It's Almost-Friday! What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm in Germaine Cellier's glorious Robert Piguet Fracas, as restored by Pierre Negrin (and possibly redone several times over since). Five stars. Luca Turin: "Pink and silver, with tuberose red in between."
Reminder: on 2/12 we're doing 5 Star Friday: wear your favorite perfume ranked 5 stars by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez in Perfumes: the Guide (if you don't own the book, you can find a compiled list at Basenotes) or in Luca Turin's Style Arabia columns. Partial credit for a four-star perfume! And if anyone knows where other lists can be found online, do comment. (suggested by Bastet) Update: you can download the index to the 2008 Hardcover version of Perfumes: the Guide here (thanks kpaint!)
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.
Wanted a fun scent since I’m going to go see Pippin tonight so I’m in Guerlain’s French Kiss. Have we done a Friday project on fun scents yet?
“Fun scents” would be a GREAT Friday project, just to see everyone’s interpretation of “fun”.
I like this idea as well.
I think it’s a brilliant idea!
I vote for this idea as well!
I like it too – I have a few ideas for this already.
Enjoy the show! Now I’ll have to follow the fun scent idea for tonight as I’m going to see The King and I!
Great idea! My 5 star perfume today happens to be fun, Lolita Lempicka. Great company.
Agreed! Wore it for Mardi Gras, so of course I think you smell lovely. Love the idea of a fun week – certainly something I could use.
Added to list!
I’ve got a sample of this coming in a few days. Very excited for it… I could use some added fun in my scents
I like French Kiss too. It reminds me of the original version of La Petite Robe Noir, which I miss terribly
SOTD is Chanel Bois des Iles extrait. It is perfect for our freeeeezing weather! I must think about what to wear tomorrow. Cheers!!!
You smell great!
Ooh.. You smell wonderful!
Thanks!
Scent Twin! You smell GREAT.
Mmmmm.
I took a page from your 5* Chanel week….
You smell lovely. Stay warm! It’s about 14F here.
Sat we’re supposed to have minus 30 wind chill ….. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! All night long the boards in the deck pop and explode.
Ack! Stay warm.
Wanna trade a few degrees? I’ll send you some 85F and you send me a cool breeze. I could use some rain too, while we’re at it. I had to water the lawn yesterday
the St. Augustine should be dormant in February.
Oh yay, Ann, you smell divine. I might have to bust mine out tomorrow for date night/frigid weather. You’ve inspired me!
I can’t imagine better or more glamorous date night frag on a cold night than BdI! It’s a virtual cashmere stole!
5-Star Week day 4: Mitsouko edt. Astonishing, endlessly fascinating Mitsouko. I don’t think anything more needs to be said.
You smell wonderful!
I agree (although I prefer the EDP).
I thought I would, but the recent edp and parfum just aren’t as good as the 10-(or-so)-year-old edt that I have: I bet if I ever stumbled across some vintage, I would like them even better. But my edt has a certain ferocity and spikiness that are missing from the newer revisions, and I love that so much. SO MUCH.
I am looking forward to wearing Mitsouko tomorrow. I am so lucky, because Doc Sinister was so generous as to send me not only a bottle of the edt, but also, a tiny bottle of the extrait. Choices, choices. I love the edt, but I really want to try the extrait.
BTW for anyone interested: There is a website called Raiders of the Lost Scent that has a series of explanations on how to determine when your bottle of certain brands was manufactured, and my Mitsouko, it turns out, dates from 2005 (code number 5L01). I particularly loved the long article on how to date Lutens bottles. This is a very useful thing to know, I think.
Ooh thanks!
I’ve tried to date my Shalimar EDT using their system, but for the life of me I can’t find its batch code (no box.) Does anyone know what years Guerlain was putting out the rectangular ridged bottles with a black band and rectangular gold cap? I know they used this design for Shalimar and Mitsouko and possibly others.
That site was very helpful for dating my Shalimars and Samsaras.
Kpaint, is there no batch code on the bottom of the bottle? At any rate, your bottle sounds like one I bought for my mother around about 1988, a 7.5 mL Shalimar parfum spray, so it might have been in that time frame, say 1986-1989.
I’m wearing Iris Silver Mist. Outside it isn’t cold enough to wear a coat. I’m nervous winter is gone.
You smell fabulous!
Thank you ! You as well.
Your winter is apparently hiding out in my neighborhood
If you could pass it along home I’d be grateful!
More than happy to send it your way!
I’ll get my coat ready.
I’m in a force field of Lyric Woman, preparing myself for the meeting with the company lawyer, PM manager and maintenance manager later this morning.
Current weather conditions: blizzard, but it’s supposed to stop soon so no accumulation.
Tea: Harney & Son’s Earl Grey Supreme.
Hope Lyric works well as buffer between you and any unpleasantness
Good luck!
Read your post from yesterday
Sorry you have to deal with immature idiots at your work. Hope your day gets better! You smell amazing.
Good luck! I hope things improve for you.
Rooting for you!
You’ve got this Jenkr.
Good perfume choice. Remain above the fray, we’re all pulling for you!
You’re in the driver’s seat Jenkr! Rock on!!
I felt for you yesterday. I suppose it’s all over now –the encounter , that is– so do let us know how you and Lyric prevailed!
SOTD: Daisy. Needed something easy and light….since I blew my coworker out of the office with Aromatics Elixir on Tues (and conjured a bad scent memory of a teacher he hated, LOL) I’m flying under the radar for a few days with inoffensive scents…..
It’s almost Friday!
Oh no! Bad Scent memory! It’s funny how that goes. I realized a few years ago when I retested Ombre Rose that it was the smell of ladies in church when I was a kid. That’s not necessarily a bad memory, but it’s funny how those scent memories work.
I love Ombre Rose. I definitely recall seeing it on store shelves in the 80s but never knew anyone who wore it (fortunately, I guess?)
Daisy shouldn’t offend anybody. (I like it myself.)
Daisy is very pleasant to be around. Your co-workers will love you today
How considerate of you. I would have been tempted to wear Alien.
You smell quite likeable.
Continuing a trend of “what was that all about?” perfumes, today I’m wearing “Still Life” from Olfactive Studio. The official notes are interesting enough, kind of, although I’m getting slightly bored of all-the-peppers-plus-citrus as an opening. The name is a reference to still photography but on me it works more like an old movie title: Gone In 60 Seconds. :^)
Ha! I have a similar experience with scents from that line, although I really like them!
LOL!
wearing Mitsouko today, the peachy warmth is so nice on a cold sunny day, also wearing my newest charity shop find- a lovely cotton Agnes b grey blouse with pink red and yellow rose bud pattern, they go together really nicely and enjoying both very much.
Nice!!
Thanks Robin!
That sounds adorable.
Thank u!
I am wearing Profumi del Forte – Tirrenico, not listed in The Guide. Needed something light to wear, I am cooking with 24 second graders today.
????
Cooking with 2nd graders! You are brave.
Whew, good luck. You are far braver than I!
God bless teachers! It’s a gift that some of us (aka ME) don’t have!
Tirrenico is one of my most favorite scents, and probably my all-time favorite “summer” scent FWIW. It’s the fennel (or anise?)….
I’ve been wearing Aftelier’s Bergamoss consistently since I got it. Debating whether or not I ought to pick up another bottle. I really enjoy it, but I feel I need to wear more of the other fragrances in my collection. Thoughts?
Do you enjoy it or adore it?
Adore it.
I say we have to support indie perfumers. Not that I want to enable…
Buy another bottle. Wear what makes you happy, not out of obligation.
