It's The Day of the Doctor, in case you were wondering. If you're not a Dr. Who fan, ignore and go on about your business.
We're celebrating with four questions. As always, answer as many or as few as you like.
1. What fragrance are you wearing?
2. Of all the fragrances you bought in 2013 (so far!), which is your biggest regret?* Or, tell us about the one you regret not buying.
3. Now that our new design has been "live" for several weeks, any comments and/or complaints? Do you like the round gravatars or do you want the square gravatars back?** Any problems reading Now Smell This on mobile devices?
4. Name a topic you'd love to see covered in a lazy poll, or an old topic you'd like us to repeat.
Coming up next week: a review of the Coach Leatherware fragrances (I think, don't hold me to that). Either a review of Marni Rose, or maybe reviews of some of the Aerin fragrances. Our yearly holiday shopping posts will kick off on Friday, then on Saturday we'll have our yearly 'whispering to Santa' poll.
Note: top image is "Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world right in the eye." [cropped] by Nina Matthews at flickr; some rights reserved.
* Our "best buy of the year" poll is coming up next month!
** More information about gravatars here, in case you want to get one.
I scored my Rose Jam perfume yesterday so all is well here.
Working retail today, so just one spritz of Deneuve to keep me feeling elegant.
When I got home from work yesterday, I made a mad dash to the computer, ordered a bottle, and when I was done, I felt as if my weekend was successful, and it hadn’t even started yet. 🙂
The thrill of the hunt! That rose didn’t know what hit him!
Sweet victory is ours!
Took the plunge earlier this year for Mito edp, which I’d thoroughly tested & enjoyed. Then they just came out with the voile de parfum version. I don’t really regret the initial purchase–they’re still quite similar–but the voile has a hint of tuberose, and now I wish I had that one instead!
You know what that means, right? You need to drain the EdP bottle 🙂
I’ve just got me some Mito, too, and I love it – it makes me feel very elegant and sophisticated (which of course I am not). It is deliciously retro and mossy!
I should try Mito, LOL. I’m not elegant and sophisticated, but I’m getting a bit retro and mossy. 😉
1- wearing Patchouli 24 today
2 – none so far, phew !
3- no technical issues with the site at all and I think that it looks great on my phone and tablet. I don’t like the layout quite as much on the laptop, I think I prefered it when the articles were in the centre of the page rather than to the left like they are now. I’m terrible with change, though 🙂
4- how about one about what notes people find difficult and whether they’ve found perfumes centred around those notes which unexpectedly worked for them.
P.S. The Dr Who is even all over the BBC news here, there’s no escaping it!
I hate change too! But curious because you’re the 2nd person who said they preferred the content in the center — supposedly, to the left is better for the reader because it is where their eye will go first, & thus easier to tune out information on the sidebars if that’s what you’re trying to do. So can you try to say why you preferred center?
I think that having the main articles flanked by narrower borders gave the feeling of the content being, well, central. Having the screen split more equally into two columns makes the articles feel more squished to the side. Perhaps it’s not so much about the position per se as the impression of visual balance and a wider left column would work just as well? Hope that makes sense, but, really, it’s only a tiny niggle for me.
Ah, gotcha. The left column now is wider than the center column used to be, but I get it. Thanks!
Hi, Robin – just want to say that Abyss has described very well what I couldn’t find the words for! I do love the clarity of the content and the size of the type, but I also kept feeling that I was strangely lopsided. But then I am not a great adaptor of the new, and I take time to adjust!
Thanks Jillie! I am going to see if I can make the right column narrower, maybe that will do the trick.
And…done. The right sidebar is now 55px narrower than it was, and the extra space has been put in between the content and the sidebars, so hopefully it looks a bit less crowded. I’m guessing you guys would like the right sidebar even narrower, but then I’d have to start removing lists from other there.
Doctor Who fan here! I started off watching it on PBS when I was kid. They’ve been running a marathon of episodes and related-programs on BBC America for several days. We just got a new car — a blue Subaru Forester (to replace the white Forester that we had for 10 years). We usually name our cars, and I thought about calling it the TARDIS, because it really does seem to be bigger on the inside than it is on the outside 🙂
Oh, and Barnes and Noble has a little section of Doctor Who tchotchkes.
I sheepishly admit I’ve never seen a whole episode. But I have enough of those sorts of addictions already, not starting on Dr Who now!
If you ever decide to indulge another addiction, do watch some of the older ones — Pertwee, Baker, Davison, etc. Don’t get me wrong — I like the newer ones, but they can be a bit emo/melodramatic at times.
HA…but I think part of my problem is that I’m a natural completist…I would have a hard time watching it if I didn’t start at the beginning. 800+ episodes!!
I’m with you, Robin, I can never even put down a magazine or a newspaper without finishing it all the way through, but even I forgive myself missing out on huge chunks of Doctor Who. Fifty years? Have mercy on yourself!
Just watch the new ones starting in 2006. 😉
Love the Tom Baker Dr. Who!!!
Then you must watch D of th D – he has a small part at the end!
I had stopped watching after college and wasn’t even aware that they were still being made until a trip to London a few years ago. (I went to the Globe to see traditional Elizabethan theatre and everyone around made a big thing that the actor playing Dr. Faustus “really was” the most recent “Dr. Who.”)
The last week I’ve started catching up on the “reboot” series. Somehow
“Season 1” as my cable company calls a series from about 2006 seems much less goofy and more violent than I remember from my college days, when the Dr. wore a very long silly scarf and seemed to solve problems without inter-species shoot outs.
SOTD is to be determined, maybe will try Eau Duelle EDT vs EDP. Can’t rule out Boucheron Trouble, though. It is cold and nasty here and will get worse tomorrow. Plan is to stay indoors and try to get my boys to tidy up their things. Can’t say I regret any purchase so far this year, but am trying to make up my mind whether to get Aerin Evening Rose during NM scent event. I have never been a rose person. I would love to see a review of it!
My only problem with the site revisions has been that when I look at the comments on my iphone, the replies to replies to replies get nested so much that the letters read in a single vertical string, and it’s very hard to read. I can’t think of any lazy poll topics.
If you rotate your phone to landscape, then it’s ok, yes? Not sure what to do about nested comments on phones other than not show them, or not show the threading (in other words, make them full screen, but then you couldn’t tell who they were replying to). Or maybe I need to come up with a totally different comment scheme for phones, I will think about that.
Thanks!
I had the same complaint and never thought to rotate my phone – just tried it and it worked perfectly. Thanks for the “duh” tip!
