Do tell us what fragrance you're wearing today!
I picked Parfums de Nicolaï Balle de Match, now called L'Eau de Sport.
Reminder: this Friday, 21 August, wear a scent by French niche brand Parfums de Nicolaï, if you have one. If you don't, wear a perfume by another brand that you think deserves more attention than it gets.
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 Square made from a group of tennis balls via Horia Varlan at flickr; some rights reserved.
Was going to do a PdN week, but forgot! Wearing Jour Absolu, which surprised me by how much I like it. The original Jour opened promisingly on me, but devolved into a tenacious screechy drydown. The Absolu feels like a much more well-rounded scent. Thanks to someone around here who mentioned the mini. It’s adorable, only eleven something bucks, and all the quantity I’ll ever need.
Hey, I didn’t know about the mini!
I have the mini too, and while I like the original, I love the Absolu. One of the best things about Hermes is the fact that minis are available for several of their fragrances, and I am trying to collect as many of them as I can get.
That’s good to know – the original Jour got irritatingly harsh on me after about an hour or so, and it ruined what could have been a very pleasant scent. Might have to hunt up an Absolu mini, thanks for the tip!
I have a mini of the original that I found on Amazon. I think it was around $20. And, yeah, it’s the perfect size. I could never use up more than that. Now if only they minis of the Hermessences…
It might have been me who mentioned it; in any case, here’s another vote for the mini and the Absolu version of Jour! It’s 7.5 mls and thus a nod to the good old days when most perfumes were available in 1/4 oz bottles.
After a winter of neglect, Im wearing Organza Indecence.
I’ve missed it so! Love!
Ah, you smell great!
That’s good stuff.
Oh, yes, you smell wonderful. It’ll be a few months yet before I pull out mine but I always have that same ‘missed you’ reaction.
after never hearing of this scent before this week, I have now heard wonderful things about it three times in the last few days! So bizarre! I will need to seek a sample out.
FM Iris Poudre today, so pretty….
Two thumbs up.
I love your choice of image and your fragrance of choice for the day. I’m still honouring PdN and my SOTD is New York. I’m always suprised at how good it is.
And I love yours!
Currently still in the remnants of Morn to Dusk, 25 hours later but I’ll eventually shower it off so I can go on a sniffing expedition. After reading Kevin’s review the other day, I need to go find the one store in Boston that carries the Fiele fragrances
Wow! I’m going to have to sample that one!
The store was closed but since I was in a testing frame of mind I went to the mall and tried Norell New York, Alaia, Au The Bleu, and Cardamom and Mimosa. The last is my favorite of the bunch but I tend to love cardamom — it improves almost anything
The jomo does sound intriguing.
Wore Marni EDP yesterday. Even though I wasn’t too impressed with it the first few times I tried it, it really grew on me and I’m thinking I’ll wear it again today. I never did see Marni Spice anywhere, but I’m still hoping I get to try that one eventually.
I wore Marni Spice this morning! It is still totally recognisable as Marni, but the opening is a lovely blast of spices. I really ought to remember to do a side by side to see how obvious the spices remain through the development.
Marni Spice?!?! I had no idea this came out (I’ve unfortunately been checked out of NST for a short while…silly me!). So excited to try this and I hope I can find it. Has anyone seen it in the US?
I’ve never laid eyes on it, but haven’t been to the mall in ages. But was sort of wondering if they didn’t bother distributing it here.
I was soooo excited….and now so sad. Holding out hope…! 😉
I am wearing Tom Ford Violet Blonde today. I feel very polished and refreshed whenever I wear this.
I need to feel polished and refreshed today. My husband and I are leaving tomorrow for a Miami getaway for a few days. I’m very excited, but so much to do before we leave.
Violet Blonde is very glamorous and would be perfect to take to Miami. Have a great trip!
Have a wonderful trip. Hope there’s plenty of sunshine and blue skies.
Love Violet Blonde – you smell wonderful. 🙂
Matin d’Orage today. A perfect alternative to citrus, as we will hit over 90 degrees here again today.
You smell lovely!
AG MdO one of my absolute faves
Press repeat please! I am in Kalemat again today-beautiful stuff and quite tenacious too. It’s transparent enough to work well in the heat and humidity and never gets too heavy or sweet.
Many perfumes I wear start to get on my nerves towards the end of the day- don’t know why that is, but it seem my nose is very promiscuous! But I never got tired of this one and after my spin class and shower, I reapplied, which is very rare. Usually I switch scents before bed but I can’t find one single fault with Kalemat. What a great buy 🙂
You smell fabulous!
