It's Almost-Friday! What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm wearing Etro Shaal Nur.
Reminder: tomorrow is Shalimar Friday! Wear Guerlain Shalimar, or a Shalimar flanker, or a perfume that is related to Shalimar in some way (it does not have to be by Guerlain!)
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2016, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: the Etro top is currently on markdown at the brand website, $518.
Wow, that Etro top is a bargain. Such a deal.
Wearing La Danza delle Libellule by Nobile 1942. It has warmed up this week and I haven’t been feeling my stronger scents. Happy Thursday all!
For Etro it’s not a bad price! Luckily I don’t need one.
That is lucky Robin. I thought about it but ultimately decided that I’d rather buy perfume!
Haha. You know you’re a perfumista when…you consider prices of everything in terms of the number of perfume botttes
That top is a steal for a mere $518!! Sign me up
No SOTD yet, but have another interview in a bit, so will go with something conservative- probably SL Un Bois Vanille. I have a second follow-up interview tomorrow regarding yesterday’s interview as well, so I am hopeful. It would be nice to head into the Saturday knowing I had a job to go to on Monday.
I have to run so I can order one of those snappy shirts ASAP
Good Luck today Deva!
Good for you! I hope you’ll be able to report on a new job this Sat.!
Wishing you the best of luck!
Good luck!
Best wishes!
Good luck!
Best of luck!
Wow, your job search is going fast, best of luck to you!
Good luck!
Good luck Deva dear! You’ve got this.
Also – I am loving that puppy-faced icon.
Best wishes!
Good luck!
Good luck, Deva!
Best wishes – hope all the interviewers offer you the job so you can take your pick. Stay confident!
You got this Deva! Have a great day!
Good luck!
Good luck!
You go, girl!
Good luck & congrats on turning your bad situation around so fast!
Best of luck, and congratulations on already having an iron in the fire!
Good luck!!!
Good luck!
Sounds promising! Best of luck Deva!
Good luck, I’m glad that things are looking up so quickly.
Knock em dead!
Go get them!
Romantina by GHaG again, last of the sample.
I really like that one. I have the sample set, and it’s in my top three of the set.
Same!
Giulietta Has a Gun?
Just kidding (although that would fitting since the line was launched by an Italian guy).
????
My SOTD is MDCI’s La Promesse de l’Aube, currently drinking Sikkim Temi, which is ok, but not great. Promesse on the other hand is gorgeous!
You smell lovely. That’s a beautiful scent. (I have a 10 ML sample)
That’s a lovely fragrance.
I’m wearing Fracas. I haven’t worn it for a while, partly because my bottle is almost empty, but it’s still so beautiful.
Fracas was possibly the first scent I bought after discovering niche/NST, but I hadn’t yet realised that one can have several scents on the go in parallel. So I wore Fracas for something like three months straight. I have no regrets.
I’ve really grown to like Fracas and just got a mini of the parfum which is very potent. You smell lovely!
Nor should you!
There’s good reason Fracas is a classic.
Although I love Fracas, in the parfum especially, I can’t see myself wearing it 3 weeks in a row. Mind you I wore Paris for years, alternating with Anais Anais every now and again.
Really? So did I, but long after they came out. I had minis of each that I bought in the early 2000s and that was pretty much my perfume wardrobe for a few years.
Twins! Fracas is lovely.
Such a beautiful winter white.
I’m in Balenciaga Paris and liking this one more and more. It’s pretty but has an edge to it too.
I agree, this one is very nice – among the best mainstream scents.
I really like this one too, i’ve only got a 10ml dabber, and yet it still has a strong presence, it’s really versatile.
I need to revisit this one. I tried it recently but it was among five things I spritzed on my arms in a store, and I lost track of which was which. Is it a violet-y make-up-ish scent?
It’s not a powdery violet but a very green one.
I keep wanting to try this one, but was afraid it might be to powdery. thanks for the info.
This is one of my favorites, and one that I wear regularly. It is the perfume that got me into fragrances. Its launch was a game changer for me. It used to be my “signature” scent, but really it was my gateway. It would definitely be my desert island fragrance.
I really like that one. I just bought the Essence though as I prefer it just that little bit more for it’s greener more violetty aspect- and that it appears to be disappearing from shelves.. :-/
SOTD is Azemour les Oranger again, beautiful on this bright and sunny afternoon, a great perfume for spring cleaning/ housework.
You smell fantastic!
Thanks!, Azemour was my first perfume purchase of the year!- i think my 100ml bottle will last me awhile!
Twins! Isn’t Azemour just perfect? You smell great!
Thank’s, It’s so beautiful!
Such a great perfume for almost anything.
Yes, and i’m surprised and delighted that it hold’s it’s own in chilly weather!
I LOVE everything that Etro does.
Their men’s suits are amazing; a bit flashy, but amazing. I will never be able to afford anything from that brand other than fragrance, but that’s ok.
The way that Messe the Minuit has been reformulated, however, is just strange: it went from Gothic darkness to cheery hippy (IMO)
SOTD is Féminité du Bois.
Gosh. I do not love Messe de Minuit but that’s sad.
I’m glad I bought several Etro perfumes around 2009. Another weird and wonderful one is Palais Jamais, a smoky tea floral that is what Un Jardin sur Nil should have smelled like.
The notes sound lovely nozknoz. I wonder if they have reformulated it since you bought your.
You wouldn’t want to buy without trying it!
Actually wearing JdN today, as someone on a blog reminded me of it earlier. It’s nice enough, but better for the summer, and I don’t need more than a mini of it.
Oh no, I love Messe de Minuit, that is not good news. It has been on my full bottle list for ages! Ugh.
SOTD is Modern Muse Le Rouge.
Is it Friday yet?
Not yet! but close!
Yes it is…down here anyway.
Salvador Dalí parfum (in that nose-and-lips bottle but ink-black): the top notes are completely ruined, just acetone, but underneath is a dense eighties floral oriental with a thick curl of incensey wood smoke. Great on a cold winter’s day.
Is that the first Dali perfume? I loved it, I think I’ve got a mini of it somewhere.
Yeah, the original from the mid eighties. It was my gateway drug to the world of perfumery.
Today I’m sampling Roses de Chloe, which seems to be a quite nice, but rather basic rose. Demeter does it better.
Funny how some Demeters are better than prestige launches, isn’t it? Their Egg Nog is better than the (discontinued) CSP Vanille Cannelle, and I like their Incense more than any other incense-heavy scent I own. What they do well, they do REALLY well.
I totally agree, and their colognes often last a lot longer on my skin than some edps.
Demeter was my gateway drug, and I still love Thunderstorm, Firefly, and their perfect, basic Linden.
Their Vetiver is DAZZLING. Incredibly good for the price.
Many of their dessert scents are interchangeable and in a collection that big of course there are some duds, but I could name about twenty that are genuinely terrific fragrances, that bring me as much pleasure as anything I own. Ginger Ale! Waffle Cone! Blue Hawaiian (RIP)!
I t would be great to do a favourite Demeter post…to help separate the good from the bad, given how many there are.
I went through a Demeter phase last year and sampled nearly 20 of their scents. I enjoyed the ride, but did not feel compelled to buy more, except…. the Frangipani… I keep thinking about it! I may have to buy another sample of the Frangipani and see if it real love…
I liked Roses de Chloe and bought a bottle when it launched (before my perfume obsession), but then sold it after my husband said it smelled like bug spray. He has a weird sense of smell. :-/
In the last two weeks I’ve worn two other rose fragrances, Evening Rose by Aerin Lauder and Desert Rose by Dame Perfumery. Both have some heft and complexity to them. While I don’t get bug spray out of Roses de Chloe, I don’t get a lot of development either. As I mentioned above I have two roses from Demeter, Pruning Shears and Flower Show and both are more interesting than the Chloe, and a heck of lot cheaper.