Good! But it would be nice to not have to do that, since it isn’t the “natural” way to hold the phone. I will keep thinking about it.
OK. Don’t know why I didn’t think about it before, but that does seem to fix things. I do like being able to see what I am replying to, just as a reference, instead of typing at the bottom of the page.
As long as the comments don’t have too many levels rotating the phone is fine.
1. Nothing yet but looking like an incense day after the gym.
2. A huge bottle of SSS Incense Pure. I was waiting for it not to be a bajillion degrees out here to order and it is now in the forties (was 89 day before yesterday).
3. With everyone else on the middle thing but I am anti change too and have already gotten used to it.
4. No idea. There is a reason I don’t have a blog and post ideas it is.
PS. Missing Dr. Who is the only thing I regret about having no tv subscription of any kind. The long wait for blue ray is killer!
Good for you for going to the gym. I cannot seem to make it to Saturday morning yoga, ever.
1. Haven’t chosen a SOTD yet.
3. a. I love the fact that there is a “live” spell checker in the Comments now.
b. I wonder if a gravatar that is square with rounded edges would work — it would match the new curvier design, but not cut off as much of the person’s chosen image? Of course, that doesn’t really apply to me, because I just went with the default image that was provided.
c. I miss seeing all of the perfume reviews on one page. The new page is quite spiffy and tidy, but does not allow for as much browsing and random discovery.
One more thing about the perfume review page — when everything was on one page, if you only knew the name of a perfume, and not the perfumer, you could search the page (CTRL + F) by the name of the perfume. Of course, your site has a most excellent search function, which can be used to search by the name of a perfume. So, as Emily Litella would say “Never mind.” 🙂
Oh, totally agree — in that sense, the new perfume review page annoys me too. I don’t like having to use the search function. But it was a VERY long list if you were looking at it by scrolling on a phone or even a tablet. I should see if I can find a way for the user to pick the way they want to see it. Thanks!
Oh yes, agree with the spellcheck! Also like that the comment types within the thread rather than at the bottom of the page, so you can see what it is you’re responding to!
Oh, yes, knowing who you are responding to is a great new feature!
Thanks, kindcrow! Should be a good day. 🙂
OH whoops! Thought I clicked on the birthday wishes below! :-/
Ha! And just realized how ironic it is that it popped up here, under the “knowing who you’re responding to” thread! Sheesh.
I agree – that is a great thing
Gosh that is the best!
I think the spell checker is browser dependent, if anyone is wondering why they’re not seeing it.
1. What fragrance are you wearing?
Nothing yet, but I think it will be Une Rose Chypree. A perfume fairy is sending me a sample of Une Rose de Kandahar, but I must bide my time until then.
Mr. Spicebomb is being very attentive to this search, as today is my birthday and of course, Christmas is coming soon, and he’s clearly looking for gift suggestions! I wore Attrape Coeur last night, and I was afraid to mention it by name–wouldn’t want him to feel obligated to search out a bottle of that! (Although wouldn’t it be lovely?!)
2. Fragrance regrets? None so far! I have only purchased big loves and long-awaited bottles, so can’t regret that. I *am* sorry I didn’t get my bottle of Fico di Amalfi until the fall, so I couldn’t properly enjoy it in the heat of the summer, but it will wait patiently until May or June.
3. New design feedback–I’ve gotten used to it. I don’t mind the new layout, round gravatars and such. I do wish I could see a bit more of the thread–smaller font?–but I’m getting used to that, too. No problems viewing it on my iPad.
4. Lazy poll suggestions. . . hmm.
Bedtime scents? I was finding myself dissatisfied with my bedtime options a few weeks ago.
Scent as art? There’s a saying, “real art doesn’t match your sofa,” or some such. When do we wear scents to make a statement? Which scents seem more like “art?” Which scents do we appreciate but find unwearable?
Maybe a winter viewing poll, like the winter reading poll, with scent pairings? I’m looking for some new movies, or maybe some really good classic movies, to get from the library and watch on cold evenings.
I remember really enjoying our “scrubber” conversation some time back, too.
Probably can think of more! 😀
Happy Birthday, MR!!! I hope that it is fragrant and fun.
Happy Birthday! Hope you have a fun and fragrant day!
Thank you!
Happy birthday!! And too funny, I know just what you mean about being careful of what scents you mention by name–I found myself talking about Marilyn Monroe and Chanel No. 5 recently, and then suddenly realized, oops I better clarify that I do not personally like wearing No. 5! But your Attrape-Coeur situation is a different matter 🙂
Meanwhile great poll ideas, would be interested in all! Also, wanted to say (just to return the tip on this frag!) you might give the Fico di Amalfi a chance despite the weather. It’s not a warm scent, for sure, but I’ve been wearing it lately anyway to see if I could really use a full bottle, and I’m finding the fig/citrus/spice trio rhymes quite nice with the holiday smells in the air!
That’s a great example with no. 5! Yes, I don’t need a bottle of that one, and I can think of several others I might mention in a story or that I respect or what-have-you and wouldn’t want them to be purchased for me! On the other hand, I would LOVE a bottle of Attrape Coeur, but it seems to be a bit unfair to even suggest such a gift from a nonperfumista type!
I will have to take your advice and try the FdA one of these cooler days. I can see how it might be quite nice! You don’t find it too quiet and close to the skin? One of the things I liked about it for the summer is that even in big humidity, it wouldn’t scream at me or be too much.
Oh good question about close-to-skin–it felt very -present- to me but now that you ask, I am realizing I did put on a thick wool scarf right after spraying, and it clung to the scarf for days. It probably would be a lot quieter on skin only. But if you wear scarves, I can def recommend that application method–I felt like I was wrapped in Christmas!
LOVE fragrance on my scarves! I wear scarves as a carry-over from my Minnesota years, and putting one on and noticing left-over scent, right up at my face as you say, is such a wonderful thing!
Yes! That’s funny, I’d never quite thought about it that way, but especially if you have a voluminous scarf, it’s so true that that’ll wind up in closer proximity to your nose than the rest of you!
Hey, happy birthday! And thanks for the great poll ideas 🙂
Thanks, Robin! I admit, sometimes when I’m thinking about my SOTD or whatever, I find myself filing away topics in my brain under the “oh, that would be a good discussion topic on NST some day!” label. 🙂
Happy Birthday, Marjorie Rose! May your fragrant dreams come true!
