Happy United Nations Day! And a quick reminder: our swap meet is still open.
Meanwhile, our usual weekend open thread: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, the fragrance you'd love to buy in its country of origin, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy [cropped; it is one of many landmarks worldwide lit blue for the 70th anniversary of the United Nations — see more at Turn the World #UNBlue] via United Nations Information Centres at flickr; some rights reserved.
I think buying Rozy in Switzerland would be a great idea. When I wasn’t perfume shopping I could sample lots of chocolate
SOTD is J.Crew/ Arquiste No.57
Oh, I would join you on that trip 🙂
Ohh I would love to show you the good perfumeries in town!
Scent twins!
SOTM Fico di Amalfi for an illusion of freshness as I go to the gym this morning! I work out at my neighborhood community center, and not everyone is quite so considerate; I appreciate a little fragrant halo to combat nasal assaults! (Sorry for the wierd mixed metaphor!)
Have a good work out!
Thank you! It felt good today!
Sotd is La Traversée du Bosphore and I am drinking a beautiful Chinese black (red) tea. Jang Shan Hong Cha. It smells and tastes of chocolate.
Yum, what company sells the tea?
I buy it in Brussels, and I just realised that I misspelt it. It should be “Jing Shan Hong Cha”. It’s not a flavoured tea, but some Chinese teas naturally have this chocolatey accent.
Yes, some of my favorite Keemuns do. Thanks!
Bois des Iles again today. Perfect in this crisp weather. I do love the edt but I think I may treat myself to the parfum for the holidays.
Just started gaining an appreciation for this one–don’t know how I’d choose between the edt & the parfum–they differ enough to justify owning both. Treat yourself!
I recommend the parfum. It is such a comforting scent. Smoky and resonating for hours upon hours. If you want the aldehydic sparkle and more rose in the beginning, go for the EdT! The lasting power of the parfum, though, is far superior.
That’s good to know, about the marked difference, I mean. I own the parfum, but I’m ripping through it scarily fast (I can’t help but think it’s evaporating a little) and I would most likely not wear the parfum in summer. Might well wear the EDT, though, and as it happens, I have an obliging mule heading off overseas any day now. And thus a lemming is born…
Scent twin! A sufficient amount of time has now passed since the Unfortunate Champagne de Bois Overspraying Incident, and I am finally able to contemplate wearing sandalwood scents again. Today was the first time I’ve worn one in a year or more, and my sample of Box of Eels seemed like the way to go. I’m enjoying it a great deal on this fall day, but probably don’t need a bottle.
Oh, that one can be easy to over-apply, and I’m a big ol’ sillage monster oft-times! I can completely see how it might shy you away from sandalwood for a while.
Wearing some vintage Lucien Lelong Sirocco. When I bought it I thought it was a Shalimar clone but I wore it to be the other night and it really wowed me. Time to give it a proper wearing. It smells like a spicy sandalwood cookie.
That sounds lovely — like a cross between Shalimar and Bois des Iles almost.
I forgot Bois des Iles had that wonderful gingerbread note. It has a very lovely citrus note up top, then some beautfiul spice. LL still makes it. I’m dying to see if the new stuff is half as good. The website is… functional….
Ooh, sounds interesting
Smells like a dream. I’m infatuated. I think I only paid about $10 for it.
SOTD Is SL Boxesues, because I love my bell jar so much!
It’s a great fragrance, bell jar or no bell jar. You smell great.
True, True Annikky!
hope you are having a wonderful time!
I love the UN building, and got a great view of it in a cab on my way home a few nights ago. Glad today is UN day!
I would of loved to have visited Truman Capote’s place at UN Plaza! If walls could talk is a very appropriate phrase for the entire UN, international intrigue at it’s best.
I’m enjoying a cozy cloud of Rahat Loukoum this rainy morning, a Lutens I had forgotten I like very much and of which I have a generous spray sample. I’m not usually a gourmand fan, at least I don’t think I am, but the almond-y sweetness is delightful. I could handle a trip overseas for a bell jar of this.
I wish we were getting about twice the rainfall we are, so the river would get a good clean out, but the steady soaking is still lovely. Even though it’s supposed to stop in a few hours, I’m about to grab an umbrella and run out to look around. I just can’t stand being trapped inside with the little cats climbing everything and stopping only to bite stationary ankles! If I could dump them outside I would.
I’m wearing this, too. This was a leap of faith perfume for me as I had to buy unsniffed so spent ages weighing Bois de Jasmine’s luke warm review (1 star) vs. NST and my own experience of SL’s other perfumes. So glad I took the gamble.
