Our standard-issue open thread poll: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, the fragrance you have fallen out of love with, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Winter in Denmark [color frame added] via Fc Nikon at flickr; some rights reserved.
Pamplelune. I need that white-hot sulphurous bite to combat the dreary cold.
Speaking of which, any NSTers would recommend scented candles? Something to keep the living room warm yet blend well with the occasional aroma of fried eggs. No tuberose please: needless to say that it did not blend well.
yep, Thymes Frasier Fir. Not just for Christmas, good throw, not outrageously priced.
Oh, fir! They must feel woody crisp. On the list!
I like Pacifica’s Tibetan Mountain Temple candle. It smells like the sweet spices in chai tea.
I have the solid perfume version of this and it is one of my absolute favorite scents (and you can’t go wrong for $9!). Orange peels + ginger + more spice + incense + patchouli.
I second this! Bought mine at New Seasons. Check out the rest of the Pacifica line, too. They had lovely seasonal candles in December, and the fig is pretty good too.
Ahoy! Another PDX metro area person!
And check it- there are flash clearance sales sometimes with Pacifica in the Pearl District or at the warehouse in NW. Usually, you find the announcements in WWeekly.
I swear by the candles from Restoration Hardware. Winter Home is a favorite and I’ve also tried French Oak and Provencal Bath. Even my scent-phobic mom tolerates them. She hates the Capri Blue ones, though I like them pretty well. Whenever she comes to my house I find them covered up.
Provencal Bath sounds warm. I will be hunting them down. Hopefully, they carry them.
Really want to be back in Capri when I hear that … ahh
They aren’t cheap and I know I’ve sung their praises before, but Esteban Paris makes lovely candles. My favorite is Cedre, which is a lovely churchy incense. I haven’t tried most of their current line, but I do have the Ambre incense and it should translate nicely to a candle.
Incense is a bit stuffy for me to be in a house, but I will check it just in case. If it is not so intense, it might be alright.
I really like the Archipelago candles. You can buy them on Amazon.com. The one I like the most is Stonehenge. They are a bit pricey but very large and last forever.
“smoked cedarwood, bergamot and amber for a thick, masculine scent”
I don’t think it’s necessarily “masculine” but it might be too heavy. However the line has a lot of others including more floral ones that you might prefer.
Cedarwood and bergamot resting on amber sound like my cup of tea, though. On the list!
second archipelago, you can also get them at a sweet discount if you poke around on the internet a little. they’re very well-scented.
Ordered this already
I think you recommended these before, and I fell for Stonehenge. Very well-scented indeed, and I want to explore further. Stonehenge is dense, somehow, and dry. Not for everyone.
Yes, I did, and I’m glad to find another Stonehenge fan! I also bought a small diffuser of it for my office. It sits on a bookshelf and is not too overpowering, just pleasant.
Mr. Spicebomb bought the “Warm Tobacco Pipe” scent from dw Home. It’s been a lovely, warm scent in the house and throws well to the next room without being suffocating.
Tobacco Pipes…I think it will suit the paquet smell quite nicely.
I love the smell of actual tobacco smoke. The candle is certainly reminiscent of that sweet-woody smell.
I use Voluspa Yuzu Rose to combat cooking smells. I’m also really liking my almost-gone Diptyque Baies(same smell as L’Ombre Dans L’Eau).
I am not sure that will go into my living room… sounds too precious to combat the fried eggs.
I burned it in my bathroom last night and I could smell it throughout my apt! Of course, letting it burn for 3 hours in a 1 bedroom apt might have helped
The longest I ever let a nice scented candle from Annick Goutal burn is 30 minutes! They burn up too quickly and that makes me feel like I burn my paper banknotes XD
I have 5 now, and this should be enough for me to occupy myself. Thank you everyone
I’m commando at the moment, since I haven’t showered yet. But I can still smell the Demeter Firefly I put on last night. I found several Demeter .5 oz. bottles that I had bought but not tried. Firefly is the last of them, so I put some on before bed last night. Its still going strong this morning. I am always amazed at the varying staying power of the Demeter colognes. The others I tried were (mostly) quite pretty florals but they were gone in a couple of hours.
Tried Ginger Ale yesterday and it was gone in EIGHT MINUTES. Yes.
But what a fun eight minutes! I often layer it over Rien, because the latter is Too Much for the first little while, so there is a bit of ginger fun before the executive lady strides down the hall.
Mals, have you tried their Earl Grey Tea? Gone in less than that! It’s great stuff – absolutely lifelike – but 5 minutes, tops.
Managed to smell the Bulgari Bleu as I’d hoped to, in Harvey Nicks in Edinburgh – I liked it, but not as much as their Vert (not sure if it’s been reformulated?) – had a chat with a sales lady about it but heaven forbid she actually offer me a sample! Did buy a ridiculously reduced in price bottle of Ostara in Penhaligon’s for my best friend, though! Again, distinct lack of samples, which is unusual for this company in my experience.
Congrats on your new bottle!
I’m in Safran Troublant at the moment. I might switch to something more glam tonight though. We’re going to a David Bowie tribute concert and I’m so excited!!
I am SCANDALIZED by the very notion that there is something more glam than Safran Troublant! :O
Ha ha, that was my first reaction too!
Lol! Safran Troublant is the most un-glam, unassuming snuggly saffron pudding smell to me. XD
But the ROSE makes it elegant! imho!
Controversy! Love it!
Oh, I wish I could do something in tribute to DB! He was one of my first loves. sigh.
It was a great show. I cried several times!
Oh, how nice! The perfume AND the concert.
Reached into my surprise sample box today and pulled out Smell Bent Gardenia Oud – it’s nice, and a little weird, which is a good combo!
I love the majority of the Smell Bent scents that I have tried. The frankensmellies are so intriguing and the line is so inexpensive. I’m really sad that my New Year’s resolution prevented me from taking advantage of their sale on the winter holiday scents.
I feel like your night out requires something OTT from the 70s or 80s. Ungaro Diva, perhaps?
I didn’t have anything like that on-hand so I went with Beloved. It always makes me feel glam.
I’m in Ambre Imperial from Van Cleef & Arpels today. Feeling this wintery embrace as I watch some snow falling gently from the sky.
I like that one on first impression, but I need to live with it for a while to be sure.
I liked this one on paper but wasn’t wowed when i got home and smelled from the sample. I will need to wear it to make a thumbs up or thumbs down verdict.
Smelling the remnants of vintage Bal. Soon I will be getting in the shower, so it’s either the original Lolita Lempicka for women or L’Heure Bleue today. I’m leaning more towards Lolita Lempicka.
I vote for the Lolita. I have never smelled the original! Happy showering
Hmm. You might be swaying me to wear L’Heure Bleue today. I think I need something that promises of spring, and a pretty, powdery floral just might do it!
Commando.Midsummer cleaning day.Some remnants from yesterday’s 1000 Kisses Deep maybe,and soft traces of my afternoon shower with Rose Jam.
It would be *almost* worth having to clean to have it be midsummer
Lol!And we’ve been wishing for Fall to come ASAP…#SuperEnormousHeatwave
I will always take a super enormous heatwave over having to put on gloves and a hat
I’m just wishing “normal” Summer would return!We’ve had some awesome rain since yesterday which did break the heat a bit.
johanob, I’m a member of a FB Kruger park group, and what they’ve been posting up until this week has not been pretty. I think nearly every watering hole dried up. I guess that’s what a super enormous heatwave will do.
Yes,it’s a sad situation for the National parks and the farmers even more so.Not one dam in South Africa is above 50%,the Orange Free State where most cattle,corn and sunflower farmers are has been hit the worst with a severe drought during their rainy season.Maize and corn will have to be imported,which increases food prices dramatically,the local currency is taking a beating on the markets…all in all not a good prospect!Thank God for the little pleasures of perfumes.
Nooooo! Midsummer here means endless days of 90+ degrees, nights that barely dip below 80, and smothering humidity. I like to say that on the Gulf Coast, we have six seasons–presummer, early summer, midsummer, late summer, postsummer, and notsummer. Right now it is notsummer, and I am enjoying it.
Ha! I wish there was a like button for this comment! I’m glad you’re in notsummer.
Amen!
50 Roses, over here we say two seasons: Northern summer and Southern summer.
I can do with some notsummer right now!!
I like that! Here in Oakland we have beautiful, less beautiful, beautiful rain and tired of rain. Today it is definitely tired of rain… the leak in the ceiling of our guest room is a testament to this!
My brother keeps bugging me (and our parents) to move to Florida to be near him. Um, NOPE. Visit, yes. Live there, I’d die. I freakin’ hate summer and all the humidity/bugs that come with it.
If I could have spring tomorrow, I would come clean for you.
I will help! But you have to do the bathroom
If it is cool where you are, I’ll help with the ckeaning, and I don’t mind doing the bathroom! I’ll also make pikelets for morning tea, if you like. It’s very sticky in Auckland today, and heading towards being about as hot as it ever get at 27 C (just over 81F, I think).
