Saturday is the last day of the Year of the Tiger, Sunday is the first day of the Year of the (Yin) Water Rabbit.*
We're welcoming the new year with our usual open thread poll. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the fragrance that will encourage a calmer, more peaceful year,** whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image shows the Lunar New Year Forever Stamp, USA, $12 for a sheet of 20.
*Unless you're in Vietnam, in which case it's the Year of the Cat.
** See It’s the Year of the Rabbit and, finally, we can all chill at NBC and The Lunar New Year Brings the Year of the Rabbit—And a Calm, Level-Headed Vibe at Well + Good.
Many watch brands do limited edition Chinese zodiac watches. This one is not advertised as a Year of the Rabbit watch, but it’s the best design I’ve seen so far. Further, Dick Bruna, creator of the beloved Miffy character was born in a Year of the Rabbit, and these watches will be delivered in the same.
https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-the-second-series-of-the-de-rijke-co-x-miffy-moonphase-specs-price/
The Miffy children’s books and licensed merch seem to be very popular, but I hadn’t actually heard of her myself before I saw the watches. Have any of you read these books?
my kids love Miffy
Good to know! What’s their favorite book in the series?
Nijntje! We didn’t really know about Miffy / Nijntje until we went to the Netherlands, but she is just darned cute and I LOVE those watches.
Yes, that’s her original name, pronounced something like NINE-chuh, to rhyme with the Dutch for bunny (konijntje)?
It’s kind of a perfect watch on several levels. The rotating case design is ingenious — I’ve never seen anything like it.
Yeah, it’s a good thing my spouse with a watch habit isn’t really into “cute” things.
Dior has a gorgeous one…not my style, but gorgeous.
https://www.dior.com/en_us/fashion/products/CD13352X1227_0000
Super expensive too.
Oooooh! Photos are not doing this justice: the sparkle of aventurine dials is like stars!
One of the great things about watches is that they make perfume seem like a huge bargain.
Ha, true!
That’s adorable!
This post on the original De Rijke Miffy watch has more on Bruna:
https://monochrome-watches.com/the-unequivocally-fun-de-rijke-co-x-miffy-moonphase/
I also particularly like the rabbit indices on Breguet’s Year of the Rabbit watch. Wish that dial were on a Swatch!
https://watchesbysjx.com/2022/12/breguet-classique-9075-chinese-new-year.html
There is, of course, a Swatch rabbit watch. It’s ingenious but I don’t love it.
https://www.swatch.com/en-us/YEAR-OF-THE-RABBIT-SO32Z107/SO32Z107.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy9340qXZ_AIVj6jICh337QjjEAQYASABEgI0z_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Wow…not my style either but it is cool.
It is kind of a neat watch, but not my style.
Not my style … but good effort.
Cool watch. I almost want it, but don’t need a watch with a red band.
Happy new lunar year! Level headed calm is just what’s called for – it’s been a hectic January for me and I can’t continue at this pace.
To encourage calm I recommend the book The End of Burnout by Jonathan Malesic. He is a tenured professor who left the academy when the gap between its ideals and everyday work realities caused him to burn out.
For calming perfume I love Ventiane by PPP. Sandalwood and rice heaven
I hope your February is less hectic! I am going to check out that book, thanks.
Me too madtowngirl 🙏🏼
I love Vientiane also, Yasmina! Vientiane is also lovely to visit, along with Luang Prabang.
I calmed myself by leaving my project yesterday. Done.
12 hours sleep.
Two weeks till I visit my sister. So time for sleeping, gym, interviews
Then join a six month project till Africa trip.
Getting closer to 70 makes some decisions lots easier
Have been wearing Le lion all week. Grrrrrrrr
I would love to visit that part of the world some day. Good for you for leaving what wasn’t working and I’m glad you have so much to look forward to!
just sniff your wrist, close your eyes and you are there.
I was researching rice notes in fragrances and your sotd was one that was mentioned. It sounds lovely!
It’s very nice and last long for an all natural
Big hugs to you, yasmina. January has been hectic for me too.
Thank you for the book recommendation.
I pray February is calmer for us both
Wearing Imperial Opoponax on yet another chilly gray day. The cajun chef is making shrimp and grits for brunch and I’ll take leftovers to my mom for her lunch. So right now, I’m smelling my perfume, bacon and coffee, perfect for a winter Saturday.
Yum!
Perfume + bacon + coffee = triple yum!!!
I knew nothing about the year change before I selected Dryad as my SOTM. There’s nothing remotely tigerish OR rabbity about it, but for creating a calm, level-headed vibe there’s nothing better.
The cosmos chose for you
And they chose well!
