It's our 9th birthday today! I want to say a huge thank you to my contributors — Angie, Kevin, Jessica and Erin — because without them, I would never have managed to keep at it this long. And I'll repeat what I've said before: we have the nicest readers any blog ever had the good fortune to find. Thank you all!
We’re celebrating with our usual open thread poll: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, the fragrance you're waiting for in the mail, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
(And sharpen your pencils: the next Prix Eau Faux starts later this month!)
Note: image is Purple flowers [cropped] by dicktay2000 at flickr; some rights reserved.
Happy blog anniversary Team Now Smell This! You all do an amazing job sharing with us your perfume/cosmetic reviews, news and your very own thoughts regarding life connected with a fragrance experience. 9 years is a lot but there are many more years to come for you! You certainly do things right.
Yesterday I wrote my Valentine’s Day special piece on chemistry of love. I teamed up with Elena (Perfume Shrine) and Gaia (the Non-Blonde) to make it work. I’m quite satisfied with what I wrote there but the post got me thinking about my own life…
The day was bright and sunny so I decided to wear Terrasse a St-Germain from Jul et Mad line.
PS. I bought my plane tickets this week so… I’m going to Milan to be there at Esxence!
Milan! Or should I say Esxence, how exciting!
That Chemistry of Love piece is top-notch!
Yes, I signed up for a press accreditation and I got one
Things weren’t really official until I bought the tickets. Now I only have to find an accomodation for these 4 days.
Thank you, glad you liked the chemistry of love post.
Read your post – really fasinating read! Thank you!
Thanks, happy you liked it.
Thanks, and have fun in Milan!
I bet I will have lots of stuff to report after my return to Poland.
Congratulations NST, I enjoy your comments very much and often agree with them, especially Robin’s.
French Elle reports this week that Les Exclusifs de Chanel will expand the line by the end of the month with the ‘extrait’ versions o f Beige, Jersey and 1932. I was very pleased to read this, but the choice of scents puzzled me a little.
Yeah, I was really hoping for 28 La Pausa or Bel Respiro, since they’re both so short-lived.
Congratulations on so much exciting news for you for 2014!
I loved your chemistry of love post yesterday and look forward to hearing about your adventures in Milan.
Thanks Holly!
I’m excited about Milan
And great you liked my post.
Esxence sounds wonderful, Lucas! I also enjoyed your chemistry of love post. I check your blog regularly but don’t comment because I can’t figure out how to comment on WordPress sites, but I always enjoy reading. Looking forward to your perspectives on Esxence.
It does, doesn’t it? Glad you liked it! You don’t have to explain yourself, I totally understand that there’s a group of people who read my blog but don’t comment. I’m glad to know you’re among them.
Have a great time in Milan! That sounds like it will be a fun trip.
I will definitely report back what I saw and smelled.
Please do! Allow the rest of us to see with your eyes and smell with your nose and have a wonderful time! Now, I am off to read your post on the chemistry of love!
Have a great trip to Milan!
Thank you!
Happy anniversary NST. Thank you so much for keeping us up-to-date and on our toes regarding all things fragrant.
It’s a wet and miserable day here in Jerez and I’m wearing a little too much Ambre Sultan. I just had one spray over the limit this morning and felt quite queasy for a time. I’m also feeling rather disgruntled as I saw a 100 ml bottle of Un Jardin sur le Nil at a greatly discounted price this morning and I didn’t buy it. Really regretting it now as I’m saturated with winter ambers, vanillas and incense and in need of a breath of spring air.
Enjoy your weekend, fragrant folks!
Oh, I hate it when I put on too much! Hope it has faded nicely by now.
It has, thanks. Now just feels warm and comfortable.
Happy birthday, NST! Thank you Robin, Angela, Kevin, Erin and Jessica for creating a wonderful community and content that keeps me coming back daily for the company and fun information. I learn so much from you and the commenters here. In my mind it’s like a perfume themed Jane Austen salon with gentle readers; everyone is very welcoming and kind, and any snarkiness is meant in jest. You are amazing. Thank you.
SOTD: Myrrhe Et Delires, so cozy in the cold
Be well.
Other thought–I still laugh about Essence Precedes Existence for the Prix Eau Faux, and my scientist brother, who is not into perfume still quotes it. Brilliant. I look forward to what the amazing minds will create this year. It’s ON!
Thank YOU — I like the idea of a perfumed Jane Austen salon!
Good morning and happy birthday!
Well, Oregon has finally joined the “Winter Blast” fold. I just shoveled 6 inches of snow off of my walkway. Funny, coming from Minnesota, this sort of activity is a given, but not at all routine in these parts. I’m the only one who’s done it, as far as I can tell!
I was supposed to have company over last night, but due to road conditions, they stopped about 3 hours away. We might have breakfast this morning, on their way up to Canada.
Oh. And my furnace is down! I have a repair guy on his way this afternoon, but it’s chilly in my little house–with its 1908 “Insulation? What’s insulation?!” attitude!
Anyway, I guess all of that news is OT! Haven’t settled on a scent, yet. Gonna go take a quick, HOT shower and then see what moves me. Probably something warm and snuggly! Although, I’ve been wearing Lyric a lot lately, which I wouldn’t consider a snuggly scent, but somehow, it’s comforting anyway.