Wearing nothing yet. I think today might be a Kyoto or Zagorsk kind of day.
I’m wearing incense too.
Very much needing the stoic strength of Chanel today so I’m in 31 RC. I spent an hour cleaning up the conference room (my back is a bit better, but I think that’s all the manual “work” for the day) because we are having a group of high school kids from an entrepreneurship class come visit. The boss is giving a speech and is only just now preparing for what he’s going to say… I have to laugh, but it’s typical of him. I just told him his one rule for today was not to curse. He’s notorious for throwing profanities (especially f***) in his talks. He actually asked what he could get away with because cursing can have impact in the right way. Of course, I’m shaking my head because this is an educational trip for the kids and I’m sure he doesn’t want to run into any issues…. I relented and told him he could say s*** but not f***, which he agree to, but then said: Wait, f*** that, they’re not in catholic school!
*sigh*… at least he’s wearing pants today…. (he normally only shows up in a comic book themed tee and gym shorts).
I can so relate…to the language philosophy and the situation. When I worked for a welding supply house, we hosted kids from the tech HS. Our GM happily laid out various freebies. Later we got a call from a teacher, “Uh, did you give our kids BOX CUTTERS?”
As for language, I have a similar approach (though nowhere near that extreme).
HAHAHA BOX CUTTERS! That’s fantastic. WOW. That’s really priceless. I love it. I’m sure my boss would love that as well.
OY.
I mean, sure, they probably hear worse stuff on the bus, but hearing it from an adult on a school-sponsored trip is still a shocker.
Yeah, I guess I’m a little old fashioned in that way. My boss is much more relaxed. I usually just sigh and move on because I know he knows better and will handle the situation well. Sometimes I think he’s a loose canon but other times he surprises me with how put-together he is – even while wearing his token batman tee and grey gym shorts.
OMG! Jenkr you should go to Hollywood and pitch a TV show about that office! Comic-book tshirts and gym shorts. I can’t believe that happens in real life.
You have NO idea… hahahaa
We are a VERY laid back office here. The boss man is the biggest kid in the office and the most fun. I seriously LOVE my job and it’s a lot of fun being in this office.
That being said, when it’s time to put on the big Professional Pants with client meetings, etc… it can be a bit of a struggle with him.
He’s done the professional route before and hated it, which is why he’s so relaxed in his own business here.
This is funny! Love your boss! As a mom and I teacher myself, I have to say I’m quite a fan of profanities as an educational tool. I believe a well thrown f*** or s*** has the power of brining students closer, most specially those “difficult” ones, so they are in the right, attentive mood to understand the concepts I want them to.
Haha agreed. My boss can take it a bit too far though at times so it’s my job to reel him in.
This is a super fun office though and the best job I’ve ever had.
It must be hard work to pull the guy’s break, lol! But you are clearly happy and making friends in your new job, wgich is so cool. You go girl.
I have to remind him three times a day to eat something. He seriously never stops working. But at the same time he amazes me with how well he handles it and yes, that’s part of why I’m so happy here and enjoy my job. He never cracks, so it helps me keep my s*** together.
In one of the poetry classes I took in college we were studying Rilke, and our professor opened the day’s discussion by writing “The Condemnation of F***ing” on the chalkboard in big letters, and I was like, “Yay, college!”
Ha!
I don’t remember my college profs cursing much. Yours sounds much more fun.
Yes, they are grown, let’ s rock. Unexpected pop culture references are great attention grabbers, too.
Everything about your boss made me smile.
Remember to enjoy the moment, and don’t get stressed out over his actions. You smell lovely!
Hahaha, I know better than to be too vigilant about stuff with him. It only gives him more fuel for poking fun. He’s got a good head on his shoulders… usually. He forget a few things though (like some client meetings), so yeah.. I do have to remind him to wear pants. I usually send him a text the night before or will talk with him the day before to make sure he’s got all his ducks in a row so to speak.
Maybe he needs to keep a back-up pair in the office
Oy indeed.
He doesn’t wear PANTS?
Why are you not in charge again?
This isn’t a normal office – by any stretch of the imagination. We’re a digital marketing company (SEO, PPC) and although we could WFH, he likes everyone being together so we can help each other and he has teaching sessions all the time due to how fast our industry changes. And he’s totally ok with everyone being casual – mostly because he is as well. We make our own hours, come to the office in sweats or house slippers (seriously, half the guys in this office wear house slippers here). I wouldn’t want to be in charge, but I’m glad that I’m trusted so much by my boss to deal with and pay for stuff he doesn’t have time for. His schedule is literally a full time job in itself. Juggling his work is nerve-wracking at times, but he’s always good about it. He NEVER takes anything out on his employees and spoils us rotten – which is a wonderful psychological trick to get us to work our butts off for him because of how grateful we are to him. And it very much does work.
Working here is like managing a circus. It’s a lot of work, but also a ridiculous amount of fun.
Aaaah – ok! That is so interesting. As long as you are treated well, and are happy and having fun, I’ll lay off my judgmental comments.
Sorry about that. But what an interesting environment. And it’s an interesting counterpoint to “dress for the job you want.”
Three interestings in one short paragraph. Ugh. This is what happens when you comment while working.
Ha, yeah, we usually tell interviewees DO NOT DRESS UP. It’s all about the right work environment here – the more relaxed you are then the better you work.
Heh. Come visit Silicon Valley, my dear ihadanidea. T-shirt and jeans in the winter, t-shirt and shorts in the summer. The best I can hope for from most colleagues, sartorially, is that the clothes are clean. At a tech company, a suit is oh so clearly “not technical”.
This made me laugh – I have to say I agree that the odd well judged word can have huge impact especially when people don’t expect it of you. A tip for your boss – one of my teachers when I was 17 used to use German swear words when teaching us English literature, or random Irish semi swear words (he was Irish). Sort of might allow him to get away with it.
Meanwhile you of course smell great.
Haha, I think my boss would find learning new curse words a lot of fun, but only if he could say them. German ones maybe… I don’t think he’d handle French ones well.
That convo I posted is just a typical interaction. Literally, a daily sort of tit-for-tat that happens here and is part of why I love working here, even if it does get hectic.
I love swearing in other languages! It allows me to get away with so much. I have a choice word in German that I use, and some Sacres Quebecois I like to trot out. I can use them with impunity as French-Canadians are quite rare this far south. Next project is learning to swear in Russian. I’m learning the language itself, and the Cyrillic alphabet, but I haven’t gotten to the colorful phrases yet.
Swearing in a foreign language always seems kind of daring, thrilling and hilarious. Like being a child again and being naughty …..and bold.
Exactly! It makes it so much more entertaining. Especially if it’s a language that’s relatively rare in your area. It’s like speaking a secret language.
Ha! I think I love your boss! What a character- I want his job! How do I apply? ????
Oh goodness, I don’t know if you’d want to run the company. I can totally see wanting to be in the “fun” part of what he does – a lot of it is his quick wit. He is definitely a character – he’d prefer Spiderman, which is his favorite. When I let him know something good I call him “Spidey Boss” – he loves it. He works insane hours though. I see him online all the time since we all communicate via gchat. I also get emails from him at all hours of the day/night. Not stuff to do at that moment, but more to make sure I have it for when I’m next in the office. Like I mentioned above, juggling his schedule really is a full time job in and of itself…
He is a great boss though.
He sounds like a dream boss. I can’t complain about mine. She’s pretty cool, but not as much fun.
