Same old open thread poll: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, any wonderfully scented flowers you've smelled this week, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: image is vivid pink #2 [cropped] by noe** at flickr; some rights reserved.
Happy weekend, all!
Hmm. . .thinking of wearing the original Omnia this morning. I have a brunch date and then plans to go to a movie, so Omnia seems appropriate–subtly sexy and not too strong for a theater.
I’ve used up over half of my 30 mL bottle this past year–I might have to give in and buy a back-up bottle since they don’t seem to be inclined to keep it in mainstream circulation. I don’t get it–I don’t like any of the flankers I’ve sniffed (if I can smell them at all!). I’ve been resisting being one of “those” perfumistas who stockpile discontinued scents–trying to be content with what’s available. Maybe I’m already becoming attached to the “good old days?”
I’d be interested to know how others deal with this dilemma!
I allow myself to buy one backup bottle if I a) really like the perfume or b) it’s on a crazy sale. It buys me a couple more years, and by then the perfume in question might no longer be a favourite.
The Omnia flankers are the most egregious example of taking a nice perfume and performing bad plastic surgery on it. No idea why Bulgari even pretends the flankers are remotely related — oh, it must be a cynical marketing scheme, where they assume customers don’t actually have noses….
I had an odd experience sniffing the latest flanker, Coral. I was in Honolulu and dropped in on the Bulgari boutique. The salesman was open about disliking the fragrance–accurately calling it too sweet and fruity. I think he even said it was over-priced! NOT the usual sales pitch! Made me wonder lately if he’d say that to anyone or if something in the way I was talking about fragrance made him open up.
You are right, of course, that they are egregious–Omnia is not exactly a big love for me, but it is nice, safe, and well-received by others, so it gets a lot of use in my rotation. Seems a real shame that they haven’t built from that positive base in a more meaningful way.
Probably the original bottle design is so recognizable + appealing that they won’t give it up.
I don’t even think of the Omnia scents as flankers because they are really so different with nothing in common other than the name and the bottle to me. That being said I have been known to stockpile a scent if I thought there was a danger of it disappearing.
I love the original Omnia! Seems odd to discontinue a fragrance yet continue to make flankers for it.
Pretty sure the flankers have far outsold the original.
Well, I dont think there is a fragrance out there that doesnt have a smell a like twin somewhere. If they discontinue a scent, think of it as an adventure to find another one that smells just like it. Or just find something new to love.
What’s funny, is I really consider Omnia to be a pale replacement for some of my bolder tea scents–Jacomo #8, Tea for Two, even Bulgari Black. But when I want safe and not too pronounced, it gets used. AND it always garners compliments, so it’s tough not to want to keep in rotation.
Funny you should mention this. I just got a small bottle of Omnia in the mail today! Haven’t tried it yet, but even when I was ordering it, I thought to myself… I hope I like it, but I hope I don’t ADORE it enough to feel compelled to buy a back-up bottle.
I have not done that yet – get a “back-up” to keep in storage – because I have a bad habit of getting larger bottles, often 75 or 100mL in the first place. >_o I’ve been shying away from that tendency recently… I can only hope that buying smaller, 15 or 30 mL bottles doesn’t backfire in the form of back-up fever!
Yes, there’s clearly a difference between stock-piling larger bottles and smaller ones! I have 100mL of Tea for Two, and although it’s being discontinued, I feel no need to buy a back-up. I think it will serve my needs just fine for quite a while!
I’m having a similar dilemma with 2 male fragrances I have acquired in the last few months, M7 and Mugler’s Pure Havana (still availbale where I live). Because I love variety though, I will probably not buy back ups…
I haven’t had the pleasure of trying the original Omnia, though from what I’ve read about it I think I might like it. The only flanker I like is Crystalline. Coral is just too fruity for my taste. As for Green Jade and Amethyste, I’m not sure if they’re just like this or they’re olfactory dog whistles for me, but to my nose both are so light as to be pointless.
The flower in that picture is about the color of the Zephirine Drouhin rose on my patio fence, which is currently producing a nice flush of blooms. The other day, I was coming home from work and caught the most wonderful aroma from that rose. My roses have done wonderfully well this spring, with all the rain we have had.
Sounds beautiful! It is about time for the Portland Rose Festival. I always love going up to the International Rose Test Garden to look at the amazing variety of blooms. It does make me sad, though, that so few of them smell like roses!
Happy to hear it’s a good spring–after the drought last year, I’m sure it’s welcome!
You won’t hear me complaining about the rain, that’s for sure! It has caused me to change my plans a few times this spring, but that is a small price to pay.
The sad thing about modern roses is that so many of them have been bred for bloom form, color, or vase life, often at the expense of everything else. Very few of them have strong scents, and in many cases the shape of the bush is not very attractive. Antique roses have been experiencing a comeback here in Texas, in large part because they are often fragrant, the bushes are nicely shaped and make attractive landscape plants with or without blooms, and they are generally tough and disease resistant.
Yes, I found an old rose growing on the side of the road when I was a kid. It had these lovely little pink blooms and the most beautiful scent! Sadly, it was quite stickery and wanted to take over the world, so not the best for landscaping, but I always enjoyed it in its little roadside ditch!
I keep meaning to order an antique Texas rose from the Brenham antique rose dealer… I want to try my hand at it, and I need something I can grow in a pot on my balcony…
You are referring to the Antique Rose Emporium, right? It may be too late to order from them right now; they do not ship from mid-May to mid-September, so you may have to wait a few months. As I recall, you are in Austin, so why not pay them a visit? The display gardens are beautiful, and it would make a nice day trip. If you go there in person, you can buy whatever you want, they just don’t ship in summer.
yeah, I missed the deadine to purchase last year, and I do believe I’ve done it again. That’s a great idea for a day trip – maybe even Memorial Day weekend. hm.
I think I got my order in from the Emporium “just in time”! It came about 2 weeks ago; I ordered Marie Pavie rose bushes. They were supposed to be white but the first rose is pink! Has anyone heard of this before? The Marie Daly (Daley?) is supposed to be the pink one… Since I am in Austin, David Austin roses would not deliver bare root roses with a guarantee. They said I needed to have them delivered by February, so I am “on order” for them to deliver in 2013!
Marie Pavie is actually pale pink (I have one in my front yard), but it is sometimes listed as a white rose. The blooms open pink and then fade to white or near white. Typically, the hotter the temperature, the paler the color, so they may be pink in the spring and fall and white in the summer.
I have an antique moss rose that is just beginning and it smells lovely. It is also a thug. Dug up a small piece from abandoned land near a frontage road 20 years ago with my recently departed rose rustling friend. Needless to say, it reminds me of her.
Ah, memories. My best friend in 6th grade was a Junior Rose Princess – I don’t remember what that involved, but I do know that our class got a field trip to the test gardens out of it. Probably where I got my love of roses (especially old roses, like 50Roses’ Zephirine Drouhin – it smells lovely!).
There were roses growing near the parking lot of the restaurant where we went to lunch today. I didn’t pay much attention to them at first but when we got closer they were all you could smell. It was wonderful.
The Vancouver sniffapalooza (or: perfume morning) will to be at:
Place: Perfume Shoppe, 757 West Hastings Street
Date: June 23, 2012
Time: 10:00
If there’s enough response I will also see about organizing an official trip to Holt Renfrew. (Otherwise, we can have a thoroughly UNofficial trip!)
You can contact me at a123amos at inbox dot com, or Nazrin via her Web site. –AnnieA
Oh, how fun!
But I must ask: Vancouver, BC or Vancouver, Washington? (Do I correctly presume Canada?)
🙂
Yes, Vancouver, BC — more of a drive for Oregonians, it must be said!
