Welcome to another Monday. If you're celebrating this week, are you ready for the holidays? And what's your fragrance today?
I am wearing an old favorite that I never wear anymore, Eau de Givenchy.
Reminder: on Friday 12/26, for Boxing Day, wear a perfume you received as a present, or have given as a present, or that you wish someone would give you as a present
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2015, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Leather Angel, warm and cozy on a bright chilly day. Angel perfected, I think: that leather note cuts through the sweetness and adds exactly the sophistication it needed.
Of all the over-flankerized scents, Angel is perhaps the most justified.
Yes!
True. I like the cocoa one and the liquer.
Love this one
My SO is visiting his parents for Christmas so I’m without him all week. I thought I’d use this as an opportunity to wear all the fragrances he dislikes, but I’d actually just rather he were home. Still, sticking with my theme at least for today, I’m wearing Cuir de Gardenia extrait and might wear it again for Christmas since it doesn’t seem to give my mother a headache (as most scents–even the ones she likes–do). I hope everyone is spending the holidays with the people they most want to be with! Looking forward to Friday, when SO is back.
Hope the week will go quickly for you!
Whenever my husband is out-of-town, I always plan to wear the frags he doesn’t like, but I never do. I’m sorry that you guys won’t be together, and I hope that the week flies by fast!
Arpege pour homme for me today. A lovely, soft, easy to wear oriental. Never feels wrong.
Perfect!
I’m wearing Linden Blond Tabac from Voluspa (sample via the lovely Patricia). Yesterday I met a man at a wedding who said he loves a particular shade of paint used on Porsches, called “linden green,” and couldn’t understand why they’d name a color after a town in New Jersey. I informed him that it’s also a tree.
Ha!
I didn’t know there was a Linden, NJ.
Me either! I hope it smells like lindens.
I assure you, it does not. Bland, gray, industrial and smells like sulphur.
I had to see the shade, and after a couple minutes on Google I’m convinced he is confusing Linden Green with “Lind”, German for light. As in “light green”. But I wait to be corrected.
Oh, maybe so! There is a Pantone color called Linden Green, but maybe that’s coincidence.
And other car companies make “linden green”…Pontiac GTO, for instance (and their 1967 linden green GTO is a great shade). But I think he’s talking about this metallic lime green which does nothing for me:
http://s3.photobucket.com/user/manks/media/Lindtarga.jpg.html
Nobody can procrastinate as well as I can, ha!
I don’t like that lime green shade either. He showed me a photo of a vintage Porsche that was more of a blue minty pastel shade — not very close to the Pantone color either.
Ah. I just had a peek at the green porche site. There are some great greens there! but looks like youre right- no linden.
Impressed with how many of us are happy to waste time on this issue!!
Ha! You guys are my people.
Lol. That reminds me of a long-standing family joke. When my parents met in the late 60’s, dad drove a Ford Zephyr. He hated the colour and called it ‘Chunderous Green’.. Mum thought that was a real colour and when the car was brought up in conversation she’d proudly mention the colour… Dad thought it was hilarious and didnt tell her for ages he meant that it was vomit green!
ha!
Excellent!
Hahahahahaha–“a man at a wedding who said he loves a particular shade of paint used on Porsches.” You’re now leading my informal competition for best/worst wedding pick-up lines!
Heehee this thread made me laugh. My father in law’s pick up line for my mother in law circa 1950 or so was “do you like Bach?” It must have worked because they have been together for 60+ years.
Cute!
Cold crisp first full day of winter and Dulcis in Fundo seemed just right. A bit of baking to do for Christmas, yes all ready for it especially since we celebrate Christ’s birth and not Santa Claus.
Good for you. We don’t really do Santa either.
Mmmm … love Dulcis in Fundo …
Guerlain Plus Que Jamais which smells like Guet Apens spiked with Jicky.
And of course everything *should* be spiked with Jicky
. . . makes note to see if there’s a sample of Plus Que Jamais at home when she returns . . .
I think I’m as ready as I’m going to be for the holidays, and wearing Iris Nazarena this morning.
I have a few things left to do, mostly things I’m not fond of: cooking and cleaning.
