It's 3 Star Friday! Our community project for today: wear a fragrance you would "objectively" only give 3 (or fewer!) out of 5 stars, but that you love and wear frequently. What did you pick?
As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you’re not participating in the community project.
I went with my old friend Guerlain Cologne du 68. I like it better now than I did when I reviewed it, and I wear it more than I thought I would, but I still don't think it's worth the money and I wouldn't give it more than 3 stars.
Reminder: next Friday, 7/17, will be Italian Niche Friday — wear something from Acqua di Parma, Lorenzo Villoresi, i Profumi di Firenze, Santa Maria Novella, or any other Italian niche brand.
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.
I’m cheating, because while I am wearing Vent Vert, which LucaTurin only gives one star in the guide, I’m wearing the first reformulation, done in 1991 by Calice Becker, while the one star is for the second reformulation, done in 1999.
Anyway, it’s supposed to be how many stars you would give the fragrance, not Luca Turin or anybody else!
Ack, did not mean that to sound like I was chastising you or something, sorry. Just meant nobody should feel like they need an expert opinion for this project, that’s all.
That’s OK. I guess I just don’t think about fragrance in terms of how good it is or how bad. I either like a fragrance or I don’t. So based on a star evaluation, I had to rely on the guide. Actually there are some fragrances that I enjoy wearing that I don’t necessarily want people to know I’m wearing, like Liz Claiborne scents. I like Mambo, Curve, and the original Liz Claiborne.
I actually like to know what “non-perfumista” fragrances perfumistas like to wear because these tend to be cheaper and more accessible.
I liked the original Liz Claiborne as well – I assume this was the one in a triangular bottle with blue, yellow and red lines?
Totally agree, Hajusuuri, about how interesting it is to hear which non-niche perfumes perfumistas still like–particularly when I think about making recs to friends who aren’t going to make this an on-going hobby, it’s really great to have an idea of what’s accessible and maybe not so pricey! Excited to see what everyone wears today for just this reason.
In answer to hajusuuri, I think Balenciaga Paris is one of the most appealing non-niche fragrances that is still available.
I also like the original Liz Claiborne and Liz Claiborne Vivid.
Noz, I like B. Paris as well. Nicely done and interesting, even though I see its resemblance in many other fragrances currently available.
I also was a huge fan of Liz Claiborne, the one in the triangular bottle with blue, yellow and red lines. Brings back memories from high school. Seemed so long ago.
Wearing reformulated Vent Vert too, though mine is newer, and very artificial-smelling. But at least it’s not cucumbery, so I wear it anyway.
The one star is for the THIRD reformulation. He liked the second one. I’m jealous you have an earlier one. I have the second, and it’s pretty nice but I never feel compelled to wear it.
I’m being stupid. I guess the first one was a “formulation” not a “reformulation.” Sorry about that.
For me it’s Tonka Imperiale. Decent scent but not outstanding in either originality or performance. But I like to wear it anyway.
Another Guerlain, for anyone who isn’t familiar with TI.
Ooh du68! I really like du68 and wear it a fair bit too. Though you’re right, it’s probably a 3*
My 3 star pick is Bvlgari Jasmin Noir. I really enjoy this, and actually have both the edp and the elixir (with more chocolate and orange), which I’m wearing today
It’s a decent no brainer scent, although I have other decent no brainer scents I’d give more stars — Hermes Eau des Merveilles, for instance.
I cannot smell the Bvlgari, or hardly can, so no comment!
J’Adore for me today. I get tons of compliments, but I wouldn’t say it is outstanding. I still wear it quite a bit.
Nice–do you happen to know which version you have? I love the original but would likewise give fewer stars to the reforms.
Not the original C. H. and that is why the fewer stars.
Such a bummer what they did to it!
I like this one too. I prefer the Absolu version, but both are nice, and I tend to wear them when I just want something easy.
CSP’s Pamplemousse, circa mid 2000s. A nice non-masculine citrus, unobtrusive and will be gone, daddy gone in a couple of hours. A 3-star summer staple.
I don’t think I ever smelled that one!
Prada Infusion d’Iris edp. I wear it often. It’s popular. Luca Turin gave it 2 stars. I’d give it 3.5 stars, which is cheating. Sorry, Robin
Recently I got a sample of Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. Now THAT one is definitely a 5 star perfume–to Turin and to this iris lover. It made me look at Infusion d’Iris edp differently.
We’re twins, and before I read your comment I thought about how many stars it deserves, and I came to 3.5 as well…the Absolue version gets 4 stars in my book.
However, I didn’t chose this scent because of today’s project, I’d totally forgotten about it and wore Infusion d’Iris because I was in a hurry and it is such a lovely no brainer. If I would have chosen a 3 star fragrance I wear often, it would have been Un Jardin sur le Toit, which has no real depth, nor is it very interesting or beautiful, but it such a carefree and happy scent.
That’s so funny: I give the absolue version 4 stars, too! I wear it in the winter.
I agree that Infusion d’Iris is a good go-to scent. I don’t think I’ve ever regretted wearing it!
I think ISM is 5 stars but some haters probably want to give it a -5
Ha! Yes, I can see how ISM could be polarizing–and yet, when I smell it I wonder “how can anyone not love this?!?” Silly, I know.
That would be me.
Yup, I should have said “Poodle and other haters”
Ha, I was going to nominate Prada Infusion d’Iris, which I suspect is nothing but chemical musks. It has so many enthusiasts, though.
Ha, but I’d probably give it 4 stars! But then I’d have to give ISM 6 stars, so it is problematic
How about if ISM is 6 stars, you subtract one to meet the criteria, so the Prada IdI would be 3?
I cannot stand to give IdI 3 stars, LOL! Plus, that means I have to downgrade the Guerlain I’m actually wearing, because no way is it the same number of stars as IdI.
I think we need Stephen Hawking.
Everything is relative
So true.
Omg! I just checked back to the comments at the end of the day! This thread is hilarious. Thanks everyone for making my day!
I wore ISM yesterday for the first time, in the evening, from a sample sent to me by a lovely perfumista.
At first I found the clove note a bit strong, love the carroty bits, I adore iris, but when the clove was a bit more quiet I was complety smitten. 6 for me too. Oh, oh, Donatella…
My 3 star perfume is the Jasmine scent from L’Occitane’s Voyage en Mediterranee collection. It’s not all that unique, just a light, pretty, summery jasmine. It’s sadly discontinued, but I love it and wear it a lot.
annawilde, you might try L’Occitane’s Fleur d’Or & Acacia as a replacement for the DC’d VM – it’s supposed to have a mimosa note but on me it fits the “light, pretty jasmine” category pretty well.
