Happy Mother's Day!
We're having our standard open thread poll: talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the perfume your mother wore, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is 2012 Tulip Festival @ Agassiz, BC, Canada [cropped] by GoToVan at flickr; some rights reserved.
Happy Mothersday to all at NST who are mothers or mothers to be!I’m fortunate that my mother is still around,and going very strong at 71!From her fragrance wardrobe I’ll always remember 3:Her go-to everyday perfume is still Anais-Anais today,and its a smell I will always associate with my happy childhood.On evenings out and special events,she’s crazy about Madame Rochas,and there are a couple of vintage and new bottles to be found in her cupboard.I have been lucky to score some vintage for my collection!On my graduation day,she wore Analitzia(?sp),a long discontinued FANTASTIC green,sappy Coty Fragrance.I will always remember her pride in me,and how great she smelled on that hot summer’s graduation day!Love and Respect to all the mothers on Sunday!Johano
I think the Coty must be the 1990 Amalitsa, based on what looks to be a very complete list of Coty perfumes over time found here:
http://cotyperfumes.blogspot.com/p/perfume-list.html
Believe it or not, there is ONE available on Amazon right now from an associated seller.
O wow!Thank you so much for the info!Will definitely check out Amazon for the 1!:-))
Johanob, how different are the older and newer versions of Madame Rochas, have you smelled them side by side?
I have smelled and tested them side by side,yes.Both I have are pre-90’s versions,the one from the early 70’s is more spicy,definitely Orris-rooty,and I think has a truckload of oakmoss in it!The newer one smells lighter,fresher,and I get the impression of it being more green-flowery and Bergamot a key note to my nose.But both are lovely,and tres chic!Would love to investigate a fresh new bottle too.
Thanks for that 🙂 I smelled the current one a few months back and thought it was quite nice considering what’s on offer these days.. I had a mini in the 90’s and I didn’t like it then. Maybe my nose has grown up!
I hear they’re changing the bottles so I must get one while it’s still in the classic shape
Beautiful tulips and happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate it this weekend. In Poland we celebrate the date of May 26th.
Yesterday I received my package with Atelier Cologne Blanche Immortelle. The staff included a sample of Santal Carmin which is my scent of the day. This one will launch later in 2014. Again – I like it very much – a creamy sandalwood.
Hope you have a lot of sun this weekend.
Blanche Immortelle is so so good. My little vial is almost gone but I have my soap which will last a while. I am considering a split down the road 🙂
I need to buy one of those soaps one day. Never tried them…
A split of Blanche Immortelle sounds like a great idea 🙂
The soaps are good value: they are huge and have the soap equivalent to good throw.
Thank for recommending them Annie! I might opt for Silver Iris or Rose Anonyme soap 🙂
Did you know that Atelier Cologne is soon launching a bath & body line – shower/hair gels and body moisturizers of Collection Originale scents.
2nd-ing this sentiment. I love their grand neroli soap. Really really good value yet feela like a splurge.
Oh my! I am such a soap, shampoo, shower gel junky…I’m in trouble!
I would gladly participate in a split!
noted 🙂
I need to get some scented soaps for hubby. Perhaps I should try some of these.
I have their Oolang Infini soap and it is lovely!
Enjoying Sous le toit de Paris today! Almost done with my sample and seriously considering a full bottle.
Look forward to trying Santal Carmin!!
Happy Mother’s Day Moms!!!
I love Sous le toit de Paris! I am so disappointed that it’s only available in 200 ml, but am also considering a full bottle. NOW I know what all these splitmeets are about 🙂
Happy Mothers Day to all the NST Mothers and moms-to-be. I am very blessed to be able to spend this day with my mom tomorrow. It is my birthday tomorrow as well which makes it even more special. We get to celebrate together. My SOTD is Estee Lauder’s Sensuous Noir. (Warning: This fragrance is a head-turner. Be prepared to receive several compliments. 🙂 )
Growing up, my mom wore a lot of Estee Lauder fragrances as well as their cosmetics. I have followed suit because of her and am proud to use Lauder products. I always wanted to be like my mom and using these products gives me a little piece of that.
What a sweet story! I hope your mom knows it, too. Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday! Have fun with your mom.
A special Happy Mother’s Day shout out to you Robin! After moving from a large city to this sleepy hamlet NST has been my saving grace. Thanks so much
Happy Birthday! What a nice way to celebrate both your birthday and Mothers Day.
Happy Birthday! Have fun with your Mom! Big Lauder fan here. I gave my Mom Youth Dew dusting powder this year. She never wore YD and she loves it! I love Estee Super a real classy fruity floral. Cheers!
Happy Mothers’ Day!
SOTD is Sonoma Scent Studio Yin & Ylang – a gift from Michelyn Camen (Cafleurebon) and (as I belatedly found out) Laurie Erickson.
