It's Bat Appreciation Day (I'm working on that), and in the US, it's Tax Day Tuesday. What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm in Etro Shaal Nur for another struggling-to-be-spring day. (No Friday project points for me.) Tea at the moment is Irish Breakfast brewed with a dash of cinnamon.
Reminder: on 4/20 we're doing Can’t stop, won’t stop...wear a perfume from the most saturated category in your collection. Suggested by Coin-op.
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.
Note: the Royal Crown Derby Old Imari Teapot is £690: "Complete your tea set with this durable fine bone china 4 cup teapot in the classic Duesbury shape with long spout which is also perfect as a gift! Globally synonymous with the brand of Royal Crown Derby, the striking Old Imari pattern dates from the early years of the nineteenth century and is as popular today as it ever was."
I’m wearing Bandit by Robert Piguet, wonderful!
I wore a spray of that to bed last night. Love this fragrance!
I adore Bandit, whether it’s extrait or EDP, you smell glorious!
I can appreciate bats, but I just don’t want them in my attic. When I got home from work one day late last summer and I was greeted with “we have a problem.” You can guess what it was.????Fortunately our attic is well sealed from the rest of the house and I never actually saw them. I don’t know if this is true for the rest of the country, but bats are protected in our state and cannot be destroyed, so thankfully there are professionals who will deal with them.
SotD is vintage Samsara for some sandalwood bliss while I finish up our taxes. I organized everything yesterday, so today is just a matter of filing. ????it goes quickly.
This is exactly my position on bats: I like them (especially because they eat bugs and mosquitoes), I just don’t want them in my house.
Why say you like bats but you don’t want them around? Just you don’t like bats! It sounds exactly like people who say they like black people but they don’t really want them as neighbors…
When you like something, there’s no buts
I don’t really think that follows. There are a number of creatures in the animal kingdom I love and admire that I don’t particularly want inside my home. Could be as innocuous as a bunch of beautiful butterflies or ladybugs…I’d prefer to experience them in the wild instead of my bedroom. We had a darling raccoon that used to visit our backyard and hang out with the cats. He was not so darling when he got in the garage and tore up the place. Still liked him, though. Just blocked him from getting inside.
We had a couple of raccoons that would hang out on the fire escape in a former apt. That is as definitely cat TV! They were adorable until they dug a hole through our ceiling! Came home to plaster all over-took a while for me to figure it out.
I fully understand.
I”m perfectly happy to have bats around my yard, but they do NOT belong in human habitations. Their droppings contain a fungus that can cause histoplasmosis in humans breathing the micro-dust from the droppings.
Nope, don’t want ’em in my house, thanks.
lolwut
I like tigers but I don’t want them in my house… I like sazeracs but I don’t want them for breakfast… I like salami but not as a hat… I like Cuir de Lancôme but not in warm weather… I like winter but I want it to be over immediately.
Bwahahaha! I think we can all agree on these.
It’s when I got to the “but not as a hat” part that I snorted my tea.
Very Dr Seussian!
Everyone here is being incredibly kind in their responses, exceedingly kind.
How did it go from saying you didn’t like bats in your house to bringing in racism? Wow!
KellyRed, I agree.
I think one of the reasons so many of us post here daily is the kindness and generosity of spirit.
I am speechless, but I I love the kindness I have seen today and always here. It is so good and comforting to come to this blog every day.
It’s really quite offensive and yet comically bizarre. What an odd set of rules.
Why complain about people being kind? Part of why I love NST is its generosity of spirit. Even when I think people are being “too kind,” I love the tempering effect that has on my own gut response. I hope NSTers never stop being “exceedingly kind,” as you put it.
Well, I agree everyone is being kind. I did not think the original comment was in the proper spirit, but also did not think it explicitly went against the comment policy. If I was wrong, I apologize.
I was surprised by this group’s behavior before (and even wrote a post about it on my blog https://undina.com/2017/11/20/math-revised-a-minus-and-a-plus-make-a-plus/ ) but after thinking about it for a while I thought that it was such a beautiful and teaching moment… If somebody goes too far, Robin will take care of it. Otherwise, kindness is a much wiser response to micro-aggression than aggression: we do not know if the person who initiated the controversy is even going to come back and read any responses, but 100+ nice people who come here often would have read negative comments and absorbed that negativity. This way they just smiled reading about “cat TV” or “salami […] as a hat.” We do not need to have a common enemy to feel like a group of like-minded individuals since we have a common interest(s).
Undina, it’s an interesting question whether or not it has to do with a common interest, or with other aspects of “community building” (I hate that term but can’t think of a better one right now). The commenters here are REALLY nice, but it’s also true that there’s a lot of winnowing going on. You have to bother to get an account, which these days, is a rare requirement just to comment. Then you have to put up with my ridiculous spam filter which might prevent you from using your account and require you to fill out an extra form to get back in. Then, if your comment is really nasty I will likely disappear it anyway. Over time, all of these things discourage most of the sorts of people who just want to use the internet as an outlet for their everyday rage.
Meanwhile you have all these people who have put up with the bother and found all sorts of ways to be supportive to each other in all sorts of ways that have nothing to do with that common interest (perfume). I think that becomes self perpetuating. Everyone likes having a place they can go and find kindness, and so they work to keep it a kind place. There aren’t that many on the internet anymore!
I do not mind “community building” term at all, but whatever it is, it is quite unique, I agree, and we all appreciate everything you do to provide this safe and pleasant outlet for those who prefer it to constant banter, attempts to prove something or just outpouring of the negativity.
Better bats than rats — they don’t want anything you’ve got and are really good at avoiding you!
I love bats, would constantly find them (dead or alive) and bring them home to my mom. People laugh when I mention there’s a reason I’m an only child….
Hey, I’m an only child too! I did not bring bats home to my mom though, lol. She is deathly afraid of them and would not have been pleased.????
