Happy Milk Chocolate Day! It's also Jackie O's birthday, and we're hosting our standard open thread poll. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the best milk chocolate ever, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Lunar Eclipse 2018 over Gempen Tower [cropped] by PiConsti at flickr; some rights reserved.
Hi everyone! I took my son to do a little back to school shopping before work tonight. I told him to pick out a trapper keeper and he says ” is that something from the 70’s?” Lol, but I really didn’t know what to call it. Now I know it’s just a binder. It’s going to stay in the low 70’s today, so I am wearing MJ Decadence. I’ve missed this one. Have a great weekend!
Too funny! I had a series of trapper keepers… now they just have these enormous zippered binders which end up hogging the entire backpack.
Exactly! His backpack can barely contain it.
Lol. I remember the days of the trapper keeper, bell bottom jeans and macrame belts.????
They still make them!
https://www.mead.com/mead/browse/product/1.5+inch+Heat-Sealed+Binder/24036
I’m really enjoying this beautiful weather we are having. Have a great weekend!
Ah, those were the days, madtowngirl! (I remember Earth shoes!)
Oh yes, me too!
Me three!!!!!!
I still wear Earth shoes! Couldn’t find the exact model I have, but these are close:
http://www.earthbrands.com/item/kalso-earth-shoes-prosper-vegan-flats/16211/119
So comfy, with a big toe box!
And Famolares!
I had a Trapper Keeper in first grade and I loved it! Somewhat related: I grab every Caboodle I can from thrift stores – they’re always still in good shape and so convenient for storage.
I went looking for a caboodle and couldn’t find one. They were the best for organizing or just making it look like you were organized ????
I think they’re still in demand; I find maybe one per year. You can buy them on Etsy too.
Finally a decent non-sweltering day today! I’m going out for a walk down to Lush to try out Cardamon Coffee again. Yesterday I retested Hermès Cèdre Sambac and Agar Ébène, still like them both, will hopefully get the 15 ml sprays at some point.
Lucky you having moderate weather! I’m jealous! Did you like CC On first try? Or were you on the fence. I bought a small bottle, but it’s a cold weather scent for me. Honestly, I could have lived quite well without it. ????
I liked it less than the previous try, so I decided against it.
I also found Cardamom Coffee only okay.
Be sure to sniff What Would Love Do? too. I really like that one.
I am curious about those 2 from Hermes
Sadly those two Hermes lasted a nano second on my skin…I kid you not! Maybe not so sad though as money saved
The best milk chocolate I ever had was in a chocolate shop in Toulouse called Criollo! They had a fabulous, rich, delicately spiced galanga hot chocolate that I will never, ever forget!
I currently smell like the vestiges of 10 Corso Como body oil, but I think I might put on Bois Blonds from the very kind madtowngirl–a beautiful summer cologne with depth and complexity! My friend from Paris is visiting this week, and she brought me some of my favorite Fragonard soaps, so that’s what the living room currently smells like
Happy weekend, NSTers!
I stopped in a Fragonard shop while in Paris and it was all I could do to not walk out with a pile of soaps and candles. (Ended up with only one of each…)
That’s so restrained of you!! I think I now have a stockpile of ~10 Fragonard glycerin soaps (mostly the rose). They’re just such perfect soaps!
That is the one place I would love to visit if I ever went back to France! Did you try any of their fragrances?
I smelled quite a few- but so many available, my nose got tired pretty quickly. I ended up buying a bottle of Santal Cardamome (I’m a sucker for spices). Longevity isn’t great but I’m happy to respray. And it was nearly free in perfumista math.
Yes the brand has quite a selection and they are all reasonable priced. I think Beauty Habit sells some of them here in the States.
Mmm, 10 Corso Como and Bois Blonds sounds like a wonderful combination!
I like dark chocolate more than milk chocolate and did eat 2 small squares of Chocolove’s dark chocolate with sea salt caramel this morning, but for milk chocolate, I like what’s on the Heath Bar.
I am in AG Grand Amour today.
I have been afraid of Grand Amour in the summer but perhaps need to try again. You smell fantastic!
PdN Fig-Tea again. Tbh I get little or no fig but lovely osmanthus and tea. Which is just fine for a warm and slightly humid day.
Yes, agree that there’s more tea than fig in that one!
Fig-Tea is very pretty. I should hunt down my little bottle.
And I have a feeling it would have sold better called osmanthus tea? Who knows.
That’s certainly a better description.
SOTM is Eau des Merveilles, after someone here mentioned it yesterday. It’s been a while since I’ve worn it alone – I usually layer it with Eau Claire – and it’s quite lovely by itself. I didn’t get to post yesterday, but I went with Vol de Nuit as the closest I had to a moon- or nighttime-related scent. It occurs to me that I should remedy that soon!
Since I’m in EdM, I just went to see if there’s something like Nuit des Merveilles … and there is, but it’s not a scent but rather an event. Hermés, you’re missing an opportunity. ????
I love Eau des Merveilles as well. But Vol de Nuit is better than any Nuit des Merveilles they could ever come up with
Well, I can’t argue with that!
THUNK! That’s the sound of my 4ml decant of SB Gypsy hitting the trash can! Finished it and enjoyed the heck out of it to boot! I may get a FB because it’s a pleasant, inoffensive, but not too typical, easy to wear, everyday fragrance.
I smell fabulous!
This place is packed! Droves of people arriving yesterday and today for the weekend. Lines of traffic everywhere! On a slower day (Monday evening), I braved the long, long line (out the door and wrapped around the building long!) at the local ice cream parlor. Can’t imagine what it will be Like today!
87 degrees here yesterday. I’m not a proponent of a Nuclear Winter or anything that drastic, but it’s just too dang hot! I’m between 7-8000 ft, and it’s shouldn’t be that HOT! I know it’s worse in many other places, including the one I’m heading to tomorrow, but holy cow! It really needs to cool down, rain a bit to help put out all these fires across the globe, and in general, just be more moderate!
Who can I speak with to arrange this?
Pretty sure I will have some milk chocolate today, and happy birthday to Jackie O! What an interesting life!
I could try and send some of my weather your way. Currently 75, blue skies and 52% humidity. I’m not a big fan of HOT either.
Please do! I’m heading to Reno tomorrow and will probably die! Temps >98 ????
Your weather sounds perfect! Enjoy ✌????
Our outdoor thermometer cureently says 99. IN OREGON. How can that be??
I know! So crazy! ????
Deva, can I send you my 4ml spray of Gypsy? I bought it with my Never Never Land bottle purchase last month, and it didn’t make the cut. Let me know via my user name at gmail.
Thank you so much for the kind offer, but I think I’m good for now. I don’t have a mailing address as of yet either. Enjoy your bottle of Never Never Land! ✌????
Well I never would have “THUNK” that the youngest mini Marzipan asked to “borrow ” my bottle of Greylocke …so it’s living in his room now
A tiny dab of Winter Woods this morning followed by a drizzling down my neck/chest of the very last of EB Velvet Lavender sample…plunk, clunk, thunk in the can goes that large sample vial
I adore Winter Woods, Laurie is so talented.
I know. She will be missed
We just experienced an insane thunderstorm with hail and ice the size of large ice cubes!!!!!
Oh my. In the midwest?