Thank you, hajusuuri! With the help of certain enabling fairies, they may well come true soon! 😉
Sending some more wonderful birthday wishes your way! Hope someone surprises you with Attrape-Couer; if not on this occasion, then on another:)
Thanks, Merlin! A-C would be a very generous, and very wonderful, gift! NOT expected at any time, but a girl can enjoy the fantasy.
A very happy birthday, Marjorie Rose! Hope you get spoiled with some fragrant treats!
Thanks, Abyss! No fragrance this time, but my very own copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and a beautiful dinner out at a restaurant I don’t often treat myself to. I had a lovely day!
Glad that you had a happy day, MR! And do keep us informed as to which recipes you decide to tackle from Julia’s masterpiece!
Testing Amouage Opus III today which I like but since it somehow reminds me of a Guerlain (sort of a spicier version of Shanghai), I probably won’t spend the money on it.
Possible poll topic–longest lasting perfume
Good one, will add to list.
1. The Blackberry & Bay body cream I put on last night is still going, which is pretty great staying power!
2. Hmm I don’t think I have any real regrets. I have some things I’m wearing less than others but the swaps have helped rehome enough of my neglected perfume that
3. Love the redesign, the streamlined look soothes my brain 🙂 I mildly miss the feature where you could refine your search terms in the search results window rather than having to go back to previous and start a new search (e.g. if you searched for Bottega Veneta then realized you really just wanted to see Bottega Veneta Eau Legere results), but that is SO minor.
4. The mention of Chanel Egoiste in yesterday’s SOTD poll made me wonder about people’s favorite gender crossover perfume. Without presuming to think any perfume has an intrinsic gender 🙂 , I’d just be curious to know what people reach for when they want to wear something they feel contrasts with their gender (if ever they do feel so inclined!) I’d maybe distinguish this from perfumes that are marketed to one gender, but which don’t necessarily feel gendered one way or another, although I’d be interested to read that poll too!
Oop! Hit send too fast. As for item 2–the swaps have helped rehome enough of my neglected perfume that the purchases don’t really weigh on me.
I miss that search feature too. Sad but true that I don’t even know why it doesn’t work anymore…I’m adding to my list of things to figure out.
I miss the old search function as well; I do not find the new search useful: in addition to losing the ability to refine the search, I liked being able to go back and look at additional items without being tossed out of the search entirely.
Thanks! Will see if I can get it fixed.
And…done. Still working on getting the results to display legibly on all device sizes, but you can now fine-tune the results again.
I am almost too lazy for a lazy poll. But I’d like to see people scenting the Doctors. Like, wouldn’t Pertwee wear something absolutely old-fashioned, like Old Spice? Or Eau Sauvage?
Matt Smith needs something lightweight and weird, like something lavender and wheat. And Christopher Eccleston I would put in Slumberhouse Ore, because he is deliciously dark.
My biggest regrets? According to my spreadsheets somewhere in this house is a full bottle of Vanille Absolument, from L’Artisan. I don’t remember even wearing it, but obviously, it was not a good purchase. I also wish I hadn’t bought the little vintage bottle of Shiseido Koto; I don’t remember what moved me to buy it, but I wish I hadn’t.
As usual, my biggest purchases (my Roja Dove Amber Aoud!) and my smallest (all those samples and splits!) make me VERY happy. It’s the midrange stuff that’s iffier.
You’ve LOST the L’Artisan bottle? (although hey, I’ve done that)
Well, I have no idea where it is. So, errm, that might qualify as lost…
But I also haven’t looked for it. Till I was reviewing my damage lists looking for my biggest regret, I didn’t realize I HAD it.
What I’ve LOST is a 200 ml bottle of Rose Anonyme. I have a feeling I know where it might be (in storage), but I’m only about 50% convinced it should be there…
Usually I’m really pretty good with keeping track of things!
Ha, I think that qualifies. Hope you find the Rose Anonyme!
The Persolaise perfume blogger was asked to match each Doctor Who incarnation with a scent. There is a link to the article on his website.
In honor of the Doctor, I’m wearing Mugler Cologne! My biggest regret for NOT purchasing? Unicorn Spell when it was more reasonably priced. And actually, Shiseido Koto was one of my best blind buys- a big bottle, too. But it smells different on everyone, I just lucked out it works with my chemistry.
Oh, US is such a great scent. Wish I had a bottle too.
I had an idea for a lazy poll – what about favorite dry-down/scent to discover lingering on your clothes the next day? Unless we’ve already done it and i missed it! No SOTD yet here, still smelling Chene from last night.
I love this dry-down lazy poll idea!
I am wearing Chergui in honour of Tom Baker – the Dr Who I grew up with..
Have not bought much this year – no money, sigh – but I have been lucky to get gifts and at the risk of sounding ungrateful I am very glad I did pay money out for a bottle of Fendi L’ Acquarossa – very underwhelming.
Seriously regret missing out on an auction of vintage Norma Kamali !!
Like the new website – brighter and bigger type on my laptop which works very well for myopic me – Thank you!
Would love to hear about people’s favourite incense fragrances – I’m always searching for Midnight Mass in a bottle.
For church incense I love Avignon and Heeley Cardinal. Fille en Aiguilles by Serge Lutens has both incense and that pine/evergreen note which reminds me of Midnight Mass too.
Glad it is easier to read! And glad you did not buy L’Acquarossa 😉
OOOps! – That should read DID NOT pay for L’Acquarossa – of course!
SOTM is Lush’s Sikkim Girls. Last time I was in I received a generous sample of the cream, it’s ok. But on the same trip I bought the gift box of rose jam wash & Ro’s body conditioner, and also the body wash in Flying Fox. I’ve been so obsessed with the intense honey jasmine scent of FF that I haven’t even opened my Rose Jam gift box yet! (plus it’s so prettily wrapped, I don’t want to “ruin” it just yet).
Oh, I keep looking at the Ro’s body conditioner, and deciding no, then looking at it again…
I got a pot of Ro’s body conditioner a couple weeks ago, and I can’t recommend it enough. I hesitated at the price at first, but it has been totally worth it. My skin is pretty dry, so I just use it like a regular lotion, and it’s worked wonders.
Ah, so you don’t rinse it off then?
1. SOTD I am still digging Dior Mitzah layered with Le Labo Vanille 44
2. I can’t think of any buying regret probably because I had been buying decants (via basenotes) and I don’t ever regret buying decants. As to regret not buying, it is the limited bottle of Zahd by Josh Lobb of Slumberhouse; by the time I went back to the site to order, all 150 bottles were gone!
3. New design:
– I love the round gravatars. They go very well with the rounded edges of the comment box.
