Hey, it's Monday again. Plus, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (And a quick PSA: the freebiemeet has been moved to January 27.) What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm in Diptyque Volutes.
Reminder: 1/19 will be Vanilla Friday...wear a fragrance with vanilla.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2018, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
My first vanilla of the week is the last thing I bought last year – Estee Lauder’s Modern Muse Nuit. It’s a lovely woody, musky, smoky vanilla but could do with just a tad more oomph. It’s an intimate scent, wearing close to the skin even with a liberal application. I do really like it though and it’s my favourite of the Muses so far – theres bound to be more!
I would think there would be more…and I did not try Nuit, glad to hear it is good.
I have a little mini of that and I agree – best of the bunch for me.
Must locate and try that.
SOTD SSS Tabac Aurea.
I am wearing a sweater with last week’s Tabac Aurea on it. WOOHOO!
(and then I have to take it off and wear something else to do errands)
You smell wonderful!
The weather is perfect for wearing vanilla (cold!). This week, I plan to use more than one vanilla scent daily.
Today I am wearing two: M. Micallef Ylang in Gold and Montale Vanille Absolu.
Micallef is a creamy floral vanilla. The opening it tropical floral fruity – sunny and cheerful. Then it’s mostly vanilla… I have two problems with this scent: 1) there is something that smells synthetic to me, 2) it quickly becomes one-dimensional . Sometimes I almost like, but it’s still not for me.
Montale is one-dimensional too, but it smells more natural. It is all vanilla, maybe with a hint of other spices. Overall, it’s just not my kind of vanilla, but it’s a good fragrance if you want a cake-like, ‘bakery’ type vanilla. Oh, and I think it will work very nicely for layering.
I think I have a sample of YIG somewhere and felt thrsame way about it. Maybe I’ll use it up this week. Never tried the Montale. It’s not my line.
Byredo Gypsy Water – Vanilla, Juniper and Sandalwood realness.
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr Day here is a favorite quote:
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Have a great vanilla week. ????
Love that quote!
You smell great.
Thank you for the quote.
That’s a gorgeous quote. What a great way to approach challenges.
????????
I am not a big fan of vanilla. I only have 2 bottles that I will wear during the week and some samples that I will be glad to finish.
Wearing Kenzo Amour with its pleasant dose of vanilla.
At home today and enjoying now a nice cup of hot coffee. Be well everyone!
Happy for you having the day off!
So much needed!
Oh you smell good. I have a small decant/big sample of Amour and find it very nice.
Thank you
For a long time I thought I wasn’t a big vanilla fan – and then I found several vanillas that I’m happy to wear (still, most of the time I prefer vanilla in supporting role).
Me too. Vanilla only works for me in a supporting role. Otherwise, is not easy for me to wear it. I have to be in the mood for it and that does not happens often.
Love Kenzo Amour. You smell great!
Thank you!
I’m trying Sunny Side Up by Juliette Has a Gun for my first scent of vanilla week. It started nicely, with coconut and sandalwood. However, over the last 20 minutes I’ve started smelling extremely pickle-y – there must be a compound shared between this perfume and Santal 33, because they each smell like dill on me. I’m about to shower and get rid of this, not least because my cat is currently refusing to come near me and I want snuggles.
Post-shower, I’m going to wear Saffran Troublant. I know that one’s a winner!
You can’t go wrong with Safran Troublant.
+1!
It is indeed a winner!
My pal finds stash to be straight up pickles!
I also get pickles from Santal. Didn’t get it so much from the JHAG. Always good to go with what you love!
I get pickles from Santal 33 and sometimes from Champagne de Bois, but with both it fades out. Must be something about sandalwood?
I’m just glad to know I’m not the only person affected by the pickle smell! I’ve only smelled it in Santal 33, Stash and Sunny Side Up, but wow, it’s potent.
I had to smile at your statement re: your cat refusing snuggles. I hope you did get some after all.
i get straight up pickles from HdP vert pivoine, lol. what is it with the pickles??
SOTD: Tangier Vanille
Or maybe I should say Eau de Playdoh..?
Drinking plain water to go with my flu meds. Boo.
Stay warm and healthy everybody!
Funny how some vanillas come across as play-doh. I find Yves Rocher’s Vanille Noire is the same. There’s something a bit plasticky about it. Like it though.
The lotion is good, I layer it under vanilla scents.
I have their neroli lotion which I use as a shave balm, it’s REALLY highly scented! Might have to check that one out if they still do it.
Funny, I prefer Playdoh to vanilla. Hope you feel better soon!
Ha!
Get better happy888cat!
Feel better soon!
I hope you feel better soon!
So sorry to hear that you are under the weather.
Sables, a blind buy gone ruight. Warm and sweet, but off kilter. I could see where people have a problem with it but it’s so affable! Very impressive.
Everyone, enjoy your day!
I really need to track down Sables. Sounds like something I should try.
Report back if you try it!
I love Sables. I had a decant but ran out about a month ago.
I don’t know how tempted you are, but you can find a bottle from discounters for under $50.
Last week before the new semester, so I am working from home. I plan to use this time to go through a few samples, but I haven’t decided which ones yet. Maybe the cold weather and this week’s theme will inspire me to pick sweeter fragrances. Although I would like to FINALLY decide today which L’Ombre dans l’eau I want to buy: EDP ou EDT…
Both?
