It's Monday, plus the third day of Kwanzaa and the fourth day of Christmas. Birthdays: Earl Hines, Pops Staples, Maggie Smith. What fragrance are you wearing?
Like many of you, I'm counting the days until this year is over and done with. Meanwhile I'm in Prada Infusion d'Iris Absolue.
Reminder: 1/1 is New Years Day...Rabbit rabbit rabbit! Adios, 2020. Wear a perfume that will bring you good luck in 2021.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2021, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: top image is Blackbird: Turdus merula(female) [cropped] by pete beard at flickr; some rights reserved.
You smell lovely Robin.
In Prada range I find Infusion d’Iris Absolue to be the most closely related to Purple Rain (which I have). It’s a beautiful flanker and a good value for money.
I’m in 1725 from Histoires de Parfums today and enjoying another week off work. Been on a chilly bike ride early in the afternoon and I feel proud of doing 32 kms.
Wow, bravo! It’s been a long time since I did 32 kms on the bike, lately only half that.
Thank you. On a good summer day I can ride around 40, so 32 in winter is an awesome result for me.
Wow! And here I am trying to coax myself into a two-mile walk. (It is very dreary today but not super cold.)
I say any activity is good, no matter how long it takes.
Wearing AC Iris Rebelle.
Back to work and very busy.
Happy Monday everyone! 🌻
Mmm, I smell something nice
Thank you! 😊
Hope your day goes fast!
Thank you, Lillyjo! Counting the hours!
Good morning Y’all,
Back to work so back to real life! Keep the caffeine flowing pretty please…..(takes huge slurp of Mountain Dew)……
Absolutely in LOVE with a new-to-me fragrance! Living Lalique is an iris and sandalwood goodie with a bit of spice, tonka, and cashmere. Yowza! I really love this one!
Gorgeous bottle too!
There seem to be a lot of good Lalique scents!
The Lalique sounds good.
Did you change your username or am I just bonkers?
Living Lalique is still going 8 hours in! It’s a goody….
I’ve been Jada in GA (JadainGA) since the beginning of my perfume obsession…uh….hobby!
Freebie Alert!
On the fourth day of Christmas I’m offering for free
4(0) random samples
Yes, that is 40 (forty) assorted perfume samples. I am offering these as a single lot. Most or all would be considered niche or indie, although the definition of what is or is not niche is subject to debate. I recently culled my sample collection and pulled out those that I had to admit I am not likely to ever need again. Either I tested them but disliked them (or was just meh about them), or they are duplicate samples, or I have a FB of the perfume and don’t need the sample, or whatever.
I am not going to list all the individual perfumes, so it will be a surprise grab bag. I will say, however, that the houses include l’Artisan, Frederic Malle, Xerjoff, Amouage, Diptyque, Teo Cabanel, PPC, and others.
Disclaimers: Not all the sample vials are full. Some are full, some half full, some maybe about a quarter, but all should contain enough for a reasonable test of the perfume. I cannot absolutely guarantee the freshness of all the samples. I did not include any that were visibly deteriorated (thickened, obviously off-color, etc.) or that clearly smelled “wrong”, although I did not sniff all of them. Some of them may have experienced evaporation. Some of the perfumes are likely discontinued, so you may fall for a ‘fume that is hard to find.
If you are experiencing a sample shortage and would like to expand your collection, or are simply bored with the samples and bottles you currently have and would like something new to sniff, please contact me at the email address linked to my gravatar to claim these samples.
Ohhh how generous but I suppose it’s only in the US? I’m in Europe..
Yes, U.S. only. I should have specified that.
“If you are experiencing a sample shortage. . . ”
Well, somebody might be, it just isn’t me!
🤣
Not sure if you have any restrictions (I’ve got some catching up to do here at NST) but I’ve sent an email
I got your email. The samples are yours.
I’m in the dregs of the Memoirs of a Trespasser that I spritzed on at bedtime last night. Mondays are non-work days for me now, so I have two more days of working life left until retirement! Exciting and scary at the same time. I’m looking forward to so many things – more reading, more gardening, more walks, more sleep! Happy Monday, NSTers!
Wow, that is exciting! You are going to love it.
That’s a lovely kind of anticipation, plus you smell wonderful 😊
Congratulations! I hope the two work days are hassle free.
Congratulations!
YAY YAY YAY!! Congratulations! I hope retirement is pure joy for you!
Wow, 2 days…congrats SheriG!
Congratulations! 🎉
Adding my congratulations! Fabulous!
Congratulations!
Oh, good for you! Excited to join you in retirement someday soon.
