We're marking this random weekend in February with our standard open thread poll. Plus, I'm leaving town for warmer weather on Monday, so we're extending the thread for an extra day. I'll be back on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the fragrance that you'd like to get for Valentine's Day next week, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Rose garden [cropped] by Susanne Nilsson at flickr; some rights reserved.
Quick psa for those of you that were looking for SJP Stash..
It’s available now at fragrance net for dirt cheap.
Excellent PSA!
I made Stash my scent of the day yesterday after seeing this post. I wanted to figure out if I should buy a bottle for cheap, but I figured out I only like Stash and don’t love it. So I don’t need any more than my decant. What a great price though.
Happy weekend!
Rain,rain and more rain today,with about 5 minutes of sunshine this afternoon.We need the rain,but I need the sunshine too!
SOTD!
Jovoy Rouge Assassin.
A SCRUBBER of note!Tested this one today,but the powdery note is so overbearing and stuffy I cannot stand it.Promised iris note nowhere to be found.It’s a hard PASS!!
I got a sample as a freebie with my Initio sample set,looking forward to try the others.
Did not apply anything else.
I’ve been watching youtube perfume reviews,and came accross some interesting debate about Kilian’s perfumes,especially the big raucus around his extreme versions,reformulations of classics etc.People can get really feisty about their fumes,let me tell you!
Happy Weekend!
XO’s🌹✌🏻
Hoping there will be more sun! We had a day of it yesterday, after much rain before and almost certainly much more rain this week. But then, I guess I live in a part of the world that’s known for that, so I should accept it.
Hope you have some eventual sunshine!🌞🌞🌹🤗
Yesterday I was able to try the relaunched Killian Sacred Wood. It is not as I remember. It could be my memory or my nose, but I suspect it has also been reformulated.
So sad when the reformulations-CEO’s take over!!
I am happy for you, that your *scrubber* was a free sample, gosh! I’ve not had a scrubber in a while; ’cause a few yuckys turned out to be short-lived. Have a great weekend!
Anyone familiar with the Glade brand “powder-fresh” aircare?That’s exactly what this Jovoy turned out to be.I’ve also been lucky with scrubbers,the last one before this was Aqualis Utopia,similar to Zadig&Voltaire’s This is Her!(melon-aquatic something-something that drives me insane!)
Happy weekend!
XO’s
Melon-aquatic is hack-worthy and possibly my least favourite accord in all of perfumery.
Love “hack-worthy” – so true! I’d add Ozonic!
I remember that Z & V! I loved everything about it except the scent. 😂🤔😊
Ew. “Melon-aquatic” makes me want to hurl just hearing about it.
Good morning everyone!
Thanks to a generous NSTer I am testing two vanilla scents today. First up is Goutal Vanille Exquise. To me this is a soft, creamy scent that would certainly be office friendly. I am not sure, but it may be the almond/vanilla combination, that didn’t sit right with me. I will have to pass on this one. The second is L’Artisan Couleur Vanille. I found this to be a beautiful scent, but it was quite strong on me so I think it would be better in cooler months. It is a salty vanilla that lasts a long time on my skin. If I was going to purchase a vanilla perfume, this would be the one.
Unfortunately, I am afraid I am pretty much a floral/fruity/citrus gal. Although these scents were not as gourmand feeling as others, I still don’t think vanilla is right for me. That’s ok. I don’t need to purchase anymore perfumes right now.
Thanks so much to those of you that are willing to share your perfumes. I used to blind buy FBs and have found that can be a disaster. I try not to do that anymore. For anyone new to the perfume world, I would suggest getting samples first. There are plenty of sites out there that sell samples for a reasonable price.
Have you tried Dame’s Vanille Farfelue? That one is more about aldehydes and less about vanilla, to my nose anyway.
No, but have thought about it as I love a lot of Dame’s scents. Thanks.
Seconding VF! I love it, and it’s astoundingly cheap.
Yes, it is very inexpensive so why not, right?
