Our usual open thread: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, the perfume you're waiting on a sample of, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: image is Lavande Blue [cropped] by Roberto Venturini at flickr; some rights reserved.
“Allons enfants de la patrie
Le jour de gloire est arrive!”
Love that song…
Wearing the remains of SSS Spiced Vetiver (yesterday’s SOTD) and two that I sampled: Laboratorio Olfattivo Daimiris (okay) and Kilian’s Prelude to Love (gagged me!).
Happy weekend all.
Oh, and meant to mention: great picture, Robin!
I love flickr
In honor of almost Bastille…I am 100% french with 2 sets of french grandparents. My one grandmother was truly a grand french woman and loved perfume. My first time in Paris I drug a friend on what later because known as the “The Great Paris Perfume Parade” as we hit many perfume houses and spent way too much money on the juice. My grandmother would have been proud. SOTD: Volutes, very light.
How cool. Do you know what perfume your grandmother wore?
She was a die hard Chanel #5 woman. When I, and each of my cousins, turned 16, she bought us a “signature scent”. Mine was Je Revien (vintage of course) and I wore it for almost 2 decades. She had a very good nose and each one of us got something unique. I cry when I smell Je Revien now, it is nothing like it was.
Sounds like a very cool Grandma.
I used to love – and wear – Je Reviens. I wish it would return!
Je revien “Je Revien!” My mother wears it. Received it from my father on their honeymoon in the Bahamas. They celebrate their 50th next week. I have found the EDT on some discount sites, but she swears it is not the same. I always look for it when I travel. I have offered her substitutes over the years, but have learned to only buy small bottles, and to make sure it’s something I will wear because I will probably get it back within a month.
Wonderful, thanks!
Ah, Frenchness… is it nature or nurture? If the former, then I am Russian/Polish, since I don’t have a drop of French blood in my veins; if the latter, I am as French as can be – which I am.
I haven’t decided on a SOTD. I might try my sample of Marni today. Yesterday, I splashed myself with Florida Water all day. The Verveine Menthe EDT from L’Occitane has been in my rotation lately, as well. I was concerned because of its spearmint note (I like peppermint, but not spearmint). Anyway, I can handle the spearmint in this, and I’m really enjoying how “limey” this EDT is.
Do try the Marni!
I went with the Marni today. I’ve been wearing it for a few hours and I can only make out three notes — a generic “perfumey” scent, some lemon, and extremely pale, generic woods. No spices at all. It’s inoffensive, but totally “meh” on me. I will try it a few more times. I had high hopes for this one. Sigh …
What a shame, sorry!
Any suggestions for a feminine lavender scent?
Guerlain’s Jicky is my favorite, but it isn’t “girly”, more unisex.
Jicky is beautiful.
It’s been a while since I tried Jicky but it sounds like it might be worthy of second chance. Thanks.
ELd’O Antiheros or Donna Karan Lavender. Or maybe Hermes Brin de Reglisse.
Penhaligon’s Lavandula is pretty feminine. Or Fourreau Noir from Lutens.
For a girly and sweet lavender check out Kiki by Vero Profumo
Thanks! I’ll check these out. I will say that I loved the opening of Hermes BdR but the dry down was a tad too dry and veered towards a masculine scent on me.
Can’t beat Jicky, imo. There’s Jersey as well but I’m not very keen on it.
Ahh yeah. I haven’t heard the greatest reviews about Jersey but I’ll try it. One never knows….
Jersey might be worth a try. I had such high hopes for it – like you, I wanted a feminine lavender – that I was disappointed when it finally came out. I revisited it recently and do like it. It also makes a nice pillow scent…
The only lavender I own is Gris Clair, and I don’t think of it as masculine, but since it’s a Serge, it does have some unisex-ness about it.
I love Lutens so I’ll give this one a go! Lavender always takes a masculine turn on me so I’ve given up looking.
GC certainly isn’t overtly masculine to my nose, and it doesn’t have the sorts of woods or marine notes that I associate with strongly masculine fragrances. I hope you like it!
