Saturday is International Polar Bear Day (and Pokémon Day). We're hanging around with our same old open thread poll, just waiting for February to end. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the fragrance you're thinking you might buy in March, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Polar Bear [cropped] by NOAA Ocean Exploration & Research at flickr; some rights reserved.
Hello nsters
Slept for 11 straight.
Having coffee in robe that is wafting a combo of all fragrance worn this week.
I sampled CDG rouge this past week. A little first day and liked it. More the next day and nope! Money saved.
Vaccine #2 day
Mom gone 4 years tomorrow. She would be 99. And wearing tabu and night of Olay.
Wow. I got almost exactly half that in sleep. (I slept well…just early alarm)
I haven’t slept 11 hours since I was a teen. How do you do that? Yay for vaccine #2. I can’t wait to get my first one.
I hope this anniversary of your mom’s passing brings you good memories of her.
Sheer exhaustion does it. I get up at 4:30 for early meetings during the week.
I do have have wonderful memories of both my parents. My parents were kids through the depression and a lot of the last year has been drawing on their stories of those worst hard times.
Again I am profoundly grateful they are not here for this.
Anniversaries of loved ones gone are always hard.
Hugs
Olympic level sleeping! I too can still sleep for many many hours straight and am glad for it. I hear you about missing parents and being very glad that they are not here for this. An odd and difficult kind of melancholy
I think about this often apsara, how glad I am that my dad died just in the nick of time at the beginning of March 2020. If he had to die at least he died in peace. If he’d known he was leaving his wife during a pandemic, (or about many other things that happened in 2020) he would never have been able to die as well as he did, or die at home, as was his wish.
Did your mom wear Tabu all the time, most of her life? That is a wonderful scent memory either way!
I love it when my mom tells me her stories of growing up in the Depression, then WWII. My dad had great stories too, and I am so grateful he missed the pandemic.
Thank you for the report on Red! I’ve been curious.
I hope you have time to sit with memories of your mother this weekend.
thanks for all the words about mom. She was tough customer, but my sister and I are grateful for everything our parents did for us and miss them.
I hope you have had a peaceful time on your mums anniversary apsara, and found time to be kind to yourself.
Sleep is a valuable tool for working through grief.
Sending hugs on your mom’s anniversary ?.
Big hugs to as you remember your mother.
Oh I love it when my robe is wafting a variety of scents!
me too!
Sending you hugs as you remember your Mom.
Woo hoo on the sleep. Hugs on memories of mom!
I love those combo moments, a little bit of Wrappings, Aromatics Elixir, Angel – a mish mash!
Smokey also has that mish mash of scents. He usually cuddles up on my robe. 🙂
It’s become a cliche, but I hope the memory is a blessing.
That is never a cliche, Dilana.
Sampling PdE Ambre Russe. (Are there polar bears in Russia?)
Holy crow, what a beautiful scent. I was always afraid of amber as being too heavy and oriental, but this is soft and lovely. A full bottle in March?
FREEBIE alert:
#1. SAMPLES GRAB BAG: Diptyque Eau de Menthe, Gallivant Brooklyn, Tauer Les Annes 25, Aedes Musc Ensensee, Fazzolari Corpse Reviver, Gallivant Los Angeles, Ormonde Jayne Montabaco, Lutens Participe Passe, and a couple surprises.
#2. DECANT GRAB BAG: Shalimar edp, Maria Gentile Sideris, Lutens Feminite du Bois, Lutens Santal Majuscule, Dior Grand Bal, Masque Milano Romanza, Guerlain Baiser de Russie, DS&Durga Freetrapper
USA only please.
Please dibs here and sarahbneuner in g male
Thank you!
You smell great! It’s a lovely fragrance.
That #2 is fabulous, but I’m not doing dibs – I need to stop collecting for the short term!
I know how you feel. I’ve got so many lovely bottles, and I want to clear out what I know I won’t use.
Oh, wow. Could I dibs on the decants? I have yet to dip my toe into the Lutens pool and would love to start.
Of course you can!
Yay! Thank you!
Heads up that my gee male name is unrelated to my username & has a moon in it.
You will love Santal Majuscule! Isn’t NST too wonderful?
I have been curious about the Gallivant house, the iris one Bukhara I think its called
This is so tempting! May I have dibs on 1, please. Thanks!
You got it!
Russia does have polar bears–Wrangel Island is a restricted polar bear denning area, and Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya have bears, too.
You smell wonderful ?
Time for some belated birthday cake at home with family. I’ll have a little mild coffee with that.
Wearing Le Jardin de Monsieur Li today.
It’s almost 10°C today which is way higher than our standard temps at the end of February. I wonder if spring will come now or if winter will make a return and surprise everyne.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLy76M_huT7/?igshid=86px6ryeasd0
Happy belated birthday! I have been awol here.
Awesome photo!
Have a great family time!
Mmm…enjoy the birthday cake and great photo.
Happy belated birthday!
Happy birthday a tad late!
Thanks! I appreciate all the wishes, on time or a little late ?
Happy birthday to you lucasai! ?
Yay for some surprise warmer weather! I used to live in a part of the US (Minnesota) where one could expect it to stay below freezing for many months at a time. The unexpectedly warmer days in February or March were such a welcome tease of spring! We’re spoiled by much more temperate weather where I live now. We might get some truly warm days in February–proper tshirt weather–to tease us for the coming of spring and summer.
You smell great and I hope you enjoyed time with family!
Central Europe: sixth winter in a row that’s too warm (almost 2°C). quite scary. Happy B’day!
SOTM is Hermes Bel Ami. I don’t know its vintage – it’s a decant acquired in 2012 or so – but if I stumbled on a FB of this somewhere I’d jump on it. After reading Kevin’s review of it here, not sure how old a vintage I’d feel comfortable in as Bel Ami’s original formula sounds somewhat harsh (for such as me), but finding one from the 2000s or 2010s would make me very happy.
House twins
Happy birthday, twin! ?
Thanks
I’ve had the vintage Bel Ami (in the cocktail shaker bottle); if you have skin that mellows leathers and woods, it will probably work beautifully. If the vintage is too much of a good thing, the modern is more sheer and transparent, so don’t rule it out.
I have vintage and modern versions of both Amazone and Bel Ami. The vintage is more intense, nuanced, with more depth. The modern versions are nice and well-done, the relation is identifiable, but newer versions are lighter and sheer.
