A repeat of a poll we did in 2011 and 2016: let's say you're going to get three fragrances for free. Name your picks...
1. The first fragrance has to be a regular perfume that you could easily buy online — nothing ultra-rare or vintage or so exclusive you'd have to travel somewhere to buy it. What is your pick?
2. The second fragrance is a vintage (possibly but not necessarily discontinued) perfume that you're going to find at a garage sale, in perfect condition, for $5 (free in perfumath). What is your pick?
3. The third fragrance can be either an ultra-rare / exclusive / hard to find perfume, OR, a custom perfume made just for you by the perfumer of your choice. What is your pick?
Note: top image is Hydrangea [cropped] by Bernard Spragg. NZ at flickr; public domain.
Hello weekend! Hope everyone is having a good one.
1. I would go either for Prada Infusion de Mimosa – because that’s the only Infusion I do not own, or Memo Italian Leather – because it’s been haunting me since its launch and I still haven’t gotten farther than my decant.
2. Iris Gris from Jacques Fath or old Apres l’Ondee from Guerlain.
3. Le Lion de Chanel (because I’m curious) or tailored fragrance by Daniela Andrier.
I’m wearing Dom Rosa today by the way. I don’t have Dom Perignon Rose in the fridge but I’ll have some bubbles later
Very curious about that mimosa one too…
It’s a lovely one. I had a decant that I emptied. I think I shoukd be able to find this Infusion at a reasonable price online.
I’m curious about Le Lion too
Limited to Dubai right now.
And I want to try Paris-Edimbourg too!
Good choice! I have both Infusion de mimosa and Italian Leather and should wear them more!
They are great scents
I too would be in for a bottle of Irish Leather. My mimosa would be slightly different, namely L’artisan Parfumeur Mimosa Pour Moi
Daniela Andrier is brilliant – nice choice.
She is, and doesn’t it seem like a long time since Prada has done something new with her?
Yes it does – maybe we should mass-email her. ?
Shalimar cream and EDP
Finally ? it arrived
Will answer these questions later, off to a picnic ?
Yay! Glad your cream finally arrived! Hope it smells wonderful.
Yay!!! How are you liking it?
Enjoy the picnic!
Glad it finally arrived! Enjoy your picnic.
Relief! You smell fabulous.
Hooray! Does it live up to your expectations? Enjoy your picnic.
Excellent news! I hope it’s in perfect condition. Have fun today!
Picnic in Central Park?
XO
Excellent! It FINALLY arrived!
Have fun at your picnic! We just got home from a nice picnic at the Presidio.
Finally!
worth the wait!
Yay! I hope your enjoy every last bit of it. It’s lovely and refreshingly cool when kept in the fridge. ❄️
My dream bathroom is going to include a coffee station and a mini-fridge.
And I want a dryer that I can put a towel into to warm up for when I get out of the shower.
ScentSpirit, we stayed in a hotel in Italy that had heated pipes against one wall next to the shower. Hang you towel there before you bathe, and they were nice and toasty by the time you got out! It was a wonderful luxury!
Marjorie Rose, same, I think the first time I saw those was in a Milan hotel. Wish I could put them in my bathroom.
Agreed! It would be lovely!
Glad it arrived, looking forward to your thoughts on the cream. I’m sure the picnic was fun
Good morning!
1. Carven Barcelona Tardes–this is the only new scent currently on my to-buy list.
2. Vintage Emmeraude or maybe Samsara? Do I have to pick just one?
3. Andy would make me a vat of (discontinued) Zeta, so I never have to think I’ll run out of it again, and I can spray with hajusuuri levels of abandon.
Do you think I might then trouble your for a small bottle of that Zeta, since you’d have a vat ?
Absolutely. I’ll make sure to have enough to share AND spritz generously!
SOTD turned out to be Carnal Flower. I would happily use a FB of this one, too.
Hi! Carven Barcelona is so accessible for me as I live in Barcelona. Would happily send you a sample but not sure the post office is working…
Wow, that’s very generous of you! As I’m in the US, I think it’s rather tricky to send fragrances from there to here, even under nonpandemic times. No need to trouble yourself!
Carner (not Carven
) is great! I like Tardes too
Oops. My eyes kept rolling right over it and not noticing the mistake! Thanks.
I like Carner Barcelona too! Did you know that several of their fragrances are part of the Scentbird subscription service, including Tardes? They currently have Besos, Tardes, Costarela, El Born, Cuirs, Latin Lover, and Sweet William. I can send you a link if you like; if you use it to subscribe, you and I would both get a free fragrance (an additional month). I rarely mention my SB subscription, as I don’t want to seem like a shill, but I’ve been very happy with it. I’ve gotten several travel sprays of different Amouages through it.
Hello nsters,
Still early have to think, hmmm
1. St Clair Eve- currently in shopping cart
2. Vintage Joy
3. Something from Satori-san studio in Tokyo
Pull the plug on Eve, you will not regret it! It is divine!
It’s a beautiful scent, Calypso.
I have been watching every penny during this year of living dangerously. And paid for new computer glasses the other day.
I got the early access email for Nordstrom anniversary sale and deleted it after looking to see if le labo has anything.
If I pull the trigger in a moment of weakness you get the enabler pin!
SOTD is Tauer incense flash.
Well, my brain is too scrambled to answer those poll questions, so I’m opting out. I do know ONDA VdE would be at top of any and all lists of perfume impossible acquisitions…
On the SOTD front, I’m once again in Papillon Bengale Rouge because it seems to be Ms. Deva’s crack of choice. Can’t get enough of it!
https://instagram.com/stories/vantasticviews/2360749515250008689?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=hdly2w0b9atg
Thanks for all the doggo well wishes yesterday. T-Rex is fine but I was concerned about her thyroid and blood test shows that it is indeed a problem. However, one easily rectified with medication, so we’ll start that today and I’m sure she will be back to her sassy self in no time.
Hope everyone has a great weekend, and a BIG THANK YOU to all who are wearing masks when out in public, and for those staying home. You’re a huge help to an exploding problem. ??
I’m so glad T-Rex has an easily treatable condition! Give her a belly rub from me if you get a chance.
Your belly rub was delivered ?
https://instagram.com/stories/vantasticviews/2361342865577520399?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=9jwptt9ftdjs
Glad T-Rex will be back to her sassy self in no time!
Speaking of masks, my mom (who is a seamstress extraordinaire) recently mailed my girls 3 homemade masks and the envelope arrived having been opened, resealed and 2 of the masks were missing. The PO stamped it saying it arrived to their office opened. Wrong! What is the matter with people?! Luckily she didn’t send them any cash, which she frequently does.?
Omg! Really, humanity seems to be at all time low right now. Well, SOME are- maybe not all. ?
But gosh, I’m at a loss. This kind of bad behavior is more demoralizing than the pandemic itself…
I agree. I guess somewhere, someone is walking around with some pretty masks, lol.
Agreed!
What?! So did the theft occur at the drop off PO?
I doubt it. My mom dropped it at her small town PO (where she knows everyone, lol) and it arrived in Green Bay opened and that’s where they stamped it, re-taped it and sent it to us.
So then at one of the transit POs?! I’m just flabbergasted at when it would have been opened exactly. Did you report it? Cuz I’m sure if a PO worker did this it is not the first time they did it
Listen to this-Long story short, I bought a bottle of BR and it was lost for weeks. I eventually cancelled the order, was reimbursed, and ordered another bottle from another vendor, which arrived in 3 days. Fast forward 6 WEEKS and the original order showed up, packaging opened, perfume box and cellophane opened, everything crammed back in the boxes and then was stamped somewhere in UTAH, which was not the origin of the bottle! That package has a story, but sadly I’ll never know…
My husband is a baseball card collector, and he had a box of cards disappear a few weeks ago. Left the card shop, arrived at the warehouse, then poof! We’re pretty sure a UPS guy identified it and scooped it up.