Flowerbomb for me. I love it and would give it probably 4 stars, NON-objectively. Objectively I can’t really justify more than 3.
I feel like the enthusiasm it inspires in its fans may make this one worth 4 stars! In the same way that sure, a really catchy pop song is not the same as a symphony, but it’s not easy to do, either!
One of the Nordstroms SAs in the handbag department wears this and she smells great!
My internal ranking system has absolutely nothing to do with any “objective” criteria and goes
1. GOD NO/ Help!/Get it off me
2.No
3. Wearable/ okay/eh
4.Like
5.Really like/ Adore/ BUY ASAP
By these standards, I don’t actually buy anything that I consider less than a 4 so I am wearing one of my most frequently worn scents–Milk of Flowers which was a 5 for me as soon as it hit my skin
Milk of Flowers is a five for me, too. Instant love.
Haha, I totally agree with your criteria. I can’t objectively rank perfume either!
Me three
Me four.
And me. My spreadsheet has these rankings: Love, Like, Maybe, No, Scrubber. Which I think exactly match your categories
Great minds and all that 
My spreadsheet categories are nearly the same as yours, except I’ve added Like a Lot (as an in-betweener) and NONONO! as one step beyond scrubber.
That’s the EGAD! category on my spreadsheet.
Can you believe I only did three piles: yes, no and maybe. The no pile I passed on without a thought until I realized oops! I didn’t note that anywhere! I’ll probably fall for another review and buy another sample of the same thing! Plus what’s up with a maybe pile? Maybe what?
If it weren’t so warm, I probably would have chosen Natori as my *objectively* three-starred fragrance. Personally, I would give it more – I think it’s cozy, warm and delightful, but know it’s not a masterpiece of perfumery.
Instead, I’m wearing Infusion d’Iris, just because I needed it. It seems to me it should be more than three stars, but objectivity is not my forte.
Hope you’re all well!
I’d give Natori a solid 4! For originality — it doesn’t smell like any other perfume to me
Oh, see, this was my whole problem with this challenge – one person’s three stars is anohter person’s “them’s fightin’ words”!!! I think Natori is more than three. It makes me think of something Chanel would have released – should have released – as Coco Noir! Or something otherly named in their line. But I respect your assignment of three.
Oh no no no – to me, subjectively, it DEFINITELY would earn more than three stars. I just thought it would be assessed by the general populace as “cheap and cheerful” and less sophisticated than the greats….but it looks like I was happily wrong! Like I said – I love this one. I have a mini, then got a 1.7 oz, and when I learned it was discontinued I got a couple 3.4 oz bottles….so yes, I am a fan. No fighting needed!
I think it was really hard to pick a 3 star frag!
You know I’m with you on the Natori. I did the cheap un-sniffed bottle to try and then the bigger as back up.
I’m sorry, but I have my days mixed up. I was on vacation early in the week and it threw me off.
I have Chanel No. 19 edt on today, and its definitely higher than 3 stars in my fragrance wardrobe.
Your Friday projects are fun — sorry for being a party poopet
Hey, they are supposed to be fun and NOT obligatory
I find it hard to be objective about this question: if I love something enough to wear it often, I can’t help feeling it’s at least four stars. It’s partly a question of vanity, but, statistically, there are countless trite and even unpleasant perfumes, and the ones I love are very much the exception.
I had a look at The Guide, for example, and there are numerous three-star perfumes that I’d rate higher (not even counting those demoted as a result of reformulation, such as Rochas Femme). How could they allocate only three stars to SL A la Nuit, PdE Cuir Ottoman, SL Daim Blond, AG Eau du Sud, Diptyque Eau Trois, Etro Gomma, L’AP Fleur de Narcisse 2006, Hermes Un Jardin sur Nil, Diptyque L’Ombre dans l’Eau, and Ed’I Sienne l’Hiver?
I suppose I could reluctantly award only three stars to the uncomplicated 1999 Ines de la Fressange, which I like to wear in hot weather. You might persuade me the same for Mary Greenwell Plum and SNM Melograno.
Agree completely about The Guide. I couldn’t believe they gave 3 stars to Vetiver Tonka, the Jardins, Eau des Merveilles, and 5 stars to Tommy Girl of all things. It’s a fun read and I can’t resist rating things either, but fragrance is so subjective. If you love it, wear it.
I guess they couldn’t help ranking perfumes within brands.
Hahaha, I know. I started looking thru Luca’s list of 3 stars to see if it would give me any suggestions on what to wear, but when I’d reached a count of 10 scents I really like, I gave up… I mostly just read The Guide for entertainment.
Speziali Fiorentini Tè Nero which falls in that not quite a full-fledged perfume but smells really good niche. Slightly smoky/rubbery black tea, vanilla and a tiny little bit of citrus.
Great choice!
It is hard for me to really be objective, too: if I like it, I want to rate it highly.
I did go with Narciso Rodriguez for her (black bottle). I love it and am just nuts about the smell and versatility but objectively it is quite simple, linear and undemanding so compared to many others it would probably be a 3-3.5
Oh, I love that one. I would probably give that one a 4.
I love it too! That is what makes this theme so tough…subjectively, I’d easily give it at least a 4.5. It does what it sets out to do so perfectly IMO.
I love the opening, and just wish I could smell the rest of it.
I’m wearing Eau d’Elide which is one of the stranger Diptyques. I can’t even begin to describe it. It’s got some powder, some lavender and some odd converted citrus in the top. I enjoy it immensely however and it is actually my most worn Diptyque. Another candidate for today would have been Comme des Garçons Monocle Scent Two Laurel. Neither are masterpieces but wonderfully wearable to me and fill a niche in my collection that no other fragrance does.
I’ve yet to smell that Guerlain Cologne. I really should as I’m such a fan of the 4 old Colognes.
The Eau d’Elide sounds worthwhile to check out, especially because 8 don’t have any Diptyques yet. Hope it is still available.
It’s no longer sold. It was discontinued with a lot of other old Diptyques years ago, some were brought back sold only in their boutiques and on their site. This one wasn’t. Mind you, perhaps it can be found online somewhere.
