Five questions, all suggested by Now Smell This readers (well, except the first).
1. What's your fragrance today?
2. Do you garden, or otherwise grow plants for fragrance? What are your favorites?
3. Do you have any odd or quirky habits related to perfume?
4. What's your favorite fragrance to wear to bed?
5. If you had to recommend just ONE sample set to a newbie, which would it be?
As always, answer as many or as few as you like.
Note: top image is Maple Leaf Structure [cropped] by jurvetson at flickr; some rights reserved.
1. What’s your fragrance today?
Only scent at the moment are the traces remaining from yesterday’s Attrape Coeur. It wasn’t quite what I wanted when I put it on in the morning, but I still spent all day sniffing myself! Such lovely stuff.
2. Do you garden, or otherwise grow plants for fragrance? What are your favorites?
I *just* started my garden this year, but I have absolutely focused on plants that have fragrance (or are edible, or both). My favorites so far are the three star jasmine that I planted along trellises on the fenceline. I also put in about half a dozen lavender, which I look forward to being more fragrant once they get established.
3. Do you have any odd or quirky habits related to perfume?
You mean other than owning enough for 3 lifetimes? 😉
4. What’s your favorite fragrance to wear to bed?
I don’t have a go-to bedtime fragrance, but sometimes I really want just the right thing. I have reached for Zeta, L’eau d’Hiver, Attrape Coeur (although it’s too precious, really, to enjoy so fleetingly), and others. I think the only rule is nothing so powerful or stimulating that it keeps me awake.
5. If you had to recommend just ONE sample set to a newbie, which would it be?
Even though I never bought one for myself, I would think that an introduction to fine fragrance through a Malle Coffret would be pretty amazing!
I mis-read the question at first, though, and thought it said only one SAMPLE–my recommendation was going to be CB I Hate Perfume’s Black March, not because I love it (I don’t even own it), but because it opens your mind to the diversity of fragrance out there. Before diving down the rabbit hole, I never would have conceived of a fragrance that smelled of rich earth and compost!
Great suggestion with Black March. It really does sum up all that is wild and wonderful about niche/indie perfumery, and will get you down the rabbit hole right quick. When my daughter was 3, it was her absolute favorite. She would ask to wear “the dirt one” until my sample ran out.
How wonderful! a 3 year-old who smells of earth! Seems perfect, really.
Oh it warms my heart that you mention Black March, as Philosykos is the thing that sent me down the rabbit hole for much the same reason–a perfume that smells like leaves and dirt?! Who knew??
It really is the counterargument for anyone who thinks all perfumes smell the same! And so much fun to discover, yes?!
Ditto on Black March. One of my absolute favorites – wearable but weird.
I have nearly purchased it several times. I do think I would wear it–especially in these transitional days, cool fall or bright, crisp spring!
So happy Black March is now available in 30 ml 🙂
Yes, I heard that rumor. . . 🙂
Hi friends! No fragrance as of yet, but I am going to shower soon and attend an outdoor wedding in New Hampshire this afternoon/evening. I think the cool weather and occasion warrant Cuir de Russie parfum, though I might drain my sample of Bois de Iles parfum instead. Any other suggestions for attending a wedding? I want oomph, warmth, and tenacity since I probably won’t reapply. Maybe Habanita? I love to wear my huge ($10) bottle of Fancy Nights to bed. It seems less wasteful to use something cheap to go to sleep in, however illogical that might be.
I have to evangelize the Ann Gerard discovery set. Three out of four are gorgeous and definitely niche without being too challenging for a newbie. And having only four is a reasonable number where I think you end up really exploring all of them. Happy weekend everyone!
Hope it is a lovely wedding! I’ll vote Bois des Iles, but then, I’ll always vote Bois des Iles 🙂
Ditto Bois des Iles for a wedding.
I like both perfumes so it would be hard for me to choose… though I think Cuir de Russie has a better tenacity.
I’m just back from an outdoor wedding (Virginia mountains) as well. It was lovely… and I was in SSS Champagne de Bois.
I haven’t yet spritzed, but I’m thinking seriously about something with incense, because I sprayed some yesterday in my closet, and I was struck (as I almost always am) by how much I love incense scents. It was Incense Pure by Sonoma Scent Studio, which is entirely fabulous. I have taken to gleefully using my perfumes as house sprays, because, as Marjorie Rose noted above, I have enough for 3 lifetimes, and I’ve decided it’s better to use them – in whatever manner – than not.
I don’t garden. I can hardly maintain the interior of my house, and resolutely ignore the exterior. I appreciate the fruits (and flowers) of others’ labors, though.
I think being a perfumista in itself is kinda quirky.
I’ve taken to wearing jasmine scents to bed, because of the flower’s reputedly narcotizing properties. Thus far, it’s been Soivohle’s Yin Hao and Florascent Jasmine.
For the newbie, I’d recommend a variety of samples from L’Artisan. Their scents are unusual enough to pique the interest of the uninitiated, but not too scary.
I use my perfumes as room sprays too! I think that counts as quirky perfumista behavior, but it makes the room smell fantastic, and some of my perfumes are going to turn eventually, and I might as well enjoy them, whether on skin, in my car, or on the rug that my puppy has decided is her private indoor bathroom. Use it or lose it, baby.
Recently L’Artisan Parfumeur started offering The Perfume Box with 10 samples. I’m not sure it’s the best selection for a newbe but, on the other hand, it takes away an anxiety of making a choice.
1. What’s your fragrance today?
Haven’t showered yet, but I’m leaning toward either Bois D’Armenie or Krazy Krizia since we’re almost 30 degrees colder than yesterday!
2. Do you garden, or otherwise grow plants for fragrance? What are your favorites?
Condo – no garden. 🙁 But I’ve used essential oils for years for both healing and fragrance.
3. Do you have any odd or quirky habits related to perfume?
I’ve become ocd about getting fragrance on my clothes!
4. What’s your favorite fragrance to wear to bed?
No smells, sounds or light at bedtime.
5. If you had to recommend just ONE sample set to a newbie, which would it be?
I think maybe a sample set from Indie Scents as it would encompass the current direction of indie/niche perfumery. If they decided to go down the rabbit hole, then they could explore the classics. I’m just afraid 99 out of 100 newbies would run in horror at most of them.
Happy Fall y’all. 🙂
You mean avoiding getting fragrance on your clothes? Or you MUST get fragrance on your clothes?
NOT getting fragrance on clothes. Sorry, on re-reading, I realize that wasn’t at all clear.
Gosh, hard to pull off in winter. But I do go out of my way to avoid getting on coats!
I know! I sort of push my sleeves up a bit. And my neck has gotten more and more sensitive to fragrance so I’ve quit wearing it there anyway. Interestingly enough, I’ve noticed that my older fragrances (i.e. the old Guerlains) wash out quite easily, while newer scents stay in through several washings (those are usually the ones I’ve sampled and *didn’t* like!).
Ooh I wore Krazy Krizia last night and was thinking how no one ever mentions this gem. So glad you’re giving it some love 🙂
Back atcha! 😀
Happy Saturday to all my fragrant friends!
1–No scent yet, but I may want to continue to explore my sample pile.
2–I don’t have a green thumb, but the lavender and rosemary by my front walkway are wonderfully fragrant and I use them in my cooking!
3–No perfume quirks, just too much love for too many things!
4–Generally no scent to bed…sometimes a squirt of Marche aux Fleurs from Fragonard or lavender oil.
5–It’s hard to beat Ineke’s beautiful sample set or anything from Andy Tauer. Both offer surprise for a reasonable investment.
Like your answer to #3!
but isn’t that too true for all of us!
Yes, I need that on a t-shirt!
I second that! 🙂
Ineke’s set is so beautiful!
Idd, I got it as a birthday gift from a friend and I really appreciated both the content and the lovely presentation.
I agree about the Ineke set and the fragrances are lovely and very affordable. Also, Ineke is a lovely person to deal with and so is her entire staff.