27 C sounds perfect!!We’ve had an average of 38 C since November!
Erk! I’d never cope! Mv sister in South Australia gets hot dry summers like that, so I a,ways time my visits for their winter. To me, 27 is high summer, and I don’t expect it to last long.
Johano, it’s been slightly cooler than that in Jhb. And even tolerable in the last 2 weeks. But there are pics in the news of collapsed cows, and reports of even the pregnant ones needing to be slaughtered. Farmers who have lost everything… all quite horrifying.
Tonka Imperiale again today.
I like this one, but not full bottle worthy for me.
I think post shower I will switch to something else, maybe a sample from the Deserts Orient collection. Someone can pick one from the trio for me if they want.
It’s a gray day today and I am going to cuddle up inside. Everything went well yesterday for my postdates. Baby is huge & healthy. Still waiting for his appearance.
Oh good to hear on baby! Huge & healthy!
You smell great! Cozy fragrance!
I love Tonka Imperiale! I never thought I would ever be a Guerlie Girl but I’m probably on the verge or already there!
Love the phrase “Guerlie Girl” and I want to steal it!
That is a great one!
I read that somewhere so no credit for originality!
I love it to- wish it was not so expensive.
I love that phrase too! Guerlie Girl!
Hajusuuri – I remember, just a year ago, various blogs asking whether one was Serge, Chanel, or Guerlain or a variation on those choices. Never was a Guerlain, never thought I would be a Guerlain, didn’t even use the Mitsouko or Jicky I had and disliked Shalimar. How did it happen that it all crept up on me: first Après l’Ondee, Terracotta Le Parfum, Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia, then Terracotta Voile d’Ete, Mon Precieux Nectar, LPRN Couture, Samsara, Nahema, Shalimar Eau Legere, Chamade, Vol de Nuit…WHAT HAPPENED?? I am a Guerlie Girl. Of course I am fully a niece of Uncle Serge and yet…
Amazing.
They do creep up on you. I can’t do Mitsouko or Jicky either but I enjoy many from these collections: L’Art et la Matiere, Les Elixirs Charnels and Une Ville, Une Parfum. For Shalimar, I have the original which I haven’t worn in forever and the Mexique flanker.
Thinking of you! All that amazing magic of falling in love all over again. When I was pregnant with my second child, it was hard to imagine I could love someone again as much as my first…but it happened. Enjoy!!
Thanks for sharing that!
I will keep you guys posted
Tabac Tabou for me today. Been dabbing it on but went for the full spray effect to really see how it wears. Smelling the tobacco much more with the spray, good thing hubby is out for the day! In the camp of Back to Black and Chergui, but less sweet.
Nice lazy day to get some things done.
Always nice to have a 3-day weekend as well.
Lazy day with tobacco smells sounds cozy. Enjoy your 3 day weekend
Thank you. I hope that you enjoyed your strawberry ice cream yesterday, and most importantly, that your doctor visit went well.
I am not going to lie- I went to shake shake for strawberry milkshake.
:p
I love everything Shake Shake, especially their custards. Tried the new chicken sandwich at SS the other night and thought it was well done. A little on the spicy side but really a beautiful piece of REAL chicken.
Haven’t tried TT but like the B2B and Chergui. Sounds cozy for today and I love a quiet lazy day.
I am wearing CdG Daphne. Notes from their website are:
Bitter orange from Sicily, Incense, Saffron, Rose centifolia, Tunisian jasmine, Tuberose from India, Florentine iris, Indonesian patchouli, Oud wood, Amber, Vanilla from Madagascar.
I have had this awhile but seldom wear it. I took it out to try yesterday and felt extremely elegant all day. The dry down is a nice soft vanilla. It’s heavy going, I may not stick to it much longer.
I really like that perfume …and is seems so left of centre for a CDG scent with its heady floral aspect.
This sounds really nice!
Paris YSL today, to boost my morale as I had to take 3 exams today. Gosh, these things get harder as you get older. I remember how perfectly calm and collected I was when I went to Medical school decades ago. No longer, I fear. Still, Paris helped.
Hope the exams went well!
Hope they went well – and you smell nice.
Good luck!
Hope it went a-OK!!
I cannot imagine you less than perfectly confident. I’m sure you did great.
Appearances can be misleading! But thanks for the compliment.
Big thanks to all of you!
‘Morning!
No SOTD, yet, other than the melange that permanently sticks to the black hoodie I use as a housecoat. (I know, so VERY Portland of me!)
I’m thinking I might skip the gym today in favor of puttering in my garden. It isn’t exactly a break in the clouds this morning, but the rain drops are more on the mist end of the spectrum, and I could use some outside time. My classroom has no windows and I think it’s bugging me a bit.
Speaking of my classroom, I’ve been playing with a notion, and I’m wondering others’ thoughts on it. . . I have a student who is pretty severely disabled: hearing and seeing impaired, severe seizures, cerebral palsy. He isn’t totally blind, but he’s rapidly losing sight, and I’ve noticed that when I hand papers to him, he is often placing his nose right next to my arm or wrist. I *think* he’s sniffing me!
So, the aide who works with him and I have let him sniff my arm when we notice him leaning in, and mostly all we get is “it’s good!” He likes my perfume.
ANYWAY, the idea I’m having is: I’m wondering if we could expand his awareness of the scented world, use smells to build vocabulary rather than always trying to magnify things and use his failing eyes. Anyone ever heard of anything like that? I thought I could maybe bring in some little baggies or boxes with kitchen spices, maybe a nice-smelling fir bough, that sort of thing. I dunno. I didn’t even know how to bring it up in the meeting we had with his parents last week. I’m afraid I sound like a crazy perfumista. Thoughts?
That is a wonderful idea for your student. There are so many ways to use scent in the classroom. Here is a link to a product that I find interesting (not suggesting a purchase, not suggesting it is necessarily appropriate for your student):
http://www.difflearn.com/product/Scents_Sort_MatchUp_Kit/matching_and_sorting
Perhaps your students parents are already aware of their child’s sensitivity and seeming interest in scent? Or if not, they may be pleased to learn that you have noticed this area of sensory strength in their child.
Would a science lesson on the sense of smell for the entire class be an opportunity to explore further? I think your are wonderful to think about this for your student with different abilities.
I teach music in general education and special education classrooms. I find that creativity and new approaches are very often the key to surprising and rewarding learning experiences. Go for it!
Hey, that kit looks fun, huh? I could certainly suggest it to his caseworker for purchase, but there isn’t funds out of my science budget.
(I get about $1.50 per kid per year for science lab supplies!)
I agree, though, that these little inspirations can lead to lots of learning, both for student and teacher!
If he would like it, why not? His sense of smell may be acute–I’ve heard, though it might well be an old wive’s tale, that one will strengthen to compensate for the loss of another. There’s a whole range of vocabulary to learn about smell, and then there’s his physical reactions to scent as well, what calms or stimulates or is just plain nice in his nostrils. Then, too, he could learn to identify places by their individual scents…my philosophy about learning is that nothing learned is ever wasted. I think you’re inspired!
The line between “inspired” and “wacko” can be so fine!
But I agree with your big-picture thinking–what if he *could* apply his sense of smell to learn people and places better? And I love the idea of using it to calm, stimulate or add joy to his day.
How about planting a little flowerpot herb garden in your class…plants he can pick small leaves off and squeeze in his fingers and smell thyme, marjoram, oregano, coriander, basil, lavender etc. You could take a cue from scented gardens for the visually impaired. He could also help water the garden. It would have the bonus of bringing a bit of green into your windowless class too.
That’s a lovely idea. I’ve been experimenting with plants that won’t die in there, but with limited success so far.
I think that is a lovely idea, coming from an obviously caring and engaged teacher. Any opportunity to give his world more texture and input would have to benefit him.
Thank you, newbiebex! I agree that any way we can increase his connections to the world are good.
I am the parent of two children with autism. I can’t tell you enough how thankful I am for the teachers they had that took the time to figure out how to teach them. I am always happy to hear that they excel in one area, even if they lack in others. I think the parents would respond positively.
Thanks, lillyjo. Maybe I’ll be brave and bring it up to them.
I’m going to join the chorus of people saying ‘go for it!’ When my daughter was in preschool, they did some scent exploration, and the kids loved it. Now she’s in elementary school and they recently did some blindfolded taste testing as part of science, and again, the kids loved it. She talked about how fun it would be to do something similar to the taste test with scent. Several other people have given good ideas about ways to implement this, but yes, absolutely bring scent into this student’s learning experience.
Both activities sound like such fun! I’d take a class like that, too!
Happy to hear that it opened up the world of experiences for your daughter!
You are a lovely person.
Well, I smell good, anyway.