Ooooh! That would solve my dilemma!
I much prefer the edt. The edp had a weird tomato leaf note I disliked.
I hadn’t registered it before, but now that you point it out, I understand what you mean. The EDP seems greener, while I get a more rose and fruit in the EDT.
Plus, it’s less expensive per ml, so that’s a win!
And that’s why I preferred the edp! I also agree that it’s greener.
Hi Vanie,
If you are in the US and still interested, I can send you a decant of the EDP. I have an entire bottle which is not likely to be used up any time soon. I find the EDP rose-ier, less green (for some reason) and that is the reason I prefer it to the EDT. You can find me in the land of comcast.net with arzeznik in front of it.
Hi Adanst!
That’s a very generous offer! Unfortunately, I’m in Canada…
I have large samples of each, so I can do a few comparisons and tests, like I am doing today.
Thanks again!
If it helps, I prefer the EdT!
Me too.
Sounds like the EDT is getting more love
I’m in Penhaligon’s Iris Prima today – it has a whisper of vanilla, so I suppose I’m on the fringes of the week’s theme.
I almost blind bought Iris Prima last month. How do you like it?
I like it very much, lillyjo. It is similar to Prada Infusion d’Iris, but the Prada has something in it that just doesn’t work for me (incidentally, Chanel 19 Poudre seems to have the same something). Iris Prima seems lighter, less complex and less musk-y than Infusion or Poudre, and more woody/suede-y. Iris Prima is also similar to VC&A Bois d’Iris (which does work for me), but less sharp and less fizzy (and, again, more suede-y). Hope this helps!
It does help, thanks!
Completely forgot about vanilla for this week and put on some Eau de Protection this morning: my favourite Fierce Rose.
Hey austenfan. Thanks for the YouTube link yesterday but boo, some kind of international copyright protection blocked me from viewing it.
Maybe there is another one on YouTube that you may be able to open. It’s QI the F series, and the episode is Film and features Emma Thompson, David Mitchell, John Sessions and Alan Davies and Stephen Fry of course. It’s one of the better episodes with some delightful banter between Emma and Stephen.
Hey, everyone! Long time reader (long, long time) and first time commenting. I will be in Le Labo Vanille44 shortly for vanilla week. And I already know what I’ll be wearing on Friday, the grande dame of vanillas, Indult Tihota by Francis Kurkdjian, one of his earlier creations.
Welcome Jewel! You smell great. Love both Vanille 44 and Tihota.
Thanks!
Welcome Jewel! You smell wonderful!
Thanks for the welcome!
Glad you delurked!
It’s about darn time!
Hello! You smell fantastic!
Why, thank you!
Howdy!????
Howdy to you, ma’am!
Woot. Tihota is on the docket for me too although I’m fickle so who knows! Welcome!
Woot, woot!
Oh, and Vanille 44 is also on the docket!
Yes same for me, both LL 44 and Tihota. I need a vanilla month
and probably an iris month!
I hear ya about a vanilla month!
Took me a long time to delurk (years) so welcome! Glad you did and you can waft your lovely scent my way.
Welcome!
Welcome! Great avatar! You will smell terrific!
Thank you! That’s my daughter – she’s an incredible dancer.
Welcome Jewel, and you smell great!
Welcome! It’s so nice to meet you.
Hello, Jewel!
Welcome, Jewel! Great picks.
Hi, Jewel, welcome! You smell fab in 44. ????
Well goodness, y’all sure are a welcoming bunch! Thanks!
Narciso Rodriguez Poudree. Thought there might be some vanilla in this, but apparently there isn’t. I think I may have only one vanilla and should save it for Friday.
I really like that one. I quickly drained the sample (you sent me????), I found it was so easy to wear, almost a skin scent on me. You smell wonderful!
Glad you enjoyed it, I like it too. It’s often very cheap on fragrance.net, etc.
Drenched in Profumum Dulcis in Fundo. It’s going to be a sweet week!
You smell terrific! Yummy!
Love this scent
I went through a big vanilla phase when I first went down the rabbit hole. Most of them are fairly neglected these days. Today I have two Maison de la Vanilles- the divine des tropiques (with white flowers, not very vanilla-y to my nose) and givree des Antilles, which has patchouli and comes off as Angel-ish (and Angel is my nemesis, so not such a big fan of this one, although it’s much softer and missing that “something” in Angel). Later today I will probably put on the others from the travel spray set I have – mexique, Madagascar and Fleurie.
I have this travel set too. Need to go find it and wear some this week!
Madagascar and Mexique are my two favourites!
Today I’m in Roses & Chocolate. You may be disappointed if you’re a rose fan. This is not predominantly a rose fragrance. It smells more like the inside of a purse that is carrying Guerlain Meteorites powder, and a Cadbury Fruit ‘n Nut bar.
Yes, I was disappointed. However I do like the Mancera Choco Violet and Roses Vanille.
I really like the Choco-Violet too
I cannot think of a situation when I’d want to smell of a Fruit n’ Nut bar, although they are enjoyable enough to eat.
Fruit ‘n Nut is my fave ????
They have Caramel Corn Cadbury bars in Canada, which I’m pretty sure are actually caramel corn n’ crack chocolate bars. So good!
SOTD is Tom Ford Vanille Fatale. It’s a really smooth and creamy vanilla; not sweet or bakery like. It made me think they added a tiny bit of Noir Pour Femme to a really nice vanilla. It only lasts a few hours, but is really pretty while it lasts.