Hi folks
I just wanted to check in and say hi. I haven’t been around here much because I was dealing with a lot of things including a sick dog again. It was a long summer and not in a good way. Today my heart is breaking though because on Thursday I had to take my little poodle Greta to the vet one last time. I know I did the right thing but it still hurts like hell. She was my best friend for over 13 years and I miss her terribly. I really hoped she would have picked her own time and spared me from making that awful decision but it wasn’t meant to be I guess.
You did the right thing. I feel your loss as I own a 13 year old dachshund. Who is doing fine but she is getting frail.
Hugs, from a fellow dog lover!
Thanks, and give your pup a hug from me.
I will, she gets plenty of hugs as it is! A friend of mine recently lost her 10 year old dog due to rupture of the spleen. It’s taken her a while to come round to his loss but she recently told me that she now mostly remembers him very fondly. The hardest thing is allowing yourself to grieve I suppose.
And dogs are such wonderful company!
I am so sorry for your loss. Losing close family is always painful. Hugs to you.
Thank you.
Oh I’m so sorry, Poodle! I just had to make that decision (10 days ago or so) for my 11 year-old cat. I know exactly what you mean about wishing they could choose their own time. . . but I am feeling relieved now too, knowing I won’t wake up or come home to something terribly sad.
Oh, gosh I am so sorry for both of you!
Thanks.
Oh, dears, I’m terribly sorry too!
Thank you.
I’m so sorry Marjorie. It is such a hard thing to go through. Hugs to you.
Marjorie,
Like Poodle I do not know you but so sad. It hurts so much
Big hug and as we all know we get better 🙂
Poodle, I am so sorry to hear about your little dog. It really does leave a hole in your day-to-day life not to have your little friend there where she usually is. Hugs.
Thanks. The little day to day things are going to be the hardest.
So, so sorry.
Thanks, Robin.
I am very sorry about your loss, Poodle.
Thank you.
Oh, Poodle, I’m very sorry. It is really heartbreaking. Stay busy and get together with friends. Hugs.
Today was more of a cry on the couch day.
Oh that’s heartbreaking. You did the right thing for your Greta, though. She doesn’t have to suffer now. Big hug.
That’s what I keep telling myself. She just had that look in her eyes those last days and the spark was gone. It was time.
Poodle (and Marjorie Rose), I am so very sorry for your losses. I know how very deeply losing a four-legged loved one hurts. Hugs.
Thanks Rappleyea. All these virtual hugs are quite comforting.
So sorry for your loss, Poodle. Hugs.
Hugs to you too.
I am so sorry. It’s such a wrenching decision to have to make. Take care.
It’s awful to make it even when you know it’s right. Thanks.
Sympathy to you. Losing a loved one is never easy. Sending hugs
Thanks. I hope you are doing okay too.
Medium– kind of mopey on and off. As long as I can get myself out of the house and go somewhere, I’m a little better. Missing the company of my work friends and the structure that work provides. Guess I should just immerse myself in studying for my boards so that I’ll be good to go when I can afford to take them
Thank you for sharing with us. I’m sorry for your loss.
Thanks. I feel like I hijacked the post but I want to let everyone know how much I appreciate the kind words.
I’m so sorry for your loss. It is never easy losing such a close member of your family, for that is what they are. You love them like children.
True. They are the kids in this house.
Poodle, I’m so sorry, and sorry it was such a tough summer. I hope you can dwell on what an awesome life you gave Greta and how thrilled she must have been to spend her time with you.
What are you planning for fall that will be something happy and a new beginning? Endings happen but don’t live there forever. What’s your next thing to look forward to?
Thanks. The next thing to look forward to is Sniffa. I guess it’s better this happen this week. I kept thinking something would happen when I was away and my poor hubby was home in charge. That would have been far worse for him.
Good or bad, that part is over now. And what a lucky dog she was.
Sniffapalooza is a great thing to look forward to. Anything you’re planning to buy? I love getting so many samples, too, and finding good things I never even realized I would like.
Dear Poodle, I so terrible sorry for your loss! Do you have any pictures of Greta to share (of course, if you want)?
Stanley is my avatar on here but Greta is the one when I post on your blog and on twitter.
So sorry, Poodle. Our animal companions enhance our lives so much, and it is so sad to have to say goodbye to them.
Thanks. She was special.
I am so sorry for your loss. I am positive that Greta knew that you loved her.
I hope she did.
I am so very sorry, Poodle (and Marjorie Rose, too). Allow yourself time to grieve, so that warm memories will return and make you smile when your heart is ready.
I go from holding it together to being a blubbering fool and back again.
I’m sorry to hear about your dog. Best wishes~
Thank you, Ann.
Oh Poodle I do not even know you and I am in tears. I have had to do that and do not wish it upon anyone. Just remember you did the right thing and there is peace in that.
My Izzie who is laying next to me (coonhound) sends you a hug.
Again, so sorry
Dear Poodle and Marjorie Rose know that you made the most compassionate and loving decision for your four legged companions. These innocent souls who give us so much joy and who themselves live so entirely in the moment count on us to see them on when it is time. I am truly sorry for your loss.
So true.
Hugs to the hound dog. Coonhound puppies are incredibly cute.
Oh I’m so sorry for your loss Poodle. I know you’ve been having a difficult time with Greta for a while, so as hard as the pain of loss is, it seems as though she is in a better place now. And love never dies. Warm hugs to you
Very sorry, poodle, it’s always such a heartbreaking time.
Sorry for your loss. We all who have pets usually go through that (unless we go first) and it is almost as painful as losing a family member (and probably more painful than some).
1 – Tam Dao edt
2- I love growing plants, but sadly don’t have a garden. I do keep meaning to get some tuberose bulbs and try growing them indoors.
3- No perfume quirks that I can think of.
4- I don’t wear perfume to bed
5- Hmmm, since I’ve no idea what’s going on with Parfums d’Empire, perhaps Ormonde Jayne.
Also I noticed that Lush are selling Rose Jam again. I didn’t completely adore it last year, but I’m still thinking of getting some just because it made my bathroom smell quite nice. That’s crazy, right?
Ha, not crazy. Currently their Godiva shampoo bar is serving that function (alas I can’t recommend it for its intended purpose, as it totally dries out my hair. But the bathroom smells great!)
I just wish it wasn’t such an expensive way of scenting the bathroom!
Seriously?!? I need more Rose Jam, thank you!
Ok, shower gel is on UK site but not US. But am going to keep an eye out!
Considering how popular it seemed to be, I suspected they’d re-release it this year.
Hopefully it won’t be too long until it makes it across the ocean!
I can’t type more than four lines or my browser crashes. My keyboard isn’t typing what I hit either and autocorrect is going nuts. I will try again with the real computer later. Grrrr.
Sorry!
Ok, trying again.
1. Isis, then Black March now that both have worn off, sweat and greasy engine. For anniversary dinner I think I’ll go with Loretta as my husband loves it.
2. I garden as much as possible and will miss my yard when I move. Lots of scented things but nothing much blooming right now. Had a Crinum Lily bloom last week that was beautifully scented if not as strong as some varieties.
3. Can’t think of anything particularly weird. That’s a change for me 😉
4. My most worn to bed scent is probably the French Oakmoss. I really need a full bottle as I keep ordering samples.
5. I second the Ineke set. She hasn’t created a perfume I can’t wear and they are all interesting.
1) Une Rose Chyprée
2) I have a small garden where I grow lots of flowers, but funnily enough not for fragrance. Some of my daffies are scented though, but they last only a short time. If I had a bigger garden I would love a Lilac bush and some Jasmine and some Roses and Honeysuckle!
3) Owning too much fragrant liquid
4) Probably Pour un Homme de Caron
5) I would suggest the Malles, or Etat Libre d’Orange, or Parfums d’Empire and if either Goutal or Nicolaï did a set I would recommend that too.
“fragrant liquid” – I love that!
Sometimes I try to imagine what would happen if it would all suddenly explode!
Oh dear… But the “fall-out” would certainly be fragrant! 😉
I also have plenty of soaps, so in the event of a flood that would create some other interesting effects:
“Neighbourhood mysteriously taken over by foam”
I’ve moved on today to Histoires de Parfums 1725. Gorgeous.
