It's Dealer's Choice Friday! Our community project this week: propose a theme for a Friday community project, and wear a fragrance that fits your theme.
As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you're not participating in the community project.
My theme: cult classics. I'm wearing Luctor et Emergo by The People of the Labyrinths, fondly referred to as POTL on the fragrance message boards, back in the day.
Reminder: next Friday, 24 April, wear something from Annick Goutal or perfumer Isabelle Doyen.
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.
Wearing Iris Ganache today for my theme of Love At First Sniff but also fits my current secondary theme of Can Be Smelled Through Congestion
Oh honey – you’ve been sick forever! This is so unacceptable. I’m sorry, dear.
I think you’re right about this being unacceptable — spring florals are a little too delicate for me to experience and I really want to wear Opardu and Desarmant
Still! Sorry, it has to get better soon.
Could it be allergies? If so, try a different medication. My pharmacist brother told me the body adapts to each drug’s mechanism after a while, and one may need to cycle through different types of meds to continue to block histamine.
I totally agree with this based on personal experience. I am a swinging single between Zyrtec and Claritin…
Interspersed with “breaks” of Benadryl at night and Sudafed during the day! Allergies are fun!
Want to third this. And hope you are finally feeling better soon!
I hope you feel better soon. Good old fashioned Chlor-Trimeton (Chlorpheniramine Maleate) is the only thing that works for me. I wish you the best – sinus misery is awful to deal with!
I hope you feel better soon and are getting plenty of support for all you’re going through.
I’m wearing “love at second (or third or fourth) sniff”: I didn’t like vintage Ivoire the first time, but I went a little nuts for it the second time. I had the same experience with a number of my favorites, too: Osmanthe Yunnan, Private Collection, and Jungle l’Elephant.
We did a poll like that once…good theme for a Friday project!
I’m going with Perfume Superlatives – things like most skanky, sweetest, most confidence-boosting, most likely to succeed in the market….that kind of thing. I figure it provides a lot of flexibility and room for creative ideas.
I’m wearing my skankiest and, coincidentally, the one I’d take with me to a desert island: L’air de Rien by Miller Harris.
Have a lovely day y’all!
I like this poll idea! I’d wear SL A la Nuit, the most jasmine perfume in existence. 🙂
Yay!
A skanky day! We need one of those. My guy wanted me to wear something a little slutty the other day so I wore Soivohle Bottleneck Blues which he has nicknamed primal cologne
And now I want to try it.
I sprayed Rien on a blotter a couple of days ago and left it in my bag. My bag smells amazing.
I love the idea of smelling that when I open up my bag. I may need a candle of this scent soon too.
Ooh! Rien’s also a candle?!
I want to make sure there isn’t any confusion with Etat Libre d’Orange’s Rien by abbreviating, but yes, Miller Harris does indeed make a candle of L’air de Rien. I’ve heard wonderful things but it will remain on the wish list for the moment while I try to show some restraint.
I vote for favorite skanky! We will learn a lot about each other!
My theme is “Just Finish It” – finish a sample or decant you’ve been hanging onto for a long time, OR wear from a precious bottle that’s getting low. Big bonus points if you finish a bottle!
I’m finishing my decant of Oud Ispahan today. 🙂
What do you think of it?
It’s very nice! Not my *favorite* rose/oud so I wouldn’t buy more, but I enjoyed it.
Rose ouds are my next area for exploration. What’s your favorite?
I think Montale and M. Micallef both do rose ouds really well.
Also, Ambre Nuit by Dior.
I haven’t had the greatest experience with Montale as a line, but I will definitely be trying the M. Micallef. And I love Ambre Nuit. Thank you!
Atelier Rose Anonyme and BK Rose Oud are worth trying. Also, if you can find a sample of the lamentably discontinued Amouage Homage Attar, that’s the real thing. Amouage Jubilation XV sometimes reminds me of it.
That’s a great theme! I should probably adopt that one for next week and maybe actually finish a sample for once. 🙂
I have way too many samples! And I get great satisfaction from throwing an empty one in the trash.
Nice!
I’ve been thinking of this but can’t bring myself to do it. Yet. 😉
Just finish it! 😉
If Nike were a perfumista, LOL. 🙂
Just Finish It is a great idea.
Thanks Mals!
That was my idea, too! Finish off a sample. I have so many that have just a smidgen left in them. I’m testing Guerlain Vega today. It’s all flowers and aldehydes and a touch of vanilla, like a richer version of Chanel NO. 22. Beautiful in some ways but maybe not “me.”
This is a favorite of one of my cats. Apparently it’s rather popular among felines, as he was accosted by another cat while wearing it. Lest anyone take umbrage, no I did not apply this to my cat. He insisted on rolling around on my arm where I was testing it, and then went out to take it for a spin in the neighborhood. He was probably also wearing a vitamin c serum, sunscreen and hand lotion. I have no idea which of these was the culprit. We subsequently spent an evening at the local pet hospital, where the human staff was also enamored.
Aw, poor little fella! Probably not the reaction he wanted when he went out smelling so groomed and dapper. 🙂
Mine is The Forgotten Ones. I’m wearing a Chinatown dupe. I’ve had it for several years, hidden amongst my other decants and totally forgot about it. It seems like nobody ever mentions it anymore, either.
I like this theme a lot. I should do an inventory of my samples and decants in any case.
We are thinking along the same lines! I keep thinking Forgotten Full Bottles, with bonus encouragement if it hasn’t been worn in a year. Sadly, I need to do that for a week and spread some love to my neglected FBs.
