1. What's your scent of the day?
2. The best fragrance you ever discovered via a perfume blog?
3. Tell us about a great perfume blog that we might not know.
4. What's the last great movie or TV show you watched?
5. What book are you reading? or What’s the last great book you read?
6. Share something wonderful with us! It can be anything — something delicious you ate, the perfect face cream you just discovered last week, any fabulous news you recently received — really, anything.
Answer as many or as few as you like.
Note: top image is Spring in Botanic Garden Cluj-Napoca by bortescristian at flickr; some rights reserved.
1. DSH Jitterbug
2. Either DSH Pandora or Aftelier Secret Garden. I would never have known about either of these lines (or SSS) but for perfume blogs.
3. Don’t know of any I haven’t seen discussed on here.
4. “Lincoln”–if you haven’t seen this movie, you should.
5. Haven’t had much time for reading lately, but DH just finished reading “War and Peace”. It took him nearly nine months, reading a chapter a day. He usually has three or four books in progress at any one time.
6. We got our annual bonus at work a few weeks ago, so I have been getting things for the house that I have been needing for quite a while. I have a new sofa, loveseat, coffee table, end table, and recliner. Our old furniture was really in bad shape. It is nice to have nice things. Every year I have wanted new furniture, but something else always came up. One year the stove, TV, and refrigerator all died and had to be replaced, and the next year our van needed a new transmission. I am still waiting for the actual installation on my new kitchen sink, and then I will get a new dishwasher, and one of our bathrooms needs some work.
Ooo, It’s nice to start fresh, do a little update and just have something new. I remember my mom buying all new living and bedroom furniture after I and my brother grew up and moved out! Out with the kid stained ratty sofa, in with the new! LOL
Lincoln is out on DVD soon, and on my list.
Congrats on your new furniture, I did that a couple years ago and it is a really nice feeling!
Awesome about the bonuses/new furniture! Enjoy!!
1. What’s your scent of the day? Today is an oud oil a friend in the United Arab Emerites sent me. It is actually quite light, or as light as oud can be.
2. The best fragrance you ever discovered via a perfume blog?Volutes right here on NST. I won a bottle and feel in love!
3. Tell us about a great perfume blog that we might not know. ensaroud.com I know I know many of you are sick to death of oud. But his site has very unique single source oud oils mostly used for religious practices. BUT his blog is really informative on the rarity of wild oud, the destruction of the forests in Asia, the popularity of oud wood (not the oil) in China that is driving a speculator market. Really I was hooked reading his thoughts. I can never afford his oils, they are OUTRAGEOUS in their prices, but his knowledge is priceless.
4. What’s the last great movie or TV show you watched?Amour, the Oscar foreign winner. LOVE The Walking Dead 😀
5. What book are you reading? or What’s the last great book you read? I am currently reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, historical fiction about Henry VIII and Cromwell. It won the Booker prize in 2009 or 10. VERY good.
6. Share something wonderful with us! It can be anything — something delicious you ate, the perfect face cream you just discovered last week, any fabulous news you recently received — really, anything. My 19 year old nephew just found out he is going to India for foreign study and actually ASKED me and my husband if we would come and visit him!! He’ll be there for school from Aug to Dec and is staying his break month on his own. So we are planning on a trip to India in Jan of 2014 to visit him. We don’t have kids (by choice) but have had all the pleasures of watching him grow up.
Oh, I’ve been wanting to watch “Amour”! I know it will make me cry, but sometimes, if the movie is beautiful, I’m okay with that. Aren’t nephews wonderful gifts? 🙂
Yes, we have 3 nephews and 1 niece: 19, 12, 10 &9. So many years of being the indulgent aunt and uncle, having them visit us one at a time for 1 on 1 fun and generally being in their lives without the responsibility! LOL
LOVE Wolf Hall, and can’t wait for The Mirror and the Light.
I’ve been meaning to watch The Walking Dead. May need to spend a weekend with videos!
Ahh, Amour was amazing. And how lovely about your nephew! Trip to India sounds fantastic…
So many great questions! Robin is kind of the best.
1) My SOTD is the Lush Soft Coeur massage bar layered over their Honey I Washed The Kids soap. I cannot recommend this combination enough. Together they produce the most delicate honeyed sweetness.
2) It was Bois de Jasmin’s review of Guerlain Apres l’Ondee that made me seek it out. It is just as gorgeous as she said it was!
3) My favorite lesser-known perfume blog is The French Exit: a really delightful mix of perfume, poetry, and Chopped commentary. I am terrified of leaving anyone out, so here are the perfume blogs that I check daily:
NST, Perfume Posse, Bois de Jasmin, The Non-Blonde, Another Perfume Blog, The Muse in Wooden Shoes, The Candy Perfume Boy, Bonkers About Perfume, Memory of Scent, Olfactoria’s Travels, Undina’s Looking Glass, Parfumieren, EauMG, Té de Violetas, The Unseen Censer, and Australian Perfume Junkies. WHEW!
Great blogs that update less frequently: Beauty on the Outside, Persolaise, Bloody Frida, ChickenFreak’s Obsessions, Beauty Bacon Bunnies, and Eyeliner on a Cat.
4) I have finally given in and started watching Doctor Who. I do not like any of the characters except for River Song, and yet I CAN’T STOP WATCHING.
5) Nigella Lawson’s cookbooks are always beautifully written, and I am hoping to pick up her newest, Nigellissima, sometime this week.
6) It’s not great news for me, but my boyfriend has been offered a fellowship at Ohio State University. It has the 8th best political science program in the country (tied with Yale!), and I am really proud of him.
Thank you, and hey, you have great answers!
I need to try Doctor Who again. It sounds so perfect for me but so far can’t seem to fall in love with it. At the moment, have almost too much stuff to watch, but eventually I’ll try it again.
Congrats to the boyfriend, that’s wonderful!
Drew is pretty awesome.
The recipes in Nigelissima sounded great…
Re: Dr Who. Are you watching the new (Matt Smith) Doctor series? Not the best to start with, imo. I like Rory but Amy gets on my nerves. And it seems that the show lost focus a little and dragged on a bit with the continuous storyline. I like the first (with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor) and the fourth season (with Catherine Tate as Donna) most. But don’t give up on Dr Who! It’s a great show (all in all). 😀
And if you love River Song – you should watch Silence in the Library (if you haven’t already).
Fumemad, I did indeed start with the first season of Doctor 11. I guess we’re supposed to think that Amy is sassy, but I just think she’s a huge jerk. Can’t imagine treating a loved one the way she treats Rory. Thank you for the recommendation of a less frustrating companion!
I second fumemad on this – the Christopher Eccleston doctor got me hooked, and still my favorite. (Though I did like Tennant too. Haven’t even bothered watching the newest one. I do not want a doctor who looks like he could be my son.)
Ooh, thanks for this run-down of your favorite perfume blogs–I am so glad to have the full compendium!
Awww, thank you Ari!! What a nice surprise to see my blog here.
It is now March 17 so my SOTD is the green-as-heck Gucci Envy!
1. Vintage Faberge Tigress from a recent antique store find. So yummy, warm, and spicy!
2. All of them, I think. I didn’t know anything about perfume before I stumbled on Now Smell This! Except for the overpowering modern fruity florals that I smelled (and disliked) on women in my office.
4. “The Brothers Bloom” – a wonderful mash up of noir, con men, adventure, travel, and love. Plus, Mark Ruffalo in a fedora. Meow. 🙂
5. I’m enjoying (tremendously) “Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women who Created Her” by Melanie Rehak.
6. I had so much fun sharing my recent antique store perfume finds (Tigress, L’Aimant, Amariage, Arpege, and Revlon Intimate) with my mom. She has fallen down the perfume rabbit hole with me, and it doubles my enjoyment to share it! 🙂
Ooooh, vintage Tigress, great find! And sounds like you’ve done well on vintage in general. I never find anything, boo hoo.
I normally never do either, Robin. But I admit that I tried Angela’s trick of saying “Vintage perfume, reveal yourself!” before shopping, and it worked. Angela is really on to something! 🙂
Excellent, love that! It should also involve burning sage or waving a wand or something.
Nice to see another Brothers Bloom fan. Although it is Adrien Brody in a fedora *meow* for me. 😀
Adrian Brody AND Mark Ruffalo? Just moved to the top of my queue!!
Oh, definitely! Adrian Brody is great in it, too. To loop back to perfume, I have the most fun trying to guess which perfume Bang Bang would wear. Something interesting, I bet!
Ha, my answer is exactly the same for No. 2. Meanwhile thanks for the Nancy Drew bio rec! I’d love that, I will def have to check it out. And so cool about your mom. It’s a super fun thing to share…
Isn’t NST wonderful for inspiring us? 🙂 The Nancy Drew book just keeps getting better and better. I hope you’ll like it!
Good Morning Everybody–great questions Robin!
1) SOD is Ineke’s Poet’s Jasmine–in hopes of spring even as a few snowflakes fall!!
2) I am forever grateful to this blog for turning me on to Andy Tauer…I wear a number of his scents that I would have never discovered without you.
3) I don’t follow that many blogs–here, Bois de Jasmin, Andy Tauer, and the Non-Blonde, mainly….love them all.
4) I have just watched a couple of episodes of Shakespeare Uncovered (I think that’s what it’s called) on PBS–great series which focuses on a single play from an actor/director/scholar point of view.
5) Just finished Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel…a very good read. Also loved The Snow Child–magical realism in Alaska!!
6) Good news for me–I booked a cruise to Bermuda for a vacation later this year. Can’t wait!!
Bringing up the Bodies. That’s my next one after finishing Wolf Hall. I love it. I’m studied history in college and her tales of a well known event still manage to make it seem new. That’s the mark of a good writer.
Glad to see so many people reading Hilary Mantel. I adored both books, waiting for #3.
And will have to look for Shakespeare Uncovered, that sounds great. As does your cruise!
I’ve really come around on Poet’s Jasmine–it didn’t snag me at first but each successive time I smelled it, I liked it more and more. Ultimately thrilled to snag a bottle on sale!
Ha, sorry for bizarre abuse of the word “snag”…
Happy weekend!
My scent this morning is Nostalgie. I went digging through my box (still half unpacked) of perfumes, looking for something I hadn’t sniffed in a while. I knew immediately that this was the right one for the day! Fun to reconnect with an old friend. 🙂
Oh, and not related to the day’s topic, but I feel I must confess! (NO, I didn’t give in and buy that Malle Coffret! Yet. . . )
I feel like I was a bad perfumista this week. One of my students, an energetic girl, came up to me proclaiming, “Don’t I smell good?!!” She was grinning broadly, and smelled like . . . Axe! And what do I say? “You smell like a boy!” Bad, terrible, cringe-worthy response– what was I doing? So, I tried to fix it and say, “I don’t mind you smelling like boy, but Axe? Maybe something nicer next time?”
