Hump Day, and Coloring Book Day. What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm going to be wearing L'Artisan Parfumeur Ananas Fizz and Mancera Sicily, just as soon as I have another cup of tea.
Reminder: 8/4 will be Compare & Contrast Friday...wear two perfumes with the same note. Suggested by thegoddessrena.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2017, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Bergamot, jasmine & Labdanum.
But I could join you later Robin with a spray of the original Nest Midnight Fleur with the hefty pineapple note
I am running so behind we might end up in pineapple at the same time!
LOL!
Your scent of the summer?
ha! starting to look that way
I am just lazy and bored and it is the quick and easy grab and it smells amazing on my skin.
But I am still “playing” in the evening with samples and decants.
Good for you! I need to use up more of my samples.
and forgot to add I have a HUGE 100 ml bottle!!!
Compare & Contrast: No 19 and Heure Exquise
Steel cut oats with fresh dates and figs..
Off to the park
Went to the lower east side and bought a new liquid liner a few weeks ago ..love liner its called, and pairing that with a nude lips and a Moroccan inspired dress.
Your breakfast sound delicious!
You smell and look marvelous!
Is there somewhere on the LES you recommend for those kinds of things?
Depends, the store I go to is primarily a Asian, mostly Japanese/Korea makeup store. Let me know if you want the details.
Oh please give me details on the Korean/Japanense make up store you frequent in the city!!! Younger family members may be making the trek in specifically to check out the beauty/facial care stores in Koreatown…if there is one you would recommend there or any where near GCT I would greatly appreciate it
TonyMoly has good makeup, but its a bit expensive. 32nd and 7th. Honestly, if they just walk around Korea town they will find something that fits their budget and appetite. They are some good eats too
Thank yyou! will pass the info on
Yum. I need to make some baked oatmeal today.
Baked? How do you do that
I’d love to know, as well! Always looking for ways to jazz up oatmeal.
It is a variation on this recipe:
http://blog.mcginnis-sisters.com/?p=332
A half recipe works in an 8×8 (brownie) pan. I use butter instead of canola, and you can use any dried fruit instead of raisins, and my son likes it with chocolate chips.
I usually use steel cut oats, in which case, best to let it sit in the pan for about 20-30 minutes before baking to soften the oats.
I then cut into squares, and freeze most of the squares for later use (heats up quickly in microwave). I eat it with plain yogurt, or sometimes I heat up half & half and pour that over
And did I make a batch today? NO, I did not. I never catch up!
Oh, and I sprinkle less sugar on the top than they call for — it is sweet enough for me already — plus I often add chopped walnuts.
Awesome, thank you, Robin! I will definitely try that with chocolate chips and walnuts.
Thank you Robin! Sounds like something the babies would like
For young children I would definitely go with whole oats instead of steel cut. (Actually even my husband and “grown” son prefer the whole oats.)
But this was a staple for a time for my son’s school day breakfasts — very convenient to have in the freezer when you’re running late.
I never got the No 19-Heure Exquise connection until I tried 19 in edp. Now I get it, but still don’t smell it with No 19 edt or edc. My AG is also the edp, for reference.
Ormonde Jayne Ta’if from a sample today. It’s nice, but I still keep coming back to Woman.
My girls are at summer camp, so I am on ‘kidcation’ for the next 10 days. I’m off work today and have a couple of things on my to-do list. On Wednesdays there is a pop up food truck in my neighborhood, so we will walk and get tacos for dinner.
Happy Hump Day!
Kidcation!!!! enjoy! and let yourself be lazy too!
Taco trucks! Yum!
Enjoy the peace.
Ta’if is so pretty. If I needed more rose perfumes, it would be a contender. It’s so easy to wear.
Ta if is on my Full Bottle list, so beautiful!
You smell marvelous.
Kidcation, so jealous!
I had a long running fantasy about starting up a mobile taco truck – not parked, but driving around like an ice cream truck, playing La Cucaracha to let people know tacos and blended margaritas were coming through the neighborhood.
It sounds like an even better idea now than it did 20 years ago when I first hatched the idea, actually
You were so ahead of your time with the food truck idea! It’s genius – I would flag your truck down every time…more fun than UberEats!
Interesting idea but I would avoid associating La Cucaracha with any food (or anything else, for the matter).
Two roses, or perhaps even more. Shower with Rose Jam, followed by Durance Rose Ancienne body oil and Lancome Mille et Une Roses.
Lovely! I wish Lancome would reissue Mille et Une. I guess I should go try their new roses.
My last (large) bottle of Rose Jam just dipped under the halfway point this morning – I’ll have to ration til Christmas!
SotD Bandit (current formulation)
Everything has already been said and written about this scent in all its varieties.
I struggled a but with it the first 2 hours (its the bitter soapyness, coming from galbanum?).
But after that phase it turns into a very very nice leather/vetiver/moss. Smooth and easy to wear.
I tried Bandit once, need to try it again and give it more attention, without other things trying to sing chorus. I just remember it as being very dry and almost harsh. It’s such a classic that I really want to like it!