Sounds fantastic! Can’t wait to try this one.
Me too!
I’m considering a sample of this one. I don’t know.
I am going to buy a decant of this. Smelled lovely when I tried it.
It sounds like something I need…
Ditto!
I sampled this twice and just got a headache. I wanted to love it but Tobacco vanilla is not nearly as sweet.
jcrew arquiste 57 roller packed last night for trip back to frozen land.
Wore volutes on plane yesterday, Robin, we both smelled great!
Good choice for a plane — it stays pretty quiet on me.
I look forward to trying this one: I’m a big TF fan (the brand, not the person).
I have a baby cold right now and can’t smell too well. I am in Chanel no 5 edp right now and will wear Havana Vanille after my shower. I’m annoyed with DHL and the postal service. My Bark Box is showing up as DHL has gotten the shipping info and delivery was supposed to be on the 12th. DHL is the worst delivery service and I don’t know why anyone uses them. The post office hasn’t updated my Luckyscent order to show when it will be delivered since it is “delayed”. My cold has made my patience level dropped way down.
Feel better Dawn. I agree with you that DHL is the worst delivery service ever. Hopefully your packages will arrive safely.
I’ve had a few delayed packages lately- perfume and otherwise. I think the weather has a lot to do with it. Hopefully they’ll arrive soon, and hope you feel better!
My patience always drops when sick too. Hope you feel better soon and that your packages arrive.
The trick I use to make DHL tolerable is to arrange for them to drop the package at one of their official recipients – in my town, it’s a mailboxes are us type store. That way I can pick it up at my convenience and it doesn’t end up getting sent back to Europe (to be fair, that only happened once in 2009. But still!!!)
I hope you feel better soon.
Hope you are feeling better soon, and that your wayward packages arrive without incident.
Robin, you smell lovely! Volutes is so wonderful. Can’t tell you how excited I am about vanilla week. Looking forward to reading everyone’s choices this week!
Sotd: Orchidée Vanille????
Twins!
Why thank you, and looks like vanilla week is going to be a popular one!
You smell wonderful
Thank you!????
Love OV. You smell great. I wish it had a bit more oomph but I suppose we have to let fragrances be themselves. Not unlike kids. Or adults. Etc.
I have been battling flu-like symptoms since Friday. My husband has it also
We both got our flu shots back in November.
I have a tiny bit of L’Occitane Pamplemousse Rhubarb body lotion dabbed on my wrists. It is all that I will attempt this morning. I sniffed some of my other milder scents, and started going into uncontrollable coughing. Pamplemousse Rhubarb may be my scent for a few days, until I can get this under control.
I had that horrible flu and couldn’t wear perfume for a couple of weeks as it triggered coughing fits. Hope you feel better soon!
Thank you! I miss my perfumes, but it is a small price to pay for not going into a coughing fit.
Hopefully, the flu shot at least worked to minimize any effects. Stay rested!
I was wondering how bad this would be if I hadn’t gotten the flu shot.
Thanks, and I am trying to stay in and get rest.
I got the flu shot this year and still got the flu. My guy got the flu also, but no shot. His flu was MUCH worse than mine so I do think it helped me some even though I still got it. I hope you feel better soon!
I have heard that the flu shot is only 10-30% effective this year (was 10% is Australia, but they think for some reason it is more effective in the US).
So sorry you are both sick at once, that’s hard!
I hope you both recover quickly!
Oh, yuck! Both sick at the same time is the worst!
Get plenty of rest, recover quickly and enjoy small amounts of perfume as tolerated. They do say the shots help minimize it quite a bit.
Vanilla is a difficult note for me… I love the scent of vanilla in food, but notsomuch on me. Still, in the name of science, I have persevered in my vanilla testing and along the way have found a few I like. Going to try to do vanilla all week, and hope it doesn’t burn me out on the note again.
SOTD is Diptyque Benjoin Boheme.
Off to work (boo)
I feel the same way about vanilla scents – love it in food, get bored with it on me. But I do like benzoin, a lot, so maybe I should look into that as a central note instead of vanilla proper.
I actively dislike vanilla in perfume, most of the time. It has to be well blended with something else. BB is a pretty smoky vanilla, so I can cope with it
Is it an official workday, or do you just have work that needs to get done? I’ve always wondered how companies decide which holidays to honor and which not to. (As little as they can get away with, perhaps?)
Official work day. Most tech companies only give 10 holidays a year, so once you account for Memorial Day / Labor Day / July 4 / Thanksgiving / Xmas / New Year’s, there’s not much left. My company has no holidays between New Year’s and Memorial Day, ugh.
When I worked for companies where I had holidays off, it was only the major 7 (the ones you’ve listed) and no break from Jan-May.
Good choice, I think I will add his one to the docket as well
Starting off vanilla week with Black Flower Mexican Vanilla, to be applied after PT this morning. Carrying a little sample with me!
Y’all have a wonderful Monday. Stay safe and warm.
You will be smelling wonderful! That’s on my list this week too.
It’s a really nice one for the price, IMHO.
How is your PT coming along?
I keep telling myself: slow but steady wins the race.
I’m making progress, and I’m grateful for it, but dang it, this sh*t hurts. But I’ll keep pushing through. Thank you for asking! ????
