It's Monday, Gingerbread House Day and Frank Sinatra’s birthday. What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm running awfully late, so apologies to the morning people! I'm wearing Aftelier Candide on one arm, and in a bit I'm going to test Aftelier Boheme Confection on the other arm.
Reminder: 12/16 is Jane Austen's birthday. Name a favorite Jane Austen novel (or movie, or television series) and wear a fragrance to match, or, wear a fragrance to register your general lack of interest in Austenmania.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2022, where I'll try (but obviously sometimes fail) to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: top image shows Theo James, Rose Williams, Crystal Clarke, Anne Reid and Kris Marshall in the ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon. (Season 2 and the upcoming Season 3 are a joint production between PBS and Britbox.)
I’m wearing almost the last of a splitmeet decant of 10 Corso Como. One of my favorite sandalwood fragrances. Surely Jane’s brother would have brought back sandalwood fans for Jane and Cassandra from India.
I would love to have a bottle of that lotion again…you smell fantastic.
Good morning! I have so much personal perfume news to report back from the weekend!
1. I attended a Hermessence Masterclass event at Bergdorf Goodman. It was more of a PR event than a Masterclass — they introduced several of the newer Hermessences by Nagel and a couple of older ones by JCE. I finally got to try the oils, Musc Pallida (didn’t smell of much on me) and Cardamusc (excellent layered with Cedre Sambac, btw).
I learned a couple of interesting facts: the shape of Hermes perfume bottles were inspired by the lanterns on the caleche carriage. Also, the leather on the Hermessence bottlecaps are from the actual catalog of Hermes leather. They have specific names for each shade of color e.g. Osmanthe Yunnan has a Rouge H leather cap. The event was highly polished, as expected of a luxury brand — there was prosecco and delicious little bites and we all went home with bags of perfumed goodies.
2. I finally obtained a bottle of Chanel Egoiste! It feels like such a hidden gem in the collection. It wasn’t available at the Chanel counter at Macy’s (they only had Platinum Egoiste), so I had to head down to the boutique. Apart from Les Exclusifs, I didn’t realize that there were other fragrances that were only sold at the boutiques.
Pro-tip for New Yorkers, you can order and pickup most beauty items at Atelier Beaute in SOHO so you don’t have to stand in line to get in the main stores.
SOTD is Egoiste, of course ^^ Sweet, stewed fruits and warm spices with a woody drydown makes it perfect for the holiday season. The bottle is gorgeous as well! Egoiste doesn’t get enough attention, really.
What fun — really, on both counts! Enjoy your Egoiste.
Thank you Robin! ❤️❤️ How is that cold healing up, by the way?
Flu is gone, thanks for asking
Diptyque advent calendar updates:
Day 10: a set of three golden tree ornaments! they look quite lovely on my small tree.
Day 11: Fleur de Peau travel spray — new to me, excited to sample this one since it seems quite widely enjoyed.
Your masterclass experience sounded satisfying on so many levels. And now I have to try Egoiste, based on your enticing description😀
The event was fun, if not a little intimidating because the staff and attendees were so polished and well dressed 😂 they were all very friendly though!
Yes and do seek out Egoiste! It is all of those things I mentioned, but somehow still airy and easy to wear.
That event sounds like a blast, and Egoiste is lovely.
That sounds like so much fun!
You smell great, I have it and wear it.
Thanks for the vicarious trip! I enjoyed your news – I haven’t smelled Egoiste in years and didn’t know that it’s still sold at the boutiques.
I’m glad, thank you for reading! I’m also surprised Egoiste has lasted this long given how under the radar it has been. Really glad that they kept it around.
That event sounds fun, and I’m glad you got your bottle of Egoiste!
Also, this may be out of left field but I remember seeing you post last week that you don’t like any from your Regime des Fleurs sample set. If you’re interested in swapping it away, please feel free to send me an email. I’m at my NST user name at gmail. No pressure at all though.
