We're marking World Lion Day with our same old open thread poll. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the last fragrance you regretted buying (or not buying), whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is n7_w1150 [cropped] by Biodiversity Heritage Library at flickr; some rights reserved.
Tried some le labo yesterday – love Iris 39. Patchouli was interesting, smelled like whisky I thought.
I love the Patchouli! To me it smells of old libraries, it’s such a contemplative scent.
Iris 39 is my favorite Le Labo!
I tried Patchouli 24 yesterday. At first, it was overbearingly smokey and I thought “Nope.” But it mellowed out, and then I liked it. Not sure it’s FB worthy for me at that price, though. Too many other things on my list.
I do have Bergamote 22 though and love it.
I really love Patchouli 24. It is decidedly weird with that rubbery note, and almost disgusting, but somehow at the same time, intoxicating. One time I was wearing it and my aunt said, “What IS that smell?” and I thought she was complaining, but she really loved it too. I just have a couple of small samples of it, which will be enough for now.
I’ll need to revisit – I was given some samples and wish I had asked for the Patchouli! We were looking for the Gaiac 10, and the other customers at the LL counter were also asking for that one. September 1 we were told!
I haven’t smelled that many Labo’s but the patchouli is just stunning. I got a bottle of the perfume oil this summer at a great discount.
Robin reviewed it here calling it an extreme version of Bvlgari Black. I tend to agree.
I love Iris 39, the body lotion is truly phenomenal.
My favorite Le Labo!
?
Iris 39 is one of my favorite Le Labo perfumes.
I wore the iris sample yesterday, and it lasted all day.
I love Iris 39. The shower gel is fantastic!
Ah, fun! I don’t think I’ve smelled Iris, but I did recently get to try out Thé Noir (buckets of oud, which I only enjoy in tiny amounts) and Jasmin (quite lovely). Given the love Iris 39 is getting, I need to try it out!
Ah, Leo the Lion- my Astrological Sign
random! Punctuation and capitalization Alert !!
LOL
Santal 33 Le Labo
I’m a Leo too. Seeing the picture above made me think that Zoologist needs to make a Lion perfume! Did you see their newest perfume is called SQUID of all things and has ambergris (not sure if it is real or not, I can’t imagine it is but who knows, they did use real hyrax).
I did see that! But didn’t read up on the notes yet. I think this is the first aquatic animal they’ve chosen? So I would be expecting something aquatic…usually not my thing.
Leo also and a Zoologist Lion scent sounds good. I read a little bit about their new Squid and it doesn’t appeal to me at all although I am amazed that the talented person who designs their labels makes a squid look kind of cute.
Ooh! Always excited for a new Zoologist. I was sad to see recently that Bat is discontinued. They said they are going to release a new Bat by a new perfumer, which makes me wonder what happened behind the scenes. I wish they wouldn’t do this, though – why not release the new perfume under a different animal name to avoid confusion? Has no one learned anything from Miss Dior?
Agree 100%.
My other FAVORITE body lotion!
You smell perfect Bear!
I’m wearing Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme today because I haven’t worn it for a while and wanted to reconnect with it.
I’ve been asked by Michelyn from Cafleurebon to write a piece for their “Fragrant Awakening” series. I don’t like talking about myself but I’m going to give it a try. I will let you all know about the progress.
Mmmm, you smell great.
Thanks
Oh great! Please let us know about the article when you are ready!
Will do! She’d like to publish it next week so you won’t be waiting for Long.
Looking forward to it!
I haven’t read CaFleurebon in a long time but I look forward to reading your story, lucasai.
I am looking forward to your article. Good luck.
I look forward to it!
I’m wearing Palo Santo today, Carner Barcelona, and found your article when I was doing an Internet search. What a great read! I’m still learning about it, and trying to identify the notes. It’s a beautiful comforting scent.
I missed National Book Day yesterday, but here’s a thread on Twitter with recommended Florida books:
https://twitter.com/craigtimes/status/1159842079175876609
I haven’t read any of them yet myself, but it was retweeted by a Floridian whose tastes I trust.
Wearing Diptyque L’Ombre dans L’Eau, which I think of as a perfume that goes with dew-covered grass in the summer.
Thanks nozknoz – my husband will love the Elmore Leonard book and I will get Florida for us to share.
https://www.tampabay.com/features/books/pulitzer-prize-winning-the-gulf-an-expansive-history-of-an-american-sea-20181109/
My old ipad spat the dummy when I went to your link so apologies if I am doubling up on the list. A recent book I really enjoyed is The Gulf by Jack Davies. It won the pulitzer and is about the Gulf of Mexico. There is a terrific section about ‘pluming’, the fashion for collecting bird feathers for hats etc. and the tragic consequence on bird species. It’s worth reading.