Sipping Eros tea, very floral but I love it.
I am in Songes today, so I smell like summer or spring…
I love the cumin note in this one. Its gives it a heated flesh scent.
Books and reading are a good way to pass the time during the darker months, and also reading travel books (lonely planet etc) on places I want to one day visit. Reading is a bit solitary but I don’t mind it. Transporting yourself somewhere lovely in your mind is really important to me.
There is a beautiful line in Papyrus (one of the nonfiction books I am reading) “The book collector’s passion is similar to that of the traveler. Every library in a journey, every book a passport that never expires”
Have you tried the Francesca Bianchi perfumes? I originally thought most of them were skanky but heated flesh is a better descriptor. I had a sample set but it seems to now live in someone’s home.
Yes, I tried one awhile ago from a sample and really loved it but not enough to spring for a FB. Lots of skank.
That’s too bad. I will probably stick to my not for me for most of the line but there are some beauties: Sticky Finger, Lux Calme Volupte, Tyger Tyger.
If you’d like to try more from her, I’m happy to send you the sample set hajusuuri sent me. It’s the first 9 perfumes she released. Email me at my NST username at gmail if you’d like them. 😀
That’s me – they’re in my home right now. I haven’t gotten around to offering to send them in to someone else with my wintertime laziness. I’m happy to send them to ltsg if she wants them!
I agree with your reading philosophy
I am reading 4 books. I really think 3 should be my limit because I am too addled to keep track of 4. But I applaud your philosophy
Can’t wait to hear what you are reading about during the poll in Feb
I could really go for a year of chill and calm.
I’m in my newly arrived bottle of Byredo De los Santos, this definitely lends itself to calm with notes of sage. Sandalwood isn’t listed, but it reminds me of my favorite sandalwood oil. I think I will reach for this often, no regrets on buying a fb.
It’s another dreary one here, what else is new.😒 We may get out and do some ice skating this weekend! Stay warm everyone.
32 and cloudy here. But ice-skating sounds like a great push-back on dreary! As does a book, a blanket, and a cup of tea
We are only 23 here. No skating today, but I forced myself on a walk anyway. Gotta keep fighting off the SAD.💪🌞
Enjoy your new scent! A friend just bought Bal d’Afrique as her first purchase of scent in a more niche world. She’s headed down the rabbit hole…
Thanks! Uh oh, that’s a dangerous place to be.😈
Congrats on your new bottle!
PSA: Leaking sample container ALERT FOR SWAP AND GIFTING friends. I discovered a travel spray that I recently decanted had leaked, and I’ve sent some of the same containers around. They are the type that you pump directly into after taking off the bottle’s nozzle. They have a shiny finish and were in assorted metallic colors. Another one I found, stored with the port up, did not leak. The leaky one was stored spray end up. I will say I decanted the leaker from a cranky bottle that I had to pump from many times, and I might have been heavy-handed. So, check those travel sprays.
SotD JP Heritage Collection Que sais-Je? Another winner so far, but I am giving it a full test today. I tossed a mini of JP Voyageur into the cart when I got this. I’ll just mention that, if you like mini bottles as collectibles, it is quite nice. The ship-like cradle for the bottle is metal not plastic. Oh, and they have 10ml travel sprays of Sublime too if you need “a little something” from FragranceNet.
I ordered the travel size of Patou pour Homme just to get an idea of whether they were using any musk or woody amber that I can’t abide. I haven’t tested it on skin yet, but it seemed quite good on paper.
Happy Lunar New Year. May 2023 be great for you and yours!
🧧
Nothing makes me move faster than seeing a stamp on the page. Thanks for posting this, Robin. I just spent $$s buying a bunch of stamps. Did you know that First Class Mail is going up by $0.03 starting January 22nd? If you did not and have a need to get Forever stamps, I would do so today before 11PM Eastern before the site goes on maintenance mode! Of course you have to weigh if it is worth it as there is a $2.10 handling fee.
SOTD = Le Lion de Chanel
Almost thunking distance and will take 2-3 more hajusuuri wearings to thunk. Imagine having 2 Les Exclusives being thunked plus another Chanel to be thunked later in the year? 🤯! To be fair, the Le Lion bottle was the one from which I did a split when it first came out.
In case you’re wondering which stamp I bought (one of them anyway):
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnr2CyHOe1k/?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk=
Twins!
I love it when we’re twins!
That’s alot of thunking! I can’t even think of the last bottle I thunked…
I was surprised when I realized there were 3 and so far the only 3!
Which other bottle will be thunked?
So besides Le Lion, La Pausa and Chanel No.19 EDP. No.19 will take longer but it will be done!
can you not create a knitted rabbit? i loved your knitted kittehs so much!