You smell wondeful, both of you! I adore RL! Like you, Kanuka, I bought it blind, on Robin’s review. Have never regretted it. I especially love the opening: all that almond!
SOTM (and maybe the whole day) is Dior Cuir Cannage. Wore Cuir Mauresque to bed last night, and think I might have to do an arm-to-arm comparison to really grok the differences between the two. I’m a leather junkie. 🙂
Have we done a leather community project yet?
I can’t remember, but fall/winter would be a great time to do it. Love leathers!!!
Bois de Jasmine did a leather review for Autumn this past week
Thanks, I hadn’t seen that yet!
Hey, that was our very own Elisa who wrote that (gosh, I am a little proprietary!)
Oh I hope we do! I am just getting really into leather (thanks to stumbling across a micro mini of vintage Cabochard that is smaller than my thumbnail) and would love to hear what everybody else picks!
We have not, adding to list!
I’d love to hear the results of your comparison. None of the Diors has wowed me yet, but I love Cuir Mauresque.
Okay, the two gents have been duking it out all morning (left arm has Cannage, right has Mauresque), and CM is the clear winner. There was a point early on when I had doubts – CC is ever so slightly brighter, with a cinnamon note that’s quite nice – but CM has far more staying power, projection and interesting complexity. CC’s leather is a tad more butch (which is sometimes a plus), but I really like CM’s light florality and softer spiciness, and there are more manly leathers that I like better when butch is the target (Bel Ami, Bandit, Knize Ten). So there it is, and I can take “FB of Cuir Cannage” off my wish list.
Thanks so much! It sounds like I can take CC off my sample list, too.
I just got my Ormonde Jayne sample set and am so glad to finally try some; I see a future for me and OJ.
Trying Vanille d’Iris today and it is a big win for me. The orris is striking and is similar to a Chanel iris to my nose, married with a lovely vetiver. I am detecting only a smudge of vanilla. Really nice so far.
I’ve been wanting that set for years. Perhaps I will treat myself this Christmas. Do you have a favorite yet?
Tauer’s Maroc pour Elle today. I loved this dabbed on from a sample, I am sure I would love it more sprayed. What else resembles this? Not other Tauers, but other perfumes in this genre?
On me, Maroc pour Elle is flowery and “perfumey” which is why I love it. Scents that evoke the same feeling are Amouage Gold, L’Heure Bleue, SL Sarrasins, Habanita, Nicolai Odalisque, and the one I’m wearing today, AG Songes.
Oh, thanks so much! I guess I sm still a newbie and I have not been exposed to any of these on your list! (Trotting off to update the Samples to Acquire List…)
Wearing Calvin Klein Reveal, blind bought it at a TJ Maxx for under 20, not bad! Beachy in a non tropical way, first thought that came to mind was “North Carolina” for some reason. Take that as you will…
Does anyone ever pay full price anymore for Calvin Klein frags?
Not if they’re smart. I always see his scents at Marshall/TJ Maxx, often just a few months after release in major department stores. : /
No ma’am! I just did the same earlier this month. 50ml for $20, you’d be mad to buy it at the beauty counter. I like Reveal quite a bit tho the aquatic note is one I have to be in the right mood for.
That’s my favorite kind of beachy! Slightly overcast skies, cool sand, driftwood, and dunegrass, maybe a nighttime bonfire, and that clean, cold, almost ozonic water,…if Reveal is anything like that I may be hitting T.J. Maxx this week.
And no, I wouldn’t pay full price for a Calvin Klein fragrance. But I wouldn’t pay full price for anything that isn’t niche or from an exclusive line.
Wearing Chanel’s Misia today. Rainy day in Houston, Texas today. So, Misia fits the mood today.
Hope the remnants of Patricia aren’t flooding you out.
So far, so good! It poured down all last night, but has settled today. I’m glad I did everything I needed to do yesterday so I wouldn’t have to be out today. We’re not completely out of the woods yet, but it has settled down a lot. We are prepared down here and just bracing ourselves for whatever comes our way.
I was looking up something last night and came across these two blog posts about a tea with Luca Turin at Les Senteurs, organized by the Perfume Society:
https://bgirlrhapsody.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/tea-with-luca-turin-the-perfume-society-at-les-senteurs/
http://perfumesociety.org/our-tea-with-luca-turin/
So I’m testing Papillon Anubis, one of the perfumes he discusses in the second link. I really want to try Salome, too, now. 🙂
In terms of the question, I’d love to follow in Gaia’s footsteps and sniff some of the Italian perfumes she tried in Sicily (described on the Non-Blonde a few months ago).
