Update: a quick reminder that the swapmeet will be a week from today!
As always, answer as many or as few as you like.
1. What's your fragrance today?
2. Ideally, how many bottles would you like to have in your perfume collection? And is your current collection smaller or larger than that number?
3. What's your absolute favorite home fragrance product? It can be anything — a candle, incense, burning paper or spray.
4. Have you ever bought a home fragrance product that disappointed you? What was it, and what was disappointing about it?
5. Share something wonderful with us! It can be anything: something you discovered, or ate, or saw, or bought, or that happened to you recently.
Note: top image is Orange [cropped] by Randen Pederson at flickr; some rights reserved.
1. SOTD nothing, yet, but I wore Tolu last night and it seemed especially wonderful. Will very likely go back for more.
2. I think perfume cabinets are like purses–the larger the purse you carry, the more junk you lug around with you. So, I can have as many perfume bottles as fits (snuggly, mind you!) into my cabinet and not more. I’ve pretty much reached that limit, and I’m pretty happy with my options most days.
2b. I missed the damage poll, so allow me to state for the record that I bought zero, ziltch, nada perfume bottles this quarter–a first!
3. I’m still digging Pier One’s Cilantro Lime Basil oil diffuser fragrance. When I need a quick pick-up, though, I spray the house with Balenciaga Paris or Guerlain Vetiver.
4. Too many bad candles to count!
5. I think I’m becoming a runner! I’ve been lifting weights pretty consistently the past few years, and I was needing something *more*. So, I found myself running (ok, very slowly plodding) on the treadmill. It felt good! I run 2-3 times a week now, and it feels like a huge victory!
I have never considered it an option for me–bad joints from ballet as a kid, low sense of self-efficacy from years of being obese, and there’s the matter that I only have 1.5 lungs after health issues in my 20s! Well, let me tell you–those are all excuses! I can run! Yay! 😀
Re:#5–Anyone love their heartrate monitor? I’ve been trying to shop for one, and I’m torn between a bare-bones, cheapy chest strap model and a fancy, GPS enabled doohicky.
I have a simple Suunto hr monitor which is great for me because the buckle-attachment thingy is round, and that’s more comfortable for my chestal region. I think keeping it simple is best. And yay running! I also thought it wasn’t for me until about 6 years ago. I’m running a half marathon tomorrow.
Thank you for the rec–I’ll look into it.
And YAY for a half marathon!!! I have such appreciation now for what that takes! I ran my first mile about 6 months ago. 3 miles still feels a touch long. . . :-] Good luck and have a great run!
Thanks!
Congrats on buying nothing!! And on running, of course.
Yeah, but *still* spending an arm and a leg on workout gear! (I know we’ve already commiserated on yoga pants!)
I hope there is no equivalent of Donatella keeping track of yoga pant purchases 🙂
I completely hear you on the bad joints from childhood ballet. And my feet are a disaster. 🙁
Don’t get me wrong, ballet was wonderful (and it gave me a lifelong appreciation for music and all forms of dance), but way back in the day they used to start kids dancing on pointe much too young.
Yes, yes, yes! I try to explain to folks what it was like by saying it’s like doing karate or another martial art–starting at the age of 4–but I’m not sure they really *get it*. I still get some discomfort in my hips and knees; ankles seem to be alright these days, so *fingers crossed* I’ve conquered that limitation!
I love dance, too, and I don’t regret the experience or the discipline, but I wouldn’t push a child in that direction without their own passions to back it up!
Congratulations on running, that´s super awesome.
Totally agree with you guys about my childhood ballet experience. Not only it hurt my joints too, but was so competitive back in the eighties, not the kind of environment I´d like my daughter to be…
Yup. That’s when I was dancing, too. I was basically told by my dance instructor that I had talent, but with my body, “maybe you’d be a better fit with modern?” Which I took as an insult at the time. . . (Tuck in! TUCK IN!)
Oh, how could I forget the eating disorder-inducing bullying perpretated even by the teachers… such sweet things for a pre teen to hear, lol. But I agree, the appreciation for dance and music is cool.
Wow! You’re inspiring me again, Marjorie Rose! I don’t enjoy running because I knackered my right knee a while back, but actually, if I were honest with myself, I would admit that it’s pretty much better and that I’m just being a lazy whimp. I could fight my reluctance if I were a better person and not so bone idle. I’m still doing your wall yoga, and Dakkie still helps, though he generally dismayed by the strangeness. My aim is to be really and truly bendy by my next birthday, but perhaps I should broaden my objectives to “bendy and fast”!
I think the trick is finding the balance between respecting your genuine limitations and always being a little dissatisfied and pushing against them. I’ve decided to dub myself the Queen of Baby Steps!
So glad you’re still doing the wall yoga (with help and supervision)! I think bendy is a great goal! Can you walk without pain? If so, sounds like you’re ready to test your speed boundaries, too. 🙂
Oh, yes, I can easily walk without pain–at least for about 8 kilometres. After that, my knee grumbles. I think I will try. I like the idea of baby steps. Cool!
You might check out Jeff Galloway’s running advice–he has books and also some materials online I think. Basically he advises interspersing walk breaks into your running to prevent injury. I also found it was really good for avoiding frustration as I built up endurance: early on, running continuously for five minutes was enough to tap me out, but trading off walking and running, I could keep at it for much longer and get more exercise overall. Recommended!
Yay for becoming a runner!
I did that same transition a couple of years ago, from only doing maybe yoga, to now running about 1-2 metric miles a week, not giving a damn about my bad knee. If it break, it breaks.
Thank you!
And congrats to you, too! I think what I’ve learned from this transition is a new appreciation for the reality that many limitations truly are in the mind. I’m sure I huff and puff more than someone of similar fitness but with a full set of lungs. And I’m sure you’re doing your knee some good by pushing to to work and be strong! It doesn’t mean we *shouldn’t* do it; we just have to do it a little differently. 🙂
Oh, 5 is awesome! I know running’s not for everyone, but if you do like it, it’s so great. And it took me a while to get into it, too–I actually started off running in secret, because I didn’t want anyone to see just how slowly I had to run in order to make it not miserable! Still slow, but enjoying it enough that I don’t care 🙂
1. Noir pour femme-its turning into my favorite gourmet perfume
2. I reached my limit. When is the swap meet?????
3. I love the smell of Nag Champa incense. This time of year I love pumpkin, apple and cinnamon candles. Any brand is fine.
4. I am lucky-so far so good!
5. My husband and I took a trip upstate to New Paltz this passed week. It was so beautiful and relaxing. Went for a short walk up in the mountains and ate in the little hippy like town. There was a beautiful wood stove in our cabin and waking up to dewy trees, cool temps and stillness is the opposite of how we wake up in NYC.
At the Godiva shop in Woodbury Commons I picked up a container of their hot chocolate-which I love. Before leaving NP we stopped at a local farm to pick up apple cider donuts, apples and some yummy veggies.
LOVE apples this time of year! I have a bottle of BB Nude that I wear pretty much exclusively in the fall, since the apple note just seems too perfect for October. Your trip sounds lovely and rejuvinating!
Swapmeet is a week from today!
I can’t wait!!!…!!!
1. Started with Rose Musc, took a shower after chores and now out shopping in Mohur extrait..mmmmm.
2. I plan on working up to 27 FB, and reducing to no more than 27 decants, and then curating them to stay at that quantity. Maybe I don’t need that many at all, but it gives me a goal and room to play…
3. Some traditional Tibetan incense made by some friends of mine.
4. Due to my allergies I tend to avoid commercial home scent products. I use cleansers with rose geranium so usually my house smells pretty good. I spray Shalimar EDT (which my grocery store sells for $44.00 a bottle!) or a cologne I have with jasmine and lavender in it,
around the house if it needs freshening up…I hate scents that turn to chemicals and bug spray.
5. Just grateful to be walking, talking, knowing where my next meal is coming from, where I will sleep tonight and who will be by my side. So many people do not have the security of these simple blessings.
Gratitude is so important!
As time goes on, I am more awed by my simple blessings too. A hot shower, a beautiful fragrance, a healthy meal, my goofy family. Nuf said.
1. Haven’t quite gotten there yet but I was thinking some Tubereuse Criminelle today.
2. If I had the budget, I could have a hundred bottles. I’m something of a collector/ hoarder. Realistically, I’m happy just having a few more bottles of perfumes I know I’d wear out and replace the ones I’m almost out of.
3. Any of the Shoyeido incense are fantastic and inexpensive! It seems hard to find them now but if you ever find the Horikawa, run don’t walk.
4. I’ve bought a lot of dismal candles, but I always smell the ones that sound interesting, hoping. I’m not quite ready to dive into niche candles but they really are the only lines that try something different. I can’t tell you how many candles I’ve smelled called Tobacco and Geranium, or Fennel and Oud, or Cedar and Orange and it was exactly a standard issue warm amber candle.
5. I’ve been obsessed with Nils Frahm’s mix for Late Night Tales. Beautifully complex music to focus on or play in the background as you read. I love the Late Night Tales label but his in particular is wonderful.
Mr. Spicebomb and I found a LOVELY tobacco candle at a shop a year or so back, and we didn’t buy. Went back later and so sad it was gone and disappeared–some local maker, I assume. I keep hoping to find it again. I would definitely enjoy smelling it wafting through the house!