Thank you for all this detail! I have long lusted after the cocktail shaker bottle (being a huge fan of a well-constructed cocktail), but haven’t been too sure that the contents would agree with me. Sounds like they would!
No fragrance yet, although I’m sifting through my spreadsheet and thinking a rollerball – Nirvana French Grey. It’s warming up here, the snow is almost gone. I’m on day 58 of my 365 perfumes project and so far, it has been pretty easy to wear something different each day, it’s definitely forcing me to really look through my entire collection instead of just grabbing the favorites at the front of the closet. We’ll see how i feel after 158 days!
Sounds like a fun project!
Yay! And 58 days already – wow!
Warming up here too but we have so much snow left!
I’m sure you can do it! Still piles of snow and the ground is WET. There’s going to be plenty of work for the landscaping service.
I’m wearing Dear Polly but I also have Ta’if lingering on my sweater from yesterday. Both very nice and comforting.
I’m feeling this urge to get some new samples, but I want to wait for the new Diptyque to be released so I can include that as well.
Nice breezy spring weather, lazy Saturday, it makes up for the overtime yesterday.
Mmmmm yummy smelling.
Thanks! 🙂
You smell great!
Thank you! 🙂
SOTD is Luna Rosa. The packaging on the sample indicates that this absolutely a masculine scent. (I forget if the phrase was absolutely on unmistakably or another similar adjective). Well, I think its charming, even though I am not masculine.
The Prada, right? Would agree with charming.
The Prada. Is there another one with the same name.
I know so few new fragrances that I am never sure 🙂
I’m in Sandelsun and loving it. Warm, creamy, a winner with the hubster too.
We just got a new polar bear at our local Como Park zoo in St Paul MN.
Nan, who’s unfortunately bounced around to several places but she’s got a home now. They had video of her happily rolling in the snow and swimming in the large pool.
Omg, Como park zoo! Now that is a blast from my past. I went there as a little kid.
We were married in the Sunken Garden in the Conservatory, during the spring flower display. 32 years ago this May!
I used to work near Como Park and would go for a walk there every day to decompress before going home. I loved it!
Adding to the Como Park love! I went to Macalester College, and I’d take the bus there to get away for a nearly-free outing when I couldn’t afford to do much else. I loved the lemurs and tried to volunteer there after I returned from Madagascar, but they weren’t interested in someone who was a “specialist.” Oh well.
Glad to hear about the new polar bear! The polar bear exhibit is definitely a highlight!
I’m in Coromandel.
I woke up to blue skies and sun.? We are supposed to be close to 50 today! The snow is melting and I need to get out later for a walk and soak up some rays. I’ve been sleeping like a log this week and having really interesting dreams. Off work til Tuesday.?
FREEBIE: a box of about 15 samples. Email me p k wisdom(one word) in the land of yahooo.
Enjoy your time off! I will see 49 tomorrow ?
No sun here today but it was out this week and I bundled up and sat and walked outside, just to get the sun on my face.
Hi Madtown, I would like to call dibs if you don’t mind.
You smell great!
Hello everybody!
Its been many moons since I last commented here on NST and I feel a little ‘scared’. I do still keep reading but why I stopped commented has something to do with my moving to Tokyo, Japan.
Japan is a country where the people are nice and they try not to offend anyone and their senses (yes I know, smell!) so they don’t really use perfume and I kind of got pressurised into toning down my daily spritz as well. That with the fact that niche perfumes are super expensive and hard to come by, I feel further and further away from my lovely perfume community day by day. Before I knew it, I was so far away and I felt difficult in commenting because I felt I have nothing new to offer.
Don’t get me wrong I still love to read about new launches and reviews but I didn’t know where to dip back in and comment… :”(
Finally this week I feel like I need to be back and “no day is better than an open thread!”, so here I am NSTers!
My perfume game is pretty weak now so please be nice XD :))
Ohayo!
Go visit Parfum Satori at her atelier near Ginza. She will help you find a fragrance you can wear anywhere!
Ohayo!
I will definitely go check it out! 😀
She moved to Roppongi – close to train stop and is lovely person.
welcome back!
I am sure Japan has many beautiful fragrances
Not to mention incense
And tea! Beautiful teas!
So nice to see you! You are always welcome and welcome to comment whatever you wear (even if nothing). But I hope that if you enjoy wearing perfume, you will be able to do it again comfortably at some point.
I just ordered a sample of Satori from Parfum Satori. I wonder if you could also find J-Scent perfumes there. Some of them seem really interesting.
Good to see you!
Welcome back! Asia is definitely its own land in terms of scent profiles, hope you manage to find some scents while you’re out there that fly lower on the radar!
It’s lovely to see you!
One of the few good sides of the pandemic in the US has been that I am working from home and can spray with abandon without concern for offending anyone. At the same time, the pandemic has made me wish that we shared some of Japan’s other concerns for not intruding on people’s personal space. Lol.
Glad to see you here, again!
Maybe you can report on what perfumes you do smell people wearing from time to time – I have a memory of a rose-sandalwood scent that I encountered in public places. My two visits to Japan are among the highlights of my life, and a little bit of my heart is always in Japan. Have you been able to climb to the top of Mt. Fuji, or at least some of the way up from the base – it is just a must-do?!
I second springpansy…nobody here cares if you are wearing perfume or not, you are always welcome!
Are you liking Tokyo?
I am happy to be back!
Tokyo is very nice. The place is this amazing blend of modern and tradition and the food, oh the food, so so good. I really am enjoying my time here
That’s wonderful.
Hello! Nice to see you again! Do you follow Neil Chapman at Black Narcissus? Also a perfume lover and author living in Japan. Check it out if you have not already. Also, Parfum Satori!
I haven’t no but I will be checking them out for sure!
Welcome back! I second, third and fourth Parfum Satori!
Hi, nice to see you! ?
Welcome back! I am happy to see you. 🙂
Happy to hear from you. And I think just reading, is a perfectly, lovely way to enjoy the blog.
Wow, I would love to work in Tokyo for some time. We went there 2 years ago and I still dream of the great food we ate.
Hello there! Good to see you back! As a few other posters and Robin have said, don’t feel like you need to be wearing perfume in order to interact here.