I love your perfume. I think or beautiful ponds, dark still water, frogs and dragonflies
Great description of L’Ombre!
Thanks for the recommendation for The Gulf. Here’s a list of the Florida books, across a gamut of genres:
Florida, Lauren Groff; Miami Purity, Vicki Hendricks; La Brava, Elmore Leonard; Blood, Bone, and Marrow, Ted Geltner; The Corpse Had a Familiar Face, Edna Buchanan; Florida Poems, Campbell McGrath; God’s Trombone, James Weldon Johnson; and Mirage, Cynthia Barnett.
Commenters added Razor Girl by Carl Hiassen and Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen, among others.
The author of the list was Craig Pittman, whose Oh, Florida! might also be worth checking out.
Lauren Groff is an interesting writer, no?
Haven’t read her yet, but was intrigued by the description and added this to my kindle.
Thank you!
Thanks Kanuka, the pluming may break my heart, but it’s a must for my hubby who is a Gator and is born & bred from the sea.
That’s a great article & a terrific recommendation.
AngelaB,
My sister is a Gator. I just sent her the Craig Pittman link, but no doubt she will email me back and say of course she knows who he is.
Here’s the Zoologist Squid announcement from Facebook. (No affiliation.)
ZOOLOGIST SQUID
Available 31/8/2019
Perfumer: Céline Barel
The vast ocean swells and contracts, caught in the relentless tug of the moon. Beneath the surface, a school of squid emerges. Strange, elastic forms propel from the deep in a frantic search for sustenance. They are not alone. Their predators lunge, only to be foiled by blinding jets of murky ink. The hunt ends abruptly as a monolith materializes, greedily engulfing all in its path. The massive sperm whale dives, leaving a temporary peace bobbing in its wake. Decades on, relics of the battle resurface. Lumps of ambergris, expelled by the whale and polished by the salty currents, wash ashore. Waste? Flotsam? To the perfumer this elusive substance is nothing less than treasure.
Zoologist Squid sings a song of the sea, a melancholy tale told through tangy brine, crisp incense, and sweet, cloudy ink, all united by the moody aroma of ambergris. Like the endless depths that inspired it, this elegant scent ripples with mystery.
Top Notes: Pink Pepper, Solar Salicylate, Incense
Heart Notes: Black Ink Accord, Salty Accord, Opoponax
Base Notes: Ambergris, Benzoin, Musk
I wonder what “solar salicylate” is?
Probably benzyl salicylate. It’s used to create ‘solar’ accords that add luminosity to perfume.
Wow, thanks!
They are such bizarre creatures. Did you see the clip of the diver who almost got taken by a one?
(Gotta admit this one sounds intriguing I imagine lots of ambergris)
I hadn’t, but after a short YouTube detour—Yikes!
? IKR!!!
It sounds intriguing. However, I will approach it with caution, just in case the ambergris is too pronounced. I have a difficult time with that note.
This sounds great to me, I hope it’s really weird.
I wonder how pronounced the ink will be? I love the sound of Squid but ink is a note that doesn’t always work for me, thinking Byredo M/ink, Ys-Uzac Dragon Tattoo and so e others. Will you get a sample? Hope so.
This sounds awesome and I can’t wait to try it. I bet I’ll hate it.
I’m wearing Bois de Paradis today. This is one of my all time favorite perfumes, and I am sad that Parfums Delrae is shutting down (not to mention the fact that I do not have a back up bottle).
However, it could be a small lesson in letting go, and getting used to the temporary nature of things. Let’s hope I feel the same way when I am down to my last drop.
Isn’t it the most wonderful scent? I agree with you. Yes it’s sad they are shutting down. I also love Amoureuse.
Amoureuse is terrific! So different, and a powerhouse, to boot.
I really liked this perfume but kept postponing the purchase… until recently when I noticed that most of perfumes on her site were “sold out” – so I kind of guessed where it was heading. So I searched and found the last bottle somewhere and bought it.
It is quite beautiful – enjoy that last bottle!
While seeking and failing to find Wit anywhere I believe I saw some bottles of this at one of the discounters, not sure which one. I would check all the ones whose names being with frag… You might get lucky.
Will do – thanks.
I’m reveling in 24, Faubourg.
You smell wonderful!
You smell lovely
You smell beautiful!
Thanks, you guys! It’s one of my absolute favorites.
Fresco di Vetiver by I Profumi di Firenze is my SOTD.