I was wondering how it fared in the heat- that’s good to know! I only got mine in May, so i havent had it for a summer yet. I figure that any Middle Eastern perfume would be designed to not stifle its wearer to death in the heat.. but still.. it is fruity and sweet and ambery and all the things I usually avoid in oppressive heat and humidity 😉
When summer rolls around your neck of the woods, you’ll have to let me know how it works for you. I love the fact that it is definitively a deep ambery/oriental and packs a good punch but it’s not at all overbearing. It’s like a sauna here right now and this scent just shimmers around me like a mirage. Cheers!
Now I want to try it even more. I get nose fatigue too, especially with the more woody-chemical base notes. I was convincing myself that it would be too overpowering in Texas heat but I should know that Middle Eastern scents tend to bloom in my climate. Thanks for feeding my lemming 😉
It’s quite round and smooth. I hate the jagged synthetic effect and I’m happy to report I dont get any with Kalemat 🙂
In Shalimar initial
Still can’t believe they discontinued this
I know! I loved that one!
SOTD is DelRae Mythique – tried it at bedtime last night and decided it deserves a bigger, better test. I get a distinct hay note, and will have to concentrate to identify anything else specifically. I like it!
It’s supposed to have iris, but all I get is hay.
Today is one of those: I’m not putting up with anyone’s $%*# today! So I doused myself in Cartier La Panthere. It’s helped too.
AC suddenly stops working an hour ago? Boom – call to HVAC – GET YER BUTT HERE NOW!
Leaking ceiling? Boom – email to cranky property management company – we are done dealing with your lolligagging! Get with it!
Wasps nest that PM wants us to deal with? Boom – it’s a pre-existing problem and we are SO NOT PAYING for an exterminator just because they let this building go to rot for over ten years before we moved in.
I’m about to go hunt down the maintenance guy who thinks it’s totally ok to leave his ladder and open ceiling tiles in my office. If you start a project – FINISH IT!
So yeah, I’m being a bit of a bossy panther today. 😀 Miii-auuuu!
Go girl! Crack that whip 🙂
It’s been cracking. It might break soon. Ha!
Woohoo!
If I have some issues I know who will take care of business…
Haha, seriously, that’s the story of my life. Everyone I know always tells me that if they need it done to call me. 😉
More like Hisssss! than Miii-auuuu! Thanks for today’s smile. 🙂
I’m wearing Givenchy III, vintage EdT. When I got it I regretted having ‘yet another green floral’ and put it away for a while. At the moment, I’m very pleased with it, though! It’s floral and green, but it also has a formal edge that I find and enjoy in the older green floral chypres. I can’t remember the drydown, so that will be fun to explore as the day goes on.
So I couldn’t remember the drydown because there isn’t one. I still think that’s better than a poor one, so I’ve moved on to Nectar of Love from April Aromatics. This is polarizing me.
In what way?
I love most of the notes to pieces, but there’s something too sweet, too fruity, a little overripe about it in a way that doesn’t work for me. The most seductive notes (rich florals over opulent resins) are immediately apparent from the vial. The past due fruit and vanilla bits are much more apparent once I’m wearing it, and persist thereafter. I should pass this on to a better home now, while I can really believe that it’s not for me. I tried that once before and was pulled back in by the scent of the vial.
Oh, I can commiserate! The yes, the no, and the maybe piles. Plus the I can layer or experiment with this pile.
That last pile could really contain anything and everything!
I’m wearing Un Jardin Sur la Nil, from a mini that I received last month.
I need to try that…
Wearing a sample of Sweet Jasmine Brown that came free with my order of the travel-size Moss Gown from Providence Perfume Co.
Moss Gown’s lovely – reminds me of vintage Coty Chypre though it doesn’t have the depth/longevity.
If I’d had the option to choose a free sample I’d have asked for Ivy Tower; this SJB thing has the kind of jasmine that goes very, um, ripe on me. I expect I’ll wash it off and go with a different white floral.
Love the brand but none of the oils really agreed with me, not sure why. And SJB ought to have been perfect for me, but didn’t love that one either.
Needed something Zen today what with work piling up, back to school stuff, a sick dog, and a broken dishwasher. SOTD is Tam Dao the Zennest of them all.
You’ll get through. 🙂 You smell great.
That is definitely a good zen scent. Hope your day gets better!
Hope the day and your dog get better. May the zen be with you!
