Another day, another perfume. What was your pick today?
I'm wearing Guerlain Terracotta Le Parfum, thanks to a very kind reader who sent me a sample. Victoria also reviewed it today at Bois de Jasmin.
Reminder: this Friday, August 8, we're doing citrus — wear your favorite citrus fragrance.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2014, where I'll try to always have the next six or seven weeks mapped out in advance.
Happy Monday Everyone! My SOTD is Blackberry and Bay by Jo Malone. Today is officially my 1st day back at my job as a Counselor. Although the students don’t return until the 25th of this month, the Counselors and Principals return a few weeks ahead of everyone else. So, Blackberry and Bay seemed appropriate for the first day back. Its juicy and cheerful. It’s a fantastic fragrance. Hope everyone has a marvelous day!
That’s a nice one.
Yes, thanks! I love it.
I am wearing Blackberry and Bay today too. I layered with Orange Blossom lotion.
Ohhh! I have a sample of the Orange Blossom. I will have to try it with this to see how I like it. Sounds interesting.
I almost wore B & B today, but Lorenzo Villoresi Dilmun edged it out. You smell beautiful!
My SOTD is Chocolate Crave. With its orange, nut, and milk chocolate notes, it makes a good substitute for Aquolina Chocolvers. My one-ounce bottle will last forever, because two dabs last all day.
Who makes that?
Chocolate Crave Perfume, Inc. – a company in Utah. You can purchase it from them or from Indiescents.
I just checked, and it looks like they’ve got a new perfume based on kush, which appears to be some species of cannabis? I am going to avoid the obvious jokes about one perfume making you crave the other
LOL…hard to resist though! and thanks.
Good one!
Oh, this sounds nice! Some of my favorite notes, I like chocolate or a dry cocoa note in cooler weather, especially with orange. I have an old VS body spray called Chocolate Craving that I sometimes enjoy as an underlayer to my fall/winter scents.
SOTD is Hermes Iris Ukiyou. First time trying my sample – I spent some time this weekend organizing my many samples and made a new pile of “to try” for this week. Immediately after application, it smelled a bit plastic-y (maybe it is just me) and I didn’t like it, but after that I have been enjoying it. It smells powdery yet cold and fresh. I keep smelling my wrist. Not sure if it would be FB worthy, but I will definitely use up all the sample.
Also, this weekend I tried Frederic Malle Iris Poudre for the first time. My response was “Oh $#%!” out loud. Not because it is bad, but because it is so pretty and interesting that on first sniff I wanted to buy a whole bottle. My whole bottle want list is growing too fast!
Iris Poudre is really gorgeous.
Love Iris Poudre.
Sometimes you can find the 10ml travel bottles on ebay, you know.
Oh, thanks for the tip!
Iris Poudre is a beauty. I got a 5ml manufacturer’s mini on Surrender to Chance, so that might be an option to give in to temptation in a less-major way.
It’s a must on my desert Island list!!Love Iris Poudre!
Today I spritzed on Nez a Nez Immortelle Marilyn. The leather comes through nicely, but is not too strong for a hot summer day.
Wish we were having a hot summer day…
Sampling the new Atelier for Bergdorf’s. Rendezvous is a nice osmanthus suede combo, but I think I need to retry California Reverie from Van Cleef and Arpels (these 2 were the ones I liked from the 4or 5 that I sampled the other day).
I really need to get over to Neiman Marcus and try those.
Think this is my pretty girly summer and California Reverie fits the theme better. If anyone has any suggestions for pretty scents I should try when I’m at Scent Bar/ Lucky Scent let me know– apparently one can write ahead to make sure that something one wants to sniff is rotated out into the store
I wanted to wear something different & neglected. Today I’m wearing Parfums DelRae Amourese. YUM!!
Need more caffiene… :-)… Amoureuse, that is.
Wonderful fragrance, still my favourite from Delrae.
I’ve not smelled all the Delrae yet, and I really want to test Wit. I have a bottle of Bois de Paradise, but it is almost too rich for me. Amoureuse is my favorite too. It’s really, really in it’s own orbit. I am kind of thinking after having this on all day that it’s like the “green” Mitsouko. Definitely her own gal. Definitely a challenge. The best part comes at the end, if you have the patience to get there!