I second the Vanille Farfelue 👍. Also, Caswell Massey Pure Frost may be one you’d enjoy: bergamot makes it a bit citrusy, Casablanca lily and jasmine are the florals, and vanilla. Bright and crisp for a sunny ☀️ winter’s day, inexpensive and can be found online. A favorite of mine when I want a non-gourmand vanilla.
Thanks Laila!
For a lighter vanilla, I really like Berdoues’ Vanira Moorea. I’m also a fan of Dame’s Vanille Farfelue.
Thanks. I am a big fan of Dame so will probably try that one. Not familiar with the other one you mentioned, but will look into that one too.
Still in the last of Une Rose Chyprée from last night. I hadn’t worn that in a long time, and I’d forgotten how good it is. Today I think I will dive into more of the ELdO roses in my big discovery set. And I’ll burn my Otherland Rose Sriracha candle.
Whatever I’m getting for Valentine’s Day, I suspect it showed up in an Amazon package yesterday and felt like a book. 🙂
That candle is so tempting — do you love it?
I do! The sriracha is just the slightest hint — not overpowering at all, but still just adds a wee bit of heat.
Thanks, that does sound like something I might want.
I ended up with ELdO 500 Years this morning, then went down to our local US exclave to pick up some packages, including some of the FZOTIC soap seconds and some samples, because I’ve never tried this line. I put on Corpse Reviver this afternoon and regretted it; I liked the opening, but it very quickly turned to the same off note that I got from Vilhelm Basilico & Fellini last week. They don’t officially share any notes that I can see, so I’m not sure what it is that’s just not reacting well on my skin, but it ended up a scrubber.
SotE is Tom of Finland again. I’m really liking this one; love the opening with the leather and the hint of engine / mechanic, and I really like the vanilla leather it settles into. I could see buying one of the smaller bottles of this.
Tom of Finland is really good!A favorite leather-saffron.✌🏻🌹🤗
Back from errands — returned a couple of sewing books to the library and got a couple more Ruth Rendell books, then groceries and other useful things. Not as bad underfoot as we had feared after that grim changeable weather: the city cleared the sidewalks, then put down lots of salt and sand. Felt like something uncomplicated today so I’m Demeter Leather, no lasting power (of course) but very nice.
I hope you have a nice little trip, Robin.
I loved Rendell’s Wexford books. Don’t think I have read much of her other work, she was prolific!
And thank you, can’t wait to get away.
Another huge Rendell fan here. I think I’ve read all of them!
It’s just a regular weekend for me.
Currently I smell of Le Galion Iris.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CohsvUnI6Hi/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Is this one of your pictures?
Yes, I took it today.
It’s awesome!
You really have such a talent for not only photography but advertising.
Thank you so much, it was a very simple photo idea today, just a flacon in my hand
Wonderful!
Such an elegant composition in your photo today.
Commando still because…
I’m a grandma! The baby boy arrived safely this evening (Saturday — he and his parents are in Australia), and everyone is doing well. I keep randomly laughing and weeping.
Anyway, I’ll pick a celebratory/indulgent scent later on.
Congratulations! 🍼
Aw, congratulations!
Such exciting news – congratulations!
Congratulations, skalolazka!🎉 💝 Is he your first?
He is! In fact, he is everyone’s first, and none of us thought there were going to be any grandchildren. We are all overjoyed.
Same with our family!
I am overjoyed for you!
Congratulations!
Congratulations! So exciting!
You will love being a grandma 💕 Congratulations!
Congratulations!!! What wonderful news.
Hearty congrats to you!🌹🌹🤗
Congratulations!
How lovely!!! Congrats to all.
What joyous news, congratulations!
Congratulations and best wishes to all!
From what my sister does, it appears to be the best thing of all time.
Congratulations to all! Grandmahood is the best!
Congratulations!
So happy for you! I’ll be a great Aunt in about a month and I am sure my sister and brother in law will feel much like you do!
Congratulations on your first grandchild!
That’s great news, congratulations all around!
Congratulations!
Congratulations! I wish I could become a grandma without having to be a parent first, haha! It seems like the best role.
