Welcome to another week! What fragrance are you wearing today?
I'm testing Penhaligon's Ostara (review coming up soon).
Reminder: on 1 May, we're doing Tea Time Friday — wear a fragrance with a tea note.
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.
Note: top image is daffodils [cropped] by Muffet at flickr; some rights reserved.
Looking forward to that review. I wore Ostara again by accident yesterday, when I picked up a light jacket that had seen me and my Ostara two weeks prior!!
Today it’s Magie Noire vintage EdT. Something is making me cough a bit, either the magic (not so sure it’s black) or the spring pollen that suits the scent so nicely.
I like the new, but the vintage Magie Noire is something special.
Ditto! Magie Noire is also somewhat long lasting and I can still smell it on my wrist the following morning if I’ve applied it at night.
Wow, that’s some lasting power!
Vintage Magie Noir is so gorgeous! I vote for the pollen.
Moon Bloom!
Great to see so many daffodils. Mine are all in flower now, I’ve got some that are very fragrant and it is such a wonderful smell.
Do you think of it as a white floral scent?
I meant the daffodils, not the Moon Bloom.
No, it’s too green for that. It isn’t even very floral if you see what I mean. Not all daffodils have the same smell. I believe that it is Auvergne France that they grow Jonquille especially for the perfume industry.
I don’t know about the US but in Holland the not fragrant Daffodils are more common. The older the varieties the more likely they are to be fragrant. I get my bulbs from a grower who specialises in old varieties, often called botanical, so I have plenty of fragrant blossoms right now.
Austenfan, what grower is that? Do they have a website to order from? I am looking for fragrant daffodils (or other spring flowering bulbs for that matter) that are fragrant and suitable for ‘verwildering’. Thank you!
http://www.meeuwissenvoorhout.nl/
Good quality, I think you can start ordering spring bulbs mid September
Fantastic, thank you. I saw they have the ‘chocolate cosmos’, a lovely flower I had to leave behind in my last garden.
If ever you are ‘over de IJssel’ Coen Jansen in Dalfsen is such a great grower. His catalogue does not contain pics, but is a joy to read. Almost (but not quite) better than perfume!
I’ve also looked at this site, but never ordered from them. They seem to have a huge collection.
I grew up Over de IJssel actually.
https://pcnijssen.nl/nl/22-webwinkel-narcissensitenl
My daffs were all gone three weeks ago. I’m missing them already.
I planted lots of different kinds so while the first ones ( Tête à Tête) are long gone, others have just come into flower.
How nice!
Oy, my daffs are still breaking ground! They’ll bloom just in time for mother’s day, lol.
austefan,
You seem to be a daffodil expert. My dilemma is this: for the past three years all of my daffodils have been popping up without the yellow flowers. I get the green leaves but no flowers. Any ideas?
3 years in a row is odd. Bulbs may skip the odd year. The fact that the leaves are still showing would mean that the soil is adequate. Perhaps not quite good enough to allow for flowers?
I’m by no means an expert though, I happen to love daffies and to live in country where bulbs are very easily obtained.
Thank you for your reply. I cannot remember where I bought the bulbs but I am sure they were probably not the best quality. Perhaps the solution is to dig them up and start afresh with better bulbs next year.
http://daffodilusa.org/growing-daffodils/non-blooming-daffodils/
This might help as well.
Oh goodness! Thank you for this link! After reading it the lightbulb went off….lawnmower cutting down the leaves too soon AND non-feeding (I am quite lazy when it comes to gardening!). I will have to start afresh with new bulbs and be a better “daffodil mother” (caretaking, right?). I am going to look at some of the bulb distributors you mentioned above now.
I’m basking in No. 19 edp again today.
Glorious!
Basking too in No. 19, but EDT.
Scent sisters … fraternal twins?
How about scent siblings?
I’m in No 19 EdT as well, which I would have also chosen for the rainy day weekend poll if I wasn’t knee deep in home improvement projects!
Me…three!
I nearly picked that again today, but decided to go warmer with No 22 parfum. I love them both; my choice depends on the weather and my mood.
Good morning all! So far its looking to be a beautiful week! SOTD is Miss Balmain Parfum.