I’m going to start the week with Vanira Moorea. It’s just so darn pleasant and enjoyable to wear, and Mondays can always use a scent-induced mood lift.
Twins!
Wearing Dulcis in Fundo. Sweet vanilla and tangerine.
I was actually looking for my Vanilla Incensee, but came across the Orange Sanguine, then decided I wanted citrus with my vanilla.
Twins! We smell great.
We do indeed
Trying AG Nuit et Confidences again and giving it another shot. It’s nice, but meh.
I keep looking for “my” vanilla and haven’t found it yet. Everything is either too powdery, too buttery, or too sweet (or too boring, which is odd because I really love vanilla flavor). I used to love PdN Vanille Tonka, but what I mostly loved about it was the lime top and the spiced-rum/Dr. Pepper aspect of it, and they changed the lime so I don’t love it anymore. Another vanilla thing I really loved was the drydown of Havana Vanille, but I had to wait out the tobacco/rum first half to get to that long beautiful unpowdery vanilla-liqueur drydown. Then they changed the name and probably the formula, and I ran out of my decant, and I’m not trying that again.
As I said somewhere up the thread, I might explore benzoin, which I find sweet and rich without powdery or that weird buttery thing that makes vanilla scents smell like a Yankee Candle (ew).
Recommendations for me? Or should I just give the heck up and stick to vintage Emeraude?
Prada Candy? It has a ton of benzoin.
Oh, I like Candy. Just bought a decant of it after using up several samples. But it’s very caramelly.
Have you tried SDV or Vanilla Flash? It could be that you don’t like your vanillas edible in perfume. The Shalimar Ode a La Vanille offerings are fabulous as well.
Hmmm. I confess I’ve never tried either. I was thinking that I’d read the Tauer had noticeable patchouli in it, which I’d rather avoid, but maybe I’m wrong.
Diptyque Benjoin Bohème?
Making notes!
Seconding this!
You might like to try Le Labo Benjoin 19. It’s one of their City Exclusives (Moscow) but you can easily find decants of it. I like it quite a lot and was tempted to buy a bottle (one of the smaller ones). It has some vanilla and frankincense, too.
I have trouble with straight up vanillas too, but its not butter I get but a sort of dry, raspy, chemically (aspartame?) fug that makes me run for the hills. Its like I can’t get away from the Little Tree car air-freshener vanilla.
I’ve been caught in the perfume doldrums the last few days. I started out wearing Gucci by Gucci (brown square bottle) but only because it has been very neglected. Then I thought, this is dumb. I should wear what makes me feel good, so I switched to Galop.
I was looking at Gucci yesterday on a discount site. Do you not enjoy it or just not as much as you used to?
I do enjoy it. It’s actually my second bottle. But, I have to be in the mood for it, and lately I’m mostly in the mood for leather.
Gotta go with what the mood tells you to. Otherwise, you’re stuck in the wrong perfume all day. Not a comfortable feeling.
It really can be uncomfortable, like wearing the wrong clothes for the day.
Mmm…vanilla week! SotD is Orchidee Vanille over BBW Vanilla Bean Noel shower gel.
Yum, I just bought Orchidée Vanille! Lovely stuff.
I dislike vanilla as a note, so it will take some thinking to find one I can stand. In the meantime I am exploring some untouched discovery set samples. First up is Phlur Siano. We’ll see what it’s like in a few hours.
Oh lovely choice. I have done well with the Phlur offerings. Moab is a favorite. Olmstead & Vaux as well.
Starting off vanilla week with Havana Vanille, boozy and not too sweet. I’ve always wanted it to be a bit smoky (ideally it would have the cigarette from jasmine et cigarette or tea for two?). I put it on over a homebrew oil made from an ancient sample of burnt amber, which turns out pretty well…
You smell great! I have never tried layering it, and I should.
SOTD = Aftelier Vanilla Smoke Parfum
Good things come in small packages. This is one of my favorites out of Mandy’s work. It’s too precious / oily / concentrated to be sprayed so I use it apply it like hair oil to dry hair.
I don’t usually assemble my SOTD for the week but I am beyond thrilled with the theme, so I did. I will be wearing a mix of decants and FB and may still switch out in favor of others. The decants are primarily splits from dear clarissa, with whom I share a lot of perfume loves!
Sounds wonderful!
It is and it is quite long lasting too.
Don’t you kind of need to do two scents a day, given your vanilla love?
LOL, probably more than 2 per day. Just reading today’s comments, I have many that were mentioned and I know I have others (Taklamakan, anyone?).
That’s on my list for this week! Though, I orefer it when it’s warm out. I maybe bought in to the desert/hot sand reference.
Sometimes I love vanilla, but in other cases I find it nauseating. Maybe this week I’ll learn to identify the culprit? SOTD Tenera by Rouge Bunny Rouge: this one sits right on the line. It’s very sweet, and from some sniffs I’m getting a sort of delicious root beer effect, which I assume must be the rum and resins. But at other times I get a flash of powdery vanillic oversweetness that smells exactly like Immodium D pills – not a nice experience. I got the same note in Lavanila’s Vanilla Grapefruit and the association was so strong that I literally became ill. Here’s hoping this one settles down to the root beer side of the spectrum!
Ooh. That’s an unfortunate association.
Yikes, scary perfume association! I wouldn’t want anything to do with that, either.
Vanilla week, huh? No interest in smelling like vanilla all week, so I’ll probably stretch myself and wear a spicy rose or maybe something with black tea in it.