Grrrrrrrrrr. A pox on whoever took those masks! I’m so sorry this happened. Opened and then resealed? I’m sorry, that sounds, well, I don’t want to say.
That’s awful!
Stay safe Deva!
Glad the doggo is OK!
✌?
Thank you, and good to see you today! I hope people at your place of employment are taking good care of you and making sure you have everything you need to stay safe. Also, hope you find that special Shalimar, if only in your dreams. ??
Yes,we’re all good with everything PPE related!Our numbers are rising countrywide-as expected,but I rarely see people out and about without masks,or in close proximity.
We’ll get through this!!
XO
Glad to hear you have adequate PPE. Stay safe!
Glad your pooch is going to be okay Deva
Replying here Deva to your BR story – very very strange. We might not know what exactly happened but what we do know for certain is that whoever opened the package has no perfume creds otherwise they would have at least sprayed and sniffed!
No cred what so ever! ?Both outer and inner packaging was really mangled- looked like it was run over by a Mack truck…
Yay for T-Rex that the issue is easily medicated! And yay for you being so on top of it to notice something was up!
Definitely not feeling on top of anything right about now, but happy that the problem can be easily fixed. Better living through chemistry for the doggo ?
Best of health to T-Rex!
Are you keeping the original BR order? Or did they take the bottle?
Well, number one, their insurance has already covered the loss and number two, I don’t think an opened perfume can be returned, so there’s that…?
Exactly what I hoped you would say!??
I’m glad there’s good meds for T Rex!
Thanks! Me too, I don’t like to see her spark dimmed. ✨
After reading that T-Rex wasn’t well late last night but that you already knew what the cause was, I had to find out whether this was common in her breed and apparently it is. I hope she improves quickly, as I guess she will.
Have you ever watched any of these? It’s a British ICU doctor explaining Covid through Lego. It is brilliant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvr_uO7KWMo&t=238s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwaOR2oas7s&list=PLaAsA2s3QNBdtEIgL3C-7FGRExA178BnU&index=8&t=477s
I hadn’t seen the LEGO Learning! Very clever and relatable for the lay person. But it’s just a hoax anyway, so who cares? ?
Yeah, I think herding breeds in general are more commonly afflicted with hypothyroidism compared to say, working breeds, although it’s not unheard of in that group. I had a blue merle Sheltie with same issue and the vet told me that (common in herding breeds) iirc. T-Rex was JUST outside of normal range. The vet I saw in Arizona just poopooed me, so at least the vet here agreed to test her. ??
I always have to think that breeds are classified very differently on the European Continent than they are in the US or the UK for that matter.
I guess it’s to do with the gene that also codes for the white in their coat. Will she just be on levothyroxine?
Yes, levothyroxine. She’ll have a level drawn in about 3.5 weeks to determine if she needs a dosage adjustment.
The specific categorization of dog breeds country by country is odd. I think the goal with the AKC is to shuffle breeds into groups that define the original “use” of that particular breed. Is it very different there?
The Netherlands sticks to the FCI grouping which divides the breeds in 10 groups.
1: shepherd type dogs
2: Pinschers, Schnauzers, Mastiff like dogs, Mountain dogs and the Swiss Mountain Dogs
3: Terriers
4. Dachshunds (trust them to have their own group;) )
5: Scandinavian mountain dogs/Sledge dogs. this group also includes Basenji’s and Chinese crested.
6. Hounds (chiens courants in French, which would translate as running dogs)
7. Pointing dogs (Setters, Pointers and all the continental pointing breeds that are far more allround than their British counterparts)
8. Retrievers and Spaniels
9. Companion dogs
10. Sighthounds
So while some categories make a lot of sense, others, esp. group 2 doesn’t really.
Ha! That’s funny about dachshunds! Here they have to share a group with other “hounds.” I like the standard wires the best of all, those bushy eyebrows suck me right in. ?
It makes sense to put Dachshunds in with the other hounds as that is what they are mostly.
My Josephine was a standard wire. They literally talk with their eyebrows. Plus the brows look even better when they are full of snow
1. Diptyque Tam Dao. I’ve never tried it, but everybody raves. It’s very strange that I have no experience with it (particularly given my penchant for blind buying) but there you go. I get the feeling that I’d love it.
2. I actually have a recurring dream about this sort of circumstance. I think I might have even written about it here, before. I am walking through a discount retailer, like TJ Maxx or Marshalls, and I turn the corner and come across a collection of Gobin-Daude perfumes, all sealed, that have somehow made their way to the store (all common sense and rationality to the contrary). I buy them all, and spend the next three weeks making decants for everybody who loves Nuit au Desert, Jardins Ottomans, and Seve Exquise. The specifics of this dream aside, I’d go for finding any of these at a garage sale, as well.
3. I’m not that much into ultra-rarity for its own sake, but I wouldn’t mind a great perfumer making me a custom scent. Yann Vasnier comes to mind – I’ve always been a fan of the Divine house. On a related note, Ava Luxe No. 23 has been in my top 5 favorite perfumes forever, and it is unfortunately discontinued. I would love to have one or several back up bottles of this scent – it’s just wonderful.
I will have to test a little sample I have of Ava Luxe No. 23! I got it in a grab bag a while back, but did not know anything about it. Thanks for the reminder. I was going to have a Zoologist weekend but this poll is throwing me off track. In a good way!
If I came across a collection of Gobin Daude at TJ Maxx I’d probably just die of a heart attack
1. Something fun that I’d be sure to enjoy, probably CSP Vanille Banane.
2. Shiseido Nombre Noir, just to see what all the fuss is about.
3. It’s cheating but I want the entire boxed set of 15 Mugler scents created for the movie Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer, which is not good but is based on one of my favourite books. I could have somehow scraped together the money ($700!!!!!) to buy it back in the day, but I couldn’t bring myself to, and I don’t regret it, but I also sort of do, a bit.
I haven’t seen the movie, but I loved the book.
I have certainly read it a dozen times: I’ve lost count. I’ve never before or since read a book that was so obsessed with the sense of smell, a book in which literally everything is described in terms of how it smells and the effects those scents have on people. It’s glorious (and a wizardly job of translation, I would imagine — it can’t have been easy).
The movie will have you hitting your forehead with the heel of your hand in scene after scene. Don’t bother.
I remember reading the book when it came out or shortly thereafter. I don’t remember the details, but I know I enjoyed except for one section that creeped me out to the extent that I didn’t keep the book after I finished it. I kept any book I felt even the smallest attachment to, and especially those where I discovered a piece of myself as I read. I really should read it again, and see how it stands up to my memory. YouR deep and abiding love for it reminds me of my obsession with To Kill a Mockingbird, which I will always and forever think is THE perfect book for its depth and breath of exploration of the human experience.
Have you read “The Darkest Bloom” by P.M. Freestone? It’s the first in a fantasy series called Shadowscent, in which fragrance has magical powers and perfumers are priests and priestesses. Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays created a commissioned fragrance based on it. The book is quite entertaining and creative, though not the best fantasy novel I’ve ever read.
I can’t believe I don’t know about the perfumes in your no.3!
I really need to get out more.
Well, it *was* fourteen years ago, so you’d be forgiven for having missed them. They were mentioned here (https://nstperfume.com/2006/08/15/thierry-mugler-le-parfum-new-fragrance-for-patrick-suskinds-perfume-movie/ and https://nstperfume.com/2006/10/06/thierry-mugler-le-parfum-coffret-new-fragrances/) but never reviewed, for obvious reasons.
The set consisted of 14 quarter-ounce bottles based on scenes from the movie and one half-ounce bottle that was supposed to be layered with any of the others: it was called Aura, and the company announced that that one was to be released individually. I don’t believe it ever was, and as we know, Mugler launched an unrelated scent called Aura a few years ago.
This was way before I even used the internet. So I will forgive myself for not knowing ?
