PSA: the next freebiemeet is coming up on 26 January. Meanwhile, our first lazy weekend open thread poll of 2019. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the last fragrance you completely changed your mind about, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is neon_winter [cropped] by Georg Gross at flickr; some rights reserved.
Yay for the weekend. It’s raining so I’m spending the time reading one of the books I got for Christmas.
Yesterday I came home to a surprise, my parents bought a slow juicer, so I’m sure that for the next couple of hours we’ll be testing various recipes.
Today I am wearing Gentle fluidity (Gf) from Maison Francis Kurkdjian. It’s a pretty lovely perfume. This one veers masculine while gentle Fluidity (gF) is feminine. They smell pretty different despite having so much in common according to the press release.
I had never even heard of a slow juicer.
http://www.hurom.com
This is the brand they bought from.
MORE FREEBIES!
Following the success of my Christmas Eve freebie offer (I rehomed 8 of the 12 bottles I listed), I have some more freebies to offer. I have so many, in fact, that I cannot wait for the Freebiemeet, as I would exceed the 15 item limit. I have described everything as well as I can.
A few guidelines: US only please. Please call dibs here first, then email me. It helps to keep straight who claimed something first in the even more than one person wants it. Please email me when you receive your package so I know it arrived OK.
1. Alexandra de Markoff Alexandra Cologne Spray, 50 mL, 4/5 full, no box, bought new. This is usually classed as an oriental, but it smells more like an animalic chypre to me. I find it very similar to Guerlain Parure.
2. Etro Messe de Minuit EdC, 100 mL spray, 2/3 full, no box, received in swap in 2012. I don’t know the exact age, but it has a gold-colored cap, if that helps any.
3. Gres Quiproquo EdT, 240 mL splash, 2/3 full, no box, received in swap. This is a fresh citrusy chypre.
4. Jacomo Parfum Rare EdT, 100 mL spray, 1/2 full, no box, received in swap. This is a floral chypre.
5. l’Occitante Delice des Fleurs EdT, 75 mL spray, 2/3 full, no box, bought new in 2011. This is a sweet floral.
6. Yves Rocher Desir de Nature EdP 75 mL splash, full, new in box, bought new in mid 1990s. This is a green floral.
7. Yves Rocher 8e Jour body spray, 75 mL, 2/3 full, no box, bought new in mid 1990s. This is an oriental.
8. Yves Rocher Vie Privee EdT, 75 mL spray, full, NIB, bought new in mid 1990s. This is a white floral.
9. Parfums de Nicolai Odalisque EdP, 30 mL spray, nearly full, no box, bought new in 2012.
10. Parfums de Nicolai Le Temps d’Une Fete EdP, 30 mL spray, nearly full, no box, bought new in 2012.
11. Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne, 30 mL spray, full, NIB, bought new in 2016.
I will try to get everything shipped out within a week or so of it being claimed, and I will email you upon shipping to let you know it is on its way and to provide tracking info.
Not participating but how wonderfully generous of you!!❤️❤️
Oops! Dibs on #9 Odalisque please. Really? Really? This is out of the world lucky! And so generous!
Yes, really. It simply did not work for me.
Oh thank you!!!!!! I’m trying to limit myself at this point to one new bottle purchase per year, so you are literally DOUBLING my annual additions! THANK YOU!!!!!! THIS IS SO AWESOME!
Cool giveaway! Very generous of you.
(Not participating, not eligible.)
Dibs on the le temps d’une fete #10 Thanks so much!
It’s yours!
Can I just say, I love you!?!
How wonderful! I would love to claim 4! I’ll email you soon. Thank you.
Parfum Rare (#4) is now claimed!
Emailed!
Dibs on #11. So awesome !
It’s yours.
Wow, you are so generous. Big props to you!
How lovely and generous of you! I’d like to claim #2, Etro Messe de Minuit please.
#2 is now claimed.
no 10 no 10 can I plesssssse have it?
Never mind – I see I am too late.
Very generous of you 50 roses!!
50_Roses you’re the best!
Dibs on #5, L’Occitane Delices des Fleurs, please!
Delice des Fleurs is taken.
Dibs on #1 if still available, please! Thank you!
It’s yours!
I’d like No. 3, the Gres Quiproquo,if it’s still available. Very generous of you–you must be doing some serious clearing-out.
It is yours. Yes, I am doing some really serious cleaning out. I finally made an inventory of my perfume collection and had to face up to just how many bottles I have.
UPDATE:
Items 1-5 and 9-11 have been claimed. Still awaiting new homes are 6, 7, and 8 (the three Yves Rocher perfumes).
Dibs on #8 please. Thanks! Emailing later tonight.
#8 is yours!
may I have the #6? it’s been on my want list! 🙂
#6 has found a new home!
#7 has been claimed, and with that, the freebie offer is closed. Thank you for playing.
SOTD is Odori Spigo. A nice lavender scent which I grabbed and sprayed in a hurry on the way out of my apartment.
Speaking of lavender, I plan to sample some lavender scents next: Serge Lutens Encens et Lavande, Chanel Boy, Guerlain Mon Guerlain, Guerlain Lavande Velours and Lancome Lavandes Trianon. I liked my rose/oud series, so I want to do something similar with other notes, when I can.
Maybe some of you remember that in December I went to a concert to see and hear a friend sing. Well, I decided to join that chorus too and today I went to my first rehearsal. It was fun! I have a long way to go, since I have no musical education or experience, but there are other people like me there, so I hope I will practice and learn.
Love Odori Spigo – happy to see it mentioned here!
Congrats on your musical endeavors……I should get back to singing, nothing makes you feel better than lifting up your voice.
I wish everyone would try some sort of musical pastime. I don’t sing, but I do play a couple of musical instruments. Making music with a group of other people is one of the most satisfying things I know.
Singing is so much fun. Wish i could still sing, but i developed problems with my vocal chords. Hope you enjoy it.
So sorry about your vocal chords. 🙁
That sounds so fun – have a great time!
Sounds like fun! I enjoy singing with a group. I tried joining a women’s chorus a few years ago, but I wasn’t feeling the music selections so wasn’t really motivated to keep going.
Understandable. I agree that you need to like the music you are singing to enjoy singing. It’s a baroque chorus, and I do like baroque music, so I hope the selections will be my cup of tea.
Maybe eventually you will find the chorus that is right for you.
DO try Tauer Reverie au Jardin. It’s got some photorealistic lavender in it!
Tried it but unfortunately did not like it. Got lavender at the beginning, then the whole scent turned sweet and green, and it was the wrong kind of sweet and green for me. Glad it worked for you!
Yes! Tauers don’t generally agree with me, but that one is a keeper.
Good for you, Glannys! The more you sing the more you will enjoy it ?
Oh how lovely 🙂 enjoy singing in the group!
How wonderful! Enjoy yourself!
Encens et Lavande- my personal FAVORITE! It is haunting somehow.
I am tempted by Tauer….
Do share your impressions.
Oh, do have fun!
Krigler Lieber Gustav is my most favorite lavender. Two more beautiful lavenders from Serge Lutens – Gris Clair and Fourteau Noir.
Thank you. At the moment I just want to sample what I already have, but maybe later I’ll try some new lavenders.
Gris Clair was not quite my thing. I have not tried Fourreau Noir and I have never even heard of Krigler Lieber Gustav. Interesting.
What a week you guys.
My bestie/colleague at work’s husband passed away,not even a full day after brain surgery.a Healthy 47 year old male,three kids.Complained of a terrible headache last Sunday,became delirious and confused and she took him to the ER.Barely there he lost consciousness and was taken to the OR.Successful surgery,and then he just crashed 11am Monday morning,shortly before visiting hours.I was there to hold her hand and cry with her as the Doctor came out to tell us the news.Needless to say,we are all shocked and devastated by this.I still can’t believe it.Sad horrible week,not even perfumes could cheer me up.Add to that a serious bout of Folliculitis I developed at 3 places on my body,this week just sucked.
Hope everyone is well!
Hug your loved ones,you never know when it will be the last time…✌?❤️
Oh wow. So sad – this puts my “terrible” day in perspective. Hugs for you, too, johanob (along with my loved ones).
Thank you!I myself got a reality check about what is actually important after this!
Sorry to hear this, johanob and condolences to your bestie and her family. What a shocker considering the successful surgery. And I hope your folliculitis clears up quickly as you try to destress.