In Tom Ford Noir de Noir. Gorgeous morning here in Seattle. I started off my day with an hour long yoga video from Five Parks Yoga (another favorite of mine along with Adriene and Sarah Beth Yoga). I’ve got lots of chores for today, but still enjoying my coffee for the moment. Happy Saturday, all!
Is there still snow on the ground there?
Nope. It was gone pretty fast!
Sounds like a relaxing morning. Can you exercise for me too..I missed mine this morning.
When my 3 were little, I rarely got to exercise in the mornings!
Can you exercise for me too? I missed mine this century ?
You smell wonderful!
I just finished this dynamic/isometric yoga practice from IG. I love this channel. My biscuits will be burning tomorrow morning! 🙂
https://www.instagram.com/p/CELerK6pJGK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
I’m sampling Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle today. Pretty, fresh, bright, floral and fruity. Good for a little emotional uplift, and I’m not sad about that. Peeling a grapefruit would give me a better bang for my buck, though, so money saved.
Got my first vaccine shot yesterday, and I am happyhappyhappy.
YayYayYay!
Happyhappyhappy for you as well!
Hooray!
Congratulations on the shot!
Yay for your vaccine!
happy happy for you.
YAY for you!
Good you got it and I hope you won’t have any troubling side-effects! I got my first one also on Weds and have felt extremely tired ever since, but then, I’m often tired. It’s a real step forward in confidence, isn’t it?
I was super tired after my first shot, for about 2.5 days. Slept 9.5 hours the first night. Have yet to get the second.
A day and a half later, and no significant side effects. The muscle around the injection site got a little sore about 12 hours in, but that was temporary. As for tiredness, it doesn’t feel like I have been unusually tired, though it’s hard to tell — these days, I seem to exist in a land of perpetual, vague, and low-level weariness. The upshot (see what I did there) is that I’ve experienced no serious side effects, and I’m scheduled for my second shot in about 4 weeks.
Yay on the first shot!
DH & I scheduled for 1st shot this Saturday – so happy you’re halfway there!
W00t w00t w00t!
Sandalsun
Sandalwood and Hazelnut
It was a wet morning at the farmers market, I am feeling blah, missed my gym appointment and can’t seem to fully wake up.
Trying out a new skincare Vitamin C serum by LRP.
Finishing up the last book in The Shadow and Bone series. I am in love with the Darkling, which is the wicked character in this series. Netflix released their trailer and I am happy with the casting for this one.
The wicked characters are sometimes more compelling…
And in my mind he is ? and alluring
We shall see how this book ends
Wearing Absolute Aphrodisiac today from a kind NSTer which is hitting the spot today. Funny how some days you pick the right perfume and other days it’s a miss somehow…even when it’s one you love…
Thanks for so many well wishes yesterday.? Wondering if I should request PT to improve range of motion, etc. for my neck. There’s no pain but definitely stiff and a bit sore by end of day.
I missed what happened She-ra. I haven’t been reading here because so much computer time is doing a real number on my neck. Related issue? Or did you have an injury? Sorry to hear it regardless!
Thanks, Amy. I fractured a vertebra in a car accident and had a collar on for several weeks. But I also am working from home and it really has taken a toll in my neck and back too.
I think PT would be a great idea.
Definitely PT and if you don’t already have a sit-stand desk, maybe invest in one.
I definitely recommend PT after a prolonged period in a cast or brace if you can swing it!
Usually your muscles are just a tiny bit atrophied and/or sometimes remembering the injury trauma and engaging in slightly different ways than before.
It’s so great and stress-relieving to have a therapist take a look at what’s going on and make some recommendations on how to get back to 100%.
It takes that pressure off you to guess what normal is or should feel like in the recovery process.
Thanks, teebear, excellent points…going to message my doc.
I had a sciatica attack some years ago, and it was amazing what a few simple changes and exercises recommended by my PT’pist did. I have never had it since!
Also going to recommend PT or possibly Reiki.
Hajusuuri turned me on to Scent Trunk and I am currently wearing September 2019, with saffron as the key player. I really like it. Cardamon, saffron, something slightly milky. There are a number of real treasures in their offerings I think, and the price is right for 5ml to try things out.
Cardamom, saffron, and something milky sounds fantastic, like a great chai. You smell marvelous.
This sounds very intriguing. Does it smell anything like Safran Troublant?!
Somehow I have never smelled Safran Troublant!
? on the enabler pin.
Surely you can barely stand up now for the weight of all those pins. ?
LOL, I have a sash and at some point, I may need to wear a vest ?
Hey guys:). Love polar bears. Wearing SDV Guerlain. That smokey dry down though:). Yum
Yep, you smell great!
Hey there stranger??
Wearing Gallivant Bukhara.
Grey, rainy day, but we will be in the 50’s today, so I will take it!
I am glad I was finally able, very early this morning, to get the first Covid vaccine appointment for my mother in two weeks. She is very relieved about it.
Peeps report:
-The Hot Tamales Fierce Cinnamon flavor is not what I was expecting. They are not spicy at all. Nice cinnamon flavor though and I love the intense dark red color. I may buy more when on sale.
– The Root Beer flavor is a winner. Love the flavor and I will definitely purchase more when they go on sale after Easter.
– The Party Cake flavor is a no, no for me. When opening the bag the smell of vanilla birthday cake was really good, but it doesn’t taste of anything. Super boring. For vanilla, the plain, original ones are better.
I saw at CVS (no affiliation) scented peep plush bunnies. They are extremely soft and adorable. I thought about getting some for my nieces for Easter, but I am sure they won’t appreciate them yet.
Now, back to my cleaning day at home!
Happy weekend! ?
I have those plush Peeps! They are adorable and at least the little girls could fling them about – go for it! The root beers ones *may* slip into my shopping basket later today, LOL!
Oh my! I will grab those plushes tomorrow then!
Go for the root beer ones! They are really fun! LOL!
Or if you have a Whole Foods near you, I saw the most adorable bunnies that are 4 – 5 inches tall and is filled with grains that are light and makes a shsh noise. They’re plump and can sit up pretty nicely.
Oh! Thanks for the info! I will check Whole Food for sure!
I am so happy for your mother!
Thank you, Sistine!
Root beer Peeps make my heart beat a little faster 😀 thanks for the sweet report!
?
Serious thanks for the peeps report. And yay for your mom!!
Thank you, Robin! Mom feels less anxious now knowing she doesn’t have to wait too long anymore. Hope the weather doesn’t mess it up!