Not at all! You can have them for free, emailing you now
So exciting!!
You smell great! Egoiste has been one of my favorite scents on my husband for many years (back to when you could buy it in regular department stores).
Ooh yes it’s such a gorgeous scent! I’m still glad it has stayed around for me (and others) to discover.
Egoiste is SO good! I have a small dabber sample of it that I treasure. And I have a small bottle of the Egoiste Platinum that I “liberated” from Mr. Jalapeno.
Yes!! I haven’t spent much time with Egoiste Platinum but that is next on my radar. The shiny cap is so cool. Lots of people complain that Platinum is nothing like the original Egoiste but I think it is enjoyable in its own right.
Currently in Pleasures but will be in something else after my shower. I just finished my Christmas shopping this morning. My oldest nephews are getting Xbox and Nintendo Switch gift cards. They are difficult to shop for but love video games. Even my sister said that it’s hard to keep up with what they like with video games. They are 11 and 13 and that’s a goofy age for gifts. Every thing is either too young or too old for them. So they can pick out what they want.
Ha, I just bought my nephew a Nintendo Switch game. I happily don’t even know what a Nintendo Switch is (my son is of the age where he used to use a Wii and a Gameboy).
A cold dry day and the almondy warmth of Cartier Le Baiser du Dragon seemed like just the thing.
That one is a gorgeous almost-dessert of a fragrance.
Oh, you smell good.
Definitely get the almond in that one.
Wearing Bronze Goddess this morning, which certainly isn’t very Austenesque. My favorite is Emma and I’m thinking on what might be appropriate…
It is decidedly modern, BG, but you smell great.
I am still on my Jo Malone kick.
Orange Bitters today
Now you just need some body cream with it. lol
Yes yes !
I am thinking when I go to Canada if I can find some cream there , if the dollar is still strong 💪
I think Jo Malone would fit with the CP this week.
I definitely think it would.
I grabbed Rogue Tuberose and Moss from my little Rogue sample set, channeling all of Austen’s rogues and rakes. My most loathed is Willoughby, though, because he’s one of the few who asks for redemption but still doesn’t understand why he doesn’t deserve it.
I discovered only last night that Emma Thompson has been married for nearly twenty years to the actor, Greg Wise, who played Willoughby in the Thompson/Grant version of Sense and Sensibility — and they’ve been a couple for much longer. It is not as if their relationship has been secret; I just never connected his name with that role. I read about in the terrific profile of Thompson in a recent New Yorker.
I didn’t know that either! I love that version of Sense and Sensibility, and I admire Emma Thompson in general. I’ll have to look for that article.
It is probably paywalled, but here is a link:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/11/14/emma-thompsons-third-act/amp
I hadn’t used this month’s freebies yet, I was able to read and enjoy it. Thanks!
I left you a message in the wrong place, at the end of the page. This perfume sounds really nice after I read about it. I may have to try it.
It’s tied for my favorite from Rogue with Champs Lunaire, which is also Tuberose focused. The sample set are generously sized roll-ons, if that interests you.
I think I am probably going to get both the ones you mentioned as samples rather than the discovery set as it is just the tuberose I am interested in.
After some talk here in the last week or two about Baccarat Rouge 540 and after catching up on an article Robin posted recently that was an interview with MFK’s CEO, I decided to wear that one this morning. Funny thing is I’ve had a sample of it for years and had sampled it when I first got it. I think I’d quickly decided I wasn’t sure about it and then never tried it again. All the recent chatter and reading made me realize I can’t call to mind what it smells like. Well, after giving it a full wearing this morning of two sprays to each arm and two to the neck/chest, I’m decidedly not a fan. It’s too cloying and sweet to me. I wish I’d only done one spray to each arm because now I’m stuck with it for a while lol.
Seeing Theo James in today’s picture means I have to mention that I can’t wait to watch The White Lotus season finale on my lunch break today! Theo James is in this season, so that’s the connection. And I do like this season more than the first one overall.