He really is and it cracks me up because every time someone asks me about my job I just gush about it – like I did all over this post. Most people I know don’t work at places where they love what they do, let alone half the people they work with. I can honestly say that my boss is literally the best one ever. It’s because he’s so good to us as employees that despite there being a multitude of personalities in this office, we all get along really well out of a mutual respect for him. There are a couple bad apples in the batch (those who take advantage of his kindness), but in general he’s cultivated such a good work environment that no one has any reason to complain. The only complaints made are about our annoying clients, which he’s totally fine with us whining about.
Going for L’Artisan Noir Exquis for a day on the road to Palm Springs to meet up with family (Canadian snowbirds) in town this week.
Ahhhh, Palm Springs! We used to go there a lot when I was a kid. Fond memories but I haven’t been there in many years and I’m afraid to see how it’s changed. Enjoy!
If it’s any reassurance, I got to go to a wedding out there last year and it felt super old school Palm Springs–loved it!
That’s the way I remember it but was assuming it has grown and become more citified. Old school PS is kind of romantic to me.
It was so romantic! I had thought it was odd that they were getting married there (neither have any particular connection to the place) but now I totally get it.
Have a great trip. What is the Noir Exquis like? I keep on being interested, and they are one of my favourite perfume houses, but not sure how much of it I would use, would love to know your thoughts on it.
Scent twin! I think Pixel sent me this sample.
This might be the first vanilla I have liked in a long time–and it even has some gourmand notes. Which just goes to show that the old perfume adage that you should try everything even if you think you won’t like it….is true. I like the opening better than the dry down, but I appreciate the coffee nutty-caramel finish because it is not too foody (I do realize that sounds totally contradictory!). I think my issue with some vanillas is the sweetness… I like many sweet scents, just not sweet vanilla scents… Noir Exquis is not overly sweet to my nose.
When I eventually make it to the U.S., Palm Springs is a non-negotiable destination. Glad to hear it still has it’s mid-century vibe intact.
I was thinking of Shaal Nur as a work-friendly Shalimar stand-in for tomorrow but I can’t find my sample
Cristalle edp for me again today. I was trying to date my bottle which appears to be from the 90s and differs a bit from the decant I used up in that this has noticeable oakmoss in the drydown which is a huge plus for me. I liked the modern version but the older version feels more complex. I could theoretically wear this everyday
I love the use of theoretically there! Hope you’re feeling better.
Thank you SophieC! It’s definitely better than yesterday after a massage and hot bath. None of us would be on here if we were capable of a one and only, I think!
I am thinking the same – Shalimar is just not work fragrance, even though it’s definitely gorgeous. I’m thinking of either Guerlain Bois d’Armenie or Shaal Nur. Love that one!
Afrika Olifant by Nishane today, as I explore my gifted Nishane sampler. Was it Perthie that said this was related to L’air de Rien? I can see a connection, though I think I like L’air de Rien better. Still nice, especially because I can actually smell myself without doing the salute.
That Etro shirt is fabulous, as are most Etro things. I’m guessing I’m not only one who calculates how many bottles of perfume I could have gotten with that money instead, however, so sadly, it will have no future in my closet.
I recently tested L’Air de Rien and rather liked it, though it mostly smells like “skin” musk to me, quiet and pleasant.
I wouldn’t have expected that it would be quiet for you, as your nose is so much more sensitive than mine (mine is more of a blunt instrument). It’s one of the few things that is big on me, and also one of my true perfume loves. Glad you liked it!
Miller Harris’ L’Air de Rien is my SOTD!
You smell faaaaaaabulous dear.
Gorgeous!
You’re not the only one. I think about it even when paying for basics. Like, I could have bought two bottles of Les Exclusifs for what I spent at my last Costco run!
Groceries vs. Chanel – the eternal debate.
Same with new car tires, new mattresses, new glasses, new winter coats, new boots…. I sometimes think I would let myself get rather shabby for my love of perfumes!
I’ve lost just enough weight to need new clothes, and I’ve been thinking a lot about the perfume I might buy if I just keep wearing baggy tops and hitching up my pants.
Sounds like you have a spray sample
mine is just a dabber that I waved the magic wand on my wrist with, so I’ll have to give it a more serious attempt, and compare.
Have you tried the petit rien?
My brain now translates every $100 increment into a bottle of perfume. So that Etro shirt is 5 bottles of perfume => not worth it
Today I am having lunch with someone, and I am hoping to come across as interesting, and pretty. So I am wearing Lou Lou, which fits that description. I hope it conveys well on me.
Good choice – you smell lovely!
Lou Lou is among the top 10 fragrances of all time in my humble opinion. But it sure does bring back high school memories for me!
I’m sure you can accomplish that without LouLou
But LouLou is such a fun, kinda flirty, and unique little gem. I wore it last night after a bath. It makes me happy.
I am sure you will more than achieve this – and of course you smell prefect for this.
Thanks Everyone!
I never tried Lou lou, but it sounds amazing. I was more of an Anais Anais fan. Hope your lunch meeting goes well!
I fondly remember Lou Lou…interesting and pretty are in the bag.
Oh my! How exciting and I’m sure you’ll knock ’em dead on all counts????
Will Vanille 44 do as Shalimar-adjacent? I’d been planning to do an outright boycott
but I might be in vanilla and citrus despite myself. (This stuff is just so good!!)
Thanks to all well-wishers for my tech support debacle–I managed to escape my house (for the first time in five days) AND get the Internet restored so hopefully my sanity can’t be far behind now
YAY RESTORED INTERNETS!
WHEW! I really feel SO relieved–when they were saying it’d be a total of two weeks before they’d come at all, and probably it would not be fixed on that first repair visit… I suppose I am grateful for my France-honed skills in bureaucracy navigation
YAY INTERNET! Now you can get snowed in no problem.
I know right?! Trapped by snow OR no internet, but not both!!
Welcome back to the world! You haven’t missed much, but I’m sure it’s great to come out of hibernation:-)
Ha, yes funny how simply being cut off for a few days is all it takes to make regular day-to-day life SO APPEALING–I’ve never been so delighted to pay my health insurance premiums!
I’ve tried to unplug intentionally for a bit but it’s sooooo hard. It’s that “fear of missing out” thing again. But it’s nice to have that renewed zest for things like bill paying.
It definitely made me consider what if any are the benefits of unplugging–I know people who make it a regular thing, and they say it’s really a destressor for them, but, um, that was not my experience!
Missed the debacle but glad to have you back!
Thank you, ME TOO
Everyone can interpret the “related to Shalimar in some way” however they wish! And gosh, internet is good, yes!
Operable internet AND no more hours spent trying to make Verizon give us internet: I truly do not know which is the greater blessing
Had an urge for an early spritz – 4711 was perfect. Today is our last (forecast) grey day before a week of sun and high temps. I’m giddy running possible activities through my head.
Wow summer arrives early. Enjoy the good weather and perfume options going with it.
Love 4711!
I smelled 4711 a long time ago…I know it is citrusy but is it verbena too please? Not sure the difference between citrus and verbena now that I think about it.
I am trying to capture the scent of Lush’s Baked Alaska soap which I am currently using in a perfume. It’s strong citrus but doesn’t make it much past the shower itself sadly.
Pretty sure 4711 is citrus, no verbena. L’occitane Verbena is great for a stand-alone, and I think I recall one of the Guerlain colognes being citrus & verbena. But for the price difference, 4711 is perfect as is!
L’Occitane’s Verbena (Verveine) is citrus + verbena. Their Citrus Verbena (Verveine Agrumes) is more citrus-y. Verveine Agrumes is currently on seasonal sale. Or I could send you a sample, since my 5.1oz (!) bottle just recently arrived. Ping me at emc dawt 7 1 1 7 in the land of geeeeeemail.
