Happy Almost-Friday and happy National Banana Bread Day! Birthdays today: Samuel Pepys, W. E. B. Du Bois. What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm commando for a plane ride home — our vacation is over. Chances are I'll spray on some Diptyque Philosykos tonight.
Reminder: 2/24 will be Steampunk Friday... do whatever you like with the steampunk theme. Suggested by JB and seconded by a bunch of other readers. (And if you need inspiration for this project, see JB's comment here.)
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2023, where I'll try (but obviously sometimes fail) to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: top image is from the Alexander McQueen campaign for Fall 2013 [background extended].
Today I’m taking CP points for Commes des Garcons 2, the silver bottle with the ink note. My bottle is almost empty and I use it sparingly.
It’s foggy and soggy outside after yesterday’s ice and rain, really a dreary picture. Perfume is such a bright spot on days like these.
I am with you on the weather — how lucky we are to have perfume as an indoor luxury!
I love that one. I have a pocket sized backup. You smell great!
Today it’s the extraordinarily cheerful SL Rahät Loukoum, because some days you just need all that sugar, y’know?
I have heard lovely things about Rahat Loukoum, is it true that it smells like turkish delight?
Traditionally that candy is made with rose water, although there are a lot of variations: Rahät Loukoum isn’t rosy at all, to my nose. It smells primarily of almonds and cherries (because those things are so closely related), with vanilla sugar and honey and a hint of bitter almond. It’s candy for grown-ups, very sweet but sophisticated, too.
Robin, welcome back and hope you had a good vacation!
SOTD is the last few drops of my Chanel Coromandel parfum decant since we were talking about it yesterday. I have already purchased the EDP so I shan’t be too sad that it is gone, but it certainly will be missed.
Something about the cold weather makes me crave the sweet resinous quality of Coromandel. I feel like I should like Le Lion more as it shares this same profile as Coromandel, but while I appreciate LL, I am not as drawn to it as much. Perhaps I need to sample LL more on skin.
On another note, my birthday is coming up and I am thinking of treating myself to a bottle of Chanel Cuir de Russie parfum!
Also it seems like Chanel US has increased prices yet again. a 75ml bottle of Les Exclusifs was $250 last year and has been increased to $275.
I remember that it used to be $220 for a 75ml in 2019…
Fortunately the parfum is staying steady at $280, I shall not be wasting any time waiting for the next price hike!
I’m pretty sure it was something like $250 for my 200 ml bottle of 31 rue Cambon back in about 2010. (…and now I feel old.)
Interesting fact — the 75 ml bottle of Les Exclusifs is CA$250 on the Canadian Chanel website, which is US$184 at the current exchange. Come to Canada for your perfume!
I purchased 31 RC and Coromandel about 8-10 years ago and it was probably around $150 for 75 ml. I know the Coromandel is EDT so I am guessing 31 RC is too. Still beautiful. I wish I would have purchased several more of the Exclusifs back then. I did have Beige and gave it to someone else. Now I wish I had it again😊
Hahaha I’ve never been to Canada, perhaps I am due for a trip! I have noticed that Chanel prices are much lower outside of the US… I am always sure to pick something up on my travels
Not all regions stock the parfums though, I couldn’t find anything but the Sycomore parfum in SE Asia.
Also-for the last few cycles that haven’t participated in the beauty gift card even at BG’s so you can’t even get a discount there
I have noticed this as well! The only way to get Chanel ‘discounted’ has been to buy them secondhand.
Saks participates sometimes.
I say get the Cuir de Russie parfum, it’s that fabulous. I have noticed the price hikes with Chanel too.
I will! Wish I had some way to get it engraved for the occasion too, though I don’t think Chanel offers such a service.
My secret hack is buying Chanel from Harrods. I don’t know if it’s the exchange rate or it’s just less expensive but they full 200ml are over $100 cheaper. The shipping to the US is around $40 so you need a few bottles to make a real grab haha.
The parfums are around $216 as well, just saying….
I’ve noticed this phenomenon with the Malle line too.
Ooh what a good tip! I shall keep that in mind…
I’m betting it’s the deduction of VAT for export.
Yes I’ve wondered if it could be that as well….
Thank you for the great tip! I’m definitely going to pay Harrod’s a visit this summer…
Getting a Chanel parfum sounds like a grand way to celebrate a birthday!