So did I squash an exuberant, non-conforming, budding perfumista? And why did I respond so negatively? I think of myself and more openminded than that.
Ok. Maybe not the end of the world, but I feel bad about it. 🙁
I am sure that I would have said something similar in the same situation, Marjorie Rose! I hope that your student took it in a good spirit, encouraging her to experiment with different scents.
Thank you, Betty!
You know, she’s wonderfully typical of a lot of kids her age–very resilient, and pretty willing to try on and play with lots of different ideas. I only hope that I didn’t quash her enthusiasm.
Sometimes the wrong thing just comes out!
Perhaps you could make it better by saying that her scent, the other day, reminded you of some of the more masculine scents that you love to wear. Perhaps you could wear Bulgari Black, or something similar and ask her for her opinion. Ask her if she thinks you will get odd looks in the staff room!
I’m not a school teacher so I’m not sure whether this would be unprofessional, but I think you might need to restore her confidence by showing her that you value her opinion and that her taste for ‘masculine’ scents (if she was actually wearing axe) is legitimate.
I like the idea of introducing her to a few masculine scents! I don’t think it would be unethical if I gave her a few Nordstrom or Sephora-style samples to play with. Maybe something still “sporty,” but nicer than Axe (which wouldn’t be hard!).
That sounds perfect. Or even, just to be safe, maybe just tell her some of your favorite ones and as Merlin suggests, tell her you’d love to hear what she thinks of them? To accomplish the same repairing of the connection but protecting yourself too. It’s a bummer that one has to worry about these things, but you wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about what a perfume gift, even just of measly free samples, signifies. (To be clear I don’t think it’s actually unethical, just that people who are not into perfume might not understand it doesn’t have to be suggestive!!)
Meanwhile, don’t feel too bad about your student. I definitely think this can be repaired pretty easily; I think she’ll be very psyched if you want to share some of your favorites and want to know what she thinks. My experience teaching is that even people in their twenties honestly are always really appreciative when an authority figure genuinely wants to hear what they think, and share interests!
I only meant ‘unprofessional’ in terms of putting the student on the same level as yourself. If you had to say ‘think I’ll get funny looks in the classroom’, you would be minimizing the difference in hierarchy and while I always try treat my students as equals, I don’t teach a class so I don’t have discipline to think about!
1. winter flowers (Kenzo), 2. well, most of them, but maybe Ormonde Jayne woman at the top of the list, 3. Olfactoria’s travels (probably not that new here), and a bilingual Italian/English blog named “bergamotto e benzoino”, 4. film: Django unchained, series – a web-based series “the lizzie bennet diaries” (a modern take on pride and prejudice, is now nearly over, after a year of bi-weekly updates, mostly excellent, with some meh plot twists), 5.haven’t read much lately, and nothing mind-blowing, 6. just wishing you all a nice weekend!
Oh, the Lizzie Bennet series looks like great fun! Added to my to do list, thanks.
1. SOTD: Bond No. 9 Silver Factory (Love! I have a decant)
2. Best Fragrance I Ever Discovered via a Perfume Blog – oh gosh, I love SO MANY it is hard to choose just one…but I will pick the most recent which is Neela Vermeire Creations Trayee. The review I read that stuck to my mind was by The Scented Hound. He had originally left out the zero in the US$ cost for a bottle and I thought, what a lovely perfume at a steal…but of course, I found out immediately (when I went to order it) that it was actually 10x more. Anyway, I won a NVC sample set from Australian Perfume Junkies and tried Trayee for the first time several weeks ago and whoo – FB worthy for sure!
3. Perfume Blog: I’m trying not to read too many because 1) I should be doing something else (organizing stuff, sleeping, reading newspapers, etc.); 2) I’m tempted to try at least half of what was reviewed and when I try and I like, I buy.
That said, three “lesser known” (judging by number of comments) that are worthy of being highlighted are Dad’s American Beauty, Tinsel Creations and What Men Smell Like.
Others blogs I check out more regularly than others (besides NST, of course), include: Chemist in the Bottle, Undina’s Looking Glass, Kafkaesque, The Scented Hound, Olfactoria Travels, Australian Perfume Junkies, Scents of Self and Perfume Posse. I’ve probably forgotten a few…
4. Last great movie or TV show – skip
5. I just got done with Speaking from Among the Bones (A Flavia de Luce Novel [Mystery]) by Alan Bradley. There’s a cliff-hanger and I can’t wait for the next book to come out. There are currently 5 books in the series, starting with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. The books are written from the perspective of an 11 year old sleuth but she is so engaging that you can’t help but root for her all the way.
6. Something wonderful – I’ve been on vacation the past few days and while I love to travel, it is also very nice to just stay home and veg out :-). And in the bad news / good news category, I was going to do my tax return using Turbo Tax which I have used for many years. Anyway, it cannot be installed on my computer because the operating system was too old (5 years for a Mac is ancient) and it cannot be upgraded….so I went to the Apple store yesterday and bought a new Mac. I am still without it since I am having them move my files over. In a sign of my perfume obsession, I calculated how many perfume bottle equivalent I spent on the computer — based on a FM Dries van Noten 100 mL bottle, I spent about 8.5 bottles worth.
Oh, and super news about Swapmania — I am ready! I just got my supplies from Accessories for Fragrance (thank,s SuzyQ, for the recommendation).
I’m looking forward to next weekend swapmeet. I got some great things to swap 😉
I picked up my new toy this afternoon…looking forward to using it.
For more good news, my cousin’s wife had their first baby this morning…a healthy 6.5 lb baby boy!
As for a recently discovered TV series – “Oddities” – central to the show is a Curio/Antique shop named Obscura located in NYC’s East Village. It is a very weird show but so weird that I feel I should stop by the shop at some point to satisfy my curiosity. It is not a show for the faint of heart – fair warning.
Yay, a fellow Oddities fan! Definitely not for the squeamish but they find some cool stuff.
Oh, SO fun to have a new Mac. It does hurt the wallet but… gosh it is really fun.
SOTD: Not sure yet. Currently sampling Sisley #3 and Jacomo #8. Like both so far… but is it love??? Definately maybe probably somewhat sure you bet! (I’m really diggin’ the Jacomo #8!)
I’m a fan of the usual suspects: NST, PP, BdJ and Scents of Self. Perfume Shrine needs more attention – it’s very good!
Last weekend, we saw Identity Thief. Funny! I think Melissa McCarthy is hilarious. She has great timing… wonder what perfume she wears???!!!
Book: I was enthralled with 4 Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss. Very Meta. Not really a cookbook – it’s more about learning. In addition to learning to cook, the book tells you how to learn a language (in 4 hours) and build a survival hut. Fascinating. Another fav: Well Fed – a Paleo cookbook. I love the ideas for prepping a week ahead for healthy (quick) meals.
Something Wonderful: Tyler Candle Company Candles! OMG – these are wonderful… I swear their “Gold Leaves” smells like Amouage Dia. It’s burning now. The throw from unlit candles is A.Maze.Ing. When you open the jar, you sometimes see “pools” of perfume oil. Very Lovely Indeed, and not typical scents. Seek them Out. (Cowboy is Leather. A Leather scented Candle. Incredible!)
Just added Well Fed to my hold list at the library, thanks! I eat a sort of modified paleo-ish diet but have never looked at a paleo cookbook.
1. Wearing Carnal Flower on a cool, rainy pre-spring day.
2. Just about all of them! For years I wore Lancome Poeme; before that, the furthest I’d gone was a bottle of Quelques Fleures and an assortment of essential oils. I discovered Perfume Posse, Now Smell This, and Bois de Jasmin and — wow. I was completely enchanted by the quality of writing and smart thinking as much as the passion for perfume.
3. Hmmm, I don’t know, I think you know more than me. I have an idea for a new blog for myself that would focus on all things sensual, including perfume, but I don’t feel knowledgeable enough yet to write much about fragrance.
4. My triumvurate for great television-art is Buffy, The Wire, and Friday Night Lights.
5. I’m reading The Paris Wife. It’s good. Since a lot of commenters are mentioning them, I have read and loved Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.
6. And speaking of that, here’s my favorite scent-related quote from Wolf Hall, about young Henry VIII as he’s going to try to convince Katherine to divorce him: “He moves in a perfumed cloud made of the essence of roses: as if he owns all the roses, owns all the summer nights.”
6a. Wanting to buy the wonderful catalogue for The Sultan’s Garden, an exhibition closing soon at the Textile Museum in Washington DC.
6b. If you love textiles and design, as I do, and don’t know the Style Court blog, find it at http://stylecourt.blogspot.com/.
Wow, between the website for the Sultans Garden & Style Court, I could basically blow most of tomorrow. Thanks!
I just finished The Paris Wife. It had me on Wikipedia immediately reading more about the whole gang. Have you seen Midnight in Paris? You should, it’s great and a perfect tie-in.
Fun weekend poll!!
1. Scent of this blustery warm day: Le Temps d’une Fete. I am probably in danger of becoming addicted to it again. (Good thing I’m stocked up, yes?)
2. Best frag ever discovered via perfume blog: Oh, gosh. Hmm. So many I could go with here, but I think I may pick my SO Yesterday Evening, L’Arte di Gucci.
3. A wonderful perfume blog you might not know: http://theblacknarcissus.com/ Emotional, visually stunning, often poetic. (I really need to re-update my blogroll. There are blogs I check often that aren’t on it.)
4. The last good movie I saw: Warrior, via Netflix. Had completely ignored it when it came out in 2011, since I didn’t know what UFC or MMA stood for. and I have absolutely zero interest in ever watching men beat the crap out of each other. BUT: having recently discovered The Wonder What Is Tom Hardy (holy cow, *where* has this guy been all my life???), I watched it, and was blown away by the emotional performances.
5. The last four books I have read were really nothing special, and I have nothing to report on that front.
6. Something wonderful: Diet A&W Root Beer, and finding out that my local florist keeps stocks in, well, stock. 🙂
“Warrior” was a very good surprise for me, as well! So well-written and emotionally gripping.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Warrior. It is a powerful film, but I think mostly MMA fans saw it. I know nothing about MMA, and avoided it, as it looked like another fight movie, but it had so much more about family dynamics and choosing change in life. It’s tough to watch, but has great performances. (Ok, and beautiful men that made me marvel at the wonders of creation :D) Be well!
I love The Black Narcissus, too. 🙂
I’d never heard of The Black Narcissus! Thank you, Mals!