Have you tried Lush’s Dad’s Garden Lemon Tree? I sprayed it the other day and it was both lemony and a bit lavender, and long lasting.
Getting giddy is one of the best things in life!
Jicky EDT vintage – one of my first sample orders was for a long list of classics. The benefit of organizing my collection is that I am finding samples that intimidated me when I first began sniffing. I am much more open to “interesting” now than when my only bottles were Happy and Brit. Now I just need to be willing to sample even when the bottle price is way out of my league!
I always think starting with the classics is a good idea!
Jicky was my first perfume love and still is one of my favs! I wore sample of the parfum to my wedding (though I have only smelled the modern, not the vintage). Please don’t mind me if I just stand here and huff you a bit!
You smell fabulous! Jicky is one of my favorites.
When I first fell down the rabbit hole, I went nuts for learning about the classics. I’d pick a house, order samples of their classics from TPC, and then sniff on and learn. It’s fun to understand how fragrance develops over time!
You smell fantastic. I love Jicky.
I can’t do Jicky. Even if a FB is out of your price range, you can still get decants.
I’ve read so much about Jicky that I made my way to the perfume section of my nearest department store to try it out last weekend! Unfortunately, I’m a huge clutz, and instead of spraying it onto the piece of paper in my hand, I somehow managed to spray it in my eye. I think I liked it, but the painful memory of perfume eye makes me irrationally wary of ever trying it again.
Just a tiny bit of modern Shalimar, to compare to the vintage I’ll don tomorrow. Radio just played Iggy Pop’s new song Gardenia–at times he sounds eerily like Bowie, or it sounds like Bowie’s singing backup.
I had the same thought regarding the Iggy Pop song.
I think “Lust for Life” would make a great perfume name… (Apologies to Irving Stone!).
SOTD is Fracas. I got a new blazer yesterday, and I felt like wearing it with my boots and a BWF. Mission accomplished!
A very good friend gave me the Hamilton soundtrack last night. I am so excited. I’ve been streaming it ever since it became available, but this is so much better. Listening to it at this quality level gives me chills all over again. I’m seriously considering forgoing my usual summer vacation to Washington state and spending the money on a trip to New York to see Hamilton on Broadway. I really want to see the original cast for this one.
BWF and boots, yes!
(Actually, who am I kidding? BWF and anything rocks.)
Ha – I find I am increasingly tending towards this frame of mind (having started out as an oriental perfume person as a teenager too many years ago) some sort of shift seems to be occurring. Got a completely random compliment on Carnal Flower the other day at the butchers which really made me think about buying at least a small 10ml spray of it.
I’m also a boots fan. They give me a boost of “you can do this!”
AWESOME!
OH MY GOD I’ve been listening to Hamilton on repeat since October, and finally convinced my boyfriend to listen to it in December, and now we walk around quoting it. I very badly want to go see it, but I don’t really see that happening in the near future for me, very very very sadly. I don’t think I’ll catch LMM in the title role, which really breaks my heart. If you go, please do comment on how amazing it is and compare it to the soundtrack.
I KNOW THE FEELING. I feel like everything I say lately is either about Hamilton, inspired by Hamilton, or can be linked back to Hamilton after I say it. It’s crazy.
I’m going to try my best to catch LMM on stage. I’ve loved him for a long time, and getting to see him live would be amazing. I’m planning for this fall. I only need one ticket, so they’re slightly easier to come by.
I’m in Philosykos and looking forward to getting to wear Shalimar tomorrow (of course, my boss wears it, so I get to smell it often! Lucky me.).
Been thinking a lot about how much perfume I ultimately want to own (I recently removed a bunch of bottles from my collection–gave some away at the freemeet and am holding the others until the next one). People’s comments about having goals to wear their entire collection / get through all their samples / etc have had me thinking: what’s my goal with this?
Ideally I think I’d like to have a small, curated collection full of scents that I love (even if some of them are “sometimes” scents). I don’t want anything I only think is “nice” or “okay”. I want to get impatient when I think about the scent I get to wear tomorrow.
But here’s the thing: I almost never buy full bottles of things I’ve sampled–even if I loved the sample. Almost all of my FBs have been impulse purchases when I find something that’s gotten a decent review in a discounter. And most of those are nice (Donna Karen Gold, Lolita Lempicka, etc.) but not really “me”. Curbing the impulse buys would save me a fair bit of money for buying scents I love, but…part of me is definitely in it for the thrill of smelling something new (and some of my favs: Joy, Private Collection have come from the impulse route).
I guess I’m torn between smelling the new and owning what I love (not to mention my nose / tastes / skin seems to have changed since the last time–a couple years ago–that I made any substantial perfume purchases and some of my previous favs are now merely “good”). Just musing–anyone who wants, please muse with me!
I’m with you – I don’t want any perfumes in my collection that are only “okay.” And yet I do! All of the offenders are either bottles purchased from Nordstrom Rack based on low price + good reviews or obtained through splits or decants. When I set out to buy a full bottle at full price (or discounted from fragrancenet, which doesn’t spark impulse purchasing due to the looooong shipping time), I think about it much more and buy only what I love. So that is my plan going forward.
I have been pondering this more generally of late. We are going through huge unpacking having just moved back home after over a year out (and most of our stuff in storage), and it really makes you wonder what to do with things that might be lovely but don’t get used that much (be it perfume, clothes or just random stuff). On the perfume angle sooo many samples have appeared it’s great and worrying at the same time, and I realise that I wear such a small amount of the FBs I have. If I could donate some of them more easily I would, and then a tightly edited collection appeals, with maybe samples for the occasional elements – does that make sense?
I suspect I would enjoy the order but worry that it might all feel a bit too elegant and not impulsive enough – after all part of the joy of our interest in perfume is it enables us to express different feeling and moods relatively easily (and indeed sometimes even change mood). Sorry for the essay and thanks for the thought provoking comment.
Swapping both here in Vancouver and with faraway NST pen pals has really helped this. I don’t mind trying a great decant knowing if it’s like not love I might be able to find a new home for it.
I find that the swapmeets really help me move along my less loved fragrances and get new things that I haven’t smelled yet. If I don’t like them either, then I can swap them along as well. It’s hard to decide how to manage your collection – one year you may be meh, and then the next is old love again. Tough decisions LOL!
I love swap meets and freebie meets- pass what you don’t love on! If you decide later you really do need it in your collection, you can ask for a little decant back!
That’s a tough one because there are SO MANY new fragrances to try each year as well. It’s easy to see why you’d be hesitant to buy FBs when there’s so much to sample (and a lot cheaper to sample).
I’m trying to curate my own collection as well. I realized I love leather fragrances, but I don’t need ALL of them. I just need the best ones that really speak to me – so I’ve been making lists of fragrances with notes and if it didn’t really speak to me – then once the sample is done – that’s it. Only put the ones on my FB wishlist that I really want to wear again and again and…
Ditto, ditto, ditto… I passed along several bottles at the last Freebiemeet as well that I just was not wearing…but it was so haaaaaard… I am even holding on to a vintage flask of No. 19 parfum that has really gone off, but since I can still find the bones of the original lurking in all the mess… I cannot bear to toss it (or to wear it
).
I’m in 2 minds. Actually, that’s not true. While a part of me thinks it wants a small collection of True Loves, I know myself better than that, and know from experience that my tastes change and over the years there have been many True Loves I’ve moved on from as well as many Like Not Love that have become Love, and also some that I’ve not liked at all that I suddenly like. And I’ve regretted almost all that Ive given away that I had liked/loved at some point. (Re-homing unwanted gifts and mistakes dont count. I will never love Lady Million). And discontinuations and reformulations… I’m the curator of an historic and rare collection! Lol.