OH. And too funny, while talking about a former VP at my school with another teacher, it was mentioned that he was always very well-fragranced, but, as she put it, “not in an unprofessional way.” After further discussion, it turns out she hadn’t even noticed that I wear something every day to work! So I guess I’m not unprofessionally fragranced, either.
I was a little shocked at how cold my house got when we had no electricity on Wednesday. Our house is about the same age as yours, maybe a little newer, but yes, basically no insulation to speak of. We have very thick stone walls, and they do a reasonably good job of keeping the house from getting too hot in the summer, but they apparently do very little to keep it warm in winter.
Yeah. The interior temp is hovering around 52 degrees, with the aid of my little space heater. The real killer is the kitchen floor–the linoleum is COLD! If I did any extended cooking, I think my toes would go numb without shoes on.
Heh, this kind of makes me want to know what scents count as unprofessional, seems like information I’d like to keep in my back pocket
Yeah, could come in handy!
I had a possible unprofessional fragrance moment recently. I took my daughter for a medical procedure and the receptionist told me I would not be allowed to accompany her in as the technician had a severe allergy to perfume. I was wearing Amouage Jubilation, which I rarely wear in the daytime, but guess it packed a punch!
Oh gosh, I don’t know that you’re the unprofessional one there! Seems like they really ought to say something ahead of time if that’s the case–what if your daughter had had perfume on, would they have turned her away?
Well, looks like I’m gonna be cold for a few more days. They have to order a part for my furnace, so maybe Monday night or Tuesday?! The downstairs of my house got down to 47 degrees before I found an old space heater and baked a pie. Now it’s 51, which is more tolerable and less likely to make my teeth clack together!
Now, upstairs to the only room in the house with an electric heater (my little TV nook) to cuddle with kitties and watch The Hour, recommended here a few weeks back and already very appreciated after one episode!
Poor you, that’s seriously cold, although cats do make excellent heaters. If it’s any consolation, which it probably isn’t, here in supposedly sunny Andalucía we’re having days of non-stop rain.
Happy Anniversary, NST! Always enjoy coming here to get the news on latest releases, along with everyone’s comments on things. This was the first blog I started reading while learning to become a perfumista. Today I am wearing Pear and Olive and am really enjoying it.
Thank you!
Pear and Olive is wonderful. One of these days I’m going to break down and buy a bottle.
Happy Anni! Thanks to all of you for such a great site!!!!! Also, to all the readers, best people ever!
Thanks!
Wow! 9 years! Big Happy Birthday & thank you!! for bringing so much pleasure into my life with this blog and really great community you’ve helped foster. Here’s wishing you many more fragrant years of blogging!
SOTD: 31 Rue Camdon, almost finished with my sample and think I’m going for a decant
I’m amazed it’s been so long. Would love to know the total # of fragrances we’ve announced.
Happy 9th Birthday Now Smell This! You gals and guys have been my daily solace for SO long now! Thank you for always brightening my day with all your wonderful posts, reviews, and perfume wisdom! “J’Adore” you! Pun, totally intended. Haha! ; )
Hey, and thanks for all the new fragrance tips!
Happy Anniversary!!! Cheers <3
Oh gosh, so many happy returns of the day NST! You are truly a delight.
I’ve got, once again, Blackberry & Bay on, which in the body cream form really does have wonderful staying power; I put some on last night catching up on Downton (gah!!) and it’s still smells lovely today. Almost makes it worth the (silly) money?? Maybe?? Still can’t quite figure what could really make lotion worth $75/jar.
Meanwhile, in the span of writing this, the perfume I was waiting for in the mail arrived–a FragranceNet order of Jardin en Méditerranée and the L’Artisan men’s 3x15ml coffret. What I really want from the coffret is the Méchant Loup, so I was thinking of offering the Timbuktu (I already have some) and the Fou d’Absinthe in the splitmeet, but swapping them feels easier than navigating PayPal, so I suppose I’ll wait for the March swapmeet.
I am finally caught up on Downton too! Good to know the cream lasts more, & did not know it cost that much, wow.
Gosh, paypal is so easy — you don’t ebay at all? But also, you are more than welcome to use other payment methods (Amazon gc, checks, whatever), it’s totally up to you.
I know, the price is absurd. I ended up using my NM $50 off $200 partly on two more of these, so in my mind they are only $50 each–“only”!! FWIW, I’ll add that the cream also stays “juicy” longer relative to the spray, which I find turns dry and woodsy on my skin pretty quickly–whether one considers that a plus or minus will vary I imagine!
I don’t want to spoil for anyone but to keep it in general terms–how are you feeling about recent developments on Downton??
I am easy when it comes to DA…I think it’s still great fun. The thing w/ Rose is maybe a bit predictable. And already liked Julian Ovenden from Foyle’s War so glad to see him join the cast. I am sorry to say I’m bored by the whole Edith subplot, and so far it is likewise predictable. The Anna plot at the moment — that, I just don’t like what they’ve done with it…seems totally out of place with the rest of the story. Sorry they went that route, & agree with the Guardian — “something gratuitous about throwing this turn of events into the mix”.
I take it you are not liking this season?
Now Sherlock I take MUCH more seriously than DA, and loved the latest season of that.
