A quick PSA: our annual Haiku challenge is next Saturday, and we have a freebiemeet coming up next month on June 8.
Meantime, our usual open thread poll, May The Fourth Be With You / Cinco de Mayo edition. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the fragrance you're thinking will be your go-to this summer (or winter, as the case may be), whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Soft Pink Lilacs [cropped] by Eric Kilby at flickr; some rights reserved.
L’Heure Bleue EDP Guerlain
I only know the extrait of this gorgeous beauty, but I’m sure the EDP is glorious as well!
fantastique! that one makes me swoon every time.
Omnia
Thrift store ?
Oh, great find! ??
2nd that!
I didn’t find Omnia at the thrift store, I am just consignment shopping ? while wearing Omnia.
First weekend of May, oh how the time flies!
It’s finally raining more seriously today, first time in a couple of months. It is so needed for the crops.
I am wearing Belles Rives by La Parfumerie Moderne, a rooty-buttery orris.
Instant iris lemming! Going to my sample list right away!
Hope you like it
Same here re: rainy weather (I think we’re both in Europe?), I can’t remember the last time it rained all day before today. We’ve never had to water the garden so much in April as this year… This rain is a relief, really.
Yes, I’m in Poland and we are suffering drought as there was no snow after winter to melt and water the ground.
I’m in Hungary, similar situation.
I feel your pain! After 4 years of drought we finally got an extremely wet winter, so I feel happy. I hope your summer is not as dry as ours are (“by design”).
Lovely perfume, you smell good.
Doused myself this morning in En Passent in celebration of lilacs in bloom. I would need a bucket of this to get the impact I really want it to have, but it is lovely in any case.
Sorry I went MIA after posting last weekend! We have only just gotten internet at the new place. It will be a great house some day, but currently is a mess! Plenty of projects for the next while to get it all put together.
En Passant is pretty but faint. Hope your new place is feeling homey if still not quite there.
I agree En Passant is lovely, and after the first 10 min. or so becomes very subtle. But then I have noticed, it can do this weird reappearing act perhaps 6 hours later, when suddenly it is there again, strong as ever! I kind of like the game of peek-a-boo, but ultimately, I wish it had more presence.
Ha, I have been in my house 20 years and it too will be a great place someday!
Enjoy your new place Marjorie Rose.
Thanks, Robin!
And I know what you mean. . . here’s hoping the projects aren’t endless (even though I know they will be)!
When we sold our house in Birmingham we were in year 24 of our 5 year plan. ?
Been away for a bit while going through some intense times at work. I hope you are all doing well!
My SIL drove through town and stayed with us. She was wearing JM Wood Sage and Sea Salt—- goodness it was pleasant on her! I can’t remember the last time I was so charmed by perfume on someone else. Those of you who wear this, you are doing a service to those around you!
Sorry about your intense work situation — hope it calms down!
I’m in a similar situation with work now so I can relate, and wish you to get through it soon. Take care of yourself and try to get enough rest in between insanities.
Amour de Cacao.
I thought this was funny. Apparently there is a niche chalk market, with enthusiasts (matthematicians) hoarding limited chalk supplies?
https://youtu.be/PhNUjg9X4g8
This is hilarious!
I think it’s hillarous that spell check didn’t catch my missspelling of “mathematicians”…?
Too funny!
Also, things you can do with good chalk are pretty sweet.
https://youtu.be/l789l6np-qA
“The value is in using it up, not hoarding it!” Words to live by.
I loved the bit about the back-up plan of becoming a chalk pusher/dealer if mathematics fell through.
So funny! Thanks for posting.
I saw that — so interesting!
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing it!
Enjoyed watching it – thank you for sharing.
Philosykos, at the request if my husband. (“Can you wear that fig thing?”)
Big haircut today – getting my hair chopped from below my shoulders to just below my chin.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
I hope you love the new cut as much as your husband loves “that fig thing”!
be brave, sistine!
Yay for the haircut! I’m sure you’ll love it. Nice that your husband makes those requests for scents. Sweet.
I’m sure it will be lovely! Good luck!
I love that request out of context. “Fig thing”?
Haircut twins today! I didn’t go quite as short as you did, though. ✂
big haircuts are exciting! hope yours is fun for you
I love it: “that fig thing”! Kudos to him for knowing it is based on fig — my husband (who is very generous with fragrance gifts) usually says something like: “That’s nice. Flowers?” lol
There’s little so liberating as a big haircut! Enjoy!
Hi everyone! How your weekend is of to a great start!
I’m in vintage No 19 EdT. Smells heavenly and refined. There are very few irises I don’t like and this one is probably near the top.
I have done my chores (most of them, anyway) and am relaxing on the front porch rocker with tea and my lap top, so at the moment it is a good weekend!
Sounds lovely. Hope the spring weather is warming up for you. I put off all my errands till today.
41 days to Africa! The calendar is moving quickly, alas the scale is not.
SOTD is Memo Kedu from a sample. ordered a sample of Winter Palace from eBay last night. Saving pennies for trip purchases and dang it’s hard. Birthday week this week…maybe some gift cards will show up:)
Do report your thoughts on Winter Palace, I’m very interested to hear what it smells like!
Me too!
Me three.
Good luck, hope the birthday fairies (and the diet fairies) are good to you apsara!
