PSA: If you live in a daylight savings zone, don't forget to change your clocks tonight! That means it's time for our fifth annual Fall Back poll.
As always, answer as many or as few as you like, or just talk about something else. If it's spring where you live, adjust the questions accordingly.
1. What's the fragrance you'd most like to add to your collection this fall?
2. You have to vote one perfume in your collection off the island. Which one will go first, and why?
3. It's time for a (fantasy) fall getaway! Where are you going, and pick ONE fragrance to bring with you.
Note: top image is Autumn Studio Colour [cropped] by TIGER500 at flickr; some rights reserved.
Up early this morning to trundle Ockeghem Tween off to a standardized test…
1. What’s the fragrance you’d most like to add to your collection this fall?
Hmm, I have a lot on my list. Tauer Sundowner (except I already ordered that, just have to wait to get it at Christmas in the States), Iris Nazarena or Oeillet Bengale once they’re launched, or After Party.
2. You have to vote one perfume in your collection off the island. Which one will go first, and why?
I say this every time, I think, and somehow it never gets sent away: I have a bottle of Laila, the scent of Norway, that lurks in the back of my perfume drawer and takes up space that I really need to reclaim. I bought it sometime in the late ’90s / early ’00s because I liked the idea of “the scent of Norway.” It’s never really smelled like Norway to me, and I tried it again recently, and it’s off. I should really get rid of it.
3. It’s time for a (fantasy) fall getaway! Where are you going, and pick ONE fragrance to bring with you.
Right now, anywhere outside the Pacific Northwest would be a fantasy getaway, but…let’s say Italy, and I would take Paestum Rose to wear at Paestum again. I’ve been to Italy in November twice, and it’s a really nice time to go. The temperatures aren’t really cold and there are few tourists. This time, I would actually make it to Capri (we tried twice the last time and missed two different ferries from different places due to traffic and road closures). For that, I’m not sure what I’d wear…I’m wearing Les Années 25 right now and that feels like it could work, actually.
No nostalgia on my part for shepherding my son through the standardized testing. Hope your teen has a good day!
Fortunately it all rolls off her (probably a bit too much — wish I could get her more invested). We shall see how it went when the results come in, but I do know that the test prep class was a complete bust.
SOTD Cassiopea
Make up today -Tom Ford cream/powder eyeshadow in Golden Peach, EL double wear
1. What’s the fragrance you’d most like to add to your collection this fall?
Shalimar MVP if I can
2. You have to vote one perfume in your collection off the island. Which one will go first, and why?
I have some cheapies I don’t wear , Carmindy wanderlust, one from holister
3. It’s time for a (fantasy) fall getaway! Where are you going, and pick ONE fragrance to bring with you.
Italy, anywhere.. Tom Ford Neroli Portofino
Looked up your SOTD which sounds very nice! I haven’t tried anything from T Terenzi yet but I feel I should.
Liking both your choices of Shalimar MVP (my SOTD- can’t stop wearing it!!) and Neroli Portofino as best scent for a lovely sunny Mediterranean scape.
Cassiopia is very soapy , feminine. Perfect for my morning errands to the farmers market
That’s my favorite constellation! I may need to seek out a sample.
Are you in the US? I can send you a sample from my bottle
I just looked up that Tom Ford eyeshadow and it looks gorgeous!
It’s beautiful and chic . I have another color, it’s more gray
Hi, All! I slept more than ten hours last night, so I hope that extra rest sets me up for good weekend. I have a LOT of grading to do today.
1. Winter Palace. Not going to happen this year, though. And I am trying not to buy anything right now, for various reasons.
2. 24, Faubourg? It’s nice to have around — one of my first decant purchases — but it is fundamentally not “me,” even though it smells beautiful. I never wear it. Maybe once/Year?
3. Have to join the Italy club. I’d happily take a week in Rome, but I’ve never stopped in Naples and would like to get to know that city just a little. But — fingers crossed — I’ll be traveling soon enough and may even manage a weekend (from within the EU) in Rome.
I love Naples, a old flame from another life was from there and we went often to visit his friends over the years we were together
That’s good to know. Friends who were planning to relocate to Italy ended up loving Naples and preferring it to Rome, which has been their original destination. Much more affordable than Rome, too.
Throw that 24F my way ha!!!!
We changed our time a week ago so I don’t have to worry about it anymore.
Today I’m enjoying Dusita Splendiris on this crisp and windy Saturday.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CV7kPzFIIAD/?utm_medium=copy_link
You smell amazing!
Same here with the clocks. It’s 4 pm and almost dark already.
Your perfume pics are always wonderful! Where do you collect the objects? How far in advance do you think through what’ll go in the photo?
What a lovely compliment, thanks.
Generally I collect thinks from nature, like cones or feathers or rocks – they were simply collected from the ground. Dried flowers are usually leftovers from the bouquets my mom got on some occasions. I rarely specifically buy something only for the photos.
To be honest I compose live, when I know what perfume to shot I just gather things around and experiment until I’m satisfied with the result.
Well, even when the perfume and the objects don’t match my own impression of the perfume, I love that you are curating smell as well as the bottle. I always look forward to your photos. Winter Palace, which was not a perfume that worked for me, is among my favorites of your photos!
SOTD is a cheap amber paste I bought at Whole Foods! Cheap but amazing, one of my hubby’s favorites.
1) I’d go for the Shalimar MVP. Or classic DK Cashmere Mist.