No- the Northeast!!! Very weird to see those huge ice clumps all over our lawn.
hail?! Wow. We had cloudburst-level rain today. Heavens opened. Not for long, but there were rivers cascading down the city steps.
Same here. The heavens opened and the rain/ice/hail was heavy.
Wow, wow, wow! No way Greylocke is gone so fast as well as a large sample vial. You broke the records! THUNK! CLUNCK! PLUNK!????????????.
What perfume is next?
This is what happens when you wear the same fragrance for days on end….eventually someone likes it enough to want to “borrow” it
Next will be my travel spray of Tresor which a very kind NSTer gifted to me. It has peach in it (I am pretty sure) so I will finally be able to participate in the CP. My guess is if I wear it all week I will probably finish it.
Finished Pomegranate Noir today. It is ‘with fixed feelings’ and so forth but a good scent nonetheless. If a bottle falls down from sky I’m not saying no.
Meanwhile I’d been looking for a good straightforward rose-sort-of-rose-centric fragrance (Tobacco Rose? Imogen Rose? Paris? Sa Majeste La Rose? Stella?). It just so happened a vintage-ish 125mls with 100mls left bottle of Yardley English Rose was there for grabs for £3 at the junk shop. That’s Karma coming this way if you ask me
Completely hits the spot: simply rose, not too sweet, not too spicy, not too green or what have you. Me = contented.
Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose for straight up rose and el cheapo at I think under $10 for 100mLs.
NVC Mohur Extrait – Spicy Cardamom ROSE but ouch on the wallet.
I’ve heard very nice things about Tea Rose. Can you buy it in the UK?
Other roses I had (have) on the list:
La Fille de Berlin
Paul Smith
Le Labo Rose
. . . and any other rose that is a rose by any other name. There’s a lot of those I reckon (PoaL, Agent Provocateur, vintage Coco, Parisienne etc.) that won’t break the budget. My future is sealed in the meantime with the Yardley ( . . . shht there’s a vintage Yardley Sandalwood auction going on . . .)
Not sure about availability.
Agree with hajusuuri, PW Tea Rose is one fragrance everyone should try. It is for sale on amazon.co.uk for about 20 pounds. Hopefully available in shops too.
Great find!
Nice! I spritzed from a brand new bottle at a pharmacy and it was so washed out smelling. I’ve heard good things about the older stuff, though.
I think mine’s 10-15 years old. It’s a paper label on the bottle and scent’s nicely spicey up top, not the wan concocction you find at B**ts.
I’ve no idea when English Rose was first launced. Maybe in the sixties as a scent to the Queen’s personal manufactured soap or some such.
I like the Yardley English Rose, and their Lily-of-the Valley and Iris, too. I like the Perfumers’ Workshop Tea Rose as well, but I think I like the English Rose better. I have many samples of rose fragrances, some more complex than others. I tend to like the simpler ones, but I have much to learn yet about appreciating perfumes.
Annick Goutal Rose Absolue is a wonderful straightforward rose, with the rose front and center, not buried under a lot of other notes.
SotD = Eau des Merveilles
Cloudy and cool weather this morning. EdM works well now and will feel good as the day warms up.
I eat more dark chocolate though I do love the mi!k too. My favorite plain bar is Cadbury Dairy Milk. See’s milk chocolates are my favorite boxed chocolate. In summer they do a strawberry cream covered in mi!k chocolate that is delicious.
Enjoy your Saturday, NSTers!
Waving at you, scent twin. ????
hi twin! We smell merveilleuses. ????????
Indeed! ❤️
Today’s SOTD is Gucci No. 3 for having lunch out with a friend and visiting the deYoung Museum.
She loves perfume also, her favorites are Fendi and Coco. She has a huge vintage bottle of the EDP (Coco) that I get a whiff of now and then. The older version is so stunning.
I hoard the remainder of my 80s bottle of Coco edp. Special occasions only. It is gorgeous!
yes to Gucci no 3!!! (mine has been gone for decades-LOL! but I will imagine it smelling great on you….same for vintage Coco…it was a gift from a beau back when it came out and I wore it for him but did not really love it back then….drained it but now I think I would have a greater appreciation of it)
Vintage Coco is the schizzles whizzles.
I love that expression! Gucci No. 3 is Fo shizzles!
Beautiful picture, Robin.
Today I’m wearing Serge Lutens Fleurs d’oranger. Did some yoga this morning, mostly stretching; I even got my hubby to do it with me. He’s getting better at it which is good because usually guys exercise consists of weights and not much more.
It turns out that the fire yesterday in my neighborhood was started by kids lighting grass on fire with a lighter. They thought they stomped it out and left. Umm, no. Luckily the quick response by Emergency Services and having no winds helped immensely as it could have gone very bad very quickly. Not sure what will happen to the kids who started it, if anything, as they are minors. Let’s hope it was a very uncomfortable night for them..
On the positive, I will be seeing my niece and her family tomorrow. I’m very much looking forward to that as it has been about 5 years..
And adding that there probably isn’t too much bad chocolate in the world. My favorite pure milk chocolate would be Cadbury Dairy Milk.
I’m Team Dairy Milk too! ????
Isn’t that a great shot? There were lots on flickr this morning! (Although I did think that was the nicest, some of the others are really interesting, and there are probably more by now)
Oh, and in case anyone is interested, there *are* even better shots if you don’t have to worry about copyright, that is, if you’re just looking.
Hello!
Cristalle Vert, finished my sample. Do I need a bottle?
I will be visiting Montreal and Quebec city later this summer and was wondering if there is moderately priced clothing store that I must visit, a perfume shop I shouldn’t miss, or anything sweet?
For got to add my milk Chocolate: Tony’s Chocolonely
Clothing: Frank & Oak, Simons
Perfume store: Etiket (or Ogilvy, Holt Renfrew)
Chocolate: Laura Secord for a bit of Canadiana
https://theperfumechronicles.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/perfume-shopping-in-montreal/
Was up at the crack of dawn and down to the farmer’s market before some of the booths were even set up. Got corn, tomatoes and fresh baked cinnamon rolls.
Currently in the last of my OJ Osmanthus sample. It’s lovely, but really all of the OJ’s are. If it fades, later I will switch to Hermès Osmanthe Yunnan. Another two samples gone.
We have been having the most perfect weather for the past couple of days. Mid seventies, clear skies and low humidity. I love it. I want to live where it is like this 365 days a year.
I went to the farmers market too, mostly begged the woman at the tomato stand for her best old german tomatoes. I gave her the I-know-you-have-some-stored-in-your-truck look.
Haha- good for you! I always get my tomatoes from one particular stand that advertises “grown in real dirt.” As oppposed to hydroponic I guess, but it cracks me up every time.
I got lovely tomatoes at the farmer’s market yesterday, as we’re having a lull in home tomato production. Our basil is going strong though, so caprese for dinner last night and probably again tonight.
Mmmmmmmmm, caprese.
I have got the best basil plant I’ve had in years this summer, so we’re having lots of caprese as well and some nice pesto. Being from the south (and originally from Texas), I like to make my basil with pecans instead of pine nuts.
Mmm, cinnamon rolls!!
The best milk chocolate I had was any dark chocolate. You know where my allegiance lies.
