It's Monday, National Paul Bunyan Day, Tau Day and Gilda Radner's birthday. What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm commando for a medical appointment later today. My current plan for when I get back: Carthusia Mediterraneo.
Reminder: on 7/2, Donatella will be dropping by for the damage poll, so wear one of your recent purchases, and tell us why you bought it, and whether or not you have any regrets.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2021, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: Versace's La Medusa hobo bags ("The versatile design is a perfect companion for both day and evening looks, boasting a three-dimensional Medusa plaque - iconic décor that was discovered on the doors of the brand's first headquarters in Milan") run about $1400 - $1900.
Wearing Hermes Un Jardin Sur le Toit.
Very hot day! Temps will be in the 90’s feeling in the 100’s. The rest of the week will be the same with no rain in the forecast.
Does anyone have any experience with an air fryer? Is it worthy to get one? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Happy Monday! ?
pl67, I have never had an air fryer. Tempted, but not purchased.
Same here, very tempted!
You smell wonderful! We were tempted to purchase an air fryer, but in the end, we’re still not sure. Cooks Illustrated has a great review of different models.
Cooks Illustrated seemed to like the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer. It can fit enough food for four people, has an easy-to-use basket that slides like a drawer, and intuitive digital controls. 🙂
Thank you, SmokeyToes! ?
I almost purchased the Instant Vortex last week during the Amazon Prime days, after comparing different models and the deal was also great, but at the end I didn’t pull the trigger. I still have my doubts.
My sister has an air fryer and she loves it. I was surprised she wanted one, because she eats very healthfully, so fried foods are not often on her menu. But she explained that the air fryer uses such little oil that she can make a lot of thing she wouldn’t have made before.
That’s good to know Vee, thank you! I eat fried food very often, but I definitely need to cut the fat as much as possible from my diet. I think it would be a good start for me with an air fryer to reduce the amount of oil used.
My sis is (in)famous for making healthy substitutions when she cooks and bakes, to mixed results (and that is probably generous). BUT, the “tator” tots she makes in the air fryer using cauliflower instead of potatoes are genuinely delicious.
Healthier substitutions is exactly what I am looking for. Cauliflower tots with little oil involved sounds great!
Also, you smell great! I love Un Jardin Sur le Toit. Such a joyful fragrance
Thank you! Sur le Toit is one of my favorite summer scents!
My husband and I bought an Instant Pot Duo Crisp and lived off it in an efficiency studio in Hawaii for three months since all the apartment had was a microwave and a one burner hotplate. We bought another one when we returned to Boston, and we separately shipped it just so we would have it within a day or two of us moving to Denver while we waited for the bulk of our stuff. We especially use it for cooking beans and then air frying them to make a crispy snack. Also great for roasting vegetables (corn, sweet potatoes, garlic, beets, string beans) Also discovered a pan chocolate chip recipe that I make often which my husband likes so that there aren’t dozens of cookies around to tempt him
How’s the clean up?
Wondering the same.
Pretty easy. Put the inner pot and roaster thing in dishwasher or hand wash (our Hawaii apt didn’t have a dishwasher)
I am so glad to hear this! Thank you! I love the idea of bean snacks. The roasted veggies is what sounds the most appealing to me and what is making me want to purchase the air fryer. I feel I would make a good use of all the programs the machine has.
I love bean snacks! So healthy and pretty easy to make!
Any recipe you would like to share? ?
When air fryers became a thing, I looked into them, and I decided not to bother with another gadget. We have convection cooking in our oven, which I think is basically the same thing as an air fryer. In any case, might be nice if you want to avoid turning the oven on in the summer, but otherwise, for me, it’s a big mental hurdle to add more clutter to my kitchen counters.
Yes — I’m in the fewer gadget crowd, which is why I haven’t even caved to the Instant Pot (though my sister loves hers). Prior to this reno, I purged the kitchen yet again, and was happy to see that I now have very few unused gadgets. I think the only things I gave away were a garlic press and an apple peeler gadget that I haven’t used for 20 years and had forgotten about.
I am kind of curious about air frying, but we don’t eat fried food that often, anyway.
I am not a fan of kitchen gadgets, since my cooking at home is pretty light, even more during summer time. Therefore I have plenty of space in my kitchen. I don’t have a convention cooking in my oven, so I have to look for a different option. Still thinking about it.
You also probably have a larger kitchen than even my renovated townhouse kitchen! 🙂 With only 8′ of counter space, I have to keep things spare. Definitely can see the appeal of the air fryer, though.
My sister loves hers. I immediately bought one from Amazon at a pretty good price, but it was huge (6 quarts). So, after staring at the box for months, I finally donated it. Over the holidays, Target had a great sale and I bought a 2 quart version. It is still in the box but zi am determined to start using it this year. I like gadgets and go overboard. Ask me how many gadgets I have that are still in the box? I’ll keep mum though but at least I have no backups.
I am looking forward to the 4th of July sales to see if I finally get the air fryer. I know it will have plenty of use. I am ok with a small size, since our food portions are very small. My mom was addicted to kitchen gadgets and accumulated a lot for years. I have to admit I contributed to that because I love cooking. But I eventually lost interest because I have no much time to cook and she can’t anymore. Last year, I donated all her boxes with the kitchen gadgets. I only have a small microwave and a toaster and just the necessary kitchen utensils. Let us know your experience with the air fryer when you finally start using it.
You smell lovely!
I have a microwave/convection oven combo which is very similiar to concept of an air fryer. I love it! My friends who have smaller apartments have air fryers and think they are wonderful appliances- you can make food and not heat up the entire kitchen.
Thank you, Ede!
It is good to know that people you know are happy with their air fryers. After all comments here, I will get one soon. I will report back!
