It’s our same-old open thread poll, between-holidays edition. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, what you’re hoping to see on fragrance counters in 2022, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Cherry tree in a winter version [cropped] by Susanne Nilsson at flickr; some rights reserved.
Fall is almost over and I’m wearing my one dedicated fall scent, YR Homme Nature Millènaire, one last time before it gets put away until next year.
Waiting at the bus stop just now on the way home from the supermarket, I accidentally knocked my husband’s phone out of his hand because I am almost supernaturally clumsy, and of course it fell face down, and of course the screen was smashed to flinders. He’d been planning to replace it soon anyway — it’s old and the operating system will no longer be updated after next spring — but *still*. Not a great start to the day. Sigh.
Ugh, sorry about the phone. Hope your day improves!
Interesting about season dedicated scents, I do that, too. And sorry about the unfortunate start to your day but “supernaturally clumsy” truly made me lol.
Because I’m definitely part of that group!
I have done that with my own phone more times than I’d like to count. Sorry that you had to deal with it this morning! At least it was an old phone…I’ve done it with a new one.
I hope your day has gotten better!
We use Lifeproof “Fre” complete protectors, work for us. Pretty much waterproof, our phones survive being dropped on our ceramic tile and paving stones, falling down a flight of stairs, being ground into the mud by oblivious pony hooves, and laying out in a wet pasture for an indeterminant number of hours, until I called it in the dark and heard it ring and saw the screen light up. I bought one of these after I dropped a phone and had the screen shatter the very morning I was going to take it in and trade it in. They are fiddley to get on. But they work a charm. We have put them on all our phones since then. No affiliation, just a satisfied repeat customer.
Nice looking cases. Will keep those in mind. I keep my phone on a leash and usually have it attached at the wrist to avoid dropping.
? Holiday Freebies! ?
1. Bvlgari Acqua Divina EdT- 40ml bottle, 30ml left.
2. – B&BW Sea Island Cotton Body Lotion – 8oz, used once.
-B&BW Cotton Blossom Body Splash- 8oz, 80% full.
Anyone who got freebies from me recently can claim any of these also, if interested!
Please, place dibs here and email me at monica67 at aol dot com.
Happy Holidays! ?
Dibs on 1, please and thank you.
Another glorious sunny day, yay! Planning on a bike ride, then lashings of Kilian Amber Oud.
Well, I am out of bed and dressed and thinking about lumbering onto the stationary bike for . . . an episode of Downton Abbey. So, yah. Twinsies. Ha ha ha!
But seriously, enjoy your real ride in the real world!
Shouldn’t you be on a stationary horse?
Lol
Enjoy the sunshine. It sounds lovely – it’s gloomy here today.
Wearing two sprays of Lush Rose Jam. I had forgotten how potent that stuff is and I feel overwhelmed!
Running errands on this cold and rainy day and meeting my friend, to whom I am going to gift the chocolate theme basket, later for coffee and pastries at her home. We had plan to go out for lunch, but with Covid cases raising like crazy here, we postponed the lunch out for a better time.
Happy weekend, everyone! ?
Glad you are staying safe in this crazy Covid time–have fun with your friend and enjoy some pastry for me!!
Thank you, Jepster! Looking forward to better times out! I will definitely have some pastries for you! ?
I hope you have a wonderful visit with your friend.
Thank you, Sistine! ?
Glad you’re finding a way to have fun and fellowship this weekend!
Thank you, Nancy! We had a lovely time chatting!
Enjoy your weekend and meeting up with your friend. You smell nice in Rose Jam. I jave the perfume but I got sick of using the humongo bottle of the body wash and threw out the rest (not mich left).
Thank you, Hajusuuri!
My bottle has remained almost untouched. The scent is too strong, even in tiny amounts. I adore the shower gel, though!
Good to hear that you and your friend will be keeping your get together safe this afternoon!
Thank you, Jalapeno! Better safe than sorry. We still had a cheerful time.
Ah, I have the Rose Jam body spray (not the perfume), and it’s so potent that I can’t even imagine the perfume. Sorry it doesn’t work for you! I love the body spray/shower gel, though, so I think you smell great from all the way over here
Thank you, Koyel! ?
I didn’t know there was a Rose Jam perfume. It must be terrifying! I have enough with the shower gel and an occasional spritz of the body spray. It is a fun scent!
These comments by the two of you made me buy a little bottle of Rose Jam shower gel in hopes that I, too, will be overwhelmed, LOL!
Yesssss I will take that enabler pin! I hope you love the gel
Yesterday I had a fantastic day with my older son, driving up to Sacramento to collect my younger son. Hours in the car of chit chat and swapping music choices. I am so grateful for this time with my boys. Everyone is healthy and happy. Honestly, nothing is better than that.
