Happy Captured Unicorn Friday! Our community project for today: wear a perfume that you thought would be impossible to get, but you managed it. If you have not yet captured a unicorn, wear anything you like and tell us about the unicorn you'd like to catch. Thanks go to Undina for the suggestion.
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.
After reading everyone's stories this week, I'm not sure I really have a unicorn...so I am wearing the fragrance that I would consider worth the effort to try to capture if I did not have it through no real effort of my own: vintage Diorissimo in the houndstooth bottle.
Reminder: 8/28 will be Dealer's Choice, edition 4...propose a theme for a Friday community project, and wear a fragrance that fits your theme.
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: top image is Unicorn [cropped] by Pug50 at flickr; some rights reserved.
Hi everyone!
I am back from my holiday.
We stayed in a small house surrounded by the vinyards (near Saint Émilion). We spent most of our time around the house reading books….and lying underneath the air-conditioning ? cause it was HOT.
We did some hiking on one of the cooler days and I also made a short trail ride on horseback through the vinyards of the Dordogne.
No perfume yet for me today. I am thinking really hard right now if I have a unicorn in my collection….
Maybe i can find some inspiration here ?
Welcome back! So envious of your French vacation.
Sounds lovely!
Oh that sounds amazing!! And Saint Émilion that’s my absolute FAVORITE red wine too. I hope you enjoyed some for us all.
Welcome home.
Yup, of course I had some wine! ? You simply can not visit this region and not drink a locally produced wine.
(Unless you dont like wine of course ?)
but I really really like wine….(though id rather drink two really good glasses a week than medicocre wine everyday….and after a long hike i mostly prefer cold beer haha).
What a wonderful time you describe!
Welcome back, sounds lovely!
I’ve been wanting to go to the Dordogne River Valley for years! What a great vacay!
Gosh, echoing everyone else…that sounds so nice!
What a great vacation!
What a great vacation – nice to see you back!
Wow, that sounds amazing! I’m so happy you were able to go.
Sounds like a wonderful trip!
Glad you had a nice holiday. We will go to Burgundy in 4 weeks.
Nice, Burgundy is amazing!
That sounds like a wonderful trip! Ah, the thought of horseback riding in a vineyard…. And the cheese and wine.
I had so much food and wine and beer….
It was a miracle I still was able to zip up my riding breeches. ? (I mostly wore those loose fit summer dresses….they dont protest that much when you eat a lot hahaha
I’m envious. ? This whole pandemic has just about killed any appetite I have for travelling. I do miss my trips to France though. Mind you I will be living very close to the French border in a month’s time.
Aquitaine is one the regions I’ve never visited. I’m sure it is nice. Hoping you feel rested and ready to face up to lots of screen time.
I hesitated for a long time if it would be wise/safe to travel.
But after months of screen staring and being in my own (not so very large) home, I decided I really really needed a change of environment.
We made sure to travel during quiet times/roads less traveled, so bathroom stops felt quite safe (not too crowded).
And I estimated that a cottage in a hamlet in France was probably less risky than my own busy city ? the only company we had there was a black cat ?
Oh and you know how those french super/hypermarkets are…so spaceous ?i always feel like i just walked the ‘avondvierdaagse’ after doing grocery shopping in one of those things. Anyways…it offered much more space to distance than in my local not-so-super-market. ?
Wish you all the luck with your next step, new job AND moving to another country…so exciting!
Your vacation sounds lovely.
That sounds wonderful!
That was some excellent armchair travel I had, thanks to your post Jiji!
? Shalimar OdV
The Madagascar version
You smell amazing. I almost pulled the trigger on a split of that last time and would do so next time.
Is it your favorite?
Where was this split ! I would of done that over the bottle I purchased
I think it was Ms.
Deva, maybe I am
Remembering incorrectly.
I think that version is the more coveted OdV. I had the Mexique variety and swapped it away because I found it a bit screechy. You smell delightful!
Yes, I smelled that one ☝️ and I felt the same. It’s not as Smokey , sexy and come hither as the Madagascar version ??
The Madagascar one, I swear, is rarer than hens teeth.
I agree!
You smell marvelous!
I think Shalimar body powder could be a unicorn..I don’t see it anywhere to purchase! Le sigh!
I still haven’t sniffed either version of that but I can assume you smell wonderful.
Thank you!
Apoteker Tepe The Peradam…. managed to snag it right before they went under and the perfumes disappeared.
Never even heard of it, truly sounds like a unicorn:).
I missed the boat on them too, makes me sad.
You have great timing! Never heard of that one either, but sure you smell like fabulous!
It’s kind of a skanky iris, very hard to describe, but I love it.
You had me at skanky iris!
That is the sort of description that makes anyone want to get a noseful! I presume you smell delightful!
Ooh, skanky iris sounds amazing.
SOTD will be Eve.
Friday! Payday!
Unicorn is the black bean shaped bottle of Donna Karan Black Cashmere.
Undina, thanks for this CP idea!
Nice unicorn:).
Oh that’s a good one! Black Cashmere is the perfect name for it.
I have that and don’t like it. If you want it I can give it to you the next time we get together. (Notice how optimistic I am?)
really? you don’t like it? shall we chat? I am vivienne dot
elliott1 in the land of outlook.
OK will write you.
I’m optimistic too! I have a lifetime supply, otherwise I would take you up on it. I hope you can work something out with the commenter above though if you have some to spare.
Ok!
Nice! And PAYDAY! Even nicer?
I came into my perfumistahood just as this one was going to discounters. Wish I’d snagged it up at the time! You smell great!
I remember that bottle. Nice unicorn.
I can feel the shape of the bottle in my hand. Dang.
Good one!
You smell amazing! Thanks to a lovely NSTer I have a small decant of this stuff and its one of those few scents that made me go ‘Wow’ after one wear.
Hello all!
I’m in the crazy rare Feu d’Issey, a unicorn I found not once but twice. The first time I was shocked as I’d never seen it in person and there it was in this antique mall display case.
The second time, though, I was dumb-struck! Again in an antique mall, this one 45 minutes outside of Dallas, marked $8 and in a booth with a 20% discount. I may never be able to fully describe my shock; I carried it like if I had struck gold.
The worst part may be that it really is good stuff. Weird spicy milky warm rosy. I wish they would bring it back so more people could try it.
Stay safe everyone!
Wow! That really was like perfumemath free!?
Less than my breakfast! The friend I was with still laughs about my reaction.
I wore that earlier this week–it really is awesome stuff. You smell amazing.
Thank you! You do as well.
Who said lightening doesn’t strike twice? What great finds! If you ever find a another bottle, it might behoove you to play the lottery. Just saying…
Hahaha, I swear I’m not lucky in any other respect. ?
One would already be amazing!
Totally. I took the second one as a sign to actually wear it, not keep it on a shelf. Also to up my renter’s insurance.
Hahahaha.
LOL!
It just goes to show we must all stay vigilant, because you never know what you might find and where!
Exactly true!
Twins! But not as lucky as you; mine’s a decant I got years ago.
❣️❣️❣️
That’s rare! I can imagine your disbelief. It reminds me of when I sleep and have a dream about finding some perfume (or sweets) treasures. But unlike those dreams, you didn’t experience disappointment on waking up
I have definitely had that dream before…. ?
Wow, that’s super rare and what a find! I love happy accidents like that.
You always have wonderful finds!
Wow! Congratulations.
That is crazy luck! And clearly the universe wants you to have that scent. Enjoy, you smell wonderful!
What a find! I have some house samples of Le Feu that I found for a very reasonable price, but not like your jackpot! You’re right, it is so weird but compelling. I like it a lot!
The unicorn I have always wanted to catch but haven’t has been L’heure d Nuit and to me I think it smells probably like a unicorn too. One day I hope to catch this one.
Sotd, a unicorn caught that I never thought would be was Opus X and I was elated. I got it on a charity auction for 65 dollars. I was beyond excited. Many don’t care for this one as it’s metallic but I say yay for metallic unicorns, at least this one. While not a rare perfume..certainly a unicorn to me.
Hopefully you will be able to get it!
My recently-rebuilt Saks has a tester of L’Heure de Nuit so your odds should be good!
You smell great!