I bought the Black & Decker Air Fryer/Oven from Costco and after turning it on once I returned it. It got so hot I was afraid it would damage my counter tops or spontaneously combust. Too scary for me.
Oh! This is good yo know! Thanks for the info! I have to keep a close eye on that if I get it. I don’t want an unnecessary kitchen accident.
I also have limited kitchen counter space, so no air fryer for me. Good luck with your info gathering! ?
Thank you! I will keep checking.
Here it is! It’s great for a healthy snack. 🙂
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-make-crispy-roasted-chickpeas-in-the-oven?utm_source=fbsynd&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR03SxYOVMH1N9HBeiqJgPSlHqWPEgysn3VmRkVhntI7fUU5OdldyVyuLVg
Fabulous! Thank you! ?
Commando now but plans are to wear Sticky Cake today since I got excited about others wearing it too yesterday:))
I have a question since I feel like everyone else here knows more about the blog than I do. What does it mean: “Donatella will drop by”? I assume it is perhaps the Versace Donatella herself, does it mean she actually visits this blog and even reads our comments? Or does she just read the results of the poll? Thanks
HA, so sorry, no she does not really drop by, she just hosts the quarterly damage poll, which asks what you bought in the last quarter. More here:
https://nstperfume.com/tag/damage/
Oh ok. Thank You!!
“She does not really drop by…AS FAR AS WE KNOW.”
(I love the thought of Donatella reading NST incognita. But she probably would have people for that.)
🙂
Sticky cake intrigues me. I imagine it would be like Prada Candy, but I also have a hard time imagining CdG putting out a scent like Candy.
I had the same question about Donatella the first time I read that she would be stopping by NST 🙂
I never smelled Prada Candy yet (believe it or not!!) but I can tell You that Sticky Cake smells like… Sticky cake!! Being centered around iris with a ton of gourmand notes and myrrh it actually strikes me every time I wear it: how can it be so literal?
It’s the quarterly damage poll – those of us (me…) who purchased too many perfumes this quarter will have confessions…. 😉
Sounds like I will be in good company this Friday!
Donatella who? ?
Right!?!
Who is the Donnatella??
Just spied this article Dior Vanilla Diorama and wanted to share with you! ?
https://www.fragrantica.com/news/Dior-Vanilla-Diorama-15227.html
Oh yes please!
?
I think I’m going to pretend her name is DoNotTella this time around because the damage… it is bad… ?
?
Donatella is best pleased when the damage is serious. She is disgusted with me because I have done so little damage the past few years. (However, I still have bonus points from the prior 10 years.)
Donatella is gonna give me the stink eye this time around, too.
yep, yep Monday is here. Even though its cooler by the water than much of LA, I finally gave in and turned on the AC for sleeping last night. I had a massage yesterday, first one since beginnings of covid? my shoulders are like a block of wood.
SOTD is Tea for Two. I am longing for a new tea frag and cannot find or think anything that is smoky enough. Any recommendations?
Have you tried Violet Ends by Boy Smells? Was just describing it yesterday to hajuusuri, it’s a smokey leathery violet-y tea.
Notes according to the company as follows –
TOP: rhubarb, bergamot, black pepper, violet
HEART: black tea, tobacco leaf, incense, orris
BASE: white birch, tanned leather, smoked papyrus
I shall check it out!
I am even more excited!
You’re looking for something smokier than Tea for Two? I think TfT is the smokiest tea scent I own, but I get turned off a scent if it smells too much like cigarettes and ash.
smokier.
The smokiest thing I can think of is Celtic Fire by Union. However, it has no tea in it at all. Lots of peat and some booze…
Maybe Bvlgari Au The Noir?
Too light for me. I do wear le labo tea noir.
All the smoky perfumes I can think of don’t include tea as a note, sorry.
The search continues….
Oh I just remembered too: I am not pushing or anything at all, just curious if my idea for a poll was a good one: wear a fragrance that smells to You like something else other than what was listed in the notes. I remember mentioning that KL Sun Moon Stars smells like cheesecake with orange peel and raisins (typical European cheesecake) and cola. But I also wanted to mention that Coco Mademoiselle smells like sweet patchouli and… Whipped cream to me!!
We did something similar but will check to see when we last did it…thanks!
Oh ok no problem!!
I sprayed the last of my sample of 28 by Ormaie in the morning to make the Monday morning more tolerable. It worked surprisingly well.
The killer day in the office wore me & the perfume out so I decided to test Ilio. It is suprisingly nice and on top of that, I got it for a really friendly price (preloved blindbuy bottle). Life seems so much better now.
Yay for life seeming better!
Ooh, I’m glad to hear life seems better and that Ilio is a winner for you!
I’m continuing on with my Nicolai discovery set. Today is New York Intense. I had a sample of this that I didn’t really like. This one I like. Perhaps it is the difference between dabbing and spraying.
I love Balle de Match (Eau de Sport now) dabbed but not so much sprayed…
Good morning all! My SOTD is Bvlgari Eau Parfumee au The Vert, I’m craving green tea, so Vert it is! I may follow with a vanilla green tea latte after the gym.
Does anyone have recommendations for a green or white tea perfume?
Bvlgari’s Vert and Au the Blanc or White Tea by Perfectly Sensible (formerly Remedy Northwest) are favorites.
The hubby and I stayed up late watching the Olympic Gymnastics Trials.. We’re early birds but just couldn’t stop watching. I’ll refrain from mentioning details, I’ll just say, there were a few surprises.
Have you tried Lady Gaga Eau de Gaga? It was inspired by Bvlgari Eau Parfumee au The Vert. Very nice, refreshing and great price.