Yes, it’s the Anna plotline that put me off–I agree fully with “out of place” and “gratuitous”. I have other quibbles (have definitely lost interest in Rose, also would have preferred they develop the Tony Gillingham thing more slowly/thoroughly, or not at all), but I would def still be able to enjoy were it not for the Anna thing–after the initial incident which aired a month ago, I actually hadn’t watched again until this weekend, wasn’t in a rush to hear any more about that! But now I’m caught up, so I guess I am liking it enough!
I haven’t tried Sherlock yet–does one really need to be a Benedict Cumberbatch fan to enjoy it? The appeal there kind of eludes me but maybe the show’s worth watching anyhow?
I am pretty sure the appeal all came from Sherlock…can’t remember now but don’t think I’d even heard of him before. He’s perfect for the part, and so is Martin Freeman as Dr Watson. I think it’s a great show & has gotten better over the 3 seasons (although bear in mind, each season is only 3 shows. You can catch up in about a week).
Oh, and the woman who plays Mrs Hudson is also excellent…she should have her own show.
Oh, excellent–thanks!
Sherlock is great! It helps to like B. C., but all the recurring characters are pretty great. The chief of police is fantastic, and Watson is perfectly cast, ditto Mrs. Hudson. I am still not through the most recent season, but looking forward to it.
Should really give Sherlock another shot–was initially put off by the show’s high tech look & quick camera cuts. Really enjoying Elementary this season too, despite my notion that Jeremy Brett is the quintessential Holmes.
Don’t worry about Cumberbatch, C.H. I watch Sherlock for the supporting actors, as I find them much more interesting and fun that Holmes, in this version. In fact, this is the only version of the Sherlock Holmes stories I’ve been able to stick with for any length of time, and it’s all because of the fantastic treatment of the supporting characters.
Happy anniversary, with thanks for many tips, from Robin & the NST Team, as well from the readers! To answer at least one question: I’m waiting for my sample of the magnolia grandiflora scent by Sandrine Videault.
That one sounds so pretty!
Congratulations, Robin and the NST Team! 9 years! There are dog years and there are perfume years…I think…maybe timeless!
No SOTD yet but perhaps I will properly try the NVC Ashoka and perhaps someone will split it and I can get some more.
There must be something called blog years too, right? 9 years seems awfully old to me, for a blog.
A huge thanks and a happy anniversary to all of you at NST! This is my favourite source for all things perfume by a long shot, so I hope that there will be many, many more.
I’m still trying to choose a SOTE. I’m attempting to watch the Olympics and study at the same time and I’m not sure what goes with that!
I’m watching the Olympics too! Russia is just incredible, wow. Their team performances have been mind-blowing, and Plushenko still has *it*, even at his age.
Even though I hold an American passport, I’m rooting for Canada in the ice-dance. I adore Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue’s performances.
Thank you!
I feel guilty about it, but have not watched a second of the Olympics.
Happy Anniversary and thanks for everything, NSTers!
After my shower, my SOTD will probably be Dulcis in Fundo. I’ve gotten a lot of use out of my sample. This stuff is potent — two or three dabs from the tiny vial get me through the day. I could not imagine spraying this stuff. It is not complicated — it’s a high-quality delicious vanilla that is different enough from the other stuff that I own to warrant a decant. And, it passed the husband test with flying colors.
Anima Dulcis has been a big disappointment. On me, it smells like chemical-laden, generic perfume combined with some fermenting (or decaying?), sweet chili powder. The other notes are absent.
I went to a quilt show yesterday. My favorites are the ones that are hand-embroidered. The show planners chose a great caterer. My lunch of a grilled fontina and mushroom sandwich and blueberry tart (high-quality, fresh blueberries) was excellent. After that, I sniffed Happ & Stans Lily Noir (the EDP in the purple bottle) at Anthropologie. It was pretty, but not really “me.” I only smelled lily — no balsam or carnation. I did come home with several cute tchotchkes, or should I say charming functional items. I WILL drink out of that darling teacup and I WILL place my rings on that twee ringholder shaped like an inverted umbrella
Today, we’re going to a local university that is opening the collections of its biological museums to the public. There are tons of good restaurants near the college, so we should have a good dinner afterwards.
Ta ta for now.
I hesitate to ever enter Anthropologie again, lest my collection of darling teacups (to say nothing of the dessert plates) spills out into the street.
Haha I am glad I am not the only one with this problem. Have you seen the painted-ceramic nested measuring cups? What could be more practical…
Not even going to look, ha!
Congratulations, many happy returns and thanks to NST and everyone here. You have all enhanced my life in so many ways!
I’m waiting for my Yardley vintage Oh! de London decant to be delivered so that I can revisit my budding adolescent self who wore that to watch Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet.
What fun!
Happy anniversary, NST! May you have many more…. Though my husband and my bank account rue the day I discovered this blog.
And now a question. I got a sample of Hilde Soliani’s (ridiculously named and priced) Fraaagola Saalaaata from Lucky Scent, and I *love* it. Unfortunately, it’s on back-order. Does anyone else carry it? Or is there a similar-smelling (and hopefully cheaper) perfume I should try? TIA.
Yeah, sorry about that!
Happy bday, NST…we love this blog! Cracked into my CB I Hate Perfume vial of Narcisse, still have to try the Tuberose and Jasmine Sambac –got STC’s sample pack. It’s lovely, but incredibly short-lived on me (the water perfume versions). Definitely money saved–these are ridiculously expensive.
