Same old same old: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, your first perfume purchase of the year, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: image is Lotus Flowers - Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens [cropped] by Glyn Lowe Photoworks at flickr; some rights reserved.
Late to the party, but I wish all of you a Happy New Year and may a lot of perfume sniffs come around. I was so curious about the new Eau de Lacoste for women and could finally try it yesterday. Well………….. on paper strip it was a very nice scent, but on my skin everything went wrong. Fresh and a little sweet for a few moments, after that I got the same rotten flower scent as from the Aqua the gio scents.Must be skin chemistry, but alas money saved.
Sorry for the typo, I mean “rotten flower water scent”.
Yikes, that sounds nasty!
Oh, too bad!
Afternoon fellow fragrance enthusiasts!
I just couldn’t stop myself from sampling so I’m wearing like 8 different perfume today. The main one is Hermes Rose Ikebana. I got it in a sample swap last week so it was the high time to give it a try. Other scents on my arms are for example Byredo Mister Marvellous, Bois 1920 Vetiver Ambrato and few more.
This week I paid for my decant of Dior Oud Ispahan I ordered in December so I’m not counting it as my first 2013 purchase. I’m trying to hold off with buying perfume until later February – I want my first 2013 bottle to be a birthday bottle.
What do you think of the Rose Ikebana? Is it worth visiting Hermes to get a sample?
Hi Nancy!
I say Rose Ikebana is worth trying if ethereal, watercolor-like rose is what you’re after. This fragrance is very Ellena style.
Do you get the rhubarb note they talk about?
My nose didn’t notice it.
8 scents? You must smell interesting.
Oh, I ensure you I do smell interesting indeed. Each part of my forearm holds a different perfume. But I don’t remember which is where, haha…
When I am testing more than 2 scents at a time, I have to come up with some sort of system to remember which is which. One obvious way is to write it down. Another trick I will use is to put them on in alphabetical order from left to right.
Maybe writing down what is where will do the trick. Or maybe putting some marks on your skin in place of application?
Hi Lucasai,
I just wanted to write a small note of admiration — I always enjoy your posts and learn from them. I hope someday you’ll have a perfume column in a newspaper or magazine.
Have a nice weekend!
Thank you Jonette, so sweet of you. Oh, that would be an awesome thing. If any magazine redactor is reading it – I’m willing to cooperate!
I’m covered too! I’ve got 28 La Pausa on my right wrist, 31 Rue Cambon on the left, and No. 18 on my neck. I was hoping to figure out which I like best, but I’m loving all of them. There goes the wallet.
31 Rue Cambon… mmm you smell great.
Playing it safe today. Amouage Dia. I have the solid and while not potent , always pleasant. I’ve got the Le Labo oils to sample, perhaps later in the day. I rec’d my sample of Jour d’Hermès yesterday. Only meh on me. I don’t do well with white florals and one in particular that I have not been able to isolate as of yet.
I feel like my nose and brain are in kahoots against me. I can’t seem to throw the memory of a scent that doesn’t please me, even long after the “scrub”. I have been more critical than courious lately. World’s oldest Goldilocks!
I would like to hear a little bit more about Le Labo oils please! I’m curious about the brand but the only way for me to order it is to use Le Labo website or buy at decanting sites based in the US. Their shipping costs to Poland is really high.
Where are you in Poland? I might be able to bring you some things, I am supposed to come to a conference in Cracow in July. I realize it’s a rather big country…
I live in Leszno, Calypso. It’s a medium-sized city, halfway between Poznan and Wroclaw.
Really? That is SO sweet of you! You could just post them somewhere in Cracow and they would reach me in few days.
OK we have a while to plan, but you can write me at this address:
cfreeland9999 at yahoo dot com
Will do.
The Jour d’Hermes won’t even go the white flowers route on my skin type. I get raspy citrus with a hint of flowers on the periphery. Gave my sample to a friend who smelled like a lovely bouquet. Totally different.
Lys, I’ve been noticing your comments lately and I feel like we share a lot of the same tastes & opinions… Jour d’Hermes… while I recognize it as well-done, I don’t get flowers AT ALL. Just very nice citrus, admittedly very very very nice citrus, lemon and grapefruit, then white musk… Maybe there are some flowers in the middle but they’re barely recognizable as flowers, more like imaginary flowers. Hard to explain.
Yes, I noticed that a little too, maybe we’re scent twins. With very good taste. You’ll have to let me know then if you find some new releases that work really well for you.
Yes, exactly, imaginary flowers that appear on the periphery and disappear again. I was kind of discouraged that the Jour d’Hermes doesn’t work for me, but I get the sense that it doesn’t work for a bunch of other people.
I too get the citrus followed by white musk – no floral notes at all. As you say, it’s a quality fragrance, but it won’t replace my favorites. Shame.
The dog in your pic is adorable!
Regarding white flowers, I think a sample of Manoumalia scarred me for life,lol!
Oooh I love Manoumalia! That was the perfume that converted me from heady white flower hater to tuberose and indolic jasmine addict! 🙂
I adore Manoumalia (to the point of owning a FB), but I can definitely understand where you’re coming from.
SOTD iskander: reminiscent of Eau de Gloire at the start with a bit of citrus; dry down has a bit of iodine. Much prefer EdG from start to finish. Glad I got the Parfums d’Empire sample set last year – have enjoyed trying them and am still working through them.
Who has visited Osswald in NYC?
You smell great. Eau de Gloire is already in my collection and Iskander will be mine too shortly.
I was at Osswald this week for the first time as part of my daughter’s and my NYC perfume tour. We were both totally impressed by the perfume lines they carry. But more importantly, we had the most wonderful experience. The gentleman that helped us was so knowledgeable about the fragrances, gracious in allowing us to sniff many different scents in the perfume lines and made it the most enjoyable hour of perfume shopping we could have had. The store is contemporary in feel, but very comfortable and there was a place to sit and we appreciated the water we were offered. (Perfume shopping makes you thirsty!). I would highly recommend visiting Osswald if you are in NYC-even if it means forgoing another destination.
Good to know – that sounds wonderful!
Thanks for the insight, NancySG, were you able to get samples as well? I might even forgo B-G after reading your report!
We did get samples, both carded and some made in the store for us. We did make purchases , so I don’t know how readily you would get them without.
I made the mistake of sampling L’etat d’orange Like This, washing it off and then putting on Knize Ten. Something of Like This must have remained because the result was total STANK and gave me a headache. Even my cat wouldn’t come near and I had to wash the shirt I was wearing because some of it got on the sleeve. After a shower I put on a spritz of Ambres Merveilles to make it all better.
ELDO Tilda Swinton Like This was too sweet on me. I know a lot of people like it but it just did not work out for me. I’ve read somewhere that certain shampoos or body lotion can inadvertently produce ammonia if the ingredients of a 2nd product used contains a substance that reacts with the first one. We need a chemist (calling out for Lucas) to provide an explanation please.
Yes exactly. Tilda was very pretty in the beginning and then morphed into something that reminded me of an old fashioned vanity table with a chintz skirt and matching puffy stool. Thanks for your comment about noxious mixtures of things. It would be interesting to know more about that.
My first purchase of the year was Olfactive Studio’s Chambre Noire. I used up my little sample and am waiting for the FB to make it here to the U.S. Meanwhile I’m pondering the possible purchase (like the alliteration there?) of Santal Blush, which I tried recently, and it’s kind of been haunting me. I didn’t buy it because I have several sandalwood scents already. What do people think of the new Serge Lutens sandalwood? I like a lot of kinds of sandalwood fragrances. I have a decent sized decant (old) of Santal Mysore and also Santal Blanc, and I adore the MPT sandalwood… but hey a girl can’t have too much sandalwood can she?
That was meant to be “MPG” not “MPT”–didn’t proofread fast enough.
I ADORE Santal Blush, I feel like it creates an aura around the wearer. Amazing scent!
Nope, a girl can never have too many sandalwoods.
SOTD is Prada Amber. I am testing my samples of various Pradas with Amber in the name. In addition to this one, Pour Homme, Pour Homme Intense, L’Eau Ambre. So far, I like them all which doesn’t help my wallet…although I do have Christmas gift cards waiting to be used 🙂
… and about the first purchase of the year, since confession is good for the soul… 2 Guerlains — Spiritueuse Double Vanille and Iris Ganache. It is dangerous when one can simply walk to a retail establishment (SFA midtown NYC in this case) with yummy scent-offerings. I will try to restrain myself until my birthday in March.