You’re killing me, Austenfan! I almost spewed tea on your headline! Thanks for the a.m. chuckle. 😀
1. Wearing Aerin Evening Rose today. It seems just right for a cool, crisp day.
2. We grow roses, some fragrant, some not. The best ones we have found for fragrance are Mr. Lincoln (red) and Fragrant Cloud (coral). They have been pretty hardy, too. Also love to have a rosemary bush around, but ours froze last year with all the cold weather.
3. Strangest perfume habit (to the uninitiated) is probably going around with four different frags at a time (2 per arm) and constantly sniffing and comparing. But how else are you going to figure out which iris/amber/rose/whatever is the best one to get?
4. I like to wear something cozy to bed-Cuir Beluga, Shalimar Ode a a la Vanille Mexique, Tendre Madeleine or the like.
5. For sample sets, the VCA Collection Extraordinaire set of sample vials they used to have gives a great intro to a real variety of very nice scents.
My rosemary died last winter as well (didn’t we all perish from the cold!). I replanted a new one this year and it is growing fast. I have found that by planting it up close to the house, it seems to do better. I plan to through some burlap over it this year and hope it’s not as cold as last.
Rosemary likes the Mediterranean climate and soil and is very susceptible to cold weather. Before it gets too cold, dig it up and pot it and let the pot sit in the same location for a week or two to give the plant time to accommodate itself to it. Then bring it inside, put it in a sunny spot, water it (but not too much, rosemary likes a drier soil), and transplant outdoors once all danger of frost is past. I’ve had rosemary plants last for years this way. Try it!
No fragrance till after clients. Tonight I will dig around in the decants for something mellow.
I’m not a gardener but I do practice sniff-walking.
Lately I’ve been anointing my Hindu deity statues with perfume. My little bronze Ganesh got some phi on his trunk.
In summer I was wearing Neroli or jasmine to bed. In winter I like to put on amber.
The man and woman sampler box from Amouage would (hopefully) permanently confuse the part of the newbie’s brain that likes La Vie est Belle.
1. What’s your fragrance today?
Lostmarch Lann-Ael
2. Do you garden, or otherwise grow plants for fragrance? What are your favorites?
I garden, but not particularly for fragrance. Love herbs.
3. Do you have any odd or quirky habits related to perfume?
Maybe that I actually prefer it to NOT last all day. I’d rather switch it up and if it goes on and on, I get sick of it.
4. What’s your favorite fragrance to wear to bed?
CJ Scents Vanilla Incense.
5. If you had to recommend just ONE sample set to a newbie, which would it be?
I’d recommend Luckyscent’s “Essential 13” sample pack. The perfect intro to lots of great fragrances.
I’m with you on #3.
1. SOTD is vintage Caron Parfum Sacre edp b/c it’s finally a cool, drizzly fall day up here, and it seemed right.
2. Garden is a hard one for me. If I had my way, I would have 1/2 acre of massive perennial garden with lots of rambling roses, peony, etc. As it is, I grow sweet fern and hemlock trees. The deer eat EVERYTHING, even with Tocade wafting around. My tricks right now are lots of netting and obstacles which don’t always work. My fav plant right now that the deer won’t eat is nepeta, and strangely, wave petunias.
3. I carry seasonal pouches of small samples and decants in my handbag/work bag in case I need to refresh or entertain my nose during the work day.
4. Fav bedtime: No 5, Shalimar, iPdF Ambra del Nepal, vintage Emeraude…
5. Classic Chanel, Caron, or Guerlain, so people can learn some history and smell things that are no longer available. Who gets to smell real oakmoss anymore unless you have some vintage lovely? Or even the old nitro musks, etc.
Love the notion of entertaining one’s nose
My nose needs lots of entertaining! 😉
I have the modern Parfum Sacre and love it. Is it much different from the vintage version?
Yes, just a little bit. I have some of the modern too. I’m not sure if I had a blind test that I’d be able to tell them apart that much once they got in a few minutes. They both have a radiance, and as can be expected, the older version is just a bit more. I think what saves PS is that it’s mostly rose, woods and vanilla. Pretty basic stuff really. What I can tell the most difference is between the “new” Parfum Sacre edp that’s a different flanker to PS, and the current version of PS edt. The “new” PS edp flanker fragrance has lots more vanilla in it. All are still good.
Thanks, AnnS. I have the new PS edp, bought earlier this year after I finished a small decant. It was a bargain, too, as I remember (always a good thing!).
I would agree. I don’t think there is a *radical* difference between the older PS and the currently available. And the Intense version is good too – more peppery to my nose. I did at one time have a small decant of vintage PS extrait… yes, extrait… and it was lovely but not swoonworthy (to me) to the degree that it cost, so I passed it on to someone whose Holy Grail it was.
1. Cepes and Tuberose
2.I don’t garden but my dad did. Growing up in Staten Island we had lilacs and a rose bush and when we moved to FL my dad had gardenias.
3.Other than testing hundreds of scents and keeping handwritten notes about all of them? And reading perfume blogs? And occasionally reconstituting fragrant sludge with vodka (see above)
4.Occasionally I will spray Lann-Ael on my bedding but not often
5.For samples I’d recommend Olympic Orchids since they’re so affordable or Envoyage because they’re so fabulous
Hello thegoddessrena!
@ 3. I have a perfume journal – handwritten. Love doing it!
4. I always put lotion or cream on my feet before bed. Les Covents Honey for the past week.
* Le Couvent des Minimes.
1. What’s your fragrance today? Guerlain Terracotta Le Parfum and Eau de Guerlain alternating as the day goes on and the temperature warms up in the southwest US.
2. Do you garden, or otherwise grow plants for fragrance? What are your favorites? Pink jasmine
and English lavender
3. Do you have any odd or quirky habits related to perfume? I’ve adopted the fragrant “salute” – scented forearm or wrist held to nose – and I don’t care who notices.
4. What’s your favorite fragrance to wear to bed? Lavender essential oil or Roger & Gallet Lavande Royale.
5. If you had to recommend just ONE sample set to a newbie, which would it be? This newbie doesn’t know, so I’m reading the comments today for ideas. Thanks, everybody, for all the great info on NST.
1. Nothing yet, but Cuir Ottoman after some chores are done.
2. I have French lavender on both sides of the walk up to my house. It shouldn’t do well here in Chicago, but we grew it for 6 years before the polar vortex wiped it out this past winter. We had to completely replant this spring. Hope this winter is easier on them! We also grow Casablanca and Stargazer lilies because I love the way they look and smell. Have plans to plant scented daffodils and hyacinths.
3. Other than trying to get everyone to wear more of it?
4. Mousse de Chine. Smells like a fairy tale forest.
5. I would recommend exploring the sample sets at Surrender to Chance.
I was in the middle of typing and didn’t see yours – same recs to newbies! And I think I’ll have to try your bedtime scent – sounds very soothing.
SOTM is By Kilian Sweet Redemption. It has been all over the place – first cotton candy with a little brandy, then overchewed bubble gum, and now a lovely coffe-tinged toffee. Don’t think I could wear this outside the house. 🙂
I do garden, and sometimes plant for fragrance, but mostly for the photo ops (I’m a macro lens fanatic). Had three big mounds of lavender until that nine-degree week last winter when they all gave up the ghost for good. A whole bunch of lemon verbena self-seeded into that area, and while it smells wonderful, it’s a bit too invasive.
I don’t know if it counts as a quirk, exactly, but I have this urge (mostly unfulfilled) to match my day’s fragrance to my clothing colors. I’m almost never successful.
My favorite bedtime fragrances are Coeur de Vetiver Sacre, Bel Respiro and Escale a Portofino … interspersed with whatever is the newest fragrance sample in my possession. It’s silly, really, because I fall asleep well before the sample has time to develop.
On recommendations to newbies, I usually suggest one or another of the introductory sample sets that the lovely ladies at surrendertochance have put together. I’ve discovered lots of now-favorites through those compilations.
I also have a really strong sense of what colour of clothing a scent requires. It really bugs me if I get it wrong – will sometimes have to change clothes to something that seems a better fit.