Yes, I think ‘harsh’ is a good word to describe that first phase, and its keeping me from loving it as a whole. Nevertheless, interesting scent. And that second phase I can agree with, lovely when the vetivet shines through, just took more than 2 hours to get there haha.
I adored it from the first—it turns out galbanum and leather really tick my boxes—but I do see it as a renegade, punk rock fragrance. Timeless, actually. You smell awesome!
I hope you wear it! I’d love to smell stuff like this more often on people.
I could see myself wearing this to a music festival or on a road trip.
I wore it today with short floral dress and leather jacket and it felt like a perfect match.
That is an ideal Bandit outfit! I don’t have quite as many occasions to wear it as I would like. I never want to wear it to work, because it feels too raw and authentic—the self I’m saving for my own time.
Same here.
For work I wear less ‘personal’ scents, just stuff that smells good but without too much of an emotional attachement.
I dont want to associate work with scents that are special to me.
But most scents that are very dear to me are not office friendly anyways
Snap! Scent twins:) I love the opening myself – in fact I love everything about this fragrance. Can only imagine how fab the original version must have been.
High temperatures demand radical scent strategies, so today it’s Vetiver pour elle, layered with turtle vetiver Front – it works, and that’s my Friday homework ticked off the list. I’ll be travelling, and my VpE bottle comes with one of the cumbersome spray pumps, pretty but not practical at all!
Vetiver Pour Elle is so darned pretty. I have the bee bottle, so have decanted a bit into a travel spray.
I have to decant it too! And yes it is very pretty, adding Front makes it edgier, I have a yin and yang situation going on.
Thanks for the inspiration! I’ll wear Front later in the day
Doing the community project today wirh aldehydes: Chanel no 5 edp on one arm, Guerlain Liu on the other, and a soritz if Carthusia Aria di Capri in my hands. The aldehydes in the Chanel are a bit more powdery and the whole effect is like a fine mist. The Guerlain is mellower, soapier to me. The Carthusia seems the boldest and most colorful of the 3. Fun comparisons.
I will have to give Carthusia a try!
You already received an enabler pin on Fiori di Capri… I’m now interested in the line itself….
Oh, yay! Did you end up buying a bottle?!
Interesting idea Elisa. I would never have thought of that.
Compare and contrast, focus on verbena. Miller et Bertaux Green, Green, Green and… Green on my left wrist, Maurer & Wirtz 4711 Acqua Colonia Melissa & Verbena on my right wrist. Both are definitely green, but very different in other respects. Green, Green, Green and… Green dry, spicy and bitter – I’d say coriander is the dominant note. A green herbal scent with citrus and woods in the background. Melissa & Verbena is a much simpler fragrance – a green citrus cologne, nice for summer but does not stand out.
Oh, nice idea, I love verbena! And thanks for the review of the Melissa & Verbena because I was curious about that one, and now I’ll forget about it.
If you really love verbena, you may like it more than I did. I like verbena, but I would not call it my favorite note. Melissa & Verbena works as a standard cologne – you spritz to refresh yourself, it fades quickly, so you spritz again. The scent of 4711 Original is more to my liking.
Comparing 3 Iris scents today: Iris Nobile, Iris Poudre and Hiris. Not getting much done because I keep sniffing myself.
You are getting something done, I’d say. Important sniffing.
Not to mention wonderful sniffing.
Those are some vastly different irises! Enjoy!
They really are different, and wearing them all together makes that so clear. IN and IP are much more linear than Hiris. And Hiris seems to have more dirt, as in earth, in it.
Iris smelling twins..
I wore Hiris yesterday; I think it is my favorite iris.
Yes, I think it’s winning out of the three, but IP is more “pretty lady in an office”. And IN is pretty perfume.
Robin,
I will be very interested in your L’Artisan/Mancera comparison trial!!
I went for a duplicate musk note – Helmut Lang EDC from 2000 with Dame Perfumery New Musk Oil. I get similar musk notes, and both hover close to the skin, but I prefer the HL for a work environment. It is somehow quieter.
The Dame is an after-bath favourite though
I promise I will report back later. I’m having a VERY slow & disorganized morning and am not even wearing perfume yet.
Ack, will report back tomorrow! Crazy day, finally put on some Tam Dao in the afternoon to relax.
Today I’m wearing Maria Candida Gentile Rrose Selavy and Ellis Brooklyn Rrose. The Ellis Rrose is a little too fresh and youthful to me. I should have compared Rrose Selavy to Voleur de Roses, which I love, and which has much more presence than the Ellis.
I compared the MCG and DelRae Coup de Foudre last night. The Delrae sounds similar to the Ellis-fresh. I’ll try it with VdR, too.
Coromandel EDP and L’Air de Rien – both have patchouli and amber so comparing/contrasting. I ordered a bottle of L’Air so will be able to do really do some testing soon. Love both of these.
that’s interesting, curious how it works out! Could also be too much of a good thing with an olfactory duel between the two and you helplessly in the middle?
Ha yes you are right. I just applied another hefty spray of L’Air, and smelling back and forth between arms I smell Coromandel but not much of L’Air.