Ohhh, thanks P67! No I haven’t! I’ll go take a look! Thank you! 🙂
If you want to try it I can drop some in the mail for you. Let me know ?.
SOTM is Acqua di Parma Fico di Amalfi. It’s hot and humid today, so I wanted something light and refreshing. Opens with a blast of tart citrus, followed closely by juicy fig. there is some wood in the background, but I primarily get refreshing fig juice. I’ll need to reapply or switch by the afternoon, but that’s OK. Thinking about putting my bottle of JM Orange Peel in the fridge so I can get a nice cold blast of it when I’m ready for more scent today.
Drinking Clipper Ship Golden Monkey for the honey note that I can’t seem to get enough of.
I love Fico di Amalfi! You smell great! It’s one of my favorite cologne-style scents. Lasts maybe 3 hours on me, if I’m lucky, but thankfully they sell it by the vat, so a person can reapply freely.
Nice choice for a hot day
Pleasantly surprised that FdA lasted through most of the afternoon, several hours longer than I expected. SOTE is now Kierin’s Sunday Brunch. I’m a fan of Mathieu Nardin’s work with Regime des Fleurs, so I picked up the Kierin discovery set bc he did most of those as well.
The first blast of Sunday Brunch reminded me of the opening of Nuit de Bakelite (not a favorite of mine), with bracingly sharp, bitter green notes. But the bracing aspect lasted only a few seconds. After that it became a fresh, vegetal green, with a pleasant level of bitterness. I get mostly tea leaves, some bergamot, and the lightest hit of jasmine. I get no lemon. It could be a 1st cousin to RdF Cacti (also a Mathieu Nardin frag), but this doesn’t have the aloe, shiso, or cucumber (which occasionally reads as pickle) that Cacti does. I also get similarities to Le Jardin de Monsieur Li, but with far less jasmine. I’m sure the comparisons to Miller Harris Tea Tonique are accurate, given that TT is a MN frag too, but I can’t confirm.
I think Osmanthe Yunnan is the only tea scent I need, but if I ever want something with zero sweetness, this could be a good option.
Definitely Icky-sticky out there today. ??
Scent of the morning is Hiris for what promises to be a very warm run (we’re breaking records here in the PNW!) I like wearing Hiris when I run because the heat/sweat opens it up beautifully.
Apres shower, I’m going with Verveine in that cute little square bottle.
I forgot to add yesterday that we are watching The Tour de France. I’m not a biker and I never watch bike racing other than the Tour but Mr. Allo and I can’t wait to watch the Tour every year. I feel like I’m there enjoying the French countryside. That being said, the crashes on Day 1 were awful and it is painful to watch, especially when spectators get too close and cause accidents.
Same here — my spouse used to race when he was in high school and watches all the big tours (and many of the smaller races), and I look at the scenery. Tour de Suisse a few weeks ago was great for that! 😀
That crash was just awful. I’ve always been amazed at how close they let spectators get. We went to see a mountain stage of the Tour in 2004 and there were guys near us who kept running out into the road and pushing the riders uphill, which the riders really don’t seem to like, understandably. Same at Paris-Roubaix, which we went to back in 2014 — no pushing but you could get right out into the road to get pictures as the riders were coming.
The Tour de Suisse would be fun to watch. We went to a couple of Normandy stages in 2016 and saw the same behavior. It can be as scary to watch as those death defying descents!
Watching that crash was just horrid…my husband called me in to see it and wish I had ignored him!
I know and of course they kept playing it over and over!
The overhead angles were the worst…
Yes! This!
Those crashes! I cannot even imagine how devastating it must be to the cyclists and their teams.
Seriously! It’s awful to watch…But also I can’t look away.
I read a great mystery novel called The Black Jersey that was set against the backdrop of the Tour de France.
Will have to look this up!
More crashes today… it’s hard to watch, even though we love the Tour. People that come to these races are not always respectful of the riders unfortunately. Also until you have seen it up close, you cannot imagine the true speed and power of the professional peloton. I stand well back.
Ooh boy. 81 degrees already and not even 8:30 in the morning. It’s supposed to be “squats” day for my lifting. My “gym” is the garage, which has no AC. I’m trying to talk myself into it right off the bat, but I’m hungry and might want breakfast first, which delays things a bit. No desire to squat on a freshly full stomach. (Which doesn’t sound right, but hopefully you know what I mean! Not squatting on my stomach!)
I’m thinking I’ll be literal today and choose either L’Air du Desert Morracain or Dune for my SOTD after my shower. And then stay indoors. I hate feeling trapped. Maybe I’ll brave a walk at some point. A short walk. In the shade.
I’m going as far as the mailbox and that’s it. ?
Our mailbox is attached to the house, just left of the front door. LOL!
It is 96F now and I just CAN’T. My poor heat pump is struggling!
Our basement is quite lovely, but the AC can’t keep up for the rest of the house. I think the temps in our upstairs bedroom stayed above 70 all night, even with the AC working it’s little heart out.
I hope you’re able to be lazy and keep as cool as possible! No kitchen remodeling today!
*its. Grammar self-policing. 😀
No- no remodeling work! I did consider doing some purging and clean up work, but NOPE. I will do some stretching and then just stay in my bedroom with the a/c unit I bought as a supplement.
Ouch! Stay cool and don’t overexert yourself.
I hate feeling trapped by the heat too. I moved to Vancouver Island to get away from oppressive heat so I feel cheated. (pout)
That really is unfair. Hopefully we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled temperate climate soon!
Yay you for getting your exercise in before the weather got really ugly.
Thank you. I have the privilege of a flexible schedule right now, so I’m trying to make the best of it.
I should wear Diptyque Ilio for the CP! My bottle arrived only a few days ago.