I love their bottles.
Chanel Paris- Venise.
I have a picture I took in Tanzania of two lions sleeping back to back under a tree that I look at over and over again.
You smell great! I have a samp!e of Paris-Venise; it has me pondering if I need a full bottle.
I just love the big cats, but have never seen them in the wild. I bet your picture is just amazing. What a wonderful experience.
they are smaller than I thought. And blend in so well, you have to really look and then they are right there.
We saw a couple mating in the high grass and two lioness accompanied by a hyena at dusk almost by the side of our jeep all in drive.
Paris-Venise is gorgeous! I have a difficult time choosing between Venise and Deauville. They are both great scents.
they are both great.
Venise is lovely. It smells stunning on a summer night when the sun is down and temperature starts to drop.
You smell good! I enjoyed wearing it yesterday.
SOTD is Timbuktu. I need a bottle of this. Once I thunk my decant, though, because I’ve already made Donatella proud this week.
I made a vintage acquisition a few weekends ago while visiting my parents. A friend of my Mom’s grew up on a farm that had been in her family since the mid-1800s when they were given a land grant. (This is in Northern California; wine country now but clearly not then.) My Mom’s friend and her sister inherited the property and have spent the last EIGHT YEARS clearing it out. The estate sale was the culmination of that effort.
See, this was a hoarding situation, one unbounded by the spatial limitations most of us have. I battle my own tendencies towards stockpiling (see: perfume, shoes, fabric, clothes) and am very conscious that I easily expand to meet my available square footage. Now imagine if I had a house, and a barn, and behind the barn…and so on. Maybe I, too, would have a box with 20 pounds of keys, because, hey, I could use them in an art project one day.
I was there for day 3 of the sale, when everything was 50% off, including two vintage bottles of perfume, 90-100% full, both from a house I’d never heard of: Roger et Gallet. The smaller was labeled “Jasmin”, the larger “Pavots d’Argent”, or “silver poppies”. Not labeled with size or strength, but I’d say maybe 15-20 and 30-40 ml and extrait. I bought them unsniffed, grand total (after discount): $50. Fortunately, they both smell lovely, very floral, nothing animalic that has turned. Beyond that, I’m not very good at parsing out the notes.
I’ve found one picture online matching my bottles, suggesting these were from the 40s or 50s. Pavots (with the ‘s’) d’Argent was discontinued in the 50s.
Ever since, I find myself thinking about the woman who owned these. Why did she never wear them? Why did they sit, tucked in some drawer, for 70-80 years until some random stranger bought them on discount? They must have been precious gifts. Did she not like them? Was she saving them up for special occasions that never came?
That thought is so sad.
So, I will be wearing them, and they will always remind me: enjoy life while we’re here to enjoy it.
Beautiful reflections here.
Amazing purchase! They are a treasure. Enjoy them till the last drop!
Thank you for the bittersweet read. I’m familiar with Roger et Gallet soaps but not the perfumes, enjoy them. Maybe she kept them for “best.” My mother does that with dishes, linens….I’ve tried several times to use her hand embroidered pillowcases with the handmade lace that her mother made and she takes them off and puts them away. Ditto with the “good” china etc. Maybe that thinking came from growing up during the Great Depression, it makes me sad, too.
My mom did that with all sorts of things. She had a beautiful black and brown knitted wool dress and long sweater made by Pendleton that she never wore until moths got to it. Then she wore it as a house dress over pajamas when she was cold. She was very much a child of the depression.
same here. We so often echoes each others thoughts here…
Maybe she treasured them in her own way? I have a few things that I have bought, and absolutely love but don’t wear or ‘use’ but i get immense pkeasure from looking at them, handling them, and knowing they are there because they are so well made or beautifully designed. They are almost more precious because they are just for my private enjoyment, and not shared. Somehow that strengthens the connection.
Yes to this!
Especially when the object reignites a memory of a specific time or place.
I often run across unopened perfume at estate sales. I always imagine that they were gifts.
Estate sales are great and so are the thrift shops. I came across my first vintage, My Sin. A friend just wanted to smell it, because that was his mother’s signature. He opened it up (new and extrait) and closed his eyes, breathed deeply and stayed silent. This is mom, he told me, gently resting it down.
Perfume is magic and yes, mom went home with him.
Aww, what a sweet memory.☺️
It was something to witness that moment.
❤
Wow! How wonderful!
My mom “saved” items too in that she didn’t use certain things. Like hand embroidered towels or other similar things.