At the moment, I’m too tired to contemplate personal fragrance, as the kitten decided to “share” his toys with us for at least an hour last night while we were trying to sleep. Jumping on/off the bed, dropping a bottle cap (the BEST toy ever, didn’t you know?!) between us, pouncing on it, running away, returning with another. . . on and on and on it went! I tried throwing the caps away, and he thought we were playing fetch. :-/
On a non-fragrance note (hah), I have an important question. What is your favorite MILK chocolate? I can’t do dark chocolate in any significant quantity (major migraine trigger, darn-it!), and I want to have something lovely and satisfying to have a bit of in the evenings. . . I want straight chocolate, not with nuts or bits, since that tends to encourage me to go for a second serving . . .
Thoughts?
Lindt chocolate truffles – the red wrapper. It is smooth and creamy! I much prefer dark (the darker the better) but if I had to pick from a lineup of milk chocolate, this is one I would go for.
What do you think of their chocolate as a bar? I find truffles to be very easy to overeat.
The dark chocolate bars tend to be thin and easy to break off along the score line with a nice snap; this makes it fairly convenient to split out a portion without unwrapping the whole bar (to use a knife). I don’t recall ever having the milk chocolate bar so don’t know how cleanly portions break off. I’ve had the individually wrapped milk chocolate minis and they are good.
My trick for not overeating chocolate is to get one piece shy of a full portion and put away the rest. If I am still hankering for more, I take one more piece out to make me think I got one extra when in fact I really did not.
Thanks for the detailed reply! I like your trick–I’m willing to try anything! I have spent a year trying to cut back on dessert frequence, as I figure no one needs a sweet EVERY day. But, apparently, just telling my self this has not been an effective strategy for cutting back.
SO, now a new goal–to have my dessert, but cut back on portions. I figure something I really love, like good chocolate, is a good test subject.
Oh no! Dark chocolate as a migraine trigger?!?! That’s so unfortunate
I second Lindt, and add Guittard, Valrhona, CocoaBella, Dandelion, and Scharffen Berger milk chocolates to the list!
Oh, that’s a long list! Haven’t heard of half of them, either. Are you in the States? I think I’ve seen CocoaBella, and of course, Scharffen Berger (although now I think on it, I can’t recall the last place I’ve seen it). I can see this is going to be a very interesting project.
I’m in the Bay Area! I think a lot of my list might be skewed towards SF; sorry :-/ I think Valrhona is French, but it’s very easy to find in supermarkets in the Bay Area. There are a bunch of other lines I used to like a lot when I lived in France, but I don’t see those much out here, so I didn’t mention them!
The Scharffen Berger is in the baking aisle at Wegmans. Now I need to check the regular aisle to see if they do carry what normal people eat!
Mmmmm – Sharffen Berger chocolates! They used to only make dark chocolate when they first started. It’s not a well-known brand in the East Coast.
I didn’t realize they were regional! Lucky us.
Thank God for mail order
and I think they won’t fill orders past May.
Harry and David’s truffles are tops!
Update: SOTM is FM Iris Poudre. I thought it would play well with the gym in a few hours. . .
I get the same reaction to dark chocolate. I used to buy Dove dark individually wrapped hearts – my headache reaction served as a natural way to limit chocolate consumption.
Hard for me to pick my favorite milk chocolate. It’s all good!
I’ve tried that strategy–apparently, delayed consequences aren’t *always* enough for me to keep portion sizes down. I can eat A LOT of dark chocolate with caramel, for example, before it occurs to me that it was a bad idea . . .
Lindt Lindor truffles are so good. They come in bars too. My other favorites are
See’s Candies solid milk chocolate bar
Cadbury Dairy Milk bar (from the UK via Amazon)
Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bars (made in Belgium)
Oh, I think we have similar chocolate tastes!
Thanks!
I love Sees, didn’t even occur to me to look for a bar!
Every time I go to Canada, I buy a bunch of Cadbury chocolate bars–will have to check Amazon.
TJs is going on the list, too.
OMG, yes, the Pound Plus. My mom used to call them ahead of time to set aside 10 bars for her. We rarely go to Trader Joe’s because it is not very close and the parking is atrocious.
The parking at the closest Trader Joe’s to me also stinks! What’s up with that???
A new one opened at a strip mall in South Brunswick — this one definitely won’t have a problem!
ha! I used to go to the Westfield store, I agree about the parking.
Trader Joe’s also has single-serving milk chocolate bars (usually by the registers) that are very yummy. Good luck on your search!
I also like the Lindt truffles or Dove chocolates.
Godiva has a nice selection of milk cholocate truffles and bars.
If you can find them, Divine makes great chocolate bars that are scored in small pieces. Makes portion control MUCH easier!
I will look for them, thanks!
I’m in Amouage Blossom Love from a generous NSTer.
It is not me but it does have some vanilla.
I am having some personal drama and am grateful for perfume in general and specifically to have such a wonderful community like NST to take refuge in when times are tough. I see some toughness coming over the next several months. More perfume and onward, friends.
Fragrance has played a pivitol role in more than one occasion when I’ve needed a “strategy” to handle a difficult situation. Taking a moment to enjoy fragrance is an act of self-care, seems to reduce stress, and I find it very “grounding”–helping me stay present in the moment. Hang in there! Several months sounds long–I hope you can find lots of ways to give yourself love as you work through them!
