Anyone care to share their scent of the day? And if it isn't one you own, tell us if it's full-bottle-worthy.
I'm wearing Carthusia Mediterraneo in an effort to wake up, which so far isn't working so well — I'm on my fourth cup of tea. I've already had to replace this bottle once, so it's full-bottle-worthy.
SOTD: INVICTUS by Paco Rabanne
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE This fragrance!; even though critics on the blogosphere HATE it…evev NST’s own, Kevin, hates Invictus.
It’s a huge seller though, so you have plenty of people on your side
NICE!
Sotd is Carnal Flower. And I’ve had two co-workers ask me what kind of wonderful soap I used today. Strange, huh? I know my skin eats perfume but this is kind of crazy.
Carnal Flower is very very soft on me – and I’v heard of at least one other person who claims the same.
Oh, I envy you both!
I love CF, but it is such a powerhouse that I rarely enjoy wearing it. It wears me, really.
Except for a handful of days in spring, when the weather is cool, sunny and dry – I noticed the sillage of this tuberose beauty shrinks on these lucky occasions and I can take pleasure wearing it.
Maybe it has to do with the humidity and temperature of where you live?
I recently ordered a sample of Carnal Flower (along with a bunch of other samples — I’m on a testing spree). The first time I tried it, I didn’t really care for it and didn’t find it my kind of fragrance. But, experience has taught me never to judge a scent on just one try.
The second time, I fell HARD for it! I kept reasoning with myself that it just isn’t my kind of scent, but it was so addictive, that I ended up wearing it four days in a row. I, too, have perfume-eating skin, but one tiny spritz on my wrist lasts all day, even when I’ve washed my wrist several times. By the third day, I was spraying it on my clothes and in my hair. A friend complimented me, but thought I was wearing a gardenia scent. I still have about 1/3 of the tiny decant sample left and my cats are buying me a large bottle for my birthday this week! Love, love, love!
This was my first experience with tuberose. I’ve just asked my gardener whether I can grow it here in Holland. He’s going to plant some in my garden, although if we get a harsh winter, it most likely won’t survive.
The strangest thing of all: my dog (giant Leonberger) has once again got “poodle tail”, which means he developed an infection following a hot spot on his tail and the middle section had to be shaved. The prescribed wound spray is based on honey, but has a definite tuberouse/medicinal/honey scent which is fantastic! I’m almost tempted to wear it!
No SOTD yet, but yesterday the high was 86 so I wore Bronze Goddess. (Sadly, I couldn’t be less bronze.)
So jealous of your weather…it was darned chilly here yesterday.
It’s still quite warm today. Ended up going with Vetiver pour Elle, from a sample — not FB-worthy for me but only because I don’t really get excited about vetiver-centric fragrances and have yet to fall for one.
Fun! I’m wearing Etat Libre d’Orange Afternoon of a Faun today. I’ll never understand why it’s only available in 100 ml- it’s so damn potent that I doubt I’ll ever finish my 5 ml decant.
Really, *nothing* should be only in 100 ml.
Heaven knows I would have gladly bought a 50 ml on many occasions.
Used the last spritz of my small sample of Malle’s En Passant and now need to decide if I need a decant or a bottle. It is such a beautiful and realistic lilac, but doesn’t seem to last very long on my skin.
You could try to find 2 others to split one of the travel trios?
Farouche, I was getting ready to buy the En Passant travel trio anyway. I’d be happy to split a third or two thirds of the order with you. Please email me at jgbennickatyahoodotcom (with an @ and a .) if you are interested.
SOTD is Jacomo Silences. Only my second time to wear. I bought a full bottle on the strength of the various reviews and recommendations and because I love floral greens. I have to say that I really like it, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to stick around long. For some reason, I have better luck with colognes that either EDPs or EDTs. Is that weird or what?
I only wear Silences in the hottest part of the summer. It has a cooling effect on my senses. As I recall it sticks around a long time. You could try spraying some on your clothes.