Oh, are those lovely? I know the prices are crazy. But would love to hear about the tuberose & jasmine after you try them.
Happy 9th anniversary, NST! I am so glad I found you last summer. The reviews and articles here have helped guide my nose to some wonderful perfumes and helped me avoid some duds. Here’s to many more reviews, release notes, and perfume discussions!
Thanks so much!
It’s not Thanksgiving but this is a good time to give thanks for providing what is still the number one perfume blog after all these years. It is still my go-to. NST is classy, intelligent and witty, the writers and commenters both! It is great entertainment for perfumistas and a fountain of information. I am so grateful. Special thanks to Kevin and Angela for their wonderful writing styles.
Thank you, Robin.
Aw, thanks!
Thankyou all so so much for a brilliant perfume blog!!!! And congratulations for 9 great years. I only found you 3 years ago but its my next visit after my emails….I live in the UK and we are having really really wet weather at the moment and half the country is submerged under water. So in this horrid weather today I’m wearing Baghari by Robert Piguet. Its opens with a glorious soft sophisticated orange flower frangrance and mellows into a wonderful flowery aldehylic Chanel no 5 ish middle to a soft warm dry down. It is so lovely, better than no 5 and for me reminicent of Balenciaga’s Le Dix that I wore in the early 70’s. Here’s a question that maybe someone can answer….why don’t we have perfumes with a health warning…I love classic chypre’s like Bandit and early Miss Dior etc etc….why oh why don’t “they” allow some oakmoss in some perfumes with a warning that it may cause allergic reactions. I NEVER reacted to any that I wore in the 70’s and believe me I wore them all…..as an aromatherapist I can buy Oakmoss as an essential oil – so in theory I could make my own – unfortunately I am not that skilled. There is so so much FUSS about oakmoss and yet it gives a glorious depth and pungency (probably wrong word) that I find seriously lacking in most modern perfume today. Sad.
Kate, I do agree with you; I’ve always thought the same. If they can sell cigarettes with dire warnings and food with warnings about nuts, why can’t we have perfumes that might make some people itch? Duly notified, we could decide for ourselves, like adults.
By the way, I wore Le Dix around that time too!
I agree. I’ve thought the perfume regulations are kind of like if the food industry decided that because a few people have peanut allergies and egg allergies, nobody is allowed to have peanuts or eggs, at all, ever, even if they’re not allergic.
Oh, Kate, maybe you can answer my Miss Dior question– have you smelled the current version of what they’re calling Miss Dior Original (whether in extrait or some other form)? Would be so interested to know how it compares, after the SA I spoke to insisted it was the same as the 1947 version (…)
Oh no it definately isn’t!!! The original was symphonic with many layers…..complex, dry, “floral” with the most amazing drydown ever. I had many bottles of it in the 70’s and one of my boyfriends bought me a huge bottle of the pure perfume!! I can’t describe it but to answer your question – there is a hint, a ghost of the essence of the old Miss Dior, imagine what you smell today being elevated by some weird magic so that it was lit by the sun and amplified by perfume angels….amazing!!! That is why I get so disilliusioned with perfume today….we had it so so good in the 60’s and 70’s. These days I wear a lot of Fracas, Bandit and Baghari. If I could afford to I’d wear Amouage…..now THEY come close to the quality and impact of those old vintages:)))
Ohh wow. Yes I sort of can imagine–I recently stumbled on a ’70s bottle of Diorissimo and I keep wanting to say that it “floats”. Even though I know that’s sort of silly because obviously in a literal sense all perfume floats–if perfume molecules weren’t suspended in air, we wouldn’t be able to smell them! But in terms of how delicate and airy it -feels-, it’s a whole different animal from nearly any of the contemporary stuff I’ve smelled.
Thanks so much for your account of Miss Dior–I love getting to hear about these otherwise-lost treasures!
I do miss oakmoss.
Happy Anniversary NST!
I’m not wearing any perfume today, just some Nuxe Prodigieuse Dry Oil. I wish the perfume version smelled as nice as the oil!
Is it not as nice? Admit I’ve never tried the dry oil.
HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY ROBIN AND THE NST-TEAM!
I’ve learned so much about perfume and the industry,my own personal likes and dislikes,from reading this blog.Keep up the fantastic editorial,and wonderful posts!Love from South Africa!!
Thanks johanob!
Question for vintage aficionados–this week I happened to try what Dior is currently calling Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum Original. The SA insisted that unlike other reformulations, this is the 1947 formula. While I don’t quite buy that (a follow-up question about allergen regulations drew a blank look), I’d be curious to hear how others feel it stacks up, if anyone’s had a chance to smell different versions!
Happy birthday NST and thanks Robin, Angela, Erin, Jessica and Kevin for a wonderful resource. Your writings, and the comments of the most excellent readers. I’ve learned a lot and spent way too much along the way.
SOTD is SL Tubereuse Criminelle. On a bit of a kick with it.
And love the Jane Austen salon!
You smell great, of course!
Thanks! Got it after reading your comments. Also just got a sample of Lumiere Blanche – thanks Jessica – queued up for tomorrow.
Happy Blogiversary to the NST team! Congrats on 9 years!
I’m waiting on a couple of samples from a kind and generous perfume fairy that I’m very excited to try.