SOTD = Comptoir Sud Pacific Vanille Abricot
I was going to do a headstart on next week’s CP; however, this is more a straight up musky vanilla. I probably need to spritz more to get the peach or apricot or any fruit for the matter but did not want to overwhelm.
I just spent 1.5 hours trying to close accounts at Smells Cargo ???? and what a frustrating experience. I have a POA on file for my mom’s accounts and every time I go (which is once a year because even though I can walk to it from my house, I hate it so much and the only reason I go is to withdraw the required minimum distribution for my mom’s IRA), I have to present the POA again. While I was able to close the checking account, the IRA CD was another story. I finally told the banker and the manager that I will never set foot in a Smells Cargo branch ever again and if they need my signature to close the account, they should snail mail me what I need to sign and I will revert.
There’s a critical implementation this weekend and I am a bystander as my work stream will start on Monday no matter how early during the weekend the other work streams complete.
This is hair dryer replacement weekend. If I don’t find a suitable replacement for my dud purchase at Target last week, I will order the Jinri hair dryer that ElisaP recommended on Thursday. Ha! A potential enabler’s pin for a hair dryer.
If you are willing to spend on a hair dryer I like the elchim 2001. They’re 100-115.00. Sometimes you can find them on amazon.
Hope your well!
I considered getting the InStyler which was $100 but wanted to wait until there was a coupon. Meanwhile, I couldn’t be without a dryer so I got the cheapest one and learned a you get what you pay for lesson. I am returning it tomorrow.m I have yet to use the T3 I just got from Costco. I am hopeful because it got mostly good reviews.
I’ve been using my T3 for the last 8 years, I think. I still like it – even those after all these years it doesn’t produce that “New Ionic hair dryer” smell (it had probably emitted everything it could by now
). I don’t know what I’ll do once it dies though… I was curious about Dyson but it seems wrong to spend that much on a dryer… Will see when the time comes.
I used the T3 last night and so far so good. Since I have not bought a new hair dryer in over a decade, I’m behind the times on hair drying technology and did not even know about ionics!
I really like my Bio Ionic Goldpro dryer. Very speedy drying. I have a 20% coupon/code for any hair styling tool (incl Dyson) at Ulta. If you’d like it, email me! It’s good thru 8/4. And tomorrow is national lipstick day, so I’m sure Ulta will have some fabulous specials. They did last year. Now, I’ll stop speaking and plead the fifth.
Thanks for the offer, Laura. I ended up buying a T3 hair dryer. I will check out Ulta for other “stuff” ????
Ha! That’s a 1st. Ironically, now that I finally have a good hairdryer, I rarely dry it anymore! There was a bit of a lag between when the last one blew and buying a replacement that I just got used to air drying. But, it will be used again in the winter.
I ended up buying a T3 hairdryer from Costco with the notion that I can always return it if it doesn’t work out. I rarely return used items even though Costco has one of the best return policies.
OOO! Vanille Abricot…middle marzipan “stole” that one from me…if she does not take it with her to college I will wear it in the cooler weather!
Is vanilla her favorite note?
I would say yes based on her collection (and what she steals from me!!!) But she likes some citrus as well.
Oh, we are banking twins! I closed all of my accounts at “Smells Cargo” a few weeks ago and moved my money to the credit union. When we sell my house this year, I will be sure my new mortgage is at the credit union, too. Buh bye, and good riddance!
Credit Unions are SO much more human. Do first check with a mortgage broker, though, as there might be even better mortgage deals out there for you, and it shouldn’t cost you anything to consult with one.
Very good advice, AnnieA!
That was legacy dad – I wouldn’t have voluntarily opened an account there. It was very convenient for him since he used to go to Wegmans twice a day and one of the Smells Cargo branches was in the same shopping complex.
Yeah, I didn’t choose WF, either. They bought out the regional bank that I’d joined in college.
That is exactly that way I feel about BoA. I had to get a cash advance because I lost my debit card (again!) and the twit at the counter was so rude, I almost closed my credit card account right then. Still waiting for my debit card and when it arrives I will be cutting my last tie to BoA. Their customer service is the WORST! ????
I would have asked for the manager. There is absolutely no excuse to be rude.
Our branch BoA has very nice tellers/managers whatever, that are always helpful. Guess it depends on the branch!
Agree with Hajusuuri about Smells…. opened my kids’ savings accounts there because that is where I opened my first account when I was a kid. Each boy deposited $1000. Three months later Smells began deducting $5 a month for “managing” the account. The work around was e-banking… to get more personal contact info on the kids. Totally creepy and disreputable.
On hair dryers, I’ve been using a BabylissPro Porcelain Ceramic one (the lower-end one, not the “Carrera” one) for several years and I love it.
Thanks for the recommendation,masher I! If the T3 I just got from Costco does not work out, I will check this out.
OMG, I swore I typed SheriG and not masher!
That’s the weirdest autocorrect I’ve ever encountered!
My hairdresser uses a Babyliss dryer at the salon and loves it. She told me that she could get one for me cheaper than online if I want it.
Milk chocolate is my fav chocolate. Will have to have some to celebrate it’s special day!????
Loving Isabey’s Fleur Nocturne today. The gardenia is beautiful, with a touch of jasmine. I would call this a medium (as opposed to big) white floral. Perfect for summer events.
Kashan Rose for a hot day.
The day got started with alarms and sirens 2 doors down. Apparently a carbon monoxide leak in someone’s building. Fortunately everyone is still alive, but a good reminder to have CM detectors in working order (they didn’t have one, apparently).
I’m with the dark chocolate crowd. Don’t know the last time I intentionally sought out milk chocolate.
I did get to bask in a very bright, full moon at about 1am after the skies cleared from the earlier storm clouds. Beautiful!
Off to do some errands. Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Whenever I see an ambulance parked outside a house, my first thought is “carbon-monoxide poisoning”.
I’ve fallen madly in love with Suma Oriental, of which I had a long-neglected sample. Wow, does that ever have staying power! One little spritz and I can still smell it a bit the following day. I’ll be ordering a full bottle, but first have ordered a discovery set for their “Une Nuit a Bali” line to try the other three scents.
Here’s the breakdown:
Top Note: Cypriol – Rum – Cocoa
Heart Note: Patchouli
Base Note: Sandalwood – Tonka Bean – Cashmere Wood- Gaiac Wood – Clear Wood – Musk
I’ve been away from NST because my beloved Leonberger, my service dog, had to unexpectedly be euthanized (pain/large inoperable tumor) on June 11th. I’m still grief-racked, but doing my best to remember all the joy he brought into my life! Hopefully, I will find a worthy successor.
Sorry to hear about your doggie!*Hugs*!
Thank you. It’s really difficult to be alone without such a trusted companion.
I am so sorry Jonette!
Thank you, Robin. Arctos even had his own perfume preferences when it came to my choices. Of course, when it came to his own personal preferences, his favorite notes were rotting fish, horse manure and in general, any powerhouse stinky stuff with great sillage! Roller application, of course, with him being the roller.
So sorry to hear about your dog.
Thank you so much.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear about your beloved friend! Leonbergers are so beautiful! I’m hope you find the perfect dog when the time is right. ????=❤️
Thank you, Deva. Arctos was my third Leonberger. There’s always been a Leo at my side for the past 33 years! They are so wonderful!