I was lucky enough to visit the Shoyeido store in Kyoto a couple of months ago and bought a pack of five different scented sticks and a box of Horikawa coils. Beautifully packaged and the divine scents remind me of the wonderful temples I visited in Japan.
1. I’m slightly hungover, so wearing Lumiere Blanche as there’s nothing harsh or unfamiliar about it.
2. Oh, I have no idea. I’m still in the buying phase (a combination of being relatively new to perfume, recent increase in income and better access to good fragrances), but hopefully will slow down soon.
3. Probably Byredo Bibliotheque candle, at least for the colder months.
4. Incidentally, Lumiere Blanche candle was a disappointment. The candle looks perfect and the scent would work so well as a room fragrance, but it’s too weak.
5. Maybe not wonderful, but I read the release of John Hersey’s Hiroshima the other day. Devastating, but so, so good. On a cheerier note, I cooked lamb shoulder with whiskey and honey last week and it’s a great combination. Today, it’s black angus beef stew with onions, red wine and rosemary.
Hope you’re feeling better soon! Assume it was worth it 🙂
Thank you, Robin, I’m largely recovered already 🙂 It was a lovely evening, with a very gracious and generous hostess who kept filling my champagne glass…
You know, Anniky, every time you talk about your delicious cooking, I am instantly seized by a desire to do something similar. I’m going to make braised steak for lunch the way mum taught me to: it’s not as interesting as your stew, but it’s still really yummy. I saw you got two enabling pins for perfume this week gone; I think you deserve at least one for cooking too!
Thank you, I’ll wear it with pride 🙂 And braising is a wonderful technique, I’m sure your steak will taste amazing.
Can I come over for lamb leftovers? I love lamb and that sounds fantastic! I keep trying to persuade my dad to do a lamb for our holiday dinner rather the turkey and roast….
You are very welcome. I love lamb, too, and make it often. I think it’s great for special occasions, as it can feed so many (if you cook a whole leg) and is more interesting than most other meats. There is a lovely recipe for lamb shoulder in Persiana with sumac and rose petals – I have made it for everyone I know by now.
Last night I made my cheap, easy peasy crowd pleasing lamb…. For anyone who wants a lazy success, marinade lamb chops (or lamb chunks)–not expensive cuts– in pureed onions and store bought ponzu (making your own is pretty simple as well) for about two hours if you have the time… and then broil or bbq with onions still clinging to the meat. Voila.
Nice! I’m all for some easy popularity 🙂 Have already looked up how to make ponzu…
Hello dear ones, hope you are all doing well 🙂
1. Today I’m wearing Yu Son, it’s a perfume from the new brand Altaia founded by Eau d’Italie owners.
2. Ideally it would be 25, maybe 30. Right now I have 28.
3. I really enjoyed Atelier Cologne Gold Leather candle when I had it. Recently I fell in love with room spray that Arquiste developed for St. Regis hotels. It’s divine ♥
4. Not that I bought it but it was a gift of jasmine incense sticks, they were so headache indulging I couldn’t use them.
5. Even though autumn has arrived I feel some specific warmth inside of my heart. Maybe something good is coming 🙂
Your #5 makes me want to give you a hug! [—————-] 😀 What a lovely feeling!!
Sending a virtual hug back at you >> ^_^ <<
Hello everyone, and happy weekend! Speaking of home fragrance products, I am looking for suggestions from scented candle fans, since I haven’t tried many different candles. In early November I will be in Paris for a few days and was thinking of buying some holiday scented candles to give as gifts. I have heard of some of the more well known niche brand candles (e.g. Diptyque) and was wondering what other shops I could visit as well. I am also wondering if anyone has favorite holiday candles that are more moderately priced that I could look at there. Thank you for your ideas!
My favorite holiday candles are from Annick Goutal, the limited-edition Christmas ones that they put out every year. So I don’t have any recommendations for candle shopping in Paris but I do recommend those candles!
The Noel candle is out this year! I have never tried it but the matching spray is wonderful.
There’s a big candle and they also sell small votives. I look forward to picking up something this year.
Check out Rose et Marius, their candles are wonderful and the candle holders are to die for! They started off in Provence but recently opened a boutique in Paris. Check this 2 minute clip to see where their inspiration came from, I love it, so beautiful! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p7lYGH6U2Xk
1. Mitsouko, which is perfect for the crisp, sunny fall day, and the Franco-American outfit I have on: gray and white striped Breton-esque tee, blue and white striped scarf, jeans, and Keds. The combo of all these is making me really happy.
2. I think 15-20 FBs would be ideal, but I’m not near that since I’m still a newbie, really, and I’ve been careful to buy small amounts until I’m reeeaally sure I love the perfume. I’m not counting minis, which I love.
3. & 4. I’m not into home fragrance. So far.
5. I went swing dancing last night; the band was fantastic, and I had some great dances, including one with a “dance crush”.
Ah, dance crushes…
I know! I’m still grinning from last night’s dance.
aaww….now I am grinning for you. That is so wonderful.
I haven’t been swing dancing for many years, but just loved it. I did it regularly at this community center in Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh about 14 (!) years ago… gosh how time flies. I loved it though. The older gentlemen were killing the scene with their moves and had their pick of all the young ladies!!
Oh yeah, the older guys are so smooth! One of my good swing dance friends is from Pittsburgh, and you might have known her since she was dancing around then too.
1. Chanel #5 Eau Premiere
2. Not sure what my ideal number would be, but I have about 10 for Fall/Winter and 10 for Spring/Summer which seems to be enough – for now anyway.
3. Lately, it has been “Leaves” candles by BBW. I think it is lovely.
4. I have a lot of Scentsy fragrances I use around the house and every now and then I get one that just doesn’t smell what I thought it would. I had a spice one from last year that actually smelled like soap. Luckily, I hadn’t bought a lot of that scent.
5. My husband quit smoking 6 weeks ago. I was really happy as I had quit 3 years ago, but didn’t imagine that he would ever quit. Now we are working on eating healthy and working out. That’s a good thing!
That is great about your husband! Still wishing my brother would quit after he had a heart attack at age 50, and septuple bypass, but he only managed to quit for a short time. I gather it’s really a terrible addiction to try to knock, so am very glad for both of you.
I love BBW Leaves as well! And Fresh Balsam for Christmas time. Haven’t found any others I like from their line, though. Suggestions?
My favorite from BBW this time of year is Marshallow Fireside. It sounds like it would be toothachingly sweet, but it is really a gorgeous smokey vanilla and not too foody. If it came in an actual perfume, I would wear it for sure (and have occasionally spritzed on the room spray.
Fantastic, hope your husband will keep it up. And maybe then there is hope for mine…
Mine said he was going to for the last 10 years. He finally got so sick from coughing one day, he just threw the cigs out one window and the lighter out the other. He should have been picked up for littering. I would have gladly paid the fine.
Can you describe how “Leaves” smells? B&B had a sale on their wallflower scents last week and I thought about “blind – buying” it. But, I didn’t. But, if you enjoy it, I know I probably would as well. Lol!
It kind of reminds me of when you burn leaves if you know what that smells like. Probably not that smoky though.
1. I’m wearing By Kilian Smoke for the Soul from a sample. It’s OK, but not loving it. From that group I prefer Intoxicated. Our Houston interminable summer is continuing with forecasts in the 90’s all week. I’m SO ready for some cooler weather and different perfumes to wear.
2. I have too many, too many! I’m a terrible hoarder and way over 100. I suppose ideally I’d have it trimmed down to only 30 that I really do wear. The others are either mistakes, ones I’ve outgrown, or ones I think I might come back to…
3. Absolute favorite home product is oil and sticks by Archipelago in the Stonehenge scent. I adore it and also have a mostly used candle of it. Divine!
4. Bad home fragrances–anything that turns too sweet and cloying.
5. Good news–I’m going to a special event at the Houston Zoo tonight and will see cougars, cheetahs, and an exhibit of elephants doing art. I am totally skeptical about this last but I am excited to see what they actually do and how they do it.
Stonehenge: cedarwood, bergamot and amber.
You can buy the candle on Amazon for $20 (and no I am not affiliated!).
I love all the Archipelago fragrances.
Hey Calypso! I didn’t catch your comment on last week’s poll until Monday and I fear I hadn’t responded in time. If you still interested in talking about the Aedes de Venustas, my email is outofgrasp at live dot com.
I didn’t realize anyone else on here was a Houstonian! A bit naive of me, maybe. Lord knows I am over this summer!
OK I am writing you right now–I did miss the last week’s note.
Another Houstonian here! I thought you were too but couldn’t remember exactly.
I basically spend our summers waiting for them to be over. 😛
I live on H-Town as well. We are well – represented here at NST.
In, not on! Lol! The hot weather has cooked my brain. Ready for some cool temperatures.
Calypso, PLEASE update us on the elephant art!! My brain is stuck on elephant + X = art, solve for X.
They had a young (5-year-old) Asian elephant named Baylor who did a lot of “tricks”, the cutest of which was curling up his trunk and then waving the tip of it at us when someone waved at him. He was very bouncy and adorable. They hand him something with paint on and hold up a canvas and he dabs the color onto it. It comes out with several colors looking somewhat like abstract expressionism. They said they can’t give the elephants brushes to paint with because they like to eat the wooden handles! (If you google elephant art you will find many more examples.) I think they do this for elephant enrichment, and then sometimes sell the paintings too to raise money.
Ahhhh…
The thing at the zoo sounds like fun. One of these days I need to get a membership.
