An overdue repeat of our guilty pleasures poll: tell us about your guilty (perfume) pleasures, that is, fragrances you love even though you (or others?) think maybe you shouldn’t.
Another way of stating it might be “the perfumes you don’t usually admit you own”.
Note: top image is five red spots on a green background [cropped] by OliBac at flickr; some rights reserved.
I don’t have any guilty pleasures any more because I refuse to feel guilt about things that give me pleasure. I’m too old for that. Life’s too short to let other people dictate what I’m allowed to enjoy.
I’ve been wearing scents from both sides of the aisle for decades but for a long time I felt queasy about wearing things that *announced* they were for women by their name — Rochas Femme (which I’ve never actually tried because of the name, so stupid), Montana Parfum d’Elle, Lutens Feminité du Bois. Now I just don’t give a damn. I’ll wear anything I like, whatever it’s called, from the cheapest (Demeter! Tabu! Old Spice!) to the costliest. No guilt, ever.
Today I’m wearing a li’l spritz of Lush Lust, which I have finally decided is my favourite jasmine ever. I have the 10-mL spray bottle: remember when Lush used to do those back in the mid-2010s? I wish they’d bring them back. I’d have about a dozen by now. I like the solids well enough for their convenience and their price, and I *do* have about a dozen of those, but liquid scents are just better.
I like your attitude, pyramus! I’m way too old to care what people think about me or my fragrance choices, but sometimes I fall back into the old, die-hard pattern.
I’ve found myself more interested in “men’s” scents lately, and my last purchase was Zegna’s Roman Wood. Maybe because I love the scent of pine? Anyway, this is a pine-centric scent with cypress, cedar, and a nice touch of vanilla to soften it. I’m in love across the aisle!
That sounds very interesting! I love pine scent, but good pine forward perfumes seem rare as hen’s teeth!
Hi meredifay, how are you? If you would like to try this one, please let me know. Do you still have my email?
I second your Lush 10ml request!
Thirding the request for 10mL LUSH bottles! Those would be SO very tempting….
No guilty pleasure anymore. I totally agree with Pyramus. I have reached a point in my life where I wear what I like, no matter if others, especially perfumistas, loudly or quietly disapprove. I still have my humongous bottle of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, which I wear when I crave for it. I also have few Demeters that I love. Last year I found a box of Avon perfumes that belong to my mother, all of them vintages now. She decided to send some to few people she knew would appreciate them, especially for the bottles design. The rest I kept and I wear without any guilt, even though Avon is never mentioned anymore. As a perfumista, I wear and enjoy what I love and I am in the mood for.
Inspired by this post I just sprayed on the cheap CK In 2 U from my huge bottle that I bought 10 years ago. I love it and it is a summer favorite!
Happy weekend, everyone! 🌞
♥
Oh, you smell great!
Thank you!
Light Blue was my 20s signature scent! Have you smelled the Sun flanker? Comes closest to the original formula imho
I tried the Sun flanker a while ago and it is very nice! Beachy, bright and happy scent. I liked it a lot!
I have a small collection of Avon too😀
The very old bottles were very beautiful! Mom received many as presents in the past, that she never opened. Among them there was a set of fashion figurines, a 1976 California Anniversary bottle, a Turquoise Milk Glass, a Wine Goblet set and many more that I am keeping. I never paid much attention to Avon in the past and I was not really aware of so many beautiful bottle designs.
Avon did some wonderful stuff back in the day. I have fond sniffing memories of the things that my Mom wore for special occasions from her Avon Lady.
I asked mom if she wore any Avon scents in the past and she said a few of them, but she doesn’t remember which ones anymore. All the bottles I found in that box are collectibles and I wish I had enough space to display them. I checked the Avon website a couple of weeks ago and I was very disappointed by the plain bottle they have these days.
I remember seeing Timeless and Odyssey.
Light blue is awesome. It bothers me to wear it, but I love on others. Good is good.
I bought my bottle in my very early perfumista’s days and I still appreciate it a lot. It doesn’t work for many people, but that’s the beauty of this hobby.
Trying to think if I own any perfume I’d be reluctant to ‘fess up to … it’s more likely that shame would keep me from buying it in the first place. The one that comes closest to the theme is Nanadebary Bronze, not so much because I think I shouldn’t love it, but because it seems to be passé yet not a classic – like it had its 15 minutes of popularity and is So Over now. 🥺 But I love the scent and the little vixen painted on the bottle, and it’s my SOTM.
Nanadebary was such a cult favorite on MakeupAlley!
At this point of my fragrance journey I don’t own any perfume that I would feel guilty about owning. I’m proud of everything that is in my wardrobe. In the past I felt a bit guilty about Avon or Oriflame fragrances I had but hey, they brought me to where I am now.
Sotd is Chanel Paris-Deauville.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQBHdZTBIlR/?utm_medium=copy_link
Ciao Lucasai-
I finished Crescent City and loved it and finished the whole A court of rose and thorns series. So, what should I read next? I love SJMaas style of writing, fantasy world and a few pages of smut.
I am also proud of everything I own in my fragrance wardrobe..
Congrats. I still haven’t read the tome that came out this year as polish translation is not on the market yet.
Have you read the Artemis Fowl series? Or Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare?
No, I haven’t but have read some Cassandra Clare but not that one..
Should I dive into it?
I really liked the series. It’s 2 or 3 books, can’t remember now.
Artemis Fowl looks good too!
Thank you
Let me know what you have chosen to read.
A few weeks ago a met a friend for coffee and I was wearing Love Extreme, when she asked I told her, her face was..OMG that is so expensive. And then admitted she owned Baccarat Rouge by MFK, also expensive..haha
I am proud of everything in my fragrance wardrobe
As you should be, LTSG!
