The standard open thread routine: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, the perfume you'd be wearing if you were on your dream vacation, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: image is crocus series by geishaboy500 at flickr; some rights reserved.
OMG– am I first? Happy Weekend everybody…finally some sun here so I hope to get out to enjoy it. SOTD is Fresh–Hesperides, something simple and citrus to perk me up. I am sure that Robin will do a wrap up at sometime, but just let me say a BIG thanks to all of the swappers… I had a fantastic time and got a few gems.
So glad! Followup poll for the swapmeet will be on the 27th.
I’m also very happy for my NST Swapmeet. Finally got a decant of Prada Infusion d’Iris Absolue.
I have completed all decanting and will be packaging the last of my swaps / freebies this weekend (I hope!). If there is one thing I learned about all the decanting, not all atomizers and sprayers are made equal.
You’re a proffesional swapper dear!
Funny you mentioned that decanting vials are not equal – sometimes when I do some splits I noticed that some of my 10 ml bottles can take up to 11 mls without any problem!
I actually meant the FB atomizers…some are just totally junky and others oh so smooth. Of course the best FBs are the ones with the screw on atomizers!
I also agree on the surprising capacity of the vials / atomizers and I end up estimating as it would probably drive me crazy to have to actually measure the volume.
Some sprayers work so easily and others are so hard to handle
Good afternoon! How are my friends doing? Has spring bloomed where you live?
Spring didn’t arrive here yet. We get few degrees above zero (*C) but there’s still plenty of snow to melt. I wish we had more sun, the gray sky is so depressing. And of course I want to change my clothes for something lighter, more colorful.
Today I’m trying to scare the winter away by wearing Entre Naranjos from Ramon Monegal Barcelona. It’s such a happy and juicy orange, quite similar to Parfum d’Empire Azemour.
Few days ago I tried Prada Candy L’Eau flanker, reviewed it on my site yesterday. And today I have a poll. You can decide which perfume should I review next. Why don’t you vote?
Happy weekend everyone!
I love hajusuuri’s comment on your Candy L’Eau post about the desperate need for a Prada Candy pour Homme!
I seriously think Prada should consider doing such a fragrance. What’s your point of view about this one? Should they make it or not?
🙂
I think we all probably have suggestions on how to make a favorite scent even better or simply an interesting flanker or a flanker to a flanker!
Exactly. If only there was someone who would observe thos ideas of ours and try to convince the perfumers to give our thoughts a try 🙂
HMMM!
Prada Candy always struck me as appealing to a lady’s sweet tooth, (Fancy carmel -bon- bon smelling perfume, a more lasting gift than a box of carmel bon bons).
Do men have a similar yen for sophisticated sweets? I’m not so sure. I mean I have NEVER heard a man even mention the word “Appletini” much less order one.
So what would be a Candy Pour Lui? Could there be a Prada Pizza?
I have a perfume anecdote! So I’m taking a non-fiction class this semester, and we had to write an essay on a spectacle. Of course, I chose Sniffapalooza! The whole class seemed fascinated by the idea of a perfume convention, and a few asked if it was still possible to register. So if you see any Johns Hopkins students at Sniffa this year, be sure to say hi! 😀
I like this post and your writing about Sniffapalooza! People do seem to be absorbed by collectors of almost anything, the stranger the better some times. I collect antique/vintage Christmas and we have a large convention each July. Hundreds of people in a hotel all decorated for X-mas, holiday music in the elevators, people in elf suits LOL. Poor folks just looking for a regular family vacation are stunned!
Ah, one of my happiest discoveries on ebay a couple years ago was a pristine set of vintage bubble lights exactly like my grandmother’s. Your conventions must be huge fun!
They are great fun. And if you think perfume is a rabbit hole you should avoid antique Christmas!! LOL
My kitchen is decorated in retro Halloween year round! Is it time for me to grow up? Nah, too late for that.
Yeah, now I really need ornaments and a tree skirt like my Mom’s to go with them. 😉
Oh gosh, it is the anticipation of the spectacle of excited perfumistas that had prevented me from signing up for Sniffapalooza!
Happy weekend all!
I don’t have much perfume-related news. Still waiting on my bottle of Ubar to arrive. . .it won’t be the right season for it, but I might just suffocate my friends for a few days after I get it!
I *did* host my first party in my new house last night (still in recovery mode this morning)! I had 12 friends over for bunco and dinner, and it was a success! Although my little house, which feels plenty big for me and the cats felt a little small with all those bodies lounging about! In my cleaning/preparations, the smell of my home got a lot of energy–I sprayed B. Paris upstairs and I burned a candle downstairs, where gathering occured. I don’t regret it! I’m more self-conscious about the scent of the house than a little dust or whatever!
Oh, and totally OT, but for those of you who find amusement in my dating life–I’ve gone back to the online dating scene. Haven’t met anyone in person, yet, but there’s some messaging here and there.
I just about laughed myself hoarse yesterday morning! I got a message–all it said was “call me” with a phone number–and his screen name was “ByggCane!” !!!!! What can I say?! I hope he finds what he’s looking for, but it isn’t me! 😀 The audacity of some of the guys online can be amazing–you have to laugh or you’re gonna just get cynical awfully fast!
Brave woman!
Thanks, Annie!
I don’t really like the online dating world, but I don’t meet men anywhere else! As a teacher, I’m surrounded by married men and LOTS of women. And going out, looking cute, doesn’t seem to get the nice guys to say hi to me! If I wanted to date a guy 15-20 years older than myself, I’d have plenty of options–they seem to be the only ones comfortable enough to show interest in public places. 🙂
But that said, there’s LOTS of sifting to find nice guys online. . . mostly I just get the “hello gorgeous” emails–looking for cheap thrills, I assume.
That is hilarious. Byggcane could mean that he’s an old guy…:)
😀 Or maybe Cane is his last name and he’s just really, uh, tall?
He could be a tall older gentleman who is a little unsteady on his feet
I’m just laughing, I really don’t think I have much to add here 🙂
Marjorie Rose, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I actually met my husband via an online dating site (and not one of the overtly marriage-oriented sites, either — neither of us were really looking for anything serious, but hey, stuff happens).
But, yeah, one does have to develop a certain tolerance for ham-fisted come-ons of the ByggCane variety. There were a lot of users who seemed less like people and more like spam-bots (“hey what r u doing” seemed to be a popular opening gambit, never mind that the answer would seem self-evident).