Oh, I am coveting that tea pot so badly! Tea is Yorkshire Red, for a proper brew, and I will be wearing Profumum Roma Ambre Aurea today because I love spicy orientals. That is by far my largest category in my collection.
Sorry it is such an expensive one — that price was a surprise!
You smell great!
Terre Hermes from a recent swap. My 10 month old bernese mountain dog puppy got in to the 5 sample decants from the swap yesterday. She go the spryer off two but i only found the pieces to one. I really hopes did not swallow the pieces to the other. no leakage though! That will teach me to take a bath….she is really a beautiful girl so I love her but I did not count on sharing perfume
Naughty puppy!
I rescued a $20.00 bill from my galgo yesterday, so I feel your pain .
oh! glad you rescued it. Mine loves anything paper or wood
Oh, geez LOL. Methinks when she grows up you’re going to have a new partner in crime to enjoy your perfumes with 😀
my old dog did go to Barney’s with me a few times. It went much better when we found the elevator, the spiral stairs was not her thing. You do get noticed, usually helpfully so
😀
Will add that I don’t like spiral stairs either! Smart pup ????
Uh oh! Time to lock up the perfume samples from your curious puppy…
We have a corporate visit today. I would rather they just showed up unannounced, than make everyone crazy trying to prepare for them. I’m wearing Alien, leather version today. I think this is the closest flanker to the original, but much smoother. I saw a bat up close once, and I think they are scary. Have a great day!
I’m looking forward to Alien Man. ????????????.
Me too, its about time!
I think I was married to a man who turned out to be an ????
Good luck with the visit from corporate! Those are stressful no matter what, aren’t they?
We lucked out. After all the running around preaparing, they called and said they were not coming due to flight cancellation. I don’t buy it. They just like to feel powerful. Happy though they didn’t show.
Yeah, you’re still better off!
I am in Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant for Friday project (florals and orientals being my most saturated categories). This one was love at first sniff – Cloves! Sweet spiciness! Yum.
I thought I hated all orientals until I smelled L’Elephant. Surprise!
You know, Regina’s comment (and some responses to it) made me think of a different approach to this project: Samples I Acquired But Have Not Tried Yet. I am a very slow tester. That is, I try some stuff immediately or fairly quickly, but typically I get a bunch of samples and leave them unsniffed for months because I like to test chronologically. As a result, currently I am on samples from March 2017.
This is actually an improvement, because my ‘delay period’ used to be about 18 months. 😳
So I’ll probably do some testing on at least one day of this week.
Definitely agree on YUM! for your SOTD.
I keep telling myself not to blind buy L’Elephant! It sounds like I’d love it but the reviews are so mixed!
I have decided that my most saturated category is Vintage Things I Bought Online Because I Saw a Good Price. SOTD is Lanvin Crescendo.
Ha! I love that category! I would be on theme with that today too.
As someone who has a thing for vintage minis, I understand. 😀
Minis are so dang cute! I wish I had kept more of mine, I have only three: Obsession, Beautiful and Adrienne Vittadini- does anyone remember that perfume?
I have decided to decorate this years christmas tree with collected minis. I still have the original Opium little red bottle on a cord.
Can’t let em go, may has well do a tree!
That is a wonderful idea!
Do you want some more minis? I have several that I don’t use/might be off. This offer is for either of you – apsara or madtowngirl.
I think I have enough for my tree! But thank you Scentspirit for your kind offer
Ha, that’s about right for me too!
oh. Actually I have to rethink my Saturated Category: it probably *should* be Vintage Minis I Bought On Ebay.
Haha, glad to know I’m in such good company!
Excellent category!
That might be my most saturated category too. Vintage Mini’s From Ebay And Etsy. I have a whole shot glass cabinet full of ’em. There are a few I wear, but most are just eye candy.
That’s what I always planned to do with my accumulated minis, but they’re still in a drawer ????
We actually have accumulating snow. Ugggh. Hard to start softball season when old man winter just won’t go away.
SOTD is Francesca Dell’Oro Page 29 which has become a cold weather favorite.
On a side note…enjoy Marcia Clark Investigates on A&E. Taking a new look at old cold cases.
Blech, I am so sorry!!
Speaking of investigations, are you a podcast fan? I just started listening to West Cork, which is an Audible podcast (free) and it’s amazing. An “unsolved” case since the 90’s. It takes place in *no surprise* West Cork Ireland, which appealed to me right off the bat because of family there. It’s filled with very interesting characters and very well done. I recommend if you like hat sort of thing.????????
Jour d’Hermes parfum. It is so rich and gorgeous. If you like the EdP, I recommend finding a sample. I’m wearing from one of my 3 bottles. I knew that the price I bought them for wouldn’t last long (~$55 each) so I got 3. And what do you know, they’re at $150 on eBay for the same bottle. (Of course retail is aroubd 200 for less ml.) Good thing I’m set! I think that may count for Friday project points, right? 🙂
That is a fantastic price!
It’s an incredible variation. The one I have is a 50ml spray tester too, so no dabbing.
I guess I tried the Absolu but not the Parfum? Have to go check my notes.
Wow, that is tempting.
I almost always fold to fragranced temptation. 😉
I love Jour d’Hermes, you smell fabulous!
Ha! I should have worn Zoologist Bat today.
I thought about that too, I have a sample but not sure if I want to make it my sotd.
It does require a certain level of commitment.
I am fond of and fascinated by bats. We did a dusk bat tour in Central Park one year. The park is particularly magical at that time of day, so though we only saw a few bats, the walking tour was beautiful anyway. And we have a framed taxidermied bat in our living (make of that what you will).
SOTD Chanel no 5 edt which was a grab-and-go this morning.
That sounds like a great tour. We had swallows or something near our office building in SF that did the whole swooping and swirling thing at dusk…can’t remember what it was called. All the commuters would stop and watch.
I think they still run those tours and it’s also a bit of a botany lesson if you’re into that.
