It's summer!
We're celebrating with our standard open thread. Talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, any wonderful vacation plans you've made for this year, the perfume you'll put away until cold weather returns, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Summer Funnin [cropped] by Weed Whacker at flickr; some rights reserved.
Happy 1st day of summer. The weather isn’t very summery here today. Cold, windy and cloudy.
I’m wearing 2 scents to test for my blog, both roses. One is Les Liquides Imaginaires Dom Rosa, the other one is Vero Profumo Rozy Voile d’Extrait.
What are your favourite summer perfumes?
Lucas, I’m looking forward to your review of Rozy, and how it compares with Rose Cut.
One of my summer favorites is Diptyque L’Ombre dans L’Eau. To me, it just has its own delightful olfactory shape and cooling effect. Reviewers have highlighted rose and snapped green bean notes.
Rozy is nowhere close to Rose Cut, these are two completely different perfumes.
Two perfumers with very original “voices” – my anticipation builds!
Hi Lucas! My step father just got back from Poland and gave me Pani Walewska blue bottle. It’s pretty. Any thoughts? Thanks!
It was quite iconic scent among Polish women in the 90s.
Thanks Lucas! Nice to
wear an icon!
A FEW SUMMER SCENTS:
1. ETERNITY FOR MEN AQUA by Calvin Klein
2. ORANGE SANGUINE by Atelier Cologne
3. FREEDOM by Tommy Hilfiger (new)
4. 4711
…just to name a few…
Happy Solstice! I’m sampling Aqaba on the back of my hand. It’s been a couple of hours and it’s mostly cedar now, which disappoints me. This isn’t going to be a “proper” testing because I’m about to shower. I’ll try it again later for more time and on a pulse point.
Have not smelled it in years, but it used to be a huge favorite on MakeupAlley.
It’s still one of my favorites! I would never wear it in warm weather, though. Strictly a winter scent for me, especially around Christmastime.
I had my last exam of the year yesterday so I’m feeling surprisingly idle without any revision to do. I won’t find out my results until mid-August, but I think they went well.
As a little treat I ordered a sample of FM Eau de Magnolia. Has anyone tried it yet? I’d love to read people’s impressions. I’m hoping for something light, pretty, but distinctive, along the lines of L’Eau d’Hiver.
The weather’s pretty nice here – warm and sunny. I will be going for a run a little later as I’m trying to back into it after a bit of a break.
I’m really curious about Eau de Magnolia, too. The saucer magnolias are blooming now in the DC area, so I’m enjoying the light lemony scent of the real thing these days
I am going to have to learn more about magnolias, I think! Which were the kind that came and went some weeks ago (maybe as far back as April/early May? at least in the DC area) and smelled more candied?
Hah, now that I look these up with google, I see I was using the names incorrectly. The highly fragrant, sweet-smelling spring magnolias that are different shades of mauve or plum are called saucer magnolias (Magnolia soulangeana. The huge ivory ones that are blooming now are grandifloras. (I had assumed that grandiflora and saucer magnolias were the same thing.) The other spring magnolias that smell good are star magnolias (Magnolia stellata). They have smaller flowers with narrow petals.
What color were the ones you smelled?
Why thank you Nozkoz for clearing up the difference between saucer and grandiflora. I thought they were the same thing too because the grandiflora are as big as dinnerplates! I was visiting a dear friend in North Carolina and she let me cut a grandiflora magnolia off and put it in a glass of water near my head while I was sleeping. At some point in the night, the huge petals opened up and the entire thing inched its way over to my face where it fluttered, softly wafting perfume. When I woke up it was back in it’s water, closed up into a giant bud.
Oh, yes, I definitely didn’t realize there were so many different kinds! The ones I smelled (at Dumbarton Oaks and the old stone house on M St in Georgetown, in case anyone happens to know the specific trees I’m talking about!) were pink and white, similar to the one in this image– http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2013/03/22/with-magnolias-like-these-who-needs-cherry-trees/ Their scent really was remarkable.
Sajini – what a magical story!
C.H., thanks for the link. I had never realized that Washington’s climate was ideal for them, but it’s true, there are all over DC and suburbs. I think the one in the picture is a saucer magnolia, although the color in real life is not that bright, but more mauve. If you catch them in early bloom on a humid evening with no wind, they fill the air – it’s unforgettable. The ones in the Enid Haupt Garden are beautiful. I need to get to Dumbarton Oaks more often – what an astonishing place!
