We've done the 6 word review, now let's try a (traditional) twitter review. Pick a favorite fall fragrance, and write a review that doesn't go past 120 characters. (You can use charactercount if it helps!)
Or, as always, just talk about something else.
Note: top image is Autumn Studio Colour [cropped] by THOR at flickr; some rights reserved.
Oh lordie…the middle aged brain cannot think for this challenge…so I will just post what I am wearing…from yoga class applied to my third eye during shavasana the homemade oil I gifted to my yoga teacher today of the homemade vanilla bean oil with cardamom seeds, star anise and Eden Botanicals orange essence essential oil….post yoga very lavish sprays of Eau de Campagne as the weather seems to have warmed up again in my part of the world…I think I am going to finish this bottle very soon.
Oh and my tea is the very inexpensive Celestial Seasonings Pumpkin Spice black with a dollup of chocolate sauce to sweeten it up
And I also wanted to ask, is it just my crotchety old self or does anyone else have zero interest in the Zoologist fragrances? I don’t know why but they turn me off which makes absolutely no sense to me…I tried Hummingbird from a sample sent to me by my best friend and it was odd but OK…every time I see a press release for a new one I get annoyed and for the life of me I cannot figure out why this is! Well, on the bright side, money saved!
I don’t get actively annoyed, but I deeply don’t care. I haven’t liked the ones I have tried and the drawings of animals in Victorian garb don’t do it for me. And may actually annoy me a little bit!
I find the animals in Victorian garb a turnoff, too. But my sister is a Canadian zoologist (zoology has nothing to do with zoos, btw) so I’ve thought about sending a sample set to her off and on. She doesn’t wear perfume but she might still appreciate the connection.
“zoo” is Greek for animal.
Zoo in english is short for “zoological garden”,
and zoologists study zoology.
So those words have lots to do with each other.
I used to want to try everything new. But I have noticed in myself, for some years now, an increasing resistance to trying *any* new lines. It is a reaction to the explosion in the number of fragrances and brands.
So then, if any little thing about the brand is even slightly annoying, it shores up that resistance instead of breaking it down.
I don’t mind, I see it as a useful mechanism since so many new brands are a waste of time. I’m sure I miss some good fragrances, but I figure I’ll come around to the truly fantastic ones eventually. Or I won’t — there’s already too many fish in the sea so whatever
Ha — which I guess is a rather nihilist view for a perfume blogger!
I do like looking for new things but there are brands that I ignore so much that I even wouldn’t try their most appealing to my taste proposition.
I wonder if this has been explored before on the blog…what brands do you ignore and why?
I know that I ignore Bond, because there are just too many of them. And I’m not wild about the bottles. And I love the idea of Aftelier, but it’s too speedy for me.
Nancy – I think not. Bloggers probably wouldn’t openly admit that they hate this or that brand. This could trigger a wave of hate or black PR, which nobody wants.
Nancy, I mostly ignore Bond but had already tried at least 15+ of their fragrances before I started ignoring them, so that’s kind of different…more like losing interest rather than resisting trying. I do really like a few of them, but most of them are in a style I don’t care for.
I mostly ignore Amouage too, and Clive Christian, and Roja Dove — also brands I’d tried but lost interest in, in those cases, partially because I think the output is overrated, but also because I thought they were so outrageously overpriced and I find that a turnoff. Ditto with Tom Ford Private Blend, although I do try some of those, and I am not so excited about By Kilian.
None of those are hard and fast rules, and sometimes what I try is random because something falls in my lap, and sometimes I feel guilty and try a few more (just did that with Amouage, hated the 3 I got).
I could not even list for you all the new brands I’ve never tried, there are literally too many to list!
Then there are brands I *wish* I’d ignore because they no longer make scents I care about, like Serge Lutens, but I can’t yet bring myself to ignore them.
Lucasai, that is undoubtedly true for some bloggers, but I think I am pretty clear about which brands I don’t care for, and I could not care less about PR. I try to be polite but I do not cultivate relationships with brands or PR agencies, and I go out of my way *not* to personally meet perfumers or anybody who represents any brands. I have zero inside information as a result, and I like it that way — it suits my contrarian personality
Nancy, I’ve been keeping a list of such brands and reasons to ignore them meaning to do a post (my blog is too tiny to matter so I’m not afraid of a backlash) but haven’t done it yet. I will one day.
Sorry, Robin, for highjacking your thread – not enough nested comments levels
Undina, it’s a conversation, do not be sorry. I am intrigued you have an actual list!
It’s a perfect explanation, and I had (and I think even expressed publicly) the exactly same rationale for the last several years. It’s self-preservation of a kind.
+1 from another nihilist
I have kind of the same disinterest in them, but for me it’s the word “zoo” – my brain goes instantly to used straw, monkey dung, damp snake houses, and the musty-feather-debris odor of aviaries. I tried Nightingale only because a free sample came with a fragrance order, but I have no plans to investigate further. (I’m old and crotchety too, though.)
I agree with all of you. There is something that saddens me about the zoo. But there are a lot of things that sadden me these days. Seeing animals dressed in clothes is one of them.
I too have fragrance fatigue. Too much, too many, all the same, outrageous prices.
I’m sure I’ll come around, but in the meantime my middle aged brain can’t do 140 characters this morning either.
I did sleep for 11 hours which was delicious.
My post shower SOTD will be Kyoto.
“Too much, too many, all the same, outrageous prices.”
That’s an eye-opening twitter-style review of the fragrance industry right there.