What do you think of Anubis? I’m very curious about this one and there’s a shop in Brussels that should carry it, so sniffing is on my to-do list.
The opening is bitter; after that, it’s a very nice leather. I liked it enough to reapply later on, too.
Thank you!
I’m wearing AG Songes today, from the very pretty black 25ml bottle. I can’t decide whether to stay in and read (I have the new Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling detective novel) go outside and rake leaves, or take the dog to the park. I think I’ll have another cup of coffee and think about it…
Beach scents have always been a bit of a love/ hate thing for me. I have several but they are all so different and some have gone from appreciation to irritation.
BRONZE GODDESS…makes me think of a woman who wears makeup to the beach. Waterproof mascara, pink lip gloss, matching manicure/ pedicure, bikini wax in perfect order. Okay from a distance but somehow less interesting from close up.
CB I hate perfume At The Beach….this is the girl who sits on her army surplus jacket, takes off her shoes and socks and rolls her ironic mom jeans to her ankles so she can feel the damp stones. Doesn’t swim, ever. Has an open copy of Death in Venice , cover up, beside her.
Furze …this woman skips in the waves in bra and mismatched knickers. Entertains friends with the story of the time she saw her son put Rose Jam on his toast. Is so busy dancing in the surf that she has failed to notice one of her boobs has popped out….laughs uproariously when she does, and stuffs it back in.
Clarins Sunshine ….a woman in large sun hat, SPF 50 applied, sitting in shade of umbrella from her position on a lounge chair on the shore at Cannes. Turns down an offer of a gelato ….cigarettes are so much less fattening.
Oooh, Kanuka, living in the Deep South has given you a jaundiced view of how to to beaches! What about Bronze Goddess this way: arrive anywhere in Northland, and pick my way over hot sand (Arrrhhh…surely I didn’t forget my jandals?) to the shade of the nearest pohutukawa. Launch the boat; wave good bye to the fishing party– secretly hope they don’t catch anything; I hate fish. Picnic lunch: home made bacon-and-egg pie; ripe tomatoes; cold leg of lamb–did anyone remember a carving knife? Salt? Play all day in the water like a puppy; gather tuatua and cook them over a small fire (some of my family eat them raw…). No lip balm, just that Blistex stuff; hair so full of salt it looks like a dunny brush; skin scratchy from sand and sun; and finally, as the long hot day cools into a turquoise and indigo evening, glorious BG filling, then diminishing,the space between me and my beloved…
I love the sound of that glorious day …. But for me BG is loud and fake and I can’t understand how I went from loving it to hating it.
Associations?
I think I’m now so old that I’m compressing memories together into a composite experience: BG is an archetype of the summer perfumes I wore when I was young.
I think I would enjoy it as the body lotion but that’s unavailable here. Rive Gauche is a great choice for today…and I hope Samsara is beginning to work its charm. Good luck with your eye op…will be thinking of you
Exemplary pieces of descriptive writing you two!
Congratulations, you totally just got me to Google “dunny brush.” 🙂
I am picturing your Bronze Goddess in the final scene of Death in Venice right this minute: not pretty at all.
Death in Venice Beach?
Are you a writer, Kanuka? What you wrote yesterday about your grandmother and Caron En Avion was beautifully vivid as well as this post today.
Novelist
I’m not surprised. It’s the quality of observation as well as use of language.
I couldn’t help laughing while reading the description of the Clarins Sunshine lady. That is so totally me (minus Cannes and the ciggies). I simply fry in the sun and never venture to the beach without massive protection. You write so well and on point.
Me too! Except I would also devour the gelato.
Oh, yes! Gelato…yummm.
Hello, all. Today is a Rive Gauche day, for why, I cannot tell. Just is. If RG were a garment, it would be exactly the kind I don’t own: gorgeous, rich, complicated, with artfully-arranged drapey bits floating hither and yon, and just the odd square centimetre or two of solid silk velvet doing the boring business of covering the body. I love it, and today I wanted nothing else, but in truth, it’s not madly me. I want it to be, but it just isn’t.
Perhaps perfume enables us to inhabit more lives, if only for a few hours.
I think that is so true. With a spray of a fragrance you can transform yourself to be anyone you want to be at the moment. It can take you to the past, the future, or ground you in the present. Then, after a few hours ( or a shower ) you can start all over again.
You’ve got it exactly, and that’s how I think of it. RG is misleading on me, but a little bit of me hankers to be that person, just every now and again. It’s olfactory dressing up.
“olfactory dressing up” – perfect!