I picked Histoires de Parfums 1725 Casanova this morning. It showed up to be a perfect scent for today’s kind of weather. I really had a huch putting it on!
I’m pretty excited about the next week. There’s a great chance I’ll be buying a new perfume (finally, after half year without new smelly). I amost completed to gather a group of people so that we can split the bottle. Only 10mL left before we’ll be done. Hope someone interested shows up soon and will grab it!
How are your things doing up there Rappleyea, Poodle, Nozknoz, Ladymurasaki, Jillie, Moore?
Wishing all a good and sunny weekend!
Hope you get to buy the new fragrance! I am as happy as ever and I always tend to be!
I hope everything will work fine and I’ll be enjoying new perfume.
Well, good for you – that’s a life-long optimism. Keep it up!
Hi, Lucas – it’s a beautiful Saturday here, so we’re in luck! I admire everyone who organizes splits – you’re doing a good turn for your perfume pals as well as gaining a new scent. Good perfume karma guaranteed!
Nice to see you Nozknoz and good to hear you have a good weather. It’s the 1st time I’m organizing a split – I find it a good way to gain not only a new scent but also to meet some new perfume enthusiasts.
Hey Lucas!
Busy and hot weekend here – mid-80’s (about 28 degrees C). I’m re-decorating (after many years) and want/need to buy some new art for my walls, so that may curtail my perfume buying for a while!
Good luck on fulfilling your split. What scent are you splitting? I now have a lemming for the new Guerlain Desert scents (just when I’ve stopped buying!).
I hope you’re having a great weekend too. 🙂
That really is a hot day. Today we had like 21 degrees C with some cooling wind. Good luck with redecorating – I’m sure you’ll find something great to hand on the walls. That just reminded me that I have some embroidery art pieces my mum did many years ago. Still not framed.
Thanks, I’m hoping that we’ll fill the empty lot soon. We’re sharing a bottle of Annick Goutal Nuit Etoilee.
I’m having a good time certainly. I’m preparing for an exam I’m having on Tuesday, when I take a break I check my online things, go out with a dog or taking a quick bike ride.
Good luck on your exam!
Thanks! It should be fine.
Pretty much maxed out my art buying a few years ago, but I still love going to open studios. That way I get to compliment the artists in person and see lots of art. Also the art is cheaper when you don’t have to go through a gallery. Have also bought art that was hanging in a local coffee shop as well as off etsy. I guess I went the other way–ran out of wall space so now my spending money is mostly on perfume
I haven’t thought about buying on etsy – great idea! Thanks for the reminder. We have some wonderful local artists – my favorite, Larry Wheeler, I certainly can’t afford! 🙁
http://www.crossgategallery.com/artist/larrywheeler.html
That one of the Kentucky River is very pretty, and, of course, all the handsome horses outdoors at different times of the year.
Hello there Lucasai! Just got back from lunch and a trip to the zoo. It was such a beautiful day! I really should have been doing yard work but hubby wanted to do something fun. Anyway, the animals seemed happy today and were moving around and playing. I made friends with a scarlet macaw. I love parrots and this one was so darn cute. He was bobbing his head up and down and dancing for me and if I tried to walk away he kept yelling hello to me. That’s too much bird for me. I have 2 small parrots and want to get another African grey someday though. My scent of the day was Off bug repellant because there’s a lot of bugs flying around the zoo. Not very sexy, but definitely effective.
Hope all is well with you and everyone else on here.
Trip to the zoo sounds fun! And those cute animals. I love when they become more active in spring and like to run and play around. That parrot was definitely trying to pick up on you 😉 I’m sure it somehow knew you’re a parrot lover. Well, OFF might not be the best perfume, but surely it works. I hate mosquitos!
Let’s have a great Sunday!
Good Morning, Lucas! I was thinking of you as I sipped my tea at breakfast. My new perfume is not exciting, but pleasant – Guerlain’s AA Tiare Mimosa. Couldn’t make up my mind whether I liked it or not at first as it is quite honeyed, not normally a note I care for. But it really does smell like pollen, my husband thought it delicious, and in spite of being light, its tiare/tuberose element lasted a long time.
Have you managed to smell the new Eau Sauvage eau de parfum yet? I’m really looking forward to it.
Hi there! Really? That’s so nice of you. I’m always excited to hear about your week when LWP appears on Saturday.
Exciting is not the most important in getting a new perfume – the most important is that you like it after all.
No, I haven’t tried Eau Sauvage Parfum, yet. Looking forward to smelling it. If I have some time I’ll check my Sephora if they have it already.
Enjoy your Sunday!
I liked that pollen effect myself and I do like honey….
Hi, buddy. I’m fine. Hope you so.
Here’s sunny but cold (20* Celsius).
How about out there?
Glad to hear you’re fine. Today’s weather is rather more summer than spring.
Hi Lucasi,
Congrats for organising a split. Its a great way to get some new fragrances. Are you all set up with the atomisers, funnels, etc? You probably have worked in a laboratory for your degree so all the equipment is not so scary!
Good evening, Merlin!
Thanks! Yesterday evening the last required person joined us, so now our split-team is complete. Tomorrow I’m calling to book(order if not in stock at the moment) a bottle. Yes, I’m ready with atomisers, funnels, etc. I have never used syringe to take a proper portion of perfumed juice earlier, so feel free to give me some tips. Yup, this will be like in-home lab activity 😉
Lucasi, I have never decanted, or done a split, or anything like it. I’m not very good with that kind of thing – best of luck – and well done for taking the initiative!
Lilacs in shades from the cleanest white to the deepest purple are in bloom all over town, spilling their intoxicating scent along pavements and biking lanes. In certain places it’s almost too much – better hurry by or you get dizzy (maybe that explains why En Passant is called En Passant?).
There’s one question I’ve been wanting to ask more experienced perfumes lovers than myself: How do you handle big, awkward splash bottles? Do you wet a cotton ball with antique Mitsouko? Or have you trained and rehearsed your technique to such a perfection that you never pour half an ounce of Tubereuse Criminelle down your slippers?
A cotton ball is one solution. I myself don’t like to handle large splash bottles, especially if they have large openings, precisely because I am afraid of spilling the perfume. I prefer to decant into smaller bottles for daily usage. I like to make decants anyway, as they are easier to carry in my purse or in my luggage for travel. I find a 5 to 10 ml size is good.
I agree with decanting – especially extrait, although I know you asked about big splash bottles. But either way, I don’t want to lose any. Since I’m a dabber, I decant into a roller ball bottle.
Seconding (thirding?) decanting, I sometimes decant into glass sample vials with screw tops if it’s something I dab or splash, as an alternative to a sprayer: I have Borneo decanted into both a screw top vial and a travel sprayer depending on how Borneo I want to be, and I’ve gotten *a lot* of mileage out of a single bottle that way.
I would probably decant into a spray atomiser but, then, I can be pretty clumsy.
Also, someone once recommended using a straw to draw a small amount of juice from the bottle when I asked about dealing with splash bottles of extrait and that’s what I’ve been doing, since I can never get around to buying separate bottles.
Agree – those tiny plastic cocktail straws work really well and are great for decanting into small vials, too.
Thank you all for advice. Decanting sounds like at good method – I’ll try it out.
SOTD is Eau Duelle which was one of the samples that a SA gave me when I bought a Diptyque candle.
I had a couple of hours to kill in London this week so I did a bit of sniffing. Finally got to smell the FM candles (thankfully, none really caught my fancy), Bois de Îles in extrait and OJ Tiare. I know that most people were underwhelmed with the latter but I liked it a fair bit. It made me think of Diorella (rather than Cristalle which most reviews seem to mention) with a ton of fresh, dewy jasmine. In fact, right now it’s the top contender for that elusive perfect summer floral that I’ve been trying to find for the past couple of years. I might just spring for a set of travel sprays.
