PSA: Don't forget to change your clocks tonight! (Unless you live in a happy place that doesn't bother with daylight savings.)
Today: our annual spring forward poll. As always, answer as many or as few as you like, or just talk about something else. If it's fall where you live, adjust the questions accordingly.
1. What's the fragrance you'd most like to add to your collection this spring?
2. You have to vote one perfume in your collection off the island. Which one will go first, and why?
3. It's time for (fantasy) Spring Break! Where are you going, and pick ONE fragrance to bring with you.
Note: top image is Crocus chrysanthus Blue Pearl [cropped] by J Parker's Dutch Bulbs at flickr; some rights reserved.
p.s. I am heading home today. I hope to catch up on comments by the end of the day Sunday and posting will be back to normal next week.
safe travels to you, Robin.
The only fragrance on my wishlist right now (and that I will get) is Habit Rouge Le Parfum.
I will check out Vétiver Le Parfum et L’Homme Idéal Le Parfum, but it’s unlikely I’ll get those.
But I might pick up another bottle of Habit Rouge Rouge Privé as well before it disappears.
I ought to go smell the Vetiver Le Parfum.
Today I’m in Caron Coup de Fouet, with so much of that assertive carnation I love. Definitely my favourite flower, even more than rose, which is saying a lot.
One of the nice things about technology is that almost all your clocks automatically change the time for you.
And as for the poll:
1. I’m not in the market for anything because I’m trying to enjoy what I have, but with all the talk of the EL Legacy scents, if I ever stumbled across a vintage bottle of White Linen I’d snap that right up. I used the last of mine a while back and it was so good.
2. SL Chergui. It’s my least favourite of all of his that I own. I try it on every now and then to see if I’ve changed, but nope, it just isn’t me. I really need to swap it away to someone who will love it.
3. I’d go to Florence for a week, and I wouldn’t bring anything with me, I’d buy something from Santa Maria Novella or I Profumi di Firenze when I got there and just wear that the whole time. They both have a Vaniglia and you can never go wrong with that. (I mean, who am I kidding, it’s a fantasy, I’d buy a dozen bottles at least.)
I share your #2 dislike. It’s to the point where I can’t bear the smell of it.
The same happened to me. That’s why I got rid of my bottle a long time ago.
More Chergui for me 😊
Yes, more for us!!
Me too! 😍
Yes,and for me too.So deliciously good!
Me too! Love it.
Chergui never did it for me either! I get why it’s popular but it doesn’t come together on my skin.
I share your feelings on Chergui. I love so many similar SLs, but somehow not that one.
Not a fan of SL Chergui either.
Hello and happy weekend!
Sotd is Nahema.
1. I’d love a bottle of Amouage Guidance. I am dragging out my sample by only allowing 1 spritz on the wrist everytime so I know for sure I can smell the goodness!
2. My V&R Bon Bon. I blind bought this when it launched mostly because the bottle was fun and I love gourmand. But the smell is really just meh. I don’t even remember the last time I looked at, let alone wear the fragrance.
3. I’d go to London because a few of my closest friends live there and it’s been forever since we met. I will bring 24 Faubourg because it’s sunshine in a bottle and we know we need some to combat the rainy weather over there! I will make sure I pack light because I will be raiding shelves for all those Selfridges, Harrods etc. limited perfumes. (This is a fantasy so funds is not an issue. Ha.)
Oh, Nahema… you smell amazing!
I’m rounding out the Week of Women with OJ Woman. Maybe the name is a bit on the nose, but the brand is woman-led. I was surprised to learn that Geza Schoen, not Linda Pilkington, composed this one.
My poll responses:
I’d love to find a bit of Guerlain Sous le Vent. So gorgeous. I’ve only ever had a one ml dabber of unknown concentration and year, and it’s ridiculously hard to find for less than a mortgage payment. But hope on, hope ever, as they say.
Off the island? Balmain Ivoire. It’s just not me.
Fantasy spring break? I’m heading to Provence, and I’m taking Paris-Deauville with me. This is fantasy, so it will NOT be pouring rain (as it evidently is right now in real life), but will be sunny with temperatures in the 60s, the flowers will be blooming and fragrant, and I will take long walks in the countryside. Paris-Deauville will blend nicely with the scented air.
Ha, sunny and mid 60s in Provence, I will join you 🙂
1. I bought Xocoatl and I am almost empty and will probably re-purchase. It has been great for the library as it wears close to the skin and doesn’t fill the room
2. ..hmmm..
3. I am missing Morocco. It’s been a year since I went last year. I miss the sounds, the smells, the whole show of haggling for buying something, the kindness of the peoples eyes.. I wouldn’t bring any perfume-Marrakesh is a whole fragrance department store itself
Wow, ltsg, you went through that bottle fast!
And I must get my nose on it. You have loved it well.
Add to collection – hmmmm, the new OJ Vanille Afriques if the sample turns out to be wonderful.
