Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit and happy May Day! Our community project for today: wear the fragrance that sent you down the rabbit hole.
What fragrance did you pick? As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you’re not participating in the community project.
I've got a dab of vintage Diorissimo on one hand, because May Day, but the rest of me is sporting good old Diptyque Philosykos. It's hard to identify a single perfume that sent me down the rabbit hole, but Philosykos was my first complete turnaround. I really didn't like it the first time I smelled it, or at least, I didn't think it smelled like an appropriate personal perfume, for me or anyone. After a bit more niche perfume exposure, I "got" it, and that experience changed my attitude towards perfume.
Reminder: 5/8 is Iris Day, so we'll repeat our project from 2016... wear an iris fragrance, if you have one.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2020, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: the Meri Meri Wildflower Bunny Napkins are $5.95 for 20.
🐇🐇🐇 commando
Why, pray tell?
LOL 🤣
I had a rough night with my frisky feline granddaughter.
But see below ⬇️I am now wearing three! austenfan made me do it 😈
However, because she woke me I WAS able to 🐇🐇🐇at 12:04 am LOL 😂
Hopefully your furry granddaughter will let you sleep thru the night tonight! Is she still a kitten?
Fat chance!!
No she’s a seven year old rescue cat my daughter adopted not too long ago. We’re watching her temporarily because of my daughter’s crazy work schedule. The cat is very demanding of love and attention, deservedly so, and I am happy to give.
Is your feline granddaughter ok?
Yes. She was just hungry and frisky at that time. Afterwards she snuggled up against Mr Marzipan and passed out until 4am.
Phylosikos!
In my early 20’s, just out of Uni, I remember going into this fancy boutique after work and the lady recommending it. I kept sniffing my wrist on the way home and used up all of the sample. It was my first extravagant purchase with the salary of my first job. I have repurchased twice since and still have some left in that big square bottle. After this came Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet (so crisp and sharp) and L’Ombre dans L’Eau (“I smell like I jumped into a bush!”).
You recognized it quicker than I did
Maybe. Had been going to shops and looking and looking for something to fascinate. It took a few months of going into shops and sniffing before I found Phylosikos.
I love L’Ombre dans L’Eau!
Hi all!
Sadly slept 3 hours less than I wanted to. Hoping I can squeeze in a nap today. Luckily, my to do list for today is only to shape my sourdough for baking tomorrow.
I think my rabbit hole perfume is Dzongkha. It was in my first Luckyscent sample order and I saved up for a bottle. It is so strange and lovely. It barely smells like a personal fragrance and I love it.
I was thinking of wearing Muguet Porcelaine today for May Day though. Big decision.
Please stay safe!
I slept less than I wanted too Coumarin. Hope you get that nap!
I love Muguet Porcelaine! I was already down the rabbit hole when it was launched, though.
Today I’m wearing Imogen Rose, one of my oldest Lushes. Lush was my first encounter with the idea that something strange could still smell great, and that I might want more than one perfume (ha, look at me now…). They are still the most-represented brand in my collection and I have really been enjoying rewearing my Lushes this week.
I envy your Lush collection, there are so many I’d like to own but don’t!
It’s a shame their current iteration has moved away from the smaller sizes… harder to justify the impulse!
Plus, when I bought Silky Underwear it was FAR cheaper than nearly any like fragrance — I don’t dispute the worth of their offerings (or the rise in cost of good raw materials) but I no longer stand in the store and say wow, what an amazing bargain!!
House twin! You smell great.
You, too! I really appreciate the accessibility of their scents.
I can’t remember one perfume thst sent me down the hole, however, Poison was my first love. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a vintage that really smells as wonderful as it used to and the modern reform doesn’t get me too excited.
Looks like more heat wave weather..gave me an excuse to buy some creamsicle ice cream:) 🍨
And I envy your heat wave! We are eating ice cream regardless of the weather though.
You still have access to ice cream? My supermarket has been sold out for weeks!
In the desert, we better not run outta ice cream! Lol. I am already grieving over closed buffets lol. Before it was officially a pandemic I was using napkins over laddles in the buffets and stuff.
Too funny 😂
It is interesting what different areas are out of! I had trouble getting ice cream early on but now not a problem.
Frozen veg hard to find in some stores here though, which seems odd to me.
Almost no frozen veggies to be found where I am at, either. Plenty of cereal in the cereal aisle, though.
Like Jalapeno, no frozen veggies or frozen fruit either by me. And pasta is very low, hence limit two.
I would love some of that ice cream
Sure come on ova:) I also have cookies we can dip in it.
Lots of ice cream available in NYC, but cold and rainy weather makes me not want to eat it…
Eek! Forgot about the CP!
I fell down the rabbit hole some time in 1967/1968. It was a magical blue bottle in the bathroom my preschool age self used to secretly spray on. My mom knew but never reprimanded me. In fact she shared all her fragrances with me. So did my dad. They both pushed me down the rabbit hole 50+ years ago. And now I do the same with the mini Marzipans. 😉
I might wear something from my vintage stash…no 22, Shalimar EDC or Emeraude from the 1960s. Or maybe all three 😈
I was born in 1967 and I suggest you wear all 3!
I’m glad that you are inspiring the little Marzipans to be perfumistas. We need more of those.
LOL!! Okay I will.
Yes, the Marzipan clan is a multigenerational family of perfume nutters! My 83 y.o. dad even sprays his socks and underwear 🙃
Go Clan Marzipan! Best smelling family on NST!
👍👍👍
I have a new label for chez marzipan – co-dependent enablers 🤣
Ahahaha 🙃 you are so right! We are all bad influences on each other!!!
I can’t remember what perfume sent me down the rabbit hole. I know it all started with an online quest for a cheap bottle of Cristalle. That made me stumble on this blog, and the rest is history.
I did remember to rabbit early this morning and very late last night.
Because it is the first of May my chosen theme today is Muguet. So I’m wearing vintage Diorissimo extrait, DelRae Début and Muguet Porcelaine. I smell appropriately green and spring like.
It’s nice to wear 3 tributes to the same little flower.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n047oOHnti0
For those of us in need of a virtual vacation, my favourite château in France.
Thank you! Love drone videos.
And for anyone who needs music, I’ll add what I was listening to this morning, from #SingOutSF, 3 versions of I left my heart in San Francisco, first from the Young People’s Teen Musical Theatre Company and then one from the SF Opera, and then a mix of different efforts introduced by Tony Bennett…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeL1VGl05Jg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WumDp_dmT6w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDQfgNdLF2Q
Beautiful. I visited Vaux Le Vicomte there three years ago, it really doesn’t seem that long ago.
It’s magical. I would love to visit there in the evening once. They do these candle lit tours on Saturdays; les Soirées aux Chandelles.
I agree about Vaux le Vicomte. Fantastic place and almost deserted when I went.
It was fairly quiet both times I went. Drove past it once towards sunset and it almost seemed to be floating in the air.
Thank you. It’s a favourite as well but my number one is Chenonceaux.
That is another magical place. Have you visited Azay-le-Rideau?
No I haven’t, it looks a jewel of a little castle, there was a photo in a family album so my parents had been there.
LOTV is one of my favorites, you smell wonderful!
Thank you, all I can smell right now is Début which clearly is the powerhouse of the 3.
Stunning!!!! Thanks for sharing. 💙
It is, and you’re welcome!
Oh my, you smell wonderful!! You’re like a one-woman “May Muguet Marathon”, lol! Lily of the valley is one of my favorite fragrance notes and flowers. I have dozens of muguet fragrances and write about them often.
I’m wearing my rabbit hole fragrance, Mitsouko edt. I think I bought a decant of this, fell in love, posted about my love on this forum, and the next thing I knew Doc Sinister had sent me a partial bottle. I had not realized how a complex fragrance can develop and change while on the body. I had worn mostly clean, or green, or citrus before Mitsouko. And, I still prefer the edt to any other formulation.
The one I *still* don’t get, so I salute you PriscillaE!
Mitsouko ❤️ A recent discovery for me. Bought one for my gran as a present recently. Now the scent will also be forever associated with her, which is a good as she is far away and a spritz brings her back.
You smell soooooooo glorious!
Scent twins!
You smell fabulous! Mitsouko is one of my rabbit hole fragrances. It’s pretty special.
A dab of my vintage Je Reviens on one arm and a spritz of PG Bois Blond on the other. No, they don’t go together but I am making my CP statement!
It was my search for more of the Je Reviens (my signature scent beginning in ~1974) that sent me into the perfume world again in the beginning of this century, and it was Pierre Guillaume’s Bois Blond that introduced me to what a wide and wonderful world it is.
I love Bois Blond. You smell sooo good.
And actually, this poll is reminding me that I was never really perfume monogamous: I wore a couple of things in junior high (Love’s Baby Soft and Wicked Wahine), and Lauren and Je Reviens in high school, Obsession, Inoui and Je Reviens in college and after – but Je Reviens was the continuing thread for many years.