Yes, this exactly! It’s really nice and cooling when it’s very hot and then it tends to hang around you like a cloud. If it’s not that warm, I find it rather subdued.
It has been in the mid to high 80s here in East Texas, so that shouldn’t be the issue. When I went to work this morning at 8:45 a.m. it was 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
Oh dear. Well, I typically wear it when it’s over 35 degrees celsius, which should be around 95 degrees fahrenheit, according to Google. So I pretty much wear it all through late June to end of August here in Athens.
Hi, Priscilla! Just wondering ….. I am assuming that your bottle is brand new? It might be that it’s the latest reformulation and in my opinion most newly issued bottles of old favourites are so much weaker than previous versions. They smell the same, but they have been diluted. It’s hard to say which is worse: reforms that smell nothing like the original, or those that are similar but are now cologne strength!
Bulgari Mon Jasmin Noir (sample). What I can say about it is “not bad” and that I can smell it – not a given with some Bulgari’s and me. Those aren’t sufficient criteria for a scent to be FB-worthy, of course. My only FB-worthy Bulgari is Black, and it also happens to be one of the few perfumes of which I’ve ever bought a second bottle (life’s too short and there are too many scents and all that ….)
So fun! Love reading what everyone is wearing.
I went for Anne Gerard’s perle de mousse today.
I don’t own it – yet.
I love it.
Don’t care much for the green opening, but can’t get enough of the delicate and innocent white floral heart and the swoon-worthy, dusty-husky drydown.
It’s a bit on the quiet side though. Maybe spraying would pack more oomph-but also more green.
Mumble mumble…
But yes, I am contemplating a FB.
Mary Greenwell Lemon, and I do own a full bottle. It’s definitely not what you’d expect from the notes and descriptions, not at all a citrus cologne. It’s a… summertime amber maybe? Citrus woody floral? An effortlessly wearable interpretation of Lemon Pledge? That’s probably it.
I am so glad to read your comment about MG Lemon. I LOVE the MG Plum and bought a bottle after racing through a decant, but haven’t had the opportunity to try the Lemon yet. Lemon Pledge, even one described as “an effortlessly wearable interpretation” thereof, has dissuaded me. So–thanks!! Money saved for something else.
No doubt! I’ve been thinking about it at my desk and I’m standing by summertime amber via Pledge. I think it’s beautiful and just weird enough, but it’s definitely pretty weird and maybe suffers from poor naming. Not an HG lemon, and not something I would call inherently, broadly appealing.
Yep, I tried this, being a citrus lover, and was so disappointed. If ever there was a misnamed fragrance ……..
SOTD is Womanity, a salty fig. Had breakfast with the folks and my mom asked if I was wearing perfume, but did not say she liked it. So a rather ambiguous response.
I love this. It seems to have been commercially doomed by an advertising campaign which described as having a “caviar” note, rather than a salty or sea air, note, a very goth bottle, and a silly name.
So its appeal was supposed to be to people who loved the idea of smelling as rich as caviar without realizing that caviar is fish eggs, but nevertheless wanted to punkish goths, while still proclaiming their “womanity.”
I don’t know anyone who fits that description.
However, if you like fig scents that are not too sweet, and like scents heavily discounted at the usual internet outlets, I recommend a full bottle or at least a mini.
I am sorry your Mom was not appreciative of your beautiful perfume. I love and wear all the fragrances from this house. The flankers are fantastic, there is a rewards program and when I wear them I am always appreciative of how unique and unlike anything else out there they are!
Last week, we were having wintery winds and shivering in our jackets. Today, it’s suddenly Summer and tomorrow it’s supposed to reach 27 C !
SOTD is Un Jardin sur le Nil, which I’ve had to re-apply a few times.
Among the samples I’ve been trying that may turn out to be fb worthy is The Different Company Bergamote. This used to be called Divine Bergamote, and it certainly is divine. (Can you tell I’m a Jean Claude Ellena fan?) It is another one that needs to often be re-applied.