HOLD UP. The Black Narcissus is ginzaintherain?! I had no idea!! He is one of my very favorite readers.
Today I am wearing PB’s PC01, despite not being very spring-like today.
Almost all perfumes I’ve bought in recent years have been through reading blogs.
Another blog I like is Bonkers about Perfume, athough Ms. B doesn’t post too much.
A new-to-me series is BBC’s New Tricks. Just finished the first season, so lots more to look forward to watching.
New Tricks is great fun. You can catch a couple of the previous seasons on the TV Ontario archive under Drama
Thanks for the tip!
1. Aromatics Elixir. I still have 25ml in my bottle but I haven’t been reaching for it. For some reason, it dribbles out the bottom of the mechanism, so it’s just up there, languishing, I love the scent though, and it’s one of the few that I receive compliments on.
2.Almost all of them! One I bought? Probably 31 rue Cambon, or Dzongkha.
4. Has anyone else seen In the Mood for Love by Kar Wai Wong? Visually stunning, and a fantastic story. I’ve been putting it in my cart every time I’m on Amazon, but still haven’t bought it.
5. Reading Dracula for an English class. It’s actually pretty interesting, for a classic.
6. I’m off tomorrow, for the first Sunday in a LONG time. I’m driving to Austin with a friend to go antique shopping, with the intentions of finally owning more furniture than my bed. 😛
Ooohh, I love In the Mood for Love–it’s so beautiful and the score is just fabulous too! I was so happy when it came out on bluray (my bf is a film buff and has converted me to the *joys* of bluray, heh). And isn’t Dracula strange, particularly compared to the streamlined versions of it we get in most films?
in the mood for love is one of my favorite films of all time, and wong kar-wai one of my favorite directors … that one part in the movie where (spoiler-ish, maybe?) the protagonists ‘act out’ how they believe their cheating spouses must act around each other always gets me. you can really feel both the restraint and the yearning.
you should definitely watch chungking express and 2046 if you like in the mood for love, because wong kar-wai often reuses the same actors and actresses, and the cinematography is always absolutely gorgeous. i have a lot of feelings about his work. 😉
Oh, I am so overdue to see In the Mood for Love. Ok, I am going to remedy that forthwith! Thanks for the nudge!!
1. I was meant to put on some Tubéreuse Criminelle but got distracted and forgot. Should probably go and do that now.
2. I’m not sure that I would have ever discovered Champagne de Bois without all the folks raving about it here.
3. Can’t think of any since I tend to stick to reading all the usual suspects.
4. Right now, I (sadly) have no TV obsessions but reading about the Veronica Mars film kickstarter project got me slightly excited. I used to LOVE that show.
5. The last great book that I read was the Chopin’s biography by Adam Zamoyski. I impulse-downloaded a sample thinking that it would probably stay on my phone with all the other samples that are currently waiting to be read. Only I took a little peek at it, got completely sucked in, downloaded the full book half an hour later and devoured the whole thing in the space of 2 days.
6. I was recently tempted by a 3-for-2 offer on La Roche-Posay skincare after using their sunscreens for years and things are looking promising. Now, if I could only find an unscented body lotion with SPF, I’d be one happy bunny.
Well, so far I have 4 fragrances in mind. I want J’adore cologn floral, dior addict eau sensuell, Gucci flora eau fraiche & jour d’Hermes. I applied for a new job & waiting for responce right now. Talking about fragrances, I really liked Zara Matin, it’s one of the new line of fragrances Zara fashion is launching. I want more toiletries bags & more makeup & makeup brushes, don’t have much of them anyway. Anything else?
if you want to suggest me a fifth fragrance other than zara matin please do 😉
Interesting, I haven’t smelled any of the Zara fragrances. What’s Matin like?
1. Seville a l’aube for a straight week now!
2. Sonoma Scent Studio Nostalgie.
3. Just started reading Scents of Self, and I love its geek angle.
4. My Strange Addiction. It’s awful but I can’t help myself.
5. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. For the 5th time.
6. A sample of L’occitane’s Creme Divine. It’s lovely but ouch! So expensive.
A week straight–sounds like love! (And what a worthy object for one’s affections…)
SOTD is Odalisque…if it weren’t for fragrance blogs, I wouldn’t have known of it, so thanks Robin & co! Odalisque & OJ Frangipani were discovered via blog, plus DSH Vert Pour Madame. I’ll be curious to see everyone else’s blog recs…my favorites are this one, Bois de Jasmin & Perfume Posse.
Treme is a show I just watched via Netflix that is a very compelling portrayal of post Katrina New Orleans. Just started Homeland: initially had difficulty seeing Damian Lewis as anyone other than Soames Forsyte, but am getting over it.
Reading Dear Life by Alice Munro. Not quite as wonderful as Selected Stories, but still great. Even if you prefer novels to short stories, you should still give this author a try!
I do like Alice Munro — should check out Dear Life although often I find with her collections that I’ve already read many of them in the NYer.
Alice Munro is wonderful!
Count me in as an Alice Munro fan!
Great poll, Robin!
1. SOTD: SL Chergui
2. Everything I know that was launched after 1988. Amouage Gold, because you asked for the best.
3. Six Feet Under. I didn’t watch it back in the day and it’s so finely written and addictive!
4. H. D. Thoreau, “Walden”. Hippie in the heart as I am, of course I’m loving it.
5. Fall is coming, days are getting cooler, and I’ll be able to wear te big boys (not that I’m not wearing Chergui today, lol!)
Ha! Six Feet Under! I watched every single episode when it first came out on HBO. It’s too bad it ended…but I enjoyed it while it lasted.
Was it the first series to start each episode with a death? If so, it is not only good, but also had historical significance, if I may – well, let’s just say it was trendsetting. I’m watching every single episode too, and since it’s a rerun, I have a new one every weekday. 🙂 I already know I’ll be sad when it’s over, but what an amusement, it really made me look forward for the baby waking up at night! Now I want some De Profundis.
Yes – a memorable death at the beginning of each episode! It was a very well done series, gruesome 🙂
I adore Chergui, enjoyed 6 Feet Under and have fond memories of reading Waldon some years back! Are you my long lost twin?
Now I’m wanting to get out a backpack and head by myself into the wild. Taking only a few basic necessities, of course, like Chergui!
Hi, long lost twin!
Hope you have a great sky and lots of fun. I can barely wait for my baby to be a bit bigger so we can go camping at Ubatuba, get away from all the useless stuff and just watch the course of the stars. Wearing Chergui, of course.
I have an ambivalent relationship with stuff so I might just pack a few extra bottles of perfume – and maybe a little more jewelry than one strictly needs out in the woods…
(I commune better with trees when i’m well dressed!)
Yep, I was just being concise. To be entirely honest I usually take about 5 samples or little decants, who knows what I’ll crave… So it is settled: perfume is absolutely necessary, like a warm coat or a box of matches!
1. STOD is EdLO’s Antiheros, and I’m enjoying it’s lavender clean vibe. I’m on the hunt for the perfect herbal lavender since my lavender farm tour. So far my favorites are Cartier’s L’Heure Verteuse (III), but the lavender doesn’t last very long, Kiki, Antiheros and Tauer’s Reverie au Jardin.
2. Angela here at NST convinced me to try Vero Profumo’s Rubj, with her ravished ballerina review. I fell in love with the EdP (apparently, I’m really tolerant or anosmic to cumin), and it’s been in heavy rotation since. I would never have known about Vero Profumo, as it is not available locally, and it is an amazing house. I all the blogs; I learn new things daily.
3. Ok, this is off topic, but there is a vlog I’ve found, that cracks me up. The Fragrance Bros, on YouTube. It consists of these two men in Alabama, saying exactly what they think about perfumes. They flat out admit they don’t speak French, and laugh at themselves for their murder of the fragrance and house names. The great thing is their spirit–they held a drive at the holidays to provide clothes and gifts to a needy family, and their subscribers donated. They gave 12 days of Christmas gift drawings to their viewers. I don’t wear most of the things they review, and disagree on most points, but they surely make me laugh. Their review of Poivre Samarkand made me laugh so hard–one of them hated it, the other loved it and I can respect that. Big hearted guys.
4. I just started watching the BBC program Call the Midwife on Netflix, and have really enjoyed it so far.
5. What book are you reading? Most things lately have been ho hum, and shamefully, I’ve been reading YA fiction (The Rho Agenda series, which is fun, but not earth shattering)
6. I’m off to prepare for a birthday dinner party for my sister in law. We are celebrating the first anniversary of her 39th birthday. No black balloons or buzzards allowed. I’d better run; food to prepare, and final tidying. Have a lovely weekend!
Oh that makes me want to try Rubj (I kind of love a lot of cumin scents? somehow?), but my wallet cowers in fear…
Meanwhile I love that you mention Fragrance Bros–I have only seen one of their reviews, but you are right, it’s so fun to watch! I will have to check out more of their stuff.
I loved Call the Midwife, both the TV series and the books. I’d highly recommend them, and this is coming from someone who never thought she’d be interested in reading or seeing anything about 1950s midwifery (and for anyone else like me, that’s only partially what CTM is about).
Thanks for the book recommendation. I knew the series was based on a woman’s memoir, and I usually like the book far better than the movie/series. I did’t know anyone who’d read it. I will check it out. 🙂
1. Nasomatto Pardon. Yes, again…
2. Rochas Femme. I ordered it blindly after Angela’s review here, unable to believe I had never smelled it before, and it was love at first sniff. The true, lasting kind.
3. Okay, I’ll cheat here, because it’s in Hungarian, but I love Szimat’s blog (the name isIllatvadász, which means Scent Hunter), because it is so passionate and honest.
4. I watsh a movie almost every night, so it’s hard to pick which ones were great, I just saw The Book of Eli yesterday, which was fine enough. Liked Gary Oldman.
5. Currently I’m reading A Canticle for Leibowitz from Walter Miller, along with The Handmaid’s Tale from Atwood, and immensely enjoying both. I might be having a distopia-thing going on? Of course not:). Haha, I’m not reading any ‘great’ books nowadays. As a tired working momma, reading serves my pleasure only:)
6. Okay, the best news I’ve heard in months is that one of my best friends, who was single for a very long time, has finally found The One, and is getting married in June. Yay for them! Guess who is going to help her find the scent for the big day? Elf is gonna do that!!!
Wow, it was fun:).
I think I might have to try Rochas Femme as well – thanks to you all…
Oh, You really should – it’s stunningly beautiful, really!
Ooh, a successful blind buy! Awesome.
Yes, I’m infamous of buying blind, but Femme was worth all the mistakes I ever made:)!
