Hey, it's Almost-Friday! What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm in one of the all time great bargains, and probably my best-ever unsniffed purchase, Lalique Encre Noire.
Reminder: on 5/17, it's the cheap thrills special, brought back by request. Wear something that costs $50 or below, double bonus points if it costs $25 or below. No points for wearing something expensive that you bought cheaply via a sample or decant or somesuch! We're trying to find real bargains here.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2019, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: the Lalique Cabochon rings are $160 each.
In Burberry Brit Rhythm for Her. Great lavender cheap thrill and appropriate for the beautiful cool, sunny morning we have.
Happy Thursday everyone!
Happy Thursday to you too!
Thank you.
Wow, twins! We smell great!
Hi twin! ? Of course we smell super!
BBR is so easy and likeable; I keep thinking I ought to just get a bottle.
It is a great perfume and the price really good! Why not? ?
Great perfume pick today!
Thank you!
opposite of the CP, L’Atelier de Givenchy Néroli Originel today
Rose d’Himalya tea by MF
sporting a sleeveless brown leather dress today
Loreal mascara and chanel lippy a mix of $ and $$$
Tried two of the Atelier de Givenchy scents in store the other day. The SA made a big thing of how exclusive (only sold in three cities!) the scents were and how reasonable given the bottle size. I tried the ?Cuir Blanc and one of the woods (can’t remember the name). Longevity on me was nil.
This one is really strong, border headache inducing if you sensitive
I bet you look fabulous!
Perfection!
You smell great, Robin.
I am in Versace Versense, which you can buy for $50.
Oh, and you smell great too!
Very nice for spring
Vanilla Fields Coty
Mimosa jasmine wood, and not as much vanilla as one would expect from an eponymously named scent (a la Le Labo)
Must be the fields. . .
one of my friends wore that scent as her signature scent.
Nicolai’s L’Eau Mixte today. I love the tart opening and smart drydown. Perfect for the heat today, and those small bottles are still a great deal!
Ahh, you smell great! I have a small bottle of that one too. Might just wear it tomorrow. ?
CK One today. I feel so “unisex.”
Lol!
I loved that when it first came out and went through several bottles. You smell great!
HA!
I wore the summer 2017 Version yesterday
Inspired by those of you wearing your Tauer body oils this week, I’m in Tauer Amber Flush body oil. Mmm.
Yay.
Reminds me that I never did try the new one.
I’d love to try the new vanilla one. Based on how successful my Tauer blind buys have been so far, I think it’s worth a go!
Finally some sun here! Wearing my travel spray of Hiram Green Dilettante to celebrate.
I’m so in love with Dilettente! You smell swoony.
Thanks! I layered it over some Tocca Stella lotion (which has a light blood orange scent) and the combo is working really well.
You smell good.
Glad to hear that you are finally seeing the sun! ?
Somehow most of my best true, deep bargains are classic men’s fragrances? Like the ones you can get for a few bucks an ounce. I’m sure there’s something to be said here about what this means about how our society feels about men vs women spending money on grooming… but anyway I smell great in Canoe.
Seriously I just looked up the price of Canoe and it is $14 for FOUR OUNCES of heliotrope carnation goodness
That damned patriarchy…..LOL
No kidding!
ah, Canoe… that’s tempting! BTW, does anyone know if the current version of Halston Z-14 is decent? If so, the price is certainly right.
I have not smelled it, but Basenotes reviews are pretty unanimous that the modern version is bad, in a cinnamon-gum-monstrosity kind of way ?
Same here for Encre Noir. So cheap and good.
Maybe you can pay the men’s rate for a haircut if you’re wearing a man-scent.
Lol! I have a friend who keeps a pixie cut, and she pays $20 for her haircuts at an old style barber shop. She wears Allure, though. ?
Ha! Good for her ??
Put on a spritz of Demeter’s Neroli… at least on its own it is a bust. Fortunately, I know I won’t be able to smell it in 20 minutes… so like the weather these days—wait an hour if you don’t like it.
I’m feeling Jicky, so may apply that one next. Not a super cheap fragrance, but not terribly spendy either. I got mine in a swap–a most excellent swap as it turns out. So for me it was a very reasonably priced bottle.