I ended up with two pairs of absolutely beautiful soft leather gloves that she bought in Rome in 1969. I remember when she bought them. They’re still in the plastic sleeves. Short daytime ones, one pair is white, the other a dark cream (almost like a light latte color). I wish I had occasion to wear them.
that’s a sweet memory, LizzieB.
I remember going to B. Altman’s with my mom when I was a kid and the gloves were kept in small wooden drawers behind the counter.
B. Altman!
Yep!!
Who here remembers Best & Co.?
Me!!!
My sister and I bought matching blue capes there one fall when we were teens.
This makes me remember: I lived in NYC when Altman closed and bought two solid silver butter knives 75% off, they made such nice Xmas gifts for my brother and my boyfriend.
Going through my mom’s stuff, I found 4 boxes (a dozen in each) of Papier Poudre booklets. These are basically, perfumed oil absorbent powdered paper which was the only fragrance I associated with my mom since she was a perfume-phobe. She must have had these for 40 years and the scent is now gone. I googled it and found out they were fake! Ha! That said, my mom had very good skin which was in no way oily and no wonder she barely went through a box in her lifetime!
What Calypso said…moving musings. Thank you for sharing.
What great finds! Roger & Gallet’s history goes back many years, one of their perfumes was a cult one, but I don’t remember the name, something bleu I think.
Yes, very true one wonders about the back stories of items at estate sales.
Thanks for sharing this. That IS sad, and encourages me to use the perfumes I have more!
Zoologist Nightingale. Beautiful and long lasting bright, sunny chypre. Another perfume that goes to my eternal full bottle shopping list. I really need to win the lotto soon to fulfill whatever is in that list! ?
That’s a pretty one, you smell great.
Thank you! ?
I woke up wearing Tigress Musk and now I am wearing Mitsouko. There are plenty of perfumes that I regret buying but there are a couple I am kicking myself for not buying. Those two are Guerlain Liu and Andy Tauer Annes 25.
The regret of missed perfume opportunities torments me more than any purchase that I don’t really like after all. Those I could always sell or give away, at least making someone else happy. But Gobin-Daude, for example, which I didn’t pay attention to until to late, is gone forever.
I have the occasional daydream in which I am wandering through Marshall’s, and as I round a corner, several boxes of sealed Gobin-Daude perfumes (Nuit au Desert and Jardins Ottomans, among others) come into view. I like to tell myself a crazy story about all of the kooky events that need to transpire in order for this to occur (unreasonably cool storage for several years in a forgotten warehouse, discovery by some unsuspecting wholesale distributor looking to fob the boxes off for a quick sale, circuitous routes by which they end up in a small town Marshall’s in the Mojave Desert, etc.). In my dream, I buy all of the boxes, and make decants for all the folks here who are hoarding their last precious drops, or who dearly miss their favorite Gobin-Daude scent.
Exactly? And could I just have 30 minutes in one of the department stores of my youth with some vintage currency?
A vague link to lions: yesterday I “discovered” the podcast ‘Out to Lunch with Jay Rayner’ and the episode where he takes Richard E Grant to a smart Italian restaurant in London. Rayner is a food critic with the Guardian and he selected the Italian restaurant because he knew that Grant likes smells , so thought of truffles. Grant talks about his compulsion to sniff everything, describes the truffle smell and about 35 minutes into the chat talks about creating his perfumes, though not in great detail. I don’t really know much about podcasts but I really loved the episode and I also listened to his Tracy Ullman episode which was brilliant. Food talk doesn’t dominate; it’s more about the guest talking about what they want to chat about. Anyway, perfect for the rain and passing snow down here. House smells of wet dog. Ys-Uzac Immortal Beloved as it is slightly boozy, rum, so warming in the cold.
Grant was born in Swaziland. That is the lion link…I forgot
Ooooohhhh thanks Kanuka! I am a fan of both and will have a listen. I just watched Grant in “Can you ever forgive me?” with Melissa McCarthy. Loved it!
That’s cool. . I have read the book but not seen the movie, unfortunately. I watched Robert Altman’s The Player last night and Grant is wonderful in it, pitching an idea for a movie.
Going into my podcast app now!
Wearing vintage Chanel 19, thanks SheriG! It’s a perfect summer afternoon.
You smell divine, of course!
We finally have a break from the heat, all the windows are open; it feels glorious! Even got some rain this morning.
Just showered with my C&E Nantucket Briar shower gel and have the matching lotion on. We plan on heading out soon to try to catch a couple of rock bands playing downtown at a summer concert. Hoping the rain and thunderstorms hold off for that!
Hope the concerts worked out and stayed dry Gail!
