The weekend! Saturday is the 11th night of Christmas (pipers piping) and Sunday is Twelfth Night (drummers drumming) and National Bird Day. We're marking all the occasions with the "visual media" version of our winter reading poll. Tell us...
...any great tv shows you've discovered recently, and/or
...any great movies you've seen lately, and
...of course, tell us the matching perfume(s)!
Or, as always, just talk about something else.
Note: top image is the offering [cropped] by liz west at flickr; some rights reserved.
My favourite sci fi show at the moment is The Expanse.
As for drama, I liked Succession but in the end the writing gets a bit messy and I lost my interest.
I am looking forward to seeing Watchmen series.
My favourite movie releases of 2019 were Parasite and The Favourite.
My perfume match for The Favourite: I am thinking of. Papillon or Francesca Bianchi release.
Their styles (contemporary with a vintage vibe, not too polished, slightly ‘dirty’, though I dont like using that word for perfume) match the character of that movie.
Or the one I am wearing right now; Jubilatoon 25 by Amouage (this is glorious stuff btw), that would be a good match as well!
Jubilation 25 is gorgeous, one of the best Amouages. It’s very like vintage Diorella so I can see it would be a good match with the Favourite, which I haven’t watched yet. I like and admire Olivia Colman. She does the best (and the most hilarious) thank you speeches.
Olivia Colman is a great actress!
Did not know about her speeches, will check them out. Thank you ☺️
She has also done some very funny interviews on Graham Norton.
OMG, thank you, just watched 2 of her thank you speeches. She is a delight, and it makes for a very amusing contrast with her character in The Favourite.
She is an astonishing actress with a great sense of humour.
https://play.acast.com/s/davidtennant/1d937ffa-ab89-41d6-af02-da798476290c
This is a link to the David Tennant podcast with Olivia Coleman
Oh yay, just downloaded a bunch.
I watched several episodes from the first season of the Expanse. Enjoyed them but watched too infrequently so I kept forgetting who was where for what reason …
Yup. There are quite a bunch of cultures and characters to get into.
But imho that investment pays off, especially 2nd half of season 1 (and in 2,3 and 4 of course)
I just started up The Mandalorian and damn!…it’s really that good, folks.
Going to be sampling stuff from Solstice Scents today though not sure what yet…I bought samples of anything w/ vanilla or gourmand and am still working my way through all the loot I’ve accumulated from this line during the last quarter.
The Mandalorian is one of my favourite Star Wars, together with Rogue One!
Really looking forward to season 2!
Just finished watching the first season of Jessica Jones, a modern noir and the only Marvel series I’ve watched. For a matching perfume am going with CdG Concrete.
I would like to hear people’s opinions on Moonlight Patchouli by Van Cleef & Arpels. Despite my vow to not buy blind anymore I am still tempted.
How does it work as a patchouli? (I only have ELO Nombril Immense in the patch department.) How does it fit in with the extraordinary collection aka Fancy VCA? I really like Bois d’Iris and was lucky to like the blind buy of Orchidée Vanille, but would Moonlight Patchouli be pushing my luck?
I think you would like MP if you like Bois d’Iris and Orchidee Vanilla. To me, MP is an almost floral/ caramel (sugary) patouchli that dries down nicely to a more woody patouchli base. Almost a woody pudding patouchli. It is not very threatening as perfumes go, but very easy to wear and ‘content’ feeling…I think ‘content’ because it is a very balanced perfume, nothing jarring and so a relaxing wear. It isn’t a traditional hippy Patouchli but more modern. It also isn’t posh or fancy….think Gloria Steinman rather than Gloria Vanderbilt. The only VCA I wouldn’t blind buy is Santal Blanc (?, the one in the white bottle) as the musk may not perform for your nose…I found it a bit flat.
I think you nailed the description of MP.
Pity I didn’t nail the spelling!
Ha! I didn’t even notice.
Is there a mall near you where you can get a sample of the Moonlight Patchouli?
I watched the first three or four episodes of Jessica Jones, but couldn’t deal with the portrayal of Jessica suffering PTSD after being controlled and abused (and currently stalked) by the Purple Man. *shudders* Not my kind of thing.
It took me a while to get into the first season of Daredevil, because at first it was lots of flashbacks to Matt’s childhood, and then it was Frank Miller Daredevil. “I read that run in the comic books,” I said to a fan of the Netflix show who was urging me to watch it. My version of “I already read the book.” But there were things I appreciated when I did watch through the season, and when I watched season two.
I wasn’t as familiar with Luke Cage as I was with Daredevil, but I watched through the first season of that. There were nods to the character as established in the comic books that I appreciated, and certain established secondary characters I was interested in. Also I got the references to Harlem history, though the modern rap music sequences and appearances of rap performers were lost on me.
Thanks for the Marvel info, neyronrose, as I did not know Luke Cage had his own series!
You’re welcome. 🙂 He’s an interesting character in his own right, and I really appreciated the humor in some of the nods the Netflix series gave to the comic book version of Luke Cage. I was interested to see how the character of Misty Knight would be developed, too.
I’ve done a fair amount of reading about the Harlem Renaissance, so I could appreciate the historical references as well. Some of the characters had a deep awareness of the history and culture of Harlem.