But that said, I still like the idea of a smaller collection of ones that truly bring me joy. Sigh.
I recently unearthed my sample of Fille d’Eve and am wearing a generous smear and wishing I could stumble across a long-forgotten bottle for a reasonable amount of money. I can dream, can’t I?
I hadn’t heard of this one, but Beauty Encounter has a half ounce for *only* $275. Whew, I guess that’s not the reasonable amount of money you’re hoping for.
Not quite
I’m imagining $5 at an estate sale.
Sprayed on Bois des Iles while lazing around the apartment this morning, obsessively pinning home renovation ideas. This is what happens when I don’t have to go to the office. Maybe I’ll decide to be productive and get back to my to-do list…later.
I do that with my fantasy garden designs, esp over winter when I am stuck at home. I must have 20 different versions of my yard!
Oooh fantasy gardens! I have those- they make for fabulous daydreaming
Yes they do!!! I’d have rows and rows of peony, roses, herbs, iris….. I could go on and on!!! And one of those super fancy glass houses (headed no less) so I could garden through the winter too!
er, that should be heated!
Oh I definitely have pinterest boards for my fantasy gardens, too. I’m so excited to have land soon, after so long with only a balcony.
That sounds like a wonderful morning and you smell great.
Scent twins! It’s Box of Eels parfum for me today.
I had a perfume tragedy this morning: knocked over my Eels bottle. Oh Nooooooooooooooooo! I siphoned up as much as I could but still probably lost a ml or two. Boo.
???? horrors! When my no buy ends (and I get a job!) I am seriously thinking this needs to be my next FB. It just works- all the time, every occasion, and it like nothing else I have.
Eternally grateful to AnnS who introduced me to this lovely scent????
You are so welcome!
Oh so sad.
Ooooh Pinterest. So addicting.
You just did all that moving, so I vote for lazing about pinning your fingers off. Productivity can wait.
I won’t even let myself go onto Pinterest! I need the national guard to come and rescue me!!
Ha
The smackdown between Kiss Me Tender(discontinued) and Kiss Me Intense(reformulated version) has begun! I jumbled my samples around so I don’t know which is which.
It occurred to me that I could use this technique with other samples I have – just reach in, grab one and dab or spray without knowing anything whatsoever about what it is. Does anyone here do this ( besides doing Chandler Burr’s Untitled series)?
Also, last night I was looking to see if I’d missed the winter iris post, and bumped into the index of general perfume articles here on NST (under resources) and what a wealth of information! And check out the sample tray under the listing “things I wished I’d known as a newbie perfumista.” Really, even if you’ve been down the rabbit hole for a long while, there’s so much wonderful information here. Thanks again, Robin!
I haven’t tried the sample grab bag before, but it’s a fun idea!
I think I’ll do it, dottieNC!
OOOH, report back!
Done!
In the interest of Science!
Yes!
And winter iris post is coming soon, I have not forgotten! It’s almost done.
Thanks Robin!
I didn’t know Kiss Me Tender was discontinued! That makes me so sad. Please let us know how the intense is. I’ll certainly need a suitable replacement.
And I love the idea of a sample grab bag. I might have to try that. It sounds like a lot of fun!
Yes, missylulu, we were discussing the KMT vs. KMI dilemma yesterday. I’ll let you know the outcome of my little experiment soon.
While I was researching the notes for KMI, I found that I was influenced by what I read. Even the word “intense” affected my objectivity. So I think that doing some blind sampling of other stuff will be fun and educational as well.
Ok, so as far as I’m concerned, Kiss Me Intense is not *significantly* different from Kiss Me Tender on the whole. I think if you like KMT, you’d probably like KMI as well. The top notes in Intense are sharper and the anise is much more dominant to my nose, and it remains a key note throughout KMI’s development. Heliotrope makes its presence known much sooner and is more dominant in Tender, and perhaps that’s what makes it a softer, rounder fragrance. I personally don’t detect orange blossom, jasmine or ylang ylang in either one, and the spices are very muted on me in both as well. I detect more musk and creamy vanilla in the dry down of Tender than in Intense which also create a more fluffy, comforting feel. After eight hours, I’m still working on finding the incense purportedly in Intense, but it has slightly more woods in the dry down than Tender does.
I personally still prefer Kiss Me Tender. I think it’s more balanced and better blended than Kiss Me Intense. I found the anise note in Intense to overwhelm the more delicate facets found in Tender which are what captivate me. From the little that I found online, I was expecting Kiss Me Intense to be denser and warmer, with more vanilla and some more depth from the incense, and less of the green anise note. It’s quite possible that PdN actually did formulate it that way, and I just happen to be more sensitive to anise. Which trust me, I’ve had enough of today.
Wow, fantastic review. Thanks so much Holly!
Happy to do it, Petunia!
Holly, thank-you for the review! That is so helpful to know and a pleasure to read. I liked the amount of anise in Kiss Me Tender and it was still pretty prominent to me, so I don’t know that I’d want more of it! The more dominant heliotrope sounds nice though. Overall, thanks so much!
Strange Invisible Perfumes Fire and Cream. Very empowering for a work meeting, and nice on a hot day. This is my kind of fresh perfume. Natural smelling, textured and deep, it seems diametrically opposed to the flat calonic, mellony watery scents from the nineties.
That sounds perfect for here in the swamps. I need to explore this line someday soon. Love the name as well.
The bottles are super cute too, which never hurts…
I have a private Tai Chi lesson this afternoon. I don’t usually wear scent for exercise classes, but sometimes I put a couple of drops of SNM Melograno on a cotton ball and apply very lightly. Melograno suggests both Ivory soap and sandalwood, and if anyone could smell it, I think they’d assume it was soap. My Pilates teacher has scores of allergies, so I never wear perfume to that class.
I tried L’AP Noir Exquise recently and, besides the fact that it’s kind of boring, I didn’t really care for it owing to a buttery note. That spoiled another perfume for me, maybe SL Boxeuses. I’ve realized that I don’t like savory food notes in perfumes. Cumin would be the prime example.
I think Melograno does smell both clean and comforting – for me, it’s like a mashup of my mom’s No. 5 and my dad’s Old Spice. I love smelling it, though actually wearing it is disconcerting and feels like my parents are both standing right behind me.
That’s pretty cool, actually.
Oh, Mals, that’s funny!
And kind of cool, as Holly notes.
I find it very calming in a warm way.
today it’s MDCI Un Coeur en Mai, mostly because I’m already longing for spring
That’s a pretty one.
I’m not longing for spring yet! We’ve been having temperatures in the upper 40s (F), so the snow here is gradually melting. And my older son went off to school today in a short-sleeved shirt and cargo shorts, stating, “I refuse to participate in winter.”
Teenagers.
That’s a great line. I think I’ll use it this summer and refuse to participate in any temp >80 degrees by wearing a cashmere cardigan and a big bombastic oriental. That’ll go over well ????
oh yike.
I am not a summer fan, myself. I have nightmares of this kid taking a job in, oh, Florida or Louisiana eight years from now, and imploring me to come visit him. He hates winter that much.
That did indeed happen with a friend’s daughter. Lives permanently in Orlando now. As a result, SHE now gets to do the bulk of the travel!
I don’t like summer such that when spring comes, all I can think of is summer comes next!
Wish I could see that.
I have a very small sample of UCEM – so lovely! I wish the MCDI weren’t so spendy. I am also craving spring.