Thank you H!
(Loved your Instagram pics from the recent travels,by the way!)
Thanks. I’m also using it to release photos from other travel. I have upwards of 16,000 photos but fear not, I will be judicious in which ones make it!
So sorry to hear your sad news, sending love and light to you and your friend,
Thanks Jepster,love and light is what we need right now!
Happy Weekend!
My condolences to your colleague, and you, Johano.
Thank you Bear!❤️❤️?
So, so sorry to hear this. I am glad, though, that you were able to be there with your friend, so she didn’t have to go through this alone. Wishing strength and support to both you and your friend.
Thanks jirish.I am glad I was there too.
So sorry to read this. Best wishes.
Thank you Koyel!Seems the world is just upside down these days!
I’m so sorry to hear this. I had a family friend whose husband had an aneurysm and never woke up. It is so startling that life can end so quickly. I hope you and your friend find strength in this dark time.
The really sad part is that I saw him on the Saturday.We had a burst geyser at work,so everyone came in to clean up the mess.He was the one climbing into the roof to check things out,and was fine!
The next day:brain surgery.Unreal.
Thank you for the well wishes!
X
What a dreadful way to begin the new year. Condolences to you & your friend and family.
What a way to start the new year,yes.
Thank you!❤️
So sorry to hear this. Condolences to you and the family.
Oh so devastating johanob! I am so sorry for you all.
Very sorry for your friend. So good of you to be with her.
And I hope your health improves.
I’m so sorry Johanob, that is awful.
How devastating johanob! I’m sure you’re presence was helpful to your colleague. Wishing everyone effected much comfort.
How horrible for his family and friends. Thank goodness you were there to support your bestie. Sending love and hugs to all of you at this terrible time.
What a week. I am so sorry.
How shocking and terrible about your friend’s husband! I’m so sorry to hear about that and wish her and her family well, as much as possible, as they try to recover from this loss (and you, too).
That is so shocking and devastating! I can’t imagine – thank goodness she has you for a friend. I’m so sorry for your loss.
So, so sorry to hear about your friend’s husband. It’s good you could be there for her. Hope the folliculitis gets better. Bathing with Hibiclens-type soap might help.
Wow, that is just terrible! So sorry!
What a shock that must have been. Your poor dear friend! Life is far too short. Hoping you find some peace this week.
That’s horrible and incredibly sad. So sorry.
Wow, johanob, what a lot of bad news. And 3 kids, no less! Condolences to everybody.
So sorry to hear about your friend’s husband. It is very sad! I hope the folliculitis goes away soon. Sending peace and healing thoughts! ❤
Peace to you, johanob ❤️ I’m thinking positive thoughts for you and your friend
I am so sorry, what a traumatic experience. You’re a good friend.
Such a sad situation. I’m so sorry.
I’m so sorry Johano, this is so sad for his loved ones.
That’s so sad, and such a shock when it happens like that. There really are no words.
What a heartbreaking emergency- I am so sorry for you and your friend.
I wish you strength. Good luck.
Oh how very sad. My thoughts are with your friend and I hope your folliculitis is better soon.
I hope you don’t mind that I put all of you on my prayer list. How devastating. Hugs.
This is so sad but it must have been comforting for your friend to have you there with her.
Sorry to hear this, condolences. Still young…
THANK YOU so so much,each and everyone of you,for your kind and considerate words and condolences.I would love to post individual replies,but that would make this thread unreasonably long.I appreciate this community so much!And I can feel the genuine concern and heartfelt wishes,all the way down here in Africa.I will relay your messages to my colleague as well!
Much LOVE!!❤️❤️❤️❤️
I’m so sorry Johanob.
So very sorry to hear about your colleague’s husband, johanob. Sending warm thoughts and hugs to you both.
I have a bit bottle of Grand Neroli (which I regret because the perfume, unlike the soap, is a tad bit too sweet and not enough green for me– I should have chosen Trefle Pur or Vanilla Insensee). I love the soap of this and have a glass door shower, so I spritzed some into the shower before showering and transformed it into a glorious spa sauna vacation. Try it, guys!
Clever! I recently read that it’s nice to tie eucalyptus leaves to your shower head. I’ve been meaning to try that.
That’s how I use my bottles of Herba Fresca and another simple rose perfume I have! It does feel spa-like.
Had a terrible day yesterday (well, not terrible like someone died, just terrible otherwise). Went to derm for yearly visit and she took a biopsy I wasn’t expecting from an area on my forehead. Then went to work and made several mistakes. Then took our sweet 13.5 year old Golden to the vet and heard about all her issues. Basically she’s old and failing. I love her and it’s hard to watch her decline.
So today, I did my grocery shopping early so I could just be home and practice yoga, do some baking and nest. So I’m wearing a sample of the new Essential Faith Aura which is actually quite nice – a subtle non-sweet vanilla-amber-musk, perfect for my yoga.
I hope someone will split the new Dior Holy Peony (yes, it’s pink, but I think this one is gorgeous). Dying to try it. https://www.dior.com/en_us/products/beauty-Y0996109-holy-peony-fragrance
Sorry about your terrible day <3 Best wishes for both your health and your puppy's health.
There's nothing wrong with pink! There might be something wrong about tying expensive scarves on bottle boxes, though. I haven't decided.
I love pink – there’s just a lot of out there right now. Ha – didn’t think about the scarves, but good point.
Enjoy your nesting day! It’s so hard watching our beloved animals grow old. I have 3 cats and a dog, and the youngest is 10, so I try to remember to cherish every day with them.
So sorry about your day. Those Dior bottles are to die for and I think awesome with pink juice. I keep waiting to find the one I absolutely
love.
I know how hard it is to watch our furry friends decline, big hugs to both of you.
That does sound like a loaded day. Hope the yoga soothes!
Have you smelled the Dior? It sounds nice.
Haven’t smelled it yet. But in my mind, it’s perfect. haha
That’s a lot to deal with. Hugs to you and your doggy.
Thanks, all. I don’t think it would have been so bad if I didn’t already feel over the top about my long hours at work and Mr. SP looking for work. On the plus side, I found a penny today, so maybe that’s a good sign. 😉
Actually, finding a penny is good luck. If you find one in the heads position it’s supposed to mean your guardian angel left it for you. ( says superstitious me?)
I think it WAS heads – yay!
I hope your day today was much better than yesterday. Hugs to you and your dog!
yoga is my go to when the stress is up ? hang in there and take care ❤️
Sorry about your rough day yesterday. Hugs.
But good for you for going for an annual checkup with your dermatologist and taking care of your health. My dermatologist tells me he can take care of anything if he catches it within the first year. So in that sense, a biopsy is a good thing.
Enjoy every day you have with your sweet Golden. We just lost our 15 yr old Collie girl, I understand how hard it is to watch them age. But senior dogs are the sweetest.
I’m so sorry about your dog. I lost my sweetheart last July. After so long together there is such a comforting bond with our older dogs.
I hope that your weekend has been a restful one for you, springpansy.
The picture of the new Cacharel fragrance on the homepage reminds me that I saw Kilian now makes luxury lipsticks, available at the Saks site. As expected, very attractively packaged, but it sounds like they’re scented. Do not prefer perfumey lip products.
If anyone tries one, would be curious to hear your impression.
For yesterday’s CP, discovered I’ve a bit of VC & A First. Had forgotten all about it, it’s nice!
And some other fragrance company is going to start makeup, but figures I just can’t remember who. Lipsticks must be just as lucrative as perfume.
Good morning everyone!
Sadly not sleeping in this morning, rather running every errand I won’t want to do tomorrow. I’m in Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fragile. Sadly I only have the sharper EdT but the drydown is a very satisfying brown butter tuberose. One day I hope to own the EdP too.
I did the same, but we’ll be soooo glad tomorrow!
Brown butter tuberose sounds great to me!
Hey friends, I’m in Vetyverio today from a sample sent to me by a very kind NSTer. It smells better than I ever remember it smelling before.