I’ve been wearing Chanel Jersey quite a bit lately – airy lavender and light vanilla – Yummy!
Perhaps try CB I hate perfume’s Lavender Tea? It is light and fresh and veers toward almost fruity (at least to me)…it is not overtly feminine, but it is definitely not masculine.
I second Lucas suggestion of Kiki, and A Taste if Heaven by Kilian.
I prefer lutens encens et lavende and fourrear noir to gris Clair which I find a bit steely. But I also haven’t yet found a lavender perfume I love. So far I prefer lavender essential oil mixed with a mild or rose scented body oil.
Oh, I bet that essential oil combo is lovely!
I guess it depends quite a lot on the essential oil one buys because they can apparently be very different. Mine does have a medicinal overtone, but then I sometimes like that:)
Encens et Lavande is nice and you could try Lavender Palm Tom Ford
Love the picture of lavande bleue. This reminds me it’s time for me to replace my old dried lavender bouquet with a new one.
My sample of Iris Nazarena arrived yesterday and I’m in love with it!
Today I’m wearing Donna Karan Mandarin Neroli. It faded away after a few hours so I re-applied.
I’ll be out for a week starting tomorrow so don’t get worried if you see me less around on the internet. I decided not to take a break from blogging so new posts will appear normally. I will just reply slower and less frequently.
Have a good weekend and a week ahead! I’ll see you next Sunday.
So glad you like the Iris Nazarena!
I’m afraid a 2,5ml sample won’t satisfy my need for it. Will have to get more.
Undecided on SOTD as of yet. Maybe Jour Ensoleille? In Florida visiting family, so I am trying various scents to see (1) how they hold up to heat and humidity, (2) what attracts the least Mosquitos, and (3) what meshes well with L’eau de bug spray. Marni did well. 31 Rue Cambon did not do well for me – a stretch in the heat, I know, but had to try it. La Chasse did well too. Trial and error!
Happy weekend all!
Nicole
Jour Ensoleille is a beauty!
I love Joie Ensoleille in the summer!
Jour Ensoleille it was and it did beautifully in the heat and humidity. 10+ hours later and I still catch a whiff of it on my wrist every so often. Love the longevity of so many of the SSS fragrances.
Hi all,
I missed you. So busy lately. Anyway, the temperature outside has cooled down and the humidity is down so I put on some Molinard Patchouli this morning. Just the right spicey sweet for cooler but not cold temperatures. During the heat wave I was wearing Guerlain Vetiver and Fragonard Santal, so lemony light and refreshing!
My question du jour is how much is too much? I’ve been busily collecting full bottles and realizing that it takes many many sprays to use even a little of them. And now I have my sights set on other perfumes I would like to own. Is this a sign of hopeless greed? I already have enough perfume for several lifetimes…
That is always my question too. It definitely slows down my acquisition when I look at how much I already have — not likely it will ever all get used.
Ah, I think the question of too much is a highly personal one! For my mother, too much would be one bottle of something that cost over $50. But clearly, she’s just plain silly!
For me, and granted I’ve only been at this a few years, my collecting seems to have a natural ebb and flow. Sometimes I seem to be in a collecting mood, sometimes I’m pretty much satisfied with what I have. I don’t expect to use up everything I have–that’s not really the point. But I *do* want to have enough variety to suit my various moods–a scent appropriate for each occasion. I feel sated when I have what I want in a variety of moments.
Do you think having “too many” bottles is “greedy” because you have more bottles than you can us, or because you can put the purchase money to other uses? Any personal expense including nicer cars, vacations, hand stiched uniforms for civil war renactments, eating out, Starbucks, cable tv, piano lessons, graduate degrees in excellant but fiancially unrewarding subjects, involves spending money that could be use for others. If you can figure out what personal spending seems right to you, then it seems you can budget whatever percentage of that for fragrance you like.
If you are concerned simply about the number of bottles in your collection, my advice would be to not buy anyhing unless it seems substantially better or different than what you already own.