Off the island, Gallivant Bukhara. It’s nice, but I don’t reach for it.
I have dear friend who is going to Barcelona (or Barthelona) or Japan next month and she promised to pick up an EDT of Box of Eels for me since I will not repurchase at US prices.
I was sooooooooooooooooo done with politics last night I watched WONKA. It was sweet and charming and I slept 10 straight last night.
Hate setting clocks forward, love setting them back. I know this is very controversial, but I like light that comes from within the house in the evenings, so be it.
Morocco is high on my list as well. I’ve never been but it sounds wonderful.
1. I have a long list of samples, and it keeps getting longer) in my Lucky Scent cart. Trying to hold off making any purchases (see #3).
2. Tough call, but if I had to pick one it is a Laura Mercier vanilla fragrance I purchased at discount.
3. My fantasy is becoming real. We head to Stockholm, Berlin and Copenhagen next month! I will be taking my fave Hermes Sur Le Nil but excited to explore new fragrances. Please send me your recs for perfumeries and perfumes to try in these cities.
Byredo!!
I always have a shopping cart going on LuckyScent. Like window shopping…
I have been to Copenhagen. Stockholm is on my list of places to go.
I went to Byredo when I went to Spain last year. I walked about a mile from my hotel to get there, arrived when the store was empty and spent about half an hour going through all the perfumes. Lovely time.
I went to Copenhagen in November. The coffee shop next to the Le Labo store has excellent pastries!
In Berlin, Frau Tonis is a fun visit. It’s about 200 m from Checkpoint Charlie so it’s easy to find. KaDeWe (a department store) has a good perfume department and a great stationery department if you’re into pens and notebooks. There is a Le Labo within walking distance of KaDeWe. (I buy a Le Labo travel spray as a souvenir whenever we’re somewhere with a boutique.)
There’s a German line called Lengling that features opposing but complimentary notes.
Wearing Amouage Memoir Woman for a day of laundry and cooking. It is a very rainy weekend, so I have no plans to go outside at all.
1. I would add Chanel Bel Respiro to my collection.
2. I am definitely voting off the island some of the Amouage samples and partial decants that don’t work for me.
3. I would go to Milan to visit family. It has been a long time since I went to Italy, but I might plan a trip for summer next year.
Happy weekend! 🌻
That’s so enlightening! I’d only ever thought about voting off FBs 🙂
And meant to add that I never can, so I feel much more in charge now 🙂
It is difficult to say goodbye to full bottles unless I am 100% sure they don’t work for me anymore. In the past, I rehomed some, just for me to regret it later on. Samples and decants are very easy to get rid of, especially when in my case I have too many that I do not like or enjoy anymore.
Ah yes, I have often gotten rid of fragrances that I thought I didn’t like and then rebought them. Sometimes numerous times.
And it is even worse when some of those perfumes have been discontinued.
I will try to send some sunshine your way! I had plenty of it yesterday and today. 🌞🌞🌞
That sunshine will be more than welcome! 🌞
Hello all!
Finishing my lab report that I neglected last night in favor of some light calculus. Luckily this professor isn’t interested in a super-formal report, so it just flies by. I put on Fleur de Male since someone mentioned it this week. Always a good choice.
1. I would love to get a bottle of Synthetic Jungle; I’m hoping to find a good deal on it since they’re changing the name. It’s such a weird scent, and I really admire the brand for putting it out. At first I wasn’t convinced by the slightly rubbery base, but it really grew on me.
2. An acquaintance in Dallas is actually hosting a perfume swap at the end of March, so I’ve been lightly digging through my collection. Haven’t made any formal decisions, but I think I’m going to bring most of my samples at the very least. And maybe bring something rare so people can smell it if they’re curious! (Feu d’Issey is a strong contender, since the bottle is as cool as the scent).
3. My friend has been dealing with some family stuff in Istanbul, and we’ve been talking about going. Not really in the budget at the moment but this is a fantasy! I think I’d bring something cooling, maybe Mentha Religiosa or Geranium Pour Monsieur. Poivre Samarcande would be nice too.
Related to #2, I pulled out a few bottles that I was thinking of raffling off for various causes. I originally got the idea from Victoria at Bois de Jasmin but didn’t get to my storage unit in time to join. Don’t really have any idea how I’d go about it, but the wheels are turning.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Feu d’Issey!
Hope you got that lab report done and dusted.
Went with Baghari this morning and wasn’t feeling it, so I spritzed a little Clair de Musc, it helped.
I would like some Chanel Eau Premier for spring and I want samples of Zoologist Penguin and Imaginary Authors The Language of Glaciers but doubt if I’ll get anything.
Off the island? Probably Tom Ford White Patchouli. I like it ok but never wear it.
Fantasy spring break? The south of France. I’d have my French friend go along for good company and translation, and I’d buy perfume there, obviously. Other choice? Just someplace warm and sunny!
