Friday and Pumpkin Day! Our community project for today: step out of your comfort zone by wearing a perfume that you find challenging. Thank you to Lucasai for the suggestion!
What fragrance did you pick? As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you’re not participating in the community project.
I'm in Frédéric Malle Une Fleur de Cassie, a fragrance Angie correctly labeled "not for beginners". I have never liked it, and apparently I still don't. I'll probably switch before the morning is out.
Reminder: 11/2 will be To Autumn Friday. Wear a fragrance that matches John Keats, To Autumn. Suggested by happy888cat.
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: top image is Fleur de Mimosa [cropped] by Arthur Caranta at flickr; some rights reserved.
I’m on the road (in Toronto for the Scriptus pen show) but I brought something that isn’t challenging now but challenged me for literally decades: vintage Hermes Bel Ami. I just didn’t get it at all for years, but I kept trying because somehow I felt as if it should be something I loved, and then suddenly one day it was.
Oh, I love vintage Hermes Bel Ami, is it in the shaker bottle?
It’s a big decant that will last me for ages, thank goodness. I wish I’d known then what I know now: that cocktail-shaker bottle in the tortoiseshell box was so gorgeous.
The best!!
Great story!
Do you take a special travel selection of pens when you go on trips? ( I have a small metal kaweco fountain pen that fits in my pocket) I would love to go to the scriptus event.
I bring an array of pens with different nibs and inks because (just as I am with scents) I am extremely fickle with writing implements and would go mad with boredom if I had to use the same pen and ink every day. (My journal looks like a clown threw up in it.) I have a Japanese travel pen case that holds a dozen pens, easy; this trip I brought nine filled pens plus three empties for inks I figured I was sure to pick up and couldn’t wait to try (the two pen-show limited-edition inks and Diamine Earl Grey). Joke’s on me: I bought two pens today. I HAD TO HAVE THEM.
Good on you! I have a bit of a pen collection, lots of coloured ink. I keep searching for a really good EF nib… Hopeless here for fountain pens. Intrigued by Benu pens, bit OTT for me. If I could I would get a montegrappa symphony in yellow. The Australians make good ink.
The Make Ink book I saw the other day was written by a pen /ink person from Toronto..
For true EF nibs, Japanese pens are the way to go, although TWSBI pens with EF nibs are pretty good and not expensive. There are some really good Australian inks, particularly Blackstone (I have the entire Scents of Australia series) and Robert Oster.
Have you tried the Platinum #3776? Theres a rather nice slightly flexy soft fine nib available on that which is about as fine as most euro-EFs
oh, also: I’ve been reading good things about the moonman m2 in terms of super-fine nibs (and 10-20 USD prices…) but I’ve not tried one myself.
I think you must have put me onto Blackstone a while ago and I have Oster – I like Oster’s green/black and use it a lot but it can be a bit gritty. I also really like grey ink like Herbin Gris Nuage. Thanks for the info re. Japanese pens…I have made some bad blind buys in the past (story of my life). Notebooks, paper…drool.
Hi everyone! Today’s SOTD is Fendi’s Asja – the spicy resins and powdery notes are beautiful with last evening’s remnants of vintage Shalimar (a perfect bed time scent, I slept like a log).
I need some scented fortitude today, I’m screening candidates for a position in my department. I’ve been interviewing all week and I’m pooped!
Happy Friday!
Interviewing candidates all week for me too – I feel your pain.
Ugh, in some respects, it can be fun but it’s also a little draining.
I’m making sure to get to the gym and eat healthy. Good luck in your search for a candidate!
Hi SmokeyToes
Read your comment about you curly hair a couple of days ago and could commisserate as I have the same problem, but no ancestors to blame it on. Both parents had ramrod straight hair. When I was little, my mom cut my hair Sheena Easton short and it stayed like that all throughout my schoolyears as she COULD NOT COPE with my unruly hair. When I was a student and grew it out, whenever she saw me, she said wistfully: “Can’t you blow it out? It looks so much nicer!”
It took me all of my teens and 20s to come to terms with my curly hair, but now I frequently attempt to achieve “maximum pouf”.
I can relate! I was voted ‘biggest hair’ in high school, friends would joke that my hair could suck the air out of a room!
If you haven’t read it, the book Curly Girl has great tips on how to manage the curl/volume factor. Naturally Curly website is another favorite resource. I found a leave-in flax seed conditioner/gel recipe that is a life-saver in the summer time!
-3 tablespoons of whole flax seeds mixed with
-2 cups of water
-let soak for 2 hours
-gently boil for 10 minutes and strain.
-Mix with a tablespoon of avocado or sesame seed oil and keep in the fridge.
Oh no! Sheena Easton cuts are not for curlies. My family always begged me to straighten (or cut) my hair.
In high school during the 80’s, after several angst-charged arguments with my mom, I decided to shave my hair (punk rocker) and dye the bangs purple and pink. I met mom and the grandparents later that evening at a Mennonite restaurant for dinner. Let’s just say the room got very quiet when I walked in!
Way to go! Especially the pink and purple bangs.
I’ve always had unruly, big, curly hair and I’ve always loved it. I tend to think it reflects my contrarian personality
Love your story about shaving your head. I too had those quiet but effective protests as a teen. My hair was/is also still quite unruly. My mom used to make me cut it quite short when I was a young girl, and when we traveled abroad to developing countries I was constantly mistaken for a boy (in places where gender roles were very rigid). I found it very embarrassing. As a consequence, I cannot have short hair as an adult (now middle-aged)–just, no. Would save me a lot of time though!
But! I was saved by the movie My Brilliant Career, which came out when I was about 14 years old. After seeing it I insisted on wearing my hair long and unruly, be damned. I would just tell my mom, in my best but totally ridiculous Australian accent, “It is my ONLY asset!”
Love all the stories! And knowing that my mom wasn’t the only one riding roughshod over my “wishes”, only wanting a neat, presentable child.
OaklandFresca, I need to watch that movie! And I love your response to mom.
I love Judy Davis in that movie. Miles Franklin and Christina Stead are two great Australian writers that don’t seem to be well known
Oh my goodness, I just watched the trailer for My Brilliant Career, Sam Neil was SO handsome!
Thank you so much for the conditioner recipe! Curly hair is dry hair. Also high school in the 80’s and BIG HAIR was the thing. Jennifer Beals hair and Flashdance dancers’ leggings, even if you decidedly did NOT look like a dancer or a ballerina. These days I have it mid-length and leave it to dry naturally. I’ve made my peace, I guess!
Asja = perfection in my book. I love your perfume choices!