Congrats on those 11 hours! I used to be able to do that *sigh.* The year I turned 40 I stopped being able to do a lot of things (reading small print without assistance and the light of 1,000 suns, going more than a week without doing some serious facial hair removal) and sleeping more than 7 or 8 hours is one of them.
I am so behind on trying anything from the last few years, no desire to try the Zoologist. Not fond of the art or names. Trying to keep up with all of the new houses will drive you batty, I think. Of the 16 bottles currently up for split, I have tried exactly one, and that was a week ago from a swap meet sample. Have heard of most of the houses but not the perfumes themselves! I came late to perfume – only a few years ago – so part of me just wants to get to know the classics.
I’m with you! But I know exactly why I do not like this brand: in my mind, perfumes are something luxurious – and neither the name of the brand nor their perfume names convey luxury to me. I wouldn’t want to answer “Macaque” or “Camel” to the question what I’m wearing
So interesting because we are opposites on that issue (I am not quite a puritan because I do like comfort, but luxury annoys me) but both of us are avoiding Zoologist. We need a list of the intersecting brands that annoy both of us, LOL…
(Although really Zoologist does not annoy me in any particular way. They’re just another in a sea of brands I don’t care about, or don’t care about yet. Another issue is just that once I start with a brand, if I like it I will want to try the newest, and burden adds to my reluctance. I did eventually come around to Kerosene and Imaginary Authors, two other brands I avoided for a good long time.)
I’d rather say Rhinoceros than some feelings&love banal marketing name:) but noone asked me what perfume I wore for a very long time. In my language wear and carry is the same word, so What fun it would be to say to people that I carry an Elephant:)))))))
I go back and forth between thinking those animals are either clever or twee. I must admit I find them charming on first glace. I do like the weirdly wonderful Bat. I haven’t smelled any others from the line that I can recall.
I’ll repeat apsara’s perfect summing up of “too much, too many, all the same, outrageous prices” here. I too am perplexed at how often the same notes punch me in the nose. The endless white musk and/or woody patchouli and/or shopping mall amber notes are baffling. That annoys me more than any particular marketing ploy.
Oh, I’m just the opposite! Zoologist is the only brand I’m still excited about and I find the scents interesting the same way I’m fascinated by Lesnez.
It really depends on the reasons one loves perfume I suppose. I’m always looking for scents that thrill me, make me remember something or feel a certain way. Luxury is great, sometimes, it’s far from the only feeling I’m looking for.
Bat reminds me of Gothenburg underground caves, Panda is nicely animalic, old Panda green and murky, and Civet glamorous and dirty somehow.
Something like Floraiku I find far less intriguing, with masses of releases at once and so much focus on packaging while the scent descriptions are very ho-hum.
What happened to LesNez anyway, does anyone know?
I’m old and crotchety but infatuated by the Zoologist line. I love the quality of the animal art and have found most of the scents intriguing. I think to me they represent a spiritual link between animals and humans that I find meaningful. Yeah, I’m just an old crotchety hippie.
I second lilylys and Karen B on Zookogist, and would much prefer to tell someone I’m wearing Macaque than the new Tom Ford fragrance!! At least we could discuss what a Macaque is.
.
Having missed really experiencing original classics because I’m relatively new at this, I try current fragrances to train my nose. I wouldn’t wear most, but at this point I don’t want to rule out a whole category. Unpredictability , at least in perfume testing, is fine with me these days
I have enjoyed this thread. There are many brands I have no interest in and then some kind person will send me a sample from an ignored line…and, if I like it, it almost annoys me.
But in general, marketing and what appeals to people is interesting…but I think the huge influx of new lines, especially high-priced lines, combined with said lines releasing 5+ fragrances at a time overall irks me…to piggyback on our nihilist host, Robin. 
Don’t say nihilist like it’s a bad thing… 
Well, maybe it is not a bad thing, but a nihilist attitude towards perfume might not be the best approach for a perfume blog. Too bad I guess, since it’s all I got.
I thought I was the only one who didn’t care about this line. It’s just nothing about it appeals to me. Also raising my hand for old and crotchety.
Count me in as a bit disinterested. I had my finger on the trigger to try a couple samples several times but I abandoned the cart. Like someone else mentioned, I’m trying to explore some more of the classics and vintage frags. Guess I’m old and crochety too!!
SOTM is Alahiiiine. We recently turned our man-cave tv room into an exercise room, and today Mr. G’s kids are coming over to see if they want some/all of the furniture that was displaced. I think they’re going to poke through the accumulation of knickknacks stored in the garage too. Fingers crossed!
Very good luck, and congrats on your new exercise room!
Kissing cousins in Barkhane
My bottle of Rosso Epicureo from Jacques Fath arrived earlier this week so I just had to make it my SOTD for this Saturday.
One of my favorite autumn fragrances is Hiram Green Arbole Arbole which I would describe as “incredibly cozy combination of rose confiture with sensually smooth woods topped with delicious vanilla-tonka cream”
Sounds like Cuddlefluff to me
I think we should do a Cuddlefluff Community Project!
Arbole Arbole is totally a Cuddlefluff!
Yes, we should! Let’s do it!
Or a Month of Cuddlefluff just like a Month of Roses we did on my blog earlier this year, with a calendar
I love the idea but don’t think I have enough perfumes in this category
Though I agree about Arbole Arbole – such a soft and enveloping scent.
You could appear in the calendar for just few days. Just like with roses – even I didn’t have enough for a full month.
Sign me up!
Cuddlefluff community project sounds great! I don’t know anything about Arbole Arbole and based on the name I thought it was a leafy green. Your description of it is making me salivate, lucas!
Here, take this [passes a Kleenex]
Give it a try when you have a chance. It is great!