An arborist is coming by this morning about some trees I am worried about falling down. We have so many trees around this house, and getting them trimmed costs a fortune, so I am hoping he can do some simple “short back and sides” on these and it will be enough. Last time I had an arborist around to look at the trees, he made several passes at me! (I called a different company this time!) My dear NSTers, full on passes are definitely not in my wheelhouse any more. I thought it was hilarious and told everyone, including my husband, all about it. My husband did not think it was hilarious… anyway, a couple of years later now–I think I’ll skip the undressing with eyes and excessive compliments (I’m in my early 50s and decidedly Rubenesque–to put me in the most flattering light)! Hence the choice of a different arborist… when they said home ownership had its challenges, bet even they weren’t thinking of frisky arborists!
Frisky Arborist the new ELDO ?
Oh gosh I hope so.
Oakland, great story.
I wish just once someone would describe me as Rubenesque…
My last pass was from the deck repair guy. Hope you can hold off this new arborist
SOTD is SJP’s Covet. I love this spicy, cocoa/cashmere musk bomb – perfect for today’s weird rainy SF weather!
Thumbs up
Twins!
Great choice!
Thanks! I adore the far dry down, it’s such a beautiful cashmere musk…..
It is weird! I have cranked up the heat–in mid May!
Yeah, don’t they know it’s not supposed to rain in May?!?! Grump, I’m wearing a SWEATER today.
I am just waiting for the next hotflash – that will warm me up pronto!
Hahaha that’s an awesome positive attitude!
? That is a positive spin and I’ll try to remember that when the time comes!
Oh that is an excellent choice!
Love this – planning on wearing tomorrow!
Covet is a GREAT scent for rainy weather. Not sure why it goes so well with it, though.
Carthusia “Acqua di Carthusia Aloe”, which accidentally qualifies as cheap, but as a mild soapy/ fresh scent with no longevity, isn’t very thrilling.
I spent the day buying expensive flights, some of which were cheap flights when I first started dithering over them ?
Did you manage to sort out the work ( two day a week) problems?
Hate it when that happens!
My parents came home yesterday from California and I am enjoying two days off. Wearing vintage BaV this morning. I am debating on either Miss Dior (not Cherie) or Noontide Petals today. My stupid computer is being a butt and won’t let me post a blog post and I will deal with that later.
Yay for 2 days off!
I’m wearing Pistachio Brulee, a cozy comfort scent for an unusually rainy Los Angeles day!
I was wondering where our rain went. You can have it!
I don’t want the rain back anytime soon! It’s been a really wet spring so far.
EdM. I have the cute travel spray, but even the larger bottles can be found at a good price.
We had a thunderstorm come through just a bit ago that produced the most interesting looking clouds just before the sky turned black and opened up. Now the skies are clearing and I see the sun trying to come through. I hope it makes it!?
I didn’t know there was a cute travel spray! It’s a fixin to storm here later this afternoon. At least it’s warm though.
You’re probably in line to get what we got! Check out the link I posted! It was crazy- I’ve never seen anything like that! ?
Ditto this. I wonder if the Amber version has a travel spray…?
You smell great.
Thanks KellyC!
I guess it wasn’t just me, that cloud made The Washington Post! I love how they call it the mothership.?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/05/16/haunting-mothership-shelf-clouds-sweep-through-wisconsin-along-intense-storm-complex-photos/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e5fb7542ea70
Um that is amazing!!! Wow!
Holy cow! It looks like a UFO. That must have been fun to witness. ?
Whoa! I would love to witness something like that!
Ha, I prefer to look at the pictures of it happening someplace else.
I definitely don’t want the storm that comes with it.
WOW!
I’m going against the crowd, and saying I would hate to witness those clouds in person. To scary for me!
Yeah, they definitely look like 7 years of bad luck are looming or something ominous.
Whoaaaa they look so cool! Glad the storm wasn’t bad!
Wow. I have to show that to my husband!
Wow that’s fantastic – reminds me of an agate!
Holy Krakatoa Batman! That cloud is amaze balls! Here’s to hoping some ? makes it to you today.
I’ve seen clouds like that only once or twice. They are definitely weird looking in real life, too!