I went to Sniffapalooza Spring Fling last Saturday. I recapped it in a guest post at Chemist in the Bottle! What a fabulous experience and I am confessing way ahead of the damage poll 🙂
Mom does not wear perfume so I don’t have scent memories other than the smell of the powdered papers she used. She seems to be very sensitive to synthetic woods and I am trying to avoid wearing perfumes with that vibe.
You smell great sweetie! Yin & Ylang is so good! It was very nice of Michelyn and Laurie to gift you with a bottle 🙂
And once again thank you for the guest post with Sniffapalooza report.
I loved your Sniffa recap. It’s so nice you were given that bottle too. Perfume peeps are just the best aren’t they?
Thank you, Poodle. A newbie offered to pay for the samples I was going to give her and I said that perfumistas are a generous bunch. I won’t take money from her.
Happy Mothers Day to those who celebrate it this Sunday! It was in March in the UK and my daughter took me to lunch
Odd… half of my post disappeared…
Anywhooo, I was chuffed to bits… (referring to the said lunch)
I’ve been testing perfumes for 4160Tuesdays for the last couple of weeks, so I’m taking a break to wear SL Santal Majuscule. It never disappoints!
Santal Majascule is MASTERFUL.
What are your favorites from 4160Tuesdays, if you have any?
My favourites include Urara’s Tokyo Café (which I have), Sunshine and Pancakes, and Evil Max.
Glad to see that’s your favorite because I just won a bottle of it this week. Can’t wait to get it.
Thanks!
Happy Mothers Day!
I’ve not bought fragrance for quite awhile, so I’m making up for lost time with lots and lots of samples, which I’m trying out, searching for a new love. I did finally buy a fb of Lady Vengeance, but that was something I was considering for quite some time.
I have fallen hard for Keiko Mecheri’s Peau de Peche, but it vanishes on my skin within minutes! I tried it on top of unscented oil and it lasted a half hour, but I had to hold my nose to my wrist to get a faint whiff of it. I happen to be anosmic to Mitsouko, so I’m wondering if it’s the same peach note that I’m anosmic to.
I decided to try MDCI Peche Cardinal. My sample arrived yesterday. It’s lovely, but very different from Peau de Peche. It’s definitely a more complex scent, and at first I thought I also smelled Gardenia, but that must be the tuberous, or the combination of tuberous with coconut. This lasts long! I sprayed my wrist again this morning, layering it over unscented oil. It lasted at least six hours on my perfume-eating skin. I’m not sure if I love it enough. If Peau de Peche was stronger, I’d buy that because it has some lovely floral note, but for a minute’s sniff, that is not worthwhile.
Now I’m wondering if I should try Clive Christian’s X for Women. I’ve read that it’s a beautiful perfume with a strong peach note.
I know it is extremely pricey. Feedback is needed.
I’ve fallen in love with my sample of Noel au Balcon, received from a kind NSTer. I will most likely buy a fb sometime.
I’m also considering The Different Company’s Bergamote (I’m crazy about JC Ellena) and also considering their lovely Osmanthus.
I’ve posted here before about how I adore Sinfonia di Note Poudre Epices and keep planning to buy a fb. Now I tried a sample of FM’s Noir Epices and found it similar. Poudre Epices is the better scent, in my opinion. It’s softer and fuller.
Arrggghhh! That should be ‘tuberose’, not ‘tuberous’. Blame my computer.
Clive Christian X is nowhere near as nice as Peche Cardinal. My advice: since Peau de Peche is at least $135 cheaper than the other options you’re considering, I would buy that and just spray like a maniac. Good luck! 🙂
Thanks, Ari. The problem is, that I can’t smell the Peau de Peche. So if I spray like a maniac, everyone around me will be asphyxiated, while I will still not smell anything after a minute! It’s good to know that you find Peche Cardinal better than X.
I love Peau de Peche as well, but it DOES fade quite quickly. I’ve found it lasts better on hair and clothing than on skin – worth a try if you haven’t done that yet.
Anything osmanthus is worth a sniff if you like a peachey note. Have you tried Osmanthus Yunnan? Jo Malone’s Nectarine Blossom and Honey?
I did try it on my clothes and also couldn’t smell it! I didn’t try hair, but don’t have high hopes for that.
I love osmanthus (am waiting for my shrub to bloom for the first time later this summer). Osmanthus Yunnan is on my list to try. It is only available here at the Hermes boutique, where they have testers. I haven’t been able to get over there yet. Jo Malone’s is one I hadn’t considered. Thank you!
It’s so frustrating when you can’t smell anything. I have a few scents I seem to be anosmic to and some others that just disappear with 30 minutes.