But today I’m in Memo Winter Palace to help me talk myself into not feeling as hot as it is today (again… 29*C)
I really like Ilio! Evidently it’s just here for summertime and not going to be part of their regular collection of scents. I bet it’s getting a lot of love, however. Wonder if they’ll keep it around longer.
Oh, I didn’t know that it is a limited edition! I should probably order a sample.
For the CP Love don’t be Shy Extreme
No regrets
Reason for purchasing is because of a NST enabler who hosted a split
Today is my wedding anniversary, last night we celebrated
Happy anniversary!
A very happy anniversary to you ltsg!
Entering the 7 year itch
Ha, we will be 25 next year…the itch is a distant memory.
Aww… a June bride! Congratulations to you both!
Happy Anniversary!
Thanks! It’s nice that NYC is a little more open. We went to an amazing Georgian restaurant, I think I had the best wine of my life. I couldn’t pronounce a single name on the menu so I went with the waiters recommendations.
Happy Anniversary! Sounds like a fun night out. I have no idea what Georgian food is like. And what did you wear?
Wishing you a Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!
Happy anniversary to you and your husband!
Happy anniversary!
Happy anniversary!!
Happy anniversary!
Happy anniversary!? and I am wearing your wedding perfume today, how ironic!
Happy Anniversary! ???
Happy anniversary! I hope you two have a lovely day!
Happy Monday, if that isn’t an oxymoron! Commando today and maybe for a little bit — this past weekend I decided I needed to end things with my boyfriend and while there are some positive feelings associated with making that choice for myself, it’s not the best of times. He’s been the Great Love of My Life since I met him 14 years ago (although there was an interlude for several years while I was with someone else), and when he came back into my life it seemed clear that he was the proverbial one and that our happily-ever-after was just around the corner. After watching that corner repeatedly dissolve and reappear in the distance, like a mirage, I think I really just need to close the door and do my best to move on. So, even though I feel proud of myself for having the self-respect to recognize this moment, I don’t really want to create any scent memories or ruin any beloved perfumes by accidentally linking them to my current sadness. That visceral connection between scent and memory is such a strange, potent phenomenon!
Sending you love and support, Isabella! When I ended things with my former partner, we had been together 10 years. We weren’t married, but it was still a divorce–figuring out how to separate our things and separate our lives after being together for so long. Ultimately, for me, it turned out quite liberating. I hope you can feel that way, too, eventually. Perfume will be there for you when you’re ready for it again!
Thank you! Since our relationship has been long-distance at least there isn’t the logistical separation to deal with, this time, but I’ve been there and it can be so overwhelming. I do hope that I can keep my face turned towards the light and find that sense of liberation; the future might well be amazing!
I’m a big believer that we have to move through our feelings to get over them. There’s no rush to push to optimism. It will come in time. I’m glad you don’t need to go through the, “is this copy of The Lord of the Rings yours or mine” awkwardness.
Ha ha! I went through that last year when my son’s dad moved out unexpectedly (we had lived together for a while as platonic exes in order to more easily co-parent) — I caught him walking out with my French press and several pieces of my camping gear and had to be all hold-it-right-there-mister.
I admittedly feel a little hasty about bringing in optimism. I have a tendency to get a bit ‘stuck’ in sad times and sink into depression, so there’s a certain sense of urgency around bolstering my feelings and not allowing my boat to get too leaky. I don’t know if that’s the right strategy; we shall see.
Your French Press?! That really is crossing a line.
Sounds like the right decision, but it is hard to move on from someone you’ve been so intrinsically linked to for so long. Hugs!
Thanks for the hugs! Yes, it’s been one of the Great Passions of the Ages, so very hard to let go.
Sending you virtual hugs, Isabella. I hope you will keep hanging out with us here on the SOTD posts while you take a break from perfume.
Isabella, I am seconding Vee…if it is in any way helpful, do check in every day and tell us how you’re feeling and if you’re still commando. Then we can all celebrate when you are able to get back to perfume.
Wishing you strength & fortitude!
Robin and Vee — well, now you’ve gone and been nice to me and made me teary! 😀 I’ll definitely keep checking in and I can report on the non-perfume scents in my life, at least. There’s so much to sniff and appreciate in summertime! Thank you for inviting me to find support here; it means a great deal to me.
*hugs*
Such a hard decision but yes, you should feel proud for acknowledging how you are respecting & loving yourself well by deciding to move on.
And agree, scent association is powerful. I cannot drink straight-up camomille tea as this is all I drank my first few months at my new job which was a very trying time for me.
Oh no — and chamomile tea is supposed to be so soothing! I have a counter-intuitive relationship with lavender, too, as it’s vaguely linked with some childhood memories of a time when my parents were fighting a lot. Everyone recommends it for sleep and stress relief, but it makes me so gloomy!
It was soothing at the time but it also tied in that stress association. I do drink it still but with other flavors as well.
That’s always a though decision, and I know this so well myself. It’s hard, but some things have to end
I really hope I can make it stick this time!
That is such a hard decision, but it sounds like you are doing absolutely the right thing. We’re all here inside the computer sending you perfumed hugs to heal the broken heart.
What a wonderful thing to say! Thank you! <3
Sending you lots of hugs and support, Isabella! It sounds like you’re making a very wise decision, however hard it might be.
If you want some advice on scent memories, I’ll share what I’ve observed for myself. I was very afraid of forming any intense scent association during the pandemic, and what I’ve realized is that that only happens to me when I wear the same scent daily for an extended period of time. For example, using the same soap or detergent for a long time, or wearing just one perfume for a very memorable shorter period of time (like on a vacation, where everything feels different from daily life). During this past year, it’s much more likely I now have a scent memory to the hand sanitizer I use multiple times a day than to any perfume, since I wear such a variety and seldom repeat. So, if you feel the need for some perfume to cheer you up or distract you, I say you can cautiously go for it! Just don’t wear the specific scent more than a couple times during this rough patch.