Then why not wear it if you feel like it? I don’t like the idea of wearing other fragrances because you think you should.
You’ve got the 9ml I take it? Or does it come in a larger size? If it’s only the 9ml and you’re making progress through it… I think finishing something is the most legitimate reason to make any new purchase (more, even, than buying something new! Since finishing something is the surest proof you’d wear it regularly!) If I’m overlooking something and you already have a larger size that you won’t get through from some years, then I think Robin’s got the right question–I think only true loves merit backups (she says, as a person with a backup bottle of a middling cologne she bought early on and will never, ever work her way down to using.)
I have the 9ml. I do love it. I just already have an extensive collection of fragrances that I love and I enjoy the exploration of new scents. I’m commitment-phobic (I don’t want to buy it, get distracted, and it evaporate before I return) but since it’s LE, I’m scared not to at least pick up another bottle.
A 2nd 9 ml bottle seems not overly excessive to me. I’m not sure how her fragrances hold up, though. Should natural fragrances be refrigerated as well as stored out of light? I assume they’re more volatile than traditional perfumes.
yes they are! I know that Laurie Erickson recommends using up her naturals by either one or two years …not sure which?
I have been pondering the same question as I really love it and I like to spray *and* it sounds like the liquid version is a limited edition. MA said she wanted people to get to experience what for her is more naturally a solid perfume (the original Bergamoss) at a better price point (the solid is expensive!), but that it wouldn’t be a forever thing. So although I am new to the enabling business, I just talked myself into getting a backup of the spray . . .
Oh forgot about the solid, even tho that’s the form I tested Bergamoss in…and dang it was so good. Have you smelled both? The EDP certainly is more economical tho.
I haven’t tried the solid and fear I’ll like it too much!
…this is a very justified fear
SOTD: Liaisons Dangereuses (By Kilian)
One of my fav mouth watering summer roses!
I’m hoping this one’ll be my birthday present in may, i adore it! You smell wonderful.
Bitter cold here and worse to come, but for better or worse I’ve settled on Knize Ten today and Knowing tomorrow. A perfect day to finish “Geek Love” and sip hot tea (TBD).
Those are two SPECTACULAR choices. I had a bottle of Knize Ten that I wore until it was no longer wearable — it happens, alas — and I just loved it so much: possibly the perfect leather scent. And Knowing, well, I wore that yesterday and fourteen hours later I could still smell it on my skin (*dreamy sigh*).
Knize Ten is beautiful.
I have to try both of those. And man do I want to be sitting at home reading and drinking tea.
Geek Love was a fun read though I read it nearly 20 years ago, now. Yikes!
20 years ago? How did I miss this? I thought it was far more recent, although the story itself is timeless. I’m really enjoying the ultra-noir plot.
I know I read it in the mid 90s because I remember which roommate loaned it to me. I don’t know when it came out. Yeah, it was pretty dark. I think I still have it(I was never good at returning books to people *blushes*).
I love leathers but Knize Ten kinda scares me. Anyone care to describe it?
Ahhh the Fracas review is so great. I love the really metaphorical ones (the one for Sacrebleu is so poetic, although I find the fragrance doesn’t live up to the review!)
I’m in a teeny tiny bit of Bandit for work. Worn so small it is actually rather cozy!
I happen to love Sacrebleu as much as I love that review, but I can see that it would not be to everyone’s taste.
I also love his review on PdN New York, you can feel the bond is there.
Don’t get me wrong, I *really* like it – just not as knowing my lover’s eyes are there even though I can’t see them in the dark
I got that, don’t worry.
That review is one of his best isn’t it?
Wearing Patricia de Nicolai’s New York. Thankfully, I have a 3.4 pre-formulation bottle. The new version is thinner and not quite so nice.
Have you tried the Intense? I got my New York in 2008 I think, so I don’t know what version I have, as I don’t know when the change(s) took place.
If you have don’t have the bottle with the blue label on the front of the bottle (the current edt has a white label and a gold label for the intense), you have the reformulation. Haven’t gotten around to the intense yet but hope to the next time I’ in Chelsea.
Blue label! I just checked. I can never make up my mind whether Sacrebleu or New York is my favourite PdN, I adore them both.
EL Private Collection today. This is usually a warm weather scent for me (one of my favorites for Spring, especially), but its working surprisingly well in the cold.
I’m wearing Beyond Paradise today, which was another blind buy based on the 5-star rating in the guide. I enjoyed re-reading TS’s comments on this one.
Chandler Burr loves this one, too IIRC. What’s it like?
Guerlain Vol de Nuit extrait from a bottle which is at least twenty years old. It is fantastic and powdery and comforting.
I am drinking hot cocoa because my office is a freezer compartment.
I am very seriously thinking of using some of my precious drops of vintage VdN extrait for tomorrow. There is just nothing like it!
I think what Turin notes as a lack of structure in VdN is what makes it so comforting to me. Mitsouko, Shalimar, and L’Heure Bleue are like beautiful, but highly constructed clothes–fancy evening wear, while VdN is more relaxed.
You smell amazing. VdN extrait is one of my favorite evening scents. One day I will have a full bottle of the vintage so I can indulge more frequently.
You smell great. I may wear that one too tomorrow.
Passage d’enfer to face these devil Santa Ana winds
Tell me about it! I have just about had it. I love the bright blue skies but the hot dry wind just makes me mad.
This is making the Santa Ana winds sound really romantic
but I know they can be miserable. I remember waking up one morning in December when I lived in LA and thinking the oven was left on overnight because it was so bloody hot in my apartment.
today it’s Divine L’Inspiratrice
tomorrow…hmmm…decisions, decisions….it’s between Chamade, Vol de Nuit, LouLou and Fate….
I’ve been having that issue this morning… Chamade, No. 5 parfum, or 31RC?? Came here before putting anything on, to see if anything pushed me one direction or another.
CHAMADE
My HG fragrance! You smell like bountiful spring!
you smell gorgeous, girl
use of all caps completely justified!
I’m wearing the wonderful Aromatics Elixir by Bernard Chant. The review in the Guide is one of my favourites: ‘Smelling Aromatics Elixir on a strip and especially in the air following a string of “modern” fragrances is like watching Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep after 12 episodes of Cheers.…’
While I admire and enjoy the Perfumers Reserve, this one is my favourite. And let’s just forget about White
AE has some very serious backbone for sure. You smell fantastic!
I love this part of the review as well; ‘The thing fills the room with such a confident presence…’
I do love that review, even if I don’t love AE.
I spritzed on some Aromatics Elixir at Macy’s on Tues, and LOVE IT. It is just beautiful….Walked back into the office, and a coworker immediately started snuffling and complaining. Seems he had a middle school teacher that wore it….and he hated her! LOL
I won’t be wearing it to work anymore…..but that wonderful smell!!!! I need a little bottle to wear everywhere else!
Delicious, satisfying and as elegant as it gets. Like Paris itself.I still have to try AE!
I’m in Azemour today – unrated by The Guide, but I’m just sure LT and TS would heartily approve. Tomorrow will probably be Cristalle, but it turns out I have a fair number of 5 star fumes. Hmmm…
Random sample grab Volnay Etoile d’Or.
Prescriptives Calyx today. One last foray into dewy cool tropical greenery before the temperature here on US East Coast plunges to 15°F. My 5-star fragrance tomorrow will have to offer much more insulation…
Calyx…so nostalgic for me!
Yes indeed! Those days when the big scary ’80s fumes were on the wane and the world needed a sort of scent sorbet to cleanse its palate for the next course..