I love Tiare!
Yay! 😀
Most of my perfumes are packed since I’m getting ready to move. However, I’m trying to use up some perfumed shower gel and lotion. Today it is First which is quite nice on this lovely spring day.
I sprayed a sample of A*Men on my hubby and it is delicious on him.
Hope the move goes smoothly!
Seconding this! I dread moving so I’ll be thinking about you.
Gardenias are in bloom here…such a lovely scent. Anyone know of a fragrance that smells like the real deal? I was disappointed by Chanel’s offering…
I have been on a long journey of discoverying gardenia scents, so here’s what I can tell you. Try Jo Loves Gardenia or Annick Goutal Un Matin d’Orage. AG is greener, JL is pretty close to the real flower and I would categorise it as a soliflore. Parfumerie Generale Gardenia Grand Soir and KAI are also good. Gardenia GS has a prominent green note. There are loads of other fragrances that feature gardenia, but the gardenia note tends to be overtaken by other notes or is just so well blended that it’s hard to detect. Other ones that I recommend are Isabey Gardenia & Fleur Nocturne, Micallef Gardenia, Annick Goutal Gardenia Passion. I’ve tried JAR JARdenia, since I heard so much about it, but I just can’t get past the blue cheese note.
that sounds like an interesting list! I’ll try them out for my mother, she loves gardenias, maybe I’ll finally find a scent in that direction!
I have tried and failed repeatedly to grow a gardenia plant. I keep trying though. It’s the only thing I have issues growing. It’s so frustrating too because I love them and my babci used to have one that was enormous and covered in blooms so I know it can be done. I can’t imagine I keep my house any colder during the winter than she kept hers. For now I’ll have to satisfy myself with gardenia in perfumes. Your list will be helpful.
Poodle, I love gardenias too, but I killed more than I’d care to admit before I found some that could take both the cold outdoors and my “tender loving care”! Maybe a winter hardy variety would work better for you (just google “hardy gardenia”).
Thanks! I’ll look into that.
Thanks for the great insider info, LadyM! I love being able to rely on fellow perfumistas!
You’re right. FM gardenia candle is very realistic. If you’re not into soliflores and want something wearable, I’d try Van Cleef & Arpels Gardenia Petale. The gardenia note is prominent but the blend of notes is well balanced to make it interesting, I think.
I’ve no idea what the real stuff smells like but I’m not a fan of most gardenia perfumes (putting it mildly). That said, the two that I quite like are EL PC Tuberose Gardenia and Jo Loves which Lady M already mentioned. As I said, I’m not really familiar with the scent of real gardenia so can’t comment on how realistic they are but Jo Loves even has a mushroom note that real flowers supposedly have.
There’s also Van Cleef & Arpels Gardenia Petale which I found really sweet and Tom Ford PC Velvet Gardenia which is now discontinued but was supposedly extremely true to life.
I forgot about VC&A! The gardenia note in that one is pretty realistic too. I find it similar to PG Gardenia Grand Soir, but without the fruity note.
A real gardenia is pure heaven, but one bloom goes a long way (one will scent my house – admittedly it’s a small house, but still). I’ve never found a perfume that is a completely realistic gardenia, though.
I’ve never considered myself a fan of gardenia perfumes either — or of most soliflores, for that matter — but the offspring picked some gardenia blooms for me a couple of days ago, and the scent has made me linger. I seem to remember the FM gardenia candle as smelling fairly authentic — maybe that headspace technique really does work — but I’d like something wearable.
I really like the Bond #9 Saks Fifth Avenue for Her fragrance. It does feature other white florals (jasmine and tuberose) but to me the gardenia is by far the most dominant. I don’t like many of the Bond scents but I really do love this one.
SOTD is LUSH 25:43. It’s a beautiful sunny cloudless blue sky day and I am running around doing errands. I have tentative plans for dinner…nothing fancy so I will likely stick with 25:43 as SOTE as well.
I have so many unsniffed spray samples to try (e.g. SSS, Tauer, OJ-the entire discover set except OJ Woman which is already a staple for me) but did not want to NOT like what I spray on me so I always have to psych myself into trying something new. Funny I do not have to psych myself into BUYING…perhaps I should reverse that!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Your scent is perfect for the day!
Stuck at work, buried under books and books of documents on a total dreary subject.
And it’s an actual summer day outside. You know one of the Spring ones, when its warm and sunny but the new generation of insects are not yet swarming.
Well , I am wearing Carthusia’s Io Capri so I smell like summer.
I hope you escape before too long, Dilana!
Hi everyone! My SOTD is OJ Frangipani. I’m in love with this new acquisition. Speaking of new acquisitions, I won L’Air de Nina Ricci last week at Odette Toilette’s Superhuman Scents! All I had to do was name a scent molecule and mine was chosen by Jean Guichard and Herve Fretay of Givaudan! I named a scent molecule Aqua Libra, since it smelt to me of melon or cucumber; something acquatic. I did not expect or even hoped to be chosen, since there were so many other great names. I had never tried L’Air, but it’s so beautiful and it also has the honeysuckle note that I love. It was also wonderful to listen to Messrs. Guichard and Fretay speaking about synthetics in perfumery.
That must have been an amazing event! I love the name Aqua Libra and it sounds lovely. Congratulations on your win!
Thank you! To be honest, I chose the name because it reminded me of a softdrink Aqua Libra! It was a name of a popular soda in Britian in the 80s.
Sounds like whoever named that molecule had a sense of humor! 🙂
Congratulations on your winning! Looks like you already have a great time with your prize.
Fun, congrats!
How exciting! Congratulations.
unearthed my vamp à NY for the first time this year, I’d forgotten what a good mood kind of scent it is 🙂
Hope your mood is living up to it 🙂
Their carrot scent puts me in a good mood as well. I wonder what it is about that line? Maybe just the happy juice that Olivia Giacobetti put in these fragrances. 🙂
I hope they’re going to do more! But have no sense of whether or not they have sold well.
As far as more from them – it worried me when they went on sale for such a great price. That didn’t sound like a line selling all that well. We can only hope….
I love this line, too. Love Coco is a special favorite!
SOTD Histoires de Parfum 1969 from a sample – which is good since what I’m smelling could be called the Revlon Flex Shampoo accord (never a favorite of mine).
Here’s my question to my fellow US ‘istas: had any experience buying FBs from Purs-sens.com? I’m wanting Eau de Gloire – they have it and appear to ship to the US. With the euro exchange rate it’s a much better deal…Been trying to connect directly with Parfum d’Empire but getting “undeliverable” response…
Flex! Boy does that bring back smell memories. I liked it back in the day, not sure I want it floating about me now.
I haven’t applied perfume yet today, but after my swim I think I might try out Jo Loves Gardenia, which I got a free sample of and Lady Murasaki has praised above.
I’m anxiously awaiting my latest full bottle acquisition, which is my Mother’s Day gift… Tauer Carillon Pour un Ange.
I’m also salivating at the news of a Mona di Orio rose fragrance launching later this year, and contemplating buying one of the new mini sizes available on her website at some point later this year… they recently added 7mL bottles, priced quite reasonably… anyone know if they are spray bottles? I’m assuming so.
Today I’m wearing Lipstick Rose. It matches my rosy mood and outlook right now. Very springy and optimistic. And I’m wearing pink, too.
I’ve determined to use up the many sample vials of perfume I already have in my possession before splurging on any other perfume, full bottle, sample, or otherwise. But I reeeeeally want that discovery set from Ormonde Jayne. I keep telling myself I’m cultivating patience, as well as possibly discovering new favorites in my sample pile, to boot.