Robin, your praise of Carthusia Mediterraneo has intrigued me. Can you compare it at all to Bergamote? I don’t want to have too many similar lemony/tea scents.
Another scent I’m thinking may be fbw is Keiko Mecheri’s Peau de Peche, which I adore. It is eaten very quickly by my skin, but I discovered if I layer it with Osmanthus Interdite or TDC Osmanthus, it lasts for hours and the scent is more noticeable! Of course, that means I would also have to purchase one of the Osmanthus scents! (I haven’t tried Osmanthus Yunnan yet).
It is greener & more brightly lemony than the TDC, and less woody, more tea-ish. The opening smells a lot like lemon-lime zest. The TDC is probably the better scent, but the Carthusia is more cheerful. On the other hand, if strongly-lemon scents remind you of lemon cleaners, you might not like it.
But my bottle, although it’s my 2nd, is now rather old. It has not spoiled at all, but it has gotten deeper. I don’t think I’d replace it again without getting a new sample — ditto on Bergamote, which I haven’t smelled “new” in years. So many things have been reformulated!
Thanks, Robin. Maybe I’ll order a sample. I read on one of the perfume forums that the Carthusia has been reformulated with a stronger tea note. Of course, I love tea notes, so that is not discouraging to me! I have a much-loved large bottle and soap of Oolang Infini for my tea fix.
The Mediterraneo definitely has a strong tea note. It is basically a tangy lemon with green tea and a flash of mint. It is refreshing for the summer but I find it quite dense for a lemon perfume and I prefer my lemon perfumes more airy and feminine. It is well done and nice though. Worth a try.
Keiko Mecheri’s Peau de Peche is very nice. I received a sample of this a few weeks ago, and it is a joy to wear.
How is the sillage on you? I know it’s supposed to be a “skin scent”, but … Also, how long does it last on you?
I also tried Peche Cardinale, but only liked the opening.
It is a very soft fragrance and doesn’t last that long on me. I find myself having to re-apply several times. Maybe I will try layering it like you and get more success.
In the morning (it’s 6.30 pm here in Greece) I spritzed Eau des Merveilles ( I own a 30 ml bottle). It’s warm but overcast today so thought it fitted.
Then in the afternoon I had a business massage scheduled, you know, the one focused on back, shoulders and hands. The masseur used some Korres Japanese Rose lotion on my hands so that’s what I’ve been smelling ever since. It’s a nice rosey (duh!) scent. Eau des Merveilles is under that somewhere but don’t really feel it.
SOTD is Bois des Isles. I’ve never worn it in the summer, so I’m experimenting. It’s definitely FBW but for now I’m happy with the decant.
Battling with Serge Noire……again. How can a scent be so repulsive and yet so intriguing at the same time?
Ha! Have you read Kevin’s review of that one?! I quite like SN, although not FBW for me–his distaste made me laugh out loud! It’s like we didn’t sniff the same product at all.
I had to go back to the hospital this morning for outpatient surgery. Because you aren’t able to wear perfume when you are about to have surgery, I sprayed some Orange Sapphire body spray from Bath and Body Works on my clothing. It’s light, clean, and sophisticated.
Sending good thoughts your way!
Thanks so much for your kind words.
I hope it all went well for you today!
It did. There were complications with my knee replacement surgery. The procedure they did today was considered outpatient surgery. So now I am resting at home. Thanks for the kind well wishes.
Am currently wearing Shanghai Lily which is on my to-buy list but accidentally spilled it on my clothes and I don’t really need to be wearinga couple of mls. At least it wasn’t a spilled scrubber and I am home so can just change clothes.
SOTD is Van Cleef & Arpels Bois d’Iris, which I’m liking more and more every time I wear it. It’s a soft iris, a little woody, a little sweet with a nice sillage but still stays close enough that I feel I can wear it to the office. May become FB worthy!
Here is 32C so I choose Juniper Sling from Penhaligon’s – cold and fresh.