1. SotD: Dior’s New Look 1947 on this sunny 70 degree day…at first I thought this was too light and ‘girly’ to suit my mess of a self, but I’ve been falling in love with it over the last week–I may have to spring for a FB (at least the Dior bottles are pretty…)
2. Yeah, everything other than Serge Lutens (which I weirdly discovered through a guidebook to Paris years ago). I did read about Tauer’s Lonestar Memories a few years before I got into perfumes, via this blog, and it haunted me until I finally got a sample and was smitten.
4. I watch way too much tv…currently re-watching Firefly, which is fabulous.
5. Just finished re-reading ‘Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao’ to teach, which is a very good, solid book. Before that, I read Alice Munro’s collection ‘Runaway,’ which was breathtaking (and restored my faith in books…I’m at the end of writing a dissertation on Victorian lit, and I’d almost given up on reading 🙂
I also loved Firefly which is weird since I’m not a fan of either westerns or sci-fi so I would have never guessed that putting the two together would get me hooked!
Heather, have you read This Is How You Lose Her yet? I’ve only made it through like three stories so far, because it’s just so devastating. If anyone can tell me that they get better, I’d love to hear it! I love love love Junot Diaz, but gosh this book is heart-breaking.
C.H., I haven’t yet, though it’s sitting on my bedside table…hearing that the first three are devastating makes me want to put off reading it, as I think that will just make me maudlin before bed (and lead to terrible dreams, maybe). But once I do get around to reading it I’ll try and remember to update on an NST weekend poll if it gets ‘lighter’ as it goes 🙂 And yes, speaking of devastating books, Oscar Wao…I gotta find some lighthearted reads (the Vic. novels aren’t the happiest either…sigh)
Yep, getting nice and depressed right before bed is what’s stopping me too! Let me know if you find anything happier to read– I’m not great at picking happy stuff either!
Hi Heather, can I ask what the topic of your dissertation is? (unless you frequent perfume blogs to intentionally NOT think about it!!) I remember studying the Victorians and have some fond memories…
Hi Merlin, I do visit these sites to procrastinate, but it’s hard not to think about the dissertation all the time at this point (it’s due, fingers crossed, in May). It’s about Victorian female authors who wrote “sensation” novels (think women tossing husbands down wells, secret liaisons, identical cousins, soap-opera stuff 🙂 and how they used their names to market themselves in a profession that seriously looked down on women. I also have a chapter on Queen Victoria as an author, which is pretty fun (though not fun to revise). I ended up reading a lot of fairly obscure novels and stories for it, but what drew me to Vic. fiction in the first place were the heavy-hitters, like Dickens and Eliot. Were there any books you liked in particular?
That sounds interesting! What I remember liking best is the poets, G.M. Hopkins, Matthew Arnold and Tennyson.
Heather, Have you read The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (also wrote The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex)? It is a love triangle about three Brown University graduates in the mid-eighties. One of the characters wrote her senior thesis on the marriage plot in 19th century literature. Reviews were mixed, but it really captures a time in history and a certain time in a young person’s life.
Hey Farouche, I haven’t read it yet, but I’ve been meaning to. I loved Virgin Suicides, but I’ve heard such mixed things about this new one (though my adviser, who was a grad student in the ’80s, loooved it 🙂
1. Halston
2. l’Air du Desert Marocain
3. smellythoughts.wordpress.com
4. House of Cards on Netflix
5. Composed by Roseanne Cash
6. I just learned that a good friend of mine has been declared cancer-free (prostate). His wife recently beat pancreatic cancer!
I like this poll!
So awesome for both your friend and his wife! Pancreatic cancer especially, she really beat the odds! So great.
Good news about your friends!
My uncle just underwent surgery to remove his prostate cancer. He’s walking around three days after, so I have big hopes!
My mom had breast cancer, it was awful for over an year, but now she is healed, feeling great and her hair even grew stronger and prettier!
1 SOTD PG Coze – had great hopes for it, but patchouli disappears, coffee and hemp non-existent. Well, then, there’s money saved.
2 don’t know yet – maybe Perle de Mousse?
3 I get a big kick out of Bonkers for Perfume
4 The Mary Tyler Moore Show via METV in Chicago. Last week was Valerie Harper Week
5 The Wings of the Dove – prompted by Judith Martin’s No Vulgar Hotel
6 best discovery? Maybe how nice the folks at Osswald are…
I totally agree about the people at Osswalds. So friendly and knowledgeable. Being in their store was a highlight of my NY City visit.
Can I add another answer to #6? Piron Chocolatier in Evanston – worth the trip up on the El
Hello there!
Yesterday I was re-taking the exam I failed on last month, I think this time it went well but I’ll have to wait for the results for around a week.
Today I went to Wrocław to participate in perfume workshops organized by Quality Missala perfumery, the meeting was about woody notes. We tried natural and artificial essences of cedar, sandalwood, oud, cashmere wood, birch, fir and a few more and then we were sniffing and discussing perfume with these notes.
I had so much fun there, it was great to spend a few hours talking with people who share the passion for perfume.
I’m wearing my birthday Carner Barcelona D600 today.
You’ve had a busy week/weekend, Lucas. The woody notes workshop sounds educational AND fun AND you got to network with others who share the same perfume passion. Nice!
Good luck on the exam! I hope it went well. That workshop sounds like a lot of fun. I’d love to do something like that.
1. SOTD is L’Antichambre Le Speculoos – mmm!!
2. So many! The ones that spring to mind are Penhaligon’s Elixir, and everything by Aftelier Perfumes.
3. I don’t know any that aren’t regularly mentioned here.
4. I’m not much for movies or TV but I do love that old 80s movie Clue.
5. I just finished Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann and I really enjoyed it.
6. Something wonderful would be that I’m finished my taxes!
Oh, huge congrats on your taxes! I have not even started yet, sigh.
I loved Let the Great World Spin! One sentence from the book is still stuck in my mind: “Revolving doors pushed quarters of conversation out into the street.”
1. Today I tried Chanel no 19. I can still smell some of it on my wrist. It sure is a grande dame. I’ll be going out in a bit and am thinking of wearing Nuit de Tubereuse.
2. OJ Tiare from this very blog (it was suggested to me on The Monday Mail.).
3. There are a few in Greek. And I love the Perfume Shrine.
4. Silver Linings Playbook. Wow.
5. I just finished the whole series of A Song of Ice and Fire – for the second time. Am now trying to read Italo Calvino’s If on a winter’s night a traveller, but it’s going slow.
6. Lots of things: today I got a manicure after 3 months. My kids are on their first sleep over so I can go out tonight and not worry about getting back early. It’s Carnival here in Greece and I’ll be going to a fancy dress party, I’ll wear a platinum blonde wig and try to evoke the 30s (I’ll improvise). And I love my new face cream, Creme Prodigieuse by Nuxe. It’s so velvety and smells wonderful (I detect rose)!
Oh, did you like OJ Tiare? Yay, it’s one of my favourites and I think I was one of the people who suggested it.
Yes, I love it and I’m considering an FB!
i love italo calvino! my favorite work of his is probably cosmicomics.
Oh, I like him too! Invisible Cities was one of my favourites when I was a teenager.
I’ll put Cities and Cosmicomics on my to-read list, after I get though If on an winter’s night…I like to read books by one author one after the other, it gives you a better sense of their writing.
1. What’s your scent of the day?
2. The best fragrance you ever discovered via a perfume blog?
3. Tell us about a great perfume blog that we might not know.
4. What’s the last great movie or TV show you watched?
5. What book are you reading? or What’s the last great book you read?
6. Share something wonderful with us! It can be anything — something delicious you ate, the perfect face cream you just discovered last week, any fabulous news you recently received — really, anything.
1. I am wearing Cynthia Rowley’s first scent today-the one in the girlish fairytale blue bottle. It was in a charity box from Elizabeth Arden I bought a few years ago. I wear it when the weather is 73 degrees and sunny in March and I am dreaming of May….it reminds me of green earl-grey tea with jasmine and lots of honeysuckle. Refreshing, green, young.
2. Samsara and Boucheron and JPG’s Classique–they were the first pefumes in blogs I ever read about way back in the day.
3. I seriously doubt there is blog that NST has yet to discover…
4. I rented the Blu-Ray versions of Disney’s Fantasia and Sleeping Beauty from Netflix–OMG! The colors and textures and dimensions! I was really tripping! And the Bonus Features on these two are fabulous! Sleeping Beauty has the life story of Tchaikovsky with an adorable little boy from the 50’s… and the music in both was orgasmic! I highly recommend putting on your most favorite scent and get yourself some of you favorite icecream and watch one or both of these! I feel as rejeuvanated as if I spent the day at a spa! OH! I saw Oz The Great and Powerful last weekend! FANTASTIC! I saw it in 3-D—if you do not see any other movie IN A THEATRE this year–go see that one! Mila Kunis was extraordinary (and absolutely frightening!)
5. I just finished Mitch Albom’s Time Keeper–which is an odd little book–kinda reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut. Lately I have been collecting the anthologies of Stephen King through my bookclub–I love a short sweet scary respite from everyday mundanity. A very good book that I finished a couple of months back was “Gods of Gotham” by Lyndsey Faye (here is a link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gods-of-gotham-lyndsay-faye/1104071864 )–great story!
6. I have discovered Morrocan Argan Oil! This stuff is amazing! I am using Garnier Fructis’ Sleek and Shine Morrocan Oil (for hair)–it smells like the beach (like suntan lotion smelled when I was a kid before everything went coconut.)It leaves my hair in super condition–never greasy–it is a dry oil and it penetrates immediately so it leaves your hands feeling like silk too. I use a few drops at a time and have started using it on my hands and arms and also my face and neck! I feel and look like I have lost 10 years in just a couple of weeks–no kidding! And not only that but I had two small lesions on my jawline (I have Porphyria and Diabetes) for over a year and this oil has healed them completely in just a few days! I feel like my skin is better now at 50 than it was when I was 30! And I took the plunge and went lighter on the hair color too. Way lighter. As in Summer of 2012 I had waist-length dyed black straight hair and now it is chin-length bob with bangs (I had mine before Michelle did hers–she copied me!)-left natural with waves and loose curls and it is a shade between strawberry-bonde and golden peach ( L’Oreal’s Technique 9 1/2.34 Extra Light Red Blonde)! I have never been blonde in my life! I have so much gray now that the black was looking very unnatural, and at 50 it just does not work anymore. This peachy color makes my eyes look like honey! And I LOVE all the new makeup color choices I have! I wore a bright Indian print blouse today with corals and golds and oranges and wore a sheer honey gloss with peach frost on the lips and gold shadow. The other thing I am doing now that I am pretty excited about is I amking my own toothpaste now! Flouride just has too many risks for me with Porphyria. So I make it with crushed calcium tablets and baking soda and clove and tea tree oils and peroxide. It makes a nice paste and it is very gentle but very effective! It has whitened my teeth better than the store-bought toothpaste and it remineralizes the enamel with the calcium in it. The oils I use are germicidal and clean your whole mouth, plus the clove oil is anesthetic and it helps with sensitive teeth pain. I have more hope for getting a handle on my health this year than I have in a long time! If I can just lose 85 pounds I would not be on any prescription medications at all. I am thinking I just might be able to do it this year!
sorry the formatting did not hold….