White Patchouli was always on my wishlist but I never got around to buying it. I think it’s discontinued now.
The south of France sounds wonderful!
Happy weekend! The sun is gone and it looks like more rain.😒
Wearing Onda VdE again today because I enjoyed it so much yesterday. So delicious!
1. Enjoying what I have. Some have me interested, but I’ll get zero chance to sniff so pretty sure I won’t be buying.
2. I have a few. I just sent one to a new home where it will be more appreciated, so it’ll be awhile before I lose another.
3. To the Dordogne River Valley area, but also going back in time about 40-60,000 years ago. Fantasy, remember? 🙃 I want to see first hand the folks painting the caves in the region. I want to see how the colors have held up over the years and I want to see who painted them and why? I want to know the people and see all the good and the bad, view the mistakes and the stellar standouts that maybe didn’t make it through time or have yet to be discovered. I want the low down on the entire subject because it’s fascinated me since I was a kid. I’d go in the fall (sorry spring!) and bring something subtle, like Safran Troublant.
Happy Weekend!
Oh, I have a whole bunch of places in the Dordogne starred on Google Maps now, too!
Let’s go! 😉
I’m game! We’ll be over in the fall and next summer, and I’d love to go! 🙂 I hope when you can get your France trip organized again, that you can go, as well.
I’m up and about a bit earlier on Sunday morning than usual, I’m going to visit my mother, and I’m hoping she’ll be able to come home from the rest home, she’s been there for three weeks while her broken arm heals, and it seems to be well on track.
I’ll be wearing LÊtre Aimée from Divine. I bought a 30ml bottle in Paris last year and keep forgetting it’s there.
Off the island – nothing apart from a few samples.
Dream spring break – Paris for yet more perfume shopping. It’s not like I have too much already 🙂 .
Hope a good visit with you mother is in store, Gaynor!
Glad your mom is doing well…did she make it home?
Robin, you surprised me with the reminder that this weekend begins EDT! I probably would have heard or seen the news later today, but I’d lost track. BOO, I miss the days when our area did not have it!!! SotD White Linen Legacy. I am quite liking it today.* The secret is not to compare it to the original, which has so many memories for me. I will always be an EL superfan, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
*Would I buy a bottle? No – I have already too many top-10 favorites. 🙂
Oy! I completely forgot about the switch to Daylight Saving Time (or is it the opposite?). Anyway, I better just do it soon because I may think I’ve done it already.
I’m thinking about sniffing the current versions of EL White Linen and EL Private Collection that are sold in department stores. I know they aren’t the same as vintage, but might still be worth my while.
I almost forgot myself!
I just showered and wearing SMN Rosa powder.
1. On my wish list forever, Celine peau nue in the purse sprays, i saw and tried this in the Paris airport and since i was in a hurry, i didn’t buy it, big mistake!!
2. Nothing that i want to get rid of.
3. Fantasy vacation would be some beach destination.
Have a great weekend
I see the travel sprays on the US web site, but you have to purchase the silver travel atomizer case that comes with two refills, for $255 USD. Was this what you saw in Duty Free or could you just buy the travel spray by itself? Would love to get Dans Paris for my birthday.
I think you could buy the travel sprays by itself in Duty Free, the atomizer case was sold separately, the case was very nice too.
Scent of the Day is Frederic Malle’s “Heaven Can Wait.”
1. I’d love a bottle of Chanel’s “Bois Des Iles” – the Parfum concentration.
2. Someone gave me a bottle of Gucci Pour Homme – wore it once, which was more than enough, so it’s off the island.
3. Paris seems a perfect spot for my fantasy spring break. I’d check the weather forecast: Warm, sunny days? I’d bring “Geranium Pour Monsieur” by Frederic Malle. Lots of rain in the forecast? I’d embrace the melancholy and bring “En Passant” by Olivia Giacobetti (for Frederic Malle.)
I’d love the Bois des Iles extrait, too. I just won’t let myself even think of it until the second half of the year. I overdid it the last 3 months!
We have a FM fanboy in the house!Welcome to the club(I’m defo one as well!)
Love your website btw!
Thanks for the kind words, J B!
And, yes, “FM fanboy” sounds about right. LOVE the house.
Me three (or maybe it’s four so far?)
1. Perfume I’d most like to add: Zoologist Harvest Mouse.
2. Perfume I’d vote off the island: Be Delicious. This was a cheap blind buy at Marshall’s or similar. I never wear it.
3. Perfume spring break: Sel Marin goes to the Riviera.
SOTD is therefore Sel Marin. I’m sure I’ll re-up with something different later in the afternoon.
Didn’t post yesterday, but I did wear Tea for Two for CP points. Had lunch with a vendor, so wasn’t bold enough to wear Dzing!, which is my favorite of the 3 Olivia Giacobetti’s that I have. All of my L’Artisan FBs are from her.