Sampling Oriza Legrand’s Violettes du Czar. I am reminded of the scene in Friends when Phoebe shrieks ” Oh my eyes! My eyes!” except that in this case, it would be “Oh my nose! My nose!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbYpbdHCqUI
Wow, doesn’t that seem like 3 gajillion years ago???
It does! I re-discovered it when we were clarifying the meaning of “commando” here and someone referred to a clip with Joey. For some reason, I had associated “oh my eyes” with Phoebe’s discovery that her boyfriend was nonchalantly displaying his wares at Central Perk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DADykOj0G0
i can’t seem to stop wearing terracotta lately ! it’s been the perfect summer weather for it, and now that i’m back from holidays i’ve a tan to go with it too. it just seems to smell nicer on warm golden skin for some reason ! over the weekend it was a lighter version with my ancient pair of terracotta eau sous le vent + the huile du voyageur. soooo happy with last year’s release of le parfum !! ❤️
I absolutely love Terracotta and find it to be the perfect summer scent as well. There’s something simplistic but sophisticated about it – I love all the stages and look forward to the vanilla dry down. This fragrance makes me happy!
Wearing a little black dress and enjoying some (perhaps unseasonal) Nirvana Black today. Feeling sandalwoody and va-va-voom over here.
Have a good day lovelies!
Nirvana Black is good for any day! You smell great and look great!
Thank you dear!
Puredistance M. A very comforting leathery labdanum sweet and soft spicy scent. Begins a bit masculine and smoky, but dries down to a soft balmy whisper. We are having unseasonally cold weather here, and very wet, and M warms me from the inside out.
I love M. You smell divine!
🙂
I love it too! Reminds me of old-school Egoiste.
Sampling Jacques Zolty Van-ile today. On me, this is straight-up vanilla extract with a drop of mixed almond extract and dish soap. Not what I was expecting and soon I will wash it off and put on Box of Eels so I can smell something wonderful the rest of the day.
Wow, bad smell imagery!
It was pretty bad, and tenacious when I wanted it to wash off easily. Isn’t that a perfume rule? The worse the fragrance, the harder to remove?
Thanks for the PSA! I don’t do dish soap. I’ll scratch it off my “to sample” list.
Right now I am wearing Diorling and I am loving it.
Testing Arquiste for J. Crew No. 31 and No. 57. Love them both. They are on sale on the website and there was free shipping and an additional discount code, so who can resist matching rollerballs when faced with that combination?
What isn’t on sale at J.Crew these days? They must really be in a hole with discount upon discount, and now their new scents!
I like No. 57 and sprayed a little recently but found it didn’t last on me. Such a shame since it was $19 plus an extra 30% off.
It has suddenly cooled down to about 68 degrees here and I felt like wearing Slumberhouse Pear + Olive, so that s what I spritzed on today.
You smell wonderful. Took that one for a drive last week. Good stuff!
I envy the cool day and P &O is a great one. Enjoy!
It’s HOT and humid here, so when I came across my travel vial of Hermes Pamplemousse Rose, that was an obvious choice. PR is already fading away but that’s fine – more time for something else later.
BTW, I don’t smell any rose in this – just grapefruit and that sandpapery woody note that JCE likes – but isn’t Pamplemousse Rose is just French for pink grapefruit, anyway?
I also thought it meant “rose” but I believe it just means “pink grapefruit” as you said. And that’s exactly what it smells like for the 1/2 hour it’s there.
I have been unsuccessfully reorganizing some of my samples and smallest decanted and ran across LIL by Olympic Orchids. I remembered trying it and thinking it needed further testing then I misplaced it. Now I’m really sorry I have been missing out. It is really nice and different and has great sillage. One of the little cats,Haineko, seems to love it too. She’s following me around chirping and tries to lick my wrists when I pick her up. So cute!
Too cute!
“Touch it before its wings are freed and leaves us lost in mystery” is the mantra of my butterfly lady Sue. And so I did, with wonder, when, after numerous weeks of watching the transformation from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis, our first Monarch was born yesterday! Cameron (may have to revise that name, I think ‘he’ is a ‘she’) was set free in the afternoon. This morning it was Stripes’ turn, and she’s still hanging upside down in the container while her wings continue to dry as she awaits her turn to be placed gently in our blue spruce later. The Monarchs who are born in late summer differ from their much shorter-lived parents and grandparents, as they must prepare and fatten up on the late-blooming flowers in my garden before flying thousands of miles to overwinter in Mexico where they can live as long as 8 or 9 months.