I like your way of thinking, Dilana.
I’d add fun shoes to your list – they’re actually kind of similar b/c even though you try them on in the store you don’t find out if they hurt until you wear them on the street. At least with perfume you can take a sample for a test ride and find out if it’s a scrubber.
SOTD Eau de Rochas.
To take the shoe analogy further, though, I have found shoes that are super cute only to discover later that they don’t go with too many of my outfits or I don’t attend the right events to showcase them properly, so they hardly get worn. Similarly, I can love a scent and find very few opportunities to wear it, since it doesn’t seem *quite right* for the occasion!
I make elaborate beaded purses as a hobby. I’ve probably completed four or five at this point. (Each takes about a year). I don’t have a lot of places to wear them either.` Maybe my purses and your shoes can go out on a date.
In practice I’m something of an ‘aesthete’ who adores all the different nuances of scent – and thinks it worthwhile to own a large collection of them.
However, I sometimes see things from a more ascetic viewpoint and think that so long as one child in the world is going to bed without supper (and many are in the country I live in) a decent person shouldn’t own any luxury items at all until that is rectified.
Personally I have a mega collection of perfumes and must somehow manage to stamp down my conscience most of the time…
According to BBC, it’s the hottest day of the year in UK so far. I’m not crazy about the heat but at least it’s given me a chance to dig out my hot weather favourites – Ninfeo Mio, Philosykos, Mandragore Pourpre, and OJ Frangipani are all in heavy rotation right now. Diorella and Marni also work well. I even went as far as re-testing OJ Osmanthus which I found incredibly grapefruit-y (read sweaty) and it wasn’t so bad this time around.
I haven’t decided on SOTD yet. I’d like to wear Prelude to Love, but I only have a few drops left in my sample and – if I use them up – I fear that I’ll have to start seriously thinking about that set of travel refills.
I think I might go with Bel Respiro or Futur instead.
We’ve had the worst summer weather here EVER…sorry you’re having a hot one too. We’ve had more rain, and humidity, and MOSQUITOES…almost no lovely weather at all. I’m not happy.
At least it’s not snowing
Ha, true.
We’re not having a horrible hot summer at all. We’re having a few days of gorgeous weather for the first time in 18 months. Long may it continue.
I hope so. Someone should be getting good weather, if it isn’t me.
Yes, but misery loves company too so I thought I’d let you know that its about 13 Celsius, here in the southern continent;)
I see PdN’s Eau Soleil is available at parfum1. Never ordered from them, don’t know if they offer samples. Anyone tried it yet?
Got a sample of Eau Premiere, which I’m liking, rather to my surprise! I admire the original, but my initial impression is EP is more wearable for me, esp at this time of the year.
I agree with you on EP. I have *nearly* purchased it a few times. I haven’t tried it in a while, but I can easily imagine it being well-suited to the summer!
I recently bought Tilleul d’Orsay (thank you Robin and Kevin for the great suggestion!) from Perfume1. Their service was excellent, and they sent me two rather large samples. If you google coupon code for them, I think there should be one for 15% off.
They sell samples of some things, but don’t seem to make them on demand like some niche retailers. Worth checking though.
I haven’t ordered from Parfum1, but BeautyHabit also has sOleil. My bottle arrived yesterday and I’m enjoying it. Very light floral OB, not soapy on me with a hit of sharp green and neroli in the opening and musk at the end.
I’ve ordered from Parfum1 a few times and have not had any problems. Well except the samples they have sent have been things I liked and therefore caused me to spend more money. But I guess more perfume is a good thing.
It’s my birthday tomorrow. Oh no 40!
Think I shall be wearing Eau Savage this evening when I go out for dinner. Love the lemon in this on a hot day.
Will probably wear this again tomorrow when having friends round for lunch and drinks tomorrow.
Happy Bastille day everyone!