Oh I enjoyed Be Delicious bck when it was just released.It used to be such and easy pick as a SOTD(along with Clinique Happy!)
Wish we had Star Trek transporters so we could just zap our unloved bottles and samples to fellow perfumistas, wherever they are. (The logistics and effort of making things is just more than I can handle and I have no IRL perfume friends.)
*mailing
Be Delicious was a scrubber on me.
Same.
Me too. And a really persistent one to boot.
Got to find my sample of “Harvest Mouse.” I remember loving it.
For me, it was a slow build from “oh, that’s nice, not revolutionary, probably don’t need it” to “wait, I really love this.”
I love Chipmunk, too, which has a similar vibe, and have an FB of that (as well as Squid and Musk Deer).
Continuing the Friday CP in FM En Passant by Olivia G.
1) Maaaybe Lutens Un Bois Vanille? Maybe Eris Parfums Delta of Venus? And if it dropped into my lap, I’d love some Xocoatl like LTSG above.
2) I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I may say goodbye to the rest of my POTL Luctor et Emergo. It’s just not me anymore.
3) Fantasy spring break: Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey in California. I’d bring something light, fresh and/or herbal. Maybe Herba Fresca. Need to think about that.
Oh, Carmel would be great. Also in Malle – just bought a backup travel size of Iris Poudre. It was on sale, but I am pretty sure the sale price was the same as the the original bottle I’d bought. sigh
My En Passant is a travel size bottle and I have the Iris Poudre in that size as well. I do love those travel bottles.
I was born in Carmel! Haven’t been there in years, but will be spending 2 nights in Monterey in April. Am looking forward to the aquarium. I can’t remember if I’ve really ever been. If I have, it was 25 years ago. Not sure if the vague images I can summon are real memories, or just from TV.
Luctor et Emergo is so hard to come by stateside. You’ll do well on resale market I assume. Or make a perfumista very happy if you gift it. I was very distraught when I first learned it was impossible to get, but when I sampled it recently again (I have a small decant), didn’t feel bereft. What I have is enough.
Un Bois Vanille was one of the first perfumes from SL that I sampled. Good stuff!
Not the POTL! (Although I don’t think of it as much as I used to either.)
I wore SJP Dawn and tonight vintage Timeless
1. Still Chloe Rose Naturelle intense
2. Still Tom Ford Youth Dew Amber Nude
3. I’d love to go to Hawaii and wear Nuxe Prodigieux le parfum.
Your #2 made me laugh. Poor Amber Nude. Lol.
I guess I’m stuck with it😀
I didn’t like YDAN at all when it came out. It was only years after it was d/c’ed that I retried it, and liked it a LOT. By then, bottles were selling for a fortune on EvilBay.
Yes it has become pretty rare, I used to like it but no longer.
Hello Hellooooo!!
OMG I’ve missed a lot on NST!
Between travels/work/life….you guys know the drill!
Happy to report that I finally added Xerjoff Irisss to the collection.It was the last puzzle piece in my Iris-stash and it’s adore adore adore!!
SOTD!Chanel 1957.This could be my favorite exclusif,even dethroning my beloved No.18!
Off-topic,but a must mention:if you’ve not seen “All of us strangers”,please watch it.I’ve seen it 4 times already,and I think every time I cry a lot harder and a lot more.It struck a chord about my personal experiences like nothing else.
Sending hugs and more hugs!
XO’s✌🏻🌹🤗
P.S the guy who LOOOOAAAATHES winter cannot wait for cooler weather this year!This has been one crazy summer!(plus the fall/winter wardrobe is epic this year,epic!!🤣🤣)
Woo-hoo! It’s coming your way!
Good to see you as always 🌞
Good to see you as well babes!
Hope Spring is hurrying along to you as well!
🤗🤗💕
Oh dear, no problem! We are sending all the winter grays, rain, snow, cold and anything related your way! Keep it and enjoy it!😆
Glad to see you here! 🌹💕
Haha!After this scorcher of a summer I won’t say NO!(but you guys know I’ll lament all of this in a couple of weeks!🤣🤣)
I was just thinking about you and hoping you’d check in. Congrats on Irisss!
Thank you T!And HI!Hope life is more fun for you than the last time I checked in!🌹🤗
My finances are still disastrous but everything else is great. 🙂
Finances are always a thorn in the side,esp for us permfumistas!
Now I’m curious about 1957, good to have you back.
1957 is definitely worth a sniff!
I went to the boutique and purchased Le Lion on the day,and just tried 1957 on skin and a blotter.It was mesmerizing and I was back a week later….
Congrats on the Irisss! Missed you and your comments. Glad all is well but just crazy busy!
Missed you and your daily updates as well!
I do stalk some of you on Insta incognito…haha!🤗✌🏻
1957 is just gorgeous! You smell great. Congratulations on completing your iris collection.
I really do think the Iris collection is complete.It must be something really really special if I were to add another.
Welcome back!