Yesterday, the boyfriend and I fasted all day (~21 hours, from 9pm the night before to 6:30pm on Friday). In my mind, the idea was to be able to eat massive piles of meat at the Brazilian steakhouse at which we had a reservation (Brazilian steakhouse = meat buffet on swords). My boyfriend practices intermittent fasting for…health reasons? I sometimes worry he’s not eating enough and overexercising, but his doctor is thrilled with the shape he’s in, so what do I know. Anyway, the 21-h fast was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I was a little cold, but that’s all. I think I need to find some solid research on the costs and benefits of intermittent fasting–the Internet is full of conflicting information, and both sides seem valid. (Note: don’t worry, there’s nearly a 0 % chance of me developing an undereating disorder.)
Anyway, if you are thinking of fasting all day in order to be able to eat even more at dinner, it doesn’t work. Your stomach shrinks, and perversely, you’re able to eat LESS. So my plan was completely foiled, and my boyfriend seemed confused that that had been my intention at all. So much for getting my money’s worth.
Was it Fogo de Chao? That’s the one we’ve been to. It is definitely a meat-eaters paradise. What we did was eat normally(but not excessively) earlier in the day, and then make a point of not eating for about 6 hours before our dinner reservation. We really enjoyed getting to try all the different cuts of meat.
Nah, it was a place called Pampas in Palo Alto! (You’re not in the Bay Area, are you? It looks like Fogo de Chao is a chain and like there are several near me.) It feels like a meat eaters’ paradise to me every time too, right up until I have two pieces of meat past what I should’ve had. Then I feel kind of sick :-/
I think your method is the best method to be able to eat as much as possible. It seems like eating during the day but not right before dinner is the best way to make yourself super hungry. I do really enjoy getting to try so many meats 🙂 and Brazilian steakhouses are the only places I’ve ever eaten chicken hearts.
No, we’re in Texas. Fogo de Chao is a chain, with locations throughout the US, so I thought it might have been that one. I did have to stop eating before I was tired of trying things. I have learned that when I get full, I need to stop.
For the really super hungry meat eaters, there is a restaurant called The Big Texan that offers a steak dinner consisting of a shrimp cocktail, salad, roll, baked potato, and a 72 oz. sirloin. The meal is free–IF you can eat the whole thing in one hour. Otherwise, it is $72.
Holy moly, 72 oz sirloin! That is…a LOT of meat. Have you ever tried it?
I felt so meat-overdosed today that I ate vegetarian breakfast and lunch 🙂 And I probably only had like…20? 25? oz meat last night. (Which is still a LOT.)
We have been to the Big Texan a few times (my husband is from Amarillo), but neither of us has tried the 72 oz steak–there is no way I could eat that much at once. They do have plenty of other options for those who don’t wish to eat 4 1/2 pounds of steak in one sitting. Their steaks are pretty good, and it is fun to browse the gift shop.
We have seen a couple of people who were trying to eat the 72 oz steak, but we haven’t seen anybody succeed. Believe it or not, over the years hundreds of people have succeeded in eating it. The youngest was an 11 year old boy, who ate the entire meal while his astonished parents watched–and then ordered dessert! They tell us that the people who generally do succeed in finishing aren’t the really big, husky people you might think could do it, but the skinny college students who are perpetually hungry.
There are rules: You pay the $72 up front, and then IF you finish the meal within the allotted time, you get your money back. They put you at a special table on a raised platform, seated by yourself so nobody else can “help” you to eat it. There is a timer running the whole time, counting down your hour. Once you start, you are not allowed to stand up or leave the table. You have to eat the entire meal, including the potato, shrimp cocktail, salad, and roll, in order for it to be free.
Ha, we just passed a Fogo de Chao in the car 🙂 I’ll see it everywhere now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m sure!
We have Fogo de Chao in our city; I haven’t gone in a long time, but it was fun. I took a group of staff there for a holiday lunch several years ago; the large men in the group were especially happy, I must say, as was one very athletic female colleague who works out a lot. I guess they were the ones who weren’t as concerned about overload!
I’m a big believer in the benefits of intermittent fasting. My husband has a very rare form of cancer, which is generally considered incurable. Because it is so rare, there is not much research on it, and at the moment he is NED (no evidence of disease), so there is no established treatment for him at the moment. There’s research that suggests that intermittent fasting and a keto diet help to keep cancer from returning, or continue remission. My husband’s better at the keto diet than the fasting though! I’d be better at the intermittent fasting – I once fasted for 5 days, and I scared myself with how easy it was.
I’m so sorry about your husband’s cancer, but I’m really happy he’s currently NED. I hope he stays that way.
We are planning to try a month of keto sometime soon (there are so many holidays and events coming up, though…). It sounds terrible. I’ve heard the first two weeks make you feel pretty sick. I expect it’ll be especially bad for a little carb monster like me, so your husband’s ability to adhere to it is admirable (though remission is pretty high stakes). Five days sounds like a really long time to fast!!! I hadn’t really planned on doing fasts longer than 24 h…. It is scary to hear that a five-day fast was easy.
I have practiced intermittent fasting in the past and want to get back to it. In combination with a grain and sugar free diet I find it helps keep hot flashes at bay and I sleep much better.
That’s really good to know! What do you think the fasting did vs. what do you think the grain/sugar-free diet did?
I think the grain and sugar free was probably the biggest factor with the hot flashes, but the fasting helped with cravings and sleep.
I used to do 24 hour fasts a couple times a year, not for health, but for religious observances. Honestly, didn’t really make me feel healthier in the long run. And yes, you can’t eat twice as much after not eating for a while, lol.
My personal opinion is that any change to a radically different diet should be done gradually. I had a friend who wanted to lose weight and started a pretty drastic diet plan (mostly no carb, but there were a lot of other eliminations in the beginning) with no transition phase and a couple of weeks into it she developed alopecia- lost all her hair, including eyebrows! I think her immune system freaked out. She had to go on steroids and it took a few years for her hair to grow back (the sad irony being A) she had beautiful hair B) she was a hair colorist). Obviously, this is probably rare, but it just had me thinking about going to extremes. You wouldn’t try to lift 100 pound weight on 1st try at weight lifting….
OMG! That’s so sad! Ok, I’ll keep that in mind. I am already trying to eat less starch than before (kind of a keto-lite), so hopefully that will help me avoid a full-body freakout. Thanks for sharing.
Last year, I did this group workout thing that involved me doing something like 140 lunges in about eight minutes, up from roughly zero lunges per month up until then. I tried doing squats after that and my legs were like…nope. For the following week, my legs were in agony. I convinced my boyfriend to roll my quads, but I started yelling in pain the moment he started. He was horrified. So anyway, no, of course I know better than to try to lift 100 lbs on the first try ^_^
Yes- ease into it! I started with eliminating the grains and sugar (21 day Sugar Detox) and added in fasting a month or two in to address lingering cravings and sleep issues.
Good for you; that sounds like the right way to do it! I’ll keep this in mind.
I was going to say…I would not try intermittent fasting if you have any history of thyroid and/or autoimmune issues in your family. It is not worth it.
Otherwise, it is probably healthy for many people, although there is also evidence that it is better for men than women, for obvious physiological reasons.
Curious about the connection to autoimmune disease. I had mild/moderate Crohn’s as a teen/early 20s, when I still did the fasting holidays, and I used to get pretty bad abdominal pain from fasting-worse than the usual. I thought it was the not eating. Now I’m wondering if it made things worse?! Anyway, I don’t do them anymore.
I have tried doing the 24 hour fasts for the Jewish holidays and it just kills me, so I stopped. My body can’t deal with it. I also do much better on a high carb vegetarian diet. Everyone is so different, best to try different things and then go with what works for you.
I could probably do them now, but as a teenager, it was brutal!
I’m testing Galop this morning. So far it’s nice, but a bit whelming. Maybe it requires a healthier spraying? Do any of you have experience with this one?
I think it needs a healthy spray too, but I also wonder if I am anosmic to something in it.
Perhaps I am too. I sprayed some more and it’s really very nice, but so sheer and mild. My “perfect leather” search continues. Tomorrow I plan to stray from my quest and test Granville. I’m really looking forward to that.
I love Galop! I’ve tried it form a sample and sprayed 2-3 times. I thought the performance was decent.
I’ve decided that it must be a skin chemistry thing. The wrist of the sweater I was wearing still smells wonderful, but Galop didn’t last on my skin at all. Oh well, the search goes on. 🙂
I had a slow start today for no reason other than laziness and also reading a book so I can leave a proper review. Yesterday, I left work earlier than my normal and thank God I did because had I left at my usual time, I would have been stuck in the office for over an hour. There was a shooting incident at the shopping mall nearby and our building was on lockdown. Other than 2 who were shot (not affiliated with my company and were expected to survive), there was no other immediate impact. We’ll probably hear from unhappy employees who got stuck in the building but it was safety first!