There are no diet fairies in my life, Robin.
Been fighting diet devils forever. Never met a carbohydrate I didn’t love.
Where in Africa are you going?
Happy birthday! Hope you get those gift cards!
Serengeti and Zanzibar
That sounds so exciting!
Many sprays of Profumum Roma Acqua di Sale to keep myself awake and have a strong summer vibe around me in another cloudy, drizzly, gloomy day at work. Coffee to the rescue!
Happy weekend everyone!
Go coffee!! It is pretty gloomy here too although we did get a couple hours of sun in between.
Lucky you! No sun here at all!
While I was outside, it was mostly cloudy with a glare, and super-humid. I somehow managed to give myself a sunburn on my arms! I’m glad I was wearing pants, so I didn’t burn my legs. I wasn’t really outside when it was sunny, either. I am very fair-skinned, but I didn’t expect to get sunburned on a cloudy day. I’ll have to keep in mind to have sunscreen on even if it’s cloudy if I’m going to be outside for a few hours!
The drizzle made it down to me today. Bleah.
So depressing!
64 degrees and sun! Finally! Of course, I’m working but that’s ok. Last week, I found a really cute shirt for my daughter. I had her wear it yesterday for her class trip to the zoo. She came home with a chunk of it missing. What happened? A goat ate it!, LOL! The goat ate about the size of a grapefruit of her shirt. I’m sure my daughter was giggling the whole time!
Sotd is No. 19 ??
Well the loss of the shirt is made up for by a story you’ll still be laughing about decades from now! Too funny.
Haha! A good standard has been set for evaluating things for you and your daughter! “Is it good enough for a goat?”
Lol
A goat ate it! Excellent.
Did you take a pucture of the shirt for good memories?
Oh yes, I did!
Hope you get out of work in time to enjoy some of this sun!??
I did for a bit?
Ah, that is brilliant! Too bad you weren’t there to see it in person.
If I had been there, I would have gotten her away from the goat. I’ve seen them nip at her clothes before, and she just laughs and laughs. It’s really cute. I’m assuming her teacher figured nothing was getting eaten.
“A goat ate it!” Best excuse/explanation ever.
That is hilarious. As said earlier, will be a family story told for the ages.
When I was in kindergarten, we went to the petting zoo wearing apple-shaped name tags. Very few name tags survived the goats.
That’s crazy — far better than “the dog ate my homework”! BTW, you smell great — No. 19 is awesome.
Great story, totally worth the ruined shirt!
And you smelled fabulous!
You and the goat have the same taste in clothes! (pun intended)
??
ELDO Like This.
Just ordered the Zoologist sample set. Really like Bat. I have a sample problem. As problems go, though, I’ll take it!
I think the Zoologist sample set was my favorite and most rewarding sample set of all time, you won’t regret it! Enjoy!!!
I really mean to get that sample set some time, although my sample pile is embarrassingly large already.
Ahh, yes, my sample collection has become disturbingly large very quickly. Actually bought some containers over weekend to organize them. Yikes. Can confess to these things to very few people IRL!
I completely agree with Regina, the Zoologist set is worth it!
I enjoy Bat too, it’s weird but likable.
Wearing Saint Julep, of course, and watching the horse racing. I have fallen in love with one of the ponies… a massive black and white beast that looks to have Appaloosa and Percheron (If that’s possible…). Absolutely stunning.
Staying close to home because we are in similar situation to Koyel with one of our cats. Final days, but we haven’t yet made the appointment to say goodbye. I’m feeling for her today…
Very sorry about your kitty. They are such good friends.
Oh no, I was just thinking about that and remembering the sad, helpless feeling of the last time I was there. Sending you lots of love.
I was thinking of Koyel this morning too. I’m so sorry you’re going through the same thing with your kitty.
So sorry you are facing that decision with your kitty. It’s so hard.
So sorry, LizzieB. Keeping you and Koyel in my thoughts.
Sorry to hear about your kitty. Sending peace and love!
I’m sorry about your kitty!
So very sorry about your kitty cat…a big hug to you during this tough time.
Sorry to hear that you are going through ‘end of days’ with one of your kitties, too. That’s a difficult situation to navigate. Hugs.
I, too, am thinking about Koyel today.
I’m so sorry to hear that your kitty is ailing. Hugs to you.
Oh no! Keeping both of you in my thoughts!
I’m very sorry for you and your kitty. Will keep you in my thoughts. Hugs.
I’m sorry to hear about your (and Koyel’s) cats.
I walked in a 5k fun run this morning with a bunch of coworkers at a nearby park. It was a beautiful morning with a view of Mt. Rainier across Lake Washington for part of the route. I walked with the coworker I’m closest to, and we had great conversation. I wore Guerlain Une Dimanche a la Campagne. It was perfect – herbaceous, kinda sweet, with a nice sweet, milky white musk (not the terrible kind to my nose) dry down. And the park/forest smelled amazing as we walked. It was like a mossy, balmy hay-like smell for the most part. I stuck my nose in a big light purple lilac bush, but it was just starting to bloom so I didn’t get to smell much. We also passed a blackberry patch that I sniffed out even though it’s not blackberry season yet. The leaves and flowers still put out a winey, musky smell.
Heading to a favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch and will reapply the Guerlain. I walked up an appetite!