I hadn’t been for perhaps 8 years and was reminded that it’s a really nice zoo, with beautiful landscaping. I think the animals are treated fairly well there and seem in good health.
1. Nothing yet, but have to attend a hospital gala tonight, so I am thinking my SOTE will be Ubar.
2. When I think of how much I have spent on my collection, approx 30+ bottles, and then small bottles and decants, and samples, I am HORRIFIED by the money involved… But when I think of all the scents I covet… .well, I greedily want more….
3. Not for our bedroom or main living spaces, but I confess that for when I honest to goodness need an air freshener ( think, just cleaned the cat tray) a window opened wide and Aura Cacia Peaceful Patchouli/Sweet Orange has been the only room scent that has never let me down. On cold damp days I like to burn candles or incense, but I have yet to find a real winner, and even when I have spent beyond my comfort zone on candles, I am almost always disappointed.
For my car, I keep a bottle of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea in the glove compartment, which works great to spray just a little refresher now and then… And I love keeping sticks of Nag Champa incense in my sweater and scarf drawers….
4. Many candles… From Pacifica to Mrs. Meyers…. I love incense, but I haven’t found the one that really really works… I am always slightly disappointed because I find it too weak, or too strong, or too sweet, or not sweet enough, or it gives me a headache….
5. Great seats at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre for Gustavo Dudamel’s orchestra and several local choir groups doing Beethoven’s 9th. It was a fun evening out with my husband followed by am impromptu romantic dinner at a local restaurant.
Oh, #5 sounds so fun!!
It takes a while to load… but it is worth it!
http://www.medici.tv/#!/gustavo-dudamel-simon-bolivar-orchestra-beethoven-symphony-9-cal-performances
1. SOTD is Prada Candy.
2. Ideally, around 40 would be just about right. I have more than that – I need to re-home some of the bottles I haven’t used in forever.
3. I used to love candles, but my kitties were far too curious about the flame! Now I stick to the cut flowers like the jasmine and gardenia that bloom around here.
4. I’m never happy with a candle that doesn’t burn properly.
5. Just finished reading Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans, a darkly comic and wonderful novel.
That looks like a fun book – thanks for the mention, Kindle sample in hand!
Haven’t decided on a SOTD yet, but I’m thinking of BK Liaisons Dangereuses, a beautiful plum-rose that is one of my fall favorites.
I have several hundred bottles (not counting minis). This perfume library does not keep me from wanting MORE PERFUME, although these days I usually just get samples and then realize the sample will last me forever. I adore small bottles, such as the Hermes travel sprays.
I live in an apartment, so I don’t find home fragrance very useful, but I do like to have the wonderful AG Noël votives and spray around for the holidays. In the 1990s, Agraria Bitter Orange potpourri really was, as The New York Times famously described it, “uplifting, mysterious and androgynous in its appeal.” I was disappointed in the diffuser oil version that I got a few years ago: the orange seemed candied and it didn’t seem to have the same depth. I haven’t tried the current potpourri version.
I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this already, but the Luce Foundation Center in the American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery has a free sketching class on Tuesday afternoons. The Luce Center is a beautiful, three-level Victorian library of display cases, and each class presents a different exercise for sketching the works of art displayed there. I find that attempting to draw a work of art opens the eyes of the brain so that I can see into it far more deeply. I like to do the sketching class and then view an exhibit. (These museums are open until 7 pm, and there is a cafe in the Kogod Courtyard between the two museums.)
The sketching class sounds absolutely perfect.
1. Hiram Green Shangri La for my SOTD today. I think this is the only fb I’ve bought all year, and I absolutely love it!
2. I probably have too many…there are way too many that I so rarely wear that I feel guilty sometimes. But I can’t seem to let them go. At least my buying binge seems to have ended.
3. Last year, I got a GWP van Cleef & Arpels candle that was soooo gorgeous, some mossy beauty but I’ve never been able to find another or even to track any more details about it down.
4. I usually don’t buy home fragrances. Probably because my home usually smells of perfume!
5. Had a lazy night the other day where nothing was planned for dinner, my cupboards were nearly bare and didn’t feel like going to the store. Realized that I had bacon, eggs, pasta and parmesan so made my first Spaghetti Carbonara. It was the easiest and most delicious, decadent meal in a long time. Yum!
I don’t know why I never make spaghetti carbonara anymore, you’re right that it is easy and delicious.
1. Freschiiissimo
2. 99 since having over 100 seems excessive. I am currently at 93 bottles (and zillions of samples) and there’s definitely more than 6fb that I want so there will be some tough decisions soon
3&4. I used to buy candles occasionally but too much smoke bothers me so now I just open windows. Weather is cooler so I’ll be baking again. No commercial scent can ever make my apt smell as good as fresh baked brownies!
5.The good news is that I didn’t have to put my cat down last month and she seems to be back to full health as she just started grooming herself again.
I am really happy for you that your cat is getting back to health. That has to be a lot of stress off your mind.
I’m another cat lover who is very happy at your good news. Cats are so unpredictable. Glad she/he is better!
I’m so glad to hear that your kitty is getting better. Such a relief I’m sure!
That is super news about your kitty!
Very glad to hear about your kitty.
Yay for healthy kitties! I’m so glad she recovered.
1. Haven’t chosen a scent for today yet, but will probably go with Azemour, my current obsession. Can’t get enough of it!
2. Like many of you, I have too many. Several are what I think of as “reference scents” though (fragrances that aren’t awfully expensive and that are mentioned frequently), so I kind of don’t count them. Eventually I’d like to pare back to about 20 scents that I truly adore and wear often.
3. I love Pottery Barn’s reed diffuser in Grey Moss. Despite the fusty sounding name, it’s fresh yet earthy.
4. I’ve been disappointed by too many scented candles, room sprays and other reed diffusers to count!
5. One of the camellia bushes in the back yard is absolutely bursting with bright pink blossoms right now. We had our lawn taken out and replaced with paths and planting beds a couple of years ago, and the landscapers did a spectacular job of making sure we have something blooming in every season. I might just go commune with my yard now. 🙂
What a great idea, I’d love to have our lawn taken out.
It took us forever to kill our lawns, despite the fact that they were patchy and brown in many places (California lawn motto: Don’t frown when you see brown!). My older son and I mowed them very short and then soaked them, and then covered them with a tight layer of painter’s semi clear plastic. The idea was that the water underneath would heat up high enough to kill the grass, weeds, grubs, etc, underneath. We had these weird whitish plastic lawns for three months (my sons and husband really wanted to paint gold Warriors’ Ws on each one). But they worked. We had to install complex drip systems (well the gardener did), but now we have beautiful grasses, jasmine, lavender, mock orange, datura, rosemary and Meyer lemons dotting the front of our house. If I can only figure out how to keep the deer away from my wee lemon trees…
Ugh, deer! Our area is sufficiently urban that I’d be stunned to see a deer. The critter we have problems with is the mole, which was one of the reasons we took the lawn out (it wasn’t so much lawn as mounds of dirt surrounded by small amounts of grass). We still have the moles, but now they’re keeping the planting beds aerated, and occasionally amusing me with where they come up – right next to one or another of the big rocks lining a gravel path. I imagine them racing along through the dirt until WHAM, they run smack into a boulder. Revenge is sweet. 🙂
1. SOTD: Marni eau de parfum – aka my go-to fragrance for when it’s a million (or 90) degrees outside. Autumn, where art thou?
2. My ideal perfume collection would be somewhere between 15-20 bottles, which is what I currently own. Whether or not I’m 100% happy with them all is another thing altogether.
3. I’m really digging the Cire Trudon candles lately. Nazareth for winter, and Balmoral for spring/summer/fall.
4. The paddywax candle I was given doesn’t have as much of a throw as I’d like, but I suppose there are worse things!
5. I have a new baby niece, just born a couple weeks ago. She’s pretty darn adorable. I especially love her monkey-like toes. Hehe.
Happy weekend, everyone!
Balmoral is lovely, my favourite for late spring/early summer.
Congrats on your new niece! I have a baby niece too (mine’s 9 months), and they are adorable.
Hello, everyone. It’s barely dawn here, so I don’t have a scent of the day yet, and I don’t have even an inkling of what it might be. It’s another day of marking, so I’ll choose something that stiffens the spine, I suppose.
I have a lot of bottles (60-ish), which by any objective measure is a lot, but that doesn’t seem to stop me from wanting, buying and enjoying new perfumes, so I’m not sure how many will be “too many” for me. I give things away that I buy then don’t enjoy: Marni was one such. I like the idea that something that doesn’t please me gives a little daily joy to a friend, but even running this as a policy doesn’t stop the collection from growing. It’s not working as one in, one out, but perhaps sometime I will adopt that system.
I don’t generally buy home fragrance– they all disappoint me for one reason or another– but I do have a favourite home smell: the scent of sun-dried laundry. If some genius could bottle it, I would buy gallons! I love releasing the scent of sun and clean air from the fabric when I iron, and I love pulling on a clean cotton shirt when it’s still slightly warm from the ironing board. Best of all, I love burying my face in my husband’s chest when he gets dressed in the morning: then the smell of clean linen is joined by his soap and general husbandness, and the smell offers a few seconds of intense comfort and strength.
Perhaps that last point could be the “something wonderful”? I really should start marking, and in the face of that task, I’m a bit at a loss for imagination and inspiration to share with you.