That’s me too, and a little bit of wrapping. Though I did pay someone to do part of the cleaning tomorrow. Maid services + groupon are an amazing thing.
Smart of you!
Spending Christmas at my parent’s with my brother and sister-in-law. SOTD Hermes Ambre Narguile which I’ve always thought very christmassy.
I think so too.
Nope, not ready- a lot of baking needs to be done for folks as I am gifting people with food and a small inexpensive “purchased” gift rather than going all out crazy as I have in the past.
I am also busy contemplating which New Years Resolution I should try (and fail!) for 2015. I think it may have something to do with perfume purchases…
Wearing the original Omnia by Bvlgari, which was a successful blind buy for cheapcheapcheap! It was delivered yesterday (on a Sunday!) which shocked me to no end. I really like it: it’s polite, well-mannered, and attractive in a nondescript way. It’s a good one to wear when you will be with people in close confines- very inoffensive and “pretty” while still retaining an unusual twist. It’s behave like you wish your in-laws would…;)
Happy Holidays to All!!
So glad you like it! And I’ve gotten very used to Sunday delivery. Still waiting for the Amazon drones to appear in my neighborhood so everything will be delivered right after I buy it, ha.
That sunday delivery was a real shocker- not sure my heart can stand “drone delivery”- but then, as I told MarjorieRose below, I am old as dirt
Oh, Deva, it sounds like we are cut from the same cloth!! About every third year I go into a baking frenzy and find myself making “just a little of. . .” and “perhaps a batch of. . .” and “some of that” to round out the offerings! And then I do too much and have to rest a year or two before the inklings begin again! I am committed to only making a batch of fudge this year. And maybe some toffee. But no cookies. Probably.
I really enjoy Omnia and have been considering buying another bottle. It’s hard to tell, but I *think* I only have 10ml or so left in my little bottle. I warn you, though, I have found it to be an oddly magnetic scent to men! Three male friends have fluttered their eyelids when coming in contact with it, two straight and one gay (so it wasn’t about me)!
MR, you are killing me! Lol! No one has ever “fluttered their eyelids” at me- I’m old as dirt! And this year I decided to stop coloring my hair and just let it “be” so now you can tell from a mile away that I’m as old as dirt (possibly I am fossilized!) If someone DID flutter their eyelids at me, I think I might pass out from shock!
As to the baking, I just love to bake and see people eat! I work from home now, but until this job I have always worked with a lot of people and I would bake and take stuff in all the time just for the joy of seeing everyone descend like a cloud of locusts. It warmed my heart to no end
Hope you holidays are SUPERB!
I’ve been working too hard this year to be actively checking out new scents, so today I discovered rather belatedly BV’s essence aromatique. I like it, so much it might be my own gift to myself if it keeps up to its promises during samplings no 2 and 3
Today I’m wearing the tiniest spray I could manage from a small decant of vintage L’Interdit, which was very exceptionally and amazingly gifted to me by Azar of APJ. This is a powerhouse scent – exactly the kind I usually shy away from – but at the same time it’s lovely and whisks me away to a generation not my own. Happy holidays everyone!
I’m wearing another of my Possets samples today. This one is called Dark Lady. Possets has the notes listed as: Lavender, neroli, moss, earth, clove, and a light touch of vetiver. I think I’m going full bottle with this one, since it is perfect for this time of year. I’m really enjoying it. It is very spicy, but not necessarily in a pumpkin or apple spice way. In fact, I was surprised not to find pepper in the list of notes, since when I first put it on, that seemed to be a primary note.
maybe the vetiver isnt so light then? I find vetiver often comes across as peppery
Dark Lady sounds amazing! I will have to investigate it. Is the lavender prominent to you? It’s one of my favorite notes, but really, the whole notes list and your description sound perfect.
Wore Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel today from a new decant. Yum. Enjoying this!
SOTE is Journey Woman. I tried in instore a couple months back and wasnt fussed, which i thought was odd because i LOVE Amouage, and the list of notes. Maybe because it isnt competing tonight, but this is what i was expecting, and its rather delicious!