MR, at the Fall 2015 Sniffapalooza, perfumer Christophe Laudamiel introduced an educational kit to teach kids about scents. You can read about it on the Academy of Perfumery & Aromatics (ACADEPA) website – http://www.acadepa.org. If you think it is appropriate for your school, email me
When you go to the Shop and select the EduKit, there’s a link to a resource pack for activities you can do in a classroom with focus on scent education.
Here’s the home page of the
eep, the “Here’s the home page of the” comment was a left-over as I was editing my comment…so please ignore it.
Wow, that looks like such fun! Let me talk to a few people at school and his parents, and I’ll get back to you if it sounds like we can make use of it. Thank you!
I just wanted to add that it would also be awesome if he had something he excelled at – like a keen sense of smell. Working this way might allow more spontaneous positive feedback, and some sense of mastery which would be invaluable!
Hard to imagine how frustrating his day-to-day experience must be ????
I know. It’s really heart-breaking. He’s a very sweet, affectionate and happy-seeming person, all the same! What I always find myself wondering whenever I have a student whose perceptions are limited is what is s/he capable of but we don’t know because we aren’t using the right tools to access it and communicate with each other? Wouldn’t it be such fun to find that he really *does* have a keen sense of smell and could experience the world that way in a deeper sense than most of us?!
I know exactly what you mean. I taught English to a Chinese boy last year, and he had such an interesting character: kind, modest and perceptive in very particular situations. However, his means of communication was so labored – and he seemed often on an entirely different plane. What was upsetting was that we were unable to find a Mandarin educational psychologist for a proper assessment.
Today I am trying Serge Lutens Muscs Koublaï Khan. It’s interesting, but not sure it’s really me. It’s not a case of love at first sniff, like Vetiver Tonka or Rose Ikebana; nor has it developed into something great after some time on my skin, like SL Cèdre. So at the moment I’m not likely to go beyond this 2ml sample.
Also, I am trying to see if I have musk anosmia, but MKK has other notes so I can’t really be sure. It seems fairly ‘quiet’ on me, unless I smell inside my shirt and then it’s there.
Any recommendation for scents with a musk and little else, that I could use to prove things either way? I was wondering about the Demeter musks, which are available on Amazon in the UK – would they be good? Any other suggestions? Thanks! :^)
Annick Goutal Musc Nomad is a variety of different musks.
Kiehl’s Musk and LAP Mure et Musc might be others to try.
I’ve read that they usually use more than one type of musk in musks because of the musk anosmia.
Thanks Elisa P, I have Myrrhe Ardente and was thinking of trying others in that set including Musc Nomade, so once I am getting samples again I will prioritise MN.
(For the moment I need to exercise a little overdue restraint. I am sightly shocked at how much I spent on scents over Christmas, and its all you NST-ers’ collective fault) :^D
“Musk” actually refers to an number of different aromachemicals used in perfume, so you could be wholly or partially anosmic to one or more of them but not to others. Luca Turin made the point that pretty much everyone is anosmic to some of them. Thus, one musk-heavy scent might smell quite strong to you while another has very little scent, depending on which musk(s) is/are used in that particular perfume. You probably are anosmic to the main musk component of MKK. I think I must be as well; to me it smell quite pleasant, not the skank-fest it has often been claimed to be.
Thanks for the comments here. I also feel that MKK is rather pleasant but a friend I trust on scents told me it really stank of B.O. (on me) and so I don’t wear it outside at all. (I only have a small decant of it.)
Thanks 50-Roses, that is also possible. I did get an early flash of a cumin or ‘sweat’ vibe in a sort of “ah, there’s an interesting hint of what the reviewers mentioned” but it died down pretty soon. By the time I got downstairs after spraying it on, my partner smelt “pine needles on a forest floor”, which I don’t think turns up as an MKK note in any review I’ve seen.
I would buy a perfume that smelled like pine needles on a forest floor.
A thought just popped into my head–I have often read that we each have our own personal scent and also that we are all anosmic to our own scent. I wonder if musk anosmia is at all related to this, i.e., are the musks that each of us is anosmic to the ones that most closely mimic our own personal scent?
For Calypso’s sake, I hope not
Thanks! Me too!
I cannot smell MKK what-so-ever. It’s pretty much air to me. I can smell other musks though. Though it does make me wonder if the musks I think smell GREAT do not smell quite so GREAT to everyone else…!
Exactly the same musk situation, exactly the same thoughts
I can smell the top notes (for about 20-30 minutes) of Narciso Rodriguez for Her edt, the Guerlain Aqua Allegorias, and most of the first eight or so Atelier Colognes, like Orange Sanguine, after which they all disappear completely. I can however smell MKK (like a flock of sheep, bottled), and Calypso St. Barth Lea (vanilla and white musk). I really like the trend of brands identifying the specific musks or other aromachemicals in the notes, and hope it catches on.
Marron Chic for me today.
Splashed on a bit of Beige so will see how how it does in the rain.
Lovely. I can’t imagine a scenario where Beige would not be welcome.
I wore this last night (for the 2nd or 3rd time) and fell in love. It’s just so pretty.
That was my wedding perfume
Test driving my new sample of Cacharel LouLou this Am. I wish I had a spray sample but I really like what I’m getting so far.
Also a lazy day: cleaning up after a little dinner gathering last night. My husband’s pulled pork with North Carolina BBQ sauce and homemade slaw was a success. Later will maybe go and start catching up on the Oscar nominated films we missed- we’re way behind on our movies. Taking suggestions!
What a coincidence! I spotted Lou Lou at a discounter. My thought was that it had a different bottle. Strange thing sitting there. So, I had to try… nice greenish creamy white flower, but then…vanilla and almost like almond biscuit.
I ordered a sample after rarely seeing it mentioned and now I’m seeing a lot of it mentioned in various locations these past few days. It has a lovely creamy drydown- yes, almonds or heliotrope. It’s a rather cozy floral once it dries down a bit. Did you buy or pass?
Yes, probably heliotrope….the idea of creamy and biscuity in flowers just go so well — I think it preceded even Angel.
It has been around here like forever, I think. I sprayed it on my wrists when I passed by the store at the station for the past three day. I like the edible idea of it, but I would rather smell it on, say, an imaginary Mademoiselle Loulou because is inherently coquettish, and I see the whole ‘Lou Lou? Oui, c’est moi’ coming back all over.
So, I just asked the SA if I could decant this just very little amount to try. She was a bit surprised, but she conceded
Hee, so it looks like you carry decanting supplies as well!
I suppose every fragrance aficionado would get there at some point
Just curious, which kind of NC BBQ sauce was it – eastern or western?
I have no clue. It was composed of vinegar, hot and black peppers and other spices. What’s the difference bet east and west?
I don’t know if you can read this if you’re not a New Yorker subscriber, but:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/02/in-defense-of-the-true-cue
Oh, thanks! I was able to read despite being a non-subscriber (usually they only let you read part of the article to entice you to subscribe). So I guess the answer would be “ala Eastern” since he claims to have added only a smidge of ketchup. Makes we want to go on a bbq tour of the south!
I didn’t know this!
Love Calvin Trillin.
Yeah, the eastern Carolina sauce has no tomato; the western has tomato but is strongly vinegary. I like them both, but natives usually defend their preference to the death (to the DEATH, I tell you!).
That food sounds so yummy…
You can send the leftovers to la case de lovestosmellgood Ny ny
I’m sad, for me too, that there were no leftovers! I bet the sauce would have induced labor, too. Next time I’ll save some for you
How’s your kitty doing?
Stella-monster ate part of her rope toy and threw it up yesterday morning and pooped out the rest in the afternoon. So now the only toys she gets are the Kongs and the Nylabones because she gets into trouble with all the others.
I love LouLou and I love pulled pork.
She’s doing ok, only puked once this week, which is normal for cats. Though, it made me plenty nervous. I did find a ribbon in her poop early last week. Thanks for asking!
I’m shaking my head at your impossible pup. I’d be a constant nervous wreck. How old is she and do they grow out of that behavior?
Glad she’s ok. I’m missing a good chunk of handle from one of my beautiful old Mexican baskets this morning *sigh* I hope the pink and purple dye is non-toxic and look forward to an early “Easter egg” hunt in the cat box.
Almost 8 months. I’m hoping she outgrows it. Some do, some don’t. Stanley used to love Kleenex and lipsticks. He’d eat the Kleenex but thankfully never swallowed the lipsticks. He outgrew it.
I am happy to hear the kitty is better.
Stella is like Shiva the Destroyer. Glad everything came out all right ????
LOL. Yeah, that about sums it up. Puppyhood is going to be the death of me. If I ever mention on here that I’m considering getting a puppy instead of a slightly older or adult dog, please talk some sense into me. Please.
SOTD – Passage d’enfer. I’ve been bypassing this one in favor of newer bottled children, but as soon as I open the cap I fall in love again.