Looks like it will be beautiful here too
In Sunshine today – again
Enjoying the spring weather and wishing everyone a good Monday
It IS addictive,that Sunshine!Enjoy!
I a m wearing Kenzo Eau de Fleur de Magnolia, which is really nice and wearable with enough interest to keep me sniffing.
Oh, wish they’d kept that series going!
SOTD is Violet Blonde. Good for spring, but with my allergies it’s tickling my nose a bit
This one always makes me sneeze when I first spray it! The ones heavy in iris sometime do.
You smell mahvelous!
Tuberose again today with Carnal Flower. It’s supposed to be 80F later on, so I am going to try to get the inside work done early and get outside to enjoy myself.
Was lovely here this morning then the sun went away entirely. Enjoy your beautiful weather!
I’m wearing Tocca Bianca, which is a refreshing lemon tea with rose. It’s a summer favorite of mine.
That is a nice one!
I’m wearing L’Eau d’Hiver. I finally bought one of the individual travel sprays—ordered from Aedes and got a sample of Palissandre d’Or, which I wore this weekend. It’s lovely… trying to decide whether I need more of it.
I’m a fan of L’Eau d’Hiver, too, although I’ve only ever owned a travel refill or two. The name is curious – I think it’s much better for spring than winter. Do you wear it mainly in spring (assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that you’re in the northern hemisphere), or other seasons, too?
I agree–I prefer it in spring. (Although I’m in California where winters are relatively mild so haven’t had a chance to try it in truly cold weather!) I get a strong honey note from it and it reminds me a bit of a less-floral Chanel Beige.
Missed the fact that you can now order 1×10! Now I can order some!
Spent the weekend in a sampling frenzy: the Jo Malone Rock of Ages collection, the Jo Malone Blue Skies and Blossoms collection and several Dame Perfumery free samples I received on Saturday.
Today I am wearing Island Vanilla which lists “tea” as the only base note on the Pacifica website.
What Dame Perfumery samples did you receive? I got BFMV, Desert Rose, and Passion Fruit, Orange Blossom, and Vetiver. Of the three, I think I like BFMV the best.
I think I’m going to spring for a sample of the Mate next.
BFMV, Cassis,Rose & Sandalwood and the Mate, Helitrope & Patchouli……they are all lovely but I was intoxicated by the Cassis one…..I am saving the Mate for the Friday community project. In reading reviews on the Cassis Rose it was compared to Jo Malone Velvet Rose Oud and Keiko Mecheri’s Attar de Roses. I am not familiar with either one of those fragrances but I can say that if they are indeed similar the Dame perfume is a more affordable luxury.
I liked the Vanilla as well and will have another go-round with it eventually.
While we are on the subject of cassis, does anyone know if this note is prevalent in Diptique’s L’ombre dans L’eau? I wore that on Friday, Dame’s Cassis Rose on Sunday and sampling Jo Malone’s Wild Fig and Cassis today in the crook of my elbow and I am seeing a similarity….and I must say I really do like them all and wondering if “cassis” is the scent that ties them together?
Yep. Blackcurrant/cassis is one of the prominent notes in L’ombre dans L’eau.
chocolatemarzipan, I ended up not testing BFMV since I couldn’t find my sample. Inwent ahead and ordered a bunch of samples and I am looking forward to trying them all out with The lovefest going on here
Haven’t showered yet, but probably going to wear the vintage Lauren I found on evil-bay. So glad one of my fellow NST-ers helped talk me into it (afraid I am totally blanking on who it was). It is gorgeous. Even the top notes seem to be intact!
I was one of them, so yay! I’m so glad it worked for you. There’s really nothing else like it out there. This is the perfect time of year for it, too.
Vintage Lauren is sort of a conundrum, I think – it is simultaneously assertive and clean and luxuriantly floral. Beautiful stuff. I only have a decant of it, but there are days when nothing else will do. Glad you picked it up and are enjoying it!
This was my SS in the early 90s, so I have enough to last me into the next millenium
. You’re right, Holly, that it’s perfect for spring. I’m going to wear it tomorrow!