SOTD = VC&A Amber Imperiale and a tiny spritz of Tauer Dark Passage to dirty it up (I should come up with a label for this technique)
Now off to run my errands! It is cold out there!
You smell great. Glad you got out before the drama yesterday! Stay warm.
Thank you…and I was so lucky to not be there – nothing worse than wanting to leave and not being able to!
I’m glad you had such excellent timing! You smell lovely today.
Thanks, sistine!
What are you reading?
PM’d you ?
Sorry about that incident, glad you made it out early.
Thank you, tiffanie!
So glad you left early!
Thanks, lillyjo!
OMG! That’s so scary! So glad you got out before that went down 🙁
I don’t think I’ve even heard of Dark Passage. Has it been discontinued? It sounds great. I like your method of dirtying beautiful scents up a bit 🙂 That said, I loved Ambre Imperiale and didn’t think it needed dirtying up.
Dark Passage was a limited edition only offered through a Kickstarter type campaign associated with an indie movie. It was not for everyone so through swaps I was able to acquire 3 more travel sprays (the only size available).
Ahhh I see, one of those. Good job on acquiring a bunch! Sounds like it suits you well 🙂
Wow, sounds like you missed something rather nasty by leaving early on Friday!
We headed out to the sticks after my dentist appointment yesterday morning, and it’s quite a bit colder up here- Ice, ice, baby! All over this morning. Promises to be a beautiful day with full on sun right now, so we’re heading out to the “leash free” zone.
To support the beautiful surroundings (at Silver Falls State Park) and my chipper mood, I’m wearing ELdO Fils de Dieu- because it’s just such a mood booster.
My chipped tooth wasn’t hurting because it has already had a root canal (35 years ago! Who remembers this stuff?) and so now I need a build up and crown. So, pain in my wallet but not in my mouth- I’ll take it! Thanks for all the support yesterday!
Have a great weekend all! I’m off to throw a ball for my dog and baby my back!
Shout-out to the Bowling Santa reference!
Okay. Explain.
There was (probably still is) a game where Santa goes bowling (the player controls the toss of the bowling ball), and Santa’s elves are the pins (I think -it’s been a long time). Other elves and various creatures (a reindeer, a frog …) do all they can to mess up the game. I think the game might actually be called Elf Bowling, if you want to google it. Anyway, one of the elves has “ice ice baby” as his catch-phrase.
Oh, sorry to say I never heard of bowing Santa. I was thinking more like this: https://youtu.be/rog8ou-ZepE
Yup same here.
Word to your mother. 😉
Ohhhhh. See, I’m too old for that reference, you young whippersnapper, you. ?
Haha! No, I’m the old one here. Vanilla Ice originally released that way back in 1990. ?? <—Deva, old as dirt.
Sounds like a fun day (other than the impending hole in your walket).
I know! Gosh, I’m really trying to save up for summer! So frustrating! Maybe I’ll just slip in a pair of holloween fake chompers?
I hope your back feels better soon! Enjoy the leash-free time.
Thanks, it’s much better already this morning! Mobic thankfully works very well for my intermittent back pain.??
Good luck with the tooth! I broke my front tooth decades ago, when the second set of teeth had just grown in, and like you, had a root canal and later a crown. I’ve had two replacement crowns in all those years, and it doesn’t give me any trouble at all. I still don’t like visits to the dentist though. Had my routine cleaning yesterday and I have to do deep breathing to keep myself from clenching up, no matter how nice and gentle the hygienist is.
I get you! I’m the same way with cleanings, or anything related to teeth, really. The doctor handed me a pair of shades for my eyes and I asked:
“Are these so you don’t see me cry?”
I’m a serious dental weenie. ?
You’ve sure enjoyed the great outdoors, judging by your pics! Take care of that back!
SOTD: Fireside Intense. Thunk!! Not gonna lie, I’m a little sad about it. When I told my husband this was the last he would smell of it, he said “Nooooo!” It’s one of our mutual favorites.
That’s a sad thunk! I love that one.
That’s a good one. I still have a bit left thankfully.
I liked that one, too. If you’re looking for a replacement, I thought Blackbird Targa was similar-ish. Dark, smoky, incense-y.
Wearing Alaïa today. It’s nice if a little odd. (The “hot chalk” thing??). I found it for $17 at Marshall’s. I find that I get a lot of enjoyment out of my discount finds, I’m not sure I would like them as much at full price ?
Wow, nice price!
Ooooh, nice find. I love the Alaïa bottle. I would buy it I unsniffed for $17, that’s perfumath free! ?
I really like Alaia! Hey, five stars in the Perfumes 2018 guide. I also got a bargain bottle at Marshalls. Have you tried Alaia Blanche? It’s also very good and a little less odd.
I just saw this at my tj maxx for 23 dollars.
This is why I stop by Marshall’s even though I don’t really need anything! Congrats on the find!
Nice price! It’s still $30 at my Marshalls….but I still hear it calling!!
VERY nice find on the Alaia!
I’m wearing Jo Malone Wild Bluebell. I have a question about scent subscriptions. I’m currently using Scentbird, but I haven’t received my last two picks. They are having shipping issues. What are some recommendations for other subscriptions? I liked Scentbird because they provided .25oz samples.
I’ve only done one Sens Unique box: I loved the selections and they let me choose a substitution for one I wasn’t interested in but they’re small sprayers. Sorry you’re having trouble with Scentbird. I’ve been reading lots of complaints about them lately. I don’t know of any others that offer such large samples.
Had a craving for Sel Marin in the midst of a snowy winter day. Reminded me of the winter i spent in a town at the german North Sea. Amazing longevity for such a light scent!
Cooked some Indian chicken with pickling spices for dinner. Now wearing my decant of Bulgari Black, because i now have a BUB!
I would love to spend a winter by the North Sea. Just going to indulge my imagination for a while…
Laid awake for two hours last night not feeling so good and still a bit dodgy today. I’m wearing a light application of a neroli scent sample, Nerola by füm fragrances, a tiny indie operation in L.A. Her Ariose which I tested Thursday was magnificent.
Hope you feel better soon. Do you think it’s from the candle headache yesterday?
Not sure, but I’m starting to feel better now, thank you. If I get a good night’s sleep tonight I should be back to normal tomorrow.
Oy, glad you’re feeling better!
I hope you are feeling better today! I’m glad to see Ariose made an impression on you too. Because of the full bottle price, I am hoping that I don’t love it so much by the time I finish my sample, which could be a while considering how much perfume I have. I don’t know how likely that is though because it’s really good!
I had a good night so much better today, thanks! Yes that bottle price is high, but it smells very high quality. But given how much perfume I have I really shouldn’t…
Right, I don’t think it’s overpriced necessarily, just that it is above the amount I’m comfortable spending on a bottle. I think I’ve only spent close to that on a single bottle once, and it was a large bottle of a very rare and limited edition L’Artisan.
But like I’ve said before, I’ll hold out hope she decides to offer travel sprays. Or that maybe someone will split it one day.
Hello everyone,
First of huge condolences to everyone who has had a bad time this week. Hope that things get better.
I was wondering if there is anyone UK based on the NST board? I seem to remember there is.
I’m considering getting rid of a few minis (nothing very exciting) so it wouldn’t work posting international.
Hey, my sister lives in UK (I live in Europe) and I visit her frequently.
Hello Aspic: I’m in the UK waving 🙂
Hi to you both too!
Shall we rendez-vo us at the swap meet?
Sure!
Cold, but at least not windy so much more tolerable today. Still craving fresh, so went with CdG Lily which has quite the wake-me-up I was looking for.
How’s school going? Are you taking one class at a time or multiple?
Hey! Thanks for asking. I started with 1 class to see how it goes. So far, it’s rocky. The classroom site is kind of messy with different assignments/tasks/discussions in different places and it’s not intuitive. The instructor didn’t take any time to at least for the 1st week, explain where we need to look. So I thought I actually finished the assignment for the week and after clicking through a bunch of other places realized that wasn’t the assignment, but just the “discussion” part! So now I have to do the assignment which is due tonight. Ugh. Anyway, I’m not married to this program, so I’m not gonna stress myself out about it. If it ends up not working well for me, I have no problem with bailing.