We recommend, right?
My SOTD is Dune. I don’t wear this often but when I do, I love it.
Nice!
Good stuff.
In Amouage Silver Man for the third day running. I’ll try a review of this in tweet form:
Silver Man, the only Amouage I love. An elegant metallic floral for discerning Jet-Age gentlemen.
Nice! Extra points to you because clearly you are going to be one of the few
Nice!
I’m not on Twitter and I’ve never seen Twitter except reproductions of tweets in the news media. Just not my thing.
I’m wearing Chypre Mousse today. When I first tried it, one of my friends said, “You smell like a crypt.” I took it as a compliment because it does, a bit. It’s mossy and mineral-ly, but there isn’t any decay. Like an old but unused crypt!
Or perhaps a well-maintained crypt.
Just looked at reviews on Fragrantica and a cursory check shows no mentions of crypts and the notes look nice. 
and when I wore it younger CM8 (a female…younger male never says anything negative about my perfume choices but the females in my house pretty much do!) said I smelled like “an old hippie”….
It was very VERY decayed on me. I mean, yes, forest complete with ferns and leaves and moss and mushrooms, but with a big ol’ garbage dump with rotten fruit right in the middle of it. I literally gagged. My daughter came by and said, “What’s tha–” and had to stop talking and go somewhere else immediately because it made her feel sick. Husband jerked his head back from my wrist in horror. My older son came in my room and said, “Something smells weird. Is there a dead mouse in the house? Oh, it’s you. I’ll leave now.”
Clearly it is a skin chemistry issue, because my spray sample was ordered directly from Oriza L LeGrand and it smelled fine on paper. It probably smells way better on you than it does on me, but I do not recommend a blind buy of this one!
SOTD Byredo Pulp. I enjoy it in colder weather better than in warmer temperatures.
Fall favorites that quickly come to my mind are:
Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir
Carner Barcelona D600
Prada Infusion d’Iris Absolue
Calvin Klein Euphoria
10 Corso Como
and most of the Chanel Exclusifs.
Am nude (of perfume) for the moment, as I am hosting a perfumista brunch this morning – it might be a good idea to save the real estate. I give one vote for Zoologist’s Civet. I did try three, much-raved Neela Vermeires and they were scrubbers, and I couldn’t pick Dame perfumes out of a lineup, so money saved there. We can’t try everything and don’t need to. Perhaps we need a Sniffer’s Bill of Rights, based on the Reader’s Bill of Rights…?
Ok, what are the rights we need to enumerate?
SotD = Ambre Narguile
Savory cinnamon, honeyed amber hue,
this autumn fragrance deserves a twitter review, but
I have the flu
so this will do.
Should have said yes to that flu shot. Today I have a date with my pillow and a hot cup of lemon and honey. Will finish reading The Bedlam Stacks, a prequel (?) to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street.
Waft on, NST.
Oh no, get well soon! I hope your book is excellent.
thanks, sistine! the book was great, had a satisfying ending.
Oh no! Feel better.
much better today. thx!
Get better soon!
feeling better already.
Twitter reviews do not turn out to be as popular as 6 word reviews!
Enjoy your down time and get better.
ha, yes, I was hard pressed to put even 6 words together yesterday!
Get some rest. Hope you feel better soon.
thanks lillyjo! had an amazing nap yesterday afternoon, much better today.
Glad to hear you’ve had a fast recovery.
thanks, Wendysue, I’m grateful it was a quiet weekend.
Perfect fall scent.
I always get a flu shot and always manage to get whatever horrid respiratory thing that’s going around in Oct regardless (which always lasts into Nov as bronchitis.) So far so good, and I’m really, really, really hoping I can skip the whole thing this year.
ugh, I hope that you can skip it this year. For me it was just sniffles and fatigue.
Yuck. Hope you got some rest and are feeling better.
Blergh! I hope you feel better soon!
yes, blergh sums it up. feeling much better today tho!
Feel better soon tiffanie.
much better today! thx, pl67
Ugh! Take care of yourself and I hope that you are well ASAP!
down time yesterday made all the difference.
Hope you’re feeling on the upswing, too!
Thank you, I am!
I hope you feel better soon!
thanks a bunch, Petunia. Today is a better day.
I’m trying Ume for the second time today. The first time was in June, and I think the weather was too sultry for me to appreciate this perfume. But it’s slightly cooler, and I am loving the plum/ spicy action. This is one of the very few fruit fragrances that hasn’t turned horribly sweet on my skin, so hooray!
I’ve been thinking a lot about why I want to try so many different perfumes, because I have 20 bottles that are exquisite. I can’t decide if it’s because I want a pleasant distraction from the real life stuff that is stressful, if I’m very happily settled in most areas of my life and so am expressing my wanderlust through scent, or if I’m just fickle. I talked myself out of two sample orders yesterday!
I can completely relate to the desire to try something else – even when you have a wonderful collection of perfumes you love. My collection is … slightly larger than yours but on my recent trip to Europe I managed to smell several hundreds perfumes
But ordering samples is a different animal: in my opinion, one should buy samples only when there is a very strong argument for that: for example, a favorite brand, new perfume from which you’re waiting for, or a very persuading review by someone whose taste is proven to be close to yours. Otherwise, those samples pile up to major waste of money and lost opportunity to wear something great you already own.
But sampling is the only pathway to getting to “something great you already own,” excepting the other pathway: the blind buy. Samples don’t always “pile up to major waste of money.” and *not* sampling also qualifies as a lost opportunity to wear something great.