I remember my chagrin at finding that it wasn’t available any more in the early 90s and then finding the new version which didn’t seem right at all. Welcome to the real world, right? It had just never occurred to me that it would change or that I would lose it…Thank goodness for new loves and NST friends who understand!
Oh, Obsession wasn’t launched until 1985 – I guess I wore it after college since I graduated in 1980. Sorry for all the posts– it’s just bringing back lots of memories!
We have some common loves 💙💚
Je Reviens is a treasure you smelled so good. You know vintage JR has kept ber well and is not expensive as there is so much of it as it was do popular.
so popular, sorry.
Beautiful choice. Your post has compelled me to share a very vivid memory that includes Je Reviens, which 30+ years later is still a source of shame to me. Back in high school, I became friends with some sisters that were prolific shoplifters. I’d never stolen a thing up to then (and never again since!)…but in my teenage desire to fit in, one day swiped a pretty little blue bottle of this perfume from a department store. For a little while, it was a secret treasure but as guilt wore away at me I couldn’t even look at it anymore. I still wonder what I ended up doing with it and have wanted to smell it again just to see what kind of emotional response it would trigger! Sure was a pretty bottle though…
Aw, that’s a great story. It’s time to forgive yourself! You learned a valuable lesson. It’s too bad you didn’t get to really enjoy it.
Oh my, we are scent twins! Both today and signature scent in the 70s! How weird is that? I wore Je Revien exclusively for 2 decades, old college friends still comment on my “grown up” scent. An old boyfriend, he AND his wife are still dear friends, both love it. I gave her some bath powder in Je Revien and she was thrilled. The new formulation is an abomination, but my vintage perfume has held up beautifully.
That’s fun! Hi twin – happy to know you. Yes, and along with preferring vintage, I liked the parfum concentration the best which my parents used to give me at Christmas. I did find a vintage cologne and parfum set that I purchased probably about 8 – 10 years ago. I don’t wear it much but always want to have some. I felt so classy when I wore it many years ago!
Joining you and the others who love vintage Je Reviens. It’s another in the category of fragrances that both increased my love of scents and has powerful scent memories for me (see my post below). I, too, love the parfum best and still have a drop or two left in the tiny blue bottle my MIL brought me back as a gift from one of her cruises decades ago, which spawned my love of it. Although the modern reformulation is terrible, the later version called Je Reviens Couture is okay.
Love this. The Couture version is okay, but just okay for me. I always keep my eyes open for vintage parfum. Thanks for posting!
I know exactly where my feet slipped down the rabbit hole! My Mom took me to the beach for a day when I was home between semesters at grad school,and we visited a small perfumery off the boardwalk. I was enchanted by the scents, the bottles, the atmosphere. My first Big Girl perfume with Genie des Bois by Kieko Mercheri. The balsamic violet made me feel sophisticated and grand. A woman ready for the world! Thanks Mom 💕🌷
Aww, I love this story!💕
A large spray from an old bottle of Mugler Cologne. Not my rabbit hole fragrance, but the green soapiness felt right for today with the acid green of the new leaves on the oaks and beeches bursting on the garden trees, neon in the sunshine between the rain and hail downpours.
Yep, you smell great tanglewood!
If I were to be wearing my true rabbit hole fragrance it would be the Gio by Armani. Alas, that is discontinued.
But I have my second choice..Obsession for Woman (vintage) thanks to a generous NSTer
Oh, nice! I didn’t appreciate Obsession until I tripped down the rabbit hole in the blog era, my best friend wore it when it first came out and it was “hers.” Big fan of the vintage now.
Twins!👯♀️
I wore Obsession back in the 80s. Love and wear my Obsession Sheer from early 2000s now.
Gio was one of the greats!
Yes, the bottles on evil bay are $$$$
I know! It’s such a shame.
Oh you smell opulent. You know, Moschino by Moschino is very like Obssession.
Oh, how I adore Obsession. I had a bottle of vintage and in a fit or I don’t know what, I got rid of it, silly me.
*kicks self*
I’ve been trying to decide what to wear today. Do I wear my first “real” perfume? (Arpege, brought back from Paris on my parents first trip abroad when I was little,) or Commes des Garcons edt which was the first niche-y perfume that tripped me in the early aughts? I decided to go with Norell, the first perfume I bought myself, at the drugstore, with saved up babysitting money. I hardly ever wear it now and I should, it smells wonderful. Happy May, everyone!
Norell!!! You smell great!! I wore that one too back in the day.
And isn’t it amazing that drugstore fragrances smelled better than some of the current niche?
Yes! I remember buying Emeraude with my mom at the local small town drugstore when I was in high school.
Now those bottles sell for big money on eBay!
Yes! And those little old drugstores also had Guerlain!
I adore Norell, such a beautiful sexy scent!
I second on the drug store perfumes. So many are really quite well done! I love Emeraude.
My first “real” perfume, after I was through my Love’s Baby Soft and Rain and Sweet Honesty phase was Lauren by RL. That was my signature scent junior and senior year. Then I went away to college and discovered Obsession. I don’t have any Lauren, so had to go with a some vintage Obsession. A single spray will last me alllll day.
Slept much better last night and woke to sun, blue skies and our rhododendron bushes in full bloom. They’re late this year and oddly they never bloomed at all last year. So pretty, but in a few days the flowers will drop and they’ll be bare again.🌸
I wore Lauren in High School too. We are sun twins today 🌞
I wore Lauren as well. Nice to meet friends!
Hello 👋 twin
Another twin here waving hello! 👋
Lauren was amazing!! I thunked quite a few bottles! In high school I wore lots of Chanel, Doors, Estee Lauder but also Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld Chloe, Rive Gauche, Calandre, Metal…lordy, I could go on and on and on. Always had about seven bottles of different fragrances in rotation.
Sounds like a great line-up to me! Please go on🤗
LOL 🤣😂
I love reading the list of sophisticated fragrances you wore in high school! Of course, you do come from a perfumista dynasty …
😉
Good morning Y’all! Happy FriYAY!!!
So last night I was thinking about the perfume rabbit hole, and it’s been too long and too many fragrances ago to remember THE perfume that started it all….
BUT, I definitely remember the BAZINGA!!! moment I had when I first sprayed Prada Infusion d’Iris. It was perfection. It’s how I want to smell. It’s the first Scentbird sample where I bought a full bottle as soon as I could. It’s a perfume love! So I’m wafting it today…..
Perfect bazinga scent Jada!
I always liked things that smell nice, but I really got interested in perfume when I was a miserable and broke grad student spending wayyyy too much time reading the makeupalley boards. I remember that I bought a 3-sample set from beautyhabit (anyone else remember their beautiful paper catalogues?) of POTL, L’Ombre dans L’eau and Bois d’Iris (Different Company version) and made those dabbers last for at least 2 years worth of special occasions. I also bought a small decant of Iris Silver Mist on ebay and was too scared to wear it because it was just too beautiful and austere.
The only fragrance I was able to afford to wear daily (and that I liked) was Lush solid perfume. I spent even more time on the Lush forum than on the MUA boards. And it really was amazing how I could get some products that smelled great and not have to spend a huge amount (relative to a bottle of perfume). (I could never afford bottles of their perfume, but I could afford the solids. I also longed for those forum exclusives that everyone raved about!) I remember loving the Smell of Freedom as solid perfume.
I’m not broke or miserable any more, but I still love Lush products. I’m wearing “What Would Love Do?” today, and totally digging myself. Thanks melissa for the CP inspiration!
Loved your story! I’m not familiar with perfume you’re wearing but I’m sure you smell good.
You smell exhilaratingly citrussy.
There isn’t really a single perfume that sent me down the rabbit hole – it was the sudden unavailability of a single scent, though, that caused me to start hunting online for perfume advice. First was BdJ and its “Recommend Me” series, through which I found out about sampling services and NST, and from there it was off to the races. The first scent I fell deeply in love with during that period was an old Tabac Blond EDT formulation that STC used to have in stock, now gone forever (in my house and at STC), so I couldn’t wear that for today’s theme. In looking through my order history and a file I keep labeled “Fragrance Obsession”, I see that the earliest full bottles I purchased (after ordering several sets of samples) were Chanel 19 EDT and Tom Ford Violet Blonde … and since it’s another lovely sunny morning here I chose the 19. Happy May Day, happy Friday, I hope you all have a wonderful day today!
Tabac Blond .. ❤️
I agree – it is yummy.
Chanel 19 is gorgeous! Good choice!
Thank you! I’m pretty happy with my choice
No 19 EdT was the first perfume from Chanel that I loved (before it I “didn’t get” the brand). You smell great!
Same here – “Chanel” to me before was No. 5, and it and I never quite got along. Never knew there were other numbers (or, really, any other Chanels aside from Coco) until the rabbit hole got me.
I was thinking of wearing Chanel Cuir de Russie. CdR was the one that sent me down the rabbit hole even though I wore Pleasures and Happy. Couldn’t find Diorissimo in my collection but I am wearing Courtesan.