General husbandness is wonderful indeed, followed closely by general dogness…
Yes, and general catfulness! The best bits of life are often these small pleasures that add together into a considerable amount of happiness, don’t you think?
It is such a simple truth but so true! I just read you are a migraineur too, there was a thread some time ago on BdJ which scent if any you can bear when migraining. A dry orangeblossom here (Fekkai).
Hello. I’d pretty grown out of my migraines by a couple of years ago, but many, many horrible things have happened this year, and my stress response seems to be to begin again with migraine. I got my first when I was 9; they run through my family like a centipede with a wooden leg. During a migraine smell doesn’t upset me so much as light, so, though I wouldn’t choose to put perfume on if I wake with the headache,if it begins unexpectedly during the day, the perfume won’t usually make it worse. Sometimes after a migraine I can’t bear the perfume I was wearing, but that’s usually temporary.
Good luck marking. I’ll have mid-term essays coming in in a few weeks. I share your pain.
Thank you. Once these Y2 efforts are out of the way, I can launch myself with more enthusiasm into Y3’s deathless prose…it’s not too bad now that we mark online, but it is an unsociable activity.
My husband is a lapsed English PhD (he jumped ship years ago), but I remember the soul-stealing sessions of his grading undergraduate papers… and his P.R.O.C.R.A.S.T.I.N.A.T.I.O.N…
Oakland, I did a bit of that, then promptly came into a migraine season, and felt generally blah (and worse), and couldn’t see properly to do read for a long time on the screen. Am now back against the wall, but it will happen!
Have you tried all the Clean scents? I like some quite a bit better than others, so maybe one would be a close dupe for sun-dried laundry? Also, I haven’t made a study of them but I bet Demeter has a number of options too. (And more economical than the Cleans.)
I haven’t, but now I would very much like to. another on my To Try list for my visit to TOH next year! Can’t wait for this trip!
I think there might be one there for you! Sometimes there’s some perfumista frustration with them because of what a large portion of the overall market is moving toward all personal fragrance smelling vaguely like laundry–Clean is kind of the extreme realization of that trend! Certainly I share the desire that that not become the ONLY variety of fragrance on offer, but I still think some of them still smell quite pleasant, because as you say, fresh laundry can be a very comforting scent! 🙂
(In fairness I suppose also the frustration is that Clean still charges personal fragrance prices for compositions that, at a scent level, are no more complex than what your laundry detergent already includes for cheap! But if Clean winds up having one that’s exactly what you’re looking for, well then the price might be more worth it!)
1. Calvin Klein Euphoria, because I missed yesterdays Community Project. Baby Jack had a cold that turned into Croup. No one in the house has slept more than five total hours in the last three nights. I’m feeling anything but Euphoric, unless delirious counts, but enjoying the scent nonetheless.
2. 30. I want to have just enough to change out bottles as the seasons change and to fit my moods. The current collection is way too large – about 70 bottles. I need to make some time to purge. And invest in decants.
3. The only home fragrance I love is that of a clean house. (Which I do not have right now.) I bought an air purifier from Sharper Image a long time ago and the instructions said not to use it near burning candles because the soot can gunk up the machine. It got me thinking about the air I breathe…and I haven’t lit a candle in years. I do occasionally set unlit ones in the kitchen window where the sun beats down on them but overall I am no longer a candle person. As far as sprays, diffusers, etc., I don’t mind them but I don’t think to use them much. I’m just not into them the way that I am personal scent.
4. Bought? No. Received as a gift from the Yankee Candle store? You bet.
5. I won my weekly NFL pool last weekend. It’s not much money but it was nice to feel like a winner for awhile. Then Mr. Lucy had to steal my thunder by negotiating a raise that amounted to almost 20%. (He had not had a raise nor bonus in over seven years and they moved his work location so that his twice daily commute is almost three and a half hours. He more than deserved it.) For the first time in years I feel like our family is going to be okay.
20%?! Wow. Would he like to be the head negotiator of our bargaining team this year? 🙂
Congrats to your husband, and all your family. Yes, it’s nice to have some budgetary breathing room. 🙂
1. Nothing yet. After the gym it will likely be another trip to the sample bin, which is an attempt to micro-purge?
2. I have (3 years into this habit) already slowed down to decants, generally, with the hope of not buying more until I need more of a thing. I already was purchasing most of my bottles as partials or used. I’ll know I have too much when they don’t fit in their drawer, so we have a little time left.
3. Current favourite home product is my homebrew lampe berger. I got the lampe at a thrift store, in perfect condition, and have since learned that 99% isopropyl alcohol + EO combinations (or just perfume samples that don’t suit me) is perfectly wonderful for scenting the apartment.
4. I buy candles occasionally at Winners. They have Acquiesse every fall it seems for cheap. Any non-fancy candles have been pretty weak and disappointing. The lampe has spoiled me.
5. After too much work, and other related hectic-ness, I am having more time to go to the gym and other self care.
1. Arquiste/ J. Crew #57 is SOTD. The bottle top broke away and it dropped and spilled onto a top on my bed. Luckily only a couple mls. Luckily also, I had some decant supplies, so it is now in small bottles. Bottle is in trash. No idea what happened, but big packaging flaw….
2. Don’t know. My struggle is passing up deals or decants. I need to save up for a special FB I think.
3. We have a fair number of home fragrance products. I like candles and sprays both. It may not be my absolute favorite but the most evocative spray we have is Milky Rich from Sumbody out of Sonoma CA. It is a milky vanilla that we first smelled at a fabulous, luxurious inn up where we once spent a lovely weekend (and will never be able afford again…). It is instant relaxation.
4. I’m just disappointed when home fragrance products don’t really project.
5. Like lovestosmellgood, my husband I were recently out of the city up in the Berkshires. We visited The Clark museum (highly recommend) and saw Whistler’s Mother. Sat and listened to local fiddler and guitar players play music at the tiny farmers’ market on a warm evening and had a perfect dinner at a French bistro. Sat outside eating ice cream at Williams College… Got a great massage. We were gone a week, and it was lovely.
I got my rollerballs of the Arquiste J Crews this week, and both leak like whoa! Fortunately neither has broken yet but I’ll keep my eyes peeled. I definitely think these scents had more packaging problems than scent problems – I’m loving #57 myself!
Someone else said their rollerballs arrived only half full…had leaked during shipping.
That might have been me on Facebook. 🙂 But I’d be interested if it was someone else too.
UH OH! I got my rollerballs yesterday and hadn’t heard of this issue or I probably would have passed on them. Both my bottles were quite full when I opened them yesterday- so full that there was hardly any air bubble in the bottle at all. I guess I won’t be tossing these in my bag for on the go, which is kind of the point of a rollerball….
I love that area of the Berkshires! And I think the Williamstown Theatre Festival turns out wonderful productions. I think it was The Clark that has (had?) Sargent’s Woman with Ambergris Smoke (or something like that). Oh and I love the walk up the trail to the little annex / restoration area because you never know what you’ll find there!
Yes! They have that Sargent. It is lovely. It is a beautifully done property.
1. Sleep Knot. It’s a cuddly jasmine that is going perfectly with my afternoon, I’m happy to say.
2. I don’t think there’s any way to answer a question about “number of FBs” and “my collection” without sounding even more insane than I am. Suffice it to say that after slowing down acquisition quite a bit, I’ve been on a buying binge — but also have been noticing things, finally, that I think I could live without. I’d put them in the swapmeet but I doubt others want them either. I may try to sell them next year when I have more time. (I have sold a couple already, fortunately.)
3. I don’t really do home fragrance, but I do have this sage house spray I bought in a glass bottle from TJ Maxx for some reason, and the Antica Rose sample I got from Farmacia Antica (I probably have both those names wrong) at Sniffapalooza last year, and when the house just needs Something, I spray one of those. I do love Annick Goutal Christmas candles and I love to gift them.
4. I have a small drawerful of small home candles. They were all pretty disappointing, I guess, or I’d burn them more, but not disappointing enough yet for me to toss. (Actually I do burn some occasionally when the DH is out – he hates house scent – but I don’t YEARN for them.)
5. The ridiculous poofy cat, whom we call Moose, that we rescued from a shelter two autumns ago is so comfortable and happy that she has become willing to play with her toys even when we are in the room. This week she went zipping after a catnip toy and sent it almost two feet in the air – and we were sitting right there to see! This is a huge development. She was on Prozac when we got her because the vet at the shelter was so worried about her, and she’d spent months living under a chair under the stairs. (The shelter was a big converted house, very comfortable, very cat-oriented, but she was a sad little thing.) She has also recently jumped up on the bed when we were both in it, which I also consider a huge development. Her life no longer sucks!
Now that is a true wonder. Well done you for your gentle care of the little frightened one, and well done Moose for finding her inner kitten.
We have four cats ourselves, all individual, unconnected rescues…not even through a shelter. They seem to just arrive. I know how satisfying it can be when they finally relax and warm up. Each little step is a miracle. Who knows, maybe she’ll start cuddling up….
One took two years to even allow us anywhere near when she arrived in our backyard. We fed her, kept our distance until she approached and allowed some petting. They’re all now perfectly content in an apartment, laying on the bed as I type. It amazes me.
Lovely to read about Moose.
That’s great about Moose! I have 15 cats and one is a feral named Lucky (black cat) I took in from outside as a kitten 3 years ago. He still won’t let me touch him. He’s fixed, though, and is sleek and shiny and handsome.