Asja is very pretty!!! Good luck with your HR stuff. Blech.
Good luck to SmokeyToes and SherriG with their candidate interviews!
Thanks Jalapeno, my last two are on Monday, keeping fingers crossed!
Citrus scents tend to go all harsh and shrieky on me ( looking hard at you Cristalle) , but I love the way they smell in the bottle.
Today, I am stepping moderately outside of my comfort zone I am wearing Lemon Sherbert from 4160 Tuesday. A beautiful citrus, which is tempered enough with marshmallow and musk to keep it humming on my skin, rather than turning sour and bitter.
I still think that Cristalle and I will agree to disagree.
Cristalle is gorgeous , I love it in the winter months
OH, that’s too bad. Was it the edt of Cristalle? Or edp?
I get a great honey note from the EDP, and it’s also one of the few jasmine-forward scents that work well on my skin.
Whereas I would be thrilled to be in Cristalle right now
I’ve never smelled Cristalle or Lemon Sherbert….I need to remedy that! Anybody in the Atlanta area know where the closest store is to find and sniff Chanel exclusive stuff?
Cristalle is part of their pillar lineup, not an Exclusif-probably any dept store with a Chanel counter will have it.
Excellent! Thank you! I’ve not seen it at Belk, but my store is much smaller than the Belks “in town”…..
I’ve have to hit the Mall of GA! (Pronounced Mall of Gaaah, per my GPS…LOL)
Lemon Sherbert is 4160 Tuesday.
They are sold at some of the higher end Brick and Mortar, online through a few sites and on the 4160 Tuesday’s website
Thanks Elisa – you beat me to it
Hi Jada,
There is no store I know of in the Atlanta area that carries the Exclusif line.
Cristalle, however, should be available at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom’s , Bloomingdale’s and Saks.
Have a nice weekend!
Love Cristalle, edp or edt. It is my favorite reminder of summer in the dark depths of winter.
I chose PG Cuir d’Iris, a great favorite that often gives me trouble in the beginning (a pickle note that others here have mentioned), but that usually settles into a lovely iris-leather haze after an hour or so.
Oh, no! Pickle notes in a perfume bug me, too. I’m not familiar with PG Cuir d’Iris, but feel your difficulty. There’s one of the Chanel Les Exclusifs (La Pausa) that does that for me, but I’m less willing to deal with it until it settles. Blessedly it’s fleeting. I wonder if it’s something in iris that hits our nose that way????
Be well!
Santal 33 turns into an immediate dill-fest on my skin. Yuck!
Sorry to hear that you still don’t like Cassie. I remember first trying it and being intrigued but not quite smitten. I tried it again years later and it was instant love. It had been reformulated in between, and in this case, to me at least, for the better. Do you know which version you are wearing?
My SOTD is Mon parfum chéri par Camille by Goutal. Which I wouldn’t have liked years ago, but which I know adore. I couldn’t really find anything in my collection that still challenges me, so I failed the project!
Have a great weekend!
Am still learning about FM FdC but bought a travel spray, new formulation, and it kept me fascinated for a whole day. Have to say my first wear was on a beautiful, sunny outdoorsy fall day and the memory only enhances my good vibes towards this.
It’s my favourite of the Malle range, and I think it’s a great perfume.
This seemed challenging to me when it came out in 2011, a sort of Goth Iris Gris. Now it seems so warm and feminine, although still with a unique and individual personality.
I spent the last summer sampling Ensar Ouds in order to smell something new.
I still want to explore the Via del Profumo fragrances, for a change of scent. Have you smelled any of them?
Yes, I like them a lot! Mecca Balsam and Attar Maulana are two favorites, from his Scents of the Soul series, but I’ll try anything he does.
I was trying to figure out how on earth Cassie could be a Goth Iris Gris when I realised that of course it was MPCPC that was the Goth offspring of Iris Gris. Even though I’ve never smelled IG I think your description is spot on!
I have a moderately old mini…not sure just how old (would think at least 5 years), and not sure I’d even know if it had turned since I did not like it to begin with!! It is almost empty so that is the good news
Great news!
THUNK
well, almost
Box of Eels.
It is a gorgeous scent, but so opulent and powdery, that sometimes I feel quite overwhelmed by it. It is like a mix of Samsara and No. 5 Eau Premiere. Definitely not a scent I would quickly spray without thinking.
Well, I think you smell gorgeous. It was a first sniff true love for me.
Ditto this!
I agree – very beautiful and for me sometimes difficult to wear. I do love it so much but if I’m not in the right mood it won’t work. I have to think very carefully before I put it on. I’ve reached for it three times in the past month and then, no. It makes me feel like I’m getting choked by a beautiful cashmere scarf if I’m not in the right mood.
Yes, I found it difficult also. I grew to like it enough to use up a sample, but not enough for a lemming.
Maitre Perfurmer et Gantier Route. du Vetiver. I love the dry down, but it takes a while to make its appearance, though. The opening. is the challenging part for me.
I think you smell great! I actually prefer the opening of Route du Vetiver, it’s so different from any other vetiver.
Michael and austenfan – tell me more about this one. I’m a lover of vetiver and have somehow never smelled it.
https://nstperfume.com/2007/07/17/maitre-parfumeur-et-gantier-route-du-vetiver-fragrance-review/
I remember it as the darkest and rootiest of the vetivers that I have tried. Robin’s review is a good read and offers a very good comparison. It’s quite stark, but I think the dry down is a tad pedestrian, I remember soft woods and some musk. Mind you it’s been a while since I’ve tried it. MPG has another great vetiver, Racine, which is all elegance and polish.
Ooooooh, this sounds soooooo up my alley! I think you just created a lemming.
I agree it is dark and rooty and rather robust. The opening is just a little too sharp for me but overall it is one of my favorite vetivers and I haveParfumeur many vetivers.
Timbuktu for me today. A bit stronger then my usual likes. I really love scents that lean masculine but am too timid to wear them often. I should not worry but I do.
You smell great. I love Timbuktu. That is the thing that I like about today’s world. In the 1970s, when I first started wearing fragrance, I would never have thought about grabbing my father’s Old Spice, although I loved the smell. These days I wear a lot of unisex and masculines and I disregard their designation. To paraphrase Andrew Zimmern, if it smells good, wear it.
I also find Timbuktu challenging. We’re dancing the tango, Timbuktu and I. I tried it in store, bought it, then found it too much. Luckily the husband loves it and he confiscated it, but now I’ve started sneaking sprays again. ClaireV mentions in her Basenotes review that she uses this to “reset” her nose. The dance continues.