Wearing Smell Bent’s Prairie Nymph today.
One of my favorites.
You smell nice !!
You smell so good!
One of my favorites.
I’m kind of cheating, because I’m wearing Jardins de Bagarelle from a mini, but I paid less than $8.00 for it.
Wearing Hove Parfumeur Fascinator today, I don’t have anything else like it. A dram is $24.
I haven’t tried that one. Hopefully, we are going into the French Quarter this weekend. I can check it out. I usually make a stop to Hove each time I go there
Me too, I prefer Hove to Bourbon French but I usually check out both. Have fun!
Trying Profumi di Firenze Vaniglia del Madagascar today for the first time.
Sweet, floral vanilla. Mmm.
I was thinking on the drive to work that smelling and sampling vanilla perfumes for me is better than food at this point. Ahhahah. Which is saying something b/c I really love food but I guess I adore vanilla perfumes a bit more.
I definitely love vanilla perfumes more than food. You smell great.
I think vanilla perfumes can be a bit addicting. You just know there is a bigger and better vanilla hit with the next sample!
This!
Hi friends, I was going to wear GIRL to fit with the CP (I LOVE that one, and it’s so cheap! 10 mL travel spray for $7 on fragrancenet?! though it looks like it might be discontinued, so I might do well to snag one of those asap). My GIRL is a spray, though, and I am still not spraying perfumes in the home because of my poor little asthma kitty, so my hand found its way to my rollerball of DSH Alchemy. It’s cold and wet out today, so Alchemy is perfect. It’s such a chewy, vanilla butterscotch pudding gourmand scent–I can FEEL it in the back of my throat, like when I take an enormous spoonful of butterscotch pudding and stuff it in my face.
Going up to SF for an episode of Freakonomics Live, for those of you who are podcast nerds. It’s funny that at the ripe old age of 31, going up for such a low-key event on a school night feels like a big deal. I mean, if only we had decent public transit….
Koyel, you might want to keep an eye on the pollen count in your area. Sometimes my Teflon kitty (the one with asthma) is bothered by that. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by me wearing and spraying perfume, so I am lucky in that regards.
Fils de Dieu, a bargain buy in my opinion at $42 for a 30ml bottle. A smashing price for a great perfume that never fails to delight me.
NPN follows!
FdD totally fits my mood because Moby’s new shoes are killer! I was worried AT tires would be loud and cause a bit of a rough ride, but these actually are a vast improvement over the stock tires the van came with. Also, the people at the shop I found were fantastic. Straight up nice people who also directed me to another local who can possibly help me figure out a way to carry an extra 10-15 gallons of gas.
Another reason for my delight is that in doing research and planning for Canada, the border crossing, etc., I found out dogs are allowed everywhere in the Canadian park system. So I’ll be able to spend a good while in Jasper and Banff if I want. Canada, I ❤️ you!
And because of this! If you’re having a less than stellar Thursday, take a peek and I bet you’ll crack a smile ?
https://www.today.com/pets/cutest-cows-ever-internet-obsesses-over-fluffy-cattle-6C10169801
Yay! Great news!
Thank you! And may I say you smell great? I’ve seen that one at TJMaxx a million times and have been very very tempted…
You smell great!
Those cows are adorable!
Aren’t they though? Omg, so cuddly!
TOMK is fond of atrocious TV including that programme about the Canadian Border Force. Most “ordinary” USA folk get into trouble at the border over guns, recreational drugs or criminal records.
Pretty sure I won’t have issues with those items. From other RVer’s, I’ve learned the biggest issues are plants, produce, and food, with some or all of the above being confiscated when passing back and forth. Saved me money because I won’t stock the larder until after I cross. Even going into California from a bordering US state they “inspect” for produce and other plants….
Oh, and alcohol. Alcohol seems to bit of a problem, too. Happily, I don’t need to worry about that either.
This might be a dumb question, but why can’t you have food in your car, if you drive to California?
An example: sometimes invasive insect pests can hide in fruit. Gross, but true.
Not a dumb question at all. I was taken by surprise and lost $4 of tangelos..https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/factsheets/BringingFruitsVeggies_to_CA.pdf
Congrats on all of it! It sounds so exciting! And that cow- I just want to curl up with it ?