Only $135 cheaper? 😉
I have no access to Clive Christian, and I shudder at the price of what even a ml might cost to sample, so happy to pretend it doesn’t exist 🙂 I have expensive enough taste as it is :-/
MDCI has been on the ‘to try’ list forever though..
Have you tried YSL Yvresse? That has nectarine- kinda close to peach! 🙂
Thanks for suggesting Yvresse. I’ll have to hunt it down. As for trying the Clive Christian, there is one perfume emporium in Rotterdam that carries it. I guess if I ever get to travel there, I’ll be able to test it. I agree that a sample would be too expensive.
Your sniffing adventures have me thinking I need to get back to my sample bowl! I haven’t given new scents much thought in a while. . . and I think I’m missing the hunt!
I’ve been thinking the same thing for the last few days- so many I still haven’t tried!!
I did try a new one last night though- Amouage Opus III. YUM. Divine. Want more.
I fear I’ve been put off by the Opus names–not memorable or evocative at all! But I have a minor Amouage habit, so chances are good there’d be a new love for me in there somewhere!
Exactly – they need better Library names. They’re of course far too high-classy to have names like “Bodice Ripper” or “Tell-All Memoir”, but I, II, III, etc. is way too generic.
I think it’s why I’d never tried it- forgotten by it’s forgettable name. But violet, mimosa, broom, with a warm Amouage drydown- compared to Lipstick Rose in some ways- you might likey MR 😉
AA–precisely! I wouldn’t be pleased if they suddenly named fragrances a la Etat Libre d’Orange, but OTOH, they could do better than numbers!
PG–that does sound lovely! You know I have my own personal vat of Lipstick Rose!
Well, I’m put off by the names also, but honestly only because I have no idea what they’re referring to. Whereas with ELDO, I do. My goodness, I never would have imagined I would support the ELDO aesthetic, or intentional lack thereof. I don’t know if I have achieved sophistication or a return to adolescence, and I suspect that the marketing machine has influenced this and damn! they’re good!
I love Opus V, but it’s hard to remember that that’s the number.
If you are looking for a gorgeous elegant peach, MCDI’s Promesse de l’Aube is wonderful…. and tres tres expensive. But worth a sniff at least!
Thank you for that suggestion, Anne. I don’t see peach listed as one of the notes. (?)
I would rather spent $$$$ on a really wonderful fragrance, than spread out the money on several that I like less. There is only one shop in Holland that sells the full line of MCDI and it’s far from me, in Rotterdam. I’m usually not well enough to be away from home for several hours, and then need to be dependent on a friend to drive me. The shop owner doesn’t do samples, even though I offered to pay. It’s only because I ordered two of my beloved SMN Patchouli soaps that she included a tiny decant of Peche Cardinal with my order. (SMN soaps were never before available here — I used to have a friend buy them for me in London.) I would like to try an explorer set, which is not available here.
I corresponded with the MDCI site and they have a great offer, although it also requires laying out a lot of money. You select 8 different scents from the 12 currently available and pay € 140 (yipes!), or select 5 and pay € 90. These are 12 ml samples! The best part of this is that the “investment” in a set of samples is redeemable in full with the purchase of a bottle of perfume! And the bottles they sell are all the new 75 ml bottles. Shops here are still selling the 60 ml bottles for a higher price than the larger bottles on the site, with the exception of one shop that is having a sale. So, instead of spending € 229 plus shipping for one 60 ml bottle, I could spend € 140 for the samples and then an additional € 85 for a fb, with shipping incl. , in total € 225 for 181 ml of fragrance (if my math is correct). This is for the plain edp bottle, not the marble-headed mega-$ one!
I read on Kafka’s blog in one of her reviews that you don’t have to choose all different scents in the discovery sets. I think you are able to get more than one bottle of a scent if you want. I could be completely wrong though so don’t quote me on it but you might want to check into it.
Happy Mother’s Day! 😀 I got my wonderful mom a Kusmi tea set after discovering their wonderful Almond Green Tea during Sniffapalooza last week. The cat’s Mother’s Day gift to me will probably be a bottle of L’Artisan Poivre Piquant. She’s so thoughtful that way!
Wow. My kitties really need to step up their game! I *never* get Mother’s Day gifts. . . 😉
my cat needs to up his game too… nothing but a half eaten mushy spider for me to step on :-/
I got a festive display of gack today which I know means that my cats are highly anxious about whether or not they chose the appropriate gift for me.
Ha! I can relate. All my dog did today was eat stink bugs and puke. Joy…
Your cat has great taste! Hmmm. I need to hint around my cats (I’m owned by five of them). They can certainly help my perfume habit.
I had to google Kusmi after reading your post. That looks interesting!
I’m wondering whether L’Artisan’s Piment Brûlant is similar to Arquiste’s Anima Dolcis (sp?)