We’re probably all going to have a bit of a scent-trauma reaction to the scent of hand sanitizer in the years to come! You’re right, though — those associations do tend to happen when there’s a particular fragrance in heavy rotation, or if I’ve found something new at a specific point in the emotional landscape. I’ve realized there’s been something else in play these past couple of days, some gentle aversion to scent in general, like I need everything stripped down and bare and new and not ornamented in any way.
Sending you hugs and support. You should be proud that you recognized the best decision for yourself and had the strength to carry it out. That’s hard, and I give you mad props for doing it!
Wow, thanks! I do feel proud and strong, but also a little afraid that I’ll wind up taking him back at some point. I hope I can build something strong enough within myself between now and the next time he shows up outside my window with a boom box over his head…
LOL. Have you re-watched those old movies recently? Not sure the image of romance holds up. Like, once you read Lindy West’s review of Love Actually, you can’t take it back to quite the same happy place.
Perhaps you could make a “You’re no Lloyd Dobler” playlist of your favorite feeling strong songs and use it to counter his mix tape?
Love it! Good thing my amp goes up to 11…
Good on you for making the decision, I’m sure you thought about it long and hard before acting, so you can go forward confidently that you did the right thing. Don’t second guess yourself, your gut instinct doesn’t lie, it will guide you when you listen. Big hugs!
The gut and the heart, locked in mortal combat… Thanks for the hugs!
Sending hugs and positive thoughts, Isabella. I am sure you will come out of this stronger and more confident. Do not force yourself to feel better fast. Time will heal you smoothly. I went through a divorce last year after 15 years together. I didn’t talk much about it here, but it was very tough and still is. As days pass, I feel much better and I try myself to keep myself occupied physically and mentally. I kept coming here and commenting, which helped a lot. I found comfort in my perfumes, but I understand you not wanting to have any negative associations. Step by step, one day at a time. You will be fine.
Oh, I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through! I’m glad you’re feeling better and I hope there are still brighter days ahead! Thanks for the hugs and positive thoughts.
I hope you do decide to hang around and comment here, even if you aren’t wearing perfume.
That was a difficult decision for you to make. However, long distance relationships are challenging in the best of times. You recognized that it wasn’t working for you, so that was a much better option than soldiering on.
Things are all wonky right now. Be kind to yourself, and take it one small step at a time. You will get thru this.
Thank you for your kind words! The long distance I could have handled; the emotional avoidance, not so much. I’ve kind of exchanged one wonkiness for another, but hopefully this one will resolve!
Oh, that is hard, Isabella, but it sounds like a good and right decision, even if it feels like a gut punch right now. As so many others have posted — we are here for you. And I love Robin’s idea of a celebration when you reach the point where fragrance seems like an okay thing again.
Thank you! This is such a lovely (and loving) community!
Isabella, I think you are really strong and such a loving mom. I just want to add my good wishes and hope you continue to post. Scented or not. ??
Thank you, Lillyjo! And I’ll definitely keep posting — I need rad people around me right now and y’all are as rad as they come!
I’m in Acqua di Santa Maria Novella, one of my go-to hot summer day perfumes. It was 37 here yesterday, and supposed to get up to 39 today. (37 is body temperature, for the Fahrenheiters among us) Kind of maddening to see two international papers reporting on the heatwave today, both stating that we only got up to 89F yesterday because they use the Environment Canada report from the airport, which is always much cooler than the city because it’s on the water (and actually is in a suburb, not the city, if you want to be really nitpicky).
Seriously, we’re kind of weenie about heat around here, but we can survive 89F. It’s when we’re close to 40C that it’s really just too much without air conditioning.
Waving from The Interior! We are currently at 30 degrees, supposed to get to 44 today. Sadly, also twins with no a/c here either.
We looked into it a few years ago but since we have baseboard electric heat (no furnace), a/c would have cost a small fortune. Now we are thinking about converting to a furnace and also getting a/c!
Let’s hope this ends soon.
Ooh, I really can’t complain as I know it’s worse out there! Yes, baseboard heat here, and in a townhouse / strata I don’t have the option of making major changes. When things calm down I am looking hard at portable air conditioners, though.
Yes, definitely hoping this all ends Wednesday like they say it should!
At least we don’t have the humidity here though! I lived out your way for 10 years so I get it!
When I went out to check on my plants yesterday it was like walking into an oven.
Oh wow – please stay cool and hydrated!
The place where we’re staying has a heat pump/AC unit that works really well, may look into getting one for the new house.
Smelling minty and violet-y today in Caron Aimez Moi 🙂
Ooogh minty and violet-y sounds wonderful!!
Got this morning’s BBW Cucumber Melon washed off. Now I am in a dab of Deneuve.
I am using Cucumber Melon as a room spray for the bedroom- it makes the room smell cooler, if that makes any sense.
Rainy and not so hot here today, and all the little plants I put out yesterday, (zucchini and cucumbers to replace ones the varmints got) are perking right up and reaching for the sun, so my garden is continuing to grown. Right now the winner is probably the horseradish plant, which seems to have sprouted new leaves and grown 6 inches in the last week. Lots of new horseradish roots later in the summer. 🙂 SOTD is my favorite Tuberose, Durga by DS & Durga. We watched part of a documentary about Hinduism last night, beautiful colorful cinematography, and so this seemed a fitting continuation of the meditative awareness that inspired.
