Welcome to another week! What's your fragrance today?
And if you're participating in the signature scent challenge, how's it going?
I've learned that I'd really rather not wear Robert Piguet Fracas every day. It's gorgeous, but some days, it's frankly too gorgeous, and too formal. There were times over the weekend, especially as I was doing chores around the house, when it irked me and I wished I was wearing something else. Then again, I did notice new things. The sandalwood in the dry down is more prominent than I'd remembered (it helps that I'm wearing vintage), and I often forget (although I think someone brought it up in the comments here recently) that the orange blossom is so prominent, and how noticeable some of the other floral notes (especially the hyacinth and narcissus) are in the early stages. So this was fun, but either I'm no longer interested in wearing one fragrance every day, or Fracas just isn't the right choice.
Reminder: this 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.
I’ve given up wearing Bvlgari PF, after 3 days of it I just missed wearing something else.
So today I’m wearing Divine’s L’Eternel Féminin. Which is lovely.
Good reason!
SOTD: Eternity Aqua for Men Calvin Klein for men
Have a great Monday!
I did the challenge, so it’s one last go-round for L’Artisan Mure et Musc. I picked something I hoped wouldn’t grate, and it was definitely pleasant enough each day, but each evening I found I wanted something with more body and sprayed on another nighttime scent. If I was really going to pick a “signature scent,” I’d probably pick a dramatic one and only wear it on special occasions.
Meanwhile, I am leaving for Indianapolis tomorrow and still have to decide whether to bring multiple scents or pick another four-day signature scent.
I wore different things at night too 🙂
SOTD is Frederic Malle Iris Poudre. I have been participating in the signature scent challenge. Although I’ve been happy with my choice for the last four days, a signature scent is just not my thing. I want ALL the smells, my taste varies quite a bit, and I like my fragrance to fit my mood.
Iris Poudre was always good, never felt out of place wearing it. BUT, one thing I noticed – Friday through Sunday I was wearing Iris Poudre from a sample vial, so I was dabbing it on. I got back from vacation yesterday, and had a package waiting for me with a travel size spray vial of Iris Poudre. So, today, I am wearing it sprayed on, and rather lavishly 🙂 However, the scent is very different sprayed vs. dabbed. Sprayed, I notice more of the carnation and magnolia, which I consider lighter flowers, as well as more powder. Dabbed, I notice more iris and sandalwood. Its good either way.
This morning I stuck with the signature scent challenge, although I thought it felt like a No 19 day … I have decided that this week will be an iris week for me (No 19, Infusion d’Iris, Hiris, Silver Iris Mist, Iris Ukiyoe … I have so many samples!)
Hurrah for Iris Week!
I love Iris Poudre – it was a contender for my signature scent and one of my top all-time favorites.
Iris week sounds fun!
I knew I wouldn’t be able to wear the same scent (even one that I love) more than two days in a row, so I didn’t participate in the signature scent challenge, We have two more warm days here, per the weather people, before it cools down a lot, so I put on Profumum Confetto, as it reminds me of sweet food items one sees at outdoor summer gatherings.
I just looked it up, and it sounds awfully nice! Is there a lot of anise in it, or is that just a grace note?
i give up on the challenge and I’ll test out Une Rose Chypree today.
Ha, looks like not many of us can manage 4 days!
I can do 3 or 4 days without thinking about it but to chose before hand, I can’t do it. I don’t know why.
4 days running is a bit much. It seems we all like variety.
I skipped the challenge yesterday (instead, tried the two new J. Crew scents on skin, then wore my newest purchase, Fils de Dieu, at night), but I am wearing Cuir de Lancome again this morning. I’m sick of it! I won’t be doing this again … would rather save my favorites for when I’m craving them.
I think the only reason I stuck to the challenge easily is because I chose a new favorite, that I haven’t worn enough yet … Cuir de Lancome is a favorite though. I probably would have chosen that one, but I was going on vacation and decided to chose from my sample vials.
It’s one of my all-time very favorites but I’ve never worn it three times in one week before … I should ban myself from wearing any perfume more than twice in a row, as insurance against getting sick of it!
Me too. I adore Fracas but too much is too much.
Oh, so how’d you like the J.Crew scents?
They are nicely done but both of them immediately reminded me of other scents. I haven’t quite put my finger on what the rosy one reminds me of, maybe several things. The spicy one is like 5 O’Clock au Gingembre with maybe a stronger cinnamon note. (Already have a bottle of the Serge.)
I tried to keep the challenge and wore Osmantus Interdite on Saturday morning and today, but: changed into Le Parfum de Therese for my daughter’s party on Saturday afternoon and wore L’Ombre dans l’Eau at another kids’ party on Sunday afternoon.
I had been wearing Osmanthus Interdite since last Monday, though.
Scent that Should Have Been SOTD (had I remembered it this morning before leaving the house): Le Temps d’une Fete. Will wear it tomorrow.