My theme is Not What It Says On The Package (i.e. SL Cédre, which is unquestionably a tuberose scent), and I’m still doing my Caron decant week, so I’m wearing Eau de Reglisse, which is really not a licorice scent in any meaningful sense. There’s a bit of licorice in the middle after the lemony top burns away, but then it’s mostly just warm dark sweet, very nice but not licorice to my nose. (For that, I wear Demeter Licorice, Guerlain Anisia Bella, or vintage Yohji Homme.)
I think there is a potential subcategory called Not What Serge Said, that would cover quite a lot of his recent output…
Perfect!
I was going to call this “a Rose by Another Name” category for misnamed fragrances. I am wearing Orlando which does not smell to me like a modernist multi-gender novel or hero/heroine, (V. Woolf’s Orlando for whom the scent is named). It reminds me of a traditional honey cake.
By whatever name, a scent that smells like warm honey cake sounds delicious. Who makes it?
Jardins d’Ecrivains
SOTD is Tauerville Rose Flash.
My theme is oddballs, fragrances that smell like nothing else I own: I should have worn Eau du Fier really but instead went for Une Fleur de Cassie.
I like this idea! Une Fleur de Cassie is so weird!
Great theme, great scents.
My theme tea: Journey Woman
I had some impulse purchases- Amouage Fate & Sunshine
Can someone take my credit card..
You sound like hardcore Amouage fan. That can be very dear to the pocket, but you smell amazing!
I planned to do Easy Glamour, but I was not feeling any glamorous vibes in the morning, not even the easy kind. I just wanted to wear Eau de Narcisse Bleu and get this busy day over and done with. So I decided to wear the Hermes, jeans, a grey cashmere sweater and my powder blue flats and call it The Art of the Understatement. And pretend this was the plan all along.
I am liking this look (a sudden desire for a grey cashmere sweater and powder blue flats just kicked in). The poll idea too.
Seriously. Powder blue flats? Sign me up.
I hope it’s OK to share the link http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/521912/Nicholas_Kirkwood/textured-leather-point-toe-flats
Those are perfect flats.
Those are beautiful.
Very elegant!
OMG! Love those flats! They are so authentic looking!
Gorgeous shoes!
The end result of a work in progress is what the plan was! You did good.
Thanks!
Love your style! Thanks for sharing the link!
Thank you (and others, who liked the shoes, I cannot reply directly)! I am very happy with my choice, too, I adore the colour and I love that they are pointed. The price of elegance is that these are not the most comfortabel of flats, but they improve with every wear.
Four themes as I could not choose just one-
Sex Change- wear a fragrance that was designated for the opposite sex
Outlawed- wear a fragrance that has an IFRA restricted note
One Man Show- wear a fragrance created by a perfumer who owns and operates his/her own indie perfume company
Cheap Thrill- wear a perfume that in fb would not break your budget
I am wearing Dame Perfumery’s Herb Man which starts as a cacophany of scent segues into lots of powder and has an extraordinary drydown with its oakmoss goodness.
Have a great weekend, all!
Great themes, Bardot!
Thanks! I like yours as well!
Outlawed is an especially good one!
It is an issue for me as I have experienced so many of my beloved vintage fragrances altered because the essential oils are now restricted.
Love all of these.
🙂
Agree!
Love the idea “sex change “.
Oooh, I like the Outlawed theme.
My theme is “Sickbed Perfumes”, as I’m just emerging from the fug of first-trimester morning sickness.
All I’ve been able to wear recently is Cacharel Noa – its clean soapiness and sweet inoffensiveness has been quite comforting.
I guess this is different for everybody, but I’d be interested to know which scents you can bear to wear even when feeling nauseous or under the weather.
Here’s hoping that I’ll be back in Heure Exquise and all my ELdO standbys soon…!
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I wore really soft fragrances during my pregnancy, Ceil, no 19 Poudre , samsara (for a soft sandalwood)
Also citrus helps- try Eau de Cologne by Chanel or any citrus. Even lemon soap
I really miss being pregnant, but also really enjoying my four-month-old!!
Thanks – congratulations on your baby! I have a bottle of no 19 Poudré, so I’ll give that a try next…
I can wear Mariella Burani or Jovan Musk for Women – soft, quiet aldehydic floral musks – even if I am sick. (Respiratory tract issues usually spur me to wear big wafty things like L’Arte di Gucci.)
Good luck with your pregnancy!
Yes I think soft aldehydes/florals are the way to go – nothing too sweet or sickly. It’s been a while since I tried Jovan Musk but I think it wears quite close to the skin which is ideal.
I wasn’t able to tolerate anything scented during my first trimesters. Even shampoo, soap, laundry detergent had to be unscented. But during my last pregnancy (I have an 8-month old) I developed a love for florals – La Chasse, Jour d’Hermes, Terracotta…I never used to like them before. I will try anything with tuberose or jasmine now :).
Congratulations and all the best for the rest of your pregnancy!
Thanks Ajda, and congratulations on your baby! This gives me hope that my perfume love will return… and possibly (hopefully!) lead me in new directions too.
Noa is a great scent and not too many mention it…..I second mals with a light musk and lovestosmellgood with a citrus …..
Glad to see some more Noa love! Though I am getting a little bored with it now – it’s unlike me to repeat the same frag for weeks on end. I tried some Aqua Allegoria Pampelune at the pharmacy today which could be a good light citrus for summer, and it doesn’t seem to be making me queasy.