Iris Ganache is discontinued therefore a purchase of necessity, and SDV is a great layering scent so you’re just adding value to the rest of your collection. See, no need for confession!
:-). Lys, what would you layer with SDV? It is already a strong scent by itself.
The Iris Ganache was a total impulse purchase in the sense that I heard it was discontinued and I figured what have I got to lose asking the SA if it was still available. Lo and behold, not only did they have a tester, they had at least one still available for purchase!
Anything that needs more vanilla and tonka! Truthfully I like SDV on its own but you can layer it with other Guerlains for sure, and I routinely layer it with Borneo (no, really!) when I want something that purrs instead of snarls (Borneo is so angular); I decanted a vial of my SDV and touch-apply it in layering situations so it isn’t overpowering like you said. I bet other people here have more creative combinations to offer b/c I always see people writing about layering SDV.
I am 10X more likely to buy something if I think it’s been discontinued.
Someone (I think on NST?) once suggested layering SDV with Bois de Paradis.
I have to try these layering suggestions. I am not familiar with Bois de Paradis and just looked it up…it sounds like something I should seek out!
I like to layer SDV with SL Fille en Aiguelle or Pd’E Wazamba. They’re both smoky woody pine scents and Kevin’s reviews of each are worth reading again. The combination smells like winter should, especially if you’re enjoying it in a cabin with a fireplace deep in the piney woods.
BdP is a great fruity-spicy-woody scent if you like that kind of thing! Luca Turin described it as like “piping hot sangria.”
Julia, SDV plus Wazamba sounds great! I think I’ll try that combo later today!
Thanks for your suggestions, Julia! I have Pd’E Wazamba from their wonderful sampling program and will try that combo. I will have to acquire a sample of SL Fille en Aiguelle the next time I visit Barneys.
I have added BdP to a wish list!
I’m looking forward to read your Prada amber report.
And huge congratulations on two new Guerlains. I’m hoping to try that Vanille one day. Iris Ganache is none of my worries because Ladymurasaki sent me a sample – it’s on it’s way to Poland.
Now…for something not scent-related.
I am looking for lunch suggestions – easily prepared either the night before or in the morning, low-sodium, meets most, if not all the food groups and doesn’t require reheating to be enjoyed. I can only eat so much Cheese/Lunch Meat sandwich with a side salad.
Thanks!
Gazpacho. Pasta salad with lots of veggies thrown in. How about a wrap instead of a regular sandwich? Then you could do something like leftover chicken with hummus and tabbouleh perhaps? I could make a meal out of marinated veggies and a hunk of bread. Sometimes appetizer recipes work well for a lunch I think. Nigella Lawson wraps up dried figs and goat cheese with prosciutto and I could totally make a meal out of those with a small salad. There are also some appetizer spreads that might work. You could put it in a container and bring some crackers or bread and you’re all set. It depends how healthy you want to be and how much you need to eat. I’m a small lunch kind of person so I can make a lunch out of almost anything. Okay, now I’m hungry.
When I was in grad school and didn’t have access to a microwave for lunch/dinner, I sometimes packed spaghetti and marinara sauce (made my own sauce). I prefer it heated, but I got so I liked it pretty well cold.
I also like cold roasted chicken, roasted broccoli and yams.
Oh–twice-baked potatoes with ground turkey and veggies in the mashed potatoes might be ok, too.
Finally, my former partner LOVED cold lo mein. He preferred it cold over heated. To reduce sodium, you could reduce the soy sauce or use low-sodium soy sauce.
Probably could think of more. . .
Thanks for the great ideas! I am off to the grocery and will get wraps or maybe pita rounds. Instead of guacomole (since one still has to “make” it), I will use slices.
The lo mein idea sounds great. Methinks that adding peanut butter will also make it more a cold dish.
Hajusuuri, this is a useful topic!
These days I am short of time and usually take one of the healthier frozen entrees, such as Organic Bistro, Amy’s or Kashi. (No affiliation. I read labels to find the lower sodium options.) With an insulated lunch carrier, I don’t even have to refrigerate it. I also take some easy to eat fresh fruits or vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, blue berries, etc., in ziplock bags, and the frozen entree keeps them fresh, too.
I used to make a brown rice salad with cooked chicken, kidney beans, corn, some minced garlic or green onion and some oive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, cumin and cayenne. One could vary it by adding other vegetables, use tuna instead of chicken, etc. You’d need a cold pack with that.
I also used to make chickpea curries, lentils and other stews and freeze portions in ziplock bags to take for lunch. I’d also cook a big pot of brown rice and freeze portions, too. I kept a pyrex dish in my office to microwave them in.
Oops, not noticing that you wanted things that did not need heating. I do like yoghurt with some peanut or almond butter as a dip for crackers and vegetables. You could add garlic and cumin if you like, or not. Also read recently about swirling peanut butter and jelly into yoghurt. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m imagining that would be good with graham or whole grain crackers. One could use berries instead of jelly, too.
Curried chicken salad (with lower fat sour cream replacing some proportion of the standard mayo. I like the taste and the vastly lowered calorie count) with lots of celery and raisins on a bed of mixed greens or spinach, some slivered almonds on top? Of course the post that gets my attention is about food! Now I’m hungry too.
(FWIW SOTD is Jasmin Rouge.)
Oh gosh…I still have a 5mL travel spray of Jasmin Rouge which I have not even tried. I got it last year as a freebie when I purchased Violet Blonde. Thanks for the reminder!
lol you’re welcome, altho it’s not doing it for me today. I think I like it in the spring/summer better. Also I only have a decant. That’s cool that they hooked you up with a “private collection” travel spray when you bought a mainstream-type TF.
Jasmin Rouge is supposed to layer with Santal Blush. Like a really pricey Samsara.
Since a couple of Tom Fords have already come up in the discussion… I wonder if anyone has tried Japon Noir, and can provide a description/impression? (I’m a sucker for anything with “Japan” in the name!)
I’ve never tried it, but have wanted to since reading this Perfume Shrine review of it.
http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/2011/04/tom-ford-private-blend-japon-noir.html
Oh! Shoulda known it was one of the discontinued ones! That review makes it sound even more enticing, though. Thanks for pointing it out to me, BG.
Hello Fearsmice
I botched the placement of my reply to your comment – it is somewhere down the column…I was sneaking round Japon Noir for weeks trying to decide if I must have it…and am sorry I did not buy it…see below
I got a decant from TPC, which I liked at first but ultimately not enough to have to buy.
Question – is anyone’s Neiman Marcus carrying Ramon Monegal in store?
Not mine, but mine barely carries anything. 😛
Mine neither.
Yes mine is in Houston, but the man there told me only three N-M stores in the country have it: I believe he said New York, Houston, and San Francisco, because they simply don’t make enough of the product to have it in wider distribution. I’m surprised they don’t have it in the Dallas store which is their home base, but I may be remembering the list wrong, or maybe we’re just a bigger perfume city. And they don’t have all of the offerings either. I had bought a bottle of Mon Patchouly on line (from Neiman’s) after trying several in decant size, but they didn’t have it in the store here. However my visit to the store did lead me to another purchase, Kiss My Name, which I also love.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure the SF store has the line.
Thanks guys, that’s helpful 🙂
Went on a end-of-Holidays-sales-race today and stumbled upon two unexpected half prize bargains: First the spectacularly cute
L’Artisan Christmas coffret (masculine version with Timbuktu, Fou d’Absinthe and Coeur de Vetiver Sacré). The female version was also on sale, I might go back for it… Then a new discovery: L’Occitane Labdanum de Seville, warm and embracing with nice spiciness. I fell in love completely.
Where was this sale? 🙂
Haven’t been there recently, but Neiman Marcus used to have great sales on their Christmas specials like the AG Noel room spray and fancy boxes of Claus Porto soaps.
1/2 price — I’m jealous, good for you!
Pretty sure the line that contained that Labdanum was discontinued, if you see another bottle you might want to grab it if you love it!
I have seen none of the other scents in the series here in Sweden before, so I assume this one is just passing by. I’ve been looking for the Immortelle Kevin appreciated so much, but no sign so far. Thanks for the hint!