2) I have a bottle of Guerlain Vega I just can’t learn to love. Adore the actual bottle which is why it’s hung around so long, but the juice just doesn’t do it for me. Rare for a Guerlain, that’s my house.
3) Yikes, Italy is getting crowded as that’s my choice too! I’d pick Positano in the late spring and I’d wear Estee Bronze Goddess, the older version.
The round Vega bottle? That one really is pretty.
Is your amber paste the Kuumba Made brand? That is a wonderful scent.Our local Whole Foods have been discontinuing that line.
My SOTD is yet to be determined, I went to the drug store to sample a couple of things but a shocking amount of the tester bottles were empty. And then one of the staff sneezed without putting her hand or arm in front of her face, and masks are not obligatory here in stores so you can imagine… I rushed out.
1. I don’t think I’ll be actually adding anything this fall, but I have sampled some things recently and I really liked Tanger from OJ and Santal Volcanique from Crivelli, so potentionally one of those.
2. Maybe Un Jardin Sur Le Nil. I don’t wear it as much as I thought I would.
3. Somewhere with pine trees and great views. There’s just something about being able to overlook a large area from higher ground that always gives me a sense awe and freedom.
Masks are not obligatory in stores here either but I am pretty sure everyone in the drug store by me is wearing one. I would run out too!
Here most people don’t wear the masks unless required. I wear it in stores but I get looks. Number of cases are rising though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if stores would require them as well in the near future.
I was in the hardware store twice last week and nobody was wearing a mask but me…but nobody seemed to care, either, so that’s nice. SFAIK cases here are actually pretty low, and our vaccination rate is high. I am just not ready to go maskless
Is your Whole Foods Amber Paste Kuumba Made? This is one of my favorites too.The WF stores in Oregon have stopped carrying the Kuumba Made perfume oils unfortunately.
Hey andshewaz, i think you meant this question for Kelly Red above.
Sorry,you are right.I thought I was posting under her post.
1. I would love to add a full bottle of L’Artisan 25 Obscuratio. I have fallen deeply in love with it, after getting a small decant from Hajusuuri’s split.
2. I will vote off the island my bottles of Donna Karan Gold and Bvlgari Acqua Divina. I like both, but I don’t reach for them anymore.
3. Right now, I would go anywhere, even if I stay in NY state, but Greece has always been my fantasy vacation destination. I would bring any of my Les Eaux from Chanel.
Happy weekend, everyone! ?
Woo hoo! Glad you love the 25 Obscuratio!
Thank you for hosting that split! Obscuratio reminds me of a beautiful scent from my childhood that I can’t pinpoint now. I am enjoying it greatly!
Well, I wouldn’t protest a bottle of Luxury (Mizener)–but I am also hankering–blind!—for a bottle of Fenty.
I have a 10 ml travel spray of Zoologist’s Nightingale that just isn’t growing on me. In fact, if anyone wants to swap some samples for it, I’m game. Another perfume, that I used to LOVE, is Aromatics Elixir. My bottle is probably 5 years old and I’ve only used about 4 mls. The last bottle I had of this, before my current bottle, was probably purchased in the 1990s. This one has just never lived up to my memory of it. Not ready to jettison it, but it gets little use.
For my fantasy trip, I am going to Versailles to spend a week with perfume experts at Osmothèque. Together we will review the history of perfume, beginning with the early greats (including of course samples of fragrance used to scent leather gloves, etc.), through the heyday of women who smoked cigarettes and shortened their skirts (and wore perfume as a daily accessory), with a detour to the Middle Eastern modern perfume evolution up to the present day (the entire history will have to wait–but I would love it!), then on to the perfumes women bought for themselves (“I bring home the bacon . . .”), and then of course the padded-shoulder blow-outs of the eighties, and so on.
What am I wearing today? Aromatics Elixir of course. Still hoping I’ll get a hint of that olfactory bliss that I remember.
Oh! I’d be very interested in a swap for Nightingale. It’s been on my to sample list for a long time, I’m always curious to try a modern chypre. I’ll email you, I think I should be able to find your email from old ‘meets postings.
Are you in the US? I’d love to swap. No need to dig. I’m ann dottie eisenberg attagirl comcast dottie net
!
Thanks! Yes, in the US. Will email you later today or tomorrow with what I have to swap.
Happy weekend!
Sotd is Chanel Jersey.
1. Le Lion will be my bottle of choice. Tested it twice and I liked it more each time.
2. Coeur de Vetiver Sacre. It’s been sitting in the corner of my perfume cabinet and I don’t remember the last time I reached for it so I don’t even know if it is still good…
3. I’m torn between Greece and Thailand but I think I will go to the latter. Fill myself with loads of good food and beautiful culture. I will be bringing with me my 24 Faubourg, sunshine in a bottle.
I was in Thailand as a child and I would love to go back!
I wanted to get read of Coeur de vetiver sacre a few years ago, but eventually I’ve come around to like it. I was disappointed by it not being a vetiver fragrance, but now I think of it as a dry fruit incense and it works for me.
SOTD is Shalimar MVP chest and sweater, L’Heure Bleue on my wrists.
1. At the moment I am lusting over old discontinued Guerlains, which I guess sets me up for frustration. I’d like to try the most recent Francesca Bianchi’s I have missed and Lesquendieu Feu de Bengale.
2. I have quite a few I don’t wear enough or I’d like to sell or swap. Prada Infusion d’Amande is one of them- there’s an aromachemical there that bugs me so I don’t use it.