Congrats on your pregnancy! I don’t like to wear any frag if I am nauseous, b/c there is nothing to combat the smell of puke mingled with fragrance. Other kinds of colds, it just depends. Normally something soft or comforting, or just a tiny amount. Anything in the amber or powder family will do it. My sense of smell also shifted a bit when I was pregnant and I didn’t really like to wear anything, except some of the very soft, and very cheap! Chantilly.
Thanks! It’s reassuring to hear that so many women have experienced similar shifts in their sense of smell when pregnant. I just hope my scent obsession returns quickly!
It took me just a bit of time after breastfeeding for about 3 months to want to get into fragrances again, and it came on with a vengeance. So hold on – you’ll have other very pleasant things to smell too – like your baby’s head!
Oh man, such a special time. Congratulations! I couldn’t bear any fragrance, and my tastes completely changed when I was pregnant. I found myself in the grocery store one day eyeing buttermilk, which I was not familiar with. It became a staple, along with pistachios. Hang in there, and I assure you that you will get back to yourself, only better.
Wearing Lexington Ave today (Bond no. 9). My partner is out of town, so I get to wear things that he doesn’t like, maybe that is my theme today… Happy Friday everyone! 🙂
Goodness, if that was ever a theme I could probably wear my whole fragrance wardrobe… my hubby is not a lover of perfume!
Ditto!
That’s a fun theme! My SO has a an inexplicably contentious relationship with one of my recent favorites. *Sad trombone*
His usual comment: “what the hell did you put on?” He is not “fragrantly” adventurous, usually sticks to 2 or 3 fragrances at the most. What is interesting about those 2 or 3, is that I like them on him, but I don’t like them on me. Prada Infusion d’Homme seems too proper and well-mannered when I wear it, but I love it on him. Same for Bvlgari Homme Soir.
That’s a good theme!
Great theme! My husband rarely comments on what I wear, but Portrait of a Lady knocks him sideways (and not in a good way). I think it’s the sheer force of it! I can’t quite justify the cost of a FB if it’s just to spray when he’s away… 🙁
My theme is desert island brand – you can only take perfumes from one brand to the island. I’d actually like to do desert island nose – perfumes by only one nose – but that would take more research. I’ll pick L’Artisan Parfumeur, because to me they have the widest range of good smelling, interesting perfumes, and I don’t want to get bored on the island. 🙂
I’ll pick my SOTD later, after Pilates class, but probably Nuit de Tubereuse, or I could start with Ananas Fizz and do something else after that wears off. Probably Al Oudh or Vanille Absolument for evening, or Dzing!.
The only problem is I don’t care for their vetiver. I’d have to find a way to refill the Coeur de Vetiver Sacre bottle with Guerlain. 😉
I would have four….Laurie Erickson (SSS), Jessica September Buchanan( 1000 Flowers), Jeffrey Dame (Dame Perfumery) and Ineke Rueland (Ineke)…I never realized until just now how the majority of my full bottles come from independent perfumers running indie companies!
Ah, this theme would be easy for me – Hermes, hands down. 24, Faubourg … Jour d’Hermes … L’Ambre des Merveilles … Osmanthe Yunnan … Bel Ami … so many others that I haven’t had time to try yet.
Goutal would probably win b/c they have more frags that would go with nature.
Mine would be Guerlain: Après l’Ondée, L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, and Nahéma, with lots of Aquae Allegoriae for when I didn’t want something major.
Happy Friday, everyone! My theme today is Fantasy Vacation, so I’m wearing Bombay Bling to represent a place I’d love to visit. I’m excited to see the themes everyone else picks!
By the way, the first theme I considered today was Leap of Faith (think Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade): wear a scent you’ve never worn before with bonus points for a scent you haven’t read about and don’t know the notes for.
Seemed potentially dangerous, though. 🙂
Ah, that would be Interlude Woman for me. Just tried it blindly one day-
I like that one! That was how I rolled pre-internet…never knew the notes or the perfumer…was how I bought fragrance for years and it did allow me to take an unbiased and simple approach…..I like this scent/I don’t like this scent.
Good one!
My Friday question is a two-parter: What, if anything, do you wear to yoga class, spinning, etc., and what do you least like to smell on others while exercising?
My answer: What I wear: one spritz of Eau de Merveilles under my T-shirt to be enjoyed during downward-facing dog pose. Least favorite on others: Opium or other 90s sillage monster, overapplied.
I wear my own e.o. blends to yoga class. I guess the least likely scent I would want wafting from a sweaty person would be a heavy duty chypre or oriental….interestingly enough how I discovered Calyx was in the mid 80s someone was wearing this to an adult jazz class and I approached her and asked if she was wearing Cristalle….when she told me it was Calyx I got to the dept store as fast as I could and bought a bottle…..it became one of my most favourite scents and I don’t think I would have even tried it had I not smelled it emanating from her during our class!
As a yoga teacher and a perfumista, I’d say please do not wear perfume to yoga class. Can you imagine what the yoga room would be like if everyone was wearing perfume as they all got warm and sweaty? Many are small spaces, packed with people. Also, some people are sensitive to scents. After class, when you change out of your yoga class, have fun and spritz yourself liberally! Or, when you practice at home, spray on something that inspires your practice.
I only wear a few drops of essential oils to yoga and that is because my yoga teacher actually applies essential oils to the third eye during savasana…also she burns incense so the room is pretty scented throughout the class..luckily those who practice with her on a regular basis are not sensitive to scents and actually enjoy all of the smells…..what is more offensive to me is someone who is sweating with really bad body odor….that would definitely distract me during my practice.
