Happy Labor Day, and welcome to September! What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm wearing Demeter Greenhouse.
Reminder: this Friday, 5 September, is the signature scent challenge: pick a fragrance, wear it on Friday, then wear it through the weekend and again on Monday (or longer?) ... see if you notice anything new, or if you get sick of it, or ...? The following Friday, 12 September, wear something green.
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.
Note: top image is Alley (Serres Royales de Laeken) [cropped] by André Mouraux at flickr; some rights reserved.
Happy Labor Day everyone! Robin, the picture you posted is so lovely. Today, I am going to enjoy my day off by meeting up with some friends and having lunch with them. My SOTD is Leiber by Judith Leiber. I am using it sparingly since it has been discontinued and I am having a hard time finding anymore. My heart bleeds that I won’t have anymore of this fragrance in a few more sprays. 🙁
Isn’t that pretty? It’s from Royal Greenhouses of Laeken in Brussels.
So sorry your favorite got axed!
No wearing white after labor day! I remember reading a book years ago about 1920’s etiquette- I think it was called How to Play MahJong, but oddly this piece of strict advice is all I remember.
I’m wearing La Fille de Berlin today, an enjoying it immensely 🙂
Greenhouse sounds good. Do they still make it?
I think that one is mostly ignored now…and I think the days when women switched to white purses and white shoes for the summer are long gone anyway! But I remember my grandmother’s white purses 🙂
Yes, they still make Greenhouse. No idea if it’s been “redone” though.
That book was called “How to Set-Up for a Mah-Jongg Game and Other Lost Arts” by Joan Gelman and Carol Rinzler, and wasn’t it great? It was basically a satire of 1950s upper-middle-class Jewish ladyhood, and full of useful advice like how to select the skins for a fur coat and how to enjoy yourself without getting a bad reputation.
La Fille de Berlin is amazing and you smell terrific today!
I need to look for that book!
It’s out of print but easily available used. You should!
That’s it! 1950s was it? Close! 😉 I’m sure I had a copy of that but I’m thinking a flatmate ‘borrowed’ it…
I think it was you who mentioned La Fille and inspired me to wear it 🙂
I wore La Fille on Thursday because someone else wrote about wearing it on Wednesday, which reminded me that I had a sample lying on my desk. It’s SO rosy. Almost an angry rose, thorns and all. It’s amazing.
EL Sensuous, which I got a sample of from a sweet and generous perfume fairy. Can´t get enough of it.
I like that too, & the flankers are worth trying.
Sensuous Noir is one of my favorites. Give it a try if you have a chance.
If you can’t get enough of it – it’s an easy purchase -very affordable!
Such a shame there is no EL counter in Brazil… Perfume Mordor, I say.
Demeter Irish Cream, which is Bailey’s without the alcohol for a while, then mostly just vanilla. Lasts much longer than your average Demeter. Very nice.
Yum, I should get some of that.
It’s fun and durable and inoffensive, so it’s kind of perfect when you don’t know what to wear or don’t want to bother anyone. Also surprisingly accurate.
Demeter has those keychain sprays now, 3 mL for $2.50. You could get a bunch of neglected Demeters and have them with you all the time and it would hardly cost you anything.
Oooooh. 3ml sprays, that’s genius. Gingerale and Pruning Shears, here I come.
I wish every brand would put out small sizes like that.
I just got lost on the Demeter website…couldn’t make up my mind but am leaning towards a 3ml each of vetiver, salt air and wet garden. Anyone have any feed back on those or any specific “must try” Demeter frag? Those small sizes are so cute, tempting, and inexpensive 😉
The Vetiver is FANTASTIC. Amazingly good for the price. My own best-of list would also include Licorice, Fiery Curry, Incense, Junior Mints, Ginger Ale, and Waffle Cone: there are lots of others but I think those are probably my favourites. (Kahala Blue Hawaiian is another but it’s discontinued, alas.)
Today we’re just hanging out at home which is a nice change. I’m wearing Ormonde Jayne Woman b/c it feels like a nice green herald to an early fall.
Ditto here! We are doing not much of anything. Weather is gross so not worth going out anyway.
Craving a little floral today so I went with Pleasures Flower from E.Lauder. Just a touch of coconut to make it summer-happy 🙂
Yesterday I ate some really delicious melon and this morning when I woke up I just had to put on DelRae Emotionnelle. I know that some people aren’t too fond of this one because of all the melon, but I really like it.
SOTD is my sample of Cologne du Maghreb. So far, I am liking it very well. It seems a little richer and more complex than most eaux de cologne. Not sure if I will spring for a bottle, though.