The fourth Netflix Marvel TV series was Iron Fist. I didn’t get far with that one. That was just one season.
This combined with my opinions below about Iron Man 3 made me think about how I felt that Marvel did a good job with Luke Cage and his settings, and with Captain America’s sometimes partner the Falcon, and Iron Man’s friend and sometimes rescuer James Rhodes. Those characters had their own opinions and existences as African-Americans in the Marvel world. And clearly thought was put into Black Panther’s world.
On the other hand, Daredevil and other TV series and a few of the movies got caught up in a swamp of Orientalist stereotypes, between Eastern mysticism and hordes of ninjas. Though it was certainly there in the source material, the 21st century films and such could have done better.
MP is so lovely! The patchouli is soft (not head shop!)
Thank you, everyone! Moonlight Patchouli sounds like a fairly safe bet for an unsniffed buy, so will let you know whenever I succumb.
Fragnet was selling 10 ml travel sprays of MP for a song before christmas. I bought one for under $20. Not sure if they are still doing that.
Last movie I saw in the theater was “Frozen 2.” I didn’t feel especially in the mood for watching an animated movie that day, but the “magic” of the animation and the music swept me away, and the plot went places I didn’t expect. “Frozen” characters are on everything from cereal boxes to Band-Aids to sun-shades for car windshields. Of course there is a “Frozen” perfume. Disney has a line of Disney princess perfumes. (They also have a line of superhero colognes, but I digress.)
As for something that’s not directly brand merchandise, Eau d’Hiver seems like it would fit the idea of the movie quite well.
Movies I wanted to see but missed included the one about Judy Garland and the one about Harriet Tubman. Also I want to see the latest movie version of “Little Women.” There probably is information out there about perfumes that Judy Garland liked. For Little Women, something inexpensive and readily available at the time, perhaps something lavender-scented. I’ve read the book several times, but don’t remember what perfumes or colognes might have been name-checked in it.
Oh, and what I wore late last night/early this morning: After all my talk about TDC Osmanthus, I sprayed some on. Unfortunately, my nose was too dried out from the forced air in the house for me to really appreciate it. I appreciate having the house heated, don’t get me wrong. I get a stuffy head from it, though.
You can place a bowl of water near a vent to help with the humidity. Ayr Saline Nasal Gel is also a very good non-medicated way to hydrate dry nasal passages.
Thank you. I’ve been using the Ayr Gel pretty regularly. I should try that bowl of water idea. And look for a humidifier that’s easy to fill and empty.
Bed Bath and Beyond sells a tiny humidifier that uses plastic water bottles. You just have to clean the device every 2 weeks. Cleaning is pretty easy with the included brush.
Ah, another good answer. 🙂 Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind also.
Mom and I went shopping at the local Boscov’s (department store), because she wanted to give me flannel nightgowns as a belated Christmas present. She’s all about the practical presents. We found a couple of winter nightgowns for me, including one with little cardinals on it. It’s cute. They’re certainly presents I’ll use.
More to the point for this site, I wandered off into cosmetics and found a Demeter display. $9.99 for a 30 ml bottle seemed pretty reasonable to me. There’s no way that Mom would be convinced that $10 is equal to free (LOL), but I was willing to take a look. I ended up getting Rosebush and Pink Grapefruit. No surprises about me getting those. 😀
I also skipped around the display counters and sprayed Sensuous and Sensuous Nude on paper, and Poison partly on the paper and partly on my hand. I tried to wipe the Poison off with makeup remover. It’s very tenacious. I also had a wet wipe in my purse, and wiped at my hand with that. I wasn’t especially a fan of Sensuous after a quick sniff of it on paper, but I liked Sensuous Nude.
Bedtime Saturday night: I was wafted away to sleep on a little scent cloud of Berdoues Assam of India. 🙂 I find that one soothing. Rayleighblue got me into exploring the Berdoues line and into trying various grapefruit scents. 🙂 (Thank you.) I can still smell it this morning, and it’s still pleasant to me.
The new Little Women is excellent – do make time for it!
Thank you for the recommendation. 🙂 I will certainly try!
Amy gives Marmee a bottle of rose water, I think it is, for Christmas. At first she gets a small bottle so she can keep some of her dollar to buy drawing pencils, but she exchanges for a big bottle the morning of!
Ah, you had the fragrance reference! Thank you! I haven’t found rosewater to be very expensive nowadays, but back then it would have involved more labor and more money proportionately in the way of shipping costs. But it was certainly popular at the time.
Scent of Sunday afternoon and evening: LUSH Dad’s Garden Lemon Tree body spray. Just a couple of sprays on my arms made for a mild, cheerful citrus fragrance, and that was fine for me.
I just watched the first episode of a Very English Scandal last night, and loved it. Hugh Grant is brilliant as the scheming politician who is desperately lonely at the same time. Will watch the other 2 episodes this weekend.
A film I would like to watch is Deerskin with Jean Dujardin. It sounds deliciously weird and Dujardin is very talented (and very easy on the eye).
It’s good, isn’t it and perfectly cast.