I’m glad your garden is thriving! What do you do with your horseradish? Varmints have been fairly absent here lately, but I fear that just means they’re gathering momentum…
I make regular old horseradish. Dig up the roots wash and peel them, grate them fine, cover with apple cider vinegar and sortin the frig. A little of this condiment goes a long way as a side with with roast beef, or stirred into homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade egg noodles, which are starchy and require something with some zing to perk up the dish, or my favorite, garlic mashed potatoes with horseradish butter- 2 parts melted butter, one part horseradish, but ymmv!
I want to try that fragrance since I love tuberose.
Just got a funny image of a varmint experimenting on the horseradish root in your garden and getting a snootful and running away yelping, “what is that stuff anyway!”
Sadly, that doesn’t always work with garden pests. A friend of mine was trying to grow jalapenos one year, and the squirrels kept eating the chilies anyway! They would take a bite, run around shaking their heads for a bit, then come back for seconds.
Nothing seems to touch the horseradish. The leaves are large , upright and unchwed.
Monday again. The weekend flew by!
SOTD: Chanel Paris-Venise; wearing the perfume and body lotion and both together is quite overpowering at first but love 4 hrs later.
Sipping my latest tea love – RoT Mom’s Tea (odd name but likely created for Mother’s Day) which is strawberry vanilla red tea. It’s perfect IMO, not too strong or fake spelling/tasting strawberry.
You smell wonderful; the body lotion takes it to another level!
Love that tea too, it’s yummy!
You smell fabulous!
Republic of Tea has a lot of goodies in their repertoire. 3 of their White Teas are staples in my Tea Stash.
Since all I’ve bought in the last six months has been samples, today is DSH Floating Amongst the Stars
What a beautiful name for a perfume!
Sniffed a few caps this morning, trying to find something that felt cool and beautiful, and wound up in Paris-Deauville – what a wonderful scent that is! Will be doing pilates via zoom at the peak of the heat today, and have decided to just think of it as “hot yoga”. It’s supposed to be 115 outside, and so far we’ve been able to keep the inside pretty steady at 88. I think as long as I stay hydrated it’ll be fine.
I managed to get my lifting done, but not without my sweaty body sliding around more than I prefer. (Sorry if that’s TMI!) Hope you have a really good, grippy yoga mat!
Oh, good point – it’s tempting to go barefoot in this heat, but it probably would be better to don my grippy socks to help the sticky mat!
Spent most of the weekend inside, trying to stay cool. I wore mostly freshies but didn’t report in since they were gone very quickly.
Wearing Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude today. I also received a text that I can book my 2nd vax. A good day indeed!
Hooray!!!
That’s great news! The place where I got my shots had balloons and a “Congratulations” banner up, which made it all rather jolly.
Applause for the 2nd jab!
Yay!
Excellent news!
Congrats on booking the second jab!!!!!
115F (46C) on the patio yesterday, and 90F at midnight. The poor hummingbirds who come to my feeder sucked down almost a quarter of the nectar, they must have been so thirsty. The only time I went outside was to grab it, refill, and rehang. I think I’ll wear Rhubarbe Ecarlate again. It did a pretty good job of making me think cool thoughts yesterday.
Oh mon dieu — 90 degrees at midnight sounds punishing! I’ll bet the hummies are extremely grateful and I hope you’re keeping cool!
That’s just awful. :-0. Hope you get a break asap!
Blargh! Too stinking hot!
Gilda Radner. Yep. Too soon.
Testing BOHOBOBO’s Eucalyptus Patchouli. Despite the name, this wears light (I drained my dauber vial). The patchouli is in the background–while woods and leaves and eucalyptus take center. I expected a whomp of camphor, but it never came. It smells like the sweet water you find in creeks and rivers in the woods–when water is moving fast enough that it is fairly safe to drink, but has picked up the scent and taste of everything its passed. No desire for a full bottle or anything, but I am enjoying today’s ride.
That sounds really nice…
What a great description! I know exactly the scent you are describing, and being able to wear it sounds wonderful
1) I have watched reruns of tv shows and movies she was in. She GLOWED, and was funny as all get out, and CANCER SUCKS.
2) That scent actually sounds wonderful!
That actually sounds amazing!!
Lovely description! Some of the little creeks in the southern Sierra pick up so much tannin from the leaves and duff they percolate through that they end up looking like tea, but they taste and smell wonderful and sweet.
That sounds really good, especially on a hot day!
Another hot PacNW day…spritzing Beautiful courtesy of an NSTer.
Hope you are staying cool Dorsey!
I’ll be riding cool through the worst of it in my cold office. But driving in this afternoon, 109 and windy….like opening an oven door! Horrible.
Omg, I didn’t know it was that hot!
Wearing Coriandre plus Tea Rose. This is such a perfect combination, I can just recommend it.
I have bought a used bottle of Beachy today. This will be perfect for summer. Donatella will understand
She’s an understanding sort.
As announced in my previous comment… Am happily wearing Sticky Cake today!! It holds a super special position in my perfume collection and I am actually grateful to CdG for this re-release. When it was first released it literally didn’t stay on the market for too long, I missed it by a mere couple of months.
Someone gave me a sample of it and I immediately and instantly fell in love with it. It took me a while to hunt down a bottle for $$$ on Ebay less than a year since it got discontinued.
CdG has always been one of my favorite perfume houses and remains one today. One thing CdG does best is they deliver as they promise. Sticky cake smells like a birthday cake. You might as well grab a spoon/fork and start digging in.
If given opportunity I will buy all offered in their Sweet Series. Another beauty from CdG is the number 2 regular one. Also a favorite of mine.