No shame!
That’s nice that you have a real world perfumista friend
No shame at all! And I always say, enjoy the beauty in life.
Nope, no guilt here! I have Demeter, Loves Baby Soft, Canoe, various Guerlain and Killian sit side by side. My only guilt would come from scents I bought unsniffed that I then didn’t like. But I’ve re-homed almost all of those and merrily moved on.
SOTD is Hermès Twilly, a sample I got from BeautyHabit.
What do you think of Twilly?
I like it very much and may add a bottle to my dresser. It’s slightly too much tuberose for today…Minneapolis is hot hot hot and I should have gone for something lighter, but my husband said Mmmm so there’s that in its favor😄
Oh — Loves Baby Soft was one of my first fragrance loves. I may track down a bottle to see what I think now — forty years on.
The only thing I’m embarrassed by in my collection is a body spray by Victoria’s Secret called Sexy Little Things Noir. Ugh! I had a $10 credit to spend there, so I bought one of the only things I could find for $10. Actually, it’d be funny if I put it in my perfume cabinet next to the good stuff, wouldn’t it? The scent isn’t horrible, but I just want to use it up so I can get rid of it! I wonder if Goodwill would take it.
I find that a lot of things I don’t want to put on my skin make pretty good room sprays. Maybe leave them in the bathroom for those freshen-up moments.
Yep, it’s in the bathroom, and today I sprayed a bunch of it into my bath. I’ve been doing that with the Guess perfume I’m trying to get rid of too!
Yes, Goodwill will take it. They sell donated fragrances by online auctions at goodwill.com.
Good to know, thanks!
I think the only thing I feel twinges of guilt about is the size of my perfume collection, which is probably not unusual for *our* crowd but would certainly take my friends by surprise if they peeked in the hall closet! Tossing my mane in Le Lion de Chanel today, which to my nose is a lovely cocktail of Cuir de Russie and Jicky. Would Chanel just pour some Jicky into one of their fragrances and call it a new juice?? At any rate, it works!
Yes, most of my friends have no idea about my perfume passion. I just don’t think they would understand.
People are *always* surprised when I tell them about this particular passion — I don’t think it fits in their mind with my whole rough-and-tumble-fire-ecologist thing. And then I’m like, lemme show you my 1940s alligator heels…
You know, I almost said that! I have a pretty big collection, though in fairness I have amassed it over 30+ years so it’s not even half a dozen bottles a year, but sometimes I contemplate it and think, “This is awful!” (It isn’t, though. Not really. There are *lots* worse habits.)
Spitting in public, for instance!
you smell great! le lion was a great, blind full bottle no guilt buy this past year.
Le Lion ❤️❤️
But it’s too hot for it right now for me
Agreed. Hubby loves Le Lion on me. But in the summer, Shalimar…Mexique works better.
I don’t have any problem with wearing something cheap or labeled as masculine or loud or soft if I love it. When I first read the original perfume guide, I was a little upset/embarrassed that some of my favorites were rated low, but I got over that. If I feel good in them, then who cares?
My guilt comes from bottles that I’ve bought and then fallen out of love with. Or bought because they were a good price, but not a love–I don’t do that anymore. I need to rehome those as KellyRed said so that they won’t shame me anymore!
Wearing Eris Mx. today which is fast becoming a favorite. So easy to wear. And many many thanks to the incredibly generous Hajusuuri who spreads perfume love everywhere.
I totally relate to your second paragraph guilt!
So do I!!
Oh yeah. I have some bottles that I have fallen out of love with (or even like) in my Perfume Wardrobe. Changing tastes, etc.
I’m not sure that I have any guilty pleasures. Maybe Glossier You. Mostly I feel guilty over money spent on samples and decants, rather than full bottles. Although I have participated in lots of freebies-both receiving and giving, and splits and swaps over the past few years so that does help to offset any guilty feelings.
Today I’m in Sur Le Nil, which is perfect for another hot and humid day. Planning an in person library run later today. It will be so nice to be able to browse in person.
Yes – so much money spent on sampling. OTOH, it has saved me from blind buys that would not have worked and I’ve learned so much about perfume and it’s so darn fun to try something new…
I think of samples as educational tools. Also, everytime I try a sample of something I thought I would love but don’t, I figure that sample saved me the cost of a full bottle, and that savings covers the costs of many samples. I’m guessing that is a key principle of Perfume Math.
I can’t wait to take my son to the library! Many happy memories of hauling home books by the shopping-bag-full with my mama when I was little.
Like others, I’m not fazed by what anyone else would think of individual perfume choices. Mostly I feel guilty about the size of my collection and how little most of them get worn because of the sheer numbers. But I’m resolved to just accept who I am and cut back on buying. Eventually I will divest myself of most of them but not just yet. Wearing Cartier L’Heure Défendue today.
Right attitude
The only thing I feel little guilty about is scooping up BUBs of scents that are discontinued bc I *probably* don’t need so much of it and am keeping it from someone else. I don’t feel guilty enough to stop, tho
If anything, I get annoyed, not embarrassed or guilty, when a perfume I like is not well reviewed by ppl whom I respect.
I have BUB of Songes.. joining you in that club
I will confess to some BUB hoarding as well.
Ah yes, me too BUB guilt.
Raising my hand for BUB’s of Shalimar Mexique.
Pretty sure my remaining lifespan is shorter than the time it will take me to use all my backup bottles of Haie Fleurie and Sacrebleu
Backup bottle of Chopard’s Casmir for me. At this point, there’s no way I would ever use up my original 30mL bottle.