I’m in a very heavily scented Yves Rocher’s hand cream, that wears like Nicolai’s Neroli Intense–the almost anise-like edge of neroli at 11.–Matin Blanc. My Twisted Lily advent calendar thingy this morning was an Ormonde Jayne candle, votive size. Smells amazing. Definitely my favorite of the offerings so far, followed by She Was an Anomaly. Yesterday was a travel-size of Montale’s Intense Cafe.
Happy weekend everyone!
I wish I’d done the Twisted Lily advent cal. It seems like a really high quality one. Which scent is the OJ candle?
And adding (much more importantly) – so glad to hear about time with your sons. I have three grown sons, and all three will come for Christmas this year – so great!
The items are pretty random (but I find that so with Twisted Lily generally) but that is also what has made the items so fun and surprising. I can’t tell what is the scent of the candle. It came packaged in a beautiful, red cloth-covered box. But no name or scent is listed anywhere. Not on the box, jar, or on Twisted Lily’s site. It must be one of these: https://us.ormondejayne.com/search?q=caNDLE&options%5Bprefix%5D=last
And yay to having all of our young men home this holiday!
I am doing the TL Advent calendar too and thought the candle didn’t have a name initially but looked it over again and mine is marked Maison Royal on the bottom…smells divine…not sure if the candles are all the same scent or not.
https://www.selfridges.com/US/en/cat/ormonde-jayne-maison-royal-scented-candle-290g_R03668248/
You are right! I missed it, so small was the font, and in my case the candle is “Ormonde,” which just further added to my confusion on a product named Ormonde Jayne. Thank you!
https://www.selfridges.com/US/en/cat/ormonde-jayne-large-candle-290g-ormonde_R03668247/?cm_mmc=PLA-_-GoogleUS-_-BEAUTY-_-ORMONDEJAYNE&POR=Y&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=na_na_pla-b_na_na_na_INT_USA-PLA-CATCHALL&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzfuNBhCGARIsAD1nu-8w-HlnMLV9GvLBKWI9bsvJexXTLGoRFpv10P8H-zoAEaH86gij4FoaAi-TEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Have a wonderful time! I don’t have children. Some of my sisters and my best trips were to Japan to visit her son when he lived there.
And now it’s wonderful to see him be girl dad.
Drive carefully.
What a wonderful drive. Yay for you and your sons! Your advent calendar sounds great.
What a great day, wonderful.
Truly nothing is better than that. Enjoy your holiday with your boys!
How wonderful! Enjoy your happy family time.
I am in Electimuss Mercurial Cashmere. What are some of the amber fragrances you have tried and loved?
There are quite a few but Parfums d’Empire Ambre Russe is a standout, bold and boozy amber. Right now I’m enjoying En Voyage perfumes Captured in Amber, it’s dark but more chocolate than booze. Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan is a classic amber that’s popular.
Hermes L’Ambre des Merveilles and 24 Faubourg spring instantly to my mind. I used to wear Alahine quite a lot, but it’s been out of the rotation for a while – I should dig it out and give it an airing.
I love I Profumi di Firenze Ambra del Nepal.
Ditto that!
I love MPG Ambre Precieux and MFK Grand Soir!
Co-sign!
L’artisan l’eau ambre extreme ( Jean Claude Ellena) is a nice amber vanilla.
I’m a fan of Histoires de Parfums Ambre 114. Easy to find and available in smaller bottles. Co-sign the MPG and Hermes ambers listed above. ?
Ditto for L’Ambre des Merveilles; I’ve also enjoyed Dior’s Ambre Nuit.
Annick Goutal Les Orientalistes Ambre Fetiche and the sadly discontinued Pacifica Spanish Amber.
Thank you everyone for the wonderful suggestions!
Up way too early this morning — have already been downtown and back to take Ockeghem Tween to retake the SSAT. She did the first test on paper, but the retake is online at one of those testing centres, which really did not have their stuff together this morning. Take stressed out test takers of all ages and stressed out staff trying to get the cameras to work, and you get stress squared, not double stress. (Squared vs double…a conversation I had yesterday with the kid trying to learn to convert words to algebra.)
This is the end of the application and test prep stress, at least until the middle of next month. I’m not predicting a huge improvement in her score…sigh. This idea of taking a test based on the US curriculum (apparently the US private school curriculum, because my sister says her son in the same grade in the States hasn’t started learning this stuff) and applying it to kids in Canada who haven’t learned it yet annoys me.
SOTD is Felanilla, for comfort and to try to get me finally into the holiday spirit now that this is all over…ish.
(Squared vs double…a conversation I had yesterday with the kid trying to learn to convert words to algebra.) ?
Wait, what?! No wonder I flunked algebra twice in high school!
You smell fabulous, btw!