Congratulations! It’s one of the scents from the 90s that smells even better to me now than it did then.
Every time I read about vintage Lauren I give myself a virtual kick for tossing my half full bottle in a cleaning/moving frenzy.
Well, then it would be negligent of me not to encourage you to leap back into the fray. Equal opportunity enabling for all!
Thank you???
I put on some Regime des Fleurs Turquoise for the nice sunny day we’re having.
SOTD is Bvlgari Au thé vert! Not sure if I’m agnostic to something in it, but I sprayed very generously and it feels super soft already, less than 30 minutes later…
Yesterday I tested another hot beverage scent: Bond No 9 New Haarlem. At first, it felt too masculine for me (probably because of the lavender mix with the coffee), but after a while my skin amped up the vanilla (as it always does!) and it became too sweet… Not really my cup of tea (coffee?), unfortunately.
Thé Vert is very lightweight: it’s basically a cologne, so it doesn’t have a lot of lasting power on me, either.
New Haarlem is probably my favourite Bond. Sorry to hear it doesn’t work for you!
All praise Au The Vert! I hope you aren’t agnostic to it.
I have a lot of troubles with musk anosmia too.
Hehe…now that’s just plain Purgatory!Lol
Funny
indeed!!!
I occasionally mix up ophthalmological and olfactory, which should be hard to do considering the effort involved in spelling ophthalmic.
Lol…I am watching you nozknoz,being an Ophthalmic Nurse and all….hehe!;-))
I’ll be on my toes from now on, johanob!
Hahaha! I just saw what I wrote! Oups! Great autocorrect mistake!
hahahaha!!!!
I’m wearing Timbuktu today. Late last year I treated myself to a coffret of L’Artisan minis, and this is the first time I opened the coffret.
I’m not sure why I chose Timbuktu, but I’m liking it so far.
beautiful scent!!
Good for you! I’m glad I’m not the only one who buys blind (aka buying a large sample).
Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Malt. The A*Men flankers are my go-to workplace scents; they have presence but they’re not overbearing, and they aren’t run-of-the-mill mass-market men’s fragrances.
I love the bottles. The only one I’ve tried is “Pure Wood,” which was okay…but I like other ouds much more. Which ones do you love?
I love Pure Malt and ADORE Pure Coffee. I just bought Ultra Zest a few weeks ago and have only worn it a couple of times, but it’s a winner, too. (I never tried the leather flanker, and I thought Havana and Wood and the food one were too much like the ones I already have, or rather not different enough to be worth owning.) All the flankers tone down the sweetness and extreme-ness of the original A*Men, which I used to wear eons ago until it became too much for me.
I have liked all the A*Men flankers I’ve tried and the main reason I don’t own one is that I cannot choose…
Pure Coffee coffee coffee! Less sweet, more bitter, more interesting, it is EXACTLY what needed to be done to the original to make it perfect.
SOTD: HiM (Hanae Mori). Happy Monday!
Surfing The Sample Sea, sotd is Oriza Legrand’s Heliotrope Blanc. Peeking out from a lot of comforting powdery notes is almond, which for some reason my nose always translates as vaguely astringent and bitter. Then again, I have no clue what heliotrope itself smells like …
I planted some heliotrope a few years ago just to find out… it smells like floral jelly doughnuts to me. Swoonworthy. (Unfortunately, perfumery heliotrope can often be too powdery or flat or Playdoh-y. Sigh.)
I am looking forward to getting my split of Heliotrope Blanc. It was an unsniffed 5ml purchase, so we’ll see.
It grows wild around here where I am in the countryside!We used to pick little bunches for bouquets and fairy-houses when I was a kid.Still love the scent of both flower and perfumes.
I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it! I can definitely understand the powdered jelly donut reference.
After testing Barbara Bui a couple times I’m cetain I get the Play-doh note from heliatrope. There are parts of it I like, but just can’t get past the Play-doh.
How tall does heliotrope get? Hope you like Heliotrope Blanc, it’s the only Oriza that’s worked for me. Has Vacances shown up yet?