What a great morning, I am jealous!
Agreed. Guerlain, walk, Mexican food, repeat.
It’s been such a great day! Every now and then a whole day is just right.
That does sound like a great morning, and a great lunch!
It was! Even better was the ice cream afterwards. Got a split scoop of cinnamon snickerdoodle and freckled woodblock chocolate, which was lightly salted amazing chocolate ice cream with tons of little chocolate pieces.
In Week-end by Parfums de Nicolai. It is cold outside, but there is lots of sun and clear skies. I am planning a lazy day of cooking.
Totally random, off topic, story about teen antics to follow:
Just listened to a long complicated explanation about why my son does not have a date tonight to his senior ball. (Truth in advertising: I am totally biased, but my son is handsome, fit, smart, funny as hell, and super sweet!!! His senior class has about 80 students, for context.) So, apparently he did ask someone a week or so ago, I’ll call her K. He says he did not do the whole promposal because he didn’t want to put her on the spot, and also he felt silly.
I’m like, promposal???
K said that she and her friend A (also female; I should add that all kids in this story are straight) had been planning to go to the ball together since freshman year, etc. etc. and that she had already made plans with K.
But this week J (male) did a whole promposal (involving a sign and music, in front of a whole bunch of people???) and K said yes.
K spoke to my son, apologizing, saying she just felt too awkward to say no to J in front of his friends, etc, etc.
My son is not sure at this point whether K is actually going with J, or with A. He says it is all fine. She is just a friend. He’s going with a group of his mates . . .
I’m still stuck on “promposal”!
PROMPOSAL. Talk about upping ante ???
Kids.
Wow, I’m glad the whole prom thing was much more casual when I was in high school. I went to junior and senior proms and have no remarkable stories about either.
Promposal. That is just nuts… Though, I do like that kids today go in groups. When I was a kid, you didn’t have a date, you didn’t go. I would have vastly preferred to just go with friends rather than be on a date. (My prom was in the ‘70s…my date showed up in a leisure suit. Light tan, with dark brown stitching and accompanied by a brown hat. It was horrifying.)
Mid eighties for me, my date had hair like Billy Idol!, we won’t talk about my hair…
?
Billy Idol still has that hair!? Albeit a tad shorter.
Billy Idol is responsible for me having a weak spot for black leather pants on men far longer than was age-appropriate.
Billy Idol hair makes my heart skip a beat!
I agree about how much better it is that kids just go, with or without dates. One of my kids took a male (gay) friend as her date; she and boyfriend had just broken up and the friend went to a large high school in a conservative area where he didn’t feel comfortable going to his own prom, so he went to hers instead and they had a wonderful time! Another of my kids just went with a group of other girls — also had a wonderful time. Last kid — full disclosure — did a modified “promposal” with help from his big sisters. It was actually very sweet — at his smallish school, the kids all work out ahead of time who will go with whom, and the promposal happens after agreement is reached, so no one is put on the spot. His involved a poster with elements from the periodic table, presented to a girl in his AP Chemistry class. Who knew? there’s an element called PROMethium!
Those all sound like very happy endings! The periodic table preplanned promposal is totally sweet and hilarious, and fitting. Your kids are awesome. ???
Who does this J think he is? John Cusack? , lol. My son isn’t even going to his junior prom, and won’t give me an explanation. I hope your son has a great time!
John Cusack! Snort. I was just a little too old when that movie came out, and I was half way around the world on a year-long trip with a backpack, to really relate to it. But I wonder how it has aged? Maybe with teens of my own I should watch it again!
You should! I rewatched it with my daughter last summer before she went away to college. It feels pretty eighties for sure but I love John Cusack and it really has a sweet, feel good ending.
The whole promposal thing is crazy — I’m with cazaubon on this one.
Besides putting people on the spot, I think it makes the person “promposing” feel even more let down if they get a no.
Promposal? Huh. Both my kids went with groups of their friends too. I’m sure your son will have fun with his group of mates.
Your son sounds like a very sensible, likeable guy! I’m sorry for him for the rejection, but who knows, he may actually have a better time with his group of friends.
I’m trying to wrap my head around this promposal thing though :D. I’m not from the US so the entire prom phenomenon is a bit foreign to me, I used to think the prom king and queen selection was a bit over the top, and now we have promposal…
This has to be because of Instagram….everything done for the camera….
Yes, I’m sure someone was recording the whole thing.
No doubt.
Promposals. Ugh. Not a fan.
I have never been so relieved to have dropped out of high school…such pressure…
I would love some magnolia perfume recommendations! I keep pretending I am a Southern Belle (I am not)….do any of you have any love affairs with magnolia?
I hope you get some good recs..I have seriously never found a magnolia perfume that I thought was worth the name.
If you want to see the few we’ve reviewed:
https://nstperfume.com/tag/magnolia/
Thank you!
I own and wear FM Eau de Magnolia, which suggests magnolia without being a magnolia scent, IMO. It also has this vaguely rotting vegetation thing that sometimes I find fascinating, and sometimes is just too much.
Seconding Eau de Magnolia, and stating for the record that I have never experienced the vegetation thing that Marjorie Rose mentioned. Funny how fragrances are different on everyone. There’s also Acqua di Parma Eau de Magnolia, which I have not tried but which another NSTer told me was her favorite until she discovered the FM.