Scent of the Day is MPG’s Tubereuse. Been craving this one lately, one of my faves. Thinking of putting on a little of the By Kilian tuberose (I can’t be bothered to remember the confusing names of all his fragrances) to do a side-by-side comparison of the two. I feel like they’re similarish but I can’t remember the Kilian that well.
And I can’t remember the MPG that well…going on memory, the MPG is more creamy/buttery?
The MPG is really green-tinged to me, but it is also creamy… One of the things I like about it is that it’s a balance of green/creamy, two different facets of tuberose. Haven’t pulled out the Beyond Love (HT to Elisa for remembering the name) sample yet to compare…
Beyond Love. 🙂 I always remember the name of that one because it was the first one I fell for from that line.
I like Beyond Love very, very much, but if memory serves it’s close enough to MPG Tubereuse that I wouldn’t need both (already owned the MPG when I first tried Beyond Love). I’d probably go for Liaisons Dangereuses instead if I had to pick a Kilian to buy.
I love the top notes of Liaisons D., but find the drydown a bit uninspiring. My other fave from the line is Sweet Redemption.
I got my Aedes samples today. Gonna re-test Interlude Man, which I really swooned over at first sniff. So far, it isn’t moving me as much as it did this summer. It is unusually cold today, and I’m wondering if that is playing a part in my preference.
Who’s got an opinion on Rubj? I tried it last night and I was wondering what the general consensus is on it.
I have a sample of the edp, and based on previous reviews and comments, I was expecting a total sex-bomb. Not sure that was the sense I got from it. It is certainly cumin-dominant, but that isn’t translating into “sexy” for me. It’s been left in the “I dunno” category–worth retrying since it’s so complex, but I’m not sure it suits me.
“I dunno” about it either. It smelled like my deodorant wasn’t working. It was very sweaty on me. Floral sweat. I’m not a cumin hater either but I’m not sure about this stuff. The initial floral burst was wonderful, then came the sweaty body parts. I’m going to test it again because I found it more of a challenge than a scrubber if that makes any sense. Now that I know what to expect I’m wondering if the next try will smell better to me. Is there a difference between smelling sexy and smelling like you just had sex?
Yes. I definitely think there’s a difference between smelling sexy and like you just had sex! 😀 I can see how it turned sweaty. I’m not sure I applied enough to get that effect, but I tend to be sort of hesitant about cumin scents, as a general rule. I’m warming to Rochas Femme, but I don’t own even a decant of any cumin scents at this point–only samples which get occasional reapplication and consideration.
I love Femme.
Have a sample which still waits for its sampling time.
It raises eyebrows – and isn´t one of the joys of wearing perfume???
Gorgeous.
*that …. one of the joys (Bedtime here in Austria – yawn)
You make a good point.
Rubj is great, honestly! I did not get it at once, but now it is on my list to buy as soon as I can. I really like this type of love, not from the first sniff but the one that gets stronger with time. Also I find this review helpful and to the point http://boisdejasmin.com/2012/03/vero-profumo-rubj-perfume-review.html
Rubj EDP was a scrubber on me, but not because it was too sweaty or cumin-y or any of the usual objections I’ve read (I wish it *had* been sweaty and cumin-y, because I love that effect). I’m at a loss to describe it exactly, but the (amazingly persistent) drydown almost smelled like a harsh, cheap woody-spicy masculine. And I didn’t get any florals, except for the barest hint of generic white blossoms in the heart notes. I was expecting a lush indolic white-floral sex bomb, and got the exact opposite. Bummer, especially since I love Onda and Mito.
Still want to try the Rubj extrait, though, and I might revisit my sample of the EDP at some point just in case the stars were way out of whack that day, or something.
As many of you know, I had a tough holiday season–with the 1 year anniversary of my brother passing away suddenly. It had me thinking about scents that feel right when you’re really mourning. Sometimes I want a pick-me-up, but this time around, cheerful scents sometimes felt like I was trying to force something I wasn’t feeling.
So, what do you wear when you really need to accept that you’re in a tough spot? Do you ever opt for a mournful scent? What kinds of scents do you find contemplative and comforting?
So sorry, that really is tough. I don’t think I ever purposely pick mournful scents, but I definitely pick contemplative scents sometimes, which for me is often something woody/incense. Been wishing for a bottle of CdG Kyoto lately — it’s both contemplative & uplifting, I think. Meantime, been wearing a lot of my new Aftelier Ancient Resins, & also coming to mind: Diptyque Tam Dao.
Yeah, I suspect incense will be a theme. I have a newer bottle of Parfum Sacre, which I reached for a couple of times. I need to go back to the CDG incense line–I sniffed them when I was really a newbie and my tastes were pretty simple. I suspect I will find more in them at another go around.
This year Christmas sucked. No other way to put it. I found myself reaching for incense fragrances which seem to help calm my nerves a little. No matter how happy the scent I don’t think anything would have improved my mood. Sometimes warm and cozy gourmands help. Basically I like the fragrances that make me feel like I’m curled up in a warm and cozy blanket, like a fragrant hug.
My curled-up-in-a-warm-blanket-in-front-of-a-crackling-fire scent is Shiseido Zen (black bottle).
Poodle, that’s a perfect description: curled up in a warm and cozy blanket, like a fragrant hug.
Marjorie Rose, You have my belated condolences and a big hug. This was the worst Christmas in my whole life. My son became an unsolved homicide victim last February. It feels like my grief will go on forever. I spent the whole holiday season with flu or some horrid virus that lasted six weeks (I have an auto-immune disorder, so it’s hard to shake off things). I was housebound nearly all the time, had the blues thinking about my son and all the people I’ve loved and lost over the years who can’t ever share Christmases again. My go-to comfort scent is Aqaba by Miriam Mirani. It helps me to sleep and calms me down on tough days. I truly believe it induces good dreams. My comfort sleep scent for ‘normal’ times is Lalique Amethyst, but Aqaba helps me cope with stress and blues. It’s almost like Rescue Remedy for the skin.
Here’s to a better year!
Oh sweetie, my thoughts are with you. That’s awful. I’ve had nothing but bad news and sickness here too so know that you’re not alone. The holidays are supposed to be happy but some years it just seems that they amplify the sadness.
Oh, Jonette! My heart goes out to you. It is so hard when there are so many unanswered questions, isn’t it? My brother’s death was not simple (and was rather horrible, so I won’t go into detail for all the universe to read), and it is that sense of the unresolved that keeps the sadness so fresh.
Coincidentally, I *also* have an autoimmune disease, and I got tonsillitis over break. I’m still feeling really tired, although my throat feels better. Being sick makes it that much harder to deal, doesn’t it?
*fragrant hugs*
Jonette – So sorry for the loss of your son. My Christmas was also my worst… in the process of ending a 20 year marriage. Sending prayers your way for restored health and some comfort in memories of your son.
Oh shoot. 20 years? My last LTR was 10 years, and while the ending of things was hard, I couldn’t believe how much easier things were once it was over! I hope you eventually find it to be a positive change.
Holidays can be so hard, though, huh? I’m still figuring out what I do on my own for Christmas and New Years and such. On the other hand, I only have myself to buy presents for, so there’s been a lot more perfume in my life!
Thanks so much for your thoughts Marjorie Rose. Yes… will be very glad to be through with it all and looking back on it from a long distance hence (wishing my life away again!). For now, I’m hoping for my boys to make a quick adjustment with a minimum amout of pain and am enjoying planning colors and decor for my new (much smaller) house.
Here’s wishing all of us a fabulous holiday season next year (and of course the months in between would nice, as well).
P.S. Am definitely in favor of buying one’s self the perfect perfumed gift anytime of year. Current lemmings are Agonist Black Amber and SMN Potpourri… now if only my finances will allow going forward ; )
Thank you, AnnJune, for your comforting words.
I’m so sorry about your own difficult times. Twenty years! That’s a long time to be connected, whether good or bad. My ex-husband and I had a very acrimonious divorce over thirty years ago. He passed away a couple of years ago. We managed to be on reasonably good terms at the end of his life. Now all I can recall most clearly are the good memories. With everyone I’ve lost or broken with, I’ve discovered I can select the memories that I like and replay them in my head, like watching home movies.