3. For a winter holiday I would go to a Nordic country, eg Iceland. With a cozy perfume, Iris Ganache or Shalimar MVP. For a summer holiday I’ll copy the Mediterranean theme with another great T Ford fresh scent- Mandarino di Amalfi.
1. Hankering to buy? Tom Ford Ebene Fume. Which I haven’t even sniffed, yet it’s sitting there in my Sephora basket waiting for Tuesday when my VIB discount kicks in. Bad, bad pixel
2. Off the island… well I’ve been waffling about VCA Neroli Amara for a while. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t… what to do, what to do…
3. Vacation! Well we were supposed to be going to Antarctica this month BUT COVID &$%#&^%#$^&#$%. We may go to Hawaii next month. I really wish the CDC would approve boosters for my age group ASAP, I’d feel better about travel and the holidays in general if I had mine. I did get my flu shot this week, so that’s something. If we do go to Hawaii, I’ll bring TF Black Orchid.
Oh, and SOTD, or at least of the moment, is Hermes Agar Ebene. Light but I do enjoy huffing my wrist.
You smell great. I’m trying my sample of Ebene Fume right now. It’s pleasant but similar enough to other things I have to not want to purchase. It is good though. If you like Agar Ebene I think it would be a safe blind buy.
Oh Pixel, we went to Antarctica about 5 years ago. I loved it! We did this big splurge-y trip with Lindblad. Almost a full month of Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands. If you can try again please go. The animals are incredible.
That’s the exact trip we were supposed to go on! I have re-booked it for next year. Fingers crossed.
Have you inquired about a booster shot? We simply made an appointment at our county facility and no questions were asked.
Hawaii, Antarctica…both fascinating choices. I’m sorry the one didn’t work out and hope you make it one day soon.
I have inquired… my health care provider follows the CDC guidelines exactly, and my county does too
ANTARCTICA! So, so jealous (not of the cancellation, of course). That was on the table for our big 50th birthday / 25th anniversary trip, but ended up being just too expensive/difficult for 3 of us — not easy to find a cabin for 3.
I feel you, though — we booked Africa for our trip in the end, and it was cancelled in 2020, and 2021, and is currently rebooked for 2022. The woman organizing for us got back to me this week and said I really do have to commit for 2022, as bookings are starting to roll in like crazy at the lodges. So we’re committed…but who really knows.
I hope you’re able to get that Antarctic trip rebooked. It should be amazing! Someday I hope to get there.
SOTD = Tauer Sundowner
Nice, very nice. On me, it is a spicy, citrusy pipe tobacco rose. See way below for split offer.
Poll:
1. Naughty? Me? I will feature a T-shirt on my IG account at some point, maybe later today. It feels very convenient to hit the buy me a large sample button as soon as I hear about something that sounds interesting. As for the Guerlain Advent Calendar, I have decided not to get it since I already have all but one of the perfumes, I have more candles than I need (doesn’t mean I won’t buy any more) and I amm happy with my current skincare routine.
2. Voting off the island – I have a hard time parting with bottles but I may do it at some point. Nothing comes to mind at this point.
3. Vacation! Ah…too many places. I am not comfortable with taking a plane anywhere at this time; however, once I am comfortable, I would love to go to Houston (yes, I was there in March 2020 but it felt like Vacation, Interrupted) or Seattle (to meet up with my niece and her new baby to come, as well as to meet up with the NSTers in the area). I do have a deposit down on a trip to Switzerland and Germany for July 2022 but I am leaning towards not going. I will bring my usual Chanel No.19 EDP and No.5 EDT.
As to the split, I am offering three 5mL splits of Tauer Sundowner, U.S. only. I had to pay shipping so I am passing along the cost, but will make up for it. For $25, I am including Sundowner in a glass atomizer, one random sample from the Tauer Discovery Set, another manufacturer’s sample (another brand), and new shipping materials; I am not charging for the atomizer and there’s an overall “discount” of $0.77 as I rounded down the calculated split cost. If you are interested, please send me an email (click on my name), with your user name and “Sundowner”. Please do not dibs here to avoid entangling the comments. Thanks!
Aww, new baby to come! Congrats all around!?
Thanks, mtg!
Correction —
I would like to blame it on Saturday morning brain fog but no, it was sheer carelessness.
The cost shipped on 5mL of Tauer Sundowner is actually $21.50. It includes everything I mentioned above and the “discount” is $0.43.
Thanks.
Thanks for the report — looking forward to getting my mini bottle!
1. I thought I was going to add Maya Njie’s Vanilj to my collection this fall, but then Guerlain came out with Shalimar MVP and I got a bottle of that instead. Glad I jumped on it the day that I did since it seems to have disappeared from the website.
2. None!? My fb collection is quite small to begin with and I’m happy so say that I have either swapped or sold bottles that are not true loves as I continue to “curate” my collection.
3. Well technically our fall getaway was last weekend at an Airbnb visiting our college daughter. It was perfect fall weather. We enjoyed walks by the river, and through the woods. lol. We also discovered a new bakery with an award winning baker, so now we have that to look forward to each time we visit. I got the most delicious pumpkin blondie bar.?
My fantasy getaway would be a girls weekend up north, sans technology. We would go for nature hikes and admire the beautiful fall colors during the day. Drink good wine in the evening and dial up some chick flicks. Sigh. Maybe next year.
SotD is VCA Orchidee Vanille. This is the second decant I’ve had of this one and this particular perfume really seems to suffer from evaporation. It’s down to what looks like vanilla extract. I think I’ll thunk it tomorrow. Did get a “something smells good in here” from the other half, which is always nice.