I am at work and have to fly under the radar, so no CdR.
Courtesan is yummy.
I am wearing vintage Obsession on the right arm, the perfume who sent me down the rabbit hole and which I adore! ❤❤ On my left arm Obsession Sheer, thanks to Springpansy, which I also love. ❤❤.
Drinking a cup of iced coffee and having few Fruit Punch Peeps. They are citrusy and not so sweet. My favorites so far along Chocolate Pudding!
Happy Friday, everyone!
We smell good twin
We DO! 💕💕
;D ♥
💕
Fruit punch peeps!?
I’m so jealous of all this exotic candy you’ve been eating 🐇🌹🌷🌞
LOL! Taking advantage of the still going 80% Easter sales! 🐰🐇🐣🐥🌸🌸
One of the upsides of the social distancing, not as many people at the stores. I saw ninety percent off Easter today, but nothing caught my taste buds.
Lucky you, being able to carry off the original Obsession! It NEVER worked for me… always a scrubber.
We can’t like everything. We are fortunate that the scents variety is endless!
I’m wearing Mitsouko today, my signature scent and the one that sent me down the rabbithole. I must have been 19 or 20 year old university student when I saw a bottle with an intriguing name at the perfume counter, sprayed and it was instant love!
Nice
I chose La Chasse Aux Papillons. I’d considered something from Demeter, since it was my encounter with Demeter fragrances in college that turned on a lightbulb that not all perfumes had to smell like a department store, but I wouldn’t say that that revelation sent me down the rabbit hole. That happened sometime later, at a perfume boutique in Seattle. I spritzed a little La Chasse on a test strip, stuck it in my pocket, went about my day, and then re-sniffed it later in the day and fell in love. And from then on, the world was a bit more technicolor (and my hobbies a bit more expensive…)
Ah, you learned that much younger than I did!
Perfect description, “the world was a bit more technicolor”!
Happy friYAY to all! I slept like the dead after a very good day, although I was not as productive as I wanted to be.
I went to target to pick up a few things and the checkout line snaked around the aisles through about four different departments! No thanks. Went to Trader Joe’s, and the line was only 8-10 people. Yes, please! Everyone was very polite and kept their distance as much as possible.
On a fragrance note, I went down the rabbit hole after getting a whiff of the original Bottega Veneta. Strangely, I only ever had a mini and ended up trading it away because I felt it might be too “loud.” Silly me! A small bottle may be in my future, but there are others I’d like first.
Today, I’m in Solstice Scents Estate Vetiver from a kind NSTer.
Had some visitors yesterday!
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_nKch0J29o/?igshid=1xlc04xz6cgja
Oh my! That’s some visitors!
I still have your mini of Bottega Veneta
Let me know if you need it back 
Yes, get some BV! Now I think back on things I didn’t buy that had meaningful memories for me and wish that I had them. (I never bought a bottle of PG Bois Blond and wish I had – I think of all the silly stuff I bought that I didn’t love as much and shake my head.)
I would bet that most of us have a “regrets” list – I know I do, and I try to think of the less-happy purchases as points on the learning curve. And I try NOT to think about the missed opportunities too much.
Good advice! There is lots of learning to be done for sure.
BV is lovely. I’m not sure how the mini bottles are configured, but one point in favor of a full bottle is that the sprayer is the most satisfying one I’ve ever had the honor of misting myself with. I struggle not to lose control and just spray and spray and spray whenever I wear it.
Love BV!!
Estate Vetiver is gorgeous too… smelling good, Deva!
I love your visitors 😍😍😍
And BV is lovely! I discovered it last year and I bought a small bottle.
Beautiful bears!
I still have a mini bottle of BV and like this perfume though I don’t wear it often.
Your visitors were impressive and scary. Be safe! I don’t think your van is protective enough should they chose to check your food supplies.
Bottega Veneta is lovely, good choice!
Bears, on two legs no less! What a site.
Lo💜e BV too!
Bottega Veneta is lovely!
Loved the bear that was reaching up to the tree branch! How did T-Rex react?
Oh my! Mama and cubs? Cute until you get between them … but what a great video!
I came late to the perfume party. I had a few bottles of godawful sweet stuff gifted to me as a kid (you know, ‘appropriate’ for young girls) which I hated. I thought that was what perfume was about until my grandmother’s best friend gifted me a bottle of Faberge Woodhue in high school. Which I loved, but then forgot about. Tried a few perfumes in my 20’s — liked Lauren — but then forgot about. And then, while poking about Etsy for something else, I came across a bottle of Woodhue. !!! Thus began the chase. Searching for Woodhue led me to The Non-Blonde’s review (RIP), and the rest is history.
I have acquired a few bottles of Woodhue over the past few years, but they hadn’t held up. Then I discovered that Vermont Country Store has revived it! Bought a bottle, and it smells just like I remembered.
So I could be wearing that today. Or I could be wearing Philosykos, which was my first purchase after falling down the rabbit hole.
But I’m actually wearing CdG Wisteria Hysteria. Because spring. And this is certainly something I would never have known about without that rabbit-hole dive.
TGIF, y’all!
I remember Woodhue – how lovely to find Woodhue that smelled like the original or at least like your memory of it. That’s very special.
Nice to hear that the Vermont Country Store’s reboot of Woodhue is a good one! That makes me wonder how well they did with some of their other perfume offerings.
Hello bunnies! I am wearing Miller & Bertaux Green Green Green & Green, which I bought from the much-mourned Takashimaya in New York. I was looking for something unique and had heard they had interesting perfumes (after sniffing literally everything in Sephora; I did them in alphabetical order! which is how I found Omnia so some good came of it.) I must have tried everything in Takashimaya too before I settled on this. And then I wanted to read about it, which led me to this blog, and away we went! Robin is still my favorite perfume-describer; I find her reviews actually tell me what the perfume will SMELL like, rather than what images or feelings it conjures, which is a remarkable thing to be able to do.
Loved that scent (mine went off) and loved that store!
(And thank you)
I’ve always worn scented things, the first big girl perfume I bought for myself was Poison, but the rabbit hole of niche started with POTL. That bottle is in my house in San Diego, so I’m wearing L’Air de Désert Marocain, which was my second niche perfume. Happy Friday!
POTL was still raved about when I first found MakeupAlley (I joined in 2004) and the perfume forum. It brings back fun memories of when swapping was allowed. I learned and tried so many things from swapping.
Love both. You smell wonderful!
Poison is a great first adult perfume!
Twin
I’m wearing Shalimar, which is just as beautiful as the day I first smelled it.
Twins
Yes, Shalimar lovers are lucky, I have vintage versions including my special parfum de roulette but also have modern I like just as much.
Perfume fan for years prior to the rabbit hole, but usually kept just a single bottle at a time. It was the perfume boards and blogs that tipped me down the rabbit hole, rather than a particular perfume.
Timing of the Rabbit Hole Entry: I recently unearthed a sample order receipt from February 2006; I believe that’s around the time I found nstperfume, perfumesmellinthings, and the perfume board on makeupalley.
First bottles purchased from the depths of the rabbit hole (don’t recall which order):
Rosine Rose d’Ete
The Different Company Bergamote
Philosykos
Today, I’m wearing Hermes Eau des Merveilles
I was trying to find the email from my first sample order, but no dice!
Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit! and hello May!
For the 1st of May I’m wearing Puredistance White because of its beautiful rose note.
The perfume that sent me down the rabbit hole was Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme, so I’ll try to wear it later in the evening.
Next Friday will be easy peasy for me… or not… I have so many iris to choose from ^_^
I always associate Rose Anonyme with you!
I am not precisely following the CP, but I kind of am. I’m in Jardin sur le toit, which sort of works because Hermes was the first line that intrigued me. In the fall of 2015 or so, I went to the Hermes shop down the street from me in Toulouse and sniffed some of the Hermessences. I received several samples to play with (Rose Ikebana, Ambre Narguile, Iris Ukiyoe, and Osmanthe Yunnan, I believe). By now I have travel sprays or FBs of all four of those; good job, Hermes! (I am sure their lovely customer service played a role in the size of my Hermes collection, as did their supply of travel sprays.) It’s funny to think that by this winter, I will have been perfume-obsessed for five years.
I hope you will be as equally as enamored with fragrance 50 years from now 😺😍💙💚
Take out one of those “as” 🙃
Thank you, cm8
me too!
You will!! The love of perfume never dies 💙💚💜😍
As obsessions and fancies go, perfume is one of the most fun!
It sure is up there
I will put on copious amounts of vintage Chanel No. 19 edt as this is the fragrance my sister and I stole many sprays from my Mom’s bottle. It’s the first glorious scent that I remember.
Ditto on the No. 19
You have excellent taste!
glorious it is
Oh vintage No. 19 must be fantastic!
Good morning and Happy May Day!