Omg I watched the finale last night and am shocked! Can’t wait for you to enjoy it.
(Not a Baccarat fan either but I get why it’s been so successful.)
Argh this morning feels so long because I can’t wait to watch the show!
I think I’ve hit the point where I actually hate BR540 now. I’m so sick of wearing it and it’s irritating my sinuses. I could probably enjoy smelling it on someone from afar but dang I don’t want to feel like I can’t escape it again.
Ok, I’ve scrubbed off BR540 and replaced it with heavy hitter vintage Shalimar EDT. Feeling so much more myself now. 😎
I thought 540 was too sweet when I sampled. Definitely cannot imagine wearing it often or many sprays. I can see why others are drawn to it though. I maybe could do one spray on occasion.
Yeah, I definitely made a mistake with all those sprays!
I’m so glad you posted this! Killed my lemming which was really just a FOMO moment. I’d seen the comparisons to Ariana Grande Cloud so tried that on a whim at the drugstore and thought…if This smells like That then I will not like it, but how could that be? Well, it could be.
Well, if you want my sample I’m happy to send it to you haha. I haven’t smelled Cloud, but now I’m not in a hurry to.
SOTD = Shalimar by way of Mexico. Still my favorite , but I not sniffed MVP, which I just keep missing chances for, it seems. Saves another desperate vanilla based lemming I suppose. Only 3 weeks of work left plus two weeks of mandatory vacation to use up all the unused days… my first project is now going to be to knit a brioche baclava is a beautiful Painted Muse yarn called Devotion…
Oohhh! Is that yarn from Knit Picks? Of course I had to Google it. It looks really nice! (I’d choose Fearless for myself.)
Yes, if this first one comes out nice enough, I expect I will make things out of several other colors of that yarn- some of the multi colored yarns have pallets that don’t suit me, but many of these are perfect.
And fearless is the color I will use for the second color!
😁
Oh, my gosh, that yarn is gorgeous!
All my favorite colors!
What a great project to start your retirement with!
My grandma taught me to knit when I was in 3rd or 4th grade- I find the repetitive part soothing and the design and planning part an entertaining challenge. Plus I am just so excited to think about things I like to think about after years of thinking about other people’s projects.
My grandmother taught me to knit and crochet. I was better at knitting, but never developed either as a hobby. Sewing was my jam.
I looked up your yarn; it’s just beautiful!
What is a brioche balaclava? I know what a regular one is.
Brioche is a knit stitch that basically layers 2 levels of Ribbing together which makes it very warm. The way it works, you can easily use two different colors of yarn and end up with a very pretty item that has a background color with ribs of the other color which stand out. In making beanie hats if you are careful it can be reversible and you have two different hats. It is very repetitive once you learn it and so makes a good TV watching project.
SOTD is Scentings Elizabeth Bennet, which was the easiest grab for the CP this morning. I haven’t had this out in years and kind of forgot I had it. It’s a strong lavender bomb on me. As I recall from years past, it fades pretty quickly, though, so either I’ll get out Mem later today, or I’ll get out the necklace / perfume ball that came with the Scentings and wear that.
And yes, my favourite Austen is Pride & Prejudice, and if I’m watching it, it has to be the BBC series with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. I saw the movie that was out a decade (more? I’m getting old) ago, and wasn’t a fan, though it was beautifully shot. I pulled the series out this weekend, though, since the spouse is away and it’s my guilty binge watch. I didn’t mean to watch all the way through, but then I had to see the letter, which is on the second DVD, and, well…yes, I was up until 4 a.m. on Sunday morning watching the whole thing. But that kind of worked out because the spouse was arriving in Europe and going through all his transfers as I was watching it, so I could be sure he arrived safely.