No rot in your EdM?! It’s like overripe fruit or a touch of overwatered, mushy houseplant. I wouldn’t call it a strong note, but once I’ve paid attention to it, it can become distracting.
No, thank heavens. I know the note you’re describing, but on me the EdM is quite clear of it.
Thx!
Thank you
I always found the magnolia note in Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle lovely but it’s not a soliflore, there are other flowers.
Thx!!!
I too think Jardins de Bagatelle is lovely
It doesn’t get a lot of love but it’s stunning, I remember smelling it for the first time as a teenager.
Hard to get but really wonderful is Sous les Magnolias by Pierre Bourdon. Only available in an actual shop in Paris. Bourdon’s website isn’t working.
https://nstperfume.com/2017/08/28/pierre-bourdon-sous-les-magnolias-and-la-fin-dun-ete-fragrance-review/
I’m looking too! Haven’t yet found the true pink magnolia scent I seek, which is different from the scent of the huge white Southern magnolia blossoms (which I have in my garden). I had high hopes for Magnolia Sensuel by Bvlgari, but nope. Very pretty, but not a pink magnolia. Hermes’ new Un Jardin Sur La Lagune is supposed to have a magnolia note, but I haven’t tried it yet. Any thoughts on that?
I sniffed it in passing on a test strip yesterday and didn’t think it smelled particularly like magnolias, but cardstock can be deceiving.
Grandiflora (Australia) makes a perfume called Magnolia that I think is pretty nice. I thought I’d mention it because the brand is relatively small and not well known (here).
It’s a beautiful sunny day for a change, so I’m wearing Mancera Coco Vanille, even though it’s not anywhere near hot here.
Unfortunately, the winter of leaks continues. Just discovered that two of our exterior windows leaked, one pretty seriously, enough to damage the windowsill, over the past month. :-(. Emailed the condo association and hoping it will not be my responsibility to fix it. Theoretically it shouldn’t, since the windows are part of the outside structure.
Ugh on the leaks. I will keep my fingers crossed for you that the association takes care of it.
Thank you lillyjo. Hopefully it won’t entail major destruction inside the condo either.
How is your shoulder pain?
Completely gone! It lasted for only two months, thankfully, despite all the dire things I read on the web.
I am so glad to hear you are pain free now!
That’s fantastic!
Hope that they will have it fixed for you, and soon!
I’m not holding my breath as they aren’t generally super speedy, but we can always hope.
Let this be the exception!
Boo hiss on finding leaks at your condo. I hope that your association gets on the stick, and fixes it promptly and without fuss. What a pain.
You should check your CC&Rs but unless you yourself installed those windows after walls/window frame was done last, it should be your HOA’s responsibility because the leakage is usually caused by bad caulking. Good luck with it!
I most certainly did not install the window, and it is forbidden for me to modify them, so I feel pretty confident they will cover it.
We are living parallel lives with the rain. Had similar leak/rot issues with a small upstairs bathroom window over a year ago. It was one of those windows that has hinges, and you push open the two panes. And even though it was smallish, each pane was actually four individual panes, all wood frames. Well that small bathroom window took me months to find someone to replace it—no one wants to replace just one small window—and it had to be custom made. Close to $2k and six months later (well into the summer) it was finally done. No condo management— just me and credit cards. ??⛈?
Ouch! That’s a lot of trouble for one small window.
Wearing Jardin sur Le Nil to celebrate a sunny Saturday!
Btw, would anyone be interested in splitting a Sylvaine Delacourte travel spray set with me? I really liked Virgile, courtesy of therabbitsflower, but the travel sizes only come in mix and matches of 2s or 4s…
Sunny here too! You smell nice!
How much would it be for the travel spray? I am running low on the one I got of Virgile so tempted to replenish
There’s no shipping fee so it should come out to $22.50 for 1 travel spray.
Okay I am in! Email me!
The sun is out today! Started the day at a neighborhood coffee shop and then spent some time out on the water for the first canoe ride of the season. This late in the season because this spring has been so crummy. The paddle going in and out of the water over and over is one of my favorite sounds ever.
SotD was No 5 L’eau, which faded quicker than I remember…so now I am testing Tom Ford Fabulous (you all know what kind of fabulous?). It’s…nice. Fabulous? Not at that price.
Hope everyone is having a sun shining, birds singing kind of day!
Sounds like you’re having a great day!
Enjoy the sunshine!
It really was a great day, and the sun always makes everything better.? Thanks!
I love the sounds of the lake. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice too, enjoy!
I know! Two days in a row! Enjoy your Sunday too!!?
Fragrantly Fabulous? LOL!
Ha! That’s what I’m renaming it.?
So jealous – I love canoeing! I hope to live vicariously on the water through you this summer.
We are kindred spirits then! I grew up on a lake and love canoeing and kayaking sooo much. Getting out on the water is restorative to my soul. I live for this time of year.☺️
Sistine, you could follow me on Instagram and really live vicariously on the water.
I would love to – what is your instagram name?
Just started following you!? It’s been fun for me to connect with other NSTers on IG because I don’t have Facebook.
Madtowngirl, totally with you on the water thing! I wish I had been able to bring my kayak because I have camped on some lovely lakes, although it’s a SOT so maybe a little chilly for these northern waters. I love the gentle slap of water on the side and the rocking motion. So relaxing!!