So sorry
I am so sorry you have lost your beloved dog and helper.
I’m very sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry about your dog. Sending hugs!
Oh, no, I too am so sad and sorry to hear about the loss of your dog. I had a blind roommate in college and her dog Charlie came to classes and lived with us, and was so close and dear to her, and us. Any partnership like that is truly special.
So sorry about your service dog. Suma Oriental sounds really good.
So sorry to hear about your dog.
Suma Oriental was my favourite of the line as well.
I am so sorry about your dog, I just lost my favourite dog on July 4th and it’s been a very sad month.
I’m so sorry. It’s awful when we lose a loved one (pet or person) on a holiday, because it makes it difficult to enjoy the holiday in the future. Thank you for your condolences.
So sorry about your dog. So hard to lose a beloved pet. I had to look up the breed, gorgeous dogs!
I’m so sorry to hear about your beloved furry baby! (( HUGS )) A sad day indeed.
Thanks to everyone who offered condolences!
Jackie O was really stylish.
I’ve written extensively already on another thread about my love for all things Chocolate,including the Martini’s.
I discovered Reese’s Pieces recently,they are slowly replacing the Peanut Butter M&M’s I’ve been eating DAILY.Lol.
SOTD throwback to 1998 and my first of many many maaaaaaaaany bottles of Gaultier Le Male.Still in love with it,what,20 years later!Wow!
Happy Weekend Guys!❤️✌????
Le Male!!!! MMMMMM
I love peanut butter M&Ms, but they make my teeth feel fuzzy.
Back when E.T came out, we were inundated with Reeses Pieces. They are so good, especially if you eat half the bag at once!
Why stop there?
Why not have both Reese’s Pieces AND. Peanut Butter M&Ms?
Indeed,why not.But I prefer the Reese’s hard shell over M&M’s candy coating.Yum
I’m wearing Berdoues Peng Lai today. It’s been incredibly humid today and also with temperature above 30°C. This osmanthus perfume together with a mint & lime infusion I made today I tried to fight the heat. This fight is so uneven.
What do you wear on a weather like that? Maybe there’s something I should test…
Did you end up getting a bottle of the Berdoues, Lucas?
Not yet, I can’t seem to find it available anywhere close to me.
I am sure that it will make its way to you eventually
Me hopes. It’s a great budget summer perfume
and the bottle is so pretty!!!!
True. Those cranes are pretty.
I’m planning on ordering a sample. I don’t want to break any rules on the list, Lucas, so I’ll mail you privately where you can order it from the Netherlands.
My refreshing standbys are Un Jardin sur le Nil, but it disappears so quickly and Atelier Cologne’s Oolang Infini. If I want to smell a bit spicy, but not loudly so, I love the original Aqaba. (I think all the Aqabas are nice, though.)
Chocolate is my friend. Darker is better, but any chocolate is just fine with me.
Today, doing a comparison – Creed Fleurs de Gardenia on my left hand and wrist, and Chanel Gardenia on my right hand and wrist. Now after several hours, the Creed is sort of fresher flowers, and the Chanel is veering into gardenia plus iris territory, both at the level of skin scents. At first dab, the Chanel was more pleasing to my nose, but the Creed smelled better as I did more chores at went to the grocery store – the freshness was sort of invigorating or something. Now that I am ready to sit down and relax for a while, the Chanel is more appealing. But they both smell good, and I would be happy with a gift of either of them, but not sure I would spring for a full bottle of either on my own, since neither really smell totally like gardenias to me at any point. Anyone have a favorite real gardenia scent?
My favorite is Estee Lauder Tuberose Gardenia, and my newest discovery, Gardenia oil (enfleurage) from the NYC store Enfleurage. It’s fantastic!
Oh thanks for the recommedations!
Oooh, Enfleurage. Have you tried their sandalwood oil? I’m interested in that one.
Testing out PPC Heart of Darkness today from the sample vial I got from my visit to the shop 2 weeks ago. She categorizes it as a “masculine fougere”, and I do think it veers a bit more masculine than feminine. I can detect the lavender, although not so much as a distinct note as in an effect on the other notes, sort of opening them up and letting a little air in to what is otherwise a rather warm, rich scent.
Overall, I am finding the PPC scents to have very good lasting power for natural perfumes. I wore Sedona Sweetgrass the other day, applying 4 spritzes before work. My mid-afternoon, about 8 hours later, I could still clearly detect the scent, whereas I have had some natural perfumes completely wear off in 2 hours or less.
Heart of Darkness sounds interesting! Thanks for the review!
Continuing in rose with Vera Wang Embrace from a sample…no idea who gave this to me or if it was with an order…. I can barely smell it. I’m getting mostly light vanilla. Could be Rose in there…maybe my rose sniffer has taken a vacation. It’s pleasant, though. Clean.
Beautiful moon last night. Red at first, then just deep yellow. Any pictures I took didn’t capture it – not like the one up top certainly. It cooled down a bit, so we were able to turn off AC and just go with ceiling fans. I was a bit warm in trying to fall asleep but was woken up early by being a bit chilled. When I was a kid, we didn’t have AC, so that was pretty much my summer experience.
My sister teased me for binge watching Netflix. Since I’ve been here, I finished Shetland, La Forêt and am now on Marcella. And am wishing Season 4 of Shetland would show up already…..
I’m a milk chocolate person. No huge favorite. Cadbury, Godiva, Sees, Li-Lac…. Oddly, though, I don’t care for most chocolate desserts or chocolate chip cookies.
Ha! Your sister is like my hubby who teases me for binge watching (or watching youtube perfume reviews!!! he walks in the room and proclaims “now smell this”….he is a jokester!!!)…..I see we have similar tastes…I watched all the shows you are binging on….did not know there would be a new season of Shetland…I will look for that….I just finished El Tiempo de Ministier (I know I am butchering the spelling) and am currently binging on Mossad 101…I love series with subtitles as I find most foreign languages to be so beautiful (El Tiempo in Spanish and Mossad in Hebrew).
Season 4 of Shetland is on Britbox, which you can watch through Amazon Prime if you pay for your Britbox through them. Or, you can get the 7 day free trial directly from Britbox and binge the whole thing in that week
This scent is now full on “baking vanilla cookie.”
This makes me like it even better!
Thought of you when I wrote that… I mixed it with Stella today.
I finally splurged for a Un Jardin Apres La Mousson bottle. I’ve been longing for eat each and every humid summer especially on those days when it’s ubearably hot and humid and nature collapses with a powerful thunderstorm at the end of the day.
The fragrance smells of watermelon and warm asphalt after a summer shower.
I don’t like citrusy fragrances because they turn very sour on me and I sneeze a lot.
But with Un Jardin en Mediterranee and Un Jardin apres la Mousson Ellena created something that I could wear when it’s impossible to wear old French classics.
I also started to learn Italian since I’m planning a trip to Sardinia and Sicily and I will definitely take Jardins with me.
I’m planning to try Acqua di Parma – Blu Mediterrano collection as well. Fico Di Amalfi is my first guess for something I could like. What else? ^)
As for chocolate: I love Lindt chocolate bar with nuts and raisins. But most of all I love Russian chocolate candies:) when I see a tourist buying Alpen Gold in Moscow I want to cry and I try to reason him to try something local! It’s not sold anywhere else and Alpen Gold is internationally available
I for one think Apres la Mousson is the best of the Jardins! I’m on my second 100ml bottle and it really does best the heat.