I think I would have done better with something lighter. Eau des Merveilles, maybe.
This signature scent challenge is much harder than I thought it’d be! I didn’t often think about one of my habits–putting on a different perfume at bedtime–until I tried not to do so on Friday night. Saturday night I did put on a bit of Crepe de Chine because I wanted something different for the cool weather and last night, it was L’Heure Bleue edp for the premiere of Boardwalk Empire with friends. But while I haven’t grown tired of Candy, I have definitely determined that I am not a signature scent person and much like dieting, trying to stick with one perfume is much harder when making a conscious effort rather than just wearing one for a few days because it’s captured my fancy for a time.
It was a fun challenge and I’m glad to have participated, but really I go through different perfume moods too often and would find continuing with such a concept restricting at this point. Even trying to think of five perfumes for a desert island makes me anxious with indecision. But I can do this for one more day and as always, these themed scent of the day (or weekend in this case) posts are a lot of fun. 🙂
I had the same problem – I usually put something (one of my “comfort scents”) on before getting under the covers. I love the scent I chose for the challenge, and it wasn’t difficult to stick with it during the day, but it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable at bedtime.
Me three….
I managed three days of Songes. I still enjoyed smelling it but I found that whereas I normally wear 2-3 scents per day, having only one choice meant that I only applied it when I was going out. And there were many times when I wouldve preferred to be wearing something else that suited my mood better. I also began the challenge on a nice warm spring day, but today was storms and destructive winds and having a day off I refused to even leave the house to get milk (I had to walk) so I abandoned the challenge and wore L’Ambre des Merveilles instead.
It’s SO nice having options! There’s no way I could have a signature scent it would drive me crazy.
Yes, what we’ve probably accomplished, mostly, is gaining more appreciation of choice 🙂
Good for you for making it through four days Robin! I’m not surprised to hear that Fracas didn’t quite work for all occasions, but I’m sure you pulled it off well.
I didn’t have a chance to comment on Friday or the weekend, but I’ll report – I wore Feminite du Bois on Friday, and loved it as usual. Then on Saturday it was *oppressively* hot here in New York, so I switched over to my new mainstay, Infusion d’Iris. Probably should have chosen it in the first place considering the heat.
Yesterday involved a sniffing adventure at MiN on Crosby Street (not affiliated, but I couldn’t give them a higher rating), but before that, I had gone back to my Id’I. Wearing it again today, and I’m continuing to enjoy it, though I may need to mix it up with some ambery warmth again soon.
Makes me feel confident, and both stately AND approachable…if there is such a combination.
Hope you’re all doing well, fellow fumies…
I will also say – I think that once you’ve started to challenge yourself, so to speak, with regular variety in scents, you crave that stimulation. When you stick with one thing for longer periods of time, it’s like hearing the same song over and over again; as much as you may love it, you can’t listen to *only* that forever…
I am one of those persons that listens to the same album over and over for months (and months). My boyfriend hates it 😉 But I also get overwhelmed by sound easily and often just enjoy and need quiet, so I like to have the same album on all the time. I find it comforting. However, when it comes to smells and flavors (and colors!) I am the exact opposite. My nail polish, color choice in clothes, and perfume all change with the season and my mood. My comfort colors are black nail polish with a black and grey outfit while wearing Infusion d’Iris.
Agree! For me it would be like having to wear the same clothes every day. (another reason I’ve never wanted a tattoo…)
I have said the exact same thing about tattoos!! I would be sick to death of it in days, I have no doubt.
I got mine on my front shoulder, midway between my armpit, my collarbone and my lady lump on that side. It is typically covered by clothing and I often forget it is there!
Perfect then. I love other people’s tattoos (at least, sometimes) but don’t think I could ever pick a design I was sure I could live with.
I am not quite sure how I managed to choose a design that I still enjoy for the most part.
Probably just got lucky, since the other factors at play were 1) I was 18 1/2, and 2) I picked my design of the wall of the non-descript tattoo parlor, and 3) my almost-choice was something ironic, which would not have aged as well as the simple bird design I ultimately chose.
Definitely a close call 😉
OK, I did it too, but not because I thought HdP Noir Patchouli would become my signature. Like everybody else who posts here, the daily exercise of a whim is much more appealing than applying a signature.
Nobody here needs this lesson, either, but extended sampling is a good thing, because the experience with one fragrance from day to day really does change. I was in touch with the bright, sharp notes of Noir Patchouli from occasional use. But now I’m much more involved with its first hour, which is very dark(you assume “Noir” doesn’t really mean anything in the name of a perfume, like “Fruity Sugar Noir,” or the like) and nose-pricklingly sharp. So not a signature, but maybe a FB buy.
Fun experience, Robin.
Really glad it was fun!
I’ve made it to day four wearing Paestum Rose (although I did wear a few samples of other things in the evenings). I noticed different notes or aspects of it more on different days—sometimes the incense, sometimes the floral notes other than rose. Definitely ready for something else tomorrow though!