That flight pattern is rather mesmerizing…
You would have loved my old office in the far reaches of the theatre attic–bats would regularly keep me company!!! Yikes, I was not a fan.
Sounds intriguing!
“we have a framed taxidermied bat in our living”
Cool.
(Living *room). Thanks. Everyone should have one. It’s actually yellow-an albino, maybe?
EVERYONE should? I’m donating mine to Oakland Fresca. 🙂
Haha! If she doesn’t want it, mine could use a pal ????
Zoologist Bat perfume, right? 🙂
That bat tour sounds awesome! Putting it on the list of “Stuff I Wanna Do Someday”.
It’s a very serene little adventure.
Wearing Guerlain Bois d”Armenie from one of the 20 ml sprayers discussed yesterday .
This could fit under Guerlain, Vanilla, or Smoky category, all of which are WELL represented in my collection.
Nice!
You smell great!
In Texas people put up bat boxes to attract bats, just the way they put up housing for purple martins. Both of them eat insects like mosquitoes and will provide pest control without chemicals. Today, I’m wearing Noa for the second time. The category this fits is minis that I buy unsniffed because I’ve seen them mentioned on NST. Anyway, I liked this better the first time I wore it. I’m definitely getting more cedar than the previous time I wore it.
We have those bat houses here too. I recently watched a clip on PBS about the bats in Austin
https://youtu.be/YwWGvf38TVM
I hope it’s okay that I post it here. I was fascinated.
When my kids were small we put a bat house in a tree so it faced our living room windows. It was fun to watch them come out in the evening. And we had very few mosquitoes in our yard. 😀
I would need one of those. Mosquitos have always loved me. As do fleas…fleas jumped off cats to get to me. ????
Oh yikes!! Sorry to hear that the creepy crawlies like you so much. ☹
I should put up a bat house. Like I say, I really like bats and want them around. OUTSIDE.
Now I have a summer project for my teenage boys to work on, when they’re not helping their dad make hay…
http://www.batcon.org/resources/getting-involved/bat-houses
Our house is an unintentional bat box. Our siding is ‘rainscreen’ style, which means there’s a gap behind the siding, which means that try all you want, the bats find their way in. Mostly I don’t mind, I much prefer bats to mosquitoes. In the evening we watch them swoop out to begin their nightly rounds.
We likewise have an unintentional bat house, although the shed, not the house. Most years there seem to be one or two living in there, which is fine. When they get in my house, not so fine!
Theorema again, although we have better weather today and I don’t need its coziness as much, I still want that gorgeous drydown. Can’t stop, won’t stop.
And why should you 😉
Another cold, rainy day, fortunately without the freezing rain. Continuing the theme this week with Mitzah.
Small mercies are better than none at all!
True that!
You smell wonderful
I love bats! A large colony lives under a bridge near our house and it’s fun to watch them all stream out at sunset. They should return to our area in a month or so.
My most saturated category is classic cologne, and I have to smile at “can’t stop, won’t stop” as I spent yesterday considering a bottle of Jean Marie Farina on eBay (how come you can’t get Roger & Gallet in the US anymore?). Wearing PdN’s L’Eau Chic today, probably my favorite non-citrus-y cologne.
I love that cologne and miss R&G too! I have a Jean Marie Farina bar soap in my linen closet. I should use it.
Fragrancenet.com still has some soap in stock! Which I am also considering . . .
Mmmm – I love classic colognes as well and particularly citrussy ones. What are some of your favorite colognes (of any type)?
My favorite is FM’s Cologne Indelebile, which smells like a high-end 4711 and has good lasting power. I also really like Terre d’Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche (warning: it has a good dose of cumin) and Mugler Cologne. Two other really good citrus-y scents that are not quite colognes: PdE Yuzu Fou (this one also has cumin) and Oscar de la Renta’s Sargasso, which is the longest lasting citrus I’ve ever tried. And Acqua de Parma is always good!
Thanks – some of these are new to me, so I’ll have fun looking them up!
This is a really late comment, but keep an eye out for the Mugler at Marshall’s. I just picked up a marked down bottle, and it’s lovely!
Ooh, forgot to mention Eau Sauvage – the original, not the new one (which I have not sniffed). Really great and often can be found really cheap!
Thx!
Sotd: Eau Duelle
Sorry, no bat appreciation from me. Years ago I had a very close encounter with a bat that required a series of rabies shots as a precaution. ????
I love Eau Duelle. And yikes – sorry about the shots!
Gah! Really?? Wow. I am impressed. There is a night zoo in Singapore that has a bat walk where you get literally inches away from the bats. I loved it, but golly a close encounter of the rabies shot kind did not cross my mind. Eeeeeuuuwww!
Oh that night zoo in Singapore is fantastic! So is their bird park (Jurong). I had a dove ride on my shoulder while I walked around the bird park — the staff told me it had been hand-raised and would routinely hang out with guests.
the night zoo is fun. Best enjoyed after a meal of chili crab!!
At first I figured my “can’t stop, won’t stop” category would have to be powder. But Regina’s post got me thinking and I believe the more accurate category would be “sale priced blind buys” oh the shame!!!????
Today I’m wearing neither. Finally got my bottle of Grand Soir and am in new bottle devotion mode.
wait a sec…Grand Soir could totally be placed in the powder category! It’s not like some of my other powder bombs but is definitely sweet and powdery in the drydown. Yay for participation!
This powder-bomb fan would love to hear about some of your favorites…
Happy to oblige! Of course YMMV on these – I’d say my skin does seem to bring out a lot of powder.