No guilty pleasures for me!! I just can’t feel guilty when buying my perfumes:)
SOTD: Enchanted Forest.
Q for the NeST: Any thoughts, impressions, or experiences with the AERIN line? I don’t see it mentioned here much. I tried the Amber Musk yesterday, as a possible substitute for JM Midnight Musk (which I have a sample of and really like, but can’t find for sale anywhere reputable). Thanks!
SOTD is Abaton Fior di Chinotto from this week’s Sniffa event. To me it is a sheer white floral, which I don’t recall encountering often (ever?) and some sparkling citrus 🍋 🍾 I could see this being perfect for a fancy event on a humid day.
Amber Musk is nice, but the times I have tried it, I can barely smell it.
Must be something I’m anosmic to. I have Evening Rose, which is a nice, rich, dark rose. I don’t wear it very much, but I’m not the biggest rose fan.
Haven’t tried a lot, but I like Amber Musk and Lilac Path.
Another in the field of “Nice enough, but rather expensive”. Have bought a couple of the shower gels at the Cosmetics Company, on sale.
I tried Tangier Vanille and Lilac Path,liked them well enough but somehow that was several years ago, they weren’t memorable or special.
I caught your late post yesterday and totally agree about Bitter Peach and Chanel no 18! And I can’t wait to try Edimbourgh, I need to get myself to the mall soon.
I forgot about my roller ball of Lilac Path. Very realistic lilac scent. I don’t wear florals that often, though, so it’s sitting around.
I don’t recall ever trying any of the Aerin perfumes.
But according to my perfume sample notes, I have Aerin Lilac Path in my stash somewhere!
I sampled Iris Meadow long ago (before the ick). It wasn’t terribly memorable to me.
I think my only embarrassment is Modern Muse La Rouge Gloss, solely because of the goofy flanker of a flanker name.
Oh, that’s a good point. Im embarrassed/ashamed/annoyed by the names of some perfumes in my collection (looking at you, Byredo).
Even the “naughty” names from Tom Ford or ELDO are not as embarrassing to me as janky flanker names. What if someone were to ask and I have to give them a mouthful of word soup?
When I start my project Monday at the company of many perfume houses, perhaps I can learn about the naming of some of these word soups.
Good luck on Monday! Looking forward to hearing about how it is going with the project
Today I am wearing Michael Kors Sexy Rio de Janeiro. Love the perfume, hate hate the name!
It is a really bad name, I agree!
I blush every time I post it!
Hey, you didn’t come up with the name!
Lol, that’s an awful name. I remember the original as being a pricier version of SJP Lovely, and not as good.
11 dreamless hours with magic pillow
dressed and ready to go the see the baby born the week of shutdown who now runs around in his jammies and says truck and no.
SOTD is Indochine and I will buy a new back up bottle as soon as I get my final paycheck plus accrued vacation from last project. no remorse at 68.
11 hours of sleep is indeed magical. I must have missed some previous posts about the pillow, apologies — very briefly, what type/brand?
You smell marvelous.
Four Seasons 25% down 75% feather standard size 149.00 on website. With a silk pillow case and copious sprays of lavender sleep mist.
Thanks for the info!
I seriously need me one of these magic pillows. I have a magic internal alarm clock that goes off every morning at 5am, no matter how little sleep preceded that moment!
No guilt here other than the sheer number of bottles. And the overabundance of samples that get sniffed once or twice and then forgotten. Must make a mission of shopping the samples in my collection. No SOTD yet, but likely will wear Lys Soleia to make up for yesterday. I also have a question for the Chergui lovers. I am finally going to get around to getting a full bottle, but looks like FragranceNet must have sold off the 50 ml bottles in what looked like the older formulation and now has the new labeling and packaging. How does the newer version compare?
I can’t answer your question, but wanted to say to check Fragrance net regularly. Sometimes an older tester will pop up.
I don’t know about the reformulated Chergui, but I bought Datura Noir from FragranceX and, though they showed the old box on the site, the new black box/ square letter reformulation showed up. It is still pleasant, but much “lighter” and more mainstream than the original.
Perhaps someone else has sniffed the reformulated Chergui?
I’ve seen a few complaints about fragrance x doing that. Fragrance net, will usually say if it’s new packaging.
I feel embarrassed about some of the more mainstream bottles I have that I bought before I fell down the rabbit hole and got into niche fragrances or real classics. These are things by, e.g., Dolce & Gabanna (though NOT Light Blue), Armani Mania, Izod Inspiration, Hypnose, (which is really pretty awful)–most of which strike me now as dreadfully sweet and one-dimensional. I almost put Guerlain L’Instant into this group, but in fact, I do like it.
I like L’Instant too
I guess I didn’t read the question properly. The ones I mentioned don’t really fit because they aren’t pleasures. Maybe only L’Instant which perhaps other people like Yasmina also like. I guess these are just “guilty purchases.” I might have a couple of (two? three?) guilty pleasures in the “perfume bottle” survey for next week!
I don’t have much shame about anything, especially not perfume. Perfume is my fun hobby that nobody around me understands, that provides such a cool undercurrent to life that I can change with a spritz whenever I want.
The CP this week really highlighted my total lack of beachy perfumes. Anyone have a recommendation for some cheerfully fruity tropical suntanny perfume that’s cheap? Thanks in advance!
Like a JLo or other celebrity type of thing, at discounters, I know some are supposed to be like that.
Jlo Wild Glo fits this description.
Thanks!
Adding Miami Glo, which is more beachy. Wild Glo, more fruity.
I feel like any of the Escadas would work
Magnetism looks good, I wanted something with pineapple.