For me, the anticipation of turning 40 was far worse than the actual experience. I many ways, my 40s have been the best decade of my ife so far. I’m still young enough to do most of the things I want to do, and I am also old enough to have enough money and vacation time to do them. Now, I’ll just have to see about 50 (next year).
I like this train of thought. I’m not that bothered, just looking forward to spending time with family and friends.
Next week we have a few nights hotel stay in London to look forward to and we have booked to see Charlie and the chocolate factory and we will rock you, so should be fun.
We like to observe birthdays by going out of town or doing something else fun, rather than with gifts. When my husband was about to turn 40, he was getting very bothered by it. I finally confronted him and said he had a choice–we could stay at home and he could mope about turning 40, or we could go out of town and he could have a good time turning 40, but either way, he was going to be 40. We also took a nice trip for my 40th, and this year I planned a really nice semi-surprise trip for his 50th. Semi-surprise in that he knew we were going out of town, but he didn’t know where we were staying. I had booked a room in a really nice 4 star hotel, but let him think it was going to be one of the budget hotels where we usually stay. He was very happy when he found out!
I’m laughing at the image of your husband moping about turning 40! Several of the men I’ve dated this past year have been 40 or nearly so (I’m 35), and it is funny to me how many of them bring it up! I guess my assumption is that men generally “age better” than women do, but they seem to be pretty self-conscious about it, actually! (Or maybe that’s just with a cute, younger lady at their side!
)
Nicely said, 50_Roses!
And enjoy being 40, idw1407!
A few months after my 40th birthday was when I was diagnosed with cancer (fortunately it was stage 1 and curable by surgery). My 40th birthday itself was actually quite nice –I went out to dinner with friends to a fondue restaurant. Lots of laughter. Now I’ve got to figure out what to do for my 45th in Sept. Enjoy your birthday
So happy you licked big C!
Happy birthday!
Happy Birthday! I’ve had way more fun in my 40’s than I ever had in my 30’s and 20’s!
Happy First Anniversary of your 39th Birthday!
Happy birthday! It’s only a number, don’t let it get you down.
Having experienced a number of them, I think each decade can turn out better than expected. It’s a good time to reflect on anything you wish you’d done previously and do it now so that you don’t feel you wasted your youth when you get to be to the next milestone.
Forty (or 50) is a great time to get into shape, if you haven’t already. A lot of aging is unavoidable, but so much of it is due to not having used joints or muscles for a few decades, especially if one has a sedentary job.
Such a good point, Noz! I feel certain that part of my own determination to get and stay in shape has been from watching my mother age much faster than I felt she needed to. She’s now 70 and has so many health concerns. . . and certainly a big part of it was working in a seated job for decades and then going home to more sitting! I hope that when I am 70, my life will be more comfortable, but I’m certain that I’m happier in the mean time, too!
That’s the main thing, isn’t it?
Hello everyone. I’ve got free wifi?! I didn’t expect to have it since I’m currently in old Grimaud in the South of France, getting ready for the festivities tomorrow. We’re going to a party at a friend’s place in Saint Tropez, so hopes are high for a fabulous day.
SOTD is Magnolia Nobile. It’s perfect for the gorgeous weather we’re having.
Happy Bastille day!
Hope it does turn out fabulous!!
I do hope so, Robin. The weather has turned a bit. At least I’m in good company.
The south of France! That sounds like a great place to be. Lucky you. Have a wonderful time!
Been sampling a lot of stuff lately–today it’s 3 Fleurs which is pretty but doesn’t have the IT factor which will make me want to buy it. I was wondering–what scents have people felt had that instant grab lately? Pretty Machine, Fils de Dieu, and Safari have all prompted fast purchases and Golden Cattleya is callling my name
Marni was my most recent instant grab. Incense rosé before that, although it grabbed me instantly but I’m yet to buy a bottle.
I really like Marni too, but before I buy I need to figure out what it reminds me of — I suspect it’s something I already own!
I thought that Marni smelled familiar when I first smelled it but I still haven’t figured out what, if anything, it reminded me of. It’s great scent!