This weekend is not turning out quite as I had planned (but then, what ever does?) I had hoped to finally get some work done outdoors, as the mosquitoes seem to be less numerous, but the thunderstorms nixed that. I may end up just doing some of it anyway, rain or no rain. Besides, rain=more mosquitoes, so if I don’t do it now, by next weekend I won’t be able to.
My husband and I are celebrating our 24th anniversary today. We didn’t plan anything big, as we have something coming up next weekend, but we were planning to go to a particular restaurant this evening that we had not been to in quite a while, but I just learned that they are closed on Mondays, so no dice. The second choice (also one we had been neglecting lately) turns out to be closed permanently. Time for plan C, I suppose.
Happy anniversary!
Happy anniversay! I hate it when the good places disappear 🙁 hope you find somewhere nice 🙂
Happy anniversary!
Congrats on the anniversary!
Happy Anniversary! I hope that Plan C is the best plan of them all – perhaps a new discovery that will soon become a new favorite.
I think plan C is going to be another old favorite that we haven’t been to in a while. I am certain this one is open, as they posted on their FB page that they would be open for dinner today.
Happy anniversary! And hope dinner at your Plan C old favorite turns out to be fabulous.
Happy anniversary!
Enjoy your day! Happy anniversary.
Happy anniversary!
Thanks to everyone for the anniversary wishes. Plan C worked out well. It was a wonderful Japanese restaurant in Galveston that we have gone to occasionally since before we were married, so it has a lot of memories for us. Everything was delicious as usual.
Happy Anniversary!
Morning everyone, good evening for those on my part of the world. Monday is gone here…
Wearing Jazz YSL today, the old glass bottle. Oddly enough, I bought it at the old market in Jerusalem a couple of months ago for a song. If only the shop keeper knew this little treasure is much more valuable than the 10 dollars I paid for it 🙂
SOTD: Wildblue Noir Banana Republic for men
We had a tragedy involving the neighbor’s cat last night which brought the whole street out. It was so upsetting I couldn’t get to sleep until about 2am. Finally woke up at 11am(!) with an emotional hangover in desperate need of something beautiful.
So I chose Amouage Fate Woman from a small decant I have.
Everyone give their kids (2 legged and 4 legged) an extra hug and kiss today.
Oh very best to you and your neighbors today!
Oh, I’m so sorry, I know I would have the same reaction as you! If it’s any help or comfort, or if it’s appropriate for your neighbor, there’s a wonderful children’s book – with beautiful, folk-style painted illustrations – called “Cat Heaven” – that has brought me solace, even as an adult, and I have paid it forward to others (can be found inexpensively on Amazon). There’s also a “Dog Heaven” available. Hoping the Amouage brings you comfort and beauty after yesterday’s unpleasantness.
Oh gosh, that’s a wonderful idea. Thanks so much!
Poor cat and poor humans! I hope that you find lots of “something beautiful” to get through this.
Oh dear. That sounds awful. I hope the Amouage gave you some comfort.
SOTD is Goutal’s Un Matin d’Orage. It’s lovely and although I think of it more as a spring scent it beautifully suited today’s weather which was sunny with a few clouds.
Always love that one.
Happy Labor Day! DH and the kids are off to do a bit of last minute back to school shopping and very generously gave me some quiet time to myself! I think I’ll make some tea, grab a book and go curl up on the sun porch with one of our outdoor cats. We were going to grill some chicken for dinner since we don’t have any party plans. However it looks stormy out and there’s been a spattering of rain so I don’t think that will happen if the weather reports end up being accurate.
I’m in the mood for something soft with a green edge so might wear either Les Nuits d’Hadrien, Shiseido Relaxing, Lucky No. 6 (a pretty green floral with a lot of lotus) or a dab of Aromatics Elixir Perfumer’s Reserve though I worry the latter might be too heavy in the humidity. I can’t decide and might layer a couple to try and create the smell that would be most comforting today.
I hope everyone has a nice day and if you’re traveling, be safe.
SOTD = Amouge Memoir Woman
I’m testing it to determine if I will go in on a split at a very good price. I’m waffling – on one hand, the top notes smell like root beer and I think this is not a yucky hot and humid weather; on the other hand, i’m in air-conditioned glory and the dry-down is fabulous. Decisions decisions
Memoir is lovely – I don’t get root beer at all. I prefer it in cooler weather – it’s just too much for me in the heat. Good luck on your decision! (You can always get more later if you don’t want to commit to a larger split)
I hate the iPhone sometimes as the screen is too small! I should have said that Memoir Woman is not good in this yucky hot and humid weather and it actually performed better when I went into an air-conditioned space. I’ll just have to give it another try when it is cooler. I gave it two spritzes from my manufacturer’s sample atomizer so thinking that I probably should add 1-2 more for the full effect…in cooler weather of course!