Thank you, it was wonderful and I am sad to be home! Plus, mountain of laundry.
My father in laws chai tea this morning and Ambre Loup SOTD
I finished Diary 📔 of an old mad man last night and it was good. I seem to be on a 🇯🇵 author kick these days. Now back to reading Mishima. A friend of mine recommended I read Iris Murdoch- anyone have a book recommendation?
I am on “holiday” from volunteering until early March and will miss the Library the most.
Yay for father in law chai tea!
I have had 3 cups thus far…can’t get enough
I reek of spice from my perfume and probably have chai tea spice smell coming off of my body LOL
You say that like it is a bad thing…
It’s all good ! He made this new batch of spice with extra cardamom
I’m glad your in laws arrived safely after a driving in such bad road conditions.
Thank you
I am in your 8 sprays of POAL today.
Just finished reading Maame today. It is one I think you would really enjoy. Great debut for this writer.
Good! I will add it to my list. So many books-my list gets larger and larger
You smell wonderful, their is your compliment
Thank you dear! And another book you would like if you don’t have it on your list is The Snow Hare.
Iris Murdoch The sea, the sea is probably a good place to start . It’s a classic.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2009/feb/10/iris-murdoch-sea-booker?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
https://bookmarks.reviews/art-as-pure-villain-on-iris-murdochs-the-sea-the-sea/
A slightly more helpful review
Thank you Kanuka
My friend just sent me a list of authors that she thinks I would enjoy, Iris Murdoch, Barbara Pym, and Jean Rhys. I will start with The Sea the Sea.
Report back if (when?) you enjoy reading Barbara Pym. She is one of my favorites, and I read her books over and over! Do I have a favorite? No, but A Glass of Blessings might be a desert island grab.
Oh wow 😮
You smell great, glad your in laws arrived safely. I recommend reading Yasushi Inouye.
ok-I am on board for this author…can you tell me which book I should start with?
I started with The Hunting Rifle (I’m guessing at the English title as I read it in French as Le Fusil de Chasse).
Glad to hear that your in-laws got there safely!
Ice storm here in Michigan knocked out our power, and most everyone else’s too! The generator is humming along, so we have nominal power, conserving water to not overtax the pump and no hot water. Estimated restoration of service is Friday afternoon. I will probably spray myself liberally with some sandalwood heavy scent and take a nap until the power comes back.
I hope it’s sooner rather than later.
I saw some photos and it looks chilly. I hope you keep warm !
Not much snow, right now every branch of every tree is covered with a quarter inch thick tube of ice, with icicles hanging down. It sparkles whenever the clouds thin out. It looks beautiful, but it is hard on the trees and miserable for any creature that can’t find a spot to get out of it…
A friend from Ann Arbor posted a lot of pictures on FB from his trees in his yard and they did look really beautiful, but bent over from the weight of the ice. I hope things will be ok!
We are about 40 miles west of Ann Arbor. Here, it warmed up enough this afternoon that the trees have mostly been able to pop back. Spring in Michigan.
Sounds like a good time to crawl under the duvet until power is restored!
Gotta keep stoking the fire!
I was reading about the storm in the paper this morning – now I think it’s headed to Canada ?
It seems the moisture is past us now, we just have wind, but tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny!
Yuck! Hope that your power is restored ASAP!
Still saying 3:00pm on Friday. One Neighbor and We are at the very end of a service line that runs through a lot of state land and only has a few dozen houses on it, so we are often the last in line!
Wow. Glad you have the generator, and hope power is restored soon.
Still in Infusion d’Iris and doing some chores. Christmas is almost paid off, just a few more weeks and it will be. Thinking of wearing Lyric after my shower.
Yay for paying off Christmas!
I’m wearing 24, Faubourg edp, from my stash of minis. As I was driving to work this morning I noticed that the redbud trees and the tulip trees are blooming. Spring has sprung in East Texas. Temperature is expected in the high 70s.
We apparently reached 70 here today, but by the time I got home it was in the 50s. Still, not too shabby for February.
Commando at the moment but will probably dig into the ELdO samples once I’m showered, so will likely be CP-compliant.
It snowed last night, which in our part of the world is somewhat unusual. Currently -4C and supposed to get down to -8 tonight. My early bulbs had been making headway, and now the alliums are very, very unhappy, though the daffodils seem fine. Oh well, at least it’s sunny this morning.