I remember stealing sprays from my mom’s treasured perfumes (Diorella, Diorissiomo, VC&A First, Eau de Rochas, Boucheron) in middle school and regularly wearing perfume during high school and university years (Magie Noire, Paloma Picasso, Eternity, Escape were in constant rotation). None of these have I worn or even smelled since those days. I then moved on to Coco, Cristalle, Mademoiselle.
The rabbit hole moment came much later, about 10 years ago, when I discovered BdJ, NST and niche perfumery.
It’s been such a delightful journey, and to celebrate, I’m wearing Diptyque Tam Dao EDT, which was my first niche acquisition, bought based on Victoria’s review, on my first visit to a Diptyque boutique in Paris. Ah, the memories…
Wishing all of you a peaceful weekend!
P.S. Robin, I read late last night your post about the storm and the fallen tree. So sorry. Hope everything is in stable condition.
Happy May Day – you smell wonderful!
Thank you so much! So do you 😊
Thanks adanst! Could be way worse. They are coming to take the tree away tomorrow.
Happy May 1!
I did a ‘grab in the dark’ into my perfume draw and drew (of course!) Winter by Dasein. Who else wants to smell like Christmas in May [insert big eye roll]?
I actually really love this scent but it’s far too fleeting so not worth the money.
Winter *should* be fleeting, but not expensive
Fille en Aiguilles was the fragrance that sent me down the rabbit hole.
After not wearing perfume for a long time, I decided a few years ago, I wanted a new fragrance.
But I disliked most of the designer fragrances (gucci, chanel, ysl…) I tried.
So I started to read a few blogs.
Serge Lutens was mentioned often. I wanted to start there, so I traveled to The Hague to try them (SL was not available in my city back then and I was still hesitant about buying samples).
I sprayed on Fille en Aiguilles and it was love at first sniff!!!
I remember walking around in that department store, I couldn’t stop sniffing my wrist.
I was so excited in the train back home. Kept checking my bag and admiring the minimal black packaging with the SL logo on it.
And it still is one of my favourite fragrances!
Wearing a black guipure lace skirt with a kasjmir/paisley pattern. Its slightly gothic and probably too chic for lounging on the couch, but hey, I am wearing a great pefume, so why stop wearing great clothes…?
You smell (and look) great!
Thank you!
Great perfume story and outfit!
Thank you!
Id like to add that my love for perfume started when I was very young. I loved (and still do) Poison and Opium…all found on my mother’s vanity.
The first perfumes i bought myself (so not including the Anaïs Anaïs that was gifted for my birthday) were LouLou, Narcisse and that Dolce & Gabbana bottle with a red cap.
But somewhere around a relationship break up I lost my interest.
So glad I am enjoying perfume again! 😊
Also very happy I found this connunity!
* Community
Haha
All great scents there! Narcisse was a sleeper, I loved it!
a great scent, I love it too
Love Fille en Aiguilles, but I’m not sure what I’d have thought if I had tried it earlier than I did.
And great that you are overdressed for the couch
So elegant, and you smell marvelous!
I love Fille en Aiguilles and also Diptyque’s L’ Eau Trois. Very similar but LET don’t have the dried fruit note.
Sonoma Scent Studio is having a 20 percent off on full bottles.
Code MOTHERSDAY20
Ooh this might be my chance to try this house. Any suggestions??
I’m getting Bee’s Bliss and Yin & Ylang.
Are you able to get delivery to you in Canada?
No, I have it shipped to my US address.
Ha! You’re asking the wrong person because I will say EVERYTHING 😂 I am a huge fan and have pretty much sampled and/or owned everything.
Like Cazaubon said, Bees Bliss might be nice for the summer. Incense Pure is my holy grail incense…lots of folks here love that one. Winter Woods is the most popular, according to the owner. Champagne de Bois is a gorgeous sandalwood. Fig Tree is also quite lovely in the summer. Jour Ensoleille is breathtaking. Eek!! I could not tell you which ones to try!! Pick the one that has your favorite notes would be my suggestion. They are also extraits, so a little goes a long way!
Ooh it all sounds lovely! I will have fun deciding
If you like florals, go with Rose Volupte, Nostalgie, or Bee’s Bliss. Incense Pure is the driest incense perfume I have ever tried. Fireside Intense is SMOKY, but it also has hints of minerals and conifers.
Hahaha! Incense Pure reads a bit sweet on me because my skin amps up the vanilla in there….hmmm…must be all the sugar in my veins….
Ohhhh no international shipping to Spain, my dream is to have the sample box.
🙁
I, too, am one of those who gradually slid rather than fell into the rabbit hole. Probably the perfume that best marks the point at which I started to get hooked and that I therefore chose for today is Annick Goutal’s Vétiver EdT.
At least – after cK One had made me realize that perfume needn’t be something from which to run away screeming (growing up, perfume just wasn’t anything my parents or relatives thought spending money on, so the only person I knew who actually used perfume was a rather horrible maths teacher with a scent that seemed just as stuffy and narrow-minded as the man himself), after Gucci pour Homme had shown me that there were different perfumes appropriate for different stages of one’s life and after Acqua di Parma’s Colonia had made me discover that perfume need not be restricted to special moments but could actually be part of one’s daily grooming routine – this was the first perfume I bought just for the sheer joy of interesting smells.
Looking back, I’m just so glad that at the time I really did decide to splurge on it, since in the end it turned out that by doing so I had just about managed to catch the original EdT – in my mind one of the most unique takes on vetiver – before they sadly discontinued it.
Oh Gucci pour homme was outstanding, I’ve never smelled AG Get over.
Actually, this is one of the reasons why I regret the discontinuation so much: knowing that it is no longer out there for others to experience!
I remember saving up to buy my sister a tiny bottle of ckOne for her 14th birthday. (I was almost 12). I was so proud, and I thought she smelled great.
My mother wore No 5 and Cabochard but it’s going to a Guerlain boutique rue de Sevres for the first time and trying l’Heure Bleue and then receiving an extrait 30ml bottle from my boyfriend was my perfume story. The SA was convinced I sould get Jicky or Chant d’Aromes as I was ‘too young for l’HB. So this evening I am wearing the parfum de roulette and it brings me right back.
Omitted that in was my perfume story, sorry.
Wow!
💗 Thank you Angela
Beautiful.
Love that story
💗 Thank You, so enjoyed your memories too, so many amazing scents from the past.
In my head, being in France and going to a Guerlain boutique sounds like the fanciest most dreamy thing ever!
Oh yeah, can we then trapse over to Chanel and then you can pick the next stop?
I like this idea! A whole tribe of NSTers could charter a plane direct to Paris, then take turns choosing different perfume shops! Copious sprays all around, a glass (or two) of good wine to finish off a great Parisian meal, while viewing the city all lit up! 🥰
llol, I read that as we’re ‘all lit up’, focusing on the wine consumption, of course.
I need new glasses.
You weren’t the only person who thought that! 🤣
Perfect! Count me in! I was supposed to be going to Paris with my family this month, for the first time in 30 years (since our honeymoon), but of course had to cancel the whole trip. So sad — I had my perfume route all mapped out! Oh well, another time.
Oh,It could happen to you one day Lillyjo, so hope it will. The Guerlain shops have a lot of gold if memory serves.
How lovely! My favourite Guérlain temple is the Champs-Élysées boutique. Just magical.
Ah Yes, It’s the largest one, their flagship.
Wow, you went down the rabbit hole in the classiest way I can think of!
Thank you Jalapeno, evoking those days made me a little homesick.
First up, thank you everyone, for your kind words of support yesterday. It was clearly just a Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, and today is much much better.
I’ve always liked scents, and have gone in and out of being focused on them, but the frag that I think of as sending me down the rabbit hole this time (from about 2007 or 2008?) is Caleche. I got a carded sample at a flea market around then, and was hooked, and found my way to the various sites, forums, etc. NST is one of the gentlest groups around, and is a treasure. (Thanks, Robin for moderating and everyone else for behaving well!) Wearing 7 generous sprays of caleche today, and hunkering down as cosily as possible in leggings, sweatshirt, and lots of blankets, cuddling with my kid.
Happy to hear you’re having a better day today!
You smell great! I wore Calèche a lot in my 20’s. So glad today is a better day.
Kid cuddles are always the best! Enjoy them while you can 😉 They grow up very fast!
Glad you are having a better day.
Yay that today was much improved over yesterday’s yuck!
My first perfume that wasn’t from the Gap or Bath and Body works was the original Chance edt, which came out when I was in college. I was interested in perfume then but stuck to a few bottles until I learned I could buy samples of things I couldn’t find in stores!
Chergui was in my first sample order, and it was the first to make me say, “Wow, I need that!” I rarely wear it now because it last a million years in skin and clothes, but it feels perfect today.
Tam Dao was in that first order, too, and I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to smell like a cross between a pencil box and a floor cleaner. Now it’s a favorite.
A lovely one. It took me forever to pronounce it 😂.