Ugh. I feel for you, your daughter, and all those stressed kids. What a mess.
If you discuss the difference between x squared and x “doubled”-(2x?), with your tween, I’m sure the kid will ultimately be fine.
If my memory is correct, the SSAT was for applying to private high schools, something I did when my family moved. I chose to go to the new town’s public school in the end.
I’ve been reading about your trials with the applications. It seems like a sisyphean task and you’re a good mom. May I ask something: does she need these tests for admission to a government funded school?
I am so grateful that all I had to do was fill out a form with a name and address when I enrolled my son at our local high school. Spending money on an ugly grey and maroon uniform was the worst part. Do all schools in Canada require such a mission, ugh.
Good luck to Ockeghem Tween anyway!
This test is to get into high school? I only remember taking the SAT to get into university. Best of luck to her!
Wearing my dear friend Coco today, edp this time. It’s so cold and wet and dreary here that warm scents are especially welcome.
Watching The Naked City from 1948, it’s about what goes on behind the scenes during a murder investigation, with a narrator. Very early predecessor to a modern “reality” show, plus all the period lingo, it’s interesting to watch.
You smell wonderful and that is a good film-scent pairing – I’m checking the library for that one. For me, Coco edp is classy and above-it-all, but yet travels well in noir circles.
Completely agree with your statements.
SOTD is Tom Ford Black Orchid Parfum (in the gold bottle).
Will be getting ELDO Eau de Protection next week. It was a blind buy so am hoping I like it. I needed to add something new to my collection. Would love to hear other’s opinion on it.
It’s a really different rose (I usually call it a Tough Rose) and I can’t think of anything like it.
To me, Eau de Protection was a dark rose with a significant dried ginger top note.
Wow, you must smell wonderful! I need to find my regular Black Orchid, I’ve not sampled the parfum.
The parfum is a little smoother. I like it better, but they still basically smell the same.
Had some weird dreams last night, including the purchase of a 100 ml bottle of She Was An Anomaly. I then castigated myself for buying the 100ml instead of a 30ml. I may be feeling a bit guilty about all my recent perfume purchases (as well as some others. Just ordered from the Lisa Eldridge site last night?). I’m sure Donatella would not be happy with that, since I’m positive she never felt one single pang of guilt over her collection! I just need to let it go.
I’m in JM Myrrh and Tonka, out of a 50ml bottle I didn’t need but am thoroughly enjoying anyway.?
I hope everyone is all caught up with their Christmas/holiday doings! Stay safe, folks! ?
Ooh, what did you get from Lisa Eldridge?
I would like to know as well ?
Did you order any of the new liquid lurex eyeshadows?
Yes, I did! ?
I bought some gloss (I’d get more use out of those compared to a lipstick). Added a Liquid Lurex (or two)! A bottle of Crystal Nebula may have jumped in my cart at the last moment, totally against my will…? Ooopsie!
How fun! If you can, report back when you’ve tried everything. I’ve had a few “oopsies” when placing orders too!
I suspect “Donatella’s Collection” was put together by a stylist for the photo shoot.
She seems like the type to only wear her brand’s own products.
Well, that would be a real shame.
But you have so few bottles! No guilt.
Yay for 11.5 dreamless hours of sleep.
My coffee is strong and my robe wafting this past weeks combos.
Still cold in LA will have to take my Uggs off later for pedi.
Excited to see a friend for dinner this week.
SOTD post shower will be DSH caravan spice.
Sounds like a great day! I love when an item of clothing has a melange of scents and breathes gently around you the next time you wear it! Always a surprise and a delight. That Caravan Spice sounds delish!
Yes and I can enjoy coffee and e-mails and nytimes at my leisure.
Caravan spice is great. It’s like a mashup of ambre sultan and cinnabar and cimmabue. In the best way possible.
That sounds heavenly, her sale is still going on too.
I’m in Cuir Mauresque for the third time this week. Guess I’m in that kind of a mood! It’s blustery and rainy here this morning, so I’m staying in and catching up on chores and Christmas decorating. ?
Did you get snow. I saw a clip on Multnomah Falls and it was pretty with snow, but it could be from a few years back.
Not here at the house — we’re at about 250 feet, and the snow level today (according to the googles) is considerably above that, which is pretty normal for December. Multnomah Falls rarely gets snow, although it does ice up now and then, and I do see references to a brief period of snow there early last week. That may have been the clip you saw.
Okay, NOW (Sunday morning) we have a dusting of snow … and a lot of ice. ❄️
LOL
Day two of Alien Fusion, my latest purchase, though Sundowner arrived just before. I loved my first evening’s wearing of Sundowner, but then it got crowded out by the arrival of the Estee Lauder Luxury Coffret. Donatella must be beaming at my little spree. Fusion is everything I like about Alien (and I like Alien very much) plus some notes I like even better. It’s a win for me.