Well done with Moose! There’s nothing more gratifying than that moment when you realize your formerly terrified kitty trusts you. 🙂
Yup, adding my words of kitty love and appreciation! My kitties are shelter kitties, too. One of mine (Sol) lived on the bathroom counter for over 6 months before he felt safe enought to RUUUuuuuuN! to the top of the fridge to watch the world go by. Took another year before he ventured to new territory beyond that! Now, he’s my friendliest kitty, albeit a bit quirky. Such a joy to watch them heal!
I’m pleased for you that Moose is feeling secure. It’s such a blessing to see them relax when they tend toward fear. Leopold was one of the sweetest cats we ever had but was a feral rescue and never got over his instant panic reaction to new things and people. It was so rewarding to see him buried in our sofa, sleeping soundly without a care in the world. To the day he died it never got old.
I’m still amused by Moose being happy. Because of my allergies I can only have one cat at a time, so I have to make sure it’s a cat who doesn’t want to be around other cats. This poor fluffball sure didn’t. I’m so pleased to see her being happy. There were definitely a few moments in the first few months when I was thinking it was not going to work out and that she was going to hate me forever. I love how much she loves to be petted now. As my DH likes to say, her life doesn’t suck!
Love this and the other stories. I can’t wait for the day when I finally can have a cat again. My parents had cats for awhile and the last one was a real character from a shelter as well but such a sweetheart too. Still miss him.
Long time, no post! But I’m still reading every day and getting the fragrance scoop from all you wonderful smelling folks 🙂
1) No 31 by Arquiste and JCrew. I was bombing around yesterday and walked right by JCrew (I’ve never even been in the store before ’cause I’m a yoga pants and TShirt kinda gal), did a 180 and homed in on the perfumes that people have been hubbing and bubbing about. I knew No 57 was right up my alley before I even sniffed it, but 31 I was unsure of. Tried them both and really, really liked both! Then, the clincher was they were on sale and then an additional discount on the sale price. I bought a roller ball of each scent for less than $20!
2) I can’t live with limitations or rules. I used to try to make and adhere to them, it’s just too demoralizing, so I say the hell with it- I gotta be free to have as many or as few fumes as I choose!
3) No current home product favorite yet, but I am anticipating the day I can turn the dang A/C off, fling open the windows, and breathe fresh air.
4) No.
5) Vacation! I’m off for 10 whole days, then returning and giving my resignation, and two weeks later starting a new job! Wheee!
Hi! We’ve missed you! Have fun on your vacation! And best wishes on the new job!
Thank You So Much! It’s been a rollercoaster these past four weeks, but things are looking up! Reading the comments every day has been wonderful and therapeutic escape 🙂
Hey, Deva, great to see you again! Sounds as though you’ve been organising great things in your life. How exciting! Have a wonderful holiday, and find lots of delectable things to sniff while you’re out and about.
Thanks! I love to travel and I will be hiking to and fro, up and down, and learning about geology- sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock formation! What could be more exciting than that? 😉
That sounds like a fun trip! I met my husband on a field trip for a field geology class 25 years ago.
Most of our vacationsite involve nature exploration. Enjoy!!
25 years is a true testament to real love! Congrats 🙂
I should have said “Those are gneiss trip plans!” 🙂
Hah! Good one!
Wonderful news, Deva and good luck on the new job!
Thank You! Your Halloween ensemble sounds like a hoot!
Yay for vacation! And congrats and good luck on your new job!
Thank you, Sweetgrass. I have been astoundingly lucky and am very thankful. The vacation is the icing on the cake. 🙂
1. Testing By Kilian Straight to Heaven, at the moment. Nice, but don’t need to buy it.
2. I think my ideal bottle count would be around 30; of course I have more than twice that number, and more on the to-buy list. That’s ok, I fell down the rabbit hole just over a year ago, and I’m in the acquisitive phase still. I have started keeping a daily diary to track what I actually wear, with the thought of eventually getting rid of the scents I don’t reach for.
3 & 4. I don’t use home fragrances. My favorite home scents are fresh air, and yummy meals a-cooking.
5. Something terrific: I declare myself to be at the summit of Mount Sample! Which is not to say that I have no untested samples — I have about 15 yet to try — but: I plant my flag here. In the past 14 months I have sniffed/tested around 975 fragrances. At one point I had an enormous backlog of samples, but I have worked my way through them, and will never be in that position again. It has been quite the fun learning experience 🙂
And I thought I tested a lot with a couple of hundred samples a year on skin. Wow. I bow to your royal conquerness
All hail Pixel, The Queen of Samples!
The Queen of Sample Madness, perhaps! Only a perfumista would understand… the madness is much reduced though. Even when I think I have a “long” list of new scents I’d like to try, the list ends up only being half a dozen or so once I count them up. A manageable amount of madness 😉
Wow! You get the decoration, with star and garter, for Commitment to the Cause! Did you keep testing notes?
I did… there is no possible way I’d remember all those!
Yes, but did you fall in love with any of them?!? I think if I was that, uh, promiscuous, it would become difficult to really get to know any of them beyond a momentary fancy. . .
Perfume promiscuity! Wonderful expression!
Oh, of course I fell in love! See original comment about having 60+ FBs and more on the to-buy list 😉
WOW you are my hero. I did like 500 in the first two years, but my stamina fell over considerably thereafter. Angela if you’re reading, do you take requests for Perfume Cabinet columns? I would very much like to hear more about the process of testing nearly 1000 samples, and how it affected the development of Pixel’s collection!
Wow, i’m impressed! I’d have to count but I’m probably around 100 after this first year, never mind a 1000. And second the Perfume Cabinet notion.
Happy Weekend Everyone!
1. My SOTD is Cotton Musk by Ramon Monegal. I love Cherry Musk from this line, so I thought I would give this a try. It’s pretty, but nowhere near FB worthiness.
2. In my opinion, you can never have too many bottles of perfume. I would love to have Donatella Versace ‘ s collection (like from the picture from the quarter damage poll) lol! That would be like heaven to me! In actuality, I probably have around 50 plus FB’s, 20 decants, and hundreds of samples. I also cringe at the thought of how much I spend on fragrances!
3. I enjoy the Jo Malone candles (big surprise, right?) You don’t even have to light them, the fragrance lingers throughout the whole house.
4. Big fan of the Bath and Body Works holiday candles as well. They are a lot more reasonable. Yankee candles are nice always. I use the Yankee Air Freshener In My car.
5. The only exciting news for me is that Fall is near and the holidays even more near. I love Christmas!
I don’t have room in my house for Donatella’s collection…and that was years ago, wonder what she has now?
I have never tried any of Jo Malone’s candles. I thought they may be too fleeting since the colognes are quite light. Don’t get me wrong – I have a lot of the scents so obviously like them.
Great questions!
1. Iris silver mist. It is wearing me a bit but it is very beautiful.
2. This question prompted me to count, 65 FB, about 15 of which I would be happy to swap or rehome. Mostly they were blind buys from my early perfumista fase. I don’t mind so much how many bottles I own as long as I really love them.
3 & 4 Sometimes I burn the incense we brought back from Oman, although it already scents the room just by sitting in a drawer. I hardly burn scented candles as I have the feeling my dog is not comfortable with it.
5. I realised how blessed I am with my husband and very good friends that are like family, as well as my 4 legged companions. I am very glad perfume is such a daily joy, it surely helps while being ill (I understood what I suffer from is called mono in the US, an exhausting business! ), as well visiting this and other blogs. Have a good weekend!
Mononucleosis is the worst. You will eventually get your strength and stamina back. I am wishing you a fast and full recovery. What is it called where you live?
Thank you Lillyo! It is called Pfeiffer’s disease in the Netherlands. It is quite unusual for someone my age (52) to get it and it may take longer to recover, but it is good to read it will pass.
Hope you feel better soon. I had a very very bad case of mono when I was 17… it took 6 months to get over it, I missed half of my senior year of high school, had to take steroids so I could breathe… but it DOES pass. Hope yours passes quickly!
Thank you Pixel!
Errr…they used to call it “Kissing Disease” when I was a kid. I caught it lightly and milked it for all I was worth to bunk school, which I loathed with a passion, so for me, it wasn’t too much of an issue, more of a convenience. What a trial I must have been to The System! I’m sure I was hardly sick at all, but I know that in severe cases like yours, it can be depressing and debilitating. I do so hope you get over your bout quickly and completely, Hamamelis.
Thank you Waterdragon, I asked my GP how on earth did I get this as I don’t kiss anyone except my husband, my dog and my cat! He doesn’t know. The challenge will be not spending myself when there is some energy in the bank…apparently the EB virus scavenges on the mitochondria and bullies the liver which causes this extreme tiredness.
Hi Hamamelis, I have a patient who is really sick with mono or especially if the liver enzymes are really elevated on blood tests, I prescribe them an antiviral medicine like acyclovir or valacyclovir. Maybe your doctor can do the same (keep in mind, not all docs will do this unless the case is extreme. I just never saw the point in a prolonged illness when one can shorten it).
meant to say “if I have a patient who is really sick…”
Thank you so much for suggesting this Sapphire, I will have my blood tested again and take it up with my GP. Liver enzymes were much too high in the initial tests so it would make sense. And I am all for shortened illness!
It’s called Pfeiffer’s or kissing disease here too. I too had it with 17. Felt like I was 87 there for awhile. But rest, lots of books and audiotapes and medicine helped. Speedy recovery!