It’s not fruity but I really like Bobbi Brown Beach. It smells like very expensive sun tan oil, salt and sand. I have a small bottle of the body oil and it’s a favorite in the summer.
And I see that it is discontinued! But you can still get fairly cheap bottles online.
That’s disappointing because it was unique and quite nice.
That happens way too often
Escada Rockin’ Rio has pineapple and coconut in it. Lots of fruit in that one. And a hefty dose of sweet, too. But no suntan lotion notes at all.
For an island vibe with pineapple (but no coconut or suntan oil), I like J Lo Deseo.
SJP Stash Unspoken is a coconutty sunscreen scent (and unrelated to Stash)
That Jennifer Anniston one. Very sun tan lotiony, and it’s pretty nice for 9.99. Sure she looks like an alien in the ad copy, but that adds to the fun.
I do feel guilty about spending money on things that keep me pleasure – rainbow bags, nice meals, beautiful perfumes etc etc – when I should be putting money into a college savings plan or house renovations. Sigh. I think if I create a pleasure budget I would feel less guilty.
Spritzed Lion from split meet but it feel too dense in the heat
I’m sort of chuckling here at the idea of a “pleasure budget.” It brings to mind some rather odd and colorful images! Lol! Not quite what you meant, I’m sure.
Oh dear — should I google “pleasure budget” or better not?!
Nope nope nope! Do NOT Google that! 😳
I googled it and got a lot of financial advice!
Yes, yes, yes to so many of your comments! I don’t so much feel guilt as anxiety – too much perfume, I’ll never use it all. Maybe if I was 27, not 57
Ditto for dressmaking fabric and shoes.
And there is always something else to try. I got an email just this morning announcing a new perfume from Francesca Bianchi.
You’re into sewing too? What kinds of things do you make? I took a bunch of sewing classes a few years ago and really enjoyed them, but I’ve hardly made anything lately. I have an enormous fabric stash though, much of it inherited from my aunt, which weighs on me.
I feel somewhat sheepish about Light Blue Italian Zest, but it is a cheap & cheerful, lemony sprit. Too bad the bottle isn’t tackier and sporting a plastic lemon as a stopper…
Yes!! They did the one with the lemon top but don’t know if it was any good.
https://nstperfume.com/2020/02/04/dolce-gabbana-lemon-orange-pineapple-new-fragrances/
I like that flanker too.
I like the original Light Blue too lol. I haven’t sniffed anything of the flankers but some of them sound so good.
I have Light Blue Sun – limited edition and I actually like it but it smells very “mainstream”.
I don’t think any of my perfume collection really qualifies as guilty pleasures. It doesn’t matter if it leans masculine, feminine or unisex as I wear what I like.
I think the guilty pleasure is more the colognes I’ve picked out for my husband…
Because you weren’t sure he’d like them?
Because I knew I’d like the way they smell on him… he’s pretty easy going with cologne and only had one prior that gave me headaches.
Gotcha.
Not feeling guilty about my bottle of DelRae Emotionnelle, with its big melon note. I’m rationing it now because there just isn’t a whole lot left and I want to enjoy it at least a little while into the future.
I still can’t believe DelRae is gone! I will miss several of them.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears…I made it through my daughter’s 8th birthday at an indoor trampoline place today…but just…barely…🤣 It went very well actually…no drama but I am tired.
I wore YSL Atlas Garden which is nice but will not need more than my decant.
I’m glad you survived! Hopefully she had a blast and you get to have a very restful evening!
Yay! Time for a good lie down.
Glad it was a good time!
Yay for things going well!
Sending you a virtual high-five!
I feel a tiny bit embarrassed when I wear Pink Sugar. I’m 66 and the idea of a mature woman smelling like cotton candy is a little jarring to contemplate, especially since I don’t have a sweet or terribly feminine personality, I’m more a no-nonsense sort. But I wear it anyway and enjoy the heck out of it.
Today I’m wearing Dior Holy Peony, which I like a lot but probably won’t buy. It’s pretty, inoffensive, and could be worn anywhere but I already have a couple of perfumes that fit that description, and don’t need more. I’ll gladly use up my sample and then try to forget about it.
Sometimes Pink Sugar is just right!
I’m with you on Pink Sugar. I also wear a ton of gourmands.
Love that you rock the Pink Sugar!
So interesting. I think I feel that way about clothing (that some things are just not age appropriate) but not really about perfume.
I actually find Pink Sugar not sweet and gourmand-ey enough. I think the burnt vibe makes it too sophisticated for me. Instead I wear Sweet Pastries in Paris by Zara or Soft by Al-Rehab or any of the other extremely sweet gourmands I have. And, I’m 42, live in jeans, T-shirts and sneakers, usually forget to wear make-up and have close to a buzz cut!!!
My guilty pleasure is layering scents! I’ve heard some say that certain perfumes are works of art and shouldn’t be messed with, but hey, I bought them so I shall do what I please with them. I especially love trying to layer a scent that doesn’t quite work for me, to make it work. Or just to bring out another aspect of the perfume.
And my scents of the day are: layered Mon Guerlain EDP with Shalimar EDC.
If anyone has had successful or memorable combos, please share!
I layer, but with lotions. I love scented lotions, and try and match the most noticeable perfume note to the lotion. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
Not sure if you’ve ever seen this video on layering products?
https://youtu.be/AKtQViVNF7U
Yes! It’s a good one.
I love:
Ungara Diva over Eau de Missiones.