I’m wearing Coty Les Muses which is such a nice surprise discovery! I got a cheap set of vintage minis including this, Chypre, and Rose Jaqueminot – I’m guessing the 1986 reissue set of some of the house’s older perfumes. I mostly got it because I was hoping Chypre would help me better understand the chypre genre, but this Les Muses is absolutely the winner of the three! I’d describe it as a more tropical 24 Faubourg, like if you drew a line from 24 Faubourg to Terracotta and put a dot in the middle.
I feel like Coty Chypre no longer helps anyone understand the genre since the genre has changed so much, what do you think? Did it help you?
Les Muses sounds fun, I have never smelled it.
I do think it helped! More to establish a reference and then see how far things deviate from it, if that makes sense.
Right now it’s June spritz of Hermetica Jade888 from a sample set. It just happened to be the one I pulled out. Reminds me a lot of the original Herbal Essences shampoo.
I have chosen this beautiful day to try and get rid of clutter and paper. Now that I’m winding down work on my late parents’ finances, I need to cull the paper.
And, I bought more yarn yesterday, so that also is getting out of hand, but how could I resist a beautiful brown baby alpaca that is perfect for a hat?
I love alpaca wool even more than cashmere. The colours are so wonderful.
Oh, yarn! I found a great sweater pattern I want to make and I am waffling wildly about what yarn to make it out of. A pretty practical wool/ acrylic/ silk blend is what the pattern suggests, but I want alpaca/ wool blend, soo warm and cozy, but I can’t find a color that is just right.
Such problems, huh?
A man at the store showed me a photo of a fair isle patterned cap he recently made with my brown and a cream. He created the pattern himself. Impressive.
Colors matter. One day I’ll tackle a sweater.
Switched over to Jasmins Marzipane. Much better.
I like to visit a lovely small alpaca farm when I’m in northern Michigan (northern Lower Peninsula) every summer. They have a neat shop where they sell many cute alpaca toy items and sweaters, socks, etc., and also have wool from their own animals. Crystal Lake Alpaca Farm (their website–TRULY no affiliation!) They also have a Facebook page and have lately been posting pictures of this year’s crop of baby alpacas in a range of colors. I thought this little one was particularly striking: https://www.facebook.com/CrystalLakeAlpacaFarmAndBoutique/photos/a.544486665618572/2438109452922941/?type=3&theater.
The Jade888 comparison is so right on. I’ve never even sniffed Herbal Essences. But I can absolutely imagine Jade888 being the smell of some drugstore shampoo. Rosefire is the only one I’ve liked from this house.
The struggle is real with the paperwork! I saved quite a bit of dad’s paperwork but thank goodness he kept things pretty simple for the most part. I am bery familiar with my mom’s financial paperwork because not only did my dad plan well, I was also my mom’s POA and basically took care of all of that for her.
SOTD: Bombay Bling
You smell great!
That’s a grand choice!
Fabulous!
Since I didn’t know about the Lion Day, so I’m testing Tiger’s Nest – I hope lions won’t be offended.
“Running after the departing train,” I bought a bottle of DelRae perfume from Perfumarie. It arrived quickly. It’s completely off. Trying to contact the company for a week – no response. I’ll try PayPal Buyer Protection next. If no luck, my credit card will be next. $150 for something that can’t be used even for display purposes (the bottle isn’t that nice on its own) isn’t a purchase I want to report to Donatella.
Sorry to hear that your purchase was a flop. Hopefully you’ll be able to return it and get money back.
You smell great!
Oh no! Hope that gets resolved.
What did you think of Tiger’s Nest?
It reminds me of my other favorite – TF Amber Absolute (the older version, I haven’t tried it when it was re-released). They are not identical but I could wear either of them and not be sure which one I’m wearing.
Oh, and so sorry about the DelRae flop!
Tiger’s Nest for me too. I love this stuff. Adorable hubby admired it on me this morning as well . I am sensing a FB of this in my future…
you smell great, too!!
Yep, anything my hubby likes goes on the full bottle list!?
Luckyscent is amazing! I ordered my samples 5 minutes ago and they are all over me for sniffing.
I need help, ladies and gentlemen. I’m falling in love with Tom Ford.
I have points ( yeah!) at Ulta. Thing is, they have a verrrrry limited selection there. I do know two there that I intensely dislike.
Eau de Soleil Blanc: weak, watery.
Black Orchid: Just awful on my skin.
Ones I like:
Patchouli Pure.