– Placement of the content. I agree that the eyes are drawn to the left; however, it does look awkward. I’m not a web-designer but have worked on projects that involved web-usability. A menu on top, breadcrumbs (either on top or on the left), left navigation and banners on the right seem to work well.
– I love the nesting except on an an android; turning the cell phone sideways doesn’t help much. No big deal as I can read them on my laptop.
– I continue to love the bigger font, the time stamp on comments and love the placement of the Reply box.
4. Suggestions for Lazy Poll topics:
– Except for the shops that have a No Return / No Exchange policy, most stores accept unopened perfumes within a reasonable period…and then there are some stores with a liberal return policy, even for opened perfumes. Have you ever returned a perfume? Why did you return the perfume?
– If you had to recommend one sample set to a newbie, which one would it be and why?
– Scent your car! (or Scent A car)
– Scent Robin and the NST Team!
– Write a tweet about your favorite perfume or any perfume-related topic!
OK, how did I forget about Dr. Who! It is one of my favorite shows. Last week, I bought a little Tardis keychain flashlight from Barnes & Noble 🙂
I’m not sure if it is still there as I was there in August…at Heathrow’s Terminal 4 near the Harrod’s satellite/Jo Malone/Rituals, you can take a picture with Tardis!
I can read the nested comments on my Android, although I think it’s one of the bigger Androids (about the same screen size as the newer iPhones). But only rotated. I figure it’s got to be an improvement over what we had before, which was virtually unusable on phones, but I will keep at it!
1. Wearing Versace The Dreamer today. Picked it and Grey Flanner up at TJ Maxx for a song. Anyone else think GF smells like Lush’s Dirty?
2. No regrets thus far but the year’s not over yet LOL!
3. I like the new layout just fine. Tho if someone could clue me into how I change my little gravitar thingy I’d be most grateful.
4. Best time travel perfume (in honor of the doctor) scents that make you feel like you are living in another age.
Go here:
https://nstperfume.com/2013/11/02/new-look/
And scroll down the the 1st footnote for instructions on getting a custom gravatar.
Thanks!
Hey, nice gravatar!!
Isn’t fun to have a specialized gravatar?! When I learned how to do it, I tried out several options before I settled on this one! I always appreciate a little art project. . .
I am fragrantly “au naturale” today…
No regrets for this year’s purchases so far …but that’s not counting the forty-odd samples I bought last week in search of my signature juice, so stay tuned for late-breaking news.
No history; no regrets with regard to NST’s site design. Looks fine to me …especially considering some of the TERRIBLE fragrance manufacturer’s sites I saw during the week. I hope they all make better perfume than they code user interfaces :/
Lazy Polls:
1) Layering – Lots of information is available through the “Search”, but a reappraisal of new discoveries and pairings is always interesting. More than that, I’d like to hear everyone’s methods; the mechanics of your layering technique: how, when and where do you apply your two choices. Importance of the order of application… Is timing an issue? …the need for drying of one juice before application of the other? …. or is it just spray both on and head for the door?
2)… I have other ideas but am running short on time. I may come back and add more later.
Warm greetings from a soggy, getting colder, New Orleans…
Hey, good idea, we haven’t done a layering poll in awhile. But you’ll find more here, including old layering polls:
https://nstperfume.com/tag/layering/
Wearing le Labo’s Ylang 41 today, and pairing it WITH Aftelier’s Ylang Face Elixir, which is just a divine coupling.
I only regret buying Balmain Ivoire. Too…soapy and it just didn’t work. But I used it to spray the shower head to mask the chlorine in my shower. And thanks to whomever gave me the tip about using Vitamin C to neutralize the smell of chlorine. I pour it right into my bath and it’s so nice not to smell like a YMCA when I get out.
OK with all new formats. But change upsets this Taurus on any level…
Topics: Odd Perfume Habits. I, for instance, will re-perfume myself in the middle of the night if I get up to to go to the bathroom. It helps me to resume sleep. Last night it was Dzing! which helps me to think of horses snoring in a barn.
I also use older perfume I find in antique stores that are kinda cool, but not expensive, like a $2 Helena Rubenstein or Prince Machabelli, (?!) to squirt on my car’s heating vents, so that when the hot air blows, I get a good nostalgic/vintage 70s chypre blasted right on me.
Has anyone ever grabbed the wrong bottle/decant/sample by mistake, put it on, then smelled yourself, thinking what is WRONG? I THOUGHT I put on one perfume, but it didn’t smell the way I thought it should, and it took all day to realize I had mistakenly put on Ubar when I thought it was some Andy Tauer. It’s like expecting a sip of Coke and you get 7-Up instead–the expectations being not met just scrambles my brain. Shows how expectation is so strong in our perception.
Great poll ideas, thanks!
SOTD is TF Sahara Noir – I had a gift certificate to Bloomingdales so I just splurged on a full bottle. I ended up doing a lot of yard work today and it seems a bit inappropriate to wear such an expensive perfume to rake the leaves, but I really enjoyed the scent that kept wafting up from my neck and wrists.
Perfume regret – I came across a bottle of VC&A First for a great price online and decided to blind buy based on various favorable reviews. But I really couldn’t wear it! I guess I should have known, too many aldehydes are always a problem for me (I can’t wear No. 5 for that reason).
Actually, given how dry Sahara Noir is, I think raking the leaves with it on would be just about perfect.
I was out earlier and tried some Diorre home intense on one arm and Comme de Garcons Black on the other. The Dior is beautiful and my nose does track back for more but I love love love the CDG Black. It actually smells quite similar to S. M. Novella’s Nostalgia. It is deeper, spicier and has a stronger chewy barbecue note. Nostalgia – due to the gasoline vibe has a certain coolness to it that may make it an easier one to wear in warm weather. Could it be that I need them both! 😉
2. This is a difficult question for me because even if I am sorry to have bought a certain perfume, there will, most likely be a period in the future where I suddenly fall in love with it. The ones I am currently unsure of were all ones I bought at a reduced price. Sales are my achilles heel. The one that seems to have been the worst buy is Carthusia’s Via Camarelle…
The funny thing is that I so often buy things in case I later regret not buying them and I NEVER really really regret missing things. And still, I do not learn, lol!
3. I like the rounded windows, but think I also preferred the text in the centre. For some reason the adverts seem more intrusive now; even the ones at the bottom. I very much like the reply box opening right under the comment one is replying to. In fact, that is my favorite of the changes:)
4. Can’t think of any topics right now, but I endorse some that have been suggested, longevity and layering options would be particularly good.