Totally worth trying to catch the ones at Dumbarton Oaks when they bloom next spring–they really are that brilliantly colored!
C.H., there is also info on the National Arboretum website. I don’t drive, so I’ve never visited there, but it sounds like they have an amazing collection and have developed new magnolia hybrids, too.
Oh yes I haven’t been in forever, must get on that!
Yay, what a nice feeling!
DC’s first day of summer is atypically cool and overcast with showers possible. I’m wearing Je Reviens, which I was thinking about because it appears in Angela’s new book, The Lanvin Murders. I enjoyed it so much, and can’t wait for Dior or Die this fall!
It’s a perfect day for Je Reviens.
Yes, it is a perfect day there for Je Reviens, one of my long-time favorite vintage scents! So nice to see a mention of it here. I like to wear it on a chilly, moody day in spring, when the ground is moist after the rain and the narcissus and other bulbs are beginning to bloom and fill the air with their fragrance. It will always be a ‘blue’ scent to me. Enjoy!
I just downloaded the ebook, but haven’t had a chance to read yet!
This is for those of you in New York City (I’m in California):
So, it’s the Summer Solstice, and I just heard the end of a story about Manhattanhenge on NPR. It happens twice a year, and I think that the next one is on July 11th or 12th? I think that Neil deGrasse Tyson coined the term. Here is a 2011 Tyson interview on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/watch/2011/07/14/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-startalk-radio.
Here is a link to 2014 viewing information: http://www.amnh.org/our-research/hayden-planetarium/resources/manhattanhenge.
Has anyone seen it? Sounds cool.
Just heard about this on NPR. Sounds pretty great!
I also just heard that NPR program! A google image search brings up lots of photos. Thanks for the links!
It actually happens on a number of days–maybe 4 or 5 each year, something like that. It’s pretty fun. I’m from NYC, and moving back soon, so this’ll be another thing to look forward to.
Happy weekend and happy solstice, all! I am officially on summer break as of Thursday, too, so happy summer break to the rest of the educators out there!
I have not chosen a SOTD, yet, since I plan on going to the gym and showering before I head out to enjoy the day. I have mixed feelings about wearing fragrance to the gym–no question when I get all warmed-up, my fragrance, even a quiet one, can really bloom! OTOH, there are some damn stinky folk in there, and I know I smell better than that! 🙂
Trips this summer will include a week in BC, Canada with Mr. Spicebomb (1 year anniversary!!!), a yearly camping trip down to the Redwoods with some college buddies, and a weekend jaunt to tour the Hanford Nuclear Site, in Washington. Looking forward to all of them!
Sounds like you have a nice summer break planned! My son got out on Thursday too, very late this year because of all the snow days.
Yes, our summer was delayed due to snow days added back, too. Even though there’s never enough time, those extra days at the end can seem so brutal!
Hanford! That name brings back memories…in college I had a job doing telephone fundraising to try and get Hanford cleaned up.
The tour requires that you preregister and have a background check done, but I’m not really sure what we’ll see! A friend of Mr. S. suggested we go, and we figured it was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of situation.
I used to wait tables in Mt. Rainier National Park, and one of my semi-regular customers was a physicist from Hanford when it was still functioning. He offered me an internship at one point–unfortunately I wasn’t able to take him up on it! Would have been fascinating, if a bit ethically challenging.
Let us know what you see and smell!
Smell! Ugh! Let’s hope it’s mostly just sagebrush and eastern high desert! 🙂
No SOTD yet; slept in late today. I have still been going through some of the vintage stuff I picked up on eBay recently. Two of them are orientals that I will need to put away until at least September–Brfeathless by Charbert and Black Magic by Bombi. Breathless smells like a lighter version of Tabu, and I would put Black Magic somewhere between Shalimar and Vol de Nuit. I think both will be quite wearable in cool weather, but they are unthinkable at 90 degrees F.
I’ve seen perfumes by Charbert and Bombi on ebay and been curious about them, so it’s good to hear what they are like.
Both of them are quite nice, and worth considering if you like orientals. I am looking forward to testing them out properly whenever the temps get back below 80 degrees. My bottle of Breathless is an EdT, and strikes me as fairly light for an oriental, if “oriental” and “light” can even be used in the same sentence. It is a large (6 oz!) splash bottle, with a little plastic stopper and a screw cap, and is completely full. The Black Magic was sealed with a thread seal, and seems to be extrait. The label says 2 oz. , which is also quite large for extrait. It did have some evaporation, probably ~ 15%. I really don’t need that much of either one, but they only seem to be available in large bottles. Both were relatively inexpensive, perhaps because both perfumes are not almost completely forgotten.