I knew Grant was good, but the way he conveys Thorpe’s loneliness and despair is wonderful. I also enjoyed Alex Jennings a lot. He’s not very well known I guess but I’ve seen him in a few British TV series and he always delivers a very good performance.
I love Hugh Grant. I think I’ve seen this advertised but can’t remember on where. Will need to look this up, asap!
Dujardin sure looks classy. He has that Connery/Clooney vibe but is also in my age category (born in the 70s) haha 😉 (whereas Connery and Clooney are too old for my taste).
I mostly remember him from the Artist but I may have seen him in some other stuff as well…
Forgive me, Donetella, for I have sinned. I broke down and got that travel set of no 5. I saved myself a few dollars and got the refills. I wasn’t willing to spend the extra cash to get the container part, as long as I have the spray part, I am good. Saw Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker and really enjoyed it. I am commando at the moment but thinking of going to wear Sarrasins today.
YAY!
I am glad you went with No 5! Coco Md isn’t what it used to be…
Last night, my mother gave me her bottle of Coco Mademoiselle that’s two thirds full. She said it’s not really for her anymore. Got it 8 years ago for her birthday. So things worked out.
Great!!! looks like everything worked out
Sarrasins is great!
I also enjoyed The rise of Skywalker! Beautiful scenery. Acting was surprisingly good for a SW movie, but the material they had to work with was significantly better than say the horrible writing in episode 1,2,3.
I Just cant believe they wrote Rose out of that whole fellowship. I wasnt a huge fan of her (did not dislike her either) but this just was so weird. From a big part in ep 8 and a setup for a friendship with Finn to one line (or maybe 2) in ep.9….
Because it’s Cecile Zarokian birthday today I decided to wear my favourite perfume that she made, Aqua Sextius for Jul et Mad.
Tv show I can highly recommend is a new Witcher series on Netflix. I binge watched it in 3 evenings.
Movie that I enjoyed lately was Two Popes, when worlds of Benedict XVI and Francis kollided.
For first you’d probably wear something earthy, patchouli. For the second Calling All Angels would be just fine.
I liked The Witcher a lot!
Wasnt a big fan of the games (though 3 looked amazing), and not familiar with the books, but this was a fun fantasy series!!!
not too serious and heavy (like GoT, even though I really liked that series up to season 6/7))
and not taking itself too seriously..
And Henry Cavill makes a perfect Geralt of Rivia!
I read the the first published Witcher stories (in Polish magazine Fantastyka) when I was a kid, and have loved the books, so I was waiting to see if the TV series would live up to my expectations. Short answer: it did, in great style. I love how the shows really goes for it, with all the magic, gore, glamour, bonkers energy and philosophical musings you want in a proper fantasy series. GoT was always kind of embarrassed by such elements, and other than dragons, it really did not feature many of them. And yes, their last two seasons were truly embarrassing. The first season of the Witcher starts the whole franchise on very nigh note. Highly recommended.
I just wanted to point out the little thread of perfume in the Witcher, series: perfumed elixirs are part of the sorceress bag of tricks, and Geralt comments on the lilac and gooseberry scent Yennefer uses and muses about how it fades when she is gone. There is no official release of this particular perfume, but Etsy stores have filled the void, with plenty of offerings.
It’s thanks to Mr. Sapkowski that I’m proud of being Polish. He really created an amazing universe and finally the world is going to learn about it.
I love your remark on Yennefer perfume! Small creators must have plenty of fun to imagine that perfume and offer it on Etsy.
On the 3rd season of Broadchurch, really enjoying this series. They love a suspense-filled slow pan camera shot.
Just added the PBS Masterpiece channel to my prime membership and now can watch the last few seasons of Inspector Lewis.
Perfume is Hermes Caleche.
I do miss Inspector Lewis.
I love Inspector Lewis, I always enjoyed him in the Morse series but also really enjoy his interaction with Laurence Fox.
Love those two together so much too!
I liked Broadchurch a lot too. It added to it that I’ve been to the small place in England where it was filmed. Beautiful! The acting is splendid but I did feel that the plot lines really went awry as it went on.
LOVED Inspector Lewis. So thoughtfully paced.
I loved Broadchurch too! Well done
The first 2 seasons were phenomenal!
I haven’t watched anything except soccer games on TV since June, and I’m pretty sure the last movie I saw was “Isle of Dogs”, so I’m useless for the poll!
However, I had a gloriously relaxing morning. My husband treated me to a massage and a facial. I wore Santal Massoia to my spa day. I’m home now and wearing Child. I really wanted to own it back in the early 2000s but could never afford it. I saw it on Beautyhabit, thought “what the heck” and bought the small roller. It smells just like I remember and I’m so happy to have finally treated myself to it, although with a 20 year delay.
I would rather watch soccer as well…
I loved Isle of Dogs!
I simultaneously love everything Wes Anderson does and agree with every criticism out there about everything he does.
🙂
Same!
Well, I didn’t love Darjeeling Express . . .
Going out to dinner with Mr L tonight to one of my favorite trattorias in the city.
What perfume should I pair with my Italian evening (and probably outfit) ? I was thinking 31RC, Songes, no 19 Poudre or I found my sample of Houbigant Fleur d’oranger which could be nice. I can also do Under my Skin since I have a few sprays left…
My nose has been stuck in a book lately so the TV has been off..I am no help on that front
Winter reading poll coming up soonish…
I’ve never smelled it, but something is compelling me to vote for the Houbigant. What did you decide on?