Also Eau de Beaux (loccitane) with Lime & Nutmeg (4711)
Lush Calacas with Prada’s Infusion de Iris edt (not edp)
CSP Amour de Cacoa with SMN Muschio (not muschio oro)
I like layering too (mostly my Hermessences). I have a few combos a little further down the comments section… my comment didn’t get recorded as a reply for some reason.
I reviewed my shelves for not perfumista-approved, and apart from my vintage Avon perfumes, Timeless, Occur and Rapture (love them) I also have Escada Ocean Lounge, Miss Dior le Parfum and Poème, no intention to part with them😊
All fabulous perfumes!
I know you enjoy Miss Dior Le Parfum too, it has become very costly on eBay.
I know! I am about halfway through my bottle and have started to hoard it.
If Escada is a perfume sin, don’t tell anyone about that bottle of Summer in Provence on my shelf, with its silly strawberry note. 😉
Your secret is safe😀
Un Ete en Provence (Summer in Provence) was the first perfume bottle that I bought on my first trip to Paris in the early 90s. It remains on my top ten list because of this. And because it was a gorgeously robust fruity floral with an amazing drydown…nothing like it in this world. And it activated my bottle porn for all Escadas (Yes I am leading into next week’s community project with this, which has my name attached to June 2017). Because of Un Ete en Provence I have been collecting every Escada since then…1994 to 2020….the only one I am missing is Chiffon Sorbet..the first one circa 1993 . I would kill for a full bottle of Un Ete en Provence….it’s a unicorn now.
Yes! Fruity florals are one of my least favorite perfume families, but this one just works and is as likable as puppies.
At one point, I intended to collect others, because there’s a new one every summer and the packaging is always cool, but I got distracted.
Wow, unicorn is right: I used to see Chiffon Sorbet on ebay, but there are only minis now. There’s an FB on Etsy, but the box appears to have water or condensation damage — and it’s $317! 😳
I mostly layer my Hermessences with each other or some of my other perfumes. I like Rose Ikebana and Poivre Samarcande together better than separately.
My MIL layers JM Wood Sage and Sea Salt with Nectarine Blossom and Honey.
What intriguing combinations!
Chloe EdT and Santal Massoia or Chloe EdT and Cuir d’Ange are also nice combos (C+SM slightly more so, at least with my skin chemistry).
Guilt for enjoying certain scents? Nope. As many of you have wisely stated, life is too short to feel guilty about a joy that harms nobody else. Embarrassed that I sometimes fall for the most idiotic ad copy? Yes.
Did I blind buy the Snif x Harry Hudson scent because “it contained the most uplifting notes known to humans”? Yes. Does it smell like bottled happiness? Nope.
Yes, but were there abs in the ads?
Lol
No abs at all. Just lofty promises.
I’m a sucker for good ad copy too
I don’t really feel guilt about perfume either. Nonetheless, I can be a bit of a snob about brands, and there are certain celebrities I don’t care for. So I don’t even try their scents because it would be painful if I happened to like one of them. I’m sure it just a waste of time, anyway. 😉
Also, I would never tell my more frugal friends and family how much I’ve spent on perfume in general, or the most expensive bottles in particular. They would NEVER understand, even though they spend far more on other things that I spend no money on.
There’s a few celebrities and brands that I dislike so much that I won’t sniff them.
Same here.
Oh, good — I was afraid I was being petty! 😹
Ditto
I forgot, what I actually came here to post was this article on a study involving scent that has led scientists to discover a phenomenon in the brain that they can’t explain:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/06/the-brain-isnt-supposed-to-change-this-much/619145/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=masthead-newsletter&utm_content=20210612&silverid=%25%25RECIPIENT_ID%25%25&utm_term=Subscriber%20Only%20Weekly%20Newsletter
Of course, my first reaction was that perfumes DON’T always smell the same every day, and maybe this explains it.
This is fascinating! Brings all sorts of poetics to mind, but I think the take-home message really is, as one of the researchers put it, that said phenomenon is only strange because we always assumed things worked differently in the brain; now we know they don’t, so now what?
Exactly! If the brain doesn’t work the way we thought it did, how does it work, and how do we figure that out?
Maybe it does sort of work that as we thought, but the drift is like a screensaver.
Also, how much of life is like that? We can’t solve the puzzle because our thinking rests on a foundation of faulty assumptions.
I have no guilty pleasures when it comes to perfume. The only way I could even imagine putting those words together would be if I called in sick to work just because I felt like playing hooky and then went out to go perfume sniffing. I almost have all my perfumes unpacked!! Maybe tonight or tomorrow….
Huzzah for having your perfumes easily at hand!
Woohoo for unpacking your perfumes! 🙌
Even then… your co-workers could probably make it without you for just one day! 😺
I’ve come to the conclusion that I like what I like in perfume, and that’s OK. Sometimes my choices have me scratching my head in puzzlement, though. And I have discovered that some of my former perfume “likes” or “really likes” no longer play nice with me. That’s disappointing and a little guilt-inducing.
SOTD = AG Mandragore, from the sample stash, and one of you lovely folks here at NST. I likes it! Enough that I was scoping out the colored bottles on Evil Bay earlier today. I should get another sample or decant before I take that leap, though. Even if those bottles are d/c’ed… 😣
Ha! You must like it – a lot!
We shall see if I feel the same way after wearing it the second time! So I am instituting a “Cooling Off” period for this latest perfume infatuation.
I’m a total sucker for the vintage AG colored bottles. I’ll confess that when I bought Nuit Etoilée, it was about 70% for the gorgeous blue bottle. Fortunately, I’ve grown to appreciate the scent more and more.
Guilt and perfume – nope! I love my collection even if I don’t love everything in it. One of these days I will downsize but that is very low on my priority list.