Pencil case 😂 I recently tried to explain Tam Dao to someone by saying it smells like the inside of an old cupboard. They looked at me slightly horrified like and asked me why I want to smell like that?!
Mmmm…old cupboard! Hehe.
LLol, I’ve never heard it described as that before, but it works!
Chance when it first came out was amazing! I went thru 3 bottles
I liked perfumes from the age of 4 or 5. To celebrate May 1st, I’m wearing Diorissimo – a favorite perfume of my closest friend who wore it when we both were 13-14 y.o.
I was a “civilian” perfume enthusiast for decades, but my “rabbit hole” perfume that brought me to the world of niche perfumery and blogosphere was Ormonde Jayne Ta’if – and I plan to wear it tonight (we’re going to have a “night out”: a takeout from a favorite sushi place for dinner to enjoy and to support them).
Oh you smell beautiful Undina. Enjoy your take-out-night-out!
Thank you. It was just perfect!
That’s funny because I always associate Climat with you and see that as your rabbit hole scent.
Climat is my first and everlasting perfume love from the early childhood, and it was perfume that I wore exclusively for years. But neither back then nor much later when I extended my collection to 5-7 full bottles and a dozen of mainstream samples, I realized that the niche/indie perfume world existed. And only the search for Ta’if (back then OJ didn’t have a website yet, and nobody but TPC carried this perfume online anywhere in the world) brought me into the Perfumeland. That’s why I think of it as of my “down the rabbit hole” perfume. (If you’re curious, here’s the full story: https://undina.com/2014/01/24/down-the-rabbit-hole-through-the-looking-glass/ )
😁😺
Loved that story
Loved the ring too!!
🐈
What good taste you had and have! Ah, Diorissimo …
Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit ! What adorable bunnies you chose Robin!
They are so spring-like and remind me of new babies.
I can’t find the true rabbit hole decant of FM Un Fleur De Cassie so I went with my second mad love that proceeded shortly thereafter with MFK’s Rouge 540 – I am wearing the extrait. I am weeding and man do I smell fresh. I get anosmic to this if I wear it with any regularity so I am really enjoying the ambergris that is floating thru the atmosphere.
I am going stir crazy, let’s hope May opens up the country like the may flower in the famous rhyme. Happy weekend all. I was just about to repeat myself, see!
Meri Meri has lots of cute bunny stuff, made me wish, for a second, that I still had a small child to buy for
Join you in wishing for freedom!
I don’t remember a time after middle school when I wasn’t interested in scents. Certainly I didn’t wear every day, but I always had something. Somewhere from Avon was one where I wore it often and had body powder also. As I entered my 20s I discovered Diorissimo, Chanel No. 19 and wore Aliage as a signature for a number of years.
But…I would say PdN Le Temps d’une Fête (original formulation) sent me into niche sometime in the mid 90s. Something I was confident no one else wore, and for which I received many compliments. It included a pilgrimage to her store in Paris. I was truly bereft when it was discontinued.
So…today is many, many sprays…arms, neck, clothes, hair…of the reformulated-but-again-discontinued Le Temps d’une Fête.
This blog, by the way, sent me down the rabbit hole. It is totally responsible for me taking a long walk in London in 2007 to visit Ormonde Jayne’s boutique.
some of the Avon scents in the 1970s and 80s were amazing.
A trip to London’s Ormonde Jayne, that’s fantastic! I’m a believer in perfume-as-travel-memory
I had a wonderful time yesterday in the Anima Vinci perfume class!
The London-based class took place on Zoom at 2 pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time (7 pm London time). The instructor was AV co-founder and Jean-Laurent Dupont.
He began by explaining the interaction of the sense of smell with different parts/functions of the brain and the hormonal system. The slides made this brief introduction clear, and I learned several new and interesting things. For example, smells are perceived by an ancient part of the brain that can trigger instinctive reactions, and also interact with the pituitary gland and the release of hormones.
Next, he explained types and sources of perfume ingredients. There were informative slides and short videos throughout. Then, we began exploring the materials in the kit that had been DHLed in advance. This includes 5 natural essential oils and two synthetic ingredients, and also two pieces of woody materials, as well as scent strips and a card for recording observations.
Jean-Laurent invited us to describe each scent in terms of a color, shape, piece of music, or place, and to try to guess the type of material — wood, leaf, flower, bark of zest. This was fascinating because the highly concentrated pure essences can smell very different from what we usually smell. New facets are revealed and change over time.
Lastly, we explored the Anima Vinci sample set, and Jean-Laurant explained the inspiration for each perfume, the intent of the perfumer, and the notes, again with slides and sometimes a short video.
I tend to be a bit skeptical about brand PR that includes words like prana or Zen, but Jean-Laurent won me over with his clear presentation and honest enthusiasm. Of course, the perfumes speak for themselves.
This perfume master class was so much fun — a mini-vacation for the beleaguered brain and spirit. Plus, I have the materials and perfume samples to enjoy for many more happy hours.
Here’s a link to the next class on Thursday, May 14, 2020:
https://animavinci.com/products/home-perfume-master-class
Also, here’s a link to an article about Anima Vinci:
https://perfumarie.com/apps/fireamp/blogs/scentednotes/feel-good-potions-perfumarie-introduces-anima-vinci
Thanks for the mini review. I’ll note the date and maybe take the plunge.
I’ve always reading about courses like this in London or New York with envy. It’s such a great opportunity to take one online.
Auphorie also offers an intriguing course that isn’t online. They send you a kit and workbook. It is more expensive, though.
So glad you had such a rewarding class.
Thanks for sharing about the class, glad it was fun!
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the class and found it very much worth your while.
Thanks, everyone! I learned a lot, and experiencing all those scents was truly transporting!
This sounds like so much fun and a good way to pursue perfume as a hobby
Thanks for the very detailed review!
After much dithering about the CP, I’ve ended up in Angel. It wasn’t my first spendy fragrance purchase (that would be Fracas), or the first “signature” scent I adopted (that would be Calyx), and it is not one that I any longer wear Out in the World, but I do love it, and it completely changed my idea of what a perfume could be. I once upon a time even had a full bottle, which I left behind in a hotel room. (That true story is not even remotely saucy; sorry.) My little sample is enough for me now.
Calyx!! I could see that being someone’s signature. I adored that fragrance and probably drained 5+ bottles many years ago. Always a summer staple.
Angel is lovely too ❤️
Ahhh. I had a friend who always wore Calyx.
I’m with you on Angel (though, I still have my first bottle of it). It was a pivotal encounter for me as well.
The original Calyx was wonderful.
Agreed! I still love it, very glad I have my old bottle (plus my bub).
Calyx was my signature scent in the mid-1980s. I’m kind of afraid to try it now but I should at least seek a sample.
The current version is not the same as the Prescriptives one. It’s a much simpler scent.
Agreed, to me, it is a bit flat…
To me it’s a watered down floral versus the mouth puckering original….it was a one of a kind and every time I wore it I got complimented.
Agreeing with your agreed.
Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit everybody! Hello May, your sister April was a real bitch, let’s hope that you are better behaved!
I attribute my rabbit hole to my blessed Mom, who was a florist, so I spent my very early years around some amazing smells (florals are still my fave)…I have always worn perfume, but consider my graduation to niche when I visited the original Malle boutique in Paris (there was only one at the time) and spent several days pondering my purchase–Une Rose finally won out. Still wear it, still love it. Will dab some on tonight, but today is a solo jasmine from O’ccitaine, also purchased in Paris in the mid 90’s from their shop on the Rue Moufftard, before they were outside of France in every mall in the world. Memories abound.
How cool that your mom was a florist! And Une Rose, that’s a perfect start.
SOTD = Chanel No.19 EDP
I chose to interpret this CP as which perfume do you want with you if you get stuck in a rabbit hole?
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_p343JBk24/?igshid=lnniqe94tdzg
In other news, the mail from the sub-acute rehab facility is now out of quarantine and I am happy to report it was for the exact amount I submitted as part of the appeal… just almost 4 months late. Now I will stress out over depositing it.
I laughed so hard over your interpretation 😂😂
So glad the check was proper and correct!
Thanks, lillyjo!
Can you do mobile deposit?
I don’t believe this local bank has this capability at this time.
If you can’t do a mobile deposit like LizzieB suggested, you can do drive through, no? Just bring your hand sanitizer and you’re good!
I think it’s more the idea of the vacuum thing that would whisk away the check that’s bothering me. Perhaps I should just think of it as like flushing a toilet.
Yay!
Does your bank allow for electronic deposit, where you photograph the check? That way you wouldn’t have to go in.
I don’t believe that’s possible. I’m calling the branch manager tomorrow.
What?! You do not want to visit your local bank branch wearing a face mask and gloves? :))
Laughed at your interpretation of the CP. You smell great, and I wouldn’t mind to get stuck with you wearing No 19… well, maybe not in a rabbit hole but, let’s say, in an elevator.
Ha! You would be a an excellent companion!
LOL, the Chanel rabbit hole smells amazing.