OH Mals, got some Luckyscent samples, incl 2 Cabanals, Lace Garden & Alahine. Lace Garden smelled like pineapple fruit cup on me, was quite disappointed as I expected it to be a real winner. Alahine, which I expected to not like, was enjoyable–look forward to further testing.
Hi Holly, to me, heliotrope is powdery almond vanilla. I’mmtaking a wild guess that you do not like Cuir Beluga or Lab on Fire What We Do in Paris is Secret as these are heliotrope bombs.
Hiram Green’s Shangri-La for me today, this one gets better with every wearing. Something compelling in it.
The world outside my window is yellow, too. Bright sunshine, daffys are in full bloom, and the cool weather has kept the forsythia in bloom for several weeks now, a rarity.
Straying slightly from my usual Keep-It-Simple Monday, I’m wearing SSS Wood Violet, trying to maintain the zen from our woodland and wildflower trip a little while longer. Didn’t see as many migrating birds as we hoped – it’s hard to look up for birds and down at wildflowers and the profusion of blooming wildflowers kept our heads down. But we did have a huge wild turkey stroll along with us unperturbed on one of our forest walks, and I saw yellow violets I’ve never seen before!
This too is a Make a Slight Effort Monday for me, and am in Jour d’Hermès Absolu. Seems to be working well in the rain.
Congratulations on seeing a new violet! Violets are so charming.
Chilly morning in Denver. I’m wearing Cinnabar from an older mini I got in the recent swap; it’s smells quite vintage-y, and I also see a connection to Youth Dew Amber Nude.
By the way, I wanted to share a tip: I’ve been using a cream called Vanicream after I shower, which is advertised of being free of “masking fragrance.” It must be that in combination with the richness of it, but it’s making my perfumes last noticably MUCH longer! Usually overnight.
Interesting! Thanks for the tip – always looking for a new moisturizer.
I use Vanicream on my daughter for her eczema – it is good stuff. Target has it and it can be ordered at Amazon or drugstore.com.
SOTD is vintage Ralph Lauren Safari parfum. I have all these mini’s (PERFUME CRACK yes i know), mostly vintage, so I’ve decided to invent Mini Mondays to make myself use them. Safari is so greeeeeeeeeen…. and just lovely.
Oh, and Elisa, loved your review on BdJ. That’s what prompted me to pick Safari this morning.
Yay, thank you!!
Mini-Monday! LOL!
Busy Monday for me! I’m wearing Cuir de Lancome today. I forgot how gorgeous the floral notes are in this one. It’s making my busy day a bit better
AHA! You’ve picked my SOTD for me, thanks.
Always ready to help a ‘fumista pick at sotd
After my Oven Mitt Incident, I was determined to rescue my reputation and wear something glamorous and perfumista-credit-giving. What to do? Fortunately, I have a treasure box with samples that austenfan has generously sent me and I went and picked out vintage Diorella.
I adore it. I’m also wearing a slightly vintage-y pale peachy pink dress that swishes, so I feel perfect. Unfortunately, that was the last drop of Diorella and there’s heartbreak ahead. But not yet.
I though the Oven Mitt Incident actually added to your cred….
Me too
It’s chilly here today, so I put on some Guerlain Rose Barbare. It smells so warm and “golden”.
I love the name of that one, although I have never smelled it. Is it a large aggressive rose?
Well, the rose is very PINK and bright and still deep. It has a very nice golden warm patch accord that is pretty prominent. I’ve not really looked at the other notes. I like it best of FK’s roses, b/c he skips the sweet drydown that he normally uses. Longevity is forever and the sillage is pretty good too. I don’t think it’s aggressive, but if you put a lot of it on, it would definitely clear a room. I think most people would have a smile on their face as they were leaving. I only use one spray and dab around and it lasts for hours. It is definitely an oriental fragrance. If you like anything like Ta’if, or Lyric, or L’Arte di Gucci, you’d probably like Rose Barbare. I think the name is misleading. It should really be called warm fuzzy rose wrapped in cashmere sitting by a fire and cuddling with a purring cat l’eau. I hope this helps.
Yes, very helpful! Rose is a very difficult note for me and the only one I have found that I really love is PHI- but it’s not really a typical “rosey” perfume. More of an ambery/gourmand with just a hint of rose on me.
