It's Monday yet again. What's your fragrance today?
I am wearing Kenzo UFO / Unidentified Fragrance Object.
Reminder: this Friday, 10/31, for Halloween wear your quirkiest or weirdest or spookiest fragrance. The next week, 11/7, we're doing "down the rabbit hole Friday": wear the perfume that turned you into a perfumista (whatever that means to you).
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.
The first ray sun in four days (rain rain rain rain) so I am wearing Yves Rocher Voile d’Ambre, which is the glowiest, sunshiniest amber I know.
Nice! We’re having perfect fall weather too.
I’m wearing Mona di Orio Vanille—a decidedly unspooky, unquirky fragrance but nice on a cold morning.
Sometimes comforting is better than quirky!
Good Morning! I’m wearing a no-brainer: Chanel #19 EDT (vintage). Despite what the calendar says, summer is still going strong here. #19 is always perfect.
Update on the new fella – he likes Lyric and Journey. His go to scent is Curve but he’s keen on finding something different. Curve is just fine – it’s very light and barely detectable.
He likes the Amouages on you or on himself? Men’s versions or women’s? Inquiring minds want to know.
Yes, do share. Is he talking about things he likes smelling on you?
And #19 is rarely wrong… except maybe in very cold rainy weather when I myself would be wanting something cozier.
Lol – Lyric (W) and Journey (W) were on me. I need to acquire samples of the men’s Amouage line, esp the recent ones. I’ve tried a few here and there of the men’s line and they didn’t work for me, so I’ve passed what I did have along.
I made a long list of things to try based on the polls last week and I’m looking forward to trying some new scents (on me too!)
Congrats on the new guy!
I dated a guy in college who wore Curve, and I remember it being totally unoffensive and actually kind of nice. My tastes may have changed since then for all I know, but I do remember liking it.
Yes – I agree about Curve. Totally wearable. He’s a teacher, so wearing something light for “every day” works.
At least he wears something – that’s a good sign!
Today I’m wearing Marron Chic from Nez a Nez. I bought it during the summer and hadn’t worn it since then because I think it doesn’t do as well in the heat but now it’s cool enough
Love Marron Chic on a cool day!
That photo is rather appropriate for how I’m feeling today: blue and somewhat grumpy. Had a horrible commute into work this morning after a poor night’s rest. *sigh* It’s a Monday.
Wearing Fate Woman today, which is making it somewhat nicer.
Feeling the same here … bad sleep all weekend, and so not ready for being back at work
At least you smell great!
Yes! That’s always my thought on a bad day: at least I smell good.
So sorry! Hope the day gets better.
Thanks. At least my job isn’t stressful at all. Lack of sleep can make Mondays feel like they are the *worst* ever. Luckily it’s a short week for me. The boss declared Halloween a WFH day
Oh how I love those WFH days! And the icing on the cake is being able to wear ANY SCENT and not worry about offending anyone!
Me too. Grumpy and sleep deprived and Monday-ish. Hope your day improves.
Thanks. You too!
Wearing Mohur Extrait because today I’m all about a big red rose.
I really need to get a sample of that. I’ve heard so many good things about it.
I really like Mohur Extrait and the bottle is so beautiful… I still have my sample but when it’s gone I’ll seriously consider this purchase.
I’m in Jo Malone’s Nectarine Blossom & Honey mixed with Wood Sage & Sea Salt – it’s a great combination and feels very bright and cheerful, which I need on a Monday morning. I really like the Wood Sage & Sea Salt, I think it’s one of the best releases from the line in years (I was so disappointed by Peony and Blush Suede, which smelled so great in the magazine ads, but just went sweetly synthetic on my skin).
I really liked the Peony and Moss one, but it was LE and gone, baby, gone.
Wood Sage & Sea Salt is very nice and I heard already that it mixes well with Nectarine Blossom & Honey (which I think is a great scent and I love it on several other people but passionately hate on me) – so once I get some of WS&SS I’ll try the combination: who knows, maybe together they will work on me?
You know, I hated Nectarine Blossom & Honey with a passion (my bottle was a gift) and I rarely have that reaction to scents, so I kept sniffing it, scrunching my face, and moving on (like, purposely torturing myself with its sharp, synthetic odor). Once in awhile I’d put it on and get a ton of compliments, and my husband started specifically requesting it. Then, its relentless cheer actually grew on me. Once I read on The Non Blonde blog that it pairs well with the Wood Sage and tried the combo, I can say I’ve been turned. And it definitely fills the hyper-feminine “pretty/clean” gap in my frag wardrobe.