Years ago I used to wear Timbuktu quite a bit in the winter b/c it smells like warm sunshine to me. And then one day, I couldn’t wear it anymore even though all it’s parts are still ok for me. I swapped my bottle away. But I’d enjoy it on someone else!
Timbuktu was a “WOW!” when I first smelled it. I hope that I keep on saying “WOW!”
You smell wonderful!
I put on some Shalimar from the tiny mini of PdT I keep in case any perfumista inspectors come around checking my credentials. To my surprise I no longer find it challenging! I’m not sure I love it (not big into orientals) but I no longer feel confused. So I failed the project, but in a nice way.
You smell wonderful!
Any day that involves smeling of Shalimar cannot be seen as a failure
Yay! I grew into Shalimar slowly myself. Mitsouko I’ve nearly given up on.
Ditto on both counts, Robin.
Still can’t manage to like Shalimar. Mitsouko edt is one of my desert island scents.
Pretty sure I came around to Jicky first, then Shalimar? But can’t really remember.
Twins! I hadn’t worn it in a while. It took me years to get it, but I think I just had to find the right vintage/concentration.
You smell great in Shalimar PdT (which is challenging because so potent, rougher than the extrait), and that’s great it no longer challenges you. I have it too, but in my case it’s a huge bottle because I am a lover of Shalimar in all concentrations.
As I posted below, the only form of Shalimar I can wear is the edc. You might want to give it a try if you haven’t done so yet. I enjoy it very much.
yes to Shalimar! It took about 10 tries before I found one I enjoy.
SL Fille En Aigulles today. I don’t have much experience with pine or smoky fragrances, so this is out of my wheelhouse, and it feels like a challenge to me although it is a pretty scent.
If I hadn’t drained my sample 2 weeks ago, trying to see what others see in this one, I’d be joining you.
This is a perfectly nice air freshener scent on me – nothing more.
I know it is a sleeper fave, so I feel I must be missing something.
I like this one but I’ve only ever had a sample.
Does anyone else just end up with the wrong decants? Because I should have DEFINITELY had a decant of this and Chergui, but I have somehow never made that happen. Instead, I have a bunch of more ‘traditionally pretty’ decants that I don’t really reach for.
Something about FenA just comforts me. I guess it’s my Shalimar or Theorema!
Last winter Target had a special edition foaming hand soap that smelled just like FenA. I went back to buy more and they were gone
It was just the right amount of pine + sweetness and it made your hands smell good for about 10 minutes. Perfect.
This is also what I would be wearing if I didn’t chicken out and opted for a comfort scent instead. That pine note is really challening in this for me.
I didn’t realize how challenging I find pine until trying this one! I like it on other people and in nature but it’s “not for me”
Yes, exactly! I love smelling the Christmas tree so much so I thought this will be so comforting and it really doesn’t work that way on me.
Not such a challenge, but today I’m wearing Safari. If it’s 24+ years old can I consider it vintage? This was my wedding day sent and this is from the same bottle I purchased all those years ago. Hubby and I getting ready to celebrate #24. I remember the 2 of us going to Macy’s to select our wedding day fragrances – we both wound up wearing Safari (men’s for him).
The Youngs think anything pre-2000 is vintage! Happy anniversary,
Happy Anniversary!
My first husband and I had his/hers bottles of Safari in the ’90’s when we first married! I just re-bought a vintage bottle for me. Congrats on making it to 24 years! (My 1st marriage didn’t make it that long but we’re still great friends and I consider that a success!)
Ohhh, happy anniversary! I think 24+ years is considered vintage.
I have older bottles of Safari for men and women, it’s so beautiful, especially in the dry down.
Congrats, that’s lovely!
Happy Anniversary! What a great memory
Happy anniversary and Safari is such a good fragrance, especially in vintage.
It’s likely been reformulated, so that likely makes it vintage…
Nice and Happy Anniversary! I like that you chose matching fragrances ????
Congrats! That is awesome you still have the same bottle you got married in. It is my experience that less than one spray is enough with Safari. It is a very beautiful fragrance!
Happy anniversary! That’s such a sweet story.
Happy Anniversary and thank you for sharing that wonderful story!
Happy 24th Anniversary! May you have many more. ????????????
Happy Anniversary!
Joining my own challenge with Amouage Imitation Man. All of Amouage are not my cup of tea and their sillage is also challenging.
Hope you enjoyed my idea of this Friday project.
Great idea! Thanks for proposing it. Amouage can have monster sillage, so if you’re not loving it, can be challenging, indeed. I like the way this CP made me look at my collection and step out of my comfort zone. I tend toward comfortable ruts. Thanks for helping me out???? Be well.
I also have a problem with Amouage perfumes. They don’t smell bad, it’s just hard for me to wear them. Most of them are linear which is also a style of perfume I don’t favor. That said, a friend gave me a decant of Opus X, a linear plasticky varnished rose and I love it.
Thank you it really is a great idea.
Your idea got me to revisit something I wasn’t sure about and give it another try.
SotD = Bogue MEM
MEM pushes me outside my comfort zone twice,
a FB is mucho dinero wowza beaucoup bucks $$$
even so I am soooo tempted to go there someday,
and I usually wear two swipes from my dabber vial,
one on each wrist. MEM is strange, and I don’t want to overwhelm with my perfume.
In lucasai’s honor & in defiance of my usual temerity, I’ve anointed my arms from wrists to elbows. I smell like lavender-heaven as I waft to school this morning. I hope the kids like it.
Happy FriYAY (hi JadainGa!) to every one of ya’ll!
NSTers, you smell like heaven.
I tried that one..it didn’t work for me but it sounds like you are up to your elbows in it
ha, yes, up to elbows for sure! MEM seems to be either a yes or no, very little in between.
I thought I might escape the pricey lure of Bogue, but now that I’ve smelled T-Rex I am so curious about Gardoni’s other work… sigh
yeah, it’s a slippery slope with these odd fragrances!
Are you finding extra layers in the shape-shimmering with the larger dose? (I love that it is so changeable.)
yes! I got more changes, definitely smelling the shift between champaca and lavender a lot more.
You smell great! I’m mixed about how weird it actually is. Sometimes it seems so, and other times it doesn’t and smells familiar. My only real hangup is that it’s a few hairs to sweet for me. But I do find it addictive!
MEM is addictive, I love lavender, so I have a hard time saying no, no matter what the scent does.
So did the kids like MEM?
yes! I did get several “you smell goods” today when kids sidled up to me for the sneaky hugs they like to give.
I’m with the kids. You smell amazing. Or did. It’s late now!