I keep feeling I am missing something by not liking “rose” perfumes and want to push myself to explore them a bit more. I always seem to smell cheap potpourri if a Rose is in the mix
Wearing Vertigo Cuir by Terri today. It just arrived and because she had label printer issues, she upgraded me to a 30ml bottle! How wonderful is that?
This is a nice soft, chocolaty leather, a little dusty and fuzzy, with just a hint of bitter green to it.
Happy Spring!
Lucky you!
This soinds really, really nice.
*sounds, obviously…
Now a couple of hours into it, it has morphed into a gentle florally, soft leather with just a teeny hint of cocoa. The dry down is much smoother than the opening and I am really liking it!
She sent along a sample of Oui Plus! as well, so I will check that out later tonight.
Thanks to Lisa D for the heads up on this one
It’s chilly and rainy in Montreal too. I am wearing Miss Dior vintage today, to die for. I have chosen all my scents for this week in advance and put them on my vanity. I am really happy with my choice today, goes really well with the weather and my mood.
What made you decide to choose in advance?
Someone on MUA did this and I thought it was a great idea. In the mornings I am always in a hurry and sometimes choose the wrong scent.
Choosing the scents in advance I took into consideration the weather, the activities during the week etc.
It looked cold and grey out, so I chose Infusion d’Iris Absolue. It’s actually pretty warm out, though, so while I smell good, it feels like the original Infusion d’Iris might have been a better bet.
You smell great! A co-worker asked me to recommend a fragrance that was powdery, and out of all the samples I gave her she like this one the most. This is on my to buy list as well. One day…
Joining the “cold outside brigade,” although it is sunny and the afternoon will probably be very nice. . . Still no new writing assignments so another day in the garden… It must be a Shalimar day!
Shalimar days are some of the best kinds of days!
Sounds like a great day!
Oh, I love Shalimar for bedtime on a cold day.
Chilly in Michigan today, but I opted for “Summer or Else, Darn it all!” and wore Seville a l’Aube. So pretty, makes everything a little better when I walk around in a cloud of this.
Veering, does any one have an impression of Apoteker Tepe? I see a set of four samples of some of their scents, which sound interesting, but I hesitate to buy even samples totally blind…
I smelled one Apoteker scent on a blotter in a perfume shop two weeks ago — and opted to wear Ostara, if that’s any indication of anything — I think it was The Holy Mountain. The person who suggested I smell it was looking for the tarriest smokiest scent in the place, so we were comparing it to Jeke, and I preferred Jeke. The Holy Mountain has that note I think of in two ways: 1) so you’re trying to be weird, boooring, and 2) (choking) I just inhaled a cigarette from the wrong end, I am smoking a burning filter. I get a little jaded when I spend a long time in a perfume shop. Do you think that happened two weeks ago?
I just popped over and looked at the descriptions of their other scents, and they sound more promising. On the other hand, one could ask, what wouldn’t?
Chilly day here, so I’m opting for Volutes edt (hopefully one of the last times I can wear it until next fall) along with a hefty amount of wool clothing. I got some very spring/summer samples this weekend, and I want to wear them. But not til later in the week…
You smell great! Fingers crossed you get to shed the wool asap
I love Volutes! I like it in warmer weather too, which may sound odd, but there is some note in the edt that I find a bit invigorating.
Broke out the JLO Still this morning. Probably going to be the first bottle i drain, since it is so easy breezy.
I wanted something soft with a fresh shampoo/apple/fruit vibe, non-floral, without musk. Still has a wonderful sweet tea profile that feels like summer is coming.
Happy Monday, All!
I was feeling a bit irisy this morning, so I went with Dior Homme.
Good choice.
I’m just getting over a cold and can finally smell a little bit, so wearing scent today for the first time in a while. Another Santa Ana coming through San Diego, so time for hot weather scents – put on some Thymes Agave Nectar. I have the hand cream too, and I just love the texture. I’ll have to stalk Marshall’s for more – it’s worth Marshall’s prices, but not their full price!
I found the bath gel at Marshall’s!!