SOTD = Eris Parfum Mx.
❤️ Woody, spicy, chocolatey amber. I wore it because I saw that springpansy wore it! I wafted my 4 sprays doing my grocery rounds. It’s also one that I kept smelling something wonderful and had to remind myself that it’s me, me, me!
So the unthinkable happened to me at Whole Foods today — someone “stole” my cart while I was at the seafood counter! Maybe stole is too harsh a word since I have not paid for the stuff but I was highly annoyed. I had 7 items in the cart, for goodness sake. I can understand if there were 1 or 2 tiny items but there were 7! The seafood person plus one other person tried to look for it and even had customer service get on the PA to ask people to check their cart but no one fessed up. I hope whomever took it got shocked that whatever s/he took cost an extra $30. 😡 Thank God I’m not in the habit of leaving my purse in the cart.
I wanted to mention that my day in the office yesterday went fine overall. I did not have to wear my mask while inside our secured area which made it much more palatable. There were only 2 of us on our side of the office whereas normally there would have been 14! In my row of 4, I was the only who had gone in in the past 15 months. Of course my desk had the Red Do Not Sit Here sticker but eh, no big deal. We were all issued a wired noise-cancelling headset that’s supposed to work with both the phone and desktop which would make Zoom calls pretty painless, but I couldn’t find mine. I looked around and realized that they were in black neoprene bags and there was one on the floor by where all the wires were! Unfortunately, it did not sync up with my setup and I will need some tech help the next time I go in, day TBD. Oh, and I needed to have facilities come and unlock my drawer 😳. I had petrified raisins, stale granola and packets of almond butter; also documents on the beginnings of COVID when no one knew that we would all end up on extended WFH.
Bryant Park had a Spring market up and I left work early so I can stop by and shop. I ended up purchasing 3 bars of soap – did not need them but they smelled nice.
That’s so frustrating about the cart! I’m glad your day was fairly okay yesterday!
Thanks! I will still be anxious each time I commute.
Glad to hear your Friday went fine.
You are tempting me now to stop by at Bryant Park next week, when I will be in the area. I have bought soaps before from the Holidays/ Winter market and I have been always happy with them. Soaps is another hobbie that like perfumes, I cannot control myself getting! 🙈
Yes to soaps! I found a box of iris soaps in my stash that I don’t remember buying. Umm, a sign?
Iris soaps???? Please, tell me about it.
Actually there are 2 boxes in my stash, lol.
Looks like they are from TJ Maxx possibly. Both boxes say made in Italy. One says ‘La Florentina’ Salus Vera – Iris Pallida; these are not individually wrapped but must have used one since there are 2 left. The other is ‘Cascia All’Olmo’ – Fine Iris Soap; a 3 pack, separately wrapped.
Thank you, for the info. Looking for them right away! 💜
I like to buy soap on holidays in France, there are often soap stands with lots of different scents. I think I have bar soap for the next 10 years
I also have a huge collection of soaps, mainly bars, that I love and will last me forever. I think this hobby is as dangerous as the perfume one is! 🙈
Thanks. And oh oh on another trip down the soap rabbit hole!
Ugh… about the cart. You are smart not to leave your purse in the cart.
I know, right?
My grocery store once completely reshuffled its sub-sections, and it actually hurt my head to shop for a couple of months. The worst impact was when I just popped in for a few things that would have taken me 5 minutes to find before, only to realize I would have to go down every single %#@! aisle carefully searching both sides in order to find them.
So, although I wouldn’t have the nerve, I can totally imagine coming upon an unattended cart and thinking, “Wow, that’s exactly what I needed — thank God!!!!!”
I must have a produce twin somewhere!
Who takes someone’s cart?
Really! It was annoying to repeat the process.
Yay – we both smelled great yesterday! I have to confess to who might take someone’s cart – I would! I’ve done that twice in my life (not on purpose of course) while hurrying and when someone nearby had similar things to me in the cart. Once discovered, I was so embarrassed but we just laughed about it. And of course, I went to look for the person who was wandering around wondering where their cart was…
I overheard from one of the searchers that the person who absconded with my shopping cart said to stop asking her about whether or not she’s sure she has her own cart. She may be making a summer fruit pie 🤷🏻♀️.
Yay for your Friday “work in office” going well! But seriously? Taking someone else’s shopping cart? Feh!
I winder if they have cameras 🤔. But you are so right on the feh.
I don’t feel guilty about it but am somewhat embarrassed to admit I bought a little bottle of Exclamation a while back for nostalgia purposes. 😂 I wore it in middle school lol.
I was on theme yesterday by wearing hajusurri amounts of Bronze Goddess (the best way to wear it haha) and I’m sticking with it today in Terracotta.
Someone stole my husband’s car from the hotel night before last so yesterday was stressful. He has a truck and I have a car (our daily drivers) and then he has a little ‘91 Porsche 928 to work on as his little project car and we zoom around in on weekends- someone else decided they liked it too I suppose. Such a pain ugh. He was going to sell it this fall anyway since the new house has a 2-car garage but still, just feels super violating to have someone take your stuff.
Oh no, that’s horrible! I’m so sorry to hear his fun car was stolen.
I used to wear Exclamation in middle school too! How does your new bottle compare to your memories of the scent?
That’s awful about the car theft!
and I am sorry. I see people steal every day, and I hate them. I really do.
I hate greed and corruption even more. And wastefulness – people leaving taps open. And these days, people that seem to be oblivious to the fact that there are finite resources in the world. That for every 80+ year old started on renal dialysis or Stage 4 cancer patient getting massive surgery, SOMEONE is paying. Taxes go up, medical insurance rates go up. Perhaps I am grumpy like the old man Meg Ryan describes in French Kiss!