I love Journey Woman something fierce. The mimosa and animalic notes make me feel so happy and brazen. It’s a happy and fierce perfume to me
Good morning everyone! Am coming down with a head cold, and chose Bvlgari Black. Very pleasant.
I have procrastinated this holiday, mostly my holiday cards. I keep thinking that if I send them out today they should be delivered tomorrow or the next day.
Also behind on shopping. It’s a good thing I work downtown.
Oh no, get better quickly!!
Thank you Robin – I’ll try!
Good luck with your remainder chores ; (
Total emoticon fail.
Indult Tihota both because I was inspired by another blog post and because our house guests are seriously driving me insane. I needed the biggest, most indulgent comfort scent I could find and Tihota will do it. Though I’d better enjoy it while I can because one of our guests brought the flu along and now I’m getting it, which means we’ll have sick kids for the holidays. *headdesk*
Hope everyone has a better Monday than I’m having.
Tihota is divine. Sorry about the ‘plague’ that has visited you.. hope it passes lightly and in festive cheer
… if not, you still smell great
Tihota is gorgeous and you smell wonderful. I hope your flu symptoms are light! Perhaps contagion and illness will cause your guests to leave early….
Whenever I see a comment about Tihota I think I’ve got to get my hands on it someday. I’m weak when it comes to vanilla fragrances. The Luckyscent description for Tihota just slays me.
“It is, without a sliver of a doubt, the finest pure vanilla we’ve ever had the honor of carrying, and it’s so beautiful it pains us to put the bottle down.”
Hands down the most superlative fragrance marketing language I’ve every read. 8) It figures that Tihota is backordered until January.
I am still on vacation, and therefore haven’t done any Christmas preparation yet! Mom and I have negotiated that she hosts Thanksgiving, and I host Christmas, so I will have shopping and cooking to do when I return home. And cleaning. I will be small this year, as my father has declined the invitation, which also makes it lower pressure.
I was thinking of making an Italian fish and chicken stew–Couscous a la Trapanese–that I have made for myself and always feels like a “special” meal. Not sure how Mom feels about couscous, though.
No SOTD yet this morning. I’m meeting up with some fumie friends here in BC for lunch today, so anything would be good! Might just continue on my Ta’if streak.
SOTD is Diptyque Philosykos. Soothing and friendly and good for a day at work where I have to do a bunch of stuff I don’t want to do. Oh, well, any job is better than no job!
That’s my New Year Resolution, get a better job!
Although my husband and I are talking about starting an IT security consulting business for small and medium sized enterprises. That would be a change, for sure. Evaluate and recommend security solutions. I’ll have to get some power perfumes for doing that!
Happy Holidays, everyone.
Great New Year resolution, I may borrow that for myself. Although you’re right of course, about a job being better than no job.
And how cool about your plan to start your own business with your husband!
Happy holidays
Memoir Woman from a sample…which I loved until I read some reviews..some said it smelled of cigarettes, now I just smell sweet cigarettes! I have never let reviews affect me before…what’s wrong with me?!
Also am wearing a carnation scent..some have said it’s dusty, vintage and melancholic..dark and eery like an old attic…it’s been a love but after reading..I get the old attic note! And I love it less. This is strange. I still love the dy down..but the attic note..what’s that all about?
Forget it..LOL. No more reviews for a while…this has never happened…I have liked what I have liked..and somehow these reviews have affected things..at least today..hopefully, no more of that.
Ooh sweet cigarettes and old attic- now THAT would be a great combination! I love both those scents! (and, old attic is way better than old cellar, likewise sweet (unlit) cigarettes better than ashtray…
)
Funny how once an image gets stuck in your mind it projects so soundly onto what youre smelling..
I know right? I would say it’s burnt cigarettes though, ashy.
It will pass, I think it already has. I am still wanting that carnation fume. Honestly, I haven’t smelled an attic in idk when..who knows what it would smell like. It was more like old vintage shop for just a bit…and definitely don’t like that smell..likewise thift shops..several need an airing out..it’s like stale funk. I like thift stores…just not that smell. It’s just stuffy funk. But I smell a smooth iris over carnation now..quite nice..wonderfully floral…and warm spice.