SOTD Encens Mythique
For some this gem is easy, but I remember the first spray of this one and it nearly knocked my socks off. I found it really unusual and complicated with a big oud presence on my skin.
Now, I won’t be parted with my decant (thanks to a generous NSTer). I find that perfume is more of a “mental vacation”, I feel as though I have traveled to a distance land where ouds are playing a beautiful song and incense are burning…
This one can be tough.
I dismissed it the first two times I wore it from dabber samples; but when I received a spray decant in a swap, I discovered that the way it clung to and waft from clothing was hauntingly beautiful to me.
This is not a scent to spray with abandon, and over application could be darn dangerous; but if you respect this one, and realize that each wearing is a bit different, you can enter into her salon of mysteries.
You smell amazing
I think I over apply it sometimes . Guilty ????
I don’t get any oud, but I do get a bit of a vacation from my workday.
Agreed, it’s not a perfume it’s a vacation
This is one of my favourites–definitely in the top ten. (And it’s actually kind of fun to do a massive overspray on a cold day…it’s an entirely different scent in big doses.)
I’m wearing Shalimar. From a sample, since I gave my bottle away long ago. I simply cannot take the vanilla. I sprayed it very lightly, and on my wrists, since that is the part of my body farthest away from my nose. I thought about wearing Bvlgari Black, because I have the same problem with that. I love the opening, but the vanilla drydown is a beast. And yet, I would never give that away. Hmmm.
Hey twin! I did think there might be a few us today.
Looks like a few of us are choosing classic Guerlains as our challenge!
SOTD – puredistance white. The only thing I find challenging about this one is the price!!!
Me too. Makes Amouage look like a BBW body spray…
Ha ha ha. This is funny
I love your comment
I’m in Jovoy Private Label today, I bought it in London at Jovoy last week. The London Jovoy might be one of my favorite perfume stores I’ve visited so far. The lady helping me was fabulous and even let me smell their little private stash of ambergris. Can’t recommend that store highly enough!
Wow, what a treat! I’d love to smell ambergris in the flesh someday.
Nice! Sounds like a fantastic experience????????
Awesome!
Parfum D’Empire Wazamba. And wore this to work too!
Thought it would be overwhelming, but surprised me with its wearability… I even resprayed in the afternoon and nobody complained.
Thought about wearing Mitsouko, as i dislike the strange peach. It smells sour und strangely dry on me – like a unripe und shriveled peach. Ugh.
Wazamba was the better choice
Even the name Wazamba is outside of my comfort zone
Hello everyone. Checking in after being on a little trip “Up North” in Michigan with my mom. I’m wearing Amouage Interlude Woman today. It’s a scent that I *almost* love but have never quite gotten to the stage of purchasing. It’s changeable and complicated but it’s also just plain sour! The grapefruit, I guess. This week I’ve enjoyed wearing Yosh Ginger Ciao, Mousse de Chene, Ylang 49, and Civet. Nice to have cold weather here as it alters the way perfumes work. Sadly, we had a bad fall on Wednesday while crossing a street. Mom was hanging onto my elbow; she tripped and we both went down. It was a shocker as she was flat on her back and hit her head on the concrete. So scary… I can’t tell you. There we were in the middle of the intersection in Manistee. Some kind people leapt out of their cars and helped us up, and stayed with Mom while I got our car. We went to the hospital and she was all checked out there including a head cat scan, and was basically OK, but obviously upset and traumatized. Luckily, we were near to the home of my friends we planned to visit, and they babied her and took good care of us. Just one of those things that you can’t predict and might have been much, much worse. Whew. Anyway we did enjoy a lot of gorgeous fall foliage and blue waters of Lake Michigan, and visited an alpaca farm with a boutique, and had fun shopping and seeing the animals!
Oh no! Poor you! Your poor mom! So glad for the kindness of strangers and that everything worked out!
Oh gosh, that sounds terrifying! I’m glad you’re both OK and that there were helpful people nearby.
I’m so glad everything was ok in the end. Falls get really scary as we age! Take care!
Oh my, what a shock. So glad everyone escaped mostly unharmed.
How unlucky, but as you say it could easily have been worse, so glad your mother is OK.
You visit sounds really lovely, except for that scary fall. Glad you are both okay.
Oh, dear! So sorry that happened, but glad you’re both ok.
Glad you are both OK….that is tramatic and upsetting. It was good your friends babied you!
Glad you are okay…and shocking for you too I expect with your hip being so new.
I’m glad all’s well that ends well but how scary for the both of you. Hope memories of those beautiful moments soon eclipse those scary ones.
Good to hear that there were no lingering ill effects from your mom’s fall! Scary stuff. And thumbs up to the onlookers who offered to help!
Amouage Beloved (again!).
I definitely find this challenging and ‘not me’— but I’m strangely addicted to it. What’s so challenging? It’s big; it wafts; it demands to be noticed.
I’m not sure that I want others to smell this on me, but I really enjoy the ultra luxurious feel and the coziness of it. What a beauty!
Last night I tried MFK Baccarat Rouge again, which I have a sample of thanks to a VERY generous NST’er (you know who you are!). Now THAT is a challenging perfume: toothcuttingly sweet and nearly skanky on my skin for some reason– it’s almost carnal. I can’t decide what I think of it at all, but keep testing the teeniest dab.
I love Beloved. I bought my bottle the day after I received my decant. OTOH, BR not so much! A scrubber for me.
I did not like Beloved. Too much powder on me , but I can appreciate it on other people
I love Beloved. I’d wear it more, but I have my decant in “horde mode”. It is season-less perfection.
I blind bought Beloved and wore it only a few times before passing on the bottle to Waterdragon. I like the perfume but it was not for me.
I also wanted to express sympathy to Oakland Fresca and her son over their cat’s sudden demise. So sad. My one suggestion about helping him grieve would be to try to talk about the cat and tell stories about him, such as when you first got him, cute things he would do, his grumpy moments, how he behaved toward other people or animals, his favorite toys or activities, etc. Just reminiscing together with some stories that are highlights of the kitty’s life might help some. I also do like collecting pictures together of my cats who have passed on.
Calypso, please forgive me for piggbybacking on your post, but I was unaware of this as life has been extremely busy lately and I haven’t had the time to read daily. My deepest condolences to Oakland Fresca and her son on the loss of their beloved cat, and I second everything you said in your post.
I think these are great ideas.
I needed a comforting scent this challenging week and fortunately had my brand-new bottle of Ormonde Jayne Tiare to turn to. A coworker likes BWF body sprays and I made her a decant of Tiare to expose her to PWF (pretty white flowers). “How nice – is it more than a hundred dollars?” Er, well, yes.