It’s stories like that that keep me looking! And honestly, I’ve met two really nice guys that way, and they were worth the time and energy to get to know them better, even if they weren’t my forever-guys.
As for Byggcane, etc., I get a lot of the “how r u” guys, too. The one that really cracks me up, though is when they start with “Hi, what’s your name?” My screen name is “ArtCarMarjorie,” so unless they think my name might be Art . . . 😀
Haha! Well, at least the dimmer bulbs can be good for a chuckle.
Dating seems like a lot of work nowadays. Good luck sifting through the rocks to find a diamond. At least you can get some laughs out of it. A friend at work met her husband online. There are some nice ones out there.
Are you suggesting there was a time when it *wasn’t* a lot of work?
I think college *could have been* an easier dating time, although it was pretty awkward for me personally. I wish I could be the confident, healthy person I am today with the social access I had when I was in college. I suspect I’d deal with that dating world entirely differently if I could do it over again.
Yeah, when you’re in school it seems there are more opportunities to meet people. Once you’re out and just going to work, the opportunities dwindle.
Yeah strictly by the numbers college is, as they say, a target-rich environment 🙂 Hard to find another place so thoroughly populated with age-appropriate single people! (At least, this side of a retirement community!!!)
MR, I don’t know what website you’re using, but you might get a good laugh out of OKC Goldmine, where people submit terrible messages they get on the dating site OK Cupid. http://okcgoldmine.com
BRILLIANT! Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this, I have been looking for this site and I didn’t even know it. For a while I was saving all the messages I got with the idea of ultimately doing an installation that would be one small room, no windows, papered with these messages. I thought it should be called “Yellow Wallpaper.”
Thanks, Ari! I wonder if they have a place specifically for the truly odd–I have been informed that I have perfect feet by a foot fetishist–not a personal detail I was aware of until I tried online dating!
Ok, Seriously, I’ve just wasted an hour on this site! It is both hilarious and deeply troubling! And sadly, a bit too familiar. Thanks, I think! 😛
We need to trade stories sometime. My foray into online dating was DOA because of the proportion of messages like that. I could not believe the number of dudes who sent, “Hey, I like your smile, want to hang sometime?” in response to a photo that did not show my face.
Haha! Really makes you feel like they’re paying attention, huh?!
I think I have a pretty thick skin, but it can be pretty disheartening to have so many unpleasant contacts and so few meaningful ones. I’m feeling the humor in it this weekend, but there have been times when it was just disappointing.
Totally makes a girl feel special 😉
I think it is so good to be able to laugh at it. Getting demoralized definitely didn’t get me anywhere!
Hi Marjorie, like all of dating, the on-line scene is just hit-or-miss. I joined one of the sites at the persuasion of a friend about 4 years ago. I had extremely low expectations as I had had only a very few short relationships before.
I received some messages that made me laugh my head off. One was from a guy who, in listing his own admirable qualities to me, included the fact that he had not been to gaol – unlike so many other men out there…
For the most part I just made quick judgments based on their writing abilities: can’t punctuate, no; short very simple sentences, no; etc…
The first person I had a long correspondence with I ended up meeting and about 6 months later we more or less formally decided it should be a romantic relationship (intellectuals can be so socially stilted!) and three years later we are still together.
That being said: my friend, gorgeous and highly intelligent, who initially persuaded me to give it a go has only discovered weirdos. So as I say – hit or miss…
Yup, totally agree with what you say. It is hit or miss, and being picky and making quick judgements seems like as good a defense strategy as any. That said, I’ve met two really great guys online over the last year, and while neither is gonna be my forever-guy, they are both worthy of friendships. And given I’ve only met about 6 or 7 guys in person (because I’m really selective, too), 33% seems like a good success rate!
That is pretty good. And I’m glad you have made some friends through it as well!
Jealous of Ubar, so please, suffocate in my place! LOL
Good luck with the dating scene, if you go on a date and don’t like the guy….maybe just suffocate with that Ubar! Just makes sure he still picks up the tab! lol.
😀 Perfume and cats can fill a lot of the holes created by being single. Does that sound unhealthy?!
Not to me!:).
Me neither! But good luck, and keep us informed.
I saw this on Perfume Shrine and thought of you:
“Jean Patou, fashion innovator, creator of Joy, once said, “Just like men, perfume is never perfect right away; you have to let it seduce you.”
😉
Thanks, Omega and Rapple!
Rapple, I like that quote! I would love a guy who’d take the time to seduce me! Unfortunately, like the fella mentioned above, there’s little patience for the process, it seems!
Jean Patou FTW 🙂
No! Not unhealthy at all. I was happily single for more than 20 years following my divorce from my son’s father and six years ago met The One. We’ve been married for 3 1/2 years – and we’re both old enough to be eligible for AARP! Good luck and enjoy the journey!
Thanks, Maggiecat!
Lucky for me, I’m really pretty happy! I’ll be happy to have love in my life again, but in the mean time, life is good! I have a great job, I am healthy, I LOVE my new house, I own a ridiculous amount of totally superfluous personal fragrances–I really can’t complain! But it would be nice to have someone to share it all with. 😀
No way. You have to be happy to be appealing to the right kind of people (read: healthy people!), so whatever brings you happiness is exactly what you should be doing to prepare to meet someone wonderful! 🙂
Yeah, I definitely want a fella who’s happy and is drawn to happy people (but can deal when you’re not, right?). So, cats and perfume–I have company and entertainment, although it’s not always clear which one provides which some days! 😀
Hey, my Ubar just arrived! Sadly, I’d just doused myself in in Bois des Iles, so I will have to wait to suffocate until laterl! 😉
Yay!!! Happy suffocating! 🙂
Oh boo hoo. What’s a girl to do with such troubles?! XD
Lys, I really appreciate your empathy in this regard! 😉
Happy weekend, all! My Amouage Dial arrived yesterday and I really love it. It is quite powerful for 3-4 hours, then phht! Gone! But I am very happy with it. The packaging is “old school” – hard-sided, quality box. Opening it felt quite ceremonial, or like Christmas mornings or yore. Presentation is everything!
My own yard smells quite spectacular today. Remnants of grapefruit blossoms, pittosporum and the first buds of star jasmine. Glorious!