Several reviews I have found not too helpful anyway. Everyone is different and may interpret something differently. They are somewhat helpful to get a possible general idea..but I know what notes I like and dislike. The best are, ‘this is sex in a bottle!’ LOL. No offense to anyone who may have left such a review..but surely there’s more to add than just that one-liner?
Yeah, i know that dusty old smell youre talking about in Memoir, but i guess either it passes or it just doesnt bother me.
Sometimes the list of notes and the sniff of the frag seem to have no correlation! More of an idea in most cases… and yep.. I reckon ive sought out a few based on Sex in a Bottle
…
Arg, I had the same thing happen to me with Philosykos, only it wasn’t even anything so reputable as a review–purely a passing comment from a friend. Once she pointed it out, I couldn’t smell anything else. I’m hoping that if I let enough time pass, maybe when I get it back out, I’ll have a different impression of it!
Wearing Guerlain Encens Mythique D’Orient, so I will be scented like a Lady Who Lunches at lunch, even if I won’t be dressed like one!
I really liked all three of the Les Déserts d’Orient collection. I was surprised at how much more rose/jasmine than incense Encens Mythique D’Orient was, but it is very, very nice.
i am wearing Reminiscence Ambre today. I have been holding off on wearing my ambers, as I like to wear them in super cold weather, and there will be plenty of that in Jan. and Feb. I have one more present to get for someone and will do that today.
CdG’s Zagorsk for me today. Over time, it has gotten to smell LESS like sweat, which is good. But there is still that undertone to it. I’ll be happy to use up this decant. Probably won’t replace. Nice for the winter though.
I am caught up with everything for the holidays, even mailed a textbook I sold on Amazon this morning. It had been posted since August so I suppose someone wanted to give themselves a present. But now I’m $75 richer than I was yesterday and wondering if I should buy perfume or new door handles for the house…the old ones are about 50 years old and look it.
SOTD is Oriza L. Legrand Royal Oeillet. If you have been looking for a carnation soliflore, this is it, though the notes say geranium and rose and clove. I didn’t care for the first hour, too funereal for me, but it’s subsided a bit and now is quite nice. Nevertheless, I think I still prefer De Profundis, which strikes me as a more complex scent and the carnation is not quite so bold.
My apartment was built in the 1940’s and the doorknobs are in the then-popular, pseudo-antiqued-iron Spanish style. I can’t bring myself to change them, though, nor the peach-beige 1940’s bathroom tile, which fortunately is just on the floor and can be covered with a mat. let us know which way you go…
I’m wearing Prada Infusion d’Iris today, and getting my home ready for Christmas Eve. We have the whole family over (both sides) and close friends. That’s our big holiday we host. My grandmother used to host Christmas Eve, then my parents, and we inherited the holiday we got married 25 years ago.
Its also very special this year because our son just got engaged this past Friday. We’re very excited!! I’m sure there’ll be a champagne toast or two that night
Congrats! What a special time – I hope you love his choice
Yes, she is a lovely girl
Wearing Hermes Elixir de Merveilles today, as I slog through Day 2 of my mad holiday bakeathon. We don’t celebrate Christmas anymore, and I was enjoying the peace and quiet while watching others tear about in their usual holiday frenzy, until yesterday morning when I started jonesing for some holiday baking for friends. After 2 huge batches of fudge and 4 different types of cookies yesterday, I’m still only halfway there and beyond over it! With a pantry still overrun with sugar, flour, and other naughties, however, I am determined to slog it out today, so that I can deliver the goods tomorrow and rid my tiny kitchen of sweets for the foreseeable future.
Elixir de Merveilles is the perfect scent for this lightly snowy, cold day. I love its deeply orange note with the accompanying amber-patch-woody-resin effect. Most important for today, it’s *not* vanilla, which I normally love, but is the last thing I want to smell after all of this baking!
I love Elixer too and need to wear it when it gets cool (we supposedly have a “cool front” getting ready to move through). I also love the original and l’ambre as well. Happy baking- I bet your entire house smells fantastic
I haven’t worn perfume in two weeks due to a terrible cold/bronchitis. I must be getting better though, because today at least I feel like reading and talking about it. I never wear anything scented when I’m not feeling well and don’t even want to go near my bottles.