There are samples on ebay, fortunately.
I’m not sure I’ve ever tried Eau d’Elide; I’ll have to see if I have a sample lurking somewhere. I love the strangeness of the older Diptyques!
So do I. The only one I haven’t tried from that period is Eau Lente. L’Autre is weird, as is their original L’Eau and Virgilio of course.
I find Elide the most wearable of that period.
Virgilio is a fav! Sometimes I wish I’d gotten Eau Lente. I’m on the fence about L’Autre.
I’ve got a small bottle of l’Autre because it’s unlike anything else I own. I hardly wear it but will take the occasional sniff from the bottle.
Spoken like a true addict
How peppery is the CdG Laurel? I’d like to try it, for reasons, but sometimes pepper is overwhelming for me (hello, Spicebomb).
Not at all. It smells like a very nice Alep soap. So not soapy in the classical sense.
https://nstperfume.com/2010/01/20/comme-des-garcons-monocle-scent-two-laurel-fragrance-review/
I dithered forever about this one until it hit me: Stella! I got my FB at a Stuff Etc. and wear it much more than expected given that I think it is a little boring, though pretty. Maybe this is a sign that I need more pretty in my fragrance wardrobe.
You do smell pretty!!
Stella’s not for me, but I think pretty tends to be underrated. Unless it gets annoying after a few hours, what’s wrong with pretty?
Lady Gaga Fame is completely indefensible, a fruity floral like a thousand others: two stars, no more. But I kind of like it! The bottle’s nifty, the vaguely Dadaist ad campaign was fun, and I’m disposed to like Gaga anyway. I should be ashamed of myself but I have a small bottle and I wear it from time to time, like right now.
Ha, awesome. Glad you are enjoying it, that’s great.
I didn’t go with that one today, but I have a bottle as well. I saw it at Ross for like $10 or something, so it was kind of a “why not?” I don’t wear it often, and I’ve tried unsuccessfully to give it away, but every once in a while it just hits the spot.
I thought it smelled perfectly nice–if it was marketed like, say, IdI, instead of in the black bottle with black juice, we’d all be praising it for its relative sophistication. If it wasn’t so light and short-lived on me (possibly a musk anosmia?), I’d probably have a bottle.
SOTD = Chanel No. 19 EDP
This is a 5 star fragrance so no credit for me today. I have one more critical nose to satisfy (or actually, not offend) and then I can move this to my list of safe perfumes.
About The Guide, I’m pretty sure I had borrowed it from the library several years ago but never cracked it open and I am too cheap to buy it. On the blogs, i like Bois de Jasmin’s Star ratings and The Scented Hound’s Bone Ratings.
No 19 is getting so much love this summer, that last night I dug out my extrait for a date with my husband sans kids. It was the perfect choice!
No. 19 is very versatile – I just got mine in March so I’ll enjoy testing it for seasonal fit but I think it will work in every season!
No 19 is an all-time favorite. Have you tried Silences? It’s in the same family.
I think I have but if I recall, Silences was a lot sweeter? I need to dig it out of Mount Sample!
I think of a three star as one that I like but isn’t as complicated, likely very linear. I rate the ones that are complicated higher since they are more of a ride; there is more to enjoy over time. So I was about to pull out YSL Cinema but found on the same shelf Balenciaga Florabotanika and wore that instead. I think they wound up in the same shelf (I use an old IKEA CDG storage tower mounted to a Billy bookshelf and then doors attached for perfume) because they fit the same bill. I love Cinema in the spring and summer but this is a more typically fall choice.
That’s kind of how I feel about 3 stars fragrances — they smell good but are too simple to be great.
Yes, exactly.
Cinema was on my list for today too, but I chose differently. It’s great for about 2 hours, and then I want to wear something else. Thankfully it layers well with darker frags.
That is how I interpret 3 star fragrances as well. Utterly wearable but just not masterpieces.
I also kind of think of it like I rate my favorite movies and books. Two of my favorite movies of all time are The Godfather and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Objectively I know that The Godfather is a better (5 star) movie, but I love 3 star Ferris Bueller just as much. Likewise I know that Bois des Iles is a 5 star and Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar is a 2 or 3 star, but I love them both.
Ferris Buller is actually a 5+ from a completely objective standpoint
I’m not familiar with Ferris Bueller’s day Off but I get your point. It’s not the same experience though. I read Agatha Christie for fun, but her stories are hardly going to make me think. If I read Virginia Woolf however, it’ll make me reflect on things. And I think it’s fair to say the same goes for films. A different experience.
Which is your favourite Godfather movie by the way? ( if you have one)
I have to go with Jacomo’s Art Collection #8 – it’s better than most, but doesn’t manage to reach stellar, and still I love to wear it.
Oh, good call! I like No. 8 as well, but it isn’t the most involved fragrance.
I don’t really have any objectively 3-star scents that I wear often but I do have some scents I think are only ok, but seem to crave more often than expected. I’m wearing Narciso, which I still occasionally consider buying, despite the fact that my fascination with it far surpasses how much I like the scent. And yet, I can’t stop smelling myself!
I’m wearing Nirvana Black, which is too simple to be more than a 3, but smells good.
Oooh, that’s a good one! That 3 rating totally makes sense with that fragrance. Wish I’d thought of that one!
Love that one.
Oh, good call. I read a review that compared it to vintage Opium, so my expectations were way too high when I tried it. I should really try it again–I love the bottle.
This one was hard, since like many others here, I don’t really wear things that are less that 4 stars in my personal idiosyncratic ranking system.
But I finally settled on Bond No9 Harrods for Her. As a house, I think they are an overall 3, and this is the one of theirs I wear most often (although still haven’t drained my sample).
I hear ya! I really had to dig deep in my collection to think of anything that *I* think is less than wonderful!!!
Good point. My only Bond No. 9, Fire Island (yes Leathermountain, the perfume, not the vacation spot!), I would probably give 3 stars to… sometimes it is a 4 star, and sometimes it is a chemical spill….
I appreciate the Cliff Notes!
I really don’t have any fragrances that I would consider 3 stars or less. Personally, I feel all the fragrances I have are 5 star fragrances. Today, I decided my SOTD is Chloe.
Good for you!
My SOTD is: Bon Bon by Viktor & Rolf.
I don’t mind smelling edible and the bottle is really adorable, though I must admit it really is nothing special. However, “frequently” for me has to be taken with a grain of salt as it may be something closer to once a week (or maybe less…).