Congrats! I hope your retirement is wonderful!!
WOWIE, Sheri!!! So exciting! (I’m so jealous!) My friends who’ve retired seemed to take some time to settle into it, but no one regrets the decision, and most say they should have done it sooner! I hope the transition feels easy and wonderful for you!
That is so exciting! Plus, you smell wonderful.
Enjoy your retirement! I’ve been reading non-stop and ignoring chores ;).
so exciting! congratulations. 2 years for me.
Oh, this is exciting! Two days and counting…..
Oh wow, thats wonderful!
That sounds wonderful!
Great news, enjoy your retirement
Woo-hoo! Now THAT is something to like forward to.
Congratulations to you!
Wonderful, new and rewarding activities will await you I’m sure.
Woot! Enjoy those last two days and then enjoy all that is to be afterwards!!!
Ooohh! Congrats!
Congratulations on retirement!
On to an exciting new phase of life!!
Congratulations!
Shalimar all over
My good luck 🍀 charm for 2021
I am in the lotion, cologne, edp and the Parfum.. hey Robin can you smell me from NYC? 😌
Gray tartan pants and a thrift store gray sweater with side fringe from RL black label
Ahhhhh you smell marvelous, darling!
Thank you –
People will keep their distance
Is that what I’m smelling in North Carolina? Your Shalimar cloud must be glorious.
👍🏻 yes!
Lovely! Shalimar all the way!
Love the outfit.
We can smell you here on the Old Continent 😊😊😊
Sotd in Seattle – Shalimar courtesy of Lovestosmellgood in NYC.
Thank you! We’re all smelling glorious!
I can smell you from British Columbia! Shalimar for the win, you smell amazing!
I got the Neela Vermeire sample collection for Xmas. I tried Mohur first
and it really impressed me.
Beautiful rose!
It is gorgeous, I’ve liked everything of hers I’ve tried.
Which one is your favorite?
Trayee, it’s dry and spicy. Bertrand Duchaufour is the perfumer and I’m a fan of his scents.
I have a lot of his also. He’s very prolific.
You smell great! I am not a big rose lover but Mohur is so good. 🌹
Lucky You!! Congrats on Your set!!
Wearing Masque L’Attesa to join with all the iris lovers.
Skies are clearing after an overnight rain.
You smell fabulous!
Go team iris!
In a decant of Iris Nazarena and will neither confirm nor deny that I might pay a ridiculous amount to buy and ship a bottle of this discontinued treasure.
Go team iris!
Do it!! Iris Nazarena is gorgeous and worth it.
It’s ok, Donatella knows.
Sweet relief!
You smell classy 😊👍
I AM SO JEALOUS!! BUT VERY HAPPY FOR YOU!! I have never tried L’Atessa yet but it is on TOP of my list of perfumes I am very much interested in. MASQUE is the new brand I am getting myself in. And just like many of You, iris is a very precious note in perfume to me.
Please do tell what kind of iris is it!! Is it cold, metallic? Or powdery? Earthy, rooty?? Very very curious
It’s more on the dry and rooty side. Some get a slight yeasty smell, on me it’s more papery.
Dry and rooty… it’s Masque Milano and it is iris… that is the thing I had with Tango. I was very impressed.
Card-carrying member here for Team Iris! You are smelling fabulous!
I wore Phlur’s Hanami this morning while I organized my skincare and makeup. I’m about to take a shower and I think I’ll switch to either Dzongkha or Bois Farine – I’m just not feeling figgy anymore.
Either one is perfect! Now that L’Artisan is doing travel sizes again, wish they would do one in Bois Farine.
Hi all, I’ve been lazy for days and need to get it in gear and tackle some necessary projects today. Seems to be an iris day for me too, wearing vintage Chanel 19 for cool efficiency 🙃
I meant to do the same, but ended up another mildly lazy day
There are some layering forums where it looks like people slap just about any scent over any other. I tried layering 3 orientals last night…and made myself pretty ill. Even after washing it off I felt ill. 😖 Can’t blame anyone but myself!
Today it was just a small spritz of A Sweet Pastry in Paris. However, I am getting a little IdI edt that maybe didn’t fully wash off my shirt 🤨 The effect freshens it up a bit and is pleasant…
Wow!
Sometimes when I wear Shalimar I layer with a vanilla body splash..even that can be headache inducing
I have found that perfumes can tamp each other down rather than amplifying so it depends. But honestly I think Raghba is beyond all restraint. Perhaps it needs to be dabbed.