Noir
Oud Fleur
Oud Wood
Oud Tobacco
White Patchouli
Purple Patchouli
Amber Absolute
Neroli Portofino( if I remember correctly)
Tobacco Vanilla
Soleil Blanc
Curious:
Venetian Bergamot
Meh:
White Suede -too safe.
Oud Mineral, I just get more of the same Oud.
but those nose polyps after 12 sampling today are a little worn.
I am out of his loop and have trouble remembering when I sniffed his first 12.
I love, love, love Patchouli. I dislike rose immensely, unless it is dirty. Jasmine and tuberose, tritto.
I love Amber, labdanum, bergamot, may chang, elemi, light gardenia, light magnolia, apricot, a true violet and vanilla. I fall for sea shore scents, like Sel de M. and Issey, Boardwalk, I love Heavenly, Amazing Grace, dark patchouli, Not a Perfume, and L’Hadrien. Too many more!
Can you help?
And then there are my two Sephora gcs. Those will be super fun and if love input there, if you want!
That was long!
Tobacco Vanilla is lovely and you can get a travel size at Sephora.
Done! Thank you!
I am a Tom Ford fan, so I could help a little: I have remaining 3-4 ml decant of Oud Fleur that I can pass on you, and I could share 4-5 ml of Oud Wood. If interested, send me your shipping address in e-mail (go through my avatar to the About page).
Speaking of TF and Sephora: have you tried Ombré Leather? They have cute 30 ml bottles there.
You are such a sweetheart.
I have not tried Ombre Leather. I did try a few patchouli samples last night, including Patchouli Pure. One of them stayed with me longer and transformed from dark patchouli and slowly transformed into a campire. Upon which it became patchouli and smoke, which I kept sniffing all over. It pervaded through until a creamy leather accord announced itself. A masterpiece. Well blended, slowly developing, staying true to its structure and lengthy spillage.
If only I could remember.
Crazy back to school shoppers today! My sotd was Alien eau Sublime. My scent of the moment is the new Gucci on one hand and the new Lancome Idole on the other. At first Idole reminded me vaguely of a softer watery Paris, but now it’s a soft watery LVEB. Sigh…
Mugler sent me an email about a new Amber exclusive. I’m very excited, lol. I don’t know why, I probably won’t ever smell it.
Mmm, amber, I’m intrigued too.
Sounds like we are work weekend twins again!? Hang in there!
Yep, back again today. Luckily I’m the early shift. I’m hoping Mugler sends me a sample, since I got one of the Angel edt.
Stay strong, Lillyjo! You will survive the crowds! ?
Thanks! People are nuts, I tell ya, nuts!
Sorry that it’s crazy, hope you will smell the Mugler exclusive.
Thanks! Me too.
I saw The Candy Perfume Boy’s post on the new Mugler Amber Les Exceptions. My email also mentioned getting a set of atomizer samples of the Les Exceptions with a $89 purchase.
Oh yes, I saw that gwp too. To bad there’s nothing I want for 89 dollars, right now anyway. I will look up the review.
I was tempted to get a large sample ?
Ha! You should have seen me racking my brain trying to reconfigure my checkbook! Those emails really are dangerous!
Ugh on the back to school craziness. It seems like summer vacation just started last week.
I know, I’m pretty sad about it. The unofficial end of summer.
Busy all day making cake and cupcakes for a birthday party – chocolate cake with violet icing and chocolate filling. They were yummy and the party was a success. I wore F. Malle Dries Van Noten. Got to chat perfume with another guest who wears PoaL and one who wears Hermes Gentiane Blanche.
That cake and cupcakes sound delicious!? Chocolate is my favorite.
You have both amazing guests and cake!
Hooray for having our kind at a party!
Violet + chocolate sound like a very yummy combination! ?
I’ve been in Whispers in the Library for the past three days. I got a sample at Sephora last weekend after Jessica’s review just in time for the cp. This is really pretty and kind of what I thought Byredo Elevator Music would be, but wasn’t, lol. I don’t think I need 100 mls of it but I like that Replica offers those 10 ml travel sprays.
This weekend is my college daughters birthday and I’m a bit verklempt that I don’t get to spend it with her since she is still working at summer camp. At last madtownteen is there and they can spend it together. She said that the entire camp would sing Happy Birthday to her at dinner and I wish I could have been there to hear 300 young campers singing to my girl. I’ve never had that many people sing to me and I think it’s pretty special.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.?
Happy Birthday to your daughter! ?
Thanks lillyjo!?
My mother was a librarian and for many years they had a cat in their library, and its name was “Whisper”!
Ha! How ironic!
My Sephora doesn’t have this yet!