…Though I do love wearing orientals in the summer. Just a light dab of Shalimar parfum every now and then.
Good call on the Apes la Mousson purchase. I bought the 15ml spray after I used up my decant last summer, and I still love it.
I haven’t tried all of the Blu Mediterrano collection, but I can recommend the Bergamotto di Calabria.
Well, finally milk chocolate gets a little recognition! I eat chocolate for the pleasure, not to punish myself with antioxidants.
Wearing a few spritzes of powdery violet, B. Paris. Hopefully it doesn’t become overwhelming in the heat today!
Mr. Spicebomb and I are heading out in a moment to walk through open houses. We have decided the time has come to sell my little house, and buy a place together. I spent a few hours last night boxing up fragrances in their original packaging, trying to decide the best way to store them. Inside, obviously, but it needs to be inconspicuous for photography and showings and such. Moved some to closed baskets on the built-in bookshelves in my bedroom. Now, there’s the other half of the collection to store. :-/
Ha, that cracked me up! I eat chocolate for pleasure too, and much prefer dark, but I can imagine it’s annoying to be constantly told to eat dark because it’s good for you.
Good luck finding that house!
Thanks, Robin!
Good luck with the house hunt. What fun! But always a pain in the neck getting a house ready to show/sell.
Yeah, I can’t decide if it is fun, or just feels like summer homework.
This is my first house, so I haven’t been on the selling side of things before. After walking through places–some who have done a ton to make them beautiful and spare, and some who clearly still live in their homes, I’ve mostly decided that whatever we do, we will have done enough. (Although I do appreciate the places where they’ve decluttered enough to have good photos.)
Oh, what lovely news! I remember when you first started dating. Best wishes with your housing plans.
I was in the chemist yesterday and came across some aromatherapy sniff boxes. They contain perfume crystals…like those silicon crystals to keep things dry. Never seen anything like them before.
http://www.lesfloralies.co.nz/afawcs0155592/CATID=64/Sniff-Box.html
Whittakers chocolate. Good stuff.
Starting peach week with Mitsuoko.
My favourite « milk » chocolate is Hogarth Gran Blanco. I think it is 50 or 60% but anything lower than 70% is milk chocolate for me.
I’m in Chanel Eau de Cologne this afternoon. We’re going out for seafood with the kids and the granddaughter, so it seemed like a nice, clean choice.
Oh, and we have another grandchild on the way! Yippee, another one to cuddle and spoil. ❤️❤️
Congratulations! When is the new addition due to arrive?
Late March. Just getting started!
Oh, that’s my birth month! Is it crazy I’m excited?! ????
That’s marvelous news!!!!!
Congratulations!
Wonderful news! Congratulations!
I ❤️ seafood. Congratulations on news on a new grandchild!
Congratulations! Wonderful news!
So I normally detest Santal 33 because I think it smells like old pickles and chemicals but I just tried the body lotion and oh my am I in heaven. It’s that sour woodiness diales down to an appropriate level. I layered it with 10 corso como. Divine
Old pickles!?! I don’t think I’ve ever smelled an “old” one, and hope I never do! Yech! Glad the body cream is working better for you????????
A lovely, lovely day with my sister and younger niece visiting (a rare treat) with lots of walking round Leith, and pottering about, and eating cake, and a spot of perfuming. It’s hilarious how different their taste is–anything one liked, the other hated. Except anything vetiver, because they both liked pretty much all of these in my collection, with the one shared overwhelming “YES!” being the Guerlain one.
But the nibling is a budding perfumista who has a growing love for really complex perfumes (she is heading home with a big bunch of minis and decants, ranging from Portrait of a Lady to Zoologist’s Civet to Sycomore, via Rozy EDP, MEM, Encens Mythique, and Ambre Nuit and all sorts of others). Turns out she hates anything tuberosey though. Interesting. My sis got travel sprays of Osmanthus Yunnan and Cirebon. So happy I get to share these with them. It’s not like I’m about to run out.
In that weird shared sibling-understanding thing, though, we both knew exactly what the other meant when she described the ones she liked best as “left handed scents, about middle height” and “maybe woodwinds, but not too pokey” and the ones I like–and her daughter likes–as “right handed and lower and round”, and “cellos”.
oh. And team dark chocolate here. Darker the better. I’m fond of the green & black’s 85%, but do like a spot of 100% as a treat. There’s a lovely one from Madegescar made by Akesson which is amazing…
Sounds like a great day!
Commando today. I spent the morning running errands and then visiting a very dear friend who is very sick and doesn’t tolerate perfume. He said he is just too tired to keep fighting for his health and is ready to quit. He is very depressed. We talked for hours non-stop and I was so happy to be there, but my feeling of sadness is overwhelming now. It is difficult to understand how life can change for someone suddenly and unexpectedly. I wish I could see him more often.
I will wear something comfy later today. Maybe some Frankincense & Myrrh body oil from Zum Bar or a spritz of Avignon.
I will start reading your posts now. Call me weird, but I usually start reading them from bottom to top ????.
Have a nice weekend everyone!
So sorry to hear your friend is tired of fighting. You are a good friend to spend time with him to keep his spirits up.
And if you’re weird for reading from the bottom up, I must be weird too ????
Thank you. I understand the way he feels so well and I just hope from the bottom of my heart that he can recover his health.
I am so glad and relieved to know that I am not the only one reading ftom from the bottom up! ????????.
I love Zum F&M, it smells luxe.
You are a good friend. Talking can be cathartic. Your presence lifted some of the weight for him and perhaps for his caregivers too.
I read from the bottom up, especially if I’m reading the comments late in the day. We’re weird together. ????
????. I also do it if I start reading after 5pm. Sometimes, it gives me anxiety when I see that I have to read so many comments from the very beginning. Am I going to finish faster the opposite way? ????????
You are indeed a good friend. Take care of yourself as well.
Thank you CM8! Trying my best.
I’m sure your support is very valuable to him. I hope he can get better.
I hope I can be at least of little help to him.
Me too!
????
I’m sorry to hear about your friend, and your own sadness. Please remember to take care of yourself. I read from the top in the morning, and from the bottom in the afternoon/evening. Weirdos Unite!????
Thank you Lillyjo!
We are part of the” Weird Unite” club now! ????
Sorry to hear about your friend! Hope he is able to recover, both physically and mentally. Physical and mental health are so inextricably linked, and a double burden to try to manage! Is he receptive to medications and speaking with his MD about his depression? That’s the first step, but it’s very difficult, for men especially, to open about about this kind of thing. Wishing him the best, and you are indeed a wonderful friend! Make sure you get time for “happy” things in your day to keep balanced✌????
Deva, as you said as a man, it is very difficult for him to admit that he is facing an emotional problem that is is making his condition even worse. He is aware of his physical problems and it was always in charge of taking good care of his health and treatments until everything started getting complicated and he lost the desire to keep living. He considers that at this point, even his depression is not worthy to be treated. A very difficult situation.
Trying my best to be strong this year.
Showing up is such a great gift. Sometimes it can make all the difference. Hope you are taking care of yourself too!