I wish you strength in coping. Let this be a good year!
Hugs!
Oh my god. I’m soooo very sorry for your loss, Jonette. May I ask, is the adorable kitten in your gravatar yours? I have a Siamese too, and find her to be a great comfort in hard times.
When I’m feeling down I sometimes rub Mysore sandalwood oil on my temples and put a little on my breastbone at the heart point.
So sorry that it is still painful, Marjoire Rose. Although I do not have a specific perfume to recommend, I imagine incense or tea-based scents would be comforting.
I think I’d reach for a warm and round scent, with green accents if it was in the summer time. Chanel Egoiste comes to mind at this time of the year, or a comfortable amber.
I’ve also found Donna Karan Chaos to be a “up”-scent, not exactly cheerful but helping me to feel composed.
I’m sorry some of you are going through tough times. I’ve had a pretty rotten couple of years but I remain hopeful for better times. Wishing you all the best, ladies, hang in there.
I find that this hobby and interacting with fellow perfumistas can offer some welcome distraction and relief. I’ve always found Jicky very comforting – the lavender and vanilla combination is soft, unobtrusive and timeless.
I’m so sorry to hear about your losses girls, especially the circumstances in which they occurred. I lost my best friend- the only one who really got me- 3 years ago, and I still miss her everyday. It’s a show of strength of the human spirit though how we still do manage to survive the pain and to find joy in simple pleasures. I haven’t been responding to these blogs until recently but have been reading them for over 2 yrs and it sounds crazy but perfume (it’s memories and associations and the feelings it evokes) and the perfume community (all you guys!!) have really been a big help in my ability to love life 🙂
When I want comfort I choose the warm snuggly scents of which there are many. Lyric I choose when I want the feeling if having a friend with me who doesn’t feel the need to talk. When I want to be alone in my thoughts and feelings, I go to the scents that evoke the spaces I’d like to be in. Maybe it’s because I’m an earth sign, but for me that place is an open field or dense cool bushland, and i choose vetivers (persona by abdes salaam attar is my fave), or earthy nature smells like
Yatagan or sometimes Bandit (maybe that’s more of a leave me alone scent :-/ )
My heart hurts for you, Marjorie Rose, and Jonette, and all you others who are grieving. I lost my auntie on Christmas Day ten years ago, any my father-in-law just before Christmas 2011; although I still love this season, their absence, together with that of other loved ones, always adds great poignancy. I am comforted by vanilla and incense, but also by wearing the perfumes that I associate with them, like my auntie’s favourite or the Samsara I always wore when visiting my dad-in-law. The familiar scents bring them a little closer to me and heightens the memories.
My thoughts are with you all.
The emotional effects of fume is quite personal. Incense and vanilla are themes that come up often. Since I have chronic depression compounded by an anxiety disorder I used to buy many perfumes with the hope they would help. If others found something soothing I would try it – see how it could be soothing – and, if I liked it I would buy; and the buying itself of course would give me a quick (but expensive) lift. Oriental-gourmand and incenses predominate in my collection. Also, in aromatherapy rose is said to be good for depression, so I have quite a few roses.
I like all these frags, and the pleasure of any enjoyable scent can make me happier – but – when I hit a real low many of them are ineffective, and some even make it worse. Kyoto, for me, adds a whole extra dimension to a depression, once it has already set in! The dry woodiness of it is very bleak to me, when I am in such a mood.
I had POAL on, recently, liking its depth, refinement and complexity. But, when I suddenly tipped into a mood episode this complexity became grating.
Evening Edged in Gold is a joyous scent to me, so if I’m just a little down it can make me happy. And if I’m wearing it and my mood plunges, it doesn’t aggravate me either, it just sort of disappears from consciousness.
But, 60 bottles of perfume down the road I did find something that works quite well for me: Chergui. Chergui seems to ‘hold’ and soothe me. It is sufficiently engaging without being too complex. So that one turned out to be my answer.
Sorry to go on so long, but hopefully my experiments and thoughts about it will help one of you in your journey…
Thank you for your comments, Merlin! I know this is a tough topic, and I hesitated to bring it up. However, I know that it is pretty common, too, and I’ve never felt like it did anyone any good to pretend you are well when you aren’t! It’s not that I don’t have moments of joy and contentedness these days–of course I do–but there’s this heaviness that sits with me as I process. I suspect the only way around it is through it, and I have a feeling that perfume can be part of that.
Chergui has been on my “to sniff” list for a long time. I guess I’d better put it closer to the top of the list. I’ve noticed that we can have some very similar tastes. 🙂
It’s interesting about vanilla and incense being themes, though. Most of the scents mentioned in this thread have one or the other. I like spicy scents, in general, but I think adding incense darkens them. Vanilla can go either way to me–soft and contemplative or bright and cheery. I admit, I’m not often reaching for bright and cheery much this winter!
I’m sorry i don’t have decant equipment or I’d send you a sample! I actually went through a few samples before I became ‘addicted’:)
i can see why some people find incense calming, given all the spiritual connections, and for the same reason, I suppose it *should* be grounding. Perhaps it is often just too serious for me?
Vanilla does come in different ‘moods’ and I think the brighter varieties are probably better suited to summer, regardless of how one is feeling! I think Chergui works for me because it has an expansive quality, while still being soft. Others can be either brash or somehow too inward and introspective, like maybe Kenzo’s Amour.
In any case, I hope the periods of cheer and contentment lengthen and the sadder ones become less heavy; both for you and others on this thread!
So sad to read about all the tough things people are going through. My own troubles are insignificant in comparison, but there is one scent I wear when I want to match, rather than lift my wistful mood – Bois des Iles. To me, it is melancholy and beautiful and works when I feel that there is no point to force myself into being cheerful.
My more traditional comfort scents are Lumiere Blanche by Olfactive Studio and SSS Forest Walk. Laurie’s Incense Pure would also fit, I think.
I hope this new year will bring closure and joy to you all.
Love BdI! That’s a good thought. Someone mentioned sandalwood above. I do feel that there’s something thoughtful about BdI, but it also sparkles a bit, which lifts the mood for me a bit. But it’s not pushy, as you say. I will have to find my decant–it’s probably still in the moving box.
Marjorie Rose, Jonette, and AnnJune — I’m so sorry to hear about what you’re all going through. This perfume suggestion seems trivial in the face of your struggles, but that being said, osmanthus perfumes always seem uplifting to me. The Different Company Osmanthus is probably my favorite, but Parfum d’Empire Osmanthus Interdite and Hove Tea Olive are nice, too. (I know a lot of folks like Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan, but I could barely smell it on the strip!)
Oh my goodness! Growing up, my go-to place for comfort and reflection was the Botanical Gardens. They had an Osmanthus Fragrans tree in their greenhouse area, and I LOVED the way it smelled! I’m trying to find one for my garden and hope it can survive the Dutch climate. Thank you for your suggestions — I’ve got to hunt these down.
You’re welcome, Jonette! I can only imagine what real osmanthus flowers must smell like. I hope you find an enjoyable substitute among those perfumes.
I also find osmanthus to be a happy scent – Osmanthus Interdite is lovely, and Evening Edged in Gold is also an osmanthus scent, made richer with saffron and other flowers. I would say EEiG is on the opposite side of the spectrum to Osmanthus Yunnan, which from the tiny bit I tested seemed quite dry and rather thin. EEiG is full bodied, even fruity!
I’m trying to decide on tonight’s SOTE. I really fancy a spritz of Andy Tauer’s Incense Rosé because I found myself unexpectedly enamoured with it but I fear that if I use up my sample too quickly I’ll have to then start saving up for a FB. What’s a girl to do?
Win the lottery! 😉
Ah, yes, that’s be good!
Maybe limit yourself to a single spritz in your hair or on your clothes? Andy’s scents are so tenacious, I find I don’t *need* all that much (although I LOVE a full 5-spray Une Rose Cypree bath)!
Condolences for your loss Marjorie Rose. Serge Lutens’ “De Profundis” would be a good mourning fragrance.
Yup, I gave in the end. I don’t wear scent on skin anyway and, as you say, a little spritz on the jumper will last a good couple of days.
I’ve been craving that one lately too. It’s gotten bumped up a few places on my “to buy” list.
There’s something very…affable about it and I say it as someone who’s usually quite indifferent to both incense and rose scents.