Sometimes banks have a close in drive up window that has a slide out drawer for checks instead of the pneumatic tubes. Dunno if that is better or worse for depositing things in your opinion.
My first major trip down the rabbit hole was because of Ysatis. I no longer have it, so I’m going with my second trip.
Around 1999 or just past, I had a moment of life was awful and I threw out almost every perfume I had. At the time I could not imagine ever wanting to wear perfume again. I can still see that waste basket filling up… ugh. Of course, years went by, and eventually I started to go out sniffing. By then all my favorites were off the shelves. The ones that were still there didn’t smell the same. Then one day while in Macy’s I saw something new. It was Alien. I almost didn’t try it, but when I did, it made me feel happy. It was big and loud and mysterious. It renewed my love for perfume. Sotd is Alien edp with Alien body lotion and Alien hair mist. I smell AMAZING.
So touching Lillyjo, you smell marvellous and loud😉I am fascinated by Alien and often try it on at the mall but It’s not me, absolutely love to smell it though and Mugler always makes me think of you.
In real life, I’m pretty quiet so I have to let my perfumes speak up for me!
I loved and wore Ysatis too! My only Alien is Essence Absolue.
I loved Ysatis so much. I was only 18 when I was wearing it, lol. I didn’t know how to pronounce it so I called it ya sadist. 😂
I have a bottle of Ysatis that I brought home from my mother’s home after she died. It is an old bottle but it is not a perfume she wore, so she must have got it from a garage sale or opportunity shop…she liked Dior Dior, Rive Gauche, Diorling and then she got into more masculine colognes ….basically a lot depended on what was available in the shops in the 60s and 70s. I will wear it today in your honour!
I wish Rive Gauche were worn more, I love to smell it on other people.
I feel very honored. Thank you.!
Oh god I LOVE Alien!
I never thought I would but there’s something so compelling about it. And jasmine does not play well with my sinuses but this and Samsara both do.
I adore Ysatis. It’s a huge beauty.
I’ve always admired Samsara, but I can’t wear it, even in reformulation it causes headaches.
Nice! Jalapeño and I went to Sephora way back when when we met up and decided to spritz Alien on a paper strip. I swear the main thing I smell is root beer and I do love root beer.
You have me sniffling my wrists looking for root beer now!
A big thank you for the hair mist. I’ve never used one before, it’s really fun and smells identical to the perfume.
Sometimes benzoin absolutely smells like root beer to me. I’m not sure why that is.
smelling absolutely amazing in Alien, lilyjo!
I adore Ysatis, symphonic florals are my jam.
Thanks tiffanie! I have to laugh because if you would have asked me back then, I would say ” I don’t like florals” LOL, I had no idea what I was smelling, I just knew what I liked.
Aw, that was so sad reading about how you “broke up” with your perfumes back in the day. I’m glad that you are back among the well-scented! And you are the “Alien Empress” here at NST!
I just wish I would have stored them instead of throwing them out. I truly believed at the time though, that I would never wear perfume again.
Thanks for the Empress title!👑
And I wish I would not have thunked ALL of mine…I would have had an outstanding vintage collection today 😭😭😭
Cm8, what’s your top 3 vintages you wish you still had?
Eek!!! Too hard to answer!!! Maybe Calyx, no 22 and Cristalle EDT?
I’m sorry about you breaking up with your fragrances, but glad you found your Alien trifecta! You do smell amazing!
A big thank you to you!
I’ve always loved perfume, and for years I had serial “signature scents.” I remember wearing (in no particular order) Jean Nate, Coty Muguet de Bois, Wind Song, Germaine Monteil, Tatiana, Lou Lou, Anais Anais, Tocade, and L’Heure Bleue. The tipping point for me came not from a scent so much as a book–Coming to My Senses. She talked about a perfume that smelled like a thunderstorm and I was hit by imaginary lightning, to think that there were perfumes that weren’t sold in mainstream department stores and could smell like things not botanical. I never bought Thunderstorm, I think my first niche purchase was Songes, but I was headfirst down the rabbit hole. Today I’m wearing Panthere de Cartier, sadly discontinued to make way for the pink stuff in the cool bottle.
I have a mini of the original Panthere. I admit, its the only perfume I bought for the cute cute bottle with those two panthers on it 😍
But it smelt pretty good too! An ‘old skool’ big floral 😄 you smell great!
Vintage Panthère is glorious. Kilian Woman in Gold reminds me a lot of Tocade.
Wind Song and Songes, two of the great ones!
I’m so thrilled to see your mention of Germaine Monteil, because that was my first independent perfume purchase at a department store during college. I really loved that scent!
Windsong! I forgot about that one, I used to love and wore it back in the day. Haven’t seen or smelled it in ages.
I have Windsong dusting powder! And went thru a few bottles of Tatiana; I still have a couple minis in my stash.
Tatiana!!!! I wore that one middle school!! Gorgeous scent!!
I have a similar story; I always loved perfume, and my mother wore classics (mostly Chanel No. 5, also Norell, some later forays into YSL Paris and Opium, Dior Poison). After high school, my serial scents were Diorissimo, Chanel No. 22, Pavlova, a brief detour into Marilyn Miglin Pheromone, Poison. I developed a habit of buying an occasional perfume as a travel souvenir (Molinard, Lili Bermuda). Then I read Chandler Burr’s book The Perfect Scent, started reading more and more about fragrance, started sampling more, and voila! Down the rabbit hole I went.
Wearing Bois d’Iris from The Different Company. Years ago, I wanted a signature scent so I sniffed almost everything available in Filene’s but nothing clicked. Found this at Takashimaya in New York and decided it was perfect. After going through a bottle, I was searching the internet for where to get a replacement and found a review of it on NSTand have been pretty much reading since. Years go by and it no longer smells the same due to menopause, so I did the Monday Mail which introduced me to tons of new scents and triggered my urge to sample lots and, well, lots of sampling has let to lots of buying, etc
… and meeting new friends. You were the first perfumista I met!
And you were the first one I met
It’s cool to hear from someone who benefitted from the Monday Mail!
I feel like I have always been down the rabbit hole and the internet and this community helped to make me aware of all the different burrows and how many other like-minded rabbits were around me.
I can remember happily pouring over my aunt’s perfumes on a three-tiered glass vanity table she had when I was in elementary school.
For the past couple years, I have been mostly hanging out in the vanilla burrow with great satisfaction.
Today I am in Kyse Delizia di Marshmallow. Kyse helped me find the indie perfume burrow and my much-praised Solstice Scents.
Yummy! I wore Kyse Fumée Vanille to bed last night.
I need to check out Kyse!
Surprised you haven’t already 😈
Today is my birthday and I am wearing Acqua di Parma Colonia Assoluto and drinking oolong tea. I am on my second cup. I watched Somewhere In Time this morning, one of my favorite movies. Then my daughter surprised me by coming over for a visit. My husband is bringing me dinner tonight, along with a virtual wine tasting starting at 5pm. Very bizarre year with the quarantine. But I am happy to have my health, friends & family.
Happy Birthday! 🎂
Thank you !
Happy Birthday!
Thanks lillyjo!
Many happy returns.
Thank you very much!
Hope you have a great day!
Thanks!
Happy birthday, Barqs! 🎉
Thank you!
Happy birthday to you!
Thank you!
Happy birthday!
Thank you Gaynor!
Happy birthday 🎂🎈🎂🎉🎂🎉🎈
Thank you very much !
Happy Birthday Barqs!
Thamks!
Happy Birthday Barqs!
Thank you !
happy birthday! enjoy your winte tasting. Each evening my neighbors sit outside and drink wine while staying socially distant. They call it Quaran-tini Time.
Cute! Thanks for the birthday wishes !
Happy Birthday! Have you ever been to the Grand Hotel up on Mackinaw Island, where that movie is set? Such a magical place!
Thanks Calypso ! I have never visited there, but I’d love to!
Happy Scented Birthday Barqs! 🎆🎂🥂💐🎉
Thanks jalapeno!
Happy Birthday! Sounds like a lovely day, despite the difficulties of the present time. Wishing you good health and happiness in the year ahead.
Thank you very much!
Happy Birthday! Enjoy your dinner and festivities!
Thank you!
Thank you very much
What fun, happy birthday!
It was a fun day! Thank you !
Happy birthday to you!
Thanks Smokey Toes !
Belated happy birthday! I hope it was fun for you, despite the strange circumstances.
Happy birthday!
In a dab of LDDM. I have always loved perfume but this was my first introduction to the brand new world of niche.
I came to try it because I stumbled upon Olfactif the subscription service 4-5 years ago (!!) when I was in between signature scents. (Ha! Now that’s an idea). It’s been a lovely fragrance journey since but still love this Tauer gem deeply.
We smell fabulous.
you smell gorgeous!
LAdDM is full bottle worthy, for sure!
Here we are at 12:30 – I’m still commando. Back to back zoom meetings this morning and I never got around to applying a SOTD.