I would have to see if the knitted kittehs maker can make a rabbit. I am not very handy.
Different ears and a wee pom-pom and the maker is done!
The thrill of the thunk!
I can’t wait! They all have BUBs, so there’s that!
Did you see all the other Year of the Rabbit stuff they’re selling at the PO? Postcards, red envelopes are the 2 I remember. Very cute.
There were so many items in the Gifts category and I must have passed them by.
Happy Lunar New Year!
I have a question! How do you dispose of your thunks? I know the word is supposed to imply the satisfying sound of a bottle landing in a garbage can, but is that what people are doing? I’ve always saved samples, decants and bottles with some juice to pass on, and I don’t go through much anyway so I have very little experience. Actually, I think that the last time I disposed of anything was decades ago!
I just keep the empty bottles of which I don’t have many. The decants though have been multiplying much faster than rabbits. I should go through decant decisioning / decluttering …
Ah. Well, thanks for chiming in!
Happy Lunar New Year! 🐰
To achieve calm today, I am wearing L’Artisan Passage D’Enfer.
Another cold, cloudy day here. Just finished running some errands and later I will try to fix the mess that I created last weekend when I decided to reorganize my perfume cabinet. It is making me very anxious now.
Happy weekend, everyone! 🌹
You smell great!
Thank you, Apsara!
Happy Lunar New Year!
I was born in the year of the Fire Dragon,and I’m a Cancer.Go figure.Lol!
Next year will be another Dragon year!
SOTD!
Marc-Antoine Barrois Ganymede.I’ve already said my piece about this one,a 30ml bottle is definitely in my future.
Also looking at Byredo Eyes Closed,and the Xerjoff-purchase is still undecided.(full bottle?only 50ml?What to do!)
I hope this year treats everyone better than last year.I’m excited about a couple of things,the most important being epic travel plans and finally(!!!) making a move to a bigger apartment in the complex.
Being an eternal pessimist and struggling with depression,I’m proud of myself for not throwing in the towel just yet.
My motto for 2023:”Be kind to yourself”
XO’s
This was supposed to be a seperate post,dunno why the browser is doing this constantly lately!!Anyway…✌🏻🌹🤗
Decant first, with option to buy when bottle reaches a certain level?
Yes,the negotiations are underway,and I have first option for a partial bottle!🤞🏻🤞🏻
That sounds ideal, J B!
I have a friend who’s a Fire Dragon, too, but a Libra. How does this work out? I suppose both zodiac systems have more detailed levels of analysis that take account more precise birth data?
I like the duality of it,with being a fire dragon AND a water sign in the zodiac.
Where’s the face!?
You should be proud. You’ve done good kid. 🙂❤️
Haha!Thank you friend.🤗🌹✌🏻
Your cabinet will look great when you are done! Then you can sit and relax 🌻🌞
I hope so! I looked at it a few minutes ago and… decided to wait until tomorrow! 😅
Good idea!👍
I know your cabinet will be fantastic when you are finished!
😊😊
Having a messy outcome, even temporary, makes me pause every time I think about reorganizing (pretty much applies to everything).
Same here! That’s why it takes me forever to reorganize almost everything!
Happy Lunar New Year! I hope you find a way to enjoy your reorganizing! I have to be ready to embrace the chaos that will inevitably ensue, and I also have to have a clear picture of what I want to achieve. I’m not there yet!
I am in the middle of a big chaos right now. I thought I had a clear picture of what I wanted to achieve, but it is not working as expected. I definitely need to get a second cabinet or buy a bigger one. I just need to see first how many perfumes will go to the good bye pile. A huge task that is very stressful!
You’ve got this! Can you live with the mess until you get a new cabinet?
I’m in VC&A Moonlight Patchouli today. The bottle barely sprays anymore so it must be almost empty. I really enjoyed the scent but I think I will go for something else instead of repeating the purchase.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnrN3ZejPAT/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
You smell great! Gorgeous photo!
This is the perfume that most reminds me of you. Report back on what you replace it with.
Testing Vilhelm Poets of Berlin today, thanks to hajusuuri. The blueberry note is interesting — one I don’t have much of. But the blueberry / vanilla combination does not sync up much with how I think about Berlin or Bowie. I would have expected something much edgier.
I could use a year of calm, though it doesn’t appear to be shaping up that way right now. The fallout from the “reorg” (ahem) in November continues, with management now rediscovering all the work people used to do that they didn’t plan to cover in the new world order. I’m running down some leads on new jobs…maybe I can hop like a rabbit this year?