Adore Memoir, and actually wore a spritz or two last night, but cannot imagine it outside in heat and humidity. Yipe.
I love Memoir Woman! That being said, I never wear it in the summer (unless it’s cold). Even with our cool summer this year, I’ve not cracked it. There is just too much going on there. That’s a tough call. I’d do the split and then live with it during this next year. If you really can’t stand it by the time you get through next year, you’d have no troubles swapping it away.
DK Gold EDT for me! Probably something else for the evening, but I haven’t decided yet.
Happy Labor Day!
So nice to relax and have no plans at all.
Yesterday I tried Prodigieux Le Parfum by Nuxe in a local drug store and was quite taken with it. It stayed with me all day until I showered around 9pm, and by that time it was a very appealing creamy coconut with a touch of orange blossom. Really lovely.
Did anyone else try and like this one?
I realize we’re going into fall, but I may need to get me some anyway!
No SOTD just yet.
Haven’t tried the perfume, but the dry oil is great…. I think I’ll slather some on top of my Jour de Fete….
I really like this one too. I just recently got it and it has been a go-to for me since I brought it home. A happy, carefree scent.
Happy & carefree is a good way to describe this.
I blind bought PLPN after reading many good reviews. Unfortunately, the only notes that stood out for me were the were the white florals. I gave it to my mom, and she really likes it, so I did not waste my money. I also gave her my blind-bought Bronze Goddess. Say that five times fast! 🙂 And, I introduced her to Kai, which she loves!
I should say that I like orange blossom (a white flower), but it didn’t last long in the PLPN for me.
I agree in that the white florals are not the main focus for this fume. The coconut, and dare I say “beach pebbles” are the stars. There is something very sand/beach pebble like in this for me.
It’s not a super tropical sustain oil fume, but more subtle in its beachy-ness.
Yes, now that you mention it, I do remember the pebble note being prominent. And for this Californian who wears unscented skin products, I think that a pebble/sand note is much more realistically beachy than suntan oil, flowers, or coconut 🙂
I love coconut in perfume, and if I could have smelled it as well as you can in PLPN, I might have hung onto it.
Meant to say “Northern Californian.” Our beaches are absolutely wonderful, but they are not tropical 🙂
I love nuxe oil. I use it in my hair and for taking off under eye makeup fall out. Does the perfume smell like the oil?
I’ve gone through two samples and like it enough to wonder if I should buy some after each testing. However, I’ve been so spoiled by Guerlain Terracotta Le Parfum that I don’t know if I need both. But since Terracotta’s so hard to find, the Nuxe perfume is certainly nice and along the same vein. It would be nice to have as an easy and soft beachy scent, especially if I bought it at a good price. And it is a bit less demanding and small spaces friendly than Terracotta, which is huge sillage on me for the first hour or two.
mmmm that sounds really nice. Your description reminds me a little of this year’s version of Bronze Goddess.
I have decided to give George Eliot’s Middlemarch the way old college try once more on this lovely Labor Day weekend – and I felt Dipytyque’s L’Ombre Dans L’Eau would be a nice fit for 1820s England. And it is!
One of my favorite books, and one of my favorite summer roses, too. Enjoy both!
Oh good for you. I tried to get through Middlemarch a couple of times and kept putting it aside.
Ditto for me, finally passed it on to a friend.
I’ve been wearing that a lot the past few days. So great.
Commando at the moment but thinking Jour de Fete might fit the bill. It’s still super hot here but I’m feeling a gourmand vibe.
It’s hard to decide what to wear when the calendar says September but the heat index says July. And weather forecasts call for even hotter weather in DC tomorrow. 🙁
Heat index around here says August. Which is, to my mind, WORSE than July.
Hear, hear! August is usually the hottest month of the year for us too.
The rain stopped, so I finally got outside to try to deal with the weed situation, but I had to stop after only an hour. It is like a sauna outside–around 95 degrees and humid. Pretty much normal weather for early September on the Gulf coast. I am so ready for fall to get here.
Marni again today. It was languishing unloved for quite awhile, even though I love it. But I think I’m starting to figure out the right days for it. I’d love to try Marni Rose, but nowhere where I live carries it. (And I’ve yet to open the gates to ordering internet samples, for fear of the flood it would cause!)
Marni has been on my mind! I briefly looked for my sample today but couldn’t find it. Need to look harder – would like to try that spicy rose again!