Daffodils usually don’t mind snow. I can’t speak to alliums, so good luck!
Oy, what a morning. Power went out at 4:30 yesterday afternoon. Here in north suburban Chicago, we had rain & a little freezing rain, but it must have been the wind that caused the outage. The bread I took out of the freezer this morning was no longer frozen; wonder if I need to toss the other freezer contents? Text from ComEd said to expect power either this evening or Sat evening…fortunately, it clicked back on about an hour ago. When I tried to use ComEd’s automated system to report the outage, was told my account “didn’t exist.” Guess they’re trying to win back my confidence!
Will shower once it warms up, and liberally spray Shalimar>>>Mexique for a bit of sumptuousness.
Happy to hear someone got their power back!
Good luck with the freezer stuff!
Discovered Striking by Rich Mess today. Signed by Christophe Laudamiel, it is a metallic watermelon with some rotten stink that nods to Secretions Magnifiques.
A little bit too fresh for the current weather, but could be a fit for the steampunk theme.
The name is a laugh! But does not sound like I want to smell it…smelling SM once was enough for me
In FM Portrait of a Lady today. Did the 8 sprays 😊
And you smell abundantly fabulous!
Oh, I love it. I had to get a travel size at Nordies.
Yay!
You smell wonderful even if you can’t smell it
I can smell it if I put my nose to my wrist! It is lovely.
Team overspray! ✊✊✊
Count me in!
Yay! Ever since I realized that perfume can go bad, I haven’t held back 😂😂
Not all go bad. I have some Chanel’s I have had for years and they are still good.
Echoing Kris. I have a perfume from the 1980’s that still smells great, plus a couple from the 1990’s.
Portland was gobsmacked with 11 inches of unexpected snow yesterday, so the city is at a standstill today. My house got about six inches but I am not going anywhere, so it’s fine. I’m wearing Aedes de Venustas because I wanted rhubarb.
Keep warm up there. Must look nice though.
Oh no! 😱 I’m so glad you don’t have to get anywhere. Hopefully it won’t take too long to melt. 🤞🏻
A lot of my colleagues (in my remote job) are in Portland – they’re working from home today. Amazing. Be careful if driving on slush…I find it the most slippery.
AdV is such an amazing fragrance and one of the first to lead me down the rabbit hole.
Oh no, and it’s such a hilly place too! Scary! It’s good you’re able to stay in.
Wow, Portland got more snow with that storm than Philadelphia has had this entire winter! Truly weird.
foxbins, I will regret not getting a back up of that one forever.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/xCgpqKWg8nj5BS2LJ6DRV0/missy
One of the villains in Doctor Who , Missy ( the Master) is pretty steam punjed. Victorian corset and bustle with gadgets. Matching with SL Vierge de Fer. Metallic lily.
Keep warm everyone! The leaves on our maples are turning orange so spring should be heading your way.
Vierge de Fer is a great choice.
Lily note twins! Virge de Fer was a surprise love for me, and now I want a bustle with gadgets!!!
And, our local cardinals and doves have been trilling and cooing, so they know your maples are turning.
We’ve had a wintry couple of days in what should be late summer, yuck! It is getting better though. I’m wearing Dusita’s Le Sillage Blanc to continue my CP theme of leather.
Ugh, looks like everyone had weird weather today.
More cold rainy weather here, for San Diego this winter has been really sucky. It will probably start to warm up right before I head back to Montréal.
Wearing Parfums de Rosine Ballerine No. 5.
I think weather patterns are getting more unpredictable, here winter rain has been scarse.
Mitsouko. Multiple sprays, and I may do even more since I’m at home. Been snowing pretty much all day…light to decently heavy. We will probably be around 15” when all is said and done. Maybe more. I don’t have to be anywhere, so it’s all good.
You smell great Lizzie!
That’s a LOT of snow!
In Black Lapsang Tea Extrait by Bohdidharma, thanks to a generous NSTer. The perfumer is Michael Boadi. Top note is Mate; middle notes are Virginia Cedar and Tea; base notes are Birch and Juniper. It’s unusual but smoky gorgeous.
I have tried, unsuccessfully, to find other fragrances from this line as it appears to have been an isolated venture. Boadi is also a stylist for models, or at least he has been. The mystery continues.
That sounds lovely! A little birch tar goes a long way for me, though. Is it *very* smoky?