That happens to me every once in a blue moon. I wanted to wear Mitsouko the other day, and did wear it, but it didn’t jive with the color or texture of the outfit I wore to work.. I almost changed my clothes, but just dealt with it. It did bug me most of the morning until the frag got to the drydown. I only have a few fragrances that make me feel strongly a color: Mitsouko, Ta’if, Cartier So Pretty, and Cristalle. Otherwise, it’s normally not something I consider.
Nice to know I’m not alone. :). I managed to hit it right this morning, for a change – I’m wearing a heathered violet top and Apres l’Ondee. It works!
SOTD = Serge Lutens Boxeuses. My lovely niece muled this and De Profundis back from Uncle Serge’s boutique
I have a negative green thumb. Let me babysit the plant you hate and I can guarantee a very short lifespan for it.
Quirky perfume habit – I don’t think anything I do perfume-wise is quirky. I am just a normal perfumista.
I need a break from perfume and don’t wear anything to bed. For the avoidance of doubt, “anything” refers to perfume.
A discovery set good for newbies – so many great suggestions already! I would recommend the Tauer sampler set for niche perfumes that are rarely carried in-store by brick and mortar retailers. Another one would be Oriza LeGrande. Oh and Sonoma Scent Studio if one wanted to try a U.S. based perfumer.
Isn’t “normal perfumista” an oxymoron? 😉
I was thinking the exact, same thing!
Normal indeed!
I just think the non-perfumista world is abnormal 🙂
I completely agree hajusuuri…although most of my co-workers would not agree. The majority find my niche fragrances offensive so I have to limit what I wear to work in order to escape their wrath.
Once I killed an ivy – and I wasn’t even trying to! 🙂
“normal perfumista” – was a good one.
You weed-killer you 🙂
Please please tell me how! My SOTA yesterday was tree bark, dirt and ivy roots after doing battle with an overgrowth in a neglected part of the yard. And my back is feeling it today!
I wish I knew! I actually wanted it to grow and was taking a good care of it (well, at least that was what I thought) 🙂
Be careful with your back: not even the most beautiful yard is worth back problems.
I love Boxeuses and have worn it several times this week. It is perfect for this time of year!
We intersect on so many perfumes, i LOVE it!!!
I’m digging out my Boxeuses decant… Love this one!
I think you’d want both range and quality. I used to recommend the By Kilian L’Oeuvre Noire exploration set, but it no longer appears to be available. It was ideal in terms of the quality and range (marshmallow gourmand, tuberose, tobacco/honey, lavender, rose-plum plus others) and size of the vials, but alas!
I agree with Elena’s suggestion: the Ann Gerard discovery set is beautiful and generous, and very good if you want subtle perfumes.
I’m also partial to the Puredistance sample set is a great way to try several luxurious perfumes. Usually I’d want larger samples, but this line is so concentrated that one can get a good idea from these 2-ml samples.
The Parfums MDCI discovery sets have 10-ml bottles and a good range of wonderful perfumes.
The XJ 17/17 set from Xerjoff is up to $330, but you get 6 x 13ml atomizer bottles of six scents: Damarose, Irisss, Richwood, XJ Elle, XJ Homme, XJ XXY.
Hello nozknoz!
I second your suggestion of the MDCI set. The purchase price is applicable to a full bottle and when I requested another sample upon purchasing Chypre Palatin, it was also a 10ml bottle. Nice people to deal with.
My SOTD is Rien Intense Incense – fantastic musk and suede on my skin. If you like the original Rien and Chanel Antaeus, it is a must have (or at least a must sample). YMMV 😉
* Should be 12ml bottle, not 10.
I’m not sure I’ve tried any of the three yet, but I’m going to look for Rien Intense Incense. It sounds perfect for fall!
The temperature dropped into the 40s last night, and I got out Pd’E Cuir Ottoman. Fall is my favorite perfume season, by far!
1. What’s your fragrance today?
Guerlain Gourmand Coquin. While trying to determine whether Spiritueuse Double Vanille is being discontinued via a Google search last night, I wandered through a thread that suggested the same for GC. So I am wearing it today to try and decide whether I need a full bottle before it’s gone like my beloved Iris Ganache, which I didn’t stockpile in time. If anyone knows the fates of SDV and GC, please feel free to reply.
2. Do you garden, or otherwise grow plants for fragrance? What are your favorites?
Oh absolutely! I’m blind so don’t appreciate the plants from a visual perspective, but like to try and keep up on my “garden for the nose” when I’m able, most likely resuming next summer when the baby’s older. We put in several lilac bushes some years back since I’ve loved them since I was a kid and we had them growing up, and I also planted a lot of hyacinth in the front bed by the front door so I can smell it on the spring breeze as I drift off to sleep or it can be a nice way to welcome guests. Stargazer lilies are some of my favorites, too. I also love growing herbs just so I can pinch off a leaf now and then, smell and nibble them when I’m not using them while cooking. Tomato plants smell fantastic, too.
3. Do you have any odd or quirky habits related to perfume?
Just about everyone who knows about my perfume love (at least it isn’t a full blown obsession these days) finds it quirky and weird. 😉
4. What’s your favorite fragrance to wear to bed?
Gourmands, powdery things or sometimes, spicy ambery orientals. I don’t have a go-to, but do look forward to choosing that night’s perfect bedtime scent before I settle in. It is a nice little treat just for me.
5. If you had to recommend just ONE sample set to a newbie, which would it be?
Hmmm… I’ve had great enjoyment experimenting with samples from Sonoma Scent Studio, and did buy an ELDO Discovery Set a while back that was fun to go through. I’m thinking about buying the Ormonde Jayne sample set next year, but always get so side-tracked with other things. I really just need to do it already.
I also love the smell of tomato leaves/plants!
Tomato leaves? There is an app… I mean a perfume for that – Cognoscenti No 16.
Just ordered the sample set…thanks!
Tomato leaf is one of the reasons I love Duel. A relatively unknown Annick Goutal, I think.
Annick Goutal’s Folavril had a nice tomato leaf/stem accord.
I also love stargazer lilies. I need to get some of those b/c I don’t think deer eat them!
Hello Absolute Scentualist!
Double Vanille is still available @ Nordstrom:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/guerlain-spiritueuse-double-vanille-eau-de-parfum/3261753
No affiliation ( I wish) !!!
Oh no! I hope Oriental Brulant is safe. Its one of the few Guerlains that works for me… But is, anyway, way out my price range – i.e. though I could forfeit less expensive scents and save up for it, I’m not sure I could bring myself to spend such a sum on one perfume anyway!
Thanks for the tomato leaf perfume suggestions, everyone! I’ve noticed a fair bit of it in YSL’s In Love Again, which I really like. I always like rubbing the leaves on the back of my hands to enjoy for a bit, though I don’t leave it there long since I read it’s toxic for cats and my indoor kitty is always curious to lick and smell my skin.
AnnS, the stargazers generally seem to be left alone in my yard, and we have very stubborn rabbits and squirrels. They don’t bloom for terribly long, and it seems like a good rain shower always breaks off the petals, but when they’re first blooming you can smell them all over the yard. They’re so wonderful.
More to add to my AG sample list. There’s so many I love already! I think that’s a sample pack not too far off in my future.
Bear, I was relieved to see both SDV and GC on Nordstrom’s site. There always seems to be conflicting info on whether Guerlain’s discontinuing some of the more exclusive fragrance lines. I have just under a bottle and a half of SDV but it is one of those perfumes that would leave a huge gap in my fragrance wardrobe if it disappears.
Bear, I totally agree! It’s the “a bit here and a bit there” I struggle with when it comes to perfume. There’s several bottles between $15-$40 I’d like and I try to set my personal high end limit for $150 perhaps a couple times a year, but there are some really great Guerlains I’d like in fb before they’re gone even though in general, $260 for *any* perfume is hard to take. It always seems like the decisions are so sudden and remaining stock so minimal, which makes no sense. If something isn’t selling, you’d think there’d be an abundance of it left for the discount/auction market.