I keep meaning to try that oil! I have been bad about oils though, I now have rosehips, camellia, tamanu, sea buckthorn, meadowfoam, avocado and emu….possibly too much, LOL? I do use them up though, except for the emu which I just don’t seem to like.
SOTD is Oud Blossom by Montale and I love it. The best frag I ever bought because of this site’s blog was Vero’s Rubj! YUMMO!
1. Last night’s unnamed attar my mother got from Saudi Arabia. It smells better the longer it goes on – and it keeps going for days.
Top notes of rose and bottom notes of creamy sandalwood.
Now if I can only know what the name is and what shop it was from.
2. Van Cleef and Arpels Midnight in Paris via Australian Perfume Junkies via Perfume Posse!
3. Don’t really read much other than NST, BdJ and PP.
4. BBC’s Shakespeare ReTold. Not sure if it has any audience beyond the UK but the adaptations are funny, modern but still keeping the spirit of the original plays. (They are also on YouTube)
5. 2for1: both a book I am reading and a great one. La reina del sur/Queen of the south by Arturo Reverte-Perez. I am slogging through the Spanish (slogging bec my Spanish ain’t that great, not because of the writing!) but so far, I’d have to say, the translation is pretty good to begin with.
6. Pistachio macarons that I don’t have to go to Paris for! They are from Patisserie Valerie in the UK.
Just to add: love reading other people’s recommendations, esp of books. I have discovered so many interesting and good books, TV shows and movies here!
Me too…I feel like this is better than reading the book reviews, which I don’t have time for anymore anyway.
1. L’Artisan Poivre Piquant, an antidote to sleet and chill.
2. Creed Fleurs de Bulgarie, both review and sample courtesy of Bloody Frida.
3. I join Mals in loving The Black Narcissus. His meditations on fragrance and Japanese culture are captivating.
4. “Beasts of the Southern Wild”. I watched, cried like an infant, then as soon as it was over, I pressed “play” again and watched it over from the top.
5. I’m reading “Marmee and Louisa”, Eve LaPlante’s study of the intricate relationships between Louisa May Alcott, her mother, and her father.
6. Currently simmering on the stove: Thai-style green curry– pork, chicken, and fresh vegetables in rich coconut milk with cilantro and ginger.
Mm Poivre Piquant and Thai curry–those both sounds amazing right about now!
1. Scent of the day – Ormonde Jayne Woman.
2. Perfume blogs were what really had me falling down the rabbit hole. I’d never known of niche brands or independent perfumers previously.
3. I don’t read very many besides this one!
4. The last movie I watched and really enjoyed was La Jetée by Chris Marker. It’s a chilling 30-minute short sci-fi film composed of black-and-white stills.
5. I’ve been busy with my textbooks on options pricing and econometrics. But the last book that I read for pleasure was Half of A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie. Beautifully written and highly recommended.
6. Today I prepared a spinach and spring onion pulao that turned out surprisingly well! I’m absolutely atrocious at cooking, even when following recipes, so I’m rather pleased with myself. And my flat smells deliciously of cumin, coriander and other spices.
Oh, I find La Jetee completely brilliant also. What are some of your other favorites, would love to hear what kinds of things other Chris Marker fans are into!
yay, more Chris Marker fans! My film tastes are pretty varied, but I do like quite a few other French new-wave films/filmmakers (Truffaut, Godard – especially “Alphaville”, etc). My favorite films ever are probably 8 1/2 by Frederico Fellini, Chungking Express by Wong Kar Wai, Hitchcock’s Vertigo … I think you might enjoy Terry Gilliam’s film Brazil, too! How about you?
Ooh, thanks for these recs! That’s awesome, looking forward to checking ’em out. Along these lines, I really like Renais’s Last Year at Marienbad; Godard’s Weekend; Kieslowski’s Three Colors trilogy; von Donnersmark The Lives of Others. And then there’s some recent work that’s interesting, Another Earth and Sound of My Voice; I don’t know if you’ve seen either but they’re are both pretty distinctly influenced Marker and Kieslowski, have some structural elements in common. You might like them!
Meanwhile have you seen the doc on Gilliam trying to make his Don Quixote movie? Or more specifically, spent tens of millions of dollars and never completing the movie? It’s called Lost in La Mancha. Totally wild to watch.
I had a hard time with Half of a Yellow Sun. I seemed to enjoy it while I was reading it, but I never seemed to really want to pick it up. I think I read half before it got put back on my shelf. I own it, so I will try again later. I whizzed through Purple Hibiscus, though that is a much simpler story.
I absolutely understand what you mean! I enjoyed the book very much, but it was difficult to get through in some places and honestly I don’t think I’ll pick it up again, at least not for a while, but I feel that way about many books that I do like, so… I think it’s worth reading through once, at least.
I know what you mean. I will say that I’ve certainly gotten something out of it having only ready part, which is saying quite a lot. From such a young author, too.
Half of a Yellow Sun is one of my desert island books. Such a great book. Adichie has a new book coming out this summer – something to look forward to!
I’m glad to hear she has something new. There was a story of hers in the 30 under 30 New Yorker issue (I think that may have been a year or even more ago, though). I think she’s a real talent.
1. SOTD Dzongkha.
2. If it weren’t for perfume blogs I wouldn’t have discovered much of the perfume I now own. One in particular is Armani Prive Bois d’Encens. I would have never sought it out to sample, but I’m glad I did it is spectacular.
3. This is the best, most consistently enjoyable blog. The writing is excellent.
4. The most profound movie I have seen recently is Amour. It’s haunting. I really want to start The Walking Dead but there are so many seasons to catch up.
5. The book I am reading right now is Aphrodesia by John Oehler, it’s very entertaining for perfume lovers.
6. We just got back from an exciting trip to Mexico City and the mountain area. I’ve never been to Mexico and it wonderful. One interesting thing about Mexico City is that there is a lot of perfume on people, in stores, everywhere! It was refreshing to be in a place not so perfume adverse.
Profound is such a good word for Amour. Well put.
Thank you!
My son has read all the Walking Dead graphic novels & wants to start the series…can’t decide if I will watch with him or not. I like the concept but even the graphic novels gross me out.
Interesting about Mexico City, as I don’t think I’ve noticed that in the parts of Mexico I’ve visited (Merida / Yucatan, Baja, San Miguel de Allende).
Good day to all,
What insightful questions (and answers!)
Well:
1. Climat, by Lancôme
2. Perfume blogs rather keep me from buying fragrances, not other way around. I rarely buy anything on someone’s suggestion.
3. I like peredepierre.com, mainly because our opinions usually are the same, and I find their style amusing. But they don’t post all that much.
4. Obsessed by Masterchef series.
5. Just finished The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell. Just as equally obsessed by murder mysteries.
6. Yesterday in a department store: I was looking at a shelf stocked with Nasomatto bottles, and a sales assistant came up to me and whispered: “you know, this one has real hashish in it!” (I must have looked like I need it)
I adore Henning Mankell, & mysteries in general.
I dont think i can answer all these but here goes.
1. SOTD= Coach for Men
4. Movie = ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ seen it several times but its still great.
5. Reading ‘The Way of Shadows’ by Brent Weeks
6. Won $330 bucks today at the casino!
Nice luck at the casino! Now the important question: what fragrance will be purchased with your windfall??
1.Roadster
2.Nothing yet. 🙁
3.The good ones I know and rely are already listed on NST (https://nstperfume.com/the-blogroll/)
4.The Walking Dead
5. I’m reading just profession-related books.
6. Two wonderful quotes:
6.1- ” I learned the hard way that I cannot always count on others to respect my feelings, even if I respect theirs. Being a good person doesn’t guaratee that others will be good people, too. You only have control over yourself and how you choose to be as a person. As for others, you can only choose to accept them or walk away. “- Unknow
6.2- ” The most memorable people in your life will be the ones who loved you when you weren’t very lovable.” – Unknow
I like these quotes cause they help me to keep me safe from superficial and empty people, always looking forward.
Note: one of the best polls in wich I’ve ever posted. 🙂
Super nice quotes. Thanks for sharing them.
Would love to hear what you like about the Walking Dead. I hadn’t thought it would be my thing but all these perfume people who are into it makes me think I should reconsider!
Hi C.H.! I LOVE The Waliking Dead and I fear I’m not the most appropriate person to tell you about it. I would recoment you to start watching the first season and if you dislike the first tree episodes you will probably dislike it. The first season has only 5 episodes. It’s addictive for me that always liked horror movies. The screenplay is not as simple as it can sound. A nice weekend or holiday amusement. 🙂
Oh, nice! I could def use some new entertainment, so I’ll check it out. I’m glad to know the first few episodes are representative, thanks for that!
Scent of the day AM was Sonia Rykiel, but just spritzed Kilian’s absinthe verte to hunker down w NST. Am reading, no kidding!, The Emperor of Scent. Recently “enjoyed” if you can call it that, Stolen Lives, by Malik Oufkir, about her 20 years of imprisonment by Morocco’s Hassan II. Am scarily addicted to Revenge, which I pay Amazon $2 or $3 per episode because I don’t watch tv—joke is on me! Also watching Netflix’s House of Cards. But most fun was watching my 9 year old play a flying monkey, croquet-playing six of hearts and a lil’ rapper in mash up play of Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, and the Wizard of Oz this morning with his drama class.
Oh interesting, what’s the Rykiel like? I like her clothes, but I don’t know anything about the fragrances.
My SR is an edt, but it feels very heavy, almost thick, to me. It is described as a floral fruit oriental, but I get honeysuckle, caramel, vanilla and maybe a teensy hint of cocoa. If there is fruit in there, it is dried fruit. It is too heavy for me to wear on wrists, etc. I spray once at then nape of my neck and wear my hair down. It is a mood juice for me, when I need to feel like a grown up and part of the ladies who lunch crowd… Guess what I’m saying is that it is a sort of an acquired taste. It is Calvados rather than champagne. Oh and happy birthday!
Oh, I love that description! Yes sounds perfect for its purpose! It’s great to have a scent that fits an occasion so exactly, love that.
