The last Hump Day of 2020. It's also the sixth day of Christmas and the fifth day of Kwanzaa. (And, a quick PSA: our Aftelier giveaway is still open!) What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm in Strange Invisible Perfumes Tropical Vial. My ancient sample is a bit discolored but smells wonderful.
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 Six Geese a-Walking [cropped] by Tim Green at flickr; some rights reserved.
FREEBIE:
On the sixth day of Christmas, I’m offering for free
6 Skylar Samples
This is a boxed manufacturer’s sample set containing 1.5 ml spray vials of the following scents:
Arrow
Capri
Coral
Isle
Meadow
Willow
I purchased this set new a couple of years ago. Each has been sprayed only a few times, so the vials are nearly full.
Also, still unclaimed from yesterday:
5 ml of Spring
This is a 5 ml decant of Dasein Spring purchased from Olfactif. It is in a very nice opaque metallic twist-up spray vial. Because it is opaque (and I have no idea how to take it apart) I cannot see the actual level of the perfume inside, but it should contain most of the original 5 ml, as I have only used a few sprays. It came without any label on it to indicate the fragrance, so I have placed a label on it. I do not know how well it will stick.
To claim either of these items, contact me at the email address associated with my gravatar.
It is so sweet of you to be doing these giveaways!
I’m trying to reduce my perfume guilt a bit. I hate seeing samples drying up, discovery sets unused, or rare/discontinued perfumes going unworn and unloved. Besides, I just have waaay too much perfume. Not that that stops me from buying more now and then, but I am trying to get rid of more than I buy.
It’s still very admirable of you! I should do that with jewelry. I am trying to sort things out and have all too much. A few things are worth going to a good jeweler to try to turn in for a good price but many are more like high-end costume jewelry that I wish someone would give a good home to. Retirement life especially in a pandemic is just not that conducive to much jewelry-wearing. There are only so many selfies one can reasonably take!
I have been wearing hardly any jewelry at all. Rings and bracelets generally get in the way iof what I am doing. Usually, I like to wear earrings, but they get tangled up in masks so I haven’t been wearing them lately.
The Skylar samples have been claimed.
Smelling great in Clinique Wrappings!
I am in the office since yesterday. My work laptop decided to die in the middle of a deadline and I had no option but rush to come here to finish the work, since today is the last working day of the year for me. I am supposed to get a new laptop by the end of the day today, so I do not have to come back here next week. Fingers crossed 🤞.
Having my second cup of coffee ☕ and counting the hours for the year to be over!
Happy Wednesday, everyone! 🌞
Wrappings is wonderful! You smell great! Bummer on the work laptop, it always seems to happen at the most inconvenient time, doesn’t it?
Thank you, SmokeyToes!
I hope not to face the same issue anytime soon. It is so stressful!
Sorry about your laptop, technology seems to fail at the most inopportune moments. Hopefully IT will come through for you today!
So true! It happened at the worst time! Fortunately, I received the new laptop already!
Yay, that was efficient.
It was! They are working faster than usual now to prevent people to work from the office. No complaints from my side! 😀
Smelling great in Wrappings! I hope the rest of your day goes smoothly and the promised laptop arrives in time.
Thank you, Gail!
The new laptop was just delivered to my desk. 2 more hours here and done for the year!
Happy last day of work for 2020!
Yay! Thank you, Sistine!
Laptops are like cats. They time every problem to be when most inconvenient …
I was lucky to save what I was doing 5 minutes before it crashed. Otherwise, I would have lost all the work I had finished earlier in the morning.
AAARGH on your work laptop going “Pffffffffffft!” But I’m happy to hear that you have a replacement already. Your IT people are GOOD.
Thank you! Our IT people have been doing a great job during the pandemic to keep everyone working from home. Glad I don’t have to go back to the office any time soon!
Ysatis
Thrift store outfit and Jasmine green tea
Ysatis….one of the best! You smell sooooooo good!
Sweet! Ysatis is so beautiful. I wish they still made the body cream/gel.
I wore Ysatis back in the day. You smell great!
Oh yes wore this for a long time, lovely scent memories!
I wore this way back when, and felt soooo sophisticated. You smell wonderful today!
Thank you so much! This is a beauty…
Wearing Samsara.
Staying home and waiting this nightmare of 2020 to be over.
Exactly! Me too.
You smell so good. 2021 has to be better!
Bring on 2021!
🙌😂
samsara..lovely choice
Beautiful perfume choice!
Good morning Y’all!
Decided to go with one of my very first gourmand loves ever….Etat Libre d’Orange Fils de Dieu. Why don’t I wear this one more often? I need to!
Fils de Dieu is wonderful! Smelling great, Jada.
Oh, you smell amazing. I love Fils de Dieu.
Today I am wearing Creed Virgin Island Water. My tea this morning is a cup English Breakfast tea.
I was hoping I would like that one more but the citrus overpowers it for me.
Love Virgin Mojitos and of course this scent too!