This was a tough challenge. I don’t really have fragrances that I wear enough to just consider being a “3” because I think I’m still in the process of making a collection that I would wear regularly. That being said, I drained my Diptyque Volutes decant today and would say it’s a 3. I like it, but it fades rather quickly on me and wish it had a bit more power, but if a bottle came my way I’d definitely wear it a bit more.
I would say also say it’s a solid, well done 3. I bought the EDT which lasts pretty long on me. Which version did you try?
SOTD is Jennifer Aniston by Jennifer Aniston (certainly doesn’t deserve a medal for name originality!)
I meant to mention that I can’t say I wear it often because I only just got it, but I do enjoy it when I do.
So tempted to try this one – I’ve been searching for a simple, non-fruity, non-musky, non-gardenia floral for a long time. Flowerbomb comes close (and I love it), but I’d like to find a more summery version – not “cleaner”, exactly, but less dark/warm and more fresh/cool. Does the JA fit that description at all?
Yes and no. I’s not fruity, nor gardenia, but I find it quite soapy, especially in the early stages, so I guess it is cleaner. It’s a lot less sweet and intense than Flowerbomb. It’s very easy to wear in my opinion.
Thanks! I don’t mind soapiness too awfully much – might be just the thing! or not.
Definitely sounds like it’s worth a try though.
For me the jasmine really stands out, in the lightest, most non-offensive way possible. I really like it.
And I like jasmine bombs!
I’m wearing this too, it was the first thing that came to mind for a 3 star scent. It’s pleasant and uncomplicated, and will be gone in a few hours.
Hey, scent twin!
I went through a bottle of JA – back when I only owned one bottle at a time!
This was hard for me too – as with other’s comments – I think most of my collection is pretty awesome. That being said, a few days ago I worked on a list of frags that I just hardly ever wear that I’ve had for a while, and used that as my criteria for less than totally awesome. So…today’s scent of the day is a frag I hardly ever wear anymore, but used to wear a lot in the summer about 14 years ago: Caswell & Massey Elixir of Love #1. It was a tie between that and my Calypso Christianne Celle Chevrefeuille.
I realized also that most of the almost not so awesome frags that I like are my cold weather scents, so that wasn’t going to fly on this gorgeous summer day!
I had to go 5 stars this morning so don’t qualify for today’s theme.
Amouage Fate Woman from a decant. Would love to have a FB of this beauty! It is big and beautiful and still manages to work wonderfully in the heat and humidity. Gorgeous stuff and the only Amouage I have so far fallen for. My pocketbook is grateful
There we go – another poll – 5 Star Friday!
Yes! What fun that would be, to see everyone’s best beloveds.
Yes, AnnS. 5 star Friday would definitely be fun! I’ve really thought a lot about this today, and wondered what criteria others feel need to be met to achieve that level. Can a 5 star fragrance lack sillage and/or longevity? Does it have to be consistently interesting from the top notes, through the middle and the drydown? Was it love at first sniff, or did it grow on you? Are you influenced by what others feel about it or reviews?
Oh, wonderful idea:)
Now maybe suggest some criteria that we can use to winnow down our choices?
My SOTD is Le Couvent des Minimes Eau des Missions Cologne. Like others have said, 3 stars because of its simplicity and lack of originality but I think it’s such a great, not-to-sweet, multi season vanilla and is inexpensive and pretty natural smelling. I love it for lazy evenings and for layering. I also have a small spritz of the current Miss Dior EDP which is probably a 3 star or less compared to the vintage but I like its peachy sweet girly fuzziness.
The name is a mouthful, isn’t it? I do enjoy wearing it but it is not SDV which I consider 5 stars.
Yup. I have to look it up every time I want to write it out. I haven’t tried the SDV but seem to be lots of comparisons between the 2.
Yep, a definite 3 for me as well. An all-season vanilla that is not too sweet or boozy. Great for layering, inexpensive and sophisticated enough to hold my interest but not overwhelm. Van-Ile is in the same category, but I’ve yet to compare them. Vanilla Flash is also along the same lines, but it’s denser with more tobacco and the sillage and longevity are huge.
My Vanilla Flash is inside the unopened Indigo Perfumery box I got this morning. I can’t wait!
Woke up tired and had to be somewhere and couldn’t objectively come up with anything, so I went with Bois des Iles – which is definitely more than 3 stars! After reading the comments, I agree with Hamamelis about Un Jardin sur Le Toit and Elisa about Nirvana Black – I could have gone with either of those.
Like others here, I find it difficult to rate fragrance ‘objectively.’. I either like it or I don’t, and although I have LT’s Guide, it doesn’t influence my choices. That having been said, my SOTD is Sarah Jessica Parker Covet.
If I had to award points, at the most I’d give it a 2 for its fougerish blend of notes – lemon, lavender, geranium, chocolate. I love all those but not sure how this melange would work together, especially with florals added. Given the fact that I’m not a fan of SJP nor her original fragrance; hate the name, back story, color/design of bottle/juice as well as the advertising, I’m surprised I even tried it in the first place (and don’t even remember when/how!).
Yet this has become an extremely versatile 3-season scent for me. Layering it over a lemon, lavender, or dry cocoa lotion highlights the different notes and it just plain smells really good! I’ve not found anything else that smells like this, so for uniqueness/versatility/value, it gets a 5 in my book.
You’ve convinced me! Now I want to try it
I have a bottle of Covet that I rarely wear. That being said, it deserves 5 stars for being gutsy. There is nothing else that smells anything like it!
Covet is one celeb scent that I really like. So far I am working off of a 15ml decant I got from STC. I’m trying to decide if I really want to buy a FB, not that it’s expensive, but I am running out of room. I also want to try it during fall and winter, since I started wearing it in the spring and summer.
I believe it’s d/c so you might want to pick up an inexpensive bottle while you can (I have a backup just in case.) In spring, i like to wear it over a lavender lotion, in summer (on a coolish day like today) over lemon, and in the fall over a cocoa lotion. I shelve it in the winter as it’s too green for me then. But I love it!
I would love to smell Covet made with quality materials…I think it has the potential to be a really great scent.
Serge Lutens Sa Majeste la Rose for me. I find it dewy and fresh and very, very pretty, but not the greatest rose ever. The 5 star rose for me is Goutal’s Rose Absolue.