(Also, I begin reading from the bottom if there are more than about 45 comments…agree with others about the psychology of doing so!!!)
Trying myself to keep some sanity in the middle of some many serious health issues from dear ones this year. I just wish I could hear some good news and keep hope alive.
We human beings are weird (reading from the bottom, etc.), or let’s say we are just trying to be normal in our own way!
Yup,me too!Lol!
????
It is all too easy to become chronically depressed when one has a serious or long term illness. You are a good friend for being there.
I had a very dear friend who had serious health problems (diabetes, lung emphysema, more) and finally decided his quality of life was not worth sustaining. He was NOT depressed, just very realistic. He chose euthanasia and put all his affairs in order. He waited an extra three years while he made good arrangements for his pet parrot, etc. The hospice was wonderful to him and when I visited for the last time, the day before he “left”, we had a great visit. He had champagne for his guests and the carers allowed him to move the oxygen to the other side of the room so that he could enjoy a last (hand-rolled- cigarette.) We were able to talk very openly about life and death. I had brought him a bouquet of hothouse flowers, because it was still winter and he wouldn’t get to have another spring, so I brought spring to him!
There was no sadness involved, other than me still missing him all these years down the line. It was a happy goodbye, as though seeing him off for a voyage.
It is really important that your friend fight if his illness is not terminal, and even if it is said to be… I was given two months to live and I fought like a fiend — still fighting, but I survived and am so much improved. It’s been 9 1/2 years and the doctors can only credit my will to live! Is there a social worker or can your friend’s GP try to help with his depression? They may not even be aware. Keep letting your friend know you care. I hope he recovers.
Jonette, your comment is so moving and beautiful regarding the way your friend left. That would be the way I would also like to go. In peace, without sadness and surrounded by friends that could bring happiness to my final moments.
Your own health experience, fighting with determination and love for your life is an example that should be follow by anyone without hesitation. I will read your post and every body else’s posts here to him next time I visit him as a way to encourage him. He has been battling with a terminal disease for many years and now his lymphatic system is basically shutting down.
He is waiting for more tests to be done before having a final answer from his doctors about both conditions. Unfortunately, he is just too exhausted physically and mentally to keep going on. Still, I hope that he can receive some good news that can bring some light to his life. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thank you for your kind words. I’m sorry to read that it is a terminal disease and that his lymphatic system is shutting down. The most important thing, I think, is for those who care to regularly visit and keep telling him that you care. I wish your friend a gentle passing, when the time comes. Whatever quality of life he can have in the meantime and some light, as you put it, gives meaning to his existence. I also wish you strength to cope during this difficult time. Gentle hugs!
Thank you! Hugs back to you and keep going strong.
I’m a milk chocolate person, too, and I pretty much like them all. I get my antioxidants from wine
This morning I sprayed on another sample, Aqua Sextius, and it has persisted all day. It’s not terribly “aqua” or I would hate it, I get mostly citrus and herbs and a nice woody drydown. I ventured out to the mall today because I need a new suitcase to use as a checked bag. The baggage handlers on my trip to England finally tore off the last original zipper pull and along with it the loop that holds it, so the case is not lockable anymore. I didn’t see anything I liked, but I did notice that some bags have an integrated lock that holds the zipper tabs. Anyone with experience of these?
I don’t have experience with the integrated lock but the idea of it is not appealing. What if you forget your code? You pretty much have to destroy the luggage to break into your luggage unless you can find a TSA key (scary thought if one can buy a TSA key).
The few times I actually locked my bags, TSA ripped open the lock–did not use the TSA key… Others may have had better luck, but I no longer lock my backs. Burned too many times with broken locks and zippers.
Makes sense on the theory that one should not keep valuables in checked bags!
Re Jackie O, s it an urban perfume myth that she wore 1000 de Patou and Creed Spring Flower? And that she kept a bowl of Tootsie Rolls in her office? (there, 2 birds with 1 stone!)
So many brands publicize these things *after* the person is dead that I don’t believe any of them unless the person wrote it in their autobiography, or told a journalist while they are still alive.
I know she wore Patou Joy and 1000, you can find references to those from before she died.
Hi everybody, I finally felt well enough today for perfume, and am enjoying Agonist Isis. It’s citrus, Amber, caramel, vanilla, and richly spicy somehow too. I’m happy in it. A friend visited today and I’m feeling more normal. I’m watching The Wire, which I somehow never saw, and finished Season 1 last night. It’s as good as they say but it kept me from sleeping. Looking very much forward to Season 3 of Man in the High Castle!
Now on the subject of milk chocolate I have something unique to share! Like many of you, I prefer dark chocolate, but last year, a friend gave me some CAMEL milk chocolate from Dubai! It’s delicious and unusual. Kind of like the difference in the taste of goat milk vs. cow milk. Here’s a link: https://cameldairy.com/shop?olsPage=products%2Fcamel-milk-chocolate-by-al-nassma
So glad to hear you are back again to your perfumes. You smell fantastic! Keep feeling better!
So glad you are starting to feel better. Isis is gorgeous. I have a sample that I suppose I should use up as part of the club, but then I would be in the position of having to decide if I needed to buy a full bottle.
I’m glad you’re feeling better, and you picked an insanely good show to keep you company. I’m jealous of you watching The Wire for the first time because I wish I could experience that joy of discovery and not-knowing it again. I feel that way with a lot of shows, movies, and books.
That perfume sounds wonderful! Happy to hear you’re feeling better. Are you having to do PT?
Yes, but luckily, I’m on Medicare and it pays for home health care, so the PT comes to me! I’ve had one session so far and fortunately the woman loves cats. I’ll have four this coming week. So far I’m doing really well, and can move around surprisingly well. I do still have pain and swelling, and have to be super-careful about certain things. Don’t want it to pop out before it gets all healed in there!
Best wishes for healing well. Cats are essential, imo, lol!
I didnt know it was Jackie’s b-day! I just bought a nice bottle of Jicky at a good price on Zulilly, in her honor. Love it.
Yum.
I didn’t get to comment yesterday, but SOTD was Armani Prive Pierre de Lune-lovely iris-violet combination.
SOTD today was Shalimar Souffle de Parfum Intense again. Hubby and younger son got home from Austin this evening. Very jealous of all their fun adventures down there. Next year we all need to go together. He brought me a Nemat Vanilla Musk essential oil that he got at Central Market. Very thoughtful of him to indulge my habit! A nice vanilla comfort scent. Will make a really nice bedtime scent.
He starts his new teaching job (pre-AP algebra and regular geometry) at the same high school the boys attend this fall. After a year of substitute teaching, the real work will begin. Any hints from veteran teachers are appreciated!
Oh, and for milk chocolate, we both have a thing for the Oreo candy bars with the Milka milk chocolate.
Milka is my absolute favorite milk chocolate!
“Getting the Buggers to Behave” by Sue Cowley is the best as well as funniest book on classroom management out there.
Congrats to your husband! Teachers are so undervalued in this culture! Hope he likes his new surroundings. I’ve never been to Austin, but it’s on my list. Sounds like a great town. ✌????
Central Market is great! We have one here in Houston too. So are you moving to Austin?
No, I think we are settled in Arkansas for now. I loved Austin when we lived there. If the right situation came along, I would probably move back in a heartbeat. But I can’t see that happening any time soon.