I don’t think we’ll ever try this again for more than 4 days 🙂
I’m on my fourth day of wearing No. 19, and as much as I love it, will be happy to don something else tomorrow. I’ve discovered that the parfum has a much richer, sweeter drydown than the EDT and stays much closer to the skin. I like them both. My small sample of EDP was old and a little disappointing. I definitely prefer the brightness of the EDT and richness of the parfum but probably won’t need to wear either again too soon!
Yesterday, day 3 of L’Eau du Navigateur, I learned that I am not able to enjoy the same scent three days in a row, so I guess that’s something I didn’t know before. It’s a great scent, but on Sunday I kept thinking, “Again? Really?” I need constant change. I need a wardrobe to choose from.
So today I’m wearing Tokyomilk Sugar Bomb #113, which like the other two scents in the set is really just a perfumery base, in this case sugary vanilla and cocoa with a nondescript floral overlay (supposedly “vanilla orchid” but I doubt it). It’s like having worn some sort of floral oriental for eight hours and experiencing the drydown all at once. No particular reason I chose it: the box just happened to be lying on my desk.
Made it three days with the challenge (Mary Greenwell Plum, a favorite).
Bedtime last night did me in. We had storms blow through all three evenings, but only last night did the temperature really drop afterward, and I needed one of my bedtime comfort scents. (“Needed.” Ha. I mean, I craved an experience I wasn’t getting with my signature choice.) So I caved and spritzed on some DSH La Fete Nouvelle, which is warm and haylike.
Today is too chilly for Plum. While I was walking the dog this morning, I conceived a yen for some vintage Magie Noire. It hasn’t gone away, so I’m going to locate my mini and dab a bit.
So, with regards to the signature scent challenge, I’m finding that I can’t wear the same thing every day. In my formative years I always had a choice of two or three fragrances, at least. If I’m honest, even during the years I HAD a signature scent (of necessity, due to limited funds), I *didn’t* wear it every day. I saved it for occasions when I’d be wearing something nicer than my usual stay-at-home-mom clothes: church, choral practice, doctors’ appointments, etc.
I now have a habit of changing my rotation seasonally, and I’ve become so accustomed to taking the weather and my daily agenda into consideration that I feel very deprived by limiting myself. It was an interesting experiment.
I managed 2 days of Amber Oud, but took a break to avoid head pains… (that sounds downright awful!)
I do like Amber Oud so I want to give it another go, just can’t afford to be with a headache right now.
SOTD is Dune. This might be the closest thing to a signature scent. I dab, don’t spray and this works so lovely with my skin if I do say so myself 😉
I just so enjoy smelling it throughout the day. The dry down is gorgeous!
People have been mentioning that one a lot lately. What’s your take on it, besides loving it?
On me its sandalwood, amber and floral…very creamy and blended well. It lasts all day long, just a dab, and it feels/smells timeless to me. I’d wear this with anything, really. The opening is kind of sharp due to the aldehydes,
but it dies down quickly.
Fun at MiN, eh? Gosh, I’m embarrassed to say I’ve not visited that shop yet.
I will have to try – you and I definitely have some overlap in our tastes, and it sounds lovely.
As for MiN – I’m ready to move in. They even make their own candles contained in beautiful bone china…not really in my price range, but definitely on my fantasy buy list. They also carry Keiko Mecheri’s line, which doesn’t seem to be spoken about nearly as much as I would expect.
Anyway, if you want to go play some day, let me know!
Interesting re: Keiko Mecheri… I’ve had a few of their fumes on my list in the past and may have gotten a sample at one point online for their peach focused scent?
I’d like to take a closer look at that brand.
Dune! Yes! Go get it!
Keiko Mecheri Bespoke Canyon Dreams is beautiful, and I also really like Soussanne. The bespoke coffret is really good value, but I still flinch at fb prices :-/
Was this the PdN Amber Oud?
Yes! Sorry… I should have made this more clear.
It is lavender and vanilla with a touch of amber, but no oud… to my nose at least.
Have you tried it? I like it a lot and the lavender is really well done. It’s very cozy. Just having the headache issue, something that’s happen before with lavender.
Not the PdN. I’ve tried (and liked) the By Kilian Amber Oud, but as we were talking about earlier, the mention of the lavender in the PdN warned me off. Incidentally, there isn’t much oud in the BK either.
BK’s also got a Rose Oud – which I like very much. I don’t know how PdN got away with the same names released two (I think) years later, other than maybe they were simple rather than distinctive. I can’t think it did PdN any good, not to distinguish their own scents in some way. I’m generally fond of PdN, but I do think their marketing decisions are often… odd, for lack of a better word.
Yeah, marketing is not their strong point 😉
I need to try the BK’s Amber Oud.. Rose Oud I’ve tried and didn’t do much for me. Maybe I need to sample it a bit more.