The last time I tried Calyx, all I got was Juicy Fruit gum. Must try again, to see if I can find the dewy greenness everyone always talks about…
Same, plus overwhelming green apple. It was not a good experience. (It was the current formulation.)
The original was the only one I wore in the late 80s. The reformulation is not as good as the original…the original was a mouth puckering gorgeous one of a kind scent during its time…I cannot smell the reformulation without shedding a tear or two
Mine is vintage, so from your descriptions, I guess it really must have taken a turn for the sweeter when it was reformulated. A lot of reworked frags seem to have an extra cup of sugar added…
SOTM is traces of Blackberry & Bay (via body cream) I put on late last night. I think it’s too recent to have made it into the Guide, so allow me to award it five stars. It’s not so serious as most five-star perfumes perhaps, but I think “superb at what it does” should be a legitimate way to earn five stars, whatever the “what” may be!
I really like that one.
I recently fell in love with L’Ombre dans l’Eau but couldn’t figure out what else it reminded me of, then it hit me – very similar to Blackberry & Bay, which I enjoyed but not quite enough to get a FB of (though I do want a candle).
I see the resemblance.
Oh I see the connection! Maybe especially so for the L’Ombre EDP which has such a nice combination of tartness and depth, to my nose.
FWIW I’m totally devoted to several of the Blackberry & Bay ancillary products (hand wash, body cream). I haven’t tried the candle but the only one that hasn’t worked for me was the shower oil, and I’m relatively persuaded that the issue was in the ingredients that make it lather up so well (but not smell so great, at least until you rinse the lather off–the scent it leaves behind is very true to B&B). So I’d guess you wouldn’t encounter that problem with a candle.
you MUST try the soap!!!!!
Oooooooh, she says, as her wallet quakes in fear
Am I the very first to list 31 Rue Cambon as SOTD??? Wow!
I sprayed and then went back for another round of sprays I love it so.
Now who’s stinkin’ up the office
Temps in NYC have plummeted… and I hear this weekend we’re in for some ice-box numbers.
Oh, you smell great, awesome, wonderful! If only all offices could have such a smell!
If only!
It’s so cold and a bit windy!
I feel bad for my friend who is flying in from San Francisco this weekend- it will be so cold. Stay warm in your 31 RC!
I’m right with you in 31 RC, Floragal!
Delighted to be your scent twin
You smell wonderful.
Why did I not sample this one when samples were still to be had? I guess because it didn’t occur to me that this weird Chanel powerplay thing would happen…
Would be a great split for someone to host at the split meet this Sat.!
Not this Sat., next Sat., the 20th!
Me too
I had the Chanel sampler in my cart a dozen times but put it off because Chanel seemed so safe to delay.
Wearing Vero Profumo Kiki Eau de Parfum today. I’ve worn it several times in the past week and I wish I had a whole vat of it so I could marinate in it. I confess that I bought this semi-blind, having tried the extrait. The risky leap paid off. I kept coming back to my tiny sample vial of extrait, but my quibble with it was that it was too linear and straightforward to justify the expense. The EDP takes care of that by upping the contrast and by adding diaphanous layers and turns through the hours of wear. It’s a more shimmering variation on the same theme. Lavender, who would have guessed I could love you so? Kiki is a comfort and a joy.
Oh, and I’m drinking Lavender-vanilla Earl Grey tea to boot.
I’ll have to hunt that one down at some point. I love all things lavender. Enjoy your luscious cloud of lavender!
It’s pricey, but it’s worth giving Kiki a spin if you can! Do you have any favorite lavender perfumes or other indulgences to recommend?
I will track some Kiki down at some point.
Yes! You may already know them, but Jicky and SL’s Gris Clair have delightful lavender notes. SL’s Encens et Lavande is nice too. For a quality French lavender soliflore, it’s hard to beat L’Occitane products. Their bubble bath is heavenly. J.R. Watkins also makes a lovely lavender line, especially their lotion and hand cream. Mrs. Meyers has great lavender cleaning products, and laundry stuff as well.
For more edible lavender treats, I love Stash Breakfast in Paris tea. It’s a little lighter lavender, but delicious. Lavender shortbread cookies, and lemon lavender pound cake. Basically, I got a jar of culinary lavender and started experimenting. If you really, really like the smell/taste of lavender alone, you can infuse lavender water. It’s a godsend when I have a migraine, or a really stressful day.
I used to make lavender shortbread for my English grandma for her birthday — lavender was her favorite scent (and cookies her favorite treat!). So good. And I also used to make myself a vinegar hair rinse infused with lavender and rosemary, for occasional deep cleanings. Hmm… maybe I need to renew my culinary lavender stash…
Oh I love Kiki!
Fracas is so beautiful that it almost hurts to smell it. I can’t wait to wear it in the summer, in the kind of sultry weather that calls for those glamorous, indolic florals.
My SOTD is 31 RC. I need some resolve and inspiration to get some work done today, and this is perfect. If Coromandel wasn’t so glorious, this might be my favorite Chanel.
Dangit. I still have about half a ml of Fracas, and this is good weather for it… STILL can’t decide what to wear. (Working at home, I don’t have any rush in the mornings.)
I say go for it! I feel you on the decision though. I have no trouble picking a perfume during the week, when I work. But on the weekends, unless I go out, it’s impossible to pick one.
Agree! Whenever I wear it I wonder why I don’t wear it more.
My SOTD is Deseo by Jennifer Lopez. I think this fragrance received 3 stars on the guide (I was surprised it even made the list, but so glad it did). This sce3nt is one of my “cheap thrills”. Now, you can get it for dirt cheap. I always get a ton of compliments when I wear it.
An excellent cheap thrill!
Love cheap thrills! Everybody should have a few.
I had been trolling Marshall’s for Love, Chloe. Didn’t find any but snagged a bottle of Queen by Queen Latifah. I’ve heard good things about it and, in any case, it’s perfumista free at $9.99 for 100 mLs!
SOTD: hot mess of dabbed samples, followed by massive spritzing of Demeter’s Flower Show cuz at least I know I like that one. I will now inflict my scented aura upon the gang at Whole Foods and hopefully I will be given a wide berth so I can shop in peace, and I also hope that I will not be jeered out of the store.
If anyone might be interested in a trip to Arielle Shoshana, stinker_kit and I may be going in April (see Robin’s post today, “Like something you could mix with bourbon”). It would be a lot of fun to do a DC area meet-up, and there are plenty of nice restaurants and shops in the Mosaic District where Ari’s shop is located. If you’re not in the area and want to visit DC, spring is the perfect time to do so, and there is Metro access to Mosaic which is a 0.8 miles walk away. There’s also a nice hotel if you want to stay close to but not in DC itself. Come on down, y’all!
Ooh, if you organize it let me know… my SIL lives in Chantilly and if it fits into the family schedule I can drive up and spend the night with her. I haven’t had any sniff opportunities in MONTHS – five hours’ drive might be worth it.
(Well, and then there’s the possibility of seeing my niece and nephew too, that’s a plus.
And I’ve never met Ari in person.)
Yes! I’ll absolutely let you know. I’d love to meet you!
Ooh, I would be interested! mals, pick me up on your way, I’m near Harrisonburg.
Yay!
H’Burg’s on the way!
Let me know as well! I live near Richmond and would definitely consider a trip to DC to meet up with some kindred souls. And of course it would be wonderful (albeit dangerous for my bank account) to check out Arielle Shoshana.
Okay! It should be a lot of fun and I can’t wait to meet some of the NST gang in person.
Btw, bastet, there’s a perfume company called Nocturne Alchemy where a woman known as Bastet works and her name is featured in some of what they offer. I asked her once if she was the same “bastet” as the commenter on NST. It’s a fascinating site, although some of it is rather … dark. I was happily tralala-ing through it and suddenly found myself in some rather uh, unusual territories.