Hey Sapphire, great news on hubby’s FT teaching job! If I end up going back to the museum (around April), I will let you know way ahead of time.
Thank you, and definitely let me know. There’s always some kind of good exhibit to take in.
Scent today: Crabtree & Evelyn’s Florentine Freesia “hand therapy.” I also have the Rosewater and Lily-of-the-Valley “hand therapy” creams. I’ve been working as a home health aide and washing my hands a lot, and my skin gets cracked.
Yesterday I let a home health aide client try some “Tommy Girl” cologne from a small bottle. He loved how nice it made him smell, and wanted to keep the bottle for his own use!
As for chocolate, I like Godiva quite a lot. We live a couple of hours from Hershey, Pennsylvania, U.S., but Hershey’s chocolates are widely available throughout the U.S., I believe. I like many of their varieties, too. And I see British authors include chocolate digestive biscuits as something special in the more domestic scenes in their books, so I recently tried those. I liked them well enough, but I wasn’t raised with them, so they didn’t have a sentimental meaning for me.
Have a good rest of the weekend, folks!
There are also dark chocolate digestives. I love them!
The Milk chocolate and Caramel digestives are my favorite.It has a honey-malt taste when it melts in your mouth!
SOTD is Lumiere Blanche which seems to be my Sunday morning go-to scent. The hubs and I go out on Sunday mornings and perfume bothers him. He never comments on this one. I’ll put on something with a little more zip later. So I’m off in a cloud of donkey dust to have breakfast and run errands.
I usually stick with dark chocolate but will eat milk as well.
Funny, I don’t see Lumiere Blanche mentioned too often these days, though mainly it could be you posting about it on Sundays! Well, I was going through a box with some decants in it yesterday and wrapping them in parafilm, as I’ve decided to do that for all of my decants with certain style bottles to try and protect them from evaporating. Anyway, I came across LB and noticed it looked a little cloudy, so I sprayed some on my knee to test. It still smells just right and beautiful! It has been upgraded to the shelf from the box so that I’ll actually wear it.
The juice has a milky white tinge. That how it’s supposed to look. LT sure hates it. ???? For me it’s a no brainer scent for times when I need something inoffensive.
A former colleague and I went to the Olfactive Studio launch 4 years back (could be longer than that but it was the year before Henri Bendel got rid of their perfume section). Her favorite was Lumiere Blanche and went through a FB in a few months. I never got to smell it on her as we were never in the same office!
SOTD- Tempo
I was going to save this to re-test in cooler weather but the juice in my decant turned bright green so I decided to use it up today.
OH and I will eat ANYTHING that says chocolate….dark, milk, white, purple…you name it…I will eat it ALL
Bright green?! Yep, use it up!
Weird, right? I put it down in the basement to save for the fall and when I looked at it and saw the change of color I knew I needed to USE IT UP.
This is reminding me of Homer Simpson and the Radioactive Rod in the opening g sequence ????
LOL!!!!
Tempo sure does stick to skin!I did enjoy it,but not fb worthy to my nose!
It does stick to the skin which for me is a good thing as most fragrances don’t
I finished another decant too!
*Clunk*????????✌????☺️
Bright green??? Eeeek, because I know from where that juice came!
Weird, right? and I stored it in the cool basement. I used it and it still smelled good though
It was a fitting scent for my yoga class!
The weather is so nice here, I can’t hardly stand it! I’m trying to soak it up and store it for the winter. Sotd is the beautiful LouLou.
It is beautiful here today as well! We should bottle it up and be able to spray it when it’s yucky out (yes, the cycle starts again towards mid-week).
Today is my 1st day of vacation and it’s off to a shaky start. I normally play Subway Surfers for 15 minutes every day just for fun and collected an obscene amount of stuff and stick piled a lot and now all that is gone. I’m not about to start from square one, so I uninstalled it and let Kiloo know about it. I know it’s just a game and a first world problem but who knows what happened. Spending the morning in Lyric and getting in the shower soon so I can switch to something else.
I hope the rest of your vacation goes more smoothly!
SOTD Smoked Ambergris from SmellBent. Forgot how much I liked this one.????????
Smoke in perfume is fine but not from wildfires!
In Reno and it’s HORRIBLE! The smoke has made the whole area look like some stygian retreat for the devil! I want to go back to Lake Tahoe! ????
Sounds awful. That can’t be good air for breathing. Stay safe.
Yep, now with the onset of a migraine due to miserable air quality. I’m not sure what’s worse: poor air quality or the fact that I am in a hotel and have 24/7 access to CNN/NBC NEWS…????????♀️
Oh, and Petunia, where in the world did you find the grey haired emoji?! I can’t find one and I NEED one! ????
My IPad. It comes with a bunch of them. Enjoy the news!
Shapeshifter of a perfume,and I discovered that superlight sprays are best with Smoked Ambergris!Me being the one who as a standard,sprays 8-10of whatever my SOTD is!Lol!
Really?!? I’m usually a lightweight and spray max 2-3 sprays of anything, with the usual being a single spritz. With this one, I am doing 4-5, but maybe because I’m nearing the end of a 4ml sample and the sprays are pretty weak?
Not scented yet today except for slight remnants of last night’s Smell Bent Debonair eau Dandy. I was in a petitgrain and neroli mood yesterday. For daytime I sprayed copious amounts of D.S. & Durga’s Petitgrain sur Fleur from a 2010 collection they made for Anthropologie. I have a basically full bottle that doesn’t get near enough wear. It smelled amazing, and I plan to keep wearing it this summer. Yesterday my boyfriend walked to Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) for the last weekend of our membership to see the Marvel exhibit. It was worth the 45 minute walk in the heat, and we broke up the walk by stopping for a lunch of the most amazing lobster rolls. The museum was really crowded and so was the whole of Seattle Center because it’s peak tourist season. But it was worth it for the exhibit (seeing stunning Black Panther costumes up close and archival and original comic art). Walking home at 5p.m. in peak heat and some uphill stretches was not so fun but nothing a cool shower and relaxing evening couldn’t cure.
I love lobster rolls and I have not had one this summer!
I haven’t either.
Me three!!
Busted out the Manoumalia by Les Nez for this heat and humidity. I don’t wear it very often, but it’s a stunner. Reminds me of my time living in Hawai’i, ocean breeze, tropical flowers, a bit of fruit, and something starting to decay. Gorgeous!
Had the same trajectory with Shangri La yesterday!
Hey, all! I have a question and (maybe?) a tip!
Question: perfume boutiques in Boston? I am heading there for a conference this week, and will have slightly more free time than usual. I know there’s Barneys, and will probably stop there since I am staying nearby, but how about small and friendly indies? Walkable from Copley Place (up to 30 minutes on foot) a plus!
The tip: I had a delayed flight out of Atlanta last week, so went into L’Occitane and picked up some of the new (to me) hand cream scents — Roses et reines, peony, and cherry blossom. Turns out that, according to the SA, the shop inside Hartsfield-Jackson will tale phone orders and ship them FREE, with no minimum purchase. She says they are the only L’Occitane store in the US to do so. No affiliation, and haven’t tried it yet, but good to know (my nearest store is 50 minutes away).