Not too similar to me, Anima Dulcis is much sweeter. Step it up, Jonette’s kitties!
Nice MD present — I do like Kusmi. And now going to explore more teas from Terre d’Oc since I found I love their chai.
Your kitty is so good to you. I think the pups might get me something next weekend.
I wore The Different Company’s Bergamote to bed last night, planning to let its scent send me to sleep and to see if it lasted the night. One of my cats, the Balinese who is fond of certain perfumes, came into the bed and licked my wrists until it was gone!
Lol. Well that answers your question on whether it will last the night or not. Perhaps next time you’ll have to give the kitty a spritz of it as well. 🙂
My birth mother has never been much for scented products. There may have been an old bottle of something violet on the dresser, but I suspect she just had it there for the pretty little flower painted on the jar.
My step-mother had White Shoulders and something from Chanel that I haven’t been able to identify. Definitely not No. 5. . . but I haven’t sniffed anything that gives me that whooooosh of nostalgia, yet! Oh, and pretty sure she had a bottle of Opium, because I think my first bottle of perfume was a mini of Opium, and otherwise, not sure how I would have gotten that!
Gosh, there are only so many old Chanels that would have still been on the market. I take it you know it’s not 19 or 22?
A perfumista buddy gave me some vintage No. 19, which is lovely and odd stuff, but distinctive enough that I feel that I would know if that was it! Not sure about No. 22. . . has it changed over the years much? I know I’ve sniffed it semi-recently, but it didn’t ring any nostalgia-bells (but seems like a good guess otherwise).
Not a massive fan of 22 so not familiar enough to say how much it has changed. I guess she could have worn Bois des Iles or Cuir de Russie, just seems kind of unlikely.
By the way, Luca Turin has three separate reviews in The Guide for Chanel No. 5 eau de parfum, eau de toilette and parfum. He says the parfum is more like the 1921 original; the EdP was composed in the 1980s as a “modern” version; and the EdT is slightly more ladylike than the parfum, and the true precursor to 31 Rue de Cambon. I’ve also seen comments indicating that Bois des Iles parfum is very different from the EdT. Maybe you haven’t found the right version?
Ah, that could be it too.
Hi, MR! My computer is misbehaving right now or I would send you a link to Elena’s Perfume Shrine in which she wrote about Devon violet fragrance and the painted bottles it came in (and perhaps still does). I wonder if that’s what your birth mom had on her dressing table? It was really powerful juice!
I am going to surprise my mom on her 75th birthday on Mon by showing up in FL for a few hours. I have a review for my finals so I can’t stay overnight but I’m pretty sure she’ll be shocked out of her skin when I call from my connection airport…..
What a wonderful surprise! I’m sure she’ll be thrilled 🙂
What a lovely thing to do!
Lovely! We did that for my dad’s 70th.
That’s so nice! We’ll have to go sniffing together again (and then dinner, in that order!)
Trying again much earlier in the weekend: can anyone in the Toronto area let me know whether Noor has re-opened yet? There’s a not-very-helpful website – maybe it’s just a mail service now?
AnnieA – I see there’s an old thread (March 2012) on Basenotes about the GTA Toronto fragrance meetup taking place at Noor. Perhaps you can find out what the status is of the re-opening through one of the meetup members.
Thanks for the suggestion!
I used to wear White Shoulders back in the late fifties/early sixties. It was heavenly, even though it wasn’t really right for me. A girl I knew, Eileen, wore it and it was perfect for her. She was a Grace Kelly-type cool, sophisticated blond even when she was 18! (I was an artistic, sultry brunette). One of the fragrances I tried this week reminded me of my vintage White Shoulders. I’ll have to look through my samples and see if I remember which one.
I can’t smell White Shoulders without thinking of my step-mother. It is definitely a strong scent-memory scent! Didn’t realize that the vintage was that different from the current formulation, but I guess I should know better.
If you’re hunting for the vintage, it’s the one made by Evyan.
I looked at my samples and remembered: FM Carnal Flower reminds me of vintage White Shoulders from the early sixties. It’s different, but there is enough to remind me. It must be the tuberose. Carnal Flower is a warmer scent. White Shoulders was really cool, the way rubbing alcohol is cool. I used to splash it on in the summer and it not only felt cool on my skin, but had a calming, cooling scent, as though it was being filtered through airconditioning, if that makes any sense. Luca Turin has given the current version such a bad review that I wouldn’t dare to try it, lest it break my heart.
Thanks! I know Carnal Flower, but it remains in one of those “beautiful but not for me” categories! When I give it the obligatory once-a-year-to-see-if-I’ve-finally-“gotten”-it sniff, I will try to imagine old White Shoulders! And I know what you mean about the current formulation. I can only assume that it’s way too cheap to be a worthy fascimile.