Yes to P and P and to the Firth/Ehle version! It is incomparable, and I’ve definitely been in that…oh, I’ll just watch a little more…oh, it’s been 6 hours situation myself a time or two.
Ah, yes, the definitive version of P&P! So many good actors in that!
Another vote for the Ehle / Firth. I did watch the Keira version but it kind of just made me mad.
Yeah, me too.
SOTM is a sample of Kerosene Sacred Memory. By notes it should have worked for me (Red Berries, Bergamot, Whiskey Oak Barrel, Tobacco Absolute, Amber and Musk), but it doesn’t. There’s something sort of generic about it that puts me off. I sampled Pretty Machine yesterday and found it beautiful and fresh, and not at all suited to cold-weather wear — I’ll set it aside until spring, which is exactly what it smells like. The third Kerosene sample they sent is Copper Skies, which I fell for instantly (Amber, Cedar, Tobacco leaves, Honeycomb, Basil and Cloves). Oh, Kerosene, why don’t you do small-sized bottles? Yes, yes, I know — #firstworldproblems #shopyourowndamncollection 😆
Lol at the hashtags! Copper Skies is gorgeous, I think I still have a little in a decant, I’ll wear it tomorrow if it hasn’t gone off. I forgot about it.
Really enjoyed that second hashtag!
Another beautiful sunny day here, that’s three in a row!
I’m not a big Austen fan, I’ve enjoyed a couple of the books and watched a movie or two, but no more than that.
Meanwhile, I’ll use my favourite method for picking a perfume, whuch is the colour of my clothes. Today is a light pink dress, and La Rose from Le Galion is just the thing.
Yay for the sun!
2nd that! Enjoy it, Gaynor, we are freezing
Not a Jane Austen fan, so can’t relate to the CP. Drawing room life would be a nightmare for me…😵
Breakfast is a couple slices of TJ’s Maple Streusel bread topped with cream cheese and scalding coffee, which is a few degrees hotter that boiling. 😀
SOTD is NV Trayee. Talked with two good friends for hours on the phone yesterday and it went a long way to alleviate my holiday season aloneness. Thank God for good friends!
It does my heart good to exemplary human beings out there doing this kind of stuff:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkUz0fsjz2E/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
That bread sounds fantastic!
It is! A gentle toasting and a schmear of cream cheese is just perfect! 😋
Oh my gosh!
This is real bravery! I was on the edge of my seat!
I know, right?! I was on the edge of my seat, too! And it takes A LOT these days to get me there! Lol
But Deva, you wore a fragrance to register your general lack of interest in Austenmania….points for you
Having a Zara day, with Sweet pastry in Paris on one arm, and Jo’s Rhubarb on the other. The former is a convincing, buttery pastry, and the latter is going to be very enjoyable to wear in the summer.
Those sound so fun!
Not an Austen fan either, I preferred Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary. I guess I like Russian angst.
I’m wearing Ava Luxe Red Tara edp.
And French angst too.
Ha!
I read Madame Bovary this year…for the first time
I love Anna Karenina and read it every 5 years or so. I’ve never been able to make myself read Madame Bovary a second time but maybe I should try again.
But Jane Austen I read all the time…I can dip into any of the books at any point. It is not so demanding as Anna Karenina!
I am wearing Diptyque Vetyverio and drinking a second cup of Gingerbread Joy tea.
Gingerbread Joy sounds lovely!
Hello all!
Friday is actually my birthday as well, but the only Jane Austen media I’ve ever engaged with is the Sense and Sensibility movie that my mom was obsessed with growing up, with Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson. Never got around to the novels….
I’m in Le Lion today despite the humid heat here in Houston. I’m busy cleaning my apartment today, and it’s helping me stay focused.
Have a great day all!
Happy early Birthday!
Happy birthday, hope you have something fun planned!!
I put some Christmas lights on my lanai, and it seems to have helped boost my Christmas spirit. I’m wearing Orange Sanguine this morning.
I hung a bow on my door.