One of my co-workers wears it almost exclusively – and I love it on her. My friend likes it a lot and it’s one of just three perfumes in her wardrobe – and I like it on her. And still every time I attempt to wear it I feel amazed at how much I dislike it on my skin. But I’ll try the combination.
Feeling feminine this morning
24 Faubourg
You smell wonderful!
I sprayed a bit of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely in my hair today and I’m realizing that it gives me a headache….boo. I like this one.
Will probably wear the Mauboussin that one of my colleagues just gifted me last week as a thank you present. I was delighted – such a good gift!
I love Mauboussin!
Too bad about Lovely! I like that one too.
SOTD is Nirvana Black. Felt a little aimless this morning and was in a dark mood so the black called to me … it’s simple and easy.
I really like Nirvana Black too and agree it’s a good scent for those aimless sort of days. Have you tried the oil that just came out? I’m wondering if it’s worth it.
I haven’t tried the oil – I just have a rollerball of the EdP.
I tried the oil the other day at Sephora, and the scent is very, very light. I could barely smell anything, I wonder if it was just me.
Thanks for letting me know. I’ve read a lot about it fading fast, but wanted more opinions on it. I’ve been too busy lately to stop by Sephora to grab a sample.
Cacharel Amor Amor here.
Stella from one of the many rollerballs I seem to have of it. When and where did I get these? They seem to be breeding in my old purses (I cleaned out a closet last night and emptied handbags that were left for dead). I came in early to get some personal stuff done in peace and with good office equipment and the phone rang off the hook from the moment I walked in. Harumph.
I have yet to jump on the rollerball bandwagon, but I feel when I do I might have a problem.
I don’t love them but they are great for shoving in a purse and give me that full bottle satisfaction if I’m not sure I really need a full bottle but want more than a sample. Also, Sephora and that additional discount they sometimes give when you buy a fragrance item has prompted a few irrational purchases.
SOTD is Coco edt which is perfect for a crisp sunny fall day. It makes Monday morning a little easier to deal with when the sun is shinning. I have to enjoy fall while it lasts.
Coco! Wish I had thought of that one this morning.
Tilda Swinton’s Like This by Etat Libre d’Orange. Yummy! I’m draining my sample quickly.
Love that one! I have the smallest amount left of my sample and would love a FB.
Me too! Maybe we should work out a split during the next splitmeet.
I would definitely be into a split!
I’d love to take part if we could agree on a cross-Atlantic split :).
Wearing AG Eau de Charlotte. It’s something that puts me in a good mood on a Monday morning.
Mondays call for good-mood scents.
Weather is Gorgeous Autumn outside right now, and I was tempted by Tabac Aurea (it’s not that I *can’t* wear it in other weather, it’s that it is *perfect* for these gorgeous Indian summer days, and I hate to waste that kind of opportunity).
But I’m writing a scene where my protagonist is going hiking in the mountains of Washington state, and I wanted something more coniferous, so I dug out the only scent I own that seems to fit – DSH Twelfth Night, which is pine and incense and labdanum. I’ll get to the Tabac Aurea later.
Writers’ Envy!
When I put on fragrance to write, invariably I find myself writing on NST instead of what I am supposed to be writing!
HEH. I do all right if I set aside a block of morning time to write and only check email/blogs at one point.
If you are, or if anyone else is, doing NaNoWriMo this year, there’s a forum thread for perfumistas over there, in Writing Groups and Clubs… http://nanowrimo.org/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/175893
Fracas, as an antidote to all the masculine scents I’ve been wearing.
That would do it, certainly.
A rushed get ready this morning. Wearing the new CDG/PW Girl, because the sweater I threw on already smelled of this. I enjoy it enough that I may well get the mini-spray bottle.
Sotd….so far….is my dry shampoo. Powder and lemon and something else.
Have a sample of Osmanthus Yunnan in my purse for after the morning meeting.
I’m Im on the lookout for a new dry shampoo. Do you like yours enough to recommend it?
I do, in fact! The brand is Batiste. My hair is dry at the ends and gets oily at the roots after 24 hours.
I have tried a bunch of dry shampoos, and Batiste is my favorite.
I’ve purchased at Ulta, TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
I first found it on a 3 week study abroad in London in 2009. Gotten more and more popular in the states. Usually priced at $6-8.
Sweet! Will check it out, thanks!