A forum where people seem to slap whatever on to layer it? Hmmm… I am not much of a layering person. I just enjoyed spritzing Nomad Tea on one wrist and Sticky Cake on the other but I never layered it. I just sniffed between tea ccj wrist and gave myself a tea party with cake in it!!
the little pastry in paris sounds good!! I never knew it existed. It is my Zara I just googled it. Sounds good.
Some regard that as a form of layering. I also like spritzing some scents in different places. Though right now…I think I’m a one scent at a time girl for the rest of the week – or month 😳
The kind of layering I have done was when I had a good shower gel/and or body lotion that paired well with the perfume I wore that day. I had a L’occitane Amande body oil and I paired it with Acqua di Parma Arancia di Capri – and it did work well.
L’occitane Amande 😋
Finished cleaning up and took a shower. Pre shower I wore Cuir de Russie extrait. Getting together with a friend for lunch. Wearing L’Heure de Nuit right now.
Have a great lunch time with your friend!
I am wearing Jubilation 25.
Its so good!
I am working this week,
And I only received like 3 or 4 e-mails today, and I had 1 meeting
with one of my team members. 😄
Thats why I love working between christmas and nye. 😉
You smell lushly beautiful!
Thank you 😊
Smelling gorgeous! Working between xmas and new year is great because it’s so light but you get credit for working.
You smell incredible!
About to shower and apply Gabrielle Essence.
I posted in the wrong spot yesterday… I scored an enabler pin from a friend who bought Chamade EdT at Bergdorf’s. She would have purchased pure parfum if they’d had it in stock. She smelled it on me once when I tried it out and always remembered how gorgeous it is. Very nice SA, but I couldn’t help but 🙄 (in my mind…not visibly) when she said the EdT lasts very well because they use so many natural ingredients instead of synthetics… She was very generous with samples, and included me in the bounty.
Has anyone tried Shalimar Initial? Just curious. SA didn’t have a tester.
By the way, I saw some interesting Chanel scents on fragrancenet- a bit surprised.
I sampled Shalimar Initial years ago. I remember it as lighter, more vanilla and lemon-scented without any of the darker, musky notes (which are already toned down in the current formulation than the older ones).
In a tiny spritz of Iris Perle sample from les indemodables. Fitting into the iris crowd today. Going to switch over to Vanille Havane after shower to check if it’s really still as wonderful as I remember. While possibly stalking their website.
I love Vanille Havane and just ordered samples of Iris Perle, Musc des Sables and Oriental Velours. Wish they had more distribution, only Luckyscent in California and Les Senteurs in the UK sell the brand, and it’s $$$$. If Aus Liebe zum Duft or Essenza Nobile carried them I’d be more excited (cheaper for me).
I don’t know where you are located, however if ausliebezumduft is easier for you then it’s perhaps worth getting it straight from their website, as they ship from France.
After trying Vanille Havane again: it’s definitely *just* as wonderful as I remember! And after Vanille, Oriental and Musc are my second and third favourites so far. Happy testing!
I’m in the US and the French site doesn’t ship outside the EU. :-(. Normally I prefer to buy from Aus Liebe zum Duft because the prices (minus VAT) are cheaper than here in the US, especially when they have their 20% off coupons.
Good tip about ordering from Europe. Indigo Perfumery in Ohio also carries them.
Indigo sells it too
Thank you!
Olfactive Studio Chambre Noire, sample thunk! I tested myself through my whole Olympic Orchids sample set since xmas (I think the set came with 16 plus samples), and I had a ton of fun! But now my nose needs an indie break for a little bit for some more conventional things.
Lol – I know what you mean. Some old favorite classics maybe?
Yes, I should have just gone with Chanel today.
Did you find any winners in the bunch?
There are definitely quite a few I want to try properly, and only one so far that I didn’t like at all. Some were really intriguing, like Chevalier Vert for example. Woodcut is also cool. And Carosel (Carusel?) was an unexpected surprise. But intriguing or cool doesn’t always translate into something I want to spray lavishly! Oh, and Nightflyer was very neat as well. She sent quite a few more samples than indicated in the scent, so that was really neat.
Yay, that all sounds very promising!
Also back “at” work (my table in the corner of our living room) and wafting Fendi Fendi. Sure, I think this classy fragrance could bring me good luck in 2021. Only two more working days for me in 2020 – after today. Have a good day all.
*leans in to sniff *
You smell wonderful 😊😊
I wanted to work on finishing off samples, minis, and decants before the year ends, so I thunked a vintage mini of Miss Balmain that I got in swap with just a few drops left. Wow, why haven’t I worn this before now? It’s quite nice – earthy, a bit of leather, some sparkle. It actually reminds me of Vol de Nuit, which is cool because I haven’t smelled any other perfumes that I’d really compare to VdN.