My vacation scent will be Gentiane Blanche. I think its freshness mixed with the Cape air will be a good reminder to relax and be grateful and happy. Enjoy, ma sniffas!
If you bottled the smell of your yard, I would totally buy that.
Same here!
I neglected to mention the irrigation came today, also.
So add fetid water to the list of ingredients and get Uncle Serge on the line. He might jump on this one!
I love the smell of grapefruit blossoms. Heavenly.
Yesterday I started testing my FM Carnal Flower sample. I like it– the drydown seems coconutty on me, but not in a beachy way, if that makes any sense. To my nose, Joy is far more carnal than this one!
Speaking of the Malles, thought I’d love Therese, since I adore vintage Diorama…but it was wayyy too strong on me. Noticed many comments lately about En Passant…need to try that one.
Carnal Flower is a favorite of mine. Love to see it getting some love here!
Try Une Fleur de Cassie, too, if you haven’t already. It seems like that one can get overlooked in the Malle lineup, but it’s a gem.
Oh, I must re-try this one, since my sample leaked. I remember it being quite powdery, which is something I love
Hi Galbanumgal, glad to hear you are enjoying Carnal Flower – it’s one of my favourites! For tuberose, I also like Fracas but find Carnal Flower smoother and creamier somehow.
I think I had the opposite reaction to Therese, I was convinced it wouldn’t be my thing, but loved it – though I agree that it is strong – it can induce headaches if I spray too liberally! I like the Malle line in general though and I’m currently obsessing over Lipstick Rose…
Still have to try Fracas….the dept store tester was empty the most recent time I remembered it! Really intrigued by the Malle line. I didn’t think CF was going to be a success, but I’m quite enjoying it.
Question: which wildly expensive candles are worth the money?
I just bought an on-sale Ines de la Fressange (sp?) candle called “Un Week End a Deauville” and while it’s pretty nice, it’s very similar to Paddywax’s Solstice, which is 1/4 the price.
My one Cire Turdon experience was okay, but not what I had hoped for the price. Looking forward to any suggestions or opinions.
Oh good question! I’d be interested in answers to that, too. I can see myself splurging on a nice candle some day . . .
Dipytique’s candles are lovely, if expensive. In the mid-range, Voluspa candles are amazing (clean burning, a great range of scents, and fragrances with a great ‘throw’); on the lower-end, I’ve also had success with the Blue Wick line.
Many people think the Diptyque candles are worth the price. I’ve had luck with Votivo…not outrageously priced, and fill a space pretty well.
I have always been very happy with Illume candles. A great variety of scents and they are one of the few I find that really do scent a whole room. Many smell wonderful when you shove your nose in the container but end up lacking the juice to scent a room. Illume used a lot of frag oil in their candles, more than most companies. I like them very much. I also like Voluspa, Baltic Amber is a winter favorite.
I’ve really enjoyed the couple of Archipelago candles that I have, and they’re pretty reasonably priced.
I love their Havana candle.
I have had good luck with Tatine. Creeping Moss, a rich, glorious chypre, and Wood Smoke, which is just that. Anthropologie used to carry them, you can buy them dire to line too. I am currently enjoying Pine Neroli by Belle Fleur. I found that at The Perfume Shoppe in Scottsdale. Also beautiful.
Tatine’s Creeping Moss is something else. Tiny candle, big fragrance and unlike anything I’d smelled before.
My favorite candles were made by Aromatherapy of Rome. For nearly the length of its run–and I’m not sure why, when or how it ceased operations–it used only essential oils in its formulation. I still have a couple of pillars left and they are superb! These candles fill a room with intoxicating fragrance.
I really like Carriere Freres Industrie. Great quality, and even a little less expensive than Diptyque. I have the Santalum Album (sandalwood) candle and it’s so rich and cozy – ideal for fall and winter. I know Lucky Scent carries the line.
I found a candle by Aquiesse at TJ Maxx that was wonderful. It was cinnamon tabac I believe. I’m not sure if they are wildly expensive in a regular store but I would buy one again if I saw it.
Hello Poodle! I have found some great candles at TJ Maxx and Marshalls as well. I recently scored a Lalique Encre Noire candle, as well as Claus Porto, Pacifica, and Acquiesse. I think the free world supply of candles is in my linen closet. But the supply could dry up at any moment….Right? I like Nest candles too. Did I mention I like Japaneses incense……
Those stores have had some good stuff lately. I saw some Nest candles too but got the Aquiesse one instead. Like you, I certainly did not need another scented candle. I’m thinking I should have bought the Nest one too…
oooh, how is the Lalique candle??
I recently tried Diptyque candles (Amber and Amber Oud) and loved them – fragrant and long lasting. However, I also highly recommend Tyler Candle Company. These are jarred, highly perfumed candles in atypical scents. Cowboy is a wonderful leather scent, but my favorite is Gold Leaves which smells a lot like Amouage Dia! I’m not a big fan of their packaging, but they contain a lot of high quality perfume oils in lovely perfumery blends!
I love Diptyque candles and usually treat myself to at least one at Christmas. Jo Malone are also very nice and the empty containers from both brands make for excellent tumblers.
NARS do some great ones as well. They are super-potent so they last for ages since they don’t even need to be lit for the first few months.
I have sniffed the Malle candles which I had high hopes for but wasn’t completely smitten with.
That said, after reading Robin’s article about the different papier d’Armenie scents I have a new obsession. They are much cheaper but smell absolutely fantastic so if you haven’t, I’d recommend trying them and saving at least some of that money towards perfume.
I need some tealight candles that are scented; any recommendations?
Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions — taking lots of notes. Have seen Nest and Aquiesse in the Canadian TJ Maxx aka Winners quite recently, so will see whether any of the m are still around, and will check on others…
Hi Everyone! I don’t have anything interesting to share, but my SOTD (or SOTN as it’s just getting dark here) is Rousse. Candied apples and expensive face powder, I wish I knew why I like it so much… It was one of my Rabbit Hole scents back a good few years ago, when I was just dipping my toes into niche (Uncle Serge was my gateway…). It smelled to me as the height of sophistication:). Maybe these precious memories make Rousse smell so comforting and joyful to me.
Rousse is lovely! It’s one of those scents I *nearly* buy often enough that I might have to at least get a decant some day. Seems like a wonderful comfort scent. And a SL was one of my first niche scents, too–Gris Clair.