Merci!✌🏻
So nice to see you JB! Glad you are well and congrats on the Irisss.
Great to “see” you as well,Robin!Hope you are doing okay too.🌹
Could be worse, you know?
I’m wearing Mon Guerlain Intense and wishing I wasn’t on a no buy so I could get a second bottle for Montréal. It’s my favorite version and I believe it’s discontinued. :-(. I also want the re-release of Le Bouquet de la Mariée.
I just gave Mona di Orio Dojima the boot and am about to show Miss Dior Cherie to the door.
I’d love to go back to Hawaii and bask on the beach in Monyette Paris.
I have such nostalgia for MDC but it’s so expensive and counterfeited. I wonder if I’d even like it after all these years!
Before offering mine up for sale I spritzed it one more time. The answer was no, so I feel fine about letting it go now.
Good luck to you! I’m sure it will sell quickly.
cazubon, where do you sell your fragrances?
I sell on facebook. There are a bunch of groups, but I mainly use Eau My Swap, Femme Fragheads Exchange and FFF (Facebook Fragrance Friends) Marketplace.
I’m wearing my new favorite, Rauque and I would love to find a bottle of CDG Daphne. A friend will be in London this fall so my fingers are crossed😊🤞
I would vote NV Pichola off the island and kick myself for not getting Trayee instead.
Fantasy trip always involves France and if I could cross paths with Juliette Binoche on the streets of Paris, I would be so happy!💃😃
I love Juliette Binoche as well. Good luck on your Daphne quest!
Merci!
You smell incredible and I remember really liking Daphne as well. I hope you are successful! Tomorrow I am planning to wear Mxxx. for Barbara Herman (still on the CP), but I usually sneak a little Rauque on as well. It’s so beautiful.
You are smelling fabulous in Mxxx. today!
I hope you are watching Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel in “The New Look”!Love the series so far.
Hi J B, I have just started to watch it and she’s amazing par usual😊
Hope that bottle of CdG Daphne finds its way to you!
Adding to collection: I’d’ve said YSL Magnificent Gold, but I realize I probably just want a nice, rich but not overwhelming vanilla&oud. Suggestions would be very welcome, especially if less costly than YSL.
Voting away: if I am honest, it might be Centauri Gaea. Despite the nice drydown and the original bottle design, I have to admit that it’s rather weird and that I usually don’t want to smell like a greenhouse on another planet.
Hmm, getaway…people are making beautiful suggestions. I would like somewhere a bit warmer and sunnier and…not here.
“Greenhouse on another planet” 😂 I love this in-a-nutshell review
Thank you! I go for the the nutshell in part because I can’t pick out notes to save my life…
Shaghaf Oud, Swiss Arabian might be an option.
Have you tried it? I just saw Shaghaf Oud in store the other day. No tester though.
Yes, I’m not much into oud even with vanilla but I was pleasantly surprised.
Thanks! Will have to give it a sniff
1. I would most like to add something new that is just a very pretty spring floral scent. Not heavy white florals and nothing too sweet or musky. Something simple and beautiful. Any suggestions?
2. Vote off: I’m going with Chergui, mentioned above by Pyramus. I’m surprised how many people have chimed in with me to say they don’t care for it, as it seems to get a lot of love.
3. For some reason I would like to go to a desert somewhere, but I’m not up for a big trip with airport and travel hassles, so I’m thinking of Tucson Arizona and the Sonoran desert, maybe to see and smell the giant saguaro cactuses in bloom! I would like to breathe warm desert air scented with nice smells like jojoba and acacia and more.
SOTD is Honour Woman by Amouage.
For your number 1, have you tried Carven Le Parfum? I would describe it just as you did, simple and beautiful.
Also with you on Chergui. The list of notes should work for me but doesn’t. I tried several times then gave my decant away.
No, I haven’t, but now I will look for a sample! Thank you!
Lancome O de l’Orangerie is nice.
Chergui was a big NOPE for me the first time I tried it. Didn’t work at all.
A few pretty spring florals that come to mind are Splendiris, Iris Ukiyoe, and Acca Kappa Calycanthus. I’ll let you know if I think of others.
I’m building a big perfume pipeline so y’all can dump your Chergui bottles directly into it and send them right to me.
Pyramus, are you in the USA? If so, maybe I can help you out on the vintage White Linen. You can reach me at denise (at sign) denisehamilton *dot* com
As to the poll, I’d love to find some Dzongkha, and I must accept that I just can’t wear the original Shiseido Zen, it turns sour on my skin, so I’ll launch that pretty metallic black bottle out to sea from my island.
Like so many of you, I think I could marinate happily ever after in Box of Eels and I’m taking it to Rome the Eternal City.