You smell great!
Thank you!
Love Amoureuse too.
Today I’m getting some sort of combined accord that smells like cinnamon. It must be the rich, spicy lily and I don’t know what. Each time I wear it, it’s like: what’s she gonna do today? Definitely one of my most challenging frags.
Is it Monday already? We are undergoing a huge home renovation right now and my bottles are scattered in various rooms, so SOTDs are largely chosen based on what I can find. Today I found my bottle of Le Labo Jasmin 17….luckily the perfect fit for soothing my feathers when I have to hear machinery all day.
Oh, what fun! (the finished house, I mean, obviously renovations are not fun)
Stella. I had heard it was being re-released with new packaging and now I’m hearing it is reformulated. Anyone know if I need to buy a backup?
They said it was the same scent, but seems unlikely…on the other hand, if it was reformulated, seems just as likely that it was a year or two ago.
True. Guess I need to find a newer bottle and give it a sniff. Can’t be that big a change or I would have heard someone complain by now.
I’m wearing Guerlain Herba Fresca. Tagline: When it’s even too hot for Infusion d’Iris.
It does work well in hot weather
How do you like the Terracotta, Robin?
I’m back from a week off
….but in order to vacation one does need to work!
SOTD for me, Sous le toit de Paris by Atelier. Really, really enjoying this scent. It’s grown on me over the month and I’m getting closer to purchasing a FB.
Like it. Said last night on Facebook that it was pretty but no masterpiece, and I think Victoria said about the same in her review today. But it’s in the same niche as Bronze Goddess…would be a great no-brainer summer scent. So I’d take a bottle…but would rather have Sous Le Toit!
Caron Pour un Homme, which is a bit weird in summer, turns out.
I know its got lots of vanilla but I also find the lavender bite to be quite cooling.
I’m wearing Gold today (very lightly) and its giving me the strength to deal with a crazy Monday at work.
SOTD: Gucci Premiere Gucci for women
Today I wore Violet Blonde. The sun was shining, flowers blooming, birds singing- a fantastic spring day in winter, and VB was lovely.
The temp has dropped somewhat tonight and I’m wearing Rochas Femme, which I haven’t worn for ages and am wondering why.. (I know why. The gazillion other choices is why)
Femme is my most recent acquisition, and it does seem appropriate for lounging late at night before bed. You smell great!
Thanks! And yay another fan! You obviously aren’t one sent fleeing by cumin then?
Heh – it does not!
I keep thinking that I need to get some VB. I really struggled with that when it came out the other year. I drained my sample and agonized and pushed it aside. Perhaps I need to revisit TF and also get a sample of the Violet Orchid.
It had been on my list for a long time, but discontinuation pushed me to finally buy it! I’m really enjoying it so glad I did. A good price on fragnet helped
I sampled Velvet Orchid recently and think it’s great! That will possibly join the fold when it gets discounted too… :-0
I am wearing Prince Matchabelli Ginger Lotus, which is a nice floral with some spiciness from the ginger. It’s nice but longevity is about what you would expect from a drugstore scent. I think I’ll put on something heavier later today when this wears off; it’s kind of cold here today.
I have numerous drugstores favorites but am not familiar with this one – is it new or an oldie? Sounds like an interesting mix for the summer.
Launched in 2001; mine came from a perfume fairy godmother on Perfume Posse but I have seen it on Overstock.com and other online discounters.
Since our weather has gone back to hot and sunny (last week it was coolish and rainy), I went searching for something green and cool. I found Labyrinthe Libertin from Le Prince Jardinier. Someone once remarked that it smelled like a greenhouse and I totally agree. Reminds me of childhood summers when it was blistering hot and we’d escape to the botanical gardens greenhouse in the rainforest room where it was always cool and damp.
Sounds delightful
Wall St by Bond No. 9 – kind of a weird ocean scent, should have included it in my beach scent reviews.
Cranky that all the conveniently located motels for my off-the-cuff stop on a road trip Wednesday night are booked full. Goddamn Jamboree won’t even have started yet but there it is.
Am wearing 31 Rue Cambon today. It’s not my favorite Chanel, but it’s very pretty.