Hahaha! Oh, that is awesome! I have the same issue at work. The upside of sharing nice decants that my coworkers like is that on the days they wear it, no body spray. I completely understand most people don’t want to spend $$$, but those scads of $15 bottles add up. 1-2 spritzes of a quality perfume perform far better. I suspect I’m preaching to the choir here.
My good news is that my coworker fell in love with a Balanciaga sample, and I had a mini to share from a set. Hope your coworker finds a fragrance to love…I’m sure it’s fun to try the things you share.
My motives were indeed mixed: a hope for BBW-free days and some evangelizing, as well as a lessening of guilt over buying yet another pricey bottle this year.
Amouage Ubar for me today. I should love this- I am a big Amouage fan, adore huge florals, and it earned a 5 star rating from LT. But somehow it’s all wrong on me, with a nasty celery seed or maybe caraway note. I’m stubborn though so guess I’ll keep trying this periodically until my sample is empty.
Is your sample a spray or a dabber? I think LisaD was recently talking about how Amouage scents smell really differently on her if it’s sprayed, spritzed or dabbed
I challenged myself twice today – I normally don’t wear untried samples to work, and sweet perfumes can often get very ugly on my skin. So I tried my sample of Traversee du Bosphore for the first time this morning.
I loved the topnotes. I’m not really happy with the dry down. I think it would be dynamite on someone else, but on my skin I’m just getting super sweet almonds. Oh well, bravery is its own reward! (However, I may have to scrub soon – it really is overpoweringly sweet. Good thing I have backup desk perfumes.)
That is a challenge–I’m too chicken to wear an untried sample unless I’m home for the day. It’s not like you can’t scrub at work as well as at home. Yay for bravery!
I found TdB to sweet, too. It is nice in the bath though!
I generally love the softness of almond notes, but there are times where all I get is buttered popcorn.
I’m wearing PG Indochine: I think it’s beautiful, but have worn it only once or twice since buying it in January because among all the unctuous honey and creamy vanilla is a peppery rasp that I find…unsettling.
I think you smell great. I’ll be wearing Indochine very soon as I think it’s perfect for autumn.
Love Indochine! You smell fabulous!
Agree that Indochine is wonderful. Hope the pepper stays in check for you.
I went with Mitsouko today because many find it challenging to wear and many just don’t like it. For me, it’s more of a challenge to the people around me than myself. ????
I love Mitsouko! I’d happily enjoy you wafting nearby
I’ll be right over so we can waft together. ????
I really try to Love Mitsouko, but cant. Love Jicky instead ????
I’ve never smelled Jicky. Don’t know how I missed testing it.
Mitsouko does seem to rub a lot of people the wrong way, but for me it was instant love, that soft peachiness clashing with the dark angry oakmoss. It’s got claws. I like a scent with some viciousness to it.
A perfect description!
Great way to approach the CP????????
Thanks! I liked your breakfast. All things pumpkin…Yum! ????????
Agree! Challenging everyone else is even better than challenging yourself
I think you smell fab. What concentration do you like best, Petunia?
The extrait, of course. Although I only own the EDP and is what I am wearing today. ????
I need to wear that more often. It doesn’t challenge me so much that I’m concerned it intimidates those around me, so I totally get what you are saying… ????
Right!
Mitsouko is challenging to wear, but when it’s right, it is just sooo right. I’ve actually been wearing Mitsouko a lot this fall. It seems to be where I am. And if it keeps people at arms length, so much the better. I love the way it smells the next morning!
Yes!
Great approach and a wonderful fragrance!
Aw, thanks. So glad that you’re feeling better.
Hi, Twin! I find it challenging, don’t get very much of the peachiness others do and, although I love oakmoss, this one is just a ‘like’ for me.
Hey Twin!
I have found that Mitsouko can be temperamental on me. Sometimes it is the perfect perfume, and other times NOPE! Not sure that is the same as challenging.
I think it does make a scent challenging. I own several perfumes that I have to be in the mood to wear but I still love them all.
I’m always interested to read about people continuing to try something that they find challenging and eventually coming to love it. When I call a fragrance challenging, it usually means I don’t really like it. Maybe I’ll try it a couple of times, but after that, I’m done. Life feels too short to wear something I don’t really like, even if I think I *should* like it. Or maybe the definition of challenging isn’t always that I don’t like it, but that there are times when I don’t want to wear it or certain parts of its development that I need to get through before liking it.
Anyhoo, I’m in Keiko Mecheri Un Jour d’Ete which I do like and find both pretty and all-purpose which is a good thing in my book. So not being challenged today. Other than finding a bottle I can afford…
Amen! I feel the same.
Affordability is definitely the challenge for me! I had plans to overtake Donatella’s perfume count if I won the $1.6 billion lottery this week….LOL
Alas, I’m still hunting at TJ Maxx!
I agree with the comments in your first paragraph. I might try a scent a couple of times if there’s a reason I feel I ‘should’ like it, but most of the time I either love a scent right away or else I’m done with it.
I’ve come to that same conclusion about certain scents. If I really do NOT like it on the first try, why continue? I have plenty of scented beauties I can enjoy instead!
SotD is vintage Samsara edp. This one can be challenging the way all big 80’s perfumes can be. They start out big, like shoulder pads, big hair and blue eyeshadow, but the drydown and longevity can’t be beat. (And now I have the Go-Go’s in my head????)
No school for madtownteen today, so we have Halloween shopping to do and then some pumpkin baking this afternoon in honor of Pumpkin day. Pumpkin bread with dark chocolate chips sounded good to both of us.
Happy Friday NST!
psa: I still have plenty of Atelier Vanille Insensee decants available. If you are interested, head on over to the splitmeet.????
Vintage Samsara is spec.tac.u.lar, but I hardly ever wear it because I have to be in the right mood for it. Either it’s really finicky or I am (I think it’s the Samsara, honestly).
I would agree, definitely not in my “no brainer, easy to wear” category.
You smell blissful
Thanks ltsg, this one reminds me of you.????
I like the way Samsara smells but find it challenging to wear. Soooooo last week I had a brainstorm. I sprayed it in the bathroom–in the shower. Holy cow! my little house smells great. I’m really glad I found a way to enjoy it.
Nice!
Samsara was my pick today too! I was pleasantly surprised: I’ve come around to really enjoying today! YAY!
Yay! Twins!
A beautiful uplifting photo????
I’m in the usual mad dash to finish compliance for my next contract, and also working the next two nights. *sigh*
Opposite the CP today and totally in my comfort zone in SmellBent Smoked Ambergris. I’m not sad about it, either. However, I am compliant with Pumpkin Day, having just ingested the obligatory pumpkin spice bagel. Nom nom!