I’ve often taken a chance on an unknown vintage perfume dangled by ebay in front of my foraging nose, but there are still more that I haven’t tried. One of my goals after I finish retiring and get more organized is to swap samples.
Wearing by Killian Rose Oud for my niece’s wedding today. It’s going to be a little bit sad, and hard on my sister, because our mother died last August and she would have loved to have seen this. I’ll wear my mother’s pearls to have a little of her with us. And even though she never got to smell Rose Oud, I know she would have loved it, because she loved roses. She was the one who bought me my bottles of Un Rose Chypree and Incense Rose. Haven’t been able to wear those since her death, but I’m hoping that once my mourning has diminished, I’ll be able to enjoy them again.
Wishing joy to the family today.
Rose Oud is lovely, and I know that a time will come when you’ll cherish those rose scents for their tie to your mother.
Oh, that’s bittersweet…hope it is a lovely wedding.
Losing anyone is hard, especially a parent. I hope the happy moments are greater than the sad ones for you today.
Rose Oud is wonderful – great choice – wishing you and your sister all the best!
I hope that the day is beautiful for all of you and that the pearls and the rose scent provide comfort. Sending good wishes…
Wow! I can’t believe summer is here. It’s going to be a hot one, and I am not looking forward to it. I live in Texas and the humidity alone makes it miserable. My SOTD is Sensuous Noir by Estee Lauder. I also added some Orange Sanguine by Aetlier. Don’t know why I combined the two, but it works for me. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
I bet OS improves all kinds of other perfumes.
Happy summer Solstice! Bad news for us we are on flood watch.Our little city was badly hit last year,almost to the day. We are on high ground, will be helping people sandbag today. Do any of you wear Fragonard perfumes,I found a cute sampler in my stash. Thoughts? Thanks!
Oh, good luck to you!
Thanks Robin!
Sorry to hear about the flood watch – hope your city is spared this year.
Luca Turin mentions in The Guide that he worked with Fragonard on a now-discontinued line called Absolus. Also, there are reviews in The Guide of a later series. The two he liked were Après Tout and Belle de Nuit. Fragonard isn’t widely distributed in the U.S., so I haven’t tried any of them yet. I hope you’ll report back on the ones you have.
Thanks for the kind words.It was not as bad as expected. I will report back, they sure are sweet little bottles! PS I Love the black kitty. We had one that is dearly missed.
Belle de Nuit is my favorite Fragonard! I can highly recommend it. I would describe it as a floriental.
Stay dry and safe!
Thank you darling.
Fragonard Santal is my summer go to fragrance. It lives on the bathroom shelf in the warm months. Smells a lot like Creed Himalaya, only better. Lemony sandalwood, fresh and creamy.
Sounds nice.Thanks!
No SOTD yet unless you include my usual Saturday Sample Day! My nose is always ‘fresher’ in the morning so I tend to sample perfume with coffee before showering away any scent commitment. On a leisurely day, I can lounge 3-4 hours before showering, which, I think, is long enough to tell whether a sample warrants another go. Today was a vintage gem called J’aime de Jacques Heim that I did not enjoy at all. Was that coriander I’m smelling??
More successful was a Tocca scent – Cleopatra. I don’t know why I mostly ignore the Tocca house, maybe because the few scents I have sniffed were meh. Cleopatra was quite nice – a bit green, a little floral, with a nice soft drydown. It tossed it in the guest bathroom “goodie basket” but I might pull it out and wear it again. I bet my niece would like this one!
Oooo love the idea of a guest room goodie basket! Will implement this when I have a guest room someday. Your guests must love staying with you 🙂
I couldn’t tell one Tocca from another for love nor money. Since I don’t have a guest room I drop off unwanted scents in a washroom at work.
The only Tocca that has any personality (to my nose, at least) is Colette. I haven’t tried any of their recent releases, though.
What a great idea to leave unwanted perfume in a washroom at work! (Since my office is only me, I will probably have to leave my fb of Hippy Chick in a Dunkin Donuts bathroom)
It’s hard to believe this is the first day of summer. The weather has been just bizarre for so long now. Very pretty day here in NYC but I wouldn’t say it’s a hot summer day at all.