I would never have thought to compare these 2. I would love to hear your impressions.
I sprayed a hefty dose L’Air last night and thought it was somewhat similar to the patchouli of Coromandel. After doing some testing I get a faint whiff of L’Air. Hmmm????
Was in too much a rush to compare/contrast this morning. Just grabbed a quick spritz Chasses aux Papillions and sprinted off to work. Maybe I can get my act together for Friday but no promises. I’m enjoying all of your comparisons though!
still smelling lovely though!
Estee Lauder Private Collection, lightly applied. Very lightly. I love this scent, but it can be a bit much for the summer.
Tonight we are flying to Miami for a few days of vacation. I have some fragrance shopping planned at Bal Harbour (Chanel, Santa Maria Novella) and some fun dining spots and beach time
Enjoy your trip! Sounds fun
SOTD CdE Azemour. No compare & contrasting. I don’t think I own anything remotely similar.
You smell great in Azemour
I’d be interested in comparing it with EL Azurée. I sprayed on both recently, but not at the same time.
I tend to put it in the same category as Tauer Orange Star.
Twins!
I took a shower with Rose Jam and then tried out my new decant of Nahema. Don’t sit by me unless you love roses!
-pulls up a chair-
Sits on the other side
*sits behind and wafts hands* Lovely!
Well, helloooo everyone! Maybe I won’t put my decant away for winter after all . . .
Leaning in for a sniff too.
Hello, dear scented friends! I ordered myself some Tauer soap (Mandarines Ambrées) “for my birthday,” and received that wonderful-smelling bar yesterday, with a lovely sample of Orange Star in there as well! So of course, today I’m wearing that. It’s quite pretty and interesting. It seems 5-ml-decant-worthy, but not FB-worthy. I expect I’ll polish off my sample and then not miss it. I was GOING to put Orange Sanguine on my other wrist, but I couldn’t find it before I had to leave for my doctor’s appointment.
And why did I have to go to the doctor?…To be told I almost certainly do NOT need foot surgery!!!!!!!!!! So I am having a GREAT morning! I think nothing can ruin the absolute joy of knowing no one will be cutting my foot open.
I still can’t run for a couple months, but I should be able to walk around cast-less, and I need to start walking a bit each day to remind my body how walking works.
Have a splendid day, dear NSTers!
Awesome news!
Great news and probably the best bday gift! Enjoy your goodies ????
Huzzah! No surgery, and you will smell great!
What a relief! Foot surgery is no picnic, so I’m so glad for your good news.
Hurray for good foot news!
Good news Koyel, yes to no surgery!!
Congrats on the good news!
Hooray for the great news!!
Thank goodness to no surgery!
Great news! Enjoy your walks!
After seeing my sister’s photos post-surgery (by a couple of weeks), I agree. Excellent news!!
YAY! What a load off!!
And congrats on the Tauer. I was *just* at his site pondering a sample of L’Eau… The conundrum I always get caught in is that he charges shipping for samples, but not the sample set, so it makes more sense to buy the set, but then I really don’t want to commit to that, just the one sample, and around and around and around…
Oh, hurray! :^D
Woot!
I’m wearing Rose Kashmirie, all by itself. Really like this powdery, make-up-y rose.
Love that one!
You smell lovely. I acquired a bottle via the NST Swapmeet!
Mmm love Rose Kashmirie.
It’s been warm right off the bat today, so just spritzed on some Mandragore from the fridge. My other fridge scent, oddly, is Nuit Etoilee, which feels like it should be a winter scent, but isn’t.
Good choice! L’Eau d’Hiver is my fridge scent.
Oh, that sounds so nice — cold Mandragore!
Yes, you guessed it right that I’m in Hermes Eau de Neroli Dore. Sprayed lavishly in the morning and re-applied after coming back home.
Today’s 26*C are much easier to handle compared to yesterday but a swim is in the agenda for the evening as well.
I’m proud as I was able to write a triple review for tomorrow despite high temperature.
You smell great!
Enjoy your swim.
Thanks. Just came back & it was great. Not too busy too
Happy Wednesday!
1) Today, we will supposedly have a high of 106F (41F). What the everlasting heck?
2) SOTD: Aromatics Elixir shower gel + Satsuma body sorbet. I smell like a sophisticated orange marmalade.
3) Iced coffee + cream cheese bagel.
4) Like Lucasai, I will be swimming tonight.
You smell fabulous, and I love your breakfast!
Thank you!
Geez, 1) is crazy. You’ve had quite a few insane heat waves this summer. We’re in the midst of a heat advisory, too, but in my microclimate it’s very warm but not hot. (Actually I sat outside in the shade last night until about 8pm and had to come in and de-ice my hands under warm water as they’d started to go numb from the cold. I’m super cold-sensitive, especially my extremities.)
Yes- we are in a heat wave that is expected to last until Sunday! And yeesh- next time you do that, you should wear gloves!
And oddly, it cooled down here so much this evening that I had to put on a long sleeved shirt for our evening walk. Unheard of in August! Everything is crazy!