I really like 31 rC but I would never dare to call it “pretty”, due to its somewhat austere beauty (at least on my skin).
I tend to think of it as ‘accomplished’, not as in an accomplished scent but as in the scent that a very accomplished woman should wear, lol!
that’s funny, I was thinking of “handsome” instead of “pretty”, but I thought that that was a too overtly Pride & Prejudice quotation and then you come along with this..so, would a modern days Elisabeth Bennet wear this well?
Well, lol! I think Elisabeth is too young to wear it – despite her Austen-type accomplishments
George Eliot, on the other hand, would wear it well – and no one could accuse her of being pretty!
That’s so interesting. Just wore a little of my sample to bed last night, and it doesn’t smell austere on my skin at all. Chalk it up to skin chemistry. I definitely get what Merlin is saying about an accomplished aspect though. Definitely a stateliness to it, but on me, a rich kind of stateliness.
Hi Bee, I’d have to agree with you that “pretty” isn’t the best adjective I could have used here! How about “elegant and sophisticated” ?
so we’re collecting the appropriate descriptors: rich stateliness (that’s a good one!), accomplished, sophisticated, elegant, and I’ll now substitute austere with poised, and suggest “strikingly handsome” rather than pretty, is this summing it up?
Which is your favourite? I’ve tried Cambon a couple of times but I have a hard time smelling it. I think I need to spray from a bigger bottle.
My favorites are No. 19, Cristalle, Cuir de Russie, and Bois des Isles. I also have a vintage smidge of No. 22 parfum that is divine!
We share a few favourites then. Love Cristalle, CdR and No.19.
I struggled with Rue Cambon. It started off really well for me, but then the amber got too salty. I have trouble with salty amber when it is used. Sadly I can only do sweet or smokey-ish ambers. But I content myself with a host of other Chanels that I love.
I went with ELDO Bijou Romantique today. I hadn’t given my decant much attention, so I decided to change that today.
I am wearing Guerlain AA Mandarine Basilic which is very nice, but has just about run through its interesting parts.
I layered this with Terre d’Hermes and the combination was divine!
Manoumalia, sitting in the office and imagining I’m in some lush tropical place just before a downpour.
Cartier L’heure Fougueuse. Just because.
I can never decide if I like that one or not. One more spray left in my decant. Decision time!
SOTD is Aramis 900. I haven’t worn this in a LONG time…
SOTD = Krigler Subtle Orchid 10
I’m wearing a sample (i emptied 2 1/2 dabber vials into an atomizer and sprayed away). It started off being toothachingly sweet but switched into an absolutely gorgeous drydown in about 2 hours. There is nothing orchid or anything flowery in this: to me, it’s a vanilla perfume. Do I need a FB if I already have a FB of Iris Poudre which has the BEST vanillic drydown known to mankind? Perhaps not FB-worthy but I would spring for a decant or a partial bottle.
I am heavily into the infatuation stage with Iris Poudre right now, so i can’t imagine wanting anything else
There are a few notes that are favorites of mine and I just can’t get enough of the different ways that they can be presented (iris, rose, vetiver, galbanum, and leather). I am at the point where I really need to consider whether something is full bottle worthy (hence my comment above about my annoyance at loving Iris Poudre on first sniff), but I don’t think that there is anything wrong with having many fragrances that represent different aspects of your favorite notes.
Also – do you like the bottle? That is often a deciding factor for me about whether I want to get a decant or wait and splurge on a whole bottle.
The bottle is nothing fancy. I am hankering over the creepy Penhaligon Tralala packaging.
SOTD is Zeta, which has been in fairly heavy rotation this summer.
Etat Libre d’Orange Rien. Also known as The Bomb.
Love it!
Going back through the sample bucket… Monyette Paris today. Nice suntan-oil stuff, takes me right back to when I was a kid at the pool! (There’s also a lot of musk in here, anybody notice that?) I don’t see Monyette talked about much these days, but The CEO started following me around when he came in from mowing a pasture field. He likes white florals.
oh wow, is he a natural or did you train him
?