TBH, being an aunt or uncle is pretty great and doesn’t require successfully raising one’s own children first, lol. Before we had our own kids, my husband and I were the “good times” aunt and uncle who sent ridiculous gifts. We settled down a bit when we became parents ourselves, and my sister threatened to send us the toddler drum set we had given her son when he was 2.
I’d enjoy being an aunt too! My brother just got married, and I know his wife wants kids, and he seems to have come around to the idea too, so we’ll see. I love that you sent your sister’s kid a drum set, that’s hilarious!
Congratulations! My older sister will get her first grandchild this spring; the first baby among any of our young adult children. Makes sense, since her daughter is the oldest on our side of the family. I’m very excited!
Oh! Wonderful. What a blessing.
It’s a grab and go kind of day so I’m in SL La Couche du Diable from a split. I enjoy it very much but it’s not FB worthy to me. (Channeling Elaine Benes here 😉!)
We’ve had some glorious weather the last couple of days with nighttime rain/storms. Full on sunshine again today, but I have errands to run and laundry to do. Slowly moving into Biggie Smols but it’s a process 😅.
Randomly stopped by a huge “antique” store yesterday looking for a great perfume find, which did not occur. 🤣 What did occur for some reason was a huge wave of anxiety. It was a cold, dim, musty warehouse filled with every conceivable kind of junk you could imagine. So much STUFF! I made myself keep walking until the anxiety passed trying to figure out my very extreme reaction. It was so strange! Never happened to me before, but really all those things! They all had a story to tell and I felt like they were clamoring to be heard.
I did find an old Shalimar bottle, empty but quite beautiful. Not sure how old it was but the body of bottle was a lovely light amber color with lots of facets in the glass, the obligatory blue glass cap, but the seal at the neck appeared to be actual metal and not plastic. I think the bow was originally real leather because it has aged in a way the real leather would have. They wanted $95 so I left it on the shelf, but I was tempted!
Robin, hope you catch a boat load of sunshine!
Good luck with the continued move!
Sorry about your anxiety, I can relate, sometimes I feel like that in really crowded situations. I wonder if it was the musty smell that triggered it, or just all the “stuff.”
Thanks! The move is a labor or love but a labor nonetheless!
I also get anxiety when confronted by too much “stuff”. I had to see the huge amount of stuff my parents have accumulated when I was just back home – I had forgotten how uncomfortable it makes me.
That bottle sounds cool!
It was very cool but not $95 cool. Yeah, the stuff was just a nightmare. Tons of old dolls, stuffed animals, rusted farm equipment…you name it, it was there. 😝
I’ve had that reaction too but probably less of the each one had a story to tell but rather more of the why am I here variety. As to the Shalimar bottle, would it had felt right to you if you asked to have the price lowered by half?
Well, I don’t need it. I don’t have anywhere to display it. I think it was just a knee jerk reaction. Even if I could have gotten it at 50% off, I don’t think I would have bought it. I don’t know enough about vintage Shalimar bottles to know if it was even worth that. Plus, there was No One around to ask. It was like a ghost town. Just me and all the junk…maybe that’s why I had anxiety. I can see the headlines now: “Woman disappears from junk shop without a trace” 🤪
That feeling you described is exactly why I have been avoiding going to my storage units(yes there are 2,lol!).
When I moved from the farm to the city I sold a lot of “stuff”,but some sentimental and supervaluable art and furniture went into storage.I do go regularly to check that everything is still a-okay,but the thought of dealing with it all is my biggest source of anxiety.One day I’ll have to just deal!🙈🙈
I feel you! There are a few things I have carted all over the country with me but now they have to go! Have you tried re-homing those treasures to friends or family? At least you could conceivably visit once in a while…
I try to check on things at the storage facility at least once/month.Luckily it’s a supersecure setup,it’s almost sterile also which I really appreciate(it was a search of note to find the perfect storage for antiques and art!)
6 Years later I am still undecided about what to do or how to handle it all.Procrastination is my biggest flaw.Lol.
✌🏻🌹
I don’t know why but I am surprised at the price of the Shalimar. But also don’t know if I want want a bottle that I’d bought at a store that made me anxious?
And thank you, I hope so too.
Good point! I thought it was quite high for an empty bottle, too.