Interesting-I’ll have to check it out
I’m in the area and would love to meet up and do some communal sniffing!
Yay!
My one and only resolution for 2016 is to visit Arielle Shoshana so I may join you :-). I’m lucky enough to have spent some time with Ari when she lived in NYC – she is cute as a button with a big personality. We may even get to meet Zelda!
This sounds like so much fun! I can stay with my favorite cousin in Alexandria.
Thanks for getting the ball rolling!
Yay!
What do you mean “may”?
You. Are. Coming.
Ok…will need to work on the logistics as I can’t stay overnight and will not drive in possibly horrid traffic. Assuming you’re starting an email chain?
Poison edc. I am working at home alone until 3 pm, hopefully won’t offend anyone after that time when I go out!
POison has grown on me since the days when everybody wore six spritzes too much.
The edc on my scent-eating skin is actually somewhat soft. It still doesn’t feel like something I want on a regular basis but fun every now and then!
Sampling a variety of things – best of this batch Kerosene R’oud Elements, which is a full bodied warm spicy woody scent where the oud is present but balanced by sandalwood and amberish sensations. I like this very much. I got a variety of Kerosene samples in the mail yesterday, and already love Pretty Machine, the best linden I have encountered, I think, but now today R’oud Elements is also turning into a keeper. Glad to be able to support a local perfumer.
Oh, I am going to have to get myself a sample of Pretty Machine. I LOVE linden, and haven’t found my linden fragrance yet. That sounds great. Do you have any other linden loves?
Hi! I had Waltz, but it was a little harsh in the opening. Debut has Linden in it, but sort of segues into a LOTV study on me after a while. I have a linden tree at the head of my driveway and I have deeply desired something that smells like that! Pretty Machine does pretty well.
Aftelier Honey Blossom is a gorgeous (and pricey), deep golden linden. And Demeter’s Linden, if they’re still making it, is very true-to-the-tree.
Ah, in my fit of sample buying here, i got a sample of Honey Blossom, which is sitting unsniffed on my dresser. I will try it tomorrow!
I did not care for Honey Blossom….it was too fleeting and too expensive. I will second Mariann on the Jo Malone but I wonder if it is on the chopping block because I think only the cologne in the 30ml is now offered…
I liked Jo Malones Lime Blossom and Zeta.
Oh, I have a sample of Pretty Machine and am going to have to try it again. I bought a FB of Santalum Sliver because I loved it so much and I think the Kerosene bottles are an artful funky bit of genius. Now I need to get R’oud Elements, which is one of the few for which I don’t have a sample. Thanks for the reminder!
I got Santalum Sliver also – it is just sort of citrusy on me, which doesn’t do much on this cold cold day. I expect I will like it better come summer. But R’oud Elements is really ringing that little pleasure bell in my nose – it is just right for this winter weather.
I had started to write just this! I’m saving SS for Summer.
I’ve had a morning, and felt like I wanted to be able to sit up a bit straighter though the day isn’t going so well, so I went with Epic, a bottle of which is currently making its way to me. I almost used up what’s left of my sample.
I’m not aware of LT reviewing this in Style Arabia, and I’m fairly sure it wasn’t around at the time of the book being published, so I have no idea how many stars he would give it, and frankly I don’t give a blank this morning. It’s just what I wanted, so here we are. I may not feel self-possessed today, but my scent helps me get closer to that feeling, and I guess that’s all we can ask for.
You smell wonderful, and I hope your scent can help with your day a bit. I hope at some point you can curl up with some tea and a book and relax!
Thanks for the sweet words, MissyLuLu
I find that the things which touch me emotionally are not necessarily the ones which are considered to be of the highest quality. (Sometimes you get a marriage of “best” and “emotional resonance” and those you’ll love forever.)
Exactly!
SOTD: Bois des iles by Chanel.
It’s freaking gorgeous. This is a scent that invites hugsI have a couple of sample bottles BUT I may seriously consider buying a FULL bottle of this later in the year!
OOTD: Very casual- grey silk shirt, high waisted jeans, short brown booties, green cardigan.
I like the scent and the outfit.
Thanks!
I heartily endorse buying a full bottle. Both the outfit and scent sound perfect.
OOf, okay there is one enabler! I am thinking something for my B-day would be perfect!
Lol, very casual in a silk shirt, now that’s just showing off
(By which I mean: if I give you all my money will you teach me your ways??)
(Fair warning: it’s not very much money.)
Ha! The silk shirt was not that expensive- it was $20 at Banana Republic because it was a double sale! All of my cashmere is from consignment shops or from GoodWill bins- then cleaned and restored. Same with my DVF dresses- all bought used!
Nosce te ipsum- know yourself! know your comforts and what you want your style to be. Pay very little mind to fashion magazines- they are copying you, after all.
Do you know how to alter stuff yourself? One of my issues is that I’ll go thrifting and wind up with a pile of stuff that would look good… if it were just altered a bit, something I don’t have the ability to do myself, and the couple times I’ve paid to have it done, it totally obliterated any savings. There are a couple current-season consignment places around here where I’ve found stuff that works as is, but they are eye-poppingly expensive, often very close to full retail.
But yeah I agree it’s very individual–if I had more of a taste for retro, or a more versatile body type/size, etc. etc. I might have a very different experience with thrifting. I just have a hard enough time finding stuff that works at full price!!
One nice thing about getting a Nordstrom card is that you get $100 for free for tailoring.
I know! I was like wait! a silk shirt is casual? Oh man, I gotta up my game.
Silk shirts are meant to be worn and worn often. Not cleaning the barn or jogging in, but you can and should wear good materials all the time if you can!!
I buy a lot of secondhand silk everything, and so should you!
Testing out Ostara, which opened vividly and actually triggered a scent memory of some kind of fruit (Comice pears?) that I’ve been unable to place. But now it’s faded to a nice/boring vanilla/benzoin – both notes that my skin tends to play up – with bits of green. My sister LOVES this one, so it’s just as well that I find it a bit dull when it settles. I might change to something else after I shower. But I’ll definitely revisit it to pin down that fruit, if nothing else!
The opening is so gorgeous, and agree, the dry down too meh. I wish they’d do a less clean flanker!
Yes! Or a candle, maybe?
I wanted to try it today because Oklahoma has basically committed to spring now, but after the opening it’s no longer suggests spring very much.
I have a ton of 5 star perfumes in my wardrobe so it will be really difficult to pick out which one I want to wear. But today, it’s super cold out and still snowing. That’s what you get when you live in the snow belt of your state. Instead of reaching for a heavy hitter, like Epic, I reached for Une Rose Vermeille.
I’m having a hard time picking today too.
You smell amazing!
I love Une Rose Vermeille, you smell wonderful.
Had a busy morning, I developed some weird auto-immune thing when I was pregnant and had a follow up- thank goodness it’s gotten better.
Freezing cold this morning – keeping warm in Chanel no 22, if this doesn’t get 5 stars, I am at lost for words!
Glad to back home to snuggle with baby
Baby-snuggling twin!
Glad you’re feeling better.
Baby + good news sounds like a great way to spend the day.
Have fun snuggling! Love your new avatar, and agreed Chanel 22 is wonderful.
Love the avatar as well, and so glad you’re feeling better ????
Amouage Fate today. A “celestial oriental”. I was going to wear it for the Friday, but I made the mistake of taking the bottle out and sniffing this morning, so now I’m wearing it. I think I like Fate even more than Gold, which is also 5 start and which I also own. aEspecially when it tries and turns herby, something like thyme or rosemary hovering at the back.