My pleasure – I hope it works for you!
SOTD is Worth Courtesan because I can use a little skank today.
SOTD: Guilty Pour Homme Gucci for men
SOTD is Honeysuckle Lemon Curd by the Haus of Gloi. It’s mostly lemon drop candy with some lemon cake and an occasional bit of lemon candle. I like it.
SOTD is Ades De Venustas’ Oeillet Bengale. No particular reason why I chose this fragrance. It’s a nice fall fragrance and a bit on the “spicy” side. Kind of makes me feel exotic! Lol!
I’m wearing PG Cadjmere, which smells like spicy Thai coconut soup and carrot tops. I like it enough to own a decant, which will probably be enough as I don’t turn to it other than in the fall.
I’m in a Lemon Cloud today – Roca Nuvol de Llimona. It’s a sweet lemon cake. Perfect for a slightly chilly Monday morning.
SOTD = Bvlgari Man in Black
From a sample. Definitely FB worthy. Picture Spicebomb but less sweet, more smoky leatherish. It wears very close to skin and is very long-lasting. It almost smells like Spicebomb amped up with Puredistance M at a quarter of the price.
That does sound worth trying!
Ok, now I’ll have to try it. I love Spicebomb but it is a bit sweet. Guess I’ll really have to brave the mall since I have three reasons to go now.
Well, crud. My Sephora doesn’t stock it and they say they might not get it until after Christmas if they get it at all. They called the other, nicer store and got the same story. Hope they’re mistaken but the fragrances stocked in this city are pretty sad and they only stock the best sellers. I’ll have to try again soon and cross my fingers.
Why couldn’t you wear it last week?
(I went to the mall this weekend but didn’t even think of trying this one)
Wearing Agent Provocateur L’Agent today. Kinda just picked the first thing that caught my eye on the shelf this morning. Luckily it’s working for me.
You smell L’Amazing.
It’s been beautiful here since Friday, and today we’re supposed to be in the low 70’s, which is very unusual this time of year. I’m wearing Guerlain L’Instant edp. It is so cozy and warm, just like the sunshine outside.
Now I think of L’Instant as gorgeous but cool. Of course, I’m in Southern California, where the low 70s is also a bit chilly.
Right now my SOTD is sweat and a trace of Guerlain Moscow, which for the life of me I can’t remove. This is the heartiest perfume ever…..to its detriment. I thought maybe I liked it, but after 12 hours, a shower, wafts of it every time I turned under the blankets, and then even getting traces of it as I taught a fitness class, it was wayyyyyyy too much. Help!
So after this next upcoming shower, it will be something verrrrrry light and easy to tolerate. maybe Le Labo Gaiac.
Seem to be rotating between Cuir de Lancôme, Bas de Soie, Ferre and Jasmine White Moss. Wearing the latter today. The dark mornings seem to prevent more considered decisions.
LOL I hate leaving the house before the sun comes up
it’s sample Monday at my humble abode:
left forearm is Black Flower Mexican Vanilla from Dame Perfumery
left hand is SL Iris Silver Mist
right forearm is SL Borneo 1834
right hand is SL De Profundis
I am liking 2 out of 4 so far….
Those are all so different – no way to guess which two you like – please let us know how this test turns out!
I haven’t tried the first one, but just from looking at them I’d pair them Iris Silver Mist and De Profundis as (relatively) light florals and Black Flower Mexican Vanilla and Borneo 1834 as gourmands. It will be interesting if Deva likes one from each pair vs. one type.
Undina, that is an uncanny guess! I liked De Profundis and Black Flower Mexican Vanilla! De Profundis reminds me of something I can’t put my finger on…
ISM will require a solo test with a full spritz- the opening is like nothing I’ve smelled before but I really like the dry down- very short lived though, at least on me.
Borneo 1834- wow! That one big blast of camphor up top- I think my scent receptors are temporarily skewed and I will need to test this one solo as well, although I’m afraid of a full spritz!
Such fun
De Profundis smells for me of chrysanthemum and I like it but I have no other unpinned associations. I’ll hope you’ll figure out what it reminds you (it drives me crazy when that happens and I cannot think of what it reminds me).
ISM is also very short-lived on my skin. As to Borneo 1834, it’s not for me but may I suggest testing it against Angel (even on paper if you don’t want to put it on your skin): you’ll immediately appreciate subtleties of Borneo
Noz, I am all over the place today with scent testing! Maybe I’m a scent schizophrenic?!