Also in my musical comfort zone listening to Goldfrapp https://youtu.be/wCzoTQqEoFg from “Tales of Us,” which is one of my favorite soothing/disturbing albums to zone out with.
So, complete fail for me on this weeks CP! ???? I am loving next weeks CP, though! This is right up my alley and I’m going to give some good thought to it. I may do a whole week of poetry inspired fragrances…!
Happy Friday all you fragrant folks ✌????
I am totally on board with pumpkin day too! Did you ever get to try the WF pumpkin pie ice cream sandwiches?
Hoping this is your last two night shifts!?????
No, I never did because I’ve chunked up enough as it is, and have just given the frozen treat aisle a complete miss. I had forgotten all about it, really. Until now. Thanks, madtowngirl! ????
And yes, tonight and tomorrow are my last two night shifts forever (I hope)!
Whoops, lol, sorry.????(but they are just. so. good.)
Woo hoo for the end of nights! I hope you are done with them forever too!!
Fingers crossed that these 2 shifts are easy ones! ????????
agree! that photo is beautiful.
Chanel No. 19. I love it now, but it was definitely an acquired taste. It took me awhile to come around to iris scents.
Me too about iris scents. I love them now though!
It’s so funny. I always assume I don’t care for iris because I have Infusion d’Iris and don’t really like it much. But I love no. 19
And I think that’s funny because Infusion d’Iris was the perfume that changed my mind about iris
????
Infusion d’Iris was meh, but Infusion d’Iris Absolue completely won me over after I’d been cajoled into trying it.
Definitely an acquired taste, I’m still working on that one.
Iris was not something I liked when I first started sniffing seriously, but I’ve always like No. 19.
iris = love! sometimes for fun I line up my iris perfumes from easiest to more challenging. Hiris is about as far as I am comfortable. I still have a hard time with No. 19 on me, though it smells glorious on you and when I encounter it in the wild.
SOTD Gulbahar, a Rose attar from Sugandhco
It’s beautiful… to me, reminiscent of SL as Majeste la Rose
SOTD = Zoologist T-Rex
W00t! It’s Smoky! It’s Tarry! It’s Resinous! 3 sprays but I made sure it had enough time to dissipate before commuting with the masses.
Tonight, I am meeting a friend for tapas, then we’re going to see the silent film version of Phantom of the Opera with Live Organ Music!
Tomorrow, it’s Sniffaloiza and a Halloween party!
Now back to work.
Have fun! I hope T-Rex is agreeing with you. I may give it a sniff eventually, but SSS Winter Woods is about as Smokey as I get.
Which is not smoky at all on my wonky skin…I get amber and vanilla.
Wow, fun events. I have not give T-Rex a wear outside of the house yet – it has been fairly warm here
Your movie night sounds awesome!
Smoky is my kryptonite! You are made of braver stuff than I.
Enjoy your movie, that sounds so fun. Near me there is an ice rink that has an old Wurlitzer organ from the days before recorded music overtook live accompaniment. About once a month a volunteer organist comes in and plays while people skate. It’s charming.
Ahh, i didn’t read this challenge in time
I wore House of Matriarch Albatross this morning, an easy going marine cedar.
But yesterday night, I wore something that was a bit challenging. Bortnikoff’s Mysterious Oud. There’s a prominent smoked facet (its like the smoked part of meat, minus the meat if that makes any sense) with tropical flowers. A little bit tangy, a bit savoury and umami. I also find the same facet in both Zoologist T-Rex and Ensar Ouds EO2 EDP. Its an interesting facet but not my cup of tea personally.
SOTD is Moschino Moschino. A friend gave me a bottle (!) over the summer and I didn’t care for it then. Thought I’d give it a try in cooler weather. Nope. None of the listed notes are problematic for me but something smells like dirty clothes or unwashed skin. Can’t explain it.
Still, I’ll give it a few more tries…before I give it back.
I don’t think I’ve ever smelled that one!
Miu Miu L’Eau Bleue. We are getting our first real cool front here. It is currently a lovely 67 degrees
67 is about perfect!
I think Slinky Carnation is a bit challenging to wear to work but I think one little spray under my shirt will be okay.
My workplace is a little challenging since we’ll be closing early tomorrow to begin remodelling but they’ve already stripped out the decor. I miss the muscle charts and the art and today the fake fireplace in the waiting room was being removed as I arrived and most of the massage room chairs are gone. It’s just disorienting for me and makes me sad
I hope your workplace doesn’t lose its individual character in the remodelling process. That would make me sad, too.
In Slumberhouse Norne today. Not challenging, exactly, but it was a risky buy and a rather expensive leap of faith… I hadn’t even been able to get hold of a sample but had a short trip to the US earlier this year, bought it online and had it ready and waiting at the hotel when I arrived. Dense sticky pine resin and incense and cold air. Lovely.
Considered wearing No.19 which I avoided for years until I realised that it doesn’t actually smell of gin and bitterness, and is just straight up beautiful. It was a good thing to reclaim from bad associations.
There’s surely a story behind the gin and bitterness! So glad you find No. 19 beautiful now. And Norne is a good one, too.
I avoided No.19 for years but then Waterdragon bought me a 19 shower gel and that lit the bulb in my brain
I miss Waterdragon’s posts. I hope all is well. Do you keep in touch, Kanuka?
Norne is exactly like you describe it! An NSTer sent me a sample, so no bottle for me.
Gin and bitterness, LOL
It’s really good to hear about a scent being reclaimed from bad associations.
Love Norne!
I’m in Cuir de Russie today which I haven’t fully come around to yet. It takes me a while with some Chanels (looking at you, No 22) so maybe I just more time either CdR…
Happy Friday, friends!
I think you smell fab; hope CdR eventually finds its way into your affections.
The funny this is that now that’s it’s been on around 6 hours, I’m loving it. I just don’t love it right after spraying for some reason…but now that’s it’s dried and sat a while, I can’t stop smelling myself.
So is that an official perfume 180?
Not quite a 180 but I’m definitely warming up to it!
Happy FriYAY Y’all!
I totally surprised myself today with my “challenging” scent. I went with Guerlain Samsara, which I didn’t like at all when I bought it and tried it the 1st couple of times. I put it away in a drawer and moved on. This morning I pulled it out as my challenge….and I’m enjoying every bit of it. Methinks my perfume palate has evolved? Maybe the scent has mellowed after a couple of years in a dark drawer? Whatever the case, it’s not really a challenge for me today, I’m happy to report!