For now, my SOTD is an experiment of my own that I’m testing out, now that it’s had time to age a bit. It’s kind of a smoky/leathery/spicy/carnation-y thing. I think it’s smokier in the top than I had intended, but I’m liking how it settles in. It needs more work, but I have a few ideas.
It was inspired by a Scent & Chemistry Facebook post about how Roger & Gallet’s Blue Carnation was composed of salicylates and a crazy dose of eugenol. Since I had stuff like that on hand (ok I didn’t have eugenol, but I have clove oil instead), I decided to try it out. The smoky bit was my own thing.
Oh, that sounds so fun!
It’s a lot of fun! It’s also probably the most successful idea I’ve had, in that it smells like anything at all resembling what I wanted.
If you work it out, you can sell some to my mother. She’s mourned the discontinuation of Blue Carnation for years!
If I figure it out, I’ll let you know! I am nowhere near a trained professional, so I would be super proud of myself if I managed it! I was just playing around with the idea of eugenol + salicylates, but I haven’t actually encountered the original to smell. Now I want to see if I can track down a sample!
If you can’t find a sample of BC, the old versions of Caron’s Bellogia was the closest I’ve smelled. That’s what mom went to when they discontinued BC.
I’ll buy some, too!
WOW, nine years, that’s incredible!! Happy Birthday! I have truly enjoyed all the posts I’ve read here, even if I mostly lurk and don’t manage to comment as much as I’d like (and all of you deserve!).
I was at hula school all morning with my 9-month old wrapped to my torso, so no perfume but I got to smell her baby smell the whole time and THAT made me happy!
Hula school, good for you! Bet that’s a blast.
Hula school sounds like so much fun!
Happy Anniversary! Your website is the first thing I look at.
I wanted to pose a question to the YSL Champagne/Yvresse fans. I’ve read that this is a relation to Calyx, which I love, since it’s made by Sophia Grojsman. My dilemma is which should I get, the old bottle that many discount stores/websites have or what the YSL website has. I’m always a bit hesitant to buy “vintage” on ebay. You don’t know what your getting, and I’ve bought enough old bottles of things that have “turned” Thanks!
Hope someone else will chime in, I don’t know…except that to me it is no more than a distant relation to Calyx.
Kafkaesque had written a great review, including her thoughts on which one to purchase:
http://akafkaesquelife.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/ysl-vintage-champagneyvresse-sparkling-elegance/
Just dont get the square new bottle- it’s not the same. Now that the square bottle exists all the champagne bottle ones are labelled ‘vintage’ despite their age, and any of these are ok. I’m not sure there’s that much difference between the earlier and later ones. Discount sites still have the bottle one pretty cheap, around $50-60. I haven’t smelled Calyx so can’t compare but I love Yvresse!
The older ones have the gold top section on the bottle and often a cream box, the later ones all glass bottle and red and gold box. The juice is still the good stuff
Chiming in to say that Calyx ius a favourite of mine too, and I really don’t find it similar to Yvresse at all!
Happy Birthday NST! Thanks for always being there with interesting posts and wonderful comments.
I decided to paint the spare room today so I guess paint is my SOTD. I got the whole thing done, ceiling and walls and trim, so I’m beat. I’m anticipating every muscle in my body hurting tomorrow. Tomorrow’s scent will be Ben-Gay. Lol.
I’m trying to resist the urge to buy another bottle of something and I’m avoiding looking at the split post. I know I’ll cave but I’m trying to use what I have for a while. There is nothing like the rush of getting something new though.
Hoe the Ben-gay works!
Happy Blogthday! Thanks for writing, and keep up the great work!
SOTD is most likely going to be Vivid by Liz Claiborne, as I have about 5mL that I’m trying to use up.
Hey, I like “Blogthday”
SOTD is vintage (I don’t think there is an alternative) Ritual edp by Charles of the Ritz. I’m getting why it is called Ritual… beautiful drydown of incense that is lush and warm and fragrant without being churchy or ashramy. I LOVE this fragrance. Perfect for hunkering down in front of the fire in our living room with the rain (finally, Hallelujah!) pounding outside. The kids are upstairs with a friend laughing about something. I am trying to figure if I love them enough to venture out to the new Lego movie this afternoon…
Thank you NST for sticking to it for so many years! Whoohooo!
Oh, that sounds so nice! Never tried it.
I’d say – what everyone else said! This is one of my favorite sites too, THE main source for perfume news but also a great community, and I’m so glad you’ve kept it going strong all these years – thanks to all of you! Here’s to many more happy returns!
Many thanks
Yay!! Happy Birthday NST and best wishes for many years to come.
I’m wearing vintage Shalimar (I really do own, love, and wear many other perfumes) but earlier I had on a dab BPAL Snake Bite. Something on the BPAL forums brought me to NST where the real madness set in. I now curate an exquisite array of fragrances that I could probably fill a bath tub with. My boys are convinced that they could make a lot of money selling my perfumes on eBay.
I actually popped in to ask what you guys think about ELdO Eau de Protection. Anybody have and love it? Or hate it?
I think it’s great! Not usually a rose fan, but this is my favourite tough-rose perfume. Alas, it’s no longer to be found in Canadian stores and am trying to figure out a good online source. The only one I know of supposedly doubles the price, would welcome any suggestions.
Annie, I got my sample of Rossy de Palma / Eau de Protection out and tried it. Oddly, what it reminds me of is not a rose-patch scent (although it is) but rather Pd’E Osmanthe Interdite. It might be the ginger that does that.