The MDCI’s are spendy, however, if you purchase one of their sample sets and then go on to purchase one of their scents they will deduct the price of the samples. Also, the bottles with the regular caps are much cheaper than the creepy statue/bust tops. I’m being a bit of an enabler because MDCI is an amazing house – I own and adore Enlevement, UCEM, Peche Cardinal, Rose de Siwa and am thinking I might love the latest Les Indes des Galantes once I try it because it’s been compared with Theorema.
The only MDCI I truly disliked was the pear one (La Belle Helene) – created by Duchaufour (who isn’t my favorite perfumer anyway ((gasps)) he’s just not my style)
My fav MCDI (and I’ve only tested a few) are Enlevement and Vespre Sicilianne (sp?). Lovely. And yes, those busts are creepy.
Love the busts! Don’t get creepy at all from them, but then I never saw one in person…
Hey, that’s good to know!
I love the MDCI’s too. I have full bottles of La Promesse and Enlèvement. And I’ve got samples of Vêpres, Le Rivage, Chypre, Rose, Un Coeur, Péché, Invasion and Nuit Andalouse. I wouldn’t mind a few more bottles either. Invasion for a start. One of my favourite masculines.
One thing I really like about MDCI is that their samples are so generous. My set was 10 ml splash bottles, I think. Plus, I was able to choose which fragrances I wanted.
I have those samples too, and I think for most scents it will probably be all that I need. It’s a lovely house, and not so outrageously priced these days, since most other houses have upped their prices.
I’ve been thinking about ordering another sample set for spring. I love Rose de Siwa and I am almost out. Wish I had ordered that instead of Peche, which I never feel like wearing. Peche is pretty but my tastes have changed.
I love Un Coeur en Mai is wonderful. I would love to have a bottle.
SOTD = Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant
Super busy today but tomorrow through Sunday I’ll be going on an intense hike to the top of a snowy mountain (7 feet of snow!!!) and staying in a cabin for a few days. Don’t know if there will be reception, so I’ll let all of you know I’ll definitely be wearing Shalimar (extrait) tomorrow. Enjoy your days!
The Elephant would be very nice in snow! Enjoy your Shalimar tomorrow.
The elephant, Shalimar, and a cabin in the snow- I don’t think it gets any better than that! Enjoy????
That sounds so wonderful. Where is the mountain?
Yesterday’s talk about violet tea made me crave a violet scent, so I’m wearing Misia.
Me too… I wore Jolie Madame to bed last night!
Bahaha, me three. I am wearing Tocca Violette today.
I’m in Penhaligon’s Violetta!
Testing CdG Blue Encens today and liking it. It reminds me of CSP’s L’eau du Gouverneur, with plenty of pepper and sheer spice.
I missed that connection — will have to try them together. But do have the full bottle of the CSP so probably don’t need the CdG!
Habit Rouge today. I think I’ll be reapplying frequently throughout the day in order to enjoy that lemonylemonylemonylemony opening salvo!
On my “one day” lists… you smell mahhhvelous!
I saw Habit Rouge on Fragrance net last night for about $50 for the EDP and the EDT was ridiculously cheap. Not sure which you are wearing with the lemony opening.
It’s the EDT, and it runs through its paces pretty fast, like “lemonylemonylemonylemonyGuerlinadeOoopsnowI’mgone!”
Love Habit Rouge! Great for a hot summer day Shalimar -challenge replacement too!
I’m wearing Attrape-Coeur, which feels very classic-Guerlain to me in the way that’s both kind of gross/medicinal and kind of delicious.
Ha! That’s an apt description of Guerlain and I think why I like them. Shalimar has that “ewww, mmmmm” effective for me.
I love the gasoline opening!
I’ve come to appreciate L’Heure Bleue but had a hard time getting used to a note that smelled medicinal to me.
I like the sound of that!
Portrait of a Lady today. Having previously thought it was way too heavy I suddenly adored it when I tried it at the FM shop and bought a small 10ml bottle. It felt very warming on the way in this am and makes me think of duty roses and a red velvet backdrop.
You smell great! Portrait of a Lady is what I reach for on those days when I need to remind people that while my immediate ancestors may have been dairy farmers, a few more generations back they were *nobility*.
What a wonderful way to think of it, and a great reason to wear POAL.
my friend said upon his first whiff of POAL that he imagined it was what a lord’s castle would smell like.
one would hope
I suspect it would in fact not be a very pleasant or rosy smell at all 
I love this on my clothes hours later. Completely wearable then!
great choice. I LOVE POAL.
POAL was my first niche full bottle, i absolutely adore it, and alway’s feel fantastic when i wear it.
I’m reaching for my neglected scents! SOTD is Piguet Baghari. It is very special to me, though I don’t wear it hardly at all, because it was my first big aldehyde love, waaaay before I came to terms with No 5. It is so elegant and laid back. I need a better outfit for wearing it though!
I love Baghari. Was sniffing it dreamily today in fact, and thinking about how it’s so nice yet so difficult to find the right weather/occasion to wear it. The aldehydes just seem to push it into the slightly ‘difficult’ area for me.
It is difficult. Today, thankfully, it is wearing perfectly and I’m in the far drydown that is lightly sweet and dry somehow!? And warm and very close. I wish it always performed so well for me. I put it in the same class as something like Mitsouko, Songes, Nuit de Tuberose…. fragrances that I really love, enjoy, think are interesting, etc, but often find difficult to wear.
I’m having a little Shalimar extravaganza over here and wearing Ode a la Vanille sur la Route du Mexique. I’ll dip into my vintage bottle tomorrow.
I haven’t smelled it, but I bet it’s lovely! I will reply to your email as soon as I can, and thank you thank you for dropping me a line!
Sure! I’m glad it got through.
I like Ode etc. Mexique quite a bit.. There is a Madagascar version too, but I haven’t tried that one.
Well, today I’m in L’Artisan Parfumeur “Méchant Loup”.
Now here’s the thing. A big bad wolf needs to howl and growl and strut about for a few hours before dying in a suitably dramatic way. This guy yelped and expired gently in the space of 45 minutes. It’s all a bit “Once upon a time there was The End”. It wouldn’t work for me as a story and it doesn’t work for me as a perfume. :^)
Sounds more like Snowy than White Fang!
A sheep in wolf’s clothing.
I think the Guide says “Wet Dog” would be a better name.
That is perhaps a little unkind! :^)
Ha, yes. How about hitch-hiking hippie?
I think a hitch-hiking hippie might have more of a patchouli base, no? Would certainly smell of SOMETHING even after an hour… :^)
I have no idea what you mean.
I like the perfume but I do think Big Bad Wolf was a very silly name for it! It will certainly not huff or puff or blow your house down
No, it’s a bit asthmatic this one; insurers of houses made of straw can sleep easy.
I’m wearing Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum today. Not the original gangsta Miss Dior…the remake.
It becomes rather confusing w/ all the name changes but this is one of the extraits Dior released in 2014 if memory serves.
Quite a bit of orange blossom and patchouli…haven’t worn it in a while so I have to see how it unfolds…
Hmmm… So I bought a bottle of that when I first started acquiring perfumes en masse… unsniffed (stupid!) and promptly resold it. Now I think I need to give Miss Dior in all its iterations another go. I wonder if I would get more out of it this time around.
I bought it unsniffed myself
and am thinking I may unload it. There is no wow factor.
Around the same time, I bought a bottle of pre-reformulated Miss Dior Cherie, which I had owned once upon a time and sold on Ebay I think, and that one I do not regret. I think the original of that one was done by Christine Nagel. It is a fruitchouli of the first order but something about it pleases me and was never recaptured in all the fruitchoulis since. I don’t reach for it that often but all the Miss Dior remakes/reformulations of it don’t come close to the original.