Incense Rose *was* at the top of my Tauer shopping list, but then his Decennial Lys du Desert came along. (But since I bought a FB of Lys du Desert with my Christmas money, I guess Incense Rose is back on top?)
I am trying a side-by-side comparison of Neela Vermeire Mohur and Parfums de Rosine Poussiere de Rose. My sniffer is still not working quite up to par (this respiratory bug is tenacious), but I find them very similar. If you like Mohur but find the price a bit steep, you might check out the PdR, which is about half the price.
PdR reminds me of a rosier version of Feminite du Bois.
Both PdR and Mohur have hints of FdB, with the cedar and spices, but for me at least, FdB is much heavier on the cedar, and I really don’t detect any rose at all, although it may very well be there.
Oh, that is well spotted! I didn’t pick it up at all when I first smelled PdR (I have just received my Rosine samples), but now I notice that the similarity with Mohur is indeed there. Still, I think Mohur would be difficult to replace, as it is more complex and despite this similarity, pretty unique.
And as I have now FdB and PdR next to each other on my arm, I can report that to my nose, the first is much denser, spicier and woodier and yes, entirely rose-less 🙂
I don’t smell rose in FdB either. I should have said “FdB with rose” instead of rosier. I agree it’s also less dense — but same basic structure.
Who here is on pinterest? I’m addicted, helps me keep perfume notes/ love/ to trys in order. I’d love to look at your boards if you put a link for me. I am-
http://pinterest.com/mylogicsaysburn/
I’m on Pinterest. I have a perfume board but it’s not particularly organized..lol
http://pinterest.com/countessj/
My best scented discovery lately is 2 wonderfully scented natural lotions. Spice Island ayurvedic nourishing lotion jasmine oil- and Kiss my Face peaceful patchouli- both leave a good amount of fragrance with you after soaking into skin- they are great for layering with perfume. Does anyone know of a natural, well scented rose lotion? Or a natural well scented Incense (Frankincense, Myrrh or Sandalwood) scented lotion?
Hi Valkyrie, the Kiss My Face lotion sounds great – and is probably easy to find… and reasonably priced, too. thanks for the idea,
Yeah I got a 16 oz bottle at Earth Fare for $9.50 on sale!
How timely! I personally don’t use scented lotions…however, I am a soap junkie. Nubian Heritage has Raw Shea Butter with Frankincense & Myrrh. My local Wegmans grocery carries the Nubian Heritage line but unfortunately, that was the one soap bar that was out of stock so while I have not tried it myself, it could be what you are looking for! The other items available with these ingredients include hand cream, body lotion, shampoo and body cream.
Another request for opinions–thoughts on Alexander McQueen Kingdom? Just put it on (from a sample) for the first time and find it startlingly familiar. Can’t quite place where or on whom I might have smelled it (and frankly it seems a bit more daring than I can imagine most of my friends going for!*) Is there something else, perhaps more widely worn, with which Kingdom might share some traits (and thus a connection in my brain), or is someone I know secretly doing a bit of fragrant thrill-seeking? 🙂
(*Daring’s relative of course; can imagine some people here may not see Kingdom as all that crazy! I’m thinking, daring at least from POV of l’Eau d’Issey or Jo Malone Wild Bluebells wearers.)
I get a cumin note (the celery seed?) from Kingdom and it frequently reminds me of ambrette. My Chanel No. 18 has a similar vibe – love it!
Ah, cool, good to know–I think I sniffed No. 18 at some point but it must have only been on paper as I have neither notes nor much recollection of it. I’ll make a point to seek it out! Thank you!
As for cumin, yeah I’d heard that something people get, and sometimes object to, in Kingdom. I almost worry that there’s something I can’t quite smell, because in this as in other cumin scents (I’m thinking especially of Serge Fleurs d’oranger), I don’t find it objectionably sweaty at all. Am I missing something that will make other people think I smell sorta disgusting? 🙂
Hello from SoCal where it is stunningly sunny but cold 🙂 My husband and I went for a walk in Laguna Beach this morning and as a result we smell slightly of sea breeze…
My first purchase of 2013 was Datura Noir. I’ve since bought Mirabella and 31 Rue Cambon. I bought 31RC in Heathrow T3 as requested by my daugther. I can’t wear the scent but she loves it. I’m in Mirabella today. Mmmmm 🙂
Oh, I almost forgot! I also bought a bottle of Gourmand Coquin. My daugther has a bottle, but I just had to get one for myself.
Hi darling! Glad to see you reporting from California!
I heard about the cold in SoCal — a view of snow capped mountains according to the radio reports! I hope you are enjoying your stay. You smell good!
As always, you smell amazing. Enjoy SoCal! Any chance that you’ll be stopping by the Scent Bar in LA?
I owe you a HUGE thank you — you don’t know it, but you changed my life with a post last June! You recommended organic tamanu oil for eczema. I tried it for the terrible psoriasis I developed after my Prednisone use. It helped a bit, but the folder recommended borage oil as an alternative. That has almost completely eliminated the unsightly psoriasis that covered my legs and parts of my body. I still have tiny patches on my elbows, but alternating these two oils keeps them under control. Thank you so very much! Oh, and the advice for ‘organic’ was spot on! I mistakenly bought ‘biological’, which wasn’t the same. Organic works!
Thank you a million times over!
PS — my thank you was directed to Lady Murasaki.
Peculiar day today. I just colored my hair lighter than I have had it in 30 years–a gorgeous peachy-red-blonde and I have it pinned up and back on the sides behind my ears leaving the shorter layers to escape and curl. As I am doing my hair this morning I got the urge to smell my old stand-by of more than 30 years-Anais Anais. Then I do a black liner on the lower lid and corners and stain my lips red. As I pass by the mirror I get a deja-vu feeling and then my husband says–you look like a photo I saw of you when you were 20…So I start searching for said photo and when I found it I let out a yelp that made the cats freak out! There I was with apricot hair pulled up and back on the sides a few curls for bangs, undoubtibly wearing Anais Anais, with black lined eyes and red lips at age 20! 30 years ago! And I turned the photo over and the date read: 1/12/83! So, a touch of foundation mousse mixed with a dab of Noxzema ( my own idea of BB cream that I have been doing since I started wearing makeup) and I am out the door, feeling oddly young and revitalized…
Too funny – the more things change the more they stay the same. Congrats on your “new” look.
I so enjoyed reading this! You go, girl!
I absolutely adore that hair color, I bet you look stunning. And you tell good stories, so it’s a double win.
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
Good for you. I love the hair color.
SOTD: SL Borneo. It’s a gray dreary and muggy day. I feel “primitive” today!
This has been my season for exploring vanilla, a note that I was convinced I hated because so many of the mainstream versions are gooey. My first purchases of the year were full bottles of the Mona di Orio and Farmacia SS Annunziata versions. I want to try layering a dark, dry adult vanilla with a really feral jasmine. I want to create the evil twin of mainstream jasnilla. Has anyone here done this before or have any recommendations for the candidates? For that matter, is there a scent like this already out there?
My HG adult vanilla is Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille. No jasmine in it though. I’d recommend going to the auction site though and buying some vintage Guerlain Samsara (clear bottle) – a gorgeous jasmine with a sandalwood/vanilla base.
Is anyone on New Year’s resolutions to ‘use more, buy less, enjoy what I’ve got’? It’s mid-January: how are we going? I’ve been enjoying some of my under-used perfumes. Penhaligon’s Amaranthine yesterday. Chanel No 5 EDP the day before.
It’s killing me. I want to buy something soooo bad. That’s the problem with Christmas shopping, I get in a spending mode that’s hard to get out of. But I have resisted the urge so far. That’s not saying much since its only what, 12 days into the year.
You are doing great! Be strong poodle! I know how you feel. Just a teeny sample order, I say to myself, won’t hurt? But I’m holding to my resolution … so far …
Definitely! I’ve realized that it’s ridiculous to buy another bottle to join the crowd of unused bottles! I can’t get to what I own now. Funnily enough, I’m not even tempted anymore, although with that said, I’m going to buy a bottle of the new SSS cocoa/sandalwood natural coming out.
Me too, I’m anxiously waiting those releases. SSS is a house to which I give priority, whatever the state of my conscience and budget!