You’ve just perfectly described why it doesn’t work on me either. And I also want it to. It was the first gift my dad ever gave to my mom when they were dating. That was about 45 years ago. I have no doubt it’s changed a little, but I just can’t find the glory in it that she does.
Dzing! Kept getting hints of it while walking with the kids and my husband in the park, under a canopy of huge tropical tree, and the perfume was so fitting, and such a pleasurable experience that I thought of you, perfumistas. It’s awesome to have this extra dimension as part of our lives. A toast to the wonderful perfumers who create such jewels as Dzing!
Trees, of course, sorry. Need to search my reading glasses…
Hail Olivia Giacobetti for creating this gem.
Have you tried her Vamp à New York? My second favourite by her.
Now that you mentioned, I’ll look for it. Such a great name!
I like the Vamp. 🙂
Ze Vamp is something else!
Huzzah! I love Dzing so much. Treated myself to a full bottle last year when I got my new job. Such a weird but wonderful scent; you smell fantastic!
That’s one full bottle I’m sure I’d never regret buying! Weird yet soft, and yes, it does smell like a circus!
To counteract the grey, misty, Whistlerian day outside, I am wearing something luminous and bright: Jour d’Hermes Absolu.
Today is also the day that marks the end of my PhD journey: thesis hardbound and sent away, so it kind of feels grey, misty, Whistlerian on the inside as well if you know what I mean.
I need some shopping therapy as a distraction.
Perfume question: Has anywhere tried Botrytis? I don’t own that many fall/winter scents but imagine that honey notes would be very apropops. I do love Ambre Narguillé but feel that it can be denser…Hope that makes sense.
Congratulations! I remember that feeling….for a few years your self identity is completely tied to your PhD and then, suddenly, that’s all gone and you have to re-establish yourself….a great time for a new perfume and new opportunities.
I know right?! But I am too old to be having an identity crisis. I suppose it’s time to get started with abstracts for any upcoming conferences abroad. ABROAD= INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS= DUTY-FREE SHOPPING= NEW PERFUMES
Botrytis is probably brighter than Ambre Narguile rather than denser. It is a lovely fall scent. You might also want to try Golden Cattelya from Olympic Orchids and Amun Re from Soivohle for scents with quite a bit of sweet honey tones
That’s good to know about Botrytis. Will definitely order samples from the other two you mentioned as well when STC has their next promotion.
I need heavier, denser perfumes in general because my sense of smell is somewhat diminished by my year-round allergies.
Congratulations on the end of the PhD journey, doc! You obviously need some new perfume. Perhaps a research trip to sniff different options and decide?
“Research trip” = excellent justification!
Warmest congratulations on the final submission, Dr Distracted! I didn’t experience that dislocation myself: I just hurtled on to the next thing to do, but I’ve had a number of my students say they experienced what you and Kanuka have expressed so beautifully. It’s a sort of grief, I think, or something close.
Wah! Yes, it is a kind of grief: my life’s work is ready to hit the library shelf where it will perish in neglect.
I plan to adopt your strategy and charge forward with publications, conferences, etc. All the travelling that might be entailed will satisfy my chronic wanderlust and allow for a temporary escape from my super NEEDY grade six students (cough, cough, sick day).
Hey, congrats on finishing that long PhD road. When I was done, I went on a long, long trip that had nothing to do with my field to clear out my brain for the next phase of my career. I bought perfumes in the airport duty-free shops, too.
Yup, airport duty-free shops: my incentive to apply to conferences abroad. Certainly have my priorities in line : )
It’s an indolic honey/amber/tobacco scent with notes of a red wine. You have to like honey scents fog Botrytis. The bottle is gorgeous.
You have to like honey scents to like Botrytis. Sorry..
I am a lover of all things sweet and icky.
Tokyo Milk’s Honey and the Moon was a disappointment because it was on the transparent side and had this sour, citric note.
I adore Ambre Narguillé but its needs a bit more body. The tobacco in Botrytis may be the key.
That is a huge accomplishment… congratulations! But it totally makes sense to be feeling a little melancholy as well. A dissertation is a pretty intense relationship. Putting your baby in an envelope and sending her on to her next big adventure is a big deal.
As for Botrytis, I thought it did actually smell like the taste of sweet dessert wines… for me it became too much after a while. I enjoyed my decant, but when it ran out–that was enough. Sort of like how I feel about a glass of Tokay— only need a little, and not very often… but when I have it, I do usually enjoy it.
I had to look Tokay up, may hit the liquor store after I grab some groceries and a Halloween costume.