So sorry the ads seem more intrusive. There is actually way less space being taken up by ads now, so that’s really too bad. Will have to think about that too.
I just went back to the homepage to look and it seems there are not adverts at the bottom, so perhaps it appears differently on my phone (now I’m using a computer)? Otherwise, I’m just being confused!
Having looked now though, it does not seem so much adverts – at the moment there are very few, but rather that the supplementary links impinge too much on the page. The main articles (which is what one usually wants) are no longer obviously central.
Absolutely no need for apologies – I’m as happy as ever here! Just nit-picking to try be helpful:)
The location of the ads does depend on your screen size, so you’re not confused…and there are fewer ads on a phone than on a desktop, although only a bit fewer, and in any case there are fewer than there used to be (no matter the screen size).
But maybe I need to mess with the width of the right sidebar a bit to see if people find it less intrusive that way. And do nitpick away! My coding skills are limited, but I can try to address at least some of the issues, and it’s all good to know for next time (and hopefully, next time won’t be 5 years away like it was this time).
Robin,
Since you asked: I too find the ads more intrusive as on my laptop (in Chrome) they appear between the article and the comments. I found them much less intrusive when they were, in essence, a frame around the articles.
But, the new positioning of the reply-to-comment box is a change well worth my ignoring any small niggles. 🙂
Good to know! It’s a challenge fitting everything in…was hoping that by having fewer ads & fewer sidebars, it would seem less cluttered. Unfortunately I do have to have ads…but will keep thinking about where I can put them.
Oh yes, perfectly understand you need to have them. I enjoy NST and the community here waaay too much to be fussed about it.
Alas, I do not have cable and do not live in a major city, so I will have to wait and watch Day of the Doctor later. I did see a guy earlier today wearing a Doctor Who scarf, and he was so pleased that someone recognized it. He was in the grocery store and said he was getting fish fingers and custard for the viewing party.
How cool to run into someone with a Doctor scarf!
I have not watched an episode of Dr. Who since I was a kid, but I *do* have a scarf I knit myself that’s about 12 feet long. I used to wrap it around my head over the top and then around and around my shoulders, and inevitably, it would get a “Dr. Who” comment. It’s not his, but it’s reminiscent enough to get some love!
1. Balenciaga Paris (wish it was a leeetle less sweet)
2. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune (I resold it on eBay)
3. On my desktop the design changes from square avatars and sharp corners to circles and rounded corners…no idea why.
4. Perfumes separated at birth: I’m still really new at this and yet I sometimes get the strangest sense (scent!) of deja vu–most recently with Bijou Romantique and Loulou. When I wore them side by side, I noted many differences… but I’m not sure that a blind man in a rush, or whatever the olfactory equivalent would be (harried woman with a bad cold?), would notice…
If you’re using IE8 on some device, you’ll see square avatars & sharp corners. IE8 does not follow normal rules about styling web pages. So guessing you’re using IE8 somewhere, but not on your desktop. (or, could be some other browser issue I don’t even know about)
On my desktop sometimes I see squares and sometimes circles… not a problem…just one of mysteries of my life… Not sure what IE8 is, but perhaps it is the culprit. But really it all good!
So sorry, it is the web browser Internet Explorer, version 8. If you’re not using that, would love to know what you’re using when you’re seeing squares! You should always see circles in Firefox or Chrome, or newer versions of Internet Explorer (basically, IE9 & IE10).
I figured it out! Internet Explorer 9. Right now, all squares and corners… 🙂
But it is not a problem or anything. I was just trying to find out the answer to your question.
Thanks so much! That is helpful but really weird, IE9 on my computer rounds all the corners. Will have to think about that.
1. Am wearing Bulgari Black on the insides of my wrists, and Tokyomilk Honey and the Moon on the outsides (the backs… how strange that the proper terms don’t match up).
2. Honestly I thought Black would be my biggest regret, but just lately I’ve discovered that spraying very, very lightly makes the difference between a scent I enjoy and a scent in which I can only smell musk. The dishonor goes instead to Lush Lust, which has a fantastic opening but dries down to smell like yellow dishwashing gloves. 🙁 I swear it didn’t behave like that when I was testing it!
I find Lush perfumes to be quite fickle – it’s not just you!
Application makes a big difference! Ideally one should test both dauber and spray samples before buying anything – not that I am that organized and disciplined.
Just woke up to go for a walk before work, so no frag yet..
Biggest regret: NOT buying YSL Noble Leather in Dubai in May on my way home from Turkey. I put the $ aside for a bottle of Guerlain Songe d’un Bois d’été, which I do love, but I think I would have preferred Noble Leather. I actually would have preferred both, and am kicking myself for not draining my account to get it :-/
Poll question: I’d like to know what everyones top top 5 or 10 are. Of all time. I see what you all wear on a seasonal basis, but which perfumes would you say ‘are’ you?
Oh, I like that poll idea! Although it could be tough to narrow down to a top 5, it might be a healthy activity, too! Good to remember I don’t *need* 40+ scents in my rotation. . . 🙂
SOTD: PG 6 eau Rare Matale from an FB I got at Osswald in NYC last weekend. They’re so nice there …
Regret: Eau au The Rouge. Bought it at Ross Dress for Less, so I’m not out much, but I was disappointed. No fig fruit that I can detect…(should have listened to Uncle Luca)
New design: can’t find the links to other blogs on when I look at NST on my iPhone.
Everyone has such great ideas for polls. Maybe a question about what you’d love someone to bring back for you from a trip abroad.
Yes — the blogroll gets zapped on phones, because the right lower sidebars (the part that’s split in two on a desktop, w/ the blue boxes) disappear on a phone. There’s not really anyplace to put them unless you make for a REALLY long scroll on a phone. They should appear on tablets, though, if you rotate the tablet to landscape view.
When I have time (ha, maybe in 2014? 2015?) I will see if I can work up a mobile menu that lets you see those sidebars.
I haven’t worn a scent in weeks because I’ve been sick with a virus that just won’t quit. Must be a mono relapse from 1972 or something. Just finished watching “Day of the Doctor” with my 12 year old and it it was a blast I have to say! Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt are quite awesome. My biggest perfume regret of the year is an unsniffed full bottle of Mitsouko. “Day of Depression” in my opinion.
Okay, I just purchased some Rose Jam perfume totally unsniffed and totally because of all the hysteria. Will it become my second regret or will I have died and gone to heaven when it gets here? I was on a perfume buying MOTATORIUM for the month of November and I made it for 22 days!