17?! I mean 17 years ago. My brain thinks one thing and my hand types another.
Thank you Mariann!
#1: Comparing Eau Sauvage and Eau d’Orange Verte, with a fair amount of overlap;
#2: How long is a piece of string?
#3: A couple years ago there was a beautiful candle burning in a bookstore, which I finally tracked down: Archipelago’s Havana;
#4: Had hoped a Cire Trudon candle would have more throw for the money;
#5: It’s Thanksgiving weekend over here, so we are busily counting our blessings. I usually have pie just during holidays, but then: num.
Is Eau Sauvage much stronger, or longer lasting?
The seemed about the same for longevity. ES was splashed so seemed a little less strong.
Thank you.
“How long is a piece of string?”
What an excellent question.
Mmm, I like Havana too. I rarely burn candles but that one gets more flame-time than most.
Happy beautiful fall day to everyone (or spring if you are so lucky to be on that end of the globe!)!!
1. SOTD is Clinique Aromatics Elixir. It takes about 5 hours for it to get to the place I like the best. What a ride. I read on another blog that the drydown of AE smell a lot like Amouage Beloved, and I am inclined to agree. Now, about that major price difference……
2. Lots and lots of bottles as I confessed and showed a few months ago. I am definitely at a place where I am carefully curating out a handful of bottles each year for selling or swapmeet. I don’t feel the urge to buy decants anymore, and I am not chasing down many of the new fragrances. I am in a very flush stasis.
3. I’m always on the hunt for some vv good air fresheners. I like the Essential Elements Lemongrass and Coriandre reed diffuser for challenging areas, b/c it is basically a massive lemony thing and it cuts to the chase. When I’m feeling the need for something really good, I use the body sprays Aveda Chakra #1 (the vetiver patch one) to spray around and also the Chakra #2 (the geranium one). They are remarkably tenacious and give a massive hippy clearing the air essential oil presence to rooms. I only need one or two spritzes b/c it’s more concentrated, but it’s a bit spendy for just room spray. I also use the classic Gonesh incense “jasmine” – but I only burn it for about 1 or 2 minutes before I extinguish it – otherwise the fumes are too much. I do put unburnt incense sticks in my car to keep the smell interesting.
4. These days when I regularly buy lottery tickets and wish for a 5 month vacation, I am still generally grateful for the little everyday things that make life tolerable. That being said, we are having the most astonishing, intense colors on our leaves this fall, and I am just blown away by the deep blue sky and red, gold, orange, purple, and maroon leaves. I also saw the blood moon eclipse with my daughter and husband the other week, so that was pretty cool too.
It’s no secret that I’m no fan of AE, but didn’t know its drydown is comparable to Beloved. Think it may have been a comment of yours that prompted me to try Beloved…the drydown reminded me of Citizen Queen.
1. Amouage Dia Man, all the vetiver talk here this week made me crave it.
2. Donatella!! I have way less, but ideally, I’d surely go Donatella. My list is so big, my cabinet (or is it an armoire?) would be full in a week, lol.
3. I tend to scent the house with the perfumes I bought but don’t like on my skin and are not good swap material, such as Camelia Green Tea, or that sharp Bluebell decant. But I’d bet the Dyptique candles are great!
5. Game of Thrones. So addictive!
1) Fracas, both EDP and extrait. One can never have too much of a good thing!
2) One can never have too many perfume bottles. As long as they are either loved, or kept for reference or some such. Although I’m slowing down a lot in my buying I’m still craving the odd bottle (or two)
3) None. I don’t really like home fragrance. Although I recently tried the Nespresso candle which was done by Olivia Giacobetti and someone else. It was very good, though I doubt that I’ll buy it.
4) No, see no. 3
5) My Jin Jun Meo tea. It’s a very expensive Chinese black tea. I don’t drink it very often, but it’s gorgeous.
You smell gorgeous, obviously.
Hi everyone, late to the party. Sotd: Coromandel. Number of bottles? No real number in mind. Favorite home fragrance? L’Artisan amber ball. Absolutely love it, mine’s almost two years old and still going strong. Least favorite? A Yankee Candle I received as a gift, it gave me a headache. A wonderful discovery? Just found the band Muse last night on Spotify, I’m so out of touch anymore. Anyway, so far I really like them although admittedly it’s been less than 24 hours 🙂 Have a great day, all!
1. SOTD = Rania J. Ambre Loup — well done smooth amber. Love it! I got a decant as part of a swap and absolutely FBW.
After my haircut (and it seems I have to get my hair cut every 4-5 weeks or it feels like it is too long) —
1. SOTD = Teo Cabanel Alahine — or should I say “ALAHINE!” — flowery amber, very well done and FBW.
2. I don’t have a perfect perfume collection size — I do feel that what I have right now is too many because I know I will never use them all up AND I have quite a few neglected bottles. I am not disciplined enough to stick to a collection size anyway — see above FBW comments on my SOTD.
3. I am currently enjoying Nest Pumpkin Chai reed diffuser. I won’t ever use candles and room sprays do not appeal to me.
5. Pumpkin! Fall! I had my first Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season last week and my first pumpkin soup of the season this week. Have I mentioned I love fall?
Off-topic: For Halloween, I am dressing up as a certain political candidate. I bought a wig, made up campaign buttons (I have to buy the backing), printed oversized $100 bills with Ben Franklin switched out for the candidate’s face and recruited my brother-in-law and nephew to be my “supporters”. I will be walking around with my eyes squinted and my lips pursed. What perfume would you recommend?
Paco Rabanne Lady Million.Because it TRUMPets your status!lol
I should go to Sephora to see if I can handle this.
Dying laughing!
(And great pick, I was just describing it to a friend as a finance bro scent 🙂 )
Fracas! 😉
Oh boy, this is BIG!
Whatever you decide on… apply it extremely liberally!! (Oh dear, I feel I should have said “conservatively” but that would be out of character… okay, how about with “copious conspicuous application…”)
And if someone complains, I’ll just say “I’m rich. Move on.”
Does he really say that? How perfectly horrible and vulgar!
He definitely uses the I’m rich card…and then the other part I used is probably milder than in reality. I need to watch some you tube videos to get his mannerisms and stay in character.
That is going to be a fantastic Halloween costume! I get my hair cut every 4-5 weeks, too. But I don’t mind. For me, a haircut is a treat and I would rather get my hair cut than get a massage, facial, or otherwise.
True! I like my hair short but not that short to be able to squeeze out 1-2 weeks more before the next cut.
Can’t think of a crass enough scent. Secretions Magnifique?
1.SOTD was nothing except Lush Ro’s Argan body conditioner and some rosewater spritzes against the heat.
2.I have been on a selling streak,as my collection has become unmanageably big.My ideal number would be around 150-200.We’re getting there.Current collection numbers in the 1000’s,but this includes at least one backup for most fumes,except some vintages that are extinct.
3.a while back I was gifted a L’Artisan amber ball.I like the aesthetic of it
4.See nr 3.I expected it to be way more fragrant.
5.Interpersonal relationships are not my strongest point.I can be charming on paper,but difficult in real life.Lol.That being said,this new man in my life broke through the barriers.He literally stormed my Bastille and changed my life forever.I’ve been taken by surprise at how easy it is for me to say to him I LOVE YOU.And that is just wonderful.
I love that you are in love! very good news indeed. I must agree, you are incredibly charming on paper, and I have no doubt in person also. Good luck to you.
Thank you Lillyjo!:-))
LOVE is in the air! Good for you, johanob. Great to see you posting!
Haha.Yup.I’ve been lurking mostly,I do love reading what everyone is up to!!
I love to hear about love, being myself a lover. How super! I wish you and your dear man all joy!
Thank you Waterdragon!I do love lovers!;-))
So happy for you about your new guy. Sounds like you found a keeper!
Fingers crossed!Lol!No…I think this might be THE ONE.
Very happy for you!
Thanks so much Pixel!All these good wishes can only add more positive vibes to my current lovesick-puppy-syndrome!!;-))
Hey stormed Bastille, you just made my day…
Awesomeness!;-))
Hello johanob!
Congratulations on your relationship and breakthrough. 😉
Hi Bear!Thank you very much!x
This is so sweet. Wishing you two lovers all luck in the world.
Thank you Solanace!
Congratulations with the liberation of love Johanob!
Haha!Thanks Hamamelis!If you know the backstory to THIS love story,you’ll understand why it was quite a liberation!;-)
Yea for love!! I’ll admit, I almost didn’t make it to that part of your post. I was fixated on the size of your current collection. All I can say about that is WOW 😉
Laura,I started to SERIOUSLY collect around 2009/2010.It has been a rollercoaster ride ever since.I recently decided to properly curate the collection,and get it down to at least a more manageable size.My sales has been very brisk,with the help of some perfumista friends like Merlin(reeking today of L’Air d’Rien after she made a little purchase from me!lol!)Speaking of Merlin,I have a statistic for you dear friend:You asked about Bendelirious today.I need to publicly state that the total amount of Bendelirious I currently own adds up to….4,5 litres.Yes.You read that correctly!Lol!See why I need to scale down “a bit”??Lol!
Unless you plan on bathing and brushing your teeth in Bendilirious, I think you need to move some ‘stock’ 😮
1. I’m wearing Aedes Oeillet Bengale from a sample that I had forgotten about until I came across it today. *shrug* It’s ok. Definitely would not spend that kind of $$$ on it. Also momentarily forgot how to spell oeillet.