31 RC
I’m lazing around this morning in Cuir Cannage and wondering how the new Dior Spiced Leather (or whatever it’s called) compares to it – anybody know? We’ve been bingeing The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt lately, and waiting impatiently for the new season of The Good Place. I’m bad at matching perfumes to television shows, but something wacky and offbeat would work well for either of those.
I thought Spice Blend was rather tame and meh compared to Cuir Cannage, but YMMV.
I thought the same thing cazaubon. Big sticker, little spice.
Thank you both – good to know, and not a surprise, sadly. Guess I’ll cherish my decant of Cuir Cannage all the more. 🙂
That was on V over on BdJ best of 2019 list..not that that means anything
Oh, right – I knew I’d seen it mentioned recently. And it’s not a leather at all, so kind of an unfair comparison, I guess. ?
I just tried Cuir Cannage for the first time this weekend. Beautiful!
We saw Knives Out last week, in an actual cinema. It was fun. Not one that “must” be seen on the big screen, but an enjoyable, not overly violent or gory detective story with good performances by Christopher Plummer, Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, and yes, Don Johnson. Ana de Armas is a new actor to me and I thought she was terrific.
Perfume for this? Either something subtly menacing or completely over the top, depending on which character you are channeling. I bet JLC’s character wears Cristalle or No. 19. Toni Collette’s is more likely to wear Borneo 1834.
The real thing we all want to know about though is what scent does Daniel Craig wear?!!
Good question. His character in this film is (IMO) a significant departure from the James Bond mode. I’m going to go with Old Spice.
But he’s from New Orleans, so maybe a bourbon vanilla scent from Hove
Oh, yum! I have not smelled that one, but it sounds rich, warm, and smooth. Fitting.
There’s no way Ransom wears anything other than Santal 33, I am dead certain
OMG yes! Perfect.
Omg YES!!! I loved the movie, Ransom is 110% Santal 33.
I can’t find another good TV show or streaming show to watch. I seem to have gone through all the great options. The Americans was the last one I watched that was truly great. If you missed it, I recommend it highly. Several friends though have been raving about Babylon Berlin and so I might try it. (It’s on Netflix.) The characters of The Americans are such chameleons that they would have to change scents constantly. Part of the allure. Oh, I also really liked Bloodline. Fantastic acting especially by Ben Mendelsohn. I would watch him in anything. I’ve had an unusual spate of move-going lately and have seen Little Women, Parasite, Richard Jewell, Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, and Dark Waters. Of all these, Dark Waters was by far my favourite. It was so atmospheric and tense. It didn’t stay around long, which was too bad considering how good it was. Not enough time for word of mouth to make it bigger. I next want to see Bombshell.
Have you seen Beautiful Kate (Oz movie)? Ben Mendelsohn is terrific in it.
No, but I will look for it straightaway!
National Bird Day…so here is a list of my top 5 bird movies
1.Kes. Ken Loach. Devastating film about a working class, bullied kid who trains a kestrel. Classic.
2. Pecking Order. A NZ documentary about a poultry fanciers bird competition with all the preparation and small town politics
3. Healing: an Australian movie with Hugo Weaving as a prison guard and centred around a murderer in jail who tends to an eagle as part of his rehab.
4. Encounters at the End of the World. Werner Herzog documentary featuring the saddest clip of a penguin in Antarctica ( confused bird walking away from the sea). Only a short part of this documentary is about penguins but it really captures the whole surreal aspect of Antarctic scientific research at McMurdo.
5. Birds. Hitchcock….a bit boring but a classic
Also: Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (San Fran doco), Johnathan Livinston Seagull ( spiritual seagulls and a cliff), Snow Goose (Of course I’m not crying), Storm Boy ( Australian classic…I’m not crying), March of the Penguins….
Matching perfume??? I am wearing Copper so a fail.
I am sure there is also a good Japanese film with cranes…need to hunt it down
Also…The Eagle Huntress. Doco. Stunning.
Last ones., for children..Chicken Run. Aardman animation. Good partnered on a Sunday with Valiant , an animated cartoon about carrier pigeons in WW2 ( Ewan McGregor, Ricky Gervais etc.)
Chicken Run is legend in my family. I was watching it the night I went into labor with my first son. My husband had suggested the movie, and so I was watching it in bed while he cooked dinner downstairs. Of course he was cooking chicken. But anyway, I couldn’t follow the plot for the life of me. I was mad at my husband for choosing a movie that was so complex and difficult to follow. When my water broke we rushed to the hospital. Six months later I finally watched the movie from start to finish and had a good laugh. Much easier to understand a movie when you are not in labor!
Wow, that’s quite a story! I can see how that would become a family legend! I imagine labor would be rather distracting when it comes to movie-watching, or really, many projects that require concentration. I just rewatched the Christmas episode of “Call the Midwife,” so the topic was fresh in my mind. (lol)
I am super appreciative of your elastic an acrobatic mind this morning. I bought a holiday game for the family called the Five Second Rule; I suspect you would be a champion at it! I have a little PTSD from the March of the Penguins. I took my older son to see it when he was about nine or 10 years old. He wound up sobbing in my lap and we had to leave the theater. The movie I would add to your list is Spirited Away, or actually many Miyazaki films. Although not about birds, so many of his films feel like they are about flight and seeing the world from a birds-eye view.