I’ve found the most reliable source for Guerlain news is the Monsieur Guerlain blog. He’s not affiliated with the company but he is a true Guerlainophile and collector. Here is a link to discontinuation news:
http://www.monsieur-guerlain.com/2008/06/news.html
Scroll down just a bit to find the discontinuation story. He mentions actual discontinuations as well as rumors, but I didn’t find any mention of Spiritueuse Double Vanille. I also love that one!
Good to know – I’d seen that blog but assumed it was part of official Guerlain. Thanks!
I called the Vegas Guerlain boutique about this Thursday. They said SDV is not being discontinued, but Myrrhe et Delires, the city scents and the Elixirs Charnels will be discontinued at the end of this year, so don’t wait too long if you love them.
1. SOTD Dulcis in Fundo, perfect for a crisp fall day after harvesting some of our apples this morning.
2. We grow roses and lavender and when I’m feeling up to it I make rose and or lavender apple jelly when our crop comes in.
3. Odd or quirky? Moi? Most of the people in my universe think just being into fragrance as much as I am is more than odd – if they knew what I paid for some of them they’d probably try to have me certified 🙂
4. To bed I usually just reapply my SOTD unless I have a hot bath before bed then it is always Mona di Orio’s Musc.
5. Samples? Since most of my favorites are from Mona’s Nombres d’Or line I’d recommend those.
Oh- rose apple jelly! You are making my gardener’s heart swoon! I am so jealous! Once I get a better fence in next year, I’ll have a few good roses. But the ones I can grow in my Z 4/5 location don’t always smell as strongly as I’d like. Do you use the rose hips too or just the petals?
1. Today it’s DK Gold, as it was yesterday.
2. Well, I have put in several things that SHOULD, in theory, smell fabulous. . . Osmanthus, hasn’t flowered once. Jasmine, has flowered, but no great success on the fragrance. Several other things that I don’t know the names of have flowered, but it’s the same story. My only success has been with the lilac trees, honeysuckle and lilies, which are fab. I can manage to keep all my potted herbs alive indoors for ages, so I’m not totally useless, maybe?
3. See no. 4
4. At bedtime, I do a sort of lucky dip into my sample jar and pull out something, without looking at the label, put it on, and then see if I can guess what it is. I get it right about 90% of the time.
5. I don’t really buy many discovery sets, I tend to buy random samples based on notes I like rather than from one perfume house. The one that was a big success for me was Ormonde Jayne, as I went on to purchase four full bottles, with my eye on a fifth (Helloooo Santa, I’ve been a good girl all year)
I’m curious – which four? And what is the fifth?
My first was Frangipani, followed by Sampaquita, Champaca and Zizan. The last one was for my hubby, but I steal some occasionally. My next one will be Orris Noir, seeing as we’re heading into winter, and to me this is a fragrance to wear in the cold and dark, with your best LBD and high heels, whilst holding a cold, strong cocktail. Then dancing the night away.
I like OJ as well.
Have you seen their current promotion – complimentary 17 ml Tolu parfum in French hand-blown flacon with a 140 pounds purchase?
I saw that, and I’m crying perfumista scented tears b/c I can’t swing the approximate $280 USD to get it. They had a tolu parfum special about two years ago and I missed that as well. I was just wishing that OJ would allow for mixed sets of their 10 ml travel sprays. I would be in heaven then b/c I’d get one Ta’if, Tolu, Woman and whatever to fill out a box of four… I can wish and hope!
You need 3 friends who also want to fill out sets!
I’m sure I could find three lovely friends before I’d find the $100 to swing it. ;-( I need a new pair of glasses.
Oh, yes I agree! If we could choose different scents, that would be fabulous!
Maybe we can all send some good vibes to the managers at OJ and let them know we want this!
1 – SL Fille en Aiguilles, which was yesterday’s SotD as well; the remnants smelled so good this morning that I couldn’t resist re-applying.
2 – There’s a small grove (stand? flock? herd?) of lilies-of-the-valley at one side of the house that I think of as my Edmond Roudnitska Memorial Garden. And I have a few Siberian irises that have colonized the berry patch, so I’m thinking of putting in some irises that I could someday harvest for their roots. Between the growing and the post-harvest fermentation period, it’d be five or six years, but hey – home-grown orris root oil!
3 – See 2.
4 – I don’t usually wear perfume to bed, but sometimes I refresh my SotD on my hand or wrist just before I get into bed. It does seem to help me fall asleep more quickly.
5 – I’ll second (third? fourth?) what several other people have said and recommend that newbies pick a Surrender to Chance sample set that appeals to them and go from there.
home-grown orris root made me laugh out loud. And I’d love to have a Roudnitska memorial garden!
1. SOTD: Theorema because it’s a (relatively) cool and beautiful day. Not sure what I want to wear later… I have a date with a new guy. Maybe Lyric.
2. Do you garden…? Not at all. I’m just not that interested but I do know a lot as I come from a family of master gardeners and bonsai enthusiasts.
3. Quirky perfume habits? I prefer to spray, and I prefer to spray from bottles. Sampling is great, but once it’s won my heart, I want the bottle. I did make a rule to use the entire sample/decant first before buying a bottle which has saved me $ in the end. Decants often last longer than you think they will.
4. Bedtime scents: I tend to like cozy ambers/orientals or clean musks (like perfect veil) for bed – scents that won’t keep me awake. Amber Precieux is really nice and cozy, as is my beloved Fate and Lyric. Amouage has a fantastic drydown and I love it in the morning and it’s still going. I once put a tiny dab of Bandit on my wrist and went to bed. Nightmares.
5. Newbies: I’d pick a note (like Iris) and order a sample set from some place like Surrender to Chance, Posh Peasant or The Perfumed Court.
1. Cartier Baiser Volé. Not my thing.
2. Love gardening. I grow roses, jasmine, several citrus trees, native fruit, herbs… I’m too lazy with the weeds, so the garden is a bit of a mess, but there are loads of fragrant things!
I think plants will grow very quickly where you are?
Which Baiser Volé did you try?
I didn’t really like the EDP at first either although I loved the first few minutes of it.
I kept on trying and it recently just clicked.
Mind you florals are probably my favourite fragrance family so I really wanted to try it for a bit longer.
Did you ever try DK Gold?
Yes, plants here are very happy to be green. Unless, of course, it´s something that hates the tropics, like cherries, plums or apples. Then, forget about it. 🙂 Roses and tomatos tend to go all moldy, because it rains everyday, but are still manegeable (I don´t use pesticides, so this depends on the year). The citrus trees are a joy, they produce flowers and fruit year round!
As for Baiser Volé, all I know is that it was no flanker, but have no idea about the concentration. Probably EdT, to be around here. I found it a bit similar to Jour d´Hermès, which I really disliked as something too high pitched, if that makes any sense.
Have a great week!
1. Botega Venetta today. Not smitten, I have to cram my nose to my wrist to smell anything. If I want a non-offensive, non-sillage scent I have Infusion d’Iris and all of Jean-Claude Ellena’s stuff to wear.
2. I have managed to kill anything I’ve ever tried to grow, so no fragrant plants here unless they have seeded themselves by accident. My black thumb is so bad that my motto is “If it’s green, it can stay.”
3. Is it a quirky perfume habit that I tend to wear samples more often than the bottles I own? Or is it that I have way, way too many samples?
4. I don’t wear perfume to bed. I don’t know why. I also don’t perfume the house with candles or incense or home sprays.
5. Best sample set…um, I also had good luck with Amouage’s, Teo Cabanel’s, and the note samplers from STC, but I found Mona di Orio’s to be the absolute best for me. Lots to love in that one.
I really enjoy the dry down of BV but feel I need to work through the top notes too hard to get there.
1. Amouage Beloved Woman from my small spray tester. It is so beautiful and aptly named.
2. My husband is the gardener in the family. I love to rub the leaves of his tomato plants between my fingers to release the scent.
3. One rather quirky habit I have is of mixing unscented lotion with a different perfume sample every night to wear to bed.