In fact, I was craving a bottle of something – something right after I emailed my baby to the printers on Friday, but I need to hold back until tonight when I finish my report cards. It’s one thing after another!
Along with Botrytis, Golden Cattelya, Frapin 1270 and Amun Re are on my sample list. Time to invest in my perfume education : )
Ahhhh Tokay sounded more pretentious than I meant. In fact there are loads of botrytis-made wines from the US, and it might be fun adventure for you to try them out… but they are SWEET. I like them best very chilled… Here is a website I found that talks about the noble rot and what wine-makers in America use the grapes. http://www.gayot.com/wine/feature/botrytis-dessert-wine.html The perfume, to me, smells like these wines taste, not like they smell… if that makes any sense. ..
Thank you for the link. Something tells me that Botrytis will be my ideal honey, especially given you mentioned that it tastes rather than smells like the wine.
I TOLERATE SWEET! I went on my very first ice wine tour by the Niagara Escarpment last year and savoured every drop of the samples: my pancreas was this >< close to EXPLODING but survived…
Mmmmmm, Tokay. I love it!
Oh huge congrats!!
Merci! You know, my dissertation is kind of perfume related: it’s about the musical genre of artworks by Henri Fantin-Latour who is better known for his bounty of flowers, especially the queen of all flowers in the world of perfume: THE ROSE.
I’m in SL Fleurs d’Oranger and have had a lovely day in Granada: a very lazy morning, lobster paella for lunch, a walk in the old town and ajo blanco plus some excellent grilled prawns for dinner. Tomorrow we are going to have a private tour in Alhambra: our hotel is actually on the premises of the complex, inside the walls – I still cannot quite belive it. It’s not very warm, but not cold either; flowers everywhere, pomegranates and lemons hanging from the trees. The only thing I regret is that I don’t yet own a bottle of Cuir Mauresque, it would work so well here.
Sounds delightful! That would be a good Friday project…name your favorite travel destination and the perfect perfume to wear there…lobster paella…making my mouthwater!
We had one with the favourite holiday already, I think… I love the food here, although I would never use the same amount of olive oil at home. It’s unbelievable.
I loved the milky, creamy quality of Fleurs d’Oranger until someone mentioned the cumin note. Now, it is all I smell. I will have to let this association dissipate before I spritz with abandon again. There’s 95% of the bottle left…
Fresh lemons! Oh, I love those so much. Smelling jasmine near the Alhambra was what started my love of jasmine and my first quest to find jasmine oil with that same smell way back when.
Got to smell some jasmine today, too. I adored Alhambra, as expected.
Fleurs d’Oranger is very fitting too! Enjoy your trip.
It is, but as it’s quite autumny already, something deeper would also be good.
Are you staying at the parador at the Alhambra? I stayed there 10 years ago and it was the highlight of my trip to Spain. Don’t forget to wander around the gardens at night when those who are not staying at the parador have to leave the Alhambra.
Yes! This is where I am. The dinner I had yesterday was at the hotel restaurant (our six year old daughter is with us, so it’s easiest to eat at the hotel in the evenings, as they eat so late here) and it was very good. And the gardens are great, there’s this huge magnolia tree that I would love to see in bloom. Off to have the tour soon.
I remember eating at that restaurant with my 12 year old son! He ordered fried fish, and when they brought it out, one was fried whole and arranged to look like it was swimming on the plate. Have a wonderful time at the parador, and don’t forget to tour the parador itself if you haven’t already – see the little chapel and the courtyards.
Im so jealous of you trip Annicky, but very happy for you and to hear your adventures 🙂 Spain may be my next trip, as when I was in Morocco there were so many people who had just come from there or were heading there that it’s lit that spark of desire than nought but fulfilling it will extinguish.
Moorish architecture.. aahhh.. 🙂
In case you haven’t been, I have a feeling that you’d enjoy Spain a lot. Btw, would you mind telling me the name of that hotel in Morocco? The one with Lutens-inspired room names? Although I understand if you want to keep it for yourself 🙂
Oh Im most happy to spread the word! It’s the Riad Khol. It’s hidden away in a mazeway of alleyways (behind which I believe hide many more riads) in the top end of the medina. Once you find it the first time the lovely manager will give you a map, which may or may not help. I got lost countless times but at least I got to discover more of the city 😉
SOTM was Kenzo Amour Parfum, cherished goodie (I think from Robin) from a long ago freebie meet. It’s mostly faded now except for little hints of that warm, milky,play-doh-ish dry down wafting from the cowl neck of my sweater.