About an hour ago, I witnessed someone run out of the store with a full shopping cart of things. This happens daily here. Meanwhile, there’s a line of people paying for their own stuff. I get angry for them and for me. Throw me in the grumpy old man category, lol.
Unfortunately, this type of behavior is condoned, in some circumstances…
Things like that just pierce one’s sense of security. Please take good care of yourselves as you deal with this.
I wonder if the car had more value to collectors than he realized.
I have a few nostalgia purchases too. No guilt in those. They bring back some great memories even if the juice isn’t exactly the same.
Sorry about your hubby’s car! People can be the worst.
Oh my, so sorry about the car. Seriously people!
That’s a shame about your hubby’s “fun car”. Unfortunately, hotel parking lots are notorious for break-ins and theft.
I wear what I like; no guilt here either. Most people in my circle aren’t aware of my stash/obsession. I know I have way too much to get through in my lifetime; and there’s things I have that I never wear anymore.
Of course, like most here, tastes do change over time. I still like Loves Fresh Lemon and Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps, things I wore in my early years. My Mom had tons of Avon when we were kids; some of those were fantastic scents. Those early fumes shaped my appreciation and love of perfume!
I like the idea of using some things in the bathtub or bathroom. Or maybe I need to become a much heavier sprayer to get through some bottles! I can’t remember the last bottle thunk.
My mom wore a lot of the Avons too! I used to be fascinated with the bottles. And like you, most people don’t know of my habit/collection lol
I often spray the shower enclosure with perfume, because it makes for a really lovely showering experience, with all the heat and steam.
That’s a great trip! Thanks!
Ugh, silly autocorrect.. great tip!
The only thing that I am ashamed of, is how many expensive bottles of perfume (some 100ml bottles) I ended up giving away, because I bought them based on the good reviews they got on blogs. An especially bad mistake was Fils de Dieu, which I bought full price from a boutique store after just smelling the top notes. Afterwards I realised that vanilla does not sit well on my skin. I have lots of cheapies that I really like. I even have a BUB of Deseo!
Wore Amouage Beloved to a dinner at a fancy restaurant last night. One portion of the restaurant was cordoned off for a party and the guests all wore tuxedos and evening dresses and the tables were beautifully made up. I’ve never been invited to such a party and have never aspired to give such a party, but it must be the Covid pandemic, because suddenly I thought that, perhaps before I die, I should host a proper dress up party for my best friends. Tomorrow the urge will have passed!
👍for Deseo!
HAH — there’s a small bottle of Fils de Dieu in the back of one of my closets someplace. It has so many fans, and yet I find it unbearable. Clearly, I need to try Deseo!
Thirding the questionable reaction to Fils de Dieu. I love lime and rice and all the other notes but nope to the perfume.
I’m wearing a guilty pleasure today. Viva la Juicy Noir.
Like Hajusuuri, I love my perfume collection, even if I don’t love every smell. I do feel bad sometimes, about not wearing everything.
Perfumes are similar to music to me. Sometimes you want to hear the greats and sometimes you just want to bop along to a pop song. It’s all good🌞
My mom has a fair selection of Juicy Couture perfumes and she gets compliments all the time. Did your son get the job? And congratulations on your daughter finishing high school!
Yes he did! Thanks for asking. He just finished his first week. Thanks also for the congrats for my daughter.
👍 and congrats to your daughter on her graduation and for your son on getting the job!
Thanks! He is still working with me part time too, until we see how the new job turns out.
Glad to hear that your son got the job! That’s awesome!
Did your daughter get any graduation presents?
She got a little money and a Sephora gift card. Her favorite store!
My interest in perfume began with niche and peculiars and then went wildly mainstream. Last year I got Juicy Couture Couture and it never fails to make me happy!
I had that one too, and went through it. Nice to see you!
Yeah, it’s a truly fun bubblegum!
The only guilt I feel around perfume is spending money on a bottle I like but don’t *need*. I should be saving that money or investing it. But then I remember that no one *needs* any perfume at all, and it’s simply a part of living that I derive pleasure from.
Sampling Hiram Green Arbole this morning. Too powdery for me. See, money saved!
You are so right! No one “needs” perfume!
The only guilt I feel around perfume is spending money on a bottle I like but don’t *need*. I should be saving that money or investing it. But then I remember that no one *needs* any perfume at all, and it’s simply a part of living that I derive pleasure from.
Sampling Hiram Green Arbole this morning. Too powdery for me. See, money saved!
That is where most of my guilt is…the MANY bottles I thought I needed but later realized maybe not so much
You guys, the most unexpected thing happened yesterday! I was in a paint store, and the lady helping me asked what perfume I was wearing. She said her coworker (who was in the back with all the mixing equipment) had said “someone in here smells great” and she knew it wasn’t her. I was the only customer in there. People, I had lightly spritzed Chanel Eau de Cologne on about two hours earlier, we were all wearing masks, and the coworker was YARDS away amidst paint stuff, and yet he could smell my perfume. That’s an amazing sniffer!
Congrats on the compliment. I wonder though if masking actually enhances one’s sense of smell as I seemed to be more attuned to smells (both good and bad) while I was masked on the train and while walking to the office? This doesn’t bode well for the efficacy of masking since it means molecules are finding their way to the inside of the mask 🤷🏻♀️
Zero guilt
I ve been wearing perfume for over fifty years
Some of my least expensive loves have given me huge compliments
Avon , Pacifica, various drug store offerings, ALL the Escada LEs.
today I am wearing Augustin Reyes Royal Violets Baby Cologne …almost eight ounces for $6 at my local supermarket…smells of violets and marzipan and I might just stick with it for the whole summer.