Didn’t realize it was Pumpkin Day when I bought this cute little sign at Kroger for $1.99 this morning….
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpZ3yXIBiI8/?taken-by=jadainga99
If it’s pumpkin spiced, I probably will love it!
PS: Forgot to mention! I think I got pretty lucky yesterday….I did a last minute Ebay bid on a bottle of Prada Infusion D’Iris, and got a 3.4oz bottle for $32. Methinks that’s a pretty great deal for not even really trying…..
That’s a lucky find for sure!
Isn’t it crazy how our tastes evolve?
I would have worn Bruno Fazzolari Room 237, which very much challenges me with its vinyl shower curtain note mixed with weird, aloof greens and musk, but I couldn’t find my sample this morning. I couldn’t be bothered to think of another challenging perfume because my boyfriend is not well. He’s had stomach cramps for the last day with no improvement, so I’m really stressed about it.
Found my St. Clair samples that I’ve been meaning to come back to and am wearing the beautiful First Cut. I’m quite certain I’ll buy a bottle after I use up the sample.
I hope he feels better (or goes to get checked out if he doesn’t)! Stomach stuff is the pits. I’ve had many GI issues over the years so can empathize.
Thanks, he is now also throwing up, which I think is a good sign because stomach cramps on their own are kinda weird. He’s been able to sleep and says that’s helped. We’ll go to the doc if he gets any worse.
Oh no! I hope he gets better very soon!
I hope your boyfriend feels better soon.
Thank you!
Sending Feel Better Soon wishes to your boyfriend!
Thanks, he’s feeling better than this morning.
I won’t try and diagnose, but if it’s super bad, please get him to go to the doc! My fiance had “cramps” for days then started throwing up. We finally took him and it was his appendix! Happy thoughts for you both!
He seems to be on the upswing, but I’ll definitely force him in if he still has cramps tomorrow. He and I have both had the same concern while trying to self-diagnose.
I hope that your boyfriend is feeling better very soon! Stomach cramps and throwing up sound absolutely awful.
Thanks, Jalapeno!
First Cut is gorgeous!!!!! in my top four for sure. It smells amazing on my hubs too.
Hope by now the bf is better…might be some sort of stomach bug
Wearing my homemade version of Kulfi today, which is about as far from challenging as I can get, since it comforts me no end. I smell like a strange brew of cream, saffron, cardamom, and a little coconut.
That sounds absolutely lovely.
Caraway and its even more evil sibling cumin (which ruins many Vero Kern perfumes for me) are always a challenge for me, so I’m wearing Diorama which I admire in some ways but cannot love, and I’m wearing it strictly around the house.
The CP was very instructive and entertaining today.
I don’t like cumin in perfume either.
Yep, too Sweaty Dude for me.
I did think I wouldn’t be the only one
Cumin is a REAL challenge for sure!
Wow, you’re a trooper. I just can’t do it.
I pulled out the Orminde Jayne Woman, which I rarely wear. I think I oversprayed last time and it had way too much presence. Today I did one spritz on the wrist. Much nicer. And my husband even commented a few days later he liked whatever it was I sprayed on. So….may be something I wear more often now.
Enjoyed the movie yesterday and then walked across town to get a few miles in. Got very excited when I saw one of the upcoming Sat/Sun a.m. features will be The Trouble With Angels. One of my favorite Hayley Mills movies (yes, I’m that old…) I think I’m going to insist my husband goes with me.
My husband commented a few “minutes” later… we are not time travelers….
Yes, I find it best when sprayed lightly. One spritz, no more than two at the very most, on the chest, and it lasts allllllll day.
Wearing Matrix Metal from The Harmonist – have other people tried anything from this brand? It’s completely new for me, which in itself means it is out of my comfort zone.
This one is supposed to have aldehydes and a metal note, both usually challenging for me but it is luckily working today
Happy Friday everyone!
I got a couple of samples from the Barney’s SA when they 1st got them there. Metal Flower and I forget the other one now. I didn’t care for either. The Metal one was a metallic rose with a huge dose of aggressive laundry musk in the base.
The other was iris+ warm vanillic notes. Was ok, but nothing new or exciting for me. Nice bottles, though. And the SA was nice.
Rose with laundry musk sounds pretty meh to me. I tried two others, Velvet Fire and Royal Earth, which were nice but not earth-shattering. The main reason why I like Matrix Metal is because it reminds me of Passage d’Enfer (which possibly means I am not following today’s theme, but I did my best!).
I flunked the project today, even though I had good intentions… I was rummaging around trying to find my sample of Bois d’Ascese, which I tried once ages ago and found almost overwhelmingly smoky, when I noticed that my decant of L’eau de Tarocco had nearly evaporated. I put on what was left, and sadly thunked the empty decant. I think I smell good, anyway.
Thank goodness we’ve all made it to Friday!
Well sorry about your gone decant!
I’m wearing CdG Kyoto, which is a partial challenge: I love it part of the time, but sometimes, not so much. Regardless, it’s about time to either buy another decant or spring for a bottle.
Partial credit then
Well, I win the challenge for longest perfume name I’ve come across so far, and the scent challenges me as well: Unum’s io_non_ho_mani_ch_mi_accarezzimo_ il_volto. It’s incense, and I like incense, but then it kind of goes Snickerdoodles cookies on me. Very odd.
I would wear a scent that smelled of snickerdoodles. Surprised Demeter hasn’t tackled that one yet.
Sometimes I get a whiff of snickerdoodles from scents that are heavy in labdanum.
Complete failure on this week’s challenge. I was lathering up with Rose Jam in my shower this morning, trying to think of what I’ve found challenging as perfume and could only think of ethyl maltol notes. Was going to brave a sample of La Vie Est Belle but that Rose Jam got me thinking of roses and it gave me a powerful craving for Une Rose de Kandahar. So here I am, completely comforted in spicy rose. No LVEB for me today.
Sometimes Nice is Nice, a motto I remind myself about when I splash out for something that is merely pretty and not a ravishing and original work of art…
Spicy rose doesn’t sound like a fail to me.
I wore BV today, which isn’t challenging to me and hopefully not to anyone around me work-wise.
But, to play along, I did a couple of small doses on the backs of my hands: Goest Perfumes Jackal, which does smell quite untamed and “dirty” kind of literally like dirt or some wild animal poop, and CdR parfum, which I like better than the EDT which was very barnyard-y to me. This is less so, but still can’t fully embrace it yet (or maybe never).
Staycation for me next week, woo hoo!
And how was Rocky Horror?