Another day of heat today in Arrakis sounds like…
I craved rose this morning so I am comparing Safran Troublant with Eau de Protection. Rossy is still going strong but I’ll need to respray ST soon.
Both lovely but so different? I think rose is also a really versatile note(like your iris party the other day).
You’re right. I normally wouldn’t have chosen to wear Eau de Protection for daytime during this time of year. I actually wanted to wear Rose de Siwa with ST but my decant was empty and I didn’t have time to look for my backup (bless you Hajusurri). Several other frags with rose notes would have worked better. What can I say? I cracked under pressure. Rossy was handy so I just went with it! Don’t get me wrong, I love EdP but it wasn’t the best match. Rossy totally dominated. ????
Comparing incenses today: Passage d’Enfer and TF Vert d’Encens. The Tom Ford is definitely rounder and softer. It’s the only Vert that made it to my buy/decant/split list.
You smell great!
You smell amazing! It was my Christmas scent last winter, but I’m inspired to try it soon and see how it is in the summer.
Hotter-than-usual shower today to try and loosen up sinuses and resulting headache. Scent isn’t an issue, thankfulky. Berdoues Violette and Sous Le Toit de Paris today. I meant to start with violet-scented bath powder but I grabbed the cherry blossom one instead. Still very nice.
Fingers crossed my sister might be acquiring tickets to Aftel’s museum for us during my visit. Be fun to do that with her!
I hope you get in. A reviewer on YouTube posted a video of the museum tour with Mandy Aftel as the guide. It looks like a great experience.
We are going on the 12th at 11 am!
Nice, I hope you’ll give us a full report.
How is the Berdoues Violette?
It is a straight forward violet Eau de cologne. Spray with abandon and frequently…. I sometimes use as linen spray also.
The NeilMed sinus flush thingy is great for loosening things up. It can also be rather refreshing if the water (in the rinse bottle) is cool.
I’d meant to add, “in the shower” with the above
Thanks. I have one of those and may use tonight. They help a lot, especially to shorten a cold’s duration.
Today’s SOTD is L’Ombre Dans L’Eau from Diptyque, with notes of black currant leaf, black currant, Bulgarian rose, musk and ambergris.
I love that one. You smell great!
Me three.
Vintage Amouage Gold. I meant to pair it with vintage no 5 but forgot. It is gorgeous and the far dry down reminds me more of no 19 than no 5 funnily enough.
I have not tried that one in ages, I should see if I still have some.
Sampling Shay and Blue Atropa Belladonna a mild-mannered scent with a dominant black currant note (as compared to Enchanted Forest which will stomp you with its black currant note if I remember right)
CotM = Chanel Eau de Cologne + 4711
Two colognes for the easiest comparison ever, they’re both great. Chanel’s is a bit smoother. 4711 makes me just as happy, smells wonderful, and is a bargain to boot. I’m refreshed and ready for the heat of the day.
Sounds refreshing and wonderful!
Thanks! I love cologne because I can top up all day long and nobody will complain that I’m overdoing it, lol.
Huge price differential there, nice that the 4711 makes you just as happy!
yep, the price difference between Chanel and 4711 colognes is mind-boggling. Not saying the higher-price of the one is unwarranted, but it is surprising when both get are so good.
Only in the 80s in western NY today, and we haven’t a very hot summer. But rain is another story (not complaining). Wearing … forgot name. Something Fête.
The Nicolai?
My Teo Cabanel sample set has just arrived! I am in Alahine, gorgeous. I really wanted to try it and I love it. Still got the others to try!
Ooh, how nice! So many lovers of Alahine here, I’m really looking forward to trying that one.
Still haven’t managed to get my hands on Alahine yet – it’s on my list of, oh, maybe 142 samples I’ve been meaning to try.
Just read on Kafkaesqueblog that it has been reformulated. I would love to smell the original one. It says that the new formula is very synthetic. Shame. I enjoyed it but the dry down is boring.
My lovely friend who’s been staying with us gave me a sample of Miller Harris Etui Noir, beautiful Leather/incense/Iris/vetiver/citrus.
Really enjoying, but not quite as much as Vetiver Insolent.
I’m looking forward to comparing with Iris Nazerena, but this will have to wait until Christmas, when I’m hoping a bottle will fall into my possession. I’ve almost forgotton exactly how IN smells, I think it’s more complex than the Etui Noir, but if they’re similar maybe I will get Etui Noir instead, as IN is so spendy and annoyingly I cant find a decant in the UK.
Iris Nazarena is a beauty! I tested it in a store a few weeks ago and could not stop sniffing my arm, it is now on my ‘sample-list’.
That Miller Harris sounds nice. I had an old friend to stay this week and she wore Amarige.
I think Etui Noir is one of the 4 scents in the men’s travel pack. If you like the other scents as well, the smaller bottles might suit you better?
Thanks!, will look this up.
There is always the travel set of 3 x 10ml Iris Nazarena, or the Decouverte set of 3 different 10ml sizes (iris Nazarena, Copal Azur, and Oiellet Bengale). Either is about £99 from Notino at the minute (just been looking for smaller sizes myself, and also in UK).