Omg! The BABY fluffy cows just killed me. I may trade T-Rex in for one of those. ?
I hope you enjoy your trip through Canada. If I could afford to, I’d definitely choose to live in Florida during the winter, though perhaps not all year. It was a difficult winter/early spring for me, although things improved when I got new tires in March. That cut *way* down on the hydroplaning. At least it’s been sunny yesterday and today here in PA.
I’m originally from the Chicago area and remember the never ending winters with biting winds and the pall of constant heavy grey skies, so I understand being completely OVER that season. But, there must be a happy medium between that and sweltering heat of Florida (9 months of the year, anyway). I think it’s a place called UTOPIA! ?
So happy you got new tires and put the kibosh on hydroplaning! And YAY! for sunshine!!
I love Canada..
try to get a selfie with Justin
Omg, I’m LOLing right now thinking of that! ?
“Styling a cow for show time…”, are words I never thought I’d read. They really are cute.
Glad to hear your Alaska plans are coming along well!
Thanks, now I have completely reworked my route because I can spend time in the Canadian parks. In fact, I may just spend the whole time in Canada, because why not? Such a beautiful area of the world. ??
Awwwwww thanks Deva! That’s very sweet! I have the same thoughts of the places I have visited in the US. You are probably very aware of this already but if not, ticks are becoming more of a concern across the country. There are more here in eastern Canada because of the deer population but they are showing up elsewhere. There will likely be warnings on park signage to keep an eye out for them. My sister and partner always check their dog if they go out for walks and also themselves. I hope you get to see some beautiful scenery and remember, the days will be longer the further north you travel – very cool!
Thanks for the heads up! The doggo is covered. I’m not. ?
I have no doubt that I will see amazing vistas in Canada! Even though the destination is Alaska, the long road getting there is just as important to me. And let’s face it: Justin is so much better looking than The Donald, but I mustn’t get political! ?
Those cows look like they are wearing fluffy legwarmers!
Lol! Flashdance cows! ?
*snort* ?
Encre Noir is a great idea for tomorrow. You smell great, Robin!
I’m wearing a linden perfume for the second time this week. This time it’s Provence Sante Tilluel (Linden), which goes for $29.95 for 100ml. I love it and also have the shower gel that I’m planing to start using after I finish my big bottle of Le Petit Marseillas (sp?) Orange Blossom. The PS shower gel was a birthday gift from my boyfriend’s mom. We keep an Amazon wish list that she uses sometimes. It’s great because it means I get something I wanted. ?
My mother in law asked me what I wanted for my bday and I asked for that PS Tilleul, also from Amazon. It’s a blind- buy but glad to hear you like it! And it is a bargain.
Joining PL67 today in Burberry Brit Rhythm for Her. I haven’t worn this one in months. I always forget how much I enjoy it. I may have to just repeat tomorrow. You can get it on the discounter sites for a great price, too!
Today I am wearing Blue Nile fragrance oil, which I bought last week during the last day of my Pittsburgh trip. Last Saturday morning, my husband and I were walking in the strip district, after a beautiful breakfast. I loved the small shops and street vendors in this Pittsburgh area. I bought some delicious biscotti, T shirts for my kids, chocolates and some fragrance oils. One of them was Blue Nile. $4. It fits with this week’s project
Your trip sounds so nice and relaxing.
I had a late night and a sleepy wake up this morning. This is completely out of character for me as I am one of those annoying morning people.
It was totally worth it but I was too tired to figure out a scent for today. I ended up wearing my new fav. Datura Noir which squeeks in at $53 for 50 mls at the discounters. Close enough for me.
I hope you had a great time during your out of character late night! I used to be one of those annoying morning people, but some switch has been flipped and now I seem to be the opposite. I envy you your morning energy. ??
I don’t go out very often on school nights. ?
I’m trying very hard to become an annoying morning person, but I keep snoozing my alarm like 5 times every morning ? Like Deva, I used to be able to get up early, but that has changed in the last couple of years.
If it makes you feel better, I’m not half as perky as I used to be. The older I get, the less perky I feel in the morning. When I was a kid, I would bounce out of bed in the morning… I miss that feeling of well-being and completely rested.