BK Rose and Amber Ouds are my favourite of the series, and I’ve a travel set of the Rose Oud.
As far as oud goes though, I tried AdP Colonia Intensa Oud the other day and found it rather delicious! Sexy citrus oud.
Day 4 of Une Rose de Kandahar and I think I chose well! Still loving it, could wear it forever I think.
However, what I have realized by participating in this challenge is that I NEED change- it seems almost vital to be able to switch it up according to mood, weather, occasion, etc.
And I did “cheat” a bit by wearing a perfume oil to spin class daily and then applying the challenge scent after showering.
I think this was a great idea and I really enjoyed participating 🙂
I copped out and barely sniffed the weird cap ring of Covet this weekend! I can’t imagine wearing one thing day after day Today I couldn’t decide, but went with No 5 Eau Premiere. I feel like sparkling today. 🙂
I abandoned my signature scent challenge fragrance (Avignon) this morning because I think I’m starting to get sick (or my senses are just getting burned out) and dry woods/incenses are making me a little headache-y. I needed something that wouldn’t be demanding, so today’s scent of the day is Pacifica Spanish Amber. Just a very simple fragrance that doesn’t make me feel underdressed and isn’t so energetic that I can’t keep up with it.
I still like Avignon a lot, but I also love cake and definitely can’t have cake every day. I think I need a few days to reset.
Oh. I could probably manage cake every day 😉
SOTD is Bottega Veneta Pour Homme. Got a sample of it from my friendly SA at S5A last Friday, and I am really enjoying it. Didn’t think much on paper but it is lovely on skin.
Also got a sample of the new Bn9 Queens, on paper seems initially like a tamer muted Chinatown/Lexington Ave, but I would need to do side-by-side comparisons to know for sure.
Cheers! 🙂
Funny how many of us crave variety in our scents … or at least the possibility of it. SOTD is Iris Nobile edp, and I am completing the challenge … but am cheating a little because I’ve been away from home and only brought that scent with me. 🙂 I think I would have been able to meet the challenge anyway because IN is my newest crush/crave (and I always overdose on a new ‘fume love, the way one does with a new favorite song as someone else noted in this thread) , but have to admit that I’ll happily apply something else when I’m home again. That said, it was interesting to really focus on just one perfume all day every day. Last night (just before reapplying at bedtime) I was getting lots of orris and just a bit of sweet smoke. Remains this morning are sort of soapy skin scent. Off to shower and embark on Day Four!
I did OK with the scent challenge with No 19 extrait/edt. Friday and Saturday were easy… until we got to Saturday evening. I had to shower after a long day in the hot humidity doing some yard work. It was about to cool off with major rain, etc…. I reached for Eau Duelle. I figured it was someone else’s challenge, so that kind of counts, right? and then Sunday I just pushed over to more vanilla with the iPdF Ambra del Nepal b/c it’s my newest bottle and I want to really enjoy the novelty of getting to know it.
I am manogomish with my fragrances and after all these years and all these bottles, there is just no way I could do just one. It would be a struggle to pair down to less than 5 *per season* — what is that 20? Not even likely that. I am lucky that fragrances are such a sensual enhancement my every day life.
What I discovered was that I can wear the same fragrance for a few days (and I do get into mini-ruts), but I really need to do a switch up in the evening or before bed (as a few mention above). I really need to make a transition and it is mental now as much as anything. I may wear Bottega Veneta and Eau Premiere a lot to work, but I switch it up in the evenings. I also realize that I have a habit of wearing a “breakfast” fragrance, like on Sunday am, before I shower when I’m being lazy. Also, that really embracing the drydown of the No 19 extrait (I normally wear the edt), made me have a serious hankering for Mitsouko b/c the oakmoss in the base is so similar to Mitsouko. So that was a surprise discovery. And I’m wearing Mitsouko today – vintage extrait as a treat as I normally wear the edp.
Fun challenge!! I really enjoyed the Sunday posts and hearing everyone’s fragrances past was a real mind jog for me to remember fragrances I forgot I even owned.
I enjoy reading your thoughtful posts AnnS, thanks for the nod on Shalimar! 😉
Thanks Bear! Sometimes I feel like I am blathering on… I can only imagine that you smell awesome!!
I ended my 5 day Mitsouko EDP today with some Prada Infusion d’Iris Absolue. Mitsouko was not great for the hot, stuffy conference rooms I spent most of my weekend in, where it slapped me and everyone around me in the face with a stifling peach accord, but it was otherwise excellent for the chilly, drizzly autumn weather we’re having, underscoring the mossy and warm, woody facets.
I’m not much of a one-perfume person and I ended up looking at my collection longingly every morning. I almost chose something very cold and brisk today to counter the Mitsouko overdose but in the end, cold and brisk just isn’t me.