Smelling great as usual cm8!
thank you!!!!!
thank you!!!!!
Still up to your old tricks, I see😉😘
..off to find my Royal Violets! Thanks for the reminder!
It’s so amazingly good 💖
And great longevity.
It’s always nice to find a good cheapie
I agree 👍
Hey, nice to see you! And “Yes!” to no perfume guilt!
I’m happy today in Jacomo Art Collection No. 08, one of the few perfumes of which I have a BUB. A mass of spices and tea, milk and just a touch of floral notes, it’s like drifting through clouds of fragrant chai.
That sounds absolutely dreamy!
Isabella, this is one of my favorite tea scents — it really does smell like some sort of enchanted chai. Definitely grounded in what chai actually smells like, but with that extra lift of floral notes that elevates it above being a simple gourmand.
Now I’m thirsty!
One of our friends here at NST (I forget who it is) has a father-in-law, I think, who is always making her chai, and when she describes it, it always makes me really want some…..
Pretty sure that is Lovestosmellgood and her FIL.
This is a really cuddly delicious scent. You smell great!
I agree with the general sentiment of not feeling guilty over fragrances I truly enjoy….but I do admit to some rather complicated negative feelings over fragrances at times. Guilt over owning perfumes that are just meh to me, guilt over celeb scent binges just to see if we are all missing something, guilt over decants I loved that evaporated or turned because I can be OCD about the right moment to wear something, guilt over the sheer size of my holdings, etc. In the spirit of the original post, though, I will say I have some celeb scent faves that I really do wear and enjoy, but if feel a twinge of embarrassment over it I tend to turn it into fun and grandiosity. Shakira Elixir and Wild Elixir, and Kim Kardashian Gold are tops on that list right now. There are some Avon oldies I loved, but have hidden in some secret stash: Mark Fig Basil, Mark Earth, Mark Pure, Soy Milk, Goddess. To be honest, it is not as easy to find perfumes in that category anymore that I truly enjoy. The real goodies are increasingly in surprisingly good drugstore body products. I haven’t commented in years….just dipping my toes back into the water….always a faithful reader, though!
Glad you did! All excellent points. 👍 I’ll keep an eye out for some of these.
My Saturday was spent with a second covive shot of chills, aches and fever. Still have a headache today, but able to move around and cook and clean. Perfume will have to wait. I thought I would sail through like the first shot. At least my arm isn’t as sore.
My arm was very sore with the second Pfizer, but no other symptoms. It was so great to finally get it!
Hope you are feeling better this afternoon, Baby Dumpling!
I am, thanks. But really, I actually enjoyed it. The AC was cold, and I cuddled on my couch in warm blankets all day and drank tea and used Vicks. I don’t know why I thought it helped, but I love the smell. It was nice to do absolutely nothing for a whole day and not feel guilty about it.
2nd one got me too Baby Dumpling! Hope you are better tomorrow.
Thanks Robin. I’m fine now. It was actually fun to take a sick day on the couch. I haven’t done that since 1997.
Wow, that is an impressive long time!
Still lazing in bed, reading news and posts so I grabbed what was closest (a sample of Chanel 1957) for my SOTM (scent of the morning).
Also still basking in the celebratory barbecue we hosted yesterday for my younger sister’s graduation from the UW MSW program. I’m so proud of her and so grateful for her and for my younger brother (30 and 33 years younger than me!). And grateful that in an otherwise grey and rainy weekend, yesterday was sunny and the perfect temp to sit on the deck.
Re: guilty perfume pleasures…like many of you have said, I feel some guilt about having more than I can reasonably wear and some guilt about spending so much time thinking about perfume (shouldn’t I be reading about the Prussian Wars or studying Physics?). But overall I am happy happy happy to have found a pastime that gives me so much joy.
And re: particular guilty scents, I won’t tell you (only Donatella) how many BUBs of Ambre a Levres I bought, worrying that since it was special release it might go away. Something about that lipstick/cosmetic thing took me straight back to my childhood, giving me some powerful therapeutic grist for the mill!
Big congrats to your sister, allo, that’s wonderful!
(And “reading about the Prussian Wars or studying Physics” made me laugh!)
Thank you Robin!
Congratulations to your sister!
Thank you lillyjo and congratulations to your son and daughter too!
I sometimes feel a bit of guilt if I wear my more expensive bottles not often enough. But otherwise I like my collection.
I wore terracotta today followed by Batucada for a warm evening. I spent the day cutting and sewing a new summer linen dress, that I am wearing right now. Tomorrow we will do a bit of cycling along the Neckar River bike route.
I am always impressed by people who can sew their own clothes. I am genuinely rubbish at stuff like that, so it always seems kind of amazing to me. I bet you look and smell fabulous!
Wafting Shalimar Philtre de Parfum today compliments of the generosity that is hajusuuri! I am getting powdery, aromatic citrus w/ vanilla goodness.
Breaking into this lovely decant was my reward for cleaning in preparation for my brother from SF’s visit later this week. 🥰
Yay for a visiting brother!
It is one of the more enjoyable flankers. I haven’t met a Shalimar I did at least like enough to own / keep a bottle.
I don’t believe in punishing myself or guilt trips. I like what I like. Some of my favorite perfumes are drug-store scents. Sand and Sable, Love’s Baby Soft, Alyssa Ashley’s Musk, Skin Musk by Parfums de Coeur, and Avon’s Imari.
I have loads of guilty pleasures with TV shows, The Hot Ones, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team, and Moonshiners.