I’m really confused, now. I looked up Angela’s article about White Shoulders and saw that it is now produced by the Idea Fragrances Company.
I thought maybe I could find a vintage bottle of it here in Holland. When I googled, a great many “Evyan White Shoulders” popped up, which looked more expensive (averaging 25 euro for 80 ml ed cologne). There were other bottles that were unfamiliar to me and did not say Evyan. So, I’m wondering if the new formulations from the Idea Fragrances Co still use the original packaging and bottle design and the Evyan logo. Anyone know? Probably too good to be true, but one can hope…
No idea about Europe, but in the States you can buy “White Shoulders” in the drug store for less than $20. I’ve never researched it’s history, so can’t say about the packaging and manufacturing. Good luck finding a nice vintage bottle, though!
My sister and I took our mum and nanna out to lunch today to a cafe by the beach- a day early but less busy. I wore Yvresse, my sister wore Dzongkha and my mum wore Sensuous Noir- nice to ‘see’ my previous fragrant offerings being used 🙂
A few visits ago, Nan showed me her collection. She must only wear perfume on special occasions as I don’t associate anything with her except Estee Lauder Alliage of which she gave me an almost empty bottle when I was about 8. I hated it with a passion! Seems her signature was Madame Rochas, but she also had some vintage Arpege (now mine 🙂 ), and Chanel no5, which she found many years ago when she worked at a hotel so I don’t think she wears it.
My mum used to wear what Dad bought her- Opium, Youth Dew, KL by Karl Lagerfeld. I think the only ones she bought herself were Samsara and Maroussia.
It’s bed time now, and cold, so wearing Organza Indecence to bed 🙂
The three of you must have smelled wonderful! We’re supposed to hit 90 degrees this week, and it will only get hotter for the next several months, so I’m wishing I could trade places. 🙂
Mothers day is also the anniversary of the death of my best friend four years ago, an accidental OD of prescription drugs that don’t mix well, at the age of 34. Every year I say a prayer and send love to her mum, and appreciate my own even more.
Perthgirl, sending you a big internet-stranger hug in case you want to use it to help get through a tough anniversary tomorrow.
That’s awful. I’m sending you a hug too.
Perthgirl, I always appreciate your comments – also sending you a perfumed hug.
Thankyou for the kind thoughts and Internet hugs, they are very thoughtful and appreciated.
Sending another hug from me as well.
So sorry.
Happy Mother’s Day!
My mom loved L’Air du Temps in the beautiful Lalique bottle and Arpege. For “everyday” she wore Wind Song and Anais Anais. She is now in the throes of dementia and cannot remember much of that time, but I can. I have a special box for us that contains those perfumes, along with some of my own, and we enjoy the memories we have and the stories and associations that they inspire.
I just came home after a visit to a nursing home where, with the help of my clients who live there, we have created similar memory boxes that will be opened for the family members who will visit tomorrow. Many of them contain perfume or photographs, collages and pictures of scent memories. I started this project many months ago, and I am very grateful to have had the support and input from everyone here at NST.
What a fantastic idea,Holly!We have many scented memories in our family history as well,I just might copy your idea(if I may?:-))
Oh yes, please do! I really appreciate your comment as this has been very dear to my heart and truly a wonderful opportunity for me and serendipitously, others.
Holly, I’ve been following your posts since you first mentioned the idea, and it sounds like it’s turning out to be both very successful and extremely rewarding. How wonderful for the families to have such a strong connection at a time when it feels that all memories are fading.
Thanks! It has been amazing!
Happy day before Mother’s Day, all you mommies out there. 🙂 I’m a happy girl because I’ve finally convinced my mom to let me start testing smells on her when she comes to visit. Latest success was Sarrasins which wasn’t much of a surprise since she’s always been a jasmine lady.
But I have a question for you all, assuming we are allowed to ask for suggestions in this thread. Does anyone know of any good orchid perfumes? And I’m talking SERIOUS ORCHID here, not just a note amongst many flowers. I’ve tried the tom ford one but don’t really get much sense of orchid from it and my googlefu hasn’t been strong enough to come up with any other possibilities. Help?
Don’t have personal experience with the brand, but I think the indie perfumer at the Olympic Orchids site does incorporate orchid.
I was thinking the same thing, but I also have no experience with the brand. I’ve had astounding luck recently in calling/emailing companies and perhaps sending them an email would work for you.
I was thinking the same thing, but I also have no experience with the brand. I’ve had astounding luck recently in calling/emailing companies and perhaps sending them an email would work for you.
Olympic Orchids has a bunch of orchid scents. I like most of them but since I’ve never smelled the real thing I can’t say for sure if they are realistic orchid scents or not.