Yesterday I got a sweet christmas gift from a dear friend and neighbour. She put away all her perfume a few years ago because she got tired of it and never wore it. Yesterday her son had managed to dig out the bottles in their old apartment, and she gave all of them to me as a christmas gift… So sweeet, I’m touched and excited to try them. There’s the original Oscar, Guerlain Precious heart and AA Pivoine something, VCA Murmure (never heard of this one, Fragrantica says it’s a tuberose perfume) Kenzo Flower etc. Florals! I think just what’s needed to lift this grey and wet winter.
Happy holidays to all of you!
What a sweet and touching gift!
Day off today! I wore a spritz of Tubéreuse Criminelle and decorated my Christmas tree (an impulse purchase!).
I’m working on the 23rd, 24th and 26th, but what the heck, things could be worse, right?
SOTD is vintage Givenchy III because I need a somewhat of a flaming b***h perfume today before I go into work. Can’t wait to get my hands on the $50 Amazon card I won at work so I can actually get something for myself this year that I have been wanting forever.
I love Givenchy III–what a perfect bit of perfume armor! Go get ’em.
FLAMING B*TCH!!
Today is Une Rose, because there aren’t many people in the office so I can get away with it!
Wearing Diptyque Volutes EDT today. Nice and spicy, but I get a lot of powder from it, so nothing I need to buy. Mostly ready for Christmas. Done shopping, half done with wrapping. A little baking tonight and then we are hosting a very small dinner on Christmas with my brother and his family and we are splitting the cooking. So a little cleaning and moving things around and cooking on Christmas. Looking forward to hanging out with our families and enjoying lots of food and wine!
Hope you have a wonderful holiday! That particular Diptyque is one of my favorites
Thank you! And same to you! The powderiness has diminished and I’m enjoying it much more. Coincidentally, one of the blogs I follow (dooce.com) put this on their holiday gift guide today. The site has a lot of readers, so Diptyque should get a nice little bump in sales!
SOTD = three sprays of Eau Aimable/Cologne of Love by Le Couvent des Minimes and one spray of Vaniglia del Madagascar by i Profumi di Firenze. No, I don’t smell like an orange creamsicle. I was trying to, but it didn’t turn out that way. Still, I do smell good
Our household (my husband and I) doesn’t celebrate any winter holidays, but we exchange gifts with his mom and stepfather … to please his mom
My MIL’s cousin is a retired high school history teacher and a world traveller. Every Christmas Eve, he gives an awesome slide show/lecture on his latest trip, complete with photos, maps, and props. He must have been a fun teacher.
It’s the time of year (December 14th – January 5th) when birders around the world participate in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the longest running Citizen Science survey (say that five times fast) in the world. Before I was so gimpy, I used to participate in several CBCs. I hope to do the local one this year. My husband participates in 6 or 7, including one in New Mexico (we live in California).
The CBC has an interesting history: http://birds.audubon.org/history-christmas-bird-count.
There was an article in the Washington Post about this last weekend – a snowy owl was sighted near National Airport. There were several in the area last year, but it’s generally unusual. Thanks for the info on CBCs!
There are people who would drive all night to see a Snowy Owl
I’ve seen a few, and they are awesome!
Day before vacation for me and I’m half working from home and half cat wrangling/ doing house chores / last minute preparations before we fly to Florida tomorrow.
At the in-law’s now b/c they will be taking care of our neurotic kitty.
Needed something easy and comforting b/c I’ll be running ragged most the day. Wearing Samsara.
Sacrebleu– one of the most perfect scents ever. Period.
Wish I had bought that back when it was cheap and easy to find. I find Bulgari Black is a bit similar (but I’ve never tried them side by side – could be wrong).
You smell perfectly wonderful.
It’s grey rainy and windy here today. So I chose Fracas, which in some ways is so very sunny!
Wearing Pear and Olive today by SlumberHouse. I will be getting myself a bottle of this as soon as I can.