I’m wearing Parfums de Nicolaï Sacrebleu edt, and I’m on my fourth day! Yay! I’m loving it more now than before, and that’s saying a lot. I’m really glad I participated (though I haven’t had time to comment until today), and that I picked this fragrance. I had been planning to wear Eau Premier, but when Friday came, Sacrebleu called my name from deep inside my perfume cabinet.
I really didn’t think I would make it four days, it’s quite a rich perfume and we’ve been having a couple summer days again – I even went swimming in the ocean twice during the weekend. I’ve ever only worn Sacrebleu in cold weather before. But it’s been perfect, and I’ve noticed more the different “layers”, of spices, flowers, woods and sweet and warm vanilla. I really wouldn’t mind wearing it again tomorrow, but we’ll see.
Sacrebleu fan here! You smell terrific, Helle, in any weather.
Thank you! Love your screen name, of course, and your avatar is beautiful!
Day 4 in captivity: I’m learning to like Bvlgari Black, Walking through abandoned train yards and rubbing it’s leathery little feet with wd40. It’s a strange, stockholm syndromey thing. I’m wearing it again today god help me.
Ok on my way to the shops to sample “knot”. Great review of it today in Bois de Jasmin. No clients today so I can really stink it up.
I should be receiving my sample of Knot today! Can’t wait!
Will have to check out Victoria’s review as well..
I feel like I’m getting cynical but I am so uninspired by most new launches now. I am, however, excited about Knot! I was impressed with the other BV scents. Impressed enough it is worth a trip to the mall to try it out.
I’m so jealous of what you and most others get from Black. I usually get a whole lot of nothing, then some vague vanilla, then more nothing. Guess I’m anosmic to the good bits. I’ve had flashes of something tire-ish but it disappears before I can really be sure.
Don’t fret. It takes at least 6 sprays for me to smell Black. It goes on pretty light. I had long stopped smelling it when my friend who has olifactory super powers smelled it in the car yesterday.
Tonight the weather turned cooler so I stepped out on Black and put on some Hermes Marvellous amber (too lazy to go get the box and do a correct spelling)
And I never made it to Saks to smell “Knot” today. But I did sniff some Cabochard from the brainstem tube of a mangled bottle at Marshalls (gak! I’m absolutely sure that’s not what it used to smell like) and had a go at some Burberry Touch for Women at Nordies Rack. Not thrilling. I should have started at the other end of Boylston where all the good stuff is.
I managed to eek out enough Ambre Sultan in my sample to make it 4 days. I noticed on the hot and humid days the scent immediately smelled more like spiced toffee with lots of cloves and amber, but the drydown was very solidly vanilla. On Saturday I managed to smell the herbal top notes a lot more (I was in air conditioning) and the vanilla took a long time to come into play.
That said, although I like it a lot, I don’t think I can wear it too many days in a row.
I am wearing No19 poudre..still sticking to it (or trying)
I’m on day 4 of Fate and it still remains a favorite – I probably could keep wearing this for a few more days but am glad I have the choice to wear other things now!
However, since I normally use weekends for sampling, I kinda cheated by sampling other things on Saturday and Sunday morning. I did spray Fate after showering and bedtime. I didn’t notice anything new and was pleased that it remained interesting enough through the duration. It’s soft, so it wasn’t as demanding or ‘in your face’ as other scents, and it worked well in the heat!
I’m enjoying reading about other’s experiences… I don’t think I could go 4 days running in Fracas! It’s too demanding.
I also couldn’t go four days in Fracas… but that’s because it tends to (confession time) bore me. I’m one of the people that has issues with orange blossom – it turns to soap on me, and to my nose Fracas is TONS of orange blossom along with the tons of tuberose, so the effect is tuberose soap, very dull. Which would probably drive me nuts, about Day 1.5.
I did not do the signature scent challenge, so nothing to report there. SOTD is Eau de Guerlain. It’s hot and muggy here (for San Diego, at least), so seemed to be the right time to try this out. And since I hear it is fleeting, perhaps I’ll be wearing something else soon. Don’t erally have any strong feeling about it so far – refreshing, but nothing special.
my pic was Chanel no 5. i started off wearing the Eau Premiere version. luckily Chanel no 5 has different concentrations of itself. today i am wearing the the Chanel no 5 parfum. i never get tired of no 5,but, after today i need a break from her. she is gorgeous,but i don’t think i could wear her everyday forever. i think of perfume like clothes. you would not wear the same outfit everyday, so why wear the same perfume everyday!
…annnnnd I folded like a house of cards at the end of the third day. CdG Avignon still smelled excellent, but I was starting to crave something sweet and/or floral (which for me is astonishing).
So I washed off the remnants and doused myself in No. 5 Eau Première (with a sigh of relief).
I think it’s like expanding your cooking repertoire; once you’ve learned to use a wide range of spices and herbs, it’s impossible to go back to using just salt and pepper.