Thanks for the info!
Oh that Mugler set was EVERYTHING,sadly before my perfumista-days!
Loved the movie,despite the silly crowd scene…chuckle…
I’ve smelled Nombre Noir – it’s everything AND a bag of chips…. Heavenly.
What a fun poll!
1. Vetiver Tonka because it’s been on my buy list the longest, but I’m currently smitten with Rose and Cuir, so it’s a tough call. Both JCE’s, so maybe he should be my answer for #3.
2. Vintage Opium or J’adore, both because so many people remark on how different they are now. I’ve never smelled the originals.
3. Parfums DelRae Bois de Paradis. One I should have sprung for before it disappeared!
On 3, I am lucky enough to have a bottle and I feel so fortunate. Such a masterpiece. Same for Amoureuse. Two beauties of my collection.
I’m with you on all three of these. I love Vetiver Tonka, Opium back in the day made me swoon, and Bois de Paradis is on my top 5 list.
Vintage Opium was staggering, almost brutal, especially the parfum. Just too much of everything, the definition of excess, and yet it all worked perfectly. Every trope of the oriental fragrance in one bottle (and what a bottle). I was so sorry when they publicly reformulated it: even in the nineties it was excellent, but now, well….
I tried Opium for the first time probably 10 years ago. Even that was staggering, so I can only imagine! Thank you for sharing your impressions—it sounds like quite the experience.
I was surprised how much I liked J’Adore from a vintage bath gel I got. When I tried it at Ulta last year, it was not the same at all.
Vintage J’Adore is so lush!
I enjoyed every last drop of a vintage!
The original Jadore is divine..
Fun poll! I went with the think fast method to answer:
1. Chanel No. 19 Extrait.
2. 100ml Poison edt, vintage from the same batch that a co-worker got for Christmas in 1985 and use to fill the office with. I thought it was too sophisticated and far beyond anything I could afford at that time and maybe that is why the smell memory is so strong.
3. Atlantic Ambergris by Areej Le Dore: ambergris and yellow florals and spices.
Scent of the day is EL Intuition.
Wishing all a good weekend. My joy was finally facing down the poison IVY in the backyard. I knew it was there….growing….but I just couldn’t face the fear. But this morning I suited up and cleared away nice plants and non-poison brush and did targeted spraying. By late fall, I hope to have my fence garden back.
1985-vintage Poison was office-filling, for sure, and wonderful nonetheless, but there was a largely forgotten version a few years later (I think — Fragrantica says 1985 but I’m sure that’s not correct), an Eau de Cologne. It was recognizably Poison but softer, more transparent, lighter without being fresh or bright. It was really the perfect Poison, because it was profoundly beautiful without that attack-dog personality the scent was famous for. (In truth I’m torn between the EDC and the original Esprit de Parfum, which was syrupy-dark and lush and desirable; but the EDC is probably the better version.)
Hmmm you made me check: I have the Esprit, too. I think when I was on a vintage Poison quest, I never saw an edt that I felt confident would be worth the price or not turned. As you say, the scent recalls the glory, but I sure did like the bombastic nature of that edt! I just dabbed some on; she and EL Intuition may get a little loud together.
Poison was THE fragrance of choice in Saudi Arabia in the mid 80s. When it’s 113 degrees out and you are locked in a store or supermarket during prayer call, it’s enough to make you pass out.
That is a deeply evocative perfume memory – thank you for telling it! I lived in Atlanta, GA then, and dense humidity along with hot weather and Poison definitely have ’80’s memories.
Air conditioning, b.o., and Poison. Repeat. Not a fan!
LOL! Plum, *berries*, and the kitchen sink. I can’t resist it.
I like your thinking for the Nr1 choice!
Nice work on taking out the poison ivy!
Thank you – I got a couple other gardening issues done, too! I am a life-long procrastinator and there is always some bedeviling little thing I can’t push on through. I am sure most people could understand. :<3:
You’re the only other person I recall ever mentioning Intuition in here. I wore it all the time way back when. Around 2000 I guess.
I have Intuition in edt, edp and parfum – my favorite is the edt. I love the Serge Mansau bottle, too. I am an EL fangirl for sure.
My first year of college, I took a literature seminar that was small (six of us? not more than eight) and had juniors and seniors as well as a few FYs. One of the seniors was the most glamorous person I’d encountered IRL to that point — someone who has gone on to have a Broadway career, although not super famous — and wore Poison to class. Although I found the fragrance overwhelming and decidedly not something my (very broke) 18-year-old country mouse self would wear, it suited her perfectly. What I mainly remember — other than the terrific alto voice this woman had — was how nice she was to me, at a point when I did not have much self esteem. (We also had an extraordinary prof for that seminar, whose belief in my scholarly abilities is a prime reason I ended up with a Ph.D.)
What a lovely memory.
Another perfumed memory that evokes so well a time and place!
Loved the story – thank you for sharing!
Good job on the poison ivy!! Do you use that Tecnu soap that takes off any oil that might get on your skin? Luckily our garden doesn’t have much poison ivy at all, but it was endemic to the fields and woods where I grew up. My late mother was horribly allergic to it, we had to be really careful not to bring any contamination into our house.
1. Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose.
2. Vintage Christian Dior Obsession.
3. I am not really into very rare or exclusive perfumes, so nothing comes to mind. But I would probably like Andy Tauer to make an iris perfume or Luca Maffei to make an incense perfume for me.
2. Oh boy! Is CALVIN KLEIN, not Dior!
I knew what you meant. I’ll race you to the garage sale.?
Elbows in, all!
Hopefully, it will be more than a bottle! ?
Oh Andy plus Iris can only be MAGIC!!
That’s what I think! ?❤
I agree!
Me too! Me too!
I’d fancy that too!
I have BIG LOVE for Lipstick Rose! I think it’s a perfect perfume. When Ralf Schweiger came through town to an event, I made sure to have my bottle autographed, which perversely makes me want to keep it full of fragrance and to buy a new FB that I feel more free to use. I realize this is THE definition of a first world problem, but there it is!
That’s so nice! Good you got a back up bottle for your use. Lipstick Rose is soooo beautiful a big favorite of mine!
To clarify, I haven’t purchased another bottle. I just find myself wishing I would! I feel bad getting my fingerprints on it now that it’s autographed and specialer.
You don’t want to know what I think of Lipstick Rose ?
Feel free to send any your run into my way.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you ?. Lipstick Rose smells like the make up undertakers use.
Thankfully, I have scant personal memories involving the embalmed, so the scent connection not an issue for me! Now if a fragrance reminded me of medical cadavers, there’d be a problem.
Ooh, I love these polls and this is a fun one!
1. I’ve been eyeing up bottles of Over the Musk on evil bay, so that would be a top pick.
2. Vintage Obsession. I want the squatty kidney shaped bottle from 1985 new, still sealed in cellophane in the box. That isn’t asking too much, is it?? I know some of the early bottles were actually called Cologne and I’m not sure what the difference between that and the EDP was. I went through many bottles of each along with body products and still have my prized mini.
3. Hmmm…maybe a custom creation by Maurice Roucel. Either that or Coromandel parfum. Flip a coin, I’ll take either since I’ve already got my vintage Obsession.?
SotD is Sur Le Nil since it’s gonna be hotter than you know what here today. Stay cool everyone!✌️
I found a small lot of vintage Obsession on goodwill.com a couple of years ago, I’m sure I crowed about it here. Squat kidney bottle, spray with the gold stripe and a mini of CK One. I think I paid $20. So keep your eyes open, those bottles do exist!
1) I’d like a bottle of Wood Sage and Sea Salt to replace the one I thunked a few months ago.
2) Please, all powers in the universe, could you arrange for a bottle of Gap Grass to cross my path? Pretty please?
3) I would love a custom Olivia Giacobetti scent, especially if she riffed on iris and incense.