No unicorns! Although the one I’d like to catch is PdR Bois de Paradis. I sampled it, loved it, got distracted, and then it was gone. Oh well! There are plenty of lovely things in the world to sniff.
I’m in 4160 Tuesdays Pillow Talk again and really enjoying it. Sweeter than I usually go for, but it’s approachable and just a little bit weird.
DelRae Wit would be a unicorn for me now…although I refused to buy it when I could because it was too big a bottle.
I never got to try Wit! The only other I tried was Mythique, which sadly smelled like both dusty attic and wet basement on me.
Ah, I like Mythique too. So maybe you should just decide PdR is not to your taste anyway and forget all about it
Wit is a good one
I don’t remember who sent me a DelRae sample pack all those years ago but I enjoyed them all. I wish I could smell Emotionelle again….
If you’re in the US, ping me, and I’ll send you a small decant from the bottle I managed to get when I learned that the brand was going out of business.
Oh my goodness, thank you!!!
I’m in Lea, definitely my most prized captured unicorn. By the time I was ready to commit to a full bottle, it had been discontinued so I had to wait for one the show up on eBay. When it did, it was brand new in the box still in the cellphone wrap! What luck!? I paid for that luck though, lol, but it was worth it because I do love it.
Got a call yesterday to interview for a position I applied to in March before the pandemic hit and then they were on a hiring freeze. It’s a position I’ve applied for a few times and interviewed for twice in the past 3 years so I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but to remain hopefully optomistic…? Maybe third time’s a charm.?
Yes to 3’s a charm. Best of Luck madtowngirl, it does sound meant to be.
Good luck! Maybe wear your unicorn regularly for the next few days to encourage a positive outcome..
Good luck madtowngirl!
Fingers crossed!
Fingers crossed!
Best of luck to you! Third time was the charm with husbands for me.
Ha! ?
?
Good luck with the interview!
Yay for the interview…good luck…you will do great!
Good luck!!
Hope you get the job this time
Thank you ALL for your good luck wishes and fingers crossed! You all are the best!???
I’m late, but my fingers are crossed for you!
Good luck – at least they know you, so that’s a good sign, I hope!
Keeping fingers and toes crossed that you get the position!
Third time is definitely a charm! Will be sending all sorts of good luck wishes.
???
Good luck! They’d be lucky to have you.
Good luck with the interview! If you get this job, it’ll be a good story one day.
Best wishes for the interview.
Best of luck on this interview! ???
Good luck!!! ?
Sending you a big burst of positive energy!
This should be really interesting reading today.
Sadly, I do not have a captured unicorn.
If I could I would capture vintage Habanita.
I have been on the prowl.
Oh, wouldn’t that be lovely? I had a sample of the vintage, it was great.
If I strike I will let you know!!
SOTD is SSS Tabac Aurea, which is not a unicorn, but is dearly loved, especially in fall and winter. I love the option of sensible travel size bottles in this line.
The only scents I consider semi-unicorns are-
1) Hermès Hiris in the stunning cobalt blue bottle. I “had to have” this one when they started changing their packaging. It came all the way from Israel after much hunting around online. The scent is quite nice too! ?
2) SL Cuir Mauresque. I had several small decants of this one from a couple generous NSTers, but it was only available in the big splash bottle for years. Couldn’t cough up the money for that, but when the new packaging was started by the line, I found a single bottle on fragrancenet for a good price. However, I think it has been reformulated, much to my dismay. Still lovely, and I don’t regret the bottle, but geez, I wish I could have nabbed it when SL still had control over the line. ?
And totally off topic, for anyone medically minded or interested in learning a bit more about COVID-19, The link will take you to an excellent interview by the creator of a new rapid test, already prepped for detecting future potential pandemic causing coronavirus and avian flu type bugs. The future is built into this test and I’m very hopeful, especially if it performs as stated. There’s a big focus on how we can screen for Agent X with a high fatality rate in the future. Explained are false +’s, false -‘s, and why some people test positive multiple times and don’t have active and communicable disease.
https://youtu.be/UK8xAhDm6IA
Thanks Deva! You got me addicted to the MedCram videos, so I’ll now have to watch this one too. ?
I’m so happy you’re liking them! I really feel STRONGLY that education is the is the best tool to fight paranoia, panic, and misinformation. A legit source of info is obviously key. ??
What do you mean Deva? No one in the US is paranoid!?
Kafkaesque has a really enticing review of Cuir Mauresque. Sadly I’ve never smelled it.
On SL reformulation: I recently bought a “black packaging” new formulation Datura Noir from a discounter – my previous SLs were from people selling the old cream packaging or old testers and they were the real deal. This one has longevity of about 2 hours and is really diluted in comparison with the previous formulation – which isn’t the worst thing in a BWF and it was half price compared to my previous haunts. But I’ve learnt my lesson!
I also think Hiris has been reformulated. I was under the impression that I bought the blue bottle, but when it arrived it was the new one with the iris garden label. Don’t know what it smelled like before, but now it smells like sadness.
Are you done working until you move on in fall? I enjoyed your story of “coming home”to Ireland when you were four.
Kafkaesque created a lot of lemmings for me. I may have first read about CM there, and my first sampling of it is still crystal clear in my memory bank.
With new packaging, comes reformulation, apparently. Someone with more perfume knowledge than me can certainly answer for sure, but that’s the way it seems to be imo. Which is why I hunted for that cobalt bottle! It would be interesting to do a side by side test of your bottle and mine.
As far as work, yes, I ended my contract early because the agency I was with did not follow through on an extension bonus, as well as other things, including refusing to pay for covid testing. My last day was 8/7, but I have paid for the cabin until the end of the month, so I’m staying. I will head west the first of September, while praying for some cool weather. I’m going to zip north lickity split, then take a more leisurely northern route across the US . Hoping to have secured my next contract for a late September, early November start date.
Ireland has had a weird hold on me since I was a kid. Especially the countryside. And it’s the landscape, specifically. While the people and history are interesting, I feel connected to the land. I used have very vivid dreams about it when I was younger. My parents had a very laissez-faire approach to parenthood, and I distinctly remember that first trip, wandering alone in fields with cows, horses, sheep and hundreds of feet below, the crashing ocean. The land is along the SW coast on the Beara Peninsula. Happy the land is still in the family and hasn’t been developed at all. My cousin and his family live there. Not much of an active farm now, but he still has a few head of cattle and sheep.
to my nose there is a lot of difference between Hiris in the blue bottle and the newer bottle. “sadness” is a funny but accurate description for the new one, it gives me a headache every time I try to wear it.
Smells like sadness, oh no!
And I have an original blue bottle but it does not smell as good as it should for its age…top notes are already off.
my blue bottle of Hiris is one of a few things I’d grab if I were leaving home and wasn’t sure when I’d be back – so so so good.
thank you for the link! very interesting work there. I stumbled on an article today about how fitbit (lol, but maybe not something to laugh at?) is using science to try to predict when people are getting sick so they can be alerted, possibly before they even realize they might be infectious.
And T-Rex couldn’t get enough of Tabac Aurea either ?
She knows a good thing when she smells it! ?
Thanks for the link!
I was lucky enough to snag that blue bottled Hiris at the local Red White Blue Thrift store…and on senior discount day, no less!!
Those SSS travel sprays are wonderful!
Day five of unicorns (I wore Hermes Doblis yesterday): Lancome Fleches. I ran across a boxed bottle years and years back at an antique store but didn’t buy it. The lovely box haunted me. I found a second boxed bottle four or fives years back at an estate sale and bought it. It is a floral chypre (rose and lilac?) with plenty of vanilla.
Doblis! ???
Oh Doblis is gorgeous!
Another adorer of Doblis here.
I don’t really have any unicorns either, Robin. The Theorema I wore yesterday was easily gotten from Beauty Encounter back when they had it- but it’s a unicorn NOW, because they’re gone. I’ll go with my sample of Lutens De Profundis in that spirit – it’s easy to get a sample, but I can’t afford that bottle!
Our youngest son turns 27 tomorrow and we are all making a special dinner together. In pre-COVID times, I’m sure he would have been hanging out with friends instead! So, I’m not grateful for COVID, but I will still cherish this special time together.
Serge Lutens pricing is pretty ridiculous.