I went a little sample buying crazy recently, so I am working my way through all of the Agonists. I started the day with Dark Saphir, which made me think of eating Howard’s Violet candies in the best way. it barely lasted 4 hours, but nice. Then the Olfactif samples came in the mail (spoiler alert!), so I used the Dame Perfumery Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli. It reminds me of Korres White Tea Bergamot Freesia but maybe sweeter? Unfortunately, I have to go to a wake later and this seems inappropriate. Hopefully it will fade and I will likely wears one vintage Silences as seems more serious?
Oh, bad editing there! Will likely wear vintage Silences!
I really liked the M, H, & P, but I know what you mean–the heliotrope is lovely, and doesn’t turn into Playdoh on me, but it’s so sweet (in a floral sense) and airy that it’s sort of the opposite of funereal. (The patchouli is so clean and light that it isn’t very grounding, really.) Even if it didn’t fade in time, I think other people notice our perfume much less than we think, so only you would notice the dissonance. And some people want their memorials to be more of a celebration nowadays, anyway. (This may be more of a California thing, but the number of Hawaiian shirts I see at funerals still surprises me.)
I laughed when I read this because I always think I smell AMAZING and can’t believe people don’t comment! I am sure you are right that most people don’t notice. And actually, I decided to take off the black dress and opt for something less formal because the deceased was not a member of my family. There were many surprising clothing and color choices, which seems to be a trend.
Today I picked Terrasse a St-Germain from JUL ET MAD.
Iris Nazarena fits the day nicely. I’ve been told how nice I smell several times this morning, I have to agree
Estee Lauder Celadon, because I was thinking about the desert island weekend poll and that I should have done an Estee Lauder list, too.
Celadon is a green chypre somewhere between Jacomo Silences and Deneuve. Soft, neither bitter nor sweet, with the slightest touch of powder.
Googling Celadon!
It’s an old one – I bought it blind when I found a small one on ebay just to see what it was like. I like it, fortunately!
I think my EL list would be: White Linen, Sensuous Noir, Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, Knowing, and Youth Dew Amber Nude.
Great list! I’d also like to have Azuree, Beyond Paradise, Celadon, Cinnabar and Youth Dew.
I loved it when they introduced the three and I thought it was the star. White Linen pulled ahead and stayed.
Oh! Consider Youth Dew dusting powder. A great way to wear that scent.
I guess times were changing. Celadon was more subtle than most of the ELs, too. I’d forgotten all about it until I saw it on ebay.
Youth Dew dusting powder is a great idea for the desert island!
I am in a Lemon Cloud today – Nuvol de Limona, that is. So sweet, it’s not quite refreshing like your normal lemony colognes. But it is nice.
Givenchy III today,classic green Chypre,they don’t make them like this anymore!Perfection in the cooler weather!
I almost wore GIII today! I wanted something with a little more oomph so I picked Amoureuse, but truly, I had it in my hands! Good choice. I like to wear GIII around the house in the middle of winter to make me think of fresh, green summer.
Robin’s lovely Terracotta visual and BDJ’s review prompted my choice of EL’s Azuree Soleil Eau Fraiche as my SOTD, which sounds like the next-best-scent (or its current iteration, Bronze Goddess) for those of us unable to find Guerlain’s version. Which, as a person who wears fragrances seasonally, is O.K. by me, as I already have way too many of this type of scent for what seems to be a short-lived summer here.
Voyage d’Hermès – because I needed to signal a fresh start (new journey). Bought it some months ago, but only opened today. While I’d hoped it would have more punch or oomph, it is a perfectly good way to smell
– more citrusy than I remembered, and like the hint of mineral or clay. The past two months have been a challenge with family illness, family death, job (funding) worries and all the other niggly things that go wrong when life throws those big worries at you. Throughout, the NST posts have been such a comfort – even though I’ve not had the wherewithal to post much myself. Looking ahead, let me try find an oomphier way to continue the voyage!
I hope the Voyage d’H presages a smoother and more joyful journey ahead
I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough couple of months, but glad you found comfort here. I know exactly what you mean. Just reading through the comments here provides such a nice escape with so much kindness and warmth amongst everyone. It’s such a pleasure to partake in it.
I hope things start looking up very soon and here’s too more oomph in all things – scented and otherwise.