My kids rented the March of the Penguins one Christmas holiday and it was me who had to leave the room or I would have been sobbing in their laps. Let’s hear it for compassionate 9 year old males, way to raise him, mom!
Yes to Miyazaki films! I was watching Spice world (spice girls) dubbed into german when I went into labour…still don’t know how it ends.
That is hilarious– and yet there is poignancy is not knowing how something that begins during labor ends…!
I just watched The Birds this week! It wasn’t nearly as scary as I remembered it from my youth. ?
The only birds movie I’ve actually watched is the Hitchcock.
I was thinking that I have seen a great film about a pig which I think was filmed in New Zealand, Babe. I’m sure it’s not a masterpiece but I love it. I really like pigs, which helps.
Babe (Australian) would definitely be in my Top 5 pig movies.
Sorry! About getting the actual location wrong. Should have checked my facts first.
My dog would look at me the way Babe looks at the farmer after she has won the sheepherding contest.
Great list! I’ll watch Hugo Weaving in anything. Just to listen to that voice of his! Will look for that one. I would add Winged Migration, which is pretty glorious overall but does have some sad parts.
Hugo Weaving is brilliant. One of his early movies Proof (with a young Russell Crowe is good) but the two I like best are
The Interview – amazing tension. Australian. Crime drama…he is taken in by police and it is almost impossible to know if he is innocent or guilty.
2. last Ride. Australian. he plays a figitive travelling across Australia with his son. Painful.
He is also in one episode of the Australian series Rake – as a cannibal. Funny.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/27/the-interview-rewatched-australias-twisty-answer-to-the-usual-suspects
The Interview and Healing both have the same director
I have seen Proof and The Interview. In fact I even own a copy of the latter! He’s utterly brilliant in it and it’s so creepy! I love him in Priscilla too and in the so-so movie with Kate Winslet where he plays the cross-dressing policeman. I especially loved him in “V” where you never see his face. That’s why I mentioned his marvellous voice.
I wonder if he narrates any audio books?
Little Fish with Cate Blanchett is another good HW role
Winged Migration made me cry. The scene where the crabs attack the injured bird, and all the exhausted birds resting on the oily ships….I can’t cope with sad animal situations at all.
Ah, thank you, I am behind on Werner Herzog although I did see 3 that postdated this. But adding to list.
So funny to hear The Birds called boring…it almost surely is, but I didn’t sleep for a week after seeing it the first time. But the world has changed since then, hard to imagine staying up at night now over a few birds. Ha!
I know. The first time I saw it it was scary but last time not so much. I watched the James Mason Lolita the other night …hadn’t seen it for years. I think that when I watch movies on TV I tend not to be as focused as when I go the cinema.
We’ve spent some of our holiday evenings catching up on the various Marvel movies we’ve missed, so that we can have the full picture before we watch the more recent Avengers movies – all very silly, but with awesome effects and fun to watch.
As for perfume to match, I’ve no idea! I’ve been working my way through samples, so it’s been random. I can tell you that last night’s Iron Man 3 was accompanied by the last of my sample of Profumum’s Ambra Aurea, which is a lovely amber.
I wasn’t a big reader of the “Avengers” comic books when I was in my comic-book-reading stage, but was aware of them.
(*possible spoilers if you haven’t seen Iron Man 3 and plan to someday*)
I had Opinions about Iron Man 3 and the way that different aspects from different Iron Man villains were mashed up into what I considered a mess, but at the same time, I didn’t think the Orientalist stereotypes built into the original Mandarin of the 1960s would have been a good thing to carry into this century, either. I thought that somewhere there must have been another path the powers-that-be of that movie could have taken. Oh, well. Those movies all had characterization moments I appreciated, though.
A fragrance with notes of fire and metal would go with the Iron Man movies.
SOTD = Memo Paris Winter Palace and Tom Ford Lavender Extreme
Perfect!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B66KcwphNC6/?igshid=tkrflmxoa50g
I have nothing by way of TV or movie recommendations (last one I saw was Crazy Rich Asians and how long ago was that?). I most watch DVRd Food Network competition shows, likely to make up for my severe lack of (close to absence of) cooking and baking skills.
I have a friends get-together tonight and a cousins get-together tomorrow. As much as I love being around people in a social setting, 2 in 2 days is a lot. I much prefer one event for the weekend.
I look forward to perusing the recommendations for what’s available via Amazon Prime!
I know the TF is supposed to be silver, but it still looks gorgeous!
Winter Palace didn’t work for me but I love love the drawing on the bottle
The bottle and box are beautiful, but it didn’t work for me, either.
The only thing we watch is the baking competition shows. 🙂
I haven’t seen much. Really enjoyed The Morning Show and saved The Crown for this past week. have final episode to watch tonight and then onto the Two Popes and Marriage Story.
My commute is sucky so long books are good right now. I just finished The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri and will start Dutch House on Monday.