Oh, I just blind bought a travel size of Alien Goddess. Supposedly bears no resemblance to the original which has people (Alien Lovers) up in arms.
I’m looking forward to trying Goddess, too – I got two samples of it with my Fusion. With Fusion, I can tell it’s Alien, but I think it would have appeal to those who don’t like OG. Did you try Goddess because you like Alien?
No, I sampled Alien so long ago I honestly can’t remember what it smells like. I bought it because according to reviews it’s primarily a well done beach-y vanilla (bearing little resemblance to the original). In fact, many reviews thought it should have been released in spring/summer vs. fall/winter. I just bought a travel size spray and used a 20% off code for Sephora, so even it’s a total miss, it’s not much money spent. Hopefully I can rehome it if i don’t care for it. Do chime in with your impressions once you give it a whirl!
Indeed Donatella is smiling upon you
Cold and damp here today after a string of warmer than normal days. Warming up with some Chergui — always a good choice. Finally got the holiday cards in the mail; maybe they will arrive in time for the new year!! Hope your weekend is full of family and fun.
Chergui is ALWAYS a good choice, unless you mistook Bapteme du Feu for it, which I did this week!
Next weekend will be family and fun here, today was mostly chores and laundry
Today is a good day. Really! Just a basic good day. Slept well, enjoyed my coffee with “sugar cookie” creamer. I read the paper in our sunroom, looking out at the cold snow but snug and warm. I prepped our Christmas dinner, mushroom phyllo triangles. We’re having a vegetarian dinner this year and I’ve found lots of exciting recipes. My niece has some health issues and has taken up veggie living. I’m happy to accommodate and try new food. Later today going to my BF apartment for a cocktail and holiday socializing. We met in college and 40+ years later we still never run out of conversations.
I’m currently scent free, but will dab on House of Oud before drinks.
What a great day, just perfect. It’s really the little things in life, isn’t it?
You’re a nice person to cater the whole meal to your niece’s dietary requirements!
Oh I’ll admit I was sort of bitter about giving up Christmas Eve fondue, an annual tradition for years. My brother and I grew up with this menu our whole childhood. But part of nieces health issues is an adult onset of dairy allergy, quite severe. It helps that it’s only 6 of us.
I’m making minced mushrooms with garlic and onion in phyllo wraps. Fancy but easy. Bearnise sauce on the side for those who can have it.
The NYT has an article about the Paul-Linda McCartney’s clans Xmass dinner. During the year they decided to go Vegetarian, they concocted some sort of macaroni and cheese log because Paul was quite willing to give up meat but not the traditional male role of carver of the Christmas central dish.
They have since abandoned the “main course and sides.” Their daughter, Mary, apparently now has a cooking show and the NYT featured what looks like a great vegatarian (vegan) Yorkshire pudding recipe.
I saw this too! I may want to make the Yorkshire pudding but need to figure out the muffin pan size.
College day buddies are the best
She knows ALL the dirt! LOL.
After the past couple of years, a “just a basic good day” is actually something special, isn’t it?
Commando today – just not feeling perfume. At the request of my elderly parents I’m postponing my trip to Canada until some undetermined future date, so I am cranky and pandemic-ed out. At least I have a two week break from school to regroup and recover some equilibrium.
One good thing – a student gave me a mini funfetti bundt cake yesterday, and it was crazy delicious.
I’m sorry, Sistine.
This really sucks, Sistine. It seems like we’re stuck in a never ending nightmare. I hope, for everyone’s sake, that next year will bring some much needed reprieve.
Ugh – so sorry. I’m really counting on things improving in 2022.
So sorry your trip is postponed. Enjoy your well earned break though!
Our trip to Canada is also up in the air
Oh, that’s such a shame! I hope your two week break is spent pampering yourself in whatever way works for you.
That’s so disappointing. Could you treat yourself to a short break in some lovely local place as an alternative?
Ugh. I’m also pandemiced- out
I am so sorry Sistine. I still hope that next year will be better. Hugs!
Oy, sistine. I hope you get to see them soon. Are they tech-savvy and able to Face-time or Zoom?
I’m thinking along the same lines as hajusuuri. FaceTime at the very least, and maybe Zoom if they can manage it? I hope you can enjoy the down time at least.
Aw. I hope you come up with something else fun to do sistine.
Sorry to hear this…big hugs to you, sistine.
Definitely worst part of the pandemic for me and most: having to cancel or postpone indefinitely get together with family and long-planned trips.
I am supposed to go on a trip this spring with a friend, postponed 2 prior years. Hope we can still go. Also rescheduling family reunion, I didn’t attend in 2020.