This reminds me of the funeral of the father of a good friend of mine. It was closed coffin but my friend’s mother told us that she had soaked cotton balls in Shalimar and tucked them into his pockets. Shalimar was the mom’s signature scent and my friend’s father always bought it for the mom and loved to smell it on her. I could not attend the funeral, but I always wondered if it wafted out. At the memorial months later, I certainly smelled Shalimar when I hugged her. I’m glad it gave her such comfort.
Safe travels home, Robin.
What a sweet story about the Shalimar.
Thank you Cazaubon, it was such a lovely romantic gesture. My friend’s mom was always larger than life, laughing and telling stories, lots of jewelry and leopard print clothes and decolletage, so opposite of anything in my family. Her nickname was “Toy.”
What a lovely story! Shalimar really does hold such power, even now.
I don’t know quite how you meant your Dzongkha statement, but they do still make it! I haven’t tried the most current version but I have an old bottle as well as a black bottle that I bought in 20…22? and I don’t think they’ve reformulated it, or at least more than usual for perfumes nearly 18 years old. Jeez, time flies….
Hi Coumarin, I should have specified that I would love to find Dzonghka in the original bottle or perhaps in a swap as it will never be discounted, I don’t think, and I’m on a semi no-buy which means no retail buy, lol
And yes, Shalimar continues to cast its spell, and Guerlain has been fantastically clever in marketing endless flankers and flankers of flankers that have been modernized to capture the younger markets while still producing the classic Queen. And then also putting out all those Aqua Allegorias for those who want lighter fare. I think an analysis of this would make a great topic for an MBA thesis. Especially when compared to poor Caron, one of my fave houses, which has fared much less well.
I love the story about Shalimar!
Thanks DeniseH! Got home late but safe 🙂
This is going to be easy:
1. Maison Crivelli’s Tubéreuse Astrale is the most amazing stuff I’ve tried in ages and I definitely need a bottle.
2. I’m thinking maybe Narciso Rodriguez for Him EdP. It just hasn’t received much love since I bought it two years ago, unlike its big brother, the EdT.
3. I’ve spent 7 wonderful days in Prague. The spell breaks tomorrow but I’m kinda looking forward to going home.
Oh my, have not been in Prague in eons, hope it was wonderful.
R, it was wonderful! Prague is such a beautiful city.
So glad! It is still the place that best fit the word “magical” for me.
Thanks! It *is* absolutely magical. That’s actually the very word I would use to describe it. I hope you get to visit it again soon. ❤
Happy Saturday! I’m in Demeter Kitten Fur, which I just picked up over the border. I knew it wouldn’t smell like kitten fur going in, but the idea was worth $24. It’s a comforting scent, though. I’m looking forward to trying Holy Water and Dirt, the other two I bought…I like a good Christopher Brosius soil scent. I’m baking the first lasagna I’ve made in…possibly ever? We moved away from pasta years ago, but the kid loves it, so I thought it’d be a project to make it all from scratch. It’s not an all day lasagna (which I saw recipes for), but it is definitely an all afternoon lasagna. Ragu is going now, and I’ll start the pasta in a bit.
As for today’s questions:
1. I still want Ummagumma. However, I still would prefer the travel size, so I still don’t have it.
2. I’m fairly cautious about full bottles, so I don’t have one to vote off any more. (My standard answer was Laila, the scent of Norway, from before I went down the rabbit hole, but I finally got rid of it during the renovation.) But as for samples, ELdO Rien can definitely get the boot.
3. I would love to go to Morocco or Spain or Provence or Portugal. Or Greece again, in weather that’s not as hot. Or Japan, for the cherry blossoms. But instead I’m going to Whistler, and I’ll just take Craig Mod’s latest book and dream of Japan.
your number 3!!! 🙂
Scratch-made lasagna? Wow! Serious respect for that.
Cooking is a hobby. Apparently I need more to do on a Saturday afternoon. 🙂 My mom could get lasagna on the table in an hour or so.
SOTD = Le Labo Vanille 44
Hey, maybe I am starting the CP early! Anyway, Vanille 44 is perfect for a rainy day. I suppose we’re letting the ground soak in the moisture and we won’t need to worry about brush fires later on. My supply is dwindling but I do have a decant somewhere.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4T6GZER8gw/?igsh=ZDZtMzNnbXkyazZ4
I attended a memorial mass for my friend’s husband who died a year ago. We had repast afterwards. It was good to see everyone!
I went to the mall to pick up the perfume I bought with a gift card so it doesn’t count (🤣). I will wear it at some point soon. Anyway, I also made sure to stop by the Bath & Body Works to sniff the laundry soap. Well, it didn’t matter that I was there because … it is only sold at a mall south of here and one which I’ve never been to! What the —??? Apparently, tiny samples were sold for $1 each. I will email them to see if they will send me a few samples (I’ll pay) but I would never launch a product this way. I even got an email on it but now that I recall, it said online only but of course I don’t pay attention to that.
Gift cards don’t count! 🙂
I’ll keep repeating it!
I had no idea BBW was launching laundry detergent. I had to look at their website. They have a lot of scents!