I’m smelling lovely in a double dose of Jasmine Rouge – body lotion and dabs from my sample.
However, my mood is dark. Another beloved uncle passed away today – this time, it was my mother’s brother. It was so hard to hear her on the phone breaking the bad news. My thoughts are going out to everyone dealing with rough times right now.
Super sorry for your sad news.
Oh gosh Sistine, I just saw this above, I am so sorry.
What a tough time.
I am so sorry for your loss. So many NSTers dealing with grief lately. Sending hugs to you and all who are grieving.
So sorry for your loss. My condolences.
So sorry for your loss.
Oh geez, so sorry Sistine!
Sorry for your loss, Sistine.
My condolences.
so sorry! ? Hugs to you, my perfume sister!
I am so sorry for your loss Sistine. Sending hugs.
So sorry to hear this, and condolences to your whole family.
Such sad news. It’s hard when a loved parent loses a loved sibling. My condolences.
Very sorry for your loss, Sistine.
Oh no! So sorry for your loss, sistine. I don’t know if I mentioned, but this past holiday, it hit me that my dad’s generation is now gone and the “kids” are now the adults and we need to continue with the extended family gatherings to keep our generation intact.
I sometimes think that the hardest part of grief is watching other people grieve. My condolences to you and your mom.
I think that is so true.
So sorry Sistine, hugs.
So sorry for your loss Sistine.
In honor of the snow I am in DSH Epices d’Hiver! I love how it just purrs right along.
What a great choice! How much snow do you have now? I don’t live in the path of this big storm.
SotD is MAAI, by Bogue.
Still in London. Went to Jovoy today, and smelled different types of ambergris there (they had really big chunks of this mega expensive stuff). It was not planned, I just happened to be there when they gave a little demonstration. 🙂
They smelled from mushroomy and cheesy/fecal to salty mineral. Amazing stuff!
Wow! I would have loved to do that! It’s so rare, unless I get lucky like you, I’ll never smell it. I may live and die without firsthand experience of sperm whale poop…! A true tragedy?
I got to do that last May! Wasn’t it amazing? And I thought the staff were really, really nice, too.
Glad you’re enjoying your visit!
How cool it is, smelling real ambergris, you seem to make the most of your visit to London
Your trip is sounding like a wonderful time!
I’m spending this weekend watching Parfum on Netflix (so far so good) as I finished the super creepy You (also Netflix), and trying on all of my Heretic Parfum (https://www.hereticparfum.com/). There are definitely some that I put it on and have to wash it off IMMEDIATELY (Poltergeist) and others I just can’t get enough of (Smudge).
I just got Smudge and Coeur Noir last November. Wanted to get Blood Cedar too but Twisted Lily didn’t have it any more.
I’m in Prada’s Infusion d’Oeillet. Just bought a few more minis that’s I’ll decant into spray bottle when they arrive. At $10 for 8 mls, and at the rate I go through perfume (slowly!), this has been my pattern with this frag.
Thanks everyone for your encouragement yesterday with this darn virus. I am definitely on the mend. Hallelujah!
Love a good carnation! You smell great ?
I did the same with Vetiver!
I’m seeing Sir Elton tonight so I put on some Un Bois Vanille. It will settle down into a woody hum by this evening. It’s a glorious sunny day here so I think I will go outside and enjoy it.
Oh lucky you! I see he is coming here to San Diego as well. Sounds like fun!
Wow! Lucky you!
Had a nice day today. I met my high school girlfriends for breakfast and then we went to the movie theater to see “On the Basis of Sex”. One of my friends gave each of us a travel size set of Origins with moisturizer hand and body lotion, shower gel, face mask, etc as a new year present. Super sweet of her!
I wore Chanel No.19 EdP. I was nervous to find out that my full bottle is less than half. It’s not evaporating, I just wear it very often. That can make me break my no-buy resolution for this year, but I will wait probably until my birthday, unless I finish the bottle sooner…
Maybe there will be some No 19 in the freebiemeet or the next swap meet. How was the movie?
The movie was ok. It shows the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg prior to the Supreme Court. I think it would have been more interesting to see a more complete biography, but overall it is fine and and keeps your attention.
Seems to me, that repurchase bottles do not count. The rules clearly state:
At the time replacement becomes necessary, the bottle is then considered a necessity. ?
Glad you got together with your friends, and ?for Origins
LOL! Thank you for your support!
I too use the replacement-bottles-don’t-count accounting method. It is very very rare to finish a bottle! That really means it’s a keeper!
High school was so long ago for me but every time I meet with someone from back then, it seems that we continue our conversations where we left off the last time we met, even if that was decades ago.
And what lillyjo said re: No.19!
High school was also decades ago for me and everytime I meet my friends we always remember the old times, like today. We are planning to meet again in April when 2 other girls from school are planning to travel to Florida to meet us. It is going to be wonderful, since the last time I saw them was when we graduated.
Hey, I think it is an encouraging sign that your bottle of No. 19 is being well loved by being well used! That means you are making progress towards another THUNK!
Your movie day sounds awesome! ??
It will be a BIG thunk for sure this year!
Hello everyone. It’s a gorgeous clear day in Houston today, cloudless blue sky and 65 degrees. I’ve taken Mom out for a little ride and to have lunch (Chinese), and we say so many beautiful blooms–azaelas, cyclamens, stock, pansies, and even some flowering trees already blossoming! Our January has been unusually mild. On Thursday this week I took a terrible fall onto the hard cement floor of a store near their coffee shop, where they had a poorly placed short post near the counter. I was terrified for my hip but it stayed together, thank goodness, although I bruised my left knee pretty badly and banged up elbows and wrists. I don’t think I have balance issues but maybe sort of some attention issues–anyway I do NOT like falling at my somewhat advanced age. For one thing it’s simply so embarrassing! I have had to put off my usual hip PT for a little while because my knee won’t bend right. On the positive front, Mom is doing well, enjoying her senior activity center, the weather is gorgeous, and I’m sporting some gorgeous T-Rex on my wrists from my special edition bottle. Smells like leather, dirt (good dirt), and smoke, so beautiful. House-painting is coming along well and I’m thinking of complementing Sapphire Ice with a very cool and pale green. (My town house has enormous high ceilings and walls and is not an easy place to get painted.) Such samples as Unwind, Silence, and Hint of Spring are on their way to my local Home Depot!
So sorry to hear about your crash! Glad your hip was not broken. It does bruise the ego too.
Yikes! Crash landings are always disturbing. Glad you were not seriously hurt. I have attention issues as well. One time I was leaving Trader Joe’s and instead of paying attention to where I was going, I was watching a street musician playing a violin. Stepped off the curb I didn’t know was there and kaBOOM! Down I went! It was heartwarming in the end because 4 people ran up to me to see if I was ok. But still….?
I’m really glad your hip stayed put. I was worrying as I was reading! Your description of T-Rex is creating a lemming for me!
Sorry to hear about the fall! I fell outside Les Senteurs’ now closed branch in London near Marble Arch a few years ago and broke my shoulder, it was awful. I felt very lucky that I didn’t have to have surgery, and it healed well. My sister fell last year and broke some of her teeth. One of my resolutions for this year is to go to some fitness classes that will help with balance. I didn’t think I had any balance problems but now I know I can’t take any chances as we all get older.
I have found yoga classes have helped tremendously with my balance and core strength.
Glad to hear your hip held up; that must have been a fright!
Im jealous of your lovely weather. We were out and about yesterday and I noticed some of the trees in bud already! I live in Western Canada so I’m pretty sure we will have some more snow and cold weather ahead. Although its supposed to be an El Nino year so I guess it means less snow and more rain. At least we don’t have to shovel the rain.
Glad that your Mom is settling in nicely.
Glad you’re ok, calypso.
Ouch, so glad you stayed in one piece, and that the new hip held on.
Eeeeek! That fall sounds like it was a scary one! I’m happy to hear that it didn’t damage your hip.
Glad to hear the fall didn’t affect your hip. I hope your knee gets better soon.
Sampling DSH’s Au Lait. It’s milky, but not overladen with white musks like I find so many of that genre to be. It reminds me of Demeter’s Angel Food. I don’t know why, but I get a hint of fresh coconut from both. I enjoy both equally. If I were a more diligent perfumista, I would probably do a side-by-side comparison. Yet while this smells really good, I’m not captivated and I guess that’s an important element for me. Gosh, I think I just figured something out!