Haha, ‘nearly buy often enough:), that sounds so much like me:). This is how I went with DK Gold, I wish I had bought it back then, when it was jumping into my basket at every local whatsthename tiny perfume store. And a few other scents as well. Sigh… One never knows, yeah?
Thank You for the thumbs up on Rousse! Yes, it is definitely in the comfort scent zone:). Btw, it is 8.00 in the mornig and I can still smell it (2 sprays only). Impressive! I hope this tips your decant purchase off the cliff:).
SOTD = FM L’eau d’Hiver — it is supposed to be spring but it was brrrrr cold when I went out to do errands. At least is is sunny, though.
My perfume news is that I went to the U.S. launch of the the 5 Olfactive Studio perfumes. It was held at an art gallery in NYC this past Tuesday. I got there fairly early and I’m glad I did because it got soooo crowded 30 minutes into the event there was barely room to move! I’m still figuring out the juxtaposition of visual art and perfume – i.e. while I “get” the connection, if the photographs were to be switched around, it would not diminish my experience of the perfumes.
Of the five, the most distinctive were Flash Back (the newest one) with its sparkling citrus opening and Chambre Noir with its unapologetic (but not overpowering) patchouli and leather. Upon making a second round of sniffing the cardboard blotters, I decided that I liked them all. It was too bad that there were no samples (for free or for purchase) although the bottles were kept on eye-level pedestals which made them quite accessible for spritzing. I’ll probably end up getting the set of 5 x 5 mL coffret when that’s available.
Happy weekend everyone!
I saw a press photo of that send – it has nice presentation.
What a great time! And you’ve created a lemming in me for the coffret! Patchouli and leather sounds wonderful!
Rappleyea, Chambre Noir has musk…is musk a non-starter for you? Or white musk?
Thanks for the heads up! Once in a while the white musk stays hidden enough by other notes that I can deal with it (Incense Pure), but usually it blows up to a deodorant scent on my skin!
Oh, there will be a coffret? I’m doomed. Cannot resist a good coffret.
Did somebody say coffret? 😉
You can read about the coffret in Fragrantica. On the Olfactive Studio website, a set of 4 x 1.2mL samples (includes all except the newest Flash Back) is 8 euros but I just looked and it doesn’t seem to be available any longer 🙁
Anyway, Aedes and Luckyscent carry the line, but I did not see the 5 x 5mL coffret. Bergdorf carries the line but only in-store. I’ll need to stop in to check out a few things later in the month anyway (the Guerlain Muguet in order to once and for all decide if Lily of the Valley is as abhorrent to me as I thought and to smell the HdP Veni) and I will take the opportunity to check out their Olfactive Studio offering.
Note: I am not affliliated with any of the companies mentioned.
I have an interesting question.
After delving into the niche/indie perfume world, who here has contemplated starting their own perfume line? What would you do to bring something new and interesting to the market? What would your debut perfume be?
You know, it’s funny because mostly I have the opposite feeling–other kinds of arts do make me want to start working in that medium, but perfume seems incredibly difficult to do well and I am so happy to have someone else do that work and let me enjoy the end result!
I suppose I might eventually change my mind tho. I know there are some people in these parts who have been testers for new fragrances from some of the indie lines, and I can imagine that once you got a hand in consulting on mods, you might start to wish you could exert more influence! Will be curious to hear if others do feel that way.
So I caved in and finally ordered that bottle of L’Eau d’Hiver earlier this week. Of course, just like a person who picks a scab even though they know they shouldn’t, I went ahead and compared the ingredients listed on the box with those listed on my 2-3 years old carded sample.
Eugenol is gone and the rest of the ingredients are listed in the different order. So it looks like it’s been messed with at some point in the last couple of years and I spent the afternoon neurotically trying to decide if I can pick out any differences. Is it lighter? Is it not as long lasting? So far, I’ve managed to resist testing it side by side with the last few drops in my sample.
Now – considering that I decided to splurge on the 100ml after reading LT’s review and precisely because I wanted to have enough juice to not have to worry about IFRA – I’m feeling strangely deflated even though I’m not even sure if I should be. Any thoughts, words of wisdom or just advice to get a grip are welcome.
Oh, I’d be tempted to do that side-by-side. But I can see how you’d want to avoid it–the *real* question is do you still love it? And do I need to go find another bottle before it’s too late? 😀
1. First, flimsier thought–I know for food it is possible that the labels can change because of changing regulations about labeling, not just ingredients–so different words being required to be used for the same thing, or new methods of testing changing what the different proportions are understood to be from the POV of the regulators (rather than the manufacturers). Soo… maybe it’s not really different, just described in different terms? Maybe? Stretching, I know.
2. More substantial–the fact that you’re not certain it is different is very reassuring to me. Given the potency of scent memories, I’d guess that any differences would be pretty glaring.
So especially if the thing you’re wondering about is whether it’s a little lighter or more fleeting, I say use that 100ml to indulge in an extra couple spritzs and then don’t give it another thought! 🙂
Interesting. I had heard that heliotrope made the banned list, so I’m not surprised that it’s been reformulated. Now… I’m going to go check my (newish) bottle too.
I will FREAK OUT if heliotrope is banned.
I don’t know if it’s banned outright but it’s been restricted for a while. Here’s a direct quote from LT’s review of L’Eau d’Hiver from 2008 edition of The Guide
“This being said, there is one fragrance raw material that just begs for this treatment, and that is the mimosa note of heliotropin. I have no idea how Elléna has managed to circumvent restrictions on the use of this material in the European Union, but the result is stunning; [etc etc]”
I love heliotrope too!
I admire that you did not test them side by side. Doing so usually ends up making me unhappy — better to just enjoy what you have
Words of wisdom from our Leader!
Hear, hear! Enjoy that gorgeous bottle of L’eau d’Hiver. And congrats!
Thank you for your thoughts, everyone!
Undoubtedly testing it side by side with my sample could go either way and I’ll either end up re-assured that FM and JCE did a decent job or completely disappointed.
Right now I leaning towards just living with it and seeing if I can stop being ridiculous. *whispers*and maybe keeping an eye out for an older bottle on ebay */whispers*
CM, even my older sample doesn’t have heliotropin listed but I don’t know if it was ever included in the ingredients list to begin with. Eugenol is gone but both have isoeugenol.