I wonder if the smell of the warehouse contributed to your unease. Plus the scene you’re describing sounds very much like something from a film of the post-apocalyptic or horror variety, or the opening of a murder mystery. Shudder!!!
Exactly! The entire thing was a recipe for a horrible outcome. Luckily, I escaped unscathed! 😎
Buongiorno
Had a great volunteer day yesterday at the library 📚
I am in POAL today , I know ☝️ NSTer is happy 🌹
Just did some damage at Sotheby’s wine shop, as I am hosting brunch and we need some bubbly
last night I had a girlfriend over and she went through my perfumes and is borrowing 3 bottles , and I know I will not them again , and I am ok with that …
Wow, you are a good friend! Which 3 perfumes was she drawn to, if I may ask?
Your boyfriend Tom has come out with a couple of eyeshadow palettes named after one of his iconic rose scents:
https://www.beautylish.com/s/tom-ford-beauty-rose-prick-eye-color-quad-creme-forbidden-pink
Just in case you wish to be matchy-matchy in scent & makeup!
I hope your brunch goes well!
Haha!Yeah,you smell great alright!
Which perfumes went for an indefinite visit with your friend?🌹✌🏻
It is another gorgeous day here! Sun, blue skies and already almost 40. Mother Nature is rewarding us for the brutally gray January we endured.
I chose one of my “bright” perfumes to match the day: EdM. I always think of this one, no 5 l’eau and LL Bergamote 22 as my bright perfumes.
You guys! The Lion King is coming to town and I got tickets for me and my girls yesterday! I am so excited.🤩 My older daughter (I can’t call her my college girl anymore🥹) was obSESSED with the Lion King when she was a wee one. So much so that my mom and I took her to Chicago to see it the summer that she turned 5. madtownteen was in my belly, so technically she’s heard it too. lol.
For a little midwestern college town, we actually have a really beautiful center for the arts here. I got great tickets- front row in the first balcony, so it should be a good view. Really looking forward to it.
Wow, that’s awesome!
I hope it’ll be so much fun.😊
Gorgeous sun and sky here too!🌞
I love it!🌞 I just went for a walk. Looks like we are in the 40’s for the next several days too!
Great seats! That’ll be really fun.
I hope so!😀
It’s a cool, grey day. Perfect soup weather, which makes me happy because I love making and eating soup. (Simple pleasures…)
I haven’t chosen my SOTD yet – just took a shower with my new Lush Grass shower gel and I enjoyed the scent so much that I don’t want to replace it. I’ll pick something later.
Our daffodils bloomed this morning!
Robin, I hope you have a great trip.
Thank you sistine!
And wow, daffodils, that’s amazing. Mine have sprouted but nowhere near blooming yet. But now I wonder if I have snowdrops, I will have to go look.
Take a quick peek, Robin. I had an inch or so of green just the other day and today some of the plants have visible white flowers! Happy trip!
Yes! Mine are up and have buds, they will probably bloom this week. Will have to hope some are still blooming when I get back from vacation. If not, vacation was still worth it I’m sure 🙂
I love soup, too. One of my first meals in the new camper is going to be white bean, Italian sausage, and kale soup. I haven’t made it in years and I love it! And echoing Robin about the daffodils..! Isn’t it quite early to have them blooming already? I’m afraid of what’s coming this summer..🥵
Well, I do live in North Carolina, so blooming daffodils aren’t as crazy as it sounds.
I made an excellent white bean and kale soup last week! Your new camper soup will be fantastic .
That soup sounds wonderful — I was contemplating making one very much like it today.
Our own daffodils have just started blooming but there are many others in sunnier parts of my neighborhood that have been in full bloom for a while. I love them! So cheerful.
Weird my phone just chewed up my post. I will try again. If it ends up being a close duplicate, sorry. We have a lovely weekend here, Sun Shine and rising temps. I chose Mitsouko today, even though I have to go stand in line at the pharmacy. Gonna make chicken eggrolls not from scratch and some Thai noodle soup for dinner, and watch an episode or two of Picard. Don’t want to do a spoiler for those who are indulging, but Agnes’ relationship with the Borg Queen has reached an inflection point, so I am very interested to see what happens.