We’re here for you. Hope things clear up sooner than you expect.
Hoping good things for you She-ra!
Personal drama = no fun. I hope it becomes Personal drama = zero soon!
Hugs, She-ra!!!
Blergh! That feeling when you know you are in it for the long haul.
Blossom Love seems very fitting!!!
Sending positive energy your way. I hope your drama resolves as quickly as possible, and any resulting change is positive. You will smell incredible during this difficult time, so take comfort in that!
Thinking of you. Hope everything gets solve favorably.
I’m sorry you’re having a rough time. May your perfume give you strength and some peace. Wishing you the best outcome.
Ugh on the personal drama. It is SO draining, especially if it is long-term. I hope that you can find some moments of tranquility in it all.
Very good luck and a virtual bottle of Tam Dao to you, She-ra.
The leaves on our maple trees are already beginning to turn golden because of the dry summer. Despite sleeping with all the outside doors and windows wide open it was still too hot for me ..I am going to do a week of layering SL bois de vanille over various perfumes to see what happens and am starting with diptyque moheli. Moheli is a bit lacklustre on its own but adds a bit of ‘summer’ to the vanilla. The sun has just struck the hills opposite and they are glowing orange. All the paddocks are tinder dry.
Time to sleep in wet t-shirts! I love that feeling–hot nights with all the windows open!!!
Tonight I will just sleep outside under the stars . We don’t have mosquitoes so it’s a nice option. Just back from walking the dogs and they were dragging their tongues even though I walked at 7am.
A bigger challenge would be finding a week or more’s fragrances without any vanilla whatsoever! I am not a huge fan of straight up vanilla perfumes, but as an accent it works for me.
Today I’m in a heavy application of French Kiss (which definitely has a vanilla note). I have an international Skype conference call in the next hour, and it pleases me no end that my perfume is entirely not office appropriate (not at 8 sprays, not this perfume!) but will be just right on Skype!
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The other day you mentioned a favourite Katherine Graham book…was it Personal History?
Yes! It is brilliant.
It is what autobiographies used to be before the “memoir” genre took over for everyone who survived cancer, lived through a divorce, or went on a long, dangerous trip… I like reading memoirs well enough, but Katherine Graham’s biography is something else entirely.
Thank you. I think the reason why I never finish Middlemarch is because other books keep entering my radar and taking up my attention (a bit like I never actually save for the expensive perfume because other cheaper scents appear). I know what you mean by memoirs and ‘memoir’ (and personal essays). I like the grittiness and lack of virtue signalling in a good autobiography. I think it might be a generational thing.
Well I should be wearing Le Labo Patchouli 24 because I’m stuck waiting in a tire shop after discovering I had a bad flat front tire. That means two new tires + an alignment + a two and a half hour wait. Ugh. I didn’t put any perfume on this morning because I was planning to drive back up to Houston from my Galveston visit with my mom this weekend and make it to my 1 p.m. Pilates appointment. Now that’s off. Fortunately for me I was driving very near to a tire store so could make an easy stop before I got into trouble. I had hit a very bad pothole (on a major street no less) in Houston on Friday and was just waiting for this to happen. It’s my third time of ruining a tire on a pothole. I was in heavy traffic moving swiftly and just could not swerve in time when I came upon it. Grrrr. Now I have no excuse to avoid fixing up all of my first-day-of-class plans for tomorrow (assuming I *do* make it back home).
Grrrrr, indeed. Hoping your day improves.
I hope you make it home soon and have a chance to settle in.
Fingers crossed that you get home soon! What a drag.
I’m not a big vanilla-as- the-main-note fan, but have found a few I like which I’ll try to pull out this week.
I can tolerate vanilla in a drydown but I’m fairly picky when it comes to vanilla. I like the vanilla Guerlain uses, don’t like Chanel vanilla which smells plasticky to me, etc.
No vanilla for me today. Enjoying not going to work today and wearing a good dose of Aedes Iris Nazarena as it looks like my decant evaporated a little. Better use it or lose it, I say!
And I’m shocked and saddened to just hear that Dolores O’Riordan has died! So young. I loved the Cranberries. RIP ????
Just saw that myself.
At 46! So sad.
I was shocked too. She had such an amazing voice.
What?!?!….just googled. 46 is indeed too young. She leaves behind three children too, so sad. Dreams and Linger were huge the year after I graduated from college/got married and when I hear them on the radio today, they still remind me of that relatively carefree time in my life. RIP Dolores.
I also associate her with a particular time in my life, but it was the opposite of carefree. I cut my hair short and died it cherry red. She was also a fashion influence on me.
I didn’t believe it when I first saw it.
Oh, no. She was so young! My musical preferences are pretty well rooted in the 60’s and 70’s, but I really enjoyed the Cranberries.
You smell great! That is my favorite iris perfume I’ve smelled so far.
It is a good one. The drydown is a little bitter on me, but I still enjoy most of it.
I’m trying out Ummagumma for the second time, it’s perfectly cosy and comforting on a cold rainy and blustery day.
Great choice and truly perfect for a challenging weather day.
I’m wearing Shalimar…Mexique today and considering a Black March purchase from CBPerfumes. Should I get the water perfume or the other kind? I’ve only tried samples before and don’t know which they were.
Get the absolute. The water perfumes get… watery rather quickly; I find they just don’t last.