I keep saying I’m going to use some stuff up before I buy anything else but somehow it never works out that way. There’s a few discovery sets I’m itching to get but I am trying so hard to behave. It’s killing me though.
I so feel your pain, poodle.
Bookgirl, have you tried any of the OJ scents before, or have you tried anything else that’s heavy on the Iso E Super? I spent $75 on the OJ discovery set only to discover that I’m anosmic to Iso E Super, which meant I could barely smell all but two of the OJ scents. I know other people have had that problem, too.
Yes, I’ve tried the following OJ scents: OJ Woman, OJ Man, Frangipani, Champaca, and Ta’if. And I adore them all!
Oh, good! Then yes, it sounds like the discovery set would be a worthwhile investment. It’s beautifully presented and the samples are quite generous (2 mL each, I think).
I recently snagged a bottle of Azzaro EDT. This 1970s perfume makes a brief appearance in The Perfume Lover, and its 2008 reinterpretation, Azzaro Couture, earned 4 stars in The Guide, so was curious. To me, it smells like a softer version of FM Le Parfum de Therese. I often find the Malles a bit hard or dense, so my initial reaction is that may suit me better.
Has anyone else tried any new old scents recently?
I won a large lot off ebay a few weeks ago –have so far loved Shiseido Inoui and very vintage White Shoulders (Evyan, embossed metal label, before there was the cameo on the packaging), have liked Shiseido Murasaki (vintage maroon bottle) and Forever Krystle andam just eh on Avon Night Magic Evening Musk (1987). Am still trying to get the nerve up to sample Revlon Intimate (late 50s or early 60s is my best guess–haven’t done any research)– seems like it’s going to be a big demanding perfume in a style that isn’t particularly current. I’ll probably love it
I have a bottle of vintage Intimate. I’m not sure of the exact age, but I am guessing 1970’s. It really does pack a wallop. It is a full-on, no-holds-barred animalic chypre of the type nobody makes–or can make, with all the ingredient restrictions–anymore. I absolutely love it, but I would probably not wear it out in public anywhere that I would be in close proximity to others. One whiff of it would probably send the fruity floral crowd into olfactory shock.
Wow, what a score! I also like those early Shiseidos and White Shoulders. Have been meaning to try Intimate, too, after someone (Angela or Robin?) reviewed it here on NST.
It really was a fantastic score. Some of the other perfumes it contained–Vintage Emeraude (probably 60s or 70s), vintage Shalimar, vintage Zen, vintage Imprevu, vintage Straw Hat-over 20 bottles in all for me to have fun trying
My Mother’s Day flowers are in full bloom on the mantle, a huge bouquet of at least two dozen Casablanca lilies. The scent of these big white flowers is one of my favorites in the natural world, and it fairly billows through the Spring-opened house today.
Yet, like other favorite natural scents – the ocean draped in fog a few miles away, and the sun-warmed sage and mesquite of the nearby hills, I wouldn’t want to actually smell this way myself, and I don’t look for perfumes to mimic these scents. Perhaps it’s primitive, but I think my scent should complement my surroundings not copy it.
That said, my most memorable experience of Casablanca lilies is being engulfed in the heavy smell of literally hundreds of them, somewhat muted by dense air conditioning in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Four Seasons, after just stepping into that still, cool, marble world from a very hot, dry, chaotic convertible drive across town. The contrasting climates and moods somehow underscored the beauty of that lily scent in the most memorable way. If someone could conjure that moment in a bottle, I’d buy it.
Beautiful scent picture!
Casablanca is one of my favourite flowers! I can almost imagine smelling it the way you describe it!
Love this description of a scent memory, and how it lingers in the imagination.
Could anyone help me with this search: A rose scent. Nothing else, just rose. As if you put your face in a big bunch of roses! With a dry-down of…roses! True roses. If possible, some staying power.
Unfortunately, the search engine, from what I can discern, only lets you search by name or house of fragrance.
With so many knowledgable perfumistas out there, I’m sure we can come up with a few suggestions.
Thanks!!
YSL Paris or Parisienne came to my mind. Are you familiar with these? Also Prada Infusion de Rose might do the trick, but this Infusion is really hard to find…
I enjoy wearing Parisienne! Even though it seems to get mixed reviews online, whenever I wear it I get lots of compliments. But I wouldn’t consider it a strictly rosey-rose-rose perfume due to the prominence of the berry and violet notes.
I find Perfumer’s Workshop Tea Rose to be just roses, nothing but roses, roses and more roses. It can also be found very cheaply. And it’s STRONG.
Tea Rose is the first one I thought of for rose and only rose too.
3rd.
I’m 4thing this – but beware the sillage! I would also add to the suggestions Paul Smith’s Rose and Serge Lutens Sa Majeste la Rose
5th
Yosh Sottile, DSH American Beauty, DelRae Coup de Foudre, AG Rose Absolute, SSS Velvet Rose, Montale Highness Rose.
Jo Malone Red Roses is exactly that although the staying power is not fabulous.
Of course, Nahéma is very realistic too.
Try Penhaligon’s Elisabethan Rose. It’s very rosy indeed.
Ta’if by OJ is a very beautiful rose scent. It does have other aspects but I think the rose is quite true and lovely. You might want to put it in the mix to try.
Rather old now, but you might find this helpful:
http://boisdejasmin.com/2006/01/from_white_to_r.html
Also, Jessica reviews rose fragrances for NST so if you browse by author (up on the right of the screen) you will find lots.
Annick Goutal’s Rose Absolue is the nearest creation I have ever smelt to a real rose. It is just like sniffing an essential oi (absolute)l. In fact, it is almost too natural, as it is so simple – a true soliflore. Don’t get me wrong, though, it’s not a light “rosewater” as it has a depth and tenacity to it. I’m sure you would like it.
Try L’eau de Chloé, new this spring. I find it to be a very realistic and very beautiful spring/summer rose. Just roses. 🙂
Or, Roses from Ava Luxe is… Roses. It’s all different kinds of roses mixed, so it might not be the “pure” rose sensation you’re looking for.
It’s unseasonably warm here, so I put on my go-to hot weather scent, JM White Jasmine & Mint. My bottle is basically empty and I’m low on funds, so it will be a while before I can replace it, boo hoo!
Oh, no – it’s early in the season so I hope you have some other summer favs in the back of the perfume closet!
I’m wearing a little (“vintage”) Black Cashmere under my sweater — it’s an unusually gray, drizzly day here in Denver — but not too much because I’m going to the open house and sale at the DSH studio later on. I want to try the new YSL-inspired collection again and think I may have to buy some of the rose-violet number, which on first sniff at the museum I liked better than the original Paris!
La Vie en Rose! I liked that one a lot too. Good thing, too, as I managed to accidentally spill most of the sample vial on myself at one time.
Lucky you, E, to live so close to Dawn’s shop! Someday I would love to go there. Do let us know what you think of the YSL-inspired works as well as the rose-violet. Love the DK Black Cashmere–our weather has turned a little warm here so I’ve reluctantly put mine away.
My husband and I just got home from a long road trip (Boston to Asheville, NC & back via the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Skyline Drive); it was sooo beautiful! We stopped at a flea market on the way home today where I could smell someone wafting something delicious. It was Halston! I complimented the lady wearing it and she seemed so pleased that someone took appreciative notice.
What a nice trip and serendipitous perfume encounter!
Oh god, I fantasize about visiting the DSH studio. I’d also love to see the museum exhibits that give rise to some of her collaborations.
The whole YSL collection is really good! They are all worth sniffing. I walked out with a tiny bottle of the Paris-inspired one as well as purse sprays of two newish scents, Pretty & Pink (a fruity floral sort of in the vein of Rose Praline) and Sweet Dreams, which reminds me of A Taste of Heaven — lavender, vanilla, and incense. Yum!!