Eventually, I think the world will need to proceed living, albeit with available precautions of masks and vaccines.
I wore SJP Lovely yesterday for a day of shopping, as I hadn’t done any aside from some online. I actually got a fair amount done in a few hours and felt relieved. SO much to do, stresses me out.
Commando today to catch up on some office work online. I am working through Christmas, starting tomorrow. Will be off 12/27 for a week.
Glad you at least got your shopping done, and I’m sure you’re counting the days until the 27th!
So sorry, Sistine. Hope you enjoy your break even though it’s not what you planned.
I’m so sorry for the disappointment. I’m subscribed to the epidemiologist Paul Herscu’s blog and he says this should be the last phase of the pandemic, he predicts it will end by April and then move into endemic phase, which means it’s just part of the ambient mass of circulating viruses like colds & flu are. Hoping fervently he is right.
Fingers crossed!!
I have nothing new to report perfume wise: still wearing Bois d’Armenie.
I just made myself some pasta with a brown butter and sage sauce, drinking a glass of red wine and listening to a 1964 Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto/Antonio Carlos Jobim album. Very relaxing I must say.
Love that jazz grouping — extraordinarily talented musicians. Enjoy!
Sounds like a good Saturday.
Sounds perfect to me
Lovely
Sounds like a relaxing day ?
Oooh, now I know where I should have gone for dinner tonight!
Nice!
Looks like two nice days in a row! New Zealand is a small land mass in a big ocean, our weather is very changeable, there are certainly days where the distance to the South Pole seems short
I’m still wafting last night’s dab of Tyger Tyger. It seemed appropriate for last night’s viewing, the start of the second season of The Frankenstein Chronicles. William Blake made an appearance in the first season.
Today’s scent will be something suitable for a sunny day, maybe Un Jardin Sur La Nil, I haven’t worn it since last summer.
I think we might have to wait until February for summer down here.
How nice, enjoy your Sur Le Nil weather Gaynor!
Enjoy your nice weather! We’ve gotten three days in a row of sun after lots of grey and rain, it’s such a balm to the soul.
Happy weekend, all. I’m in a much better mood than I have been this week (despite having more to do and despite gray skies and rain). I saw the doc yesterday for something I’ve been really anxious about and it went much better than I feared. I slept better last night and I’m really digging in now with a much happier heart to get my holiday stuff done.
I’m in Bvlgari Black but with a bit of AG Cloud on one wrist and enjoying it all.
Does anyone else follow Sean Vigue Fitness? I’ve been doing quite a few of his videos (Pilates, yoga and weights). I think he’s a hoot as well as inspiring (and tough). Yesterday in the stretching video that I chose he talked about having “great expectations”. He said he prays that way and trains that way. Wow, that one sentence stayed with me through the day (and through my MD appointment). Too often I go in with a negative attitude. Maybe those positive vibes and great expectations do really make a difference when we send them out through the universe.
I’m glad things are looking up for you, Springpansy.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Thanks for the Sean Vigue rec. I spoke with two friends over the past week (separate conversations) and we all mentioned how we didn’t have any dreams or ambitions at present. We all turned fifty this year and feel as though we’re simply surviving/ treading water.
Totally get this. I’m 56 and the last two years have made me feel like a hamster on a wheel. Over it completely.
I love reading about your life, actually. I know I would love to spend more time in nature and in naturally beautiful places.
Me three! Turned 55 and have been feeling like all my dreams are gone and I’m waiting for death. Being naturally a glass half full person, it’s hard for me to expect the best (especially after the depressing disaster of the past two years), but I am trying to raise my energy and expectations.
My hubby says I’m always “the sky is falling” mentality. Yeah, well for me it usually is! He should know me by now.
So glad your appointment went better than you expected! I thought of you the other day when I signed up for yoga with Adriene in January again.?♀️
Yay, I signed up also!
Oh yay, that’s great!
So glad to see your good news and relief from a big worry. I like your view about meeting things with great expectations, my first response to any change is an automatic “no” and I’m trying to be more positive.
I’m so happy to hear your appointment with the doctor went well!
So glad your appt went better than expected and you got a positive message to inspire you!
Hurray for getting good news from the doctor!
SOTD = Zoologist Bee
THUNKED the bottle! For full disclosure, I bought it as a partial bottle and have swapped away a portion. I also have a FB from which I split out a portion and still have most of the bottle.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXokmj-OPyt/?utm_medium=copy_link
After 5pm yesterday, my company sent out a memo regarding working in the office plus a whole bunch of strong recommendations. I suppose it is much better than not saying anything, but at the same time, it irked me that it was sent on a Friday AFTER many would have left for the day AND likely for the next two weeks until 2022. This was a very similar note that some of the other countries received last week but it was so weakly worded that at least one function came out to specifically define what it meant for the function. I would like to see our one heartbeat away from the CEO leader come out to say all should just work from home in January while the powers that be assess the situation more thoughtfully. Rant over.