My SOTD is Les Nombres d`Or Vetyver by Mona di Orio. It’s a sample and the opening is a bit too masculine for me but let’s see how the dry down goes. I so wish that Black Vetiver Cafe by Jo Malone lasted longer. I just love the opening moments of that scent….and then it’s gone in 10 minutes. Still looking for that holy grail vetiver.
Wishing everyone a relaxing and sun soaked weekend!
I need to get a sample of that Mona di Orio, but also on the Vetiver quest too!
I’m liking it much more an hour or so in. Vetiver is still there but it gets softer and with a touch of sweetness. It’s actually quite nice.
Sounds lovely, I’m waiting on a sample of Sycomore to come in the mail and will definitely get a decant of Les Nombres next time I place an order.
Testing Ormonde Jaybe Champage (sp? Decant not with me at the moment) and its nice but doesn’t come to life on my skin. Will replace with something else post-shower.
3 hours and 1 reapplication later. My impressions have done a 180 turn and am now contemplating a larger decant. It comes to life in a different way than other perfumes I know. More of a bit player than center stage. Hmmm.
I love Champaca!
Champaca! That’s the name, thanks 🙂
Champaca is the one I have. I like it and find it very versatile.
The blooming linden tree 2 houses down is “forcing” me to wear Pretty Machine everyday….and I’m not complaining. I seldom wear the same fragrance on a daily basis, but this one has really charmed me. What a great discovery.
I love linden this time of year. I’ve been meaning to try more of them, as the only one I own is Zeta. Will put Pretty Machine on the list!
A tree with good taste 🙂
Hi all 🙂 I asked at the end of a chat recently so not sure if many of you saw it, but has anyone tried GUCCI ACCENTI? it’s d/c’d but there’s some available cheaply here. I cant test it but am wondering if it’s good like great, or just yeah, or meh, or hell no! 🙂
BUY THEM! Even if you don’t like it after you test or buy it, there are many people who LOVE Accenti and would probably pay more than what you bought them for. Plus Oriental’s generally keep well over time so probably no major changes in the fragrance to change the scent of make it off putting.
Buy it ! Buy it! BUY IT NOW! Accenti is gorgeous ! Also the only scent that a total stranger ( the guy at the pizza counter handing off my pizza to me) has ever flat out complimented me on.
It’s fabulous. Sort of orange,Rose,peach?,amber, vanilla,Cinnamon ,sandalwood, and probably rosewood too cause I tend to go nuts for that note,maybe some incense too. Lovely stuff . I’m in back up bottle collecting mode with this one. Three partials so far..and every one lovely.
After a hectic morning spent chasing cattle through head-tall grass (GRRRR. Hole in fence.) and then (since I was dirty anyway) remulching the front flower garden, I showered and decided to be ultra-clean and summery in Tommy Girl.
Yeah, it’s a little synthetic. But way cheerful, and I don’t need to go niche every day…
Sniff…wish I could say I had a “hectic morning spent chasing cattle…” some of my mornings may feel that way… but sans “chasing,” sans “cattle,” and sans “tall grass.” I finished off my small bottle of Tommy Girl a few months ago… I haven’t missed it enough to replace it, but I know what you mean that there are times when it just fits.
Anyone have any tips for buying perfume off eBay? I’m not sure how to know to determine a legitimate source. Thanks 🙂
The blog I Smell Therefore I Am has a good post about buying perfume from Ebay: http://ismellthereforeiam.blogspot.com/2013/05/buying-perfume-on-ebay-things-to-keep.html
Thank you! Good basic tips.
I’ve had nothing but positive experiences when buying off of Ebay, and I do so quite regularly.
I choose to avoid buying full bottles (especially overseas) that seem too good to be true, but otherwise, don’t have too many concerns. Older bottles always carry the risk of turned juice, so I usually buy from local antique shops, Goodwill, estate sales, etc., so that I can sniff them first. I know lots of folks find it worth the risk, though!
I’ve bought a number of bottles from eBay, mostly vintage. I generally only use eBay for fragrances that I cannot buy from the regular sources, i.e., discontinued, severely reformulated, or not available in the U.S., For vintage scents, I have had better luck with buying “new” (full, or ideally, sealed) old bottles. Probably at least half the used bottles I have bought have been turned, so I only buy used bottles if they are quite cheap. I have bought a lot of perfume nips lately, and they all smell wonderful. The sealed glass vial provides excellent protection of the scent. The eBay sellers I would avoid are those that have a whole lot of new bottles of popular fragrances at suspiciously low prices.