I’m not saying “don’t sample,” I’m arguing for being very discriminating about perfumes, for sampling which we’re paying “retail” (to decanters), and for maximizing the $$/sample return by swapping samples and buying small decants from splits at cost.
I think about this alot. Perfume is often what I distract myself with when I need to, but I also know that smelling perfume gives me incredible joy. It just makes me feel better overall.
For me, it’s all about the change in weather/ change of seasons. Once winter settles in, I’ll be happy to wear my old favorites but during the transition I get antsy and want to smell all the (seasonal) things! I’ve been testing and wearing new stuff almost exclusively for the past few weeks, and am still thirsty for more novelty.
I’m the same way when summer rolls in, and thus early summer and early winter are always the most expensive seasons for me. I have been very good about not using decanting services, though (it PAINS me to spend that much $ on samples – GAH) and doing sampling through other means. Robin times the swap, freebie, and splitmeets perfectly for people like me
I agree with you. The times for the meets are the best for me too. They happen at the time when I am craving more to try new things and keep me distracted to get full bottles that always make a big hole in my wallet.
Black Perfecto: cherry cough syrup, almond, rose, musk
Pleine Lune tea : almond, honey, sweet spices
Out apple picking today, apple cider donuts are the best
You and everything around you smells wonderful!
That tea is amazing. I am addicted to it
Thank you!
Pleine Lune is one of my favorite black teas and perfect for this weather
Enjoy the apple picking. We had a great time last week when we did it. I agree with you that apple cider donuts are the best!!
They have no calories right?
Not at all!
Some of the fall favs:
Areej Le Dore Ottoman Empire tied up for the first spot place with The Rising Phoenix Rose Musc Attar
Anything by Sultan Pasha
The Rising Phoenix Sandalwood and Feel-Oud Sandalwood
SHL Taklamakan, O’hira and Black Gemstone
Carner Barcelona Tardes. Exploring others from the line as well
Myako
Box of Eels, esp when layered with some of The Rising Phoenix Sandalwood
Ambre Loup
Or du Serail
And many more
PSA to California fume heads – looks like Lush would start carrying their fragrances in spray form in CA stores later this year. I talked to a salesperson in the store yesterday.
Ooooh nice list!
What I dislike most about new brands is they so often seem to start with so many fragrances at once (or by the time I get around to trying them, anyway).
I think I’ll wear Anne Pliska today just to thumb my nose at them (and suit the weather). ????
Anne Pliska just stuck to her guns, didn’t she?
(Although by “she”, I mean the brand. I can’t even remember now if it’s a person!)
Nozknoz, I also think that one has to deserve a luxury status. To be desireable it’s not enough to suddenly appear on the market with a collection of ridiculously overpriced identical looking botlles:)
Exactly!
SotD is Siberian Musk, by Areej le Doré (from a sample).
I if was less tired I would def try the twitter review for this one or for another scent I love.
But I wrote a short ‘review’ in a chat a while ago that could fit in a tweet, so I just leave it here.
“One Million, by Paco Rabanne, a fragrance for the Red Bull generation”
Watching Mindhunter right now on Netflix. Pretty decent series!
Perfect!
I binge watched Mindhunter….believe it or not I just finished the last episode today!!!!
Haha, me too!
It rained heavily all night but this morning there is not a cloud to be seen and the sky is the purest acquamarine blue, and the paddocks across the valley are vivid green and there’s a broad shadow slowly easing down the hillside as the sun rises…it is just stunning. I just tried the last of my Bracken sample: Bracken (Not Bracken)
It still reminds me a bit of Badedas bath or norska shampoo – definitely a soapy element but a lau dry soap ( sunlight soap) rather than bath soap. This lends it a slightly rugged outdoorsy vibe…if it was an advert it would be a woman taking a shower in the open air, in a clearing of spruce and ferns. It’s fresh herbal in a very non-specific way: not edible herbs but herbal shampoo herbal. I still like it though. It doesn’t say ‘bracken’ to me but it reminds me of something from my childhood…maybe soap, herbal shampoo and my father’s aftershave.
I’m having a flashback of just such an advert – a tv commercial for shampoo with a woman washing her hair in an outdoor shower. Or was it an Irish Spring soap commercial?
Makes me think of Herbal Essence shampoo, but probably wasn’t that.
I’m thinking it was either that (when there was just the one shampoo) or irish spring?
I think it was Herbal Esscence back when it was a hunter green bottle and a drawing of a blonde girl with flowers around her head. I think she was bathing in some type of lagoon. I really hope I didn’t just make all that up…
No, you didn’t make it up.. I remember that too! Loved that shampoo.
Oh good! It’s a fine line between what we remember and what we think we remember.
I’ve just remebered the other smell it reminds me of. There used to be a kind of weird French rubber and green plastic massage glove called Helancyl that used an ivy scented massage creme …and its the bitterness of that ivy that comes through in Bracken. I think Helancyl was an anti cellulite type thing.
SOTD was Paul Schuetze “Behind the Rain”.
Notes are black pepper, fir, olibanum, grapefruit, mastic, linden blossom, oakmoss, patchouli, fennel and vetiver.
Sadly today was a weird day, overcast and cool to start but hot and humid when the cloud broke. So wearing 4 layers plus a scarf turned out to be unwise. The upshot is, this perfume wasn’t up to the task. I’m not sure many would have done better.
Now wearing some leftover drops after decanting Teo Cabanel “Julia” from dab-on sample into 2ml spray, to wear the week after next.
Top: mandarin, rhubarb leaves and aromatic and black currant;
Mid: jasmine, violet and hyacinth;
Base: sandalwood, incense, citruses, raspberry and musk.