Love Fate! You smell gorgeous????
SOTD is 31 Rue Cambon, which I adore. I bought a half-full 200 ml bottle on the bay several years ago and it’s now about one-third full. I’m a stingy sprayer, so that’s proof I wear it a lot!
Before my shower this morning I sprayed my closet with Tocade and shut the door. When I went to get dressed, my closet smelled amazing. I think I will start doing this more often with scents I like but seldom wear.
I’ve been tempted to do this too, but I’m afraid of clashing scents between my clothing and my SOTD. I do love opening my perfume cabinet and smelling all of them together, though! Perhaps I should move that cabinet to my closet…
Farouche, I love that idea. And we will be scent twins later, as I’m planning on busting out my 31 RC sample. I haven’t tried it yet and I cannot wait! I may also be spritzing my closet with some Clair de Musc later…
Ohhh, I hope you love it!
Lovely idea. I may try this.
I should add that I don’t share a closet with my husband, who might not appreciate scented clothes, however light.
Ah – an important consideration. Since I share a closet with my S.O. I doubt he would let me get away with scenting his clothes. Especially since he needs to regularly iron them, and ironing + perfume is probably not a good combination!
I have been doing this in my bathroom lately. Nice to get a waft of something without wearing it.
That’s an even better idea! It wouldn’t matter if the towels absorb some of the fragrance.
I go even farther and use some scents sprayed on a damp paper towel to place over the HVAC air return duct. The whole house smells great! I started with essential oils and then just kept going.
My closet smells like a spicy smokey Christmas cookie. I have an unlit Roja Dove Christmas candle on a shelf.
Dior Ambre Nuit today, which has an elegant and soft presence that’s notable but never heavy. A beautiful and light-handed use of rose, along the lines of Gris Montaigne, my other favorite of the Collection Privee line.
Two great scents! Love both of them.
I’m in a cloud of 28 La Pausa from my brand new bottle that arrived yesterday!! After using up a decant, I’ve had this on my wishlist for ages and finally treated myself for my birthday (tomorrow). In heaven.
This is my first Chanel full bottle — nobody told me about the magnetic caps! So nice!
Congrats! I’ve never tried but I know this scent is much beloved, and the Chanel bottles are wonderful! A fellow perfumista SA showed me the difference between Chanel sprayers and conventional bottles. The Chanels release the fragrance in a much wider cone than other sprayers, which gives the fragrance a cloud effect. Very cool! Although sometimes I make a decant so I can get a more concentrated area.
Yes, I noticed the sprayer was quite nice too! I guess sometimes you do get what you pay for…!
You smell wonderful!
My husband was fascinated with the magnetic cap for my Chanel 1932. He bought it for me for my birthday, and he kept taking the cap off and marveling at how the interlocking C’s always end up perfectly placed due to the magnetic cap.
YAY! Gifts you give yourself are the best, and that is such a good one. Happy birthday one day early!
Happy birthday and congrats!
Congrats and happy birthday! Chanel bottle designs are really top-notch. So many imitators, but no one can do it like they do.
On Shalimar day I was really impressed with the spray mechanism on my bottle of Ode à la Vanille. It requires just the right amount of pressure (neither too easy nor too hard to press) and sprays out a perfect mist. Touches like that really make a difference in evoking a sense of luxury.
Congratulations! 28 La Pausa is so lovely and the full bottle experience is so satisfying. Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!! Enjoy your full bottle and have a great day too!
Congrats and happy birthday!
Whew, just finished my last exam for the week. I have been wearing Balenciaga Paris all week as it is my go-to test frag. But now all of my exams are over and I am going to celebrate by trying out my sample of 31 RC!
Balanciaga Paris was the very 1st perfumes I bought after finding NST! I was one of the gals asking for recommendations on the Monday mailbag several years ago, and this was one of the suggestions. I LOVE IT!
That is so great! It was really one of the first perfumes that got me into fragrance, and to this day I still love it. To me, it’s a perfect everyday scent. If I had a “signature”, I think I would want it to be Balenciaga Paris.
SOTD = Timbuktu
Mmm…labdanum + cedar. This reminds me of my grandfather’s workshop so much that I can’t help but be comforted. Almost layered this with Coco, but decided to spray Timbuktu a few more times instead.
Hope I don’t upset anybody at work…I’ve never sprayed Timbuktu so many times (5x) before!
I find Timbuktu really comforting as well. You smell great!
It is hard to overapply most L’AP fragrances, I think! Now I really want to spend more time with Timbuktu… I tried a bit at Sephora but it disappeared off my skin almost immediately. I could have used four extra sprays.
Timbuktu is amazing. One of the most evocative perfumes I’ve ever tried. Wish I could find my bottle.
Comparing 4 stars Jour and Jour Absolu today.
They are fairly similar on me though the Absolu is slightly lovelier.
I have the Parfum too and need to do a side by side with that. It is a bit warmer and richer if memory serves.
I am actually preferring the original Jour today for whatever reason…it is a bit warmer and more rounded. The Absolu seems sharp to me. Maybe I am comparing them both to the Parfum now.
They both are beautiful…such good sniffing…
I never noticed a big difference between the original and Absolu, but have never done a side-by-side. My recollection is that I preferred the original as well, though.
Frigid temps here today required a good dose of Alahine this morning. My favorite amber, I think.
Gosh, I love Alahine.
Me, too. But it’s very weather dependent for me. I first smelled it on a warm day and nearly keeled over! Most ambers are like that for me.
Oh yes – I have several fragrances that I wear year round, but Alahine is *definitely* not one of them. Winter only.
Absolutely, I can only do amber on a cold day, but then it hits the spot!
You smell lovely. Alahine is so comfortable and pretty. It’s perfect on a cold day but the ylang adds some sunshine. I almost reached for it this morning.
Thanks! Yes, it’s the ylang that makes it more than just an amber.
I wearing Flash Back today.
I like the crisp rhubarb–it’s invigorating and really gets me going!!
PdN Odalisque today.
Too many perfumes has made me forget about too many great beauties.
This is so rich and deep. Warm and green.
It is beautiful, isn’t it? I think I’m saving it for tomorrow. Meanwhile, you smell great!
Jean Patou Sira des Indes is my SOTD. It rates four stars according to the guide.
Partial credit for me today
Extra credit for doing the Friday project on Thursday!
Yay!! I’ll take it!
Caron Pour Un Homme today from the biggest bottle that I could acquire. Not content with this 5 star Lavender Vanilla, I added several drops of lavender EO to my Bliss Vanilla+Bergamot lotion and put this on first before flagrantly spraying myself with the perfume. One squirt of Bvlgari Black to the hair and I floated out of the house in a Lavender vanilla tea cloud ready to take on the world!
Sounds wonderful.
SOTD is l’Air du Desert Maroccain. My sample is getting dangerously low. I’ll keep my eyes open during the split meet for a small size of this beauty.
I went on a little sniffing expedition downtown the other day and I stopped at the Chanel counter to smell the most recent Eau Premiere. I said to the SA that I wanted to see if it had changed much when they changed the bottle recently. She asked what I meant so I pointed to the No 5 EDT and say that it used to be in a tall bottle like this one. She replied that this was the EDT concentration whereas Eau Premiere was a newer, more modern EDP version of No5. I said “of course, but it launched in the tall bottle and was recently changed to the classical shorter bottle and I heard it was reformulated at the same time, so I just want to smell if I can notice any difference”. She looked at me with pity in her eyes, like she couldn’t believe how someone could be so stupid, and said “But miss, the shape of the bottle doesn’t affect the fragrance inside”… 0_o Nevermind!!!