Thanks Anarchkitty! I didn’t know this!
Dilettante as I was craving some orange blossom, but due to the heat + the hazy air today, I think it’s dirtier than normal on me.
I like that dirty part! I think thats why Dilettante is the only orange blossom I love so far. Also love it because it has a nice warm amber-y almost salty base.
Most other orange blossoms turn soapy on my skin…and i dont like that.
Also like Neroli doré (that Lucas is wearing today) because it is somewhat bitter/herbal. Too bad its longevity was not that good when i tested it.
I had the same experience with my Neroli Doré sample–lovely, then totally disappeared.
I also like the dirty part of this one, and quite admired it on my pal who brings it out, but never had it too strongly on me, until this morning.
I think I have some kind of anosmic thing with Neroli Doré. I can smell it for about 3 seconds and that’s it. I mixed my sample into my post-shower coconut oil, so I guess I smell good after a shower even if I can’t detect it – though it does cancel out the coconut scent, which is the point…
Same here re orange blossom and soapiness, with few exceptions, e.g. Seville a l’aube, have you tried it?
I haven’t tried that one yet. I got a hot tip about TF Positano, and it’s pretty great–got a sample from Sephora. I love LL Tuberuse, which is actually a non-soapy orange blossom, but is too much money, so I’m waiting till the exclusives come back to our local Nordstrom’s and I’ll ask for another sample. Or three, under multiple disguises?
No, not yet.
Oh and i really want to visit Sevilla and that whole region one day.
I’m totally failing at perfuming this week. I just grab whatever I can find and go for it. Life is busy and so crazy with the move and leaving my job and my son starting his senior year. Today is Tocca Colette. I do love it but wish the citrus was a little more tart at the beginning.
Look forward to taking a few minutes here on my lunch break to read everyone’s comments. I’m sure you all smell fab.
Grab and go is fine…..I bet you still smell great!
You smell great. I hope you have a calm moment soon amidst all the chaos.
I have Colette in a rollerball, and I didn’t even know there was citrus in it until I was reading about it online. I STILL think it’s weird that it’s a citrus scent for other people. But you smell very nice.
Hope things calm down soon.
I love Colette! Everyone seems to have a different experience with it – I get a distinct violet note and a lemony citrus note.
Whew. Based on the notes, this fragrance should be right up my alley. But alas the cumin is overwhelming all the other delights… in Aziyade. Aachooooooo!
I forgot all about Aziyade for a good reason. I recall this being one that made me almost throw up. My sample went to a SKANK-friendly home.
I love Aziyade, but in very small doses and not on a hot day.
L’Artisan Violaceum today, which I’m really enjoying. It’s very quiet on skin after a few hours, but when I stick my nose in my arm it’s warm and cozy. An interesting take on violet.
I find it very cosy too. You smell great.
Two more perfumes from the Queenstown collection. Wilderness Berries refers to native plant species with berries, often a food source for birds or used by Maori for medicine etc. in this case the red berries of totara ( a big tree) and horopito ( pepper tree ). The scent has a soft boysenberry/ blackberry scent to me , cut through with black pepper – which is a nice combination ( reminds me of dishes of strawberries and pepper that I ate in France). Lakeland Flora looks at manuka ( tree tree, has a smell a bit like dusty eucalyptus) and kowhai ( yellow flower, more a visual than scented tree IMO). This perfume has a floral aspect , think spring flowers and ylang ylang. I have enjoyed wearing yesterday’s High Country Tussock which has a creamy mimosa vibe ( when sprayed liberally). The scents are all naturals ( from EDP to EDT, cologne and natural spray) and my guess would be that the native plant extracts in the perfumes are a very small percentage, so these are interpretations of the landscapes rather than perfumes made from 100% locally sourced material. I think they would not capture the perfumista and I see them as something you would pick up after a day in a luxury resort spa – they have that kind of character, to me. Very very sheer, pleasant and “pure” smelling. With a bit more body they would be great as a Jo Malone type fragrance: “Manuka, honey dew and briar rose” type thing. They are not generic or harsh. Really interesting and they have sparked my imagination, and I like the Tussock EDP and the use of horopito.
Further adding to my desire to go to NZ. I was with a bunch of Australians last week, one of whom was originally from New Zealand. He said, ‘go to the north island first to see the most beautiful place in the world. Then go to the South Island to see the place that is even more beautiful.’
BaHaHa. New Zealand’s beauty spots are getting very crowded
A trip to NZ is on my bucket list.
A trip out of NZ is on mine!
Morning, all. Thursday….thank heavens, it’s nearly Friday. I’ve been battling a migraine all week, and I’ve been barely functional, somthe weekend is a most attractive destination. Dakkie is still yodelling, but he’s almost reached a detente with the Terrible Two. The terms of the treaty that is being drawn up go like this:
1. Do NOT chase the lilac point’s tail.
2. Do NOT eat the lilac point’s Temptations.
3. Return knitted mice on demand.
4. Do NOT impinge on the lilac point’s cuddles with the dear man.
5. Do NOT use the lilac point’s dirt box.
We hope for a peaceful resolution by tomorrow. Eric arrives Saturday…..