Wow, Madison has it but New York doesn’t?! I’m shocked!
This was at the NJ burbs so not surprised ?
Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison … I’m addicted!
Has anyone tried the IIUVO line? A friend sent me a link to this article, and it sounds interesting:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/t-magazine/tomi-ahmed-iiuvo.html
However, I’m not finding any reviews on perfume blogs (although I didn’t search exhaustively). I’m wary of articles in newspapers and style magazines, because I think too many of these are simply based on company PR and essentially indistinguishable from advertising.
Rive d’Ambre today. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Today I’m wearing Flower Fusion by The Merchant of Venice, which I just posted about on my blog after a hiatus while traveling! The lion tie-in is the lion of St. Mark, which we saw EVERYWHERE in Venice on our recent first visit. What a beautiful city! I will definitely go back some day.
I’ve been wanting to ask you about the new JD line. I know you liked Duality, but have you tried any others?
I haven’t yet, but I’m very tempted by Vanille Farfelue and that may be my next one! I’ve read good things about it. The prices in this line are so reasonable for excellent quality! I’m also tempted by Labdanum Doux, and I think I may have a sample of that in my stash. I’m also a fan of his Black Flower Mexican Vanilla, which is in the Dame Perfumery line.
Thanks! I’m tempted by the same ones. Report back if you try any more ?
I’m wearing D600 today. Like apsara, I have had the privilege of seeing lions in the wild. It took my breath away to see a pride of nine trotting toward our jeep, veering away to collapse under a tree and go to sleep.
House twins in palo santo! ?
Well today is Perfume Lock + Idylwild. I really love this fragrance, it’s so citrusy in the opening it would always work in the heat but then the sage and some smoke appear with the woods and it is so easy to wear.
Perfume lock (no affiliation) seems to work well, and better with some fragrances than others (like Cristalle).
Have you tried Canvas & Concrete’s fragrance primer? Any thoughts on how they compare?
Today I’m trying L’Artisan L’Ete en Douce. I sprayed a small amount on my arms. Mom is in the next room and hasn’t said anything (yet!). It’s supposed to be a fairly light perfume.
I got cortisone shots and am doing physical therapy for my bad back. The cortisone shots helped ease the pain quite a lot, so I’m happy about that. The physical therapy seems aimed at loosening tight muscles and tendons in my legs, and working on my “core” muscles.
Our weather was better this weekend than it has been. I’m enjoying the flowers I have growing (mostly in pots) in the front yard.
I’m glad the shots helped. Were the shots themselves awfully painful? My aunt has had some in her back and said they were awful, though they did in fact help her back. Best wishes with that.
Thanks, Calypso!
The doctor did lidocaine shots first, but one of the four cortisone shots was rather painful at the time, and I had some pain on one side of my lower back the next day. The doctor did the shots on Monday morning, and by Tuesday and Wednesday my pain level in general was much, much lower than it had been. I was quite pleased. It helped my mood, too. I guess when my physical pain decreased so dramatically, it decreased the irritability I’d been feeling, too.
Nice to see you here. I’ve been wondering how you have been.
Hi, lillyjo!
I’m doing okay!
Aside from the above, I was just concentrating on trying to get through the heat waves we had. Our power went out a couple of times in the past fortnight or so, but luckily that happened on evenings that weren’t terribly hot, and the power went back on a few hours later both times. And, fortunately when it comes to power outages, I have dozens and dozens of candles. lol
Hi there! I’m happy to see you post.
Hello to you!
I’ll get back into it. 
Back from the exhibition The Moon at Royal Maritime Museum. I had never seen a portrait of Galileo and was thrilled.
In Private Collection Jasmine White Moss, and my bottle is almost empty, I have back ups acquired when I got so upset at Cristalle’s reformulation that I consoled myself with PCJWM which is so similar.
I regret buying Miller Harris Etui Noir, its leather is not the baby soft I favor but I have more regrets about not getting in general.
That’s exactly why I got some Jasmine White Moss too! And then they discontinued it, and have not been able find any bottles at the discounters, sniff.
So glad you did get some too! Yes, it disappeared rather quickly which is a shame.
The only Private Collection fragrance I see anymore in stores is the Tuberose Gardenia one. And it isn’t widely available.
Yes, same here in the UK of the original three only TG remains but sort of behind the counter.
A question for the more experienced noses here:
I finally tried Ombre dans l’eau yesterday and was so immediately enamoured that I was ready to buy a 50 ml bottle. Given the price, I decided to wait for the generous spritzes on my wrists to unfold for an hour. Glad, I did because as much as I loved the opening, the dry down was too similar to another perfume in my collection: Jour d’Hermes Absolu.