Happy Saturday! I hope the sun is shining where you are!??
Oh! I forgot what perfume I would take!? re #3, I took Safran Troublant along last weekend and that feels like a perfect fall perfume to me.
So glad you had fun visiting your daughter!
Your recent fall getaway sounds very awesome, and I could easily get behind your fantasy one as well!
Great that you have a well curated collection, that is my ultimate goal as well.
SOTD for now – lovely Eau de Clorox. Amazing longevity and projection as I clean bathrooms.
1. Hankering to buy: Spell125 and Rose Embers by TRNP
2. Off the island. I have been culling a lot, I have a batch of 5 to list, including La Fille de Berlin (Serge Lutens and I are having a falling out), and a couple of TRNPs that my husband says are nauseating him.
3. Vacay: somewhere warm, preferably Hawaii. We are still remote work and a co-worker invested his bounty of bitcoin into a house in Hawaii where he has been working from for the last 9 months marking the rest of us insanely jealous!!
Haha, I know that longevity and projection, it hurts the nostrils.?
Co-worker should invite all of you for a Hawaii “team building”!
Which TRNPs are you getting rid of?
1. I’m planning a very low or no-buy this Fall. I’ve gotten many decants and samples recently, and just want to appreciate what I’ve got. But Les Indemodables discovery set is somehow forever on my wishlist, I keep picking up other things and pushing this one out. I might finally get it in December. I’m picking up temporary extra responsibilities at work in exchange for a bonus. So, I might need a treat!
2. Too many to list! Hahahaha. Over the years, I’ve blind bought a lot of cheapies and travel sprays.
3. I love Paris in the fall/winter! All the food, art, and perfume. But on the other hand, I would love to escape to some cottage near the beach for a week. I’d be up for most travel at this point! I would not take perfume if I go to Paris, since I’ll be buying some for sure. Oh what a lovely fantasy!
Commando for now. We’re meeting some friends for lunch at an outdoor mall and I might pop into some stores to test fragrances if I have time.
Hope you had fun at lunch, and do enjoy planning how to spend your bonus — that’s extra nice in December!
1) I just added a few bottles so I don’t want to be greedy. Donatella has renewed respect for me, I’m sure!
2) I’d vote off my bottle of Cuir de Lancôme because I just never reach for it.
3) I’d go on a historical tour of Europe, which means I would be gone for the rest of my life. I would have erudite historians lead the way and lecture as we go. It would be a mash up of overnighting at luxury hotels, tens, vans, or cowboy camping. I want to go way back, like before the Bronze Age. As far as perfume goes, I would take box of eels or the original Omnia, because they’re great any time and any place.
Forgot to say SOTD is Guerlain Tonka Imperial, from a spray sample that arrived with Shalimar MVP. Lots of scent and skin samples, fun! Also, the Guerlain boutique in Las Vegas has a stellar employee names Theodore. He made my Shalimar MVP dreams come true! I wish I could tip him, he was that fantastic. ?
That’s so awesome. Good customer service is getting harder to find, seems to be a dying breed.
Do you still have those ten bottles in your cart? Inquiring minds want to know.
No. If you don’t purchase within 15 min they remove the bottles from your cart so others who are more decisive can buy them. ??♀️
Wow, that’s really quick. I’d prolly never get to buy anything at that site.
Omg Deva, I have been longing for a bottle of Cuir de Lancôme. Would LOVEE to swap if you’re interested.
Sure, you can email me at taiga101 in the land of yahooligans.
Yay! Emailing now
SOTD is Bottega Veneta. Such a gorgeous scent for a proper fall day, and so nice to live somewhere that actually has autumn!
Today I went to the nicest tea store I’ve ever been in, which was right next to a Barnes & Noble. It’s a new bookstore, and when another customer asked about it, the SA said it was a “concept” B&N. The concept? Focusing only on books. ??♀️
Poll questions:
1) I’ve oddly been hankering for classic Guerlains lately, so maybe Vol de Nuit or L’heure Bleu?
2) I could get rid of Nick’s Sunflower from EB Florals without feeling too much remorse.
3) I would love to go to coastal New England for my dream vacation. I’d take Eiderantler from January Scent Project because it’s a great scent but also because JSP is based in Providence.
Lol, yeah, what else would the concept be?
A tea store next to a bookstore? Perfect. Seriously, I’d never want to leave. Roll up a cot and mini fridge and I’m good.
I recently got L’Heure Bleue EDP recent formulation and I’m in love. I liked the EDT already but this is better. I wonder how the extract smells like ?
You smell wonderful, esp on a fall day. Your getaway sounds good too.
Bottega Veneta is perfect for fall. You smell great!
SOTD black flower Mexican vanilla, Dame, from a decant.
1. What’s the fragrance you’d most like to add to your collection this fall?
Mazzolari Vaniglia (sp). On a vanilla kick right now.
2. You have to vote one perfume in your collection off the island. Which one will go first, and why?
MFK Oud Satin Mood. It’s beautiful, but not me.
3. It’s time for a (fantasy) fall getaway! Where are you going, and pick ONE fragrance to bring with you.
India! And some sort of vanilla.
Vanilla seems to be popular lately, you smell great!
You smell wonderful ?
Vanille Insensée – I’ve had a vanilla thing going on of late, which is amusing since some years back it was a note I disliked.