Need another comfort scent to apply or maybe an untested sample to distract me. Got road-raged at by another driver for daring to turn around in a driveway and holding him up for five seconds? So unpleasant. And then of course I sit and dwell on how I should have handled the situation differently. Ugh. Hopefully raiding the perfume fridge will get my mind off of it so I can enjoy the rest of my weekend!
Remind yourself that mental illness and personality disorders are ever increasing, and that incident had almost nothing to do with you. Comforting in the short term (hopefully), if not the long. Enjoy your weekend.
Happy weekend all . It’s fun(sun)day and I’m off to lunch .
I’m going to rummage and find “the Dreamer” by Versace . I’ve got a craving for Clary sage and this always has a heavenly dry down.
If I could by perfume in its country of origin I would head to Paris and get some classics and a bell bottle .
Stay fragrant all .
Hey, sell me some of that cheerfulness, will ya? 🙂
Went perfume sniffing today at Nordstrom with a good friend who loves perfume as much as I do. We met a wonderful SA who made us several samples each including the new Tom Ford. It was a good day. I’m wearing Elixir des Merveilles now but I think I prefer the much less sweet Eau. It’s nice for a sleep scent though. Happy weekend everyone!
Fun! I liked the original better too, but have also fallen for L’Ambre & Eau Claire.
I haven’t smelled Eau Claire but I hope to.
So nice to read all your pleasant voices…wearing some Eau des Baux for evening TV and reading. Set to visit some historic sights (sites?) in Raleigh tomorrow. Happy weekend, all.
That’s a good one . You smell great
Thanks!
Ugh. I am in Seyrig. Sent to me by a very generous NSTer… but I doooonnnnn’t liiiike itttttttttttttt……….. This is a scrubber. All I get is aldehydes, fizzy citronella dish soap, and sweat. Even after it calms down, the aldehydes no longer are needles up my nose… but the stench!
I loved the design so much, I am shocked that I am having this reaction to the perfume.
So it goes.
I started out the day in Demeter’s Dirt… it is sort of fitting to end the day in Seyrig… I guess…. 🙁
I always feel bad admitting I *really* don’t like a perfume, so this was doubly enjoyable – funny and consoling. Thanks, Fresca.
On Demeters…I found a Duane Reade / Walgreens near NY Penn Station (corner of 34th and 7th) where I can hang out and sniff every Demeter (except for the limited editions). They were on 20% off up through yesterday and I couldn’t decide what to get so I didn’t get any. The Pistachio Ice Cream was a contender. I did not smell Dirt but will do so since that got mentioned here a few times. Ginger Ale was meh but I didn’t really give it a proper sniff.
Oh…and and and…the Le Couvent des Minimes line is also available and huzzah, I don’t have to buy it blind anymore (wish I could say that of way more expensive perfumes). I bought a bar soap of Eau de Missions which I didn’t think they made but I was wrong. Let’s wait and see if I like it.
I like Demeter Dirt! It is probably the “cleanest” scent I can tolerate… To me it is a slightly sweet, musky scent, like rain water on a well-soaked tree, grounded by green and a tinge of earthiness. It quickly gets close to the skin, but is surprisingly lasting considering the price. Kevin did a piece a little while back on perfumes for kids.. Dirt would be a good after bath cologne to dot on a toddler’s feet for fun.
Taking note for future trip to NYC – I’d love to find the Tomato (or Tomato Leaf?) perfume I used to spray on as an afternoon pick me up.
nozknoz – I have Tomato…will send you a little bit to see if that’s what you remember.
Good to know – I was waiting to sample Seyrig before deciding whether to get Lampblack or not. (I have a $15 rebate to use from ordering the Bruno Fazzolari sample pack.) Lampblack has been calling my name ever since I tested it.
I think Lampblack is a terrific fragrance…!
Friday’s discussions of the yays and nays of Shalimar got me craving… Habit Rouge.
I do have me some Shalimar (80’s parfum, early 90’s edt and Route de Mexique), but I find that often the level of Shalimar-ness that I desire is HR. I know that this was released as a male version of Shalimar, so maybe anyone with a sense of ‘Shalimar doesnt quite fit right/ Shalimar is just a bit too much Shalimar’ might have better luck with this? To me it is Shalimar- still with the spices but a much heavier dose of citrus up top (and which lasts longer), and a beautiful twist of leather which I find grounds it and makes it more wearable on a day to day basis.
I didn’t know that about Habit Rouge – you’re causing me to seek some out! Thanks for the pointer!
Adding HR to my must try list. Thank you!