What is the common element linking the two?
Thanks in advance.
A question for the more experienced noses here:
I finally tried Ombre dans l’eau yesterday and was so immediately enamoured that I was ready to buy a 50 ml bottle. Given the price, I decided to wait for the generous spritzes on my wrists to unfold for an hour. Glad, I did because as much as I loved the opening, the dry down was too similar to another perfume in my collection: Jour d’Hermes Absolu.
What is the common element linking the two?
Thanks in advance.
Saturday i wore Chypre-Siam, which sadly does not last very long on me. Today i started with Green Tea for workout on my cross trainer, now wearing Aromatics Elixir for a rainy afternoon.
I nearly finished sewing a shirt for the boyfriend, now have to buy some buttons.
Raise your hand if you knew I would be back with a rant!
Thank you to those who posted condolences. I really appreciate it and felt and continue to feel the love. We had a family get-together yesterday for family in the area. It was too short a time from when my mom passed away to have a memorial service so we are planning that for sometime in September. My siblings helped a lot; however, there is still a lot to be done. Yesterday, I finally finished and mailed a very involved set of documents to appeal insurance coverage denied to my mom prior to when we moved her to the nursing home where she passed peacefully. We’re hoping to get something back as we intend to donate whatever we get back to the loving nursing home where she spent her final two weeks.
My rant today has nothing to do with the above (those I’ll save for another day). My groceries at Aldi rang up to $59.51. I handed the cashier $70. After the cashier entered the cash tendered and the register calculated my change, as the cashier was counting out $0.49 in change, I said I’ll give him a penny so that I can just get back $10 and two quarters. The cashier said no and when I asked why not he said “I already punched it in and I don’t want to confuse myself”. I said that all he has to do is give me back $10 and 2 quarters. He again said no, and I said what is so hard about what I asked – it’s simple math! He proceeded to close his drawer and with a satisfied smirk, handed me a $10 bill which I took and then when he started to give me the palmful of change, I dropped in the penny and said I want 2 quarters. He looked dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do so I said I want to talk to the manager. The manager must have been hovering nearby because she came within 2 seconds. I did not even have to explain anything; she just told the cashier to open his cash drawer, hand her one quarter and then she gave me the 2 quarters. Seriously? I already told him the answer and he could not wrap his head around 49 cents plus one penny = fifty cents or 2 quarters! I could have made it harder by saying I want smaller bills; I bet I would have gotten a blank stare. Sadly, this lack of basic math skills seems to be more prevalent these days. Rant over.
Not surprised in the slightest about your math rant. I’ve encountered lack of math skills several times myself. Usually, I don’t get an argument, though.
It’s a sad state of affairs. I say that instead of or perhaps even in addition to a higher minimum wage, incent the employers when they upskill employees.
I totally agree with your rant! You should see the cashiers confusion if they accidentally put in the wrong amt tendered. On the flip side though, there are alot of quick change artists out there that count on a cashier getting confused.
Oh my…in addition to lack of math skills, the cashier would already be nervous for putting in the wrong amount…not a good combination.
A pox on the predators who are counting on the confusion to make a quick buck!
Congratulations on tormenting someone for not having good math skills, I guess?
I suppose you can have a glass half empty point of view? For a glimmer of glass half full, see my comment to jalapeño.
The lack of BASIC math skills was appalling, especially for someone entrusted with cash transactions. See lillyjo’s comment.
If valuing being kind to service workers is a glass half empty mentality, I am cool with having a glass half empty mentality. It’s very common for scammers to try to confuse cashiers into giving them too much change, and relying on the cash register is, as Lillyjo points out, a very reasonable defense against this. I can’t believe how often you post with pride about undertipping or calling managers to punish people in service jobs for not serving you exactly the way you want. It is cruel. I won’t mention it again, but I had to say something at least once, because it breaks my heart to think about how much anxiety you are causing people over really tiny things.
Same coin, different sides, pun absolutely intended. I appreciate our differences and this forum to allow respectful discussion of these differences. I am sure you have your own pet peeves and these are mine when it comes to service.
If tip is standard, it should not be up to the consumer to decide. and should be added to the bill. For the record, I tip at 15% for regular service; I reserve undertipping for service that is lacking.
As to posting with pride about these things, hmmmm ? and being labeled as cruel for pointing out flaws, let’s just agree to disagree about that.
I do want to point out I said nothing when there was an attempt to stifle someone exuberantly sharing some goals in this forum. That you ended up having a cordial relationship with that poster gives me hope.