I’m wearing O de Lancome today. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my day. Might go wash the car and figure it out from there.
Amouage Interlude Man.
Maybe a bit much for this hot humid day, but in my defence it was cool this morning and I’m ready to move away from all my citrus/tea/summer scents into something richer.
Oh I love Interlude Man. The salesguy at Aedes gave me a sample and I was smitten.
I wanted something fresh so I put on Pure White Linen, but it wasn’t sitting quite right so I layered Amethyst on top. It’s my universal layer-er.
Just got back from extended-family potluck meal – it’s miserably humid out so I want to curl up in front of the fan and take a nap.
SOTD is Carven Le Parfum, which I’m finding very comfortable. Pleasant, un-ditzy wallpaper scent. I’d probably wear it a lot if I owned it, but don’t think I’ll buy a bottle.
I was just testing that this afternoon after my OJ wore off, and I was nice and hot. It opened so nice, but quickly turned to pure caramel on me. FK’s fragrances tend to do that – same happened with Elie Saab. I love his use of OB though…. I’d love something like Carven that went into a kind of vetiver direction…
I never got anything sweet at all with it, isn’t that funny?
Elie Saab went all screechy patchouli on me after that pretty orange blossom/sparkly tulle opening, and I can’t bear *that.* Oh well.
Opium Orchidee de Chine– since I don’t have work or school I figured I could reek of something strong but it seems milder than I remember (I haven’t worn it in about a year). Oh well.
Went up to 8 or 9 sprays and outside into the heat and humidity. Much better. The first couple of sprays were definitely weaker though
I meant to test Cartier L’Heure Mysterieuse, but I picked up Defendu again by mistake. It’s an interesting perfume, though, so not a waste of skin time. 🙂
This was supposed to be a separate comment rather than a non sequitur. But why not applaud thegoddessrena’s gutsy approach, while I’m here! 😉
Orchidee de Chine _IS_ a summer flanker after all….
I would like to have been there when someone said, “I know, let’s do a summer flanker of Opium!” 🙂
They did one for several years in a row but this is the only one I ever smelled and I’ve had it since it was released (2007 maybe?)
No SOTD yet, after a very busy week-and-a-half, I’m trying to put my life (and home!) back together today before getting ready for a mid-week camping trip.
Despite the stormy weather and numerous commitments, we have somehow managed to celebrate the end of summer with 4 concerts in the last 9 days. Three outdoor – one night, a tribute band to the Doors; another night, a tribute band to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; another night a great local classic rock group – and one major indoor concert (Steve Winwood and Tom Petty). Weather permitting, we’re hoping to get to the last carillon concert at our beautiful botanic garden tonight. The setting for the soothing sounds of the beautiful bell concert is peaceful and magnificent: we sit across a small lake from the bell tower; the lake reflects the clouds, the sky, the setting sun and the birds flying home to roost. A sip of wine, some cheese, and AG’s Songes will complete my night.
Songes has been my biggest perfume surprise (perhaps another theme for community scent day?) Although I love the jasmine plant that blooms outside my window in the summer, I am not a white floral lover and don’t usually care for jasmine fragrances. I tested Songes at the beginning of a shopping trip a few years ago only because I liked its back story, and the AG’s all smell good on me whether or not they’re to my taste. My nose was pressed to my hand during the entire shopping trip as I kept saying to myself, “I shouldn’t like this, I shouldn’t like this,” but it was love at first sniff and I had to have it! I wear it seldom and sparingly – as I seem to do with my most favorite scents – but when I do I am in heaven. I also always wear white clothing when I wear Songes – it just fits – so that’s how I will celebrate summer’s end tonight.
Love carillons. And Tom Petty. And Songes is gorgeous. ENjoy!
Are you talking about the Chicago Botanic Gardens? I’ve always wanted to go to one of their carillon concerts, but didn’t get to it this year. Tried to go to the Gardens yesterday, and got all the way out there only to find out that it was closed, due to their water main breaking. Ended up at the Lincoln Park Zoo and lakefront again. Have fun tonight!
Songes is really outstanding. I wear it a lot in the late winter/early spring.
CSN& Y and Tom Petty? Nice. I’m not white floral lover, either, but I do keep trying them (I have stopped blind buying FBs of them, but that’s good advice for any perfume 🙂 )
Making quite the languid day of it, but have now at least gotten dressed. Feeling a little indecisive about perfume, so putting on some Bendelirous ‘cos if it doesn’t work I can just put something else on in an hour or two.
SOTD is Legrand’s Chypre Mousse. Started out almost swampy green, but I mean that in a good way – I’m someone who loves Onda, for example. The funny thing is, my husband kept saying it smelled like honey to him. I’m not sure what he’s picking up on – maybe the labdanum, or maybe just the earthiness?