SOTD is DedCool Taunt. I can’t really wear vanilla perfumes because my skin amps it up to 11 (full Spinal Tap reference), but this vanilla/ bergamot/ something is just perfect on me.
Have a happy, beautifully scented day.
Olivia Giacobetti would be my parfumeur of choice also.
I miss Gap Grass SO MUCH. It was perfection.
Ohhh, those old Gap scents! I loved Heaven and Dream. I actually had a bottle of Heaven 10 years or so ago, but I destashed it, thinking it had been doing little but taking up space. I have the opposite of hoarding problem– I’m too hasty to get rid of things.
1. I’ll take Chanel Bois des Iles as a freebie, thanks.
2. Vintage Chanel Nr 19 ?
3. Something custom made seems impossible, i’d be like a child in a candy shop wanting everything to go in! “Ahm yes, can you make a mimosa, vétiver, linden, incense, fresh cut grass perfume in the style of Chanel Coco, that also has fig and lavender, thanks?”
So I‘ll go for the collectors gift box of all the extraits of Guerlain and Chanel.
I’m laughing hard at your #3
?
Oh I like this fantasy poll!Can’t remember if I participated previously??
1.)Gucci Memoir d’une Oudeur(sp?),based on reviews,and recently-today!!-smelling it “in the wild” on a person.
2.)A pristine bottle of pre-WW2 Shalimar/Jicky/basically any Guerlain…heck,for $5!Yess.
3.)The Friday cp had me longing again for some Xerjoff Irisssssss….such a beauty.
Happy Saturday friends!,XO
I love the Gucci bottle- beautiful green
I got several paper strips of the Gucci, and I did like it, but I was in a Guerlain phase this year, and….wallet with moths fluttering out….
Ciao Bello!
How are you? I miss you on here
Wow, I don’t post often, but what a fun poll!!
1. Dusita’s Issara for sure, it was love at first sniff and the price tag has kept me from pulling the trigger.
2. Vintage Shalimar, the very early stuff. I always check every antique store or estate sale I visit for perfume. Maybe one day I’ll get lucky!
3. L’Artisan Parfumeur Fleur d’Oranger, 2005, 2007, or 2011. Someone on eBay is selling a bottle for $5k, so that’s the world we live in. Barring that, I’ve always wanted to do a custom orange blossom perfume with Mandy Aftel. I just haven’t smelled anything that comes close to when the citrus blooms in the desert.
5k?? Cray cray
Right?! I mean, at this point the 2005 version is 15 years old, and the bottle appears unused. Why not give it to a home where it will be used and appreciated?
Some kind of vintage Shalimar is totally possible, although maybe not SUPER-early. I have a bottle from the mid-sixties that I bought at an estate sale for about $20 (so, you know, free). It is absolutely marvelous stuff! I hope you find one for yourself, preferably old, so we can trade samples and compare.
So jealous of your estate sale find! That’s exactly what I’m hoping to find one day! If I ever find one, I’d love to do a Shalimar sample swap and compare all the different vintages!
The woman who’d previously owned it must have been a real Guerlain fan-girl. I also bought some Mitsouko at that sale. I left behind a couple of the unnamed refill bottles. I’ve been kicking myself about that, as I’ve learned about all the possible things that could have been inside!
My $5 Shalimar would be a little different, namely a Pretty Bottle version. The one with the peacock was stunning, but, oh fine, I’ll take 5 of them for $25, can’t be more fair than that.
Haha, agree! I had a bottle of the Souffle d’Oranger muled over and while I don’t where it often, it’s beautiful and glad I have at least one full bottle of Shalimar in the collection
1- a new bottle of Coromandel as mine is running low. If they make a body cream I will take that too!
2- I really don’t know much about vintage but I smelled a vintage Bellagio (sp? The carnation one) and enjoyed it
3- I will copy madtowngirl and say Coromandel the parfum.
I’m having Coromandel fantasies as well. Hajusuuri threw gasoline on the flames of this fever!
LOL!
SotD = Eau des Merveilles
because it’s been too long.
1. CdG Avignon
2. Guerlain AA Ylang et Vanille
3. a recreation of late 1980s-early 1990s Oscar by Oscar de la Renta
Happy weekend, friends!
Vintage Oscar is one of my top 5. Not only do I love it, but my dear Mother liked it so it has all that kind of feeling too.
Oscar is beautiful, it would be fantastic if a modern perfumer could recreate it as it was. And it’s lovely to have a scent memory of your mother.
Mine wore L’air du Temps, another big floral scent that I love.
I’m in B&BW Boardwalk Taffy which was an impulse purchase when I ordered hand sanitizer. One blogger I read said it smelled like strawberry Starburst and this is fairly accurate. I also ordered Bonfire Bash which is a fall release but haven’t tried that one yet. I think w/ all the pandemic stress being associated w/ summer and heat, I am looking forward to fall/cooler temps/when the smell of the air changes and breaking out all the vanillas. My vanillas are already out to be fair but some smell even better as the weather changes to autumn. ?
I’m almost halfway through In The Woods by Tana French and want to thank whoever recommended this one in the reading poll or another thread. I am fully immersed and enjoying it. I am thinking the narrator might be unreliable like so many of my co-workers.? Sigh. My co-workers aren’t trying to mislead or outright lie (mostly) but they often don’t answer direct questions with pertinent facts. Maybe I will be an interrogator in my next life…or perhaps I already was in a previous.?
Tana French is fantastic! Love her books.
She totally is – I can’t wait for her to write another
Gasp! I will totally buy a Strawberry Starburst fragrance: thanks for the tip. I am always missing the boat on the good B&BW’s. It is so sensory-overload in there, I can’t ever suss out what I would enjoy.
The smell of the store keeps me from EVER going in there! Like Yankee Candle. [shudders]
Love the polls!
1. A bottle of L’Occitane Herbae! I tried it in one of the stores and didn’t think much of it, but someone sent me a sample of it, and it’s actually really great.
2. Shalimar Route de blah blah Mexique, in the Guerlain refill size please.
3. I’d lust like to spend a day with Andy Tauer, tour his facility, have lunch with him and let him create any fragrance he wanted to for me. He just seems like a really nice person.
I’m in Zoologist Civet. Someone said yesterday that this is much like Musc Ravageur, and he/she is correct!
A day with Andy Tauer would be wonderful! There was an event here in Portland at the Fumerie in which he was going to be present. I was worried I’d miss out, assuming there’d be a line and a big crowd, so I showed up quite early. Well, Andy had arrived early too, and the shopowner, Tracey, was clearly trying to get things in order while also not wanting to ignore her distinguished guest! SO, she more or less introduced us to each other and then sidled away to do what needed to be done. I spent about 40 minutes talking to him, pretty much completely one-on-one. It was such a gift for this introverted fan-girl! He is such a nice guy, sensitive and thoughtful, and of course, so talented! Really a joy.
High five for hostess on the spot!
I admit, there were plenty introvert-to-introvert awkward pauses in the conversation! But he kindly helped keep it going.
Wow, lucky you! I have only talked to him on email but he was really patient with my pregnancy induced questions about what exactly is in his perfumes
LOL! I would hope anyone would be understanding about the anxieties of that sort of moment.
I’ve had some email exchanges with him, and he is so nice and down to earth. What a treat to have a personal conversation with him! Thanks for sharing your story. ?
Yeah. Remember when he used to do the Advent calendar blog posts? I won one of those years back, and I was so surprised to get a personalized note along with the discovery set I’d won. I can’t imagine the amount of time he put into that whole thing–blog post every day, a painting/drawing to illustrate each one, the freebies, notes, etc., etc. So generous with his time and love to the perfumista community!
Sur Le Nil is just so perfect for hot muggy weather! The first year I had it, we spent a summer weekend at some friends’ lake house which had an enormous screened porch with daybeds, and I just flopped there all day drenching myself in SLN. Heaven!