Hooray on getting your mom an vaccine appointment, you must be relieved! Fingers crossed that nothing will stand in the way.
Bukhara sounds like a good pick for cleaning day! A very clean and versatile scent.
Thank you, Tulipani!
I have to get myself a sample of Bukhara. Do you love it?
I had such high hopes for the Hot Tamales Peeps; too bad they didn’t live up to expectations. And congratulations on securing an appointment for your Mom; that is great news indeed!
Thank you, Gail. I am very glad for mom, too.
If the peeps were spicy they would have been my favorite ones. Still good and fun to try.
I love Bukhara and I think it is full bottle worthy, if one likes carroty iris scents.
I wore Bukhara yesterday. It is a good one!
Isn’t it? A beautiful iris scent!
Great news for your mom, having the vaccine is such a mental health boost.
Thank you, ringthing! She is excited and relieved about it.
I just got my first vaccine shot – yay! I’m wearing Odeur 53. I have a 200 ml bottle – it’s a freaking brick. If I ever have to throw a perfume bottle at a burglar, that’s the one I’ll choose.
It’s supposed to be 77 degrees here tomorrow – everyone is invited over for drinks on the deck!
Me, too, sistine! So happy for you – it felt like a great relief. No letting up on the safety measures yet, of course, but I did feel something inside me ease up yesterday after I received the shot.
ha! perfume bricks are the best kind of personal protection 🙂
Curious to know – does Odeur 53 smell smoky to you?
No – to me it smells like a combination of fog if you’re nowhere near an ocean and a busy Kinkos store at the end of the day.
Which sounds weird, but I think it smells great.
sounds like it’s all about those unusual ambient smells, then 😉 fun!
I love that description! Odeur 53 is excellent. From the times CdGs were fun.
So happy to see all these people getting jabs!!! Yay.
Congrats on getting the vaccine!
And love Odeur 53. My sister wore it in college, back in the late 90s/early 00s. She’s always been avant-garde!
Congratulations on getting the vaccine! Drinks sound wonderful!
Yay for your vaccine! ??
Happy for you with shot #1!
Congrats on the vaccine shot!
Odeur 53 is such a fun summer cologne. I would love a small bottle of it.
Congrats on getting your first dose!
I never made it over here yesterday, but I wore my sample of Dolly’s Scent from Above yesterday. For me, three words: delightful salty musk. I got very little of the other notes, very briefly at first. Today is watching the last of the snow melt; no SotD yet.
Dolly is such a gift to the world. I’m glad her perfume is getting some attention in the fragrance world.
Salty musk sounds more intriguing than the sweet floral that the bottle suggested.
Still sampling here, but I can see the bottom of the Sample Sea. YESSSS! I lost count of the samples I tried this past week but it must be over 100 by now. My husband commented that our trash smells GREAT lately, with all the perfumed test strips in there 🙂
FREEBIE: Mystery box of samples, about a pound of them (yup, really). US only, NST regulars only, ping me at emc dawt 7 1 1 7 in the land of gee-mail.
yay for freebies! I hope they find a happy new home 😀
May i make a dibs, Pixel? I am quite curious as to what a whole pound of samples looks like.
SotD = 34 boulevard St Germain
Found a long lost sample of this wonderfully funk-y scent while rummaging in the perfume cupboard for an envelope. Goodness, gosh, and gracious me! I forgot how much I love 34 boulevard St Germain. It smells deeply rich to start, then turns pungent and slightly overripe on my skin. The drydown is exceptionally delicious. Perhaps I should look for a bottle in the coming days. It’s been almost a year since I bought a bottle of perfume.
Stationery and stamps live in the perfume cupboard so they are enriched by the angels’ share of evaporated scents. A smelly little gift to the world, haha 🙂
My collection of greeting cards and post cards is decades old. I used to buy them as souvenirs when I traveled. Quite a few have gone out to family and friends in the past year, especially the postcards from Paris museums. It’s fun to remember when and where I bought them.
Last night I dreamed I was at my school site, happy to be working with students, and nobody was wearing masks. Educators are eligible for covid vaccine appointments in March, so I’m definitely ready to kick February to the curb.
34 Boulevard sounds great – adding to must sample list.
That’s a good dream! I keep dreaming that I went somewhere without my mask and everyone ostracized me and yelled at me. And of course, IRL, I never go anywhere without a mask!
do try 34bST is you can. 😀
I’m the same, a mask on everywhere I go
hahaha, I can’t type today,
meant to say,
do try 34bSG if you can! 😉
I love 34 Boulevard! Do you know if you have the EDT or EDP? I once came across a very interesting youtube review of the scent, where the guy shared that the EDP is supposed to be the smell of the Diptyque flagship store in the autumn/winter time of year, and the EDT of the spring/summer time. So fascinating. I’ve tried both side by side before and remember the EDT being airier. One was definitely spicier and more orange-y, but now I can’t remember which.
My sample is the EdT. The EdP might be the spicier one, but who knows. 😀 The EdT is rich and full but not dense, so it could be airier than the EdP. I will look for the EdP in future. Thanks for sharing the story, I imagine that Dyptique store smells like heaven.
It does…or at least the one on Madison and 76th was when I was there last 2 years ago.
my post-pandemic wish list includes smelling destinations, Dyptique will be at the top if I can make myself travel 😉
Pre-shower, I’m wafting lots of last night’s perfume – The Lover’s Tale from Francesca Bianchi. It’s got amazing longevity. I only recently tried this brand, and I’m really impressed. These are not light and subtle perfumes, they are substantial! I’d describe them as complex and animalic, and not too musky, which spoils a lot of perfumes for me that other people rave about.
I had trouble writing this on my tablet as I sit on the couch, one of our cats was having a moment of ecstatic affection – adorable, but awkward. I have cat hair all over me 🙂
Substantial, complex, and long-lasting?! Those are words to perk up my ears (nose?)!
I am liking them too Gaynor and you are right, they are potent! A small spritz is all I needed.. I liked Angel’s Dust in particular. Looking out for a sample of the new one, Tyger Tyger.
Love when cats do that! They’re so cute, who can move them away? Mine also puts her paw on top of my phone and forcefully drags it down while she stares intently, as if saying “pay attention to me!”