🐇 wishing you a hop in the right direction for work
Reorgs — UGH!!! If I had a penny for every desk moved in a reorg in the organization I used to work for, I would have Donatella’s perfume room!
Seriously about the reorgs. It seems like it happens everyday, so much so that I tell everyone who tells me this that we do have to get x done (annual process) and we will just evaluate when the actual reorg happens.
Yeah…this reorg came with a 10% layoff, too, so there truly is all sorts of annual & quarterly work to keep the company going that, say, my SVP knew about, but they let him go and didn’t listen to what he told them, and now all that work is…a surprise to senior management, but necessary. They stripped me of all those duties, but…there’s no one else to do them and they actually do have to be done, so guess who is working all weekend?
Hippity hop!
Yes, do hop like a jack rabbit! 🐇“Upper management” is absolutely the most clueless group of people I’ve ever had the misfortune to interact with. I think this applies to just about every organization. I’m amazed everyday the entire world hasn’t imploded due to their complete and total lack of understanding and indifference to reality.
Can you imagine what it will be like when Gen Z has to be upper management?
Ugh, I’m sorry you’re dealing with this! I’ve worked in the same academic workplace for 18 years, and we’ve been through so many reorgs and leadership changes. I honestly can’t think of one reorg that was successful.
A year of calm sounds perfect. My husband is sick, and while he is an amazing caregiver when others are sick, he is the worst sick person. He’s so angry about it! So I’m seeking calm in the lovely Iris Perle. In my Les Indemodables sample set, this is my favorite so far. It’s been a good set, though—lots of enjoyable things that I’m not at all tempted to shell out $260 for.
I hope he gets better soon and you get some calm!
Thanks, lilyjo!
I hope your hubby recovers soon. Also, kids are even more resilient that adult males …
That would be than rather than that!
“lots of enjoyable things that I’m not at all tempted to shell out $260 for”
Yep — that’s most of my sample sets!
Hope your husband is better soon.
Did some rearranging of my perfume cabinet, pulled out Corday Fame and put it on a paper strip, it’s a wonderful floral, also sprayed some Farnesiana on my arm, haven’t worn it in ages, the almond in it is almost edible, not sweet, very natural. Tonight I’m wearing Hayan, a sweet vanilla/patchouli, very linear and still from the fragrance cabinet, Cornubia with its nuclear heliotrope.
It’s fun shopping your own collection! I don’t think I have seen you mention these before.
The Farnesiana sounds a little familiar though.
Thank you Lillyjo, it was fun inspecting, they were all languishing in the cabinet and I used to wear Farnesiana more often when I first got it, years ago, and now it’s discontinued, naturally.
Have you ever looked at the “new” Carons? I absolutely hate what they’ve done.
Many of the old names are reinterpreted and obviously make reference to the original perfume, but I doubt the juice is anywhere close to the original. Sigh…
And they also discontinued several iconic ones several years ago. I loved the current En Avion but it*s gone, I have the effervescent edp but will never bé able to get the plush extrait.
It’s so terribly disappointing and incomprehensible.
Not sure who it was, but someone told me VC & A Bois d’Iris was a safe blind buy. I am happy to say for me it was, and I am wearing it today. Just received it in the mail and had to put it on right away. Lol.
Glad it was a good blind buy!
Yay for successful blind buy.
I don’t know if anything is ever truly safe, but I do love VC&A Bois d’Iris. It reminds me quite a bit of Dior’s Bois d’Argent.
You smell great! Glad you like it!
Hmmmmm….that sounds like a safe blind buy for me, too, if it’s iris. Not going to look it up…not going to look it up.
Oh, come on. It is on sale at a few places right now. You can get it for under $100. Go for it.
Coromandel EdT from a decant I only pull out occasionally. So beautiful.
I’d buy more stamps, but I have enough to likely last a few years. I buy ones that strike my fancy and stick them in a box. I always love the Lunar New Year ones.
Made waffles this morning to try and pamper my husband, who’s been out of sorts lately. They were tasty.
This streak of gray can’t be helping being out of sorts. I don’t know about you, but as of today we’ve been 4 weeks with 2-3 days max of sun. And as lillyjo pointed out, they weren’t even full days. This is truly the worst time of year in Wisconsin.
I will admit that I was surprised by the grayness when I moved in 2021.
We are feeling all the grey here too in MI ☁️☹️
I am a broken record right now in Trish McEvoy Blackberry & Vanilla Musk. I have never made a dent this quickly in a perfume bottle – mostly because i never spray this much lol. But I work from home now and can reapply hourly if i want!