Today, a generosity spraying from the No 22 decant! Lovely stuff. I am a maze to discover I am out of all versions of Shalimar! Not sure what I will do penance with tomorrow…
I just ordered a 3ml of the perfume during the STC sale. I’m very curious to try it.
Tocca Violette today. It’s not really anything spectacular, but it is a lovely, light, soliflore violet. And it was only $15 at Marshalls. I couldn’t resist, and find that I wear it pretty often.
Yay for finds at Marshalls! You never know what you will unearth there.
I picked up a bottle of Lancomes Mille and Une Roses several years back for pretty cheap. I think it’s discontinued now. I need to wear it and see if I like it and, if not, rehome it.
Oh my word, I cannot walk out of there empty-handed. As soon as I walk in, I forget what I came for and head straight for the perfume. I’m like a zombie. My last trip was horrible because I didn’t buy anything, but was VERY tempted by the Elie Saab EDP/Lotion set. I am trying to restrain myself but it is so hard!
Mille et Une Roses is gorgeous! If you don’t like it, re-home it my way. !!!!! Our Marshalls and TJ Maxx are so hit and miss. I rarely see anything I like. Which is a drag b/c it would be nice to find a hidden gem!
Mostly celeb scents at mine too.
I know you want 10 bottles of a Paris Hilton fragrance!
I think they have every Paris Hilton scent ever made. It’s so disappointing when I read about the folks who find L’Artisans. Just a few years ago TJs at least had the current mainstream stuff in dept stores. Now it’s pretty much all lower end stuff. Paris, J-Lo, etc., which is fine but it would be nice to see a mix of price points.
L’Artisan?! People find L’Artisan at Marshalls and TJ Maxx? Okay, that is just crazy. Well, that’s okay, we can proudly leave with our 10 bottles of Paris Hilton. :-p
Ours can be rough too. Every once in awhile there is a gem, though, which is why I still obsessively scour the perfume there like my life depends on it.
Happy hunting. I usually look too but don’t usually see anything of interest.
Miller Harris Le Petit Grain- picked it from a small bag of samples. I’m not usually a fan of citrus openings and EdC type fragrances, and this is not the season for it. There’s something appealing even for today- perhaps lavender or oakmoss?
Friday, everyone, it’s Friday. Yay! And a long weekend to boot! Auckland anniversary day this Mondat; Waitangi Day the following, so two short weeks in a row. Double yay. SOTD is cool, crisp Cristalle, and goodness, but do I ever need cool and crisp today. It rained overnight, and the pavements are steaming at 6.30 in the morning! Then Aldo, presentations from candidates for a senior role will take up most of my time, and I discovered, in a corridor conversation, that one candidate–the one most people seem to prefer at this stage–proposes to teach in my department if she gets the job. Nobody had previously talked to me about this, possibility, and I have been frank and fluent about what this calm assumption means for my area and my team, if it comes to pass. Cristalle for clarity; hope I can find some charity.
You all smell divine, by the way. The world is lucky to have you in it, and not just because of your perfumes.
Aldo? Really? “Also”, of course, though now the name has impinged on my consciousness, I think I will apply it to Dakkie’s 8th knitted mouse, which so far has been known as “the striped one”. It looks like an Aldo!
Dakkie’s getting another teddy-mouse! If the stripes are right, it could be a Waldo instead…
8th! Oh bless! Dakkie sounds adorable and I already have a soft spot for him because your descriptions of him are very much like what my Fergus is like. A bit special
Hmmm…”special”, indeed. He’s the sweetest thing in nature, and amazingly handsome, but (whispering) incredibly stupid. We don’t let him know that he’s not clever, of course, but…
I enjoy hearing about Dakkie! Amelia has a permanent case of teh dumbz too, but it’s what makes her so endearing. I love my smart kitties, but the less intelligent are sure awesome for unconditional cuddles.
Our last cat was a big (maine coon in there somewhere) klutz too. But what he lacked in smarts he made up with affection! He was adorable. I love hearing stories about everyones pets. I can’t have one in my current flat and I’m living thorough you all
Arg, I am sending good wishes that your senior search comes out well. It can be such a tense thing. At present I’m not directly involved (neither a candidate nor a hiring committee member) but I keep witnessing searches which conclude–sometimes after YEARS of looking–without hiring anyone! Seems dreadful for all involved (and also frankly a little ridiculous: truly there was NO ONE qualified?! and for jobs at a wealthy university in a major US city. So I cannot believe they aren’t getting good candidates.) But on the other hand, committing to an unsuitable candidate certainly does have long-term consequences, especially for a senior hire… Oof. May your Cristalle carry you through to a successful outcome!
Not wearing anything today. An early start plus flu symptoms made me forget about it completely. But enjoying the comments as always.
Hope you feel better soon!
Thanks!
SOTD is NV Mohur. I am so glad I got this at the MiN sale. I gave my remaining decant to a friend and told her about NST so wondering if she’s reading this!
Hi Katrina’s friend! Super happy for everyone who could snag Mohur on sale, what a treat!
wearing Rose Nacree Du Desert today.
My 2 weeks off work end Tuesday and it’s been hectic! I had grand plans for reading at the beach, relaxed lunches etc but it’s been busy busy with appointments and catching up with folks and it’s been great -but now I’m at the point of No!! Me time now!
So today I spent nearly all day moving my perfume collection to its new house in my 1930’s sideboard/buffet, and spent many hours logging batchcodes. Some have none and others arent on any list but I now know the birthday of most of my collection, which is very handy for knowing where they fit in with reformulations. At one point I was also wearing 5 perfumes at once but now just Caron Les Plus Belles Lavandes for bed.
Fun! And I’m envious of your 1930s sideboard. What resources are you using to date your collection?
You know, the sideboard has been a pain in the a** for years! Lol. I love the look of it but I dont even have a proper dining room so a buffet with cutlery drawers has been so impractical, but I could never bring myself to get rid of it. Turns out cutlery drawers are great for small bottles and minis
For the batch codes I used checkcosmetic.com. There’s also checkfresh that lists more niche brands but I found that many still arent on their database, and even some older bottles have codes that neither site registers.
It seems that many of my bottles are past their 3yr time limit and should be disposed of..
Oh thank you! That’s so helpful, I’d like to do this too.
I both laugh and shudder with horror that there’s a website advising people chuck their perfume after three years!
I had a coworker who replaced her bottle of perfume every year. Had it marked on the calendar and just tossed whatever was left. Apparently, a SA had told her that a.) her nose becomes used to it, but every perfume starts to smell horrible to other people after about 12 months after the first spray and b.) perfumes actually begin to become toxic when they age. I could not convince her it was BS
Yeah – they can chuck those classics right at me!
What an impressive undertaking!
Something to aspire to.
Wonderfully organised! I’ve never thought about trying to date any of my FBs. There are some I’ve had for a few years, and it might be interesting to find out what formulations I’ve got.
Oh and I remembered I hadnt replied to a post from a few weeks ago about LUSH releases. We now have most of the Death & Decay perfume range (series 3) (yay!) so surely the U.S. will get them soon if you don’t. There’s also an oakmoss soap due for release here in autumn (Devil’s Nightcap) that oakmoss fans might want to keep an eye out for, and for those who missed Lord of Misrule and want to smell it, the Rough With the Smooth shower scrub is the same smell
All in the name of science y’know
I have Lord of Misrule shower wash and every time I use it I think ‘ this is what my body will look like when I’m dead’. That green sheen really strips out the rosy flesh tones. And then I wash it off, of course.
Lol! The sugar scrub is dark pink and leaves no colour, and felt a bit odd smelling like Lord of Misrule without being green!