Unfortunately, my Little Ones were not here to witness either event, as they are visiting this week with out-of-town relatives, but I took lots of photos in various stages of the birth process and will put these in their special butterfly books along with the handwritten names each of them chose. Hopefully, this is just the beginning and next year we can expand our operation to help more butterflies along the way. Anyone who wants to know more can visit Sue’s website at backyardbutterflies.com. Her blog has beautiful photos and stories as well as info about her book ( not affiliated, etc., just a fan of the joyful work she does – great for parents and kids!)
What else could I wear today to celebrate new life but L’Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons. 🙂
Wow, thank you for this.
I just released Stripes and, yes, there’s a tear in my eye and a wish I could have joined in her flight! Not for her, the steppingstone of the blue spruce, instead she flew directly to the top of the tall maple tree next door. Ah, freedom, t’is beauteous!
Well said!
What a lovely project! The world needs more butterflies.
That is so cool! Thanks for that.
Wow! I can’t imagine such delicate looking creatures can fly thousands of miles. Amazing!
today it’s my signature office scent ~ Love, Chloe
Fendi Theorema today. I’ll be weeping when this bottle is spent.
SOTM is Nuxe Prodigieux, which is harmless.
I love your calling it harmless. It nearly took the enamel off my teeth 😉
Impressive!
I do enjoy this one but find it an odd scent..
I’m in Eau de Merveilles today, though all I smell at the moment is the lovely ripe peach on my desk that I’m saving for an afternoon snack. I haven’t yet found a peach note I like in perfume, but it’s one of my favorite food aromas.
Peaches smell sooooooo good.
The peaches are really delish this year!
Having a grumpy day, so chose Passage d’Enfer to keep me company 🙂
The remainders of Vero Profumo Rubj from last night — ugh, I cannot get the smell of cumin-y stank off me! It’s too bad, because the rest of the perfume is gorgeous.
I’ve got the edp and I love it, but sometimes I get a lot of cumin and other times not all. I’ve been puzzling over that for a while…
Interesting. I’ve read that from others as well. The first time I tried it, it was only vaguely cumin-y, but yesterday as soon as the top notes wore off it was nothing but cumin. Interesting how chemistry (body, frag, otherwise) works!
I haven’t tried that one but seems cumin notes in other perfumes are more/less apparent depending on how clean my skin is. Just don’t remember if “freshly showered”= skank.
Wearing my latest acquisition ELdO Rossy de Palma which I thought I’d save for cooler temps but I have no self control.
It’s so weird and wonderful and actually has a cool, leatherish drydown(smells like an air conditioned hotel lobby with leather couches) & it’s been making me quite happy today 🙂
No self control over here either 😉
I’ve heard good things about Rossy…
It smells like she looks: dark, cool, edgy, spicy, and slightly off kilter.
Had to actually go into the office today so I have on a navy dress and now 5, count ’em, F I V E blisters! But I am wearing Chanel Eau Premiere so I smell fancy and have my bandaged feet in my ugly shoes so I feel much better!!!
Polysporin makes these adhesives for blisters that are amazing and way better than band aids. They were handing them out for free on the street, so I gave it a try. I completely forgot it was on my heel for 2 days, and yes I do shower daily. When I peeled it off, the blister was almost gone.
Thank you!! I am training for the Avon 39 Mile walk and I had to do today’s 3 miles in sandals that didn’t touch the blisters! I will check it out!
Greetings, all. You all smell fabulous! Cold, wet and raining here: I’m encouraging warm thoughts in Bois des Iles.
And: I’ve Decided A Decision. I’m seeing the Head of School today to resign one of my positions of responsibility. See, I’m racing towards retirement (I’m dithering between finishing at the end of next year or working through the first semester of 2017), and I’ve concluded that I want the end of my working life to be about enjoyment, not status. Over the years, I’ve accumulated a couple of titles and jobs which sound important but have nothing to do with the things I love best about my work. Something Leathermountain said a few weeks ago has had me deeply contemplating my inner Waterdragon, and I’ve concluded I should follow the fun back into classrooms and lecture theatres and working with research students. I’m going to abandon admin meetings and Exam Boards and battles with (adjective deleted) regulations. Thank you, Leathermountain.
So, today I’m wearing Bois des Iles, bright orange nail polish and a huge sense of liberation! I feel the world should be full of sunshine and trumpets and small girls doing cartwheels, but even though winter looks the same out there, believe me, there’s dancing on the inside!