Wishing the youngest son the happiest of birthdays! I know what you mean, Covid-19 has been so hard for all, but in some way more time with family has caused me to be happy for the many blessings I have and how fortunate to have a close circle of family & friends who support one another.
I’d say Theorema is a unicorn for sure! An expensive one at that. Would you say Fendi by Fendi a unicorn of sorts?
Yes, the Fendi is a unicorn. But I don’t have any to wear yet! Also Lauren by Ralph Lauren.
Silver lining, springpansy
glad you get to celebrate together!
Happy birthday to your son!
Exactly…I have nothing that made me hyperventilate when I found it.
Our sons share a birthday! Mine is 22 tomorrow.
Happy Birthday to your son!
Enjoy your son’s special birthday dinner/celebration tomorrow!
I don’t really have a unicorn per se – maybe Nina Ricci Bigarade from the 70s, which I had then but have been unable to find since. Today wearing original, pre-reformulation Ubar from a decant. I forgot how strong this stuff is, may have to scrub a bit off – and this was one spray!
Bigarade is incredible! I have a little 10ml bottle. I do see it from time to time in eBay if you’re into that sort of thing. They don’t seem too pricy, generally.
I’ll have to set up better alerts, then. Thanks!
Anngd and Coumarin – Wow! l’m astonished to see both of you mention this fragrance and so happy to see you both have loved it – see my post below. It’s such a little known scent but one I have loved for many years. I looked it up on Fragrantica this morning and a couple eBay mentions showed up so perhaps you can still get some! I hope so – good luck!
I started the day with Clementine California as this kind of citrus felt the most appropriate to wear in 33*C we’re having today.
It’s still super hot but I want my CP points so I switched to L’Artisan Iris Pallida. This is my unicorn fragrance as this was a limited edition. This was a limited edition fragrance created thanks to an extraordinarily good orris crop harvest in 2007. Back then I wasn’t so much into perfume yet. I got my bottle in a swap because someone didn’t like it in the end, so I lucked out right there.
My bottle is nearly empty but I cherish the fragrance any time I wear it.
Lucky you and thank goodness for swaps! One mans junk is another mans…
It’s a beautiful iris! I’m glad you had/ve it
I don’t know if it’s a unicorn but I rarely hear it mentioned…I’m in Shanghai. I totally bought this for the bottle alone! When it came out I’d never even heard of “bottle porn” or NST, but I was smitten by the counter display I walked by every day at work. I just loved the pure red color and the very Asian inspired round bottle. But I do wear it, to the point there’s very little red juice left and the bottle misses it’s dramatic flair ☹️
Are you referring to Guerlain Shanghai? Mine has clear juice.
Nope. Shanghai by Marc Rosen. It’s bright Chinese red juice in a very heavy round bottle topped with a glass rod and gold twist. Like I said the stunningly beautiful bottle sucked me in.
I don’t think it was around for very long.
Happy Friday all!
I’ve been pondering the unicorn theme all week and eventually remembered my quest for Amouage Homage Attar a few years ago (after being discontinued). After reading glowing reviews (including Luca Turin’s) I decided to order a very expensive 3 mL decant from eBay. It was being dispatched from a seller in Oman. Long story short, it was one of the most disappointing rose perfumes I’ve ever tried. It went all soapy, sour and lemony on my skin. I ended up parting with it a year later.
I’m wearing Mohur extrait, which should perhaps qualify as a unicorn based on its price and the fact that it’s being advertised as a “numbered, limited edition, one time offering” on Luckyscent’s website but somehow is still available years later. Not that I’m complaining about that.
Be well everybody and my thoughts are with all of you folks in harm’s way out in California.
Did you ever figure it whether it was the real deal or not?
Mohur extrait is stunning, I’m glad I got a bottle even if it is still available.
I have no idea weather it was the real deal or not, having never smelled it before (nor after). Oh, well. I’m very happy to have found Mohur extrait and do not feel the need to chase after any unicorns at the moment.
Good luck with the move and the new career! Hope everything goes smoothly for you ?
Thanks it is a lot of work. Currently trying to organise the actual move. The removals firm is not great at communicating. I’m sure it will all be well in the end, but it’s a bit of a nuisance when people promise to ring or mail back and then promptly forget all about it. ?
No unicorns here. Citrus goat milk body lotion followed by 4711 Mandarine and Cardamom.
I need to do a deep clean of our shower/tub and bathroom. I’ve decided I dislike shower doors on tubs. They’re a pain to clean.
Didn’t make as many sandwiches as I usually do yesterday. My upper back started cramping, which I usually am able to avoid by working at a higher table. Thankful for the back massager I got sometime back. The rolling metal balls with heat relaxed everything.
The best thing we ever did in our bathroom was doing a large separate shower that has no doors or glass. In fact it has no curtain either. Just a large enough space with an angled opening to keep splash inside, completely tiled, very vintage. So easy to clean and a “clean” look.
That sounds fabulous. A friend of mine is redoing her bathroom to do similar.
That’s my dream shower!
Update on bound buy of Fresh Cream Soft Suede. Based on one spritz and a bit of sniffing, it’s a keeper. Not straight up vanilla.
LizzieB, what are you using to clean your shower doors?
I use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sheets and then glass cleaner. The sheets get the soap scum off the best and most efficiently. It’s genius they brought them out in sheets rather than just the bigger sponges.
Iris Ganache ?…think it was released in 2007 then discontinued…a new Paris exclusive version came out in 2018 and I believe in 2019 it was moved to the Asian market only…wearing the 2018 release.
You smell great no matter which version of Iris Ganache it is
It’s one of my unicorns too and I got mine from Saks – was not on display but the SA had 2 left. I told my friend about the remaining one and she got the last one!
You smell great! I need to finish my decant before it evaporates.
I am waiting until after work to wear my captured unicorn. Right now, it’s Kyoto. I seriously have to dust my room. I will start when I get home and finish off that candle. I think that L’heure de Nuit will be my captured unicorn.
(Please don’t mention dusting)
You smell great in Kyoto!
Or mopping.
Sous les Magnolias, which I got in Paris a year ago and which I think is no longer to be had. It’s great.
The unicorn I wish I had gotten while I still could is Rubj extrait or even the Voile de parfum. Not happening, alas.
This is the perfume I went to rue de Tournon shop to smell and because they did not have it I ended up with la Fin d’un Été (also no longer to be had). So every time I wear la Fin I send you a quick thank you.
I went there for Magnolias as well, and ended up getting Fin on my second visit 6 months later.
It is a privilege to be remembered for a scent
What a shame this one is gone! I was so eager to try it. I’m confident you smell incredible.
It is really lovely and apparently the only magnolia that is true to the scent of real magnolias. “The best rendition of magnolia I’ve tried was Pierre Bourdon’s Sous Les Magnolias from his eponymous perfume line. It had the lemony ice cream richness of the southern flower, but instead of rendering it photorealistically and flatly, Bourdon structured the fragrance around a mossy-earthy chypre accord. It was a genius decision. Unfortunately, Sous Les Magnolias can be hard to find.” https://boisdejasmin.com/2018/12/parfums-de-rosine-le-magnolia-de-rosine-fragrance-review.html
And Angela did a really nice review of both La Fin and Magnolias here: https://nstperfume.com/2017/08/28/pierre-bourdon-sous-les-magnolias-and-la-fin-dun-ete-fragrance-review/
This sounds lovely and sadly truly lost to me.
Paco Rabanne La Nuit, as someone mentioned it here in the week as being one. It also counts as a lucky find, as I was browsing this cramped little mall kiosk and saw the black and turquoise box for less than $10.
Same story for Hermes Caleche Eau Delicate, which I also found there, but for $50 – it is not a unicorn, but the prices on ebay are astronomical. There is a good chance that I may be off to the seaside for a couple of days. Hope all the California people stay safe.
I regret not buying Caleche Eau Delicate, although I do enjoy the vintage Caleche I inherited from my sister.
Have a nice beach break!
I don’t really have a unicorn. I have scents that were out of reach for me while I was a grad student, but then I got a job. I have scents that are only available in France, but then I went there on vacation. I have scents that I couldn’t responsibly buy because I’ve already spent too much money on perfume, but then amazing NSTers sent me decants. And the one vintage scent I wanted showed up fortuitously on eBay. The closest I have to a unicorn is Fragonard Santal Cardamome, which was perfumath free in Paris, but I didn’t buy it and am unwilling to pay the much higher US prices, which are still very reasonable for perfume in 2020.