Ha ha, I was “attending” a philosophy colloquium yesterday afternoon via Zoom and my cat Teddy was lounging all over my keyboard. I took a pic of it and will post a link. He was down low enough that he didn’t show up (except occasionally his ears) in my own video stream.
Definitely a house of perfumes I want to try!
“Awkward and adorable” cat affection is so perfectly accurate, and they always manage to pick the clothes the least like their fur color, don’t they?
SOTD EL Sensuous. I probably haven’t reached for this one in a few years. Felt right for after my post-run soak in the tub today! It’s not a *great* scent, but I like it, and I think I smell good.
I’ve received both doses of the COVID vaccine now. In a few weeks, I will be as immune as I can be. Maybe I’ll be brave and go to IKEA. I was going to put in cabinets and countertops in our basement laundry room last year, but once COVID hit, I wasn’t willing to go be in a warehouse with dozens of strangers anymore. Might be a good project to return to for this spring/summer.
That’s wonderful! A friend has had both of hers and said it’s given her a great feeling of liberation. She’s still waiting to go anywhere, for two weeks, but wants to meet up for coffee or lunch once I’ve had my second one also.
Yay!
I look forward to having some friends who are vaccinated as well! Getting together for lunch sounds like a great way to celebrate! I wish everyone could get it all at once, though. If I had a magic wand, I would readily spread the vaccine around!
I was looking into Ikea countertops too but got intimidated by the self-measurements!
Our location offers in-house consultations and measurement assistance (for a price, deductible from the final cost). If they didn’t, I don’t think I’d be confident enough to do it, either. I’m not intimidated by the enormous jigsaw puzzle I know putting the cabinets together will be, but I want it to look *good* and not like I did it myself, even though I would be. 🙂
Hooray for both doses!! I can imagine that even after full vaccination, it’s still going to feel like a sea change for us all to slowly adapt the habits we’ve picked up over the last year of pandemia.
I’m looking at another 4-5 months before I’d be eligible so it’ll be close to 1½ years of masking, distancing and disinfecting.
I am immunocompromised (hence my earlier place in line), and all the research I’ve been able to dig up suggests that I am not expected to have as successful an immunity as someone who is not immunocompromised (although I’m certainly safer than not being inoculated). So, I will continue with the masking and distancing, and I appreciate those around me doing it, too, until more folks have gotten their vaccine. At least now, if I get it, they do not expect me to require hospitalization.
Marjorie Rose, a trip to Ikea is my number 1 post-vaccine shopping wish.
I find that reassuring, Robin! I feel like such a nerd, like I should be wanting a long vacation at the beach first, or something. 🙂
Ok I want the vacation too!! But meantime I have an impressive shopping list for Ikea, and did get an order shipped to me early on in the pandemic, but lately can’t seem to get one without paying big $$.
SOTD is Fille de Berlin. We’re having 80 degree weather in East Texas right now. I noticed today that my plum tree is in bloom.
It’s been quite balmy, hasn’t it? I’m glad to hear it’s blooming. It seems like so many things here are dead, I’ve been worrying about spring blossoms.
You smell great!
I’m wearing AA Ginger Piccante today. I took a walk but otherwise don’t feel like doing anything. I’m eligible for vaccination starting Monday, but the state just changed the process for booking appointments. I know the first days are going to be a fiasco, it is just the nature of big bureaucracy. Hoping to get jabbed by the end of the month.
You smell great
Good luck getting that shot, foxbins!
I chose Bergamote 22 since I’m about to go on a walk in this partly sunny day. It’s such a cheerful perfume. Looking forward to walking with my friend and picking up some cupcakes for tonight and some Mexican food for a late lunch.
Yum yum yum!
Bergamotte 22 is great. I am always dragged to the Le Labo counter to smell it. Enjoy the walk and the ☀️!
Bergamotte 22 is so joyful! One of my favorite orange blossom perfumes. Bond No. 9 Eau de NY is another OB favorite. 🙂
I’m re-testing some of my Perris Monte Carlo new samples, the bergamot and mandarin ones. Both are really good but the Arancia is the best still. Sitting on my porch sipping wine, it’s gray and balmy at 77 degrees here. I smell smokey barbecue from the very popular joint across the street. Wonder if I should begin registering complaints about the incessant meat smells as a (sort of) vegetarian?? Some people might really mind it, but I don’t. I have several writing deadlines coming up and need to knuckle down but I also need to take it easy after an extremely busy week with an online conference plus the usual other stuff. My getaway drug is the French cop TV show Spiral, sometimes compared with The Wire. It’s definitely in the same league. I’m in the fifth of eight seasons and not likely to do or watch much else for leisure until I finish it. It’s that good and that addictive, with some real surprises. Wow. (Warning: Very gory.) I made banana blueberry bread earlier this week and still have some. And I bought Girl Scout cookies today!–Peanut butter patties, my favorite! Yum! That box will disappear quickly!
I am curious about the Perris Monte line..tell me more
I’ve tried a few of their scents, Patchouli, Santal, and Oud – unfortunately, not much luck with them. There’s a little something grating in the opening that just doesn’t work…
Thanks for your opinion
I have and really love their Ylang Ylang and Patchouli Nosy Be. Both are quite potent and beautiful. Recently I bought some samples from Indigo of some newer perfumes they commissioned Jean-Claude Ellena to make. In fact I got the Mimosa one partly because you were talking about that note and got a bouquet. Here’s a link: https://perrismontecarlo.com/our-collections/
The rose and mimosa are gorgeous! I was more interested in their Italian collection and ordered most of those too except the cedar. You would probably enjoy these too. I’m wearing the Bergamot one today. The Arancia is my favorite but this is second. It’s fruity and juicy but also has a kind of buttery aspect too. It’s growing on me. You should definitely try some of these! I think the mimosa smells quite real, but this note is maybe just a bit too sweet for my taste. I’d probably list their Y-Y scent as my top pick.
I like this line and have a sample their Mimosa coming my way
I predict you’ll like it!
A little late to the game. SOTD is Prada Candy. Just felt like something easy. Wish I could have chimed in yesterday, but better late than never. Wore vintage Lauren since I associate Ralph Lauren with great denim. Most Levi’s never fit me well, but I did have a pair that fit so well I bought a second pair, but that was about 10 lb ago. Sadly, not an ounce of Lycra in them.