In other news, I got the chocolates I wanted to get for our extended family get-together. Now to decide if I need to wrap them…
High five for THUNKS!
If people can work from home, I think they should be able to do so. For those who management feels are not meeting productivity standards, well, geez! Just give people a bit of a break!
Thank you. Some people are not productive in the office either and claim they are more productive at home…that said, I go by results and feedback.
Whoo hoo for a FB thunk and a big honking BOO HISS for important corporate communications being sent out late on a Friday afternoon. Someone should get kicked in the shins for doing that.
Agreed! Last Sunday early evening, I got a text re: sending some kind of a note out to employees. When I checked with the communicator, she thanked me and said another function is doing it. When I found out what it was, it was something that was known during the week … why wait until Sunday night to do it. It wasn’t urgent at all!
That is so cowardly, to send things out at 5pm on a Friday. Congrats on your thunk!
Thank you!
Cheering on 86-year-old golfer Gary Player and his grandson who are in second place at the PNC Championship. I hope I’m still as active when I’m 86. I’ve finished the holiday cards (I am so late this year) and I’m wearing Bombay Bling, the “party in a bottle” scent.
Gary Player was a good sport on a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.
When I was road biking while living in an actual house in Florida, my route always seemed to cross paths with this highly tanned neon white toothed elderly lady who was zipping around on her recumbent. She always smile hugely, waved, and sped on her way, her orange safety flag flapping. She must have been 80 if she was a day. I did and still do admire her so!
Finished Aristotle & Dante sequel and I love it. Kept a hanky close by.
Now onto YA Dark Rise
So far I have read 36 books this year.
Keeping with the CP from Friday , I am on Slow Dance. It opens with top notes of opopanax and cognac
Blush by Sisley and a foundation sample. Lisa Eldridge lip gloss
I love LE lippies
I’m looking forward to reading that Dante & Aristotle book!
I love the characters ❤️
SOTD: Theo Fennell Scent. Go big or go home.
Back from a two week vacation (before starting call yesterday and now working non-stop until after Christmas.)
We went to the seaside, but had dismal weather. The scenery was exactly as in the Roman Polanski film The Ghost Writer, where he uses French beaches to depict the North American eastern seaboard. Low, grey skies and windswept grass covered dunes. Very atmospheric, if not particularly uplifting.
My sense of smell is almost completely back to normal. I sometimes get “phantom smells” – I get convinced that one of our little dogs “marked” a piece of furniture in the house, but other than that I’m recovering well.
Have a lovely weekend!
I loved the house in Ghost Writer, though it wasn’t especially cosy. I didn’t realise it was filmed in France.
Glad to hear your sense of smell is recovering!
Glad you were able to take some time off and even more glad your sense of smell is almost completely back!
Great news about your sense of smell almost back to rights!
Great news about your sense of smell. I go back and forth about Theo Fennell Scent, should I swap it or keep it? Just don’t reach for it very much.
I’m in Dune. Today started out glorious with blue skies and sun but now the gray has overtaken again.
I got all my presents wrapped and under the tree yesterday. I’m so excited. Now that the kids are well beyond the age where they believe in Santa, I asked them if they wanted to open all their gifts on Christmas Eve. They each get just four gifts each year (something to wear, something to read, something they want, and something they need) and they open 3 gifts Christmas Eve and then their big Santa gift on Christmas morning. The unanimous consensus was to keep things as they are. My daughter said they always look forward to Christmas morning to find one last gift under the tree.☺️
My former colleagues have invited me to their holiday get together tomorrow. We will each bring an ornament to swap and a dozen cookies for a cookie contest. I am bringing one of my favorites, my mom’s meltaways which are mostly butter and corn starch with a cream cheese frosting. They almost (you guessed it) melt in your mouth.??
I love this idea: wear, read, want, need = 4 gifts!
Me too
Wear, read, want, need is brilliant!
I’m taking “wear, read, want, need” to my next shopping trip – way to go, MTG!
That’s such a great way of doing Christmas! I love this. And the cookies sound divine!
What an awesome way to categorize Christmas gifts!
In Ambre Supreme from a sample- I had high hopes for this one, but I’m not sure yet. It’s a little too salty.
Packing for our week away. When we booked this in August Covid trajectory looked so great – now ?
So the Ambre Supreme is reminding me of Baccarat Rouge – anyone else getting this connection?
Testing on the other arm Chris Collins African Rooibas and it’s reminding me of Adv Grendaille d’Afrique
I love Ambre Supreme, not getting salt or BR540, just a gorgeous ambregris.