Congratulations! One’s never too old for dancing:)
Thank you! If I had kept on doing what I have been, I think I would very soon have ended up too old for dancing!
I’m glad you feel better, and the world needs inspiring teachers!
I hope aspiring to be inspiring isn’t too much of a stretch for me, but I feel better today than I have for about eight years! Thank you for the kind words!
Kudos to you for following your heart 🙂
Deva, thank you. I’ve just arrived at work and written the letter. Am about to tootle upstairs and seal my decision. I feel wonderful!
I did something similar my last year before retirement–ditched anything that I hated doing (mostly boring administrative meetings and idiotic training unrelated to my work–what could they do, fire me?) and had a wonderful last year with some great memories. Hope your year goes as beautifully as mine.
I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the decision. It’s looking like fine weather ahead!
Congrats! It does feel good to choose to be satisfied. I’ve resigned several times myself!
Yes! It’s true power, isn’t it, the power to choose one’s own life and the labels it wears?
Lovely and inspiring! Bois des Iles is the perfect pick!
Yes, it is. It’s golden, joyful and gentle but never missing in action. I love it!
Waterdragon, life is wonderful the other side of retirement: we ‘are’ so much more than what we ‘do’, and retirement can be a delicious time for indulgence and discovery and realignment of values. Perhap’s it’s even a time for you to enrich the greater world, not just the classroom, with your many and special talents. I wish you the best!
I must admit, I’m hankering for it now. We intend to sell the apartment in the city, move to the heartlands, and I’ve promised myself that I will grow some parsley and potatoes and sew more. Dakkie-Dog-Hoople-the-Cat and Izzie will be able to walk on grass at will, and in Izzie’s case, maybe catch a mouse. I’m not sure that Dakkie would understand the principles of hunting something that isn’t knitted. I’ve thought I might teach adult literacy if they want me, and we’ll travel while we can. It sounds wonderful to me – but I have another year or so to honour first!
Hurray for you and your students!!!! I’m tickled to have been of use.
You made a random comment about good teachers and classrooms — can’t remember exactly — and I think the components of the unformed idea began to coalesce. If I ever get to your part of the world, I owe you a drink!
Oh, yes please, I’d love to share a drink with you waterdragon!
This is so inspiring, waterdragon. Thank you so much for sharing this bit of your life with us.
I have also been moved to make life-changing decisions based on our lovely NST readers’ comments.
For sure, it’s a great community! Best bit of the internet I can think of!
Nicolaï week – hurrah! Was going to wearing one of the Eaux, but was forced to go with Nicolai PH, my lucky perfume, to send vibes to a friend’s very ill toddler in surgery. It looks like it worked! And I smell wonderful…
That is such an anxious situation. I hope the little one is better. Nicolaï PH is stunning, one of the best lavenders out there.
Thanks, AF. He is better, we hope, but it was an extremely nerve-wracking, acute situation. Everybody around here is breathing easier tonight, and I am breathing re-applied lavender. ????
I think it will be Sacrebleu Intense today, something substantial for a busy day.
L’eau d’ete (PdN)! Perfect for the warm weather – and one of the best colognes I’ve ever tried. Crisp, light and substantial all at once.
I’m in BOIS 1920 Oltremare today, with a bit of Tom Ford Italian Cypress.
R, do you find L’Eau de Sport pretty much identical to Balle de Match? The latter is a favorite, thanks to you, but I drained my bottle probably over a year ago. Thanks.
I have not tried the new version, and I think I’m repeating myself, but I always find it a little odd that people get hung up over perfume names — but this one of course is bugging me, ha. I hate the name Eau de Sport and loved Balle de Match. So I’m hoping she’ll change it back before I drain my bottle!
I’m wearing SL Gris Clair from a sample today. I like it, but I’m getting a little bit of one of those raspy, spiky wood chemical notes that has been annoying me a bit. If it weren’t for that I think I’d like it more.
I need to dig through my samples and see if I have anything for Friday. I know I have had a PdN sample here and there, but I’m not sure that I still do.
I’m in the final stage of a day long wear of Dune… All that’s left is a sweet, warm sandalwood touched with amber and barely there florals. So good.
Mmmm, yes, so good! Dune is a fragrance that lasts all day on me, beautiful from beginning to end.
Lancome Climat, from a sample I got years ago. I don’t know the age or concentration, but I’d love to have more. Unfortunately, I’ve been scared off by the stories of fakes, in parfum concentration at least, on evilbay. Does anyone know if other concentrations of Climat are subject to the same problem?