Really? I’ll have to sample this…I as m interested in 5 star roses…
Ditto – I’ve neglected that one!
I agree completely. I used to have it, enjoyed smelling it, but for some reason “something” seemed missing and I never wore it so swapped away.
I like Sa Majeste as a layering rose. After about 2 hours of that massive lemony rose, I want a change up. I like it with Encre Noire or some other vetiver. Or even boosted up by good old Stella.
Yes, pretty much anything that is lovely but missing something goes into a 3 for me. I feel that Rose Flash is a perfect 3 as it’s the best rose soliflore I’ve found.
Chilly today so I went with a top pick off the sample mountain, Attrape Coeur. I love this! 5+ material. I can’t believe Geurlain discontinued this.
Possible “3”‘s I could have worn would be Burberry Rhythm or Philosophy Pure Grace, both of which I wear to bed, but not out in public.
Like you, I keep thinking about my Sleepytime Tea fragrances.
I too have Rhythm. Bought two bottles on discount at TJM because I quite love it. I don’t generally wear scent to bed, but that one i do sometimes. The lavender is pronounced on me. It is the final dry down…mostly lavender. Which I love at night.
Joining the chorus of “this is haaarddd…” But I had fun pulling out frags that I have a genuine ambivalence about, but could never give away–hence my designation as 3-star.
Hello Bunny Momo–a cheap solid I wear in my hair (very recently) but enjoy when I don’t want a whole lot of scent.
CK Euphoria–Smells “easy” like it was formed through a committee, but when I am in the mood for it, I really enjoy it.
Elizabeth Arden Green Tea–Great for scenting my car; I keep it in my glove compartment.
BBW’s Japanese Cherry Blossom–I use it to clean up make-up spills or soap stains in my bathroom.
First EDT–note the EDT–weirdly I just crave it sometimes.
Diva EDT–see First, ditto.
White Diamonds EDT–see Diva, ditto.
Fire Island (Bond No. 9)–Shape shifter in a bad way, in that it vacillates between being lovely to being headache inducing… gotta hit it at the right moment.
And last but not least, Guerlain’s AA Flora Nymphea–Which I wore a lot, and would have given it 5 stars… but then I got a little tired of it…4 stars… and now it bugs me a little…3 stars… not sure where this is going…
You really put some energy into this! What a fun read.
Hello Bunny Momo rates some stars just for the name
I followed that same trajectory with Flora Nymphea – and finally sold it.
That may happen to me too. Oddly though–since I did like it quite a lot, once–I feel disloyal to it!
Same problem here: as soon as a scent is good enough to have me turn to it regularly, I don’t see how I could “objectively” rate it less than 4 stars.
In the end I, too, took refuge to other people’s opinion and went for a scent that at least got a rather lukewarm reception in the blogosphere: Serge Lutens’s Vitriol d’OEillet. While I’m perfectly ready to concede that it is not one of Uncle Serge’s absolute masterpieces and while I also admit that it’s not what one would call spectacular (in the sense that it doesn’t jump right into your face), I still don’t understand, however, why so many reviewers fail to get the underlying beauty of the stuff.
I like that one, too. Not sure why it isn’t more appreciated. Maybe it smells different to others, or everyone was expecting something more like earlier SLs, or timing was off vis-a-vis what people looking for.
I revisit my sample of VdO off and on to see if I can get something out of it, but after the initial lovely opening, I get a lot of musk and plastic. My track record with Serge is not good. I think it’s his use of big musks, but I’ve not tested everything yet. I do like La Fille de Berlin a lot.
Yes, the plastic. I noticed that too.
I thought Vd’O was boring as heck – and I *like* florals. I *love* florals (especially carnations). This one just did not do anything for me – and I didn’t get plastic, but I did get a lot of acridity (like wet wood ash) and musk under some powdery florals.
But there you go – everybody has their personal preferences. I could just as easily say, “I can’t believe people fail to get how perfect and beautiful Le Temps d’une Fete is.” It’s one of my Very Favorites – and I know very well it’s not universally beloved. Oh well.
Today I’m still picking between two bottles from early on in my perfume career (so to speak) that are not really “special” but do fine as wallpaper scents, especially in the summer, or to wear to the gym–Versace Versense and Burberry Brit Summer (the women’s one). In both cases quite likable, easy to wear, and even somewhat interesting for what they are–but I do now find myself wishing they’d been made with nicer materials. Three stars but I’m afraid I reach for them less and less these days…
(In cooler weather, I think I would have gone with Santal Massoïa. I do like and wear it, but I often wish there were more to it. Kinda feels like it’s just one ingredient rather than a complete composition.)
That was a good idea, to look for those early acquisitions.
Versense is rather nice, in summer. I used up a sample.
I think I have lower standards for many of my summer fragrances – heat/humidity just sort of lends itself to the “cheap and cheerful” genre.
I have so many samples that are a 3 or lower BUT I love wearing them anyways for a change up in style.
But my favorite is Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino. Honestly, it’s Florida Water, done better by Santa Maria Novella and by the traditional makers here in America (you can find it in a Caribbean/Latino store). BUT- it’s so fresh, and the staying power is not so bad at all. It’s great when layered with a body spray and cuts through the heat.
I didn’t do this challenge but opted for the Amouage Dia bath and body products.
I was going to wear Burberry Brit Sheer, because it’s a fairly run of the mill fruity floral.
But i overslept (5th day in a row, dangit) and only managed to cloth myself and brush teeth before leaving for work. Will have to visit Sephora during lunch and after reading all the comments!
Ferre is deeply unoriginal, but it is very nice. I have been wearing the decant a lot in England.
LT actually describes it as Iris Poudre perfected.
Good choice – Ferre is definitely a 3 star. I have a bottle, and I like to wear it from time to time, but sometimes the dry down is too musky for me. Good floral musky, but too much of the same for many hours. I do like it better than Iris Poudre, but they aren’t really as similar as LT likes to suggest. I get tons of greens out of Ferre that I don’t smell in IP.
I liked Ferre, but I agree that it’s not nearly as close to IP as Turin says. I *do* love IP, but Ferre completely misses the part of IP that I love (that fluffy benzoin-musk drydown).
I chose Laura Mercier eau gourmande Vanille. Which is exactly what it smells like. Straight vanilla. It is what I wear when everything else seems to complicated or just not me. It also layers well with most of my lotions.