All this to say I don’t fit the CP. I’m wearing l’Eau de Tarocco from a decant sent by a sweet perfumista, and I’m wondering how long it’ll be before the air outside my house is safe again.
I’m thinking of those folks affected by the fires. *Hugs* Stay safe, dear Koyel!
Stay safe. I hope the air clears soon.
Hang in there Koyel! Fire season does not last forever; it only feels like it.
SOTD is Azemour les Oranges, from my “I didn’t know this was a unicorn until after it arrived” bottle. Back story: it was an online purchase, and the photo’s perspective was off so I thought I was ordering a 50 ml bottle. The price was decent for 50 mls, so imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the tall, slim, 100 ml bottle with the older, flared cap. Yummy. My current “I know they’re unicorns and I’ve about lost hope” aspirations are vintage Tabac Blond in the lovely Baccarat bottle with the gold floral label, or vintage Diorling in any formulation and packaging (hey, I’m not picky). Happy Friday everyone!
Oh, and mine might be Dior Dior! (I think. I get the old Edmond Roudnitska ones mixed up.)
Prices for this one on eBay are not encouraging.
My unicorn is a sample of La Rose Jacqueminot that I got from StC. I think it may be the reintroduction/reformulation from the 1980s(?), but it’s a lovely fragrance. Even as literal-minded as I am, I’m fine with it not smelling exactly like the rose ‘General Jacqueminot.’ (lol) La Rose Jacqueminot still has a beautiful rose scent.
Nice
I haven’t come across a rose perfume yet that smells the way a sun warmed rose at peak bloom does. But there are definitely some gorgeous rose soliflores out there. ?
I am in Feu d’Issey, which is probably the only thing I have that counts as a captured unicorn.
If I were going to try to find something, it’d have nothing to do with well loved / worshipped perfumes and everything to do with my personal history: I’d like a bottle of Halston from the early ’80s. It’s what my mom wore, and she died when I was young. I did find a small sample bottle on eBay some years back, but it didn’t spark any memories and was almost certainly much newer / reformulated. It was worth a try, though.
You smell great, twin!
I have a bottle of new Halston and it definitely smells like a cheapened, sanitized version. I’ve always wanted to try the parfum in the glass bean.
I hope you’ll find that bottle one day and see if it brings back any new memories!
I went through several of the bean bottles in my youth. Great scent.
Halston is a great scent. I have always loved the shape of the Elsa Peretti bottle.
My captured unicorn is Minnie Wilde Magic. I got a sample from somewhere ages ago and absolutely loved it. It brought back Proustian memories of visiting my grandparents in Florida when I was a kid, spending all day lounging by the pool reading novels I was WAY too young for. It smells like tiger lilies and sunwarmed skin to me, and I finally found a bottle on eBay! I only wear it on special occasions because I’m afraid I’ll never find it again.
Oh, nice story!
Loved the story. I’m glad you found a bottle of perfume that conjures those memories.
Friday! Dear me, you’ve made it.
SOTD: Lolita Lempicka.. far, far from a unicorn but I can definitely picture a unicorn in her ads.
Thank goodness for Friday! I love Lolita Lempica, you smell fantastic.
? that’s a good way to interpret the ?. i say u get half credit ?
The old bottle may be becoming a unicorn.. wanted to buy another one but can only find the new bottle. Not sure if the perfume is the same now, I think it has been reformulated to the “original” version? (not sure what that was and what is the difference with the Lolita I know)..
It was not an easy week: since we had first series of bad fires several years ago, my body reacts immediately to unhealthy air, so I started fighting cough and skin eczema even before I started smelling the smoke or read how bad those fires were this year in NorCal. The weather app says that our air quality is “moderate” now, so we’ll see how it goes.
Nevertheless, I decided that I had to participate in the project that I suggested. I have several unicorns – probably, because not only I enjoy those perfumes and the process of getting them, but also because I like telling those stories on my blog.
5 years ago, a fellow perfumista alerted me to the limited edition of my life-long perfume love Lancôme Climat – L’Edition Mythique. That edition was launched in a single Moscow boutique and just 3000 bottles. Through the cooperation of 4 people (two of them were in my friend’s culinary community whom I didn’t know even online), a bottle of this perfume was bought in Moscow boutique (and on its own it is a task – just think of NY if you needed to get there to some specific store to buy something for a friend for an online friend), passed onto another person who brought it to China where one my friend picked it up and brought to Texas where she lives, and then my other friend went there for a business trip and delivered it to me in SF Bay Area. And it wasn’t a small box/bottle! (see pictures in my post about it https://undina.com/2016/01/24/undinas-looking-glass-turns-five/).
So, I’m wearing Lancôme Climat L’Edition Mythique. Still love this perfume, in any edition.
I’m sorry to hear about your air quality and related health challenges! I can relate. I don’t have two full lungs (anymore), and whenever air quality is low, I know it without having to look up the data–I’m just huffing and puffing more and getting lightheaded. I feel like one of those guys with a trick knee that predicts thunder storms!
Wow, that sounds so scary!
Mostly it’s just annoying. I don’t like feeling “held back” or limited. It was a real problem when the Gorge was on fire a few years ago, though. I had a headache for two weeks until the air cleared.
I’m sorry you have this issue, and now I think I should feel lucky to have just an allergic reaction
Prospective is everything!
That’s a great story! Maybe this could make me appreciate my Climat more – I could think of that story when I wear it…
Which bottle do you have? There were so many iterations, including fake ones, that it’s hard to know what you’re appreciating
I have the Maison de Lancome re-issue, looks like this:
https://www.perfumemaster.com/lancome/collection-fragrances-climat-womens-perfume
In my opinion, this one was the best re-issue.
That bottle!!!!
I would still rather have an original one… I mean, I have an empty original bottle, but I wish they had that limited edition in older format.
Wow, now that truly is a Unicorn! I love it when perfumes come in special presentations…. Makes it all the more memorable.
Your bottle story sounds similar to how I received my first SL Bell Jar of Ambre Sultan 15 years ago. A retired colleague moved to Paris, she knew my love of perfumes, and connected with another colleague who’s husband was a flight attendant.
My retired colleague, Ann purchased the Bell Jar, connected with the flight attendant Anthony in Paris. He had to hop a few international flights prior to returning to his home base in SF. In turn, he gave it to another colleague who delivered it to my office; in all, it took three people, and a trip around the world before my Bell Jar reached my desk!
As an aside, Ann isn’t into makeup, hair, or perfume, her email
recounting her visit to SL was hilarious.
Your story is impressive as well! What makes it especially interesting is participation of people not involved with perfumes
Another great traveling perfume story! Isn’t it kind of people to enable us this way, lol?
That is a unicorn of mythic proportions!!! Sorry the smoke is really getting to you though ?
Thank you
What an incredible story!
Thanks!
You and your international intrigue ?
Well, you yourself have a story or two to tell about your pursuits
Oh, excellent Undina. It is only fitting that you win the project.
Hope the fires get better instead of worse.
Thank you, Robin. It was such a surprise to see my name next to the project theme. It actually brightened my week (and I needed it).
I’m so glad!
Now THAT is a unicorn ?
Great story ?
sorry for the smoke related issues though…i hope it will go away soon!
Thank you, Jiji.
Was the air quality tolerable for you today?
It was better for a while – we were even able to go for a walk in the evening. Unfortunately, it’s getting worse now (probably the wind blows into our direction). I’ll hope it improves by the morning.
What a wonderful story! I’m so sorry you’re suffering from the smoke. I hope you, your VSO, and Rusty stay safe.
Hope you get the job this time
Oops, this was meant for madtowngirl
Such fun to read about people’s unicorns! It is humid and gross today in Portland–raining and 75 degrees. Not sure I want to spray Attrape Coeur in that, before I head to lift with my trainer. Might gas us both out. My go-to in warm humidity is Infusion d’Iris edp. It plays nicely. So, likely that will be my SOTM.
Old man cat is kindly in my lap this morning, instead of perching on my shoulders and back. Pretty sure he’s hoping I won’t get up again today. It’s too bad I will have to disappoint him. I could use a lazy, self-indulgent day!