Supporting Laurie and her beautiful fragrances seems to be on a different level than throwing money at the big perfume conglomerates.
I agree. I even plan to try the new one, despite being afraid of the cocoa… Have been wearing Tabac Aurea a lot lately, it works well in the cold (it’s -10C here).
I love Laurie’s scents so add me to the list of people waiting for the new release.
Annikky – the cocoa is dry, not foody and doesn’t stick around very long. And like all of Laurie’s scents, this one is so well blended that the cocoa melds beautifully with the other notes. This will be my first cocoa fragrance, and I was surprised at how much I loved it (I was a tester, which is how I know what it smells like).
I actually found a FB of something I forgot I owned when doing my new year version of spring cleaning. 😀
Oh well done!
Is it advisable to add a favorite fragrance to your laundry’s last rinse in the washing machine? Would it be a waste of a good thing or could you ruin your clothes?
I don’t think it would ruin your clothes but it might not be effective. The scent may just wash out with the water. However, a commenter on Bois de Jasmin the other day said she washes silk scarves by hand and adds perfume to the final rinse. She says it works beautifully.
I have tried the trick of adding a perfume-spritzed piece of cloth to the drier. I got a beautifully scented laundry, but that’s all. The perfume went into the atmosphere and not on to the clothes. Darn!
I do floral waters like rose or lavender in the dryer, but I spray directly on the clothes not on the dryer.
I used to do this when I had a laundry with room for a dryer :-/ I found the only thing that worked was sandalwood essential oil. I put it on a hanky and found that if the hanky was wettish too it worked better.
I do though use the sticks from empty oil diffusers and put them in my linen cupboard (not against the fabric when still oily though) and my sheets and towels smell great for ages!
Lovely ideas, thanks!
If you dry your clothes in the dryer, the heat of the dryer will destroy most of the fragrance. The fragrances molecules in laundry detergent and fabric softeners are designed to withstand the heat, whereas fine fragrances are not. If you let your clothes air dry, then it might work better. The fiber content of your clothes may play a role as well, as natural fibers seem to absorb scent better than synthetics.
Ah yes, I see. I only tried it once and realised it was not worth bothering with.
Oh, before I forget. I didn’t get to say anything about foods, etc. during the holiday lazy weekend polls, so I’ll do it now.
I have fallen madly in love with fresh cream cheese with little pieces of ginger — the cheese shops here sell it that way and it is heavenly!
I’ve been eating lychees and think a good lychee is almost like edible perfume. Which makes me wonder if any fragrances use a lychee note?
MMMmmmm! Love lychees! I don’t recall a scent with a lychee note, but I’d *want* it to include some ginger and maybe some tropical flowers, to recall my time in Madagascar, where I first tried them!
Fragrantica is often good for things like your lychee query:
http://www.fragrantica.com/notes/Litchi-194.html
Note the variant spelling: ‘litchi’
I can only think of that Guerlain, Nuit d’Amour which is a powdery rose vanilla with fruity lychee in the top. I really like it actually but the lychee fuses with the rose floral so not really a true lychee scent. Also there was a Kenzo with lychee but can’t remember the one …
Totally agree that the smell of litchees is like a perfume – this is a great question! Do they use candied ginger in the cream cheese, or what?
What We Do In Paris Is Secret by a Lab on Fire is a cuddly incense vanilla with lychee and rose.
Hi, everyone! SOTD was Tabac Aurea, SOTE is Ormonde Jayne. I mislaid my OJ sample set when moving to a new apartment and it miraculously resurfaced today. So of course, I needed to celebrate by wearing something Ormonde. I never would have thought I was a foresty-mossy kind of girl, but have fallen hard for both OJ Woman and SSS Forest Walk.
I never waste an opportunity to take advantage of your knowledge, so where would you recommend starting with DSH Perfumes? The huge choice can be a little daunting… I have already noted Tubereuse and the YSL- collection (thanks to Elisa), but all additions are most welcome.
I really think it depends on what notes/scent types you like. I have tried dozens of the DSH scents, and have found a few that I love, quite a few that I like, and many that I did not care for at all. If you like OJ Woman, you might want to try DSH Pandora, which has some of that same foresty-mossy-chypre vibe. Of all the DSH scents I have tried, it is my absolute favorite.
I thought of writing down some things I like but honestly, in this mad sampling stage I seem to like almost everything and former hates turn into likes and then loves with alarming speed. So I am open to try anything that people consider well done and interesting. But trying to be helpful, some things I enjoy: leather, iris, violet, big white florals, all woods, non-foody spices (especially cardamom). Immortelle is probably the only note I haven’t enjoyed in any setting an gourmand can be tough. I love Fracas, Feminite du Bois, Trayee, Cuir de Russie
Oh, sorry, my iPad is killing me. I was nearly finished anyway, just wanted to add Iris Silver Mist and then I really needed to stop. And I of course meant to say “and gourmands can be tough”.
And I forgot to thank you – clearly, I am having a less-than-optimum evening. Thanks, Pandora sounds great.
My favorite DSH unfortunately does not appear to be available anymore. I have a sample of Ceylon that I bought a few years ago, and I regret not buying a larger amount. It is a sweet tea scent–heavy on notes of honey, fresh orange peel, and plenty spicy cinnamon and cardamom. Maybe too gourmandey for you, but worth a try if it ever reappears.
I one a small bottle of Cuir et Champignon, which I find a nice, earthy scent. It only lasts a few hours, though, and I should note it’s the only scent that my current fella admits to disliking. So, I don’t wear it all that often!
Enjoy your sampling! I don’t get into those must-sample-everything modes too often, but it can be really fun to fall into once in a while!
Thank you, Marjorie Rose! I am still pretty new to all this, so I fully expect this frenzy to calm down in the future. Don’t really have a plan if it doesn’t… Sampling is certainly fun and very enlightening and has kept me from hasty FB purchases.
It’s hard to go wrong with DSH. Some of my favorites are Jitterbug (glorious warm spiciness), Oeillets Rouges (spicy carnations), Poivre (warmth in a bottle), Pandora (defies brief explanation), Vintage Patchouly (if you’re into patch), Fleur d’Oranger (rich orange blossom), Vert Pour Madame (retro green chypre), and Le Smoking (another awesome green chypre; part of the YSL collection). Mirabella is on my wish list, too (fruity-spicy chypre). Happy sniffing!
Emily, I seriously appreciate this, thank you. Even if all her scents are wonderful, I need to make a selection somehow (simply cannot afford to sniff everything at once) and NST favourites seems like a good place to start.
Unseasonably warm here in VA. My SOTM was Hermes Iris, and my SOTA is Ineke’s Evening Edged in Gold. I probably won’t bother with a SOTE; we’re making Indian food tonight and our tiny house will be aromatic enough!
I should get out Hiris, too – it would be perfect for the foggy, unnaturally warm weather we are having in the DC area.
I’m wearing Les Nez Turtle Vetiver Back. It’s really interesting. To me, it turns vetiver into a sort of natural incense for contemplation or just relaxing. I think it’s supposed to have violet, but I’m not really noticing that as a separate note. I also have Front, which is softer, and I do notice the coconut note in that. I missed the first Turtle Vetiver, but I like Front and Back so much that I’ll probably keep buying each edition of this perfume art project.
Can you detect the mimosa?
To be honest, I don’t experience it as the notes or description on LuckyScent. The ionones and mimosa must be there, but it’s like the way wine doesn’t taste like grapes, but rather something new.
Oh, I was hoping someone would have a description of Turtle Vetiver Back! It sounds great — not what I would have expected, based on the Luckyscent description.
I’m revisiting my sample of Field Notes from Paris today. I didn’t love it as much as I expected to at first, but we’ll see.
I love Field Notes. I was pretty sure I’d like it when I got the sample set. Oddly enough I thought I’d like Evening Edged in Gold too but that one didn’t work for me at all. I find Field Notes to be very calming to me.
Re Japon Noir. Marvellous heart notes and dry down. Lasts forever. Dark, graceful, addictive.
I had problems with the Top Notes, I remember. On me they came out queerly and nauseating like 4711 cologne for 20 minutes and the transition to the heart notes didn’t go well either. I never bought it because of this and now am sorry as it is discontinued.
Hi, ad — thanks for your comments on the Japon Noir. Doubt I’ll ever get to smell it but it’s nice to know that someone has fond memories of it!