Yum
I think I totally over applied last night for a work get-together and am a little embarrassed…the Rose de Kandahar is still going strong this morning and I’d put it on at 3 pm yesterday. Yikes! I must have gassed the whole table.
Oh well, just puttering around the house today and will gleefully over apply whatever my SOTD will be. The cat probably won’t mind.
Three cheers for longevity ????
Long busy Sunday ahead, trying to accomplish things that were left when I dropped off the world last week. I’m wearing the softly green Temps d’Une Fete, and very pretty it is, but I should maybe have gone with something more aggressively energising. The truth is, I feel very….detached. Not exactly sick, but not well; not exactly unhappy, but not joyous; not quite present or engaged in the things I have to do. Le Temps is a bit of a “wafty” perfume, heading off towards lands of imagination and whimsy. I need something sterner that will ground me in the vacuuming, shortening a pair of white trousers, making some peanut butter and chocolate biscuits, reviewing some curriculum issues–a perfume for ordinary busy stuff, you know?
Hi Waterdragon. I’m sorry you’ve been sick and I hope you begin to feel stronger soon. I’m a migraine sufferer too so know that detached, out of sync feeling and how it can leave you (me) feeling a bit perturbed and slightly wobbly. Best of luck with the start of the year.
Hi to you too! Thank you for your kindness. Migraines are more than just the headache, aren’t they? I’ll be OK– actually I am OK, just a bit down pin. I wish I could go home and lie in the shade under a pohutukawa and every now and again wander down to play in the sea to cool off. More and more, I want a perfume that smells of clean air, earth and old trees and sea: a photorealistic representation of Ngahau Bay, in other words! I might as well throw in a wish for a small country estate on the moon while I’m at it!
My sentiments exactly. It is a hard one to explain to none sufferers. They think that either you have a headache or not. I call it the migraine hangover (distinct, of course, from a hangover migraine–that is another ailment altogether!).
Yes! Hangover is it exactly–it’s a feeling of the whole body being toxic– the toxicity has to burn out. It’s happening, but not super fast. On the plus side, I’ve received the sweetest email from my great niece thanking me for the shopping trip yesterday. It!s mostly so formal it belongs in the 19th century, but then it breaks style in places to use words like “awesome”. It’s really cute, and it’s cheered me up!
I’m glad you’re back in your feet. I get migraines too, and I know that detached feeling too. Migraines are really hard on your system, and I take that feeling as a sign not to push myself too hard yet.
Thank you. I’ve actually now run of drive and sat down in the middle of the work. I suspect that I’m not going to get anywhere near clearing my To Do list. The dear man has just wandered by in a state of considerable undress (why oh why could I not be feeling better?) and suggested that when he has showered, he will bring me a latte and I could just take it easy for the rest of the day. Oh, the temptation to just sit and sog! And suddenly, Temps d’une Fete seems like the right perfume….
I think your dear man has the right idea. He seems like a sweet, perceptive person!
Oof! I know that feeling well. It’s often the first sign that I’m getting a migraine and sometimes lingers a day or so afterward, and I have it right now
I find it a bit like being in a bubble that sharpens things that cause discomfort and muffles everything else.
Hope you’re fully recovered soon and that somebody brings you a latte and a cozy blanket.
I’m fortunate enough not to have experienced a real migraine but I do have many scents that I don’t wear when I need to work because I NEED something that will ground me and help me concentrate. So far the best is Guerlain’s Vetiver. And now that holiday is over I need to avoid white florals…
PSA #1: Luckyscent is offering 20% off Amouage with the code AMOUAGE20
PSA #2: Twisted Lily has all their Viktoria Minya scents on a hefty sale
(No affiliation with either)
Another grey drippy day here, looks like it’ll be a doing-chores and sample-testing day. (Attempting to type with cat on lap / draped over arm is rather tricky)
I have a random petty perfume related gripe. You know how you order a beauty product online… carefully select your freebies (all perfumes, of course)… delightedly look forward to your free samples of the new Mall Juice Monsters… then the box arrives and all your free samples are face goo. How disappointing! (And one wonders exactly how many ‘eye elixir’ products there are in the world, considering that’s what I always seem to get….)
(I *did* say this was a petty gripe, didn’t I)
Happy weekend, all!
Ha, I have the exact same petty gripe! But I’m equally disappointed if I think I’m getting a vial sample and I get one of those stupid towlette thingies.
Ha!I’ll see your online gripe and raise you my INSTORE gripe!!There is one Niche shop in Johannesburg that sells the lovelies like Serge Lutens,The Different Company,Bruno Acampora etc…They NEVER have perfumes samples!But when my firends order online from them,they send like a years’ supply of PERFUME samples with….what’s up with that??
Also annoying when you select your freebies and get.. nothing at all!
If you’re referring to sephora, btw, I have called and complained & they’ve compensated with insider points.
I have the same gripe. Why let me pick the samples I want if you’re just going to send me what you want anyway? At least they send some if you order online. It’s like pulling teeth to try and get samples in my Sephora store.
Oh, that’s terrible. My Sephora is smallish and doesn’t have a huge selection, but they will make samples of anything.
I like skincare, but if I have picked three perfume samples how about sending at least one? LVMH (Sephora’s owner) has always had trouble with their inventory system, but it’s gotten worse. Over Christmas I bought a fragrance and a day later they sent me a refund advising me they were out of stock.
I’ve been in Central Otago working on my scent map. Back in the late 1800s gold miners planted thyme near their camps and it has spread so that today entire hillsides are covered in bushes. In November the hills are purple with flowers but at this time of year it is so dry that the thyme is like sharp stubble underfoot. As you walk the scent is so strong that it is almost medicinal, clearing out your sinuses. At the end of the walk the cuffs of your troubles are filled with thyme stalks and dried flowers ( it’s very hard on the dogs’ paws). Back in misty Dunedin now and I will wear Lale as it seems so ‘yellow-green’ like the colour of the tree leaves growing outside our house.
That sounds fabulous! I will learn the SI more when I retire. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve basically been a tourist in my own country when it comes to the south: a week here, a trip there, a conference if I have to. We talked at one time of retiring to Oamaru, but I think my blood is too pathetically thin for the winters. We do have in mind a “Don’t leave home till you’ve seen NZ” sort of visit, though, so we could incorporate some walks in the old gold country.
Kanuka, that sounds amazing. I remember visiting the Otago peninsula and Dunedin, but when I was there (September) I don’t remember the thyme at all. Keep us updated with the scent map project. It’s really fascinating to hear about.
Hi Missionista. The thyme hills are closer to Queenstown than Dunedin so you may not have been aware of them – especially in September which is well before they flower, so the plants look just like green scrub. I now have to locate thyme themed perfumes as the second part of the project. I’m also looking for scent references in fiction…found a fantastic one in Klaus Mann’s Mephisto: a description of a grand ball and all the scents from French perfume to after shave.
That’s fascinating! I’ve never thought about scent maps. Any scent map of the area I grew up in would have to be heavy on honeysuckle. The other flowering things that are super common here don’t really have a scent; azaleas, dogwoods, blackberry blossoms, etc.
It’s interesting the way you begin to zone in on random scents and smells: from car exhaust to burnt sugar ( I walk past a pavlova …meringue…factory), to rotting seaweed and rose hips …the world gains another dimension.
Not been on that continent but you make me feel like I’m THERE!
Kanuka, What a fantastic description! I’m guessing you’re a writer. If not… maybe you’ve missed your calling!
I’ve had a relaxingly productive Saturday so far. Made a nice red lentil stew for lunch, did some reading and shopping. I’m now the owner of Arquiste Art Deco Velvet candle, I’ll let you know how this turns out. I also bought Byredo’s Suede hand wash – I already own the Vetiver one and like it a lot. (I have been good about my beauty and perfume buying ban, but it said nothing about home and bath products!)
Slightly less good news: Fleur de Chine is indeed discontinued, the lovely SA told me that it’s Estee Lauder’s policy to do lots of launches, which also means that something needs to be discontinued (that SA works mostly with Jo Malone and said it’s the same for JM). Nothing I seriously adore has ever been discontinued before, so I’m still in denial. If you know where I could get a bottle or two of FdC, let me know. Also, tried Orris & Sandalwood and loved the initial blast, but the sandalwood soon turned too sharp for my liking. Will give it another go, though.
Finally, I found something in Zara Home that would work great for storing samples. So I bought two of these boxes and will start organizing my stash tonight. I’m actually excited about it, I’m sure I’ve forgotten about lots of good stuff I have.
FragranceNet has FdC.
Thank you!
The online discount site fragrancenet is currently selling TF Fleur de Chine, but I don’t know anything about their shipping policies out of the US.
In Europe I still see it listed on Parfuma’s website and on the Bijenkorf website as well. The latter only sells the large bottle. Parfuma has a shop in Antwerp. De Bijenkorf is Dutch bot ships to Belgium at a very reasonable rate.