Oh yes, you have camped in some really beautiful spots! Being near the water is the next best thing to being on it. The pull to water- and even fire- is really primal, don’t you think? My parents like to tell the story of one of my very first boat rides, my dad could barely keep a hold of me because I was wriggling so bad- I just wanted to be IN the water!
I rented a sit on top kayak when I was in Florida, definitely more stable in bigger waves.
That sounds like a spectacular day!
It was! And it’s even warmer and sunnier today!??
SotD = Eau des Merveilles + Jour d’Hermes
I started the morning with Jour, it’s a joyful bouquet. Then added EdM this afternoon for a pick-me-up. Yes to Hermes times two! It feels good to get back to these cherished favorites.
My Mr Lincoln rose bush has put up more than a dozen buds. I cut the first two for a vase, the house smells like rose-y heaven. So lovely.
Current junk food obsession is Neapolitan Joe-Joe’s cookies from Trader Joe’s. It’s like an Oreo but with one vanilla cookie, one chocolate cookie and a strawberry cream filling. MMMmmmm.
Also in love with TJ’s Coconut Body Butter. It smells good enough to eat.
Have a wonderful weekend, NSTers. You smell fantastic.
OMG!!! I just got those joe joes this week and had two for dessert after my lunch today!! They are so good!?
yes, the joe-joe’s are! so! good! glad we agree once again
Rose season is wonderful! I had to google the Mr Lincoln type, they’re gorgeous, and I’m sure the scent is fantastic! I planted climbing roses last year, only one survived out of the two, but it’s got its first buds, I counted 10 buds and one’s really close to blooming. I’m very excited to finally see it in bloom.
Also great choices for sotd!
hi andrea! Mr Lincoln has a powerful and pure rose scent to be sure
congratulations on your recent rosebuds! they will be lovely for sure.
Thank you! I can’t remember what type they are, I think it was a German name… Anyhow, the website said this type has a strong scent, I hope that’s the case.
Yum, those cookies and body butter sound great! I used to have a Mr. Lincoln rosebush at a previous house, they smell sooo good.
ha, yes both are yummy, the body butter has a slight vanilla edge to it that makes me hungry
I saw the Neapolitan Joe Joe’s and was curious but my daughter asked for the regular kind. What a fool I was.
I shall remedy this next trip.
oh, do get some of those joe-joes, then give a few to your daughter and hide the rest of the box — like I did, LOL
Wow, roses budding already?
yup, the roses are going like gangbusters here. I think they are telling mother nature how grateful they are for the rain after years of drought.
!!!
‘Mr. Lincoln’ has a wonderful scent! Sounds like you had a very nice day.
thank you, neyronrose! it was a delicious day
I love love TJ’s orange blossom liquid soap
thank you for the tip, yasmina. I must try that one! I love TJ’s basil hand soap, also their lavender tea tree dish soap.
The basil hand soap is soooo nice.
I like the basil too! Their orange blossom is all natural btw
I love that one too. I wonder how it would work as a shower gel. It’s probably too thin for a shower, but I’d sure love to wash in it.
On the bottle it says for hands and body so im guessing yes?
Ormonde Jayne Orris Noir today, I’m enjoying this a lot. The first time I tried it I didn’t like it and put it aside, but I gave it another a go and it’s growing on me fast, so much that I’m contemplating a full bottle as a late birthday present.
I just booked my flight for my August holiday trip, very exciting! It will help me survive the coming months of heavy workload and exams.
I have almost bought that one (Orris Noir) several times. Ultimately, I think it probably has enough in common with my other (three!) OJ scents, that I don’t think I need it. Probably.
Oh I definitely don’t need it, but do I want it enough?
Which three do you have?
OJ Woman was my first complete swoon. It was quickly followed by Tolu and Ta’if. I wear Ta’if the most frequently, but I love them all. (A mother loves all her children, right?)
Great choices! I have samples of each of those, as well, I haven’t quite fallen for Ta’if yet, but Woman and Tolu are also among my favourites. However, I find Orris Noir a bit easier to wear than those two, so it will probably be my choice for the full bottle.
I ADORE Orris Noir, but unfortunately my skin reacts badly to it (dermatitis that lasts for a couple of weeks). Luckily it was just a small sample, because I had to quarantine it.
Wow! Do other fragrances do that to you? Any patterns?
I have found recently than MANY of my fragrances inflame my skin for a short while–a red blotches wherever I spray. Some scents it’s really bad (bright red, swollen and painful like a sunburn). Some it’s just a transitory thing. I can’t find a connection between them, and I can’t bear to stop wearing them. Some scents just get spritzed more in my hair to avoid skin issues–when I remember which ones were bugging me. This is all new for me–no scent bothered me 8 years ago when I started down the rabbit hole.
I’ve had the transitory version of this with one of the Atelier’s (Cedre Atlas, if I remember correctly), but I also have no idea what triggered it.
The sunburn type sounds worrying, though. Might be worth listing the ones that cause this for yourself, maybe if you write them down, you can investigate a bit about possible connections.