Sorry you’ve had a rough time…hope everything gets better.
Wishing you happier – and untroubled – journeys ahead!
Best wishes on turning a new page.
Today I’m comparing Annick Goutal Nuit Etoilee, the EDP on one wrist and the EDT on the other. I received the EDP sample from a perfume fairy godmother and fell in love. Saw the EDT recently at a local discounter, so have found a sample of that to try. I don’t love it in the same way, though it is pretty and unusual and I know I would still wear it. Trying to decide if I should buy it, because it’s here and a good price, or just walk away and wait until I can get the EDP.
Whenever I buy one of these EdP/EdT variations, I’m feel I’ve bought the wrong one. I think it’s just a case of the grass is always greener on the other side, though.
That’s very helpful, actually. And can it be reversed? That in the end, you also can’t have gone wrong? Over the span of the morning, I have continued to enjoy the EDP, though it doesn’t feel at all right for morning. The EDT is a much better fit, fresher and cooler. If the EDP feels like a starry sky in the first stage of full dark, when pine needles on the ground are still giving off all the warmth of the hot summer sun, then the EDT feels more like the last bit of night sky, just as dawn emerges, when everything has a faint chill about it.
BOTH your descriptions are achingly beautiful! I reread it twice, and had to compliment you. I’m not a huge fan of Nuit Etoilee, but you make me want to give it another try. I hope you enjoy the one you finally choose…perhaps 5mL decants of both to help settle your mind? Be well.
I always think there is a lot of difference in the edt and edp from Goutal, enough that if you like the one, you’ll never really be satisfied if you settle for the other.
Does anyone else have irritable days when nothing seems quite right? I had on Infusion d’Iris this morning, which was great, but by late afternoon I wanted something warmer and put on Cathusia’s Ligea which I usually adore. Perhaps it was having just worn IdI (which is like a fine chain mail) that made Ligea feel revoltingly thick and sweet
I washed off the Ligea and later tried Dior Homme on one hand and the Intense on the other. I have tried them numerous times before but although I like both I don’t adore either. Today I am actually close to adoring the Intense but it may be that it just feels so familiar because I have tried it so often, lol!
yes, Merlin – sometimes general irritable days, but also perfume irritable days. Conversely, the RIGHT perfume can make all the other niggles disappear!
I know exactly what you mean! And, I used a spritz of Eau Noire a little while ago – and the whole world has been incrementally improving ever since…
Yes! Thankfully I have fragrance eating skin, so I can normally move on or layer with something more powerful to knock it out. Rarely is it an irrevocable choice.
Giving first full wear to Douce Amère, as I recently bought a friend’s bottle. It’s really wonderful, but I’m finding that I wish it were stronger, even though I sprayed quite a lot on. This must be the most subtle fragrance in the SL line (though I don’t recall Clair de Musc).
I also looked up your old review for reference, Robin. Nice description.
But really don’t remember it as subtle…been awhile since I’ve worn it myself, will try to pull it out this week!
A few precious drops of Aftelier Ancient resins from an awesome perfume pal
I mixed it into some jojoba oil, and put it on as a talisman to protect me on a huge day with much to do.
Incense-y and amazing and my probable belated birthday present to myself when I return from my tour.
I really want to sample that, but always forget to order since it’s not under perfume on the website.
it’s so good. The only celebrity fragrance I’ve tried, I think…
LOL, it’s funny to think of Leonard Cohen doing a celebuscent, but I guess if Alan Cumming can do it, Leonard can, too.
In all fairness, his name is not on the product…so don’t think you can call it a celebuscent! (must stick up for Leonard Cohen, sorry)
May Leonard’s calm demeanor be with you today
exactly what I’m striving for!
Started the day with Donna Karan Gold, finishing it with Eau de Guerlain
Layered some Bvlgari The Vert over some Osmanthus lotion from Acqua di Stresa that I got discounted at Bendels. My first layering experiment, and I’m not sure it was strong enough to make an impression either way. I mostly just smell the Bvlgari – which is not a bad thing.
It is CdG Champaca for me today. I really like it in the humidity.
SOTD is Chanel No.19 EDT. One of my favorites.