-POTL Luctor et Emergo – my first niche bottle and still a favorite with cherry/playdoh/powder
-Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum Parfum du Soir – sweet jammy rosey oudy powder
-Love, Chloe – dry, talcum-like face powder
-Jul et Mad Stilettos on Lex – fresh, floral powder — reminds me of Kenzo Flower
-Reminiscence Vanille – cuddly vanilla/marzipan powder (and has similarities to Cuir Beluga)
-Amouage Fate – I have a hard time describing this one — shiny, spicy, powder. A beast in terms of sillage/longevity
-Shalimar! Very powdery on me
-Molinard Habanita – sexy baby powder, if there ever was such a thing
-Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose – probably more sweet/waxy than powdery, but some days the drydown is very rosey powder on me
-Keiko Mecheri Peau de Peche – peach skin powder, the lightest of the bunch
-Unum Opus 1144 – a derivative of Shalimar and probably my most beastly powder. Starts out with super tart lemon dessert and then it’s all heavenly powder in the drydown. I have gotten comments when I wear it that I smell so good, like a baby, so it definitely has a baby powder vibe.
I don’t own but have also tried:
-MdO Musc – angelic heliotrope powder. Also a beast.
-Lorenzo Villoresi Teint de Neige – seems to be the gold standard of powder bombs but I liked MdO Musc better
Do you have any favorites?
Ooooh Unum Opus 1144 sounds amazing. That is going on my list.
Have you tried Habanita L’Esprit? It’s more powdery than the original but lighter and delightful. I love the edp as well.
I’m a fan a lot of the ones you’ve already listed but will also add:
Broussard Ombre Rose
Aroma M Vanilla Hinoki & Geisha Noire
Rosine Roses Des Neiges & Rose Praline
Prada Infusions Amande & Mimosa
I also love all the cosmetics/lipstick scents (Poudre de Riz, Insolence, Lipstick On, French Kiss, Misia, Putain des Palaces, YSL Paris etc) – the more powder & violets the better.
Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte, VCA Gardenia Petale, Narciso edp, and Chamade are not not powder bombs per se but all have something that suggests powder to me.
I also love the powderiness that accompanies heliotrope/mimosa fragrances like Carner Barcelona Tardes, YSL Cinema, Oriza L Legrand Heliotrope Blanc.
Probably half of my collection would qualify as powdery, but there has to be massive doses of powder for me to even notice LOL. Almost every time I ask my H what he thinks about what I’m wearing he says it smells like powder (when I haven’t even picked up on it.)
Am now a lemming for Peau de Peche. Onto the list it goes!
What brilliant lists. Thanks you two.
Agent Provacateur does some powdery scents, but I can’t remember which one was powder plus.
Strip was heliotrope powdery. I really liked that one.
Another powder fan here! Taking notes. My very favorite powder scent and one of my first niche loves is Le Labo Labdanum 18. I have actually read reviewers compare it to baby powder. Sexy baby powder imo.
No, not a Le Labo!!! I try to ignore Le Labo because of the prices, but this one seems to keep coming up. Onto the list it goes 🙂
I’ve avoided them, too, Eldiyen, but I did acquire a sample of the Labdanum and it’s yummy. I don’t recall a powder hit, but like I said, unless I’m knocked over the head with it I don’t necessarily notice.
Sale priced blind buys are my weakness!
So glad I’m not the only one 🙂
SotD is Parfums de Marly Herod, a gorgeous pipe tobacco + vanilla that’s like TF Tobacco Vanille but without the cloying sweetness.
Snow on the ground and temps in the 20s right now, but at least it’s great weather for wearing hard-core orientals (my most saturated category) …
Herod sounds very appealing 🙂
Bat Appreciation Day! Who knew? 2 years ago, I gave my hubs a cedar bat house for our backyard garden! (He had been wishing for one to attract the Georgia brown bat…LOL) I can say this….if you have a mosquito problem, bats are AWESOME. And if you need organic manure for your garden, bats are AWESOME! 🙂
Wearing Bvlgari Black today, and LOVING it….it’s awesome like bats, methinks!
Agree on both counts! A colony of bats lives near us, and we have very few bugs in the summer. And Black is awesome, of course.
I love bats!????
Definitely an animal that is “soooo ugly it’s cute”……..Lol! Not the most cuddly animals! 🙂
Bvlgari Black is always a wonderful choice.
I totally want a bat house for our backyard! I think we have too many trees to really attract bats–at least any native nearby bats–but your comment is a reminder for me to check into it again. I love watching bats fly at night.
You smell great, Jada!
Cute teapot! No SOTD yet, but will be going with BoE in about 2 minutes.
The title for my week thus far is “Because it is Bitter, and Because it is My Heart.” Great book by Joyce Carol Oates that I read a long time ago. The title popped into my head this morning because it sums up my week so far. The good news? Surely, things will get better! I’m trying find a way that I can live and work but only deal with others that are nice, intelligent, cooperative, funny, and efficient. Oh, and a job that is not disabled by poor management!????
Unfortunately those are pretty thin on the ground. But it is possible, don’t give up hope!
Well, I just scheduled a winery tour for tomorrow, so things are looking up! At least on the “tourist” side of life! ????
If I need a “good people” fix, I usually drop in to NST. People here perk me right up ????????
Hey, meant to tell you that if you get the chance, check out Hess Winery. The wines are stupid expensive– I think the cheapest tasting is $25 and then goes up from there. (Bottles are all spendy– encroaching on perfume territory.) But, Hess has a small art museum which is gratis and a lot of fun. It has several really terrific pieces by Andy Goldsworthy. Some meh stuff as well, but all in all worth the trip.
Oh good to know, although “spendy” is a word I’m hiding from right now, but the free art sounds great! The tour is about 5-6 hours and visits four smaller, less well know wineries, so that appealed to me. There’s also a picnic lunch and a “production tour” at one of them as well. I’m really looking forward to that more than the tasting. I know zilch about wine. Pretty sure I’ll humiliate myself and embaress others with my stooopid questions! ????I’m going on a group tour because 1) it’s cheaper and 2) I’ll have some human beings to speak with.
The best part of the wine touring I’ve done is seeing the gorgeous terrain. Hopefully it’ll be scenic and fun and you’ll get some good in-person socializing in.
http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/crane/crane.html
I am taking note of your book choice and will add it to Nomadland ( waiting for it)
Do you know the Stephen Crane poem The Desert, with the line because it is bitter/ because it is my heart? Just in case you’re interested .