Today is not very warm, kind of a sad intro to Summer really…but I am wearing LUSH’s Flower’s Barrow and it’s perfect for the day.
We didn’t have such great weather either.
SOTD is Rosine’s Rose Kashmirie, something I might be more likely to wear when it’s not hot outside (as it is right now where I live), but it just seemed to be calling to me.
In answer to VeraJayne, I have the 5 naturals from Fragonard (tiny bottles) and perhaps that is what you also have. I think they are really nice. Haven’t tried any of their other perfumes, though.
Wearing Vetiver Pour Elle. Lovely sunny day with a light breeze.
SOTD is Lolita Lempika–pick-me-up for the cool overcast weather we’re having.
So I came across another pair of separated at birth fragrances…I recently purchased a sample decant of Penhaligon’s Vaara, which smelled like a dead-ringer for something else… I finally identified as NV’s Mohur. I looked up reviews of the two scents. Victoria at Bois de Jasmin points out that they are by the same perfumer, Bertrand Duchaufour, and she refers to Mohur as being Vaara’s older sister.
Totally contrary to my own expectations, at least after the first trial, I ever so slightly preferred Vaara–but now cannot say why.
Has anyone else compared these two fragrances?
And, for first prize of lamest date night: my husband and I, who are both recovering from pneumonia, had an evening to ourselves last night, which we spent in pajamas eating leftovers and drinking Gatorade in front of the TV watching Philomena and going to bed before 9 PM. Whooohooo!
Sounds like a good night to me. I watched Philomena last weekend. What a sad story.
Just wanted to say I’m sorry that you were both so poorly – what rotten luck. Glad that you are now recovering.
My husband and I have both been a little bit in the wars lately and last night settled down together (which is rare) and watched “The Hunger Games” on tv. Not so sure that it was really a happy choice, but it is certainly an exciting film! Trouble is we couldn’t sleep afterwards as it had hyped us up.
Keep getting well.
I had disturbed dreams after Philomena… we are all on the mend finally, but it has been a slog!
SotD is TDC De Bachmakov which wears great during our warm rainy season. It has rained more than two inches a day since Thursday.
Wow! That’s a lot of rain! Are you in the tropics?
Sub-tropics: Miami.
SotD: Sunday is Serge Lutens A la Nuit because if you are smothering in the humidity, you might as well be smothered by jasmine.
After my shower, I spritzed my arms liberally with Pacifica’s Bali Lime and Papaya EDT. Hours later, I am still huffing my arms to smell that candied lime goodness. I am currently sipping fresh limeade from Trader Joe’s. Nice.
Speaking of limes, does anyone remember Crabtree & Evelyn’s Extract Of West Indian And Sicilian Limes Spray? That was a nice fragrance. My mom loved it and I purchased it for her a couple of times in the 90s, I think. The bottle was very nice and old-fashioned in appearance. The label, on the other hand, was old-fashioned in a bad way that I did not notice until I had purchased a second bottle. I was horrified when I looked closely at the tiny figures on the labels and realized that it was a drawing of slaves unloading a ship. It looks like the fragrance is back with shorter name a plain bottle, but an inoffensive label. I hope that it still smells good.
Here is a picutre of the old bottle: http://www.quirkyfinds.com/vintage-fragrances/cologne-for-men-e-h/crabtree-evelyn-extract-of-west-indian-and-sicilian-limes-spray/
That one I haven’t seen, but speaking of limes, my grandfather always used Royall Lyme aftershave, and it was lovely back in the day. Sigh.
Ahhh, your grandfather must have smelled great!
I think I’ve heard that the quality of Royall’s frags declined after a change in ownership? I love Royall Spyce, and I have two bottles of different “vintages.” The older bottle (higher quality glass and a fancier label) smells better, but both versions are quite good. Once, when I was wearing Royall Spyce, my husband hugged me, inhaled deeply and murmured “Mmmmmm … you smell like pumpkin pie.” I like their Bay Rhum, as well.
Hello smelly friends,
I feel spoiled with good weather, perfume and fortune today – the day has been beautiful and I took a stroll around Brooklyn to enjoy it. I passed the Atelier Cologne store and sniffed the Orange Sanguine and Cedrat Envirant obligingly placed on a little table outside the store. Lovely, and fresh in the nicest sense.