Ha! I forgot already ???? It was bawdy, good fun, but a bit improv-ish and disorganized. But, hey, it was free!
Yay for the stay-cation!
????
Staycations are the best! Enjoy!
I enjoy them. I have grand plans, mostly involving getting rid of things and organizing, which is more stressful than my day job, lol.
Outside of my comfort zone is normally something smokey, something too incense-y, or something fruity. Today my choice was my old bottle of Badgley Mischka, which I actually really like. The warm sweet fruity syrup seems perfect anticipating the onslaught of Halloween activities starting this weekend.
BM is lovely, but it’s one huge perfume. You smell awesome.
Interesting experience at the graveyard yesterday. There are a lot of hawthorn trees that must have been planted long ago given their height ( were probably hedges originally) and they are in flower. Only the really old houses here have hawthorn ( or holly…also as hedges) so you don’t often smell them. Anyway, I sniffed it and ‘bam’ instant mind-travel back to the gardens and neighbourhoods of Wuerzburg (Bavaria) where I lived for 4 years. But until yesterday I hadn’t ever consciously thought of a Wuerzburg scent ( except maybe Linden) …so the smell yesterday just zapped straight to the memory response zone . It’s a lovely smell, too. The sale table with Kelly Caleche was gone so that’s good ? Wearing YS-Uzac Immortal Beloved which is challenging as it is fairly boozy (sweet rum) and I’m not exactly comfortable in boozy perfumes for some reason….syrupy?
Great scent memory. Also I love Christina Stead. Somewhat oddly The Man Who Loved Children is set in the town I grew up in and so I have an odd bond with the book.
I say oddly because it’s a town in the USA, so not necessarily what one would expect.
I like the idea of our project today, but am having trouble finding something in m collection that is a challenge because I guess I mostly just have scents that I really like. Therefore, I put on something that I normally wear in warm sunny weather, CDG Vettiveru. The challenge to me is how this will smell on the cold, damp day we’re having. So far, it is very good (but I have to admit that it just seems to project a little more and in a really good way when the temperatures are much warmer outside).
I think that just means you are wise
Plus, you do smell great.
Not all that challenges, but unusual for me, I am in an oud scent, courtesy of Pixel who very generously shared some large samples she acquired. I’m in the truly gorgeous Cartier Oud & Rose, and smell like a million bucks. I didn’t shower this AM, and am wearing leggings and very long sweater (both are dark blue and I suspect I look more Violet Beauregarde than relaxed), but the perfume is elevating me to street-worthy.
Has anyone tried the new ELDO “I Am Trash” perfume? I find the idea interesting, but the PR photo of trash extremely off-putting–so much so that I am not sure I can even muster the courage to order a sample.
And finally, thanks everyone who proffered advice about my son’s grieving for our beloved, cranky old cat. My son is doing better today, although he still does not want to talk about it (annoying advisor at his school kept bringing up the cat in a parent/teacher meeting and was not getting traction, but was having trouble dropping the subject).
Oh that is annoying that the adviser didn’t follow your son’s lead on this. Belated condolences, though, on your loss.
So today I decided to go the teeny-bopper route and chose Enchanted Wonderstruck by Ms. Swift. Needless to say, I was quite struck by how Understruck it was. The scent, while pretty, barely lasted the fifteen minute drive to work. Boo hiss. I much preferred the Habibi I wore the day before.
At least you were not struck for long?
I constantly challenge myself by repeatedly testing perfumes that do not work for me, but I can’t bring myself to spending a day wearing one of them, even for the CP: as is, I have too many great perfumes that do work for me and not enough time to wear them. So, I’m wearing one of my favorites – Krigler Lieber Gustav, which can be challenging for some since it has a strong lavender presence.
Oh, good call.
I had to go and look this one up. Leather, lavender, and tea? That sounds lovely.
Back to cloudy skies today. The threatened Nor’Easter seems to have been scaled back some as far as duration goes. I’m not upset about that.
SOTD = FM Dries Van Noten par Frederic Malle, from the sample stash. Based on the notes list, I should love this. But there is something discordant lurking around in the scent. Like feedback from a stereo speaker. I’ve had the same experience each time I have tried DvN.
Oops, my reply went in the wrong spot!
DVN is an odd one for me too. Sometimes I like it and sometimes I *hate* it. Not sure why.
DvN should have worked for me based on the list of notes too, but I got…cat pee.☹️
Eeeeeek! Cat pee is a huge NOPE!
Wow! I love DVN and I’m sure there is a travel size in my future, sometime…
Love the comment about Cassie. I remember being absurdly proud that I liked it from first sniff.
Ha, as well you should be!
For today’s challenge, I chose Guerlain Mitsuoko. The classic Guerlains that everyone loves have always proved challenging to my nose; perhaps it’s the ‘Guerlainade’ that just doesn’t agree with me. L’Heure Bleue was my greatest fragrance disappointment, and the only form of Shalimar I can wear is the edc. Perhaps because today is damp and chilly, I’m enjoying Mitsuoko more than usual. But, then, chypres are a favorite of mine, although Mitsuoko will never displace my all-time favorites, vintage Miss Dior and vintage Rive Gauche.
Little Bear Luna paid her first visit to the vet this week. All 2-1/2 pounds of her were pronounced very healthy and I was complimented on my kitty-mothering skills. Phew! This week she has combined her Climbing Up! and Jumping Down! abilities to explore every corner of her Freedom Room. However, she still lacks the ability to jump into a lap; instead just using those tiny but very sharp little claws to climb up one’s leg. Ouch! Perhaps next week . . .
Wishing everyone a wonderful almost-Halloween weekend!
I obviously am challenged in even spelling it: Mitsouko!
Pretty soon, Little Bear Luna won’t be so little!
Little Bear Luna is making great progress thanks to her fabulous kitty mama????
I went with Providence Perfume Co. Divine today. I don’t wear it often because I don’t like the top notes on my skin. Once it settles in it’s nice, but there is something in the top that smells kind of like brined olives to me.
I wore Epic today which I love in parts and at other times can only smell spicy pickles.
Mugler Alien, the nuclear jasmine that’s utterly ridiculous on my skin until about an hour after it’s dried down. I love it, because I love jasmine, but damn. A casual scent this is not. (But you can tear my bottle from my cold, dead hands.)
Well, we are getting close to Halloween. ????
I have a hard time Muglet scents in but, hey, more for you! Although, I do like some of his exceptions line.
Amber is a really difficult note for me, so I went with Artisan Parfumeur’s L’Eau d’Ambre Extreme. I have a tiny sample, and am not even sure I’ll finish it. This stuff has lasting power to rival the worst scrubber!