I did some research, and believe the Chinese cedar in ON may have been the culprit – allegedly (that’s in bold italics) it’s somehow related to poison ivy, or it grows symbiotically with poison ivy, or something like that. I’m not clear on the details anymore. Occasionally I get a (MUCH milder) skin reaction from some of the Memo line and a few vintage fragrances, and with those it helps to put on a light layer of Cetaphil before spraying on skin. Spraying in hair is a good idea – I should try that!
I agree with Andrea that it would be good to write down the names of the perfumes that give you that sunburn-like reaction. In the short term, you could take oral antihistamines to reduce the reaction. At one time when I had a bad case of poison ivy, my doctor told me that antihistamine gels that go on the skin make the person itch worse when they wear off.
I’ve seen comments from NST folks who say that once you make sure that a perfume won’t stain, you could put a bit on your clothes rather than your skin. And spraying the perfume on your hair sounds like a good compromise. When someone has a bad allergic reaction to something touching the skin, and the skin keeps getting irritated, it can get nasty. Developing new allergies is no fun, but it seems like you’re trying to work around it.
Oh that is such a bummer! I’m also curious if you had this experience with other fragrances as well.
Oh I definitely don’t need it, but do I want it enough?
Which three do you have?
Oops, wrong reply button…
Comparing Note Vanillee and Dulcis in Fundo today…terribly difficult to say which arm smells better…so I won’t.
Also I am not one for bottles but look at these new beauties from Atelier des Ors…and the notes all sound interesting too. Le sigh, folks.
https://www.fragrantica.com/news/ESXENCE-2019-Atelier-des-Ors-Riviera-Collection-12184.html
Those are some pretty bottles!
Le Sigh, for sure! I love blue bottles.
Off and on rain showers here today. Most of them were the annoying slightly heavier than drizzle type. More nuisance precipitation than anything else.
Watched the Kentucky Derby and saw the surprise ending to it. Spoiler alert: the horse that finished first didn’t win. Plenty of news outlets are covering the details.
SOTD = SJP Covet, from the sample stash and a generous NSTer. I may not care for this weather personally, but it is great for wearing Covet. ?
I am so over the rain
I haven’t smelled Covet in years, but I remember liking it. Glad it was a silver lining from the rain?
Covet is definitely a green scent to me, but it is a warmer green scent with a long lasting lemon note. So it was a little bit of virtual sun.
It sounds exactly like our weather here in the UK, and I should smell Covet.
Finally finally some good weather here! I wore Gallivant Istanbul cuz it was cold in the morning but the dry down works in warmer weather too.
Question: Scents with coconut notes often turn celery on me. Case in point: Bronze Goddess. Does this happen to anyone else?!
I don’t remember coconut smelling like celery on me. But it’s been a very long time since I’ve tried or worn anything like that.
It’s so strange! I have been contemplating blind buying Terracotta but worried about the stealth celery appearing
No, but other things start turning into celery on me when they are old/going off–Eau d’Hadrian for example.
Perfume: C.O. Bigelow Lemon, inspired by the lotions and creams of that scent. I also put on the body cream.
Made it to the Tyler Arboretum plant sale with family friends. As I said to them, a number of vines, shrubs and trees being sold out saved me from myself. There were a few pots of bayberry left, but the tag said bayberry likes sandy soil, and ours is clay and shale. I got a pot of wintergreen and some herbs. Apparently wintergreen likes acid soil and shade, both of which we can provide.
Late night shopping last night: I looked at the specials at Luckyscent, and 4160 Tuesdays Tokyo Spring Blossom was on sale. Nobody else was still awake to save me from myself with that bit of shopping. Oh, well. I loved the sample. I’ll enjoy wearing it. Yay, rationalization. lol
What does Tokyo Spring Blossom smell like?
I’m also curious to hear about it.
From Luckyscent: Roses, geraniums and violets, Sarah McCartney’s signature raspberry leaf absolute in place of cherry blossoms, opoponax and tolu balsam base. Also there’s supposed to be a bit of citrus in there.
I get flowers and a little fruitiness. To me, it’s not a heavy fragrance at all. You know it’s there, but it isn’t overpowering. I last used the sample some time ago. Others may have different thoughts as to what they sense, or I might be remembering wrong.
The sale was $65 for 50 ml, extremely reasonable for a niche fragrance, I thought.
Have a good rest of the weekend, lillyjo and therabbitsflower!
I like Tokyo Spring Blossom a lot and recently blogged about it, about a week ago if you’re interested. You can Google the name of the fragrance and “Serenity Now”, and it should show up in your search. I blog as a hobby, not as an “influencer”, so I hope it’s okay to mention it here.
I enjoyed reading your take on Tokyo Spring Blossom and some of the other 4160 Tuesday perfumes.
Thank you for sharing! 
It’s mostly powdery violets, like those rather chalky-tasting Parma violet sweets. I like it and it’s one of the very few perfumes The Other Mister Koenigsberg likes on me. ?
I have a small travel size spray of Tokyo Spring Blossom, and I like it very much! I hope you enjoy it!
Post shower and evening scent is En Voyage Zelda because it had been too long since I’ve worn it.
? you smell outstanding! I almost chose that one today…
Thanks! So which perfume did you choose today?
I started the morning in SMN Eva, but then gardened the heck out of myself this afternoon and switched to Mediterraneo post-shower. Pooped (and heck-less), but smelling great.