Then walked across the street to Twisted Lily – my second visit in three weeks. Stayed for an hour, made a new friend of the salesperson, and walked away with an arm coated in Le Temps d’Une Fete. I decided recently that I need to branch out into florals, and this little number may be my gateway drug. Definitely light, but so pretty. Was it Mals who said this would be on her desert island top 3? I begin to see why. I may become a member of the pretty floral club yet.
Yes! I am addicted. I have backups. (Good thing, too.) Adore it so much.
I’m quite sure you’re testing the newer formula, which is considerably lighter than it used to be (and if you’re checking here for a review, I’m pretty sure Angela reviewed the old stuff). It still smells lovely, more floral than the original but it lifts my heart.
Your comments on it steered me towards it, so thank you!
Actually, I have a question that one of you may be able to answer.
I’ve always disliked the smell of that pink liquid soap that is in so many public bathrooms, and now I’m wondering – what is it I’m smelling? It’s obviously artificial, but artificial what? Your noses are much more sophisticated than mine.
Bubble gum musk?
Hm – that could be it. Now I feel compelled to go analyze some and see.
Thanks!
I think I know what soap you’re talking about. I think it’s got an almondy-heliotrope note, and though I’m kind of getting over it, I sometimes had issues with perfumes with those notes. Serge Lutens Datura Noir reminded me a lot of that soap the first time I tried it, so I pretty much automatically disliked it. I was given another sample recently as an extra in a swap package. I tried it again and thought it wasn’t so bad. I don’t think I’m going to be rushing out and buying a bottle or anything, but maybe I’m getting past that aversion.
Yes, DN has a very strong almond note, and that might be what smells obnoxious in the pink soap.
I think this is it!!! I was always pretty turned off by almond scented things, though I’m now trying to broaden my scent palette. Really going to analyze the smell next time I encounter it, and definitely going to test Datura Noir when I can.
Thanks Sweetgrass and Calypso!
Carner Barcelona Tardes was an almost dead ringer for that soap on my skin
Hello on line perfume friends,
It’s been another little while since I’ve been on here, enjoying all of the posts. So strange, just as I thought I was “done” with perfume and took a break from it, suddenly I’m back on the perfume horse (or is it a pegasus?), enjoying it more than ever. Just back from a trip to Vancouver where I was able to sniff several Penhaligons perfumes. Like the poster above, liked Vaara very much. Also, kind of fell head over heels with Artemisia, sprayed a card with it and was this close to ordering a bottle, but then got cold feet. Any thoughts or impressions about Artemisia? I’m not a fruit or floral lover, so was surprised how much I liked that one.
Also, I’ve been sampling AC Rose Anonyme and I really don’t like rose but that one is quite beautiful after it dries down (initially smells like Deep Woods Off on me). Any thoughts about Rose Anonyme or other rose frags that aren’t totally in your face rosy?
I just sampled this recently, and thought it was lovely. I like rose, but hadn’t smelled a rose/incense before (I live in a small town where the options are sparse – good for the pocket book, bad for learning). I liked this one, but it didn’t seem a good fit for the approaching summer. I look forward to trying it again later, when fall approaches.
I know what you mean about wondering about being done with perfume. I love my perfume, but I haven’t been really *into* the constant questing for new stuff lately. I think I’m mostly just ok being content with what I have, and maybe that means I have less interesting stuff to say sometimes, too? I dunno.
OTOH, I think I take after my father, who has a sort of serial nerdiness. He gets *really* into, say, paleontology for a few years. That leads to understanding geology better and skeletal anatomy. He veers that direction for a while and then winds his way back to fossils for a while. This is just an example, but the pattern of immersing himself into a topic for a while which leads to other interests, is pretty consistent. There are a few interests that stick around (gardening, in his case) but others (blues harmonica?) seem to have faded into the background.
So, I’m wondering if perfume is one of those interests that will stick with me or is more of a dalliance? I suspect it will always be around, but perhaps less intense than it was. Can you relate at all? (Sorry for the ever-verbose reply!)