Both my bottles (travel sets, actually) have only isoeugenol listed – heliotropin does not appear. One is from 3-4 years ago, and the other is fairly recent 2012. So, if it has been reformulated, it’s post 2008 based on your sample.
Sigh – I feel like I got into this game too late…
Oh boy. I am like you and I would do the side-by-side thing, but, if you have to open your FB anyway, maybe it’s better to just enjoy the new one if it smells good to you and not to compare. If it smells too different on its own vs. what you remember, then you could do a side by side and see if you can reconcile with the difference.
Actually if you are really concerned about not liking a reform. you could request a new sample of the same vintage and make sure it’s up to specs before you open your new score. But if you can’t return the unopened FB, it’s a mute point.
AND Malle carded samples go a little off more quickly since there’s a lot of aeration, so maybe your L’Hiver sample wasn’t quite what you would have had in a full bottle of the same lot anyway.
Sorry to ramble.
Yeah the question of whether a sample that was several years old might smell different anyway struck me too. So maybe this bottle will grow a bit stronger as it ages?
I got my bottle of L’eau d’Hiver last august and I still enjoy it as much as the 4 year old sample that got me hooked. I haven’t done a side by side comparisons, but to be honest, I didn’t detect any differences (though I wasn’t aware of any reformulations, so perhaps ignorance is bliss…!) . Hope that helps.
Good afternoon everyone! It’s so comforting to read the blog posts here. I had rather a distressing week and decided to make myself feel better with girlie things. So I went to Saks and Sephora, Keihls and Lush, and got loads of perfume samples to try. My skank order came in from Surrender to Chance: Musc Tonkin, Miller Harris L’air de Rien, Musc Kublai Khan and Santal Majuscule. Well not totally skank. In any case, I tried L’air de Rien and have totally fallen head over heels in love with it. It brought back a wonderful feeling and a musical memory from childhood. Now I’m craving it. It looks like it has been discontinued. Can anybody help a girl out with locating some? I know the swap is done, but I do have some wonderful things if someone is willing to trade… or if anyone would like to purchase my soul in exchange.
Beauty Encounter is having a sale on Serge Lutens, so I ordered a bottle of Ambre Sultan for $68.95. So excited!
I’m sorry to hear about the bad week, and I hope your perfume samples help to cheer you up a bit. I can empathize — had a rather crappy week myself and really just wanted to curl up with tea and kitties last night, but decided to stop by Nordies after work yesterday and put a Christmas gift card toward some Diptyque Olene. White florals are a good mood-lifter for me.
Love the idea of a skank order, too 🙂
Aw thanks for the comforting support. I did exactly that, curled up with my security blanket (which comes with an attached kitty) and some sweet black tea. Yum. I’m not that into white florals, but I did spray on some Jo Malone Orange Blossom today (one of the samples from Saks). It seemed to go well with the sunshine and purring kitty. Olene sounds nice. Enjoy!
Hi Sajini, I’m sorry to hear you are having a tough time. The Jo Malone Orange blossom is a lovely cheerful scent – hope it’s helping you to feel better. And I’m laughing at your comment about blankets coming with an attached kitty – that happens in my house too!
Re: L’Air de Rien – it’s still on the UK Miller Harris site, so I’m guessing it’s still in production?? Keeping finger’s crossed for you that you track a bottle down.
That gives me hope that they are still making it! I did locate a bottle on Fragrancenet and now wondering should I or shouldn’t I? That’s the problem with trying samples. I end up wanting stuff that isn’t cheap! I’m think I will keep wearing the sample till it’s all gone and if I still want L’air I will see then if I still want to buy it. Guess I’m putting the brakes on a little bit. Also someone on Fragrantica commented that L’air lost its bite after she had had her bottle for a little while. I wonder if this has to do with a change in the perfume over time or a change in her perceptions?
Hi Sajinji, others here sound better informed than i am but I have a friend with bipolar and witnessed at least one psychotic episode (I know the intensity and type differ greatly). In my extremely limited experience it was as if the person’s mental states were no longer connected to her former personality, beliefs and affections. There was extreme ‘flight-of-thoughts’, so her thought did not even seem connected to each other during this state. As a layman, it seemed that her normal functioning was entirely interrupted during this state. I guess what I want to say is that you most likely do know the person very well and most likely the patient was very grateful for the work you did with him/her. Maybe it seems like there is a side to this person that you never knew – but if that ‘side’ is a manifestation of brain dysfunction, then maybe it does not flow out of the person’s true character at all. It may be an organic problem that could not be prevented by you or him/her.
I probably shouldn’t speculate so much beyond my scope – so please ignore this if its just nonsense!
Hi Merlin, Thanks for your comments. Your description is super accurate. That’s exactly what happened with my client last week. He was so completely different from the person I knew that at first I thought he was joking. It was as if he had left the building and someone else was “in there”. Very scary stuff. Also, your comment that it could be something organic/biological was totally right on. I have felt so supported over the weekend by you and the other NST bloggers circling the wagons. I’m really touched by the empathy and care in this group.
I’ve had my share of bad weeks so I can relate. Sometimes curling up with a blanket and some tea is the best thing to do. Well, that and finding a sale on Serge. I hope things get better for you this week.
Thanks Poodle. I’m still very shaken up by something that happened last week. Perfume and reading the blogs is just the ticket to take my mind off it. Plus Serge at a bargain is a real pick me up for sure.
I have always thought of Ambre Sultan as a very sophisticated comfort scent, so I hope it will make you feel better. In skank-related news: turns out that I almost cannot smell MKK 🙁 I get a gentle whiff of something pleasant and that’s it. And I was so looking forward to these infamous musks!
Hi Annikky, Probably a good thing you can’t smell MKK. It smells like butt to me. Floral leather jock butt. I much prefer L’air de Rien which smells like musky, patchy derriere. I hope you are able to smell that one.
:)))
At least your sense of humor is in excellent health! And I kind of feel better about MKK now, although I keep wondering what else I’m missing in perfume… Thanks to your powers of description, I must now sample L’air de Rien.
L’air de Rien seems to be in at FragranceNet – give them a try!
On the other hand, Un Petit Rien – the one *I* like – does actually seem to be almost unavailable… Grr.
ooooh oooh, Thankyou thankyou
BeautyEncounter appears to have Un Petit Rien.
Alas, if I could only find Miller Harris Cuir d’Oranger.