Lol at the Shalimar name!
I have no patience with those long names! ?
Me neither. I might have to start naming all those flankers like that, too!
Oh I love fantasizing like this!!
1.This must be the Dolce & Gabbana Pineapple. Can’t get myself to buy it as I think it’a a bit too expensive.
2. Fendi Theorema! Some of you keep raving about it and I think I need it too. Thank you garage sale….
3. Very curious about Chanel Le Lion…
SOTD is Bronze Goddess eau fraiche. It smells different from the bottle I had a couple of years ago that I sold. I may be wrong but I love it now.
Robin turned me onto to Theorema and am I glad she did. It’s sooo good and so easy to wear
Theorama is wonderful, I have always wanted some too. I hope you find the fab basket bottle at your garage sale
1. Kyoto
2. Deneuve
3. Coromandel just because of the cost.
Tried out Demeter Vamp. It was awful on skin. I was so happy to wash it off after I reviewed it. I am in De Profundis right now. I am trying to finish off one of my BBW candles and should be finished sometime tomorrow.
Always feels great to finish a candle. ??
Just have 33 more to go;).
Fall candles are out!
I know. I want to get more Honeycrisp Apple ones but there are people in my house that hate the smell of them. Said that they make her nauseous. When candle day happens in December, I will load up on the Evergreen ones.
I am sampling the Art Meets Art discovery pack this morning. Might have a winner in Sexual Healing–honey, tobacco, and vanilla.
1. I want more Prada Infusion d’Iris Absolu. It’s discontinued but available on ebay, I just need to bite the bullet and buy it.
2. I’ll never turn down more vintage Panthere de Cartier or L’Heure Bleue.
3. My craving for Crabtree & Evelyn Mysore Sandalwood is well known, but I’d settle for a custom scent using mysore, maybe composed by Morillas.
Honey, tobacco and vanilla sound divine!
The Absolu is three times as nice as the Prada Infusion d’Iris. Good hunting!
A custom scent by M. Morillas — wouldn’t that be amazing? I enjoy so many of his creations; he really has a way with flowers.
This is a fun poll!
1. Top of my list right now is the new Serge Lutens La Couche du Diable. It’s easy enough to buy online at full price, but I’m waiting for the discounters (I check every few weeks, must do that again today).
2. There are so many vintage perfumes that people refer to here, I’d be delighted to find any of them! Some of the chypres from the past would be wonderful.
3. The range available online is so much better than when I first fell down the rabbit hole 10 years ago, there’s not much I can’t get if I’m prepared to spend ridiculous amounts of money. There are still a few Serge Lutens bell jars that I’d like to have, those are still in the can’t get without travelling category for New Zealand folk.
On an unrelated perfume note, I have experienced again just how smell can bring back things long forgotten. I included a sample of Calaj Perfumes Transilvania in my latest purchase from Luckyscent. At first try, I don’t like it, but the drydown smells exactly like some incense sticks I used to buy back in my teens, 40 years ago. I haven’t smelled them for that long, but it was instant recognition. I searched and found that the company still exists and their packaging hasn’t changed!
Were they the little black cones or incense sticks? Those cones would drop me right into high school circa 1975.
Were you into the Cabot musk oil craze? I loved it and it was still available so I bought a little bottle in the 2000s. Nowhere near what I remembered, sadly.
Love that story! Scent can bring back all kinds of memories! And I kick myself for not picking up bell jars of Dr Profundis, Borneo, and Criminelle all the time. I’m hoping that one of these days I can initiate a swap with someone here or on Basenotes for one of them and unload my bottle of Ottoman Empire.
I love those scent memories. I kept an old (empty) jar of cheap cream deodorant for ages – and this was way before I was a perfumista – because all I had to do was open the top and I was right back on the top of an Aztec pyramid I had climbed just outside of Mexico city on a high school Spanish spring break trip.
1. I’ll take the 6.8 oz of Sycomore, please
2. I think about all of those garage sales I went to with my mom as a kid when perfume wasn’t my thing.. sigh. Would be fun to find a brand new, unused bottle of vintage of Diorissimo
3. I’d be interested in a custom carnation scent by Dominique Ropion
SOTD: back to reality with a very humble Moroccan Tea body spray by &Other Stories
I am with you on item 2! We probably hit different garages sales, though, fortunately
Ooh yes to your 3
I’ve very rarely gone to garage sales, who knows what I’ve missed out on. I think I’ll start – at least to browse when I come across one.
Just returning from another great weekend camping.
1) SL 5 O’Clock Eau Gingembre
2) vintage Coco or No.19 extrait
3) Olivia G to make me something lovely.
Oh, I’ve have *almost* purchased 5 o’clock eau gingembre so many times!
Ha – I see it’s actually ‘Au’ Gingembre. I think I will buy a bottle. Let me know if you’d like a decant. You can email me via my screen name above.
LOL! I was going to write it that way, but I liked your way better.
1. Kayali Elixir, it haunts me.
2. CK Eternity in original formula in the big splash bottle, sealed of course.
4. A custom made scent with notes of peach and almonds, by Sophia Grojsman.
What is the Kayali like?
It’s rose and patchouli heavy but also have lighter and fresher notes of apple and white flowers in it. It’s syrupy and dense like a slow cooked jam. Beautiful and very much a mid eastern leaning scent style wise. I smells like a niche scent with high quality ingredients.
I love your description! I am putting it on my to try list.
Twilly today! Being a complete slug. Stayed up way too late and the pre-dinner rosé, with-dinner red and post-dinner bourbon disrupted my sleep. Totally worth it though.
Unsure of #1 for the poll. So many to choose from. Might be Baiser de Russie.
#2. Likely vintage Chanel No. 19 or Chamade extrait.
#3. Patricia de Nicolai would make me the original Le Temps d’une Fête, which I wore in early ‘90s.
Chamade Extrait!!! Pinky promise I would have a drawing for you guys if I ever got that. *Swoons at the thought*
Sounds like a fun dinner
Your #3 is brilliant! I’ve never tried Le Temps d’Une Fete but it has always sounded wonderful.
I’d share!
Yay!
Very fun poll! And I love the hydrangea; wish I had room for one.
My choices would be:
1. St. Clair Pandora
2. Givenchy III or YSL Opium
3. Chanel le Lion
We have lots of hydrangeas, but none are that pretty.
Sampling today…
1. PdN Eau de Yuzu. Which I just bought, NOT free, oh well, but it is really good. Doesn’t last long though.
2. Diorissimo in one of those Baccarat amphora bottles. For $5. Oh yeah. Or, Shiseido Nombre Noir. I got to try it recently, and it is All That.
3. Hmm, I want to try the new Chanel. Or Rodrigo Flores-Roux could make me a custom perfume, if he wants…
MAN what a week. I attended a work conference (virtually of course) and had been thinking it would be kindof a lazy week. You know, sit there and watch other people sweat thru their presentations. I had failed to add up the hours… 12 hour days Monday thru Thursday, a full regular work day Friday, and worked this morning too. THIS is why I need to retire. 4 weeks to go!
Yes to Nombre Noir and yay for upcoming retirement. So great. Right behind you. Well, in a year.
2.5 years to go!
Almost, well considered, buying the Yuzu blind. Been having shopping therapy cravings something awful these days!!
I’ve been trying to convince myself this is the yuzu of my dreams. No strange cumin, no dill picklish sandalwood sneaking in there, just another really great PdN Eau.
4 weeks will come and go poof rather quickly.
Bought an amphora Dioressimo in my pre-perfumista days. Still have the bottle…
Oh, I bet you’re looking forward to retirement!
I was curious about Eau de Yuzu
Congrats on the four weeks to go! I was thinking of retiring this fall, but working from home has postponed that plan, as it has eliminated some of the issues (in-person interactions) that were tempting me to retire from higher education. Actually, the challenge of reworking our program in light of remote and hybrid learning has been very interesting, especially when combined with issues around inclusion, and that has renewed some of my passion for my work.