Wish I’d jumped on Shalimar MVP, but am thankful for my decant. It’s the vanilla thing in Shalimar(s) that attracts me.
Nothing off hand I’d get rid of, since I seem to go in waves of what I like and don’t like.
For a Fall getaway, I’d be torn between a visit to Madrid and then pop over to Portugal or a visit to Capri and parts nearby. Not sure what scent I’d bring, but I’m sure I’d be making some acquisitions.
You smell great! Hit me up if you ever want more, I’ve got a big bottle of that one, with mls to spare.?
Is it nice there today? It’s gorgeous here, not a cloud in the sky! Fall is really trying to win me over as favorite season this year.
Thanks! I’m wearing today!
Morning all! SOTM is Tabac by La Via Del Profumo, from the new 15 ml bottle that arrived yesterday. It was a blind buy, and quite successful — I love it! It’s an amber-wood-tobacco-tonka melange that is light yet has presence, and is a bit sweet without being anything like pipe tobacco. No fruit to speak of, rather dry, and very easy to wear.
My poll answers:
1. Hermes Bel Ami, preferably vintage-ish. I have given up on finding Doblis unless I win several lotteries.
2. Miller Harris Etui Noir. I got it in a swap, iirc, and never wear it. Don’t get iris or leather from it (which were the notes I wanted), and it’s just not good on me.
3. Oh, fantasy, how I’ve missed you. I’ve never been to Europe at all, and there are several places I’ve always wanted to see that I could choose for this poll. Italy (any/all of it), Scotland (the Hebrides mostly), France (Nice, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence), Corfu, Santorini … Ahem. Today I choose the South of France at a sunny time of year, where I will do a motoring tour in a convertible and will take vintage Diorling EDT to scent my drive.
Tabac is really nice. That was the first tobacco scent I tried which I really liked — often tobacco scents are sweeter than I prefer, but not Tabac.
I’m in Goldfield & Banks Silky Woods, from the splitmeet. This is the best blind split buy I’ve made in a long while. Perfect for fall. ?
1. Acquisition: Neroli Outrenoir, in the old style bottle.
2. Vote off the island: PdN Vetyver. The caraway note in this doesn’t work for me anymore.
3. Fall getaway: how about New York State? There’s plenty of countryside and fall color viewing for one week, and then plays, perfume stores, Chelsea Market, etc. for the second week. I’d bring Black Cashmere. Who’s coming with me?
Ooh, two for me today! Glad you like Silky Woods!
Yes, thank you for splitting this one! ?
I have spent zero time in NY other than NYC, so I would love a week tootling around!
You can come and visit me ?
That would be so fun!
Sounds perfect. ?
We could do a group getaway to stay in the property on the Hudson River that was featured in the Wall St Journal “Mansion” section on Friday. Truly unbelievable.
Holy cow.
I was able to google and see a few photos. Wow!
Good morning! Our progress towards summer has gone way of course in the last few days, it’s really cold. It’s probably not an entirely bad thing that we couldn’t do the planned trip to visit my beloved’s mother in Hawke’s Bay this weekend. We couldn’t go because we couldn’t get our garage door to open!!
That sounds really stupid, but after living here for 20 years we have only now discovered that the garages are all powered through one apartment. It’s vacant, the power is off and we can’t get hold of the owner. The manual release for the door isn’t working either, and over the weekend we can’t get hold of the company that installed the door opener three years ago. So, a quiet time at home.
Perfume-wise, there are lots on my list of future purchases, but no single one that I have to have right now, and there’s nothing I want to get rid of. There are things that I don’t wear very much, but I still want them available.
Fantasy holiday, anywhere really! I’m hoping for Australia next year and Europe in 2023. There are still perfumes in Paris that I haven’t bought yet.
Hope you’re not too disappointed and that you can visit your mother soon; garage door: Oh, the joys of modern life.
Garage door: how frustrating! Glad you are enjoying the quiet time.
SOTD samples this afternoon, followed up on ELDO CP by trying Noël au Balcon (mostly pretty but there is an odd note, probably the caraway which bothers me) and Fat Electrician, Nice but a bit odd too, all in all I won’t need full bottles I stick to my Fils de Dieu
1. Juste un Rêve which I tested thanks to a thoughtful NSTer
2. Youth Dew Amber Nude, I used to love it but had a terrible experience last time I wore it, and I have a back up, how stupid is that?
3. Istanbul and I would wear Chergui and Traversée du Bosphore.
Maybe you could sell your back up?
Yesss for Istanbul!
1. What’s the fragrance you’d most like to add to your collection this fall? I want Dior Tobacolor.
2. You have to vote one perfume in your collection off the island. Which one will go first, and why? Probably Memo Tiger’s Nest. I bought it blind, and it’s just not the kind of incense I enjoy.
3. It’s time for a (fantasy) fall getaway! Where are you going, and pick ONE fragrance to bring with you. I’d like to go to Labrador. I love the Atlantic coast in fall and winter, with the waves crashing and the wind blowing. I’d bring MKK and Stash to keep me warm.
Newfoundland & Labrador are on my bucket list too!
Wearing Spezie today and it smells so good!
New addition? I’m eyeing Gres Cabochard after Portia’s review on Perfume Posse. It’s super cheap but only available in a big 100ml size.
Vote off: another cheap 100ml perfume I never wear, Agent Provacateur edp. I used to love it and now I just…don’t.
Fantasy trip? The Maine coast. I’d bring Slow Explosions and my LLBean flannel shirts.
Have a great weekend ?