I’m sorry about your bad week and hope you are feeling better, Sajini. Lush is where I go to cheer myself up, too 🙂
Thanks Ari. A client who I’ve known for about three years and have built a lot of trust with had a psychotic episode and slashed my leather coat. It was deeply unsettling and I feel very sad for the bad place my client is in right now. People are working to get him help but I needed to withdraw from working with him. Very sad. I’ve been consoling myself with perfume, chocolate and lots of HGTV.
Sajini, that sounds terrible. I am so sorry for you both. Without going into too much detail (my brother and I are oversharers, but our parents are very private), my brother also became violent in the time before and during his recent hospitalization. It was, and I do not use this word lightly, traumatizing, and I imagine that you must be very upset and afraid, too. I hope that you are as well as you can be, and that perfume and this community can help you as much as possible.
Just want to send hugs to all of you. I’m in strong agreement with Ari that those things can be a trauma, so please do take good care of yourselves, both in terms of looking out for your physical safety but also in terms of tending to your emotional well-being. Perfume counts 🙂
I can see how that would be very upsetting for both of you as well. It’s tough when the people you are trying to help react that way. I had a few incidents back when I was an EMT. It was upsetting enough when the people were strangers but when it’s someone you know I imagine it’s even harder to understand. Stay strong.
Thank you so much, CH, Poodle and Ari. Your comments are comforting and so very supportive. It is scary to watch someone I thought I knew go off the deep end like that. And yes, perfume is so comforting, uplifting, reassuring and a great diversion from some of the ickier things we are dealing with in our lives. And I’ve been blown away by your care and concern in the perfume community. I have a sense that perfume oriented people are very empathic and tuned into emotional states and textures. That is the feeling I get from the way we all connect with fragrance. In brain anatomy, the olifactory nerves have a direct connection with the amygdala which processes fear and other emotions. I like to think that beautiful scents will help calm and reassure that part of the brain.
Sajini, I’m so interested to hear you say that about olfactory nerves and the amygdala–anecdotally, I’ve found perfume sniffing to be kind of an astonishingly effective, basically instantaneous method of neutralizing anxiety, to the point where I had totally started to suspect there must be some kind neural thing going on. Maybe there really is!
Sanjini, I wanted to add my voice of support as well. I find the irrationality of psychosis *so hard* to deal with! I keep wanting to find rational explanations/offer rational solutions. The only “solution” I found to the dissonance was to give myself permission to shrug and say “it’s just not something you can explain.” (My experience is with my late brother, so maybe it’s different if you have training? But I bet the urge to explain and solve has got to be tough for professionals, too!)
Thanks for your comments and support. The dissonance between sane and crazy, the person I thought I knew and this totally different person who is not connected to reality is quite jarring for sure. And I’m not trained in psychotherapy (I”m a body worker), but I do pro bono work with people who sometimes have psychiatric issues and it catches me out of my depth sometimes. There is a temptation not only to be able to explain as you said, but to be able to fix it, help the person feel better and have everything be okay. Especially with someone who I consider a friend it is hard to let go of that. Luckily I do the work at a center that has qualified mental health professionals on staff, so there is support there.
I’m trying Musc Tonkin today. Not sure how I like it yet, but it is interesting.
I am almost back from Paris – waiting for my flight from Helsinki to Tallinn. I’ll be home after midnight, so I thought to do a very quick round-up while I was still awake. Here we go, my total perfume and perfume-related haul: Iris Silver Mist from Serge Lutens; Le Temps d’une fete and Weekend perfumes and Maharadjah body oil from Parfums de Nicolai (plus Chic for my boyfriend), mini Diptyque Choisya candle and THE Malle coffret. The last one was a gift – my boyfriend wanted to give it to me for my birthday in January, but had problems ordering it online. So he made sure I had sufficient cash instead:)
Am tired and content and looking forward to playing with my new toys.
Wow, what a great haul (and what a great boyfriend)! Safe travels, and enjoy your new toys.
A+ boyfriend! And the rest all sounds great too. Very successful trip, clearly! 🙂
Thank you both! I definitely cannot complain about the boyfriend. He looks at my hobby with supportive amusement and happily wears everything I buy for him. He is actually very sensitive to scent and I’m pretty sure he has a much better nose than I do. I used to laugh at the way he always very deliberately smells his food before eating it, but now I of course know better.
Ha! That is very charming.
Oh, good for you! Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Enjoy your goodies and let us know what you think.
Sounds wonderful! Congrats on your new goodies and you’ll have to let us know what ends up as your favourite FM.
So jealous of the Malle coffret! Sounds like a fantastic trip!
That is really the coffret of coffrets – huge congratulations!
I am testing a sample of Marni on one wrist, and based on my impressions so far, it’s looking like that creepy doll will soon be joining our household.
Thanks to STC and the SF Sniff a couple of weeks ago, I have a few other interesting samples to try this weekend, too — AG Passion, Piguet Baghari, vintage Miss Balmain, Oud Ispahan, Dia, and (gulp) a bit of vintage Guerlain Parure. I’m almost afraid to try the Parure, just in case it somehow doesn’t live up to my long-standing obsession with it. Such a silly problem to have, huh?
Ha I know exactly what you mean. Trying it turns into A Thing. Good luck!! 🙂
I almost blind bought Marni and the creepy doll last night but my more rational self kicked in and I didn’t do it.
I tried Marni in Paris and liked it, but there were so many other temptations that in the end I didn’t buy it. Still, glad to see a great mainstream scent.
Emily, honestly, I’ll be very surprised if it *does* live up to your obsession. You know I’m a Guerlie-girl, but it just doesn’t work on my skin. Let me know what you think.
(I *almost* sent you some yesterday! But there wasn’t enough left in the sample so I didn’t.)
I have a bottle of unopened (by me/the seal is broken) My Sin… same problem!
Oooh, you have a few of my favourites there – Baghari, Miss Balmain (although I’ve only ever tried a current formulation, it still smells like something from a different era. I like it better than the current Jolie Madame), Dia and, yes, the new arrival Marni.
Please report back with your impressions!
Cheers all.