Hey Sapphire! I was at Target this afternoon and there’s a whole display of Levi’s x Target collaboration that Inhabe not paid attention to. There was rack of jean jackets but was taken aback by the $80 price tag (says she who bought a jean jacket on clearance for all of $10).
Happy weekend, everyone!
SOTD is a little spritz of a NV Rahele sample, because someone mentioned it this past week. I’ve talked my husband into trying a bunch of Zoologist samples with me, I’m looking forward to that. He seemed a bit scared when I named off the animals: rhinoceros, civet, camel, and bat!
I baked an Ina Garten lemon yogurt loaf cake yesterday, because I have a lot of lemons from a neighbor’s tree. It turned out a bit… dense, maybe I overmixed the batter, not sure what went wrong. The recipe had me folding vegetable oil into the batter as the last step, something I’ve never done before. If I ever try it again, I might incorporate the oil earlier with the rest of the wet ingredients instead.
How fun that your husband will join you in sampling, be sure to post how it goes. And what a treat to have fresh lemons available.
Yay for fresh lemons! I would be tempted to make marmalade.
Zoologist is a brand I didn’t yet see in Germany. I understand he’d be scred…
RAHELE… You smell wonderful! I’m also cherishing the samples NV sent me.
SOTD is L’Ombre Dans L’Eau – such an interesting rose. I like its heft.
Off to take a run and see how the rose evolves.
You smell beautiful!
Thank you! You made my day.
Good!??
I was just thinking that would be perfect to welcome March tomorrow 🙂
I finally tried my sample of Pinrose Wild Child — mainly because the foil pouch kept jamming as I opened the top dresser drawer. After about ten seconds, it became a perfumed hair-product scrubber scent on me. I’ve held out for about an hour, and now my sinuses hurt. Off to scrub!
It’s been alternately sunny/cloudy/rainy here — and balmy for 27 Feb in the Finger Lakes. I graded some exams earlier today; as expected, the ones who had done the reading did fine, and everyone else is in C- / D range. (It was an open book, open note exam and I think some of the students assumed they could just find whatever they needed that way.) It’s a 100-level literature course so really, doing the reading is key!
I have nothing amusing or inspiring to report, alas!
Hopefully they learned something from the results!
I am taking some ongoing education right now, and always shudder seeing how few of my classmates are taking notes during class!
We finally had an open-book, open-note quiz in our third course of the certification; grading previously revolved largely around papers and group projects, and was incredibly lax.
One of our instructors informed us that we would be going over the results of the quiz this week “as a learning exercise” – which basically means enough people did poorly that they feel they need to review the material.
I am curious to see if they will curve the results, as it’s worth 20% of our grade.
Wore Chanel No. 19 Poudre today.
It’s sunny but still a cold wind blowing so I had to bundle up for my walk. When out shopping earlier I got some of my flower seeds; very thankful that I was able to get some repeats from last year (plus a few new ones) as they were good performers. My neighbour was so impressed with the Lavatera (I just threw the seeds into a pot and hoped for the best). Hurry up Spring!
My house came with 9 million flower boxes in the back yard. My mother had dreams of a beautiful garden. I tried in the beginning to make something grow, with zero success. Being that I’m incredibly lazy, is there any easy to grow seeds you would recommend?
I can be very lazy too! I just ended up scattering the seeds randomly into the pots, then covered them with additional handfuls of soil on top. Watered and pressed them down lightly so there was good contact with the soil. I did begin with a light soil mix from the garden center in each pot and then just watered them every few days. Some took a few weeks to sprout but I was so amazed that the little care I provided resulted in such nice flowers. ?☀️?
I got Lavatera (Rose Mallow), Zinnias and Cosmos; these were all fantastic for me last year. If I can do it, you can too. Good luck!
Thanks! What’s a good time to start? Should I wait until we won’t a frost? That could be May.
I started mine in May last year.
Seed tape is fun and easy to use, and it can come with mixes of flowers or herbs. It is a long narrow strip of paper into which the seed has been embedded at proper intervals. You just dig a small length of the soil, lay the seed tape down in it, cover it up. Other easy seeds are nasturtiums, as the seeds are quite large. The nasturtiums grow like weeds, and both flowers and leaves are edible, they look great in salads.
What a great idea!
you smell great
Thank you! It’s really nice, isn’t it.
Today’s scent is Incense Pure. Glad to see the snow is finally melting a bit, where you can actually see around the corner when you are driving. I prefer to see all the snow and ice with the polar bears, where it all belongs. I confess I kinda love this time of year, where spring is around the corner and you can almost feel the anticipation of new life in the earth. (but i love spring too). :0
You smell really good. Somehow, I ended up with 2 travel sprays and a 17mL (or maybe the volume was slightly adjusted) of this!
That one is so strong! I have to spritz into the air and walk into it
It’s 45 degrees here. Snow piles are melting and people are running around in tank tops, lol. Not me!
Sotd is TM Over the Musk. The best musk on the planet imo. Thanks to a generous Nster, I was able to spray away without worry today.
You smell wonderful!
I really do! I just got home from work and I can still smell it. 6 sprays even, lol! I know, I’m 2 short!
?
Ha ha!
You must be in the Midwest too if people see 45 degrees as tank top weather ?
Isn’t it funny how people react to milder temperatures? We live on a hill and the street and sidewalk were full of skateboards, bicycles, motorcycles, Amish buggies, runner/walkers, all in various types of dress.
Yep, you smell wonderful! I have a sample and it’s on the longer list….
SOTD = Les Indemodables Vanille Havane
Got my bottle and here I am – woot! Fruity boozy chocolate tobacco vanilla leather ???!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL0b2V1hZeo/?igshid=1o9pob38h8b44
In other news:
– I got woken up at 3AM. I thought I heard the doorbell, and it is NEVER good when your doorbell rings at that hour. I stealthily investigated but saw and heard nothing more. I went back to sleep and got up at a decent time.
– I met up with my sister, BIL and nephew for lunch. Oops, I wore my usual 8 sprays although I dosed myself at 9:30AM and there was not one complaint ?. Among other things, we also spoke about vaccines. I want the J&J one that just got approved for emergency use. It was tested on 40% more people in the U.S. AND 100% more on people outside the U.S. The efficacy statistics comparison tend to favor the 2 dose vaccines but you have to look under the hood. The J&J vaccine also uses the same technology as flu vaccines. With all these said, the advice is still to get whatever vaccine is available for you when you’re able to make an appointment.