Thanks to the lovely CobraRose at the freebiemeet, I’m trying Lipstick Iris on one hand and Iris Poudre on the other! It’s a nice sunny day here for trying new perfumes.
How do you like the Lipstick Iris scent?
Sorry, I meant Lipstick Rose! I actually didn’t get much rose? Maybe my nose is off today since I woke up with a sore throat. A soft rice and bread note, then it quickly faded on me…
Narciso (for now) is my SOTM. I’m having a day where I want to wear several perfumes and wish I could have them all on, but not layered; separately and in sequence. Wanted Trayee, and Voyage, and Narciso, and Rue Cambon, and and and and….
Happy with Narciso for now.
I have a lot of days like this…
Inspired by yesterday’s comments, put on my sample of santal majuscule. Warm my way through walk and physio. I’m hoping it’ll be worn off by the time I go to a dance performance tonight so I can wear something else for that…
SOTD =’MPG Ambre Precieux
One of the best ambers I have, so warm, enveloping, cozy. Fragrantica lists the following notes:
Top – myrrh, lavender
Middle – nutmeg, vanilla
Base – amber, tolu and peru balsam
I don’t smell the labender at all and my nose detects tonka bean.
On other perfume-related news, I was finally able to order MFK Ciel de GUM directly from the Paris Boutique. The e-shop did not have the U.S. as a valid country and was re-directing people to Neiman. In any case, I am ready for Splitmeet ;-). Also, BTW, don’t get excited about Ciel de Gum being available at Osswald because the mark up is ~ 40%. It pays to look around
Woof, 40%, that is amazing. Otoh, I recently had a mule bring back a Malle for me and it was something similarly dramatic. Must be the weakness of the Euro. Funny how perfume distributors aren’t passing along the savings to customers
Wow! Good to know about shopping around.
It absolutely pays to look around! Some of the stuff carried in US stores is cheaper to order from First in Fragrance as well.
I just ordered a bottle from the Netherlands and saved about $30 over buying from a US distributor, even with the cost of shipping.
Excellent! What did you get?
My scent of the day, La Danza delle Libellule from ParfuMaria.
I’ll have yo check ou First in Fragrance. Thanks for the tip.
And thanks for yours!
Today seemed a good day for Estée Lauder Amber Mystique which is a lovely amber centric fragrance pitched in an Eastern key. There is a nice, lab created and very mild oud in the opening but that should not give any of my fellow amber lovers pause….
Orange dress today, which seemed to call for an orange perfume – SL Fleur d’Orange. I feel sunny, even if the day is dull and overcast.
Gorgeous, both
Oooh, sun! At the moment, Auckland has heavy cloud cover, which is trapping all the heat and moisture, so it’s like a steam room out there. You sound as though you embody summer.
I got the Best of 2015 sample pack from Luckyscent yesterday so I’m wearing one of them today, SHL Mortal Skin. It’s a really hard one to get a feel for I think… and it is really subtle, maybe because it’s a dabber vial? I can’t say I love it but I don’t dislike it either. It is sort of balsamic/herbal with a bit of cardamom… creamy and soft. Lovely I guess, but just too delicate for me. Perfect subtle but stylish office wear though, definitely won’t offend anyone.
I have a dabber of Mortal Skin from LS but I found it a bit animalic. The Non Blonde wrote a review on this scent no too long ago, if you haven’t already read it.
I think I would have liked it more if it was a bit animalic, had some sort of raunch or edge or strong defining feature… It’s just a bit generic on me. Or not generic really but, it has more personality and quality than that, but still, in that general direction… Will have to try and spray it though, maybe it’s one of those that changes character when sprayed.
I have read Kafkaesques review of it but that’s the only one. I’ll take a look at The Non Blonde’s.
She really liked t along with a few others from this line.
Lush Silky Underwear powder (cocoa & jasmine! ) topped off by 3 sprays of my new Samsara EdT.
Mmm mmmmm good.
Samsara is wonderful. I need to look for that powder–my Tabu powder has lasted years, but it’s almost gone.
I had to be out and about this morning to get a photo portrait done. I was astonished to see that I have no eyebrows! I mean, I have them, but they have turned grey along with my hair and don’t show up in the photos. I dug around in my bag and applied some brown eyeshadow powder and the next batch of photos was better. Then I took myself off to Sephora for an eyebrow pencil, and while I was there I tried J’adore for the first time. If I hadn’t already been exposed to BWFs like A La Nuit, Carnal Flower, Fracas, Jasmin Full, and Tubereuse Criminelle I would have bought it, but it seemed so…tame. Pretty, but tame. And it only lasted 3 hours.
Came home and my Orloff samples arrived, so I’m wearing Cross of Asia. It’s all ylang-ylang on me and doesn’t seem to have any depth, so more $$$ saved. That’s a good thing, because lift tickets are eating up my perfume budget.
Ah, the Sad Case of the Fading Eyebrow! I know all about this. When I was small, I was apparently so blonde that I had to be held up to the light to see if I had any eyebrows at all, then they sort of “came in” with puberty. Now with advancing age, they’re going out again. Sigh.
J’Adore did nothing for me, leading me to believe it was another that was better in the good old days. What’s the portrait for–an upcoming book jacket?
I haven’t had a formal portrait taken in thirty years and I thought I should. Not to be morbid, but I really don’t want my obituary to show my college graduation photo. I’m not planning on dying anytime soon, but I wanted a photo that showed me the way I’ve aged. As for a book jacket, no way! I had to write a thesis and a dissertation plus hundreds of reports for work so I am not planning on ever writing a book.
This made me laugh, foxbins! As I’ve aged, I’ve realized that I have apparently superimposed a template of my youthful self over what’s actually there. I’ve experienced those moments of astonishment too!
Me too. Sadly, it applies to my overall shape and size as well as my face, and I’m always wondering who the older chubby woman in the photo is. Aging is still better than the alternative, I guess.
I have to renew my passport but since I still have some time yet before I mist send it in, I am waiting for the best set of pictures. The Costco special was hideous (seriously, I think the woman used the wide angle setting with the camera 2 feet away from my face). The second set from Walgreens was better and I can probably live with it for 10 years; however, unless it truly is the shape of my face, I have a stinkin feeling that he did not proportionately adjust the picture when he was trying to fit it into the template. I may just get a makeover before having the 3rd set taken, we’ll see. For what I am spending on multiple sets, I really should just sit for a professional portrait like you did!
Hajusuuri, the best photo ever taken of me was a passport photo done by a photographer on 57th Street. I was 22 and he flirted with me like mad. I was sad when the passport expired and I had to get another photo. Now they all look like they were done by the DMV…
Just got a sample of Slumberhouse Pear & Olive. First 15 minutes was fine, and then all of a sudden this is the best thing I’ve ever smelled.
I haven’t sampled anything from Slumberhouse but enjoy!
I have to suffer through the gummy-pear opening to get to the beautiful part, but it’s worth it and it lasts forever (on me) and has major sillage. I used to have people walk by my desk to sniff me on the rare occasion I was brave enough to wear it to work.
Yes, at first I was like, “Meh, THIS is what everybody’s raving about?” I was even kinda relieved, because I just splurged on my first FB (Vero Profumo Rubj) and don’t need another big purchase. But then… oh-ho! Spent the next four hours with my nose glued to my arm. And then, when I put it on again yesterday, my anticipation made the beginning smell better
SOTD is Roberto Cavalli Oro, because I needed something I loved today. I was going to wear a Shalimar flanker; maybe I’ll wear it Saturday instead. I have a sample of Ode a la Vanille/Mexique for tomorrow.