It is damp and drippy in the Bay Area today. My older son (12 yrs) and I went treasure hunting this morning at a flea market in Berkeley. Interesting how many very obviously fake perfumes were on sale. I didn’t see anyone buying them. We mostly hung out at the Tibetan stalls. Atmospherics: misty rain, loud hip hop, and a heady mixture of patchouli and ganja in the air. My son was in bliss. He purchased a Tibetan Buddhist lock that is lovely. I came home and doused out the chill with Boucheron–instant warmth, musk and powder…nothing niche or exotic, but satisfying all the same!
That sound like perfect day!
Here’s a question – though I’m not very optimistic since I’ve been looking for the answer for a while. I LOVE – just LOVE – the scent of Easter lilies. You know, those things that are on sale right now in every grocery store in town? I’ve adored the scent of the flowers since I was a child, and am delierious with joy to have one in the house even as I type. But I’ve never found a comparable scent (or soap or shower gel – not picky here) even though I have, and love, a number of lily scents (I wore Diorissimo to my wedding and will likely wear it to church tomorrow). But even that is not…quite…
Short of tucking one of the blooms behind my ear, any ideas?
Try to find a bottle of Donna Karan’s Gold. Although it’s discontinued, it’s readily available at discounters online and from what I’ve heard, it features a true-to-life lily accord.
2nd’ing Sayitisntso’s recommendation for Donna Karan Gold!
I’m not as much of a lily connoisseur so I can’t really speak to this personally but you might check out Jessica’s review of Lys Mediterranee as well as the comments for more ideas!
https://nstperfume.com/2013/01/04/frederic-malle-lys-mediterranee-fragrance-review/
But I also totally support tucking one behind your ear!
Yes, you can’t beat the real thing! But the blooms are so large, I’m afraid people might mistake it for an ear trumpet and begin shouting at me!
Ha!! No no, I think the risk for the woman with the flower tucked behind her ear is that people start falling madly in love with her. Might be more trouble than it’s worth 😉
Diorissimo is a lily of the valley scent which is very different from lily, imo.
For lily scents try SL Un Lys, FM Lys Mediterranee, Hermes Vanille Galante, Guerlain Lys Soleia, DK Gold or Cartier Baiser Vole.
Abyss’ list is correct. Of those, Lutens’ Un Lys smells the most like simple Easter lilies.
I finally got to sniff the parfum extrait version of Baiser Vole and was reminded of Easter Lillies (and vanilla). Quite lovely, actually. I definitely prefer the extrait over the EDP… and prefer the EDT over the EDP as well. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s worth a try.
SOTD is Blackberry & Bay but thanks to the Surrender to Chance anniversary sale, I’ve got a bunch of new decants on the way. (Just shipped! Very excited! Local postman and I are now BFFs.) Great solution to several dilemmas about stuff I was coveting–I’ll be happier having only as much En Passant as I can use before it turns, so I ordered 5ml of that. Of course buying as decant may mean it turns sooner still, but I’ll be much less sad about a little decant going bad than one or more of the travel sprays. And that plus 5ml of Dans Tes Bras, 5ml of Lumiere Noire, and 8ml of Marni wound up only being the same price as the set of En Passant travel sprays, so I’m feeling good about stretching my grad student pennies!
Of course buying Marni that way did mean I’ll be without the Marni perfume guardian witch but I’ll probably sleep better at night 😉
LOL! I wish I could pinpoint exactly what I find so terrifying about the Marni doll. I think it’s the eyelashes. Or are they eyebrows?
I also got some fun stuff in the STC sale: samples of Gorilla Perfumes Voice of Reason and Frederic Malle Dries van Noten, and 5 ml decants of ELDO Afternoon of a Faun and Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine. Congrats on your purchases, especially Dans Tes Bras, which I find very intriguing!
Oh yes the eyebrowlashes. Also that Dracula hairline!
Great pick-ups at the sale! The Gorilla, ELdo, and DVN are all stuff I’m dying to try. And I’m always curious to hear what people think of Dans Tes Bras, since opinions vary so widely! I know some find it more intellectual exercise than compelling perfume… I definitely see what they mean (it’s conceptual for sure), but it doesn’t strike me as lacking in feeling. How explicitly it invokes human skin feels sort of wildly intimate to me (right up at the edge of what I could wear in public without blushing–I’m relieved it’s not more diffusive!) Do you wear it regularly? Just did a quick check on your blog– would love to see you review it when you get around to it! (Maybe after graduation!)
It’s true, the eyelashes are creepy, but I could adjust to them, I think. The Bela Lugosi hairline, OTH, is so contradictory.
LOL – yes to decants! You were not pushed off the cliff last weekend.
Haha, yeah last weekend was still a pretty dangerous game, though, as by the end, I had not just one but four or five cliffs it seemed entirely legitimate to fling myself off! The STC sale really just kept it to the price of one retail purchase instead five!
I am still somewhat surprised at how often I wear my B&B, but works so well. And I’m sure my 5 mls of En Passant will be gone before the spring is over…
Me too on both fronts. Blackberry & Bay is totally not the kind of perfume I ever thought I’d want to wear… but man, I just really like it! And crossing fingers 5ml is in the ballpark for the right amount of En Passant. I’ll be a happy camper if I can use it up this spring and wait ’til next to reorder! Easier on my budget guilt, and just in terms of my general anti-clutter tendencies.
I’m helping to keep the Surrender to Chance folk busy too. But darn it! I had not noticed that they have got Marni in. I’m in Australia and I’m not sure that Marni perfume will be distributed here, so STC is probably my only way to test. A pity, because I’m one of the few (the only?) who likes the look of the doll.
Oh well, next order.
Yeah I didn’t expect to see Marni there either–pleasant surprise!
Gotta say, lol @ Basenotes Reader Awards.
Interesting – I love that they picked the Chanel “Inevitable” campaign!
It was the best, for laughs anyway!
So this is a sort of free for all weekend blog?? I do have a question I have been dying to ask all the well versed Perfumistas out there. I live in Orlando, Florida. Professionaly I am a Nurse Massage Therapist, and my hobby is researching and loving perfumes. I would just love to open a niche perfume store here. Akin to ScentBar. Or maybe a franchise of ScentBar, if they would.. My question is…do you think niche perfume sales occur mostly online or in little boutique stores? I know most of my purchases take place through Luckyscent or Surrender to Chance online. I would just love to expose the local public to the amazing world in Niche perfumes. How would I research opening a store here? I talk to the perfume lovers at Niemens, and Bloomies, and Saks and they jump up and down when I mention opening a store. Any thoughts from you wise, and talented Fumeheads?