– A friend’s father who is in his 90s and lives at home (no issues) was not able to get an appointment. ???♀️
There’s my guy! (Owl)
I have been thinking the same thing about the one shot vaccine. Being such a “what if worrier” It would be less stressful for me to just worry once.
True about having to worry only once!
Oh man that doorbell would have sent my heart racing!
That’s useful vaccine info, thanks
I’m still wondering what I actually heard! There were strange noises last night: evening around 9, I heard what sounded like fireworks but I couldn’t think of a celebration for which fireworks feature and then later on I heard what sounded like cats fighting (I hope they’re really house cats and not some other type of animal).
As to the vaccine, whichever type one gets, I hope it gets us to herd immunity.
That’s terrible about your friend’s father, everyone at that age should be able to get a vaccine without question.
I agree! I couldn’t believe it!
The distribution in Oregon has been exceptionally varied between one geographic region to another. The dense population of the Portland-metro area has led to many similar stories of qualified folks not getting a place in line as clinics use up all their spots within minutes of opening them. We really need production to increase!
It needs to be both but I am leaning towards better implementation. I think the J&J vaccine is a game changer.
I prefer the J&J one as well.
Some of my girlfriends don’t want the J&J one, not for the reasons you mentioned, but for their baby powder incident years ago
And I would rather get something familiar. I understand their concerns though but would wonder how much research they do before they take other drugs?
Hello everyone!
Sunday after the most busy weeks this year so far. Trying not to worry about the draught this winter, which is foreboding a scary summer like the last few.
To counterbalance the anxieties of lockdown and scary climate (winter’s been far too dry and warm), I ordered several sample sets through which I am working my way these days.
Impressed but not yet fully hooked on Dushaufour’s work for NEELA VERMEIRE. Faves so far: RAHELE [a very round, spicy, irisy rose], ASHOKA [wow, the ambre gris makes a difference!], TRAYEE [paraphrasing Tanja Sanchez: hippie material composed to French chic proportions].
Then there’s Etat Libre d’Orange. I’m particularly hooked on Archives 69 (Christine Nagel), which may be nice on any woman but imo makes a deliciously ambiguous masculine. Thanks to be festive opening and the unusual damson note this might be the first official white-musks-heavy composition that I actually love.
Less impressed by the highly praised Fat Electrician (too similar to other high quality vetivers), Tom of Finland and Jasmin & Cigarettes (both slightly nauseating, prob. due to some aromachemical I don’t digest well).
Best! L
oops *delete second sentence*
I’ve had mixed results from sampling Etat Libre d’Orange, have only liked a couple and don’t want bottles of anything.
I definitely need a bottle of the dark resinous Attaquer le Soleil. It’s quite unique, if you like labdanum, that is… Apart from that and my four samples I don’t know many.
Thank you for these excellent mini-reviews of two houses I know very little about! And, ambergris is something I love, so good to think about all the implications of extinctions.
Thank you! When I think of ambergris I typically think of the old Guerlains. I don’t want to imagine them without it, even though people say it’s not really discernible as a note.
The whale issue of course is connected to polar bear day… But well, fragrance is the world I usually flee to from these kinds of worries.
Just a very general question, hoping not to irritate anyone with my pessimism (or: realism).
As may have become clear from my slightly over-emphasising of the climate issue in the post above … ^^, and the news about the weakening gulf stream:
If the oceans continue to get messed up as currently, sperm whales could become extinct. Which could mean a future without real ambergris.
Imagine a world without ambergris! Every thought about this? I realised again in Ashoka how significant it is to a certain type of composition.
Since you asked … ambergris is pretty low on my list of perfume notes I enjoy so I won’t miss it. Of course this is not to say I don’t care about unusual weather.
Well, in a way I mentioned it because of the polar bears…
Many of the old Guerlains, for example, are what they are thanks to ambre gris. Don’t you like those?
Like which ones? The only older Guerlains I like are L’Heure Bleue and Shalimar.
Shalimar yes! I mean I don’t have access to secret recipes, but for Shalimar it’s listed in older booklets. Nowadays G. doesn’t publish long composition notes anymore.
L’Heure Bleue no. Then Mouchoir de Monsieur, Vol de Nuit, Mitsouko, and even some modern creation such as Encense Mythique d’Orient or Le Frenchy. I guess that Shalimar wouldn’t be the same without ambergris.
Spent much of yesterday running errands and tidying up garden for spring, including two new raised beds for a vegetable garden, which I’m excited to plant when the weather is just a touch warmer. Was thrilled to score a last minute beach rental for the coming week! My daughter who teaches has the week off, and my husband and I work remotely, so off to the beach we go! I really wanted her to have a true spring break, she’s been working hard in challenging circumstances. So I’ll spend much of today packing and getting things here squared away.
Have a great time!
Enjoy the beach!
That’s fantastic! Enjoy the beach.
How wonderful! Enjoy the beach!
Oh, I look forward to traveling again! Enjoy the beach a little extra for me!
Happy for this family trip for you!!!
Have fun!
Woke up in Dia for women this morning. Even though it is supposed to get into the mid 50’s, it going to be grey and wet. In no 5 edt while I go to the rare Sunday I have to work.
Ohhhh, Dia is gorgeous! And Chanel No. 5 is glorious stuff!
Hi all! My SOTD is vintage Chanel No. 5 extrait. About to shower, and get started on my homework for tonight’s zoom class meeting. I just completed this yoga isometric workout.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CELerK6pJGK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
There’s a crack in my phone screen, so I read yoga insomniacs workout ?
Also reading fast on break, lol
I do that all of the time! 🙂
Happy Sunday, everyone. Mom’s caretaker is free this weekend from her other jobs so I am enjoying a true weekend off. A mountain range of laundry awaits my attention but otherwise I’m content to sit with Larry the cat and watch the snow melt. Wearing Baghari today.
Enjoy your time to relax!
SOTD is Civet over Eucerin. I am craving tuberose, tuberose, these days. Eucerin is a very good drug store, non beauty skin lotion, so I am surprised how well Civet layers over it.