Oh, I tried a new scent in the Incense Matches, French Vanilla, and it is a teeny bit similar to Shalimar if you close your eyes and squint. So far my favorites are Sandalwood (chocolately and rich), Musk, and French Vanilla. I get them from ebay when i want to buy specific flavors. Dropping this here in case anyone is interested –
no affiliation, just a happy customer! We keep the scents I don’t much like in the bathroom, lol, for Those Times.
https://incensematch.com/pages/fragrances
https://incensematch.com/pages/fragrances
Ha! I have a box of incense and lighter in the bathroom for Those Times. Very effective
Journeyed to the mall to sniff JM Rose Water & Vanilla and it’s a big thumbs down for me. Not really gourmand to me nose…some spice note I found unpleasant. Pats self on back for sampling first and not buying blind.👍🏻
I find the Fragrance department at Nordstrom so odd in modern times. All the SAs are standing around looking at their phones and as you get close they ask if they can help you. Then when you say “just browsing” or the equivalent they look back down and resume whatever they are doing on their phones. Or if they aren’t on their phones, they are congregated in a group of 2 or more talking and as you get close they ask if they can help you. 🤣 Then when you say “just browsing” or the equivalent they resume their discussion.
I find the atmosphere very off-putting. Like a strange library where the workers don’t really want to be open or have you browse the books. 🤷🏼♀️
If I feel like being left alone, I say just browsing; however, when I want the works (not often), I ask for them to help them spray while I sniff. Lucky me, the La Mer counter is right next to the women’s fragrance and if the only person I see is one whom I don’t like, I ask the La Mer SA to help.
Yes, I prefer to be left alone but I feel like I am intruding almost. It’s great when you get to know an SA too…I don’t go in often enough to make friends really.
In another coincidence, even though the Chanel SA was unyielding, I know the La Mer SA and he’s very knowledgeable about fragrance, likes to talk, etc. Suffice to say, his kindness won the day (and he gave me some cream samples😊).
Yeah, that pretty much sums up Canadian Nordstrom, too, but there’s a lot they don’t have (Malle, Chanel Exclusifs), so I don’t much go there for perfume. Holt’s (like Neiman Marcus I guess) has them all, but as I don’t look like money in this city they leave me alone unless they’re completely deserted. I’m good with being profiled and dismissed, as long as I can get to the testers.
And every so often, I surprise them.
That said, I would like to say that I used to rely on Nordstrom for shoes, and I don’t know if it’s just Canadian Nordstrom stores, or all Nordstroms, but now all the salespeople in shoes steadfastly refuse to measure feet, and now that my kid has to go to the adult section, it matters. I understood it early in COVID, but now? I take her in, and they ask me her size, and I’m like, she grows? And they’re like, well, what was her last size (which is all over the map, she has some 38s and one pair of 40s and some 7.5s and some 8s), so I ask if they can measure her, and they just say they’ll bring out some 8s. And invariably they don’t fit. Just…measure her feet? I feel like the Nordstrom SAs used to be good about measuring feet and then saying, okay, in this brand you’ve chosen you need to go up/down a half size. Now, it’s like, I’ll just throw some shoes at you and see if they fit. (sorry, /rant but it bugs me)
I say just ask for the manager in the shoe department and insist they measure her feet.
As to profiling, I say just tote around a Chanel shopping bag, even a small one, and let the chips fall where they may!
Yes, I don’t look dress like money either…the irony being that perfume is the one thing I love to unload money on! 🤑 I just feel like I am intruding on them somehow.
On the shoe measuring front, that is bizarre and strikes me as having nothing to do w/ Covid. I believe, and please someone correct me if I am wrong, Nordstrom was in the beginning a shoe store. That is somewhat their bread and butter. And I think those SAs make commission and are into it. I wonder why they won’t measure feet? That seems like a key part of the job.
I totally get the “profiled and dismissed” comment. I’m a fading purple, now mostly grey haired homeless looking (baggy jeans and flannel in the cooler months) post menopausal woman and I’m invisible. I found truck/camper shopping online to be a very nice way to get what I wanted and also get a courteous response, since they can’t visualize you. Pretty sure they were absolutely stunned when I arrived, schlepped out of my van in my XtraTuff boots, and said jeans and flannel. I then wrote a check for the total amount of the camper and chins were on the ground. I love to bamboozle people. 😂
I once walked into a jewelry store with a friend. We weren’t given a second glance until we got close. My friend wasn’t wearing ostentatious or noticeable jewelry, but once the SA got close, he realized how much $$$ was on her ears, hands and wrists.