Thank you so much to all of you for the Olympic Orchids rec. I’d never heard of them but the name is giving me hope. <3
I’ve not tried them myself yet, but have seen positive comments here on the Olympic Orchards orchid perfumes.
I can’t say I know with certainty what orchids smell like, nor is this necessarily an “all caps” orchid, but Van Cleef & Arpels Orchidee Vanille is worth seeking out.
Excellent! I’ll grab a sample of that and see how it goes. Thank you. 🙂
Hello everyone and happy mother’s day!
My mother never wore perfume and I am still not sure how I fell into this rabbit hole…! However as I grew up in a Buddhist household we always had some incense lying around and to this day I adore incense fragrances although none truly capture the scent I associate with my childhood.
My recent perfume purchase (and hopefully, my only purchase for the year) is Neela Vermeire’s Mohur. I really enjoy it very much but it was such an impulse purchase (so $$$$$$$$$, too) and I am still thinking about going back and begging to replace it with Trayee instead (it is still in its package).
Trayee is perfect for an incense lover. Whatever choice you make, make it quickly! Most stores have a 30 day max return policy.
hello Ari, thank you for the input! Unfortunately I bought it from a small shop that doesn’t appear to allow returns, but I will definitely ask.
Your dilemma with Mohur reminds me of buying OJ Champaca. It’s great, but I almost bought Taif instead and often think that’s the one I should have bought. They are too expensive to simply buy both, plus all the OJs are saturated with Iso E Super, so they resemble each other too much to have more than one. I should have spent more time testing first. Perhaps you could even return it for credit toward a future purchase while you decide?
Oh, I actually own a bottle of Taif! Which is partially why I am debating my Mohur purchase, I love roses but I already own a plethora of rose scents! Champaca is lovely as well though so I think you made a great choice anyway. 🙂
I actually need to go back to inquire about their return policy… this week has been too busy!
I don’t know where your ordered your Mohur from, but it’s worth a try to email Neela and explain your dilemma. I have had truly amazing experiences after I have done this with various companies, including Neela’s . Initially, I felt like I was being intrusive but I was just simple and honest and stated whatever dilemma I had. I always have expected a generic response, but I have never gotten one. I feel that it’s worth a shot to tell her your story.
Holly, I hadn’t considered contacting Neela Vermeire herself but that actually sounds like a good option. Thankyou for your input!
Mother’s Day in Sweden is in another two weeks, today we’re following the Euroviosion Song Contest 🙂 Amusing myself with scenting the contestants.Suggestions?
Since the weather was rainy and cloudy the SOTD is Amouage Memoir Woman.
I was just looking at videos of some of the contestants! How about Amouage Lyric for Conchita Wurst?
Yes, Amouage is the thing-I thought maybe Amouage Gold but that one might be to wellbehaved for the bearded diva! She won actually-yay!
I also thought of Gold. It has to be something big, bold, beautiful and triumphant.
I’m glad she won – her Phoenix song is outstanding!
Just watched about 10 minutes of Eurovision videos. Is it my imagination, or is there less kitsch this year than usual, esp. in the costumes?
Happy Mother’s Day, again!
Mom’s signature scent has always been Shalimar edt, and she had been wearing it as long as I can remember. I actually (as a mom’s day gift) sent her a whole bunch of carded Shalimar edt spray samples to make it easier on her traveling with dad, of which they do much of. She has no idea samples exist and so should be delighted.
I tried something new this week – perfumed shower gel! It’s the Prada l’eau ambree scent which I fell in love with thru recommendation on this blog. It’s lovely. Great way to end the day, and just a wisp of scent to settle under the sheets with. Got it for a steal off of eBay 😉
Shalimar is a gorgeous scent to associate with Mom!
I bet your dad loves Shalimar too! I have not met a man that does not. To me Shalimar is very sensual. Lucky man!
I don’t remember my mother wearing perfume, although she had a bottle of Aucoin Magnolia perfume from New Orleans on her dresser. She smoked and wore Coty face powder; Diptyque Volutes EdP evokes very nostalgically the scent of her purse. The other scents that I associate with her would be old-fashioned Ivory and Camay bath soaps.
I have a mini of Aucoin Magnolia if you’d like me to send you a smidge. My screen name is my yahoo address
THANKS! I’ll be in touch.
Oh. Did not kn
(Yep, iPhone fingers)
Was going to say I did not know there was only one size option :(.
I may be sticking to a decant after all. It is gorgeous!
Hahaha!So glad I’m not the only one!!
Happy Mother’s Day to all! SOTD is vintage Futur Mom’s fave. Meet Joan Rivers and she gifted me a signed bottle of her perfume! It smells loveley and yes she had great sillage lol Cheers!
You met her and you got a bottle of perfume? That’s fabulous!