I cannot figure out what to make of Baiser Vole 🙁 I love love love the images it brings to my mind, but I’m not sure if it’s a wearable scent… Would love your thoughts on appropriate occasions or how it makes you feel.
Speaking of (un)wearable scents, I tried SL Jeaux de Peau (thanks to NST!), and I’ve gone from “UGH” to “Mayb I’ll buy a sample on ebay or something”…
I’m proud of my little “maturing” journey into perfumes that started a week or 2 ago 🙂 🙂 🙂
As for what I’m wearing…. *cringe* I’m wearing a mix if yesterday’s Coco, this morning’s Elie Saab le Parfum, and a tiny spray of Insolence (EdP YUM!) from a few hours ago…. I’ve been home all day, bf and I are taking a 2-day break for him to decide whether this rship is right for him… Perfume (and candy) are my only comforts. 🙁
Eek! “i” is too close to “o”! Sorry for the many “if”s in the places of “of”s…
Also, I typed too fast. The maturing journey was referring to the fact that I’m expanding my horizons in perfumes, as I’ve always been the fruity 5 yr old scent lover 😀
I like Baiser Vole. It totally reminds me of the Avon pink bubble bath that my mom always had in the house when I was a kid and that I spent countless hours soaking in. So for me it’s a comfort scent and I love to spray it on after an evening bath or shower to relax. I wear it on other occasions too but I have never thought of it as unwearable. It’s clean and soapy to me but I think that my perception of it is totally based on the bubble bath connection so I may not be the best judge of its true character.
Ah yes, it seems like a scent that can easily have emotional connections. I think I’ll beg for another sample bottle, then drown myself in it and wear it for a day. 😛
Bubble bath? That must have been some NICE smelling bubble bath!!
Zubi, how annoying of the bf! Definitely make good use of the time for some fine perfume appreciation.
Yes, terribly annoying. 🙁 I completely understand the space to decide, as that is the way he is – he needs to do everything in an “official” manner, so that it really feels like HIS decision… What I won’t understand, however, is if we break up. He’s younger than me, and it’ll mean it’s because he misses the infatuation (we moved in together pretty early). We have such an awesome dynamic together 🙁
Anyway, the perfume smelling is failing, because I always share it with him, and it’s just too much of a reminder. Sigh. Think I’ll clean the house then sleep early… I find out tomorrow.
Zubi, it all sounds a bit one sided with this guy – staying with him is your decision as well.
I wouldn’t have thought of the cartier as a ‘hard to wear’ frag. To me its very pretty and light.
I guess what I meant by “unwearable” is the fact that it smells so accurately like a flower shop, that it feels less like a perfume and more like a scent that takes you somewhere.
It actually all worked out, and I got a gigantic apology 🙂 and lots of hugs. I am glad we did this, as I think it both helped us see things in a different light. 🙂
So glad it all worked out!
Cleaning always makes me feel better.
I feel for you, Zubi! Gosh, thinking back on my 20s and 30s and the ups and downs of dating makes me happy to be old, even with the creaky joints, etc. Guys seem to take longer to want to settle down, then at some point they suddenly all get married. Anyway, stay focused on what YOU want out of life and don’t waste time on anything that isn’t moving you toward it.
Thanks 🙂
We sorted it out, and on hindsight I realise this break has brought us both revelations and growth that we wouldn’t have got without it.
Thanks for the nice words 🙂 They helped.
SOTD is Parfums de Nicolai Eau d’ete. One of my summer favorites – and our summer has started already!
Lucky you! Can’t wait for summer… if it ever bothers to visit us in Britain.
I love that one and have been considering a fb.
Bought a FB of that one and have been loving it 🙂
If it were difficult to find and pricey, I would say let it to, but since it is still readily available and cheap online, so why not get a backup bottle or two? If you do really wear it a lot, you can reassure yourself that you will use it up. I know the sort of thing you mean–a nice, easy, comfortable scent that won’t overwhelm anyone else but still smells good.
This was meant to be a reply to Marjorie Rose.
Thanks! Found you down here! Yes, I imagine I will “give in” and buy a back-up bottle, for as you say, it is inexpensive and currently easily found. I think my natural “anti-hoarding” tendencies just rebel against it a bit! I’d much rather clean out the clutter than add to it, as a general rule!
I wish I had anti-hoarding tendencies. I like a clean house and don’t like clutter but I can’t pass up a buy and will stock up on things as much as I can. Thankfully my house is limited on spare storage space so it keeps me in line a bit.
The desire to “clean house” can be as much of a burden as wanting to collect. I look around my living room, for example, and see HOW MANY books I own–I *really* don’t need them all, but I’m attached to most of them. So, I have this sense of “what can I get rid of?” that sort of follows me around. Of course, it’s battling with the desire to find new, interesting books (or back-up bottles of discontinued fragrances, apparently!).
I know exactly that feeling. You feel refreshed and rejuvenated after a good pruning and de-cluttering session, and then six months down the road you’re going mad trying to find something that you forgot you’d gotten rid of. What an odd wringer we put ourselves through, us anti-hoarders…
Yeah, I could really use an anti-hording streak!
Friends, I have a pressing question! My birthday is coming up and my mom wants to buy me a scent. The problem being that she refuses to buy me anything online – which means ALL of the fragrances on my niche wish-list are out – and she lives in Ottawa, a city that, for whatever reason, doesn’t have a lot to offer in terms of cool fragrance boutiques. So we’re mostly looking a department store brands, but even the Holt Renfrew in Ottawa is limited in the brands it carries (eg – it does not carry Bottega Veneta, which is what I really want.)
My question is – what is a great, classic, wonderful department store scent that you can’t go wrong with? I am leaning towards Dior Diorissimo EdT – I’ll admit that I have never smelled it, but it seems to be a summer favourite and a classic.
Another option is D&G Light Blue – I had a bottle once and actually finished the entire thing, but… but… I feel like a want something different!
Any other suggestions?
It depends on what you like I guess but for easy to find scents I think Prada Candy is one possibility. It’s gourmand but not too sweet. You don’t need to be 12 to pull it off. It’s very wearable. Some others off the top of my head that I’ve seen positive things on are Shalimar Parfum Initial, L’eau de Chloe (the green one), Spicebomb (it’s men’s but I like it way more than Flowerbomb), or maybe one of the Chanel scents.
Heyo poodle – thank you for the suggestions! I actually have Prada Candy and LOVE it, but I think I might be looking for something a little less candied for summer. Something fresh but with presence. That green Chloe bottle is gorgeous, and I’ll admit that I would love to own a Guerlain… maybe I’ll take a saunter over to my local department store and do some sniff tests 🙂
Try the Chloe one then. I think it would be great for summer.
Poodle is right! Try Chloe. And I would suggest L’Eau de Chloe. This is a new perfume and it smells great for spring/summer. A little bittery citruses with something powdered. Reminds me of all those classic, traditional colognes.
I really don’t like the current formulation of Diorissimo so I’d probably go for something like Eau Premiere or, if you want a classic, No5 EDT.
I second Eau Premiere – great for summer and sophisticated without being stuffy. And along the Light Blue/citrus lines, have you tried Bulgari’s Thé Vert? It’s shimmering spices, citrus, tea, and wood, sheer and wearable but with lots of personality. I adore it for this time of year.
Another suggestion – It looks like Holts in Ottawa carries Hermes. One of the Jardin series or the Eau’s would be nice for the summer especially.