Every year I swear I will start a finish-it project, and then I don’t! So I salute you.
I have to for my sanity, Robin. I am not as good as you at limiting my buying and intake, so I have to try to make a dent in things to make up for my acquisitions.
Oh, when you say you are not as good as me….hard to say, because I was VERY bad for quite a long period of time. Running out of storage space helped me change my ways…
Commando for now, I’ve got a day off today so I plan to spray lavishly soon!
I have a little sample freebie if anyone in the US is interested: 5 DSH samples from earlier in the heirloom collection (includes Sharkskin, Wild Coyote, Gold Leaf, White Rabbits, and Love is Everything). Only about 1ml left in each sprayer. My email is katykatt over at google mail.
Sure, I’d love to try those DSH heirloom collection samples if they’re still available. I’ll send you an email this afternoon. Thanks!
You’ve got ’em!
Looking for some perfume inspiration this morning. Nothing seems quite right . . . It’s freezing outside with clear skies. I have an appointment at the tire shop to repair the car tire that blew out yesterday while I was driving home from the grocery store. Then a few hours and then a virtual counseling appointment. I guess I could wear anything; I don’t imagine the tire shop guys are gonna complain if they can smell my fragrance!
You will smell so much better than they do – poor guys, all they get to smell is rubber and motor oil. Wear something big!
Maybe I should sneak a few spritzes of my husband’s bottle of SMV Nostalgia–it smells like grease remover!
Or maybe Tauer’s Hyacinth and a Mechanic? Based on conversations with Andy, though, I think that one is perhaps a bit sexy for the tire shop–definitely has that vibe to Andy! (Maybe it’s a guy thing? Motor oil and grease remover aren’t fragrances that do much for me. . .
)
I’d avoid any sexy vibes at a garage. But I do like the smell of gasoline.
LOL! Yeah, wouldn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.
Imaginary Authors Cobra and the Canary might work.The asphalt and leather notes would go well with the tire rubber ambiance.
I love Nostagia! I also remember liking the gasoline smell in Fahrenheit.
Maybe I am little weird
…but i like the smell of oil and rubber. And of gasoline.
No i dont want a perfume that smells like that and I dont need to smell it all day every day 😉
but imo its better than the smell of a cramped office🤪😨
Hahaha! Do you like the rubber note in Bulgari Black? I didn’t mind it at first, but now I can’t stand it. I can’t smell it without feeling like I’m opening up a new pack of erasers for my students.
😊
I haf issues with the rubber-AND-vanilla combo in that scent. For some reason that did not work for me. I had associations with creepy baby dolls. 😳
I really wanted to love it but I ended up swapping that cute bottle.😔
Oh for sure there’s a plastic baby doll essence there! (Gross sentence! Sorry about that!) I still have a little hockey puck of the stuff and sometimes I try it again to make sure I still don’t like it. That’s a perfumista thing, right?! It would be a terrible Community Project! “Wear a scent you’re keeping around to make sure it’s still doesn’t work for you!”
That’s a hysterically funny CP. I might be able to do it for a week 😬
Haha! Me, too, Merlin. Not sure I’d like myself afterwards, though.
On me it smells like burning tires. :-0
“Wear a scent you’re keeping around to make sure it’s still doesn’t work for you”
😄😄😄
I actually like that idea for a CP!
I love Nostalgia! But my husband does too, so it’s “his” scent – he only wears 3 different scents, so I’ll let him have this one.
(Reply to your comment below with no nested comments left.).
I have a terrible but thankfully brief “happy nostalgia” on smelling paint solvent wafting over dust, motor oil and rubber… my dad used to own an auto body repair shop! I like walking past the scent but NOT smelling like it… probably for the best all things considered!
I love the smells of oil, rubber and gasoline and would happily wear a perfume with those notes. I don’t know if anyone would want to come near me…
I don’t know how often Mr. Spicebomb wears Nostalgia. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever consciously noticed that he had it on! So, maybe you could get away with that one.
To my nose Fahrenheit has hints of gasoline. I love it and I have a bottle just to sniff it once in a while. I do wear it as well but not that much.
I dunno, my mechanic is super hawt (he’s Greek, black hair, green eyes, and 6′ 4″), if I were a single girl, I’d be happy to give him the wrong impression!
I know, I know. Bad SmokeyToes….
Woohoo! Well, it sounds like you and Andy Tauer are on the same page with that one.