Anyway, Luckyscent has Rossy de Palma 50 ml for $90 U.S. Amazon lists the 100 ml for $149.
I believe parfum1 also stock it..
Thanks for the shopping suggestions! Will have a look…
Cannot speak from direct experience, but I keep meaning to try Eau de Protection because I’ve seen it on several favorite rose lists.
Yeah, that sounds quite interesting!
This one goes metallic on my skin, but then I have this problem with several dark rose perfumes.
I love Rossy de Palma/Eau de Protection! It is a little metallic in the top, which can be a bit blood-like, but I think that subsides pretty quickly (and I kinda dig it anyway). It is a rose/patch frag basically, but the base also has incense and benzoin so the patch is never super obvious.
Also, Julia, I have a bottle, so if you want to try it out, I’d be happy to make you a sample. You can email me at countsjc at the gee mail.
Happy Anniversary! I started reading less than a year ago, but quickly discovered that you are the most comprehensive perfume blog out there.
SOTD is Passage d’Enfer, from the recent Freebie meet. (Thank you, Cobra Rose!) Very light and pretty. I can’t wait to try it on a warm day.
Wow, great score as a freebie! One of my favorites.
Robin, huge congratulations to you and your fabulous NST colleagues! I love visiting this beautiful blog every day and am grateful for your knowledge, talents, diplomacy, wit and hard work.
SOTD is SL Fumerie Turque, continuing a tabacco theme that started yesterday with VM Hedonist and BK Back to Black.
And not necessarily in that order, LOL…
Eating some virtual birthday cake over here! Wearing some Bulgari Black today in the blinding winter sunshine.
Oh, wish we had blinding winter sunshine!
I echo what everyone else says, thank you Robin and team for all that you do. This was my “first” perfume blog (I think I found you around ’06?), and while I now read 4 or 5 (yikes)’ I consider you the “grande dame” of them. Consistent, reliable reporting, well-formed opinions, high-quality posts day after day. Not always a given on the Internet, but always appreciated. And another thank you for attracting such a great community, I love scrolling through the comments everyday.
My SOTM was Love, Chloe (had to work an open house at my university, so needed something feminine yet professional), SOTE is Atelier Cologne Vanilla Insensee, because after work, I matress shopped, and that was more exhausting that I anticipated!
I love vanille insensee.
Wow, 06! Doubt we have many readers now from that long ago, thanks for hanging in there.
I was just thinking, here are some terms that I learned thanks to NST. . .
perfumista
SOTD
scent wardrobe
HG/Desert island scent
neroli, orange blossom, oak moss, vetiver, ambergris, etc, etc
sample set
coffret
lemming (as a verb)
sniff-list
Amouage, Serge Lutens, Tauer, L’Artisan
No skank?
I remember when I first started reading this blog maybe 3-4 years ago and having NO idea at what most of the abbreviations were.. ELdO, POTL, POAL, LDDM.. WTF?! Lol!! Now I’m happy to add that I can confuse the heck out of the non-initiated too
Oh yes! Skank, for sure! And should add “Touch of barnyard” spoken like it’s a positive rather than a problem!
I know it’s great isn’t it- I never would have thought that terms like the barnyard, men’s unwashed armpits, sweaty bumcrack and sweaty girls undies after a long run would actually make me more inclined to try something!
Ha! I forget sometimes that we *do* have a lexicon, although it’s awfully old now.
https://nstperfume.com/2008/04/25/a-perfumista-lexicon/
What makes me laugh is that it seemed like such a foreign world at first. Now I catch myself using these terms, referring to “flankers” and “my perfumista buddies” or my latest “sample set” and then remember that I might have to translate it for my audience!
Happy birthday Robin and everyone at NST! Thanks so much for creating a gentle, tolerant and encouraging environment for a newbie like me to ask questions, show my ignorance, participate to the best of my ability, learn and enjoy the fun. I’ve learned so much from tuning into the NST community nearly every weekend. I just did inventory and it looks like I now have 30 bottles of perfume since I started participating on this site about a year ago. How did that happen!?
Sajini, I started here in July and have 48 bottles! Like you, I don’t really know how that happened…but it’s been fun.
Wow, that’s impressive Foxbins. I don’t feel so guilty now. Considering how much money people spend on expensive toys, addictions and hobbies, it’s really quite fine.
Sooner or later you get too scared to count the number of bottles you have – THAT’S a worry!
Uh oh, time to start scaling back or you’ll end up like me, with too many to count.
Happy Birthday NST!
A few years ago I realized recently that I spend so much time planning and celebrating the birthdays of my children, but ignore mine. Since then, I have made a concerted effort to do something special for my birthday. I hope all of the fabulous contributors and followers of NST are doing something special this weekend!
Cheers and congratulations for a most fabulous blog! I look forward to following you through to your first decade!
I think we’ll manage a decade — we’re almost there!
No doubt about that! I’ll be there every step (day) of the way!
SOTD is Jo Malone Wild Fig and Cassis. I am unable to do a side by side comparison of Dyptique Physikos, but think they are similar. Hmmm…perhaps another fig frag contender?
Happy Blogiversary! I’ve collected a lot since I found you in 2006; I can’t believe it has been that long. Not waiting on any new perfumes – just enjoying what I’ve got.
