Happy Friday and happy Native American Heritage Day! It's also National Square Dancing Day. Birthdays: Louisa May Alcott, Clive Staples Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle and Chadwick Boseman. Our community project for today: pick your Black Friday poison...wear the last fragrance you bought, wear a cheap thrill, or wear a fragrance you love but refuse to buy in a full size because it's too expensive. (We've done this project several times.)
What fragrance did you pick? As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you’re not participating in the community project.
I'm in a fragrance I refused to buy because it was too expensive when I tried it back in 2008...Monocle + Comme des Garçons Scent One: Hinoki. It is currently $120 for 50 ml, which all these years and industry changes later, seems comically cheap.
Reminder: 12/6 will be Plus One Friday...wear your favorite layering combination, or try a brand new one. (We've done variations on this project before.)
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2024, where I'll try (but usually fail) to have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: top image is a long line of petroglyphs [background extended] by theilr at flickr; some rights reserved.
My dear friend sent me photos of the Santa Zmaria Novella flagship store since she’s in Italy so I might choose Melograno as my scent of the day.
Robin, Evan Heeley Organic Sweet Blossom Body oil has the essential oils of frankincense, bitter orange leaf, bitter orange blossom, sweet orange and ylang ylang. Besides smelling absolutely amazing it is extremely moisturizing and sinks into the skin quickly. If I’m not mistaken all products are 33 percent off for Black Friday. Honestly, I love these oils much better than Tauer or Aftelier and they are less money. Their skincare is amazing too.
Oh thank you so much! Going to check it out.
My all-time favourite cheap thrill is Tabu, still to be had for under $20 US, which is ridiculous for how good it is: if you sold the exact same product in a fancy bottle, called it Arabian Nights or some such, and charged $350 for it, all the PerfumeTok people would be climbing over one another to get it. It really is thrilling — dark and smouldering, probably not a daytime scent but I’m wearing (a very small amount of) it and i’m not sorry.
Agree!!! Tabu is beyond amazing!! My daughter stole my bottle 😂
I was going to wear Tabu today because I got half of an old bottle for fifty cents at an estate sale last summer but I was craving something else. Tabu is beautiful.
I love “Arabian Nights” at $350 a bottle😂
I remember when it seemed bottles of Tabu were sold everywhere. Despite that, I never came across anyone who wore it.
Oh and my cheap thrill came in the form of two teas new to me- Celestial Seasoning Maple Syrup Ginger and Cream Early Grey.
Also wanted to say how extraordinarily grateful I am for my son. I was feeling under the weather yesterday and he cooked our entire Thanksgiving meal from scratch! The turkey was perfectly seasoned and moist, the homemade gravy was sublime, homemade baked macaroni and cheese was decadent, homemade mashed potatoes with cream outstanding and roasted vegetables came out perfect. I must have done something right to be blessed with him!!
Wow, sounds delicious! Hope you are feeling better today.
Any leftovers?! I’m coming over!!!
How lovely of him!!
What a great son you have plus it sounds like he is a fabulous cook!
Oooooooh, those teas sound amazing! I will keep an eye out for them.
i pondered wearing my decant of Salome, but thought it would be a bit too much for my patients. i would still like a bottle of this, its so good!
so i decided to wear Fille en Aiguilles. i always wear this in december and often on christmas eve.
now we are heading to a wine tasting with friends at their flat and will hopefully have a nice evening.
What fun, enjoy the wine tasting.
You smell wonderful! Have a great time at the wine tasting🍷
Well, my SOTD qualifies for points under the “things I refuse to buy in quantity because they’re too expensive” category, and Cuir Cannage (assuming one can find it) definitely fits. I’ve been hoarding the few molecules that remain in my decant.
And for Kris, Jalapeno and AnnE, our menu of new-to-us recipes last night was:
A salad of shaved brussels sprouts, shallots marinated briefly in apple cider vinegar, apple, golden raisins, dried cranberries and slivered almonds, with a dressing made with the shallot marinade, olive oil, salt, pepper and a bit of maple syrup
Mashed potatoes with garlic butter, sautéed garlic bits and bacon chunks mixed in
Turkey thighs which were pan-seared to brown the skin and then braised with chunks of apple, carrot, new potato and turnip in an apple cider base
And dessert was going to be a kiwi pie, but [insert long story here]. Not a new recipe (or even a recipe, since it was store-bought), but pumpkin pie with freshly whipped cream was the final course.
I think the biggest hit was the salad, but everything was really delicious. And not too many leftovers.
Oh nuts — forgot to mention the dijon mustard that went into the salad dressing.