So far I am slowly getting into it
I usually love Christmas but this year I have no Xmas spirit. Maybe decorating will help both of us.
I get a lot of anxiety around family events.
The cocktail I suggested over the weekend, wine or mindfulness helps me.
We have the tree up and the lights on, still needs the ornaments. I have put a few other decorations here and there, and the first of my paperwhites is blooming already. So that’s it for me this year!
I’m not a fan of Austen, but the only thing I can think of as an alternative to register my lack of interest is to wear bombshell perfumes this week….does that make sense?
Anyways, I’m in Fendi Theorema today, which isn’t a bombshell at all. Made chocolate peanut clusters this morning with friends, so it seemed appropriate. We’re making haystacks tomorrow and salted caramels on Wednesday. 🍬 Yum!
Your kitchen has to smell so good
It was really fun.
Ha! You are letting Passion rule, which Miss A was very much against.
I might just be in Theorema all week, which would definitely be following my passion!
I had to look up haystacks. I love those! I never knew what they were called.
I looked them up too, suspecting there might be a different name for them down in the south. There’s not, but haystacks is evidently another name for a Mexican sort of dish:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haystack_(food)
I’d never heard of the other versions, though.
Bombshell perfumes, or very modern perfumes, maybe? Anything beachy, anything terribly unisex? I should think it would not be hard to come up with a week of anti-Austen.
Awaiting another snowstorm in the Midwest that sounds like may stick around all week. Yuck!
Just received my IA O, Unknown! so decided to wear it today. Another take on iris and I like it.
I will be getting your snowstorm Thursday, I think.
Stay safe!
Icy tonight, rain tomorrow and snow the rest of the week.
You stay safe too!
Your snowstorm will probably be yucky cold rain by the time it reaches me.
Be safe!
I need to look this one up as it sounds good. However, to me anything with tuberose sounds good.
Sorry, this should have been under irisjasmine.
I’m in 28 La Pausa, just because. I am Team Persuasion, always and forever, and often find myself laughing aloud when I read Austen‘a novels.
I will not be watching seasons 2 and 3 of Sanditon. I almost threw things at the TV when I realized they were going to drag it out, rather than resolving things in one neat little season. I am still surprised by how manipulated I felt and by how much it annoyed me.
I wanted to like Sanditon, and I think you have articulated why I in fact didn’t.
I’m a Persuasion fan too, and love the version with Ciaran Hind. Do you know it? No perfume today though–dealing with day 5 of my horrible cold.
I am ok with Sanditon, although I tend to forget it is Austen at all since they have diverged so much. But it’s like Bridgerton to me — costume drama fast food?
I need to reread Persuasion. I own it, like Emma and Mansfield Park, but I just love P&P so much that I always gravitate towards it.
Persuasion is my most-reread Austen novel. Wentworth’s letter gets me every time (“You pierce my soul!”), and I think Sir Walter is one of the funniest parents of all of Austen’s silly parents.
SOTD = Lush Lord of Misrule
It’s a powderbomb patchouli vanilla – love it! I matched the L in lacey scallop to the Ls in Lush and Lord of Misrule.
The cousins are getting together on the 23rd unless other things happen (like last year and COVID). We just have to pick a venue.
I’m back to work tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday, then I am off for the rest of the year!
Darn! Here’s the IG post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmFWjspuNc-/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I hope it’s a wonderful vacation and that the get-together is illness free!
Thank you! My across the street neighbor just called and we just made plans to have lunch on the 19th!
I’d love to see some of my cousins again, but it would mean getting on an airplane. Yuck!
Enjoy your get together!
Thank you. Flying to meet wouldn’t be my cup of tea.
That’s a juicy bunch of vacation days. Have fun and stay well! 🎄
Enjoy your days off! Have you tried the matching Lush shower gel? I happen to have a small bottle of it.
Yay, how lovely to have all that time off!