Hopefully I get to smell their Rouge soon because I am intrigued by their take on a beet. Recently I read a book called: “Jitterbug Perfume” and the base note for this mysterious potion was a beet. Then it had jasmine heart and a lemon top note. Anyways, I am Polish so we have borstch which is a beet soup, and beet has been a staple vegetable for Polish and Russians as mentioned in that book. This is why I am dying to try Rouge!!
Monday! Hello! Greetings from Arrakis!
(rides sand worm to work, since the trains are not working due to the heat)
1) it is 96F (35c) as of 10:30 AM PST.
The weekend has been brutal. You can’t go for a walk, you can’t THINK, in this type of heat. My heat pump has been struggling this weekend- the exchange just is not working as well. I know that Greece has also had similar temps but please remember our normal temps for this time of the year is 75F (25c) as a high!
Supposedly, we will get a break tomorrow with highs ONLY in the 90s. WOOT!
2) Am in 4711, kept chilled in a bowl with ice and sprayed judiciously and with Beauty Pie’s Petals on pulse points- this is where this fragrance shines, in heat..
I hope you (and everyone) cool down soon, but your comment about the sand worm made me LOL!
I need to find my stillsuit.
LOL! For real! I drank several quarts of water and found I was not excreting any- so am forcing myself to drink as much as possible.
Let me tell, all I could do is think of sand worms patiently waiting at the train stops for people to grapple on the top and take them to work! LOL!
Shouldn’t you be in Dune? (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.).
I hope you can stay safe and hydrated – what a nightmare for a region so used to cool weather!
It’s so rich and spicy that I think it would overpower my senses right now- but I did think about it!
I decided on Dune for my SOTD. ONE spritz, because Ede is right, and more would be too much.
Wearing the new and now discontinued Balmain Ivoire. It is my go-to for hot weather, always cools me down. And the PNW is hot right now, as you might have heard 😉
Oh, I used to love that one! Great choice!
Wearing Jardin Sur le Nil for a very hot day. I thought I’d thunk it this morning, but it’s still hanging in there. I am going to re-apply tonight before going out to an outdoor movie, and I think, I hope, that will finally do it.
It’s so hot that I’m worried about my cat. Wearing a fur coat must be miserable today. 🙁
When I lived in MN, a friend of mine would take her Persian to the groomers in May to get a “lion cut.” It looked absurd, but it helped the poor fur ball survive the hot, humid summers.
My cat (who is now 16) once got heatstroke in our non-air conditioned apartment. Once she was stabilized and home from the vet we got special permission from the landlord for her to stay down in the basement storage area on the hottest days. He was such a nice man.
Oh, poor kitty! I’m glad your landlord was so understanding.
Can you wet her down or set up a fan? I’ve done both for my pets when we didn’t have AC.
Also, they make cooling pads she can lie on, mybe check your local pet store? Even a cool wet towel can help (if she’ll lie on it).
He’s got lots of water and a fan on him. My kid is now home so can keep an eye on him as well. I tried to put a towel wrapped ice pack near him to make a tiny little microclimate last night, and he HATED it. Got up and walked away from it twice!
Our cats used to hang out right in front of our gas-burning fireplace in winter, and their fur was so warm that it was uncomfortable to the human touch. But they never seemed to have any ill effects from it.
I’ve been putting ice cubes in their water fountain for the past week now. One cat will come running when she hears that noise.
SOTD is a sample of Kyoto. Really trying hard to resist a full bottle; I have LL Gaiac, and it definitely is similar in many ways and fulfills the same need in my collection. But gosh, Kyoto is lovely!
Sending lots of cooling vibes to everyone in the midst of a heat wave.
Kyoto IS lovely! To my nose LL Gaiac was all wood, whereas Kyoto was all incense.
Making a note to try LL Gaiac, bc Kyoto is all kinds of wonderful.
Gaiac is lovely…. but the price. I don’t regret it, but I wouldn’t purchase if and when I run out. The longevity is MUCH greater than Kyoto though, I’ll give it that.
Kyoto was a 50/50 blend of incense and wood on me.
Hi, Tulipani!! If Kyoto is all incense and Gaiac is all wood… Makes it a perfecr excuse to buy a bottle of Kyoto!! ?
Yes, Kyoto has been justified! ?
Today I’m wearing Scents of Wood’s Cypress in Oak thanks to the generous hajusuuri. It’s really lovely.
Stay cool, safe, and fragrant! I’m sitting here with my sweet old cat on my lap having a peaceful afternoon after a morning of playing with the dog and yoga. Life is good today!
I hope everyone survives the heat that I’ve been reading about in parts of the US, that’s getting to the temperature I use to heat plates in the oven. We’re having our first real blast of winter, there is snow to low levels further south, we’re just going to get cold gale-force winds.
Tom Ford’s Noir de Noir will be suitably warming, I hope.
Verrry hot here today; theoretically one more day like this, then a bit cooler Wednesday. Still no perfume but I think I will teke a cool shower and put on a spritz of 4160 Tuesdays Red Queen.
Just spied this on Fragrantica and wanted to share…Dior Vanilla Diorama…notes sound promising! ?
https://www.fragrantica.com/news/Dior-Vanilla-Diorama-15227.html
No chance I will be able to test it here, I’m counting on you! 🙂
Do tell more although now that I am back in NYC occasionally, I may be able to stop in Saks or Bergdorfs…strangely, I don’t even know if the Dior boutique on 57th carries perfume anymore.
Yes, may be tough to locate and sniff but by God we shall! ?
Excessive Heat Warnings on both ends of the US. Yuck. I’m hunkering down and staying indoors. The A/C has kicked on a bit this afternoon even though I bumped up the programmed temperature last week.
On the plus side, the blackberries on our patio plant have started to turn red. Hopefully we will get to enjoy some before the bleeping squirrels do.