Right now, if I could have any mainstream fragrance, I’d take some Chanel No 19 EDT and body lotion. I’ve smelled both the vintage and the current formulation, and while the current formulation lacks the depth of the original (the leather note), it is still lovely in its own way. I guess you could describe it as a cool green floral. So that’s my recommendation (not knowing anything more about your taste).
If they have Estee Lauder I’d give those a try, as well as Clinique Aromatics Elixir. I think Clarins Par Amour was supposed to be good, but haven’t tried it myself yet. Also try the Chanels, of course. Hope you find one you really like for your birthday!
Aromatics Elixir is divine, and is also a terrific bargain. Absolutely one of the best deals around.
There’s also that new limited edition perfumer’s version (something like that) – lovely amber stoppered bottle – very nice and a bit easier to wear than the original – like a big warm feminine hug! I ordered it from the Clinique website, though – not sure if it’s in every store.
My suggestions (for what they are worth):
Dior: Diorella, or Eau Sauvage, both great for summer!
Second, third: Aromatics Elixir; the 40th Anniversary version is really good as well.
Maybe one of the Lauders? Pure White Linen is good for summer.
Prada’s Infusion d’Iris
O de Lancôme ( the original)
Bvlgari: Pour Femme, Eau parfumée au thé vert, Omnia ( the original) and maybe the Crystalline ( which is really nice for summer)
Another quite nice crisp fragrance is Moschino Funny. Widely available in department stores in Europe but maybe not in Canada.
Thank you, friends! Lots of great suggestions, and I spent the past two days sampling your ideas at my local department store (and consequently receiving some side-eyes from shoppers as I drifted past wearing four scents at once 😛 …).
I’ve narrowed it down to three: Bvlgari Eau parfumée au thé vert (so easy to wear and love); Chloë L’eau de Chloë (just love that green juice, and I don’t have anything remotely similar); and, of all things, Mackie by Bob Mackie? (the dark horse of the three, but it’s quite nice!)
I tried Aromatics Elixir, which was lovely, but something in it made me sneeze. Diorissimo was tough – gorgeous scent, but it wore me. As for the Chanels… one day, but I’m a bit intimidated by them. There are SO MANY. And just as I thought, Light Blue was played out on me. Just not that into it anymore.
SOTD is Donna Karan Iris. Not bad, but as I’m currently comparing irises in my backlog of samples, the jury is still out…. though I must admit out of all of them, Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile has the edge.
I would agree with “not bad”. But I tend to forget it exists, ack…
I have a question – I have a birthday coming up – it ends in a zero – & I’ve decided that the perfume I would like to buy is Vol de Nuit extrait. I can’t buy it retail – no one sells it in Aus ( that I know of) – can anyone recommend where I can buy it, probably online. I want to find somewhere reputable as it is expensive. Any ideas?
http://www.escentual.com are reputable and post worldwide. Happy Birthday!
Second this, have ordered repeatedly with them and have always been really pleased with their customer service.
SOTD is SSS Champagne de Bois. Gorgeous as always!
Scent in the air is linden blossom. There are rows of linden trees where I live and they are just starting to bloom. The smell is heavenly, but like a lot of smells in nature, difficult to capture in a perfume. Plus, I’m spoiled smelling the real thing every year!
Seriously not at all sure I’ve ever smelled linden trees, or at least, smelled them & knew it! The linden smell I know is entirely from perfume.
They are native to most of N. America, so I’m sure you have some in your area. They are just starting to bloom here (very airy, tiny yellow blooms) so I’d imagine not blooming quite yet north of here. They are worth tracking down, as the scent is one of my favorite in nature (along with locust and catalpa trees).
Love love black locust blossoms and catalpas.
And catalpa blooms are so beautiful as well!
The smell of real linden blossoms is one of my all time absolute favourites! I grew up somewhere where most streets were lined with linden trees so it’s a smell that instantly invokes childhood memories. There is a large tree right outside my living room window so I get to enjoy it every summer, although here it flowers a little later in the year.
Linden trees in bloom evoke swoons of romanticism for me. I fell in love amidst a cloud of their scent. The big trees fronted the Victorian-era officers’ quarters at Fort Worden, Port Townsend. That’s where Officer and a Gentleman was filmed. Sigh.
No kidding?!! I spent a week there many years ago (high school Spanish camp) in the spring. I wish I’d paid more attention to those trees.
Can anyone recomend any vintage carnation dominant scents other than L’air du temps? I’ve sampled most of the current ones (Malmaison, velvet Love, Lush Potion, Lorenzo Villoresi Garofano, Fiori di Capri, CDG Carnation,L’Heure Convoitee, Bellodgia, Dianthus) but if there’s one I missed, let me know…
Another contemporary one is DSH Oeillets Rouges. And don’t forget Old Spice–a lot of women like it, even though it is marketed as a masculine.
For vintage, you could look for Roger & Gallet Blue Carnation, or R&G Carnation. The Blue Carnation is long discontinued; Carnation may still be in production. Crabtree & Evelyn used to make a Carnation EdT.
Enthusiastically seconding Oeillets Rouges! It’s everything a spicy carnation should be, and is available in a handy 10 mL size (which I have).
Sounds like Oeillets Rouge is going on the sampling list 🙂
You’ve tried current Bellodgia, but I’d search out the vintage. Not sure how hard/easy it will be to find, but it is a beautiful carnation, very similar to the R & G Blue Carnation.
Another vote for DSH Oeillets Rouges, which I *adore*. Gorgeous. Has that green/floral edge that carnation scents sometimes lack, but which just makes the smell of real carnations for me.
Oh! And Fragonard Billet Doux, if you can find it. It’s softer, more floral in a mixed-bouquet sense, but the carnation’s pretty clear in it.
Ava Lux Oeillet. I’ve been through this myself! In the end, I got some vintage Bellodgia extrait. It’s not that expensive if you find it in the plain rectangular bottle with gold cap, instead of the fancy crystal one that’s more common.
I already own that vintage Bellodgia extrait in that packaging! (Heehee)
Two faves of mine are L’Artisan Oeillet Sauvage (discontinued) and Caron Poivre. And Guerlain Terracotta Voile d’Ete is a great carnation-based fragrance for the warm months.
Also seconding Voile d’Eté! It’s discontinued, but a couple of discounters have it for about $45.
Thank you–I haven’t tried these yet
Does L’heure Blue count? I’v always smelled a lot of yummy clove in it so I thought it might…
Yeah — there’s a lot of other stuff going on in L’Heure Bleue, of course, but the more I wear it the more I notice the clove/carnation note.
Today I am wearing By Kilian Liaisons Dangereuses. I think it does pretty well in hot weather.
Question: The store Sloan/Hall in Houston has recently begun carrying a selection of the L’etat lilbre d’orange scents. I’ve tried a few before and nothing struck me. Same this time. In fact Yatagan positively made me sneeze–like a strong laundry soap. The only one I liked was Bijou Romantique. I sprayed it on liberally in the store and kept smelling my wrists. I could not quite decide if I loved it though. It had a weird plastic element somewhere in the middle range that put me off, and doesn’t seem to correspond to anything in the list of notes.
What’s the question? ;p If you wanted to ask what’s worth sampling from the L’etat line, I’d say Like This :))
I don’t like that one. I am wondering if anyone can identify or has even noticed that weird note in the middle of Bijou Romantique. Are there any other ones worth trying?
I tried BR recently and my initial reaction was that it was a nice composition that I would like if it were done with more natural materials. Something about it puts me on edge a bit, though.
I love Liaisons Dangereuses! I wish I could find something really similar at a lower price point.
Love BK Liaisons Dangereuse for fall! Can’t think of anything else like it. The refills cost less, and sometimes the individual travel refills show up on ebay, too.
Testing Bois des Iles today but so far not enjoying it. Not only does it stay sour, but I’m finding the lasting power and sillage are both very poor. Do I need a ‘spray until wet’ application? Or is my brain just not picking it up?