And thank you for the birthday wishes!
1. The gorgeous Une Voixe Noire. Best gardenia out there.
2. I found my first exotic and “niche” knockout right here on NST: Amouage’s Homage Attar. I had no idea such a thing existed. Never went back to those Jo Malones.
3. I like Victoria’s blog.
4. We’re watching, for the 3rd time in its entirety, the Sopranos. Love it.
5. Life, by Keith Richards. It’s everything: authentic, funny, wise, gossipy, filled with cultural and rock and roll history. I’d love to be stuck in an elevator with just him and an acoustic guitar.
6. Just spent 5 days in AZ, filled with sun and warmth, a nice escape from WY winter. More snow tonight.
Ooh I need to get to Une Voix Noire. Potential for a good gardenia is very appealing…
1. CDG Kyoto.
2. Almost all of them! I blame the blogs for my expensive habit 😉
3. Some under the radar blogs worth checking out are eaumg.net, katiepuckericksmells.com, dearscentdiary.wordpress.com, undina.com, and chemistinabottle.wordpress.com.
4. Downton Abbey, Girls, Breaking Bad, Mad Men. TV is where it’s at these days.
5. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Agree about TV. Almost astonishing how much better it is now than it used to be.
1. What’s your scent of the day? Amaranthine
2. The best fragrance you ever discovered via a perfume blog? Soo many, maybe I would be wearing J.Lo or Britney’s stuffs if I hadn’t read your blog…
3. Tell us about a great perfume blog that we might not know. I only know blogs that you recommend us…
4. What’s the last great movie or TV show you watched? I don’t remember, really…
5. What book are you reading? or What’s the last great book you read? I’m reading Crime and Punishment.
6. Share something wonderful with us! It can be anything — something delicious you ate, the perfect face cream you just discovered last week, any fabulous news you recently received — really, anything. I’m using Dior’s super serum One Essential, and I could see some improvement in a week, loving it!
I’m always so thrilled when I find something that works for my skin — congrats!
SOTD is Ineke After My Own Heart, which I STILL haven’t ordered but I am doing so right now. Right this minute. I love it, I have no idea what I’m waiting for.
As for best discovery, I’m definitely in the “all of them” category of people who’ve accessed perfume through reading about it. (Thanks Alyssa, for your beautiful and funny account of that process in Coming to My Senses–I am so glad I am not alone in the instinct to hole up with a computer to learn about how things smell!) But even so I can’t say I have any hidden blog gems to share, just excited to check out everyone else’s favorites!
Last great movie or TV show… I am going to say Girls. I am incredibly impressed with what Lena Dunham does with her body on that show (to call it ground-breaking would, I think, forget a lot of important history of feminist activism, but it’s gutsy all the same!!), and the narrative and characters are growing on me. I appreciate that we’re getting more depth especially with the female characters, learning why they can so often be so, well, off-putting. It’s very interesting and, increasingly, moving.
Something wonderful–I think I had the best birthday of my adult life this week! I find birthdays incredibly stressful, way too much pressure, and I am pretty sure this is the first time I’ve actually managed to have a low-key day I could actually enjoy. I just had two friends came to yoga with me, and then afterward the three of us went for Thai food and gluten-free cupcakes, drank champagne in a can, and told funny stories about mortifying things we’ve accidentally emailed to the wrong addressee. Ideal birthday amusement! Oh, and I got several fragrant presents, too! A pair of Blackberry & Bay body products–my preferred form for that scent–a set of OJ Champaca travel sprays, and a bottle of Ineke’s Scarlet Larkspur. Good day!!
Happy belated Birtday! 🙂 You had a really nice time! Friends are FRIENDS!!! Love my true ones.
Thank you!!
Happy birthday! Hopefully those scents will always remind you of your lovely friends.
Thanks Elena! Yes, one more of the many wonderful things about fragrance!
Dooooo iiiiiit!
HA, ok done!! Thank you so much the assist, I needed the nudge! So happy already just knowing it’s coming! Merci 🙂
late, but happy birthday! It sounds like you had a wonderful time – a low key gathering with close friends is the best way to spend a birthday in my opinion 🙂
Thank you! And I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. So often people are like, “So, big plans for your birthday?!” as if it’s some kind of failure not to have a big party. But I’d much rather do the opposite!
Happy Birthday, C.H. It is my birthday MONTH, too 🙂
Ooh, thank you, and happy birthday to you too! Have your eye on any good fragrant birthday treats?
I ordered the Neela Vermeire Creations Discovery Set (3 x 10mLs of each of her perfumes)!
Nice pick! Discovery sets are extra fun, sounds just right for a birthday treat 🙂
1. Shalimar is my scent of the day.
2. The best fragrance I ever discovered via a perfume blog might be 31 Rue Cambon.
3. NST and Bois de Jasmin are the two perfume blogs I visit.
4. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Emily Blunt and Ewen McGregor) is a great movie that came out a year or two ago, but that I just now got around to seeing. As for TV, I recently got hooked on Hell on Wheels (a dark Western centered around the building of the railroad after the Civil War) and am rewatching Masterpiece Mystery’s Wallander (someone already mentioned the books by Henning Mankell). Someone else mentioned Homeland, which I highly recommend as well. And yes, it was strange to see Soames Forsyte as a U.S. Marine, but only for a moment. 🙂
5. I have been so lucky finding great books lately. I recommend Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner if you haven’t read it. Newer books to look for are The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman and in nonfiction, The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey was already mentioned and that is one of my favorites, too.
6. Something wonderful – I have found a good home for the stray kitten I brought in from the cold in January. This is good news because my 11 year-old cat has been stressed out by the energetic little bugger and in turn, that stresses me out. The little guy is going to a home with two other kittens his age, which will be wonderful for him (he’s been trying to cozy up to and play with my old arthritic cat with no luck).
So glad you placed the kitty, that’s great!
Have been meaning to watch Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.
1. I spent a lot of the day cleaning and stuff like that, so I didn’t really have an SOTD.. I was wearing some of a sample of Valentino Valentina that I got when I bought my bottle of Bottega Veneta. It’s kind of meh, but there is kind of a nice plushiness about it that I like, even if the scent isn’t nearly as interesting as the description on the card makes it sound like it should be. Now I’m wearing Bottega Veneta.
2. Best fragrance I’ve discovered via perfume blog… that’s tough. I’m not sure how much of the stuff I’ve tried I would’ve found if it weren’t for blogs. So.. umm.. pretty much everything.
3. I read several blogs regularly but I think they’re all pretty known around here. Other than NST, I follow Perfume Posse, Bois de Jasmin, Chemist in the Bottle, The Non Blonde, Perfume Smellin’ Things, Perfume Shrine, Persolaise, Olfactoria’s Travels, and when I remember to I look at Scents of Self, Candy Perfume Boy, Katie Puckrick Smells, Eyeliner on a Cat, The Alembicated Genie, and The Black Narcissus.
4. I watch entirely too much TV so here goes: The Walking Dead, The Americans (new Russian spy show on FX), Hell on Wheels, Mad Men, Game of Thrones (season 3 is starting soon..yay!!), American Horror Story, and Oddities. I also loved The Wire.
5. I’m reading Aphrodesia by John Oehler after reading about it on Olfactoria’s Travels. I bought the Kindle version and am reading it on a Kindle app on my laptop.
6. I made my credit card cower in fear a little bit today because I made a big essential oil order from Eden Botanicals. I’d been wanting to do that for a long time and I’m finally doing it. I’ve been experimenting with using essential oils to make my own skin care products, and it’s been turning out pretty well thus far. I also experiment with natural perfumery when I can afford to, so I’ll be working on an idea in that department too. Fun times.
I’m glad to see another person who is enjoying The Americans!
I don’t feel like answering the poll questions but I did want to just stop by and say hi to everyone. Hope all is well with my perfume peeps.
Hi Poodle, well I’m grumpy because I have a cold and have been in bed for two days. My gorgeous boerbull mastiff has been lying on my feet (in case they fly away) and keeping me company. In some ways, not a bad weekend – aside from the pesky sinuses!
Hi Poodle! What’s new?
Hi Poodle! I hope you’re doing well! (And Merlin, that really sucks about your cold–hope you feel better and I’m glad you have a large friend to keep you, or at least your feet, pinned down 🙂
Yes, it’s really helpful;)
Sorry to hear about your cold Merlin. I’m sure your pup is taking good care of you and keeping you nice and warm.
Not much good around here. Was feeling crappy and went to the doctor and well, one visit has led to blood work and I have to go for an ultrasound this week. I’m not a good patient. I always expect the worst. I’ve been lucky and never had any big health issues so this is somewhat upsetting for me. Needless to say I’m stressed and not eating well. Plus, the whole drama with my dad is still going on and my poodle that was sick now has been sneezing like mad from allergies so I’m trying to get her sniffer under control. She’s been keeping me up at night with sneezing and snoring. She seems better today but time will tell. Oh, and there’s more snow in the forecast.
Oh, boo, yikes yeah those are good reasons to be feeling pretty crummy! I am so sorry, and hope you’ll get some good news soon. Do you have any preferred food that you can eat even when you really don’t feel like eating? I totally know that feeling, it’s really no fun because of course then having low blood sugar is a good way to feel even worse. I really hope you feel better soon!
Thanks C.H. And happy birthday too!
Sometimes I reach for sweet stuff like cookies but most times I’m too stressed to have any appetite. I force myself to eat but it’s hard when my stomach is in knots.
Oh, Poodle, I’m so sorry to hear about that. I hope everything’s ok, and that you hear back asap about the tests (the waiting is the worst). Sending super-positive thoughts to you, your father, and your poor sneezing poodle. Hugs, dear!!
Thanks Heather. Part of the problem is I’m a bit of a control freak and this is out of my control at the moment and it’s a waiting game until the test results are in. Too much time to search the Internet and self diagnose.
Hello Poodle! Have a wonderful week ahead!
Hi sweetie, have a nice end of the week!
Scent of the day: Ysatis by Givency
Best fragrance you ever discovered via a perfume blog: Indolice by Providence
Last great movie or TV show watched: My Amityville Horror/Arrested Development again
Book now reading: Joseph Adams by Henry Fielding; last great book read: Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
Share something wonderful: the moment I realized that Lonestar Memories smells exactly like the breeze through blooming wisteria in Georgia springtime…!
I love Still Life with Woodpecker! I’m feeling the need to revisit it..
After reading your description of Lonestar Memories, I am lemming to try it. I LOVE the scent of wisteria.
1. What’s your scent of the day?
Jour d’Hermes. I think I am going to go for a FB as an about-to-have-baby-#2 present to myself. No matter how sleep deprived and spit up covered I am, I can always put on a spritz of something happy and beautiful!