Two lessons I learned:
1. The quality of the CdG Incense line is amazing; I know and love both Avignon and Kyoto, and now I’m motivated to try the other three.
2. Must. Have. Variety. !!!
End of the third day did me in, too.
I have not tried all of them thoroughly (except for Avignon and Ourzazate), but I think I tried all of them at once point. I was quite surprised to find them to be quite distinct from each other, and all very enjoyable! I wish they had a travel or gift set in a smaller size than 50 mL….
Count me as another one who couldn’t make it one more day. Even though I still love Rose Oud, it was starting to get boring. Right now I’m going commando, but after my workout I’ll be testing a sample of Spicebomb that I recently received. It’s cool enough now for me to consider it properly.
I am on day 4 of Eau des Merveilles! I bought it recently, so I think that helped keep me from getting bored of it. It’s also great for just about every situation. I am happy to have a full bottle, but also looking forward to wearing something different tomorrow!
Wore nothing but Milk of Flowers for 3 and a half days straight ( I started on Th) and when I finally got home last night I sprayed on some Terracotta and today I’m in Anne Pliska. While there may have been times that I’ve worn this several days in a row, I found myself annoyed with having to comply with it being “imposed” on me
I love Anne Pliska. It was actually the first perfume I realized I couldn’t wear every day. If I wear it more than once every week or two, it turns into Playdoh, smellwise.
I arrived home from my trip and the lovely bottle of the Maison Francis Kurkdjian Pluriel Feminin which Robin and Now Smell This so generously sent me was there waiting. So that is what I am wearing today. It truly is very feminine a lovely soft peach rose scent.
Thank you!
OOOOOH. I have a sample of this in the to-test basket, and now I’m looking forward to it even more.
I fell off the signature scent challenge wagon early on. Today I’m testing Coup De Coeur, a bespoke fragrance by L’Antichambre for Luckyscent. To me, it’s primarily a tobacco scent, with a hint of spice and vanilla. It’s lighter and drier than one of the heavy hitters like SL Chergui, and not sweet like SSS Tabac Aurea, and it seems well-balanced.
I may test it further in early fall. I already have Tabac Aurea, SL Fumerie Turque and Ys Uzac Pohadka, so I don’t really need another tobacco. Nonetheless, I’d say it is worth considering by anyone who is looking for a tobacco perfume.
By the way, I like the idea of the signature scent challenge, which I did for an entire week a few years ago. I’ll try again at some point when I come across the right scent.
Was that the Perfume Posse challenge? I think I tried that one as well, but I can’t remember what I was wearing or how the experiment went for me.
Coup de Coeur sounds really nice. I love me some Chergui, but as much as I wanted to love Tabac Aurea, it was just too sweet and syrupy on my skin. A drier version sounds much more my speed.
It seems very nice, sweetgrass – worth a try! The other lighter and not sweet tobacco that I like is Ys Uzac Pohadka, which has mint and narcissus as well as tobacco. It’s especially nice for late spring and early summer, but not only then.
I have tried Pohadka. It’s been a whole since I smelled it, but at the time the sample I had reminded me of a cleaning product that I had used in my kitchen.
Diptyque Volutes EDP is a nice tobacco.
I like Volutes a lot. I have a decant that I believe o got from you, as a matter of fact. 🙂
I did three days with Theo Fennell. There’s a few perfumes I go back to again and again and this will stay in that lot. But today I have various physical chores and work and it’d be wrong to be wearing it now, too plush…
So back into the sample stash, and came up with Farmacia SS Anunziata Aurora which is a light gingerbreaddy with a bit of incense and tobacco?
I unfortunately petered out of the scent challenge yesterday. It was gorgeous outside and some friends had rented a boat for the afternoon and I thought that Afternoon of a Faun might be a little too dramatic for an afternoon on a boat. I decided to try my sample of Profumi del Forte’s Tirrenico because it sounded like a nice, beach-y scent. I have to say, it hit me in the freaking face with something that smelled like anise at first and I thought I would have to scrub it. Luckily, it morphed into a beautiful, salty marine scent that smelled like seaweed and the ocean. Perfect for boating on a crisp afternoon!
I did super enjoy the signature scent challenge and am now feeling like I MUST purchase a bottle of Afternoon of a Faun…and Mythique. But I’m with a lot of the others here, in that I still crave variety. Today it’s feeling like fall again, so I get to bust out the Prada Candy and feel all warm and cozy. It’s so comforting and makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. I can’t help but smile when I wear it. I think it’s sexy too though! Lol, another signature scent that may not embody me but I sure wish it did. 🙂
I am wearing L’Eau Trois again today. It was a struggle though. The weather has taken a bad turn up here and Tam Dao was looking very appealing this morning but in the end I decided to stick with the challenge. Regarding L’Eau Trois: with great relief, I have to say that I really do love it. I say with great relief because a few weeks ago when it came in the mail I wasn’t so sure. It was really different than what I had expected. I wouldn’t be without it now.