Tora, I’m sorry to say that I don’t know much about perfume sales, but I have often thought to myself that Florida was somewhat lacking in perfume shopping!
We are in DIRE need of a good perfume shop here!
True, very true. The only boutique store I can think of in the central Florida area is over in New Smyrna Beach. And I’ve never actually gone there since I don’t have any other reason to be in that area.
Hi Tora!
I think the steps you’d want to take would be the same as for any entrepreneur. You’d need cash to cover your expenses for at least a year (you will not make profits right away), and you should do a market analysis to find out how many potential customers are in your area and how much they spend. You might talk to a small business development center or even just a librarian to try to put that together. If there’s a market and you can afford to start a business – go for it!
There are what seems to be dozens of totally crap perfume stores in my area. I don’t know why, and I don’t know why there are no good ones – unless it’s just that people who want the good stuff simply go into the city. It’s a bummer. But I don’t have the entrepreneurial spirit, so I stay out of it!
Very good advice. I probably would need a partner who has some business savvy, as I know I am clueless in that regard. Appreciate your input!
Maybe check out the Florida Small Business Development Center Network if you’re really interested.
I think this is a lovely idea, and with the international tourist trade in Orlando (I lived in Florida most of my life, prior to my move to Dallas), there would be a good market. And I think that more people would be interested in trying good perfume if they could see and sample it easily!
Your local community college or chamber of commerce, or possiby public library, may have sessions on putting together business plans. You might want to explore options short of opening your own store, perhaps teaming up with a local high class beauty parlor or boutique as a sort of concessionaire. or perhaps a perfume party scenario. Either way, I would definately start out having carefully thought about the initial investment. The cost of the initial inventory would be high, unless you could get indie perfume companies to provide bottles on consigment.
Just tried Krigler Sparkling Diamonds 22–I adore the opening which is spot on champagne and strawberries.Thr Krigler saleswoman really likes to mention what famous person wore each of their scents, which is totally not a selling point with me. I had to interrupt her to ask which one was like champagne. Are there any other champagne scents out there that I should try?
Well, the classics are Yvresse (Yves Saint Laurent) and Champagne de Bois (Sonoma Scent Studio). Neither of them seem very champagne-y to me in a literal sense, but they are lovely.
I’m not surprised at the Krigler lady. That brand is obsessed with celebrities of the past. Puts me right off. 🙂
Yeah, the dead celebrities schpiel does nothing for me–tell me notes or even just tell mewhat perfumes in the line are most popular in spring….Haven’t tried Champagne de Bois but Yvresse didn’t exactly smell lik champagne to me (though I seem to recall it had great staying power)
I really hate necro-marketing.
You know after I heard one of their presentations, it occured to me that one of the dead celebs mentioned was famously associated with another brand. (I think it was Audrey Hepburn, whom it occured to me probably wore Givenchy scents since she was so famously associated with their couture). I spent some time on the internet but could not find any mention of her with their scent, except from sources that seemed to have the exact language of their own site. Nor could I even find any reference to their having a history as a perfume company that seemed independent of their own history.
I began to wonder if they had simply made up the back stories of dead celebrities have used their scents in the past, or the whole back story of being a legacy of some prestigious company in the past and planted that story through clever marketing.
Now, let me be clear, I have no evidence to suggest that all their publicity is untrue. It is only my own skeptical mind (and the fact that all their celebrities are dead ,do not have estates that would likely to sue and in some cases, have associations with other brands (i.e., Grace Kelly, who notably endorsed one scent, was firmly associated with the Hermes brand and whose family would never deign to become entangled in litigation).
On the other hand, none of this makes the perfume one iota better or worse. After all, long dead movie stars presumably wore fragrances of a different era, made with ingredients now banned or unfashionable. Then, as now, they often wore stuff given to them for free, or for which they or the studio were paid to display.
Yes, and who’s to say that their taste is any better than yours or mine? Or that in buying (or being given) a fragrance they actually liked it or wore it that much? I agree with you, and have the same skeptical mind. I buy fragrance on its own merits, or at least I try to.
I think I wrote on here last weekend that I had impulse-purchased a bottle of the Ramon Monegal butterfly scent (Pure Mariposa) at Neiman-Marcus last weekend. After trying it off and on for a week I have a few comments that may seem funny. For one thing, it kept reminding me of something and I finally realized what: Côte d’Amour by L’Artisan. I’d had several decants of the latter and wanted to love it but it just kept disappearing on me. Mariposa is like a longer-lasting version. I can’t really see much in common with their notes so maybe this is something idiosyncratic to me or just off-base but I thought I would mention it. I was extravagant yesterday when I changed the bed and sprayed the new sheets and pillows with Mariposa. Then when I went to bed at night they smelled wonderful! But the odd thing is I just kept thinking “they smell like butter.” What a weird thought! There really is something faintly salty and buttery to this perfume. It is like a very soft gardenia scent with absolutely none of the rank or rotten cheese odor. When sprayed on skin, Mariposa lasts really well. I feel as if it’s been a good purchase.
That’s good that your impulse purchase turned out not to be a mistake, as they so often are. I don’t think it is too extravagant to spray perfume on sheets; it makes it so nice to drift off to sleep surrounded by fragrance. Besides, a FB really is a lot of perfume, so I say use it and enjoy it.
P.S. I took advantage of the Surrender to Chance anniversary sale to buy a few things including the Amouage Library sampler. Anybody familiar with these and have any favorites in the group? Can’t wait to try them.
I did not get the entire sampler…only the Opus II (lavender) and V (iris) – Lucas mentioned that these were good and I pretty much follow his nose (most times anyway :-))
I was like a kid in a candy store with the STC anniversary sale!
I’d like a do over starting during rush week. I wouldn’t have pledged what I did I would have gone KD. Then I wouldn’t have told my trusted pledge sister that my ankle and wrist were broken the day of Bama cheerleader try outs. Didn’t get to make the team. And I would spend less time going boy to boy not that I was easy I dated a lot but I would have made a move on the guy that ended up being the love of my life not at 22, but at 18 when we would sleep over just as drunk friends and I would have dumped the HS boyfriend in HS. Then I would go the psych route to law school and here I’d be, an attorney that could own all the Vero and Amouage I wanted. Ha
Does SMN have an Iris scent? If so is it light and drowning in heavy base notes?