What a great silver lining!
Woo! Four weeks! Have you started singing “The Final Countdown” yet?
1.Ex Idolo Love and Crime
2. Vintage Femme
3. Vintage Shisedo Zen. Is that cheating to ask for 2 vintage?
It’s fantasy…and I also cheated because I did not read the instructions and just listed however many I wanted to list.
1. Clinique Wrappings EdP or Tauer LAdDM.
2. Vintage Opium or vintage Samsara.
3. Olivier Durbano Rock Crystal EdP.
SOTD = Clinique Wrappings, from the sample stash.
Duh, where is my head right now? I wanted to post a wedding update here, too. It has been rescheduled to November 2021. No news on the strained friendships, but I am not interested in poking that particular proverbial bear.
Oh, that is much better!
That’s great news! That gives all of the parties a chance to settle down.
Phew! The wedding we were invited to in June, that got moved to October, has now been moved to 2021. We are relieved.
Good on the rescheduling! It would be interesting to see how the friendships evolve or devolve.
It would also be interesting to see how many postponed weddings actually end up happening. This is a test for so many relationships.
I have a save the date magnet for a November 2020 of friends’ son. The only potential complication is if the Rosary Brigade leader (now ex-friend per her choice) poisons her nephew. Regardless, I wouldn’t go anyway if it’s not an easy drive but will send a $gift.
That’s good news. I hope you don’t have to think about it for at least 6 months!
So glad to hear that. Hope everybody mends fences by then.
From your descriptions, I’d think postponement of that wedding would be best, but what a mess of complaints and emotions went on! I think it was wise for you to stay as far away as possible from all that drama!
1. Vivacious or Coromandel
2. Coco or Opium, circa 1980s and 70s respectively
3. Scent on Canvas Rose Opera, or Kiki
Spent the day hacking through brambles and ropes of ivy to free a bay laurel in the way back of our yard. My hair smells like dust and bay leaves.
I love the look of ivy but wish all the ivy on my own property would vanish…
Our next door neighbors’ English ivy has taken over part of our yard and a couple of our trees. I want to work on cutting some of the ivy down when it’s cooler outside.
1. Clinique Wrappings EdP, Lancome Magie Noire or Tauer LAdDM.
2. Safari by RL, Coco EDP, and Fendi by Fendi.
3. Lancome Kypre by Armand Petitjean. A velvety, buttery leather/chypre circa 1941.
The hubby and I just returned home from a lovely 12-mile hike through the Presidio with friends. It was a wonderful day however, I missed applying sunscreen to one spot on my shoulder. Feeling a little tender right now. Some yogurt should help it to heal in no time.
I’m headed off to take a bubble bath and enjoy a book!
Would you like a partial bottle of vintage-y Safari? It’s just not me. Ping me at emc dawt 7 1 1 7 at geee-mayle.
That would be lovely! Yes please!
Will PM you.
May I send anything to you in return? My Fragrantica is linked below, you can take a looksee..
https://www.fragrantica.com/member/2234
I’m ldetrich in the land of yodeling d o t com
I miss the Presidio. So lovely. I loved on Presidio Ave at Sacto many moons ago.
LizzieB, it was gorgeous – so nice to get outside and hike!
SOTD = Olfactive Studio Iris Shot
From a sample in the epic split / swap with Lucas and Undina. Love it … a bottle is in my future … have to find a stockist. LuckyScent only has Vanilla Shot from this series.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDFZ6w1BN70/?igshid=n99in6zmwbkh
As for the poll:
1. Zoologist Bee, Olfactive Studio Iris Shot, IUNX perfumes I don’t have
2. Dior Addict – I have a vintage decant as well as a bottle from a swap but I want mawwwrrrr
3. Chanel Le Lion, Chanel 28 La Pausa Extrait (fantasy), Hermès Eau des Merveilles perfume in a green bottle (fantasy)
Went to the mall this afternoon to redeem a gift card. Found out I had an extra $25 so w00t! Most people were masked, but COVIDiocy was still a problem:
– Takeout food and drink are supposed to be consumed outside. Many decided that since they had the food / drink, they can shove them in their food hole while walking or they can park themselves on ledges and have their meals there. The SA at the store I visited said she had called mall management about people congregating outside her store and they haven’t done anything
– there’s a small seating area by one of the entrances. It used to be a smoking area but now there are no smoking signs. As I was leaving, I saw a guy smoking right next to the automatic door.
All of that mall stuff is just what I’d suspect. It will be a long time before I see the inside of a mall again.
I’ve spent my whole shift thinking about these questions!
1. Chanel Cristalle edp
2. Tom Ford Sahara Noir
3. Tiffany Trueste and First edition Angel.
These answers are subject to change depending on the day!
Sotd was TF Soliel Blanc.. thunk!
Ditto on Sahara Noir. I wish I had grabbed a bottle before it dissappear.
Sahara noir! A good choice.
Get that Cristalle now ?
Lol, it’s at the top of my list. I just always seem to pass it up.
Oh Sahara Noir, what a great choice.
Thanks. I keep scouring for it. It needs to be a fair price though.
Still mad at myself for not buying Sahara Noir when it was hanging about at the local department store.
Same!
I would love to smell again Angel as it was in 1992! I’m not sure I would wear it (I still like and own but do not wear my bottle from early 2000s), but I want to experience it again.
I remember not liking it when it first came out. It didn’t smell like perfume to me. I think I would like it now though.
Ouf, hrm, this is challenging!
(1) Zoologist Bee. So luscious.
(2) Guerlain Ambre Éternel.
(3) I’d love to have Euan McCall make me something. Barring that No. 11 Eau de Parfum William Eadon, it’d be a blind buy but I’m dead curious about it.
SotD was MFK APOM pour Femme from a small decant. I love orange blossom so I jumped at the chance to have 5ml, but something about this perfume doesn’t thrill me, and I wish I knew what it was. Having a hard time pinpointing it.
I got ice cream from my favorite shop today! One scoop lavender, one scoop Dutch chocolate. Been getting the same combo for minimum 15 years now.
If it’s a newer version of Femme I am not a fan either. At a guess I’d say it’s strident versus the vintage being…commanding.
Omg nailed it.
I think it is a newer bottle as it was someone offering to decant it in the last month… Maybe it’ll sit better on me in another season but also it’s orange blossom, summer should be perfect, no?
We can hope!
Ice cream envy!
1) I’m cheating a bit because this is already en route: Vivacious. I also tried Bulgari The Bleu thanks to a perfume pal & really like it. I think it is the lavender for me.
2) Chanel 1946, why not?
3) This would be no surprise to those who know me, a bespoke creation from Hiram Green would be wonderful.
What would be the notes in Hiram’s concoction for you?
Hmm. Interesting questions.
Copying the questions, so I can refer back instantly. (Memory of a goldfish lately, seriously…)
…let’s say you’re going to get three fragrances for free. Name your picks…
1. The first fragrance has to be a regular perfume that you could easily buy online — nothing ultra-rare or vintage or so exclusive you’d have to travel somewhere to buy it. What is your pick?
Jo Malone Red Roses. Generous NST folks have sent me Jo Malone samples, and of course Red Roses was the one I liked best of the ones I’ve gotten the chance to try. But I appreciate getting the various samples, so I can learn what I like.
Even more expensive, but available online, Serge Lutens La Myrrhe or Rahat Loukoum, or CdG Avignon, or L’Artisan Passage d’Enfer.
2. The second fragrance is a vintage (possibly but not necessarily discontinued) perfume that you’re going to find at a garage sale, in perfect condition, for $5 (free in perfumath). What is your pick?
Coty La Rose Jacqueminot. I think the sample I smelled was from a 1980s version that recreated the original. Still, it was lovely.