I have a few other discontinued Laura Mercier fragrances that I like and would also suggest are solid 3 stars: Neroli, Ambre Passion & Ambre Passion Velvet. I only wear those ambers in cool weather b/c they are so rich. I’ve also wanted to smell her current Verbena fragrance.
I couldn’t make up my mind this morning, so I’m wearing a spritz of Elizabeth Taylor Gardenia (really not a bad gardenia for the $8 I shelled out for it, but it’s a pretty simple, linear soliflore), and a little Aquolina Gold Sugar, which I also picked up really cheap at TJ Maxx and which I wear to bed on occasions when I decide I need to go to bed smelling like a creme brulee. The two are actually going pretty well together.
I’ve smelled more expensive mainstream perfumes that are indistinguishable from ET Gardenia.
Hmm. I tend to give away things that I don’t really love, but I always have Demeter’s Flower Show on hand, and it’s definitely 3 stars at best. It smells exactly like a flower show – mostly green and slightly floral. It’s cheap as chips, and is cool and refreshing in the summer months.
I have wanted to try a few of the scents from Demeter. Do you have others you like?
I love Demeter for having such an eclectic line. On my skin, it’s gone like the wind ,however on clothing it lasts for days!
They’re definitely eclectic.. but it’s a huge line so deciding where to start can be a bit overwhelming, I found. Of the ones I’ve tried, I really liked Tomato (it’s the scent of the leaves, not really the fruit), Honeysuckle, Gingerale, and Dirt. Thunderstorm is a neat one too, but really mostly in the top note. And because they’re inexpensive and pretty simple, they’re fun to layer to come up with a more complex scent.
That is so true. I swear I have been meaning to start a Demeter collection.
I love browsing their library but I wonder why they haven’t come out with a cola one yet. Also I love the smell of Tutti Fruitti jellybeans. For those of you who were alive in the 70’s, it smells exactly like Trident fruit gum (the one that had the orange packaging) and sadly long discontinued.
I can imagine layering that with Russian Leather and Sandalwood! Kind of like that gum- in a leather purse smell.
Can someone call NY?
I love Wet Garden, which is a very good hyacinth, and Clover, which is a good green. I also have Snow, which I wear in the winter, and which is very reminiscent of — snow! I have several of the small mini bottles of the Demeter scents, because for $6.00 you really can’t go wrong. Also for some reason my skin likes colognes and it last very well on me.
I forgot to mention Beeswax, another favorite. Really, so far I’ve had good luck with most of what I’ve bought. I did get Cherry Blossom for free with a purchase, and didn’t like it (too powdery), but that is the exception. I will say that many of them start out with a rather screechy alcohol note, but wait, the real scent kicks in and is usually very good.
Oh yes, Kris. I like bunches of them! Incense, Holy Smoke, Riding Crop, Dirt, Pruning Shears, Clover, Angel Food, Salt Air, Russian Leather … I could keep going! The customer reviews on their site are pretty helpful, too. I don’t usually like their soliflores, but kindcrow recommended Wisteria which I will try as that’s an unusual note not commonly found.
The nice thing is that they accept all returns without question, they’re incredibly inexpensive and are fun to play with and layer with each other or other fragrances if you want to amp up certain notes.
Ginger ale is a must try!
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I must try some. I see they have lotions and shower gels too.
Wisteria, Wet Garden, Clover, Pineapple, and Mulled Cider.
I always think that Flower Show smells exactly like The Perfumer’s Workshop Tea Rose. Which unfortunately, I cannot wear. I have a very old bottle, and for some reason I want to scratch my skin off when I wear it. Not so Flower Show, so I wear that instead.
PriscillaE, I’ve heard that before! A lot of people find that Flower Show smells like Tea Rose, which I can’t stand. On me it smells like musty old rose potpourri. I wonder if I’m delusional, and people are thinking ugh! old bat! when they’re in my vicinity and I’m thinking I’m wafting a fresh, green floral.
Morning, all. My choice for a three-star perfume is the Iris Essence thingummy by Donna Karan (I’d check the name, but I’m too bone idle to get out of bed just yet.) It’s a really quite delicious, gentle, creamy Iris, and that’s it. Don’t look for anything more, ‘cos it’s not there to find. I wear it a lot, never when I go out with my husband, but often when I work at home alone. It’s not remotely exciting, but it’s soothing. Placid, even. I enjoy the cylindrical black glass bottle, and I like the scent, but I must admit every encounter is rather like meeting a person whose appearance is very fashionable and attractive and thinking, “Wow, that person has a mass of dash!” then discovering they have little personality or conversation.
Chore day for me, and I won’t be wearing the Iris to get me through! I think I’ll go with Traversee du Bosphore this cold (but PERFECT) Saturday. TdB is a happy snuggler.
TdB is a happy snuggler.
I am not a “star rating” person but I did have a “deluxe sample”of Joy Forever in my gym bag. I suppose I would regard a perfume which I would wear when given a sample of, but would not buy, as a sort of three star evaluation.
Joy Forever fits that category. It is a well made, soft white flower with a bit of aldehyde.
It’s a bit on the lady like. Not to be given to a super hot girlfriend but certainly to her mother on the occasion of meeting her as a future son in law.
There is nothing screechy nor synthetic about this scent, just a whiff of “perfumey” aldehydes and vague florals. If you subscribe to the belief that everyone (or at least every woman) needs a perfume that is “pretty” and feminine, this one will do, and quite respectfully. If you have a cabinet full of Malles and Lutens, you won’t need this one.
Someone mentioned Channel 19. Channel 19, at the moment is my Black Star perfume, i.e., my bottle has disappeared.
I hope you find it! And soon! It’s great for summer as I am finding out.
Well, I failed at the project today. Didn’t even consider it when I gave myself a solid 3 spritzes of Carnal Flower. I smell BEEEG and glorious!
Thumbs up!
I’m wearing Chanel No 19 Poudré and really enjoying it. Objectively I would give this just 3 stars… but I love wearing it, probably because it’s just very easy, the way it snuggles onto the skin like iris-y baby powder.
I love the original No 19 – a definite 5-star – but this is more comforting.
Yes, I love it as well and I’d give it 3 stars. Now I’m wondering if 3 stars is like a comforting, loving relationship as opposed to an intense and fascinating one. So maybe a 5 would be both?