Today it is cold and rainy here in Minneapolis and my SOTD is my all time favorite:
SL Daim Blonde. This is my second bottle and I just love it all year long. I wear heavier oud/ambers a lot in winter but Daim Blonde is one I reach for over and over. Today is also my 24th wedding anniversary. It poured rain that day too! My favorite photo from the wedding is trying to get into our friends car after the ceremony; I have my dress hiked up almost to my waist to avoid the gutter and you can see my underwear (something blue). My new husbands head is thrown back in laughter.
Happy Anniversary!
How wonderful! Congrats!!
24 years is something to celebrate.
I do need to try SL Daim Blonde as I love (and I’m wearing today) Bottega Veneta edp which many say is similar to Daim Blonde.
BV is definitely fb worth
Happy Anniversary! I had to laugh at your description of that photo.
SOTD is Shalimar Ode a la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique. FBW for sure (I have two, since it was a limited edition). The original Shalimar and I don’t get along, but this one is sweeter and more buttery and soft on me. It’s coolish here today; I think this would become oppressive on a hotter day.
I’m at home today, wearing Bois de Paradis on one hand and Ylang and Vanille on the other to see which comes out on top. Oddly, I think of the former as a winter perfume and the latter as a summer one, but both are Big.
SOTD is Lostmarc’h Din Dan, which was a choice made in the spirit of optimism for a day that started with a frost warning but is supposed to go up to 70 or so. However, my office is freeeeeezing and delicate Din Dan is shivering in a corner. I do own a full bottle.
I love Din-Dan. It is citrus perfection. So uplifting.
wearing Patricia Nicolai – Temps d’un fete, but thought about wearing Carthusia, too – Corallium. Love it!
Figue Fruitée by Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger sample from Olfactif. I volunteer with kids on Monday afternoons, so I wanted to put on something fresh and light that would fade by the time I had to go. Unfortunately, this stuff fades on me in 5 minutes. Disappointing!
I didn’t like that one either — so flat and dull. I thought this was an awfully weak Olfactif month, although last month was great so maybe that’s fair.
Thanks, Robin, for today’s theme. Really enjoying the bouquet of all of us NST-ers together. What knowledge and taste!
If it’s fun we can do them daily? No idea if there is interest…I was just tired & dragging this morning and thought it would be fun to know what everyone was wearing
I’d love it! I actually do a STD “report” to my significant other, sometimes – we’re often in different cities, so he goes and Googles it if he hasn’t heard of it. Sweet of him!
I love that! That’s so sweet of him. Unfortunately can’t imagine my husband being agreeable to that.
I do a SOTD with my one of my colleagues. It ends up being once, sometimes twice a week. It’s fun to have that connection with somebody at work.
That’s nice. I can’t imagine doing that with someone at work — I work for an environmental governmental agency that focuses on air pollution : -) Speaking of scents at work, someone was eating fish at their desk today, and it was so strong that I was nauseated for at least an hour (((shudder)))
That is so sweet and a great way to stay connected. At the end of the day, on the drive home from work, my husband and I usually share the birds and other wildlife we saw that day.
Robin, I love doing SOTD. Plus, hearing what everyone is wearing and people responding to it gives me new ideas.
I enjoy reading the SOTD posts, so more frequent ones would be welcome!
Hey Robin, just wanted to put in my two scents saying I probably wouldn’t favor a daily SOT-moment poll. It’s one of my pleasures on the weekends, but I might tire of it, if it were more frequent. Of course, I can choose to just not read it, too, should mine be the minority voice!
Good point. Robin, maybe we just have it a bit more often?
SOTD is Verbena Mint from L’Occitane.
Kindcrow, how is it? I have a small 20ml bottle of Citrus Verbena, but it started reminding me of a particular flavor of cough drops available in South Africa and so I can no longer wear it, lol!
Ditto…I’m curious as well. I’m searching for a summer mint scent. I’m leaning towards Herba Fresca but would like a little more staying power.