4. See #3 above.
5. I’d recommend the Atelier Cologne Collection Voyage, which provides seven 7.5 ml sprays of Orange Sanguine, Grand Neroli, Bois Blonds, Trefle Pur, Oolang Infini, Vanille Insensee, and Ambre Nue.
That’s a great tester set from a great brand, I think, for anyone looking to broaden their perfume awareness.
Oh, Beloved is so lovely! One of these days I’ll be able to capitalize on an online bargain….
1. I usually do testing on Saturday mornings, so now it’s Tom Ford’s Tobacco Oud on one wrist and Fleur Oud on the other. I like Tobacco Oud much more but now I need to compare it to Tobacco Vanille.
2. I am not too good with plants (I manage to kill them), I do not do much gardening but on a small patch of the backyard where I have a couple of plants I planted Daphne Odora specifically for its scent. We’ll see if it survives.
3. I do not test any samples at home until I enter that perfume information in my database… Did I mention that I build a database to store information about my perfumes and their testing/usage? But it’s not odd, right?
4. As a rule, I do not wear perfumes to bed but if I do, I like dabbing a little of Sonoma Scent Studio’s perfumes (too many to list).
5. Ormonde Jayne Discovery Set is, in my opinion, a safe choice: there is a good chance that there will be at least several hits and those samples are always good for swapping or selling on eBay.
#3 isn’t odd at all, or is it? I totally do this. I just assumed that most people compulsively list everything about every sample on a spreadsheet and didn’t claim any strangeness in my post…um, maybe I’m weird after all.
I did too until my hard drive crashed this summer and I lost my precious Excel data sheet. I was devastated for about five minutes, then went, “Oh, well.” 🙂
I send backups to my tablet 🙄 Anyone who hacks my cloud account is gonna be really confused.
That’s what I should have done!
I do more or less regular back-ups but yesterday after reading your comment I went and uploaded my database to the online storage – just in case 🙂
I love the beautiful picture of the autumn leaves. I love this time of the year. We are experiencing fabulous, fall weather here in Texas this weekend! The high for today is around the 70’s, but it will be back in the 90’s come Monday. So, we are being teased this weekend.
1. My SOTD is Amour Nocturne – L’Artisan
2. I don’t garden or grow plants, but I love to have a fresh bouquet in my presence. The aroma is always fabulous!
3. I am sure that no one on NST will think that this is odd, but all my friends do; I love reading about anything that has to do with fragrance. I could read about fragrance all day. Everyone thinks I’m obsessed, but I think its completely normal. 🙂
4. I don’t have a favorite bedtime fragrance. I wear a different scent every night. I use my samples at night to test out what I like and dislike. This is how I decide what is and isn’t FB worthy.
5. The one sample set that I would recommend would be the “Jo Loves” set. It comes with like 7-8 of the perfumes and they are all pretty fantastic. There is something in there for any perfumista.
I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!
1. SOTD is my fall favorite, the long d/c Yves Rocher Nature Millenaire. Nary a flower in sight in this one: Notes (per YR) are listed as earth, bergamot orange, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon bark, cedarwood, incense, myrrh, benzoin. This really is the scent of earth in the fall!
2. I’m an avid (and natural, organic) gardener. If it doesn’t feed us, feed the birds or other wildlife, or isn’t fragrant, it doesn’t get planted! In spring, I love the hyacinths and lilacs best; in early to mid summer, the ancient peonies (at least 60 years old) and heirloom shrub roses along with the mock orange. By mid summer it’s the honeysuckle vine and the “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme” (along with basil, rosemary, oregano, dill, lemon balm, lemon verbena, spearmint, and probably something else I’ve forgotten – I love my herb garden!). And, in fall, the scents of autumn clematis and the fleece flower vine covering our fence mingle and sweeten the air while the scent of the herbs I cut and hang indoors from the ceiling beams sweetens the breakfast room. But my two most favorite scents found in my garden are the Korean spice viburnum flowers that bloom in May and the old-fashioned nicotiana flowers that at the end of summer into fall fill the night air (no scent during the day) with their intoxicating aroma. I’ve never found a fragrance that smelled like either of these beauties, but oh how I wish!
3. Similar to CM’s above, I like to spray from a full bottle, not too much interested in sample vials more than just to try. I rotate a number of bottles in and out each month and like to display them on a mirrored tray on my dressing table (out of the sun) and ‘require’ that I wear each at least once that month before it can be put away (how OCD is that?).
4. Only one, Barbara Bui Le Parfum.
5. The 10 or 12 boxed sample gift set from Sonoma Scent Studios. Presentation is as lovely as the scents are beautiful.
Laila, I love viburnum! To me, it’s a complete perfume that smells a lot like vintage Caron Bellodgia, but with indoles instead of sandalwood.
Summersent by Marjorie Midgarden is reputed to smell like viburnum. It’s rather hard to find, but Beautyhabit carries it now. I have a bottle from a few years ago and think it’s fairly good, but it would be hard to capture the awesomeness of a good viburnum in full bloom on a spring evening. I wish Amouage would try!
Oh, thank you. I’ve never smelled the Bellodgia but I understand it’s primarily a carnation scent? I certainly could see a relationship between carnation and the viburnum flower, there’s a nice spice in both. I actually tested the Summersent shortly after it came out at Von Maur’s and have to admit I thought the scent, the bottle, and the backstory (a fairytale, mystical, secret guarded flower in Chicago, really?) just a bit much. (Now, this is coming from someone who, although I love flowers in nature, fragrances that are floral bouquets are one of my least-liked scent categories, so this is just MHO.) I don’t remember it having a viburnum scent, but next time I’m at Von Maur’s I’ll seek it out and give it a sniff. If you find any other viburnum-laced scents, please let us know. Thank you!
Your garden sounds glorious!
Thank you. It’s taken a lot of years and I have a lot of weeds (but don’t care about them too much; it’s safe for birds – and kids – to make a safe haven in my yard; I don’t use anything toxic.
Barbara Bui is such a great scent and really good for bedtime.
Yes, it is, isn’t it? I only wear it on cool/cold nights – its soft incense is so soothing. I rarely wear it during the day or outside of the house; it just seems to be my special ‘sleep’ scent.
Your garden sounds lovely and very much like my someday fantasy garden. I love herbs, collecting seeds, volunteers, the whole mixed bag. Someday!
Me, too! A little at a time, it’s a lot of hard work but very rewarding.
1. What’s your fragrance today?
Wore Burberry Body to a friend’s Bridal Shower – it was perfect for the occasion 🙂
2. Do you garden, or otherwise grow plants for fragrance? What are your favorites?
I have a black thumb…the only plants that survive my care are the ones I can water sporadically (i.e. when I remember to). I would like to have houseplants, and perhaps someday I will develop that skill set.
3. Do you have any odd or quirky habits related to perfume?
Hmmm. Not sure that I do.
4. What’s your favorite fragrance to wear to bed?
Dior Addict. Shalimar. Chanel no. 5.
5. If you had to recommend just ONE sample set to a newbie, which would it be?
Probably a set from Surrender to Chance, based off of the Perfumes: the Guide.
I can imagine Burberry Body working for a bridal shower!
It was just right. I am a sucker for those silly bridal/baby shower games, so the whole thing was a great success 🙂
1. Egyptian Goddess Perfume Oil from Auric Blends- Cheap, Cheerful and Light
2. I have lots of green ideas but the reality is pretty sad. I just can’t commit to plants.
3. I don’t think I do…Is huffing bottle caps odd?
4. Tabac Aurea on chilly night (which hardly ever happens here)
with windows wide open and curtains wafting in the breeze and me cozy under the electric blanket!
5. Sonoma Scent Studio- I don’t love everything I’ve sampled, but everything in this line is quality. Plus, I think Laurie’s kindness and skill is evident in all she does.
I’m a day late and a dollar short as usual, but today was one of the nicest we’ve had in a long while, weather wise. So I did my two hour spin this morning when it was still hot and muggy and this afternoon took the dog for a lovely 3 mile walk after a cool front blew through- I LOVE autumn and so does the dog!
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Windows wide open and an electric blanket sounds like a recipe for a cold!