If I had to have one scent that I did not enjoy but owned as a reference scent, and as a tribute to perfumery in general, it would be Mitsouko! For one thing it is how a real chypre is supposed to smell (even if it is a contemporary formula). Also, it is the perfume that Anais Nin wore, which is fascinating…
It seems to be the classic of all classics and it is interesting how the peach in it seems to verge on over-ripe and how it has this deep golden glowing effect.
All in all – not worth a day of depression:)
In my research of Mitsouko on various perfume blogs, it seems to affect a certain percentage of people this way and in an extreme manner. Maybe it stimulates the brain in the “sad sector” or something. It’s strange because I don’t actually dislike the scent – it just puts me in a yucky mood. Scents I dislike usually just annoy me. Maybe it’s a death smell – suicide is a part of the Mitsouko story after all.
Interesting, I never noticed such comments!
There are scents that affect my mood too, irrespective of whether or not I like them. I think Portrait of a Lady is gorgeous, for instance, but every time I used my sample I would be tense and agitated. But, I really loved the scent and kept trying:)
It’s finished now but I don’t think I’ll go for a bottle. In my case though it seems entirely subjective.
Glad to see someone else excited for the Doctor! 🙂
1. Today I’m wearing a total comfort scent, VS Cashmere Vanilla Jasmine.
2. I regret not buying Roses de Chloe the moment it came out. But as I was saving for the now purchased La Fille de Berlin it’s not too big a regret 😉
3. New layout looks great, very open and completely user friendly.
Hope you do review the Aerin fragrances! I’ve been waiting for some (more) reviews of the scents, they all look intriguing.
I will get to the Aerins eventually, I promise! If not next week, then the week after.
You know I liked Roses de Chloe a lot too. Is it sold out already?
1. Just bought some Philosykos body cream and am enjoying it all on its own.
2. I regret buying Jour d’Hermes at Duty Free in an airport shop last spring because it disappears too quickly.
3. I sort of thought the avatars showed up better before. Have not tried reading on my smart phone, I guess I am out of step with the times.
4. Might be fun to see some coverage of perfume as art, or of smell in art contexts in museum shows.
Oh, jealous of your Philosykos cream!
SOTD: was in the mood for a little floral & chocolate, hence I went with JM Blue Acacia & Cacao. BTW, what is blue acacia supposed to smell like? To me it’s not very distinct, just some type of floral note.
I do feel bad about not being able to search on the site since I do it so often as a newbie. It’s been quite helpful as I’m learning. Visually I like the new site a lot and I read mainly on my iPhone.
Regret buying FM’s L’eau de Hiver. Loved it initially but the heliotrope/almond note makes me a bit nauseous. Would love to have purchased Carnal Flower instead and this is definitely on my wish list for Santa Claus 😉
Poll idea: if you could have only one scent for the rest of your life what would it be?
Ah, thanks for reminding me that the search function isn’t working on phones. It works on my tablet, but not as well as it does on the desktop.
This should work now — although so far, only tested using Opera browser on my Android phone, and I’m still working on getting the results perfectly legible on all device sizes.
Oh, sorry to hear about the L’eau d’Hiver, but you may find it a good “unwanted bottle” to have around. Might be a pretty great swap option!
Agreed!
I prefer the square gravatars. The gravatars are very small to begin with, and about 21 percent of the area of a square image is lost when it’s cropped to a circle. Or maybe it’s just because my left ear is feeling cramped. 😉
Otherwise, I agree with others, there are many improvements, and my favorite is having the reply next to the comment one is replying to. Thanks for organizing this amazing website, Robin!
Yes, you’re right, I’ve lost both of my ears! waaa!
😀
It doesn’t work for cats.
(sorry, couldn’t resist!)
On my list of things to do…see if we can fit more pixels on the gravatars.
Didn’t there used to be some rabbit gravatars? They’d really be hurting! 😉
BTW, I finally did try downloading Chrome, and it does give me higher resolution within the round gravatars than Safari, although it doesn’t restore the ears.
Poor bunnies!!
Everything looks better on Chrome, I don’t know why. The newest version of IE looks pretty good too. Firefox is good but “fuzzier” than Chrome. On my Android, the Dolphin browser looks way better than the Opera browser. It is all very annoying…and most people just use whatever browser happens to be on whatever device.
I did mess with the borders on the gravatars a bit this morning. I think they look weird with the corners only partially rounded. But I will mess with it some more later this week.
Robin, I am always in awe of what you do for this blog and, by extension, for the art of perfume!
Thank you nozknoz! It is really hard to please everybody, and I include myself in the everybody 🙂
Hello and happy weekend!
Late to this today, taking care of an elderly friend who is kind of crazed about the smell of sandalwood. He was showing me his latest acquisition: a bottle of sandalwood talcum powder from Caswell and Massey that just arrived in the mail. I’d love to find a really beautiful sandalwood frag to give him for the holidays.
Last two vintage perfumes I bought were a large bottle of Bal a Versailles PDT and a tiny bottle of Bandit perfume. Both are very intense in their own ways, especially the Bandit. I spent some bucks on it so keep waiting for the shame, guilt and regret to kick in and it’s just not so far. I think the Bandit is extraordinary, but really an acquired taste. I regret buying a full bottle of SL Cedre. It really smells like a yankee candle on me and I just can’t get rid of that association. Worse, when my husband smelled it, he said it reminded him of what gift shops with candles and wooden crafty things smell like. (aka christmas tree shoppe)
Tonight I’m wearing L’ambre des Merveilles. I needed something soft and girly after huffing Bandit for the last two days.
No complaints about the blog format.
Lazy weekend poll: The other day I was eating chocolate covered rose Turkish delight and wearing Traversee du Bosphore. I usually don’t like roses, but something about experiencing the smell and taste together was really lovely. Maybe someone has already mentioned this, but I would love to talk about perfume/food/drink pairings. Or perfume/occasion pairings. Or perfume/art pairings. Or perfume/clothing pairings…
The problem, of course, is that real Mysore sandalwood is unavailable now, because it was overcut and became endangered. There are often vintage men’s colognes on ebay, but I’m not sure which would be rich in sandalwood.
Coincidentally, I’m wearing 1960s Corday Toujours Moi this evening and it smells great because of the real sandalwood, I think. A man could wear it, but the circular bottle with its gold art nouveau blossoms definitely looks feminine.
Maybe others will have ideas, I hope.