2. Oooh I don’t know. I don’t really have a number in mind, and I don’t think I’d be disciplined enough to hold myself to it if I did. I could probably cull a bit now, actually — to make room for other stuff. I probably should stay away from Marshall’s and TJ Maxx and follow more of a “buy less but buy better” strategy, but I just love it when I find a really good deal. And ferreting out the good find among the sea of crap is kind of fun.
3. I don’t actually use much home fragrance, but when I do, I usually use incense. Sometimes candles too, but sometimes I end up buying candles that I think smell good and just take them out and smell them sometimes but rarely burn them. I have one from Archipelago called Istanbul. The note list on the package is rose leaf, cannabis and black amber, and it smells kind of like Rossy de Palma. I also love Voluspa’s Warm Perique Tabac candle. I have also made my own wax melts, which was fun. I gave some as gifts last Christmas.
4. I don’t remember specific ones, but I’ve had candles that ended up disappointing because they smelled nice up close but the scent didn’t throw.
5. Vacation!! I’m leaving a week from today and will be gone all week. I’m going to New Jersey with a friend. She is getting a car from a relative, so we’re flying up there and driving the car back from New Jersey to Houston (and her boyfriend couldn’t get time off work to make the trip). I’ve never been to that part of the country before, so I’m excited. Her family is just outside Philly, so we’ll go do stuff in Philly and probably come through D.C. on the way back. Aside from time off I generally take around Christmas/New Year’s, I haven’t had a proper vacation in years, so I’m excited about that too.
I do love a roadtrip!Sounds like fun!!Have fun!!Just don’t go all Thelma and Louise on us ok?xo
Yeah! When I was growing up, all our family vacations were road trips, so I like them. I haven’t had one that didn’t involve going to visit relatives in a very long time. No Thelma & Louise action, though, promise! We need to get the car *back*, not off a cliff.
Er, well, I guess this one does involve relatives, just not mine.
My family did road trips as well. We took back roads, highways, hit up the national and state parks, and stayed at little mom and pop motels. This was back in the days of CB Radio- my dad just loved that thing! Every time we came up to a semi, my brother and I would make the universal sign and the trucker would blow his horn and we would just go into a fit of hysterical laughter. Those were the days! Enjoy your journey and stay safe 🙂
Deva, we did the same thing as kids. I wonder do truckers still do that? I might try it today. or, maybe get my kids to do it.
Lol,yeah please get the car and yourselves safely back!xo
Sweetgrass! New York City is just a train ride away! Any plans to be in NYC???
I would like to, but I don’t think we’ll have time between Philly and doing stuff with her family and allowing time for the drive back. I would love to visit NYC, though and will have to try to make another trip.
Looking forward to that next trip then. Have a great one!
This sounds like a lot of fun, Sweetgrass. Enjoy your friend, the views, the open space, the new for you city. Stay safe and away from cliffs, lol.
My SOTD is Estėe Lauder’s Knowing. I haven’t worn this in a few months, but I think I’ll be wearing pretty often this fall. A wee bit of my skin is enjoying, to put it mildly, Jour d’Hermes, which I just received a mini of today. And my shirt is reminding me that I wore Carnal Flower (a bow to Fresca for same) yesterday.
Ideally, I think I would have 10-12 bottles of well-chosen perfume, several minis or spray samples for variety, and a few samples of interesting new scents. This is totally unlike my present collection of 200+ samples, maybe 20 minis, and about 40, many ill-considered, bottles. I don’t have even 10 FBs that I’d hang onto. All part of the learning process, I hope.
And you smell great!!
1. Un Jardin en Mediterranee. It’s nearly summer here!
2. I follow Marjorie’s (up top) principle. I have a set amount to storage space for perfume bottles, so the collection has to be trimmed always to fit. Same with books.
3. & 4. Home fragrances are not my thing, generally. A clean, well-aired house is my aim. (Not always achieved, of course!)
5. I’ve just started experimenting with Mirreille Guiliano’s Magical Breakfast Cream, mainly out of curiosity rather than a dire need for a weight loss regime. So far so good – it’s very satisfying!
Off-topic: spied yesterday at my LUSH store – Rose Jam shower gel. Yay!
Double yay!!
I just went out to get some dinner, and my car still smells like the Bijou Romantique that I wore two days ago. It really got into my seatbelt. So I am my own car freshener, apparently.
Heh, how convenient! 🙂
Posting really, really late today because I have friends visiting for the weekend and this is the first quiet moment I’ve had to myself since last night. I love them dearly, but two chatty people and one quiet introvert (me) makes for kind of a stressful day. They have gone to bed now and the house is silent.
1. I wore Spiritueuse Double Vanille today as I played tour guide.
2. I have a little over 100 bottles (like Marjorie Rose, I’m limited by the size of my cabinet) but I’d like to pare down to about 50. I think that would offer a good variety to choose from for seasons or occasions. Plus, I’m picky and despite sampling hundreds of scents, I don’t know that I truly love more than that.
3. On a rare day I’ll burn some Papier d’Armenie, other than that I don’t use home fragrances or candles.
4. N/A
5. Every day is wonderful. I’m healthy, I’m retired, I have good friends, good books to read and concerts to attend. And perfume!Life is great.
Ooh, yeah, that Papier d’Armenie is some good stuff. And also for me the only home fragrance that I like.
1. Bois d’Argent
2. I have 2 rectangular baskets similar to show boxes, plus one for creams & vintage minis. I’d like not to exceed this – maybe 30 FBs. I’m wrangling for Crystalline edt and Sycomore, so looks like I need to home a few.
3. Can’t tolerate candles or incense. I have a soapstone thingie with a bowl up top, and a candle below (device name escapes me now). I put water in the bowl with essential oils of various evergreens and heat that. Beautiful.
4. See above
5. Just got home from my sister’s murder-mystery birthday party, set at a wedding – HERS. (Not really) Questioning the other characters/guests to find out what they knew and piece it together to guess whodunit – wacky fun for a bunch of up tight adults. Oh, characters were in 60’s apparel – setting was a 60’s Italian wedding. Hilarious.
Blasted autocorrect. I looked, mine can’t be turned off. Grrrr.
2. = shoe boxes, Cristalle, rehome.
Lol!That was funny.Show boxes/shoe boxes same difference,yes?;-))
I was thinking Cristalline was the new Cristalle flanker, and already wondering how did miss such breaking news!
Your sister’s birthday party sounds like fun. Our wedding shower (since I really didn’t want one) was a murder-mystery couples shower set in the twenties and was really ridiculous fun. Uptight adults are much more fun when in costume.
1. Will be Nuit de Tresor from Lancome. The original is one of my favorites, this is more like a guilty pleasure then lifetime love, but I like it.
2. I think 12-14 would be perfect. And I have many more than that.
3. I love a good scented candle, unfortunatly, my husband disagree. I have a great one called Burning rose from Byredo, and one from Diptyque that he hates.
4. The christmassy orange candle from Voluspa had a thin, bland scent.
5. 1. If you ever come across Renee Voltaire Ginger chew, you have to buy them. It’s the most delicious, strong and spicy ginger candy ever made. 2. Rose jam is back at Lush.
3. The crowner John mysteries by Bernard Knight are acceptable substitute for when you have finished the Shardlake series and are experiencing troubles with withdeawl.
I love Rene Voltaire Ginger chew! I buy them all the time and tell myself that they are organic and healthy 🙂
Ha, me too. I think about them as more of a kind of vitamin then candy 🙂
I am reading an entertaining book on the everyday activities of Victorians– think privies and hair pomades–but my next book is the first in the Sheldrake series!
The Sheldrake books are wonderful!
Thanks for the book tips, I”ll try the crowner John series first!
1. SOTD: Ubar. Rich and gorgeous but feels a bit overpowering atm. I wore Amouage Sunshine yesterday, and like it better every time I wear it. Right now I prefer Sunshine over Ubar, but will see what happens in a couple of hours.
2. Ideally, around 10-20 in rotation. I currently have a lot more, but then a big part of those bottles are my reference library – fragrance bottles from the 80s and on, plus a couple of vintage “must haves”. I probably use about 25% of what I have, or something like that – not counting minis and samples. I rarely buy FB these days, my perfume cabinet is pretty full and I find that samples are a good way to try many things. Will never use up what I have anyway.
3. Don’t use home fragrance a lot, but I do like a scented candle or two if I have a family dinner.
4. Yep, a terrible air freshener for the bathroom with “fresh marine” scent – a vile thing, we had to air it out for days. No more marine notes for me.
5. It is fall season here on the Swedish west coast where I live, cold an crisp and the leaves falling off the trees. In my garden, surprisingly, one of my roses has got the season all wrong and blooms with large, pink beautiful roses – about 2 months too late. It is such a wonderful sight.
1. Testing Onda again. Think I prefer Sycamore
2. Ideally about 20, based on my current want list, maximum 30. Any more and I’l panic about where to put them.
3. I don’t really use home fragrance that much, but if anything then scented candles. I love the smell when you snuff them out.
5. The fall leaves are at their best right now, so a walk or if I have more time a leisurely run, enjoying the colors and the contrasting cold/warmth makes me feel wonderful right now.