Today I decided to wear Versace Versense. Although I am not a fan of citrus notes much, the blazing heat today necessitated it. Problem with Versense is that it doesn’t last more than an hour on me.
Versense is nice. I have contemplated a bottle of it more than once.
Very interesting to read these comments!
I totally forgot about today’s project and went with Bottega Veneta – been in the mood for this all week, and definitely more than 3 stars.. I’d venture it could be 5 stars for some.
Agreed! Or maybe 4.5 from me. I love and wear it often but I don’t think it’s a masterpiece of the genre, like Cuir de Lancome for instance. But it is so wearable. I reach for BV 10 times as often as the Lancome.
I love Cuir de Lancome but it doesn’t last very long for me whereas BV lasts for the entire day… It needs a light hand.
Yes, I have over-applied once or twice and while it was not a disaster, I was pretty sick of BY by the end of the day.
I was not aware this was the project for today,but my SOTD is actually perfect for it!Nuxe Le Parfum.I love the scent,and paired with the body oil it is even better!But it somehow always leaving me wanting “something” more from it without the oil,maybe more sillage,an interesting out-of-the-blue accord?I don’t know what.It’s great for layering with some amber and cardamom-spiced fragrances though.But still I’d give it 3 stars,maybe 3 and a half!Happy Weekend NST!It was one HELL of a week at work,but TGIF!!Yay!x
P.S I love our community projects;always informative and great to have sneek peaks into others’ choices and Love/Hate choices!Keep it up,I’ve got still some many,many explorarions and sniifing to do mysel…part of the perfumed journey,Yes??Oh hell,yess!!
I went with Lush’s Lust, from a solid. Rather regretting it already. I love the shower gel version, Firefox, but I don’t think it translates so well to a perfume. Too much like a wall of scent, with little development. I enjoy Firefox but am glad to walk out of the bathroom after only 10 minutes in its company. I don’t need it to travel with me.
Anyway, it’s winter here and at least Lust’s cosy sweetness is welcome.
Do you find a notable difference between Lust in the solid format and in the perfume form? I first tried the solid and didn’t like it at all. I tried the perfume some months later and liked it much more – but it could be that my taste changed in the interim!
I haven’t tried the liquid perfume. Good suggestion – I really I should. A bit more diffusion might help …
For 3 Star Friday I’m wearing VC&A California Reverie, a pretty no-brainer of a scent for summer. The perfume blub talked about coastal highways and wide open spaces, but California Reverie is a nice white floral with minimal sillage. I have to spray quite a bit to get it to last all day. Three stars for being pretty; it’s not very interesting and it has little development, but I’m wearing it a lot in the heat. It doesn’t overpower you when the temps go up, up, up.
Should be “perfume blurb” on the website, not blub!
Interesting! I found I had to spritz a number of times to smell this one at all. I’m probably anosmic to something in it. However, having tried it two or three times I do find something really intriguing about it. I think its the crisp citrus merged with a slightly creaminess. I also caught occasional whiffs of something like banana – only there is no yang-ylang listed, so my nose might be making it up!
I loved the first half hour, liked the second one, and by the third half-hour was a little bored by the jasmine. That first WHOOSH, though – gorgeous. (I don’t know why, as a BWF fan, I find jasmine wearing on my nerves when I can wear tuberose and gardenia and ylang and all the rest, and even a mixed WF with jasmine, without that issue.)
Now that you mention it I do have some tuberose, lily and gardenia scents – but not yet a jasmine!
I do have some scents I would rate 3 stars, but I regard them as ‘mistakes’ and don’t wear them often. When I do wear them, at some point I start feeling irritated. If I can be content in a fragrance for many hours in a row, I generally would give it a 4.
That being said, I must admit that I don’t think I have any kind of innate talent for perfumery. I don’t really understand what makes a perfume objectively good, i.e. structure, etc. There are ‘simple’ scents which I would rate as highly as complex ones, and linear ones which I favor as much as ones that evolve… I also don’t give points for originality, because I often prefer later variations on a particular theme to the ‘groundbreaker’.
All that being said – there is one scent I wear frequently that I couldn’t award more than 2 or 3 stars. Crabtree&Evelynn’s Lavender. It has been discontinued but I bought 3×100 ml bottles on the sale! It’s a lavender, musk and tonka bean scent that has almost no lasting power and very little silage. However, I wear it every evening to relax and to make me sleepy enough to consider bed
Because of longevity and silage I spray it multiple times and am more than three quarters through the first bottle.
I don’t think I ever tried it but it sounds more appealing to me than that other lavender classic, the one from Yardley. The Yardley is to me rather cold and herbal, whereas maybe the C&E plays on the warmer, toastier aspects?
I’v never managed to get my hands on the Yardley, so I’m afraid I can’t compare! Also haven’t managed to get the one from Caldey Island… It does have a clean herbal aspect, but is very much softened by the musk, and quite a bit sweeter than the lavender EOs I’v tried. On the other hand it is not as sweet as Caron’s pour Homme, (no obvious vanilla) and is much less bright.
For a warm and toasty lavender I would probably go for Eau Noire – though that is much more complex and makes much more of a statement! The coffee and immortelle certainly make it cosy
Just noticed that my C&E (australia) is still selling the lavender, so I might give it a try. Eau Noire was too toasty for me – can’t deal with immoretelle!
Hope you like it! Honestly I’m not sure its worth its full retail price, given its simplicity, longevity, silage, etc. Just happens to be very relaxing for me.
Another ‘warm’ lavender is Jicky (if you can take the civet-like note).
Chamarre is another gorgeous (and warm) lavender, but I would say that the violet is just as prominent in it, and overall it is more complex than the others mentioned. The dirty musk is less pronounced than in some other MdOs but its definitely still there. Like Eau de Noire, I would probably give this one a 5.
By the way, the C&E Lavender lotion in the pump bottle is fabulous. I think I like the scent even more, and its a great lotion. Unfortunately they sold out more quickly here…
Hi Merlin, I have the C &E Lavender Shea Butter in a beautful glass jar. I agree, a very nicely done lavender scent.
Petunia, I love the glass jar and the luxurious texture of this cream, but I actually prefer the scent of the lotion – I think it’s stronger and more lavender-ey!
Fun comments! I’m not even up to the rating part because I’m tripping all over the “and wear frequently” part. The closest I could get was a bedtime scent for winter, which I’m not wearing since it has been summer and daytime, but the theoretical SOsomeotherD is Cocoa Sandalwood from Sonoma Scent Studio. I give it a solid three stars for being great at what it does, which for me is something rather modest but much appreciated.