The full menu includes Pinot Noir, of course, crispy egg rolls with duck sauce, Pho with peanut satay sauce in lieu of the hot stuff, and fresh pears and shortbread cookies for desert. After which I expect to sleep for about 11.5 hours!
I think it ate your original post entirely!
And did not know Picard was back! I did not even get around to seeing season 2 yet, so I better get on the ball.
I am finding it highly entertaining. Every once in a while the Shakespearean actor peeks out for a scene or two, and you can tell someone must have flubbed their line because they were just watching Mr. Stewart speak, and missed their cue.
I saw Anthony Quinn, getting on in years, on tour doing Zorba the Greek with a bunch of youngsters, and they would do that. Mr. Quinn would threaten the guards and the guards were all standing there with their mouths open in delight, and he had to repeat a line and jump at one of them to get them going. It was ok, because we in the audience were all doing the same thing. He was amazing.
But I digress. The episodes we watched tonight showed us more of Picard’s childhood, and more of the very charming Captain Rios, and we still don’t see clearly what Agnes and the Borg Queen are up to, so we eagerly await the arrival of the next Netflix DVD. 🙂
Imagine seeing Anthony Quinn doing Zorba on stage! Wonderful.
It was a once in a lifetime experience. Never been to any sort of play or concert where one person instantly and completely commanded one’s attention the way he did. If I ever had infinite money, I might become a theater groupie, attending performances where the reviews have been “So and so embodies their character some completely, one does not hesitate to throw oneself into the tenor and felling of the action! You know that sort of glowing review that seems almost too much?
Ok, definitely going to watch eventually. I am watching too many shows at the moment to start another, so will also have to avoid spoilers.
First things first: belated congratulations to Robin for NST’s 18th birthday!
In addition to the blog’s extensive and well-judged content, I want to recognize how you’ve cultivated a congenial and interesting community around perfume. You make it look effortless, but it doesn’t just happen.* Exceptional discernment, tact, daily nurturing, and the courage to deal with any problems that do arise are required.
* Not even with perfume lovers, who tend to be wonderful people. 🥰
Thanks, Robin, for all you do!
Aw, thank you. And it is 100% true that perfume lovers tend to be wonderful people.
I second the comment, Robin! To collect a community and keeps rolling during the vagaries of these years to a true credit to you many skills!
I was feeling in the mood for boozy this morning and after a few sniffs, decided on 4160 Tuesdays Eau My Soul. Just delicious. Can’t wait to sniff the next Crowdsourced scent they are working on, plus a new Queen will be coming out this year to join Red, White and Dark Queen.
Hiya house twin!
Which one are you wearing? I can’t find your SOTD post.
Today’s SOTD for me was Red Queen. I’m still on a rose kick.
You smell great! I love the Queens.
Have you tried Dark Queen?
I tried Dark Queen but it’s my least favorite of the series. I think it has an animalic or leather note?
Leather I am good with; animalic can be difficult.
SotD El Sensuous Nude. Cozy and comforting. We had a sunny and cold day, but it was milder by late afternoon. If I did not already mention this, I am joining the NST’ers who’d rather have cold and sun in the Winter, than mild and grey!!!
I am torn. I want mild and sunny, that’s all there is to it 🙂
Haha. Well I am not very Idealistic (capital I).
Wearing Apoteke Tepe The Holy Mountain – so rich, so smoky, so woody, so ambery. So good. Thanks to Vee for drawing my attention to this beauty.
And Mr. allo loves it, making it a great Valentine’s Day contender (to wear).
Although I would never turn a BUB away😋🎁
You smell lovely! I have that one too.
We smell good💃
I’m very curious about that one.