Day late, but you did smell fantastic!
I have not seen the Maine coast much past Portland, that would be a great trip.
This has been a frustrating day, so I popped in here to de-stress a bit, and to vent. I was supposed to get blood drawn this morning for some tests–the kind that require a 10-12 hour fast–but when I got to my appointment, they couldn’t do it because the medical clinic forgot to send the orders to them even though I called the clinic just yesterday to check on that very thing. Since it is Saturday, I couldn’t call the clinic to have them send the orders over ASAP, so I fasted for nothing. When I got home, I started a claim with UPS on my LUSH package that has gone MIA. The last info they had on it was that it had left Seattle, WA on October 27. I then took my husband’s car to get its annual inspection (which it passed, so at least one thing went right today) and afterward I decided to drive to the nearest LUSH store ()about 40 miles away) to buy what I needed in person, since online ordering doesn’t seem to be working right now. On the way, I made a wrong turn and got lost. I couldn’t use the GPS on my phone to help me out, as it refused to connect. It turns out I was out of data (oops!), so I wasted a while driving around trying to get my bearings. Had I been in my usual car, I could have used the navigation system, but my husband’s car doesn’t have a navigation system. As for the poll:
1. The fragrance I’d most like to add to my collection? I already did, sort of. I just bought a FB of Aftelier Violet Ambrosia after seeing that the perfume pomander bottle was nearly dry. I don’t know if that counts as adding to the collection, since I already had some, but the perfume pomander is only 6 ml, so it was buying a FB after using a decant. I also got a BUB of Secret Garden and a mini of Wild Roses.
2. The one I would vote off the island? Maybe AG Rose Absolue. I hesitated over this one a while, then when I decided I needed it, it had ben apparently discontinues, then it reappeared a few years later, but only in 100 ml, so I bought it, but I never actually wear it. I don’t know if it was reformulated, or I just changed my mind about it. I have found that my skin and/or sense of smell seem to have changed since menopause, and some things I used to love I don’t love any more, and vice versa. I do have many other rose scents that I love, but that one doesn’t quite make me love it. Certainly not enough to need 100 ml.
3. Fantasy trip? Anywhere that I could relax, preferably with some beautiful scenery, cool fall weather, and a good seat where I could sit and look at a garden or the ocean or a forest or something. Maybe and indoor pool and hot tub as well? Probably in the US, as I don’t care to deal with international traveling, testing requirements, and so on.
I sympathize on the shipping. I’m supposed to get a small bottle of Night Flyer (formerly Zoologist Bat). It was supposed to come to my dad’s when we visited but didn’t get shipped in time, but she was kind enough to offer to ship to me in Canada to test a new shipping service. She shipped it on October 10 and the last entry on tracking is that it departed the Vancouver airport on October 21. No sign of it since, and I’m not sure what shipper it’s with because the tracking number is through a specialty shipping service with its own tracking site. I’m wondering how long I give it before I check in. (New shipper doesn’t seem to have worked…I so feel for small businesses these days.)
Your fantasy trip sounds great!
Hello, hello, yay for an extra hour of sleep tomorrow! Boo-hiss that it gets darker earlier now. SOTD is Illuminum White Gardenia Petals, the fragrance that was rumored to be Princess Kate’s choice for the wedding. It was pretty, I just wish it lasted longer than an hour, my skin just ate it up.
1) B&B Works Moonlight Path. They discontinued it after all this time, and I still have some matching lotion and body creme left; I like to layer it when it gets chilly out. I may have to look online, or wait for the semi-annual sale.
2) Maybe my Armani Summer Code. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s actually nice, it’s just not my favorite. I still have half a bottle left.
3) The Inn at Stockbridge, Stockbridge, MA. Out of all the b and b’s I have browsed online for the heck of it, that one just looks the coziest. It’s $$$, though, I won’t be showing up there anytime soon! Maybe my new Autumn Vibes sample that a lovely NSTer sent me.
I haven’t bought much BBW lately, but Moonlight Path was one of my favorites among their fragrances. It was one of the few that wasn’t frooty or super-sweet.
It was really quite lovely and I received so many compliments whenever I wore it; I was a bit shocked to hear that they discontinued it.
I’ll have to look up that Inn!
They do have Moonlit Path body products on the website. Sign up for the emails and they will let you know about sales. If only I can stay off the website when they have single wick candle sales.
1. I bought a full bottle of Chanel Paris-Edimbourgh in October so I’m not letting myself by anything else until December.
2. Replica’s by the fireplace or jazz club. I bought both when I really liked the smell of them at Sephora but I’m kind of finding them intimidatingly Smokey now.
3. My fantasy vacation would either be the Greek islands and I would wear Saint Julep or a cute town in Japan with fabulous Onsens and I would wear Tam Dao.
I had the funniest experience with the perfume today. I was at a shop and tried the tester of Dedcool #4. When I put it on it was very strong and maybe a bit too head shop patchouli for me, however within 15 minutes I had gone completely nose blind to it! It was a good reminder to always sample something on my skin before buying, because I really liked the way it smelled in it’s bottle!
Wow, wonder what molecule deadened your nose? Don’t see how it could be the patchouli.
I did participate in the project and wore Jasmin et Cigarette yesterday and paired it with Swinton’s role in the comedy Trainwreck. That role is so against type for her and hilarious I though. Today I’m in Black Orchid.
I would love to add Shalimar Philtre de Parfum to my collection this fall. I won’t toss any of them off the island, they all deserve to stay ha! In my dr mad I’m going to Tuscany this Fall and I’s take my newly acquired Philtre de Parfum with me.