Oh, another reader from 2006, how nice! I wish we had not lost usernames from older posts, would love to know who was commenting then.
Congratulations on 9 years NST! It’s so nice to have found like minded perfume addicts all over the world and it really does feel like a welcoming group of friends. So thankyou for ever putting your idea into action Robin and I hope it continues for a long while yet- because I’m not nearly sick of perfume yet!
Nor am I!
Congratulations on nine years Robin!
Another ninety more!!!
Not likely to make it *quite* that long
I think readers and writers here should immediately go out and purchase a new celebratory frag! Lol! And then I think Robin had better start a supplementary blog called P.A. – Perfumistas Anonymous:)
Step 1. Admit we are powerless over perfume and our lives have become unmanageable.
Step 2. Believe a power greater than us can restore us to sanity.
(This power may NOT be conceived of as Guerlain, Comme de Garcons or Chanel)
Step 3. Turn our lives over to God as we understand him.
(We are not to understand ‘him’ as Bertrand Duchaufour, nor Olivia Giocobetti)
bwahaha Merlin. Thanks for the morning laff!
Ha…always good to find another excuse to spend!
Finally I get an enabler’s pin;)
I am not an addict. I resent your implications! Just because I decide to squeeze another three or four fragrance samples out of our paycheck rather than pay down credit card debt, just because I find myself hunkering down to check frag blogs instead of feeding my children, just because I am running around in too tight 90s clothes but smell fabulous (and a different fabulous in the morning than in the afternoon), and just because I’ve forgotten my husband (who?) but wait each morning with baited breath for the fresh wisdoms of Robin, Kevin, Jessica and Angela…. DOES NOT MEAN I HAVE A PROBLEM!
Am currently sporting Atelier Cologne’s Grand Neroli refreshed with a spritz of Iris Nobile…..
‘Hi, and my name is Oakland Fresca. Today I am in ‘Grand Neroli with a little Iris Nobile”
Chorus: ‘Hi Oakland Fresca’
I love it:)
Happy birthday to nst! You bring joy to my life as I read this everyday.
I am wearing Chanel Coco today, and I am waiting on two small decants I ordered. They are Czech & Speake Dark Rose and Chanel No. 19 EDP.
I would like to have some Dark Rose, that’s a great scent & doesn’t get mentioned much these days.
So, do you think Dark Rose still stands out even with the flood of rose-oud (and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-plus-oud) perfumes that have flooded the market? I think C&S should get credit for being ahead of the curve, as Dark Rose was originally released long before oudmania took over. I have only a decant of it, as I don’t need 100 ml of much of anything, but I do like to have it to wear once in a while.
This comment inspired my mini-review below about how Lady Vengeance is presently comparing to Rose Anonyme… Dark Rose sounds like it needs to be part of the investigation – I must organize a sample some time. A local shop stocks Czech&Speake, but for some reason not Dark Rose. So annoying!
Well, gosh. Don’t have enough samples on hand to do a serious test, and also I know they’ve reformulated it. So won’t necessarily stand by my comment in court
Happy Anniversary, NST! Kudos for not raising your prices, restricting your ingredients, or falling off in quality over the last nine years — it’s no wonder you have such a devoted following! Hope you’ll continue to be around for a very long time to come.
LOL!
Happy Anniversary!
NST heralds the weekend for me. I get to enter a world where people know what I am talking about and indulge in a shared passion.
Thank you, Robin and crew. Very much.
Oh, that’s nice, thanks!
Happy Anniversary NST! I have been reading NST since 2010, which was when I finally got home internet service (yes, I was late to that party). I had seen NST mentioned (I think it was in Perfumes: the Guide), and it was one of the first sites I checked out once I had internet access. I got hooked almost immediately. I have it set as one of the default tabs that comes up when I open the browser. I do have several other perfume blogs I look at from time to time, but this one I read daily. Here’s hoping for many more years.
Wow, you really were late to the party! I have had home internet service since you *could* have home internet service, which precedes what we now know of as “the web”…back then, it was for ftp & email & stuff that now seems hardly worth it.
Yes, I’m old
But glad we rate a tab!
I have a “Perfume” folder on my Firefox browser and NST is the first one on the list :-). I had since added 96 more (all perfume related). I do need to figure out how to delete half since I’ve lost interest in them (I’ll blame me and not the quality – or lack thereof – of the sites I want to banish, er, ummm, ok, never mind….)
96! Wow. Not sure how many blogs I subscribe to in Feedly, actually, might be that many at this point.
Happy Anniversary! Thank you for all for making this the wonderful blog it is. I always feel among friends here.
Scent of the day is Rochas Tocade, some sunny fluff for a dreary winter’s day.
Dreary here too, unfortunately.
Dear Robin, Very happy anniversary on your blog, which I visit regularly, and which never fails to cheer me up, or teach me something, or provoke, courteously. And thanks for archiving, because the older reviews are valuable and I refer to them all the time. Trying a sample of ELDO Afternoon of a Faun, Kevin’s fault. Thanks for warning about Eaux Faux. I’ll have to air out the laboratory, test the prevailing winds, and get ready for my rigorous testing process.
Good, we need some funny entries!