I flip-flop on Datura Noir. Some times I really adore its depth, the narcotic nature of the floral notes, and the strong sense it brings that you’re in a damp, green, overgrown tropical garden. Other times, it crosses a line into “hmmm…..I’m smelling just a little too much like overripe fruit” territory.
Huh, that’s funny. I know it is has a mild fruity note but I really don’t notice it. On me it’s soapy green tuberose with almonds and a hint of anice. Maybe you have an earlier formulation. It makes me happyy. ?
Ugh…fat fingers…
Being happyy deserves an extra Y ??
Sleepy wake up twins! I did not have a fun night out last night, though. ? Maybe some residual jet lag?
In Yves Rocher Orchidee today, there is also a Nuit d’Orchidee but I’ve never tried it. This evening it has become a skin scent, but not disappeared but earlier I smelled an amazing hyacinth that lasted quiite some time.
I had a hankering for lavender today so I’m wearing Gris Clair, my only lavender right now.
It is such a good lavender. I hope your day and studies go well today
Thank you Kanuka! It’s a beautiful day, so that part’s covered. The studies are another story…
GC is such a shape shifter : sometimes it smells like lavender, other times like a rusty pipe, and the other night it smelled like marijuana!
Thursday!
Am in powdery Dovana. Not a bargain nor is it horribly expensive.
Rainy and a bit damp; all the lines of the flowers and foliage are bit softened, and there wa a beautiful mist rising off Rocky Butte as I commuted in this morning.
On target today with Reem Acra, which can be had (in the large 3 ounce bottle, I might add) for less than $20. Lots of amber, spice, peach, and orange blossom. It reminds of Casmir, in both its spicy floriental vibe and its bargain basement price.
That sounds good! I’m not an OB girl, but AMBER and SPICE OB?! That just might be my thing! ?
The Reem Acra sounds lovely!
I’m wearing Hermes Rhubarb Ecarlate, a bargain Hermes, $80 for 75ml, so per ml very cheap. It never fails to cheer me up.
After a few years of checking bags for trips, Air Canada is the last straw. Paying to pick a seat AND a bag is just too much. I bought a backpack and a rollaboard and will choose whichever one fits best with my future trip destinations and I’m pawing through my travel clothes to come up with lightweight options.
I haven’t yet bothered to pay for picking a seat. It is SUPER annoying to have to pay for a checked bag. Some airlines are even charging for carry-ons now. Seriously???
Scent of the day (so far): Eau de Gaga. I think it’s quite nice.
A NST person had mentioned it yesterday, and I had a small bottle.
Scent this evening: Worth Je Reviens. Apparently it was supposed to be very nice before reformulation, and then the version called “Je Reviens Couture” was supposed to be nice, too. I’m not getting much of anything with one spray on each arm of what’s presumably a much cheaper version than what it started out as.
A few more sprays, and I could smell *something*, but it faded out for me right away. *shrugs*
Je Reviens was my signature scent for many many years, it USED to be beautiful. I eked out the last remaining drops of my original, but yes the reformulation is horrid. It got sold too many times and each new company went cheaper and cheaper. Very sad.
During a tour in Chicago, we visited Marilyn Miglin’s house and the Lalique store. Had the chance to try Encre Noir. I really liked it. Now I’m breaking out my sample of Encre Noir A L’Extreme. Yes! It’s not sweet like so many juices today.
Cold yesterday with snow flurries on the hill tops. All the sparrows ( that I feed) fluffed themselves up like powder puffs and the dogs had to be forced outside in the cold rain to pee . Still dark so I don’t know what today will bring. Not CP but Bois deVanille layered with Santal Majuscule
Olfactive Studio Iris Shot. It’s gorge.
Sotd is Shalimar Souffle, which can be had for about forty dollars. Yesterday I went to the mall and tried Prada Candy Night. At first spray there is a blast of chocolate. Very overpowering. It settled down to original caramel/benzoin Candy. I will try it again when I’m not already heavily perfumed.
I’m sticking with the original Candy, which I already have.
The original is so good!
It’s a pity that Prada doesn’t seem inclined to make a Candy version with either a strong, not sweet coffee note, or a leather note.