I never saw that and it looks funny — added to list, thanks!
Wearing Pantoum today, and more on that momentarily…
1) Fragrance I’d add–I just got a LOT in the splitmeet, and am busy trying stuff out. I don’t have plans to buy any full bottles, since I have so much new to play with.
2) First off the island–looking like Pantoum, a blind split. The notes for this sounded amazing, just like everything I enjoy. The reviews on Fragrantica were pretty good. But once it’s on my skin, it’s awful. Not quite a scrubber (although I considered it) but just so…generic department store “men’s” fragrance counter. Seriously, I smell like I just walked into Bloomingdales or Macys. And it lasts, and lasts, and lasts. It’s supposed to be citrus and chypre and floral, and it’s horribly aquatic and just yuck.
3) Vacation…I have so many plans for so many places swirling around in my head. I was supposed to have been in Beijing in February 2020. That trip never happened, so I’d quite like to do that. And I’d wear something smoky.
What a shame, so sorry about Pantoum! It really does look great.
Another fun poll!
1. What’s the fragrance you’d most like to add to your collection this fall?
I’m not yearning after one particular fragrance that I don’t already have, except maybe Papillon’s Spell 125 (which I haven’t even tried yet, I just love Liz Moores’ creations), but I’m tempted to put on my Christmas list a gift coffret like the Guerlain Perfumer’s Set.
2. You have to vote one perfume in your collection off the island. Which one will go first, and why?
I have a couple of flankers of Sunflowers that I bought a while ago as part of educating my nose, and it’s probably time for them to find a new home as I never use them. They may end up in my daughters’ Christmas stockings!
3. It’s time for a (fantasy) fall getaway! Where are you going, and pick ONE fragrance to bring with you…
I’m going to Paris! And I’m not bringing one single fragrance with me, just an empty trunk to bring home the many fantasy fragrances I will buy there, lol!
Your trip to Paris sounds lovely. I’m going this summer and would love to hear where you’re planning to perfume shop. I’ve already started my list and am getting very excited
Yay! We were supposed to go to Paris and other parts of France in the summer of 2020, so I already had a list of where I had intended to go for fragrance. The Palais Royal, to visit the boutiques of Serge Lutens and Parfums de Rosine. The Guerlain boutique, and the Chanel and Hermès flagships. Jovoy Paris (I met the owner at the London store some years ago; he was lovely and they carry amazing fragrances, including their own line). One of the Parfums de Nicolai boutiques. A boutique called “Nose”, which carries smaller, independent brands. Those are probably at the top of my list.
I’ve read about another one, too, called L’Officine Universelle Buly; it sounds a bit like one of the old-fashioned apothecary stores I enjoyed in Florence, with its own line of scents.
I have been able to visit elsewhere branches of Frederic Malle, Penhaligon’s, and a few others, so those would be lower on my list, but Paris is home to those and many dedicated brand boutiques, like Diptyque, Annick Goutal, By Kilian, etc.. Two of the less available ones that I’d like to visit in Paris are the Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier boutique and the Maison Trudon boutique. And Galeries Lafayette, the department store, is said to have a huge fragrance selection.
Wow, that list is even longer than I had expected! I suggest breaking up the fragrance shopping, of course, so your nose isn’t overwhelmed (not to mention any travel companion with you, lol!). But I have found in London that just going around the city to visit fragrance boutiques ends up providing some very enjoyable walking tours of various neighborhoods. Can’t wait to hear where you go!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful Paris perfume plans! I wish we could overlap and do some sniffing together.
We were going to go to Paris and other parts of France this past summer so this is a do over for us too.
I haven’t been to the SL Palais Royale shop so I’m really looking forward to seeing all of the bell jars. Nose sounds fun too along with Maison Trudon and Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier. I’ve been to the Frederic Malle, Diptyque and Annick Goutal boutiques but will definitely go again and Galleries Lafayette is a fun place to try lots of things. I remember discovering L’Artisan at a pop up cart there when they were just starting out. Why didn’t I get Ananas Fizz when I had the chance?!
Let’s keep comparing perfume shop notes. I definitely want to hear about your fragrance-inspired Paris experiences.
You’ll be getting to Paris before I do, but hope springs eternal! I haven’t rescheduled yet …
P.S. If I were actually going anywhere I could this fall, perfumes aside, I would try to get to New Zealand. My late mother was born there, and I’ve always wanted to see it, especially after seeing the spectacular landscapes in The Lord of the Rings movies. And it would be springtime there right now! It is definitely a trip my husband and I will make some time in the next few years.
1. I have nothing pressing that I would like to add to my collection right now.
2. I would probably want to vote off Diorissimo. I have tried to like it but not quite my deal.
3. I would love to go to either Iceland or Scotland. But eating fish isn’t my thing
Wearing Lyric right this second second but will Coco Mademoiselle Intense after my shower.
Diorissimo can always find another home
I’m really happy with what I have so no voting anything off. Vacation for me would be time at home with my feline granddaughter who is temporarily living with us. When I am at work I miss her something fiercely.
Awww… give her scritches and kisses from me.
I will!! And same to Mila from auntie Brigitte ??
I have been scentless this weekend because I’ve been performing with an orchestra and they have a strict no scent policy. We are doing Brahms 1. Such fun horn parts!