I’m wearing gorgeous Cristalle again today, because it was such a success in the cold last week. I don’t have enough ergs to do a compare and contrast, but if I did, I’d study it in conjunction with my Acqua Vitae, which I bought at Fumerie last month. As it is, I’m just enjoying the cool crispness of my perfume against the warmth of my mad little jersey. It’s a lovely contrast.
Be well, all.
I love Cristalle in the cold
I love hearing about the kitty shenanigans. We left our two small creatures for three and a half weeks – with a four times a day feeder and a lovely cat sitter – and boy, am I being punished. One has been lying on me drooling for the past three days. The other will only come to me when I am in the bathroom, where she stares and me disdainfully while purring and demanding pets.
Good luck with your family blending!
In the late 1970s I wore Cristalle A LOT… but only in the cold….I can’t wrap my mind around the idea of wearing it in the summer but I know that in its current non vintage format it would make a great summer scent.
I have the current EDP and it is, for me, the ideal summer scent…can’t even imagine it in the cold! I’m very tempted to seek out the vintage and smell the difference!
No 19 today.
Question for you guys – has anyone tried Nuit de Bakelite and Naja? What were your thoughts?
I was just about to write that I am trying Nuit de Bakelite now. It has a smokiness I didn’t expect from the notes but shouldn’t surprise me from Naomi Goodsir.
I am testing it with some other things and it’s getting drowned out a bit by Mono d’Oro’a Dohima – too much almond in that for me I think – so must try solo. It might be the tuberose I can wear.
Naja is beautiful tobacco, but with a very present melon, so if that is a note you don’t like, test first. I enjoy the contrast myself.
Oh, this all sounds good. Gotta get the samples!!
Amy, have you tried Papillon Dryad? If yes, did you get smokiness from it?
I have tried it and really like it. Yesterday was oakmoss day with it and Bergamoss. Dryad is quiet to me, and more a slightly waxy green than smoky. It reminds me most of Anatole LeBreton’s Eau de Merzhin, although I have to compare them side by side.
Oh lordy, I was told the melon note is barely noticeable. I loathe melon and I ordered Naja unsniffed. Crossing fingers and hoping I don’t hate it.
I will say it is a note I generally can’t stand, but I think Naja is beautiful. I hope it works for you too!
Mona di Orio. I can never get that name right. Oof.
Can’t help with your questions, but I do know you smell great today.
Three sandalwoods to compare this morning–C&E Sandalwood, The Exotic Perfumer Santal Exotique, and MadHat SantL. The C&E has a soapy note to it, the Santal Exotique is a bit floral, and SantL reminds me of Box of Eels because of its spiciness. SantL and B of E might be my Friday head-to-head comparisons.
The Comcast tech came yesterday and got the modem up and running, but the router is too old to transmit the higher speed broadband, so he recommended I buy a new one. He also swapped out the cable box for a newer one. I lost my saved episodes of The Great British Baking Show but I think I can still see them On Demand.
The upside of renting a modem from comcast is that they’ll upgrade it on a regular basis. My parents recently got a comcast DVR and I’m really impressed with it. We’re still using our 3-year old TiVo, which was a major upgrade from our comcast one at the time. No mas – the newer comcast is now a the superior product.
BTW, the GBBS is on netflix, too, but I don’t know how recent the episodes are.
Acqua di Parma “Colonia Oud”. Ho-hum.
It’s been sort of a sad perfume week for you so far, no?
Oh, I don’t mind at all! I’m treating the week as a sort of experiment. When I started this lark I really didn’t know what I liked and disliked, or how my skin would interact with perfumes. I now know to have low expectations of colognes in general and AdP in particular. :^)
I really hope that when something disappoints you, that you reapply with something you love. I hate to think you just suffer through not enjoying your Sotd.
I think there’s some of the puritan in me: what I choose, I stay with until it’s finished. Only broke that rule once, for the appalling Ys-Uzac “Dragon Tattoo”. Now in Dior “Fahrenheit Parfum”. :^)
I couldn’t wear Dragon Tattoo – I just found it very unpleasant.
I’ll be heading off to work soon in Sacrebleu Intense, I’ve just realised that I haven’t worn it for a while.
I’m wearing Andree Putman’s L’original again. It went from “this smells like a hotel lobby” on Monday to “I must smell that captivating scent again” today.
Stay cool, everyone who needs to!
This one grew on me too – you smell great!
Testing some samples that just arrived and have to say my favorite on first sniff – or twenty – is Tom Ford’s Oud Minerale. Who would have thunk it. But I do have a fondness for the salty perfumes. My sense is that Nuit de Bakelite is also very good but getting drowned out by what seem to me the overly sweet and not so subtle new Mona di Orio Dohima.
Sotd, Agent Provocateur Maitresse. Another one where I wonder why I don’t wear more.