Enjoy your wine tour.
Familiar with Stephen Crane, but not that poem. Thank you! I love it!
I’m huge poetry lover and sadly, have stopped really reading (or writing) about 10 years ago. The love just up and died. I used to be a ravenous reader too, but hardly can complete a book these days. I’m hoping it’s a phase, but pretty sure I’m permanently damaged.
Also, this is another by the same author that I read and loved long ago you many be interested in. I read it in my 10’s I think, and I immediately wanted to become a dowser. I’d never heard of such a thing before, but the idea of it transfixed me. I thought I had hidden “super dowser power!”
https://www.amazon.com/Lock-My-Door-Upon-Myself/dp/0865381089
I read that book by Joyce Carol Oates a really long time ago. Gosh, that woman is prolific!
My sister and I have decided the single best word to describe life at this point is bittersweet.
Maybe that’s why I love a case of you by Joni Mitchell so much…
I could drink a case of you my darling and still be on my feet.
You taste so bitter and so sweet.
Bittersweet is spot on! One of my college professors had JCO experience when she was a PhD student. JCO was making an appearance at the college, and my future prof was the “driver” who shuttled JCO around between hotel, college, dinner party etc. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall????
SotD = Caron Narcisse Noir
From a decant, sent along to me by a fabulous NSTer. This is less noir and more orange blossom. I like it very much!
Have a terrific Tuesday, NST.
I was puzzled to test NN a few years ago and get not one shred of narcissus (which I tend to love) but tons of OB (which I don’t). I even emailed the decanter and asked if it was possible I had gotten a sample of Narcisse Blanc instead, but apparently not, they didn’t own any NB. Huh.
I was wondering about that when I first saw tiffanie’s comment. Since I have discovered I love Au Dela Narcisse, I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for other Narcisse scents. The only way I can handle OB is right on the tree, then I find lovely, but any OB perfume I’ve tried has made me gag.
If OB makes you gag then stay far, far away from Narcisse Noir. I think the perfume is named for the bottle, for crying out loud. It is a pretty bottle with a black flower that forms the cap.
Agree, Narcisse Noir is all about the orange blossom. The name is a surprising mismatch for the scent.
Today’s SOTD is Mugler’s Alien Essence Absolue, it’s only 8:30 and already a crazy day (not a good thing in the H.R. world). I need more tea.
I sympathize with your crazy day! Have you tried filling a camelback with tea to prepare you for the day? I often think of doing that with coffee…
have your tried filling a camelback with bloody marys?
lolol
Girl..! I’d be 6’ under in no time flat! But I’d give it a whirl if you join me! ????
Maybe we should have an NST CP day that is all about Camelbacks and adult beverages..? Last one standing wins!
Oh god, I just snorted my coffee out, glad I’m alone in the office right now.
A Spicy Bloody Mary would be fantastic, but I’d settle for straight bourbon as well. I like the way you think! 😉
I second a straight bourbon right now…
This comment is pretty great 🙂
Laughing about the Camelback comment, too!
House twins again!
Hooray for house twins!
For tomorrow’s scent, I may do regular Angel or the Liqueur de Parfum, we’ll have to see tomorrow morning. 🙂
You smell great Robin! Shaal Nur is perfect for a cool spring day.
SOTD is Black Jade, a soft spicy rose and cardamom scent. I seem to prefer my roses on the abstract side.
I love the Etro bottles and tried SN because of it. I really liked it and not sure why I didn’t persue it. I didn’t realize it came in smaller bottles…
Why thank you, and I do not know Black Jade but I am sure you do too 🙂
Trying to stay “rose-y” all week. SOTD is Fille de Berlin. Need a little brightness as the sun can’t decide if it’s in or out today!!
I’m doing roses this week too, and la fille is on the list, but I went with Lyric today.
Excellent choice–I may do that one tomorrow!!
SOTD will be agar ebene post shower for an in person interview.
Whoa! Good luck with the interview. Not familiar with that perfume, but it sounds like you smell great????????
In case you missed it, Robin’s review: https://nstperfume.com/2018/03/20/hermes-cedre-sambac-agar-ebene-fragrance-reviews/#comments
I completely blanked on the name of that perfume until I clicked the link you provided and saw the bottles. Thanks!
Thanks Deva,
It’s an internal consulting role at a hospital. I think my best work is when I am able to provide service to those who provide service!
Nurses and health care givers are the rock stars of my world.
My role is to get the admin and managers of hospitals to make your world not crazy.
And I really love bats. There is an amazing bat house where my sister lives and her granddaughters love to see them.
Just not too close:)
Oh, I wish you could manage my world! ????????Best of luck with interview, you’ll knock their socks off!
I have a friend who went from nursing to that kind of position. Good luck with the interview!
Good luck for the interview! You smell elegant.
Good luck with that interview. I have not tried yet Agar Ebene, but I am sure you smell fabulous!
I hope the interview goes well. Good luck.
Good luck with your interview!
When I read that Robin was wearing Shaal Nur, a scent I’ve coveted for years but have never found at a bargain price, I finally caved and bought the smaller size. In the meantime, it’s Bohemian Rhapsody, also wonderful on yet another gray and chilly day. But I’m so excited!
Have you checked the discounters? I found mine on frag net for a great price with discount.
It was recently on beautyencounter as well iirc.
Wear it in good health!
It’s not even trying to be spring here. A little more effort please?
SOTD is the soft and comforting Box of Eels. So if there is an upside to this dumb weather, there it is.
Twins!
You both smell lovely!