2. The best fragrance you ever discovered via a perfume blog?
Cuir de Russie, and I haven’t even tried the parfum yet.
4. What’s the last great movie or TV show you watched?
We are on season 2 of The Wire, probably my favorite of all time. I also just started the West Wing (I know, I’m a little behind the times!) and love that too.
5. What book are you reading? or What’s the last great book you read?
Just picked up The Unbearable Lightness of Being from the lib. yesterday, haven’t started it yet. Keeping with my theme of being about 10 years behind, I just read House of Sand and Fog and loved it. Cloud Atlas was great, too, and very different.
6. Share something wonderful with us!
Splurged on a new YSL Rouge Volupte #6 yesterday. It’s my second, and I think I am now in love with fancy/expensive lipstick! The color is gorgeous and perfect for spring, and the texture is so silky and lightweight, and yet it lasts! It just makes me feel good to put it on in a way that my plastic packaged GWP or drugstore ones do not. Also justified by coming baby… I can just swipe on some brightening pink lipstick and feel at least a little put together!
I really, really love the Unbearable Lightness of Being – it’s one of my favorites. I hope you like it too.
Ha, even more excited now to check out your movie recs–this is one of my absolute favorite books too. Sounds like we might be film/literature twins!
Jour sounds perfect for this purpose too–so beautiful, but still so easy to wear, not too heavy or overwhelming. Ideal pick-me-up. And congrats on the almost-baby!
1. I look forward to trying my just-arrived sample of Champagne de Bois after all the good reviews.
2. Almost all of my perfume purchases have been inspired by this blog and others!
3. I think it was mentioned above, but I just recently discovered EauMG. Great recent review on Heeley’s Bubblegum Chic. Check it out!
4. Girls! Fresh, cringe-inducing, hysterically funny. Lena Dunham is a genius.
5. I’m reading the second in Ken Follett’s century series: Winter of the World. It follows Fall of Giants with the next generation coping with the onset of Fascism and WWII. Not great literature, but a good read and an easy way to take in a lot of history.
6. DH and I have planned a week’s trip to France in September! 🙂
France! Lucky you!
Isn’t Girls great?? What’s your favorite episode so far?
Tonight’s!
Ahh! Very excited to watch!
Hi everyone! I just read The Kite Runner and it was so gripping I could hardly put it down until the end.
A really good movie I saw recently was Sessions (as well as Dark Zero Thirty, Argo, Le Mis, Django Unchained) There have been a lot of good movies out.
SOTD: Breath of God and Lavender Essential oil (I have a cold)
I am SO behind on movies. Haven’t even seen Argo yet!
1. Le Parfum de Therese
2. So many, but the first niche line that started me down the rabbit hole after all the reviews here was Ormonde Jayne.
4. I watched the first installment of The Hobbit a few nights ago. I can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy.
5. I just downloaded The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I love his work, so I can’t wait to read it. I finished reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. It was a great compulsive read.
6. Just received my FM Coffret, and I’m slowly working my way through the collection!
The Malle Coffret!! That IS wonderful!!
I think it is! DH is a bit appalled by my habit, so I’ve had to promise that there won’t be any more perfume purchases for the next while…;)
Ha, well, for one, 15 or 18 new Malles will definitely keep you occupied for quite some time, so he needn’t worry. But does he really have no hobbies?? So often people seem to regard perfume as a totally unjustifiable luxury, but think nothing of dropping the price of a FB (or more!) on one night of, say, basketball tickets + parking + beers and food at the game. To me, as compared with one night out, the months of enjoyment from the coffret seems downright economical!
Love your attitude, CH! (And not cuz it offers one more justification for that coffret!) I agree, and it often seems odd to me that folks can spend FB-type money on, say, a day of skiing and then suggest that my hobby is odd and expensive. AND I’ll never need to have ACL surgery as a result of perfume sniffing! 🙂
I really can’t complain about DH. He usually indulges/enables my addiction, ahem, hobby. His is cars, collecting and/or restoring vintage European ones… Talk about a rabbit canyon!!! My 15 Malle “samples” are inspiring fb longings, lol!
I agree with you CH & Marjorie Rose! My coffret is going to keep me busy, and is so much more rewarding to me than an outing to a sporting event. Happy St. Paddy’s day, all!
Hahaha Marjorie I’m dying laughing! Yes! Very little risk of bodily harm from our hobby!
Meanwhile, ojaddicte, vintage cars?! Unless you’re buying, like, JAR on a regular basis, that hobby’s gotta make perfume look thrifty 🙂 Which is good because yes I admit it did occur to me that while the coffret offers months of fun…at the end there’s probably a lot more spending to do! Ah well, so it goes 🙂 What’s your favorite so far?
Sigh. Malle envy, in a big way! Does that count as my “green” for St. Patrick’s Day? 😀
lol! ; )
i’ve been thinking about buying the Malle coffret for a very long time now, but have yet to pull the trigger…
It is worth every penny! I’m very happy with it. 🙂
Same! And we are def not the only two! Maybe in next week’s swap there will have to be a conversation about whether anyone’s potentially interested doing a coffret as a split… that would be even more reasonable still… 🙂
An FM Coffret! Oh no, I just resolved not to buy anymore Perfume for 6 months (trying to save some money). Well, a Coffret really isn’t an FB but just a whole bunch of large samples.
Precisely! The coffret offers the perfect gateway to Malle’s frags, plus a fantastic way to keep them organized. I also loved that the coffret came with postcards for each perfume describing each scent, and the awesome SA at Barney’s threw in a bunch of Lutens samples as well as one of La Fille de Berlin.
Oh, I am humming *SO LOUDLY* right now!!!!!!!
1. Gold by Donna Karan. So cold, grey and wet today that I was craving some luxe comfort.
2. Organza Indecence. One of my favourite bedtime scents. Read about it here on NST.
3. Bois de Jasmin is the only other perfume blog I regularly look at.
4. Sugarman. It was AMAZING. I saw it on Friday evening at the cinema and can’t stop thinking about it. A fairy tale of a documentary and the music is wonderful which helps.
5. The Hare with the Amber Eyes is this months book club book. Haven’t gotten into it properly yet but I expect I will. I like to cram most of my reading into the few days prior to the discussion due to my very poor memory.
Lollipop, the first third of the book is slow, but then it just takes off. My book club just read it too, and we had a fantastic discussion. I’m recommending it to everyone.
Thanks Farouche – I’m encouraged!
SOTD–Oeillets Rougess
Best perfume found via blog–Honeysuckle Bird –not only was it a Mon Mail suggestion but I also bought Bottleneck Bl. Centennial and Oudh Laquer are on my buy list. Not bad for a perfumer that I hadn’t heard of.
My next book that I’m going to purchase will probably be characters of Wisdom by Debra Kaatz. It’s in my school library and is all about the energies of specific points, written in a poetical style. Much more interesting than just giving the indications for various points
My good news 1) saw Dita Von Teese live last week (what a great show!) 2) a generous NSTresponder gifted me with a mostly full bottle of Songes 3)I met a cute guy on the train and spent a lovely hour at Starbucks with him on Wed and 4) I start a new job next week where I’ll apparently get some free training on cancer massage. Of course, it’s been a few weeks now since 5). 4 years cancer free! Woo!
Such wonderful news! It puts everything else into perspective.
No kidding, I’m feeling a little sheepish about my enthusiasm over a lipstick compared. But I guess that’s why it’s so great to be cancer free, isn’t it? To have the luxury to just simply enjoy the little things in life, like perfume and great books? Cheers to you and all of the little and big things.
Great! So happy for you!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful news, it really is wonderful!
Wonderful news indeed!! So happy for you.
1. SOTD is PdN Sacrebleu from the back of a box of decants. I’d forgotten how good it is.
2. “Best” defined as it got me started down this rabbit hole: Andy Tauer’s L’air du Desert Marocain.
3. Two blog I enjoy that I don’t see mentioned often are Tinsel Creations and The Muse in Wooden Shoes.
4. I adore Person of Interest, not only because it stars my TV boyfriend, Michael Emerson, but because it does a wonderful job of entwining “mythology” into regular episodes. Wonderful actors, tight direction, great stories, and a crime-fighting dog who “speaks” Dutch. What more could you ask?
5. I reading “Me Before You” by JoJo Moyes. She is not A Great Prose Stylist, but I’ve devoured every book she’s written. And as I replied to HemlockSillage above, I’d definitely recommend “Call the Midwife” by Jennifer Worth.
6. The Humane Society where I volunteer just opened its free-roaming cat room! And they built a screened porch onto the room so that the cats can safely bask in the sun. Yay! Now our kitties get out of their cages and enjoy themselves.
Off to google Person of Interest. Really hard to keep up with TV these days, I had not even heard of it.
Me Before You is on my to-read list.
And how wonderful to hear that the kitties will have a sun porch. That really is good news.
Hi, everyone! I’ve been following nst for a while and thought it was about time I started contributing to the dialogue….so here goes:
What’s your scent of the day?
Today I’m strategically layering Dyptique’s Philosykos and Heeley’s Sel Marin because I’m ready for warmer weather.
What’s the last great movie or TV show you watched?
I finally saw the film Spirited Away -the story is absolutely charming and the animation is beautiful!
What book are you reading?
I just started reading Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook. Feels a bit dated, but I’m looking forward to the actual notebook sections.
I recently found an excellent new facial moisturizer, Neal’s Yard Remedies Jasmine Enriching Cream. I have sensitive but oily skin and the cream fights winter dryness without causing a break out.
Welcome! And those are great choices to bring summer to mind.
Another welcome! And you smell great 🙂
Welcome! And isn’t Spirited Away wonderful? Have you checked out other Hayo Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli films? (They’re pretty much all spectacular 🙂
Well, I guess every perfume that has come out since The Guide was published that I’ve bought would be one that I learned about via a perfume blog, plus scents that were discontinued before The Guide, so that’s a lot of my collection. Of course, some I would have tried anyway, because I like the brand or perfumer, but I always look up reviews, too.
One favorite would be SSS Tabac Aurea, which I heard about here on NST; I would never even have heard of SSS even without perfume blogs.
The one that will always be special is L’AP Seville a l’Aube, which I learned about on Grain de Musc and through Denyse’s wonderful book, The Perfume Lover. It was thrilling to get hints of both projects over time on GdM, and the resulting perfume is a permanent member of my all-time top ten.