Omega you would need to like citrus I guess as the lime Is pronounced.
This scent is one of my new loves. I am a citrus lover though !
Still have Fleur de Portifino lingering on me, not complaining about that. A nice, orange blossom scent.
I am doing some layering though. Layering a turkish delight with a mexican wedding cookie..is pretty darned good I’d say lol. I have been taking advantage of after holiday sweets sales:).
Oh no! I would never layer actual sweets – you know the baker or creator has mixed those ingredients for a very particular effect, right? 😜
(Though pretty much any sugar combo lights MY brain up! 🥰)
I did a sweet on sweet combo and loved to tell the tale 🤣
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJbgzOABUtg/?igshid=lx0ffnxidtjs
Nice hajusuuri! I also layered a sweet cotton candy spray with the fleur de portifino..cause why not lol.
Yay! I should have said “lived” to tell the tale but love works too!
Hajsuuri – that sounds yummy!
Omega, which cotton candy scent did you use?
Lol a cheapo one I got on clearance, it’s called Bodycology Sweet Cotton Candy. Lol. I like it though..but I have to be in the mood for it.
Yes, these kinds of scents do require a particular mood! Iv heard the Gale Hayman is good but I’m currently depending on on Snow Fairy for my cotton candy hit!
I love Turkish Delight. Not much more than chewy sugar, some nuts and flavoring, but the gestalt is delicious. If you like chewy sweet goodness, you might also enjoy Hawaiian Butter Mochi, which lasts about a day in my house (and Otto Mi Gato doesn’t eat any of it, which tells you something).
I discovered Hawaiian butter mochi this year.
Mr. Teebear came downstairs when the very first batch were just out of the oven wanting to cadge one already just based on the smell, and was crushed to learn he needed to wait til they cooled.
He then tasted his first one a few hours later and was like “Well, it’s all over now… Goodbye health” 🤣
They are just. So. Good.
That does it — I’ve got to find a recipe for Hawaiian butter mochi! I’d never heard of it before but it sounds yummy.
On the other hand, actually making it will happen sometime after we’ve worked through the mountain of cookies and candy around here…
ockeghem, it’s a fairly straightforward recipe, and doesn’t vary too widely, so finding a good recipe should be easy. Here’s a basic one:
https://www.contemplatingsweets.com/hawaiian-butter-mochi/
If you’re one of the folks who enjoy the crispy edges even more than gooey centers (a la lasagne or brownies), you can also bake it in a big muffin tin (adjust for baking time, of course).
I have no idea what that is. I will not Google. Sounds way too dangerous. No, not googling. Not googling…
Ooh I need to look this up, sweets enabler pin:).
My job here is done.
Hahahaha! These were literally on my to-do list for this week so I just put them in the oven but they now have a new name:
Me, fifteen minutes ago:
*Pulls out Mochiko flour and a can of coconut milk*
Mr. Teebear: “Are you making those destructive muffins?”
Me: *dies of laughter*
Mr. Teebear: “You know what I mean!”
Oh I want to try these! They look amazing.
If you try it, remember to get mochiko (glutinous rice flour), which is different than the regular rice flour that you find in the health food aisle. If you don’t have an Asian market in your area, you can often find mochiko in the international aisle of a regular grocery store. Most of the mochiko sold in this country is a brand called Koda Farms (a very large rice grower).
Butter mochi has a slightly crisp top (my favorite part), and the inside is dense and sort of bouncy (it’s as if custard had a little bit of texture to it, was compressed, had less egg, and more bounce). The flavor is slightly tropical, because of the coconut milk. This description doesn’t do it justice, though. It’s unlike any other dessert or baked good (unless you regularly eat mochi — but even mochi is not the same as butter mochi). I encourage you to try it. It’s easy to make, and if it suits at all, one usually end up loving it.
Whoa. I, too, had never heard of Hawaiian Butter Mochi. YUM. Y’all are dangerous.
I love halvah. My father loved halvah and passed that love onto me. Growing up in NY and living in middle east only helped fuel this love. it also includes baklava and the most loved Persian Gaz with nougat, pistachio and rosewater.
apsara, that Persian Gaz looks delicious. I love desserts flavored with rosewater.
And I want your snack!!!
Woke up in vintage Shalimar extrait this morning and switched to no 5 edp. I am hoping that my shoes and candle arrive today. Not holding out hope that my Walmart package comes today. Looking forward to this year and all of its drama to be over.
Good luck Dawn! My sister mailed me some home made truffles the week before Xmas and they still are not here….hope they make it eventually.
We got another Xmas card in today’s mail, so things are slow here, too.
I’m in Fendi again. I’m wearing both a bit of remaining Fendi Theorema on one wrist and newly sprayed Fendi Fendi EDT from this morning on the other. I need to find some Asja and then I would have a triad of old favorites. Let’s go to Italy. I want to wander through Florence or sit in a plaza in Rome drinking an espresso or an aperitif and watch the world go by.
