding well for spring.
Glad to hear you’re OK. Tornadoes are scary and unpredictable.
Thank you all again for your well wishes. Keep all of those who lost loved ones and property in your thoughts.
Great idea! I agree in the difference between what we believe ourselves to be (or wish ourselves to be) like, and what we really are…
If the people around me would describe me as a perfume, they’d probably be talking about a large walking bottle of Féminité du Bois. They see a woman who likes to listen more than to talk, who is interested in creepy things but after her phase of a strange fruit-spice combo, she settles down as a loving, smoothly cedared mother and housewife drydown.
Now what I really am is probably more of an Imperial Opoponax kind… Often silently wraithing in different impulses under the smooth top, sometimes (oftentimes) syrupy, easily drunk (I REALLY don’t need much :D), more easily overflowing, and surprisingly mis-balanced many times.
Huh. Kind of like a confession.
Great perspective, Elvanui!
I would be Aftelier Cepes & Tuberose: woody-spicy, sweet, and earthy; like the mushrooms, more going on underground than visible above; stubborn rose with a hint of the thorns; all lifted up and made whole by the joyous sensuality of tuberose.
On occasion I aspire to Carnal Flower: the heart-stopping beauty of a young Marilyn in a twilight garden; a Midsummer Night’s dream laughing throatily over an armload of lush white blossoms.
Those are two wonderful sides to have, Blithe!
I would be Biba. Few of you will know it, or remember it. I bought it in the summer of ’72 on my first trip to London. I haven’t smelled it in almost 40 yrs, but I can conjure it up in a moment. I can’t describe it now, and I couldn’t then, but I loved it. When I recall it, I am young, and cute with waist length auburn hair. My stomach lies flat and the people who mean the most to me are still alive. The image I wish to project is not outward. It’s an inside job.
Oh my goodness – I remember Biba so well, and I kept my black bottle with the gold lettering for many years, and it was about a quarter full. Foolishly, I threw it away one day, and I still wish I had it. It was a very hard to describe fragrance, not like anything else, and I, too, couldn’t detect specific notes. I also had (and still sort of have!) waistlength hair, and I used to cover my eyelids with the black Biba shadow – which remains even now in my collection (but of course purely for sentimental reasons – I would never put anywhere near my eyes!).
Good question. I’d like to think I am Theo Fennell Scent, but realistically I am probably Musc Ravageur.
LOL – Musc Rav is great, too!
I’m finally de-lurking because I love the idea for this thread so much! So hello NSTers! (:
For my “me” perfume, I’ll go with L’Artisan’s Traversee Du Bosphore. She thinks she’s so exotic and adventurous with a name like that, but in reality she’s pretty innocent, with mostly powdered-sugar-rose and softness. The apple tea and pomegranate add a little bit of my signiture quirkiness, but the drydown is dreamy and sweet. Just like this girl, with her silly dreams about faroff lands!
Hello and welcome. Your description just put another fragrance on my “to sniff” list.
Hi AnaWondering, welcome! And great choice!
I think I’d be one of those weird Duchaufours, like Dzongka or Timbuktu. (If he ever visits and does for Africa what he did for India for Neela Vermeire, that would be it.) Eclectic, both earthy and cerebral, not for everyone. I’m working on mellowing into one of the more wearable Duchaufours like Traversee du Bosphore or 1697.
I’m not surprised at your choices, Noz. You seem like a Timbuktu person. Definitely cerebral. I always gravitate toward your posts, by the way, as I’m attracted to those wonderful Duchaufour creations!
So you’ve tried the Neela Vermeire fragrances? I have, and I’m crazy about them!
Yes, I have the sample set – enjoyed all of them on first sniff and look forward to spending more time with them.
Hmmmmm….. I think of Fille d’Eve when I think of you.
Elegant, sophisticated, in perfect taste, yet warm and beautiful.
Thanks, LOL – that’s on a really good day!
Love the idea of combining Duchaufors and any part of Africa, nozknoz! Send him that idea, stat!
I have no idea what my perfume would be, but I do know one thing….. my bottles would have plenty of charms hanging off it.
I love that idea! Also thinking of the beautiful yet funky Party in Manhattan.
oooh, thank you, I WISH!
My perfume friends will not be surprised by my choice here. I think Etro Shaal Nur is a good fragrance representation of me. It’s multifaceted but not mysterious. It’s natural, somewhat feminine, approachable, and warm but not hot.
Shaal Nur wears cotton dresses and soft cardigans, and would not abide tattoos, cruel shoes, or bright red toenails. It possesses balance and harmony – the perfect Libra of fragrances. Oh, and there’s a certain nobility about Shaal Nur. She was named for a princess, after all. 