Wow, everything sounds wonderful, and YES to that salad combination and dressing!
That all sounds delicious but especially the salad.
Wowza! Sounds like it was delicious!
Wow! What an incredible feast you had! The salad and the turkey are making my mouth water.
Delish! This is making me salivate. Did you use a recipe for the salad, or did you make it up for yourself?
Definitely a recipe 😆 I’ll email it to you.
Thank you!
Happy Black Friday to those participating. If anyone is interested Blue Mercury online is having 20% off no minimum purchase with their rewards program and the discount price is reflected after adding to cart. They sell niche perfume brands, including Diptyque perfume and candles which I have never seen anywhere else for 20% off.
I’m not sure if I’m buying though. If I don’t that will make 6 months without a purchase and I don’t want to break my streak, lol.
Hold strong Tea Thyme!! I am succumbing to a few things today but probably not perfume.
I’m in Prada un chant d’amour. I love this scent but there was no way I was paying the 300ish dollars it retails for. I was excited to find a bottle on evil bay for $60 and was shocked when no one outbid me. Definitely best perfume purchase of the year.
Holy emails in my inbox this morning. I don’t have plans for any online or in person shopping today. We are going to hang around the house and avoid the crazy crowds. My girls got home Tuesday night🤩 and they are going to bake some chocolate cookies with Andes crème de menthe baking chips today.
I have been recovering from my surgery well/as expected, I think. I’ve had very minimal pain largely because I’ve just been taking it easy. Lots of loafing around either in my bed or the recliner in the living room. Slowing down has been the hard part for me, I’m used to being busy, but I know that’s what my body needs right now. I have been getting out to take daily walks for a few blocks. I still let my family do all the cooking yesterday though.😅
Yes, do let the girls take good care of you while you rest. Those cookies are a great way to show their love for you!
I will! They love to bake, and I love to eat cookies, so it’s a win win!🙌😋
Rest is just what you need right now. Relaxing is an important skill to learn!
It really is! And one I don’t use often. My girls are excellent helpers, I’m lucky.☺️
Oh yes, let yourself be spoilt for now.
☺️
My email inbox is getting blown up by all the Black Friday stuff too. 😒
Glad to hear that you are recovering as you anticipated, and have the fam home to help out!
Thanks Jalapeno!
Great find on the Prada! It sounds as if you are being treated very well at home. I hope you’ve been wearing your pajamas all day. Except, of course, for your walks. Or, maybe those too! After all, it’s probably cold out, and a big coat covers up a lot!
I have not seen those chocolate chips yet; I will keep my eyes peeled for them. 😉
I’ve been going right from pajamas into sweats, lol, so basically just a step above pajamas.
These are the chips
https://shop.tootsie.com/products/andes-creme-de-menthe-baking-chips-10-oz-bag?srsltid=AfmBOoqOBh7Ojf_fKdUCHVKcKXtN8ttvIKNBJlWl-oD_aTpO9b_yQG3V
The cookies were DElicious!😋
Pajamas ➡️ sweats. That’s the ticket!
Thanks for the link; going there right now. 😋
Wearing Infusion d’irris today. It was the last full bottle I had bought. A 1 ounce bottle for under $60 from Fragrancenet.com. perfume math says that’s pretty much free. Have to go to the grocery store because I ran out of milk, half and half and eggs. I don’t know how I misjudged how much I actually had. Not doing any kind of shopping for gifts right now.
Wow, great price!
I’m not doing the CP since I am wearing some of the last dregs, a syrupy red mess, from my bottle of Fleur des Comores from MPG. This has long been a favorite of mine and it’s a really old bottle I’m sure I can never replace. The main notes are amber, vanilla, jasmine, and ylang ylang, but the combination has always struck me as mysterious, dark, and compelling (despite those florals). I’ll so much miss it when it’s utterly drained but will keep the bottle so I can at least sniff the stopper.
There’s a wonderful new K-drama now on Netflix, When the Phone Rings. The first two episodes dropped last weekend and two more today, so my plans for the rest of the day are all set! It’s already become tantalizingly complex.
It’s nice to read about a scent that is not often mentioned but that I happen to really enjoy.
I’ve still got about a third of one of those large MPG bottles.
I don’t find it very mysterious though, just gorgeous, it reminds me of Songes in a way.
My hand found my old bottle of Chergui so no points for me today. This bottle is almost empty and will probably be thunked in 2025, and I’m sure I can’t replace it because of reformulations.
My husband is replacing a broken window in the kitchen, now that it’s below freezing and very windy with lake effect snow. Why it wasn’t done during the dry, warm sunny month of October is a mystery, but part of being married 40 years is keeping my mouth shut, which is helpful right now.