Sorry Poodle missed the reply button. Comment is below.Thanks!
Sorry lovely
Just got back from the Art Car Parade. Always a good time. 🙂 I wore a mix of Sikkim Girls and sunscreen to the parade (they actually went pretty well together). Now that I’m home and showered, I’m not sure what my SOTE is going to be. Maybe Putain de Palaces. I haven’t worn that one in a while.
I’m going to see the fam for Mother’s Day tomorrow. Not sure what my mom wants to do yet. As far as perfume goes, she tends to favor white musks these days, but back in the day she wore Oscar de la Renta, with a brief period where she wore No.5. I’d been thinking about having her try some of my Boucheron and see if she likes it. I think it might be one that she would like, and I’m hoping I can get her to split the bottle with me if she does. 🙂
Boucheron is so great and classy. I wore that for a long time in the 90s. It really stands apart.
See any really great cars?
Tomorrow, in honor of my my mother who has been gone for 2 years now, I will wear her favorite – Imprevu by Coty. She was also a BIG fan of Evening in Paris. I’ve realized lately that my interest in perfume was preordained since I can tell you what all the important women in my childhood wore. In addition to my mother’s favorites, my maternal grandmother wore Jean Nate and my “wild” paternal grandmother wore Tabu. I sniff these perfumes from time to time to bring back sweet, wonderful memories…
Your post made me cry. So sorry for your loss.What a greatsmelling bunch of gals! Happy Mother’s Day xo
Yes Poodle my hubby worked security at one of her shows. He got to go on stage and do a gag with her.Backstage I told her she smelled great and she gave it to me.She was very sweet, emailed some pics of us with her.It smells like Lauder’s TG with a darker base.It’s nice
EL Tuberose Gardenia with a darker base sounds excellent. What a classy lady!
It really is nice! She is so lady like too. Off stage that is lol!
Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, moms to be, moms of pets, & moms of all kinds, and women who take care and nuture others!!!
A great memory of my mom always sticks out in my mind: she had a long unused bottle of Jean Patou’s Eau de Joy on her dresser for many, many years (my entire young life) and clearly never liked nor wore it. For some reason that beautiful bottle, unloved and not aging gracefully in the light on her well appointed dresser really impacted me. It was finally tossed after my parents sold the house they lived in for 25 years. I clearly remember my mom wrinkling her nose as she smelled the final result of all that neglect. Maybe it was too “special” for her to wear, but I think she really hated it and only had it because it was the fragrance to own. Someone likely gave it to her as a gift of something deemed very special, but wasn’t the right fit for her. I have no idea why she even had it and never wanted to ask. It just sat there as a decoration. It would have been a very expensive mistake if she or my dad bought it when they were young, and she was probably being too polite to say anything. It made it clear to me at a very early age that fragrance is something you pick out for yourself and whatever negative sentiment that surrounded a badly purchased bottle was something to be avoided. I am sure this very thing happened to many women for a long time with receiving gifts of the current fragrance du jour. How would the giver know the receiver would like it?
So, aside from the unloved, my mom actually wore Emeraude and then for long time that Pavolva fragrance – she even has this wonderful black flower ceramic canister of body powder with a beautiful powder puff. For a while we shared a love of Perfumer’s Workshop Tea Rose and the “Rosebud” version. These days she wears Tommy Girl.
I wear so much no one could every guess my favorite, but these days I am happy to receive a bottle of No 5 edt that I chose for myself for my Mother’s Day gift.
Interesting way to look at it. Now I want to know who gave it to her!
Maybe I’ll ask but she’ll probably say, huh? What bottle?
What an insightful and moving comment, and a great perfume life lesson. Are you a writer, Ann? It’s almost like the sketch for a short story.
Thank you, but no, I’m not a writer. I was just trying hard to keep it condensed. I’ll keep your comments in mind though. My husband writes and I’m one of his “editors”.
I recently discovering Ari’s blog, with screamingly funny perfume reviews, http://thescentsofself.com/perfume-reviews/ and decided to give Bvulgari Black another try. Thank you Ari! I had the same initial reaction as you did and couldn’t understand why it’s considered such a masterpiece. I’m so glad that I tried it again and am now smitten. It is definitely on the top of my to buy list!
Thanks for the link! I’ve started reading through Ari’s postings and laughing my head off! I love that she also keeps mentioning her cat.
Nightingale, another thanks for the link,, and Ari, thanks for the posts. I laughed out loud reading the Diorissimo post (SoTD too).
My mother wore Chanel No. 5, which was wonderful on her but smells awful on me, which makes me a bit sad. My grandmother wore Shalimar, and that works, although the reformulation smells a bit like lemon Pledge.