And of course, the Italy I refer to above is in a post-COVID (or at least post-vaccine) world.
Fendi made such fantastic scents. I love Asja, and Life Essence is also glorious.
Life Essence? *Ears perk* I haven’t heard of that one – off to google.
Oh, it’s glorious stuff. And is so elegant. I adore it.
Okay! I’ll join you in Florence and then stay on in Rome.
Well tell you what – I’ll meet you both in Florence then move on to Rome before visiting Venice 😁
All are welcome!
Wouldn’t it be great to have an NST meet up in Italy? We can dream….
I’m in!! Have been to Florence and Venice but never to Rome, surely it’s time I went.
Oh, to be in Torino drinking an Aperol spritz!!!
*Adds to itinerary…*
I’ve been drinking them in my backyard. It’s not nearly as great.
I’ll join you wearing Fiori di Capri…it’s perfect for an aperol spritz overlooking the water….
No scent yet. I have been wearing my variations of No 5 (Fragments d’Or, L’eau, Eau Premiere) for days in memory of my MIL, who passed away just over a week ago. No 5 was her signature scent. We did not travel east for the funeral due to covid. Thankfully though we and many other distant family members were able to participate in the funeral and shiva over zoom.
2020 can’t end soon enough…!
I’m very sorry Pixel.
I’m sorry for your loss, Pixel! It must have been hard not to be able to go.
So sorry, Pixel. I’m glad you could participate over Zoom. It’s not the same, but it helps.
Oh, no, condolences to you and your family.
I’m so sorry for your loss Pixel. May her memory be a blessing.
So sad. I’m very sorry. I hope you are both getting Zoom visitors while sitting Shiva – and I hope that is helping a little 🤗
I am so sorry for the loss of your MIL, may her memory be a blessing. Not being able to be together for shiva is so hard, I’m glad at least there is Zoom.
I’m so sorry Pixel.
I’m so sorry for yours and your husband’s loss. May her memory be a blessing.
My condolences Pixel.
May her memory be a blessing, Pixel. Very sorry for your family’s loss and for your not being able to attend her funeral/shiva in person.
So sorry for your loss, Pixel.
So sorry for your family’s loss. I do hope the Zoom funeral & shiva were still a nice remembrance, if a distant one.
May her memory be a blessing, pixel.
I’m very sorry for your loss Pixel.
Pixel, I’m so sorry to hear of your loss and that you couldn’t attend the funeral in person.
I’m so sorry for your loss, pixel. I lit a candle and said a prayer for you and your family.
Oh, my condolences, Pixel, to you and your husband. What a nice scent memory
Adding my condolences, Pixel; I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope you found some comfort in your scents.
My condolences to your family, Pixel. Virtual *hugs*
More condolences to you and yours, Pixel, and joining you in wishes for a much brighter 2021.
Condolences to you and your family, Pixel.
I’m so sorry, Pixel. My sympathies to you and your family.
So sorry for your loss.
Adding my condolences, pixel. So sorry for you and your husband’s loss.
Dzongkha this morning. Trying to revise a REALLY old manuscript and get it out as early in 2021 as possible. My brain hurts.
Am thinking about making cinnamon rolls tomorrow — I am not crazy about them but my husband loves them and I have never made them for him. It’s the King Arthur “recipe of the year” for 2021, I have all the ingredients on hand, and it would be a sweet way to start the new year (bake tomorrow, reheat for breakfast on Friday).
I am saving Dzongkha for tomorrow, you smell great. I need to check out that cinnamon roll recipe!
Oooh. Intrigued although I promised myself I would bake Hawaiian butter mochi today.
I did overnight cinnamon rolls for Christmas and they were a hit around here! I usually find cinnamon rolls too sweet but these weren’t bad (it helps to be in control of the frosting
).
My favorite cinnamon rolls are the Molly Wizenberg recipe on epicurious: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cinnamon-rolls-with-cream-cheese-glaze-241631
Although this isn’t an overnight recipe, I always make them the evening before and refrigerate, then let rise and bake in the morning. Such a treat!
And forgot to say that I always add some lemon or orange zest to the cream cheese glaze.
That’s a nice idea!
I was thinking about that recipe, too. I’m kind of intrigued with the cooking of the flour step; never tried that before.
Yes, I’ve never encountered the cooked flour for baking — worth a try. And, as others have noted, being able to control the frosting will help a lot. Given my druthers, I’d make cranberry-oat scones, instead, but the cinnamon rolls will be something different to try. I rarely make yeast breads, so perhaps it will be a challenge, too.
You smell great. I’m sorry about the sore brain.
Morning all, my SOTD is Fendi’s Asja.
I wore myself out yesterday with cooking and cleaning. I washed all the floors, baseboards, and blinds. Thankfully, our apartment isn’t that large but still. I need a nap today!
I made a rich veggie lasagna, with béchamel sauce, smoked mozzarella, Parmesan, Swiss chard, spinach, broccoli, zucchini and red sauce with a touch of red wine. 😊 I’ve never used smoked mozzarella before, it’s quite delicious!