BTW his shipping is absurdly expensive. You might want to try buying from someone else. I know that Tigerlily in SF sells CBIHP.
Oh and Black March is Good Stuff
I agree – the water perfumes leave my skin within 30 minutes. But what a 30 minutes!
What I meant was: they turn into water in a year or so. They don’t last in the bottle.
Too funny! I was thinking of the comparison between the water perfume and the absolute. The absolute for Black March lasted 6 hours on my skin, and the water perfume had vanished before I finished my cup of coffee.
Aroma M Geisha Vanilla Hinoki
From a sample – it’s very nice – it’s the only perfume I have with the word “vanilla” in the title, I might have to do a little searching to find something for the rest of the week – my husband has already said I smell good – I smell the vanilla and the incense and it’s a little bit sweet – but would I buy a bottle? I don’t know.
Side bar: I love the way Arielle Shoshana dries down on my fit bit rubber wristband!
If you like the Hinoki part, the Le Labo shower gel is great. Or, you could try the hand cream.
Thanks LizzieB! Le Labo is on my “to explore “list since they are available for sniffing at Nordstrom
I am in Shalimar EdP which does have vanilla in it, although it’s not a straight up vanilla. I just needed it today, though! Looking forward to this week of vanilla.
The move went well. Completely out of the townhouse and into the new house. Now just to unpack and organize. I’ll be done by the end of the week, I don’t like living in chaos!
Congratulations! It must be such a joy to be in your new home.
Glad it went smoothly!
Congratulations on what sounds like was a fairly easy move! Although all the packing and unpacking is actually the furthest thing from easy.
Enjoy your new home!
I had my own personal vanilla week back in November in an attempt to learn to like the note more. I guess I like it a little more? I did wind up getting a sample of SL Un Bois Vanille from a generous NST-er and that is currently my favorite vanilla. Today I went with Vanira Moorea because I couldn’t remember what it smelled like. Smells like vanilla. Probably never going to be a cheerleader for this note but at least my husband likes it?
Tauer Vanilla Flash for me today.
Ahh, you smell great. I have the little roller ball of that one.
Today, my boyfriend walked into the bedroom and exclaimed, “Why does it smell like dirt in here?!” and then started looking around in great concern. Then he looked up at me and discovered that I looked not a bit concerned and quite a bit guilty. “…What did you do?” he asked. I stuck my wrist into his face and he sniffed. “OH GEEZ,” he exclaimed, recoiling. “Yup, that’s dirt. Why do you have perfume that smells like dirt?!”
Tl;dr SOTD is Mirus Silver Lining
When I tried it before buying it, it smelled like wet dirt AND jasmine. Today, I am not getting any of the jasmine. The dirt is fitting because I hope to go to a nursery and get MORE PLANTS (never enough!), but I might give myself a little spray of Gelsomino Nobile. Any other slightly boring jasmines you might recommend to layer with this? Maybe just rub some jasmine tea on my arm?
Wow, that just went on my test list!
Ha, same.
You smell great Robin, Volutes is sooo good.
I’m wearing Fleur de Lalita from Dusita for the first time. I like it and it reminds me of La Douceur de Siam but more youthful.
Why thank you, and I’m sure you do too!
Papillon Bohemian Vanilla for me today, before shower. From one of the many samples my sister gave me yesterday. Best sample she gave me was Eric Buterbaugh Violet from a Scentbird subscription. Wore that yesterday. Violet is like vanilla…I didn’t used to like the note, but now I do.
Same here. About violet that is. Green leafy violet, damp cold iris-y violet, sugary violet, powdery violet. . . I can’t seem to get enough now!
I tried 4 or 5 of the Eric Butterbaugh fragrances, and was shocked (and dismayed) by how much I liked them. The Celestial Jasmine and Nick’s Sunflower are still trying to convince me to buy their full bottles.
I get why you’re drawn to them! I think they are all really well done. I’ve broken down and bought two: Regal Tuberose – my HG Tuberose and one of my top5 fragrances ever – and Sultry Rose (and normally I’m not even much of a Rose person!). Celestial Jasmine is the one I want next but too many looming home repairs makes that unlikely anytime soon.
Yeah, my dismay was to fall so hard for very expensive scents. I really liked Regal Tuberose, but my favorite tuberose perfumes are Bubblegum Chic and Sotto le Luna Tuberose. The Celestial Jasmine? Let’s just say it will be my birthday perfume request.
However, if any Eric Butterbaugh bottles were to fall from the sky into my arms, they would be met with great rejoicing!
SotD = Vanille Galante
I love it dearly and should wear it more often.
Yesterday I wore Eau des Merveilles in the morning then Vol de Nuit edt after an evening shower. EdM lingered just enough to make Vol de Nuit a bit more radiant and lasting. Accidental layering is a fun surprise.
I just put Vanille Galante on, and my husband gave it rave reviews! He said it smelled “classy, but comfortable”. That’s a win in this house!
A win for sure! Vanille Galante is one of my favorites because it is interesting and comforting at the same time.
Wearing TF Vert d’Encens. Nom
I liked all the TF verts but I think this one was perhaps the best. Nom indeed. ????
I have more straight up vanillas than I had realized. Today’s is Couvent des Minimes. I like my vanillas smoky or boozy or both, and the benzoin and myrrh in this one read as smoky to me.