The actual SOtoday is Aroma M Camellia Hair Oil in my hair, Cleansing Oil remnants on my face, and both the Face Oil and the Body Oil mishmashed together on my arms. I’m late for body product Friday, but I smell great, and everything I’ve got is fully moisturized. I don’t know any of them well enough to give ratings, and this is the kind of promiscuity that got me in trouble with today’s project in the first place.
A note for the interested: this Camellia line includes a perfume as well, and each of the products has its own scent even though they share the Camellia name.
Oh, and tonight I will probably wear my new summertime bedtime staple, which objectively gets zero stars. I call it My Lemon Blend, which is not at all what I was going for when I put it together, but I’ve found this perfect way to use it, so I’m pleased with the whole situation.
So what goes into Lemon Blend?
Not sure if this is legit to post here… Robin? I describe the process in my Basenotes post on the subject: http://www.basenotes.net/threads/408186-Re-posting-from-Just-Starting-Out-playing-with-my-EOs-plus-jojoba
Thanks so much – will have a look!
Absolutely fine!
Kai oil for me today. I had a sample. It’s pretty/meh for about 1 to 2 hours on my skin and then, poof, it was gone.
I tried that too, Petunia, and what I thought was, “This smells like something I’d buy in a local drugstore.” Granted it’s not an expensive fragrance, but I thought is was so-so. Two stars from me, just because I didn’t have to scrub it off.
LOL! I was curious because I’ve read so many conflicting reviews about Kai. I requested it as a free sample when I recently purchased my Au Dela. I’ve never really been interested in white florals before. I have actually tried several since I began reading the posts on this blog and am learning to appreciate their beauty. I pretty much like every genre in perfumery. For me, a turnoff is more for certain notes, like tobacco, cumin… I know, I’m such a square…
I’ll be the outlier here. Just about everything I have, samples and decants mostly, is a “3” meh to me. I haven’t bought a full bottle in years. I have a scent image in my mind of the perfect perfume but nothing I test comes close to it. I want to be transported by the beauty of the fragrance. I guess my expectations are way too high or my olfactory sense is underdeveloped in some way!
I know it is getting late, at least where I am on the east coast, but has anyone tried Santal Majuscule by SL? Just curious…
Yes! I’m not even a huge sandalwood fan, and I remember it being really nice and interesting — although maybe a bit much for July? I’m a wuss though!
Thanks Kelly! I just ordered a decant today. The notes sound wonderful, but frag’s don’t usually smell anything like what I imagine. I wore Lyric the other day, just a light spray. I like resinous scents during hot weather but I just want to test it now. If I like it enough to buy, I’ll probably save it for the fall.
Colocha, I can relate. I find that as much as I love perfume, there are long stretches of time during which I seem to dislike each new perfume I try. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you or with your expectations! Speaking of, can you say any more about the scent image in your mind of the perfect perfume?
Colocha, I can relate. As odd as it may sound, I often think of fragrance as a relationship. I’m happy to enjoy what’s on offer, it’s fun, but usually it’s not completely fulfilling for me. I have many fragrances that are in that category, and they’re rated 3 stars.
I applaud your expectations, and I hope that you will find your match.
Good luck on your quest to find the perfect scent. I started out looking for mine, but found I really enjoyed variety, and have found likes and loves often enough to keep me going. You may end up having to create your own perfume, if your vision is specific!
Thirdman Eau Nomade. Objectively, it’s not great. It has two things I hate, either one of which normally makes for a scrubber for me: aquatic musk (which I somehow did not even notice until I got it on a sweater), and (I think) iso E super, or at any rate some kind of chemical that my nose reads as chemical. It also gets a bit “sweaty” in its early stages. However, I love the combination of orange and cardamom, which I hadn’t smelled before, and it’s nice on a hot day. (Orange and cardamom turned out to be a good combination in food, too.) I have learned not to sniff closely during the first half hour it so, after which the headachy chemical thing dies down. (And it doesn’t have nearly as much of it as the other two colognes I’ve tried from this brand, which were scrubbers.) It might be that I’m particularly fond of it because I won it in a drawing, which was the most luck I’d ever had in my life. (Previous big win? A 2″ rabbit carved out of agate, raffled off by the North Orange County Gem & Mineral Society.) And it was the first “summery” citrus perfume I ever owned, or even tried, really. And now I need to stop putting off dinner, and come back to read the previous 205 comments later.
Fun post, Laurels! I had very similar feelings about Eau Nomade.
I have worn Jennifer Aniston for the last three days. I personally give it a 4 because it is so cheerful and pretty and thought-less (which does not mean “thoughtless” – if you know what I mean). However, I’m no idiot. I know that this is a 2.5 star perfume at best. But I don’t care!
Also, I was at a Marshall’s in Chicago today and they had two 4 oz. Demeter bottles on clearance for $10 a piece and they had Cartier Basier Vole for $30! I rember that Marshall’s and TJ Maxx used to carry Demeter a lot, but hadn’t seen any for years until today.
Nowadays, I usually see mostly celeb scents there. Although, I was at TJ Maxx today and spotted Youth Dew. I’ve never spotted any Demeter perfumes in the discount stores in my area.
Yes, how funny, Youth Dew was also there — and it was only $25 from what I remember!
Ooh now I want to swing by mine.
I’m glad to see the love for JA. I gave my sister a small bottle for her birthday, because it sounded like her kind of thing (and was cheap), and was relieved that it was pretty when I got a sniff. (It was part of her birthday present, I should say.)
It was warm, so I put on Seville a L’Aube. If I had thought longer, my warm weather one might have been Burberry Brit Sheer, but I’m not sure it is a 3 star. Very light and not at all special.
Saturday morning. My washer quit and we are having a new one put in today, which necessitated some clearing out of the mudroom and hall to the laundry room. I put on Maroc pour Elle, a fortifying sort of scent. OMG, I have to get rid of some stuff. It’s good to have things like this happen. Adorable hubbie and I fall into a routine and I let things slide. The installers wI’ll take the old washer away.
Two nice big young men came to change out my washer. They didn’t like the driveway and they don’t like our mosquitos. But adorable hubby is doing a good job of bonding with them, and the old washer is out already.
The new washer works great, and makes lovely high tech noises and is just generally fun.