Had a busy day yesterday and went to an Italian Night themed surprise birthday party last night. I wore Laura Biagotti Roma which for some reason was smelling even better than usual. I was a little blue that I couldn’t attend Sniffa this year but some of those crazy perfume peeps still got me to buy a bottle of perfume online yesterday. Not quite as much fun as being there though.
I’m still dreaming about an amazing salad someone brought to that party last night. It had mixed spring greens, blueberries, raspberries, dried cranberries, candied pecans, bits of orange… It was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a while. Must have cost a small fortune to make too. I need to get the recipe.
What did you buy, Poodle?
Geisha Noire by Aroma M
I know who did and it wasn’t me who enabled 🙂
Shockingly you are innocent this time. 😉
Today I felt like wearing April Aromatics Calling All Angels. Fits the weather and my mood.
It’s the elections day in Poland today and we will be chosing new government.
Calling all angels? Not the perfume for the US elections… Demeter’s Dirt is too clean… I’ll have to think of the right scent for voting next spring.
Oooh, I hear the gears of sarcasm creaking….
Busy morning of yard work and mowing, etc. Just jumped out of the shower and will do indoor work now. Because I hate housekeeping, I always procrastinate. I am going to reward myself for being an “adult” and wear Zelda today so while sweeping, dusting, and scrubbing the toilet I will at least smell exotic and edgy as well as a little dark and disturbing.
Forgot to mention for all you bird lovers out there- I was lucky to see a California Condor during my sojourn into the depths of the Grand Canyon! Totally was the cherry on top of an already delicious cake!
Oh, and I also experienced love at first sight! While going down the trail I met a mule wrangler coming up who looked and sounded like Sam Elliot’s twin. I’m not a swooner, but by golly, I almost fell over the edge my knees got so weak!
Happy Sunday and may all your housework be done by little magical housekeeping fairies!
Yeah, I been waiting for those fairies all day!
Or Sam Elliot.
“Little magical housekeeping fairies” ! Yes, please! Two, if you can spare them. I’m constantly astounded at how much muddle two adults and two cats can generate here.
Sam Elliot doppelganger…what a nice thing to run into in that spectacular setting!
Sniffapalooza…from the regular commenters here — I hung out with super-duper smellies ihadanidea and ElisaP. Also got to see old friends coolcookstyle Daisy plus a few others who have not commented here. No Judith though this time – wah.
I met greatness (outside a church setting) – perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, who created Tom Ford Amber Absolute. The cheekbones…and the humility…oh my goodness. He apparently didn’t know that TF Amber Absolute was brought back and when the eye candy Tom Ford representative mentioned this, Christophe just about jumped out of his seat and mentioned that he was the perfumer. Some who didn’t hear what he said were puzzled as to why this guy was causing a little bit of a stir. Although I did not see this for myself due to the angle of my seat, someone mentioned that he got a little emo and had tears in his eyes. Anyway, greatness. I spoke to him after breakfast and I asked him why such a wonderful perfume was discontinued and he said that there was so much labdanum that it gummed up the mechanism used in the manufacturing of the perfume. Oh, and at the luncheon, Christophe was the last speaker (topic: Academy of Perfumery). he opened a bottle of the original almost 100 year-old Chypre by Coty and each of us got a test strip and a glassine envelope to keep it in – woot!
Confessions of a perfume shopoholic – besides the 3 from Twisted Lily (see Friday’s SOTD), I also bought the By Kilian Black with Gold Snakes clutch (it came with 50 mLs of Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi), a giant tub of fragrance free Diana Vreeland Body Cream (quite ironic that I did not get any perfume from this line!) and Penhaligon Juniper Sling from its brand new boutique at Rockefeller Center (it’s one of stores near the Lego store along the path to the skating rink). I did not make it to the evening event (Beauty Habit pop-up shop) as I had a birthday party for my nephew.
SOTD = Al-Rehab (Crown Perfumes) Choco Musk. clarissa mentioned enjoying this a lot. A Sniffapalooza friend who attended Spring 2014 and then again this fall gave me a 6mL bottle and OMG, it is really really good. If you are partial to gourmands, do yourself a favor and get a box of 6 for < $21 at Amazon. Amazing!
A production problem! A “real ” reason to stop making something, I guess. Thanks for the stories! Glad you can be there and have such interesting experiences…
When you hear about discontinuation, there is never a good reason, other than perhaps it didn’t sell well although that is so subjective. A production issue is more real, as you said!
Thanks for the report – sounds like so much fun!