You smelled great all day, although I am here a day late to say so
People are losing their minds over what happened with the Kentucky Derby. And not in a good way, to me, it’s just a horse race, not the end of the world. No need to get bent out of shape. Helped my dad paint my bedroom ceiling and the both of us are sore from contorting our necks in strange positions. I wore Lyric today, tomorrow I think I might wear Epic.
I saw a few people comment on the Washington Post online article that the positive thing was that all the horses survived that run in the mud. I believe that a sloppy track adds to the risk of a racehorse getting an injury.
I read the horse books by Walter Farley and Marguerite Henry when I was a girl, and nonfiction about horses. I hadn’t realized that all the rain certain areas in the U.S. have been getting last year and this year would make racetracks so muddy and injuries to racehorses more frequent, but it is logical that it’s so. It’s a shame, though, about many racehorses getting badly hurt earlier in the season.
I remember when Seven Bells broke both of her ankles and had to be put down. People were saying that racing should be banned. I can’t remember the horse’s name but he won the Kentucky Derby but broke his leg in the Preakness if I remember right. Everyone hoped he would recover but didn’t. I think two of those were issues with something called a common ancestor making racehorses more frail. It’s always is sad when a horse gets hurt and has to be put down.
It’s part of racing – horses get taken down for interference. The result often seems unfair, but it’s part of the game. What was somewhat amusing was the announcers all seemed to know it was clearly interference, but they still didn’t want the result changed.
I just don’t understand why people are up in arms about it. Even horse racing has rules and regulations to follow. People might not like the results when something actually was against the rules.
Because many people only watch one race a year and don’t know the rules. I prefer they apply the rules consistently…no matter the importance of the race. It’s a dangerous sport…the rules exist for a reason.
Son’s track meet today – Pacific Lime. Played in a concert tonight – Seville a l’Aube.
Ohhhh that sounds wonderful!
DSH Mahjoun today. Trying to get some chores done this weekend…sigh
That was a good one! And sounds like we had the same weekend.
Hi all! First time commenting. Mint weekend! CdG Peppermint now. Heeley Fraiche Menthe earlier. Other recs?
It’s not all-mint, but Capsule’s Covey has a nice minty bit to it.
Hi and welcome Adrienne! I’ll add Guerlain Herba Fresca, and you could also check out the mint tag:
https://nstperfume.com/tag/mint/
In Maison Martin Margiela “Replica” Flower Market: “An abundance of colorful blossoms exude a brilliant aroma as you peruse through a local flower market. Honeyed white tuberose flowers fuse with fresh and fragrant variants of rose in a curated floral arrangement beside you. Metal buckets brimming with a multitude of floral compositions splash across crisped leaves on a cedar floor. The verdant scent of freshly-cut stems blow through a gentle and inviting spring breeze.” On me, it hits all of those notes, especially the metal buckets, and goes a bit peony. Springtime in a bottle!
I like that one a lot, though I don’t own a bottle. Have you ever tried either of their “filters”? I have Glow, and it’s fun to layer with other scents. Not sure it really extends their longevity, though.
I remember when it debuted, but I’ve not sniffed. I just looked it up, and it had me at “citrus notes and neroli.” I’ll give it a try the next time I’m at Sephora. Thanks for the reminder!
Yesterday I was in Tom For Violet Blonde while volunteering at the local library, hope it was appropriate, it was still going strong in the evening. So today I have to run the errands I couldn’t do yesterday and start cleaning the windows, Instead I’m curled in my armchair reading all the comments. I’ve misplaced 2 30ml bottles of vintage Oscar and I really fancied it, it’s the first time that’s happened so I think my collection is screaming for a (small) cull.
Yesterday’s weather was like March, sun alternating with rain and a cool wind, I’m trying to decide what to wear today, I’m thinking Guy Laroche Fidji.
I hope you find your bottles! Have you ever tried Oscar de la Renta Ruffles? It’s long discontinued but it was really beautiful.
Thank you Lillyjo, I hope so too. I don’t know Ruffles, you’re making me curious.
Love Violet Blonde! You smelled wonderful, and I would think it would blend with the scent of books really nicely.
Thank you Sheri, glad you love VB too. I hoped it would be library safe, I received no complaints so that’s something.
More sun today, yay! Unfortunately that means yardwork. I’m wearing Bottega Veneta.
Smelling great! Enjoy that sun?
Perfect Sunday morning, clear and sunny. It’s one of those days where I feel like maybe I could just keep driving to somewhere, but I turned off at work. Sigh….
Sotd Dolce Vita from a mini. Sparkly peachy goodness. ?
I used to love Dolce Vita, you smell great.
Thanks! I used to wear it too, and loved it. I got this mini about a year ago in a pre owned set. It’s about 7 years old but still smells really good.
I wore Nicolai’s Odalisque on Friday and Saturday as part of my “May Muguet Marathon” and this site’s May Day project, and I am debating today which among my other LOTV scents I’ll wear. It’s one of my favorite scents, among real flowers and in perfumes, so I have a lot of — options. I’m trying to work my way through the less-known ones, even though I have and love the “majors” like Diorissimo. Any suggestions?
Would you count Penhaligon’s LOTV as a “major” or a lesser-known? I wore it the other day, and it was great, either way.