Good stuff, based on a very light application.
I love the Paul Schutze. Too bad it got buried! Must dig out my sample of Julia.
Julia is good stuff! I never bought any because it seemed a bit young for me, but very nice.
Earlier in the week, in a comment on Angela’s delightful post featuring Christy’s perfume cabinet, Veronika mentioned trying to identify the cologne bottles on Bertie Wooster’s dresser.
I did a couple of searches and could only find the small photo in this blog. It’s not about fragrance, except for the photo, but it has a great passage from one of the novels:
https://theblacktieblog.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/evening-dress-balm/
I feel certain that Jeeves would only have tolerated the most discreet and conservative of colognes!
The full soup and fish! I adore Wodehouse.
You know Bertie would bring home 1 Million and Jeeves would throw it away and put Chanel Eau de Cologne in its place
Me too! The only author who actually made me laugh out loud while reading alone:)
Jeeves would certainly approve of Chanel EdC’s discreet disappearing act.
Oh, look, Robin: the New York Times once published a letter to the Editor correcting no less than William Safire for flubbing this idiom. Those were the days!
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/09/magazine/l-the-soup-and-fish-039102.html
How excellent is that?!? Thank you so much for the link, I am going to settle into my chair with a nice cup of tea and The Code of the Woosters.
I’ve occasionally looked around to see if this series is available to watch but it never seems to be. I’ll have to see if we can pick it up from a video store. We have one that specializes in HTF stuff that I’ll bet carries it. Thanks for the reminder!
Agree with your characterization of what Jeeves would have allowed
We used to watch it when PBS was broadcasting it, as they so often do BBC stuff — early ’90s, I think. A truly wonderful series.
Oh, and you just know Jeeves would only countenance the classics! One even gets the feeling that Chanel might be too continental for him. Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet, Crown Perfumery Crown Spiced Limes, something from the Geo. F. Trumper line…
Agree! No Guerlains or Chanels for Bertram, although the ladies had Guerlains on their dressing tables.
Too continental)) love this description!
Oh, you’re so right. Blenheim Bouquet, that’s the ticket.
thank you! I actually did screenshots whenever I saw cologne bottles in episodes but noone could ever recognize those.
I also talked to some guys on basenotes and everyone agreed he was wearing some traditional british brand. Geo F Trumper store actually appears in the background while Jeeves and Bertie walk in London in one of the episodes
The one in my link looks like it might be a traveling case with its own bottles, which could have been filled with anything. Perhaps they were visiting someone’s country estate.
At 1:50 he picks up a bottle to protect himself https://youtu.be/ySE6fR9d6W8
(Sorry if this video is blocked where you are)
The bottle is simple like the ones Hermes use
Anyway, it’s season 4 episode 4. And it is possible to find better quality
but that simple cologne bottle could be anything.. I’ll have to rewatch the series! His soaps, bathsolts and shaving accesories are also very interesting to spy on:)
You’re right, it does look like Hermes. They didn’t start making fragrances until 1951, though.
Blenheim Bouquet dates back to 1902, so that’s a possibility.
Ooooh, what treasures, thanks nozknoz!
I’ll say I think Jeeves had appropriate options for every occasion.
I remember someone saying Wodehouse is the nutritional equivalent of whipped cream – not substantial but it’s so enjoyable.
It is beautiful outside. I see blue skies. I have opened all the doors leading to the back deck, the front door, and loads of windows. Let the sun shine in! For a moment I can forget the horror happening north of us. Stories are trickling in of lost homes, lost streets, lost neighborhoods. But right now, I can feel a breeze and see the sun. Whoohoo!
Okay. I’ll bite. Here is my SOTD and perfume tweet review:
Mohur is a 1940s Hollywood harem with sandalwood studded with cardamom and saffron, then billowing rose and oud chiffon.
Perfect review!
In Teo Cabanel Barkhane, which is just lovely. Going to see the musical Ragtime tonight and will (probably) wear Putain des Palaces, my chosen frag for musical theater performances. I’d love some recommendations for the perfect musical theater perfume! I feel like something raucous and fun, but not distracting, that has a feel that’s both vintage and modern, would suit. But I still haven’t figured out what that might be. I wore Putain to see An American in Paris last spring and it was perfect.
Fall faves:
Botrytis, Huitieme Poudre de Riz, YSL Cinema, JM Dark Amber & Gingerlily, Ambre Narguile, Narciso edp, ELdO Bijou Romantique and Fils de Dieu, original Fendi, No 19 Poudre, Sous le toit de Paris, Lancome and Chanel Cuirs, Hermes leathers Cuir d’Ange and Galop, Mona di Orio and FM Muscs, Carner Barcelona Tardes, Lolita Lempicka L’eau en Blanc, Prada Infusions Amande, all the Habanitas.
I try to hold off on the real heavy hitters since I’ll have 6 months of winter weather to enjoy them but I’m usually too antsy to smell Shalimar Mexique, Tauer PHI, and Coromandel again and pull them out at the first signs of fall.
Oh, also forgot to mention that I did participate yesterday, but didn’t post. I joined lots of you in CK Obsession (mine was vintage.) So good. And I’ll defend the current version, which I find very wearable and not so far-off from the original. In the drydown it smells a bit like the version for women and men mingled together, which I do not object to at all
For me, nothing has ever been so perfect as original Fendi.
L’attesa is a warm rooty iris with a sophisticated edge, perfect for this almost fall day!
Nice!
Beautiful iris. Me likes.
It really is one of my favorite perfumes.
You smell great!
No perfume yet, I started my Sunday with some serious housework and the place smells of bleach. Hoping that fades soon. After my shower, I’ll be wearing my new Amber Room.