ROFL! Oh,dear me! How do some people get through life?
I ask myself the same thing!
These are the same SAs that some people allow to be INTIMIDATING. I guess being uninformed is intimidating in its own way, though.
LOL! What can you respond to a comment like that? Anyway, if you can wait until the end of April I will give you some LADDM out of my bottle. I am in the US now and would be afraid to send it from here as Canada Post confiscates perfume.
Than is very kind of you, yet again! I always thought that L’AdDM would be too heavy or spicy for me until I smelled it on you the first time we met; I found the scent completely captivating!
ROLF! Those poor uninformed SAs.
I needed me a comfort scent this morning so I’m in The 2nd (Alan) Cumming. I’m not sure if it’s a different formulation than the original “Cumming: The Fragrance,” but it seems more outdoorsy, with more of that Christopher Brosius damp forest thing going on. Similarly comforting and peaty-leathery, with a whiff of library books about it.
I happened to share a hotel lift with him last year and throughout the 5 floors of travel I kept thinking that someone smelled wonderful, a kind of green, earthy smell with just a hint of tobacco. He was wearing green crocs on his feet (we were heading to breakfast) and he looked amazingly styley. I was dying to ask about his scent but didn’t. Maybe he will write about it in his next book.
How cool that you got to *smell* the man! And if he can pull off green Crocs with aplomb, well, my hat is off to him!
Knowing by Estée Lauder, applied verry carefully. It is STRONG stuff. I used to carelessly overapply it (meaning 4-5 sprays) and consequently build up complete olfactory fatigue. I couldn’t smell Knowing at all . . . so that I used to spray a bit more afterward, up to 8-10 sprays o_O
You smell amazing! Just a drop of golden liquid Knowing will last for hours.
So I’ve found out . . . and it smells better that way, too.
Only I feel slightly embarrassed now by how I used to drench myself in it and not have a clue cuz I’m stupid. Knowing makes wallpaper curl and canaries drop dead in its wake if you’re not careful.
Lolita Lempicka. I really enjoy a good cherry note, and to me this is much more refined than either Rahat Loukoum or La Petite Robe Noire. And I love grabbing it’s fairy tale worthy bottle, which was a gift from a generous NST reader. It has found a VERY loving home, in case you are reading.
That was my choice for yesterday. It’s good isn’t it? Have you ever tried Histoires de Parfums 1725? It adds lavender, and is gorgeous as well.
This line sounds very appealing on all counts, I must order a sample set. (Btw, my answer to your comment up there makes no sense because I can’t manage the smartphone with my baker’s fingers, so it attached two different comments.)
I get you. I think you will at least appreciate AE, it has the boldness that you seem to enjoy in perfumes. I love it, it’s a great confidence booster, and oddly enough I find it very soothing too.
Out of the HdP’s I can’t recommend 1740, 1725, Ambre 114, 1876 and Noir Patchouli highly enough. The tuberose trio is interesting, but wasn’t much to my liking. And I enjoyed others too, only I keep forgetting the numbers.
Yes, the numbers are almost as confusing as Kilian’s Love This Love That.
The cherry note in LL is sooo good!
Yes. So tart and juicy.
I am wearing the “Great Vulgar” 5 star LT Vanilia. “…nobody has caught up with the unfettered, hilarious, boisterous beauty of Vanilia. It’s as if Shalimar met Andy Warhol and came out far trashier and happier…Enjoy it with a banana float, a sunburn, and really loud music.” It is perfect for the cold weather, the great 5 star [self-imposed] perfume week and a never-ending down stock market. Robin, this has turned into a great crowd pleaser week. The more restricted we are, the more the perfume group rallies!
I love LT’s take on Vanilia! Haven’t worn it in a while, but I do love it, especially in the clinging-to-a-sweater-two-days-later phase.
It was bastet’s great idea, so I will give her all the credit!
I finally decided on 31 Rue Cambon… tomorrow’s going to be just as hard to choose! On the list: No. 5 parfum, Chamade, the last of my Fracas sample, or I think I have a bit of Bois des Iles somewhere too.
Have worn Apres l’Ondee, La Myrrhe, and Le Temps d’une Fete this week. Also own Tommy Girl, Poison, Tocade in bottles, Ubar and Shalimar in decants, and several other five-star scents in sample form, but I’m only considering the above four for tomorrow.
So, from this wonderful collection of classics, which one is your absolute favorite?
Le Temps d’une Fete, if you made me pick only one.
La Myrrhe would be second.
I vote for Chamade as a remedy to our cold weather!
I was doing five stars this week – Sarrasins, Bois de Violette, Bois des Iles – but today want something different and am wearing Hylnds Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake. The whole Hylnds thing is asnoverblown and overwritten as it gets, but I still love the names and the fragrances actually live up to them in their slightly off-kilter weirdness. This really does smell like a grey, heather covered mountain and a small cold black lake. It’s perfect and bracing for the cold where I am.
I like that series too
Oh yes, I really enjoyed your review of Bitter Rose, Broken Spear!
Rose Infernale by Terry de Gunzberg, to combat the infernal Santa Ana winds.
That is a good one for certain special days!
I’ll take infernal Santa Anas to the frigid wind we’re having today!
I layered Cuir Ottoman and Bottega Veneta today. It’s a nice combo. It seems to work best in a 2:1 BV to CO spritz ratio because in a 1:1 the CO takes over. I know this because I did a 2:1 ratio on one arm kind of by accident and 1:1 on the other, and I think I like the 2:1 better. Luckily neither of these perfumes is loud on me, or I’d have gassed myself.
I’m also drinking a new tea I picked up at Whole Foods yesterday: Tazo Russian Twilight. It’s a slightly smoky black tea with jasmine, and it’s really good.
Bottega Veneta is just wonderful stuff. It is one of the few warm fragrances I have that I can get all spritzy with. Usually I apply very carefully, but with BV, the sillage is such a low hum that I can really spray away.
I like your thoughtfully researched ratios with a control group
I only have a sample of CO but may try that combo. Sounds interesting.
I Love tazo teas but never heard of Russian Twilight…will have to seek it out! My two favorites are Apricot vanilla and another one called “Om” which I think is discontinued…it was a mix of black/green teas with a touch of cucumber.
I don’t think I’ve seen the Apricot Vanilla one. That sounds good. Russian Twilight is part of a series called the World Tour Collection or something like that. I’d only seen them recently.. they come in square-ish metal containers instead of the usual boxes.. cuz they’re fancy. There are a few others that sound interesting, though at the moment the Istanbul one is the only one I can remember off the top of my head (black tea w/ cardamom).
I was up at 5am and outside looking at the planets…for most of this month all five bright planets have been visible to the north before dawn in NZ…but Jupiter is the brightest by far. I’m off on an adventure today, sneaking my son out of school and heading to Central Otago for a sniffathon. The briar roses and wild blackberries should be good now, and the leaves on the Lombardy poplars will be their golden best against the vivid blue sky and Clutha river. Perfume? Well it will be very hot during the day and cold at night, and I will be sleeping outside under the Milky Way. I’m thinking billions of stars for this Friday…Cristalle for day, and Kyoto for star gazing.
Ahh, that all sounds so very lovely…
Oh, this sounds like heaven in every sense! You are lucky! I’m not given to jealousy, but I almost managed some, reading your post! it will be a perfect experience, and without any light pollution, the view up into the Milky Way will be spectacular. You and he will remember it forever. Do, please, report back.