Everything has to come from library on my no spend 2020.
I did HOWEVER, pre order JM Vetiver and Golden Vanilla and it was here last night.
have on 3 sprays. The first hour does have a fresh grapefruit and then the earthiness starts in. So far, I really like it. Will report more.
Really looking forward to trying this one.
We got home yesterday after a week in Los Angeles with the outlaws. Enough said.
This holiday I exhibited abject perfume gluttony. It may take me the whole year to recover.
My life has pretty much been a visual media desert these last few months. I did watch a very delicious and ridiculous series called Glow Up, and took my sons to Jumanji 2 last week. My media indulgence has been podcasts. I listen to everything from The Daily, to This American Life, to The Oath, to fictional stories. My current favorite is Blood Ties.
Great minds.. I just watched the first 2 episodes of Glow Up. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon getting over this silly cold.
Outlaws?? love it
yes, that caught my attention, also!
Glad you made it home safely!
I’m wearing Lubin Black Jade from a sample sent to me by springpansy. It’s lovely, and I am smelling elegant and quite in contrast to my current attire (grey t-shirt and jeans, my perennial home wear).
So, I’ve just come across this recent video by zefrank (who is almost always hilarious), and for those of you who love the holidays, cats, dogs, and cats with dogs, here’s a little present for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PUlJpsbHSk
You smell nice- Petunia introduced me to that one. Lovely!
You smell wonderful. I love Black Jade!
That really was funny, though it went on a bit too long. I liked some of the more off-colour ones, ha ha!
I went to see Little Women with my daughter and grand daughter yesterday and loved it. My grand daughter has numerous environmental allergies so I couldn’t wear any perfume then, and we are going to their house for dinner tonight so I am scent-less again.
I will definitely see Little Women! Not sure I’ll manage in a theater though.
Back from vacation and saw two really good movies on the plane: The Goldfinch and Red Joan, starring the amazing Judy Dench.
Spritzed Oeillet Bengale today, from the splitmeet. My sprayer was not working and I emailed Aedes. They sent a replacement! Great customer service.
I was on vacation in sunny Egypt so this Midwest grey is really a negative contrast. I just bought a sun alarm clock and hopefully it will make getting out of bed a little easier
What is a sun alarm clock?
It wakes you up with increasing light intensity. It’s supposed to help with getting up in the winter when it’s still dark out.
I need one of those! I have never used an alarm clock as the sun is all I need. It is difficult this time of year.
I’m determined to beat my SAD this winter and I hope this helps
Sotd- Commodity Velvet
A spicy warm vanilla with a touch of smoke.
Unfortunately I can’t recommend any series or movies. But I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s suggestions. Enjoy your weekend❤️
I always walk by the Commodity – but this sounds rather yummy.
Holiday movie going included Knives Out and Little Women, both excellent. Little Women was especially good given that it has been filmed and staged so many times and yet this version felt fresh and newly told–particularly fine cast working very well together. I bet there was one bottle of rosewater that those girls passed around one to the other! Maybe some dried lavender tucked in a bodice or pressed among the pantaloons folded in the drawer……loved, loved, loved the costumes.
SOTD–LDDM, not very New England but dry and comforting on a dreary wet day.
I’ll bet Amy found something quite chic and expensive when she went to Paris and Rome with Aunt March!
Yes!!! Of course she did!!
Happy Saturday!
I haven’t seen a movie in a theater in a long time. Must remedy.
I’ve been going through some of the stuff on TCM and recently watched Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman. Interesting to see the source of the term! Not sure what perfume, but I’m thinking something cloying and suffocating. And a very young Angela Lansbury is in it- took me a while to figure out who she was.
TV-wise, I’ve been running through episodes of Baroness von Sketch, Canadian sketch comedy. These women are pretty hilarious, but feel like they pilfered from Portlandia, maybe. Anyway, similar kind of humor, a bit OTT at times.
Went to karaoke last night with my drumming mates as one of our members said she’s never been and is in town from Trinidad for the holidays. It was really fun! It was a mix of English and Spanish songs with some spontaneous Salsa break-outs. Our best “performance” though was Seasons of Love from Rent. Almost made me cry!
I can watch Gaslight any time it’s on.
That was Angela’s first movie–she was still a teenager. Amazing woman.
Gorgeous picture today Robin!
No current movie recs from me. The last one I saw in a theater was “The Last Jedi”, and I think the last one I watched at home was “Wreck-It Ralph”. Or maybe it was one of the “Hotel Transylvania” animated movies. I think that Jimmy Choo’s first eponymous fragrance would be a good match for either of the animated movies… a fruitchouli makes sense to me.
Current TV has been the series “Mystic Britain” on the Smithsonian Channel. The blurb talks about “delving into the supernatural beliefs of the ancient Britons.” There’s also a fair amount of dry British humor and some macabre discussions. I enjoyed the first season quite a bit, and was happy to hear that there will be a second season. Scent for that: something green and a little disturbing. Maybe Niki de Saint Phalle?
SOTD = back in Spadaro Sole Nero EdP. I’m digging it right now for sure!
I love that picture too!
And Mystic Britain sounds fun, I will look for it.