Well, I am going to have to try it again, because I thought for a minute that I had smelled something leatherly. I had so many other things on though, I can’t be sure. I have got to learn to spray on the strips first! Lol
Sometimes it is more fun just to dive in and try to sort things out later, though. I’ve done that before. ??
I’m in Demeter Wet Garden, layered over Earthworm. Wet Garden is a little too much like dryer sheet, but I can see Earthworm being useful as a layering fragrance.
Dryer sheet? Ooof. Hard pass on that, then.
A cold start to the day, not least because we have all the lounge windows open to allow paint to dry – just as we get the first real taste of winter. I’ve decided on Madame Rochas today, which was reasonably cheap, if I think of US$50, rather then NZ (even though I bought it locally). That might be a useful addition to my perfumath
Definitely a good thing to discover perfumath that works in your favor. ?
Covet today, which i love a lot. My best blind buy ever…. And cheap, got a bit BUB for 19€ too. The chocolate scent matched the cookies i baked today.
My SOTD is Isvarya, which was definitely NOT a bargain.
Kind of a bargain: Yesterday I bought a bouquet of peonies at Trader Joe’s, five blossoms for $7.99. They were all in tight balls and I worried that they wouldn’t open up, but today they are stupendous and enormous, about the size of my curled upturned hand, and a glorious pinky peachy red color. They have a distinct heavy scent with a waxy quality that makes me think of camellias (though the latter have no scent). If you see these in your local Trader Joe’s, my advice is BUY THEM! Last year I passed on the peonies one day and then they were gone within a week. I miss the days of having hedges of them in the yard when I lived up north.
Peonies are beautiful and one of my favorite flowers. Enjoy them!
I love peonies! Love Trader Joe’s, too, but there isn’t one in Arkansas yet. Little Rock might get one, but I am not driving four hours for it. But our area of Northwest Arkansas is growing, so maybe we’ll get one eventually.
Another beautiful sunny day here! ??? I could get used to this. ??
SOTD = back in FM Superstitious today. I have a few picks for tomorrow, but I think I will let my mood decide which one of them I am going to spritz on.
If the perfume doesn’t match the mood, it always feels out of place to me.
Yes! Or it feels like a piece of clothing that doesn’t fit right.
Giving Lalique some more love for the CP with Lalique White, which is a no-brainer spicy/fresh frag if anyone is looking for something unisex-sporty for the summer!
Those rings are pretty cute. SOTD is Prada Candy Night from a sample I got at Sephora. I was hoping for a deeper fragrance, but it’s a very light chocolate orange type of scent. Not for me. Money saved. I think SOTE will be Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum Parfum du Soir.
I like those rings too but worry that they would crack or break.
I have one of these rings in clear crystal. I used to work at a very nice jewelry store that sold Lalique. They are actually quite solid, I’ve wore it many times and it’s still not cracked or chipped. I do wish I’d picked a color and not clear. It sort of magnifies your skin under the dome and looks weird. Now I’d prefer cobalt blue or green, but at the time I thought the clear was so mod. This was 30 years ago! Lol
Chiming in late with Lolita Lempicka Sweet. Can be found at discounters pretty cheap. I freely admit I bought it for the red bottle to add to my LL Apple bottle collection. It’s not terrible, just a little too much sugar for me to want to wear very often.
Put on some So del la Renta tonight. I probably haven’t worn it in over 10 years; my bottle is original.
I just love Oscar de la Renta’s style; my good friend from high school had her Mom make us taffeta dresses for an event we attended back then; mine was deep purple! I loved the swish sound the fabric made when we walked.
No CP for me today: Coromandel. Needed something good for business meeting.
Last night I spent some time in two CP candidates: Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia and Good Chemistry Waterlily, both super cheap purse roll ons from Target. Decided neither would suit my workday, though.
Now I’m testing Zoologist Hyrax and Panda. Both interesting, but Bat is still in first place.
By sheer chance I’m in Hove Heliotrope solid perfume, less then $10. So waving hello to Ringthing in Hove too.
Their Heliotrope body oil is a favorite, very springy.
Just scored Tocca Isabel, yesterday for $12 at Marshalls. Travel case is gorgeous and it is 20ml.