Money saved, I say ?
Wearing Diptyque Essences Insensées Rose de Mai, which was generously sent to me by therabbitsflower here at NST along with a giant sample pile. Luckily I am loving it more than she is, so it’s found a happy home. Someday I am going to have an entire cabinet of pretty roses and still be stubbornly insisting that I need them all.
Going to see If Beale Street Could Talk this weekend – I’ve been excited for it since it was announced, I’m a huge fan of Moonlight.
??
I’m also a huge fan of Moonlight and am looking forward to If Beale Street Could Talk. I probably will wait for it to come to a streaming service, but please let me know what you think after you watch it.
Commando, sort of. Showered with Muddled Plum shower gel followed by the body lotion.
I’ll admit I checked our the original Girl For Now reviews after the recent (silly) flanker announcement and was interested…. doubt I’ll go out of my way, but I am curious to sniff…
Reading about pet diets…. my old lady cat has good blood work,
(Surprisingly good for her age) but it is likely loss of kidney function going on (she’s been thin). I refuse to do further tests, just to “potentially” get more info. Going to continue trying to get more liquids in her by adding warm water to her meals, light antacids and see what food tempts her. (She went nuts when I gave her some of the unsalted butter from my toast). Might go down and buy some chicken livers to cook up. Suggestions appreciated.
Totally underatand not wanting to get additional testing. If the treatment is the same no matter what, why spend the money or put the poor kitty through all that? Sorry, I don’t have any tempting food advice. The two cats I’ve had would only eat dry food.
Yep. I’ve been down that rabbit hole before, unnecessarily. Frankly there’s enough evidence it is kidneys. I told the vet I want to proceed under that assumption. We need to get some meat on her bones, and keep her hydrated.
That sounds like the right approach to me. I hope you can get her to eat better. From the time mine started showing symptoms until the time we let them go was 12-18 months. Some people give subcutaneous fluids to give them more time, but my husband had tried it with a previous cat and felt it was not humane. But I have seen others do very well with it. Best to go with what you feel is best for your particular cat.
Good to know. I’ve given fluids before and not had a problem with it. The cat didn’t have an issue…never even flinched. We got fluids at the vet last week, and it helped. I’d prefer not to…adding warm water to her food is helping.
Glad you found something that worked for your cat. My old cat thankfully drinks lots of water, but it’s because she only eats dry food (I buy her the most expensive type and she enjoys it).
I’m so sorry about your cat. Is she already on wet food? I recently lost my senior kitty to failing kidneys/heart/liver, but we kept her going for about 3 years after she showed symptoms (and about 18 months from her first “off” kidney bloodwork) by going to almost totally wet food (low phosphorus), making sure feedings were regular (if she went too long between feedings, she’d get nauseated and be less likely to eat), and hand-feeding when needed. CKD can affect the sense of smell, so choosing the stinkiest food can be helpful. And mine sometimes only knew it was food if I hand-fed toward the end? For what it’s worth, the wet food was enough to keep her hydrated, even without the sub-q fluids, as long as she was eating a proper amount. Best of luck — I know it’s tough!
Thanks. I wondered about the sense of smell…something in her behavior made me wonder. She’s been on wet food most of her life, with dry as occasional nighttime. We’ve moved off dry for all our kids.
I think I will start doing regular doses of Pepcid to ward off the nausea. I do think that’s had a bit of an impact.
LizzieB, when last I had senior cats, my vet advised me to get a pet water fountain for them. It did help with their water intake. Stainless steel ones are super easy to keep clean… they’re dishwasher safe. And they are easily found on Amazon and Chewy.com. (Not affiliated, just a happy customer.)
No food suggestions, though. Good luck!
We got a fountain a few months ago. Not because of that but because we got sick of one of our kids playing in the water. Our second oldest girl has always loved splashing water and making a mess. (We can’t have cut flowers because she knocks over the vase to play in the water…) The fountain satisfies her need.
Wearing Cuir de Russie edt and enjoying a quiet night at home. My husband is away on a “conference” for 9 days to Hawaii. My 4 and 6 year old are reading, and I’m having a rare cocktails and listening to music on my Sonos which I received for Christmas. Such a nice moment.
My thoughts are with the many of you who have had rough weeks. Whatever solace means to you, I hope you can find some (or create some).
Although I’m jealous of anyone being in Hawaii, a cocktail and music at home sounds nice. I love our Sonos. Perfect for our small apartment.
Wearing Arquiste for J. Crew #57 today. Not feeling it. Didn’t feel it last time I wore it either. Am putting it in the to-swap pile. We’re having nasty, rainy weather here. My older son looked so cute tonight in his suit and bowtie to take his girlfriend out to the winter formal at the high school. They met through debate. She is the team captain for the debate team at the other high school in town. Very sweet and outgoing. It’s nice to like the girl your son is dating, even if they are (hopefully) way too young to worry about anything long-term.
On a more sour note, my sweet mother-in-law has been diagnosed with a lymphoma growing behind her right eye. It has caused her to completely lose vision in that eye over the past year. I kick-started the work-up when we went to see them at Thanksgiving and her eye was bulging and aching (kinda looked like one-sided Grave’s disease). Not sure what the treatment will be. Depends on the exact type of lymphoma. I haven’t gotten a pathology report. In any case, her doctors told her and my father-in-law to go ahead and go on a planned trip to Hawaii next week and she will get treated when she gets back.
Oh dear. Sending lots of healing vibes for your MIL.
YIke’s! Sending healing thoughts to your mother-in-low.
So sorry to read about your mother in law. I hope they have a wonderful trip and treatment helps.
Best wishes to your MIL for her upcoming trip, and her treatment. Sending you thoughts of peace and strength.
Hello, NSTers! It’s been awhile. I have done a few “life edits” which included changes to how I spend my time especially online. It’s been very good for a number of reasons but, I’ve missed you all!
I’ve also been satisfied with my current fragrance wardrobe and it’s been some time since anything new has intrigued me.
SOTD: Myth by Ellis Brooklyn, a very pretty vail of a scent; floral, musk and a touch of citrus & something sweet.
Interested to know what new scents are getting peope’s attention these days.
I’m currently obsessing over Hermès Cèdre Sambac, Atélier des Ors Iris Fauve, Hiram Green Slowdive, Bruno Fazzolari Unsettled, Memo Tiger’s Nest and Naomi Goodsir Or du Sérail, among others.
Welcome back!
You know that Hermes is quite good. I sprayed a few of the new ones recently and that was my favorite. It’s different!
Curious about Slowdive and the NG.
Nice to be back. ?
Welcome back, floragal!
Hi-hi! What # frustration are you up to? ?
LOL. I need to get January over with work wise — I have a ton to do with a Jan 31 deadline.
*veil*
?
Gosh, so sorry to hear about your MIL! I imagine it will be hard for her to enjoy Hawaii with that looming in the background. I’m hoping it’s treatable. Learning to live with one eye is difficult, but doable. Thankfully, she has family!
Oops! This was meant in reply to Sapphire’s post.
Thanks, Deva!
SotD = vintage L’air du Temps
I’m at my mom’s house so I swiped a few spritzes from her old bottle. It’s glorious. The heavens opened and the angels sang. ??
We’re baking cinnamon rolls. My mom makes the dough and the grandkids have fun rolling it out and baking it then eating their creations. We usually do this during winter break from school, but the flu hit so here we are in January. Still delicious ?.
NSTers, you all smell like a million bucks. ??❤️ May your day be as wonderful as you are.
Something like this, Tiffanie?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKfKst3WJ7g
There is an interesting selection of L’Air du Temps ads on youtube, including one featuring a young Ricky Schroder, of all people.
Lovely to hear you & the family are enjoying a day of post-flu season baking–nothing like the aroma of cinnamon rolls!
lovely ad, thank you, galbanumgal 😀
and yes, the smell of cinnamon rolls is incomparable!
How cool! My mom’s scent was L’Air du Temps and we used to make homemade cinnamon rolls together. 🙂
😀 😀 😀 That IS cool!