I think Donna Karan’s Chaos is a really nice stand-in for sandalwood. Very plush and comforting.
hmm sounds more like my cup of tea than his. What is it about this brutal weather that makes me want to take a bath in those comfort frags!
Diptyque’s Tam Dao is my favorite sandalwood. Many prefer 10 Corso Como. Always wanted to try Etro Sandalo, but haven’t, yet.
I hesitated to mention Tam Dao because it isn’t real sandalwood now, but it does smell great. It’s easy to get samples or the travel refill sprays that sometimes show up on ebay, etc., and there’s a shower gel if the gentleman would prefer something like.
I’ve got a bottle of Etro Sandalo that’s several years old. It doesn’t make much of an impression on me, and who knows what it smells like now. TS notes in The Guide that she is anosmic to one of the synthetics used to imitate sandalwood. Maybe that’s my problem with Sandalo; maybe it’s just meh.
I think my gent might like Tam Dao. He’s crazy about the Caswell Massey stuff which doesn’t smell at all like real Sandalwood, So TD might be an option. Bonus, I can get the set of three travel size and keep two for me!
Tam Dao gets a lot of love, and the idea of the travel sizes is brilliant!
In addition to Tam Dao, the current cologne to try would be Chanel Bois des Iles. Older Vol de Nuit is also wonderfully woody. Maybe get him some samples of from one of the sample sites like Surrender to Chance to see what really appeals?
I’ve read something about some perfumers starting to get real sandalwood again but it’s a blurr. Was it that some legal sandalwood is becoming available again? Or that Mysore sandalwood is now being grown in Australia? Was it Via del Profumo, SSS, or what????? Maybe someone else here has a better memory than I do.
Oh thank you so much for your sandalwood suggestions, Nozknoz. I use pure sandalwood oil in my massage practice and just getting to the end of my Mysore supply. But I found that Australian sandalwood oil smells identical to it. The Australian oil is made from trees that were grown in Australia from the Mysore plant seedlings. They are kind of reviving the supply there. And the price is a bit lower than the Indian oil was especially when it was becoming scarce. I remember seeing items carved out of sandalwood in India that were selling for just a few rupees! That was many years ago.
I’m looking forward to the Australian grown Mysore sandalwood becoming more widespread!
I think Santal Noble by MPG is incredibly beautiful. I have quite a few sandalwood fragrances, including two from Serge and one from Tom Ford, plus Tam Dao, and I also love them, but to my mind, the MPG blows them away. Good luck finding a gift for your friend!
Yes! Will try MPG Santal Noble. Thank you so much.
Change is good. I prefer the square avatars because they are so small already so I’d like to see more of the photo. I also preferred the number of comments per article posted at the bottom of the gateway article because it was easier to refer back to when I wanted to see if any more comments had been posted since I last did.
I’m wearing my favourite fall scent: Givenchy III.
I’ve never seen Dr. Who but I managed to complete the Google home page game in a few light years time which is not to bad for someone unfamiliar with the concept of how to play it.
Happy Birthday, Marjorie Rose! Perhaps now is the time to tell you that ordinarily I would wax curmudgeonly and disapprove of talk here that doesn’t directly relate to perfume, however, I have become extremely enamoured of your dating saga and look forward to future installments. I always appreciate your writing about anything. How do you ever find the time, being a teacher? May you enjoy a lovely evening with your paramour.
You know the number of comments still appears on the gateway article, just at the top, right? You just liked it better on the bottom?
Yes, Robin, for some reason it just seemed more logical and easier to cast my eyes upon when the number was at the bottom. I would remember how many comments there had been the last time I looked and then know whether to look again if any more had been posted.
Having the reply right under the post being answered is a good improvement. Thank you.
I agree, I’m having a hard time getting used to that myself. I moved it because nearly all blogs now keep it at the top, so seemed logical to have it there where people (people other than you & I who are used to it somewhere else!) would see it where they expected it. Eventually, I’ll remember it’s at the top.
I wish I hadn’t bought Vert de Pivoine. I love peonies, I love green, I loved smelling this on the strip…but it never seemed to be my choice of what to wear on any day until finally I realized that it was a smell I admired but that didn’t suit me. Does that make any sense? So much money gets put in the balance when you’re making a perfume purchase. Big price tag on being wrong.
SOTD: Queen by Queen Latifah. Quite sweet, not sure yet how I feel about it.
I regret not buying the Parfums d’Empire sample set earlier this year, when it was cheaper and included Musc Tonkin.
The new site is easy to read on my mobile device, as long as I remember to turn it sideways when I get to the comments. My gravatar used to look like a quilt square, and now looks like a button.
Now I’m off to watch “The Day of the Doctor.” At the risk of rattling some cages, I didn’t particularly like Doctor Who until the David Tennant/Catherine Tate episodes sucked me in.
Forgot to add, I second the request for a “Best Sample Sets” poll, as that is the stage of the mania I’m still in.
Great idea – sample sets are usually a wonderful deal and I don’t want to miss any good ones!
Wearing Drole de Rose.
Perfumes I bought in 2013: Chanel No. 5 EDT, Oscar by Oscar de La Renta, Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere, Burberry Classic for Men(for a gift), Poison EDT splash bottle, Givenchy Ange ou Demon Le Secret Elixir(for a gift), Coco Mademoiselle EDP, Coco Chanel EDP.
For several of those, I sold perfumes that I didn’t want anymore.
I think the new website is great, everything about it!
Polls? Not too creative here lol, maybe fave winter scents, scents and travel, your favorite scented beverage-with recipes:), scents of the holidays, Christmas wishlist, Wishlists for 2014, Scents you own but hardly wear, best/worst perfumes of 2013, Most sentimental scent, Scents you thought you might not be able to wear but can, ok, nothing original here, LOL:).
I think Most Scentimental is new and would be interesting. And I’d be happy if the favorite seasonal posts were also weekend posts to allow more time for comments.
Oops, I thought it said to just list ones you bought for 2013.
Ok, I did buy a couple more that I regretted and sold/swapped for others.
Those were: Lolita Lempicka Eau de Minuit limited edition with those black leaves. I tried convincing myself I liked the scent..but in reality, I just really liked the bottle, sold it. Donna Karan Jasmine, I love the scent, just didn’t have any lasting power on me…sold it. Estee Lauder Pleasures Intense, I liked the maple note..that’s why I got it..but the note didn’t seem to mesh well with the other notes? Idk, maple is hard to find and I like that note…sold it.
One that was a bust: Tuscany Per Donna off Ebay, it had turned badly, returned to seller.