It’s so hot and humid here, but after an afternoon horseback riding, followed by a cool shower (first the horse and then me), I didn’t want to put on anything wimpy. Amouage Lyric was the answer.
This must be my second sample of Lyric (for women), and it is just perfect. Once this one is gone, I may need a FB, but the price makes me cringe!
The online discounters have this at a pretty good discount, not that I am enabling or anything of that sort, nope, I’m not, not at all 😉
But if we were, this would be the time to enable – there are some amazing discounts on Amouage these days! Not that I’m the enabling sort, either. 😉
Haha, you two are a riot 🙂
I’m going commando today perfume-wise today because I have a cold. My nose isn’t stuffed up, but I have a raging sore throat, I’m sneezing, my nose is running, and the sinus pressure is so bad that I think my eyes may pop of my sockets. Not feeling like wearing perfume.
I felt fine yesterday (until early evening) and we went birding at the coast (Point Reyes) to escape the triple-digit heat in the Central Valley. I wore Plunder by BPAL because it’s an oil and I because I was going to be in the car with my husband for several hours, I didn’t want to wear anything that would off-gas too much 🙂 For dinner, we had Indian food in Petaluma and we had the best Aloo Cauli (cauliflower and potatoes; it’s usually called Aloo Gobi, I think?) we’ve ever had.
In addition to birds, we saw elephant seals (one large beachmaster) and a herd of 12 male elk, all with antlers, and some had some mighty impressive racks! 😉
Aw feel better soon, kindcrow. I think I had the same thing a few weeks ago and the most frustrating part was abstaining from perfume because everything smelled off somehow.
Sounds like you saw some amazing wildlife on your trip!
Thanks. Cepacol lozenges (thank goodness for benzocaine) and decongestant take the edge off of things a bit. I’m so glad that my body waited to get sick until my fun day was almost over.
What an amazing day (minus the sinus issues, of course)! I used to live in a very rural area and loved to “go out into nature” – it’s a wonderful way to feel connected to the world at large and I find any time spent immersed in the wild so restorative!
Those beachmasters are huge!
We live in the city, but spending time in nature is very important to us, so when we bought a house, we bought one near a river parkway.
I can’t believe that a place as wonderful as Point Reyes is still free. When we were young (and dumb), one of the riskiest things we did at Point Reyes was to start a long hike late in the day during the elk rut. It was dark and foggy on the walk back it was NOT fun when the trail took us between a male elk and a group of females. I can still remember his angry snorts as he stomped and tore at the ground with his hooves.
Wow! Bull elk are massive. I wouldn’t say I’m “afraid” of large animals like that, but I am very respectful of their power and their need to defend themselves and their territory.
I had a similar experience one winter in Yellowstone- hiking past a herd of bison. They are so impressive and powerful! I was very relieved after we had passed them…:)
Today I put on my all purpose summer dress that I wear almost every day and hardly ever wash (sorry TMI!) It had an amazing perfume aroma but I couldn’t remember what I was wearing when I last wore the dress. I think it was a combination of two or three perfumes worn over a few days but I couldn’t for the life of me remember what it was. So that was my SOTD today until I decided to augment with a little vanilla incensee. Tonight I will be adding some Elephant.
I’m trying not to buy anything new, but the sales are so tempting.
STC is offering 15% off today and tomorrow so I may just get that sample of Indochine.
Thanks for the tip. I may get a sample of Indochine and a few others that are hanging out in my “to-try” notebooks (yes, I have two).
I get the same sensation when I open my perfume cabinet. The most beautiful scent wafts out and it amazes me that all those different perfumes stored in a small space can creat such a tantalizing aroma.
Last night I had sleep issues and got up 2 or 3 times just to open the door, take same deep breaths, fiddle around with a few bottles, and then get back in bed.
It helped.
I’ll have to try that.
NPR’s food column, The Salt, highlighted, had an interesting spot today entitled, “These 5 Crops Are Still Hand-Harvested, And It’s Hard Work.” Three of them are dear to our hearts: saffron, vanilla and chocolate.
The other two are palm and cottonseed oils.
Interesting. I’ll have to read that. I got a great photo of my husband in a greenhouse at UC Davis standing under vanilla AND chocolate plants. The caption should be “The Trifecta” or “My three favorite things.” Ha!
What a perfect photo, kindcrow!
Spent the entire day unpacking (again). Wore Balenciaga Paris, which stood up nicely to the heat and to the hours of sweating and work. The unpacking is almost done!