Quadrophenia (The Who)!
I want to try all of those!
OF, I think I may have overdone it testing all four at once! But I am really digging that vanilla- not at all cupcakey but still Vanillary with a bit of SOMEthing I cant identify. It’s “grown up” and definitely unisex.
SOTD is PG Une Crime Exotique–I had gotten a 5 ml decant, and then a 10, but sprang for a FB when I heard it had been discontinued and I am so glad. There are not many scents with this level of spice that please me so much.
I plan to wear something weird, leading up to Friday, so that means I’ll wait until this evening at home. Probably one of the weird Duchaufours.
I did wear something weird yesterday: Le Labo Ylang Ylang 49. It’s a floral that at times smelled almost like lilac to me, with sort of dry wood, incense or smoke undertones. I liked it better than other LLs I’ve tried; not enough to want a bottle, but maybe another decant. It goes into the cabinet of curiosities category, for now, at least; Angela’s review urges sceptics to allow some time to pass and give it another try.
I luuurv Ylang 49. Picks me up, dusts me off, and sends me on my way :8-):
This is starting to feel like a slippery slope…
Me too! It’s in that same weird category as Diptyque Oyedo for me. Floral/fruity and woody with earthy undertones. My favorite Le Labo for summer.
That one was truly awful on my skin, though I loved the way it smelled where I spilled a drop on my wood desk. But I tend to have trouble with the “weird” Duchaufours smelling like swamp water on me.
Had a medical appointment, so have only been in the tiniest of Narcisse Bleu spritzes. Maybe I’ll put on some SL Clair de Musc for some evening cozyness. As a online auction game hunter my prey at the moment is the 5 ml SL bottles. Clair de Musc was my first capture, some Feminite de Bois is on its way from Italy and I’ve targeted a few other objects today…
THEY MAKE THOSE? I definitely need 5ml of Fleurs d’Oranger.
My next Serge Lutens FB is going to be Clair de Musc. Everytime I wear it, I forget how stunning it is, even though it’s quite understated.
Those SL minis are great too! So pretty and a great size. I have Chergui and FdB in the mini sizes and they look so cute on my dresser and smell amazing.
I’m wearing a long gone and mostly forgotten little gem, Precieuse Orchidee from Le Prince Jardinier. I have and really enjoy several of the scents from the former LPJ line and was sorry to see it fade away.
PO crystalizes the experience of wandering through a well-tended indoor botanical garden or conservatory and stopping to sniff a delicate orchid. The scent combines the scent of the singular orchid with the verdant background of the conservatory plants, dewed with water and anchored in rich soil.
Had Encre Noire on during the day, but after I got home and had a soak I put on Eau d’Hermes.
SOTD: last of tiny sample of VP’s Mito Voile d’Extrait.
Weirdly, it is coming off like a verbena vesuvius…with hints of peach… although no verbena is listed in the notes.
I knew I was going to trek far away to a mall with stores that actually sell Diptyque products, so I didn’t put anything on this morning. Now, however, I have a mix of L’Ombre dans l’eau EDP (accidental – though I like it), eau rose, philosykos EDP and do son EDP. oh yeah and some carven l’eau de toilette! it’s a jumble!
L’Ombre dans l’Eau is my favorite Diptyque (the earlier EdT; I’m avoiding the EdP). How do you like Eau Rose?
I LOOOOOOVED it on a tester strip, and that was actually the point of my excursion to Tysons – to get it in the rollerball, but for some reason I tired of it by the dry down. It seemed to lose its fresh zest. I ended up with a rollerball of philosykos and a candle, hehe. I was also really surprised by how much I liked Do Son – and probably would have bought it if they had it in the solid form (I’m not sure I liked it 140 dollars worth – but I did get a sample so I’ll test it out and see!). I also really like L’ombre, but once I read a comment that it smelled too tomato-viney, and now when I smell it I instantly think of tomato vines and that is limiting my enjoyment a bit.
If I tell you that Tania Sanchez said the greenness in L’Ombre was like snapped fresh green beans, does that make it better, or worse?
Haha I don’t know!! The funny thing is I like philosykos because it reminds me of the fig trees in my garden – but the likeness to green beans and tomatoes (also in my garden) are points *against* L’ombre.
But I find that when I wear the sample I have, I instinctively KEEP smelling it – its a striking and ultimately refreshing scent. It always catches me off guard – even while I’m consciously smelling it. I expect I’ll end up with the rollerball. (I love rollerballs – I doubt I could ever use up a FB of a perfume!)