Smells like accomplishment, though!
I tried femeinite du bois yesterday. I can’t tweet but if I had to review it with one of word’s shortest haiku, I’d say
An old stump
Sit on it
LOL! Excellent.
Girlfriends are coming over tonight, and I’m fixing Cuban Mojo Pork with black beans on the side, inspired by the National Pulled Pork day that Robin recently mentioned. The pork shoulder marinated in citrus, garlic and oregano all night, and has been slow roasting in the oven all day. I’m expecting it to be fabulous.
Sounds amazing…I would expect fabulous too.
Oh that will be amazing. That sounds like the one we made a few weeks back!
It sounds delicious! Can you send some please?
I’m drooling over that menu!
Here goes for an attempt at a Twitter review of a fall fragrance, lol:
Papillon’s Tobacco Rose: earthy, smoky, amber rose incense wafts for hours like the last roses of summer. I smell great!
You DO smell great! I don’t get amber or incense from this one, interestingly, but a slightly-sour-in-a-good-way that makes me think of undried tobacco rose.
I think the ambery smell I get may actually come from the ambergris. Tobacco Rose reminds me a bit of Aramis Calligraphy Rose, which I love. They have only a few notes in common, but their similarity is more of a “vibe”. Apparently Liz Moores’ intention with Tobacco Rose was not to replicate tobacco or use its absolute, but to suggest tobacco-ness with her own accord. I’ve read another comment that said it did smell like the unharvested tobacco fields near the writer’s home. Brilliant!
I started today in TDC Bergamote. It lasted about a New York minute. Just a few minutes ago I put on Smell Bent Chastity Begins @ Home. I smell wood, leather and rose. Nice.
Ooooh, I’ll try the twitter style:
Diorissimo, normally a Spring go-to, turns out to be perfect in Fall. Cool weather counteracts too much LOTV. Been wearing for three days now
Excellent. This is one of many classic perfumes I have never tried. I am so scared of going down the pre-reformulation vintage etc etc rabbit hole!
I’m sampling some When We Cuddle and bit of Amouage Dia today…
Today I cleaned the kitchen floor, took my daughter to the park, purchased some healthy and not-so-healthy groceries all while compulsively refreshing the Splitmeet page…FOMO and all that.
Now I am debating opening a bottle of wine…well past noon and all that…
When I wash floors I add some exquisitely scented liquid soap or bubble bath:) Cat hunting the mop adds extra fun.
And… Open it!
I lurve When We Cuddle. Yummmm
Feeling slightly under the weather today… I woke up fatigued and sore all over. So I 86’ed most of my plans for today, and settled for doing a couple loads of laundry. The other stuff I can play catch-up with.
SOTD = Byredo Reine de Nuit, from the sample stash, and Hajusuuri.
“A glass of Sauternes, rose bouquet, incense & patchouli background”. Very rich and opulent feeling to me.
Everything else can wait. Get some rest.
Thanks. I’m feeling better as the day has gone on. Amazing what a nice pot of tea can do for a person.
Oh dear, hope you are even better today!
Thanks, Robin. Going to bed early last night certainly helped. I guess it was one of those 24-hour things.
I’m not sure why the limit was sent to 120: unless I’m mistaken, tweet’s length initially was 140 characters, so I’m going for it.
I’m testing a couple of perfumes, which I won’t name, but my twitter-style review goes for any of them:
Mix a spoon of caviar with a slice of foie grass, add a dash of truffles and a drop of champagne… Well, with perfumes it doesn’t work either
Excellent!
Ha!
I fully admit I don’t know the proper number of characters. I stop typing when twitter cuts me off. Sorry if I messed up the instructions!
Judging by the fact that nobody else complained, I’m in the minority to whom every character matters (brevity isn’t my strong point
).
Nor mine — actually I like that twitter forces me.
Hi everyone. Sotd was No. 22. Lovely and sophisticated. A little to classy for a day at work(my work, anyway) came home and started browsing the split meet, and had to stop because I am desperately in need of skin care. My face has aged way to much this year. I just ordered some Josie Maran products, which worked well for me in the past. I just need to get back into the routine. We are expecting rain and very high winds over night and tomorrow. Fingers crossed we don’t lose power.
I’ll bet that you smelled fabulous in No. 22.
I wore No. 22 on Sunday — such a lovely scent. I had been hoarding the last ounce of a vintage spray bottle, so rarely wearing it, but recently got a chance to buy a large bottle for a reasonable price. So I spritzed away, now that I have back-up!
Oh, it looks like Anné Pliska is a real person – this is on annepliska.com now:
ANNÉ PLISKA
A LEGENDARY CREATION FOR OVER 25 YEARS
Years ago, I coveted a mixture of fragrance oils that I had prepared on my own. It was a blend of comforting scents, vanilla and patchouli, mixed with mandarin. I love fragrances that are a bit exotic and woodsy, but fresh with citrus. Many years later I met with Jimmy Bell, world renowned perfumer, and he transformed my personal stash into a unique enticing fragrance that I could share with other women.
My fragrance has become a classic, it’s distinct and recognizable, yet warm and familiar to those who wear it. So many women tell me it’s the only fragrance the man in their life will buy for them. What more could you want?
– Anné Pliska
Here is some interesting information about perfumer James Bell, and about the industry, from 1998:
https://www.fastcompany.com/34009/sweet-smell-success
But he must have risen further within Givaudan, as the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), State University of New York, offers The Jimmy Bell/Givaudan Creative Fragrance Development Certificate Programs.