Ha! That would require the addition of a viral component into the mix! 😉
Yeah, true, lol!
After I did my post, I was also thinking that a SSS discovery set is really a wonderful thing. Laurie’s fragrances are all so richly developed. And, I used to love love love the “Sandalwood” Auric blend!
I totally get the windows open with electric blanket on. Although far from energy efficient, I’ve been known to drive with windows open and heat on.
1.) I went to visit my sister at college and borrowed some of her Cashmere Mist. I need to get my own bottle of this.
2.) I don’t have the time or space to grow stuff, but would love to grow some lavender at some point.
3.) I don’t have any weird habits that I am aware of, except sometimes I feel guilty about wearing some perfumes more than others.
4.) I usually like to take a break from fragrance at night, but occasionally I will use some Dream Angels Heavenly Body Mist
Re: #3–It’s nice that you consider your scents’ feelings and try to wear them equally! 😉
When I was a kid I used to feel bad for my non-dominant hand and tried to use it when I could. Is that kind of the same thing? 😉
1. Today was Smell Bent One early on (the high school cross country team was hosting a 5K, and I had to help), and SSS Champagne de Bois for an outdoor wedding late in the afternoon. Wonderful wedding.
2. I love my oriental lilies and the heliotrope I put in this summer.
3. Um…
4. I sleep better with fragrance on at night – as long as it’s something that is fairly simple, or at least something I find comforting. I have a whole range of scents I like to wear at night, depending on the weather. This time of year it’s likely to be Shalimar Light or Emeraude.
5. I really love the sample set packaging for Tauer Perfumes, and of course the fragrances are interesting and just enough out of the department-store norm that newbies would find them intriguing, yet still wearable.
There is a new exhibit at the Newseum in DC entitled “The Boomer List,” a series of photographic portraits intended to celebrate “the events, accomplishments and challenges that faced the nation’s largest generation — born between 1946 and 1964 — on the occasion of the youngest of the group turning 50 this year.”
I have not seen it yet, but the Washington Post article indicates that the portraits are accompanied by period magazine covers, items such as Barbie dolls and a Walkman, and a collection of scents to sample, including baby powder and incense. I wonder if they also have patchouli, cannabis and Jovan Musk Oil! 😉
No scent yet today/tons of scent from work. Jasmine, french vanilla, nag champa, and many, many more from spilling. Tokyo Milk’s Dead Sexy. Lots of fun stuff, certainly, and super scenty!
I have tried so hard to garden and always seem to fail. I’ve tried to grow tuberose indoors and outdoors. They never bloom! I do keep mint, rosemary and basil in the summers, which are wonderful. In the winter I grow lots of Paperwhites, which are seriously idiot-proof and smell incredible.
I think the constant sniffing probably seems weird, but I think there are so many of us that do it! I always try and do it sort of sneaky-subtly but sometimes I forget or don’t realize that I’m doing it.
As for samples, I really like Aedes sample service and it’s something that helped me a lot when I was getting into perfumes. I also think the Olfactif Discovery Kit would be great for someone getting into perfumes. They’re very interesting and the concept behind the brand is fascinating.
I have to ask – what do you do that all of those wonderful scents spilled?!? Inquiring minds want to know! 😉
Thanks for asking! My “profession” is as a librarian, but I have a part-time job at a store that sells various fragrances/scented home items (Crabtree & Evelyn, L’Occitane, Thymes, Margot Elena stuff) in addition to doing custom blending. So the spillage is from blending for people and getting the oil all over yourself, as I often do. I also end up covered in perfume when I spray them on tester strips for customers to smell. When I get off of work, I’m a very scenty lady!
Both of your professions sound great! I think if I had it to do over again, I’d be a librarian. And how wonderful for a perfumista that you then spend time mixing and blending scents. I’ve practiced aromatherapy for 20 years or so – mostly therapeutic – so I do get to play around mixing scents.
SOTD Seville a l’Aube, SOTE Krazy Krizia
Yes! My arty/hippie courtyard is very colorful and fragrant. I planted a lemon tree and a native frangipani in the ground, and star jasmine on the step railing. In pots there is a lime, cumquat and kefir lime, bay tree, sambac jasmine, night flowering jessamine, 3 frangipani/plumeria trees, a scented red rose, geraniums, carnations, lemon verbena and lots of herbs. Oh and stock!
I think the extent of my perfume habits are a quirk in themselves.
I usually always wear perfume to bed. Favourites include Organza Indecence, Divin Enfant, anything with lavender, Voyage d’Hermes, Mor Marshmallow, Lyric
I think a good place to start is by sniffing essential oils, flowers, spices, herbs, to get an idea of what the natural bases and themes are and to form a base for preferences and reference. Then either themed sample sets, or coffrets for a random mix, as often what we think we like isn’t always the case.
Your garden sounds delightful!
Thankyou 🙂 it’s taken years to turn it from a barren wasteland.. The front yard is a different matter however..
Oh and I forgot the 3 gardenias that have lots of buds.. Yay 🙂
1. What’s your fragrance today?
CdG Daphne, a recent find and obsession, until I finally broke down and bought a FB yesterday.
2. Do you garden, or otherwise grow plants for fragrance? What are your favorites?
I have many pots on my porches and grow flowers and herbs. The herbs really are the ones with the fragrance but I have had good luck with lavender. I also have an absolutely enormous rosemary bush, I’m talking the size of a small car or large dog.
3. Do you have any odd or quirky habits related to perfume?
Spraying the bed sheets very morning before I make the bed, usually with Sables.
4. What’s your favorite fragrance to wear to bed?
Tam Dao or something with vanilla like Arctic Jade.
5. If you had to recommend just ONE sample set to a newbie, which would it be?
Probably an Amouage set, because they’re just so fabulous, but it’s also great to try sets of perfumes by notes from one of the decant sellers–try out various ambers, or jasmines, figs, etc. That’s how I got started and learned.
“small car or large dog” was my laugh for the day. THank you!
Funny indeed 🙂 I was wondering what kind of dogs you had there.. (or cars!) 😉
I was at a wedding all afternoon and a lot of the evening, so I drenched myself in (very appropriate) 24 Fauborg.
I don’t garden. Sadly, I kill everything I touch.
I like to wear powdery things to bed.
Today was a Caron Pour Un Homme day. I garden quite a bit. I adore asiatic lilies and grow many varieties in my yard. The most fragrant ones are probably the Star Gazers and the Madonnas. I also cultivate quite a few Bonsai and find roots and leaves have wonderful smells. Witch Hazel blossoms are intoxicating. I keep my fragrances in the original packaging and in dresser drawers. I do not leave bottles out. I usually go to bed fragrance free. I think a sample set from Andy Tauer or Olympic Orchids are essential for people interested in exploring niche perfumes.
I’m wearing She Wood Golden Light by Dsquared. The more I wear it, the more I like it (it was a gift a few years ago, before I was really into perfume).
Not a gardener but I grew up with lilac bushes so that’s a big ‘garden scent’ association to me.
A recent quirk is to try to match up a scent to the book I’m reading, so recently I sprayed on some Timbuktu while reading Out of Africa, Cuir de Russie while reading The Brothers Karamazok, etc 🙂
I wear some of my sweeter scents to bed a lot, like Vie est Belle. I find them relaxing and they seem to produce nice dreams. Once I put on Aperge and found it so harsh I had a dream that I was being chased, heh. Also I bought a few really sweet perfumes like that one before I really hit on what was ‘me’ (big orientals) so it’s a way to use them up without wearing them outside 🙂
I’m still pretty new, but one thing re: samplers that made me happy was the 25-vial grab bag from Surrender to Chance. I’m still working my way through it. It’s hard to sniff indie/niche scents in Canada so that exposed me to a lot of brands in one pretty cheap go. Also it’s gotten me to try new notes/note combos I never would have even known to go looking for. Most of them will never be in the running for FBs, but there are definitely some new loves and intriguing new-smell moments that I couldn’t dream of getting from department stores around here 🙂
Also have to note that I loved getting the $25 sampler set from Atelier Cologne with 2mls of all their scents. So pretty with each in its own envelope with a postcard 🙂
I like your quirk! I belong to a couple of book groups and always try to -very discreetly – wear an article of clothing or accessory and a tiny bit of scent that captures either the mood, era, or character of the book (or a fragrance, if mentioned). Most people in the group don’t even notice, and having this special ‘secret’ scented thrill adds to my enjoyment of the whole experience!