Oh, Couvent des Minimes Eau des Missions is one of my favorite vanillas! You smell delicious. I’ll wear it later this week.
Wearing/testing Micallef Note Vanille. I recently bought some samples, as in the little dabbers, which I haven’t done in years as I *know* that to properly test, it’s better for me to spray from a decant. Samples are a much less expensive way to test perfume, but I often have a hard time picking up the nuances or getting the same sillage from a dabbed perfume. Not always (some perfumes I prefer to dab) but usually. Also, a little tiny vial is not always enough to make any kind of judgment.
Anyway, the Micallef is from a dabber and I’m having a hard time really smelling it. Maybe I’ll just dump the rest on me…
Question:
The samples I bought were from Luckyscent, and included a coupon for $20 off a full bottle. Do they include one of these with every sample order?
I’m enthusiastic as well about vanilla week, and participated last night in Reminiscence Vanille while honoring the holiday watching I Am Not Your Negro. Tonight we’ll watch 13th. Is it just me, or has the media stopped honoring MLK Jr day? It used to be that on the holiday every major network and (public) radio station would devote a large part of the day airing speeches and engaging in discussions about the MLK Jr legacy. That seems to have stopped some years back, which is a shame. It was always my favorite “historic” (vs religious) holiday as it meant the nation taking pause and giving thought to its meaning. It now seems to have gone the way of July 4, Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc. where (some of us) get the day off and that’s as far as any celebration goes. I can’t find a single network even airing a speech, and my npr stations are just doing the usual Monday stuff. Too bad.
I have literally spent hundreds on samples from Luckyscent over the past few years and never received one of those coupons, so lucky you. Was it for one particular house or just a general coupon?
I heard a fair amount of commentary about MLK Day and some special music on the NPR station I was listening to this morning. No speeches, although I may have turned it off before anyone was making them.
I took my daughter to the mall today, and noticed MLK sales. I don’t recall seeing them last year.
kpaint, MLK Day is a bigger deal here in the South; most schools and colleges are closed, and there are many service projects, public events, and discussions on various media. The King Center actively promotes “a day on, not a day off”, and I think that’s had an effect.
I just discovered Note Vanillee and am debating a FB. I only have a teeny amount left from a small decant from a kind NSTer but if I get a FB I am happy to share some. Need an amount first for the year…or a budget as some old skool types might say.
I entirely agree about dabbers. I can’t really smell a dabbed perfume somehow. And buying 1 or 2 ml sprays from the decant sites is just too expensive. Le sigh.
I also sadly agree about MLK day and blame the tightening budgets of companies partly. Companies have really whittled down and offer fewer and fewer holidays now than 10 or 15 years ago it seems. And somehow MLK day has taken the largest hit in being removed from the roster. I haven’t had it off in years and years now. Very sad.
I have spent thousands of dollars at Luckyscent and never received a coupon.
Chanel No.22 EdT for me again 2day.
Need the lovely effect to brighten my day.. Thanks 2 a split last year from Clarrisa or Kanuka!- my menooy is fuzzy now…..it was a rough year to put it mildky. A nice treat!
22 is so beautiful. I really hope this is a great year for you!
If I have one consistent fragrance love, it is No. 22. Started wearing it in my 20s. It was the first luxury fragrance I ever bought for myself, and the first Chanel I bought for myself. I don’t wear it every day or even every week, but I love it dearly and have a large bottle! Enjoy it! And I hope 2018 is as good to you as Chanel No. 22.
I completely forgot about this week’s vanilla theme, but fortunately I’d spritzed something fitting that I hadn’t worn in ages, but spritzed impulsively due to today’s snowy weather: vintage Organza Indecence. I’d contemplated swapping it away recently, but am reminded today why I’ve held on to the bottle. Even though I’m not compelled to wear it as often as I was when I was younger, I find that there are the rare days like today when that rich amber vanilla, with its heavy doses of patch, plum, and cinnamon, really hits the spot. Guess I’ll hold on to the 15 ml or so that’s left, as I’ve heard that the reform is wanting, and just enjoy it until it’s gone.
When it’s right, it’s right! I’ve heard the same of the newer version but haven’t tried it.
Today’s SOTD has nothing to go with vanilla. It’s Pacifica’s Tibetan Mountain Temple, from the cute little spray bottle. A couple of posts lately have inspired me to start wearing my neglected bottles. So “Thank You” to both Lucasai and Angela.
My local news is warning about flooding from ice jams on the Delaware River. Ugh. This area usually doesn’t see that sort of stuff until later on in the winter. ????
You smell good! Stay safe!
Thanks! I am lucky in that I am on high ground where I live.
You smell great! I’m glad to hear you are on safe ground.
I didn’t go with vanilla today, but I bought a new vanilla, does that count? I wore Jo Loves No. 42 The Flower Shop (green!) to please both myself and the lovely Mr. Herbaceous who gave it to me for Christmas, but I bought Berdoues’ Vanira Moorea and will wear it this week. I really like it, though it’s not my usual floral/green leaning.
kpaint, I heard a lot about MLK today but I live in the South, as you know, and we get great coverage about him every January and again on the anniversary of his assassination. I appreciate that, as it opens the way to important conversations with my teenager. I watched 13 a few months ago, it is stunning and important.
SOTD is long gone now but I started vanilla week with Kiss Me Tender. Vanilla, hay, heliotrope. It’s just so pretty!