I’v been doing a comparison (over the last few hours) of Lady Vengeance and Rose Anonyme. I keep meaning to try them together because when I just think of them, I cannot tell them apart. Continue reading only if a comparison interests you:)
LV’s most dominant notes are rose, patchouli and vanilla; RA’s dominant notes are rose, oud and Somalian opoponax – though patchouli is next in line (as taken from Fragrantica’s voted list). To my nose its oud that makes the big difference. It gives RA a woody depth that LV does not have. On the other hand I think it is without the complexity of LV just because this woody depth (together with rose) insists on all the attention.
At first I was magnetically drawn to the depth of RA, hypnotic compared to the somewhat brighter and more sophisticated harmony of LV. After a few hours though, LV seems to have won out: once RA has faded a little, its shadow is still pleasant but no longer compelling. LV though remains interesting, and even radiant.
I’m not sure I love either – but I am glad to have samples:)
Oh, so interesting to me that they are close in your mind, because I quite like one while not liking the other at all! But I think we agree that it’s the oud that makes the difference–that note is just really not for me at all. (Although that said, the only oud that I thought maybe I would at least wear if a bottle fell in my lap was Killian’s Rose Oud. Not sure why I’d like it and not Rose Anonyme… Maybe it’s just that I was smelling all the Killian ouds together and the rose seemed relatively more appealing than the others!)
Yes, and I’v now realized just how emphatic the oud in RA is!
Perhaps the Killian one did well only in comparison to its siblings when you tried it, but it may well be a better rendition of the rose-oud accord. While the Killian version is seen as one of the best rose-ouds on the market, RA (despite its many fans) is not often recommended as such.
I’m going to be in Europe in March, so I hope to try it while I am there. No one seems to stock Killian in South Africa. I like oud well enough, but my favorite middle-East styled rose does not seem to contain any. My favorite is actually Calligraphy Rose by Aramis but apparently it is not easily available in America!
Oh yes, I hadn’t paid a lot of attention to how Rose Oud was reviewed (the price:quality ratio has largely dampened my interest in that line overall!), but now I’m seeing how many fans it has. Yes, maybe it’s just that it’s such a good scent! Will look forward to hearing what you think when you try–whether you like it, for starters, and then whether you like it $185-for-50ml’s worth!
Lol, I’m of the school of thought that would say ‘no perfume is worth that much’. If I loved it enough though, I might get one of those travel sized ones. Generally it takes me a long time to come to grips with a scent, so its not likely I will swoon at a single sniff. I’v had RA and LV hanging around for a couple of years! As for Calligraphy Rose it took me a few months to suddenly realize I was besotted:)
Oh, and it may well be that they are not very similar at all! Perhaps I just got hung up on the dark-ish rosiness of both:)
Oh yes I definitely see what you mean about the dark rose category. Have you smelled AT’s Phi yet?
No, I haven’t! Unfortunately none of the countries I am going to seem to stock Tauer. I do love URC and Morocain Pour Elle and have an ongoing flirtation with Lonestar Memory, so there is quite a good chance I would love it. Must organize one of those sample sets he has – if he still posts out, that is…
A very happy blog birthday to you, Robin. I enjoy your blog so much, and you’ve opened up worlds to me. I remember when I started reading (a while ago — 2007, maybe?), I missed perfumes I had loved that were either gone entirely or hopelessly dumbed down. I still feel a bit bitter about Miss Dior, but have been consoled with many lovely new scents. SOTE – MDCI Rose de Siwa, cheering me in the winter gloom.
Ah, poor Miss Dior. Glad you’ve found viable replacements.
I hope I am not too late to wish NST a very happy birthday! And thanks for always providing interesting, intelligent reviews, many laughs, excellent literary and artistic recommendations and for introducing me to lots of perfume friends. Thank you!
Not too late at all, thanks!
Belated happy birthday NST!
You rock!!!
Thanks so much
Happy Belated Birthday NST!
This blog definitely introduced my to the world of fragrance after a chance encounter with Hermes Jardin en Mediterranee at my local Sephora ended in love and scent cravings. Currently impatiently waiting for decant samples of Hermessences (Rose Ikebana, Santal Massoia, and Ambre Narguile)!
Question: I’m getting married in July in hot, dry California. Anyone have any light and fresh fragrance suggestions for the wedding day?
Hope you like the Hermessences! And you sound like a perfect candidate for the Monday Mail (& the waiting list is very short right now):
https://nstperfume.com/the-monday-mail/
It appears as though I am! Apparently there are huge holes in my reading on this blog XD (I hunt out your reviews and debate if I REALLY need to eat this month…or do I want to smell fabulous instead?)
I’m sorry to be so late to the party that the appetizers are gone, the streamers and confetti have been cleaned up, and the lights are off. It was an Olympics weekend!
But beside saying Happy Anniversary, I want to express a huge thanks for all of the excellent work that goes into this blog. While I do read other perfume blogs (less and less as time goes by), none of the others offers all that NST does – especially the wonderful camaraderie.
Thank you! I really should have watched some of the Olympics, but missed it entirely.
Happy Belated Anniversary, dear Robin! So sorry for the delay. I’ve been out of the loop recently. Can’t hardly believe it’s been nine years… Loving your blog as on the first day. ♥
And a belated thank you, J! You may be the reader who has stuck with us the longest.
Happy belated birthday, NST! I wish you many more to come, out of selfish reasons, of course. Keep up the fabulous job (of being my favorite perfume blog)!
Thanks Dusan!