Two questions: has anyone tried Wit? I have the orange blossom end of things well covered but the description sounds wonderful. Also really curious about Flowerhead, but can’t bring myself to blind-buy.
Oops, an extra comma, apologies. And happy MD to all!
Robin liked Wit: https://nstperfume.com/2014/04/29/parfums-delrae-wit-perfume-review-quick-poll/
Happy mother’s day to you all!!
I am wearing Shalimar bodycreme and edt. It’s rainy and suddenly in love with it, but always a bit scared to wear it. When it was warmer the last weeks I found out I loooove aromatics elixir in edt.
Amouage gold and beloved I like the most, and then you see the aromatics bottle…grrrrrr:) Though Gold is the best perfume in the world, sometimes it’s hard to wear, but still it’s the most clean smell on earth, am I alone in this??”
I love all these perfumes, although it took me decades to work up to Shalimar. Beloved is very high on my current top ten list. Gold is like the Platonic ideal of perfume. I like your description of Gold as, “the most clean smell on earth.”
Shalimar is my hubby fave. Really all men seem to like it. Not that I care lol but it’s nice to smell good for your guy. The bar soap is very nice even in hot weather As they say ” Shalimar, let your senses take over”
I wanted to recommend two bath products I’ve been using and loving.
One is the Rose Organic Hand Soap (in dispenser) from Ecocert. There is a full line of products (shampoo, etc.) but this is the one I’ve consistently used for several years. It has the best rose scent! It makes me think of the wild roses that grow in my neighborhood.
My dog walker gave me a present of Therme Zen White Lotus Shower Satin and I’m addicted to it! It is supposed to contain white lotus, “pure silk” and macadamia oil. To me, it has a wonderful floral scent (I wish I knew what it is, I’m one of Kevin’s “lotus ignoramuses”, having never smelled real lotus) and something that reminds me of the Castile soap shampoo from my childhood. If I could only get my hands on a perfume with the floral scent… Has anyone tried this? I’m in Holland and assume it’s available internationally because the texts on the bottles are in many languages. I love it so much that I bought a large bottle, having used up the tube, and also a bottle of the milk bath.
Jonette, according to the Therme website, they also make a Zen White Lotus body butter. Google is not helping me find a U.S. source, though. 🙁
Have recently bought a couple of partial bottles off eBay that don’t have caps and I was wondering if they evaporate faster or are more likely to turn. They both smell fine and since I currently have more perfume than I’ll use in a lifetime, it’s not really a huge concern……
How did they get to you without caps? Personally, I would decant them.
If you mean the cap over the spray mechanism, I’ve always wondered the same thing myself. I haven’t seen any indications that it matters, but I haven’t studied this systematically.
I have had some spray decants evaporate, but it think that has more to do with how well the mechanism attaches to the bottle than presence or absence of a cap over the upper part of the spray mechanism.
I want to thank whoever mentioned Jean Nate. Today’s posts have made me nostalgic for White Shoulders and Jean Nate. I googled and found I can buy it here in Holland. I just hope it hasn’t been negatively reformulated.
I’ve been testing a carded sample of Cynthia Rowley Flower (2008) this weekend. It’s a lovely, soft floral scent, without the heavy white musk, aquatics, melon, etc., that make so many current mainstream perfumes tiresome.
LT gives it three stars in The Guide and describes it as “a very competent, accurate lily soliflore.” I did not initially identify it as lily; most of the lily perfumes I’m familiar with are more strident (FM Lys Med) or chilly. DK Gold is also a soft lily but has woody-vegetation notes; while that sounds interesting, these notes make Gold a bit sad, to my nose. TF Shanghai Lily is a more complex perfume, which I admire but am not sure I want to wear. Flower is purely floral, more in the nectar direction.
Flower is already discontinued, but ebay offers an inexpensive bottle and a lot of carded sample vials. I ordered a few more of the samples. Has anyone else tried Flower, or any of the other Cynthia Rowley perfumes?
If I dig through my samples, I can probably unearth Flower by Cynthia Rowley, sold by Avon. I remember it as a fresh (in a good way), sweet and bright floral. For the longest time, a friend of mine had the white bumpy atomizer on her bathroom counter…really cute!
It’s a bit sweeter than I usually wear, but I think a touch will be good for our hot, humid summers.
I have the first one blue bottle it is very pretty and long lasting. I gave Flower Petal to my neice she loves it. Love the vintage look milk glass bottles. Rowley is a great designer IMO
Good to know – I’ll watch for samples of the first one, as well.
If you love a good floral you will love it!
Oh so long ago, my mother wore Ma Griffe by Carven. She would be 100 years old if she were still living. She loved to cook and I grew up loving the smells of food and Ma Griffe!!
Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours.
Thats a great combo good food and Ma Griffe! Must go put some on. Happy MD to you