I’m with SuddenlyInexplicably on this one. It is too distracting to smell perfume during yoga.
I guess I am in the minority here, for a bit of scent from an essential oil or an incense stick enhances my yoga experience and every studio I have practiced at for the past nine years has given me that experience (maybe that’s why I go to them 🙂 !
But this is an interesting topic for I don’t think perfume could be the only distractor…it could be someone’s hairspray or deodorant or body lotion. And where would one draw the line? No fragrance products in schools, colleges, hospitals, restaurants, subways,elevators, movie theatres…all places with lots of folks who might be distracted/sensitive to any type of smell?
I don’t think it is possible to enforce a completely scent free environment for even our daily beauty products contain a massive amount of fragrance some of which could actually be stronger than a soft, low sillage skin scent. I do, however, believe that it is good to practice discretion and moderation if one chooses to wear anything that contains fragrance. And if someone were to complain, honor their request.
A drop of essential oil would not bother me, but smelling (as I have!) La Vie Est Belle during yoga is not relaxing. So would prefer nobody come scented, and luckily, usually nobody does come scented. But I’m not trying to “enforce” anything, just saying I’d rather people didn’t 🙂
I can’t comment on yoga rooms specifically, but I do pilates and Zumba and what I find most distracting is the whiff of BO. A light application of fragrance is the lesser of two evils for me
I understand where you’re coming from. My perspective is that a big part of that experience is to accept what is there, in the room, at that moment.
I’d probably wear something like Pacifica Spanish Amber (b/c it’s pretty basic and has almost zero sillage), Guerlain Vetiver, or Annick Goutal Mandragore Pourpre which has kind of a aromatherapy type vibe. I’d hate to smell something very formal on another person: Amouage and Chanel do not belong in the gym!
Actually, I love it when I go for a run after work and I can still smell some Chanel No. 22 on me, but I also run outside. Tomorrow I have a 5K, then dim sum and swing dancing outside right after, so I’m going to need something strong to counteract the lack of a shower after the run.
No 22 will certainly keep you going through your workout and activities! Being outside is a whole other matter for sure.
I have two themes for SL Datura Noir.
1. The last unsniffed FB purchased and
2. Something recommended by someone on this site.
BTW-I love the tuberose, but think I would like this better in the cooler months.
Datura Noir is so nice.
I put on just a dab of Carnal Flower as my evening fragrance yesterday. It’s still chilly up here, and I did notice that the tuberose acted differently – I enjoyed it a lot more than I do when it’s really warm. New discovery for me! I always think of tuberose and white flowers as a summer fragrance, but I don’t normally wear them b/c they are so amplified in the heat. I am very happy about this discovery.
Carnal Flower wears very, very beautifully in winter.
Theme’s TGWD (Thank God Winter’s Done). Wearing LTdF, and enjoying the finally-blossoming forsythia & daffodils.
YESSSSS! Fist pumps for your flowers. And your LTdF.
And I think I’ll join you. We’ve been having spring here for a couple of weeks, but I’m still very happy about it.
LTdF also fits in the Love at First Sniff category, for me. And the Bottles You’ve Drained Since Becoming a Perfumista category.
love at first sniff for me as well, STILL have never drained a FB (samples only–should probably place myself on a no more FB moratorium)
Since 2009 I’ve only drained a 30ml of (last decade’s version of) LTdF, and a partial bottle of RL Safari. (Note, they’re both galbanummy. 🙂 )
Well, I did drain a 10ml decant of Iris Poudre and made inroads on another before giving up and buying a bottle, I did do that…
Pretty! Spring is making me want to try that new (Penhaligon?) daffodil perfume…
Yes, it’s called Ostara.
I nearly chose LTdF this morning but couldn’t think of a good theme to go along with it. I like yours, though!
My theme was Random Grab from the Sample Pile but I like eleebelle’s name for it better–Leap of Faith. I grabbed Fragrance Republic 01/04 Magno Fart and was somewhat hesitant to try it, but then put on my glasses and realized the name is Magnol’arte.
Glasses-what would we do without them?
*giggles*
Laughing so hard and so loud at work right now!!!! I think Magno Fart beats out Box of Eels!
😉
I’m laughing so hard at work. it will make for a great story: “So, why were you fired exactly? Well, it was because of the Magno Fart.” (although I initially thought you wrote Mango Fart…)
Oh, me too! Mango Fart sounds like a potential winner for Prix Eau Faux.
Ahhh… but Mango Fart would give my boys such pleasure! Thanks for the morning laugh!!
Hahahaha that made my day 🙂
LOL!!! “Somewhat hesitant….”
Magno Fart would be a big leap of faith if I drew that out of Mt. Sample! You made me laugh SO hard. Bless you! 😀
Hah! That sounds like an eight-year-old boy’s dream soap fragrance.
I bet Mango Farts smell great 😉
Perfumista in me would be sort of curious about Mango Fart. Or Papaya Fart, Fig Fart..as long as it’s a fruity or fruity floral fart..Oud Fart would be a deal breaker for me. Or Civet Fart…don’t wanna know.
LOL, I really think there is a great Prix Eau Faux brand in the making here.
My proposed theme: Gone with the Wind.
Lol! Mango fart! Classic!
I am wearing Lalique Le Parfum, and my theme is favorite perfume ranked only one star by The Guide (partial credit for a two-star perfume). I find The Guide very informative and entertaining, but luckily I don’t mind a difference of opinion because TS absolutely hated Le Parfum!
After I read the Guide I tried to test all of their top favorites and was at first very disappointed in myself when I didn’t have their same response… My ego and my purse manages to get over it eventually.