There is a Jim Bell in the NST perfumers directory, credited with Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue and
Laura Mercier L’Heure Magique (with Cecile Krakower). Fragrantica credits him with the LM and Tocca Touch.
I’m kind of assuming that Jimmy, James, and Jim are the same person, but who knows…
Apparently, Bell did at least one other fragrance, an “all-natural spicy floral” commemorate the 150th birthday of Peter Carl Faberge. The limited edition set of fragrance in flacon and Saint Louis crystal egg by Faberge was launched in 1996 at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. If you hurry, you can find the last set on fragranceoutlet.com (no affiliation, and no experience with this seller) for $2,500.
According to the FIT brochure:
“The Jimmy Bell/Givaudan Creative Fragrance Development series is made possible by a donation from Givaudan Fragrance Corporation, in honor of the career achievements of legendary perfumer Jimmy Bell, who has created numerous internationally recognized scents. Known throughout the perfume industry as a “fragrance ambassador,” he was honored in 1995 with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Society of Perfumers… he retired from his position as vice president and senior perfumer at Givaudan Fragrance Corporation at the end of 2000…”
http://www.fitnyc.edu/documents/ccps/fragrance-brochure.pdf
Wow, excellent research job!! Wonder what she does/did with the rest of her time, that is, whether she had any other business or product. There must be some reason a perfumer (and F&F company) agreed to work with her.
Found this tidbit about her: http://articles.latimes.com/1989-09-08/news/li-2036_1_santa-ana
Oh, fascinating! She just called them on the phone, that’s amazing. Wonder what she does with herself now.
Yes, still more questions! I love that she really is into pink, though. ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ????
Fascinating! Thanks so much, Oakland Fresca!
I had to look into the disparity between this article and my references regarding the company she contracted with.
If I’m understanding various sources correctly, Roure-Bertrand-Dupont merged with Givaudan as Givaudan-Roure under Roche in 1992. Roche later spun them off. (Haven’t checked if Roure is now part of Givaudan or separate).
It’s usually really difficult for me to post on weekends, but we’re enjoying a super lazy Sunday here. I’ve worn Cristalle and Black Perfecto over the weekend. After comparing BP and Wild Cherry a few days ago, I wore the BP on its own and while it is so ridiculously lovely, I wasn’t getting much sillage from it and had to huff my arm to smell it. I plan on wearing Vetiver Tonka today, one of my favorite autumn and winter scents.
A fun anecdote on attraction/repulsion to smells: 5 year old standing near the trash: “Ew, what’s that disgusting smell in the trash?” 3 year old: “I want to smell it!” and comes over and takes a huge whiff. I found it quite amusing
I don’t get much sillage from Black Perfecto either. I bought it blind and had *some* expectations, one of which was big huge projection. Not the case at all for me. It wears very quietly.
Indeed! Anything Guerlain is usually a big cloud of sillage around me, but not this one!
Love this weekend’s picture.
PSA: Pinrose and Lalique are on Hautelook at the moment. Even some of those limited edition Lalique bottles. Still oo-la-la expensive but pretty to look at the pictures!
Our Napa friends are still hanging out with us. All info says their house is safe, yay! But the roads are still closed so they can’t head back yet.
The kitty conglomeration is surprisingly peaceful. Our friends are keeping their cats in the guest room. There has been much sniffing at the door by our cats, and our calmer cat has been allowed to go in for a meet-and-greet. He was interested to meet the new kitties and well behaved… but then he found their food bowl (NEW FOOD!) and lost all interest in the intruders. Now he keeps trying to sneak in for chow. Piglet
I perused those Laliques, as well! Nothing I would ever buy, but fun to “window shop”
Hello everyone. Just dropped in to say hi. Not feeling well today and no scent. Yesterday I had a major plumbing disaster and maybe spent too long outside in the sun and heat discussing how to resolve it with the plumbers. After multiple hours and $$ I think it’s now fixed. But I’m drooping and ready to go back to bed for awhile. Talk to y’all later.
Enjoy your rest! Plumbing disasters are the worst.????
Oh gosh, I hope you feel better. Not quite a disaster but we’ve been waiting for a plumber for the last 4 days. Hopefully he will show up tomorrow.
hope you had a good nap and feel well quickly!
Ugh. Glad it is resolved, hope the rest of your Sunday is relaxing.
Gads! Plumbing is something that, fingers crossed, we haven’t really had to deal with.
I feel your pain. We just went through 2 months of plumbing issues – continually thinking it was fixed only to have backups reoccur. It is finally resolved, fingers crossed! I hope you get yours resolved quickly!!
Ah, Sundays, the day when my good intentions are most likely to come to naught, foundering in a sea of laziness.
SOTM was Waters + Wild “Rose + Oud”.
Notes are rose and oud. (Who’da thunk?)
Performance pathetic.
SOTD is therefore the dregs of my sample of Beaufort London “Iron Duke”.
Official notes are leather, tobacco, rum and gunpowder, BUT: I was walking back from the shops with TOMK when he started sniffing and wondering out loud where the smell of manure could be coming from (in an urban street). Yeah, it was Iron Duke’s animalic character coming out. Not mentioned on the official notes, but it’s there all right.
TOMK is not a BeauFort London fan and this one is not going to be his road to Damascus moment. :^D
Manure?! ????????
That’s not what *I* smell from it. Just as what I hear when TOMK plays his Japanese Noise albums surely cannot be what he hears! :^O
Haha ????????????
(Hope you can see emojis !)
Enjoying the lovely VC&A Bois d’Iris today. It’s perfect for this cold rainy day. Hope everyone has a restful Sunday❤️
Dreary here too, and BdI sounds just right.