Wow – that lasagna sounds splendid!
Here’s a picture of the lasagna.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJZs_Ijhq3o/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Good grief, that looks delicious! And I see the sheet pan it’s resting on…you’ll have lots of meals for the future! 👏🏻
Never tried smoked mozzarella but I sure do love smoked gouda, yum!
Wow! What a day! I love when the house feels clean like that when you do a big deep down clean.
Despite vacuuming twice weekly, the Smokey tumbleweed-tufts of hair were all over the place! It’s amazing how much he sheds.
Yes, it feels so good, and the floors are super-shiny.
Yum! Your lasagna sounds delicious! Thanks for the tip on the smoked mozzarella; heading off to the internet to look for it now.
I thought you were supposed to rest yesterday 😆, which makes everything you’ve done all the sweeter!
I was, until I saw all of the dust bunnies, and my OCD kicked in! I’m glad, it was productive, I hadn’t realized how much dust was hanging around, which the hubby and I are both allergic to.
Ooooh that lasagna sounds delicious!!! I haven’t made lasagna yet this year, maybe it can be a start of 2021 dish…
One of the culinary highlights of my life so far was getting a small tub of smoked burrata in Venice and bringing it back to the cruise ship (on which I worked) so that my castmates and I could eat it in the crew mess. It was so tender that we ate it by just scooping it up on bread.
Oh, fresh burrata is amazing! I have some in my fridge. It’s a delightful treat.
Sounds delicious, I love lasagna In all its variations
Smoked mozzarella is lovely! That reminds me I have an Ottolenghi recipe that calls for it that I haven’t made in forever…should pull that out.
I forgot to mention, Diptyque is discontinuing a few items, I received an email from them yesterday. See below…
Florabellio Eau de Toilette
Huiles Precieuses
Invigorating Body Balm
Kimonanthe Eau de Parfum
L’Ombre Dans l’Eau Shower Oil
L’Ombre Dans l’Eau Body Balm
Mage Eau de Parfum
Opone Eau de Parfum
Tam Dao Shower Paste
Oh my. How often do people here wash their baseboards? And no, I am not telling how often I wash mine. Ack.
….uhhh….once a year at best?
I do it every few months or so. With two very furry cats, it’s a necessity. Everything has a coating of fuzz, no matter how much I dust.
Uhhhhhhhhhh…. people actually DO that? 😳
Seriously. I thought that’s what paint was for
You’re an inspiration! I am turning a blind eye right now to a lot of things in my house…
I’m in Tam Dao over Lush’s once upon a time lotion. They don’t exactly go together but oh well, lol. My girls snuck over to Lush on Christmas Eve while I was working and surprised with a little box of goodies. Just love those two.😍
We got some snow last night. Doesn’t look like as much as they predicted. I think sometimes the weather people like to incite panic. It worked because our pantry is stocked so nobody has to leave the house today. I think we might make a big bowl of popcorn with real butter and watch a movie….or football.
surprised *me*
I think the weather people are more afraid about under forecasting and not warning people enough. If they overcall it and people stock up and then don’t need all the food, fuel, batteries, water or whatever, at least nobody really suffers as a result. If they lowball the predictions and then it is worse than expected, people get sick, or are trapped in their homes, or run out of food or water, and it can be really bad. Even if they call it correctly, sometimes the local authorities can minimize the risks too much. It is hard to know whom to believe. Or else people just ignore the warnings and then suffer the consequences.
We saw some of that here with Hurricane Harvey. even though they predicted several days in advance that more than three feet of rain would fall in Houston, the reality was even worse. Many of the local authorities undercalled the dangers. All the city leaders in the area advised people NOT to evacuate. I do realize it was difficult to know exactly how the flood patterns would be, but still there should have been at least targeted evacuation advisories for some lower-lying areas. The local communities where I live (south of Houston) did not experience wide-spread flooding, although I did have two coworkers whose houses flooded. Several of the small towns around here first advised people to stay put, then changed their advice and instructed people to evacuate–AFTER virtually all the roads leading out of the area were underwater and impassable. The only way out of some areas would have been by boat or by helicopter. At least two towns were without sewer systems for a number of days because the wastewater plants were underwater. People were stuck in their homes, unable to leave, and unable to shower or flush the toilet.
I won’t go into politics here but the flooding during Harvey does not seem to have made enough of a difference to city and county planners here at least based upon the incredible over-building I observe in my part of town every day! A new high-rise on every corner! (I’m in Montrose.).
Was the flooding bad in your neighborhood? I have a friend who lives in Montrose, and she said her neighborhood was fine. Houston has had some questionable building practices. Building a new development in a flood basin? Yeah, that’s not really such a great idea. Once the storm is actually in the Gulf, though, it is not the time to talk about those things. It is time to figure out what everyone needs to do to minimize the loss of life or the misery. I’m down here in Brazoria County, and we generally get ignored by the Houston news stations and the weather forecasters. It was frustrating beyond measure not to know whether to stay or leave. Then when the water finally started to go down in Houston, all the news outlets were talking about was how conditions were improving–all while the river levels and flooding here were getting worse. I’d say the water levels here peaked about a week after they did so in Houston.