Wearing Remedy Northwest’s Pomegranate Noir, with notes of Pomegranate, pink pepper, patchouli, and guiac wood. The company is formerly Body Time of Berkeley, I’m glad the scents are still available. I also have their Egyptian Musk and White Tea perfume oils.
Nice and fruity/spicy for today’s rainy weather.
It’s still drizzling out but when it slows down, I’ll head out for a walk in GG park. Have to keep the holiday walking up!
Have a great walk!
only work day of the week. Got up early for call with UK only to have no one else on the call.
Well, early shower and dress and catch up on work and cleaning up files. One online training course.
Ambre de Nepal -haven’t worn for a while – maybe a year? smells great!
heavy rain on roof. I am sure mudslides next.
The very best news of all…my sister gets her first vaccine as early as this week.
Yay for the vaccine! 👍
Yes, that has to be a relief!
Glad your sister was able to begin vaccination!
Hooray for your sister!
YAY yes, I can rest easier. But now so many others need vaccine, too.
Hooray, that’s wonderful news about your sister! I really hope there aren’t any mudslides.
I hope so too, but with fires come mudslides.
Hurray for your sister getting her first vaccination!
You smell great apsara!
Robin, I clicked on the review You gave before on Infusion d’iris and You seemed to love the original as well as the absolute. I really liked the original too. I used to have a mini of it that I used instead of saving and collecting. The absolute is a stronger version, am I correct?
For me today it is Teazzurra. Ever since I got a bottle of it I have been very happy. To me it smells very niche. I am a big fan of Allegorias though. I have been for all the years since I took interest in perfume many, many years ago. Teazzurra really has everything I love. The bergamot adds an almost earl grey touch to the green tea. The jasmine always goes good with tea so I love it very much. Since I got my bottle at a great price I dont feel guilty about using it very often.
Since it is winter time (for us in Florida anything near 60 with winds is cold) I would love to own a bottle of Winter Delice. I used to have but I never even realised it was a limited edition Aqua Allegoria. Ever since September I have been trying to hunt down a bottle of it at a human price to no avail. I also DREAM about having one of the bee bottles from Guerlain. Every time I see a bee bottle somewhere on the internet my blood starts to pump faster… ahhhhhh life of a perfumista!!!
Well done for using up the mini. I have this terror of using things up so my ones end up forgotten and gathering dust. 🙈 I like the original edp of IdI the most but I think most prefer the absolute. They don’t smell exactly the same…
I always have a hard time using up a cute mini though…
It is a deeper scent, yes!
Team iris today in Chanel No 19 EdP. A day for paying bills, organizing my office and other year-end tasks, and I needed the backbone.
Ahhhhhh Chanel no. 19. You smell BEA UTI FUL!!!
No 19 is fabulous!
You smell Gorgeous!
Love Chanel No. 19. Such an austere beauty..
Sampling Memo Irish Leather…spicy, iris thing. So far, not bad:). Fits for the overcast day.
Rainy and overcast here as well which is really rare. I’m enjoying it.
Boring because I’ve only worn Osmanthus Interdite and Chameleon for days. Just enjoying my bottles. Will switch it up today though. My son arrived last night (yay) and his girlfriend sent gifts with him. She got me one of those Sephora Favorites sampler sets so I’m anxious to see if there’s anything in there I like!
Ooh.. love those sets! Report back on what you like. Have a great time with your son!
I hope you u have a great time with your son. Enjoy the overcast day!
Perfume-free as yet, because I’m still lazing in bed.
Yesterday I did a side by side test of SHL’s Rose de Petra and Aramis Calligraphy Rose, they are not as similar as I had thought when I tried the Calligraphy Rose by itself. Maybe I need a FB of Calligraphy Rose
Calligraphy Rose does almost always elicit joy!
I often have that when I try a new frag and think “yup, that’s exactly like x…” and then I try them side by side realize they are not all that alike…
Gave my new bottle of Doe in the Snow a first wearing. This is a snow,y scent, that is sparkling and clean and also a bit like a freshly scrubbed bathroom, but in a nice way. Not bad in cold weather, will see how it does in summer.
Had my first workday after Christmas, but luckily this is a short workweek.
Glad you like your new bottle!
I’m in PdN Musc Intense, a Christmas gift from my husband, but more importantly, I am home alone today and enjoying the walks and books and quiet time.
I don’t think Musc Intense is much loved, and on my mother-in-law, it did smell like baby powder, but I find it feminine, elegant, and just a little bit fun.