Marjorie Rose, I completely identify with you and your dad! I have always been the kind of person to completely immerse myself in whatever I’m doing, whether it be an activity, a collection, or another hobby; there’s no halfway for me. After awhile, my passion/interest wanes somewhat for various reasons and just quietly recedes into the background of my life. But the memories of travels, new friends, inspiring authors/artists I’ve met because of those passions – as well as the physical ‘things’ that remain with me – still bring me much pleasure. So, too, it is with fragrance: I’ve collected and enjoyed perfume for many years but have now reached the point where I am sated. I still really enjoy reading about perfume and others’ search for ‘the next . . ‘ (I have been there!) but unless something really blows me out of the water I’m not going to exert too much effort to find it.
On my dressing table on a lovely tray (not in the sun) in any given month you’ll find, living happily side-by-side, a couple of niche, a couple of vintage, some department store, a BBW or VS or drugstore favorite or two. Some are my very favorite scents and some I keep around to ‘challenge’ myself and learn to at least appreciate those notes I’m not particularly fond of. I rotate a few each month so that each perfume in my collection gets its turn. I think of perfumery as an art form and, as such, I’m interested in the whole scent ‘package’, including the bottle and the story behind its creation. For that reason, I don’t collect samples or decants as much as I used to; something always seemed to be missing in that experience for me.
So enjoy your perfume journey not only wherever it may lead you but each step . . . and each pause . . . along the way. (And I think everyone posting here has something interesting to say and should never feel the need to apologize for what they’ve said or what they’re wearing.)
Laila, thank you for your thoughtful reply! It is good to know that I am in good company. 🙂 I think I’m a little sheepish in discussing it because we are, after all, here on a blog devoted to perfume! I *do* love and enjoy my perfume very much, but the fervor seems to have settled down quite a bit. I do still enjoy being a part of this community and having folks who understand “near by,” but I can’t always relate to the search the way I used to.
Ha, then I suppose I ought to be objecting to this whole conversation 😉
Oh no, I hope you aren’t going to excommunicate me from the perfumista clan! I will give penance at the altar of Our Lady of the Scented Wrists on Tuesday, in hopes of appeasing all concerned! 🙂
You know I’m kidding…and I do wonder sometimes if my own interest would be very different now, this many years in, if I wasn’t blogging.
Yes, of course! I have often wondered if there was anything that I was so *into* that I could write about it, speak about it, etc., for many years and keep my passion. I think so far the answer is no! Perhaps the answer is to write/ speak/ whatever in order to constantly be looking for new angles, and thus keep one’s interest honed?
I thought Rose Anonyme was very nice and might have bought it if I didn’t already have BK Rose Oud. Montale has done many, but I think they are generally stronger. Guerlain did Rose Nacrée du Desert, which is more plush (and expensive).
If I could have only one rose, it would be Guerlain Nahema. Another great perfume with rose is Caron Parfum Sacre. I also love BK Liaisons Dangereuses, a rose plum scent, for fall.
SOTD is HiM EDT (Hanae Mori). May have to try the EDP version of this to hopefully get a little more oomph. Lovely fragrance, it just seems to disappear too quickly.
Been meaning to mention for a few weeks, I got great help from Gareth at Barney’s in Boston–he really knew the merchandise (e.g. the differences between various reformulations!), gave me a straight opinion about what he liked and disliked, and sent me home with half a dozen Lutens and Byredo samples even though I didn’t buy anything that day. Highly recommend, next time I’m ready for a new full bottle I plan to call and order from him.
In much less highbrow scent news–has anyone been in the Denver airport lately? I’ve been struck by the fragrance scheme at their restrooms–they seem to be somehow scenting the entrance (and just the entrance, I think?) with a fir tree scent I actually find rather pleasant! Since airports, bathrooms and industrial-strength air fresheners usually constitute the Axis of Evil Odor, this seemed sort of remarkable! Does anyone else know what I’m talking about? Does this only smell okay to me because by the time I’m changing planes in Denver, jet fuel has been burning out my nose for hours?
I have only ever had excellent service from a Barney’s! It’s a shame there isn’t a brick-and-morter store nearer to me. Glad you had a great experience, though. Such fun!
No idea about the Denver airport, but we can hope that it’s a change that spreads! Sounds great!
I know, I am wishing for a local store as well. We have a Co-op and I understand all of those are being converted to “grownup” Barney’s, but just given the limited floorspace at this particular storefront, I suspect we may not get a fully-loaded cosmetics and fragrances department.
Happy Midsummer to everyone (or should that be Happy Midwinter to all you antipodeans?).