I will forever associate you and Etro Shaal Nur from this moment forward. It sounds like it was made just for you.
I love your choice and how you described it. I hear ya on the cruel shoes. ;0
~Dawn
Up with beautiful fragrances! Down with cruel shoes! Hugs to you, dawnkana.
Huglets back at ya lovely H!
Haunani, Shaal Nur is such beautifully balanced and interesting perfume, and that’s the sense I’ve always gotten from your comments!
Aw, thanks, Noz!
Definitely Ormonde Woman. I make most people say, “what’s up with her? Where is the candy-sweetness and fruity bubbliness that a young woman is supposed to have? Go away and give me some Miss Dior Cherie!” But those who get to know and love me become addicted.
Also, I look fantastic in the color olive green.
That’s a perfume that really deserves to be called Woman!
I think every perfume I purchase is “me”, just different aspects. So Botttleneck Blues is the earthy, sensual, dirty sexy glorious me, Intense Tiare is the bright and happy me, Iris Ganache is the me that loves fun luxuries like vacations, art and good chocolate, Lollia Relax is mellow and sweet me, etc
This is why we need perfume wardrobes! One bottle simply doesn’t do it all.
Absolutely, couldn’t agree more! I have thought about which perfume I would be and cannot rest on JUST one BUT………..I’m leaning towards SEL MARIN – subtle, understated, unusual, modern, androgynous, natural with a sense of humour about itself and an unkempt, tousled sexiness!! SEL MARIN is also embodied by my current hairstyle, which looks like I’ve swum in the sea and not showered. Curly and unruly and a little wild!!
Wow – I just read what I wrote about myself and I LIKE IT!!! I shall try to live up to all these qualities today!
I love your write-up! Sel Marin is wonderful, too.
I would love to be SL La Myrrhe or Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur, but I think I am more CdG Odeur 71: toast, ink, electric batteries, and dust on lightbulbs.
Which sounds pretty interesting, actually! And you’re reminding me I need to try MdM…
I would love to be Cuir de Russie perfume – cool, sophisticated and beautiful, but I think I’m Solange Cosmic — under the radar, a bit of a sharp edge, a soft heart, and good perseverance. The name itself is a good nod to my out-of-the-box, metaphysical spirituality.
You are definitely CdR to me,and I am glad that you’ve posted after all the bad storms in your area!
That may be the nicest compliment I’ve ever received. Thank you!
i’m not dangerous, fascinating or an international Woman of Mystery. I am Ms Ordinary, love my family, try to do the right thing, am quiet but not conservative, work hard and play just as hard, in my shades of black, khaki and indigo with a flash of cobalt blue or turquoise. Yup, I am Prada Infusion D’Iris.
Infusion de Iris is definitely not pretentious. But that makes it Out-of-the-Ordinary rather than Miss Ordinary! I suspect the same applies to you!
Miel de Bois… but then nobody would like me probably
I would definitely be Gris Clair. A little distant, made up of feminine elements but with an androgynous feel. Brisk and cold, yet smoky, dark, smoldering.
Ooh, nice one! Gris Clair may not be my “me” fragrance, but I sure love it!
Since we’re on the subject of perfumes and the personalities they fit, has anyone tried any of the Hilde Solianis (I may not have that name entirely correct) particurlarly the two chocolate ones? I’m still looking for my powdery chocolate, but I don’t know if I want to pay that much for something there’s no sample available for. Well, one of them has samples, but the other doesn’t, and they’re both a bit outside of my price range. Or, well, my price-related comfort range, if that makes any sense.
I’ve tried some of these and liked them, but not the chocolate ones. I got my samples from The Perfumed Court (no affiliation).
Haven’t tried many chocolates, but if you like patchouli, there’s SL Borneo and Chanel Coromandel. Also S-Perfume S-ex is an amazing rose chocolate. Hope you find the chocolate of your dreams, Kate!
I think I would like to be “Juliet Has A Gun Citizen Queen”. I love the name and the fragrance and it is one that men seem to notice on me. I love this thread…wish I had read it early in the afternoon instead of in the wee hours of the morning. The comments have been great!
Thanks Noz:)!
Angela darling, your perfume soap opera is just brilliant! I hope you’ll soon come up with the next episode.
As for me, I’m definitely an Acqua di Parma Colonia. Can’t help it. I like nice shirts, I travel all the time, I love the 1920’s style and play jazz. The thing is…it’s not even my favourite perfume, it just matches my personality I guess. Still, someone told me that i have quite an Eau d’Hiver personality. And I can live with that!