It’s a tossup between three fragrances. My first gift from a boy was Chanel No. 5 (1980, many years ago) but the true wabbit hole fragrance I purchased for myself was Cristalle edt by Chanel (which I’m out of at the moment).
The third is Fendi by Fendi, it’s musky/spicy/goth/sophisticated vibe appealed to oppositional teenaged-me. So my SOTD is original Fendi (vintage extrait).
On a side note. I live on the beach in SF. Looks like fighter jets are doing training exercises today. A duo just made a pass-through over the beach. Very cool.
Cool! Are you over by the Sutro baths?
Hi Cazaubon, Yes I am! I’m right 1/2 block away. I found this apartment by accident – it was cheap as chips and rent-controlled. Perhaps I should have purchased a lottery ticket that day??
Before the closure, our Friday night ritual was Cliff house for an appetizer and a cocktail.
Aren’t you getting tired of back to back zoom meetings? I know I am 🙃🙃🙃
I am! SmokeyToes Zoom-bombed my last meeting. He jumped off the cat tree and bit me in full view of my coworkers!
He’s now known as *Satan Kitty* at work…
Oh my goodness!! I love this! Hahaha!! 😹😹😹
haha, awesome! You need a “Satan Kitty” emblazoned tshirt with his picture on it for your next meeting.
I had to laugh at SmokeyToes’ bad behavior, even though I get plenty annoyed when Teflon kitty gets “nippy”.
Jalapeno ~ ST did the same in a Happy Birthday video I was singing to a dear friend to cheer him up.
Expletives soon followed – which made my friend’s day.
Ooof, sounds like it was time to end the meeting😽
I should find the reference for it but I am too lazy atm. An article in the N.Y. Times made reference why Zoom and other video tools are bad – with so many windows and the resolution not being 100%, your mind is forced to make up the gap. The recommendation is it’s better to just have audio because the visuals don’t really enhance the communication with the right impact.
I usually leave my video off until I need to speak. Looking at all those faces up close makes it hard to pay attention. In real life people aren’t often that “close up” to one another in a meeting.
I totally agree, and today’s video was especially tricky/glitchy. As the topic was Campus-wide slow-down, reduction in enrollment, it made the presentation all the more upsetting.
I am SO tired of back to back Zoom meetings! I actually quite like Zoom as a tool; it’s easy to use and I’ve figured out what works best for me. But it is truly exhausting to do those sessions one after another. And I’m often doing them with students, who pepper me with questions, so I really have to be on my toes. I ask them to post questions in the chat box and have a colleague keep track of them, then we pause every few minutes and she reads them back so I can answer them.
Sure come on ova:) I also have cookies we can dip in it.
I woke up in the middle of the night and was able to rabbit then and I think it counts, as it was after midnight. Then I slept some more after that.
My real “fell down the rabbit hole” perfume was POTL and I have that on today. It is still a favorite.
Happy birthday Barqs! Mine is in 2 days. I love many spring perfumes (green florals, anything else similar). Must be why.
I stayed up late watching television (the last two episodes of Picard on CBS all access), so I rabbit-ed at about 12:30 last night. It counts!
Happy Birthday In two days, but I think you should start celebrating on the weekend and celebrate all week long! Best wishes for a healthy and happy year ahead.
I rabbited (sp?) at 12:07 this morning, so I think it totally counts if you roll over into the first, or wake up at oh-dark-hundred in the morning.
My first real perfume was Revlon’s Moon Drops, way back in 1978 or thereabouts. I was hugely impressed by an older girl who wore it!
Post-shower, I’ll dab on some Guerlain Idylle. I’m now starting to work my way through a few miniatures as part of my lockdown project to wear everything in the house.
I just love your dedication to your project.
I remember Moon Drops. I think there was a bottle floating around the house back in the day.
Oh, I loved Moon Drops. My mom used to wear it and once in awhile I did, too.
My Mom had Moon Drops! It was great!
I always liked perfume and mostly wore more expensive scents as a poor student, but I only had one or two bottles at the same time. I remember Opium, Femimite du Bois, Zen, Murasaki and Jil Sander Woman II. My first niche was AG Petit Chérie and Eau par Charlotte. When I looked for a new scent I found the rabbit hole and dived in happily.
One of the first scents I was fascinated with was LADDM, and that’s what I wore today.
Wow, another mention of Murasaki! I adore that perfume and wore it frequently as a teenager. It’s delicate beauty gardenia, hyacinth, galbanum, and orris root over a leather and incense base is so astounding.
Zen has the most amazing bottle, and love your scent choice for today.
LADDM is art, exquisite olfactory art.
SotD = Atelier Cologne Cedrat Enivrant
I’m crazy for colognes, always have been a citrus lover. Many years ago I bought Eau de Cologne from Crabtree & Eveyln stores in the shopping mall and 4711 from drug stores.
So Cedrat Enivrant feels good for today’s project. I truly prefer scents that have a natural-ness to them, not too chemically or synthetic smelling, and citrus notes are easy on the nose in that way.
And my sample set from Atelier Cologne was one of the first things I bought way back when I was (once again) bitten by the perfume bug years ago.
It was the smell of pink jasmine flowers, and the search for something that approximates it in perfume, that sent me down the rabbit hole. I’ve learned that there’s nothing quite like pink jasmine in perfumery, it’s quite different from the white jasmine notes that are often used.
But ylang-ylang accented scents do come close. That’s why Terracotta Le Parfum was an early love for me, and more recently MEM has found a forever place in my heart with it’s yummy sweet lavender and ylang.
Thank you to everyone who’s encouraged and helped me on my perfume journey. Fragrance and NST friends have been a constant source of goodness in my life for so many years!
Looking forward to reading all of your perfume choices and stories today. Have a wonderful Friday, perfume pals.
I love Cedrat Enivrant!
me too, hajusuuri! I think CE deserves perfumista hall of fame status.
I always think of you when I see cologne. Also L’air de Temps, and Terracotta.
Ylang-ylang is such a gorgeous scent! I’m hoping to come across the flowers in bloom at a botanic garden someday, and compare them to the perfume note.
oh that would be wonderful! ylang-ylang essential oil is beautiful, the fresh flowers must be incredible.
The flowers are incredible! Ylang is something of a chameleon in perfumes, but the flowers do smell like the essential oil.
My first perfume was Ted Lapidus then my father gave me Byzance.
I got to this blog and then Bois de Jasmin and started sampling and sniffing even more! And the world opened up to many perfumes.
I remember Byzance, it was a beauty.
Such a memorable gift.
Byzance was a big part of my 20’s, I still wear it with happy memories.
🐰🐰🐰! In Gucci Winter’s Spring. Diptyque is the brand that sent me down the perfume rabbit hole. I remember stumbling into their adorable boutique on Maiden Lane many years ago and falling in love with L’Ombre Dans L’Eau, then Philosykos, then Tam Dao..
Which do you love by Diptyque? I visited the old Maiden Lane boutique (with Tama), and promptly fell in love with L’ Eau Trois and also L’Ombre Dans L’Eau. The currant and cassis notes just spoke to me.
Tam Dao, L’Ombre, Essences Tiare, Tempo. Oh and the candles.. 🙈
There’s not ‘one’ fragrance that sent me down the rabbit hole as I’ve been wearing fragrance for as long as I can remember. Certain scents in my life have been more important than others both in terms of my love for them – increasing my love for fragrance – and the powerful memories they bring forth. Several in this category – and that I still enjoy at times today – are vintage Houbigant Chantilly, Helena Rubenstein Heaven Sent and Coty Muguet des Bois.
So for today’s cp I’m wearing another much-loved vintage scent from my past that brings back powerful memories – Nina Ricci Bigarade, available for only a few years in the 1970’s. Born and raised in Chicago, I was definitely a big-city kid. Getting married during the Vietnam War era, I spent the first year and a half of my marriage as a young Army wife living in the rural Midwest and couldn’t wait to get back to the city I loved, a new job downtown and dressing up again! When I did, at the same time I discovered Bigarade, which I remember was being advertised as ‘the sexy French daytime scent,’ and immediately fell in love with its combo of bitter orange/moss/aldehydes and a bit of spice. It marked the beginning of my return to a new adult life and I still love and wear it to this day.
One of the bright spots in my week has been the return of both my beloved Zumba and yoga teachers in virtual classes through my library and park district. So I leave you with words from my yoga teacher, who always both soothes and inspires my soul, that have especially resonated with me during what has been a difficult week:
“Let go”
and
“Each day is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.”
Stay strong; stay well.
those three vintage scents are among my favorites too. I wore Chantilly when I was 12!
thank you for the yoga thoughts, they are welll said.
I wore. Chantilly when I was twelve, too!
12-twins!
I wore all three that you mentioned many years ago.
I think many of us did, too, because there were far fewer scents then!
Love these three perfumes too and Bigarade sounds terrific.