I’m not well informed on the flood issues but we have been really surprised by how much construction there’s in Houston and it’s environs! Never seen anything like it
I got hit with snow and freezing rain. Thank goodness I’m off today. Big warm up coming though! Enjoy your day!
Your girls are so sweet!
A pity they don’t combine well. I find TD a bit dry and serious so would have hoped some Lush lotion could help!
Go Badgers!
Looks like I will get socked with your weather front for New Year’s Eve and/or New Year’s Day. Thankful I am not going anywhere!
What a sweet gift from your girls!
Wearing an oldie but a goodie, Dorissima Goldmund. Beautiful big moon this morning but only 4C, brrr.
That’s COLD! Hope it warms up there soon for you.
Were you curious about Rogue Jasmin Antique, cazaubon? I tried it from a rollerball sample and it’s not for me. I can send it on to you if you’re interested.
It’s rich, heady and a ringer for the star jasmine that grows down here.
Yes I am, thank you! It’s been on my sample wish list for a while.
Excellent! Drop me a line, nlm cook aaat sbc global dawtt net.
Morning All! Sitting in my cozy window seat watching the snow fall on the beautiful red cardinals eating at our feeder. Drinking dark chocolate coffee- SOTD- Santal Majuscule- enjoying the waft of sandalwood and chocolate. Wishing you all a beautiful day and new year!
I imagine the cardinals, how wonderful to have them in your garden.
I miss cardinals — so beautiful in winter! That all sounds lovely — the cardinals, the window seat, the snow, the coffee. Much better than sitting on my couch staring at the finches and starlings decimating my feeder in the rain.
That is living the dream…a real life Hallmark card. My late MIL loved cardinals so my husband loves them too now. Sounds perfect.
Cardinals are gorgeous. Every so often I see one flying around, but more often I hear them. 🐦
Very cute picture.
And, have we ever done a Wear a discolored perfume CP?
SOTD = Maison Margiela Replica layering of By the Fireplace and Coffee Break
Kappow 🔥! Sweet on sweet and it works!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJbgzOABUtg/?igshid=15q0pfn88od8c
I’m off starting today and will be back on Monday. In the meantime, yes, I logged in, spoke with my manager, did what I had to and DONE DONE DONE for the year other the occasional peeking into emails because on call.
I have several Zoom and Google calls lined up between tomorrow and Saturday, ranging from immediate family, to Cousins to Friends x 2. I have to plan a New Year’s Day dinner (for I, Me and Myself) and woohoo, the Chinese food takeout near me will be open except they do not have Peking Duck but eh, noodles are more traditional anyway.
ENJOY your time off and – noodles for the win!
Mr. Teebear (of Japanese heritage) was asking me if I wanted to do any New Year’s food this week, and we settled on just the NYE soba noodles after both admitting that we find the traditional New Year’s dishes for osechi ryori just aren’t to our tastes anyway 😂
Simpler is better!
Discolored perfume??
Your combo sounds yummy. I really need to find a good Chinese takeout place, I am sooo sick of everything I’ve been eating at home for the last 9 months.
I’ve been kinda jonesing for pizza NOT made by me. From anywhere but here.
Robin mentioned her SOTD was somewhat discolored. I have several and they smell as good as or even better than when I first got them.
Happy days off! Your noodles sound delicious.
I have to decide which type to get!
We have not done that CP, and hopefully if we did, many here could not participate!
Maybe there’s more of us with discolored perfumes than anyone realizes. You have one from your SOTD and I for sure have at least 2.
Glad to hear that your restaurant choice is open!
I was so glad!
Sample time!
From the Jovoy box of staff picks for winter.
On my right arm, Wazamba
No further introduction needed, i guess 😉
Very nice!
On my left arm
Mémoires d’une palmeraie 14, by FO’AH
When i read the notes (saffron, oud! Sandalwood! Rose!) i expected (or should i say…hoped for) an intense scent,.
But no, its an almost lightweight floral (fresh rose) with woody undertones.
Sorry not impressed. Though it smells pleasant and pretty.
I have a decant of Wazamba and would not mind having a bit more. You smell great
Mmm, Wazamba, you smell great!
I thunked a smaller decant of SHL Rose de Petra. I like it, but still don’t need a bottle
Congrats on the thunk, tannina!
And hope you are better rested today.
No SOTD yet, but will probably pull out the last sample from the batch that came with my Christmas gift (don’t remember just now what it is, but it’s probably incense-related).
More rain here, though allegedly we’re supposed to see some snow, too. (Doubt it.) I’ve promised my kid we’ll make peppermint ice cream three days running now, so I guess we should probably do that. (We kept getting sidetracked with things like WW84 and bike shopping.) The forecast here is for rain for the next 7 days…I should just stop looking at the forecast.