I find HF lasts quite well on my skin and most perfumes don’t! (In fact it has better sillage and longevity than Malle’s Carnal Flower which I was complaining about higher up). Geranium Pour Monsieur has quite a nice mint too – but I’v only tried it a few times:)
I’ll have to give HF another try. I sampled it while in Hawaii and there were a lot of other scents in competition (sunscreen, sand and sun!).
It’s a slightly sweet lemon and spearmint combination. I don’t usually like spearmint (I prefer peppermint), but I like it in this. After a couple of hours, I can only smell it if I press my nose up to my arm, but that lasts for 6 or 7 hours and it’s sweet and green with a hint of lemon. My husband said that it smells like a cucumber lotion that his mother used to wear.
I’m not in love with it, but it is nice in the heat. I’m beginning to think that it smells too practical — as if it were meant to scent a lotion, if that makes sense?
Sounds perfect for a light summer scent, although I do think I understand your thoughts about it being to practical.
Robin, you need some coffee!
I have mostly given up coffee now, sadly — I love it but it causes health problems for me. I mostly drank tea anyway, but did like a daily latte. No more, at least for now. Hard to get a serious caffeine fix from tea though!
I read somewhere that tea has the same amount of caffeine as coffee, but I can’t remember the source, or whether it was authoritative. I also remember reading that neither tea nor coffee were hydrating, only to read later that that is false, so who knows!
It depends on the tea and the coffee & all sort of other variables (with tea, how it was grown & processed). I drink some black tea, but mostly green, and never drank regular coffee…only lattes (generally made with 2 shots of espresso).
Do they have red espressos in the US? They are made with rooibos rather than coffee and supposed to be quite healthy. I sometimes have a red cappuccino (same idea) and actually find it quite energizing!
But rooibos has no caffeine at all
Yeah, I know, but its something about the concentration that gets me more alert, lol! Generally though, I stick to ordinary cappuccino
@Merlin: Those Woolworths red cappuccinos are divine (I’m also South African)
Ida, agree! If you are in JHB we could meet for one and chat perfume:)
In general, coffee has more caffeine than tea. For coffee, the lighter the roast, the higher the caffeine content.
Oh! Useful to keep that in mind.
Ha! You need to have me fix your tea for you! I only drink black tea and by the time I finish steeping, it *is* the color of black coffee! Assam or Yunnan seem to be the strongest in my estimation. But you’re right – I don’t think green has as much caffeine as black.
My mother went through a phase of using 3 to 4 teabags for one cup of tea! Thats just insane. I do leave the bag in, and I sometimes wonder if they are putting less tea in the bags than they used to…
I think they are using less! So… I use loose tea in a strainer – a big one!
good solution!
My husband drinks tea like that!
Hahaha! Everyone also thinks I’m drinking coffee because of the color. I’m severely allergic to coffee — can’t even eat coffee-flavored candy, etc. I like my tea strong, but do take milk in it. In general, Dutch people drink tea that is like tinted water. I like to say they only wave the teabag over the cup of water!
There are always people who drink it even stronger than I do. I had an English friend who brewed black tea that I couldn’t drink. One sip, and I had the jitters!
There are so many wonderful kinds of teas. One of my favorites is the Tulsi range from Organic India. The only one I tried that I didn’t like was the one with rose.
I’m sorry that you can’t drink coffee any longer. I cannot drink it on an empty stomach.
Wearing Ralph Lauren’s Safari, which I tested (again) at a shop earlier. Every so often I go – what’s smelling so good? And its the Safari. But when I take a conscientious sniff I feel slightly ambivalent…
Just for clarification – Safari for women.
Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey for me. I like it, but it’s not FB-worthy for me. Maybe 3-5 mL decant-worthy.
Oh, Naz! That is my signature scent. I absolutey love it and all of Jo Malone fragrances. If you like Nectarine, you might like Blackberry and Bay.