TS hated PdN Fig Tea, too, which I rather like. In fact, that review contained one of my favorite phrases, “I staggered back spitting curses,” which is so vivid and realistic. I mean, everybody has done that a couple of times, right? I did it every time I put Chypre Mousse on my skin.
oh that’s a fun theme. I could wear Amarige.
Me too! And yes, excellent theme.
Like this idea–one star loves! Ms. Sanchez and Mr. Turin are fun reading in The Guide, but sometimes (often) they dissed perfumes I enjoy. Let’s do it!
Another thumb up for this idea!
My theme is Lemming Friday – something acquired in quantity based solely on the rave reviews of friends or blog posters – and my SOTD is the lovely Seville a L’Aube.
One of these days…I hear a fb calling my name!
Go for it! Such a pretty bottle, and such a pretty fragrance. I’m loving it this spring, but I have a feeling I’ll love it even more in the fall – I think it will blend well with the smell of turning leaves.
My theme is simple: something with incense. Wearing Copal Azur.
Copal Azur is lovely! For me, that falls into the slightly unfortunate category of “Love it, but never seem to wear it.” I’ll need to give it some attention this weekend!
SOTD = DSH Jacinthe du Sapphire – I think this is supposed to be hyacinths, but I didn’t that at all, just some prickly weedy not too pleasant opening followed by a gentle slightly sweet amberish slowly fading drydown which is pleasant enough, but not notable enough to seek out at all. My theme was going to be A Flower by Any Other Name, but now it might be A Sample I won’t Bother With Again….
Heh! Now, I liked the opening, which was spicy-floral hyacinth (as opposed to the icy metallic kind as in, say, Bas de Soie), and couldn’t deal with the balsamic base.
Heh back at you! Could be residual cold issues with my sniffer. I will try it again in a few days and see if I get the same reaction, I really didn’t get anything floral at the beginning at all. Hyacinths are one of my favorite flowers – I would like to find a nice hyacinth scent…
I haven’t found one that’s perfect yet. I mean, there are lots of scents containing hyacinth but not one that smells LIKE hyacinths. Closest I’ve tried so far is Smell Bent Florist’s Fridge, but even that doesn’t exactly replicate. It’s not green enough (I want the leaves and maybe a bit of wet dirt in with my spicy heady floral).
Good call – I really liked Florist’s Fridge too. When it’s what I want, it’s perfect for me.
Ah, I will check that out! Thanks for the reccomendation(sp??this cold seems to have wrecked my ability to spell in addition to my ability to smell!)
Wow, Smell Bent has some interesting offerings, in addition to Florist’s Fridge, which I will definitely try. What other SCENTS are good?
Try Demeter’s Wet Garden.
wasn’t wild about that one either. Have you guys tried the d/c Tom Ford hyacinth? Have a feeling the drydown would be too synthetic, so I haven’t sought it out.
Didn’t like it.
That is, I was disappointed by it. It’s one of those metallic hyacinths – I would probably have like it much better if it had been named something like Ombre d’Argent. But then, I really really dislike the kind of hyacinth notes that are metallic, like Envy and Bas de Soie. They make my teeth hurt.
If you ever feel like selling your decant, let me know.
Ooh, I might. Got to find it first and make sure I didn’t already pass it on to someone else.
TGIF! My theme is “Use the last of the cold weather”
SOTD: Amouage Gold Woman!
Ah-I am also in Amouage today! But Journey.
Gold is so elegant-one of my favs
I adore Journey! You smell fab 😉
Gold is gorgeous. I’m lemming a bottle, trying to meet a tough goal, then buy it as a reward. It will probably take months. You smell great!
My theme is Freedom! Wear a scent that says I’m Free! to you, in whichever context you choose to define it.
My SOTD is Pacifica Malibu Lemon Blossom. ‘Freedom’ moments for me are often associated with vacations, especially those special one-with-the-universe/nature experiences. PLMB reawakens memories of cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway in a Mustang convertible, wind in my hair under a blue sky and warm sunshine, a salty breeze from the ocean always in view, tiny flower surprises tucked into the hillsides as we round the curves. Exhilarating moments I relive each time I wear this scent!
I love your theme and I love your fragrance….it’s the angel’s trumpet in Malibu Lemon Blossom that I really like…it’s one of those scents that you can spray on with reckless abandonment …….and ,btw, I enjoyed reading your Henry story this morning when I got to work 🙂 !
My idea is wearing the skankiest perfume you own or the weirdest. I was thinking of wearing Bal a Versailles but it’s not work safe so it’s Amouage Gold today.
I wear Bal a Versailles to work sometimes. No shame here. 🙂
I salute you!
Me too! Only a little bit.
My theme is In Bloom, and I’m wearing Sakura by Olympic Orchids. It’s the only cherry blossom scent that I find to be really enjoyable as well as realistic, as it includes the whole tree- flowers, dirt and branches abound.
Hey, I like that theme!
Hey thanks!
that sounds really good! i gather it is not as sweet as some of the other cherry blossom offerings?
I would definitely recommend giving it a try. It’s fairly light as far as other Olympic Orchids scents go (they are almost all super long lasting), and I don’t find it too sweet. My issue with most cherry blossom perfumes is that they have a clean musk to them and don’t resemble actual cherry blossom trees in bloom.
Happy Friday all! This is fun. I tried out several themes….
1. Blind Buy Love – as we all know, these internet romances often don’t work out well. But sometimes! My best blind buy is Donna Karan Gold.