Me too
SOTD = Bottega Veneta Extrait
… from a very generous decant from a perfume friend, you know who you are – thank you!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Coi7H9eOZzy/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I dropped off the food for my friend and her husband. The husband’s sister and an aide were there as well. I think there was enough food for 3 meals but better to have extras than not enough. The story is not great, as my friend had said as much in our friends’ group chat back in January. He is very depressed and I don’t blame him as he is in pain and cannot move on his own. He can still sit up in his wheelchair with total assistance … not sure if this means he is paralyzed. He requires a 2-person assist. There is an aide 24 x 7 which my friend pays for out-of-pocket (a little over $19k per month); not sure what his sister does to help but I am not going there because she’s not on my list of “I like her and want to know her better” from interactions during happier times. I will research how she can pay herself as she is basically the 2nd caregiver even though she has a full time job; never hurts to have a look-see with a possible reimbursement.
Anyway, I had a good chat with my friend and will continue to pray for her and her husband for a peaceful resolution.
And here’s my Caturday post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoiQN0cu8V0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
That’s adorable- the kittie, the setting. everything!
What an adorable little kitteh!
Adding my prayers for your friend.
The out of pocket cost made my mouth drop!
Yep. It is a minimum of $25 per hour. One of the shifts is covered by a nurse who gets $30 per hour. Hospice only provides one hour per day of an aide’s time – Oy, definitely not enough and my friend basically said thanks, but no thanks.
My SIL gets paid to care for her mother, so it should be possible to get some assistance. Love your owl pic!
Thanks. I will look into it.
Hi all, missed this post yesterday so I’ll add my Sunday sotd, Chanel Allure edt. It’s to go with the mild, sunshine we’ll have today, after a beautiful sunny day yesterday, too. The birds sound like spring!
I went to the thrift store yesterday and found a partial bottle of vintage Paloma Picasso for $10, a definitive chypre scent. Best with light application.
Ten dollars for a bottle of perfume makes much more sense than $95 for an empty bottle!
Met up with some perfume pals yesterday for brunch and it was great to chat.
I learned the hard way about PP application. 1 spray is plenty.
Nice find!
Excellent thrifting find!
Sunny Sunday!Yay for that!🌞🌞🌞
It’s the perfect 27°C today.
SOTD!
Initio Side Effect.Nothing groundbreaking,but a decent spicy rose iteration in the likes of most rose-patchouli combo’s.I enjoyed it but defo not fb worthy.Trying to get through the Initio sample set,I think Musk Therapy might be a winner.
XO’s🌹✌🏻
Have you watched the YouTube reviews on Initio? They get really hyped up. I think Side Effect was one of the ” great mind blowing one’s” lol
I watched Sebastian’s(The Perfume Guy)review yes.So far the 2 out of 9 I’m testing are “ok”,defo not mindblowing.
I don’t understand the hype about Initio brand, they all seem meh to me.
Glad to hear that you dried out today after yesterday’s deluge!
Ummagumma for a frosty morning! 🥶
Defrost Deva, Defrost!🌞
Defrosted as soon as I jumped under the covers! ☺️
Twins! Got this in my sample pack yesterday — I’m liking it quite a bit.
🙌 High five twin! I think it gets better and better the longer you wear it. If you have a hankering for more just drop me a line at taiga101 in the land of yahooligans 😊
Sampling Goldfield & Banks Island Lush today. Nice spicy woody thing.
I have not tried it but your description reminds me to pull out CSP Gouverneur.
SOTD = 4160 Tuesdays Goodbye Piccadilly and Imaginary Authors A Cloud of Cocoa
Both wonderful!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cok7DwjuGHh/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Sorry if you’ve already said and I missed it or forgot, but have you sprayed the cocoa on ice cream? Or other food?
Not yet and maybe never will.
Fair enough!
I had no idea the Cloud of Cocoa ice cream spray could be worn as a perfume!
It sure can although I am chicken to use it like a condiment.
Rose related question! We are moving to a new house and I will finally have a garden space. I want to plant roses, of course. Don’t care what they look like, not one bit, but they have to smell great. Bonus points if they are edible so I can make rose petals jam. We used to get these very pink wild roses for that when I was a kid growing up in Poland.
Does anyone have recommendation for website, blogs, Instagram accounts etc that deal with rose cultivation? Any East Coast or local sellers would be great, too: I’m in Washington DC metro area.