I have a similar problem with Cuir de Russie. No problem with 31 Rue Cambon tho’. Love it.
I love Bois des Iles, but I would not call it a long-lasting scent. I get maybe 4 hours out of it, which has kept it an occasional, mostly evenings scent for me. Or, I layer a touch of Champagne de Bois with it, so that will take over when BdI fades away.
Thanks Marjorie! I’ll keep trying.
I get poor longevity from the Les Exclusifs version of BdI as well – three hours if I’m LUCKY. It’s gorgeous but so fleeting… which is a particular annoyance factor for me.
Thanks Mals, and I want to go back to your comparative review of BdI and Champagne de Bois. I have a feeling that neither are for me, sadly.
Annemarie – I don’t know if you’ll be back to see this, but do give CdB a try. I didn’t get along either with BdI and for the same reason – it stayed very sour on me and didn’t last very well (and I have scent-glue skin!). But Champagne de Bois is one of my very favorite scents. Laurie is also in the process of making a take-off on the original, which I have smelled, and it is also gorgeous.
In the past week, I’ve fallen hard for LesNez Manoumalia. It’s lush and beautiful and just a bit unsanitary. Wonderful stuff. I’ve also found a gardenia I can love — Monyette Paris perfume oil. Other gardenias are always a bit suffocating, but Monyette isn’t (might be in part due to the oil format, I guess). Love the bit of incense in the base.
Manoumalia and Monyette are the winners so far in my most recent Luckyscent sample order. Unfortunately, Vero Profumo Rubj EDP and L’Artisan Timbuktu were scrubbers. I usually like cumin and was expecting that note in Rubj, but something about it was overly assertive and nose-piercing. I still want to try the extrait, though. Timbuktu just smelled like bug spray, sadly.
Still left to test: Parfums de Nicolai Fig Tea, ELdO Fils de Dieu and Bijou Romantique, DelRae Mythique, Parfum d’Empire Azemour les Orangers, and Parfumerie Generale Drama Nuui.
What a wonderful sample set you’ve got there! I envy you all the joy of testing/discovering. I love Mythique, and hope you’ll like it too.
Mythique sounds beautiful — I know Angela really likes it, too. I think I’ll test it today after I take a shower.
Oh, I love Manoumalia! And you’ve nailed it: “lush and beautiful and just a bit unsanitary.” I live in the subtropics and that’s just what my yard smells like part of the year: heady white flowers and way in the background that note of decaying vegetation. Nature’s way of reminding us that all lovely things are transient, I guess.
That’s exactly what I love about Manoumalia — it offers a fuller picture of its subject than just the pretty bits. But it’s still eminently wearable.
I’ve been so curious about Manoumalia. The concept is fascinating. Must be on my next sample order!
I’ve decided that it needs to be involved in my next FB order 🙂
LOVE Manoumalia! Need to try that Monyette, too. Great sample haul!
Thanks, Nozknoz! Monyette doesn’t seem to get as much love as Manoumalia, and I can see why — it’s much simpler, but sometimes that’s not a bad thing. I’m just happy to have found a reasonably straightforward gardenia that I can wear, vs. one that wears me.
Woke up this morning to a wonderful scent (me) and had to think back to my last night ‘s SOTN. Chanel #19 perfume ( not EDT). I think my nose works best in the morning and I love detecting the dry down of last night’s perfume.
I’m still searching for a warm spring/summer scent. Might buy Andy Tauer Zeta since I’ve gone through my sample and keep thinking about it. Would love suggestions for other linden scents!
So would I – acacia & linden scents please 🙂
Me three!
Just wanted to comment that I too, LOVE waking up to an awesome Chanel drydown (in my case, Coco). In fact I sometimes spray Chanel Coco just before bed so I can wake up happy 🙂 🙂
Beginning of the year i started writing a weekly article on perfume for a women’s portal. Mostly I just introduce new fragrances and memorable existing ones, but every other week I get a request for a “scented profile”, i.e. a fragrance consultation. Some of the requests are a pleasure to do, others less so.
Now I just got a request from a woman who puts Belle Watling to shame – most vulgar taste I ever encountered. I very much doubt she will like my recommendations. 😉
So what does she like and what did you recommend?
If you really want to know, please read on and try not to cringe:
She thinks herself the big seductress “bordering on vulgar but not exactly” who happens to excite all men she passes by. She likes Jimmy Choo, Si Lolita and Belle D’Opium and wants something “warm, provocative, fresh, light and not sweet or floral” 😀 😀 😀
My recommedded fragrances are: Agent Provocateur – the original, Encre Noir Pour Elle and Givenchy Play Intense (the purple one).
I’m not familiar with these scents, myself, but sounds wonderful! What a fabulous gig you’ve got there.
Just trying to move her from the low class red light district to a posher one. 🙂
Wow, finding perfumes that combine warm and provocative with fresh and light is a bit of a challenge! Clever of you to recommend Agent Provocateur – sounds like it would suit her to a T, if only in name! 😉
Lol. I love women like that. There are one or two in my office that think they are all that and more. It’s amusing. Good recommendations on the scents. Bet she loves Agent Provocateur just for the name alone.
The Belle Watling reference made me laugh! Sounds like a fun gig (and I also think Agent Provocateur was a great suggestion).
Spend all day Saturday at the Monacan Nation Pow-Wow in Elon, Virginia and a friend bought me an herbal pillow for my birthday (Friday) that was stuffed with lavender and chamomile and sage. Heavenly scent! I laid it on my chest this morning as I struggled with a touch of congestion and wheezing and it cleared me up in minutes!
That sounds interesting, Ravying!
Did you happen to see Angela’s second post last week about her trip to France? She mentioned trying an aromatic product designed by Michel Roudnitska for a First Nations-oriented company in Canada, a “liquid smudge.” The name begins with Mit… I don’t remember the spelling.
He applied French perfume principles to compose the mixture of aromatic oils, including sweet grass. I googled it and ordered a small bottle from a website (still on its way). Angela thought it smelled good.
I missed that post, so thank you for referencing it. I’m on my way to read now.
BTW, to be a little more precise, there was one post last week but it was Part 2 of the France series, with Part 1 the previous week. Really a dream trip: seeing the Diorella muguets in Roudnitska’s garden, their study and the workshop where the L’Artisans, Frapins and some other great perfumes are mixed. Swoon!!!!
I’ll say “dream trip”. Lucky Angela! But she’ll do it justice in her posts when she gets back so we’ll all benefit.
Someday I’m going to go to a powwow.
I knew that my great-great-grandmother was full-blooded Cherokee, but just discovered recently that several ancestors on the other side of the family, going back to the late 1700s, also had Cherokee wives. It’s not enough of a bloodline for me to claim tribal membership, not by a long long shot, but I’ve always been interested.
Really wanted some familliar comfort scents today so I used Anais Anais–my all-time favorite. Makes me nostalgic–and since I just turned 50 (OMG!) I was craving the good ole days….(also listening to Oingo Boingo…)
Happy Birthday Ravyng think Fifty and Fabulous!
Isn’t it an odd feeling when a scent from the past makes one feel young again? Not that 50 isn’t young. It’s the new 30.
Oingo Boingo were so fabulous. Ah, the good old days.
I got myself a vat of Prada’s Infusion d’Iris last week. 400 mls of EDP, which was actually cheaper than buying a smaller bottle. I love it, and it is especially good with this cool, damp weather we have been having.
Ah, isn’t Prada Infusion d’Iris gorgeous?