I did it! I’m wearing Amouage Honor again today, although I must confess I’m looking forward to something else tomorrow.
I learned several things:
1- I’m no longer capable of owning just 1 or 2 scents. I’ve embraced this fragrant addiction and I would be far too restless to be faithful to 1 or 2 anymore.
2 – If you are choosing 1 scent for multiple days, it helps to choose something you aren’t already familiar with and something that is beautifully made. An Amouage was a good choice.
3 – It is beyond weird wearing an Amouage when you are cleaning the bathroom after bathing the dog. Even wearing it while bathing the dog was odd.
Rochas Absolu. Big and awesome, just the way I like it.
Love that one, too!
Yum! This is one I got a back-up for.. 🙂
So here I am, day 4 of the signature scent challenge…me and Bulgari Black, together for one more day. I think that’s quite enough, thank you. I think I’m more sensitive to the sweeter notes in it today, because they’re kind of annoying me, and they didn’t in previous days.
So what have we learned, kids?
Like basically everybody else here, I don’t want to wear the same thing every single day. And even if I did, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be this. It think when it’s right, it’s right, but it’s a bit too idiosyncratic for every day. To paraphrase Cookie Monster: Black is a sometimes scent.
I’m so ready to wear something else.
Did Cookie Monster wear Black? 🙂
I can relate to everything you said about Black. I found myself getting annoyed by the “idiosyncratic” in Black… that is until my friend complimented Black and then I was looking to buy a bottle.
But don’t forget that cookie monster also said “NOW is sometimes!”
Lol fair point
I’m pretty sure when I used to watch Sesame Street, Cookie Monster didn’t give a rats when he ate cookies… 🙂
I wore Jour d’Hermes each day, and though I find it very easy to wear, I am ready for a change!
Ah, Jour d’Hermes! Almost sprang for a FB based on a 2 ml sample, it’s so beautiful, but talked myself down from the ledge. It’s my next good-sized STC decant order, for sure. 🙂
Psst…Scented Monkey…tester. (Not affiliated, just feeling oddly pleased at the prospect of enabling.)
Robin, sorry I had missed that but what actually has happened to the monday mail??
It sort of trickled down to a stand still…stopped getting so many applications, stopped actively trying to get more. I think with so many people interacting on other social media perfume groups (twitter & FB) it just became less necessary and/or useful? But I will absolutely still do one for anyone who wants one 🙂
I really miss it! it was so much fun and still different than other ways of exchanging recommendations because it was focused on one person based on carefully chosen pieces of information. To me the sotd thing seems to be everywhere and I must say I really don’t care about what people wear on a daily basis, find that extremely boring compared to what the Monday Mail was! But great to hear that you would still do one!
I agree– I loved the Monday Mail, especially when people commented on why they thought it was appropriate. Doing the Mon Mail really turned me into a sniffaholic plus I found a great scent and a favorite house (Honeysuckle Bird from Soivohle)
Glad you both loved it & sorry we’re not having them. I went from having a long waiting list over a period of some years down to nothing in early 2014, and since readership in general has remained stable, I assume there’s just no interest in being a subject any more. The last one we did was in May, but that was out of the blue…before that the last one was in March.
Bois de Jasmin still does a monthly “recommend me a perfume”, which isn’t focused on one person, but lets readers comment to ask for help, and then others can answer…it does get lots of response:
http://boisdejasmin.com/2014/08/recommend-me-a-perfume-august.html
Hi Robin, I understand the situation of not getting enough requests in…I am familiar with recommend me a perfume on Bois de Jasmin and it is great but to me a very different format than the Monday Mail….To me personally the Monday Mail was the main feature that drew me to your blog apart from the reviews. But seems like I am rather alone with this…Just take it as a compliment, the Monday Mail was a fine thing! Hope it will revive itself some day!
if you ever consider bringing it back and could use any help with it I would be totally up for that!
Well, as I said, I’ll do one whenever anyone asks! The last few I did in February/March, I included information about how to apply if one was interested and I mentioned there was little/no waiting list, & got no response. I also sent out a link on Twitter a couple times. Nothing!
So not sure what you could do to help, but again, sorry you miss it.
Wore L’Eau Mixte all day Sunday, and all day today! I am relieved to say I have now finished my sample. Lovely, but I wanna play in all the other fun perfume now!
Day four of Dev 1 and still loving it. I find it beautiful and organic in the sense that the smell of it does not seem out of place no matter the circumstances. However, I am craving some jasmine and coconut…….
Record breaking rain last night 2-5 inches. We average 6 inches a year! Pretty much a repeat of 2 weeks ago.
I anticipated the sultry humid and chose Vetiver Tonka as a compliment. Good, there.
What I didn’t see coming was taking 5 hrs to move 1/4 mile on the freeway.
I finally got off, drove back home. Frazzled, but smelling good.