It’s not the vacation I planned, but it’s probably the vacation this year deserves.
Sorry about the crappy weather, but peppermint ice cream sounds great.
Peppermint ice cream would be amazing.
Do you add crushed peppermint candy to a vanilla base, or do you use peppermint extract? Or do you have a source for fresh mint leaves? I love peppermint ice cream but have yet to try to make it a home. Wondering what the best flavoring technique would be.
I have an old Williams-Sonoma recipe that does both! I don’t think the candies by themselves would be enough, so you need a bit of extract in the base.
Peppermint is my favorite ice cream flavor! I’m coming over!
If there’s chocolate sauce, I’m right on your heels.
Bring an umbrella!
Slept for 10.
Sister had no reactions from first part of vaccine.
Sipping coffee in bathrobe wafting le lion
Some online classes today, mail a package and clean house.
Great news! And good luck with the tasks
Yay, great news about your sister! I have a close friend who is getting her first shot today — my first IRL friend to be vaccinated.
I am so relieved be even more relieved when second shot done.
There are many teachers and healthcare friends on nst and I wish you all vaccinations as quickly as possible.
Wearing Trayee from a decant with about 3 sprays left, so I’ll either thunk it today if I need to refresh or in January. Sometimes I find the initial phase cloying, but luckily it’s all good today.
Robin, you smell great. I still have an old bottle of Tropical Vial. The perfume has definitely morphed over time (and the juice has darkened) due to all those natural ingredients. It’s now a bit gasoliney when you first spray it, but after a bit it still smells like what I remember.
Absolutely cannot wait to have another three day weekend, and this one will be even better because my big work deadline will be behind me.
I was wondering how much the scent has morphed. It has to have. But it really does smell great.
I really miss some of the older SIPs. She really whittled down the line, understandably.
Btw, just got an email this morning that they’re doing 20% off tomorrow through Monday.
Even at 20% they are too rich for my wallet. But I do really like the line and it’s a shame they don’t get more attention.
Their full size bottles have always been too rich for me too, so all my bottles except for one were eBay finds or swaps. But now they do offer a 15ml bottle for $70. I haven’t bought one of those yet.
Last day of 2020 in my part of the world, and I’ll be glad to see the back of it. Such a great science fictiony number but so rubbish.
We’re having a very quiet New Year’s Eve, and I’m happily contemplating a suitable perfume. I might go with Theorema, which has had a few mentions recently. Or maybe Jovoy Remember Me, it’s an appropriate name for the evening.
Happy New Year, Gaynor!
Enjoy your New Year’s Eve, Gaynor!
Happy new year! I plan to smudge out the bad juju of 2020 with palo santo wood.
And I was planning to do that by wearing Smudge.
Good idea – I will pull it out for tomorrow.
Oooh, lovely idea, that smudging!
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year’s Eve, and a very happy and healthy 2021!
Happy New Year, Gaynor!
Well, I started out in Rogue Ishtar, which is very much like vintage Polo. I don’t mind! It burned off and now I’m enjoying Opium Fleur de Shanghai. Drinking a Topo Chico and wearing a sundress and sandals. It’s 76 degrees and muggy here in Houston. Come on, cold front!
I have ingredients sitting out to come to room temp for the David Lebovitz banana cake. Adding an espresso cream cheese icing from another recipe.
Oh, listening to the Enya Christmas album. I never get through all of my Christmas music during the holidays, but I’m trying!
That cake sounds great! I’ve only made his ginger cake but it is amazing. Incredible ginger overload.
I know it’s too hot and muggy for you, but I envy the sundress and sandals!
I agree, Nancy, I am ready for it to cool off some so I can wear sweaters for at least a day or two this “winter”!
Oh, that cake and icing mix sounds fantastic!!
Envying your warm weather today!
Started the day with Spiced Chai soap from Etta and Billie. Carried through the theme with Jaipur Chai by Ineke. Decided to go ALL IN with cardamom coffee😉
Perfect!!
In SL UneVoix Noire during the day but this evening I switched to Pure Malt which is probably my favorite Mugler.
Have prepared crêpes batter for tomorrow.
Oh nice, what kind of crepes are you making?
Mushroom filling, gouda cheese and jam for dessert.
NICE, that sounds delicious.
Those crepes sound yummy!
And you know, so easy to make and very festive.
Crepes sound much more classy than pancakes do to me.
A new car in my garage and SOTD is Tabu. I’m going to be buying cheap thrills if anything in 2021.
Congrats on the new car and you smell fabulous!
🙌🙌 on the new car!!
Congrats! Enjoy your new car!
Congratulations!
Congrats on the new car!
Got about 5 inches of snow overnight! Decided to spray on a bunch of Heure Exquise as my sotd to counteract this.
Can’t wait for this year to be over; 2020, don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
You smell fabulous, Gail!