Yasmina, hope you will have a wonderful week away anyway!
Feelin’ spicy today in Paprika Brazil, haven’t worn that in a while.
And I haven’t seen it even mentioned in a while!
I took Colorado out for a day of wrestling with frozen gates and shopping, and it is great. Still present after 10 hours, still smelling good but sort of indescribable. Sort of woody, sort of herbaceous, sort of sweet, in a unisex sort of way. I don’t know what the notes are.
I don’t really get pine trees from this at all.
Fragrantica has a lot of notes:
https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/American-Perfumer/Colorado-55680.html
I received a big box of freebies today from allo, so I’ll be a sampling fiend next week. ?
SOTM was Bruno Acampora Prima T, which was a little too much BWF for me. To the freebie box it goes!
SOTA was AG Heure Exquise EdP. Ahh, that’s more like it!
A foehn wind brought the temperature up to 28C yesterday and we sat out on the deck eating fresh cherries and sipping champagne until after 10pm when it finally grew dark. The cicadas and tree frogs have just begun to sing, always a sign of summer holidays. Wearing CDG Airborne.
Sounds idyllic!
That sounds divine.
Wow, sounds like a perfect evening!
I want to thank everyone who sent me good wishes yesterday – reading your comments made me feel a lot better. I want to protect my parents and my dad is immunocompromised, so of course I can’t go. In the summer we’ll be able to do workarounds like me staying in a hotel and only having outdoor gatherings if necessary, but it’s just too flipping cold up there to do that now.
My SOTD on this gross rainy day is the absolutely perfect Oliver Peoples from byredo. Of course discontinued because it’s so good, but life is short and I am not going to hoard it any longer.
I’m glad you feel a bit better after the big disappointment. It is a blow, but you’re doing the right thing. I bet you smell great!
Sorry to hear that you had to cancel/delay your much anticipated trip to Canada. It sounds like you made the right decision, given your Dad’s immune system status. Hugs.
Sorry that you can’t make it home, sistine.
I didn’t post yesterday but you were in my thoughts. I am glad you are feeling more positive today.
SOTD = Gucci Odeur d’une Memoire
Day 19 of perfume advent calendar! It’s a perfectly light scent and the bottle and box are very reminiscent of the Christmas season!
It would also have been perfect for the extended family get-together for dinner tonight except it has been rescheduled to sometime in 2022. Word got out last evening and there were many texts. The culprit – COVID-19: a cousin’s son was exposed (has not tested positive yet since he was informed only yesterday afternoon) at work and he lives with my cousin & wife and so they bowed out. We all thought it best to reschedule. Now I need to mail out the gifts except for the chocolates ? I bought to hand out. I even bought extra chocolate bars from Whole Foods thinking I did not buy enough ?.
My immediate family is still getting together on Christmas Day and hopefully no cancellations.
In other news, Frederic Malle Une Rose was renamed as Rose Tonnerre, no reformulation, just a name change per the brand. ??
Ugh, so sorry about the cancellation. I say eat all the chocolate!
Ha! I may just do that!
My thoughts exactly ??
Sorry about the rescheduling! We’re on tenterhooks about the Boxing Day open house we used to do and decided to revive this year, with appropriate precautions. People will have the option to hang out outside, which our climate allows, and we’ll rev up the firepit. I have several air filters with UV light that is supposed to kill viruses, so we’ll run those indoors. Masks will be available. And I’ve asked that anyone who isn’t vaccinated or has any symptoms not attend this occasion, though we’ll be happy to see them another time. I just got an RSVP from fully vaccinated neighbors sending regrets; they can’t come because they’ve both tested positive this week. Ugh.
Too many fully vaxxed plus boosted people are testing positive. Have a great Boxing Day event!
Ack! Better safe than sorry with CV-19 exposure, though. As for the chocolate, well, use your best judgement! ?
I have a lot of chocolate. The bars can probably wait but the seasonal ones will find good homes.
It was a good thing to cancel / reschedule.
Why did they rename it?!
Sorry about your cancelled family gathering!
Thanks. Not sure a good explanation was given. I bet it has something to do with having a name that stands out.
I’m sorry about your family gathering and hope everyone is Covid free.
And much less importantly, I’m unhappy about the Une Rose name change. It’s a great name for a great fragrance.
I hope so too! The name change portends something not so pleasant, IMHO.
Busy packing for our road trip tomorrow. Going camping for 3 nights on the way up to my parents’ house. Mom is suffering from moderate cognitive impairment and declining rapidly, so this may be our last holiday visit together where she recognizes everybody. Hoping for a peaceful and enjoyable visit.
Oh, and I’m wearing Gourmand Coquin.
You smell nice and so sorry about your mom’s rapidly progressing memory impairment.