Possibly a lighter version of Portrait of a Lady or perhaps Jubilation XXV. I think Marni is their love child
It reminds me of Gres Cabaret, but it’s much prettier and citrusy at the opening….
I believe I sent you a sample of Safari a while back — so happy to hear you fell in love with it!
I recently ordered samples of several of the PdN summer scents, and within 5 minutes I knew I needed a bottle of L’Eau Mixte, and now I have one. So good and the small bottle is only $45.
I have small decants of PdN L’eau Mixte and Eau D’ete. I know I need a bottle of one of them, but probably not both as they are similar – they are almost cheap enough to get both!
Golden Cattleya, and several other Olympic Orchids scents, sound tempting. Have you tried Golden Cattleya, and if so, is the narcissus noticeable?
I’m not heavily familiar with narcissus–Golden Cattleya smells mostly like honey lightened with cream soda on me in heat and humidity and it takes on a slightly drier and more floral character with the diffusiveness I associate with narcissus in air-conditioning but still with plenty of honey
Thanks for the description! A sample is in my future.
Happy Saturday, all!
No SOTD, yet. There’s some Ta’if lingering on my jammies from last night, and I fear I may have to add a bottle of that to the wish list. Bums me out that the shipping has gotten so expensive. . .
I’ve been playing with my various formulations of Shalimar this last week. I have an old fan stopper bottle, probably from the 60’s?, a mini of edp from I’d guess the 80’s, and a new mini from a year or two ago. I love Shalimar in the warmer weather, and I’ve had fun comparing them.
The two older ones are remarkably similar. The new one, though, wow! So much brighter, a lot more lemon, and it dries down to a cleaner vanilla–almost no barnyard at all! I suppose that makes it the more appropriate of the three to share in public, but it also makes it the least appealing to me! Funny, huh?
Not so odd, really. I think most of us perfumistas are much more appreciative of those older formulas, with their whiffs of barnyard and whatnot, or just of anything that doesn’t fit the mainstream taste. After all, if your tastes ran strictly to mainstream “clean, fresh” fruity florals and the like, you probably wouldn’t be hanging out here. So many classic perfumes were a little bit–or more than a little bit–dirty.
Yes, I feel safe in assuming I’ll find like minds in this crowd! But I’m also very aware that outside this little perfumista bubble, my preferences must seem a bit odd!
Oh, I wanted to say “Thanks!” to the folks who suggested spraying my BLACK bifold doors WHITE. I started to work on them yesterday, and I feel confident that 15 cans of Rustoleum later, they will appear nearly as good as new!
(And $60 in spray paint is less than the cost of replacing even one of them with a new door!)
black shutters are fine, but black closet doors?? Not sure what it costs now, but I know some years ago when we needed to refinish, we had some pieces “dipped” by a woodworking/refinishing co, and it wasn’t expensive. I’ve also heard of people taking wood slatted items to Maaco to be sprayed with auto paint.
Yeah, they were beginning to feel like a dark, black hole in the middle of the room! *Something* had to be done!!! I’m feeling pretty good about the spray paint–progress is being made!
Writing from Paris! Am here until Monday, weather gorgeous and hot. Plucked up some courage and plunked down the credit card for a bottle of Sous le Vent today!
Oh, congratulations on the Sous le Vent. Love that one, and it’s one of the few Guerlains that I don’t own. Enjoy Paris!
I’m jealous – a trip to Paris and its perfume shops is still in the future for me. Enjoy!
Paris? Enjoy! I have never been but I love to hear about other peoples wonderful trips.
How wonderful! My trip to the Guerlain flagship store was one of the greatest moments of my life. The history, the architecture, all of the scents, I’m so jealous that you are there.
Oops. This was supposed to be a reply to TheSnailsPajamas.
Must. Drink. Coffee.
Woke up to a cold, cloudy day. What a let-down after several days of beautiful sunny weather! SOTD will probably be Songes to cheer myself up!