We are welcoming the New Year with heavy rain and strong winds. I’d better not complain!
Thank you! It’s smelling like extra powdery goodness today. I just re-upped with a few more sprays!
5 inches!! Sorry.
Is 5 inches considered major where you are, or is it more like nuisance snow?
More like “nuisance snow”. We don’t usually get decent snow til
late January or February so that’s a bit ‘all at once’ here this early.
We do have a few ski areas so they will be happy with it since they would have gotten way more in the mountains. I’m definitely a fair-weather girl since I’ve gotten older and am probably also missing my annual trip to warmer climates too! Hopefully next year☀️🌞
In the November 2019 Scent Trunk fragrance from perfumer Tyler Monk based on Spanish Pennyroyal with fresh cut trees, orange, carrot, peony rose, chestnut, anise, labdanum, balsam fir, agar and tobacco.
I love the word “Pennyroyal”
Thanks to the NSTer who mentioned Scent Trunk offerings. I’ve had fun exploring.
It makes me think of the line ‘Don’t you want some Pennyroyal Tea?’ which rhymes with something to do with ‘Me’ in some or other Nirvana song!
Sorry about the total non sequitur!
Not a non sequitar at all! I’m going to look up the lyrics.
Here we go:
Sit and drink Pennyroyal Tea
Distill the life that’s inside of me
Sit and drink Pennyroyal Tea
I’m anemic royalty
That’s disturbing, but it wasn’t unusual for Nirvana to do songs with disturbing lyrics. Pennyroyal tea is said to act as an abortifacient, but from what I understand, the amount of pennyroyal a pregnant woman would need to ingest for it to possibly have that effect is more likely to have the effect of seriously damaging a person’s kidneys. Medical people, please correct me if I’m wrong.
Don’t get me wrong about the music, though — I like Nirvana’s music. I was a young woman in the 1990s, so that was kind of my era. I liked music from before my time, too, like classic rock, heavy metal, some punk, and some of the glam and New Wave styles of music and appearance.
Oh! I never knew it had a reputation as a possible abortifacient. I thought it was a nonsense rhyme – interesting!
I’m the kind of person who will say, “Here’s this weird but interesting little fact or myth.” I especially do that when the subjects are plants or animals.
And then a lot of times the person I’m talking to will look at me and say, “Oookaay,” and perhaps start backing away slowly.
I guess over the years I’ve stayed curious about the natural world, and kept my interest in learning weird little facts and trying to make connections.
Also I’ll drop right into speculating about ambiguous song lyrics. lol. My brother was a huge fan of Pearl Jam around that time, but I remember that as much more trying to figure out what the heck the words actually were.
Heh I have this same travel spray and can’t help but think of the Nirvana song too.
How interesting. I have no idea whatsoever of what pennyroyal smells like. Do tell!
Mint family, smells rather sharper (perhaps more bitter?) than other members of that family to me. Pennyroyal tea is *not* good for one’s health. However, the low-growing plant with small leaves is considered by some gardeners and landscape folks to be pleasant to walk on, since you’ll get that scent.
Oh yay, glad you’re enjoying an exploration of their offerings! It was me who mentioned the line. I’m already plotting which few to try next.
Wearing Taunt by Dedcool. I finally was able to get my car’s registration transferred to North Carolina after 4 different days and hiccups – man, moving to another state is a pain in the behind.
Yes, changing ‘state of residence’ is a complete PITA.
I’m wearing La Liturgie des Heures today and eating leftover beef tikka. It’s raining hard at my house, and my legs feel tired, so I will clean house today and take a rest day from walking.
Someone here mentioned the Netflix mockumentary Death to 2020 and I watched it with great hilarity – but also with a little grief – last night. I think I’m going to watch it AGAIN while the New Year comes in
This morning I layered Sel de Vetiver and Bois de Iris which was pretty nice and tonight I’m in a spritz of Infusion d’Oeillet which manages to be powdery and finished but also gives me bubblegum vibes!
My bottle of Infusion d’ Oeillet almost got picked up for wear today! I think it will be worn next week.
I don’t wear it enough!
Oh, my favorite character was the red-haired gal who was “one of the five most average people on the planet”. Her facial expressions were brilliant.
They were! But I think my favourite was the psychologist: since humans are social beings this was a disaster. I mean – most human beings – I hate people so it was great for me.
I think I need to rewatch it! 🤣
Aedes Oeillet Bengale, which has to be one of my favorites. The husband even commented how gorgeous it smelled. (So happy I was able to score extra of this) Met friends at Grand Central at 9:30 to head up to the Botanical Gardens for the train show. I’ve never been. With COVID protocols, they are vastly limiting attendance, which is great. Of course, I had to buy all sorts of sale holiday items in the gift shop…
Got my sister a cappuccino cup and saucer from Cafe Grumpy just for kicks and grins…I hope she gets the joke…
Should probably do some food shopping in order to hunker down in front of the TV for football on the 1st. It’s pretty much all football all the time here….(I just start reading a book when I get sick of it.)