Auckland has wonderful washed, rainbow skies. I made contact with the people near Queenstown who are distilling oil from wilding pine and fir, and who have extracted oil from the taramea ( spear grass) used in the Grand Maori Perfume…and they’ve invited me for a visit in a couple of weeks. That will be amazing. Their company is called Wilding &Co. If you’re interested.
Grand Maori Perfume – that sounds interesting, as does Wilding & Co.!
How wonderful – I will be thinking of you in Central as I sit at work!
Thanks! Almost weekend. Hey, do you remember the guy who used to work at World beauty on Victoria St ( bit like Jake Gyllenhaal but older with glasses)…well, I was reading about NZ perfumers and he’s studying in Grasse to be a nose. His name is Greg Bowler and he was part of a show in Paris where perfume trainees created scents to match Fragonard paintings. There’s a job idea for you!
I know who you mean (but embarrassed to admit I thought his name was George). I was delighted when I heard a while ago that he’d gone to Grasse. I knew he’d been thinking of training for a long time.
Wearing a fun 5-Star I haven’t seen much of this week – Dzing! Gotta love any scent with it’s own exclamation point.
I have a split of this from the first Splitmeet NST did. I go in and out on this one and I’ve toyed with the idea of swapping it away, but it’s so weird and fun, and I keep coming back to it (internal dialogue: “do I want to smell like wet cardboard? …maybe?…idk…just keep spraying!”).
I’ve been thinking of wearing Dzing! TOMORROW. Surprised I haven’t seen anyone wearing it. Figured I’d spray with abandon and really get the essence of it without care for being judged…as cardboard. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll break open my Nahema extrait instead.
I adore Dzing! When I look at the five-star list and find it impossible to pick a true favorite, this is one of the reasons why. Not sure why I haven’t worn it this week, except that since my partner fell for it it’s become more his scent than mine. (And I’m all for it!)
Oh this one is great. I finished off my little decant a while ago. It’s not just cardboard, there’s smoke and some say peanut?
Whatever it is, it’s great. Someone should split it this meet since I don’t know if anyone needs a jug, but I’d sure like a little…
I couldn’t embrace the weird on this one. It actually made me queasy.
I needed something warm and snuggly today. Oh hi, Nahema!
Nahema is tied as my HG rose with OJ Ta’if. It is just so luscious – makes my mouth water. I horde my edp—- It is fantastic!
It is indeed fantastic, and I really need to get my hands on an FB. I’ve heard the extrait is being discontinued. Is the EDP as well?
Slightly off topic…has anyone tried the Atelier soaps? I am contemplating getting the starter discovery set of 25 of the 2ml vials which will give me $30 credit towards a future purchase of $70 (roughly four bars of soap which I will treat myself to for my birthday)..so basically the discovery kit is free if I buy the soaps….any thoughts?
I’ve bought the Orange Sanguine soap: it has a good scent and it is quite large, in fact a bit large for me. Pretty good value.
Yeah, they’re huge, so you can cut them in half. The scent lingers on the skin nicely but not overpoweringly. I don’t do scented body products (aside from Frederic Malle creams, in case Santa is reading!), but I received the Vanilla Insensee soap in a kit – I put it in my pajama drawer. It’s been there over a year, acting as a sachet, and is still perfuming my jammies nicely.
I’m a fan. I’ve used and loved Oolang Infini, Blanche Immortelle, Santal Carmin; Silver is waiting in the wings waiting for Roger & Gallet Carnation to be used up. I am at the tail end of my Orange Sanguine Shower Gel and have Cedrat Enivrat at the ready.
That would be Silver Iris…
Best of good days to you all! I survived yesterday (dreary, it was dreary and dull!) by skiving off the afternoon to do some quite urgent work in my curriculum. I set a bad example, for sure, but look, this is me, not giving an airborne hoot. Today I’m wearing Fate, ‘cos it’s all golden and gorgeous, warm and happy–a “blue skies, no rain, outlook settled” sort of fate. May we all have that kind of day! And it’s Friday, which is never bad…hey, I’ve just noticed that I’ve spent a lot if this rather hot season wearing scents that I didn’t previously associate with summer. I have to thank Anniky for that. She remarked somewhere that she doesn’t confine her scents to “summer” and “winter”, though she thought that some work better in one season than the other. I found I was liberated by the thought of warm sandalwood on the summer air…the Elephant’s complicated foody spices fighting the air conditioning. I tried; I liked! Perfume by mood and need, I now say, not by season, though I do note that Auckland has a much more temperate climate than many of you contend with.
Excellent points! I do like to find the right season/weather for each perfume, but it’s often not obvious. A few I find to be truly multi-season (except for our super hot humid weeks when I give up altogether, or ultra cold and dry, like today). Amouage Beloved, L’AP Seville a l’aube, and SNM Melograno are examples.
(teensy spritz of Ferre )
Ferre smells like summer – all those warm green violet notes.
A personal 5 star, bois d’argent. Appropriate for appointments but “closet unusual?”
Oooh just looked at the spreadsheet and only 3. I disagree! I finished off a little decant and have one from an awesome NSTer to replace it.
(I don’t finish things all that often…)
Day 4 of fragrances robbed of a star —
SOTD = FM Carnal Flower
I decided to change up and wear an office-safe sheer floral. I’m usually not a florals person (although this is not borne out by my collection) but this one I can wear year-round. As I look back on a comment I left on Kafka’s blog, Carnal Flower smells like the “inside of an air-conditioned flower shop”: an amalgamation of many flowers, with eucalyptus providing the chill in the air.
I used 3 sprays from a decant.
Surprised that only got 4 stars. But if Fracas got 5, Carnal Flower can’t have 5. Again, I don’t like star rating systems!
Star ratings always strike me as a way of discouraging exploration and self confidence…aimed at the time poor. I notice it most with wine ratings…people dash into the supermarket and grab the cheapest wine with the most stars in the shortest amount of time, safe in the knowledge that some critic has marked it as worthy. I much prefer open reviews, where the reader (audience) can use the information provided to help guide their own verdict.
I prefer writing open reviews, but appreciate that if you’re writing a general use perfume guide, star ratings make sense!
Do you know if it is an official classification system, with industry guidelines (like hotel ratings, for example ) or completely left to the reviewer’s skill, experience, knowledge, preference (like movie guides).
So far as I know there are no industry guidelines for rating perfumes.
I think it was measured up against Fracas, which is unfair, really, if it was.
Ah, see, that does not strike me as at all unfair! You measure against perfection, after all
Tubereuse Criminelle got 4 stars too, and I’d actually rate that slightly above Carnal Flower but below Fracas.
Ha! There are a number of perfumes that I’m afraid to try and Fracas is one of them. I also hit Post Comment too soon as I would have added that in hindsight, I agreed with the 4 stars!
Wow, seriously? You must try it.
FATE Woman has the same fate, pun intended. Same with Rubj, Kiki, etc….lots of scary perfumes out there!
Nooooo! Fracas is too beautiful to be scary!
LOL, I have Fracas in the I’ll try it some day list.
I really like CF and TC, but in both cases feel that they don’t suit me for actual wearing around outside the house. It’s as if the person they project is beautiful and I love smelling her (or him!), but she isn’t me. Perhaps this is why I too haven’t smelled Fracas?
It took me a while to come around to CF. Just the thought of TC scares the bejesus out of me!
Started out at 6 AM in Bois des Iles but by mid morning it had faded away. Still feel that if I had to choose one sandalwood scent for all time, it would be SSS’s Champagne de Bois.