Lol! I got a pair of huge, fake diamond solitaire earrings to wear to a costume party. A few weeks later I went with a friend to look at potential engagement rings for his girlfriend. The salesman evaluated our clothes at started off with the seconds and sale cabinet. I tucked my hair behind my ears and he decided we must be slumming big $$$ customers and moved us to a cabinet of stunning rings to match those earrings, far outside my friend’s budget.
Lol. Where I grew up, everyone was either a working farmer or rancher, or in the working end of the oil field business. You could not make assumptions about the size of anyone’s bank account from the clothes they happened to be wearing or what sort of vehicle they might be driving. When I got to Michigan I was appalled at how judge and rude people are.
My grandpa loved that, too. He owned a wood flooring company and ran a farm / farmer’s market and LOVED showing up and paying for his trucks in cash, with lots of dollar bills.
Miss him…I use so many of his colloquialisms now but the best, I think, was “You win the fur-lined pee pot.”
In past years, our local Nordstrom had DIY sample sprayers, so I preferred it that the SAs let me browse alone!
Yes, I think Nordstrom and Sephora used to put those out though I haven’t seen them lately. And I generally prefer to be left alone too. The Nordstrom I was at doesn’t have a great perfume selection either. There is another Nordstrom (and Skywalker
) I could venture w/ a better perfume department too to do a comparison…for Science!
This phone distraction on the job is so common – my Sephora SAs are all glued to their screens every time I visit. I had a really good experience today though at Van Maur. The SA helped me choose an eyeshadow and we ended up having a nice chat about various things. I definitely left the store feeling I got more then just a new eyeshadow- I got a whole sense of community. Anyway this might be a generational thing. The distracted by phone SA I see are all much younger
I was just planning to post about my disappointing experience at the Chanel counter at Nordstrom this afternoon. Having recently fallen down the Coco rabbit hole, I wanted to compare the new version with vintage Coco. The SA looked at me blankly and said she didn’t have a tester but that I could buy a bottle. What?! That will happen on the 12th of Never!
You may want to ask about the return policy for opened perfumes. If they are as generous as Macys, I say go for it!
I know what you mean about feeling like you are intruding. My Macy’s has become the same way.. I get glanced at and ignored. It wasn’t like that before the shutdown. Maybe commission has been lowered or taken away?
Maybe they’re participating in “quiet quitting.”
Right?! I would be embarrassed to look that lazy.
It also seems incredibly boring!
Not feeling offended that you are comparing snobby Nordstroms to a library.
: (
I actually love being left alone to browse at the library!
It is true — the people at my local library are uniformly helpful and kind.
I wore several sprays of My Insolence today. It’s still wafting nicely even after 7+ hours.
It’s a cool, cloudy day so we stocked up on groceries. I even managed to get a hair cut/trim. It should hold me over until we finally head home. I could’ve used a few more layers but it will hold a pony tail and be better for sleeping. It was either get it done today or attempt the wolf-cut and/or butterfly cut after watching a few Brad Mondo videos on YT. I’m quite sure my attempt would have been a ‘fail’! Great fun watching people though.
Happy Saturday everyone!
That’s how I initially got the nerve to cut mine.
That’s awesome! Glad it worked out for you! I think it’s all about the angle you end up cutting your hair at. I might try doing the front to add in some more layers as I’ve got a thick pile of hair. Yesterday it looked a bit too poofy.
I’m wearing Maison Louis Marie #9 from a Sephora free sample I got with a makeup order. This is a grapefruit-heavy scent with a nice pure grapefruit on me that doesn’t turn into cat pee. It’s fresh smelling but not too interesting. Today I’ve worked on another watercolor painting, and am somewhat happy with it, though I still have so much to learn. Just handling the brushes, water, and paint is such a challenge! I can already tell I am a messy painter, that is, I like things a bit on the free and flowing side rather than precise. Some people seem to want to draw with watercolor, which seems strange to me. I am going to practice more tomorrow by trying to paint a friend’s cat. She (the cat) is a beautiful fluffy calico with a snow-white chest and it should be fun and kind of expressive. I like my new hobby. We had a gray cool day today but tomorrow is supposed to be much nicer. I will also go visit my mom tomorrow.
I think your hobby is fantastic and one I’ve wanted to take up for years. I’m with you on “free and flowing.” It’s what makes watercolors so dreamy and ethereal to me. 🎨
Very late to the party because I felt icky all day, thus commando. Feeling a tad bit better as I head to work in Black Flower Mexican Vanilla which used to be mentioned here a lot but now I hardly ever see it referenced. I guess because of all the new shiny perfumes that come out nonstop…Happy Weekend!
Ooh, you smell great! I still love BFMV.
Happy Lunar New Year!!🏮🧧🐇
I have been MIA because I travelled back to my hometown to celebrate LNY withmy extended family. It’s been nice since we haven’t been able to gather since the pandemic.