I am looking for a perfume recommendation. Yesterday I was zesting lemons in my kitchen, with a lily bouquet on the table and a light sea breeze coming in the window. Wow! The combination of the three was enchanting, and now I’m craving a lily-lemon perfume. Any suggestions?
I don’t have a rec, but man, I hope a perfumer somewhere reads this, because that combo sounds great (but hey– if you are reading this — go for saltiness and not ozone, k?)
I agree, if it’s going to have sea breeze accord in it, I need salt!
I found myself using lemons in both breakfast and lunch today so I could re-experience the scents. Still intoxicating!
I’m not sure how hard/easy it is to get your hands on it, but Guerlain’s Philtre d’Amour opens with a zesty lemon followed by a (sorry not lily) verbena, jasmine, and myrtle heart. Really nice.
This one sounds delightful (even without lily)! Must put on my sample wish list. Thanks.
A lily/lemon mix sounds WONDERFUL! Must. Find.
I searched Fragrantica up and down, and it’s surprising how few perfumes have a lily/citrus combo at all, much less specifically with lemon. I think I only found one that had lily, lemon and marine notes all together, and that was Crabtree & Evelyn’s India Hicks Island Living Spider Lily (not kidding.. that is the name). There is also Aria di Mare by Il Profumo, which is lily and sea salt, just without the citrus.
I’ve never tried it, but Warm perfume oil features lily and lemon and maybe some salt. Indie Scents has samples.
Ok you inspired me. I have lemon and ylang on hand, and some other stuff, so I’m experimenting. wheeee
I don’t know if I have the stuff to get the sea part right, but I’m giving it a shot.
It probably doesn’t have all the notes but your description made me think of Parfum de Nicolai’s Weekend.
Since lemon tends to be a short lived top note, you might try layering a lemon scent over a lily scent.
I never thought this day would come; I’m running out of perfume. I spray too much.
or 
however you like it.
I’ve got maybe 1/3 to 2/3 in each bottle. 200 bottles that took me 3-4 years to collect. I’m in big trouble so is my financial situation. I MUST HAVE MITTO AND ONDA AND SANA BY SLUMBERHOUSE. ID LOVE SOME LE LABO TOO.
1/3 of 200 bottles is still a lot of perfume
Has anyone ever visited the Annette Green Perfume Bottle Museum in L.A.?
No, but it sounds awesome!
SOTD: Neroli Portofino, plus I sprayed a little Patou 1000 on later in the day.
Do you like the Neroli? Trying to decide if I should cave and buy it or try the new PdN Eau Soleil, or find a bottle of Azemour.
I’m on vacation in the Berkshires. SOTV = Atelier Cologne Sous le toit de Paris. I have a 30mL bottle in a leather holder and it is just the perfect size – no decanting needed. It is also perfect for both day and evening. We have also been lucky with the weather with warmth but no humidity and then it will all go downhill as the hot hot heat and humidity return starting Sunday as we work our back towards NY/NJ.
I was there last week! It was rainy one day and the rest weren’t all that sunny but it was warm and humid. We had a really good time. Even got to Tanglewood one day which I thought we weren’t going to be able to do.
Hello folks, it’s 23h00 where I am (Kenya), and I think this must have been one of my few scentless days in 30+ years! (Headache and tummy ache today). However, reading my favorite blog has just inspired me to perhaps finish my Chanel LE No. 18 sample. Iris-y – do you agree? Loved the perfume-shoe comparisons higher up. Am I right that there seems to be a detectable trend that goes like this: many perfume lovers are shoe lovers, and vice versa. Count me in! This double love is not earth friendly and not purse friendly – but certainly soul friendly!
Add to that list that many of us are cat lovers and book lovers! I fear we are a people of excess! . . .
Cat lover, book lover and tea lover. But could not care less about shoes!
Same here! Not really a shoe girl.. maybe I would be if you could sample shoes.. lol
Not a shoe person either. I like comfy shoes. I will also be willing to spend more on a bottle of perfume than a pair of shoes.