2. Swap Love – My favorite (so far!) scents received as swaps have been Fendi Theorema and Norma Kamali Incense. Guess I could have called this Discontinued Love too….
3. Mood Changer – one sniff of Tom Ford Oud Wood makes the hamster running on its wheel in the back of my brain just… stop. Insta calm. I wish I knew what ingredient caused that! Neela Vermeire Trayee does the same for me.
4. I Hate… Oh Wait. I usedta think I hated roses, until… FM Portrait Of a Lady. Oh. My.
I went with #1, so… SOTD is DK Gold.
I tend to find incense very meditative and calming, although I really have zero experience with it other than through perfume – Trayee is very much that way for me.
Swap Love is great! I got a 10 ml decant of Metallica in a swap (how did that happen?). I love it to pieces and now it is almost gone, and there is little hope of me ever getting a bottle of that.
Swap love is a good one: mine would be the recent bottle of Cuir de Lancome which would be a signature scent for me except the fact that I have like 150 different fragrances I like!!
These are all excellent! I was thinking of the last one too but calling it “This Changed My Mind.”
Some very good themes up there, I would add “flashback fridays”, e.g. retrieving if possible the scents we wore at 15, 18 etc. – obviously this works better for the old fogies among us, I also hope we wouldn’t have too many issues with reformulations.
I just thought about it, so it’s not Fidji resp. Anaïs anaïs for me today 🙂
I was going to call my them Childhood Perfume Memories, but “flashback friday” fits too: my very first perfume was an Avon cream perfume in carnation, so wearing CdG’s version in honour of that.
Same here…my first perfume was Avon’s Field Flowers….
Wow, thanks for the memory jog. My first perfume was Avon cream sachet in Lily of the Valley, at age 5 (cast off from my godmother). Though I sometimes recall the incident, it just never occurred to me to consider it my “first perfume.” BTW, that was 55 years ago, and LOTV is also the flower associated with the month I was born. Bless you!
I am an “old fogie” (and don’t know how to spell it!) so I would really love that one….only thing is everyone would be able to guess everyone’s current age based on their fragrance choices during their younger years 🙂 !!
I’m 59!
I love “Flashback Friday”! I own some amount of every perfume that I’ve worn throughout my life (except that Friendship Garden stuff that someone bought me when I was a kid), but I tend just to take little sniffs from the bottles from most of them rather than actually wearing them.
I like this idea. The first perfume I remember having is Love’s Rain. Haven’t seen that in years and years…(clicking away to google…)
Oh, wow, I could buy some for $4.99. That’s about what I spent for it a long time ago!
Now its scary. Maybe the memory is better to hold on to than revisiting the real thing….
Love’s Baby Soft, Love’s Fresh Lemon, Love’s Rain Scent and Love’s Wind Scent were all on my dresser as a kid…..
and they are being sold for a song online…
I had Love’s Fresh Lemon b/c my sister had Love’s Baby Soft and we wanted different things. I still have a body spray bottle of Love’s Fresh Baby Soft (and Skin Musk)! b/c they are/were both good!
Oooh, what a fab idea for my sister’s 60th birthday….better get started collecting now (for fall). Hope she isn’t reading this…
Oops. I cribbed your Flashback Friday idea without noticing. Thought it was an original-ish idea but now that I’m reading through earlier posts I see I am an accidental plagiarist 🙂
Great idea!
great minds think alike 😉
I have a variation on this theme: Oldest Friend (not in terms of existence, but how long you’ve been wearing it). Mine is Rive Gauche, the only perfume I owned in the days when one FB was a major indulgence.
My theme today is “Separated at Birth.” Am wearing Timbuktu on my right wrist and Ylang 49 on my left. Well, an hour on, their roads diverge sharply, but both are great. Timbuktu is more linear–Ylang has gone somewhere pretty flowers and delicate wisps of fragrant smoke…
Another theme could be “Best buy ever on eBay, discount site, or discounted in a shop…” What treasure did you discover?
Best Buy That Turned Out to be a Steal, I love it.
Oh that has a much better ring to it!
Best Buy is a good one. Of course, we will all make each other jealous of the amazing finds we came up with.
Best buys ever for me on ebay would be any of the very vintage Chanel No 5 extrait that I adore; as well as a super deal on a used bottle of L’AP Drole de Rose a few years ago….
Ooh I love the “Best ever eBay/ discount buy” theme! 🙂
That would have to be Joy, in Marshall’s.
No way!
I am wearing my favorite Aqua Allegoria today, Flora Nerolia. If I were to take a break from my week of AAs, I would have worn CdG Garage and propose a “Let Your Freak Frag Fly” Friday where we all wear our oddest scent.
My theme today is “You Can Have Some of Mine!” in honor of all the awesome NSTers out there that see that someone wants something, have some and just say You Can Have Some of Mine! Lovely.
My SOTD is 31 Rue Cambon with a shout out to floragal. 🙂
It is going to be a good day.
This is one of my favourite scents. You smell very good.
Oooh, fantastic theme!
I don’t think we’ve done this theme yet, so I’ll suggest Wear the Scent You’ve Received the Most Compliments On. That means I’ll be wearing either Susan D Owens Child or Profumum Confetto today.
I’m adopting Elena’s category from Perfume Shrine, “Oddball skin scents” (http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/2011/05/skin-scents-what-is-it-whats-appeal-and.html): wear something that accomplishes “your skin but better” in an unusual way. Costes is def my favorite for this, but if anyone else has interesting ideas, I want to hear!