I’ve been wearing all sorts of perfume, but I was most excited about recovering my bottle of vintage 80s No 19 extrait which I wore last night 😙
Happy Lunar New Year! How nice that you got to finally visit your family! Did you leave many perfumes back home when you left?
Thanks very much! Hope you had a good weekend as well
I have a good stash of older perfumes, which is always gold!
Original Hiris (blue glass), SL Tubereuse Criminelle bell jar(!!!), SL Gingembre (old white label bottle) and a couple of vintage Guerlain 60s-80s EDTs when I was collecting those.
Ooohhh. Vintage No. 19! Yes!
So good!! I can tell that No 19 is popular on NST so I’m excited to finally rejoin the club 😂
Welcome back!
Thank you ♥️♥️
Happy lunar new year to you! I hope you’re having a nice time with family and enjoying the festivities.
thank you very much and same to you!!
Still testing positive, getting kind of bored not leaving the house and my husband is also sick now. I could faintly smell Rozy edp earlier today so I’m wearing it. Oddly enough I can’t smell Rozy voile at all. Going to keep wearing perfume as long as I can smell something
Oh darn, so sorry he got it too! Sort of glad you are bored, it must mean you’re feeling better if you want to leave the house.
I kind of wanted to go to the Indian Market and Southwest Art Show this weekend but alas,, it was not to be
Well shoot. I did not test negative until the 11th or 12th day, it really lingered.
I’m working on a writing project that will involve sampling some scents with vetiver. Any suggestions? So far, my list includes Encre Noire, Timbuktu, Zara’s Vetiver Pamplemousse (one of its collaborations with Jo Malone), and maybe something from my Le Labo discovery set. I don’t own some of the heavy hitters like Sycomore or Guerlain’s Vetiver. I could sample some current options at Saks or Neiman Marcus. Any ideas?
Let me know what you think of the Zara….
Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire would be a good one to try.
2nd that.
I’ve heard that the new Parfum d’Empire fragrance Vétiver Bourbon is amazing.
The Different Company Sel de Vetiver.
Etat Libre d’Orange Fat Electrician.
Hermessence Vetiver Tonka, and two less popular vetivers I really enjoy: Prada’s Infusion (fresh) and Diptyque’s Vetyverio (floral). Sounds like a fun project!
Chantecaille has two nice vetivers.
Check out Robin’s vetiver series! It’s listed in the General Perfume Articles in the 5 Perfumes series.
Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental.
+1
You should be able to find Guerlain Vetiver and Sycomore at Saks and Neiman Marcus. Also, Chanel 28 La Pausa is the most wonderful iris vetiver. 💜💚
Many incense perfumes use vetiver or vetiveryl, such as the Comme des Garçons series. And you’ll see vetiver listed in the base notes of a wide range of perfumes, since it’s a fixative.
Sounds like a fun project — please let us know what you discover!
I took a quick look at your beautiful blog to see what you might have on hand. Any of the classic Guerlain — Après l’Ondée, L’Heure Bleue, Vol de Nuit, Mitsouko, and Shalimar — should have vetiver in the base — it might be possible to tease it out after sniffing vetiver-focused scents. Also, Dusita Splendiris and Papillon Dryad include vetiver.
Seconding ELdo’s Fat Electrician, and adding in Elizabeth and James Nirvana Rose, which is equal parts red rose and vetiver to my nose.
Happy Lunar New Year! I’m enjoying a day at home with nothing that I have to do! I’m feeling very energetic, but I’m going to chill! I’m sampling CdG’s Sticky Cake for the second time as it got obliterated the first time in one of my reeking havoc sample sprees. I just re-read an old article (2014) from the General Perfume Articles about downsizing. I highly recommend that everyone visit this General section as it’s such fun and there are so many priceless gems to discover. Thank you, Robin!
Also, I learned a neat trick from a fellow perfumista that I didn’t know about! She puts decants she wants to save into a screw-top vial, and leaves some in a spray for use. Genius! No evaporation yay!
https://www.trueessence.com/screw-caps-vials/
Which type of cap does she get?
I’ve had bad luck with screw tops in general — there’s a reason that vintage perfume in splash bottles had rubber plugs. But there are some special caps here that might make a difference.
I love the option of colored glass to avoid UV damage!
Hi honey! Thank you for chiming in! Wasn’t it you that mentioned Tracey Cutler? She’s the one who told me about it. I opened up one of the vials she sent me, and it seems to be foam. I just emailed her to confirm. Hey! I also just thought of using essential oil bottles, as they have an “orifice reducer” with a cap that seals the orifice.