1. Jessica Simpson Fancy. I’m cleaning the storage room and selling our cast offs online. Needed something sweet and calming to stop me from developing cleaning rage (I hate cleaning. Makes me go crazy).
2. I’m really happy about my purchases (some full, some decants. Byredo Gypsy water & 1996, Malle Portrait of…, & Dries van Noten, Vagabond prince Enchanted forest, Marni & Lush Sikkim girls) this year. Only regret is not getting a bottle of Alien essence at discount. It’s hard to get – and so expensive – now.
3. Nope, like it all.
4. I’m always interested in what peolpe are looking forward to smell, like new releases and such.
At first glance, I read that you sold your cats off online and then I re-read and felt better that you sold CAST OFFS online 🙂
Hahaha! Don’t have cats, but if I did, I would never sell dem. Lovely animals.
I’m ignoring and going on about my business. 🙂
HAGD, everyone!
Ha…that’s probably easier to do here in the US! We got a Google doodle, & not much else, to tune out.
I blame Dr Who for the fact that a so-so actor – namely David Tennant – is now in absolutely everything under the sun. 🙁
1. Black Amber by Agonist. Perfect for the autumn-into-winter season.
2. Mahora, though it was only a mini, so no big deal, but I regret not sniffing it first. It was nice, but not what I expected it to be. Buying unsniffed – BAD perfumista:)!
3. I liked the old desing very much, but this one is cooler and more restrained in my opinion. I haven’ had any problems with it yet.
4. Please, oh please let’s play “scent the cast of…” again! new films, old films, series, fairy tales, anything!:))) Please?:)
I have now bought two Agonist perfumes and haven’t seen much of any discussion anywhere about them. I bought Arctic Jade and The Infidels. I tried Black Amber once at Neiman-Marcus which carries the line, but I guess it didn’t quite grab me as the other two did. I’m now dithering about buying Liquid Crystal and going through a couple of sample vials of it before deciding. Are you happy with the Amber?
Oh Yes! It’s a lot crispier and spicier, and also drier than any other ambers I’ve tried, which are good for the really cold days but are a bit too much right now. Killer lasting power as well, I can smell it after a whole day at the office and a shower. I only have a 20 ml decant yet, but I guess we will have a long and happy relationship in the coming years:). I haven’t tried the other two You have, but I hope to do soon:).
There are already a lot of great poll ideas above that I like. One thing that I’ve thought would be fun would be a desert island nose poll. I.e., if you could only have perfumes composed by one perfumer, who would it be? This would work best with a bit of advance notice to allow time for research into who composed one’s favorite perfumes and to think about which nose has a portfolio with a sufficient range of types of scents to keep one from getting bored. (Let’s assume the island has a range of weather so that we’re not limited to beach scents!)
I could swear we did that once with perfume houses instead of perfumers, but can’t find it so maybe I’m dreaming. Good idea!
I think noses would be challenging, but it would be a good chance to learn more about who did what, and their versatility (or lack thereof).
1.1.Scent of the Day Songes- A big, old perfume, like something which would be worn by an over ripe lady of questionable morals in Henry James novel. Therefore perfect to be worn on a weekend, when I can smell as I please.
2. Biggest perfume regret.-Not keeping in touch with wonderful people I met in Sniffapooloza.
3. No technical comments.
4. What are people’s earliest smell memories?
Today, I’m sampling Enchanted Forest by The Vagabond Prince. There is some aspect of the flavor and fragrance blackcurrants that turns me off, so I am not expecting to love this perfume, but we’ll see. I really like the balsam, and it helps to mask the part of the blackcurrant that I don’t like. We’ll see how long that lasts 🙂 So far, it’s sweet and foresty and pleasant.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Day of the Doctor movie. After watching numerous episodes on BBC America this weekend, I decided that I want the sheet music for the theme music so that I can play it on my flute. Nerd power!! I haven’t played in years. I dug my flute out of closet and practiced for a while this morning. I’m still lousy at it, but I did enjoy myself. 🙂
Sounds like a great weekend, kindcrow!
I tested a sample of Vagabond Prince briefly and like it, but then it got buried and I never finished testing it. I need to find it.
It appears that I’m looking for a berry and balsam combo. I think that I like Blackbird by Olympic Orchids more than the Vagabond Prince. Unfortunately, both of them dry down to something that smells “perfume-y” to me. At the risk of being blasphemous, I can’t stand perfumes that smell like “perfume.” For example, I’ve sniffed Chanel No. 5 in several forms at the store, but been so turned off that I dared not put it on my skin. Jessica warned that Sikkim Girls was perfume-y, but I bought a small bottle, anyway because of all of the reviews that I’d read. The first time I tried it, there were good and bad notes. I tried it again yesterday, and had to scrub it off because it smelled so perfume-y. Of course soap and water didn’t work, and I only found relief by dousing the area with tea tree oil.
It’s interesting that these very different perfumes have a drydown that smells too perfume-y. I wonder if it’s one or more of those ubiquitous musks or woody ambers, or something like iso e super. I got a perfume from Olympic Orchards a couple years ago and was also not fond of the background notes that take over, the way iso e super does in the Ormonde Jaynes.
Maybe you do not like aldehydes.
I just tried Diaghilev. Oh. My. GOD!
It really does smell like $1,200. I wish they did a 1/4 ounce size.
nozknoz, if you are on Basenotes, check out the Fragrance Split Boards. I got my decant via PalmBeach…he does a great job. He may be willing to start another split…just ask.
Hajusuuri, thanks for the rec! I’m not on Basenotes, but next year I’ll have more time and will check it out. It would really be wonderful to have more of this.
Wearing Reminiscence Elixir Patchouli, which I didn’t think I’d like, given that my impressions of their original Patchouli (as well as the lighter EdT, Eau de Patchouli) weren’t overwhelmingly positive. I thoroughly enjoy the Elixir – it’s musky and amber-y but not sweet, and very wearable. I received it in a patchouli sampler pack from a very generous swapper on Perfume Posse, and it’s one of the winners of the bunch! (I’m also trying to ration Borneo 1834 and Chanel Coromandel, also received in said package, and both of which I adore. A full bottle of Borneo is definitely in my future. It’s like Serge set out to make a perfume I’d be guaranteed to like – earthy patchouli? Check. Dark, dry chocolate? Check! I can take or leave many of the Lutens offerings, but Borneo is totally up my alley.)
I’ve been wearing Bulgari Black this weekend. No regrets although I just made a purchase of several scents unsniffed so probably will have some disappointment.