I would go with the lazy self indulgent day
Pretty sure I could get in a lazy, self-indulgent afternoon, but I’ve already scheduled powerlifting for 80 minutes or so this morning, which certainly doesn’t count as lazy, and probably doesn’t count as self-indulgent, even if it’s a total luxury.
Maybe an afternoon would be enough.
Ok. Spritzed Id’I edp then found an old sample of Yin and Ylang and decided to put a little tester daub of that on as well. Enjoying the two layered together! I’ve been in a purchasing mood and keep wandering over to SSS to consider some purchases. . . I really want a FB of Fig Tree, and likely a BOB of Nostalgie. Y&Y is smelling awful nice right now, too. I have so many expensive projects to consider (buy a car, earthquake retrofit the house, etc, etc), but I think I’m so bored with being stuck at home, I’m maybe unwisely considering some retail therapy.
A lazy indulgent day sounds wonderful. Please give the elder cat a scratch on the chin for me.
He’s a good boy.
We love it when our cats tolerate our mere presence!
Aw, hope your kitty was able to get some lap time in after your workout!
No scent, but fun to read what people have found. The air is too smoky outside to really open any doors or windows, and a little smoky inside as well at this point, which is driving me slightly nuts. I ordered a new air filter at the local hardware store and hopefully this will improve things a little. Feeling for all those who either have to be outside or are sensitive to this!
Ugh, good luck Eschmeling!
I’m sorry for everyone suffering from these awful fires. A college friend of mine lives in the affected area; she runs a horse barn and has had to evacuate all the horses to a fellow equestrian’s establishment. Can you imagine? Stay safe and well …
One of my unicorns I found on the parfumo souk is vintage Zen EdC. I got it for a really decent price and it brings back memories of wearing this as a young student.
I wore some more of the older Shiseido scents like Murasaki or Feminite du Bois, also because I loved the aesthetics of the brand and was a lover of all things Japanese.
You smell amazing! I really loved Shiseido’s scents, the packaging as well. I have a frosted glass splash of the EDP and EDC vintage Zen, it’s so glorious juice.
Here are a few of my bottles – minus the Zen.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCjyBJqBL8E/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
I loved Zen 2000, the one Nathalie Lorson created. I still have the sculptural white bottle with a few drops left in it so I can still sniff it once in a while.
Happy FriYAY Y’all!
Well, my unicorn was out and ready for a spray this morning, but then I ran out the door scentless! It happens….LOL Anyhoo, Bvlgari Omnia was a scent I’d always heard about and hoped to try, and one day I happened upon a bottle at Marshalls and snapped it up! It’s a good one! My bottle batch code is 2015. Wonder where it’s been hanging out all these years before now?
Bonus Unicorn! (Duo-corn? Di-corn?)
For YEARS I’ve wanted to sample Fracas, just to see what all the hubbub was about with this tuberose classic. I’ve never come across a sample or thought to purchase one online. Just this month, Royalty Scents (a monthly subscription) is offering Fracas! Of course I changed my August pick to get it before it’s gone….expecting it any day now!
Omnia is a beauty! Underrated and dismissed by some, it’s one of those scents that is so nimble, so versatile, so layered and nuanced, you can wear it anytime, anywhere. I may have just talked myself into a BUB! ?
The bottle really sux, though…?
Stay safe in the peach state, JadainGA! (I’m a poet, don’t cha know?!)
How do you like your Royalty Scents subscription? They have a really nice selection.
I’m late answering back! I have enjoyed every single Royalty Scent that I’ve gotten…I guess I’ve been with them for almost a full year? I will definitely stay with them and already picked out another year’s worth of scents to try!
Hi everyone! I’ve missed engaging with you all. I’ve been 1-2 days behind reading comments for the last couple of weeks. I’ve been prioritizing other things, so not necessarily too busy to post but focusing time and energy elsewhere. About 5-6 weeks ago, I started an exercise routine for the first time in a really long time. So I’ve been enjoying pushing myself and am proud of the strides I’ve made so far. I could barely do a squat when I started, and now I can do 30 with little breaks after each 10. I’d let my leg muscles become non-existent. This has helped my hip and knee pain a lot. Also, I’m only 37 so I need to take care of myself more so I can better enjoy and participate in the later years of my life. And now I actually look forward to exercising! I’m just stunned by this development.
Anyway, perfume! I actually have a lot of unicorns. I tend to become obsessed with things that are discontinued, limited, or vintage, and I’m an avid eBay hunter. Today I’m in vintage No. 19 EDT that I found at Goodwill a few years ago. What a find! Still smells perfect and is long lasting.
Yesterday I wore the discontinued and hard to find Paul & Joe Blanc, which has started to resurface on eBay this year. I snagged a backup partial bottle. This is a JCE that is quite similar to L’eau d’Hiver but longer lasting.
Wednesday I wore my biggest unicorn, L’Artisan L’eau du Fleuriste. It’s a 1997 Olivia Giacobetti that I was lucky to swap for a decant back on MakeupAlley in 2007, or so. Back then the only place I could find reference to selling it was The Perfume House in Portland. They weren’t selling online but listed it on their website. You’d have to call to inquire. I didn’t really have that kind of money to spend, $230 I think, on perfume. When I did have that kind of money to spend on perfume, The Perfume House website had changed. I would think of this perfume now and again but never called them. In 2013, I moved to Seattle, WA from Ohio. In August 2016, I took a weekend trip to Portland with one of my best friends. Of course, I had to visit The Perfume House. I took a chance and asked the lovely woman working in the shop if there was any chance they still had L’eau du Fleuriste. She pulls out this inventory binder and says, hmm we might still have that and let me go check in the back. She comes out with a bottle, telling me it’s the last one they had. I couldn’t help crying happy tears (I cry easily anyway). I think I even hugged my friend. The whole experience was just perfect. Didn’t even ask the price and handed over my credit card. $230 still with no sales tax in Oregon. I cherish my bottle and will have it forever. It’s 10oz! I also love to share it, so once I buy more decant bottles, I’d love to put decants on my swap list.
Thanks for reading my novel if you made it this far!
Yay for squats! So happy to hear you’re noticing quick progress! It sounds like you’ve been consistent–that’s the biggest hurdle, in my opinion!
Double Yay for The Perfume House! Whenever we can travel safely in groups again, I would love to host folks here in Portland to visit TPH and Fumerie together! Maybe next summer? ???
Yes, please! Preferably early summer before it gets too roasty. That August weekend in 2016 had temps in the 90s. I was sweating my butt off walking up and down Hawthorne. But I was there August last year too and lucked out with the weather a bit more.
And yes, consistentcy in working out is really key for me. I have to do it enough that it becomes a habit. Just a normal part of the day.
You are really inspiring me to start an exercise routine! Like you I want to invest in my body now so it will be in better shape later. Good for you!
Thanks! I really recommend it. It doesn’t hurt that I love in a beautiful city, and I find so much joy in the walks I take after work.
Wow, how lucky!
Such a happy and touching story!
Congrats on the squats! I love finding a new routine.
If you haven’t discovered the channel yet, The Fit Mother Project on Youtube is an excellent resource and it’s free. Anthony Balduzzi holds dual degrees in nutrition and neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania, a doctorate in naturopathic medicine, and is also a national champion bodybuilder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ArEwtFtGUk
Thank you! I’ll check out his channel.
And he’s easy on the eyes, bonus.
Wow, impressive progress! And inspiring, I should do some d*mn squats.
And love the unicorn story!
Yay you for getting into a consistent exercise routine!
No sotd yet. My new glasses are ready so I will wait until I’m back home before putting anything on.
My unicorns are iris frags; Hiris (in the blue bottle) and Iris Silver Mist, which I have in the black travel spray. Will probably wear Hiris later on.
It’s still hot and a bit humid but plan on making jambalaya today anyways!
Ah, vintage ISM would be a definite unicorn for me.
Absolutely! I was very thankful for the holy grail travel sprays at the time. I will let you know if I stumble across any vintage juice!
Wearing Velvet Gardenia. Years after it was discontinued, I found a vial on ebay and the seller had mentioned that it had been part of a set of vials of all the scents from when Tom Ford first released his line. I did get a full bottle when it was re-released but the original is stronger and I like it better
The original VG is gorgeous stuff.