I wore Box of Eels yesterday and it is so comfy for this type of “unknown” season. Not even a big effort seems to help anymore. Let’s keep hoping and dreaming…
I still have to give “most saturated” a think, but for the time-being I am in the all-expense-paid-enjoying-it-like-a-real-perfume-despite-being-dirt-cheap Stash. The projection on this is a bear, so I apply with care when I am going to be among humans (cats don’t seem bothered by it). Remarkably, hands down, this perfume has garnered more compliments in the last year than all my perfumes put together save when I have worn Beloved.
Ha! My cat loves it. He acts like he’s sniffing catnip when I wear it.
I’m wearing Carner Barcelona Tardes. In my opinion this is a spring-inviting scent.
That is good stuff, and ITA!
Just dropping in quickly. Yesterday I was wearing Myrrhe Eglantine with you Robin. I really like it a lot, even though I am not normally a Hermes person. I hope you are recovered also!
Today is I Miss Violet. Sophisticated spring in a bottle on a day that is not springlike and I am decidedly not looking sophisticated. But someone just patted my back and said ‘oh you smell beautiful!’ So there’s that!
Do they have this and the other new ones in 15-ml travel sprays yet?
I do indeed, foolishly. Hard to resist though.
I am, thank you, and glad we were twins yesterday!
Gotta drive teh hubs to a minor medical procedure this afternoon. Wearing Chanel No. 19 edp. 🙂
Man, I am digging a week of greenies in spring. Though, to be honest, I’d probably be doing greenies anyway. #cantstopwontstop
You smell faboo!
Ta’if for me today. Ormonde Jayne is very well represented in my collection. I thought I was running low on this but discovered a second decant in the cabinet, so bombs away!
About to attempt to bake the deep chocolate cookies one can buy at Miette in SF. We will see….
You smell beautiful and the cookies sound awesome!
2nd that. Afraid to even google those cookies.
I look forward to hearing aboit the cookies. I’m having a frstrating time getting mine to come out good lately.
Our oven runs hot, so it’s a bit of a crap shoot….
Bat Day! Well, once my current scent wears off, I clearly need to pull out Zoologist Bat.
SOTM (I know they won’t last all day) is CBIHP Cumming (right hand) and 2nd Cumming (left hand). Cumming is slightly more floral-y, but all in all, they’re about the same. Leather, whiskey, dirt, yasssss.
Repeating my Sultan Pasha question from yesterday: I’m finally trying my year-old sample set, and finding them all rather quiet, with very low projection. Is this just because they’re old? Or is this what other folks experience with new samples?
Oh, and I walked into my bathroom last night, looked at all the SP ampules scattered around on the counter along with various bent paperclips, and thought, man, sure looks like a junkie was in here….. LOL
Leather, whiskey, and dirt seems like something I definitely need in my life! And I am definitely a perfume junkie haha…
My experience with Sultan Pasha attars: most of them are not very loud, though it kinda depends on the attar and how much you use.
Also, applying more drops do not always make a better scent.
Some of them start to ‘bloom’ more when your skin warms up, so I think they perform slightly better in warm weather.
One year in a small plastic vial probably has not enhanced the quality
(though if you store them in a good way, in glass, cool and dark etc, attars will get better over time…or so I was told…)
Spurred on by your post I DID dig out my Zoologist Bat sample. I love it, it went on the full bottle list awhile ago. I adore that wet cave smell.
We used to get the occasional bat in the house, old house, old windows. One cat was a very good bat catcher. She’d leap into the air, then hold them down with her paw and look at us proudly. I’d be the one forced to pick it up (oven mitts work perfectly) and fling the poor thing back outside.
Heh, I’ve done the oven mitt thing too. We did a major remodel a decade or so ago, and had holes in the side of our house for months. Which meant the occasional bat swooping around the living room ceiling. And once, found one in a closet. No idea how it got there….
IRL Dracula moment… 😉
Alan Cumming is performing here next month and I was looking into getting tickets but also wanted to bring his perfumes to sign (best perfume names in perfume history!) I searched ebay and there was only 1 bottle of one of them and it was crazy expensive. (I’ve never smelled either.)
He is on a new show on NBC which is just awful but worth watching if one is a fan. He can do a lot with a ridiculously bad script ;p (I watched a couple of episodes on my own, but it would be better viewed with a partner so as to have someone to make fun of it with.)
(1st) Cumming is discontinued, but CBIHP still sells 2nd Cumming.
I am continuing my saturated iris week with Orris and Sandalwood. It’s one of my favorite JMs, but not my favorite iris overall. Still, this one lasts a while on me and I think it’s really pretty and versatile for the office (not that I’m opposed to wearing something stinky or pretty much anything to my office haha).
Thanks to all the well wishes for our new pup friend! I can’t actually pick him up until tomorrow because we had to wait so many days after he arrived at the shelter. But he is still there this morning, I checked. We have gotten everything all ready for him- bed, bowls, collar, toys etc.! It works out great actually because my fiance should be back tomorrow as well (woo hoo!) and I could probably use an extra pair of hands. I don’t think my Lucy bird is going to be a fan of our new friend. 😀 Going to have to introduce them slowly.
You smell great!
Yay! So happy about your new family member! I don’t know how you feel about crate training, but I highly recommend it, especially with puppies. Preventing bad behavior is much easier than trying to correct it after the fact.
I used to have a bad a$$ cockatiel that a boyfriend gifted me for Valentines day one year. I also had a Rottweiler. Guess who ruled the roost? That bird would strut across the floor, wings partially spread, right over to the dog, grab a hunk of fur in his beak, climb up that “vicious” animal, down he other side, and keep on trucking. If the dog so much as looked at him sideways, Bob the bird hissed just like a velociraptor. The dog was afraid to move a muscle! ????
Oh we are all about some crate training! We did it with out last dog. I know our bird will rule the roost. She’s rather large and has an attitude haha! But at first, it will be new to both of them. This dog doesn’t have 1/10th of the attitude Lucy has, though ha!
I haven’t smelled that one but I feel like most of the JM’s are office friendly. Congrats and good luck with your new pup!