SOTD Hermes Rhubarbe Cologne.
You smell lovely!
I got my Berdoues sample set in the mail yesterday, so I’m wearing one today. I tried a little bit of each of them last night because I’m impatient.
I think I basically like all of them, but I’m not sure I *love* any of them. So far based on my preliminary impressions, my favorite is Arz El-Rab. We’ll see how I feel when I give each of them a proper wearing.
First up today is Assam of India. It’s nice enough, if a bit more emphasis on the citrus than I would prefer. I kind of wonder if I’m missing something because I’m getting a very persistent citrusy note, the tea, and a kind of white musk thing that is not quite laundry but just close enough to be mildly annoying. Not sure if I’m getting the sandalwood or not. I know I have trouble smelling some sandalwood molecules, so maybe that’s it. Kind of smells like it could be a Jo Malone.
I got a similar impression of Assam of India, too. My takeaway was that I’m just not that into tea perfumes, though your Jo Malone comparison is spot-on for me.
Oh – but I do want to know where you got the sample set!
NM – I see it at sephora. Now in my cart!
Yep, Sephora. Glad you found it!
Eh, there are other tea scents out there. I don’t know if you’ve tried L’Artisan Tea for Two, but I like that one a lot. It’s kind of my go-to tea if you like smelling like a yummy cup of chai with honey.
When I wore Assam in the summer it was all about the citrus. In the winter my skin really amped up the sandalwood. Try it again in the winter and see if you like it better. And do report back on the other Berdoues as you try them- please
Will do. And I will try it again later and see how it wears in cooler weather. Citrus-centric isn’t usually my thing, even in summer, so more sandalwood would make me happy. I just hope, like I said, that they’re not using sandalwood materials that I can’t smell.
That’s exactly what Assam smelled like to me. I didn’t get much in the way of wood or other notes-and I don’t *think* I’m anosmic to sandalwood synthetics.
The concert yesterday was *so* fun and wow, this day really got away from me.
Today’s theme is musk, so I’m in a clean, soapy musk: Penhaligon’s Sartorial; as well as a more animalic musk: Kiehl’s Original Musk.
Mostly I wanted an excuse to wear Sartorial today cause it just sounded good
Timbuktu. So good.
Fighting my way out from under that potent grad school mixture of procrastination, fiscal anxiety, and irritability – at least the weather’s cooled down. And an end is in sight.
Good luck, I remember all those feelings well! (And still get them, just not about grad school now)
Wearing Alaia edp (in the black bottle.) I’m not sure what I could compare it to if I so desired. This is one of the few perfumes in my collection that lasts forever on me (up to 24 hours sometimes) and has major projection all the way through.
In other news, I just bought a bottle of Galop d’Hermes (half-price!) Also bought a pair of Frye sandals (half-price!) Expensive morning but skipped the (half-price!) MIchael Kors bag that will be mine as soon as Macy’s puts out a sale-on-sale code, which should happen in about, oh, 5 minutes or so.
Expensive, but productive!
Ha! Enjoy the goodies. Where was Galop 1/2 off?! I looked at some Frye sandals on shoebuy, but ended up with some Steve Madden black kid suede gladiators with a lucite heel-I just needed some lucite in my life.
You smell great…I may wear Alaia tomorrow.
And great hauling….getting things you want at great prices is satisfying.
Watching it pour buckets and buckets of rain outside for the second time today. VERY glad that I am not out in it… looks like a nasty commute home for some folks. SOTD = Cartier’s Baiser Vole, from the sample stash. I had forgotten how nice this is in hot, humid weather. Very pretty!
A question for the experts on NST: if I were to get a postcard sample from Dame Perfumery, which one? I have been on the website several times, and just couldn’t make up my mind. I haven’t tried any of the Dame scents yet, if that is important info. Thanks!
So far I’ve liked Passion Fruit, orange blossom, and vetiver, and Dark Horse. I think BFMV is very good, but reminds me of Shalimar somewhat, my friend loves it though. New Musk is good too, just not musky enough for me.
In my experience, the EDTs are all in a similar style – just close your eyes and point! I really like the Gardenia soliflore oil, but have had no luck with the Artist lines I tried.
This is a question for chocolatemarzipan8, our resident Dame Perfumery Expert. If you like vanilla, Dame has Black Flower Mexican Vanilla. It’s a dry woody vanilla. If not, maybe someone else can chime in. I find his perfumes, of those I’ve sampled, to be mostly sheer and ethereal. Perhaps someone else can chime in?
Daaaammmme!!!! Love Dame. Lots of respect for his customer service and aesthetic, even the ones that don’t work on me. A few faves:
Osmanthus-fresh, twiggy, apricotty
Gardenia-sweet, heady, peekaboos of mushroom and blue cheese.
I have these 2 in the oil and they are linear, no adornment, not great on longevity or sillage (sprays might be better) but very enjoyable.