It was! If you make it to one of the future ones, you know who would love to hang out with you 🙂
Hello, Hajusuuri. I’ve read the word “sniffapalooza” lots of times, but I thought it meant another online gathering of some sort. Please, is this something one must be invited to, for REASONS, or can anyone — a late middle-aged tourist from Downunder, for instance– rock up and buy a ticket? And where does it occur? Would there be things around and about that a tolerant and patient husband could do to pass the time? It does sound as though it was a real buzz!
Sniffapalooza is a fragrance weekend in the spring and fall. Anyone can buy tickets from their website
Thank you. I don’t know I missed that it’s a real-time event. I must have been keeping my head under my arm I think.
Hi waterdragon, as thegoddessrena pointed out, it is open to everyone. The dates / which exact weekend in May and October vary year over year. It is best to get on their mailing list to get notification. Since you have to make plans way in advance, you can probably send them an email to ask. As for what the dear one could do while your at Sniffapalooza, the Apple Store catty-corner from Bergdorf Goodman is open 24 hours so he can start the day there and then once other stores and museums open, he can wander off and visit those. If it’s a nice day, he may want to stroll around Central Park which is just two blocks away. I was at the Spring Sniffapalooza this year and there were 2 ladies from Australia who participated. I couldn’t miss them since they wore fascinators.
Thank you! It sounds as though R could be amused for hours and hours, always good. He is a calm and tolerant man, but sometimes his patience takes on an…elaborate…air, if you know what I mean! And for me–yum! Couldn’t be better. This is a post-retirement project, I think. Next year’s trip is all about scenery and animals–well, I hope–in the Pacific Northwest.
It sounds like you had a lovely weekend. You’ve inspired me to save up for a trip to the next Sniffapalooza.
SOTD is Berdoues Assam of India – lovely black tea.
I’m doing the perfume happy dance today because I snagged a bottle of Miele Rosa which I’ve wanted for ages and which had proved to be terribly hard to find.
My SOTD has not been decided upon as yet because I am getting ready to clean my condo. However, I do have a small spray of Nanban on my wrist and Vol de Nuit on the other.
Not familiar with Nanban, but Vol de Nuit always wins for me.
SOTD – Reve en Cuir. I caved yesterday and ordered Rose de Kandahar. I am my own enabler!
Love reve en cuir, and good for you, auto-enabling! 🙂
It’s rainy and cold here and my little magical housekeeping fairies are obviously skiving off today. No matter, I have coffee, a giant English muffin from the bakery, perfume and good books to read. SOTD is Aroma M Geisha Noire, a lovely amber-tonka-sandalwood-vanilla thing that warms me up.
A cozy rainy day is ideal every now and then – enjoy!
Lazy Monday, warm-ish, perfect day: wearing Ninfeo Mio, because I wanted to learn it. And the result? I want to hike around a lake, or paddle a canoe along a river–something involving the opportunity to get wet, anyhow. I’ll do some laundry instead, and mop the tiles. Little magic housework fairies, where are you…..?
I wasn’t taken with Ninfeo Mio when it first came out, but this year I tried it again and found that I had to have it for summer. At least you will also get some exercise from laundry and mopping and feel very satisfied after. That’s what I’m telling myself – I also need to mop.
I had a lovely 1/2 weekend at Sniffapalooza with the wonderful company of fellow NSTers IhadanIdea, Hajusuuri, and Daisy. Lots of sniffing and goodies to be had. No purchases. Also to note, my first time at Bergdorf’s in my 23 years in NYC!
The weekend was like speed dating (but speed sniffing) because SO MUCH!
I’m wearing a sample of Perris Monte Carlo Essence de Patchouli which I’m loving. The drydown has a sweet, nutty, powdery iris reminding me of SHL 777 Khol de Bahrain.
I’ll see if I can resist a trip back to Bergies for the line’s 20% off promo…
You are going to make me go back there to check it out – I don’t know how I missed the counter but perhaps it was for the best as I had too much to confess already! Do tell about the Beautyhabit pop-up shop event!
They were easy to miss, tiny counter in a dark corner. But very generous with samples. You could go back to “just get some samples” 😉
I didn’t go to the BH event as I had dinner plans. I’m curious too.
I was sad to miss Saturday but glad to make much of Sunday! And I did make my predictable annual Atelier purchase (Jasmin Angelique this year). Sampled The Noir at Le Labo (it’s good. But the sales staff there are so annoying!) and bought tooooo many bath products at Rituals and Red Flower. Nice to see people, sniff, hug, and shop but half my brain was at home anyway. Glad to get these reports of the excitement I missed!
How is the Jasmin? I’ve been debating ordering a sample because I don’t know of anyplace to test it.