Hi all, and happy Friday, we made it! My SOTD is Fendi’s Asja, a big spicy a perfume and one of my favorite Unicorns. ? ?
I have a few Unicorns, one is Asja, the other is L’ Arte di Gucci by Gucci. After looking all over for it, purchased the EDT and EDP and promptly sold it off because the hubby was allergic. I was a little weepy to let those go. Fast forward, I was relating the story to Andre, proprietor of Jacquelline Perfumery. It was the day his shop on Geary Street was closing for good. We always enjoyed lovely chats, we’d talk for a few hours about France, Perfume and food. Upon mentioning how much I loved Asja and L’ Arte di Gucci, his face brightened up, he excused himself to go to the back room. Moments later, he returned with a mini-box set of L’ Arte di Gucci and a bottle of Asja, which he gifted to me. I will treasure those bottles forever.
What an absolutely lovely thing for Andre to do!
Yes, I am very fortunate! He had a reputation for being rather cranky, but it was never directed at me (fortunately!).
SmokeyToes you smell wonderful. I have Asja, too, and I just happened to find it on Ebay at a modest price; not quite what I had to spend but after I sniffed, I had no regrets! Great story, too!
Perfume people are the best!
What a wonderful gift!
Great story!
I dared to walk into that store just once, many-many year ago: nothing bad happened, but the owner was so… uninviting that I never attempted to go there again.
No unicorns from my side to wear. However, I would love to get a full bottle of the discontinued Tom Ford Sahara Noir without paying the crazy prices from Ebay.
Wearing instead Chanel No. 19 EdP.
Super busy day with tons of work that needs to be finished today. I will read comments later today.
Happy Friday, everyone! ?
I love Sahara Noir
A very beautiful scent! ?
We are both sans unicorns.
Twins! ?
You smell wonderful – I have a vintage mini of No. 19 epd and it is a dream!
Thank you! No.19 vintage is a beauty!
Someday we will find our Sahara Noir!
Crossing fingers! ?
You smell nice!
Thank you! ?
SotD = Bogue MEM
oh, how I adore this perfume, it hits all the right notes for me. Worthy of unicorn status in my mind, and I’m going to leave it there, tantalizing and just out of reach.
I dream of someday finding an unloved, unwanted partial bottle with an itty bitty price tag, a bottle sitting dusty and ignored on a shop shelf. I imagine people sniffing the bottle and thinking, “Now really, who would want to smell like that?” ME me me me ME, that’s who. And I imagine unicorns might actually smell like MEM, or perhaps Titania and Oberon do.
I have a large-ish sample vial of MEM that is dear to me. It arrived at a particularly low point in a somewhat trying time of life, when I had made a purposeful hard stop on perfume acquisitions.
Wonderful Portia Turbo generously offered a gift certificate for a decanting site as a prize draw at APJ, and I was the lucky commenter. Quick as a wink I ordered the biggest sample the gift card afforded me.
Both kitchen sink florals and lavender are catnip for me, so I just KNEW I was going to adore MEM. From the first sniff it was true love. Heavenly.
Happy Friday, fragrance friends, and thank you to Undina and Robin for prompting everyone’s unicorn stories this week. It was fun
Your comments about MEM make me wish there was a perfumista app in which we can share “finds” when we’re out and about. Take a picture of a neglected, dusty bottle in a corner shop somewhere, ask if anyone is pining for it, and go forth to support each other’s passions in whatever way we can! I think it would work in our community–so many generous, sincere folks who would want to help each other out.
hey, that’s a great idea! there are a few dusty perfume bottles I’ve seen at odd times and places, passed them up, and then wondered if someone here might have liked it.
Great idea! I sometimes see Shalimar (nothing spectacular, just the current EDT or EDP) sitting neglected in TJ Maxx and have to restrain myself from “rescuing” it. It just seems wrong for Shalimar to sit on a clearance shelf, lol! But I have enough Shalimar myself and it isn’t really “me”, I have it to educate myself more than anything. I didn’t really enjoy it early in my perfume journey until I found the EDC.
I’m glad MEM found you at the time you needed it most!
thanks, sistine!
MEM makes me smile every time. the honey + lavender is so comforting.
What a great story!
Cherish that MEM!
SOTD = Guerlain 190 Ans de Creation 1828-2018 EDP
Sweet creamy orange blossom almond vanilla ?
I had been wearing unicorns all week and this is my most special unicorn!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEKTwEphY22/?igshid=qg1uw8834sng
I was a year late in lemming this and at first, the Bergdorf’s SA offered me THE bee bottle for $14,000 (no, no, no). She offered a substantial discount but it would still be over $10,000 (no, no, no). Her manager located a 200mL bottle in Paris but could not order just that one (boo hiss). Finally, the SA finally found it at Saks (?).
In other news, there was no taker for the Atelier Cologne set of dabber samples. If you are in the U.S. and have posted in at least one NST SOTD thread in August 2020 before this comment, you are eligible. I removed the requirement of having smelled fewer than 5 Atelier Colognes (either it is ubiquitous or it’s not an interesting line … I would like to think it’s the former!). Dibs here and send me an email! You can see a picture of which perfumes are included in my IG feed under @hajusuuri.
Beautiful bottle! I love how big the discounts can get when the price is high!
I know, right? I would have bought it for an 80% discount!
That is a good story, and a very beautiful bottle!
I have lots of Atelier Cologne samples, and a few travel sprays, so I have no need for duplicates.
Plus, most of them make Dad cough anyway. But I would recommend that someone who hasn’t tried many of those fragrances should give them a try. 
Thank you. It is stunning in person!
well if there are no takers on the samples…I have tried 3 from them so far I think, might be fun to smell more! Dibs is nobody else wants it and thanks.
Got your email and it’s yours!
Ha! I guessed your unicorn for today!
I knew someone would ❣️
Bottle porn indeed! You could easily have a Top 10 for that….
No scent today as I am on the road in cars and trains. Since having two (!) perfumes destroyed by memories of wearing them while being car sick I have adopted the rule of going scent free while travelling. Now I can’t wear them without going slightly queasy…
My unicorn would be Chanel 19 extrait in Vintage or edp (I’m not choosy). Still hoping fate will look upon me kindly some day ? Hello universe, you’re great you know?!
Put it out there and the universe may surprise you!
A no-scent policy on trains or cars is a good idea. It’s happened to me on occasion and it does create a negative scent association with that perfume.
Oooooof. Motion sickness is horrible.
PSA: Twisted Lily has a 50% off sale on some brands, Ormonde Jayne included. 2 days only, I think. I just snagged a bottle of Orris Noir! Not affiliated…
https://twistedlily.com/collections/online-warehouse-sale
i am so broke right now:(. Otherwise I would snag the Powder Flowers mist.
That name caught my eye but Montale fragrances are too much smell for me
They are intense.
Thank you!! You are now my enabler, I have some Ormonde Jayne on its way to me for my upcoming birthday. We’ve canceled several trips we were to take this year, so hubby invited me to splurge on some birthday fragrances. I don’t need to be told twice! But at least I got a reasonable price, thanks to you.
Oh yay! So glad you got some good OJs at a decent price. For $75, I kind of had to. A lot of retailers stopped carrying Orris Noir in the last year or so, and I’m not sure why. Figured this is the time to buy it. And happy birthday to you!
Thanks! I grabbed Orris Noir too.
I was surprised to hear a world leader on the news this week pronounce that it’s all over in NZ, that terrible things ( terrible things) are happening and that we’re finished. And I was having such a lovely week….watching the very first bright green leaves unfurl on the maple tree outside my window, enjoying a wander through a ‘meadow’ of daffodils in the gardens, smelling the spring air – newly mowed grass, listening to the blackbirds…. The perfume unicorns are still running free in my neck of the woods, Frolicking probably as they know the unliklihood of being caught….In honour of all the people in this country who are back in lockdown, or in quarantine, and thus ensuring that it’s not all over, I am wearing Sun.
?
?
Just to fact check…the day we were announced having a ‘ massive surge’ we actually had 5 new cases.
I think much of the world would happily borrow your wonderful leadership, if we could. Hmm. Is it too late for Oregon to become a commonwealth? ?
Yep, I heard that too. Glad to hear Ardern is keeping her cool.