I’m as ready for the holidays as I can be. Since all of my gifts need to be shipped, I have to have them purchased and packaged and sent off no later than the 15th. Keeps me on my toes, but does allow for relaxation during the holidays themselves.
I needed a breath of spring today so am wearing my obscure find of 2014, a scent called Spring and Summer by Lucien LeLong. I couldn’t find out much about it other than it came out 1947 and was short-lived in production. It’s a nice floral that smells very much of its time and place. I remember various women in my life as a young child in the late ’50s smelling very much like this.
That sounds lovely! I became very interested in Lelong fragrances at one stage but ultimately could not face all those vintage and reformulation issues. I bought a small bottle of modern Indiscret and enjoyed it, but it has evaporated very fast.
I was in an otherwise mood today so decided to wear NO perfume. In actual fact I wore Carthusia’s Via Carelle, which is the same as no perfume (to me). I reckon it was the fact that it was half price that made me THINK I could smell something when I bought it…
That is Via Camarelle…
Seville a l’aube for me today. I really love this perfume, it’s one of my all time favourites and so far the one I’ve liked best from the L’Artisans I’ve tried. Today I took my boys to a Xmas fair over the road from us and I went on a ride that although it didn’t look that scary, I had to close my eyes to not feel the fear. I did let out a couple of screams. My 7 year old loved it and laughed the whole way!
I’m also wearing Seville today – if I had to pick one L’AP it would be difficult to choose, but couldn’t really go wrong with this one.
It’s true there are lots of goodies in the L’Artisan range. Need to try more!
I am wearing I scent I have ordered from an e-tailer, a dupe of Fracas, which is really great.
I am on vacation this week so I was happy to be reunited with a friend whom I haven’t seen for a long time. She came to visit my city Montreal . Tomorrow though is another story, I am going to cook since I am hosting the Christmas dinner for the family, I did the cleaning during the weekend and all my gifts are ready and wrapped . The 26th I am going to New York for a couple of days with my husband and daughter and thinking of doing some perfume shopping while I am there.
If you want to get together when you’re visiting NY let me know–I love going on sniffing adventures and meeting people in person. My screen name is also my yahoo address
That is a great idea but I am not sure if I would have time since we have a tight schedule maybe another time. Thanks for the offer.
I’ve been wearing Azemour for a week thanks to the recent list of winter citruses here. So great. I’m also cat-sitting today, and one of the cats in question jumped on my back to greet me and proceeded to headbutt the back of my neck as if it were made of catnip, so I think she likes Azemour too.
Oil Fiction by Juliette Has a Gun is my SOTD. I bought the sample and I wish the full size wasn;’t so expensive!
Seville a l’aube – needed something warm and bright for a dreary day.
Took my kids to see Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies, and chose one of their favorites – Mary Greenwell Plum.
Oh I am planning on seeing that on my holiday time off. What did you think of the movie?
I was going to ask the same thing! I found less quotable lines in this one than in the other ‘episodes’.
My house is overrun with play dates. SOTD is Mohur, and it’s just perfect.
I am sitting in a cloud of L’Antichambre Le Message Oublié – very potent stuff, it is still going strong 8+ hours after application.
SotD has been Vanille Galante from a small sample that is quickly running low as I keep wanting to reapply it. I love the airy cloud of alcoholic vanilla which wafts around me for the first few minutes. It is nice after that, too, and it keeps me from baking cookies today when I have too many other things to do. Maybe I’ll get the vanilla extract out of the kitchen and start sniffing that when my Vanille Galante runs out. Mmmmm, vanilla.
I’m a little late to the party today… Wrapping stuff up at work before my vacation, which starts now! I’m going to a holiday get-together with friends tonight. Wearing Putain des Palaces today. The Christmas shopping is done, just gotta get everything wrapped
Power wrapping little stocking gifts with husband tonight. We got em all done! Doused myself in LDDM for that cedary incensey goodness.
One of my favorites of 2014 today, Encens Mythique. It never lets me down; its beauty is omni-situational.
Not sure what to wear for Boxing Day; I have few perfume gifts.
But Marjorie Rose, I think it was, mentioned Omnia, and I might have to wear that tomorrow. It will be the last work day of the week.