Thanks in great part to the sympathetic comments yesterday I have pulled myself together for the time being and managed a bit of Dev 4 again today. I did wear a spritz of Poet’s Jasmine yesterday because I stank terribly from all the frantic cleaning, yard-work, and exercise and PJ is so un-demanding I didn’t think it would be a problem.
Thanks again to all for the kind comments. I appreciate having someplace to unload and perfume folks are all so nice. I do try not to vent here too much but I don’t feel I can whine too much to the spouse. He works out of town and just feels guilty if I’m upset and he can’t be here. Double whammy – feels helpless about stressed wife and sick kitty – he doesn’t need that.
Anyway, having cheated and spent time with both Dev 1 and Dev 4, I think I will have to invest in a bottle of Dev 1 too. At first I thought they were too similar but they each evoke a different feeling for me which makes all the difference. It’s like having Ambre Sultan, SSS Ambre Noir, and Ambre Russe. They technically fill the same niche but I need them all for different moods. I am looking forward to a change tomorrow. I think I will pop open an untested sample.
Glad things are looking a little better today, and hey, feel free to vent — we all need to vent sometimes.
I think we’re all happy to help make the day easier for anyone here.
Hope both you and Leopold are doing ok x 🙂
Thank you!
I stuck to the challenge, and am now in day 4 of Shiseido White Rose. I had no real problem sticking to it, and I am definitely not tired of it. I helps that:
(1) I chose a perfume that is beautiful and well crafted, but in an understated way. Had I chosen a sillage monster or something really unusual, I would probably have tired of it quickly.
(2) I chose a perfume that I have not worn nearly as much as I would like, mainly because it is expensive and hard to come by in the U.S., and I only have a small amount of it.
I have several recent acquisitions that have not yet been tested out throroughly, as well as a ton of neglected samples, so I will be trying out a lot of other things the next couple of weeks.
SOTD = Chanel Bois des Iles EDT (oversprayed so it will last [it didn’t unless you count the last gasp dry-down]; haven’t done my experiment of mixing the EDT with the Parfum to see if it would last longer.)
My “Signature Challenge” perfume was Guerlain Cuir Beluga and I wore it monogamously from Thursday to Saturday. On Sunday, so as not to waste a weekend sampling day, I initially wore Roja Dove Goodman and then layered it with Cuir Beluga. I would have kept going with wearing Cuir Beluga if I did not have a huge backlog of perfumes to try. I learned that Cuir Beluga is a great perfume with which to layer. I will certainly report back on my layering experiments as they occur.
Wore Miss Vanille Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then added a slick of sandalwood oil on my forearms Sunday evening. Doing this as a planned experience was fun, but I needed something different today.
SOOOoooo….. I am wearing the really weird a$$ (in a good way) salty fig aroma of Thierry Mugler Womanity. I don’t know if it actually works as a fragrance, but it is interesting to ponder. 🙂
It has been great fun to read everyone’s signature scent experiences over the past few days! When I study the comments here I always learn a lot and get great ideas on more fragrances to try next.
I started wearing Songes on Friday and wore it exclusively through Monday. I intentionally decided *not* to comment about it here until Monday. I knew that if I took time to write about the day to day experience, I would start to obsess over the fragrance, then I would get tired of thinking about it, and that would make it harder to keep wearing it exclusively. Because my brain can be perverse like that.
So I stayed relaxed about it, tried not to think too hard, and enjoyed wearing Songes morning, noon, and night. It was delightful.
I noticed some differences as the days went by. At first it was just fun to keep spritzing several times during the day to enjoy the little bit of sparkle at the top of the fragrance. The next day there was a barely-there-gently-lemony note on my skin as the layers of fragrance piled up. It never got too sweet. By Sunday I realized that I didn’t notice the scent as much, so some nose fatigue was setting in. But I still enjoyed it very much.
Today, I’m happy to say I love Songes. But I’m not ready to claim it as a signature scent when there is so much left to try. Now I need to try Heure Exquise and Le Chevrefeuille and Petite Cherie and Rose Splendide . . . (help!!!)
I like Petite Cherie. If you ever purchase it (even if it’s just a sample), I suggest that you keep it in the fridge. Several folks have commented that it goes bad/off quickly, so when I purchased mine, I kept it in the fridge from the beginning. It will take me a while to get through the bottle — my husband doesn’t like it, so I rarely wear it.
thank you for the tip!
I guess fragrances change whether we’re watching or not. All the more reason to spritz liberally.
I’m in the “made it three days” camp. After three days, I was tired of Dilmun. (Even though in a bit of serendipity I saw a tv show about the actual city of Dilmun last night.) I didn’t get the chance to post this weekend, but I read the questions, and it got me thinking. I think that the perfumes that are really “me” are heavy orientals, so more “summery” perfumes, no matter how pretty, get on my nerves after a while. I used to buy the Opium summer flankers sometimes, and was always really happy to go back to the original.