☀️
My unicorn is Bois Blond by Pierre Guillaume. I fell in love with it just as it was being discontinued, and my husband bought it for me for a birthday present that year. He said he got the last bottle from Luckyscent.
I hope you are all well and safe. My first week of online teaching is over, and I am wrung dry. It’s hard to start the year online with a bunch of freshmen who were really looking forward to starting high school in a building. Looking forward to a relaxing cocktail tonight!
I am anticipating your pain. Hang in there
Hugs for making it though the week! You deserve your cocktail!
I just may join you with a cocktail! I’m thinking a Manhattan or English Mule.
I may have a Spicy Bloody Mary so I can get my antioxidants (yeah tomato juice!) in… what do you think?
Ooh, sounds good and healthy! I chose Aperol Spritzes, with extra vitamin spritz.
Congrats on surviving week one! I may indulge in a margarita later.
Always delicious.
I’m in Nuxe oil topped off with SD Virgile, my favorite vanilla. I don’t think I have enough perfume history to have a unicorn yet.
Took the morning off to take the kids to the lake but now I’m so sleepy but I have so much work. I really need to finish my syllabus. I’m trying hard to figure out how to offer an engaging and discussion oriented course on Zoom while at the same time being accessible to students who might not be able to always access Zoom. Argh
If they have a phone, I don’t understand why they couldn’t participate? That said, I don’t envy anyone trying to develop an engaging Zoom course!
I think the thinking is that some of the students enrolled might not be able to make the synchronous sessions on Zoom if they are in a different time zone/are sick/the dog ate their phone. Sigh.
I am trying hard to make sure I set up something structurally that is equitable but I also need to for my own sanity not teach the same content six different ways. Teaching is only time-wise 40% of my job anyway and I really can’t have it take up all my time otherwise I will get fired!
Seriously, if this were to be an in-person class, people will have other excuses and they won’t get a make up class either. Oy!
Oy is right
Wearing Bois d’Armenie which is not a unicorn.. but for me quite difficult to find and sample around here. Holding onto to a small decant and considering whether to buy it..
Oh, that’s a nice one! If I happened upon an affordable bottle I would consider it a unicorn.
I’m in Shalimar Light, which has obviously been discontinued. You can find it but it’s pricey. Got this for a good price off of a wonderful NSTer who happened to have two bottles. I use it sparingly because I never want to run out of this perfection!
TGIF, friends! What a week! Good thoughts and vibes to everyone.
You smell beautiful!
?
Oh, wow – you DO smell amazing!
No hoarding ?
I’m commando since I’m having a computer guy here to try to save my machine. We tried for an hour on the phone yesterday but it didn’t work. We’re both wearing masks and he’s wearing gloves. I just felt self-conscious about wearing perfume around a stranger, a strange man in particular, who is British and seems a bit on the Asbergers’ Spectrum. (A good friend recommended him.) My one unicorn was worn already, Regime by Germaine Monteil. If I have another, it’s the original Patou Sublime.
We’re keeping a wary eye on TD14 because Houston is smack in the center of the forecast cone right now. However the path is very unpredictable for various reasons including a second approaching storm in the Gulf—something that has NEVER happened before. Only in 2020 would we get two hurricanes at once. ?
Oh, I hope your computer issues get straightened out – I have a love/hate relationship with my computer. I try not to get caught cussing it out loud lest it hear me and decide to call it quits..
I adore Patou Sublime, such a gorgeous perfume. Patou really made some gorgeous perfumes, Eau de Patou is another favorite.
Here’s wishing and hoping that TD14 passes you by, I have family, friends, and a home on the Gulf Coast of FL (Naples, Sarasota). 2020 has not been a fun year, I keep saying I’m looking forward to 2021, but who knows what that will bring?
This morning they were call TD13 and TD14 and now TD14 is Laura. I heard about another one but it seems that is really still too far off. Here’s what I say – strong or not, the utility companies have got to be prepared. Isaias was a disaster for many in NJ, NY and CT and the power companies were just nonchalantly lying and pulling dates out of the air re: service restoration.
Here’s hoping for a nothing storm ?
I think folks in Iowa are still without power, two weeks after the derecho went through and caused so much damage. Two weeks in this sweltering heat! I’m surprised there haven’t been deaths from heat and dehydration.
I think the northeast folks were also in the sweltering heat mode when the power was non-existent.
Probably so. The entire country has been an oven this year. I’m really hoping these two weather systems in the gulf peter out…??
Correction – TD 13 is Laura. When TD 14 is named, it will be Marco.
Hope the computer issues get settled!
Thank you everyone for your good wishes, but alas he pronounced my machine incurable due to hard drive corruption. So I’ve ordered a replacement, there’s $2000 down the drain and it won’t ship until after September 9th and all the Apple stores are closed. A dent in my perfume budget! But wait, there’s more! I realized I must have lost my debit card yesterday after using it to pay at a parking meter. Sigh. I called the bank to report it and request a replacement. Two hours later I got an e-mail from someone who had found it! She got my email apparently from my university website. She had already reported it to the bank. Wasn’t that wonderful? A silver lining, of sorts.
And then I went to buy cat food and got trapped in a horrific thunderstorm and was soaked getting to my car. But the cats are happy, and I am in dry clothes drinking wine and wearing Eve.
Jeeze Louise what a day! Glad you are home relaxing now.
Wow! I don’t know if I could handle all the twists and turns! We’re you able to at least save your files?
I had backed everything up onto an external drive.
Gah! What a day! So sorry to hear that your computer is well and truly kaput. That does remind me, though, that I have a couple of files I should back up onto a thumb drive ASAP.
Hoping that those storm give you a miss!
Unicorn of the Day– Fleur de Jasmin EDT from L’Occitane. Here’s the story: Nearly 30 years ago on my first trip to Paris with my best friend Carol (two blondes in Paris-we have tales to tell), we found a little L’Occitane store on the Rue Moufftard. This was pre-internet and before the company was in every mall in America. We had never seen such stuff–olive oil soap, beautiful fragrances, candles, etc….we both stocked up, but this scent was my favorite and began my love affair with jasmine. Needless to say, I used up that bottle and despaired of ever getting another. I moved on to other jasmines (Serge, Different Company, Hermes) but always missed the original inspiration. Randomly I would check on evil bay and one day, about two years ago, there it was–an almost full bottle with the distinctive floral logo for this line….I snapped it up and have been happily wearing it ever since. I smell great and it still makes me very happy every time I spritz.
I adored L’Occitane – loved their hand creams and soaps as well. They had quite a few nice perfumes, I wore their Honeysuckle perfume oil and Verveine spray for many years.
Lovely story!
I knew you were a rebel when I met you ?
There were so many things on my list, until I managed to save enough money to go get those perfumes that I couldn’t get posted to me – Serge Lutens bell jars, Ormond Jayne, Frederic Malle, and pretty much every exclusive line
In celebration of all these perfumes, I’ll start my day in Ormond Jayne Woman.
Smelling wonderful!
Today’s unicorn has lovely memories attached, as I was in Chicago for the Basenotes meetup. At Saks, they had the last 200ml bottle of the discontinued Cuir Cannage, so I split the bottle with another Basenoter who has become a friend. It’s coolish but humid here today, so I can get away with two sprays without it being overpowering.
I would love “coolish but humid”!
Cuir Cannage is very nice but I had to swap away my large decant as it was a perfume that my mom could not stand at all – she hated perfumes to begin with but there are some that were just NO.
I wore Jubilation 25 today, which I never thought I could afford but found on ebay for $125.
Oh, very nice find!
Hooray for the capture!
The only ‘unicorn’ I could think of for today’s cp is NR Bigarade, a little-known scent that was only available for a few years in the mid-1970’s. Primarily bitter orange + oakmoss, with a bit of aldehydes and other orange citrus, I fell in love with it instantly back in the day, and it heralded my return to a new job downtown and the city I had loved after a year-and-a-half living in the rural Midwest as a young Army wife. Always a Francophile, I loved that this breezy scent was billed as ‘the sexy French daytime scent,’ a perfect complement to the miniskirts of the day! When I first learned that vintage fragrances were available on EBay, I got a few bottles and they have served me well.