I adore PdN perfumes.❤️❤️
I am so jealous of all of You raving about Shalimar and all her flankers. I remember in my entire “perfume loving career” I only smelled two perfumes that I couldn’t bare at all. I’m talking I smelled many, many perfumes I didn’t like but only two that smelled straight up unpleasant to me. It was Davidoff Cool Water and Shalimar
I was sad about the Shalimar. I love Guerlain as I mentioned above, and I bought it without sniffing first (years ago TJ max or Ross). I bought it because, well the price was good, I love perfume and wanted to own this Guerlain classic.
Back then (because I want to give it another try, a zillion “perfumista” years later) I sprayed it… held my breath… and all I smelled on my skin was these sharp citrus notes like in an air freshener and a cheap vanilla candle note. I reapplied, I tried and tried and couldn’t even bare it… was something wrong with me or was it just not a perfume for me? Knowing Guerlain’s legendary place in a perfume world, reading about it so much. Knowing it is classified as such a classic, how could I not like it? I still don’t know. I even liked Jardins de Bagatelle, so it’s not an issue that I thought Shalimar smelled “old” or something. It just smelled horrible to me back then. I wonder how could that be, is why I would love to try it again and see what happens this time.
Well, I bought L’Heure Bleue unsniffed — my first Guerlain — and decided that it smelled like urinal cakes. I think I even commented to that effect here on NST. Now I love it, but it took several attempts.
From what I’ve read, the concentrations/versions of Shalimar smell markedly different. Maybe that holds the key?
Well what I bought back then was just the regular Shalimar. Whether it was EdP or EDT I remember but it was not a flanker. But like You just said, to give it another try years later and I might even love it. Who knows. I doubt it though when I think about it… btw by all means I am not trying to disrespect the fans of Shalimar or the fragrance itself!!
Urinal Cakes Lol. I am yet to try this one though. I did have and liked Annick Goutal’s L’Heure Exquisie which supposedly got it’s inspiration from L’Heure Blue or so I read somewhere…
I got into Shalimar by first getting Eau d’Shalimar which now smells like slightly cheap (but still cheerful) lime sorbet to me!
Shalimar edp is much deeper amber scent which I actually find quite masculine. Unlike you I think I was put off by the animal-like notes in it, originally. Truth is I found it quite repugnant and thought it was my skin to blame. More recently a friend said it had reminded her of insect repellant and I did a side by side with two popular South African body sprays with DDT. Nothing in common with one but the was a certain depth that made it slightly resemble the other 😅
Ok, all this talk of iris. I’m not much of a iris lover, but I do have some lovely old No. 19, and that seems right enough for today’s SOTD. I smell green and “assertive,” (according to Chanel).
You smell great. 19 is a beauty even for an iris non-lover.
I’m in Epic today, getting to the last drop or two of my decant.
Do you all ever have perfume paralysis? I looked at my dresser this morning and just couldn’t decide. Maybe it’s the Monday blues (I am working today, too, from home). Or maybe there’s a front moving through — my husband has a pressure headache and our normally extremely well behaved cat is trying very very hard to get himself in trouble. He is rambunctious and then some.
Oh yes. I have too many choices and often have trouble deciding.
Yep. Perfume paralysis is real.
Oh no no no. Testing Bogue’s Douleur. Resisting scrubbing it in case it morphs into something I can understand. But right now it is HORRIBLE!
Blue cheese + Borax + melon
Dang… you stink!😂
Hope it gets better!
OMG, I was traumatized by sampling Douleur. It smelled like sickly sweet vomit, I scrubbed frantically to get it off.
Saw your comment and ran to the sink to scrub. I kid you not, I started getting whiffs of toothpaste as well. What on earth? I like a good perfume challenge, and enjoy scents that I might not ever need a full bottle of but test my understanding of perfume. But Douleur? No no no no no.
Afraid that if I applied another perfume on top of my scrubbed arms I might ruin it by association, I just liberally applied L’Occitane’s Cherry Blossom from a small splash bottle that was a gwp. Still, I am not happy!
Oh no, sorry OF! Sadly, your comment gave me quite a laugh. Pretty sure it was one of those inappropriate laughs, but your combination of the notes is priceless.
I am so sorry but also thank you so much for sharing your suffering! I laughed out loud 😂
😳Thank you for letting me know what to put on my “do not test” list!
Seconded!
Thirding! Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
Wow, I am traumatized just by your description.
Sotd is Grandiflora Queen of the Night. Today is my Friday, and I’m taking a longish lunch, because I’m tired, and have alot on my mind.
We had to let go of most of the seasonal help this week. I’m very thankful my boss decided to keep my son on a few hours a week.
You smell lovely. Hope you get a good rest tonight. I’m happy for your son.
I’m glad today is your Friday and you will have some time to rest. You smell gorgeous.