Commando today, since my guess is I can’t smell anything… Voice is gone. Throat is less sore, but it’s closed up. Irritating…
Seen a number of movies of late. Most recent favorites were A Hidden Life, Parasite and quite enjoyed Jumanji… I watched The Dublin Murders on TV, but I can’t actually say I liked it. I simply stayed with it.
A Hidden Life would be a green and fresh scent. Hay, apples, grass, pine. Baiser de Russie might work nicely. Or, maybe Jour Ensolleille. Oh to smell like the cinematography in that movie… There was a lot of discussion of scent in Parasite…most of it critical.
Get better LizzieB!
I just finished watching the 1978 movie Convoy. I would scent Kris Kristofferson and Ali MacGraw in Jovan Musk. I think the most recent movie I’ve seen is John Wick 3. No fragrance for Keanu, because I assume he smells perfect naturally. ? the only new t.v. show I watch is Superstore, It’s very funny, imo.
My scent of the evening is Bvlgari Au the Bleu.
I will look for Superstore, had not even heard of it!
Mark McKinney from Kid’s in the Hall is in it. It’s harmless, silly type of funny.
We binge-watched Atypical on Netflix last weekend. It was a good show about a teenager with autism.
Looking forward to the new season of Better Call Saul; I believe this is back in February. To me, Saul would wear classic Polo in the green bottle.
Today I wore SL Fleur d’Oranger with a spray of Kiehl’s Musk underneath to cut the sweetness.
Recent movies I’ve loved: The Rise of Skywalker; Little Women; The Two Popes; Judy. I’ll have to think about fragrances for them! Something with incense for The Two Popes. Something simple and rosy for Little Women. I’m thinking Habanita for Judy, given how much she smoked and drank, in and out of nightculs. I’m stumped on a scent for The Rise of Skywalker!
Nightclubs!
Id like to add one recommendation
I recently watched Marriage Story…its worth your time if you are into relationship drama.
Adam Driver impresses again.
And it was nice to see Scarlett Johansson in a decent movie again!
I may have missed something interesting but my recent memories of her were from Ghost in the Shell and that last Avengers. I made it to the end of both movies but i dont think i need to see them again hahaha
I also liked that film
I did not go to the movies last year, but enjoyed lots of star trek on netflix. Currently watching Star Trek Voyager, although its my least favourite.
Yesterday spent the day in Stuttgart with the boyfriend. We visited the big railway station Construction site, because they opened it to the public for the weekend. Went to a cafe and had apple strudel with vanilla sauce. I tested some scents at the Schlossparfumerie and was impressed with their own private line, which they have custom made in Grasse via Micallef. Their “Pour la Belle”, is a great chypre, somewhere between No19 and Courreges Empreinte. I still can smell it 18h later on my wrist. If you come to Stuttgart, its worth a visit.
And later we went for dinner and had a greek entree plate, i ate veals liver with mashed potatoes and vin santo sauce, the boyfriend had stifado. Excellent food!
What a wonderful day. That scent sounds gorgeous.
I am so looking forward to Picard! And season 2 of Star Trek Discovery, although I think that is much later.
The downside of small NYC apartments…they become claustrophobic when one is under the weather. Small favors, though…the 1995 Pride & Prejudice is on TV. That’ll keep me for a few more hours…
Mitsouko. I’ve had this bottle for years and rarely wear it, yet suddenly I’m wearing it all the time.
Mitsouko can be hard to wear. You either wear it or it wears you.
Get better soon!
I watched that with my mom & sister over Xmas 🙂
I haven’t been to the movies in ages, and don’t have TV but can recommend a book instead, Katherine Mansfield’s complete short stories, I always think of her as a more accomplished Virginia Woolf.
I’m wearing Midnight Poison because Jalapeno wore it Friday and I had neglected it.
I love Katherine Mansfield’s short stories, they are so exquisitely detailed and full of colour.
She is great, one of my favourite authors. I love the opening paragraph of Woman at the Store, and the German pension stories…so good. Her journals and letters ( ed. C.K Stead in the penguin edition) are worth reading. And a good, non-scholarly biography is Claire Tomalin’s Katherine Mansfield:A Secret Life. My friend has the KM fellowship this year and will have a writing room in KM’s house in Menton so I am looking forward to lots of photos.
It’s me again. Right now, I am wearing Le Labo Labdanum 18 and about to take a shower since Labdanum 18 is annoying me. I don’t know why I liked it in the first place. Good thing it’s only a decant. I think that I am going to switch to Shalimar Ode a la Vanille after my shower.
I hate it when I put on a perfume and think why am I wearing this? When I could be wearing something I really love. Good thing you’re home and can shower it off.
I’m currently watching ‘The trial of Christine Keeler’, and enjoying immensely, so good that the balance is being redressed, finally in Christine’s favour, as she was vilified throughout her whole life.
James Norton is good as Stephen Ward, a character who is also in season 2 of the Crown, he was osteopath to the rich and famous in early ‘60’s London.
My perfume choice for Christine would definitely be a fruity chypre-, either Chanel Cristalle or possibly Diorella, beautiful and a bit dirty.too.
Happy New Year! I hope this series reaches us as it looks so good. I saw a film about her years ago (Scandal?) and always wanted to hear her story of events.