Love GC. I hope the visit is sweet and filled with love and smiles.
I hope you have a safe trip and lovely visit with your family. My own experience with my late mother’s dementia at the end was that she always knew that one or more of her daughters were with her, but she couldn’t always identify which one, or get the name right. No matter! She knew she was with someone who loved her.
Aw, that’s a shame about your Mom’s mental decline. I’m hoping for the best for you and your family with this trip. Hugs.
I’m so sorry about your mom
I’m so sorry about your Mom, cazaubon. Hope you have a nice visit with your family.
I’m very sorry about your mom’s health. I hope it is a beautiful visit.
I am glad you will be with her for the holiday and am sending loving thoughts for a peaceful visit.
Shalimar weekend here, starting with the body lotion after my shower. It lightly snowed yesterday, and I pretty much only went to the post office to pick up some gifts I ordered. I’m uncertain about a couple of things I ordered for my husband…but they can be returned if necessary. I got him a weighted blanket, and I think he made find it way too weird,
Had a lovely lunch with new friends at a place we’d never been. I had the quinoa and other grains salad that was very good. Since lunch was so healthy, I just followed it up with hot chocolate topped with snowman-shaped marshmallows. My husband is drinking hot glogg with cider. I may have some later tonight, but I’ll use red wine in mine.
I love glogg! I make a pretty good one, also with red wine.
You smell great
I’m in Floraiku “In The Rain” and absolutely loving it. I was surprised that many people didn’t associate In The Rain with real rain. That is how I viewed it on different blogs before buying it. Now I am surprised why so many people didn’t think In The Rain smelled like the real thing? It is woody-aquatic and deep fragrance hence the few notes it consisted of. Beautiful. Nothing of the ocean sort. Totally smells like the earth during and after a rainfall. Very long lasting too.
So glad it works so well for you!
Another super fun thing is I have bern very gifting this entire end
-of-year season. I love to see people’s smiles!!
My real life perfume friend already received a FEW bottles of perfume already. We also exchanged XMas presents early this year. A few days ago while shopping I got her an “un-niche” bottle this time but the one She really likes – DKNY Golden Delicious. Same one that Donna Karan has in a million dollar version with diamonds and all. Another family friend of ours that is like family to us is getting one of those beautiful this year DIOR giftboxes from Sephora with J’Adore in it and a special note… I thought J’Adore will fit Her perfectly: classy, feminine.
Another friend of mine is getting a Travel set from the House of Sillage. She kept asking me what was She smelling on me? And I kept telling Her it all came from the House of Sillage so now She gets Her own ?.
Not to mention everybody will additionally get a box of NICE chocolates each. Plus I am giving gifts to all my 2.5 year old daughter’s friends so I bought some Barbie dolls and nice Lego sets. I am loving this season!!
That’s really sweet of you to get all your daughters friends presents.
For sure. I love them all little ?
I’m late, I know.
This weekend marks ten years that I lost my Mother. I have had a rough time of it. I wish so much to have had things be different. I miss her everyday. I really wanted to post about her, and how great she was, but every time I tried, I would just cry.
So here is my post.. I love you Mama.
She would have liked that I had made such nice online friends, but she would have thought you all stunk of perfume!
Yesterday I wore Cuir de Lancome and today I wore Angel Muse.
Big, stinky perfume hugs to you lillyjo!
I teared up reading your post.
A stinky perfume hug right back at you ?
More big, stinky hugs to you!
Thank you!?
I’m sorry you’re feeling so sad–anniversaries are hard. I laughed at the stinky bit though–my mom also hates perfume!
Thank you socks. It’s funny because it’s so true! Lol.
lillyjo, another stinky hug coming your way (Tabac Rose, to be specific). It’s very sad that you miss your mum so much, but when I read that sentence in your post I couldn’t help but think that it’s also wonderful that you loved her so deeply.
Awww Lilijo!! A ton of “stinky hugs” to You!! You have me in tears now… You are such a sweet person!!
I’m so sorry you’re missing your mom, lillyjo. Christmas is a happy time, but grief at the holidays is an entirely different beast. Sending you gentle hugs (careful, there’s a few tears coming with) from Houston.
I am so sorry for your sadness. I miss both my parents and since I am living in the home they loved in, there’s a constant reminder.
Thank you hajusuuri. One of the reasons I decided to finally post something is because I know so many of my friends here are having similar sadness. A hug to you and the rest missing loved ones.
Very pleased that I got in a good bit of gardening yesterday, and finished planting cold season vegetables and pansies (which bloom all winter here). Then we went out to dinner with one of my daughters and her new boyfriend whom we hadn’t met yet. He seems very nice and intelligent, so all is well!
I wore one of my favorite Advent scents to dinner, Gris Dior, and wore pink and grey to match it.