I love the name of that one! One of these days I’ll have to actually sample it.
Yay for today being your Friday! Glad to hear that your son will still be working for a few hours each week. How is he taking it?
He’s glad to still have a job,and happy to work less, lol. I tell him to stick with school and hopefully he will be able to get a job that isn’t so grueling some day.
I like the in-between time of Xmas New Year. The temperatures are down but bearable at 5C and I’m wearing Private Collection Jasmine White Moss but it’s the wrong season, I usually wear it in summer, it’s because I neglected it that I chose it.
I have some perfumes that I only wear in summer, too. They just don’t smell as good at other times of the year to me.
We both believe in seasons for perfumes
some chypres like Jasmine White Moss simply bloom in the warmth.
We are opposites this week. It’s probably because of my job, but this week tends to bring me down, after the excitement of Christmas.
I’m sorry Lillyjo for this stressful time for you. Hope your son will get back hours soon.
Whoa, so many comments already this Monday.
I’m in Iris Poudre. I tested this side by side with Iris Perle and I like FM’s version much more although they are similar— and both soo expensive.
Another gorgeous day here. Off for a walk
You smell gorgeous, I love Iris Poudre.
Also in Iris Poudre; my decant has about 2 more wears. We smell great!
Would love to try Iris Poudre one day. To be quite frank anything with the word “poudre” or simply powder is just right up my alley. Maybe I am weird but every time someone says a perfume is too powdery, I actually jump in excitement!! Back in the say I was really impressed with Lipsitck Rose by Malle so Iris Poudre is probably a good one too!!
Majokkobiachan, if you haven’t yet had a chance to explore the Malle line very much, it’s worth noting that they are each done by a different nose, so each has their own character. I happen to be a big fangirl of the line, or I was before EL purchased them, and I splurged and bought the coffret when it was still available years back. I love Lipstick Rose, and I like Iris Poudre quite a lot; however, they don’t have much in common except that they are both well-made and don’t smell “cheap.” The line is worth sampling, and my recommendation would have been to seek out a Barneys, but now they are gone, too. Well, whatever fancypants department store is near you, hopefully with helpful, non-snooty sales people–that’s the way to get to sample them without a terrible expense!
I second this recommendation of FM. The quality is just amazing. My favorite summer scents from this line are Bigarade Concentree and Eau de Magnolia. I haven’t tried Lipstick Rose
I have Eau de Magnolia, too. I find it a weird, but wonderful fragrance!
I’m wearing Slowdive this morning because someone mentioned honey recently. Cold and foggy here, but I’m walking anyway. If I only walked on sunny days I’d stay home most of the time in winter.
you smell delicious
I need to find my sample of Slowdive and give it another try.
And thank you for the motivation to get my shoes on. It’s in the 50s and cloudy here, but there’s a break in the rain for the next few hours. I will walk!
I wore Slowdive a few days ago because someone mentioned honey. . . You smell fantastic! I think it’s a lovely match to our clear, cold weather.
Good for you for walking anyways
SotD = Apres L’ondee
because it rained hard on my roof last night.
Thanks to Robin’s sotd and the Prada love at the top of today’s comments, I’m reminded how much I enjoy Infusion d’Iris edt and Purple Rain. I’ll indulge in those this afternoon and evening.
Went out into the wild and wooly world for an annual medical appointment this morning, was impressed by the thoughtfulness and efficiency of everyone involved. Thank you to all who work hard to keep healthcare healthy!
Welcome to the Monday iris club!
And glad your appt went well. I have been putting off a physical for a long time now, I should probably just go.
go iris club!
we smelled gooood today.
I decided to go ahead with my annual medical appointments because I’m off work this week, and it was easy to get scheduled with so many people staying home.
It was a little unnerving being indoors in public with masked strangers (for something other than groceries!) but I’m glad I got it done.
Yes, Robin… go ahead and get that physical done and over with! I have a couple of appointments in January that didn’t get dealt with this year.
In Zoologist Sloth again, but was thankfully un-slothlike first!
I had been slacking physically and eating my feelings a bit during December. My coping mechanisms have been up and down this year, so I told myself to be patient and let this phase be what it needed to be, and sure enough by this week I was craving a healthier balance of foods and more physical activity.
Still, finally did a short HIIT session yesterday and was like “Oh NO. This is dreadful.” 😂
But I stuck with it, and when I woke up today, my lizard brain was ready to kick in and haul me through another quick workout just to mitigate the soreness from yesterday’s, and sure enough, when I was finished I felt heaps better.
Yay lizard brain! A few more days and I’ll be feeling more like my normal self again.