As usual, I forgot about the CP. Wearing DSH Inner Sanctum. It’s the first time I’ve worn it this season, it’s a winter perfume to me and I see that there’s hardly any left, I’ll thunk the bottle before January. This one is a must, so I’m glad Dawn has her sale going on.
What is this like? I am going to make an order there as I am out out of Oeilettes Rouge, which is just an intolerable state of affairs.
but I always get samples too.
It’s incense and rose, a dark rose. Lots of resins but not heavy, just smooth. It lasts all day, too.
That sounds lovely. I will add it to my list!
Ooooh, that sounds wonderful.
No SOTD. Just enjoying reading everyone else’s and catching up on the weekend holiday poll. I am recuperating from a bad stomach bug. Only barfed once, but it was enough that I actually got vasovagal and passed out. Hit my head on something and gashed my forehead open. My dear hubby had to take me to the ER since it looked like it might need stitches. The ER doc was able to glue it, which was good. Fortunately, was only there a few hours since it was our hospital’s free-standing satellite ER. Stomach still feels icky, but not as bad as yesterday. I was wearing Le Lion yesterday. Being sick makes a strong scent seen stronger, so hopefully won’t put me off it in the future.
Oh no! I hope you heal quickly!
Thanks, Lillyjo!
Yowch! Hope you’re back to normal soon! 🤕
Thanks, Deva! Let me know if your next assignment is ever in NW Arkansas. Lots of hiking and biking for T Rex.
Bletch! That sounds awful!
I’ve had better days for sure. At least bread was OK today.
Oh no! I only know what vasovagal meant because so think one of the presidents had an episode a while back and it was explained in the article. I hope you’re back to normal soon!
Thanks, Hajusuuri! I am slowly making progress. Glad of antinausea medication.
Glad you’re feeling better. I had that same bug last week, it was definitely not a fun way to spend time! I agree about scents seeming stronger when you are ill.
Oh gracious, that is intense!! Hope you continue to recover quickly. I would put Le Lion away for a long time so you’ll forget by the time you wear it again.
Running late twins with Robin! I am still doing laundry, so posting in between trips to fold the clean clothes. Also did yet another load of dirty dishes this afternoon.
SOTD = still in Bottega Veneta.
You’re going through BV pretty fast! Easy to do since it’s so great.
I have the nice, heavy 2.6 oz bottle. It won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, thankfully.
You are really loving that BV!
Yep. And I loved it at first sniff!
I hope you got extra sleep too!! I somehow managed to not even open my eyes until 9:30 am, which is very unusual for me.
My sotd is Fenty. I wish it had a better name because it sounds like a knock off of Fendi. Lol.
I really like the perfume though. On me it’s mostly dark rose. Somewhere between Tresor Midnight Rose and Eau de Protection. I couldn’t really wear the Eldo because it was too peppery on me.
My Christmas tree is officially up tonight. I found some old ornaments in the basement that I had forgotten about. The kind that are covered in cloth and have stick pins with fake pearls stuck in and around.
This makes me wonder what happened to all the ornaments from my parents tree, many of which which were already old and antique when I was a kid…I bet your tree looks lovely! 🎄
That Tresor Midnight Rose sounded interesting, but I never saw a bottle in Real Life to give it a sniff.
Yay you for getting a tree up!
Woohoo on your tree being up with antique ornaments!
I think my Sephora finally has this in stock. Must go sample.
Your tree sounds lovely! Glad you found some vintage ornaments; I love the old-school handmade ones!
I’d finally used up my wee Chanel 19 extrait dabber bottle ( wow it took 6 years!) so got to crack my backup. It is more fun because it is a cute little spritz in the silver case. Wow, a spray sure makes a difference, dabbing just ain’t the same. I think my batch was made before the big IFRA oak moss restriction and sprayed I can really pick it up. Gorgeous!
Chanel No. 10 extrait sounds so luxe even after reformulation.