You know, I’m really a comfy shoe girl, too. But I fear the combination of losing some weight and dating, so therefore a fair amount of incentive to up the flirtiness of my wardrobe, has lead to the increase in my shoe wardrobe, too!
Cats, books, food, clothes and vintage/antique almost everything! Shoes I love but I have such big feet it stops it from becoming an obsession. Excesses indeed!
Vintage shoes! I find great stuff on eBay, the only way I can indulge in Manolos. Also have small feet, which makes it easier – less competition.
But very tasteful excess. Of all the right things.
Oh, yes! We live the good life!
SOTD is Love’s Lemon which mixed well this morning with my Yeardly Lavender bodywash…only to make me think of cleaning products for the next half hour, so I started my handwashables. Just re-spritzed myself though, there’s something about smelling like a lemon candy (or more accurately, the cellophane wrapper it came in) that’s struck me as just kind of fun today.
I am taking part in a week long diet tracking survey, and the journalling is excruciatingly lengthy. I’ve just started, but think I may be both healthier and more boring than I thought. And oddly, I think it’s because I cook. My big item for lunch today was a slow roasted chicken breast with thyme and honey (and salt and pepper, of course.) Not much to tell there. No brand names, really, no “flavors” or anything…no special labelling, just chicken. *shrug* That’s going to be one bored clerk who has to go over my data.
Anyway, short story long, went with something simple and background/ignoreable so I could pay attention to what I’m supposed to be paying attention to. Think I’ll get out my Pacifica French Lilac tomorrow, though.
Hey, that sounds like a nice mix even if it made you clean…
SOTD is Kenzo Amour I Love You, which I stumbled upon on a small cruise recently (including taxfree shopping). It’s an innocent floral, one I never thought I would be interested in, but somehow it jumped into my shopping basket and followed me home. Apparently it fills a vacant spot in my perfume universe.
Both the bottle and the colour sets it apart from everything else we have in our scent cabinet. Very weird, but it’s nice to surprise yourself once in a while :).
We have decent summer here in Stockholm, Sweden, with sun and temperatures around 23 degrees.
Those Kenzo bottles are so cool! I would not have been able to resist that had I encountered it.
For my SOTD I’m sampling Histoires de Parfums 1828 (Jules Verne). This is the first thing I’ve tried from HdP, and so far I like it. It’s maybe just a bit more masculine than I normally go for, but I like the spiciness of it. It’s mostly making me think my dad might like it, if he ever decided to wear anything other than Brut..lol I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t spend the $$ for it, though.
Sounds like a scented Christmas present, sweetgrass!
Jules Verne (I forget the dates too easily so I go by names..) is one of my favorites of the line, probably because it reminds me of Gucci Envy for Men, which is now as rare as hens teeth. Wish I had taken the bottle I gave an ex back when we parted, I miss that fragrance far more! Lol. I agree it’s rather masculine, but there’s something about it’s soft green herbiness I love
And unfortunately they’re probably both on par costwise by now that the Gucci is discontinued 
Another broillingly hot summer day in Houston. I had to take a cat to the vet this morning so didn’t want to wear anything (it would seem weird to be covered in cat hair while smelling glam). She is fine by the way, just fat! This afternoon I made a quick visit to Kuhl-Linscomb and sprayed on about five things as I couldn’t find any scent cards. Now I am smelling quite delicious and have figured out it must be Keiko Mecheri’s Gourmandises. It’s a seriously appetizing smell, not really my style but makes me wish for something like a butterscotch sundae.
I keep finding excuses not to get my fatty’s weight checked . . . I guess I’m going with the ignorance is bliss route! :-/
We have one of those… a whale of a kitty. The vet has been trying to sell me some very expensive Purina diet cat food for years. We have two cats and the other one is thin as a rail. Anyway, at the last visit to the vet, just for annual shots, my 12 year old got so exasperated with the hard Purina sell, he told the doc, “Look, the last diet you gave us we kept him on for four months, and it was really hard, and he gained a pound!” The vet opened her mouth, and then closed it. That was that!
sotd: Womanity (I was in the mood!!)