Thank you – I received your e-mail as well
Btw, when I was sorting my samples, I realised that you had given me one of Omnia and I had forgotten all about it. Sincere apologies! Wearing it now, it’s lovely, but very quiet on me.
I had remembered but I figured that you would probably find it again. Omnia is a very quiet scent anyway. It’s interesting, but subtle. Crystalline even more so.
I neglected to see this thread, only your original post. So I just sent you a pm on FB about De Bijenkorf. Good luck finding your Fleur de Chine!
I’d love to see the Zara Home item. I recently bought something that’s working quite well but it’s really ugly. I can fit a lot into it, though, including samples and multiple mini and full bottles, so it’s doing its job.
I tried to find it online so I could post the link for you, but no luck. It’s a wooden box, looks a bit like those boxes with a selection of different tea bags. Something like 40cm x 30cm and a bit more than 5 cm deep, maybe. You get 4 x 3 sections (four columns, three rows), exactly the right size for samples. Every compartment can easily fit 20-30 samples. It’s not a miracle of design, but looks completely decent and I like that the lid is mostly glass, so I can see what’s inside. I bought two boxes, so there’s roughly one compartment for every letter in the alphabet.
Zara Home has other similar items as well, there was one that looked more rustic. Worth a look, if you have one of their shop close by.
Sounds like a good way to approach things. I had actually pondered getting some tea boxes. I looked at a lot of different concepts and came to the conclusion that there’s no perfect storage solution out there. Until some perfumista builds and markets something for us, we’ll either have to design our own or cobble together whatever we can find here and there…
I like the idea of something like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/185608317/light-pastel-aqua-shabby-chic-jewelry?ref=shop_home_active_15 where you can store samples in the drawers and minis/bottles on the sides (there are tons of these on etsy) but it would need to be much, much bigger to be functional.
I went to look at that jewelry box – and holy moses, I used to OWN something like that. Etsy seller has obviously upcycled something found at the thrift store into a cute item.
My sister and I owned matching ones, $15 new from Dollar General ca. 1985 (gifts from our discount-store-queen grandmother). All the drawer pulls and hardware broke within a couple of years, or I’d have kept mine.
A waking nightmare today- we have been thrown back into summer with rising temperatures and humidity! Ack! Mother Nature has no mercy. So, just to thumb my nose at her, I am wearing 2 very liberal spritzes if AG Ninfeo Mio ????
Take that, Mother Nature!
Such a cooling, fresh (in the best sense) scent!
The online discount site fragrancenet is currently selling TF Fleur de Chine, but I don’t know anything about their shipping policies out of the US.
I meant to post this above in response to Annikky’s question, and now I see that 50 Roses beat me to it anyway!
Much appreciated nevertheless!
My SOTD is Queen by Queen Latifah. I bought it as a “blind buy” last week after another NST commenter mentioned it. And when Robin said it was a nice one, I got curious. I got it for almost pennies, so I am happy with it. The dry down is really nice.
That one is indeed nice.
So happy to hear it worked for you!
The body butter in this sent is fabulous. I get so many compliments on it. I spotted it a TJ Maxx for less than $4.00.
I love Queen. Queen of Hearts is very different, but also great. APJ has a good review of that one.
I’m in Barbara Bui this morning, but will probably go commando for a bit after showering – have a hair appointment and my stylist has been feeling poorly recently so scent might not be so swell for her. Later on I plan to re-rearrange the living room furniture. I moved everything around last weekend and still am not happy with it. It’s an awkward room that I just can’t seem to get right.
Dealing with awkward spaces is always frustrating. And even if you hit on a combination that’s better than another, it never feels finished. Good luck with yours!
So true! I angled things differently and it’s better now – I’ll live with it this way for another week and see if it grows on me.
Laughing at myself today. I planned to spritz something floral and cheery to combat the gray weather, but a sample of Ambre Narguile caught my eye. Used to hate it, today I love it, mind blown.
There’s some strange, strong perfume magic going on here. Or perhaps the tall 4 ml sample vial from Hermes stands out against the rest.
Happy weekend, everyone! I hope you have at least one happy surprise.
I’ve recently added AN to my “adore” list as well. Yum, on all levels. Maybe I’ll find it nodding and waving at me from a shop shelf when I’m in Melbourne later this year…
Fragrance nodding and waving from a shelf – I love that image. Sometimes a fragrance is like a new friend one wants to get to know better.
I love those 4 ml samples. The spray ones are great as I prefer to spray, but the old dab ones are really pretty imho.
Pretty sample vials for beautiful fragrances.
And 4 ml of fragrance is more likely to convince me to buy than 1 ml.
I need to try AN. I tried Sushi Imperiale but found it a tad too masculine. Aren’t they both supposed to have the “apple pie” vibe?
I definitely get apple pudding, but not pie– more a lovely cinnamony apple crumble, quite golden and battery. It’s rather a rich scent on my skin, though not deeply complex. It’s total love for me.
Sushi Imperiale smells like shaving cream to me.
Agreed!
When I tried Ambre Narguile a week ago I got delicious spices but no food, apple pie or otherwise. Someone told me they smell gingerbread.
But it’s funny that today I’m definitely smelling something more like the apple crumble like waterdragon describes, perhaps because I’ve worn AN several days in a row.
I finally showered and today I am sampling Candy. It is very sweet, but not very vanilla, so I am enjoying it.
Pre shower I’m in 24 Faubourg, as it just arrived from Scentbird. After my shower I’m not sure. My headache from yesterday hasn’t gone away, or gotten worse. It’s just a nagging feeling of being stabbed in the eye and I can’t shake it. I’m going to try drinking some lavender water and taking a hot shower. If that doesn’t work I’ll have to break out the pharmaceutical big guns and come to terms with losing the rest of the day. We’ll see how it plays out. I’ll probably go with something lavender based after my shower, or maybe Chergui for the comfort factor.
Ugh. I had some sinus headaches like that recently and was laid up all day. The last one I hit with meds early on and that actually counteracted it after a couple of hours. Hope you feel better!
Thank you! I finally got it somewhat under control. Sinus headaches like this are so miserable.
I am wearing Chinatown today. It is from a dabber vial. As I was trying to dab behind my ears, I forgot I had the vial in my hand and ended up tossing most of it over my shoulder. It was like I was tossing salt for good luck.
haha, this has happened to me more than once…
Yikes! Now your whole room? rug? floor? is perfumed, and Chinatown is certainly noticeable.
Sampling Vanille Galante today…
I’m loving it so far…banana, citrus, flowers and tea maybe? And seemingly more oomph and sillage than many of the other Hermessences I’ve tried.
Refreshingly different.
I loooooove Vanille Galante, a definite favorite of the Hermessences.
Today I’m wearing Madhat Fur, an interesting slightly smoky scent.
Yesterday, following Bulgari Black in the morning, it was Clinique Beyond Rose. Made for the Arab market, it’s sort of a rose oud fake out – you think it’s going to be rose oud and yet it’s not at all. It’s somewhere between Bulgari black and Tauer’s PHI Une Rose de Khandahar. None of that nasty, spiky wood, thank God!
Here’s the Luca Turin review:
http://arabia.style.com/beauty/beauty-guide/best-spring-2015-perfumes-oscar-de-la-renta-oscar-flor-clinique-beyond-rose-luca-turin-review/2/
Sounds lovely. A lot of rose-ouds/rose-woods turn horribly sour on my skin. Then again, they smell sour in the bottle as well, so perhaps the note is intentional?
It’s intriguing – I plan to wear it more over the next few days. The bottle is nice, too.
oh HA! I see I already put this one on my “want” list after I read his review last week. Where did you acquire yours?
You smell nice! I really like Fur except for the first couple of minutes being slightly weird sometimes (dashing my wrist under the hot tap handles that, though).
Testing Amouage Opus VII this morning. It veers just a little too close to food for me – lovely and spicy, but something I’d rather eat than wear
Ook, not so good then. I’ve never really got my head around the Opus series–they seem a bit random to me, but I haven’t worked with them consistently.
Yes, but Opus III is sooo pretty. I haven’t tested any other Opus scents. You’re probably right about the random comment. I don’t know why they call it a collection.
Ugh. Today I learned that Tart’s Knicker Drawer is not for me. Unsurprisingly, tarts like their namesake Sweet-tarts and fake flowers.
At least you won’t have to face the conumdrum of how to respond when someone asks what perfume you are wearing!
Whereas TND bopped me in the nose with a powder puff…
This is the first sample in a long while that I disliked so intensely, I couldn’t even imagine it as lampe bereger fuel etc.
I didn’t like that one either.
Wearing Coromandel today–almost done with the decant. I may have over applied a teeny bit. Hoping it wears off by tonight, so I can put on something else.
I love coromandel .. You smell cozy and elegant
Will you get a whole bottle? I spray 5 spritzes for a long winter day from morning till night because I love it!
Probably won’t get a whole bottle. I’d maybe go for 15 ml or so.