I absolutely adore it while it lasts on my skin (30 minutes or so)… I thought the Absolu version (found it at the airport) would solve my problems, but whereas the original goes from cool (almost masculine) and fresh to floral, the absolu just stayed on my skin for ages as a cheap manly scent. 🙁 I wish my skin loved this fragrance as much as I do!
The garden’s colors are so juicy and vivid in today’s overcast stillness. SOTD is Après l’Ondee.
That sounds like an excellent match for an overcast-yet-gorgeous garden.
Al’O is gorgeous, isn’t it?
Another gorgeous day. SOTD is Elie Saab…I have a decided that this is a good Church scent. I was going to try my SSS Fig Tree but the spray top did not work 🙁 … I unscrewed the top and flicked the plastic tube to dislodge the bubble but so far no success…will try again next weekend.
Trying to make some headway against the weeds in my garden. I am tempted to just leave them be and call it a “natural area” and refer to the weeds as “native plants” but I don’t thing the neighbors would appreciate it. SOTA is Off, due to the large number of mosquitoes. Unfortunately, it is not working as well as I would like. It is also quite warm outside, about 87 F (31 C), which is about normal for us for mid-May.
There were a couple of scent experiences to be had in my yard today. My sweet brier rose is through with its brief annual bloom, but it is giving off a nice waft of the green apple scent for which it is famous. There also have been scattered blooms on my magnolia tree, so I cut one to bring inside. One of my cats seems to be quite fascinated by it.
There is a wonderfully natural yard in my neighborhood. It has three large oak trees, so grass would be tricky anyway, so they they filled most of it with local shrubs, such as redbud, azaleas and one that has fuschia leaves in the fall. I go out of my way to walk past that house!
Redbuds and azaleas are beautiful. I am afraid most of my “native vegetation” is more on the order of crabgrass and nutsedge.
Was in the Yankee Candle store today and they are out with “man candles”. There are 4 scents I think. One is called Riding Mower which smells like cutting the grass. Another is called First Down and smells like leather. There’s one called 2×4 which smells like the lumber department at the home improvement store and I forgot the last one. I didn’t buy any because I forgot my coupons at home.
Interesting market play! They must have smelled rather good if you were ready to pull out your coupons.
I love grassy scents so that one was obvious. Cutting my grass sometimes sends my allergies into overdrive but I love that smell anyway. The leather one was interesting if only for the fact that it’s so unusual and really did smell like a football or purse. I’m always burning candles and hubby burns them in his office so we are always looking for new ones.
SOTD is Lumiere Noir as we await the solar eclipse! So perfect!
Oops, I meant SOTE
LOVE LN pour femme.
I have been very busy at work plus had some personal hurdles to jump through and have been out of the loop on this blog. I also hadn’t bought or sampled any new fragrances for quite a while until last week when I purchase the Oud sampler from Lucky Scent. I am still trying them out and like several of them very much, however, the ones I like are outrageously expensive like Xerkoff (sp.) and Killian. I have had a lemming for Amouage Opus I ever since I sampled it (which was after it first came out) and that was on my list for a FB. However, I haven’t had the funds to make the purchase and have been on a roll with my CdG Incense series scents–all of which I own, but it’s been over a long time period. All of those together are less money than some of those Oud fragrances in the sampler. So I have decided to be content with my incense perfumes. I do have two ouds–the two from Byredo–which I have had for a while. I hope everyone has a great Memorial Weekend.
Glad you are well. I want to samples some of those ouds too but that’s my fear too, that I’ll like one that’s crazy expensive. I love incense too and Avignon is a favorite. I need to try the others in that series just can’t decide which to try next. I have a feeling I’m going to like them all.
Filomena, it’s great to hear from you and see your lovely lotuses again! It’s true: ouds tend to be expensive. My favs are BK Pure Oud and Rose Oud. I’ve tried the Xerjoff Oud Mamlouk and it reminds me a lot of BK Back to Black. Haven’t tried the Byredos yet. Hope you’ll let us know next time which of the samples you liked best.
I hope it is okay to ask a question at this point, I am not sure about the “etiquette” in posting here!:-). The issue is as such: I have been in love with OJ Frangipani for a few months now, having ordered decants of Absolue, Parfum and lotion. Recently, I found Caswell Massey Rose (Signature Scent) for $10 at a discounter, and blindly bought it. When sprayed, it spells almost identical to OJ Frangipani! Can anyone else confirm this, and if so, what specific note do you think I am smelling? The dominant note seems similar on skin, not directly from the bottle. (Or maybe I have a magic bottle which sprays my favorite expensive parfum?!);-).
It’s always ok to ask a question, but I’m afraid you’re more likely to get answers if you post earlier in the poll just because more people will see your question. I haven’t smelled that scent so can’t help, sorry!
If you’re looking at notes, try the google custom search on this site–Robin lists many new releases when they come out so see if both of those fragrances have been listed. The other resource I would try is fragrantica which is fairly encyclopedic
I’ve been switching it up lately and wearing a few florals; I am not a floral fragrance person on the whole, my tastes generally leaning toward the dark, earthy, woody stuff in fall and winter and lighter, crisper woods, citrus, and musks in the summer. But something about a fresh, dewy floral – not too sweet, preferably non-powdered – just works beautifully on a bright spring day. (Go figure, right?) Last week I was knee-deep in Stella McCartney’s Stella, which suggests rose without broadcasting it in pink, shimmering waves, and has a nicely musky amber to ground it. And the nights are slowly getting more humid around here, which is when I plan to bust out some jasmine bombs. Lush Lust is on the backburner; such a fabulous scent, heady and raw, a guilty pleasure of mine. Eau Sauvage is next on my to-buy list – does that count as a floral?
Speaking of Lush, today I’m wearing Karma…as I did yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. I used to loathe the stuff; now I’m in a strange phase where I have to force myself to wear anything else. I carry the solid in my messenger bag, and halfway through the day, no matter what I’ve put on in the morning, I have an itch to put on Karma instead. (Is this how signature scents are born? The very concept terrifies me. I don’t like where this is going.)
I went through that for the first two winters of Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille – couldn’t make myself wear anything else. By the third winter though, I was back to normal.
Yesterday I went back to an antique/resale shop where I picked up Eau du Soir and Givenchy Organza last week to get the little bottle of Niki de Saint Phalle I passed up the first time. After reading the review of it I had been thinking about it all week. Luckily it was still there. Wore it today and I really like it. Also got a little bottle of Oscar de la Renta Volupte out of curiosity. Didn’t like it at first spray because it reminded me too much of Lolita Lempicka EDT, which smells like nothing but violet candy on me. I gave Volupte another shot, though, and I think it’s growing on me.
Also.. I just came *this close* (||) to getting my hands on a bottle of vintage Shalimar extrait on Ebay, but I got outbid within the last few seconds. Grr.
Grr indeed! It makes you want it even more!
Have you tried placing your bid through esnipe? It’s a site that doesn’t place your bid until the last few seconds of an ebay auction
No, I hadn’t heard of esnipe. Thanks for the tip! I’ll have to check that out and try it next time.
Wearing my much wanted Oppoponax which I finally sucked it up and ordered. I was hoping my sis could pick me up some 32 Rue Cambon when she was in Paris last summer, but when she called me from the Chanel store (Intimidated as hell, my sis makes me laugh. She’s a highly respected medical pro in her field and will happily spend 6 weeks traveling in Europe in countries where she can’t speak the language, with nothing but what she can carry in a Rick Steves backpack, but she’s afraid of the SA’s at Chanel, women just trying to make a living like all the rest of us. Such is the power of the Chanel mystique.), but it was even pricier there than it was to order it here. So, I guess that’s going to be my b-day request. Then I really need to go on a no buy for a while as I’ve purchased large bottles of 3 or 4 favorites in the last several months.
Great story about your sis!