Les Copains made a fragrance called Trend which was a fabulous skin scent on me….when it became discontinued I bought five bottles…(drained a while ago) bet you could still find it at online discounters…..
Noa is also a really nice skin scent with pepper and incense…I have a really hard time smelling it on myself but everytime I wear it I get loads of compliments….
My current favourite skin scent is Dame Perfumery’s Dark Horse…
Awesome, I haven’t smelled any of these yet! Thanks so much!
oh, how do you find Dark Horse? I love the name, like the perfumer, thinking about getting some of the scent.
LOVE LOVE LOVE Dark Horse! Bought two full bottles recently….Dark Horse and Black Flower Mexican Vanilla for an early birthday present to myself….one family member stole one bottle and another stole the other! (but I still have my travel sizes of both!)
I would definitely recommend getting a travel size to see if you like it…it is only ten dollars and free shipping so you can’t go wrong.
Girl, you need to get those family members under control.
This is going to sound strange, but when I wear SL Fleurs d’Oranger in the summer, it feels like a skin scent to me. Not that I actually believe that my skin smells like than on its own, but it somehow melds with my skin so well. I guess it’s the cumin that does it.
No theme for me today. Just wearing what makes me happy: Box of Eels 🙂
That is a great theme
Which, wear what makes me happy? or
Wear a box of eels…LOL! I need to get me a little box of eels, I am thinking….
Wear what makes you happy is a great theme and Box of Eels is a great perfume (especially in vintage extrait)
I think it’s a great theme.
And Box of Eels is so nice.
Had to look back a few weeks to figure out what this “Box of Eels” everyone loved so much was! I’m both disappointed there is no actual perfume named this… and happy to be in on it already! 🙂
My theme is “Untamed.” SOTD is Parfumerie Generale’s Arabian Horse.
This one is so tantalizing due to the name and limited distribution. Do you love it?
You know, nozknoz, I DO love it. I find it truly embodies the wild spirit of these beautiful animals. The notes of narcissus, hay and leather serve to draw you in closer, but this is no lovely English meadow for an idyllic afternoon. This is an encounter with a force of nature that you must reckon with if you decide to let go.
This is on my full bottle wish list but until I am employed I’ll make do with my sample
Btw, for me “untamed” is mostly about kickass women (or men if this speaks to you) , sexuality and sensuality , embracing power and exploring what’s outside of the zone of comfort. It’s about taking on what’s out there, and meeting the challenge in a way that is true to you, and not tamed by society or your own narrow concepts of self.
That sounds great!
This sounds perfect to me.
My theme today is “A House Divided.” I’ve got Papillon Angelique on one wrist, and Anubis on the other, courtesy of the lovely hajusuuri. They’re both wonderful, but completely different. Angelique is a really pretty mix of unusual floral notes, and Anubis is a leather and incense scent that I just might have to buy once cooler weather hits.
Hmmm, I wonder if Nirvana White and Nirvana Black would fit the theme
I went with “Flashback Friday”, wear something you wore when you were younger. Mostly, I chose this because I found the remains of the bottle of 212 I had when I was in college. I bought it when it first came out and really loved it until it suddenly became the most popular scent in Texas and absolutely everyone reeked of it. You could honestly go into a mall and smell nothing but clouds of 212 everywhere so, of course, I locked it away for years.
It instantly transported me to my tiny dorm room and actually brought up memories of dirty clothing. Most of my going out clothes were dry clean only and I didn’t have the time or cash to clean them often enough so I just hung them in the open window and sprayed them with perfume. Amazing I ever had a date, really 😉
For me that would be Giorgio…I bought it when it first came out and was exclusive to one high end dept store…then everyone got on the Giorgio bandwagon and I could not wear it anymore….my 1/4 full bottle was gifted to a friend who really wanted it but could not afford it.
I find it odd that everyone wants to smell the same now. I noticed an article (on Byrdie, I think) this morning about how everyone cool in LA wears Santal 33. For me that would have been enough to to strike it from my wishlist but apparently is a major selling point. Not that I don’t get curious about popular fragrances or ask someone what they’re wearing if it’s great, but I just have no desire to blind buy something trendy.
I should qualify that my saying if the perfumistahood says something is great I might blind-buy but we are some super-cool under the radar clique, right? 😉 😉
Agree with everything you just wrote….I will sample things that are popular but don’t like smelling like the masses…..and I am also real sensitive about stealing a friend’s/family member’s signature scent…..blind buying is tricky too….I think my most beloved fragrances came from smelling them on someone else….usually a stranger….and ,hey, if you never see that person again they wouldn’t know you have “stolen” their scent, right?
I’m going with galbanumgirls thank god winter is over theme and I’m wearing vintage Chamade PDT. It’s still a bit chilly out, but I smell like the symphony of spring!
If I was going to pick a theme for theme’s sake, it would be “never say never”: what was the fragrance that you swore you’d never like or wear, but then ended up loving!
Chamade pdt got me through the afternoon and evening yesterday when I had been traumatized by testing. I really like the drydown of the pdt.
It’s very mellow.
Chamade is wonderful for spring.
My theme is “Exlusive,” and I’m wearing Chanel Eau de Cologne.
So many of Chanel’s Les Exclusifs work well for me. Rue 31 is a staple and I am wearing Beige a lot this spring. Itching to try Misia, but haven’t, yet.
For me, too. I would happily own the intire line-up.
My scent is Osmanthus Interdite ( a lovely fruity tea scent), and so the theme would be: Favorite Beverage Scent
I’m going with Fabulous but Fleeting. First up Hirsis, then Angeliques Sous La Pluie, both which fit this rainy April day.