I bought a bottle of Bakir (Long Lost Perfumes/ Irma Shorell(Norell?) and another of Lalique Encre Noire pour Elle unresearched and dirt cheap from a discounter. I do not know what to make of Bakir. It is blasting me flat and I have problems seeing the oriental in there. Does anybody have a comparison with the true stuff? Online intelligence says it is not so far away from the original.
Encre Noir pour Elle is a riddle, too. Headlong into a jar of snow white Nivea creme. Noir it is certainly not, for goodness sake.
In the spirit of the lovely header photo – does anyone have a favorite lotus fragrance? I’ve tried a few but, so far, no winners.
One of the Grossmiths has lotus – I think it’s Hasu-No-Hana. There’s a lot more going on, but I thought it was interesting.
I just tried the Rosine called Lotus Rose a few days ago, and thought it was rather nice! Could be worth trying if you wouldn’t mind your lotus mingled with rose. (Actually it strikes me as a good Rosine even for someone who might not be too into rose; it’s quite mild. But admittedly it’s still not a lotus soliflore.)
I’m testing La Via del Profumo’s Gipsy Queen. I really like it, and apropos of our patchouli conversation on the Mistral Patchouli review, this is REAL patchouli and lots of it!
I’ve been meaning to check out the La Via del Profumo line — will keep this one in mind, since I do love me some patch.
Good to know. I have a sample that I’ve been meaning to try, and patch is so good for winter.
I think you’ll both like GIpsy Queen. I also tried Holy Water, a very nice, but rather basic sandalwood scent and Tawaf – lotsa jasmine! I need to try them both some more. I own Mecca Balsam and love it. So far none of the new samples have lived up to that one (i.e. *need* a FB).
Wearing an Yves Rocher Noix de Coco (coconut) EDT my mom gave me for Christmas. It’s a nice cozy one, and there’s a lotion with the same scent that’s lovely too.
Hello my fellow perfume lovers. Or like I prefer to say my heavenly scented friends. I have two problems that I want to solve. So I live in the Netherlands and have a Turkish origin and I want to apologize already for my English if I am typing it wrong or using other words.
The two problems are about two different perfumes. I just cant find nowhere in the Netherlands the Prada Infusion d’Iris Absolu. I love an iris fragrance and want to smell this too. The second perfume is the famous Rochas Femme. I never by perfume before I tested it and really I tried every store that I know who sells perfume.
I dont know what to do. Could someone please help me?
Fatih, the best recomedation that I have for you to send a message to Victoria, the fragrant goddess who writes the blog, boisdejasmin. She lives in Belgium and her weekend post this weeks is on recommending perfume. I am sure that she or one of her lovely readers will have some good advice for you.
If you head over to the Perfume Posse blog, the perfume fairy godmothers of the world are granting fragrant wishes as I write this… 🙂
Hi,
Here are a couple of links for you.
http://www.parfumerie.nl/zoek-op-merk/prada.html (They might be able to order the Absolu for you. I find their shop assistants very helpful. They also sell inexpensive samples of many fragrances and have a great many testers. They’re in Amsterdam and have a webshop.
I’ve also ordered perfumes from here:
http://www.topparfumerie.nl/Prada/PRADA-INFUSION-DIRIS-c-8-b-39655.html
If you’re looking for ‘something different’, I can strongly recommend you check out Dany Diop in the Spiegelstraat or Spiegelgracht in Amsterdam. Dany (a man) is an incredible fountain of knowledge and perfumista and carries some wonderful hard-to-find scents. I buy all my Montales from him. But he really knows perfume and loves to talk about it.
Good luck!
They also have Rochas Femme.
http://www.parfumerie.nl/zoek-op-merk/rochas/femme.html
Happy shopping!
Really I am thanking you all for the help. But I want to smell it first. So I am going to call first if they have samples too. I hope to find the two perfumes. I am searching for a year for the Prada Infusion absolute.
Yes there are so many perfumestores that are hidden in Amsterdam. I need to explore the city more thoroughly to find them.
Argh , I am awful at proofreading, sorry it should be recommendation,not recomedation. I will blame it on the zombie headcold.
Started needling this week. At last! Scent chosen for the momentous occasion-vintage White Shoulders since L’heure Convoitee was the scent that I bought to celebrate starting acupuncture school. Wonder what my graduation scent wil be (I’ve got 2 1/2 years to figure it out)
I’m hoping Cartier will do a coffret of all the Heures – that would be super!
Tried the new Cartier–I like it but I don’t think it’s a love like L’Heure Convoitee. Very herbal, probably more appropriate for summer and am pretty sure I’m smelling thyme…Of course, since Cartier has 4ml samples, I’m not really worried about them offering a coffret (they didn’t have Vertreuse samples in last week, so the SA made me a 2ml one)
I am wearing a sample of Taken by Jane Booke. Usually I quite like vanilla perfumes, but this one is not working out for me. Maybe it’s the mango.
Per the Indiescents description:
A frothy, fruity opening with a dash of peach and mango leads the way to the creamy decadence of rich, sweet vanilla. There are other elements here – light notes of jasmine and muguet, the earthy, sensuous growl of patchouli and a tantalizing hint of dark chocolate.
Alas, it has gone dollar store vanilla candle on me, and that not gracefully. I may have to scrub it (which I hardly ever do) and put on my birthday present, Bois 1920 Come La Luna.
I wasn’t taken with Taken either. It wasn’t a scrubber on me but it wasn’t anything fabulous either.
I’ve been exploring the Arquiste range and am wondering what all NST peeps think of it? So far, my most favourites have been L’Etrog and Anima Dulcis. Anima Dulcis was so subtle and rich, and sweet but with a hint of bitterness to keep it palatable for me. I seem to like scents with chilli pepper in them! Any feedback from the readers would be much appreciated…….
I’ve started suspecting that I am a persistent undersprayer. However, since where I live wearing perfume is frowned upon (or I think it is…) and no one I personally know wears perfume, I have no way of knowing! So here’s the question: how do I know how much scent I’m wearing?
Usually if I use a single spray on my neck I can be fairly sure that I’ll have practically zero sillage and that I’ll be able to smell something. Every once in a while I’ll go wild and do two or three sprays with something light. How many sprays does it take to have a small “polite” sillage that will be noticed by someone I’m talking to (so about 2-3 feet) but not suffocate someone next to me in a theater?
For reference, I’d love advice on some things in my collection:
the masculine l’Artisan coffret (Fou d’Absinthe, Timbuktu, Vetiver Sacré), Burberry The Beat (is it even possible to overspray this one?), Serge Lutens A La Nuit, Bvlgari Thé Vert Extrême, and non-vintage Dior Diorissimo. Or any scent you’d like to talk about!
My husband is an under sprayer, I am not. My skin eats scents so it’s not unusual for me to give myself about 8 spritzes. That’s not the norm for most people though. Oftentimes, it depends on the perfume. Better to start with a little and have to add more than to put on too much and choke everyone with the fumes. Some perfumes like Angel are easy to overdo. It also depends on whether you want people to smell your perfume or if you’re happy just as long as you can smell it. You could try adding a spray to your wrists and see if that works for you. If nothing else, wearing perfume on the wrist makes it easier for you to sniff and enjoy.
Oh my, 8 sprays! I used to spray only my wrist, but then I started feeling weird about constantly sniffing my wrist in public. I’ll try spraying my wrist in addition to my neck!
If I start with a little and add more, how do I know how much is just enough for other people to smell me but isn’t overwhelming for them? For example, how do you know that the 8 sprays aren’t bowling people over? (Sorry, if this sounds like I’m attacking you, I’m not! I’m honestly curious!)
Hubby says he very rarely smells any perfume on me, and within an hour I can barley smell any on me either most days. He under sprays on himself and he would definitely tell me if I’m killing him with the fumes. I also work with people who complain about everything and never have mentioned my perfume. Actually one of them was surprised when she found out about my perfume addiction because she can’t remember smelling perfume on me. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
I go with a spray to each wrist and 2-3 on the neck. If the perfume is a monster, I will do a single spray or a half spray on one wrist and dab that on the other wrist and only do a single spray on the neck.
At home I go overboard!