Lazy Sunday here. I love my new haircut, and I’m super stoked to have a new bottle of the best hair product ever -Killer Curls by Kevin Murphy (no affiliation). Not only does it make my curls defined but just messy enough, but it smells like a cross between Dzing! and Dries van Noten. SOTD will probably be Dzing! to celebrate.
Have a wonderful, recharging day everyone.
Hooray, glad the haircut was a success! And that hair product sounds like a winner!
It is almost unreasonably great when one loves a new haircut – it makes such a difference in one’s outlook.
I will have to check out the Killer Curls product. The mop on my head strongly suggests that Little Orphan Annie met Pippi Longstocking, they fell in love, and had a brown-haired baby.
You look fabulous, and smell good, to boot.
I will definitely be checking into this haircare product.
Yay! New haircuts are so energizing.
I am always on the look out for curly hair products. I have 3a/b curls and need stuff that is a cross between a gel and a cream
Wearing some ocean inspired samples today and really liking Kerosene’s Walk the Sea. It’s salty, not as seaweed-y as L’A’s Un Air de Bretagne (more like just cut green stems), not as sweet as JM’s Wood Sage & Sea Salt, and not as floral as Pierre Guillame’s Entre Ciel et Mer. On me, Walk the Sea and Un Air de Bretagne get closest to smelling like open water. All of them are lovely though!
In the morning, I tried the 4160 Tuesdays Tokyo Spring Blossom I mentioned earlier from that sample. I still really like it, which is good. Now I’m trying MFK A la Rose. My folks got home a little while ago, and Dad started coughing when he came upstairs, so I think I’ll be washing this off soon, sadly. It doesn’t come across as super strong to me, but Mom will probably be able to smell it if I’m on the same story of the house as she is.
For those who have asked, Mom didn’t used to be so sensitive to all fragrances. She was an Avon lady in college, and she and her mother used the products. Mom used various bath and skin products that had fragrances when I was a little girl, but in the past couple of decades, she’s become more and more sensitive to fragrances. I don’t understand it.
Yup, as soon as Mom came upstairs, she said, “You’re doing that perfume stuff again!” We discussed me wearing perfume in an enclosed area — “enclosed area” being the house. She said she’d prefer if I washed it off.
I didn’t exactly mean for today to be a lazy day, but I keep falling asleep. I didn’t want to go out shopping at the grocery stores on the weekend, but I think it would have been good for me to interact with other people.
Maybe you can just sit outside for a bit. It might help you feel better.
Just saw this…that’s a good idea for another day. Today it was raining. I snapped out of it later in the afternoon. I’ll try to get out and take walks on days it isn’t raining this coming week. Thanks for the thought!
I’m in the exact same boat with my mom! Long time Avon lady that became scent adverse in the last 20 yrs. I find it frustrating bc she complains immediately if she smells a hint of my perfume. ?
Wow! It’s weird, isn’t it? Mom had bath oils and cubes, scented talc, violet, lily of the valley, and honeysuckle splashes, this and that. Then she got away from wanting anything scented. I remember my brother and I both liking incense, starting in our teens, and Mom not being into that. I remember that I would get little vials of rose or sandalwood oil in the 1980s or 1990s, and remember an aunt giving me a bottle of Shalimar EdT probably in the late 1980s. Somewhere around then I got a bottle of Red Door and a mini of 5th Avenue, and I remember using the 5th Avenue, and wearing rose and millefleur perfumes. The 5th Avenue didn’t bother her back when. Mom doesn’t really explain why she became averse to other people wearing perfumes. But by then it was far too late to stop me from wanting to have fragrances around.
Not a lazy weekend for me; went to multiple stores to try different couches and finally decided on a model! Today I ran 6.3 km.
SOTD Straight to Heaven by Kilian from a sample.
Lucky you, I think I will never find another couch I like! I am almost tempted to have mine redone, but it’s so darned expensive.
It was very out of the budget, but it had to be that one…
I am sampling Violette Sacree, sent by a lovely NSTer. It’s out of my comfort zone, more green than I usually wear, but not terrible. I was thinking that I might like it better if it were Violette Sucre. Gourmands are easy for me.
Happy weekend, perfume friends!
Two great rummage sales were cancelled due to rain this weekend, so no perfume hunting for me…
However, I have been reading a biography of the silent film actress Theda Bara. There was a very tantalizing bit in there about perfume! On page 83 of Vamp, it says:
“Long before Elizabeth Taylor of Cher had signature perfume, Theda had a scent created by ‘perfume artist’ Ann Havilland. The fragrance (not, sadly, called Vamp) consisted of woods and gums of Persia (to typify her Orientalism’) and pomegranate blossoms (‘typifying the depth of her soul and radiating warmth.’)”
BUT IT DOES NOT SAY THE NAME OF THE PERFUME!!!! How frustrating, I’d love to know what it was called.
Maybe it was never sold so it didn’t get a name??
Good point, it was probably bespoke and for T.B. only. Ah, I can dream, though…
Hi everyone,
My suite mate was elderly jewish lady from the Ukraine. Now off to bed I go for a little rest.
MY SOTD after being at UCSF hospital for three days is L’ Artisan’s original Vanille. It garnered a few complements from the nurses.
Sleep well!
Hope all is well SmokeyToes!
Glad you are out of the hospital, take as many naps as needed, you must smell lovely in that l’Artisan I don’t know.