In the US, Neiman Marcus is a having a discount for certain levels of purchases of some brands, including some beauty brands. This includes Fracas, Roja, and the Estee Lauder empire, which includes Tom Ford Beauty and Frederick Malle Editions, as well as those perfumes marketed under the Estee name. So if you have been craving one of those gorgeous full bottles, you can actually get a meaningful discount. Alternately, some brands (such as Frederick Malle are offering “travel refills” that are effectively ten mil. decants. With the discount, these are below discounted down to eBay decanter’s prices, without having to worry about authenticity. My guess is that someone at Estee Lauder noticed the rise of the third party decanters and decided to adopt a “If you can’t beat em, join em strategy.”
I have no financial connection with either the store or the brands. Just an alert to fellow fume heads.
Thanks for the info. Bergdorfs is also having a Beauty Event starting today through March 10th. The reduction from the total ranges from $50 off $200 to $1,000 off $3,500, with additional tiers in between.
I have been looking through my makeup stash to see if I need anything from BG. Normally they only do 30 or 25 off a 200 dollar purchase, but this 50 off it very appealing.
That extra discount on the super high end should attract some Roma fans. That brand keeps adding the price levels.
What is Roma? Always curious about brands with which Au am not familiar.
I would be tempted to finally buy a bottle of Carnal Flower, but I haven’t sniffed it since FM was purchased. Anyone have any info on whether it’s changed?
I’m wearing Do Son today, from a rapidly dwindling sample. Is it too much to hope that diptyque will release those adorable 30 ml bottles again at some point? Wish I hadn’t snoozed on those.
It’s a gorgeous warm day. My mood has lifted so much – I hope everyone else is having a lovely Sunday!
You smell wonderful – I just recently got a sample of this from a generous NST’er!
Gabrielle Essence today. Its cold but I am spelling peachy
Does anyone have a Middle Eastern cookbook they recommend?
I have 2 but want to add another. This time around I want to take a few out of the library first and then see if I want to purchase. So far I have taken Mourad a New Moroccan out of the library but this is too meat heavy for me. The others I have on my list at the library are Artichoke to Za’atar, Suqar (desserts), and two by Sabrina Ghayour
I like this one — easy no fuss and yummy:
https://bookshop.org/books/the-taste-of-egypt-home-cooking-from-the-middle-east/9789774167553
Thank you! This one they don’t have at my library. Can you suggest another, if you have one in mind?
Hi LTSG!
Here is a link to a Life in a Cold Climate blog (Annikki -hope I’m spelling that correctly – she used to comment here frequently) about her favorite middle eastern cook books.
You may find it useful ?
https://lifeinacoldclimate.com/lists/7-favourite-middle-eastern-cookbooks/
Yes, I have looked at this list 🙂
Great minds think alike
I like this one: Vegetarian Cooking from the Middle East, by Arto der Haroutunian. It’s not a fancy book with lots of photos but has a really wide variety of recipes.
They don’t have this one at the library, but I will check on the Yogurt Cookbook by this author! Thank you!!
Very behind on everyone’s comments, but hope many of the Eastern-Half- USA folks are having the same snow melt we are. Also, the washing away of the road salt for those of us with “pet” cars – mine is a 2010 PC Cruiser that was my dear Father’s last car. SotD is vintage CD Dolce Vita. It has the intriguing quality of following me: I gave several good spritzes, but don’t have a cozy scent bubble when stopping for a while in one place. Then, when I am going back and forth (kitchen, laundry) I meet the lovely spice and fruit trail.
Vintage Dolce Vita is so good. I have a mini from about 6 years ago, and it’s still nice. I’m not sure about the current version. I need to wash the salt off my car too. Do you have a tip for washing salt off of snow boots?
Hi, lillyjo – I don’t know about snowboots. 🙁 Mine are looking all salty and icky; hopefully someone will chime in with tips!
Dilute some vinegar with water…maybe half and half?
Some Lysol disinfectant wipes did pretty good at wiping down my leather Converse high-tops recently, but they were already fairly heavily waterproofed. So that’s not necessarily an endorsement…
Oh wow, I have a pet care too, my father’s 2005 diesel Jetta. I’ve tried to keep it garaged at my mom’s as much as possible this winter but driving in road salt is inevitable.
In a decent slathering of Diptyque blood orange balm post shower. I smell really really good! This body line is exceptional
Oh, that sounds so tempting!
Sotd is vintage Miss Dior on one wrist and Nuit de Bakelite on the other.
When I couldn’t fall asleep last night, I was looking at the NEZ Vent Vert geneology and saw that Nuit de Bakelite is a direct descendant of Miss Dior. Talk about pedigree!
You smell wonderful – is your NdB a recent purchase?
Thank you! My NdB is from a sample pack I received for Christmas.
Do you like NdB?
I have a feeling that a FB is in my near future and will join Iris Cendre which I also love.
I meant to add to my SotD comment that DH & I got registered for our first COVID vaccines this Saturday by going directly to the Kroger website. We could have gotten appts. for Thursday but we had a conflict. The State website gave us earliest possible appts. on March 27. I suggest everyone in the midwest try their local pharmacy’s websites!
Beautiful spring day today, so I couldn’t resist Ostara, enjoyed the scent In the breeze during a lovely country walk in the sunshine.
You smell marvelous!
47 degrees today, but no sun. Sotd is TF White Patchouli. A coworker came to work sick and he didn’t get sent home for 4 hours! I’m so mad! He was working next to my son for awhile, so I took a can of lysol and sprayed my son with it, lol. He says what are you doing?! Not taking chances, that’s what I’m doing. Realizing, of course that he had already breathed the same air. Ugh.
Knocking on wood now.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Fingers crossed too!
Crap. I’ll also be hoping for the best for your son.
Boy, some people. Best wishes for your son!
That’s just gross. People really need to be more considerate. Management dropped the ball on that one.
You are understandably mad! Keeping all my fingers crossed for your son.
What a crazy day at work today. So nuts almost makes me wish we were still in quarantine. Almost, not quite. SOTD is In the City of Sin. Huge difference from yesterday’s scent. This one was light and springlike, but so light I could hardly smell it. I also noticed that Lady Gaga’s dogs have been returned. Glad about that, and am wondering if the woman who turned them in was an unwitting buyer who heard the story on the news; apparently the police aren’t saying anything specific for the woman’s safety. Happy last day of February!
Do you know if she got the reward money? I have to believe that’s why she turned them in. I’m cynical, I know.
Remember your Rabbits tomorrow!
I’m on it!??
Thanks for the reminder! This month did not feel like a short month, for some reason.