You smell delicious!
haha! thanks, hajsuuri. My clothes and hair smelled like a bakery by the time we finished cleaning the kitchen yesterday evening. Flour, sugar, icing, sprinkles, colored sugar were everywhere! It’s fun to make a mess sometimes. 😀
I remember the old bottles of L’air du Temps from print ads, but I don’t ever remember smelling it back in the day.
I would love to smell that again. I had a small bottle of perfume years ago. And before that a spray. I think I moved on (when I was in my early 20s) because I assumed other scents were more “mature”. Makes me laugh now.
I was at work until 2 a.m. this morning, having started my day at 10 a.m. on Friday. Ugh. That’s very unusual for me, but we had a student discipline hearing that went all night and into the wee hours. I can’t even remember what scent I wore, that’s how tired I was! SOTD was a mystery sample from Nordstrom in my stash: citrusy opening, moving quickly into a strong tuberose-centric floral. I think it might have been Tom Ford’s Orchid Soleil? Nice, but not a love. Happy weekend to everyone!
That’s a horribly long work day! Hope you get to rest this weekend.
Wow, horrible! Hope you get a good rest tonight.
That is terrifying! I hope you get the rest you need this weekend!
Yikes! What a heinous workday!
Started off in Hanbury this morning for brunch and a grocery trip. It doesn’t last very long on me, and mainly due to this, I decided to pass along the partial 15ml bottle that I got in a swap last year to another NSTer. It’s funny to think of how many different homes some perfumes have. Early afternoon, I wore Acca Kappa Calycanthus, which is an old favorite and just a delightful sweet yellow floral. Post shower I’m doing some sampling. I have Byredo La Tulipe and Blanche on one arm and Sixteen92 Bruise Violet and Southern Gothic on the other arm. Blanche and Bruise Violet are my immediate winners. I wasn’t really expecting to like Blanche, but it does smell like really nice, expensive soap. Bruise Violet is a really well done lipstick violet. La Tulipe reminds me of Beige, and Southern Gothic smelled really sweet like fruit punch upon application but some of the florals are emerging now, so it’s getting a little better.
So nice to see a mention of Calycanthus…I forget to wear it but I still love it too.
It’s been an odd day for me. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I spent half my work day with a panic attack for no reason. Maybe it’s just stress catching up with me. My sotd was Angel Muse. I layered it with white chocolate mocha lotion from bbw. I smelled delicious. Funny thing about Muse’s bottle, if I turn it upside down, It looks half empty, if it’s right side up, it looks almost full, but it’s one of my most worn, so assume it’s half gone.
So sorry you had a panicky day, that is so unpleasant. You do smell wonderful though. The white chocolate mocha lotion sounds yummy, I have never seen that one, is it older? This Christmas I got their hot cocoa scented lotion, which was good. I hope you are able to unwind tonight.
It was part of the Tutti Dolce series. I think I bought it early last year. The line also featured a lemon custard and a pink something. I bought this one specifically to wear with Muse, because I found it so similar.
You smell wonderful! So sorry you had a panic attack.
Thank you, I forgot to mention I did get a perfume compliment out of the day ?
Perfume compliments are the best! Marshall’s usually has a bottle or two of Angel Muse but a little bit goes a long way and I already have more than a lifetime’s worth with my 30 mL.
Hope you have some time to rest Lillyjo. I have been very close to panick attacks when facing lots of stress, fatigue or exhaustion, especially at work. Please take care of yourself!
I have had the same experience with my bottle of L’Atessa. When I turn it upside down, It looks almost empty, and if it’s right side up, it looks almost half full. I don’t know what to think about it.
Sorry to hear that you had a panic attack yesterday lillyjo. ?
Went to the mall to pick up some new earbuds for my phone and stopped in at Sephora to sniff. Tried Armani Cashmere and Tory Burch Just Like Heaven. I don’t think I need either one but I will give both of them A-plus for longevity. The Tory Burch especially is still going strong 10 hours later, and that’s after only one squirt. It kind of smells like lily of the valley and dandelions.
I liked the Tory Burch as well but don’t need a bottle.
I also liked the Tory Burch. It’s fun to just sniff, even if your not looking to get anything.
Starting a new thread for public service, maybe?
I know most people use Forever stamps and don’t concern themselves about postage increases. I went to the Post Office today to see if I can get the Scooby Doo stamps but unfortunately they were sold out. I didn’t really need any stamps other than the smaller under $0.10 stamps because I still have several hundred $s worth of $0.29 – $0.44 stamps left from my dad (he liked stamps a lot so whenever he went to the Post Office before the advent of Forever stamps, he would get a sheet or two or three of the new issues ). Anyway, all these to say that the cost of 1 oz. first class mail is going up to $0.55 (from $0.50) effective January 27 so you may want to stock up before then.
I just bought some stamps. I didn’t know they were increasing again. Thanks for the psa.
Yeah, a 10% increase is pretty steep.
Scooby Doo stamps?!!?!?! I’ve got to look for those!
LOL.
Looks like Scooby Doo was issued in July, but you can still get them on usps.com.
I was hoping to avoid the $1.00 fee (or maybe it had gone up). I do have the 1 Scooby-Doo sheet which I got several months back but I wanted one more. It’s really nicely done!
You might want to check whether any of those sheets of stamps are worth more to a collector. The 29 cent ones are old enough that they might have philatelic value, particularly whole, undamaged sheets.
Sometimes I forget that people collect things other than perfume!
It’s true…
True! For the $0.29, I have the year of the dog and year of the rooster sheets, as well as the 25th Anniversary of the Moon Landing pristine whole sheets.
Oh man! I wish I would have known about those Scooby Doo stamps the last couple of times I was at my post office! I would have totally grabbed a sheet of them.
I forgot to ask about the Scooby Doo ones when I was there last week. Darn! May have to go back. I love buying fun stamps. Good to know about price increase.
My favorite recent jones were the various ball ones…tennis, basketball, soccer, etc etc. very fun.
Belated thanks for the news about the rise in postage stamp prices, hajusuuri. I hadn’t heard anything about it. I told my mother and father. They hadn’t heard anything about that either. “I saw a ‘PSA’ about it on a perfume blog,” I told Mom. She was surprised that that was where I’d gotten the news, but we went to the post office the next day, and she stocked up on the Forever stamps in a big way. Mom and I got ‘Peace’ rose stamps. She got several books of them. Dad likes the Purple Heart stamps, so we got a couple of sheets of them. Mom got a sheet of the current “Birds in Winter” stamps, which are stylized pictures. She recognized the red-bellied woodpecker as a bird that comes to our suet feeder. I ordered a book of “Snowy Day” stamps and some stamps celebrating the Special Olympics. I think Mom and Dad will be set for their supply of stamps for several years now. 🙂 There were no signs at the post office mentioning the increase, though the gentleman working at the counter knew about it. I didn’t see any notices offhand on the main page of the USPS.com site on Monday, either. So it was a good thing to learn about!
I’m glad this information was helpful to you! 10% is a steep increase. I’m like you and your parents about being deliberate with stamp choices.
It’s Sunday morning and I notice many of you seem to have health issues and experiencing sad events, compassion and wishes for better health, January is the worse month really.
I still smell vintage Knowing on my wrist from yesterday, I had spritzed some to remind myself I don’t need another rose/patchouli as I was eyeing some TdG Rouge Nocturne, Knowing is enough.
Have a good Sunday everyone.
I also try to remind myself when I am lemming a perfume which is similar to something that I already own. It doesn’t always work but I think it is good to be mindful. ?
Hello Petunia, so nice of you to comment, you’re helping me in my resolution, thank you 🙂 Knowing is far more complex than Rouge Nocturne and I want to keep this quarter to a minimun.
I try to remind myself that the rule I should apply is “Do I love this perfume so much that I would ever choose it over everything else in my collection?” because that in fact is what I am doing when I choose a scent to wear. If you already have a perfume of similar type that you love more, then likely the answer to that question will be “No”.
Excellent advice!
If you love Knowing, then that’s money saved re: Rouge Nocturne!
Thank you Jalapeno: yes, Knowing is much more complex and interesting, I’m sticking to my guns 🙂 as you say money saved.
My mother has fallen head over heels in love with Worth Courtesan. I am going to give her my back up bottle. I don’t wear Courtesan all that much, so a back up for me is a little much. Getting together with a friend in a couple hours and thinking about either Noontide Petals, since my back up bottle arrived yesterday or go with vintage Miss Dior.
I love it that your mom loves perfume!