It’s a stay-at-home-and-try-to-keep-warm day, so I’m wearing Vanille 44, burning a fire, making baked custard, and settling in to watch The Martian. I liked the book a lot, I hope the movie does it justice. Reading Nick’s comment about candles, I might also light the Floris one I got for Christmas. I’m not much of a candle person and tend to forget that I have them.
Ohhhhhh…..Nice!!Can I please come and join you?Let me just rev up the Learjet quick…;-))
There’s a nice place in front of the fire just waiting for you!
Can I join you at the fireplace and have some of your baked custard :P?
The more the merrier!
Started out in Memoire Liquide’s Fleur Liquide today, which I usually like quite a bit. For some reason, though – perhaps it’s the overcast sky or somewhat chilly temps – it’s not really working for me. I’m going to take a long, steamy shower, give my hair a deep condition, and then begin my afternoon with a different scent.
I’ve found that, for a lot of perfumes, my enjoyment waxes and wanes according to no logic I can discern. Certainly, there are perfumes that I consistently love truly, madly and deeply (a fond farewell to Alan Rickman!), but there are many others that work well some days and don’t on others. It’s confusing. Yes, that’s right, I confuse myself. Sigh.
I think this is probably true for everyone. Much depends on weather and mood and I suspect ones own skin chemistry may not be a constant.
I’m playing with a bunch of samples today. No one in particular is standing out for me yet.
Just saw on twitter that Celine Dion’s brother has died. I can’t imagine losing a husband and a brother in the same week. That’s a lot of sadness.
Oh, geez. That’s awful. I can’t imagine.
Am doing the same. Have 5 or 6 scents going on and none are jumping out. I’ve been feeling really indecisive and noncommittal the last few days, though
A few random thoughts:
Anyone care to chime in on differences in Chanel No 19 variants? I.e., extrait v. edp v. edt v. edc?
Anyone planning spring purchases yet? I’m thinking about Le Dix, L’Heure Bleu, some SSS roses, FB of Penhaligon’s Violetta, amongst other things. I crave violets, roses, and florals in spring, but those cravings are already rearing their head (probably because it’s been quite warm this week where I am – and it’s been nearly 80 degrees in my apartment the past few days.) I have Gucci Envy and Chanel Beige coming in the mail and am feeling ready to make the switch from cozy winter scents to flowers!
Finally – has anyone in the US purchased from Rosine online? I bought (I thought) their sample set a couple of weeks ago but haven’t heard anything. No confirmation, nor has my card been charged.
I cant’t comment on the topics you brought up other than to say that I think Beige is pretty too. I’ve only tried No 19 in edt which I really like. I’ve read comments that some folks prefer No. 19 in the edt.
Also, I think the Min New York website has a few Rosines discounted on the sale page. Not sure if there is anything of interest for you. Just thought that I would mention it. ????
Will check this out! Thanks
I prefer the EdT of No 19. It has more personality to me.
Beige is nice, I wore it at my wedding and then gave it another home soon after. It was just too floral for me. It worked for the occasion but that was about it.
As for No 19 I have only worn the EDT and it is lovely but a bit sharp. Not sure if that makes sense. Not so popular on this blog, but I love the No19 Poudre. I can only wear out of a glass sample sprayer, when I spray from the bottle it’s not the same. I guess I am a bit crazy that way. So I keep refilling my little sample.
No. 19 EdP opens with green-bitter fresh galbanum. Then, jasmine-rose radiant floral accord sitting on velvety iris. Then, very prominent vetiver with a hint of leather in the fond.
Love No. 19 (and Violetta, for that matter) – I have preferences for concentration as follows: Vintage EdT, EdP of any age, then Modern EdT, followed by Extrait, and the only EdC I’ve tried was age-damaged so I can’t count that one.
The older EdT has a really lovely hint of leather in the base, and it is sternly beautiful, everything balanced; I primarily get galbanum, rose, iris and vetiver with subtler hints of jasmine, leather and a bit of musk. EdP is rosier and less vetiver-y, with very little leather, and I tend to wear it when I want a more friendly version. Also, I really love layering the EdP with a gentle rose body lotion. SO pretty.
The modern EdT (how to tell? the modern stuff is brighter green like peridot, where the older is more yellowy) is still good; its base seems a little lighter than it used to be and it doesn’t have the leather (boo).
I myself do not enjoy the extrait, even vintage, and I’m still not sure why but it makes me uncomfortable and I gave away my bottle to a friend. I get a bit more jasmine in it and lots of vetiver.
Should add that most No. 19 aficionados enjoy the extrait, so it might just be me.
This makes me want to try the extrait already. Does it have a lot of iris, May rose, and jasmine? I only know that they reserve these quality materials from Grasse for the extrait of no. 5. Not sure about No.19
I do not particularly notice better quality materials in No 19 extrait. It seems drier and less floral to me than the other concentrations, actually.
I love No. 19! I think it pretty much sticks to what you’d expect from the different concentrations – I find that the EdT is sharper and brighter, and the EdP is warmer and rounder. Like mals, I prefer the vintage EdT to the current version followed by the EdP of any age and then the current EdT. I know I’ve tried the extrait, but I can’t remember it. Considering that I have so much perfume, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything whatsoever!
Just in case you weren’t aware, Penhaligon’s Violetta has been discontinued, so you might want to buy that bottle sooner rather than later.
Violetta discontinued?? Good thing I did buy it a couple of years ago.
I’ve been harboring fantasies about scenting my linens with it since I discovered it last spring. It’s also just the right thing to wear first thing in the morning on a cold, blustery spring day. And on a sunny, hopeful, spring day as well.
But yes, discontinued.
I just learned this yesterday, thus the FB purchase moved up the list.
Wearing TF Ambre Absolue for the AM and Tauerville Amber Flash for the PM. Both are quite nice but I am enjoying Amber Flash a bit more.
Hi cazaubon, I’ve only tried Rose Flash, which I was surprised to realize that I didn’t like. Can you tell me how Amber Flash compares to RF?
It smells like amber with some incense. Pretty wearable, not medicinal or overly sweet,
I began my day with Eau de Merveilles but it didn’t feel right so late afternoon I splashed on Niki de St. Phalle edt. Ahh, now that’s better.
Been contemplating “noir” after my NST conversation with She-ra yesterday. A little grumpily I arrived at a working definition for myself–something floral or fruity or otherwise usually un-noir, sheathed in noir-ish “stuff.” I was thinking of Lyric…
So today I am wearing Nahema in pursuit of that same illusive characteristic. Nahema? Powerful: yes. Rose: yes. Spices: yes. Noir: Nope.
I have an older bottle of the edt, and it is a huge scent–not for those who are ambivalent about PERFUME.
Have you ever tired Sensuous Noir by EL? I really notice the noir in that one and no fruit to be found.
Funny, I never thought about Lyric being noir. I wear it to work all the time. Anyone out there feel free to chime in.
Or maybe it means really sexy perfumes that you would normally only wear for a evening out?
You are right. Maybe noir is just a nod to sexy. Sexy perfumes? I think fruit could be noir however. Perhaps a dark chocolatey orange?
Agreed. Fruits like fig and blackcurrant sometimes read “noir” to me.
Yes, I do agree that fruit can be noir but only meant that I think there are other types of scent that could be considered noir as well.
I’m sorry that I didn’t explain that very well initially. ????
The fragrance I’ve sadly fallen out of love with this week was Kerosene Dirty Flower Factory. The top notes are great, but then somewhere in the middle it loses it and feels more generic floral to me while the drydown kind of gets better.
Maybe trying it in the winter is different than the summer, but I’d been planning on gifting myself with a bottle for my birthday. Now, I’m not nearly as sure. It’s pretty, but for the price I can think of other frags higher up on the list which have held up well under repeat testing.
So now am down to either Bogue Maai or Montale Intense Café as birthday purchases. You can’t get more opposite so it’s a tough decision.
Speaking of birthdays, does anyone have any suggestions for a soon to be fourteen year old girl who likes MJ Ivy and Daisy, doesn’t want to smell like everyone else and is kind of into her own angsty goth phase?
My daughter’s birthday is in a month and she’s hinted she wanted something new. She loves spicy (I got a pumpkin spice perfume oil in a swap she adored and wore constantly until it was gone), doesn’t mind musk and still loves Guerlain Insolence. She’s bored with Daisy, feels she’s outgrown China Rain and when I tried to give her a nice example of floral with spices by spraying some Rose Flash, she recoiled and said in her politest way that it “is so not one of my favorites you own.”
It’s a difficult in-between age, and I want to get her something all her own. The school halls are still drenched in masculine body sprays and celeb scents, and she wants something different enough to stand out without standing out too much.
Also, something with gentle sillage is a plus since she doesn’t quite get how bad overapplication can be. *cringes over the Insolence cloud on first day of school incident*
Thanks.