I thought there was only one but there’s a lot!
I never hear mention of Le Labo anymore, it seems.
SOTD was HdP 1740, which is lovely, but does not make my heart sing.
1. Not currently lemming anything. (Um, well, TBH I did order three fountain pens today — all modestly priced, less than $100 for all three — as a reward for completely acing a very scary work thing yesterday that had been dominating my life for several weeks.)
2. Maybe Bottega Veneta. It now feels too “high powdery” for me. Don’t know how else to explain it.
3. I’ve become such a granny — Australia to visit our grandson, who recently had his first birthday. Except that it’s 40 (C) there today so I’d be miserable. In reality, I do have Spring Break in another week, and we are going to…Pittsburgh. (It’s a fun town, will be visiting one of my favorite relatives, but beachy, it’s not.)
Congrats on acing the work thing! I can well imagine the relief.
Congratulations on doing so well with the stressful work thing!
Pittsburgh! I was there many moons ago. It was a lovely city with a lot of culture … and food!
Hurray for acing the big scary work thing!
I had my first taste of pierogies in the Pittsburgh area decades ago. Delicious! 😋
Have fun with your new fountain pens! That’s a nice gift for doing whatever you did 🙂
SOTD is 19 poudre. I’m craving iris!
1. If my finances were better, I think would indulge in La Pausa or Carnal Flower. I would also love a bottle of L’Heure Exquise by Goutal.
2. I think L’Ombre dans L’Eau which sadly doesn’t work for me- goes too sour. Same with Sa Majeste La Rose.
3. Some sunny deserted beach with lots of life by the shore : crabs, shells, sea birds. I’d take my Hiram Greens that somehow work so much better in the heat : Dilettante, Moon Bloom, Lustre.
On #1, if my finances were better I’d buy both 🙂
Whew, what a week! I traveled Wednesday to attend a conference Thursday and Friday. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of people. This introvert was happy to get back to my bed and the sanctuary of my house Friday night. Two days away also meant missing out on part of my daughters spring break week. Today she heads back to grad school.🥺 I probably won’t see her now til May.
1. I’ve been eyeing up perfume scents. I’ve narrowed it down to: Carven Le Parfum, La Chasse, L’eau d’ hiver, Apres l’Ondee, Jour d’ Hermes or Vilhelm Modest Mimosa. What say you? Guess I’ve got more narrowing to do. lol
2. Probably Sur Le Nil. I went through a decant lickety split, so bought the big bottle and now never reach for it. Sigh. Maybe I’ll see how I feel about it this summer.
3. Florida, and I would bring Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc.🌞
I’d choose Après, myself. Jour d’Hermes and La Chasse (aux papillons?) don’t do well on my skin. I remember liking the Carven when I had a sample. Have not ever sniffed the other two. But I love Apres l’ondee (which I was able to sample thanks to the kindness of an NSTer).
I love Jour d’Hermes but it’s not like most of the scents I gravitate towards. Since we have similar tastes, I’d suggest it as a step outside the box!
Apres l’Ondee is beautiful. I like the Jour d’Hermes Absolu, but was rather meh on its perfume parent.
I’m wearing Celine Black Tie today and hopefully finishing up tax stuff. Then going through the closet and seeing what else I can purge/sell. I need to sell more backup bottles but I’m having trouble letting go, my hoarder instinct is kicking in.
Can you tell me more about Black Tie.
I am voting against purge and sell, I always regret afterwards!!
Thank you for your vote not to purge and sell. :-). Black Tie is lovely, it’s a soft powdery vanilla iris.
Thank you, that sounds very good. I will try to test it.
We just started tax stuff and the accountant immediately said “file an extension!”. That can’t be a good sign… sending you good tax vibes.
I owe a ton of money due to high expenses last year from moving and getting set up in the new condo. Sadly not only do I have to pay the large amounts owing from last year, they immediately hit me with quarterly tax payments for 2024, which adds to the misery. I understand they want their money but there are limits to what I can do, can’t pull $$$ out of a hat.
Oh no. That’s a lot to deal with! I hope you get through this period smoothly and never have tax issues again.
Thank you, you as well! I am also expecting at any moment a $25,000 special assessment to replace the air conditioner, praying that it will be delayed until next year. They are having trouble finding a contractor willing to retrofit our old building so I’m hoping it will be delayed some more. The house in San Diego needs work too but we can’t deal with that until this crisis passes, so the next few years will be very tight financially. As long as everyone remains healthy, that’s the most important.
If some of your BUBs are things that just can’t be gotten anymore, you might want to hang on to them for a bit.
Sunday morning scent is a dry perfume oil of Alfred Sung Sung I’ve had for years which is so sheer and lovely. Soft jasmine that reminds me a bit of Anais Anais and one of the few jasmines that work for me. This frag is cheaper than dirt these days, and has been reformulated badly, according to Tania Sanchez in The Guide, but the original is really a retro comfort scent for me..