Thanks! At home I go overboard too! Though by overboard what I really mean is what you just described 😛
I understand your dilemma as I too am surrounded by non-perfume wearers and for safety’s sake (I work in an office) I tend to apply lightly.
I’ve wondered for years how you judge the projection of the fragrance you are wearing. These days I believe that if you can comfortably smell your fragrance, people near you (the sort of distance between two people standing talking to each other, or passing in the corridor) will pick up a trace, but maybe not much more than that. That’s about what I aim for usually.
How many spritzes you need to obtain that effect will vary according to the perfume and how it behaves on your skin. Today I’m wearing 24 Faubourg EDP, which is strong, but I have moderately scent-eating skin. So I’m wearing two small spritzes on my wrists, and one at cleavage. (I’m spritzing from a decant, so the spritz delivers a bit less than a FB probably would.)
That’s about my standard for strong-ish fragrances with good sillage. If it is a fragrance with less longevity than 24FB, I’d add a spritz underneath the cotton top I’m wearing, so that it will cling to the fabric and last a bit longer.
Sometimes if I want to wear a strong fragrance but know I’ll be in a situation where that might bother people (a long meeting, for instance) I’ll wear it only under my clothes, or mix it with a bit of unscented lotion.
Hope this helps!
Wow, that was incredibly helpful!! I’ve never worn scent only under clothes since I’d somehow just assumed that I wouldn’t be able to smell it, but I’ll have to give it a try!
Rosemary, I agree with back of the neck, and the cleavage area is also made to be perfumed. To gauge the sillage potential of a new perfume, I often spray it on a crumpled kleenex that I leave in my powder room. That way I can leave the room and return to check it out periodically, which eliminates the element of olfactory fatigue. Of course, one gets a bit more projection from a warm body, but this gives me some idea of how different scents compare.
Brilliant!
Ooh, that’s a lovely trick! I have a hot water bottle with a fabric covering — I bet if I spray the fabric it’ll be just like warm skin for a few hours, AND I’ll have a wonderfully scented hot water bottle! Thank you!
Bois de Jasmin just did a post touching on this.
http://boisdejasmin.com/2013/01/one-perfume-four-ways-to-wear-it.html#more-13760
I tend to do 2 sprays (1 wrist, 1 décolleté) but I’ve been conditioned from years of shared office space. Now that I have my own office, I get wild with three sprays. ; )
I actually read her post when it was published (LOVE the writing!). About once a week I share an overheated tiny office with someone else for several hours, and on those days I worry that even my shampoo and laundry detergent are too strong. Needless to say, those are definitely scent-free days 🙂
Maybe you could experiment with spraying more liberally in the privacy of your own home? Personally when I put too much on, my own nose gets quickly overwhelmed, so you may be able to tell that way! To me the ideal is to wear enough that I can catch an occasional whiff of myself, but not so much that I feel constantly barraged by it. I figure this probably keeps everyone around me pretty safe too!
Another safeguard I use is time–if I know I’m going to be closed in an elevator/car/theater seats with someone, I really try to put on my perfume well in advance, like an hour+, so companions don’t get smacked in the face with any initial excess.
But at least some of what you mention ought to be pretty safe. I haven’t smelled the Extreme version but it’s hard to imagine the Bvlgari The Vert suffocating anyone!
Ah, one more thought! I’m sure you know but it may be helpful to keep in mind, it really is crazy how some scents will fill a room no matter how little you put on, and other you have to put nose to skin to detect even if you’ve got six or eight sprays on. It might be worth shopping for things explicitly reviewed as having moderate sillage, in terms of having people around you be able to smell it a little but not too much!
I should have long ago searched reviews for moderately-sillaged fragrances and tried mostly those, but love is love no matter how big or little a fragrance’s sillage might be! That’s how I ended up with problems like trying to make sure that no one would be able to smell my little clouds of Chinatown or of A La Nuit even though I basically wanted to bathe in it. However, now I’m trying to be a little bolder and I’d like people to notice that smell nice (or at least that I smell interesting?), but the timid part of me is still worried that I’ll offend someone.
Side note: I once suffocated my mother with Thé Vert. But we were driving and she’s a pretty sensitive person.
Thank you for the help!
Ha, for me too, love is love. I’ve just heard tell of other people for whom sillage is a factor in how they choose perfume; I don’t really know how they find the discipline!
Funny about your mom! Mine’s very fragrance-sensitive too, although the only time she’s really complained, it was because we got in a car together right after I tested some Narciso Rodriguez. I too was kind of relieved to crack a window!
One more idea–maybe you could solicit the input of a trustworthy friend or two to let you know if you smell overpowering? Like, the person you might ask if you had spinach in your teeth 🙂
I have the Etat Libre d’Orange coffret of 16 x 10ml perfumes so I’ve just decanted some of each into spray bottles as I much prefer to spray than dab (all except Secretions…I’m strangely captivated by it but never want to smell like it). I’m finding I like Divin Enfent far more than is right! It’s just so pink and girly and I haven’t yet dared leave the house in it, but it’s the best cozy bed time smell ever! 🙂 woke 3 times during the night thinking oooh what’s that smell? Oh it’s me! I smell goood! Then straight back to sleep 🙂
Today I sprayed on Je Suis en Homme. Because i need to give love to the neglected ones too. It smelt familiar then I realised it’s kind of a Yatagan for beginners. Yatagan but gentler and a little sweeter.
I know what you mean about D.E. I don’t get any tobacco or leather in it. I get really pretty orange blossom from beginning to end. And it has this lovely soft innocence as well (the bad side of the baby doesn’t emerge on me!) I did wear it for quite a while after I bought it a couple of years back, and my b.f. liked it on me too. For the last while I have been finding it a little too sweet, but perhaps it is time to try it again!
Today I smell of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Absolue Pour Le Matin. Nice, but not breathtaking. Will eventually use my sample.
Yeah, same. Quite subtle, and will suit people who just want to scent themselves delicately. I understand the intent, but I prefer a bit more sillage and tenacity. Call me old fashioned. 🙂
SoTD Aromatics Elixir
Always a good choice, IMHO.
Today I am wearing SSS Winter Woods. I checked my inventory and see that I really should be reordering Champagne de Bois and Incense Pure at the very least, plus more WW and Amber Noir just because.
Hello Fragrant Friends and Happy (somewhat belated) New Year! I have already broken my resolution to buy nothing this year and work my way through my excellent collection of samples, but……last weekend, I was in Anthropologie and lots of Ineke was half priced and then an additional 30% off–so, I bought Sweet William and Poet’s Jasmine (I already have Briar Rose). LOVE them–I have been wearing Sweet William all week, very happy!! I spent less than $50 for both of them together!! OK, so from NOW on no more spending for 2013……Yikes!
I picked up the Sweet William myself – my first and thus far only purchase this year. 🙂
Me too, just got Poet’s Jasmine. Didn’t make it in time for the extra 30% off, sadly, but $30 still feels like a steal. And I’m actually not really one for jasmine fragrances so it seems justified to pounce on one I do like! Rounding out the collection and such 😉
Today’s sample I’m trying is Philosykos. I really like SSS Fig Tree, and this is such a well-loved scent, I thought I’d better try a sample of it before I commit to a fig scent.
First impressions is that it is a lovely, creamy (less green than Fig Tree) scent that I bet is wonderfully cooling on a hot day and refreshing on a bracing spring day. Not sure it’s suiting the exceptionally frosty weather we’re having right now.
Other samples yet to try are the new Aedes edp, Epic (man and woman), Interlude Woman, Mure et Musc, Mure et Musc Extreme, and Santal Majuscule. Should keep me entertained for a while. 🙂
SOTD is vintage Molyneux Quartz. I found an old bottle on eBay for about $20 — the juice is in great shape, and the bottle itself is really cool (has a black molded plastic cap that’s kind of wave-like along the top). It wears like a peachy Cristalle, complete with a tiny bit of the ashtray effect that I inexplicably love.
Also enjoying my FB of Decennial Lys du Desert, which arrived this week. I gave a sample to a co-worker, whom I’m trying to coax down the perfume rabbit hole.
SOTD Casamorat 1888i Bouquet Idèale. Rich and lovely. Like being in a high class headshop (Is there such a thing?) 😉
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Casamorati 1888 – I really should not post at bedtime.
Good to know – I’ve been curious about those Casomoratis.