We are currently rewatching the last season of The Durrell’s in Corfu now that my college daughter is home for winter break and missed it last fall. We are down to the last episode and I’ve been putting it off for a few nights since it made me sad the first time I watched it.? I love that series and all the quirky characters in it. For perfume I would pair it with Un Jardin Mediterranee, my favorite from that line and a good match for that beautiful Greek island scenery.
For movies we watched Forrest Gump on New Year’s Eve. It’s been years since I’ve watched it from start to finish, i usually find it while flipping through cable channels part way through. My h, myself and my older daughter had all seen it before but it was the first time for my youngest daughter who’s 14. She watched it somewhat begrudgingly because she wanted to watch something else but got outvoted by my older daughter and me, lol. She ended up loving it! Of course she did, who wouldn’t? It’s one of the best movies ever. I would pair Casmir with it, because it’s cozy and because it was my signature scent when Forest Gump first hit the theaters back in ‘94. Feels like a lifetime ago.
The Durrell’s are so much fun. I’m saving the last season for when I need a good emotional afternoon on the couch. 😀 And Forrest Gump? Gosh, Tom Hanks is my hero. At the end of the movie I stood in the aisle of the movie theater and sobbed. I was a mess, but it was lovely.
Due to the crazy warmish weather we’ve been having, I pulled out DeProfundis for today.
We’re celebrating my mother’s 80th birthday today so I’m off shortly to party with the family.
Happy Birthday to your Mom!?
Aww, Thank you! It feels a little surreal. She is forever young in my mind.
I am watching the PBS version of Pride & Prejudice and would pair it with with rose, orange or lavender water.
Is that the BBC version (1995)?
Yes, it is.
PBS doesn’t air the more current version. ?
It is by far my favourite. And not just because of Colin Firth.
For National Bird Day yesterday, I watched two beautiful Stellar’s jays fly around in the bare tree branches outside my apartment. They’re so striking, especially when they’ve got their wings spread to fly.
Movies and tv hmm… I usually report back here any movies I go see, but we do watch a lot of movies at home. We finally watched The Last Jedi a few weekends ago and re-watched The Force Awakens prior to it. We’ll finish out the series in the theater but hopefully once the big crowds have died down. Last night, I finally watched Manhunter, the first movie adaptation of Thomas Harris’s Red Dragon. I thought it was very good. If you want to see the French movie that Home Alone must have been greatly inspired by, I think it’s still on Amazon Prime. It’s called Better Watch Out on there though it is also known as Deadly Games: Dial Code Santa Claus. It’s pretty dark but a good watch, and the little boy has a killer mullet.
I haven’t watched a lot of tv lately, except to finish The Affair. The first few seasons were great, but the last two not so much. The last season really suffered without Ruth Wilson and Joshua Jackson. Next up will be the final season of Mr. Robot, Dublin Murders, and Peaky Blinders. Those are all shows to be enjoyed with my boyfriend. On my own, next up is the most recent seasons of The Crown and Outlander.
I thunked my sample of Bengale Rouge yesterday and have moved on to my decant. That perfume is definitely an addiction lately.
Manhunter is great, isn’t it?
We used to have great fun with the Stellar’s Jays up in Tahoe. They’d tap on our sliding glass door to demand peanuts.
Jays are so much fun to watch. I’ve got a group of black phoebes that keeps me entertained. They like to sit on my clothesline and talk to each other.
Bengale Rouge is getting lots of love. 😀
I’m a major movie fiend, I did a Best of 2019 list on my letterboxd page (it’s a goodreads for movies!), here they are:
19. The Perfection
18. Knives and Skin
17. The Farewell
16. Honey Boy
15. Child’s Play
14. Knives Out
13. Midsommar
12. The Long Walk
11. Blinded By the Light
10. Ready Or Not
9. The Lighthouse
8. Hustlers
7. A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood
6. Booksmart
5. Little Women
4. The Nightingale
3. Marriage Story
2. Us
1. Parasite
hi Dorsey, many thanks for your list. I enjoyed Little Women, Marriage Story, and Us. We might have similar taste in movies. 😉 Will watch Midsommar next!
My lists are always genre-heavy, so if that’s what you’re into, enjoy!
Thank you for sharing!
SotD = Eau de Guerlain
Watched “Yesterday” last night, then “The Big Sick.” Enjoyed them both! Today I’m binging Beatles music because of the former, wishing I had some Chicago pizza because of the latter. Can’t think what scents to pair with these tho!
I still have not seen Yesterday but it is on my list!
oh, do give it a viewing! It’s a sweet story. The lead actor does such a great job, and Lily James is, well, just perfect. 😀
I love Richard Curtis movies. I watch Love, Actually every December. Recently watched About Time, another of his movies, and enjoyed every minute.
Hallooo! I’m back after packing, moving to Santa Fe, and unpacking. I finally got to my perfume collection, now all is right with the world. I spritzed my own private blend, which I made at a perfumer’s workshop in Paris. When packing up, I found the piece of paper with the formula, which I misplaced last time I moved 4 years ago! So now I can spray it with abandon. Loving Santa Fe so far!
Yay, so glad you are loving it and you’re all settled!