La Pausa!
Havent had a chance to try that but I want to
If you like iris, you kind of have to. Although it’s seriously frustrating, as the opening is amazing and then it’s all gone. But maybe it lasts better on you.
That’s a Malle I do kind of like, though, very fleeting on my skin.
Yes, love the beginning
I’m wearing AG Le Chevrefeuille today, and I see I am a week early! That’s OK, I love this stuff, so have no problem wearing it again next week. Though I do have other AG I could wear as well. So I just made up a theme to fit my perfume – wear your last FB purchase. I’m so happy I finally have a FB of this discontinued lovely.
Volutes from a solid, anyone know if the spray smells different/better? Not sure I like the ‘smell’ of perfume solids. They generally are linear and waxy smelling to me. All I get is tobacco and a waxy vanilla. Am I the only one who’s not a fan of solids?
Solids of any fragrance usually do not smell the same to me as the liquid version…but I do like them for their portability, as a hand cream in a pinch and to tame frizzy hair….
My theme is Fake it Friday: Wear a cheaper alternative (perfume, EO, layer, combo of perfume and body lotion) to a more expensive perfume
SOTD = Les Couvent des Minimes Eau des Missions
It is a cheaper alternative to Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille. It is not a deadringer by any means but close enough.
I like many of the themes above, especially Blooper Friday — wear a perfume whose name was misheard, mispronounced, mistyped or auto-miscorrected. The 3 relatively recent perfumes include: Box of Eels, Cuirass Beluga and Mango Fart 😉
Hooky Friday – pretend (or for real, I won’t tell) to play hooky from work or whatever you normally do on a Friday and wear a perfume that fits the occasion
I can see Demeter getting some inspiration:). They would do Mango Fart for sure.
Have we done Travel Perfumes as a theme yet? I actually often wear Hermes Voyage when I travel – it’s so on the nose it feels silly, but it feels safe to wear on a plane without bothering any neighbors!
Travel Perfumes are extremely important to me too :-).
Sci-fi Friday: wear a fragrance that transports you to some alternative futuristic scenario. I’m wearing Strange Invisible Perfumes Fire aand Cream, the kind of cologne a cyborg might enjoy wearing.
I know you would come up with something wonderful! Never tried any Strange Invisible Perfumes, is it a good line?
I love Magazine Street, which is inspired by New Orleans. I like this review on Ca Fleure Bon:
http://www.cafleurebon.com/niche-perfume-review-strange-invisible-perfumes-magazine-street-the-sultry-nights-of-new-orleans-draw/
Ooh, Sci-Fi. I’d wear whatever’s left of my sample of CdG Stephen Jones.
Theme: Perfumes-that-have-a-bad-rep-because-people-overapplied- when-they-were-popular.
Obsession for Women Calvin Klein. I have on two sprays today and smell fantastic!! And a light bulb moment, this smells quite similar to one of my other favourite scents, Must de Cartier (W). I never noticed before, though truth be told, I haven’t worn Obsession in about 7-8 years.
Oh, great idea! So many fabulous 80s and 90s favs in that category, LOL.
I guess my theme could be Sparkle Scents. I’m wearing ELdO Vraie Blonde, which is chock full o’ aldehydes and has a nice sparkly champagne-y thing going on. I don’t always like aldehydes, but I was craving this one today.
My idea (which could definitely be influenced by moving and packing and unpacking and so forth):
Over It
Wear the perfume you’re on the brink of breaking up with, for the last time. Bonus if it turns into a delightful swap or free offering for another one.
Double Bonus if you end up falling back in love with it?
I’m wearing a sample of the new Tea for Two, and have found that without its predecessor’s skanky ashtray, I don’t quite love it.
My theme? Mals made me do it. 😉 Today’s scent is Le Temps d’une Fete, from a long list of perfumes Mals has inspired me to try.
What a great one! I could certainly do at least a week on your theme.
OH DEAR.
🙂
YES! 🙂
A bit naughty, but it’s just a funny idea. . . If you were feeling really angry and peed-off what would you wear to annoy everyone around you, on the train, the bus, at work, a doctor’s or dental appointment, or anywhere else that you would come into close contact with people whose noses you want to put out of joint? I think my own choice would be a liberal application of Hot Couture. If I owned Angel it would probably be that. This could loosely tie in with Bear’s comment.
Ah yes, the I Hate The World fragrance.
Hmm. Now I am pondering. It would have to be something I love but everybody else recoils from, at least in large doses.
Joy. It’s my Stompy Grumpy scent.
Chypre Mousse or Mitsouko Parfum applied with a heavy hand would probably be my choice, or maybe a few sprays of Kingdom for the cumin hating crowd. Of course, Angel is the ultimate offender and one I can’t even go near without instant needles in the eyes migraine.
My theme would be, “Too rich for my blood “- fragrances that I would love to own, but completely out of my price range. 🙂
Yes, that would be good too – we could do a lot of commiserating, some decant planning, dupe suggesting, and sour grapesing. (“It’s not really that good anyway”:-) )
My theme for the day was Recent Acquisitions, wear a perfume you’ve acquired in the last month or three. Wearing OJ Woman. It is glorious.
Another one I thought of–Remember Me? wear something that reminds you of another person–mother, grandmother, uncle, best friend, cousin, lover, whoever.
I really like the Remember Me one. Sigh.
Oh, I bought vintage Tweed by Lentheric on evilbay after my aunt died (it’s what she always wore). Made the whole family happy. Guess I’m feeling nostalgic today.
I love both of these themes!!