Hi! It’s pretty dark and smoky🔥
Thanks for the warning!
Love birch tar, but cedar can go wonky on me.
Was in vintage Aromatics Elixir all day, it is still going strong but I’ve applied modern Habanita on my cardigan, I think its bottle fits the CP, rubber art deco.
The current Aromatics Elixir lasts for 24 hours on me. I can only imagine how long the vintage would hang around!
SotD for the CP: Penhaligon’s Lily & Spice. I’m going on (my understanding of) JB’s suggestion that Penhaligon’s brand’s “vibe” has Steam Punk elements. Their bottles I think surely do. But also, I say a spicy lily with a musk that I love goes very well with a wool top hat and a tweedy vest.
I think that’s a good call.
SOTD is Hiram Green Moon Bloom, with Fracas on the other wrist for comparison. MB is beautiful. A very full, creamy, honeyed tuberose. To my nose it is richer than Fracas (I get a lot of greenery and spring florals in Fracas).
I finally got some Earl Grey back in my tea cabinet so I’m having that today, london fog style to match the gray weather outside my window.
We were tea twins today! ☕
You must smell fantastic with both of those on!
Hermes Hiris
Always good.
Commando for part of the day due to a lunchtime mammogram appointment. Ouch! Applied perfume after I got home from that.
SOTD = LUSH’s V Perfume. Usually violets and I give each other the side eye. But I am liking this one quite a bit!
I hope it went well!
Yep! The tech did not have to redo any of the scans this time, yay!
Yay! It’s always such a relief when that happens.
SOTD = Ramon Monegal Impossible Iris
🥰 and steampunkish too, along with the owl!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpBcydRufBm/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I’ve been not waking up early enough to commute in. Not bad except now I feel like I have to make up the days even though we don’t have to. Anyway, onward!
Creepy Owl looks more like something out of a horror movie! He would definitely scare small children.
Today’s scent has been vintage Jolie Madame parfum. I’m just about to thunk the little bottle, and I think there will be a few drops to see me through bedtime.
I braved the wintry mix this morning, but I ended up with a fab haircut, so it was worth it. I hope everyone is safe and sound tonight!
Yay for a new haircut and returning from the trek in one piece!
Thanks, Jalapeno!
You smell lovely and I’m so glad you like your haircut.
☺️ Is this one of your loves, too?
Absolutely. It’s one of the fragrances I purchased because I read that it was one of the 111 perfumes I should smell before dying (that’s actually the title of the book!).
I didn’t appreciate it more fully until I came back to it later when someone posted about it and I really took in the gorgeous leather/violet combo.
I know how you feel. The more I wear it, the more I love it.
I was going to wear Lipstick Rose for the CP (would it work?) but the sprayer is blocked and won’t work. I’ve soaked it awhile in hot water but it didn’t help. Other suggestions?? But at least I did think of something that I believe will be quite good for tomorrow!
So I’m wearing a lot of sprays from my little sample of Thomas de Monaco Eau Coeur. Who is Thomas de Monaco and will he please marry me or just send me a lot of perfume now? His perfumes are all huge winners in my book. I have a new favorite fellow. Ha ha, well, it’s between him and my handsome cat Fizzy (or else my other handsome cat Butterscotch). (I tell them each they’re my boyfriend.)
Sketching class was a lot of fun today, and I feel like it will benefit me so much if/as I continue to do some painting. I got so dirty just from the pencil and the teacher said “Wait until we try charcoal!” I can’t wait! And I thought watercolor was messy.
Those are a couple of great names your cats have!
what a week
what a day
the drama with lost wallet and getting everything new again continues.
there was snow in my courtyard (next to Pacific Ocean) this am.
Put on my Uggs and drove to Pasadena for dental appt for crown.
Appointment was deleted by mistake. Oh really.
Could I wait till 4?
No, I think not. Went to TJ and got black and white cookies and ate four of them driving home.
Quite the day.
SOTD is Henry Rose Char. It’s smoky and musky and reminds me of somewhere in the best way. Chahar is the Farsi word for the number four. Maybe that’s the scent memory.
Sending you a virtual hug, what a few days you have had. I hope you enjoyed every bite of your cookies.
Why yes, I did!
Apsara! Sorry for more troubles, sending you all my extra good luck vibes.
So sorry you are going through this. I hope the cookies were delicious!