Coincidentally, my SOTD is a perfume that I learned about on Memory of Scent, YOU PARA I DISO, by Alessandro Gualtieri (of Nasomatto) under the creative guidance of Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten, directors of ICK (International Choreographic Arts Centre Amsterdam). It was created as the olfactory counterpart to an ICK dance production of the same name and designed “to capture the essence of Paradise in a bottle.” Christos described it as a honey leather scent, included a photos of the unusual bottle design, and noted that it was a less expensive way to experience Gualtieri’s style than Nasomatto, so I ordered it unsniffed from the ICK website. I like it!
In terms of great things, I saw the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre again recently – they are not to be missed. I also caught the marvelous “Roads of Arabia” exhibit on the archaeology and history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Freer and Sackler, which highlights the ancient incense roads. It’s no longer in DC, but the website, with a gallery and online references, is still up (there’s a link to an amazing article on oud), as is the earlier Berlin website. The exhibit will be traveling to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum and venues in Chicago and Boston – it’s worth watching for!
Oh, I do miss the Freer, one of my favorite museums in the world — I will look up that exhibit, thanks!
Yipes! 160 comments and growing! I’m off to bed, so won’t get to read the comments until tomorrow. A quick reply from me:
1. What’s your scent of the day? Arquiste Anima Dulcis
2. The best fragrance you ever discovered via a perfume blog?
See above. I AM IN LOVE WITH IT AND CAN’T STOP SNIFFING MY ARMS!
6. Share something wonderful with us!
As many of you know, I’m fighting my way back to life after four years of serious illness (I was given a death sentence, but I survived.) I was an active writer and designer who became semi-comatose for two years, with a stroke, etc. I had serious visual, physical and cognitive problems.
My neurologist advised me to take up knitting to help connect brain-eye-hand coordination.I just passed the four year “anniversary” of being struck down with illness. It’s been (and still is) a difficult journey, but I”ve come a long way. I also just completed the first item I’ve designed myself! It’s a scarf that I designed and knit to match a Turkistanian hat a friend purchased for herself. It turned out beautifully (Fair Isle knitting with embroidered accents and it’s fully lined.) I presented it to my friend and she’s been wearing it with the hat everywhere and telling people I designed and made it. She just happens to be the Creative Ambassador for the Hague, so it’s getting lots of exposure! This is a major accomplishment for me.
Jonette, this is such wonderful news. I am so happy to hear how well you are doing, and congratulations on your scarf!
Marvelous news, Jonette! Thank you for sharing it with us.
really happy for you! That’s great news!
Great news, Jonette!
That is fantastic! I’m so happy for you, Jonette.
That really is stupendous news, thank you!
Wow that is MARVELOUS! Incredibly happy news, thank you so much for sharing it.
Jonette, I’ve always appreciated your comments and now I’m amazed by what you’ve accomplished. Huge congratulations!
That really is inspiring! Its so easy to lose hope when recovery is a very long term affair.
SOTD PdE Azemour
Best perfume from a blog POTL Luctor et Emergo
Don’t go far beyond @NST but getting to know @lucasai Chemist in a Bottle
TV: Ripper Street, love the genre
Book: Clash of Kings – my daughter got me hooked on Game of Thrones, swept away
Wonderful thing: Boston flower show – not on a level with Jonette’s news but it helped push winter away a bit
So glad to see a mention of my old friend POTL 🙂
1. Scent of the day: vintage Mitsouko (1980’s EDP, I think)
2. Cuir de Lancome: a blind-buy based on several glowing blog reviews, which has turned out to be a top favourite that I am now stock-piling for the future.
3. I’ve been loving the Black Narcissus.
4. Pina – A sort-of documentary (the film is 90% performances) by Wim Wenders about Pina Bausch, the late German contemporary dance choreographer, and her company, the Tanztheater Wuppertal. I would highly recommend seeing it, with or without a previous interest in dance. It is so deeply viscerally moving, and often quite funny. I saw the original 3D version in a theatre last year, which was amazing, but re-watched it on DVD last night, and it was still incredible.
5. I’m on an Annie Dillard kick; currently reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, which has me longing for summer, to spend time outdoors, just absorbing the small wonders of nature. And I recently finished my second reading of The Living, which is heart-wrenchingly good.
6. My guy and I visited our first possible wedding venue today, and I think it’s The One! A small rowing club on the shore of Lake Ontario with a beautiful view and low-key retro charm. It’s right in the city but feels like a hidden gem.
Best wishes on your up-coming nuptials! How great that you may have found your venue. Have you chosen your scent for the big day?
Thanks!! It will be an early June wedding, and I can’t think of a more radiantly beautiful fragrance for the summer than Carnal Flower. Of course, I have over a year to change my mind, but I’m pretty sure CF will be the one.
I am impressed! You are well read perfumistas with great taste in films and television. It is excellent to be in such good company.
1. Providence Perfumes Moss Gown. Mom sent me a sample for my B-Day.
2. SJP Covet–thanks Robin. Never would have tried this without your review.
3. Nosy Girl, Alyssa Harad, I Smell Therefore I Am.
4. Enjoying The Following
5. Just finished The Lord of the Rings, first revisit since childhood.
6. Fresh Sugar Honey Lip treatment–ridiculously expensive but it is great for chapped lips!
Ah, nice to see a mention of Covet!
AAAARRGGHHH, Nosy Girl and ISTIA should BOTH have been have been on my “great blogs that update less frequently” list.
Hi all! Ive decided to de-lurk, after discovering the world of perfume blogs a few months ago. I am happily falling down the rabbit hole…
1) SOTD is cartier baiser vole. Im still searching for a floral frag in anticipation of spring.
2) Chanel #19: all the wonderful reviews made me look away from #5 and put down my usual spritz of Coco. How did I overlook that bottle for years at the perfume counters?
3) Ive going to try some of the ones listed in todays posts!
4) Life of Pi, Beasts of the Southern Wild. Although the reviews for Amour seem so appealing, Im kind of avoiding this since I think the subject will cut too close to home. Im coming very late to Downton Abbey. Will try Walking Dead soon. I love the book and TV recommendations here too.
5) 19Q4 by Murakami…strange and mysterious, epic not quite scifi contemporary novel set in Japan. It was a long slog but worth it.
6) Just found some missing saving bonds. It was like finding money in the couch but ten times better.
Welcome, and congrats on your savings bonds, what fun!
1. Chanel 1932 sample on one hand, Seville a l’Aube on the other (see question below)
2. POTL Luctor Et Emergo
4. Netflix’s House of Cards
5. re reading old noir hard boilds like Chandler and Cain
6. Had a fragrance epiphany: Never cared for neroli, due to the fact that citrus is too clean usually for me. The other day while walking the dog, i walked under a tree of little white flowers with the most overwhelming amazing smell, i never realized how perfect the orange + floral mix was and how spring like. Now I am on the hunt for the best Neroli / Orange blossom scent I can find, suggestions please!
Atelier Grand Neroli is a favorite of mine!
Ellie Saab – both the perfume and EDT are worth trying. Also Divine Enfant by Etat libre d’ Orange and Gaultier’s Fleur de Male. And, as CH suggests – Grand Neroli. Oh and there is a SSS one, Jour Ensolleile…it also receives much love!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day everybody! I decided to wear some of my Trefle Pur decant today… It seems appropriate. 🙂
My first comment here! What a great blog.
1) SOTD Strange Invisible Black Rosette. What I’ve been wearing most of the winter.
2 & 3) I am relatively new to reading perfume blogs, so I don’t have great answers to these yet.
4) Moonrise Kingdom. Sweet, funny, romantic, and visually arresting.
5) ‘How To Be Black’ By Baratunde Thurston. Laugh out loud funny, and insightful. And you don’t need to be Black to read it!
6) Spent the weekend dancing and having fun in Baltimore to celebrate a good friend’s 40th birthday. I was glad to know I could keep up with the twenty-somethings!
Moonrise Kingdom is on my Netflix queue. It sounds great.
Oh, I hope you like it– it was one of my favorite films from last year!
Me too, loved it.
Oh I missed all the fun on the blog this weekend. Just had enough time late tonight to skim through and what a wonderful group of bloggers are you! I had a bunch of elderly clients with aches and pains and was all wrapped up in that. One client loves to have his temples massaged with mysore sandalwood oil. Forgot to wear a scent when I got off work and then found a tiny bottle of pure jasmine oil that I got at a farmer’s market in Santa Barbara about four years ago. Shook it up and it still smelled like fresh flowers blooming. A moment of sweet springtime before the snowstorm hits us tomorrow.
I was addicted to the second season of “The Killing” that just came out on netflix. Filmed in Vancouver where I grew up and excellent story and acting. Watched the whole season in one week.
Started reading the Emperor of Scent, a Valentines gift from the husband, along with a bottle of Pamplelune and a joke perfume called “Mephisto Parfum de Paris”: you open the box and a black devil rat with red eyes springs out. Glad so many of you liked Wolf Hall. It’s sitting on my table and I will start it soon.
Just gave myself a pair of two inch drop emerald earrings. Cheapos, they are dyed emerald but still gorgeous and make me feel elegant. I don’t have a lot of money but have been loading up on flowery spring and summer dresses. I’m so done with Winter at this point.
Seconding the recommendation for Call The Midwife, set in postwar Poplar. My Dad was born there in that period (one of seven children), from what he’s said it’s very true to life! I absolutely loved it especially the humour and Miranda.
1. What’s your scent of the day?
Angela Flanders Mandarin and Mint. It is what Jo Malone’s LB&M wanted to be for me, but wasn’t. And Spring in London seems very far away right now, so this is cheering me up no end!
2. The best fragrance you ever discovered via a perfume blog?
Ormonde Woman. It was my first perfumista discovery and buy. Through this blog, in fact!
3. Tell us about a great perfume blog that we might not know.
I can’t. But a great food blog is Hungry Londoner!
4. What’s the last great movie or TV show you watched?
Spiral, the french crime series. Amazing writing, plotting and characters. Left us on a total cliff hanger this weekend too……
5. What book are you reading? or What’s the last great book you read?
Seneca’s collected works. I need some serious philosophical calm right now.
6. Share something wonderful with us! It can be anything — something delicious you ate, the perfect face cream you just discovered last week, any fabulous news you recently received — really, anything.
I got a massive tax rebate a few weeks ago! Which was joyous! And well timed!
Also, I discovered an amazing skincare range called Bareskin Beauty by a cosmetologist called Juliette Scarfe. It is all natural, mainly organic and chemical free. My skin is loving it. I emailed her with questions about my skin type and we decided to go for a bespoke serum, which she made for me and is working wonders.
Immortelle oil for the face, it’s magic. Argan oil makes you mouth softer and your eyelashes longer plus its great acne fighter. I have had no breakouts for years. It’s anti-aging. Get both!