You smell fabulous! I have a small bottle of that waiting for me on the other side of the border, if it ever opens up again.
Before I forget, Happy New Year to everyone! At least this holiday greeting isn’t quite as early for the folks who live in Australia and New Zealand as it is for residents of North America. I’ve been sporadic in communicating with anyone, so I’m trying to go for earlier rather than a couple of days late with holiday wishes.
To answer Jalapeno’s question, I’m not planning on going anywhere or doing anything in particular to celebrate the holiday. Then again, I haven’t really felt like going anywhere or doing anything for several days. I’ve made it to the library and a couple of local grocery stores a few times in the past couple of weeks, and that’s about it.
Dad and I have been doing a fair amount of bird-watching, at least watching the birds at our own birdfeeder. Dad has been reading through the field guide to birds of Pennsylvania, and going back to check on details. I’ve also been consulting the Sibley guide to birds and other books for more details on the visitors to the birdfeeders and suet. “Large for a sparrow” in referring to the white-throated sparrow cracks me up. The tufted titmouse being “our largest titmouse” in the U.S. is still not a notably large bird. And even a large sparrow only weighs a fraction of an ounce. However, watching them is keeping us off the streets and out of trouble, so that’s good.
Lol, you are so droll, neyronrose!
We have only very common birds here: grackles, sparrows, bluejays, doves, pigeons. Even so I am glad I bought a bird feeder because it provides a lot of entertainment to my cats.
^^ THIS ^^
My cat sits on the piano and tries to jump at the bird feeder. 
Glad to hear that you are provisioned up for New Years! And yay for staying out of trouble, thanks to the birdfeeder. I wish we could have one, but they are explicitly banned by my HOA. It might be for the best, though, since we have a lot of squirrels and chipmunks around.
Wow, it got dark early today, around 3:30, and I turned on all my lights. The forecast rain has arrived, big time! (I could say “bigly”…. ha ha.)
Thank you everyone for being so kind and supportive about Mom’s positive Covid-19 test yesterday. Our dispersed family was able to talk with her on Zoom today and, happily, she seemed good! The test was done before Christmas so maybe if she is tested next week and gets a negative she can still be in line for a vaccination in the week of the 9th. Several of my friends have already got appointments for their vaccinations here, I’m glad to say–they’re over 75 and got notices from doctors or hospitals. I’m feeling OK but my hand numbness is taking the zest out of my cooking activities, so today I went overboard buying nice prepared meals for the time being. On tap for tonight is seafood-stuffed salmon with asparagus–yum! I got a VERY fun belated Christmas present from a good friend last night–it’s on my Instagram page. I’ll put a link here. (If you want to see it but can’t, let me know, and I will provide access–it’s private due to weirdos.).
Can you believe I wrote all this without mentioning perfume?! Shame! I am wearing Dragonfly today, one of my few FB purchases this year. It’s very delicate (appropriately) and light, and is one of those perfumes that creates a kind of little soft pillow around your head and makes you feel calm and pretty. No doubt not for everyone, but I do recommend trying it!
Are you referring to your beefcake … oooops … KITTEN, KITTEN, yes, KITTEN calendar?
That salmon dish sounds so good! 😋
Calypso, where are you located? Curious as we’re trying to predict when my 85 yo grandmother might be up for the vaccine. I’ve read the next phase might include over 75s… but then she heard something very contradictory from another friend.
I’m in Houston. The over-75s are now being contacted here, as I know from a couple of friends. Their hospital contacted them and said appointments are available starting the 4th. Good luck to your grandmother.
Comic of the Day: https://www.gocomics.com/thebuckets/2020/12/30
It’s been a long day already, NSTers. The smoke detector in our bedroom malfunctioned at 5-something this morning, waking us up and terrifying the cats. After the scramble to turn it off and figure out why it went off, the stupid thing did it again about 15 minutes later. No smoke or fire, thankfully. The detector itself might be going bad. Bleurgh.
SOTD = back in Mugler Les Exceptions Supra Floral. I do like it, but maybe I shouldn’t have worn perfume today due to sleep deprivation. I’m grumpy and headache-y, which aren’t the best perfume-wearing moods and/or situations.
You smell super good but sorry about the smoke detector!
Thanks. It ranks up there for “Most Unpleasant Way to Wake Up” for sure!
Would have probably almost given me a heart attack!
We had a carbon monoxide detector that did that a few years ago. You are correct, it’s probably starting to fail.
Sorry you had what sounds like a disaster day, hope you will have a restful night and be in the mood to celebrate tomorrow.
Definitely a bad start, but the day did get better as it went on. The best part will be falling asleep tonight.
Wearing Smell Bent Shewolf and putting together a Top 20 Films of 2020 list. Kind of refreshing not having so many loud and overstuffed blockbusters to sort through.
Where will you post your movie list?
Letterboxd and Twitter! I can link you if you want, it’ll be mostly women-centric and genre heavy haha