You are right–the price point there is perfect!
Hi there! I’ve lurking for a while, and loving the site, btw. My friends and family are mostly baffled by my obsession with perfume, so it’s nice to know I’m not the only one!
Anyway, I’m wearing Christalle EdT and Christalle Eau Vert, which I accidently layered. I’m really liking the two together though, so I suppose it’s a happy accident
Cristalle is lovely, EdT is one of my most used scents, never get tired of it.
Hi! I’m a fan of Cristalle as well. I’m glad your accidental layering turned out well. I’ll have to try this.
We need a secret perfumista hand shake. I don’t really discuss my obsession/hobby with my family except to tell them from time to time when I’ve sold something rare on ebay and done well by it. My parents are insane about going to estate sales, so I always tell them to pick up any old chanels or guerlains for me regardless. And if they see a Djedi, to grab it and run! I’ve never told my friends about my perfume habit, they’d think I was insane. But to be sure some of them have collections too. Comics? hello! Wine? yep. Baseball cards? sure.
Welcome to the group!
I’ve mentioned my “interest” in perfume to a few friends, but only one has seen my collection. I would be ashamed if I didn’t know her basement was stocked full of wine.
Welcome annawilde! Cristalle is lovely!
I’m wearing Pd’E Azemour les Orangers because it’s just right for a cool spring day and because I can. Glad I finally panic-bought a FB when the old packaging was showing up on discount sites.
Oh, lucky you! I miss the 50ml old packaging for sure!
I read the news about the new Bvlgari The Bleu this morning and decided to wear Rouge to celebrate. I’m really looking forward to trying this one.
Scent siblings! (I’m in Vert)
Rouge is on my to buy list, and now I’m sure I’ll want to test bleu.
Fleur de Cassie today, my favorite cassie/mimosa scent so far.
A perfume of true beauty and a joy forever…
I expected this to be challenging, but it was love at first sniff for me.
Same here.
Yes me too, but it turned out to be much easier to wear for me than Caron Farnesiana.
SOTD is Corsica Curiosa.
I have a decant of this and quite like it, especially that explosive opening. Curious as to what you think of it…;)
Le temps d’une fête today, I’m one of the lucky ones still hoarding a small bottle of the original version, and I’m using it sparingly as a springtime classic.
Lucky you!
I missed the decant I was aiming for last evening and ended up with several hefty sprays of Musc Tonkin EDP. It was still going strong this morning so I just bumped it up with another spray or three. It hadn’t ever really rocked my world when I tried it in cool weather but on this warm sweaty day it smells amazing.
I was wondering how the edp compares to the extrait? Then again, maybe I don’t want to know because of those dratted 100ml bottles…I did like my extrait same a lot though.
I missed the extrait and decided not to seek it out due to the whole rarity/cost thing. I’m really enjoying the EDP and think I could possibly stand a huge bottle. It’s as comfy for me as l’Air de Rien but a bit less femme.
Guerlain Shalimar is my scent of the day.
Weather was horrible here today. Lots of wind and rain. We had one palm tree blew over, and a holly tree is on an angle. Hopefully, we can save both trees.
Good luck saving your trees!
Cold and rainy here too, so I’m wearing Habanita.
Eek, eek eek! Recently ordered the new edp of this so I have some wintry vetiver incarnations in my wardrobe. Very excited!
This morning I wore an Afnan attar called Kaan ya Makaan. Apparently it means something like ‘Once upon a time…’ To me it smells all smokey sweet wood that then dries into a gorgeous amber. The listed notes are musk, wood and amber with one site saying that the heart notes are tuberous! I’m not sure what to make of that, lol.
However, I was feeling so sleepy by afternoon I added a dab of vetiver which tends to shake me up a bit – in the best way possible.
After my evening shower I changed to Arpege for some familiar and enveloping maternal love
It was a lot hotter today than I was expecting – thank god for air conditioning in the office, I am in a sweater, jeans, boots and heavy duty incense: Wazamba.
SOTD = Bvlgari Black
I’m planning to do a week of tea scents but I am feeling LAZY. I may be monogamous. Predictable, no?