I’ve never found another scent like Bigarade and am so glad I bought a nice supply years ago when vintage scents first became available from ‘evil-bay’ sellers. The combination of bitter orange and oak moss is what makes this scent so good! It’s light and breezy but the oakmoss gives it substance.
Lovely post, Laila.
Thank you.
My Mom had Heaven Sent dusting powder in a white container! It was wonderful; she would let us girls powder ourselves after a bath with it.
The Heaven Sent bath powder was still available as recently as a few years ago, still in a white container. I have it and it still smells great!
Beautiful post – I remember all of those fondly as well!
I remembered to “rabbit” today! 🐇🐇🐇 And the rainy, stormy weather has moved out sooner than expected, so things seem to be going in the right direction for me. 😁
Way back in the day, I wore perfume, and even went thru a few bottles of things like Jean Nate splash, and Love’s Baby Soft. One bottle at a time in my junior high and high school days. So what changed?
I have what I would consider 2 rabbit hole fragrances. One was well before my perfumista days, and is the original version of Balmain Ivoire. I’d read about it in “Cosmopolitan”, back in the time of Helen Gurley Brown, and criss-crossed the Denver metro area to get my hands on a bottle of it. Unbelievable that it was sold at J C Penney’s then! So maybe there were early indications of perumista tendencies? I still have that bottle, btw.
The other fragrance is Guerlain Samsara. I became intrigued by descriptions of it on Fragrantica, and started looking around to try it on my person. That didn’t pan out, so I ended up blind buying a bottle of the EdT and the EdP back when Sephora still had them. Samsara was not an instant love. However, one day everything clicked, and it became the first Guerlain I ever enjoyed. Both versions of Samsara that I have are now considered “desert island” scents.
SOTD = Samsara EdT.
Samsara! excellent, I’m a Guerlain-o-phile.
Jean Nate and Baby Soft were always wafting around my house when I was a child and teen. So fun.
Thanks! I was a late bloomer with respect to Guerlain.
Like tiffanie I too wore Jean Nate ( we had a huge bottle of the splash growing up) and Loves Baby Soft ( also Loves Lemon, Loves Wind and Loves Rain). I also wore Ivoire. That was a gorgeous fragrance. How wonderful that you still have that bottle!
It’s one of the jewels of my collection. Best part is, the perfume still smells great! I’ve kept it in the box and away from light and heat for all these years.
👍👍
I’m really impressed that you still have that bottle!
I’m not a heavy sprayer, and have scent-glue skin, so 100mLs of any perfume is pretty much a lifetime supply for me.
Original Balmain Ivoire twins! I have a nearly full bottle that I cherish. Department stores had all the good scents, (drug stores too) back in the day.
I also blew thru Jean Nate and a few Love’s scents as a teen (among others). Still have Love’s Fresh Lemon in my stash.
It blows my mind to think of the treasures that could be sniffed at department stores back then. Still a few great perfumes left, but they are few and far between, it seems.
You still have Fresh Lemon??? 👍👍👍👍👍
Yes, it’s a current version, not vintage.
I also have and love the original Ivoire. I’m also a big fan of his other classic scents, Jolie Madame, Miss Balmain, and. Vent Vert. One for each season.
Ivoire was already rather difficult to find when I purchased my bottle. I never saw any of the other perfumes that you mentioned “in the wild”. I have a couple of them on my “To Sample” list, though.
Well, I forgot to 🐰🐰🐰. Ah well. I’m in 06130 Yuzu Rouge, and it’s nice, but the cumin bits are getting on my nerves.
I inventoried my empties, and I used up 39 samples in April. Wow! You’d think I was at home or something. My takeaways are that ScentBar in LA has very good people, because I liked or loved four of the five samples they gave me last year when I was there. 1885 Sulfureux, Black Afgano, Heeley Menthe Fraiche and Profumum Sorriso were all winners.
Busy day = good day. Walked the dog, cleaned bathrooms, sanitized knobs/switches/handles and two loaves of bread are now in the oven. I used a bit less whole wheat flour this time, and oven spring is better! Liftoff! We haaaave liftoff! 🚀 🍞
I hope y’all have had a good Friday. Take care, peeps!
It sounds like bread making is going much better for you this time.
39! I am impressed.
agree! ScentBar is fantastic.
aren’t busy days awesome?
sanitizing high touch surfaces has become my stress-buster, LOL, not sure how much it helps, but the idea (and maybe the faint smell of bleach) make me feel better.
If it raises our spirits, then it helps! 😊
I grew up in a perfume-wearing matriarchal family, and always enjoyed fragrances. I remember loving Emeraude in high school. Later I wore a sequence of department store mainstream scents. In 1995 I bought a bottle of Sublime by Patou and wish I still had it! My rabbit hole perfume and the one I’m wearing today is L’Artisan Premier Figuier Extreme. I believe I got it in 2004. It was a gateway perfume because of the circumstances. I was lucky to find a nice friendly SA at. Neiman-Marcus who took time with me to try things and encouraged me. She would also take me over to try things from Guerlain or Creed and made the experience much less intimidating. I chose this one because I loved how that coconut fig smelled on my skin. I still like things with a coconut note. I explored online resources and purchased some discovery sets from the predecessor to StC. I got one set with fig notes and one with amber notes, The rest was history! This is still my favorite fig perfume (sorry, Robin!), and I now own FBs of seven from the L’Artisan line. The experience of finding blogs, reviews, and a community of other folks also into perfume has been so marvelous! Thank you, all!
I have a bottle of Sublime from that era that I treasure and it is glorious – I can’t imagine a more-perfect name! I love to wear it on a golden fall day here when the trees are dressed in their autumn foliage and the sun is shining brightly.
PFE is a cousin, anyway, right?
Oh yes, for sure!
Rabbiting my way into May with Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensée, which I found at Basilica Galeria in 2014.
It was the rabbit hole for me because it was like a more thoughtful and modern version of the Vanilla Fields I’d worn, ages ago, in my teens, and I’d worn almost nothing since.
Sprayed what ought to have been theraputic dosage levels but the bottle is almost empty so 40-odd sprays turned into about 12 actual sprays on my skin.
I don’t know that I want another FB of this one, but boy am I glad that I found it back then!
Atelier Cologne does have a travel spray of Vanille Insensee, which might be just the right size for you now…
VI is amazing. The first time I smelled it I had to sit down and think about it.
Vanilla Fields!! Loved that one and thunked quite a few bottles. I love VI too.
I participated, but didn’t get a chance to write it down at the time!
Yesterday morning, I started with a fragrance I’d worn every so often beginning probably in the later 1990s and somewhat more frequently in 2005 or 2006. I love history, so I was very happy to find the book Scents of Time: Perfume from Ancient Egypt to the 21st Century, a Metropolitan Museum of Art creation. It comes with little examples of the general type of fragrance that was particularly popular in certain centuries.
The one I chose to wear yesterday was “Rose, the favorite scent of the classical world.” I remember also liking “Millefleurs, a floral blend with twentieth-century aldehydic chemistry.” Hello, rabbit hole of learning about the history of perfumes.
My bedtime scent was Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin. I was ordering samples of various perfumes from online a couple of years ago, and then mostly sending them off to other homes.
This was from the first bunch of rose perfume samples I tried. I didn’t appreciate this one at the time, but recently got several SL manufacturer’s samples with purchase from LuckyScent, including La Fille de Berlin, which I wanted to try again. I appreciate it much more now. Probably that’s partly because it’s a spray sample and not a dabber. 
Last night I got that first blast of rose, and then it was joined with what I interpreted as a sort of bread-like scent, and then it settled down into a pleasant drydown after a little while. I can still smell it now.
SOTD yesterday, May Day, was one of my beloved muguets, Guerlain Muguet. Today is Coty Muguet des Bois, received from a lovely NSTer! Rabbit hole story: I always loved perfume, and my mother wore classics (mostly Chanel No. 5, as described in a blog piece I wrote some years ago called “My Mother’s Last Perfume”). After high school, my serial scents were Diorissimo, Chanel No. 22, Pavlova, a brief detour into Marilyn Miglin Pheromone, Poison. Later loves were Shisheido’s Zen 2000 (the opaque white bottle) and Anne Klein II (long discontinued, recently reissued as a bargain beauty and very close to the original, hurray!). Then I read Chandler Burr’s book The Perfect Scent, started reading more and more about fragrance, started sampling more, and voila! Down the rabbit hole I went.
Inspired by the book, I bought Hermes’ Un Jardin Sur le Nil, then all the other Jardins with a birthday check from my mom. Then I started reading blogs, including this one of course, and now my family refers to me as a perfume hoarder, lol! But as I tell them, I have no actual vices, and I’m very low-maintenance (don’t get manicures, because I garden; don’t love or wear fancy shoes; only get my hair “done” by someone else a few times a year; use drugstore make up and skin care; you get the picture). My nice husband is an enabler. When we travel together, he now expects me to drag him to various perfumeries, and he eggs me on in buying perfume souvenirs. Yes, he is a sweetheart!