This might be both too obvious and too “old” for a fourteen year old, but what about Like This by Etat Libre d`Orange?
I was going to say Like This too but if she’s an over-applier she could skunk out the whole school. Maybe another ELDO like Eau de Protection Rossy dePalma for a spicy rose?
What about Alaia’s Alaia Paris? Haven’t tried, but it’s classified as a leather, so it might appeal to her goth sensibility. There’s a favorable review on BdJ.
More like pink pepper throughout the peony-freesia accord accented by musk. Leather comes later and blends in very well with the floral heart. Not the watery peony-freesia, but grounded in pink pepper and pink pepper and pink pepper!
How about a perfume oil from BPAL? They have the goth part down pat, great names and back stories taken from the entire spectrum of the art and literary world, and you can purchase a nice 5ml bottle that will easily travel with her? Their website is daunting but I think you can do a search- i.e. Spiced, gourmand, sweet, vanilla, etc. no affiliation and there are some *ahem* names and references probably not got a young girl, but if you did the leg work and presented her with bottle, she’s none the wiser. Good luck!
I second BPAL, especially if she likes foody scents and is in a goth phase. I agree that it probably isn’t a website to let her peruse herself, but you could get her a couple of imp packs and a nifty case for them.
Library of Flowers has a fragrance called True Vanilla and another one called Willow and Water. I have two 15 yr old nieces and they love them. I bought my 13 yr old Amongst The Waves and she loved it.
They’re not particularly goth, but I thought of Jo Malone. They’re all appropriate for a 14-year-old who likes Daisy, and there’s a huge variety. Pomegranate Noir might fill the bill. I wore Tabu at that age, but I was trouble. ????
I’m thinking Dame Perfumery Dark Horse-even the name is sort of goth-ish. It’s spicy, sweet-ish, and light enough (on me, anyway) to wear in most weather.
Ha! The Insolence Incident. I love Insolence and wore it tonight in fact, carefully sprayed. She has good taste
What about LouLou? I wore it a long time ago, in my early 30’s, loved it and in my memory still do, but I haven’t smelled the modern version. I always associate it with youth (although to your daughter early 30’s is probably close to retirement age
) and it has a spicy note to it, and maybe fits the goth/angsty bit.
Do sniff it
I think the character is there.
Smell Bent might be a fun line for her, they have many good musk scents and the sillage is pretty low key.
Wearing Outramer Cola today, it arrived with some soap from Small flower yesterday! Have to say I’m enjoying it, definitely more complex then their vanilla. It’s …????It’s like a big abstract painting of the smell of coka cola. All large geometric patches of color rather than a detailed portrait.
Slightly off topicr: Do you know why L’Aromarine changed its name to Outremer? It is an odd choice. A book I read not so long ago was about the Plantagenets. At that time, the King of Outremer was the title of the nobleman who had been given charge of Islamic lands conquered by Christians during the Crusades. The Outremer was defined by whatever borders were set by the last war. It was a coveted title as there was so much lucrative trade in the region.
Very cool, thanks for the interesting history! ????I’ll have to look up more on the meanings of words used by perfumeries. As it is I don’t know why they changed the name, I assumed that the house came under new management.
What about Lann-Ael by Lostmarch for your daughter? That a pretty and yet soft spoken gourmand scent. CJ scents offers a nice selection and her prices are very good. I own Lemonilla which is a bit like a lemon shortbread cookie, nice in summer. Bronze Goddess for something beachy. Also, there are so many nice vanilla scents out there. Laurence Dumont is a very affordable line that has several nice scents including Tender Madeline, which is supposed to be a dup. for some expensive scent but I can’t remember which one. I could go on but I think I’ve said enough. ????
Oops, this was meant to be posted under Absolute Scentualist….
Sorry, just one other suggestion. Olivine Atelier sells perfume oils and EDPs, some of which may appeal to someone your daughter’s age. I haven’t sniffed it personally but Amongst The Waves is supposed to be a nice beachy scent. I read a good review about it on Eau MG.
Thanks for all the great suggestions, everyone. I loved some of BPAL’s scents many years ago and she might really like them, too. I’ll make a list of these and check them out, though have samples of Dark Horse and Alaia Paris as well as a mini of Like This so could wear them around her and see what sort of reaction I get. Hopefully none will offend her teenage sensibilities as much as that wonderful Tauerville.
I wonder what the rebellious “trouble” scent is for this generation. Or is there even such a thing given all the options, fragrance restrictions in schools and the like? I remember my sister wore Tabu and I thought it was so dark, mysterious and amazing! I wonder how it’s held up over the years.
Yeah, the Insolence incident was memorable. It didn’t quite put me right off the perfume, but my nose was tested. And of course it was the edp concentration. She did something similar with some fruity body splash she had sprayed on with abandon right before dance class. I told her she had to go wash it off or else she’d make her classmates pass out when she started to sweat.
She does have pretty good taste in perfumes and clothes, though the latter is currently not quite as loud as they’d been in the past. But even angst hasn’t gotten her to give up on animal print. She and I are so opposite in that way. lol I keep telling her she’d love Absolutely Fabulous since she and I are so Eddie and Saffron in a lot of ways, though our taste in clothing is reversed.
There is one other Indie perfumer that I just thought of called Wiggle Perfume. I know the name is funny. She does a lot of perfume oils. As a matter of fact, I have a 5ml rollerball that I only used a few times. The scent is pumpkin amber coconut oil. I will send it to you if you are interested. If so, please email me at llombardi underscore four two ar hawtmale.
Petunia’s comment made me think of Tokyo Milk!
Inspired by Luna Green, I’m in Safran Troublant, which I got from Hera, truly a goddess, in the last Freebiemeet. Perfect for a chilly, gloomy day. That and today’s Freebiemeet have really cheered me up.
PSA: I may be the last one to know, but Luca Turin’s Folio Columns is now available in paperback.
Hello and Happy New Year, all my lovely scented friends! (Special waves to Poodle and Merlin.) I’ve been AWOL a long time due to my health taking a serious nose dive (again!) Just call me the human yo-yo. I’ve just been given a new lease on life by a German hospital (as opposed to a very dire prognosis by two successive Dutch specialists) and a treatment plan. I came home a few days ago and need to recover from all the examinations and to reset my brain.
To celebrate, my very caring and generous ex, (whose family has dubbed “the walking wallet”), treated me to a perfume shopping spree my last afternoon in Hamburg. I tried out and bought long-dreamed of fragrances and one shop was also generous with samples!
I’ve got to take another rest, but will try to list all purchases later today. I’ve never abandoned my perfume lust and have occasionally lurked here. But now I plan to participate actively again!
Yay! Glad to hear that you’ve got a hopeful treatment plan. Welcome back
I’m so glad to hear from you here again, Jonette! I’ve wondered how you’ve been and thank goodness things are looking up. Best wishes to you and I hope you have a happy and healthy 2016.
Well welcome back Jonette!!We might go quiet sometimes,but this is always a happy place for me too,even just to lurk sometimes.
OMG!!! I thought something positively awful happened to you. I am soooo happy to see you back again! I hope everything gets back on track for you health wise this year. Hopefully this new treatment plan will do the trick.
Hey Jonette,
Nice to meet yah here among the scent sistahs and boys! So glad you are up and being indulged with perfume.
Warmly, Oakland
Glad to see you back, Jonette!
How wonderful to see you back! Sounds like you have been run through the mill, but I’m so glad you are feeling better and have a good plan.
Looking forward to hearing what these newly acquired treasures are – If not up to it today please post during the week or when you next have some excess energy
My very warm thanks to those who’ve welcomed me back: Poodle, Merlin, Goddessrena, Holly, Johnanob, Oakland and hajusuuri and anyone else I may have skipped.
The shops I visited were: the Chanel Boutique, Harold Lubner and the department store Alsterhaus.
I broke this up into two visits on the same day (afternoon and evening) with a stop back at my hotel in between to try to wash off scent so I could try more when I returned to make my purchases. Everything I actually tried on my skin had real lasting power, so I pretty much ran out of skin to test on.
At Chanel, I bought 31 Rue Cambon and Bois des Iles. I asked for and received samples of Coromandel and Sycomore. I haven’t tried the Sycomore yet, but am regretting not having also bought Coromandel. I am deeply in love with it and it is on my wish list! I think I once wrote
about my negative experience some years ago visiting the Chanel Boutique in Amsterdam. The sales woman was very snooty and unpleasant and refused to give me any samples. With reluctance, she sprayed my wrists. The staff in Hamburg were polite and accommodating. Bois des Iles filled a decades-long wish to find a fragrance that reminded me of the dimestore talc in the ’50’s: Cashmere Bouquet.