What a great quirk.
After several days of an itchy nose, congestion and feeling weak, I’m starting to realize I have a summer cold rather than hay-fever. So my dominant scent has been lavender EO added to the body oil I use. Given that I also use lavender EO to sleep I am going through the bottle rather quickly. In fact, I haven’t finished a bottle of perfume in about 4 years, but I am two thirds through my second bottle of lavender EO and I only started using it about 2 years ago…
Today I’m also wearing Lush’s Breath of God (solid) which always works for me when I have a cold.
Aside from a drop of lavender EO on my sheets, I’v also been using Crabtree&Evelyn’s Lavender to sleep for the last few months. The coffee note in Eau Noire is too stimulating and I find Caron’s Pour Homme too radiant for this. In fact i sometimes have trouble actually going to bed in the first place, so I’ll spray on some C&E Lavender an hour or so before – this helps me unwind. It has very weak longevity so I’ll spray some every now and then, and then some more before actually getting into bed. Its softer and more snuggly than EO…
Hey M…we need to speak asap!lol!xo(Hope you feel better soon!!)
SOTD: Jimmy Choo Man Jimmy Choo for men
SOTM is Apres l’Ondee. I admit to not “getting” this one initially, but I guess enough time has passed and my perfumista palate has matured sufficiently that I now recognize its great beauty.
1. SOTD is Yosh Ginger Ciao.
2. I do garden, but don;t grow anything specifically for scent. However, I do a lot of sniffing of whatever is growing outside (lilacs, nasturtiums, verbena, scented geraniums – maybe that one would count as grown specifically for scent, petunias, pansies.
3. Odd or quirky habits related to perfume. Well, I do have a couple of bottles or samples in just about every room in the house. Although most of my collection is in a nice dark cabinet, I like to have a few handy wherever I am in the house just because it’s nice to have my favorite things near by. I was thinking that I didn’t have any in the kitchen, but then i remembered that I have a small sample pack on one of the counters.
4. I usually wear the same perfume for bedtime that I had on during the day. I may spritz a little more on in the evening.
5. There have been so many great sample sets mentioned here that I think a new perfumista could just go through all that have been mentioned and buy several sets, as there have also been great descriptions provided by everyone.
1.SOTD!Bvlgari Au Parfumee au The Rouge.I forgot how lovely this fragrance is in warmer weather!Plus it’s based on our local plant Rooibos.LOVELOVE
2.I do garden,yes,but just for the pleasure of it!My garden contains lots of fragrant plants:Lavender,Verveine,different varieties of mint like pepper-spear-and pineapple mint!There’s also lots of Roses that are very fragrant,and Spider lilies.
3.Odd habits…lol…I keep all my fragrances in their boxes,and the backups are mostly in their cellophane also.I’ve bought many fragrances that I have NO idea of of what they smell like actually…lol.
4.Favorite bedtime fragrance(but only in winter),is Clean Lather.Such a comfort scent to bed!
5.I love the Gorilla Exclusives discovery sets,which gives one a pretty good overview of their earlier fragrances.
HAPPY SUNDAY NST!
The Rouge is great for hot weather. You smell great!
SOTD – Guerlain Terracotta. I was about to put on Bronze Goddess before heading out for what was likely the last sunny picnic at the beach for a while, and then remembered that I still had a sample of this. Over sprayed a bit, but fortunately I was outside.
My yard is way larger than I’d like and the 30 rose bushes planted by the original owner prove that it’s survival of the fittest out there. I’d love to have a beautifully landscaped yard, it’s just not a priority right now.
I’m not sure if this is strange…my day starts early and there is no time for second guessing so before going to sleep I think about what I want to wear the next day, and what perfume would work with my projected mood based on the day/weather ahead.
I often shower at night and might test out a new sample. That way, it’s less of a blind spray that I’d be stuck with during the day.
I’m too much of a newbie to make a suggestion but after reading suggestions of others am narrowing down what’s on my sample set wish list.
Thinking of Poodle today, if you’re out there reading. Big virtual hugs!
I do wear perfume to bed. For years I wore either Chanel No. 5 or No. 22 to bed but in the past 8 months or so, I have varied the fragrance–even though the Chanels are my comfort scents.
1. My fragrance today is Cartier’s Déclaration Essence, which I tend to pull out around this transitional time of year. Its spicy, woody qualities speak of fall and winter, but its relative lightness and translucence ensure it won’t suffocate in case the weather suddenly turns warm (here in eastern Canada the recent weather has been all over the map).
2. I don’t garden, but I keep meaning to grow a small patch of herbs for cooking. I love the smell of basically any herb, but particularly basil and rosemary. I cook with more cilantro and parsley than anything else, so investing in some seeds and pots would save me several trips to the grocery store!
3. Odd/quirky perfume habit: When I spray a fragrance on, I like to hold the bottle up to the light and admire it/dwell on how little (or how much) remains, and mentally calculate how much longer the bottle will last me before I need to buy another. It’s how I get my pretty-perfume-bottle fix without actually displaying the bottles on my dresser (I always keep them in a drawer away from light/heat, and I’ve never had one go bad, knock on wood).
4. Against the perfumista grain (apparently), I actually don’t enjoy wearing fragrance to bed. I miss half the development of the scent when I’m not conscious to enjoy it, and I find strong smells distracting when I’m trying to sleep. Better to save the scent for the daylight hours when I can properly bask in it.
5. I think many of Serge Lutens’ scents are must-smells for people trying to expand their perfume horizons; just smelling them for the sake of discovery is rewarding, but I find even Lutens’ more out-there offerings are at least wearable, and many transcendent. I’ve never had trouble finishing a Lutens sample vial.
Has anyone else tried Tom Ford’s Patchouli Absolu? I love it…it is quirkier than most Tom Ford’s (a lot of which I own and like). To me it is more on the level of a Serge Loutens fragrance…but maybe it’s just my perception.
1. What’s your fragrance today? Bandit, perfume.
2. Do you garden, or otherwise grow plants for fragrance? What are your favorites? I garden a little, in Florida it was orchids. In N. CA, I grow David Austin Roses, in particular the Evelyn rose.
3. Do you have any odd or quirky habits related to perfume? No, other than smelling myself (and others) in public without missing a beat. I think I’m pretty run of the mill.
4. What’s your favorite fragrance to wear to bed? SL’s Ambre Sultan, the original Fendi or Shiseido’s Feminite du Bois perfume. Sometimes I like Meteorites by Guerlain.
5. If you had to recommend just ONE sample set to a newbie, which would it be? That would be hard, I guess the Malle scents.
1. My fragrance today is Jasmine and Cigarette. It smells exactly like my neighbor Ms. Anette’s house circa 1978. She wore strong floral perfumes and smoked like a chimney. The drywall actually had to be replaced in her house to get the cigarette smell out after she finally quit the habit. I’m glad this is from a sample as I don’t want to walk around feeling like I’m 8 when I’m 44.
2. I do grow plants for fragrance. I have jasmine, clematis, honeysuckle, and many, many lilies amongst other plants. I am currently building a small greenhouse so I can grow Sweet Olive (Osmanthus.) I grew up where Osmanthus grows in every nook and cranny and the smell is my favorite in all of the world.
3. I do have an odd and quirky perfume habit. I wear perfume that energizes me for my workouts. If I get tired on a run, a sniff of my wrist can perk me right up. For years, the only time I put perfume on was before working out.
4. I don’t have a favorite fragrance to wear to bed as I’m new to exploring scents. I should say I’m back to exploring scents. I loved perfume as a child, teen, and young adult, but stopped wearing it. Now, my love of perfume is back with a vengeance. Last night I wore Cabotine to bed.
5. I just received my first sample sets in the mail. I’m walking down memory lane with the Robert Guy selections.