SOTD = Areej Le Dore Ottoman Empire
I felt industrious last night and decanted Ottoman Empire. I am happy to note that the sprayer worked very well and there was no stray spillage. People, this is GOOD stuff! I wore one spritz today right before leaving for church and I smelled nust right. It had just the right amount of incense and the cardamom / saffron combo was enhanced by the saltiness of ambergris (although the notes list amber). The roses (many different types) were nothing I’ve ever associated with roses (have I.been sniffing the “wrong” type?). The overall composition is exceptional, just as Kafka described it.
While the split for this is now closed, I made two 2mL atomizer samples which I will swap for a donation to humanitarian efforts in Puerto Rico. If interested, plaease place dibs here and send me an email with your username and to which charity you will donate. I do this on an honor system where I don’t ask for proof (but certainly feel free to send your proof if you want). Let your conscience be your guide.
In other news:
– Nordstrom is price matching Lord & Taylor’s 15% off Beauty (except La Mer). Also, online, you get a 21 piece samples set with an $85 fragrance purchase. Fabulous deal IMHO.
– Splitees – I am preparing a spreadsheet to recalculate total cost since many of you are participating in multiple splits. Thank you.
– For those wondering why I did not put up Neroli Outrenoir: I have a strict policy of only splitting unopened bottles (except if Splitmeet is over and someone wants to catch up). I had opened my FB to make a decant for a dear friend. For thise who had expressed interest previously, I will send you an email and work out something. Alternatively, we can wait until the next BG gift card event and I can pick up a brand new bottle to split.
Observations – since when was it acceptable to bring coffee to a house of worship to sip while church service / mass is going on? I realize this may come of as judgemental and unchristian-like but I am truly curious as to what others have observed?
I am so excited about this split!! Thrilled, actually ????
In our large community church, people have been drinking coffee during the service for a long time.
Ah, thanks for the split updates, and I’ll happily take 2 ml off your hands.
And will add that my donation will go to Hispanic Federation, the organization that Lin-Manuel Miranda is working with. https://hispanicfederation.org/
Perfecto!
Hajusuuri, I have a friend who works with large Protestant churches in the Midwest whom I visited some years ago. At the time, she was working with a very large church that had an extensive array of activities aimed at attracting and engaging new members, especially young people and families. The main service was a multi-media presentation with a rock-type band onstage. They had coffee and donuts in the lobby after the main service to encourage people to linger and meet one another. I don’t remember coffee in the sanctuary — that would lead to accidental stains. Not sure where they are at now.
The recent shocker for me was attending an insight meditation practice and dharma talk in a Unitarian Universalist sanctuary. (I forget if Unitarians call it a Church, but it looks like a beautiful modern church.) A man who had come straight from a preceding yoga session took off his sandals and propped his bare feet up on the hymnal rack on the back of the wooden pew in from of him throughout the hour-long service. I was so grossed out that I really had to work to find loving kindness for all beings that time.
BTW, in DC, food and drink are not allowed on the Metro (subway) to avoid people spilling drinks on other and leaving leftovers that attract vermin. Most people comply, but some don’t, especially kids.
Oh, man. I live in Seattle and as the birthplace of Starbucks, “no drinks” on public transportation would not go down here. LOL
And your bare feet on the pew story is utterly revolting.
I know, I haven’t gone back since then, even though I like the guided meditation and talk. I probably just got out of the habit when it was too hot to walk there, but I’m not sure.
He was a tall, otherwise distinguished, well-off looking man with gray hair, too, and a woman friend or partner was sitting with him who utterly failed to exert any civilizing influence. So bizarre!
Eew on the barefoot guy! We have a coffee hour after the 2nd service on Sundays. I have never been but we apparently have quite the collection of syrups and condiments so you can have latte your way.
As to prohibition of food on public transportation, NY and NJ have the same restrictions but no one pays attention and no one enforces it. I sat next to a guy once who was chomping down on a sandwich and sipping a drink. When he was done, he balled up his food trash and put in under his seat. After a burp, he closed his eyes and snoozed. I was so flabbergasted that as we neared my stop, I whispered loudly (!) and asked him if he was getting off at the next stop and made it clear that I was getting off.
I think you’re allowed cappuccinos in church?
I laughed out loud, Kanuka! Thank you!
Naughty Kanuka
I would like to get in on the 2nd of your Areej Le Dore Ottoman Empire extras if still available.
Got your email, Calypso, and yes. Will reply back to it later. Thank you.
I think Starbucks is the largest place of worship on the globe.
And… really tired of seeing someone’s empty coffee cup left, while shopping, on the shelf of a store or boutique. Ucccccchhhh.
Wearing the last drops of my Cuir de Nacre sample. I just got a bottle from Indigo for $79 and trying to convince myself that I’ll love it.
I haven’t been paying enough attention, but is Ann Gerard discontinuing her fragrances?
Maybe I haven’t been paying enough attention either — why did you think so?
Just because Luckyscent does not appear to carry any of her scents at the moment (maybe they even said in an e-mail that they were “discontinued”?), and Indigo is selling them for more than 50% off, so I thought maybe the line is over?
Aha. Could be then. Or could be just that her US distributor is no longer going to carry the scents — hard to say without further investigation.
Today I’m wearing 10 Corso Como, and that reminds me of how gorgeous it is, so I’ve put up a split of that, if you’re interested.
Very sadly, Fragrancenet seems to have caught onto people sharing the 35 % off code, and it doesn’t work anymore
Unless…any of you know of a new 35 % off code?!
The 30% that works today is “RHEV30”