1. SOTM yesterday was J. Crew 57. I got rollerballs of 31 and 57 and am so glad I was able to order a FB of 57 before it sells out (30% discount code didn’t hurt, either). SOTD was TF Noir pour Femme and probably will be today, too. I am trying to decide whether to get it. Expected some positive comments from the husband, but none so far either way. But I might get it after Tuesday to celebrate finally taking my internal medicine board re-certification test (or I might wait until I know I passed–kind of crucial, since it’s in my contract to be board-certified). Of course, I could celebrate taking with TF and passing with the Neela Vermeire travel spray set. Hmmm.
2. I am scared to count how many bottles I have. I do need to pare down and donate or give away some that I never wear. I am something of a collector, too, and always looking for the next perfume love.
3. Favorite home scent is BBW Marshmallow Fireside.
4. Some of the candles you buy from school fundraisers turn out to be atrocious.
5. Can’t beat the perfect fall weather we’re having in NW Arkansas. I sort of wound up volunteering myself to run my sons’ Boy Scout fall fundraiser selling Christmas wreaths and the like, which will run my life even after I finish taking my board exam. At least it’s good weather for the boys to go door to door trying to sell these things.
Keeping fingers crossed you passed!
Good luck on the exam and my recommendation is TF Noir Pour Femme for taking it and the NV set for passing. Might as well order them TODAY because both will happen.
You’re so sweet! I’ll discipline myself to wait on the NV set. It will be that much more satisfying. Plus, I am a little superstitious (I have an Irish mother) and don’t want to jinx myself.
My great grandmother always said, one pie if you pass and two if you fail. I think in your case, two bottles if you pass and at least two (or the equivalent) if you fail!
Love it!
1. I am wearing Jean Louis Scherrer Scherrer pure perfume vintage, it is to die for, just that there is only one or two applications left in the bottle.
2. I have no idea about the ideal number.
3. My all time favorite is l’Artisan Ambre candle and Papier d’Armenie incense papers.
5. I bought some wonderful vintage bottles at an estate sale near my house, they were really cheap and they smell wonderful. I bought Miss Dior , Balmain Ivoire and Bal a Versailles perfume for 6$ total.
Wow what finds!!
Good morning, world. Monday. Oh, super. Spring has a very uncertain grasp on what it’s meant to be doing with the weather, and my diary is yelling at me that today is Busy. Hmmmmf.
Was going to dress all girly and elegant, but the day has hatched out with a jeans-and-red-boots sort of character instead. I need some serious starch in my spine for at least one of the meetings –wish me well, please; I’m not looking forward to it at all–so my SOTD needs to be a big hitter that reminds me of who I am, and it will be….slightly vintage Femme (yes, I know, “slightly vintage” is like being a little bit dead or a touch pregnant, but work with me). Thank goodness for Femme’s self-aware, grown up, golden, persistent presence, and may I wear it wisely and well today.
Good luck, Waterdragon! Stiff upper lip and good sillage!
Now, that’s a good wish if ever I heard one! It has A Ring to it.
Love it, thank you, and with your permission, will use it myself!
Go right ahead!
Good luck!
Lots of luck today from the other side of the globe Waterdragon, give ‘m hell and show some of these formidable dragon teeth whilst fuming Femme.
Thank you all! Yes, I have teeth. Do water dragons breathe fire, do you think? I wouldn’t mind a bit of that today!
Good luck Waterdragon, hope meeting went well, and that wonderful Femme and Red Boots did the trick!
1. I’ve been in Hard Leather all weekend. Screw the record high temps!
2. Hadn’t thought about it. I guess when I don’t feel the need for a FB list I will have achieved the right number.
3. The Esteban Paris Cedré candle is about the only one I bother with (not that I burn many candles with the four teenage cats around). I have a huge number of hoarded candles and scented things in one of the china hutches that came from a smoker’s estate. They make it smell better even if they just sit there. I always loved, as a child, getting out the fancy holiday napkins that were stored in the buffet because they smelled like candles so I keep up that tradition too.
Really, my favorite “home” scent is copal resin burned on charcoal but I always indulge on the patio rather than in the house because Mr. Minion hates it. It does smell a bit of diesel exhaust, but I’m sure that’s why I love it so.
4. My first Diptyque candle (Miel), which was an indulgence since I was a poor college student. The wick only went about 1″ deep so I couldn’t finish burning it without getting creative.
5. General small stuff. I’m happy for all the nice things happening for NSTers, general good health, my family, books, cookies, kittens, etc. My husband’s good friend just took us to brunch in his very fancy new car and I really enjoyed how chuffed he was to show off his new toy.
I should add naps with kitties to my list of happy things. I rarely nap but yesterday couldn’t resist snuggling Amelia, who was flopped on our bed, and today Haineko chirped until I made myself available for cuddles. I just woke up and she is, in fact, still happily enjoying my husband’s warm chest. Apparently, we looked so comfy he joined us 🙂
Oof item 2!! Robin I thank you for offering what my family calls “an opportunity for self-improvement” 😉 Brutal to face up to the serious gap between how many bottles I should own and how many I do own, and yet, it must be faced! Not quite ready to share the nittygritty but suffice to say, there are really very few things I need in 50ml or 100ml–I could maybe count on one hand? certainly wouldn’t use all the fingers on both hands–and of course I own about 4x that number…yet, simultaneously, do not own all the things that it would make sense to have a bottle of! Oof. I feel like I need to hire some McKinsey consultants to figure out how I can revamp this collection to make any kind of sense! 🙂
Anyway, onto the easier portions of the poll! SOTD is Poivre Piquant two days in a row (I had been dithering on some Lumiere Blanche until I was happily reminded that PP’s pretty similar and in fact I prefer it!). My favorite home product at this juncture is the L’Occitane Winter Forest candle (really a terrific dupe for an actual Christmas tree), and in terms of disappointments–I once bought a L’Occitane limited edition candle because it had the same scent as a no-longer-available limited edition handcream of theirs I’d loved (“Bouton de rose” was the scent), but alas, it did not work out at all. Still not totally sure if the scent was different or if I just didn’t want a rose-scented house, but, either way. It was in a heavy glass candleholder too, rather than their candle tins–let us not think about how much I probably paid for that unloved candle!
Should add: in the past they’ve also done the Winter Forest scent as a room spray and diffuser, if you prefer not to have the smoke of a candle. I like those just as much!
Awh, I never see Poivre Piquant mentioned. It’s my fav LaP. I’m in the hoarding stage with my bottle. Not sure if they still make it 🙁
I honestly think I’d be better off if all my bottles were 15 ml! But not decants…just small bottles.
As always reading the comments here is a lovely and relaxing way to spend a few moments on the weekend. Yay, NST!
1. Fragrance today is Eau de Merveilles. Delicious but not edible, that’s my happy place.
2. I have a round glass tray that is about 18 inches in diameter to hold bottles and samples that are in frequent use. The tray is on a small table in my clothes closet. I love to open the closet door and smell the fumes. Right now the tray holds 9 full bottles and 6 travel/mini size bottles. More samples live in small boxes nearby waiting their turn in the rotation.
I use fragrance daily but sparingly so I don’t often have this many bottles. It seems like a lot! The deal I’ve made with myself is that when my tray is full it’s time to stop buying and start sharing, and so I’ve converted several local friends into fragrant friends over the past year.
3. My favorite home fragrance product is a bergamot candle a friend gave me a few years ago. I don’t light it, but when the wax warms up slightly in the sun or because the furnace is on, the smell is lovely.
4. I buy very few home fragrance products, so sometimes I re-purpose bottles of scent as room sprays. Right now I have a bottle of Demeter Fresh Ginger in the powder room.
5. Something wonderful . . . I recently stumbled on the Shikoku episode of Bruce Feiler’s Sacred Journeys series on PBS. It reignited my interest i Japan. I must re-watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi and am itching to watch Lost in Translation again.
Eau DES Merveilles. (My French teacher would be appalled.) 🙂
I somehow missed Sacred Journeys but just checked and added it to my Amazon watch list. Im always looking for something to watch on the rare occasion when I have control of the television. Thanks for the tip.
Hope you get to use the tv remote soon.
There’s a lot of incense burning in the Shikoku temples. Makes me wish there were smell-O-vision. 🙂
Smell-o-vision would be great!
1. Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Malt
2. Probably somewhere around 30-40, to have enough for different types of season, weather and notes. I have 25 now, but I have some that I don’t feel I need anymore and I do have a few on my wish list.
3-4. I don’t have any home fragrance products.
5. I ate a very good pizza, home made by myself 🙂
Robin, I’m curious, could you also respond on the second question about how many bottles would you like to have in your collection and how many do you own now?
It’s been (literally) years since I counted. Well over 100, for sure. I think a good number would be something around 50? I buy almost nothing now, and things do spoil, so I’ll get there eventually.
And while it is nice to have samples & decants on hand to compare things when reviewing, it would also be nice to have no decants at all. I find my decant collection especially overwhelming.
And was going to say, I think your 25 is far more sensible.
Well, you do have a few. Nice! I was curious about your collection, since you haven’t bought any new bottle in a good while.
I have 4 decants. I could participate in more splits, but I am loving the whole packaging experience and like to have the original bottle. Although it’s the same content, looking, feeling in hand and spraying from the original bottle is something special to me.
I do try to get as many samples as I can though, to get a feel for the perfumes, as I really do want to stop the blind buying.
A few decants are fine. Some people, I know, adore them. I find them far more likely to spoil or go off, plus, zillions of them, mostly in different types of decant bottles, are just a pain to keep organized.