Something more possible to get nowadays – Guerlain Jicky, as someone said above.
Another comment from above inspires this: Fath perfumes as they were originally intended to be.
3. The third fragrance can be either an ultra-rare / exclusive / hard to find perfume, OR, a custom perfume made just for you by the perfumer of your choice. What is your pick?
Also inspired by comments above: I know a couple of companies have tried to recreate versions of Iris Gris – I’m just choosing them as being unicorns, for the sake of going into wacky fantasy. lol
I read somewhere that Puredistance Antonia was in the Iris Gris mode, if you want something beautiful and crazy-expensive.
Thanks for the thought, AnnieA.
I’m good with fragrances that are nice and inexpensive. Crazy-expensive is not in my budget! LOL!
DSH Scent of Hope is supposedly a near copy of Iris Gris. I have never smelled the original Iris Gris but Scent of Hope is pretty darn excellent!
There are a number of DSH fragrances I’d like to sniff sometime.
Thank you for the recommendation of that specific one, though. My # 3 answer above was just for the sake of choosing something highly improbable. lol.
1. Cartier Baiser Vole Extrait.
2. Vintage Narcisse Noir in that stunning little art deco bottle.
3. Serge Lutens Rose de Nuit. I get that this isn’t like, a JAR, but it’s not sold in Canada and the chances of me being able to afford a trip to Paris AND this perfume at the same time is not very high. Nor would I trust the mail system to get to me without breaking it somehow.
I keep forgetting JAR even exists! If they still do.
It’s Sunday morning here, fun to read everyone’s answers.
1. Fils de Dieu I almost purchased it last week but I am on a low buy
2. Guerlain Ode or Parure (I make do with Avon Rapture for Ode, close enough)
3. Shem El Nessim
Thank you for mentioning an Avon Rapture/Guerlain Ode comparison. I have fun comparing the older Avons to their contemporaries in the luxury world. I don’t think I have Rapture, though, nor Ode. But that’s what garage sales are for!
I totally agree with you about the fun of older Avon perfumes, plus so affordable. Ode has pretty much vanished but I’ve smelled it with Victoria of Bois de Jasmin with whom I had won a class.
LAdDDM today.
1. I would buy a bottle of Salome or Corsica Furiosa
2. A vintage bottle of Bal a Versailles
3. I would love to try DSH Chinchilla or Foxy, they can’t be sampled in Europe and shipping is too expensive for an untested scent
1. Sonoma Scent Studio sample box but no shipping to Europe…
2. Vintage Smasara, always.
3. MIl et une Roses on the beautiful glass bottle from Lancome.
I meant Samsara and number 1 was supposed to something easy and I put something difficult, so it would be Chevrefeuille from Aniick Goutal.
That bottle of your #3 (the original one) was beautiful!
Good morning..
Sipping Rose d’Himalya tea, listening to Le Trio Joubran
Thanks for all the cheer regarding my Shalimar lotion, it arrived out of no where after being shipping on July 6th and entering the USPS black hole.
1. Songes (I can never have enough), Fiori di Capri
2. The original Gio by Armani
3. Shalimar Ode a la Vanille Sur la route de Madagascar
I’m still waiting on my July 8 package….
It’s still in the black USPS ? ?
So sorry
I thought mine would never show up
1. VCA Orchidée Vanille or Histoires de Parfums 1804 or Guerlain Tonka Impériale
2. Vintage Femme (even though I’ve never even smelled it, I’m sure I’ll love it) or Coty Chypre or Guerlain L’Heure Bleue.
3. Rubj extrait de parfum. Still exasperated with myself for not getting it when I still could.
Drinking a lovely Darjeeling First Flush. Wondering whether in 2021 First Flushes will be more easily available again. I hope so, as it would mean that the situation in India would have improved.
Wow, I am so with you on Rubj! I still look for it and Kiki in any forumla.
Yes, I got in touch with a shop that used to sell Veroprofumo and at that time they didn’t know what would happen to her line. Apparently it just disappeared. And maybe it’s better that way. It was all her own work, so it went away pretty. much when she herself did.
Orchidée Vanille is the quintessential Office Scent (Rich Lady edition). I have a wee bottle of vintage Femme and it makes be feel like Rosalind Russell.
I’d never heard of Rosalind Russel but I guess it makes you feel glamorous!
To get a sense…check out the old movie Auntie Mame if you can. Roz Russell is amazing in it. The clothes!
Love first flush darjeelings! They’re so delicate.
Yes, especially the fancy ones.
1. An Amouage. Lyric, Journey, or Reflection.
2. Crepe de Chine, or a vintage carnation fragrance. I have a tiny sample of Crepe de Chine from the 30s, it would be great to know what it’s suppose to really smell like.
3. Fleur de Narcisse
My grandmother’s perfume was Crepe de Chine (she was born in 1900.) She had a little bottle and kept it for “best,” I’d like to know how it originally smelled, too.
Commando right now and contemplating a shower and possibly PdE CF after, but I may (probably will) change my mind. Ennui is bird-dogging me…
I looked up some waterfall hikes but honestly, I just want to go sit on top of the A/C vent. The heat is extreme right now, not a whiff of a breeze, humidity is quite high, and every afternoon, fierce storms roll through scaring the bejesus out of poor T-Rex. Basically, feels like I’m still living in Florida…??⛈
We have the same swampy weather here. I have a few errands to run and will need to hop from car to shop and back a few times.
I think the whole continent is turning into Florida. I may have to move up to the northern zones of Canada. I really would be quite content in Jasper ?? ?
Looks like you’ve done your research ?. On my bucket list is visiting the Canadian Rockies while inside a luxurious train.
Superb Bucket List entry! I don’t know if that train goes by Athabasca Glacier, but it’s a must see. It’s one of the toes of the Columbia Icefield and it’s disappearing fast. T-Rex and I climbed up on it last summer, but she was not a fan of the wind or the cold. I loved it! Most recently, one of the tour operators lost that take people up onto the glacier proper, had a terrible loss of life when the vehicle plunged off the road. I would skip the tours! But you can walk to it from the parking lot and be AMAZED by it! Here’s a photo of T-Rex with mom-deployed ears to maintain her grounded status?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzTuFqxB5My/?igshid=52hasp6lhvns
Forgive the extensive typos up there! ☝?
1. Okay, this can be bought online, but it’s ultra-expensive and a total fantasy: Lalique perfume in a limited edition Lalique crystal bottle.
2. Vintage: Guerlain Parure; as long as we’re fantasizing, let’s make it parfum in the Baccarat “wave” bottle, please!
3. The new Iris de Fath, which I was able to smell on a visit to Jovoy in London. Gorgeous!
Oh I would take your #1 too
Aren’t those bottles spectacular?
I’m with Deva being bird-dogged by ennui so choices feel hard to make but I love polls like this. My answers are just whatever catches in my foggy brain at the moment.
1. Neela Vermiere Bombay Bling or Parfums d’Empire Wazamba or Kerosene Follow.
2. One of those vintage Chanel sets of mini extraits, in unopened pristine condition of course.
3. SL Encens et Lavande or Slumberhouse Pear & Olive or TF Sahara Noir. Or Dawn Spencer Hurwitz could create my dream perfume which is the life of a maple tree minus the syrup: the spring sap, green seeds, dry seeds, dry leaves (they smell so good) and a whiff of burning leaves.
Wearing Jo Malone Sweet Lime and Cedar from a freebie meet, just right for another hot steamy day. Not that I know since I’m practicing my favorite summer activity of sitting in the house, listening to the AC.
Yes, I would love your #2 or #3 SL Encens et Lavande as well.
1. Chanel Paris-Deauville. Have been lemming it for a while now.
2. A pristine bottle of vintage Diorling. Someone cleaned out granny’s basement and found it alongside a bunch of old Avon perfumes, and didn’t know what they had.