SotD is Madagascan jasmine, by Grandiflora, from a sample.
White flowers is a somewhat saturated category in my collection, though I would not mind to add this one to the stash….its lovely!
I am starting to feel like i ought to just sort my bottles — I probably have a lot of white florals too. But guessing citrus, iris, incense, vetiver are the biggies.
Still doing florals, rose for today. La Rose de Rosine a lovely classic, rose. I could do several months of florals and more than a week of roses.
I could do a week of roses for sure! But it isn’t my biggest category.
I wondered what my most represented house is, so this morning I counted. Not Hermes, not Guerlain, not Mona or Annick…it’s Uncle Serge. Eight bottles. Today I’m wearing Tubereuse Criminelle.
Does anyone else listen to The West Wing Weekly podcast? I started, two years ago, and then it fell off my radar. I spent the weekend trying to catch up. I particularly like their interviews with cast and production members.
foxbins, I’m the text editor for TWWW! so glad you like the podcast! perfume trivia for you: Hrishi wears Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir. 🙂
What a crazy coincidence! How I loved The West Wing *sigh* A few years ago I rewatched the entire series with my H, who’d never seen it. We need a reboot for the current era. (Please!)
I’m actually watching it for the first time along with the podcast, which is a lot of fun! And if we ever needed a fantasy president…
Yes! Actually, maybe I’ll just start re-watching the original.
That is so awesome! You all are doing a fantastic job.
Sotd is Opinicu Oils Violet.
I didn’t get back to respond yesterday but I wanted to thank everyone for the kind words.
Elisa, thanks for telling me about your MIL. It is reassuring to hear that she is doing well. I’m at the big doses of steroids stage now but that should taper over time.
I missed yesterday but am really pleased to hear about your results. Hooe your treatment goes well.
Getting any diagnosis can be really jarring. I was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s) when I was 21 and was pretty freaked out, especially since I was a nursing student so anticipated the absolute worst. I did the steroids and some other drugs and haven’t really had a recurrence of it, just other GI problems.
Hope the steroids do their job for you. They will certainly make you want to eat sugar straight out of the box!
Lol and I was also diagnosed as diabetic like 3 weeks ago so I know that’s going to be a fight with the steroids.
Ooh. Yeah, that can be tricky.
Also I’m glad to hear that things have worked out well for ypubwith Crohn’s. I have a cousin who has it and is doing well now.
So difficult to find a perfume that matches these days that are not winter, not spring. Nothing seems to be appropriate. I feel like going back to my winter perfumes. Wearing Tauer L’ Eau. At least it is working nice on this cold/cool/ gray day…..
That’s exactly why I like “white noise” kind of scents like Bvlgari Omnia. It’s always right on days when you have no clue what to wear. I think sometimes people consider EOE scents boring, but there has never been a day that I spritzed and regretted it. It just is a work horse.
EOE…?????
Equal Opportunity Employer, in that it works for everyone and discriminates against none. “Neutral” may be a better way to describe it. Inoffensive. Always appropriate. Non-polarizing. I think many people equate this to “boring.” I equate it to genius since it’s a miracle to please everyone.
Aha, thanks!
That is a perfume category that I really lack in my collection. I am thinking now about what I have that might be considered an EOE and nothing comes to mind. I need to remedy that. ????
I’ve been having a hard time, too. I’ve pretty much been rotating between Shalimar, Insolence and SDV and not much else interests me.
It is very frustrating. I stand in front of the cabinet and nothing appeals to me and going commando makes me feel naked if I am longing to wear something. I should mix samples for different seasons in a bag and grab whatever. I am tired of this weather non-sense.
This temperamental weather isn’t making a morning perfume pick easy at all!
Very complicated. It is freezing cold right now! Help!!!!!
Hmm it seems I didn’t pick a winner today. I’m wearing Dame Mimosa Soliflore, which was included as an extra in the swap meet. First, it was very strong and cloying and now that I’ve had it on a few hours it is cloying and has some funk to it. Definitely not enjoying this like I wanted to.
That one was horrible on me too. I thought that my nose might be broken!
I’m kicking myself for not testing it out before committing to wear it to work.
Today I’m wearing Frederic Malle Dans tes Bras. For some reason on rainy Spring days, I reach for that one.
It. Is. Snowing. Again. I’m so totally over it! Sacrebleu Intense from my hefty collection of orientals.
We’re going to go from winter to hot summer without any of the lovely seasonal transition. ????
Hello there totally over it twin. It is sunny and clear today but we could potentially get 6 more inches of snow in the next few days!
There is only one mammal native to New Zealand and it’s a bat. I think there are two species…short and long tail. I have only seen them once, in an area in the deep south west of the South Island , flitting around an area of tussock at the edge of beech forest . really special to see. Their habitat is getting eaten away by human progress.
Serge Lutens is my biggest collection, followed by Smell Bent so maybe Glamour Yeti today.
And…progress report: the Fly Agaric that could,did! It’s out of the ground. Nature!
Bats! Wow, I think they’re amazing and they were king of the hill for a good long while over there it seems. Huh. Actually, I’m really jealous of their echolocation skills. I want that skill.
Continuing with my most saturated category: Shalimar. Today is Mexique. Day 2 of a potential 10.
You. Smell. Amazing!! Couldn’t reply to the above (maxed out), but me thinks I may have found my scent twin!!!! So many of the ones you mentioned are things I have wanted to try and haven’t gotten around to….you may be getting some enabler pins soon hehe 🙂 And I totally agree with your assessments on things that have a powdery aspect but may not be “powder bombs” per se. And YES YES YES to all the cosmetic scents!! ALSO! I have had the exact. same. experience with my husband telling me something is powdery when I didn’t realize it at first!
I believe the Opus 1144 has new packaging, and therefore may have been reformulated (mine is a grey bottle with grey cap). I don’t have decanting supplies or I’d offer to send you some. If you try the current version and don’t love it, let me know and maybe I can get some vials to send you a sample of the old one!!