So, I heard back from Tracey. She bought her supplies back in 2014 and couldn’t recall what caps she chose. I looked at the options again, and the Teflon are blue, and the other option is a cone which mine is not. So, she uses the foam.
Thank you so much for this info!
You’re welcome!
Yes, foam sounds great — you have to keep any liquid from getting to the threads, where it will flow out (imperceptibly at first) if the bottle is on it’s side.
Really glad to have a source for the right caps and colored glass bottles!
Yeah, I realized that when a couple of decants had parafilm around the threads and it melted. I’m not sure if parafilm is the way to go anyway.
I’m glad I posted the link and you found it useful!
I think plumbers tape around the threads would work as well and probably much cheaper. This is exactly how they rse it in the plumbing industry to stop leaks at threaded connection points.
It wasn’t me that gave you that trick, but I have done that and it works well (using screw top vials to prevent dehydration). In fact, last September we were in Colorado for youngest son’s wedding. I had brought my beloved spray decant of PG Bois Blond (thanks to a lovely NST friend as it is now discontinued) and noticed that a bit of it had evaporated. I was stopping at Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s Essence Studio in Boulder anyway, so I asked Dawn if she would consider selling me one of her screw top vials so that I could save the rest of my decant. She very generously gave it to me free of charge and saved the day!
The screw top vials with the orifice reducer caps do seem to work best.
She’s such a sweetheart. I’m just dumbfounded that I never thought of this!
We all have articles in that section, but it’s heavy on Angie’s work so very much worth a browse!
Yes, the particular article I was referencing was by Angela! I mentioned you since I guessed you set up the content, but certainly Angela, Kevin and Erin deserve mention. I think a lot of readers don’t realize that there’s a whole reference library in there! I love to delve into it and always learn something.
And Jessica!
Wearing Jubilation 25 edp today. Spent a miniscule amount at STC on Friday for some Lyric extrait. I’ve noticed that I have been receiving emails from STC about new things but nothing in terms of sales. Even TPC doesn’t really have sales anymore. Go figure. Haven’t bought anything from them in a long time.
You smell great, and Lyric is so beautiful!
FYI, yesterday I got an e-mail from Luckyscent about a sample pack of their “Best of 2022” choices and immediately hit the button for it. I’ve sometimes thought of getting one of their sample packs but they seem to sell out quickly and I thought this one would be fun. And I admit I also went for it when I saw that Raw Gold was in the bunch–I can’t have too many samples of that! The bottle is just too expensive but I love that juice. I think it is $38 and has quite an array of choices in it.
I picked up the wrong decant this morning, so I’m wearing Xerjoff XJ Richwood instead of Irisss.
As I recall, many people loved Richwood, but it has a note or accord in common with Amouage Ubar that I dislike intensely.
I’m scrubbing, but of course it involves tenacious woody amber(s) and patchouli that take days to disappear. Dual-phase makeup remover is working better than dish soap — t’s not completely gone but bearable. -ish. 😩
For fellow Oxen, I came across Ukraine’s Year of the Ox stamp on Wikipedia:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Stamps_of_Ukraine%2C_2013-72.jpg
Not an ox, but a Taurus and I can appreciate like animals. The stamp is beautiful!
I’m a Capricorn in the Western zodiac — yay for horns and hooves!
PSA for Passage d’Enfer fans that L’Artisan has the Year of the Tiger edition on sale right now. I think this might be the last day of the sale.
Chu Ru Ping An! Happy Lunar New Year! 🎊🧧✨
Yesterday I had an unexpected stroke of good fortune. I was planning on a day of staying in and doing laundry. Instead, a couple of friends took me out for an early birthday dinner! Definitely more than I had figured on doing for the day later on this week.
SOTD = a bit of Box of Eels EdT, from an almost finished sample, and a bit of No. 5 L’Eau, from the decant that lillyjo sent. Dang, but I smell good!
Happy Lunar New Year! What a nice gift – early birthday dinner from friends!
Happy Lunar New Year! Hurray for an early birthday celebration and good friends!
Happy for you that you had a surprise early Birthday dinner!
Smelling great too!
You’re smelling wonderful. Your early birthday dinner sounds wonderful, what great friends you have!
Happy lunar new year, everyone!
I’ve had a festive and “rosy” weekend. I wore Eau Capitale yesterday and Rose Jamal today. I had a delicious Chinese banquet feast with my in laws last night. Today’s been pretty lazy, just watched the 49ers game. And now I have the Sunday scaries, or whatever it is called, Sunday blues? I don’t feel ready for a busy work week!
Hope the Sunday scaries passed quickly tulipani!