It looks like my mom is starting to get into perfume. She really loves Amouage Honour woman. Got her the body butter and soap but I think she wants a full bottle. Maybe for her birthday in May. I am sure I can find a good deal.
SOTD = Aftelier Alchemy
Bright, citric sweet, spicy, animatic and floral all rolled into one. Vanilla is listed but I am not getting it at all. Nice!
I like that one too–so much so, in fact, that after I wore it a couple of times I ordered a BUB. I really want Antique Ambergris. Maybe next month, once I finish documenting my collection and giving away the things I currently have in my freebie list. I am telling myself that I deserve it as a reward.
Have you sampled Antique Ambergris? I haven’t and kind of afraid to as some of the other ambergris-forward animalics did not work for me (e.g. Secret Garden) and I was allergic to something in Parfum Prive.
Yes, I have sampled Antique Ambergris, and I love it! I figure I have enough left for one more wearing, and I have been saving it for the right time. I love Secret Garden as well, and have the 30 mL EdP of it, which is now less than half full. I did not care for Parfum Prive, but I wasn’t allergic to it, I just didn’t like it. Oh, well, money saved–Parfum Prive is $$$.
Thanks to a generous Nster, I’m trying out Felanilla tonight for work. I think it’s stunning. I didn’t look it up, but I’m getting a sexy Addict vanilla and lipsticky iris. Am I close?
Enjoy the day everyone ?
Yay! I thought it might work for you. It is dry, medicinal, unsweet vanilla/Iris with a banana leaf note. So I would say the iris probably does give it a bit of a makeup vibe. I’m so happy you like it lillyjo!
I love it! Already making a plan to save for a fb?
Thank you so much!?
I bought my bottle from Luckyscent. Not sure what other shops carry the PG line?
And, it was my pleasure!
Yesterday i wore Azuree for a trip to Home Depot; it was not a fun project we had going on. Had to get some replacement parts for the toilet in the downstairs bathroom. The water is still running on for some reason so we aren’t done with this yet.
And today they have finally started replacing our roof and gutters. They are ripping off the shingles and our driveway is currently blocked. We had to pay about 3 months ago to our HOA/strata; our building is finally started today.
I think I need to go with some Chanel No. 19 today for some strength.
And I’m sending out healing thoughts into the universe for all those hurting right now.
I thought you were in Canada – and they are replacing the roof in January? Are you in Victoria? That’s the only place I can think of where you could replace a roof in January.
No, I’m in Kelowna. Most of our snow is gone (for the moment)!
Elton John’s concert last night was wonderful. Nearly three hours of music and he sounds great. His vocal range is intact but he uses it wisely, so it lasts the whole time. A tip for concertgoers–join your artist’s fan club! The ones I have joined are free and I get ticket sales opportunities anywhere from 1-2 weeks before the general public. I’m in the 3rd row for Mark Knopfler later this year!
Today for a boring day of chores I’m wearing Diorissimo parfum. It’s pretty nice but I’m starting to realize I am picky about lily notes.
Saw him in Nashville in Oct., 20th row baby! We had a blast- he still has it. Wearing Dior Mitzah to stay warm 😉
We have similar musical tastes. Glad to hear the concert was great!
That’s rather impressive that Sir Elton still has the vocal range! Glad you enjoyed the concert!
Thank you everyone for your kind words and condolences yesterday. It really means a lot.
I was talking to my mom and was not surprised that my uncle didn’t want a funeral but a big party to celebrate his life. This is the man who was trying to teach his hospice nurses how to make “his kind” of martini. In his honor I am wearing abundant quantities of Parfumerie Generale Bois Blond – I don’t care if it’s discontinued, I’m going to use up the good stuff!
Big hugs to all of you wonderful, beautifully fragrant people.
A big hug back to you, Sistine ?
Enjoy the good stuff!
Your uncle sounds like he liked to enjoy life. A good lesson to remember.
Enjoy the good stuff!
“his kind of martini” 🙂 Your uncle definitely had style!
Hugs for you.
Great story about the martini! And you are wise to use the good stuff. My goal is to do the same.
My condolences to you, sistine. I’m sorry I couldn’t post earlier. You’ve had a rough time of it lately. Your uncle sounds like he will be sorely missed by many people. Hugs.
I caught up on some chores this weekend. SOTD is Chergui. I tested Bois d’Iris yesterday. It has a nice opening but the dry down was a little disappointing. It’s a nice scent but I a happy to cross another off my list.
I crossed it off my list too. It was a like, not love.
Chores twin, Petunia!
?
I am wearing Eau de Givenchy today. It is very pleasant. I am not sure how this version compares with vintage since I have never smelled it.
And I have only vintage and I don’t want to know the difference 🙂
Wearing a massive dose of Atélier des Ors Rose Omeyyad. It’s rather animalic. Really good stuff.
My sympathies to everyone who is dealing with the loss of a loved one right now. I hope that things will eventually ease up and that you all will find moments of peace and beauty.
Yesterday I went to hang out with my friend whose mom had died right before Christmas. She is doing a lot better than I had hoped. We talked a bit about grief and all the loose ends left after a parent passes away. The kittens that she adopted before her life went sideways are now beautiful teen-aged cats with the FLOOFIEST coasts ever! And adorable little tufts of fur between their little toes. The memorial mass will be held next Saturday morning. I am planning to go.
SOYD = back in Amouage Gold pour Femme. It just seemed right for the day.
SOTD = Tam Dao EdT, from the sample stash, for a day of stripping the bed and washing all the linens. This might make it onto my FB list. I should probably give a new bottle a sniff sometime to see if I still like how it smells… the specter of reformulation does loom.
You are a good friend, Jalapeno ?
Thanks lillyjo. I remember how much it meant to me when people reached out after my dad passed away. It will have been 30 years in February.
I’m really sorry, Jalapeno. I marked my dads 30th year passing in November.
Need some recommendations 🙂 Hubby might be going to Spain (Malaga and Barcelona) and Morocco (Fes and Casablanca). I have hopes of him bringing back bottles of beautiful perfume oil/perfumes. Any recommendations? Thank you!
Have him check out Carner Barcelona–lovely perfumes, D600 is my favorite but they have a leather and some other ones too. In Morocco, because it’s a Muslim country, there are lots of attars, and pretty much all of them smell good, even the inexpensive ones.
I love buying Argan oil from Morocco, just make sure he buys a good brand. Also, the spices are lovely, saffron, cinnamon…
In Barcelona, we have the best olive oil (not perfume related but worth it!).
Rose Perfection by Piguet from a sample today. Really rich, big rose. Nice.
May I please have dibs on #7? I have a mini and LOVE it and would love a full bottle. Thank you so much. Gina
I got an “Advent Calendar” of samples from Atelier Cologne that was on sale after Christmas. That Sunday I put on some Sud Magnolia, which I had tried before at Sephora, but it made Dad cough and wheeze. I don’t know what would be in a magnolia fragrance that he would be allergic to. He doesn’t have an allergic reaction to the scent of fresh magnolia flowers. We have a sweet bay magnolia and the very common cultivar Magnolia ‘Soulangiana’ (sp?).
Last weekend, it was the Vetiver Fatal he seemed to be quite allergic to. He was coughing and wheezing and sneezing, so I wiped that one off. Judging by other times I’ve tried different types of newer perfumes, I believe my mother is allergic to artificial sandalwood scents. Apparently she was fine with the perfumes that were popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but has increasingly become allergic to — well, nearly everything.
She had to be careful about lotions because she has had a lanolin allergy for a long time. In the last couple of decades, she’s reacted to fragrances and such in functional-scented products, so now we use a lot of hypoallergenic products.
I think it may be “cinnamon-scented” pine cones that give me coughing fits around stores during the holiday season. And in a grocery store, I had a nasty coughing fit from what smelled like Nag Champa incense to me, though Mom said it was someone’s perfume.
I was a little disgruntled that I was allergic to something she wasn’t. For a while I couldn’t even go into the air freshener aisle, but I’m taking allergy medicine now. If I’m not taking the allergy medicines, something in the pressurized spray cans of air freshener makes me cough and wheeze.
Sorry about the rambling. Folks, feel free to speculate on the culprits for the allergies I’ve described.
I’ll try to get to friends’ houses on the weekends so I can try perfumes without giving my parents allergic reactions. 🙂