The time change is killing me today. I had to be to work at 8 this morning so it was really 7. Ugh. I’m wearing Joyeax Tuberose.
1. I’m currently on the hunt for Mugler Oriental Express at a decent price. I’m also looking for something beachy for summer.
2. KVd Sinner
3. I recently met a family from Italy. I don’t know which area they were from but they showed me pictures of where they lived and it was beautiful! I kept wondering why on earth they would come to my stinky city. Maybe Pl67 will let me hitch a ride with her. Lol.
Time change killed me too. If you are okay with a refill you can put into a plain atomizer, I can send you Oriental Express. Just let me know.
There’s no stinky city although there are places I would never want to visit – yours is good!
Let’s go then, Lillyjo! ✈️
We’re both in the “Hurting Units” club today re: the time change.
My SOTD is Fils de Dieu.
Poll answers:
1) I’d like to obtain either Jo Malone’s Jasmine Sambac and Marigold or Heeley’s Bubblegum Chic, which appears to have been rechristened as Jasmine OD.
2) I would say goodbye to Dame’s Chilehead. It’s a really good scent, but I bought it when I was mentally in a bad space and it reminds me of that feeling.
3) I’d like to go to either Big Sur or Hawaii. I’d take Eau des Merveilles with me to either place.
I have both of your #1 scents, lovely choices. I wish I had bought Bubblegum Chic before it was renamed, I’m not a fan of the name Jasmine OD.
Jasmine Sambac & Marigold is a great choice. Too bad JM doesn’t have it in a 30mL size.
SOTD = Dior Vanilla Diorama
Love and my 40mL bottle is the cutest! 😍
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4V4AHdx9KK/?igsh=MXRhaWx5NzQ4anF3MA==
I have to get serious about preparing my tax return. We had great table conversation yesterday (at the repast after the memorial mass for my friends husband). The sister of the friend’s husband was at my table and she kept trying to tell me that I “should have” done things differently with my taxes and I pretty much stuck to what I said and she kept on speculating. She also has bad breath and thank goodness there were two empty seats between us.
Why do people give unsolicited advice, especially criticism? So rude.
Ugh on both counts, the advice and the breath.
Yuck. I have a rather rude expression about unsolicited opinions that is scatological. MYOB! 💩
I am wearing a sample of Fat Electrician, doing some inside tasks but hoping to get outside to the yard for some raking. Our dinner is started and roasting in the Dutch oven.
1. Nothing immediately on my horizon for new additions. I just bought 2 bottles and one of those I had mulled over for the last year before pulling the trigger. I have a lot of samples to try out, however so something might emerge.
2. I need to get rid of Escentric Molecule 01. I love 02 but 01 does nothing for me. Husband hates it, also. I am planning a purge and Goodwill drop in late March so maybe it will get passed on then.
3. I would like to go to Australia. Goldfield and Banks Silky Wood could work or maybe Sunset Hour, since G&B is Australian.
I was hoping to start some spring clean up today but it was too windy and cold outside…maybe next weekend! Hope you got your raking done.
SOTD is Iunx Talc. So easy to wear.
1. Looking at getting a bottle of Dior Addict. I stupidly sold my bottle (of original formulation) in a garage sale years ago. My tastes have changed now and would love to have it again. Might get a newer bottle. Still smells pretty good.
2. Off the island might be Le Lion. I love the way it starts, but not the drydown.
3. Would like to go to Ireland and England to visit my aunts. Everyone is north of 80 now, some approaching 90. Would take something light and friendly, Talc or No 5 l’Eau.
I once threw away half a bottle of original Halston because I decided it wasn’t me anymore…boy would I take that back now!
The time change has been really rough this year. Some of it was due to me staying up WAY past Stupid o’Clock last night to watch something I really wanted to see. And of course, I dozed off for part of it. So I didn’t get moving until mid-afternoon.
Poll Answers!
1. Um, not really. That’s because I went and purchased Chanel Coco EdP recently. If there is a price increase coming for all the Chanel perfumes and not just the Exclusifs, then best get it done.
2. Yep, have about a half dozen perfumes that are in Perfume Purgatory right now. I should retest them before rehoming, since I have noticed some of my scented candles smell a little different in Colorado than they did in New Jersey. Some of them might be offered as freebies here…
3. I’d like to go somewhere I could see the Northern Lights. I’d bring a cozy, warming perfume with me, since I figure it would be COLD standing outside, staring up at the sky. Maybe a bit of vintage Opium or my decant of Youth Dew Amber Nude?
I would love to see the Northern Lights too! Watching Northern Exposure again has reminded me. Problem is that I hate cold.
I have a heavy wool cloak that laughs at cold weather. It is also somewhat moisture resistant, thanks to the lanolin in the wool. It’s perfect for stargazing.
Yeah, I don’t care what my coat thinks, I hate cold anyway!