3. Hermes Doblis. Just the most beautiful floral leather ever, and very hard to find.
I’m scentless so far today. Thinking about spritzing on some SMN Eva when it warms up – supposed to reach over 100 today, and Mr. G is chilling the house down severely this morning in preparation for that. (Mr. G just pointed out that, if it gets too cold inside, we can always head out to the back deck – now why didn’t I think of that?) Wore 1681 for a haircut and a couple of hours in the office yesterday. While in the office I found that someone thinks it’s a good idea to leave invoices on my desk instead of putting them in the A/P basket, even though there’s a large, neon-pink sign on my computer monitor that says I’m working from home. (Insert hajusuuri-style “harrumph!” here.)
LOL ?. I hope you left them there because, otherwise, it means they know you do drop ins on off days ?.
I meant to say that STC had Hermès Doblis and I got a tiny dabber sample (I don’t know why I didn’t just buy the largest size).
Same here! Same place, same regret.
Whenever I’m asked this type of questions, I think really hard – as if putting them out to the Universe will change anything, and I might get what I wished for (or be stuck with the choices I made on the proverbial island). It has never happened yet, but I’m being cautious
1. TF Rose Prick. I hate that it’s-a-girl bottle. I dislike the juvenile tongue-in-cheek name. And I’m not too thrilled with the price. But I can’t help it: I like the scent.
2. Vero profumo Mito. I always liked it. I can’t believe I hadn’t bought it while I could.
3. Mon Ame from 1907: strangely, none of the stores carriers this line in the US. I tried it thanks to my scent twin Lucas, and have a decant to use for a while, but I wouldn’t mind having a bottle in my collection.
PSA: I’m not sure if it has been previously posted, it’s been going for a while, but Olfactive Studio gives 50% off their sample sets and individual samples with the code SAMPLE50 on their website. S&H is quite reasonable too (close to USPS actual costs).
thanks for the PSA! I have a sample set by them and quite like the stuff!
Swampy today, but for some reason I didn’t find it uncomfortable walking home from church. (My husband is, however, horrified.) I guess it helps to be wearing a cool dress and sun hat. And California Rêverie. But I’m fine spending rest of the day in AC.
Swampy here too LizzieB! My husband went for a long walk this morning but I opted out.
Gorgeous in Seattle today – already took my 4 mile walk. I’m answering the poll again with 3 different answers. Because it’s a great poll and because I can! ;D
1) SL De Profundis (because in this fantasy, I also suddenly have lots of money)
2) Vintage Fendi (at a local garage sale where I just happen to walk by and spot it amidst the unwanted housewares clutter)
3) SL Encens et Lavande (see parentheses on #1)
Hmmm. I do not care for most Serge Lutens but your number 3 is one that I love. I might like De Profundis too.
But the poll states that the perfumes are free, except for the $5 #2 garage sale fantasy. So go ahead and go big!
Oh that’s key – how did I miss that? Definitely going big then.
I’m wearing Dzongkha today, because it’s just so gorgeous.
No new poll answers. I’m one month into a no-buy and am oddly super happy exploring my collection. (Of course, the extent of the collection is one of the reasons I’m on a no buy!?) I’m also very happy that when confronted with a lot of stress a few days ago, I didn’t use it as a reason to buy more perfume.
Be safe, happy and fragrant!
Nice job. I’m now thinking that rather than a no buy, I’m going to explore garage sales (if any can be found during these times) and see whether I can find a low cost treasure. The hunt will be fun at least.
And that wasn’t meant to sound like your no buy is a bad idea. I just know that I would struggle with that – even though I need to not spend much right now. The minute I tell myself I CAN’T buy anything, …
My best buys this year have been from my local Letgo site. There isn’t much perfume on there, but when there is, it’s cheap.
Evil poll–for scent number 1, I was thinking Le Wild from Chantecaille and then I checked it on ebay and a mostly full bottle was available for a good price, so I guess it was a bit TOO easily available online….
For scent number 2, my vintage choice would be White Shoulders, original Hartnell formulation
For scent number 3, I had so much fun getting a custom scent from DSH that I’d do it again, maybe with hyacinth as a focal note
LOL at #1!
It’s me again. The air conditioner has been turned on again. It seems like every time it cools down for a couple days, it gets really hot again. Wearing Shalimar Ode a la Vanille. I have a little explaining to do with Donnatella. BBW has a $5 sale that ends today and ordered the Country Apple mist. It was only $5, I couldn’t refuse because it was practically free.
I also wore it today
We smelled great!
Monday morning and I’m still in bed. I have to keep putting my hands back under the covers to warm them up as the air is so chilly . Looks like it will be a great day and am happy to report that I saw both lambs and daffodils in the paddocks when I drove home down the Canterbury plains (lots of fresh snow on the mountains too. Beautiful).
1. Vol de Nuit. Never smelled it but when has that ever stopped me
2.SL Chene ( would be another blind buy) or Feu d’Issey ( an old favourite)
3. The Grand Maori Perfume. I’ve found references to it in Maori proverbs/recipes and early nineteenth century journals etc. and have sniffed individual ingredients (foliage) in the wild and taramea based perfume oils but I don’t have a clue what the “perfume” would smell like when all the ingredients are combined and fixed in oil.
Keep well and cool till after school!
Oh, daffodils, how wonderful. It will be a while till I see those again.
SOTD Olfactive Studio Chambre Noir, from a sample set I got in the swapmeet. What a fun list!
1. I can’t decide between Nuits a Doha or Lost Cherry for a FB.
2. Something Chanel or Guerlain.
3. Maybe Bertrand Duchafour could make me something? I mean, he makes stuff for lots of people, right? :
1. Vetiver Tonka.
2. Comme des Garcons Carnation. I just finished a decant of this that I’d had for years and I’m sorry I never bought a full bottle before it was discontinued.
3. Guerlain Djedi—the original from the 1920s.
SOTD is Aedes de Venustas for some rhubarb and tomato leaf goodness.
1. Maybe Memo Tiger’s Nest since the bottle is so gorgeous, and I like the perfume enough to own a full bottle.
2. Maybe Caron Or et Noir or Poivre. And I like someone’s idea of Gap Grass.
3. Parfums Delrae Wit, though maybe that would fit better in question 2.
1. Paris-Deauville, pretty nice classy stuff!
2. Some version of vintage Mitsouko because I’ve never tried any and love it. Or else original Patou Sublime from when it first launched, maybe 1994?
3. MFK Ciel de Gum, Moscow exclusive. You can find decants; I want an entire bottle.
Today I’m wearing Parfums de Nicolai Eau de Turqoise Eau Fraiche, purchased in the tiny London boutique ten years ago. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDHylkIpqKnyZAv-bZjoRJzKA5aB3dETfDC__o0/?igshid=1r1r5f54drk0f
I managed to impale my big toe with a tiny shard from a wine glass the cats broke a month ago and it’s amazing how something so tiny can hurt so much! .
Yowch! Did you get it out?
Don’t know if it’s the same location, but I’ve been in the teeny Nicolai boutique in London! There was barely room for me and the sales associate.
Today’s SOTD: JM’s Mimosa and Cardamom.
I have very modest wishes
1. Prada Infusion d’Iris;
2. Coty musks or something from Sarah Jessica Parker should be quite easy to find; and
3. Not a perfume, but Shiseido Féminité du Bois body lotion was divine.
Holy smokes, I haven’t been here in forever. Glad you’re still around, and great poll!
1. the 200 ml bottle of Bois des Iles. I’d never buy it for myself, but I’ll surely take it as a gift and hopefully the two of us could come to some sort of understanding.
2. vintage (as in before my time vintage) Emeraude.
3. the original Tabac Blond.
1. 4160 Tuesdays The Sexiest Scent on the Planet IMHO
2. Vintage Chanel No 19 EDP
3. Amouage Tribute Attar
Nice! I would take any or all of those!