Thanks for the offer 🙂 I will definitely seek it out! I love lemons and powder – what’s to lose? They’re both present in Cristalle Eau Verte if you haven’t tried that one, although it is very lacking in longevity.
Oh I will look for that! I do love regular Cristalle and pretty much anything Chanel!
Black Cashmere by DK for me today.
This really is a beauty. I’ve been trying various incense-focused scents and so far this is my favorite. Passage d’Enfer I’ve been sampling as well but the lily and incense combo are not working for me.
Enjoying a cuppa blood orange rooibos tea this overcast, but not too cold, April day.
You smell great, and blood orange rooibos sounds delicious.
I am wearing Mr. Vetiver, a sample that represents a common, but maybe not the most common note of my collection?
I have an unpleasant dentist appointment ahead so I didn’t want to “ruin” a thing I love, but still calm myself.
Hope your dentist appointment was not as bad as you anticipated.
Oh, sorry about the dentist! When is it ever pleasant? Vetiver=Magic
Amouage Dia for this warm and sunny day. I’m taking advantage of the absence in the office of the person who’s sensitive about my perfumes, but also it fits the CP since it’s floral perfume – and those are probably represented in my collection the most. Several years ago I would have named Amouage as fitting that CP, but with the most recent releases from the brand I don’t have any issues with “stopping”: I’ll use 7-8 older ones that I love but I’m not tempted by the newest creations.
I don’t get excited anymore with news of a new Amouage.
Well… Look at it this way: you wouldn’t be able to add anything new and exciting from other brands to your collection had Amouage kept producing masterpieces every 6 months 😉
Robin, thanks for the heads up on Bat Appreciation Day! I got to see one up close when I was 14 or 15. It was so tiny and cute! I have never been afraid of bats after that experience. And when I see them chowing down on the local insects, I cheer them on!
Had some unpleasant news earlier today, so I am digesting it and figuring out what comes next. Tuesday, why did you decide to ugly up to Monday levels?
SOTD = back in MPG Ambre Precieux from the sample stash. It is back to being cold where I am at, so I figured I should take advantage of the chance to wear a cold weather scent before it is too late. And samples seem to be my biggest perfume category, too. Thanks to Nancyleandros for that idea.
Hope everything gets resolved satisfactorily and good news come your way soon. You smell great.
Appreciate both the good thoughts and the perfume compliment!
I’m sorry about your unpleasant news today. I got some myself today. Digesting is hard, and this Tuesday is very ugly, indeed. ????????hope things get better soon.
Thanks lillyjo. Too bad you got a load dumped on you today as well. It sucks.
So sorry about your bad news Jalapeno!
Thanks, Robin.
You smell great and U hope your unpleasant news gets resolved quickly.
Love bats. I lived for a while in a very old house in a Suffolk village, and had quite a few pipistrelles nesting in the attic. It was perfect bat space: cool and airy, with easy access because it was an unlined pan-tiled roof. Every now and then one would go astray and come down a chimney and the cats would go into frenzy trying to leap into the air to catch these magic flying mousies. (No casualties, phew.) Later, I lived by a river surrounded by woods and fields, and there were at least two different species flitting about at dusk every night over the water. You could never quote focus on them in the low light–just see there was movement.
Mitsouko today, which stood me in good stead for a… trying day. Because people. And specifically people who are Clients Who Are Never Wrong Even When They Are So Very Wrong It Hurts.
I’m with you! Just found out that a client may demand a redesign of a completed feature, which is a month’s worth of work, that will somehow magically have to be made to fit invisibly into my schedule. So. Ready. To. Retire. !!!!!!
We must have been dealing with the same people today. ????
Not on theme today with Sycomore EdP for what is likely to be a pretty trying day ay work. Plus the temperature has leapt back up and it isn’t autumn Oriental weather any more.
Who cares about theme?! You smell great! ????????
SOTD = Chanel No. 19 EDP
My intention for the week is to wear perfume brands that are well-represented in my collection.
Don’t you hate it when —
You answer someone’s question and because they didn’t like the answer, they ask other people the same question to get the same answer you gave them to begin with?
Yes! I also hate it, when they ask the same question in a different way, over and over, trying to get a different answer.
You can’t fix stupid…
Yes! Or have a non-medical friend ask health advice (in my case) and instead of listening to unbiased evidence based information, which is given without ulterior motive, will then ask the guy at the GNC store the same question, will get an answer only designed to sell something, buys what is said will work, and then complains to me when it doesn’t! ????????♀️
Seriously, people! Maybe you should be Lucy and hang a sign – Advice 5 cents; Advice Not taken $50.
Don’t take it personally: clearly, that person doesn’t need the right answer – they just need to find somebody to validate their assumption/decision/feelings. As long as it’s not your manager who would make you to do something against your better judgement and then blame you for the failure, it’s not something to be upset with – especially when you smell that great.
Thanks! I did not take offense. This was a prima donna who thinks the world revolves around her and she was not happy with my response of “you get help through self-service”.
Yes. Because those people aren’t really interested what you (or anyone else, for that matter) have to say.
That, and an it’s all about me attitude!
I must say that I’m amazed that in 250+ comments on a Bat Appreciation Day not a single person mentioned the Batman! “Bats frighten me. It’s time my enemies shared my dread.”
If anyone is wanting a bit of whimsy in their day, Google “The Bat” by Frank Jacobs. I’ve rather liked the poem for quite a few years.
Checking in late in the day as I was too busy earlier. SOTD is SL Gris Clair, continuing my week of delving into this house. I sprayed it on too liberally this morning and felt that I rather reeked, but it’s mostly a pleasant lavender, so I suppose OK. I did feel it was leaning heavily masculine though; ordinarily that doesn’t bother me, but I felt a bit debonair in a somewhat uncomfortable way.
I like Gris Clair though I haven’t tried overspraying it. Still, I think you smelled great!