Found a tiny but potent sample of Bekkali’s Fusion Sacree…. this should definitely be applied with a light touch! I get coffee, burnt sugar, licorice, booze, and vanilla… I think I must have the masculine version as I have seen white flowers listed in the notes for the feminine version–I’m not smelling white flowers, unless they are crushed under the rest of the notes. Interesting. Very interesting like a weird first date that will be remembered with fondness but no regrets that things didn’t go further.
I have a small decant of the Sacree for her, and it’s mostly pepper and vanilla. I agree with you – interesting, but not something to pursue further.
Also agree that the current Exclusifs version of Bois des Iles is far, far too short-lived.
As a perfumista in waiting, I feel morally obligated to seek out and test the parfum concentration of BdI. But I am in no rush…
But I do need to order another small atomizer of Champagne de Bois as mine is almost empty!
Is Champagne de Bois similar to Bois des Iles? I really like Bois des Iles, but it doesn’t last on me either and is so close to the skin when it is there that I walk around with my nose to my wrist to smell it. I’d love something like it with a little more oomph.
It predominantly sandalwood, like BdI. I have the same problems with the Chanel that you have and I absolutely adore Champagne de Bois. It is created by Sonoma Scent Studio… gotta run so cannot get link… but Laurie’s prices are so reasonable that getting samples, or as I usually do–5 ml atomizers–is really a steal. This sounds like a ham-fisted sales pitch! So sorry!!! No affiliation, I promise.
Many thanks and don’t worry. I’d already found it and had the 5ml travel spray in my shopping cart.
Friday here already, and joining the throngs in 31 Rue Cambon.
Meant to add that I tried this because it got 5 stars. I’m very sad to see that the decanters can no longer stock the Chanels, that’s how I was able to try this and know that I wanted a FB the moment I could get my hands on it. Which I happily did on a visit to Australia a few years ago.
I’m wearing Carner Barcelona D600 this morning, and wafting a powdery iris/vanilla.
Really Iris + Vanilla? I want to investigate this now…
Today I wore the remnants of the Slumberhouse Jeke from yesterday. Then this evening I remembered that I have a decant of Le Temps d’une Fete so I put on some of that. I really do like it, but I think it works better in the summer for me. The oakmoss/galbanum combo is a bit too dry for winter.
Dabbed on vintage Diorella early this morning on one wrist and EDT on the other wrist. The vintage was my aunts and memories of dressing tables and pearls. I remember preferring Diorissimo at the time. The current version had a harsh metallic edge on my skin.
So, in 30 years, what fragrances might we be wishing we’d just gone wild about and purchased a FB? Friday community project?
You just caught on to what informs my zeal for purchases…
Oh, GREAT idea for a Friday community project!
DelRae Wit for me today.
It’s been too long since I’ve worn this (maybe last Easter week?), and our weather has been so so nice this week that I think it demanded it.
You smell lovely! I just tried Wit recently for the first time and loved it.
Hi, Joe!
Wit is so gorgeous.
I’m in Le Temps d’une Fete and will switch to Gucci Envy once this fades. Le Temps is one I need to be able to spray with greater abandon – wish I’d gotten a bigger decant.
When this project was announced I’d planned on wearing either Lou Lou or Tocade on Friday – 2 scents that I’m a little scared of but have also not given a full wearing. I’m not quite sure how to fit both of those in in the next 36 hours. Oh, shoot – I had also wanted to fit Rive Gauche in as well. I might have to extend this through the weekend.
I have made a go of it, though. I’ve worn Cristalle, 31 RC, No 5, Aromatics Elixir, Poison, and Angel thus far.
Yeah, I think I’m going to continue Five Star Week into a Five Star Until I Get Tired of It And Want Something Else Stretch.
LouLou skeers me. Have never *worn* it, but I remember it from when it was new (and I was young) – and on paper it still has that raspy throat-choking quality I never liked. (#biased #ohwell)
It’s a fine plan. I’d also meant to get to Timbuktu and Dzing! as well as Mitsouko and Nahema. Oh and Cuir de Russie and Bois des Iles. Also Opium and Fracas. Okay, this could easily go well into next week…
Raspy throat choking sensation=chemical sensivity/allergy to something in the juice in my world, and is an automatic flag to scrub and rehome the offender…there are so many scents that are lovely! Why tolerate something that is not to you? That said, Lou Lou is a cheerful little fragrance to me and I wear it when I want my loud and clumsy inner 11 year old to come out and play.
I was amazed to see it in the 5 star category…
You’ve done well! One could easily spend an entire year with the four and five star perfumes.
kpaint, I’m beginning to think that you and I may need to start a support group for perfumistas scared of trying certain perfumes!
Diptyque Olene today. I thought it was five stars when I put it on, but it turns out to only be four. Oh well, the white flowers are putting a smile on my face on this very, very cold day.
That’s one of my fav jasmines, the other being SL A la Nuit. Great way to fight back against the cold!
I spritzed on a little PG Bois Blond today. Am definitely enjoying it.
Late to the party today wearing Chanel No 22 Extrait. You all smell wonderful today!
You, too, Petunia!
????
Amouage Homage Attar. I procrastinated for years on this one, telling myself that decants would suffice and not really believing that Amouage would ever discontinue it. When they did, I immediately turned to ebay and managed to find an Omani seller who still had a small bottle at a reasonable price. You can imagine how I was sweating the shipment of that one!
Amouage told Luca Turin that Attar was composed in-house, “chiefly of Cambodian oud, Ta’if rose, and Omani silver frankincense, which is to say, the best and most expensive stuff around.” Amazingly, this treasure was originally simply swag for guests at the launch of the two Jubilation perfumes in Muscat. Arab hospitality!
Luca Turin was there and relates that, faced with an apparition of such breathtaking beauty, he immediately felt “the usual mixture of pride and frustration at being in possession of a thing of beauty that few others could share.” For company, he gave some to his eight-year-old daughter who wore it on special occasions. I’d love to visit with her perfume collection!
Me too! I wonder what he said about Tribute Attar?
Please waft some of your Homage Attar in my direction. I haven’t had the pleasure of smelling it but I’m sure you smell fantastic!
Super extra late which tells you what kind of day I’ve had! To rub salt in the wound, I had to go commando today until just about 2 minutes ago when I spritzed some PdE Tabac Tabou…ah, much better now ????
I hope tomorrow is a better day but at least you smell great!
Thanks, not a bad day per sé, more like I have no tolerance for inefficient systems. That, in a nut shell, means that I have frustrations regarding “following the rules” when the rules are clearly cumbersome, laborious, and inefficent.
I need a big dose of personal growth it would appear. Wonder if I can get that delivered overnight express?! ????
I’m sure that in your profession you run into red tape that seems pointless. Being a logical person, you probably can’t help but be frustrated by that. You are a nurse or in the medical field, correct?
Yes, and I’m old enough to remember “the good old days” when I took care of patients and not computers.
I think you are a nurse; aren’t you? I work as a doctor and the people thinking out these rules never have to apply them; mind you, I mostly follow my own, but I guess that is slightly easier as a doctor than as a nurse. Good luck on being patient, such a hard thing sometimes.
Medicine is a changing landscape, that’s for sure. I am saying many, many prayers for patience and for patients, too.
Great choice! Tabac Tabou will recharge your batteries, Deva!
I have to say I was a bit disappointed by this in the beginning, but now that I have let go of my preconceived notions about what it *should* smell like, I am enjoying it more and more ????
Yay! I assume you started your new job?
I did! And FYI, I have a small decant of Fate Woman with your name on it! Do you want me to have it stat delivered?????
I actually have a large decant of it which makes it doubly perplexing as to why I’m afraid to try it. Thanks!
Hajusuuri, take the bull by the horns…!