I’ll have to try it, then! Thanks for the rec
Scent of the day is Diorissimo – because it’s May
Rediscovered after years my old dusty bottle when I got tired of my usual woody orientals and all the try and error with more off-the-beaten-track perfumes. And fell in love again with this old favourite.
Last night, while I was at it to check my old favourites, I used Fracas, which I found vile and overpowering for a long time. Suddenly it’s only gorgeous. Strange how olfactory perception changes over the years.
Tomorrow I’ll have a go at my precious and rare Climat …
SOTD is from my “new” bottle of Jicky extrait. Gorgeous! The main difference that I can tell between this bottle and my newer bottle of extrait is the bergamot on top. In this older version, the bergamot smells exactly like my good bergamot essential oil. I also thought it seemed a little sweeter (more vanilla) toward the middle to drydown.
I love Carthusia Mediterraneo! Bought it on my honeymoon in Capri, so it is forever linked to that time and place. I eagerly wait for warm weather so that I can appreciate a refreshing spritz
Of course it is FB worthy.
I’m wearing ELDO Fat Electrician today. I’ve had this sample lurking about in my sample drawer for several months so I finally decided to give it a proper wearing today. I was surprised by how quietly it wears on me. It doesn’t really have much sillage at all, at least dabbed. Sprayed might be another story, but I just have a dab sample. Vetiver and vanilla is a combo that I like, and it’s kind of dry and incensy. It also sticks more to the woody/smoky/leathery aspects of vetiver and avoids the nutty facets that I’m not always so crazy about. Not sure I need a whole bottle of it, but I like it.
Azuree Soleil Eau Fraiche – the 2007 version, a great monoi scent.
SOTD is Annick Goutal Songes. My second time trying it. First time I sampled it on one hand and the new terracotta by guerlain on the other. Terracotta made Songes seem less sweet. Today I get pink lilac powdered donuts.
SOTD = SL Chergui
I participated in the NST splitmeer for this and I stat ordered a full bottle after wearing it once. Funny thing about Chergui – my first experience with it was via a small decant and I thought it smelled like chocolate mixed with bug spray. With the split, I got the contents in 2 10 mL atomizers and the resulting larger spray made a huge difference in perception.
I would have loved to participate in this split! Perhaps next time
I know what you mean about the bug spray-ish aspect of Chergui (when dabbed), but I don’t think I’ve ever gotten chocolate.
SOTD for me is L’air Du Desert Marocain. I raced though my initial sample, and just received a larger decant
Maybe a full bottle in the not too far future?
Gosh, I misspell words when I’m using my iPhone – splitmeet (not splitmeer). Anyway, there’s another one coming up in September and I think I already know what I will host: Atelier Cologne Blanche Immortelle and Sous le toit de Paris! As to the chocolate in Chergui, I think that’s the association I have with the mixture of the honey, hay, amber and iris…maybe I’m weird. Well, at least you also got the bug spray
I’ve been staying at my bf’s for a couple of nights, and as I quickly grabbed LUSH Snow Fairy to bring with me, it’s been my sotd for 3 days. It’s pink but light pink, with a juiciness reminiscient of Yvresse or Jour d’Hermes. I have a couple of decants in my bag but am still enjoying Snow Fairy.
All these comments are making me a little wistful of all those other options at home though
Yes, one can suddenly miss a favorite, usually available, but momentarily unavailable – like an acute longing!
SOTD was supposed to be Bottega Veneta, but I was spraying at 5 this morning, and accidentally picked up the wrong bottle. So now my SOTD is Bulgari Eau de The Vert. Happy accident. The Vert is definitely full bottle worthy once I finish my 10 mL decant and 5 mL mini. More than halfway done with the decant.
One’s SOTD can and should be reinforced with our aspirations for the emerging day. But the daily base note must resonate through all time. For me today? Angel…Whenever there is a hint of risk or adventure in the ‘air’ I use this remarkable and timeless gem to give me wings.