It’s been an anxiety-filled week here. Mr Laila was sick earlier this week, uncertain if it was complete physical and mental exhaustion from extreme job stress + overdoing some heavy home maintenance repairs, or you-know-what. We both went for tests; I got my negative results earlier today but he hasn’t heard anything yet. But he’s feeling fine, thank goodness, so fingers crossed, he’ll get the same results.
Robin, I’m glad you’re ok and I’m glad your test was negative, too; there are just too many unknowns about the lasting effects down the road. But I know that’s not the result you’d hoped for and understand where you’re coming from and your frustrations. I didn’t go anywhere for the first 3-1/2 months and only started going to the grocery store in July. In my area it seems the stores I usually go to all have the same day and hours for senior shopping. So Mr. Laila goes to one place while I go to another, same day, same time. Otherwise, we haven’t really gone anywhere. Tonight we were hoping to attend a rare outdoor concert featuring my very favorite local musician before he leaves for Europe again; we won’t be going but at least will be watching it live-streamed from our screened porch, and although really disappointed I’m trying to be grateful for that.
Yes, remembering one of my yoga teacher’s favorite sayings, I’m trying to be grateful not just for what I have, but also for what I’ve escaped. It’s not always easy, though.
Wishing everyone a good weekend ahead.
Just got the good news Mr. Laila tested negative as well. ?
Oh I’m so glad.
And I know you’re right but I was enjoying my daydream of travel and shopping and outdoor cafes
Your scent sounds wonderful — by NR you mean Nina Ricci? I have never heard of that one.
Yes, Nina Ricci, only available for several years in the early 1970’s. Bright orange box, breezy green orange. Must love oakmoss! (I do!)
w00t w00t w00t! Awesome news for you and Mr. Laila.
All negative results deserve the highest form of celebration!
Yay!
Great news for you and hubby!
Thank you, everyone. Not celebrating yet – too worn out from anxiety, especially since for the very first time in nearly 6 months we had two friends over last Saturday on our screened porch, large enough to social distance and we wore masks when we weren’t eating (carry outs), but still I was worried because one of them is 80. So, for now, just a big sigh of relief.
So happy for you and your husband and I like your yoga teacher’s saying!
Another one I like is: ‘Observe but don’t absorb.’ Helps me to keep my cool and stay calm when something someone says or does or something in the news begins to upset me.
Oh, I like that saying alot.
Hugs for your anxiety-filled week!
Not wearing any Captured Unicorns today, even though I might have 3 items that would fit the bill. Still not sure about that. Instead, I went for a Bottle Porn pick.
SOTD = Flowerbomb La Vie En Rose, 2009 version. Compared to the original, it has no patchouli at all, a hint of mandarin and green tea, plus rose and vanilla. No caramel to my nose at all. It’s nothing complicated, but cheerful and happy, which is exactly what I wanted to smell like today.
Cheerful and happy always wins!
Especially when I am in the mood for it! No grouchies here today. ?
Jalapeno, have you ever smelled Flowerbomb Rose Explosion? It seems to be a Unicorn now, and I’m so curious about it.
Sorry lillyjo, but I never saw the Flowerbomb Rose Explosion. Those special editions seemed to get rather scarce after 2013 or so, except for those Christmas bottles.
Bottle porn is right up my alley ?.
I say out the walk because I was busy exercising my credit card and not was actually muggy out!
So how many laps did your credit card do? ?
Cheerful and happy is always a good thing?
This perfume is right at my tolerance for sweet. I’d bet there are some days where I would sniff the sprayer and go “NOPE!”
Hello beloved NSTers. It’s been a long while, and I’m so happy to see you here. I’m so grateful for all of you, both those who comment and those who find themselves without words.
Before decanting sites and blogs existed, my unicorn was the original Fleurs de Rocaille which I had chosen back in the 1960’s when my mom took me to a department store to find a perfume and that was my choice. One day in the late 90s it dawned on me to look for it again, but back then it had been pulled from the shelves and replaced by Fleur de Rocaille. I didn’t know that at the time, and Fleur vs Fleurs sounds the same, so I just left the store disappointed by either what was offered by the SA or my recollection of the smell. I persisted and finally located and bought the real thing, and the original is still available although I haven’t smelled anything other than the vintage.
Another unicorn is Oh! de London by Yardley. Over the years, I have bought it off of ebay and etsy, gotten decants and dupes from reputable sources but none of them cut it. It’s funny, but I’m not sure if I would be happier having what I remember or truly be more content just having the precious memories I associate it with.
The third unicorn is an oil from Madini. I used to work in a store that carried them, and I went to their Talisman store in Woodstock, NY in the early 80’s as a buyer. I fell in love with Amina, one of the few rose scents that works on me. Madini is based in Morocco, and the US based Talisman website has never offered Amina and the website itself has recently become defunct. After many decades of looking, I recently found and purchased “the last bottle” on etsy.
I’m not wearing any of my unicorns today, as due to a recent move and a hectic schedule combined with a perfume-free work environment that’s just not in the cards for me right now. I will say that I am very happy to have had such wonderful experiences with these fragrances, and hold my memories of them and the people and places I associate them close to my heart. It is quite possible that we may not be able to return to what was, but we can certainly cherish and be grateful for what we have now.
Great to seeing you posting Holly, and thank you for sharing those memories with us!
Thank you, Jalapeno! Great to see you reply!
I enjoyed your post: I do think fragrances encourage gratitude!
Thank you, MossyBerry! We’re lucky to have this something extra to be grateful for!
Nice to see you back, Holly! Wonderful memories!
Thank you, hajusuuri! Nice to see you too!
Hello Holly! What lovely memories!
Hello! Glad to hear from you!
SOTD is Shulton’s Blue Jeans, maybe a unicorn colt! A dear Aunt got it for me back in the 70’s, and it made a big impression on me. I think a lot of people liked it, because it is hard to find, which makes me think they used it all. I finally “ponied up” and got a partial bottle. Still mulling it over, but it smells like I remember. I can sniff enough to see it prefigured current loves (for a long time I had no perfume interests): green notes, sandalwood but something sweetly floral, too. I love hearing all the NST’ers stories here, too!
Wow, my sister had that one back in the day, I love that bottle! You are smelling fabulous!
Yes, the shape and colors are very fun.
My bottle has the solid blue cap, and it’s like new. I think back in the day, I had the bottle with the tapestry colors on the top of the cap??
I’m so late. My sotd is TF Violet Blonde. I captured this unicorn while looking for Sahara Noir. I accidentally found this on Letgo, for an amazing price.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
You smell wonderful! Good story!
A very nice unicorn indeed!
Nice one!!!
I remember when you found that!
I haven’t posted in a while and just happened to wear one of my unicorns; vintage Fendi that I got in a set of vintage minis from Goodwill. The set also includes Lagerfeld KL, but I think it’s gone off.
If I were to choose another unicorn it would be Slumberhouse Sadanne. I got a sample from Twisted Lily and didn’t wear it for a while, then found it again and became obsessed. Of course, then it was nowhere to be found. I got it I. The recent reissue and it appears to be gone again!!
Vintage Fendi is one of my uncaptured unicorns. Nice to see you post!
Thanks!
So late to the party here, but ‘ll post anyway. I’m in my unicorn scent, Keno Flower Oriental. I have hunted it for years and found it online. A thrift market had listed it as regular Flower, but I recognized the bottle (OFCOURSE!) and snagged it.
I have hunted down a few old unicorns lately, only to be disappointed – to find my nose has changed, or that time has changed the way the unicorn smells. This happened to me with both Lancome Chrysalide, Guerlain Vetiver pour elle and YSL Vice versa. But Kenzo Flower Oriental is still beautiful.
I treasure my bottle of Kenzo Flower Oriental. It is a very beautiful scent and it always puts a big smile on my face when I wear it!
I still have about 4ml of Vetiver pour Elle in a decant that I just so happened to wear today. I still really like it. I was just thinking I should set an eBay alert, but I’m probably not up for the price tag attached to it. Not sure if you’d be interested in swapping decants or anything, but do let me know if so. And congrats on your Kenzo find!
I’m a day late, but I do have a captured unicorn! It is Guerlain’s Parure EDC and it is a gorgeous chypre. I was able to snag a partially full “flacon montre” at a price I was willing to spend for an early birthday gift, which my lovely husband encouraged.