It’s rather sultry here so I am spritzing one arm with old O de Lancôme and the other with the reformulated version to see which I prefer. Suspect I know which …….
I just tried the new O the other day. I’ve never had the chance to smell the original, but I was surprised by how much I liked the current version. I almost bought it on the spot, but was in a rush and didn’t want to end up with a regret….
Hello everyone,
Yesterday I visited our local perfume Mecca, Kuhl-Linscomb in Houston, and just meandered through the perfume collection trying things. I would up with about 5 or 6 things on my arms and could not exactly remember which was which… silly. But one thing I did discover that I for some reason had never noticed before was MPG’s Secrete Datura. I’m a rather big datura fan and have both SL Datura Noir and Keiko Mecheri Datura Blanche, so I had to try this one too. I liked it a lot–it has somehow more of a green quality than the others, maybe not so cloying, so that perhaps someone might like it who generally hates this big smelling monster flower. (I know a lot of people do.) It has gone onto my wish list (near the top too!).
should say “wound up”–sorry
Hi Calypso,
I haven’t sniffed Secrète Datura in a decade, but it was the very first niche fragrance I ever purchased. I was in Paris (big deal for me), with my then boyfriend who is now my husband. I was at the little Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier shop and thrilled to be there… and the Secrète Datura in the frosted crystal bottle with the beautiful woman on it was my prize. I loved it for its strange green lily of the valley opening that would quiet down to a soft, powdering cocoa that I could sniff and sniff for hours. I remember it as a very seductive fragrance–but then maybe nostalgia is playing with my memory!
What a lovely memory, and I think you should try it again one of these days. I suspect it would still be very appealing!
Random question for any long-time perfumistas out there:
Why is the story of niche fragrances and their rise in popular culture and consumerism told so often without ever mentioning Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier?
That is an excellent question. I still think their sandalwood fragrance is the absolute best, and I have tried dozens, and I put their amber at or near the very top too. I love the red bottles they have now.
I answered my own question–well not why MPG is so infrequently mentioned, but at least its place in the pantheon. Here is a link to a blog by Christos eulogizing Jean Laporte, the founder of Sisley, L’ Artisan Parfumeur and Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier!
http://memoryofscent.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/jean-laporte-the-master-perfumer-is-no-longer-with-us/
I like MPG Racine, a vetiver scent, a lot. I can’t smell Iris Bleu Gris very well. We really owe Laporte, don’t we?
Me too! Love Racine!!!
Sounds like fun. I haven’t been by Kuhl-Linscomb in a while. I should make another visit. Secrete Datura sounds nice, and I haven’t tried Keiko Mecheri’s Datura either. I’ll have to look for them next time I go.
Mr. Spicebomb and I went wandering across the state boundary to explore SW Washington yesterday, and I inadvertently spilled some seriously scrubber fragrance on us both! We were in an antique store digging around, and there were one of those small-batch fragrance lines in one of the stalls. It was supposed to be “blue linen” and what leaked on our hands when I picked it up was a mix of nail polish remover and heavy dryer sheet musk! And, of course, in true scrubber fashion, it would NOT GO AWAY! Good thing Mr. S. is a good sport! 🙂
Eck, sounds bad:(, lol, I don’t like linen/dryer sheet smells.
I tested Ann Gerard Rose Cut this morning and loved it! It reminds me a bit of SL Fille de Berlin, but since I’ve drained my decant, I cannot compare the two side by side… I see a bottle of one or the other in my future. Any thoughts between the two?
Have not tried Rose Cut yet, but it is high on my list. I was intrigued by Fille de Berlin – thought it was like a rose version of tea. Only tried it in winter, though. Should really try both of these now that the air is warmer and more humid. Lucas is going to review Rozy soon, and I want to try that one, too. It’s a good time for roses!
Went to Saks at the Galleria yesterday to see if the FM counter had Eau de Magnolia yet so I could see (or smell, as the case may be) what all the fuss is about. They didn’t have it yet and didn’t know when they would, but the Cartier counter is right next door, so I tried their new ones, Panthere and Baiser Vole Lys Rose. BVLR was nice but a bit fleeting. It seemed to have a little bit more presence than BV EDT, but that’s not saying a lot. Panthere started out nice but after the top notes faded it was kind of disappointing. Money saved there.
Oh, I agree with the Panthere! Really liked the beginning..then what happened?:(. A great first appearance…then, yep…disappointing and not fb worthy to me.