Have fun in Boston!
https://undina.com/2014/09/21/make-way-for-hajusuuri-perfume-shopping-in-boston/
… sadly, Officina 189 closed down but there are plenty of places to go sniffing!
Thank you, hajusuuri! What a great blog post. I am staying at the same hotel, and I didn’t even think to check out Chanel — but it is probably time for a new bottle of 28 La Pausa (I emptied mine a couple of years ago) and some additional sniffing. And just a couple of hours ago, I broke down and switched to a larger suitcase — I could fit everything onto my 21” carryon EXCEPT the gifts I am taking to friends, so now I have loads of room for “souvenirs” (and what better means of remembrance than fragrance?). I’m not flying, so no worries there.
Sniffathon in Johannesburg today!I visited Skins cosmetics and Metropolitain.Went to seek out the stuff you guys have been raving about,and to smell some new perfumes!
Diptyque Tempo is nice,but there is a note that kinda bothers me that sticks forever.
Fleur de Peau is unmemorable,and smells similar to other things I have already smelled over the years.
Unum Lavs is just weird,I tested 5 others as well,but nothing screams “Get your wallet NOW!!” at me.Love the bottles though.
Amouage Imitation Woman-on the maybe list.Beautiful,ethereal perfume.
Frederic Malle Music for a while-disappointed in the pineapple note!It is definitely there,but it is pineapple smothered in herbs and spices I do not care for.
Idris Elba Superstitious-meh.
Money saved!Lol!
I was wearing Angel Innocent,which to my mind has a beautiful pineapple note.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!x
Also tested:
Juliette has a gun Moscow Mule and Metal Chypre
Kilian Woman in Gold and Gold Knight
Frapin Isle of Man
The Chanel Colognes were cool too.
Greatful for what I do have in my collection already.This is what I learned today.
Grateful/Greatful?Lol!Can’t spell after Champagne at Skins!!????????♂️????????♂️????✌????????
Ha ha! You had quite an adventure! It all sounds fun, but kind of too bad you didn’t find any true loves/must buys. I’ve forgotten where you live–is Jo’-burg far from you?
Yes,had lunch with a dear perfumista friend and had a woderful day!
Johannesburg is right next to Pretoria where I live.20mins drive on the speedway to Sandton City-shopping mecca.✌????????
I’d love to visit SA someday. I have learned of it in part from reading some really terrific South African mystery novelists, especially Deon Meyer and Roger Smith, and also Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer. I’m sure this is not a really accurate overview, of course, but I’d like to learn more. Always open to reading recommendations!
Oh wow!How wonderful that you have read some pretty cool South African books!!Deon Meyer is one of my favorite mystery novelists.If you’d like to get another perspective on the African landscape,seen through an Afrikaner-perspective,I can suggest the translated works of Karel Schoeman.He will always be my favorite author.Maritha van der Vyver,who now resides in France,also wrote the most controversial book(well when it came out in 1992 it was considered SO controversial) titled “Griet skryf n sprokie”(Griet is writing a fairy tale).Such a fun but realistic look at being single,38,divorced,with a 20-something surfer-dude who is her lover.Most of these 3’s works has been translated as far as I know!
Yay to money saved and zero lemmings! Now you can keep working on enjoying your collection and spraying lavishly! Fleur de Peau I could not even smell. Did not apply to the skin though.
Well,Imitation from Amouage “might” be a lemming.And there is this wonderful set from Diptyque,with 10 20ml travel sprays,mostly from their classics and the most loved ones,that I am definitely eyeing!Lol!
Several of what you tried ended up being buys for me – Tempo, Fleur de Peau, Woman in Gold (travel spray set), Superstitious (travel spray).
Onto Peanut Butter and Chocolate – I just got a King Size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie Crunch…will report back once I try it!
YUM!Please do report back on the Reese’s experience!✌????
I truly love Kilian as a brand,by the way!Lol!Woman in Gold was nice,I do agree.If I was to follow my old buying habits,it would have been mine today.Plus the Diptyque set I mentioned above!Lol!Some people here know the extend of my current collection,so there is NO way I could justify a purchase today!But it was fun to smell the newbies,definitely!
I thought I read a comment that Tempo smells similar to Coromandel, although, I know hajusuuri doesn’t think so.
I agree with Hajusuuri,and I do have Coromandel in my collection(instant LOVE!)
When I was a teenager, I fell in love with the original White Shoulders by Evyan. I had a friend who was like a young Grace Kelly and she always wore it. It seemed more right for her “look” than for mine, but I loved it in the summertime. I’ve read that it’s gone through reformulations, company changes, etc. Reviews on sites that sell it are mixed. I don’t want to buy it and be hugely disappointed, as I was with the new formulation/company of Revlon’s Intimate (another favorite of my youth.) The only fragrance that reminds me of it (slightly) is Carnal Flower, which is a HG scent for me.
So… does anyone recall the scent from the late ’50’s – early ’60’s? And do you know how it compares with what is currently available?
I wore the Evyan (NYC) version as a child in the early 1970s. I remember it was a big white floral with a touch of skank to it but I loved it. I don’t know how the reform compares but from the few reviews I read on fragrantica the reaction was positive.
I don’t recall any skank, but my nose was unsophisticated back then. It seemed very cool (temperature-wise) and elegant. Thanks.
My impression of the current formulation is of a wan, shy niece of the original grand lady, but I have not smelled the original in years and years. I tried the current one at my grocery store a few weeks ago and was mildly disappointed. It sort of smelled like what I expected, just a sort of frail and weak version. I didn’t buy it – it was an impulse because my mother wore it, and I was thinking of her…if you had never smelled the original, the current formulation would smell pretty but not outstanding in any way, I expect, compared to other current perfumes. Other’s may have a stronger opinion….
i am wearing April Aromatics Erdenstern on one side and Neela Vermiere Niral on the other, since I got these the samples and never wore either of them. First sniff on skin, Niral made me swoon like Mohur extrait and now later it is still lovely, but not swoony. For new iris’s I much prefer Belle Rives. Erdenstern started off a little sharp and I wasn’t sure if I was going to have an allergic reaction, but now it has settled down and is really quite wonderful, in a chypry way. I believe I will wear it all by itself tomorrow and see if it stand the test of stinky basement hospital office.
I now favor perfumes which help me not notice said stinky carpet, and my office mate is gone on vacation for two more weeks, so I can wear all my sillage monsters and over apply to my heart’s content. 
I like Erdenstern a lot, and will look forward to your test report tomorrow.
Thank you. A frail and weak version is what I fear. You are lucky to be able to find it in a grocery store! I would have to order it online (I’m in Europe) and I really don’t want to shell out money for a ghost of what I loved.
I suppose there are no samples to be had anywhere?
Started off in Armani Privé Eau de Jade but that’s long gone. Switching to Tobacco Rose.
I seem to be in an Agonist mood now and today and wearing Arctic Jade. Another Oriental vanilla, although quite different from yesterday’s Isis. I’m planning on Liquid Crystal tomorrow, to get out of the vanilla category.
I started the day testing a sample of Oriza Legrand Jardins d’Armides (I may have that name slightly wrong but that’s close), which was a little underwhelming at first but which grew into an absolutely gorgeous warm floral over time – definitely worthy of further research. Post-shower I switched to Philosykos – always love the creaminess of that.