Mate heliotrope patchouli-one scent in my wardrobe that I struggle to describe. It’s more than the sum of its parts. The primary notes just meld together into somethIng I can’t compare to anything else, perhaps due to lack of repertoire. Nonetheless, it always seems appropriate, can be dressed up or down. In my case, usually down
I don’t really get “clean” patch or “hippie” patch from this, just something’ middle of the road.
Black flower Mexican vanilla- rich, black, sleek and smooth interpretation of vanilla. No cuddly fluffy clouds.
Chocolate Man-bittersweet chocolate soliflore. Solifood? Hmmm in any case, a must try for someone looking for a chocolate fragrance, male or female.
Dark Horse-cloves and gaiac, reminds me of Micallef Gaiac without as much of a powdery facet. Love it on my husband.
Still testing Monsoon and Earth Mother. Will report back!
oh lordie! i love them all! Not sure what notes you are drawn to but Dame has a fairly extensive collection so something is sure to please. Keep in mind that the soliflores are often true to their name (gardenia and narcissus are POTENT and while I like them others do not). BFMV, Dark Horse and Chocolate Man are sweet on my skin but ymmv. Don’t be afraid to cross the line and venture into the mens section- Citrus Man, Herb Man and Leather Man are amazing on me. I will also second the suggestions of others: Passionfruit, Orange Blossom & Vetiver and Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli are both great….as are Cassis, Rose & Sandalwood and Lime, Gardenia & Benzoin (reminds me of the original Marc Jacobs). The New Musk is incredibly subtle and I like it in the oil format as a base for layering. I have yet to try the three new ones )Monsoon, Earth Mother, Sky Father) so I don’t know much about those.
When you send your post card pick three that you really want to try and write those down with “or”s attached….I feel certain that Jeff will send you all three as well as one or two more. He is that generous. And you will probably get a 10% off coupon so be prepared to buy a full bottle or at least some travel sprays if there is something you like or want to try in the future.
Let us know what you choose
ha! and I forgot to say that I have been wearing Bergamot, Jasmine and Labdanum for almost a week now. Not earth shattering but it is so pretty and versatile and feminine (reminds me of my beloved vintage Nocturnes de Caron) and I have received numerous compliments. Like Mate, Heliotrope and Patchouli it makes a great office scent or bedtime scent. Plus, it has staying power on my scent eating skin.
and on a final note, the full size bottles are amazing in real life…very weighty and hefty…chunky thick glass…just the way I like em….and look lovely lined up on your dresser!
I recently sent away for my postcard scent and he sent me 4 other samples in addition to the one I requested. Ironically the one I sent away for was not the one I fell in love with. Earth Mother , to me, is just lovely. Opens with caramel and then patch, Amber and sandalwood, all of this oriental lovers favorite notes in one. It feels like a gourmand and I think it will be perfect this fall. He will also send free samples with his sample sizes, which are really 5 ml decants. Good luck! Do report back!
SOTD = Guerlain Neroli Outrenoir
I almost paired this with PdE Tabac Tabou with ‘tobacco” as the common note but alas, I was in a hurry thus mirnung so pffft.
I have an idea for Friday but that will have to choreograph it like a ballet!
It’s been quite horrific at work so I am really looking forward to the weekend. I already know Monday will be tough.
Pfft…best one-word review eva! ???? Made me laugh out loud.
Hope work gets better. Mine hasn’t been a picnic lately either.
Thank you. If I can find 2 helpers on Monday, it will alleviate it but I am sooooo behind from being on vacation!
I must have caught it from Koenigsberg. The pffft review was me not being able to do what I thought of doing and of course, I just noticed the effects of fat fingers! Have you tried Neroli Outrenoir? I love it and I am just holding out until it’s available in regular atomizer AND either BG or Saks having their buy more save more promotion.
I haven’t tried Neroli Outrenoir but I’ll put it on my list. Thanks for the recommendation,
Hang tough, Hajusuuri…the weekend cometh! Well and the following Monday too but enjoy the heck out of the weekend first.
Hot and humid with massive afternoon thunderstorms including hail. I started in Eau de Cartier, then when that burned off I switched to 10 Corso Como.
Thanks for your kind decant of Chypre Fatal…I am debating getting a full bottle and wonder if you have any thoughts on the current formula please.
I love thunderstorms…it was very gray and humid today in SD and they said we might have a storm but it did not materialize….as so much weather in SD fails to do…
I haven’t smelled the current formulation, but will try to do it when I am at Bergdorf Goodman’s in 2 weeks.
Summer hail, yuck, that’s the worst.
So very late today….
I wore old/original formula Eau Premiere and the current…the original has more citrus but the drydown of the current is lovely and lingers longer imho.
Also I have been just applying perfume to my forearms the last couple weeks on my new job and I notice all my fragrances seem stronger and seem to persist longer throughout the day. I think spraying my neck/throat/chest area may have been overworking my nose with the dreaded olfactory fatigue. I applied perfume over 12 hours ago and I can still smell it faintly. I think spraying on my neck/chest was perhaps too close to my nose and my nose stopped registering it. I kind of thought olfactory fatigue was just a buzz phrase but now I believe. Oh Science…how could I doubt thee???
Forearms has become my m.o. too.