1. I have a long list of things I would like to sample, but no pressing FB needs.
2. The only bottle that I could imagine giving the boot in my collection is Narciso Rodriguez for her EDP. I loved it for a long time but recently something about it is giving me this strange bleach-y undercurrent. I have no idea what it is or why.
3. I would like to go someplace sunny and lounge on a beach and read. I would bring Eau des Merveilles, which I think smells especially nice in hot weather.
What fun…hope the concerts went well!
Former horn player here! Brahms is wonderful for us
Hello everyone!!
Came back from grocery shopping with my Mom and daughter and came home to a total surprise… 3 packages on my doorstep!! On a Sunday!!!!! Unreal!!!
My compact powder I had to order online arrived as well as a Japanese collectible figurine of Majokko Megu-chan and a bottle of Shiseido Rosarium edp.
So of course what am I wearing today? Most beautiful ?!!
The bottle I used to have and used all up in no time a few years ago was 3.3oz.
Now that Rosarium had become even more hard to find I paid the same amount as before but this time for a 1.7oz. But it is my most favorite rose and a 100%a soliflore. The only thing that could ever come close to Rosarium is Jo Malone Red Roses. Also a beautiful just rose and… Nothing else. That is my favorite rose. Third place would go to recently sampled FM Rose & Cuir.
Anyways wearing Rosarium is making me sooooo happy. It has everything about roses in it. Rose garden, rose petals, rose bush, rose jam… Rose, rose and more rose!!
I also spent $$$ on Christmas shopping already. I bought a Guerlain face cream for my Mom, a Jo Malone candle, a Diptyque candle for some friends, and a bottle of Prada Candy for my friend whom recently I got a travel spray with Nuits de Noho – which she loved. I also have to buy the new Dior Sauvage in highest concentration for my Dad. But that will be done when I get paid on Friday. I also want to buy a pretty watch for my almost 2 and a half year old. My Dad gifted her his old watch that he had hanging down a mirror in his car. He took the little wrist watch off and put it on my lil toddler’s wrist. It is a tad too big – but she will not take it off for nothing. So I want to gift my lil daughter a pretty, pink watch for Christmas that will fit her tiny wrist:)
I can answer to one of the questions – I would vote Like This off the island. Luckily I have just a little bit left in my bottle – loved the opening, couldn’t bare with the heart and base. Weird because it is a pretty perfume just… Not for me. It was a HUGE miss fot me. But a couple of years ago I forced myself to wear it often just so I can get rid of it faster…
I meant to say my favorite rose is Rosarium, then Red Roses and third place is Rose & Cuir.
We have been getting Sunday mail too, no idea why. But generally only packages, not letters.
You have a lot of holiday shopping done, or planned…I have done neither!
There is a new woman-owned watch brand called ParchiePal that is intended to bring well-deserved watches to kids. They are super cute and I would really like the blue one for myself….
Ugh! Well DESIGNED, but they might be well deserved as well….
Hey all! I’m in the remnants of yesterday’s Bruno Fazzolari Vetiverissimo from the sample pack I just got. I like it, but Encre Noir is enough vetiver for me. My answers to the poll questions:
1. I don’t know, I’m having the gimmes for a lot of scents right now! I have tons of new samples and decants to try, so maybe I’ll decide on some favorites in the next few weeks.
2. Guess by Marciano. I’m still trying to use it up as a bath spray. Anyone want it? I’ll give it away for free.
3. Oh travel, how I miss it! I haven’t been on a plane or left the Midwest since February 2020. I’d love a trip to an all-inclusive luxury resort on a beach in Mexico, since we’re talking fantasy here.
It is hard to beat Encre Noir.
Ditto…I flew home in early March 2020, and haven’t left the area since, other than car trips to see family within a day’s drive.
I’m wearing 4160 Tuesdays Truth Beauty Freedom Love today.
The next perfume on my wish list is Atelier Materi Peau d’Ambrette and samples of TRNP Rose Embers, Bodhi Tree and Violet Firefly.
Bottle to be voted off: Boucheron Iris de Syracuse.
Fantasy trip: Paris of course. I would gorge myself with the architectural beauty, pastries and Guerlain perfumes.
Pastries!!!!!!!!
Almond croissants, amandines, macarons, oh my!!
Stow me away in your luggage, please! I’d happily be your partner in crime for all that Parisian adventure!
I haven’t been wanting to travel internationally for years now due to the political climate, but I was just yesterday perusing tours of Paris and also the Dordogne River Valley. Want to go possibly next year but what to due with Moby and T-Rex for 7-14 days…? It’s a conundrum.
I say we run away to Paris and leave all the dogs with my husband.
Ugh, it’s starting to get dark before 5pm now that the clocks have been changed over. Not a fan.
1. Not wanting any bottles currently. I had a couple of purchases recently, and that ought to hold me for a while.
2. Voted off the island? Peace, Love and Juicy Couture. I liked it when I had a sample, but after getting a 100mL bottle, it’s unbearably sweet on me. It’s either perfumista fickleness or menopausal changes. Possibly both.
3. Travel? Not at all interested in even an imaginary trip now. Especially after the summer I had.
Is it a recent bottle? Because I think that might have been reformulated.
Hi all!
Today I wore No.19, because it called my name.
1. Right now I am looking at NR Musc Noir, and the No.5 limited edition.
2. NR for Her In Colors. This is a little too musky for me, but I will try again this winter.
3. Like Jalapeno, I don’t want to go anywhere. Instead I want everyone else in the city to go somewhere and leave me alone ?
LOL on your no. 3!