I’m in Cuir Cannage, and unlike most reviewers my favorite part is the orange-flowered-menthol opening. I like it all, but wish that opening lasted longer (though given that other people hate it – probably better it doesn’t. Makes me less worried about wearing it out).
I have *got* to find where I stashed my decant of that… took it on vacation, I know it got home with me… but where is it now?? gah.
Mals I think I remember you once saying it was pretty…
Today, I was looking for something to buck me up – I went for Ambre Russe by Parfum d`Empire. I get more vaporous incense than amber from this, but very full bodied nonetheless. Lovely scent, and goal accomplished.
Love that one, especially in the fall/winter season! You smell superb!
Beautiful amber!
Full-bodied is probably the best descriptor. I get quite a bit of russian tea and vodka
SOTD is a decant of Aerin Waterlily & Sun. I really enjoyed it, and found it spring-y and pretty, but the scent really didn’t last that long, so I am not sure if I would shell out for an FB.
Wearing Serge Lutens Boxeuses – because it’s Monday and because I have a tough meeting later today.
good luck!
Thank you! I think it helped.
Knock ’em dead in your meeting! Figuratively speaking, of course
It looks like I won (and they didn’t know what hit them!
)
Ohhh, you will smell divine for your meeting! I would feel confident and elegant if I were wearing Boxeuses.
Thank you, missylulu. It felt good.
Busted into a sample of Thierry Mugler Alien. I have to say, this is potent and pretty weird. It has a weird, camphor-y edge to it, or like a cleaner smell, or something that I kind of liked at first but is sticking around for a long time and is starting to feel kind of like I’m listening to nails on a chalkboard. It’s really a sillage monster, too. It’s really, really weird and I’m not sure I’m liking it so much. It’s really sweet, but it doesn’t smell like food. Definitely lots of white flowers. But it’s also got a weird “fresh” smell that’s throwing me off, too. I don’t know if I can wear it again!
I kind of wish I had gone with Shanghai Lily like I had planned to this morning!
Most of Thierry Mugler’s perfumes are killers in tenacity, so if you do not like them you’re stuck. Have you tried Alien Taste of Fragrance? It was an interesting series of flankers with additional gourmand aspect. This one was with caramel. Angel came out with more chocolate.
The Alien Essence Absolue is nice, too–it adds vanilla and heavier amber, which oddly makes it milder and easier to wear. I do like the original Alien, but I was a teenager in the ’80s, and believe in my heart that perfume should be big.
I feel the same way about perfume being big and I was also a teenager in the 80s
Bahahaha, you guys are great! I would actually be really interested in trying the Alien Flankers because as it dried down, it did have a little more of a milky, gourmand feeling that I liked more than the kind of weird “fresh” feel. I will say, it had tenacity. I could still smell it pretty strongly on me this morning, and this morning it smelled like a very pretty, faint jasmine.
Wearing a big favorite to cheer me up on a Monday – Andy Tauer’s L’Air du Désert Marocain. I can always count on it for a great perfume day.
Have been in Seattle for a week, sadly leaving tomorrow to go home to Aberdeen, Scotland, having had a lovely time. Am wearing Penhaligon’s Bluebell, but picked up Hampton Sun’s ‘Privet Bloom’, which I had arranged to have sent from NYC to friends near Seattle (shout out to Ms Kathleen Griese, Ops & Mktg Manager for Hampton Sun in NYC for organising this); checked out Neiman Marcus’s fragrance department today – very disappointed; had lovely chats with SAs in Barneys New York & Nordstrom, so will make sure I go to both stores if they have locations in wherever my next US trip takes me.
SOTD is Mauboissin Histoire d’Eau, which is just barely hanging on in the crook of one elbow, because I was ready for it to die away completely so I could try something exciting from a swap. (Thanks again, audreylicious!) I think I’ve discovered a perfume law, or at least a corollary to Samantha at IScentYouaDay’s Law of Sod: if you put on a usually short-lived perfume because you want to wear something else later, it will exhibit unusual tenacity, at least during that wearing.
I’m pondering what to wear Friday, since last Friday my battery died right in the middle of my attempt to comment (L’Homme YSL Cologne Gigembre, if you’re interested), and the Friday before I completely forgot. Does it count if it only smells weird to my nose?
Yes. If your skin chemistry makes a scent weird then it’s weird
Today SL’s Santal Majuscule , one if not my favorite autumnal perfume.