SOTD = back in Rock Crystal EdP. No thunk yet; this sample is hanging on!
I’m seeing the first pinkening of the blackberries around here, too. Last year a heat wave hit right when they were at peak ripeness and they all dried out before we could pick more than a few — hopefully this year will be gentler!
I managed a walk and yes, it was hot. I tried to stay mostly in the shade when I can.
I took out the trash right around lunchtime and decided that was quite enough!
We are experiencing a “polar blast” so as I write this I am looking out at hills and paddocks blanketed in snow, and sparrows huddled above the door frame for warmth. I can see snow flurries working theor way up the valley and the clouds are yellowish-green . It will pass over pretty soon but a good day for the couch. I am wearing Boronia and Night Scented Stock . I am trying to read The Leopard for the umpteenth time…one of those books like Middlemarch, The Magic Mountain and 100 Years of Solitude that is returned to often but always in bursts. Robin, did you finish the Hilary Mantel?
Does sound like a good day for the couch. Hope you are well Kanuka.
No! Have whipped through umpteen other books, but read about a page a week of the Mantel. Someone suggested to me ages ago that my problem was that I started reading right when my dad had died and covid started, and thus it is too hard to let Cromwell die. I do not know if that was originally the case but now that it is in my head, it is very much the case. It is excruciating to read. But I do want to finish it, so some day I will.
I remember still the massive feeling of relief when I finished Magic Mountain! The Leopard, on the other hand, I read years ago and remember NOTHING, nada, not a thing. I just went and pulled it off the shelf and nope, don’t even recognize any of it.
I struggled, but finally did finish all of Remembrance of Things Past, and all that has stayed with me is parts of the first volume, which was the only one I enjoyed — that is a good lesson on its own.
One Hundred Years of Solitude was never a struggle for me — I have probably read it 5 times over, and I’m sure I will read it again.
Middlemarch is more enjoyable in the PBS series 😉
So every book has its own relationship with every reader, right?
What else have you been reading?
Now that I’m all caught up with Reader’s Digest, I may start on a project of reading One Hundred Years of Solitude en Espanol. I have the English translation as well and may read them in tandem.
Yes, do — I have probably already mentioned that I used to have a dual language edition.
Please send us some of your polar blast!
My SIL jokingly referred to the GGM book as 100 Years of Reading. 😉 I read The Leopard finally this past year after avoiding it for decades. Never made it through Proust or Dickens, far too tedious with hundreds of pages of excruciatingly careful description.
You smell lovely!
I’m in Chanel Beige. The next decant I’m trying to thunk. Plus it’s work friendly.
I can’t believe it’s gonna be July already. This is always the way that summer goes, too quickly. I’m really looking forward to next weekend though. Heading up north for a long weekend with my parents.?
Enjoy your long weekend! Safe travels.
I’m wearing Diorella today. I saw it in my perfume cabinet and thought, “Haven’t worn that in awhile.” Gosh it’s gorgeous. It’s so green and tangy when it goes on. Now in a later stage I’m getting a lovely herby-fruity dry down. Just faint hints of melon.
We’re having episodes of torrential rain today. In between the storms I went out to visit Mom, who seems to be doing well. I bought some pink peonies at Trader Joe’s yesterday and took her one, and she loved it. Love their smell.
Because of our rain it’s a lot cooler than usual here. It’s really shocking to read of all the horrible high temps at other parts of the country and world. Good luck, people. It’s disturbing.
Torrential rain sounds so amazing right now! I picked up some pink peonies at Trader Joe’s last week, both pale and dark ones. The pale ones smell like juicy roses and the dark ones smell like bat barf. At least it’s a 50% win!
You may be the only person who knows what bat barf smells like! ???
That is an incredibly specific smell reference!
I mean, I’m just going off what my five-year-old’s take was…
Robin, I forgot to mention that I clicked on Your review of Carthusia Meditarraneo and I enjoyed reading it. Lemon and green tea sound amazing to me!!
SOTD = 4160 Tuesdays Fluffy Lemon Top EDP
Not as fluffy as the name sounds. It is a nice citrusy iris with other floral bits! It was a recent purchase ?.
Work drama! My work partner is on vacation this week so I attended one of the meetings he normally attends. I came to find out on this call that there is a June 30th deadline that he kept thinking was due in mid-July. Said deadline requires someone who is one heartbeat away from the CEO to approve something. OMG. I texted him and spoke with him and without me having to say anything else, he knows this is his mess to fix. I don’t even know how he missed the date but I can say that Program Management is frequently not clear on their deadlines, makes all of us submit stuff so they can say every group is “engaged” and generally does so many things that are along the lines of CYA.
Insert Picard facepalm here.
Sorry to hear about work drama – ick, ick, ick!
Stopping in late to the party. Back home from a rather long vacation by Chez Mossy standards. I’ve not been too up on the comments, but have tried to read some. Sending cooling waves to those who are roasting. I was in Northeastern North Carolina mountains and it was cool and lovely. Wonderful family visits on both sides, including connecting with one niece who we had not seen or talked to much – I was so happy about that. I took many perfume samples and some FBs and set them out for any interested parties at one family reunion, but no takers. Funny, though: my sister’s sister in law gave me a vintage-ish Estee because she remembered I like perfume and it was from her mother!! That was so sweet!! Also a shout out to an NST’er who raved over Fils de Joie. I nabbed a bottle blind buy because of this rave and I think it may be a new top ten favorite. Your comment was in the last two or three weeks – sorry so much excitement leading up to my trip, I don’t remember who.
Welcome home!
So glad you had a nice, long, COOL trip!
Thanks lillyjo and Robin! It was a very good trip 😀