My biggest score was at Harold Lubner, where I also enjoyed a great perfume conversation fix with the knowledgeable saleswoman. Lots of sniffing test strips, and then deciding what to test on skin. I ended up with:
Santa Maria Novella Patchouli and two of the soaps (one a gift from the shop!) This was on my to-buy list and is my second bottle. My first was bought from a friend who had used a bit and found it too strong. It lasted me about 14 years and there is just a tiny dark 1/8″ left in my bottle that still smells wonderful! All those years of dabbing and it never went off! I will use it to scent numerous baths, as just a couple of drops are potent enough.
I also bought Passiflora and Ume by Keiko Mecheri, and received the following 2 ml samples by Heely: Bubblegum Chic and Cocobelle and Creed Virgin Island Water.
I also received the following 3.5 ml samples by Frederic Malle: Noir Epices, Dries van Noten, Musc Ravageur, En Passant, Le Parfum de Therese, Iris Poudre, Dans tes Bras, and Eau de Magnolia.
I was also given a 4 ml sample of L’Original by Andree Putman.
In the evening, after making my purchases at both stores, I went to Alsterhaus, where I was told (correctly) that I might be able to find my makeup, which is sold out all over Europe due to a factory problem. I bought the last two tubes that Alsterhaus had! The saleswoman told me there had been a run on them and she had sold 60 to that many customers that day!
While there, I went to the Guerlain section and finally got to try on two scents I was convinced I would love, after years of reading reviews. Nahema was almost a scrubber for me and it was like, not love for L’heure Bleu. But then I tried Vol de Nuit (edp) and it was love! When I tried the extract, I was a goner! But I decided to buy at a future date, as I didn’t trust my nose or pulse points any more.
BTW, my Christmas present to myself here in Holland was a new large bottle of Carnal Flower (I went through the other one in two years, and wore it more than anything else). I also ordered some samples and the shop (Skins) gifted me with a 12 ml o9f Blanche by Byredo.
Sorry this was so long, but I wanted to share.
Your day is a perfumista dream come true, sounds perfect. Nahema was a no-go for me as well, and I’ve only tried the edt version of modern Vol de Nuit. Would love to sample the extrait, the bottle is so covetable.
Ahhh…Sounds like a perfect perfumista trip!Your purchases are all lovely!Pity that the two Guerlain lovelies did not work for you!I was always a bit meh about Nahema until I found an 80’s Parfum de Toilette for something like 50 scents….BEST.BARGAIN.EVER.Carnal Flower is definitely gorgeous!
That sounds like a dream! And I’m so glad to see you (and your beautiful kitty avatar) back here.
I’m grinning from ear to ear! What a fabulous catch
Santa Maria Novella has turned into one of my favorite brands. I have sniffed the Patchouli but sniffed a few others the day I tried it and did not get a clear impression. Have you smelled the Etro one? I remember thinking it similar? Perhaps that is just to say on the opposite side of the spectrum to Coromandel which is amber-ed, sweet and warm. The SMN and Etro seem more dry and herbal to me.
Wishing you lots of pleasure from your gorgeous and much-deserved fumes!
OMG, I hereby anoint you Donatella 2.0. Congratulations!
Welcome back, and all my best wishes for your new lease on life!
Thanks, Squirrely.
Correction to my post: the Vol de Nuit was edt, not edp.
My absolutely favourite book about perfume is Richard Stamelman’s “Perfume: Joy, Obsession, Scandal, Sin”. It’s so lush with pictures and fascinating information.
In the chapter on 19thC French Perfumery he talks of the fancy bottles that were fashionable in the Belle Epoque: “Pisseuses à parfum (from the French word ‘pisser’, to pee) were tiny atomisers in the shape of a half-naked woman from between whose legs a tiny hole emitted a spray of perfume” Wow. How wonderfully louche!
and another from 1870 called a ‘bague à jet d’odeur’ that was essentially a ring with a bulb that sprayed frangipani perfume in a man’s face when he kissed your hand. How charming… :-/ Although I’m sure all that hand-kissing must’ve gotten rather tiresome in it’s politeness and and just begged for some humiliating fun
Oh WOW!!I’ve been on a Perfume-history kick of late myself!This book sounds wonderful!!I’ve been enjoying reading Lizzie Ostrom’s book as well,but this sounds deliciously decadent!
I just looked up the Lizzie Ostrom book on amazon and it’s selling from $455 to $599 (USD)! So take care of your copy, I guess?
What???You’re kiddding!!That must be a glitch of sorts!I paid around $45 for my copy!
I just looked, and there are books starting at USD $ 455 and going up! But the Kindle edition is $ 14. At Amazon UK, the price of a new hardcover is just under £ 15, with used copies going for half the price.
Overnight storms and today is the definition of “Blustery”- I’m happy because it’s cooled off quite a bit and a perfect day to wear PG Felanilla.
Per Luckyscent: “Sweetly-spicy, indolent and animalic, this ferocious vanilla is a graceful predator ready to pounce. Sublime!”
It has even inspired me to do a bit of housework today. Miracles can happen!
This morning I put on Si from my unused sample collection. Too much vanilla for me, but not yet a scrubber.
I remember liking the gingery bits in that one before it settled down into a heart of soapiness on me.
‘Morning, again!
I’m finding myself tempted to buy the Mystery Scent thingy from Luckyscent. I don’t know why. Not usually my bag to buy unsniffed and potentially have more unwanted stuff. Anyone else tempted? Anyone try it when it apparently happend in the past? Any samples I *must* get, if I’m gonna be getting something from Luckyscent anyway?
Thanks!
‘k. Just saw that they have Chypree Mousse, which I haven’t tried yet. They have a lot of houses I never get a chance to try, even at the fabulous Our Lady of the Scented Wrists! . . . ugh. My sample pile has been an unattended obligation for a rather long time. Seems wrong to add to it.
But, it’s an adventure and it might deliver wonders unthought. Even if it doesn’t, well, the sky won’t fall on your head!
Now that it seems fairly certain we won’t be travelling to the States this year, and maybe never again, I’m planning just such an adventure at Luckyscent as you are contemplating. Obviously, I hope for glories, but if I get duds, then at least I’ve learned some stuff!
Anything on your list?
I’ve found Chypree Mousse, Tihota, and Peau de Peche so far. I’m trying to focus on things I can’t sniff elsewhere and seem to be getting plenty perfumista love.
Millions on my list, but I have no idea what I will finally order! I’m just going to hold it lightly until the time comes, and then follow my whim. Not much different from usual, really!
Marjorie Rose, I have some Chypre Mousse and Tihota I can send you if you like. Or I could meet you somewhere. Email is my username at a oh ell dotcom.
I’m similarly tempted by Mr. Burr’s latest mystery, even though “pink fruits” sounds a little young for me.
Yeah, I wondered at that bit, too. But green grass and peony sounds like warm weather, and I could use a little of that these days!
I thought pink fruits might (hopefully) be grapefruit. But the green part, and the overall description has me curious!
I’m tempted because the price is right. I like green grass scents and peonies. I’m trying hard to keep up my spending freeze but I’ll admit it’s got me curious.
Yes. $15 seems like a “good deal” for 30mL! (Unless I dislike it, of course!)
Good morning, all! Work again– why am I not more enthusiastic? At least in this largely unstructured period before the students come back and meetings fill my diary I can wear whatever random assembly of clothes and perfumes seems good at the time of choosing, so I’m in my softest jeans and a tee, teamed with gorgeous Apres L’Ondee. Al’O is rather wistful, I think, very gentle, yet surprisingly persistent. I feel refreshed by its whispy waftiness.
Hi all. I asked the other day how to thin out some vintage Cuir de Russie extrait that was a bit too dense. Based on the helpful responses, I dropped in some pure isopropyl alcohol and left it alone. Just dabbed it on and it smells great, plus it added to my mls so I really shouldn’t complain, but…
post dab, I settled on the couch to read. My dog hopped up, licked my wrist, then immediately started to roll on me! I guess I smell amazing to man and beast alike, but I’m a little concerned because she usually only gets excited like this over dead worms…
Yeah. There are dogs drawn to rubbing themselves into the stinkiest things! Maybe your dog just has better taste? I admit, I’ve never given dead worms a proper sniff.
What if dead worms smell like Cuir de Russie and we’re all missing out?!? lol
Glad the isopropyl worked out!
Late to the conversation! LOL
Just got back from Nashville, for a belated Christmas swap with my parents. The folks gifted me a bottle of Shalimar EdT. The 1st spray, I thought I was in trouble….SO strong. Then…..joyous beautiful Shalimar dried down and is glorious. Just like I remember it years ago!
Back in Atlanta now, and it’s front and center of my perfume collection. Welcome back old friend!
Also got a Belk giftcard, and some Belk rewards to redeem….so it’s almost certain that a new scent will find it’s way to me tomorrow! Maybe Black Cashmere Mist? Daisy Dream? Who knows? Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone! (And smell great doing it!)
Ooh, I love having giftcards, enjoy the decision process.
Way up there at Petunia, I’ve tried emailing you and can’t get through… Why don’t you email me mds4pak at sbcglobal dot net Thanks.