I no longer can tell you where to buy, but if you want to get ideas and you’ve never seen it, the rose garden at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown is lovely.
I don’t know if you are in MD or VA or DC, but there is a Potomac Rose Society in MD, and probably others in the area, and they often have good advice.
I’m moving to Potomac, MD! Will look up that Rose Society, for sure.
Even though I have been living in this area for a long time, I somehow never made it to Dumbarton Oaks, I will have try to make a trip during the blooming season. Depends on just how toddler friendly they are. Can’t be worse than the lotus ponds of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens / open water everywhere.
Thanks for these great tips!
I was lucky enough to live in Georgetown for a year or so when I was a teenager. It was very different then! But despite being pretty stupid at that age, I knew enough to appreciate being in walking distance of Dumbarton Oaks, the gardens are lovely.
Maybe a bit of warning: I grew up in North America and still live there, and the roses here have never smelled ANYTHING like they do in Germany, where I’ve lived at various points. We were in Germany six years ago, and one of the things I absolutely adored was how in the summer you could just smell roses everywhere — the cultivated roses in neighbours’ yards as I walked past, the wild roses elsewhere. I have a rose bush in my backyard now (on the West Coast) and it was sold as being highly fragrant, but I have to stick my nose directly into the petals to smell anything.
I don’t know why it’s so different; maybe we’ve just cultivated all our roses here for appearance rather than smell? But it was a revelation to me when I was in Germany.
I think in the US, the roses are grown very much for their looks, and that’s the main difference.
My favorites for aroma are Double Delight and Tropicana.
I grow roses! I highly recommend looking at the website for David Austin English Roses: https://www.davidaustinroses.com/. He spent decades breeding roses for their fragrance and good growth habits in the garden (he died in 2018 but his family continues the business). You can mail-order the roses directly from his company. You can request a hard copy catalog to be sent to you. I grow several of them and I love them! One that has done especially well here in the Southeast is “Teasing Georgia”, whose blooms are a buttery yellow. I don’t think I’ve ever met an English Rose that didn’t smell great!
“Peace” roses used to be wonderfully aromatic and gorgeous to boot. I haven’t seen any of those in ages, though.
I kill plants … I think the next and only live plant I have is a cactus and it is NOT looking well. Anyway, I know next to nothing about roses but I suggest DMing @neyronrose. She used to post here and I occasionally see her posting a ton of flower pictures.
I will second Old Herbaceous’s recommendation of David Austen English Roses, both for the roses themselves and for the cultivation information on the company’s website. They group the roses by characteristics, including best for strong fragrance. If you have a spot that can support a climbing rose, I will recommend my favorite of theirs: Wollerton Old Hall.
Was cleaning much of yesterday. Doing some homework today and spraying BBW Cherry Blossom all over because it makes me feel even cleaner.
We’ve had temps in the 40s and sunshine. Just gorgeous, but I didn’t get out much in it. Oh well…. We are eating homemade tamales tonight, so that makes me happy.
Homemade tamales, yum!! I have not made them for eons, probably not since I lived in CA.
Mmm…homemade tamales. I tried, shortly after we got back from Oaxaca, and failed. I miss those tamales we had for breakfast at the market there.
It’s been a lazy day for me today–got to bed late, woke up late, and I’ve done nothing except watch the Puppy Bowl since. I am feeling so lazy it might be takeout for dinner. Scented with Amyris femme.
Sounds like a perfect day to me foxbins!
Been mostly unimpressed with the Super Bowl ads thus far. The one that made me LOL was definitely NSFW!
SOTD = back in Lady Vengeance today. 🌹🌹🌹
Same here! Although can’t think which one was NSF so I must have missed it in the roundups (not watching the game).
“Avocados”! LOL.
I did like a couple of the later ones. LMAO’ed at Ozzy Osbourne in an office cubicle.
I loved that one!
Could be worse — here in Canada they air the Superbowl without most of the U.S. ads. So we see ads for trucking and the Ontario Health Service and the Toronto transit system…very exciting! (I don’t live in Ontario but the DAZN feed comes from there; if we had cable it’d be worse because we’d see local ads.) I’d give anything to see the ads…most years I don’t care much about the game itself, but I’d like to see the ads.