Wow, teebear! What awesome self-compassion! Good for you for not over-reacting to the discomfort and trusting yourself to return to healthier habits at the right time. Gold star!
agree with Marjorie Rose
you did right for yourself!
Every December I have less motivation to exercise and more desire for “creative” food choices. It always gets better for me right about now.
Long time no see, NST. Haven’t posted here since the pre-covid times…dipped out for a while because I was spending too much money. Filling my lockdown time and multiple exposure quarantines with cheaper hobbies. Hope everyone’s well.
Wearing FM Le Parfum de Therese today.
Welcome back! 😊
Tell us about your hobbies!
I’ve been journaling to try to find something positive to say about these very long months, catching up on all the movies I’ve missed, cooking more, running before it got too cold…plenty of dread in between, but I am surviving. It’s made me realize how much I want to move out of Alaska.
That sounds like my pandemic life. I hope you get your wish to move somewhere new. I also want to move out of Michigan and almost did but the job offer fell through cuz of Covid. Here is to a better 2021.
Hey Dorsey, glad you are well!
Saying hi a day late! Nice to see you here.
Every Christmas I buy a bottle of cologne for my dad. This has been going on forever every year. For my father though (who loves his cologne but is not like a complete perfumista type) a good cologne is the one signed by such names as Versace, Dior or Chanel. When I tried to have him sample a L’Artisan and other niche brands he wasn’t into it because it wasn’t one of the designers he knew.
Now even though I buy a cologne for my dad every year, he still ordered himself Versace Eros even though there was Versace Eau Fraiche waiting under the christmas tree for him.
I have mentioned before that the Christmas present I received from my mom was Masque Milano Tango. So here we are post christmas and one of these cooler days, I am running around the house wearing my Tango. My dad asks me: what is the perfume You are wearing? My mom comments the one I got for her. Dad asks me to show him the bottle. I say but Dad it isn’t a brand that You know. But sure I bring my bottle out. At this point my Dad looks at me and my mom saying: how come I didn’t get one like that? I’m like but Dad You always want a fragrance from the designers that You know of, the popular names. My dad says: oh no, change my mind!! Your niche Tango smells BEAUTIFUL!! And then my dad offered me to swap his TWO Versace bottles for one of my Tango… I said: no way, dad!! Wait for Your birthday and don’t get disappointed when I present You a bottle that does not bare the name of the popular, mainstream designers!!
Even though for example Chanel is an amazing perfume house. I didn’t mean to say that niche is always best. All I meant was that if the perfume doesn’t have a well-known designer’s name on it, my dad used to always think it was not as good. And believe me I always tried to impress my dad with an unusual scent, like a sample of Mechant Loup or a Serge Lutens to which my dad instantly replied: smells good but I can tell it’s not a Versace… me, dropping my arms down go: oh really, perhaps it isn’t Versace…
Sounds like someone is learning a lesson
Sounds like you might need to hide your Masque Milano bottle from your dad…
😂
Grey day today, but the weather was pleasantly warm for December. The lack of sun made it even harder to get out of bed today.
SOTD = Dame Perfumery Earth Mother EdP, from the sample stash. Usually I like this one quite a bit, but today it is annoying me for some reason.
I had a little sun today, maybe it’s heading your way 🌞
If so, that would be welcome news! Thanks lillyjo!
I don’t even remember what this smells like!
To me, it is a spicier, less fruity cousin of Angel. Both are patch-dominant perfumes on me.
Aha! Later than jalapeño!
SOTD = April Aromatics Calling All Angels
So good❣️ I keep saying this, don’t I?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJXKEylB5KM/?igshid=1spfy9ccvz2vy
In managed a walk in this afternoon and yesterday as well! Let’s see how I do this week. I was going to cook up some schema where I will earn $s towards a perfume kitty but who am I kidding?
I need to do a Costco run on Wednesday so wish me luck. I really should make a list!
Lol at later than jalapeno!😂
Good luck with Costco. I looked into becoming a member awhile back but decided it was too overwhelming for me.
Also, that owl is beautiful!
Have fun storming the Costco!
Calling All Angels is one of the bottles I gave to my husband for Christmas (the other was Encre Noir).
Definitely make a list. Otherwise the risk of overbuying at Costco is just too great!
Even WITH a list, the risk of overbuying at Costco is significant. 😉😂
Very late post! Back to work today with a 10 hour day. Smelling great in Coromandel.
Now enjoying wine and a new Netflix special: Death to 2020. Brilliant name.
Ahh, I just added that special to my viewing list. You smell FABULOUS.
I added that to our list also. Looks good!