Ha! That quote from your son really made me laugh!
My little boy is becoming a porker too :-/ He sleeps for 15 hrs a day, doesn’t go outside, and wakes me up at stupid o’clock by chewing on my fingers if he doesn’t get his second dinner/supper. He isn’t too fat yet, but I can see it heading that way..
Perthgirl, it was that sort of pestering that instigated the purchase of a pet feeder. (Although he preferred to jump on the bed, play with the blinds/cords, and MER-ROW loudly!) My fatty was *certain* he was starving to death at 4 in the morning. Now he can go stalk the pet feeder when he thinks it’s time to eat!
Oh that’s great! I have two other kitties and they are both healthy weights, so the “it’s the food” argument doesn’t really play with me, either. I broke down and bought one of those timed, portioned feeders, so they can’t say I’m loving him with food, or whatever, either. I think he’s just a genetic outlier–really efficient at not using energies he doesn’t need!
Hello everybody–I was planning to go to the Frenchtown festivities today in honor of Bastille Day, but the weather didn’t cooperate! With the rain and humidity I am beginning to feel like a mushroom. I have been running through some samples this week, but SOTD is LArtisan’s Caligna–really nice opening then just meh….soapy pretty but nothing to write home about. By the way, I had my big interview this past week (on the hottest and most humid day of the week!). I wore just a splash of Tauer’s Reverie au Jardin which made me feel fresh. Will know in the next two weeks if the job will be mine…..fingers crossed.
It was really meh on me too, big disappointment. Was hoping for tons of jasmine.
I am STOKED by the news that a titan arum (“corpse flower”) is blooming at the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory in DC!!! They are having extended hours tomorrow, and I’ll try to go see (and smell) it.
I got new samples this week and have so far tried BK Flower of Immortality and AdV Iris Nazarena. I got only synthetic peach from the BK, and I’m finding Iris Nazarena very dry. Now I understand why Robin said it trends masculine: it smells like an elegant, handsome and slightly mysterious man. Next up: Jovoy Guardez Moi and Ambra di Venezia.
Enjoy the Titan! I’d love to see one.
This one is supposed to be yellow rather than crimson, but they have 13 more, so I’m hoping to eventually see both. There seem to be a lot of titan arums around now, so it’s worth looking into to any botanical gardens that you could get to.
They have some at a university that is not too far away. I just need to keep checking their web page or see if they have email alerts. They’ve given them silly names that start with “T.” Hee hee.
Jovoy Guardez Moi: a tuberose gardenia scent that’s very slinky – worth trying if you’re looking for glamour. This would be great for the opera or other dressy events, or relaxing in the glam boudoir that I really need in order to house my perfume collection in the style it deserves.
Do please report back!!!
The “stinkycam” showed that it wasn’t open yet, so I’m waiting another day or two. I wonder if I’ll really be able to get close to it, or will have to turn back!
I have got a question for the group. Has anyone heard of The Perfumery in Dallas? I did a search on Yelp for perfumeries and it was the only store that came up but it does not have a web site and it does not have any reviews on Yelp. When I looked at it on satellite images it just looked like a house so I didn’t know if it is some closely guarded secret or some business that has gone out of business. Any information would be helpful!
Speaking of store questions, is Noor in Toronto still closed? What are other suggestions for perfume in the area? Am looking for AP and ELdO sources, and have heard tell of RAC boutique and Andrews.
Vive La France! The only french perfume I actually own is YSL L’Homme Libre, which I think is a great fragrance andI actually own two bottles thanks to holiday fragrance set, but I know and have smelled far greater French fragrances such as Dior Eau Savage and almost anything Hermes.
*and
Got European jetlag in Hawaii, so I woke up at 3:30 am and put on newly arrived Mistral Blackberry. Ahh it smells like blackberries in a pine forest beside a campfire. Now I’m happy. I’d thought it only came in a soap (heavenly too).