But they did run a Pepsi ad with Steve Martin and Ben Stiller.
Happy Belated Anniversary, Robin. I don’t usually comment, but I love reading your blog. I wish I could find a rose scent I liked. I’m more into mimosa and tuberose. I sprayed myself with a tuberose scent yesterday, and with the cold I have, I could only smell pepper.
Have you tried Rose 31 by Le Labo. Sort of a rose scent for those who do not like rose.
Thanks, mikeperez23. I’ll try it.
Thanks JKS! And hope your cold gets better soon.
I’m wearing La Panthere edp today, from a mini I’ve had for several years. This may be only my second wearing. I quite like it.
I mostly loved the bottle! It must be adorable in a mini.
Happy Monday!
More rain….
SOTD!
Initio Magnetic Blend 8.
Now this I can get behind.Oakmoss,olibanum,resins…smoky loveliness.
✌🏻🌹
I am in POAL today. Thought of you.
I know this perfume is suppose to be huge-but I don’t smell anything after a few hours. I am sure it’s still there but maybe it doesn’t stick to my skin. Your thoughts?
You smell fantastic of course!I’m not sure if it might have been reformulated,but POAL is always beastmode on me.I can even still smell it sometimes a day later after a shower on my skin!Even shortlived I’ll take it!🌹🤗
Aww! That is too bad for me
Maybe your nose just got used to the scent of PoAL?
I should ask someone else if they smell it on me then
Hmm that is an enticing fragrance description. I haven’t been interested in Initio, but I may seek out a sample of this one next time I ordering from a store that carries them.
Slowly working through my sample set,this has been the only one that I’m really liking.It’s a nice one to test,but also be warned.I’ve smelled similar(might I say better)from other brands at way better prices.Honestly,my thoughts with the first 3 has been “oh,nothing really new”.
Don’t buy the samples yet as I think I may have some … may … will email you later in the week.
Sounds good. I don’t plan to order any bottles anytime soon, and this sample certainly isn’t a priority.
I’m wearing Or du Sérail today, as the sprayer broke on my Ambre Russe.
Oh no, sorry about your broken sprayer. That’s the worst.
SotdD Un Air de Samsara. I did not know that I wanted mint with my Samsara, but if Jean-Paul Guerlain says so…
I cannot imagine,but it does sound interesting!
Wearing Epic 56 from my dabbed vial and loving every minute of it. It would be full bottle worthy if it weren’t for the hefty price tag.
It is hefty!
Tired today. My get up and go never got out of bed, it seems. 😴
Here’s a Super Bowl ad for ockeghem: https://youtu.be/VUGACNfgpu4
Loved this one!
And on the subject of Super Bowl ads, the Doritos one had a brief reference to “Triangle The Cologne”. I died laughing at that even though the rest of the ad was kind of meh to me.
https://youtu.be/GYPYfEVU62U
SOTD = back in Lady Vengeance again.
How did they not show that here?! (Or maybe I missed it? I was cooking for part of it.)
The Dave Grohl ad was in the 4th quarter. It seems that they kept most of the good ads for the end of the game, !MO.
Thank you Jalapeño: Doritos commercial made everyone Chez Mossy LOL-it did get off to a slow start, but that *poodle* and Sir Elton’s gleeful face put it over the top IMHO! Just caught the cologne bit, too!😹🤣😹🤣
So glad I did *not* have a beverage in hand with the cologne quip. That would have been a spit take for sure!
My third night of three in a row and sporting PG Indochine. Cold day with a lot of blustery wind. Predicting rain, sleet, snow or potentially all three tonight. I’m not a fan. 🙃
We’re getting wind. Sunny here, though, so far. I hope tonight is quiet for you!
Ugh, I’m not a fan of wind either.
SOTD = Chanel Bleu de Chanel Parfum
Wonderful! Smells quite similar to Chanel Allure Pour Homme Edition Blanche but more masculine. If I can rock it, anyone can!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CooAekvOzf9/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I think your SOTD is a bold choice.
5 sprays!