I guess that’s why I’m not married! 😉
Best of luck with the window repair. I have an older iteration of Chergui so if you ever run out and get a hankering for it, just let me know. I have 90% full bottle and will not be using it up in this lifetime. Happy to share.
Thanks Deva! I’m filing that away for future reference. It took me ages to appreciate Chergui but I really love it now.
I also have a bottle of Chergui that I do not love— I retry it every now and then just to check and it’s always a no — so you could file my name away just in case. It’s at least ten years old so it might suit you.
Thank you pyramus!
Hope the window repair is done and dusted now!
Hello all!
I’m house-sitting, and went to a nearby antique mall earlier in the week. I was just about to leave when I noticed a few empty bottles of perfume in a very crowded case. And right below them, a little box with the Guerlain mark, in pink and green. I thought it might be empty too, as it was closed, but I asked to see it anyway.
Well it turned out to be in immaculate “parapluie” bottle of Chant d’Arômes parfum, from the 60’s I expect. It isn’t marked anywhere as such but I recognized the scent from my newer EdT. Quite heavenly, and not a very common scent to find.
I’m going to study today. If I say it out loud, it will come true.
Have a great day everyone!
What a wonderful find!
I was pretty blown over!
Gosh, you have some of the best scores! I’d love to have it for the bottle alone. Congrats and happy studying!
I really wonder why I get so lucky! I guess it’s just knowing what I’m looking at, sometimes. I’ve seen so many empty (usually Shalimar) of those little bottles but never found a full one in its box.
What a fabulous find! I’ve got Chant d’Arômes EdT, which I bought about 10 years ago, and it’s lovely.
Ah mine is probably a I’m similar batch. It is very lovely and unusual. I find the base so compelling.
Wow, score!! Good for you.
Thank you!
Holy smoke! What a perfume find!!
I’m very lucky 🥰
Post shower, Borneo from the bell jar.
Wow, what a treasure.
Beautiful!
Yes, a treasure!
I used to buy bells jars like crazy. Did I think retirement would not catch up with me?
Still, it is soooooooo beautiful.
I’m in “Sex Appeal,” a drug store classic from Jovan. Goofy (but surprisingly appropriate) name, ridiculously cheap, and a ton of fun to wear.
Excellent!! The name is so bad it’s good.
Sounds like some of Tom Ford names.
I’m still working with my sample stash and today it’s Montalé Sweet Oriental Dream. Reviews swing from “dirty diaper” to “sexy baklava” so take from that what you will. This was a dabber sample. I poured the entire thing down my décolleté and so far I’m enjoying it, dirty diaper be dam*ed. 🙃
I’ve got whiplash from all the changes that are taking place in my well planned year. Really, this why I generally don’t make solid plans and prefer to fly by the seat of my pants. It’s a coping mechanism I learned at a young age which has served me well. So, I’m guilty of some Emotional Support Shopping the past 24 hours but in my defense I did find some good deals and I’m anticipating the arrival of said items. One of my goals for 2025 is to reduce my “down and out homeless person” look, which is much easier to do now that I’m in a climate that’s 75F and sunny and can eschew the flannel shirts for a bit. Still wearing my French scarves in a loosely chic manner and trying to be more mindful of how I come across so as not to scare people. I have no plans of becoming“demure” as evidenced by these shoes I want in the worst way:
https://www.nordstrom.com/s/naturalizer-darry-lace-up-derby-women/7558876?origin=bag
Wishing everyone a quiet, peaceful post Thanksgiving weekend. Leftovers are the best- no work, all scrumpdeliscious! 😋
And that link is NOT to the shiny pewter pair that I actually want. They look like old lady shoes with a disco vibe. Incongruent is my middle name! 🤣
Those pewter shoes look like SO MUCH FUN, yet still practical!
What she said!
I decided to wear the last fragrance I bought so I could be compliant with the CP. SOTD is Shalimar MJ. I really do like jasmine in the winter which surprises me.
Decided to put all the fall stuff away and get out my pine smelling scents for around the house. “It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.” Plus, it feels like it too as we are down in the teens today.
I took down my Fall door wreath today, and put up my Christmas one.
I will put away the terracotta pumpkins I have as decor on Sunday and figure out what to put in their place. Currently I have no ideas…
I’m lazing on the couch today, knitting and watching the Ken Burn’s Leonardo documentary. Not participating in CP, I’m wearing SDV. Apparently a whole day of feasting has left me craving gourmands, ha!
I really enjoyed reading about what folks had for Thanksgiving, loving all the variety and deliciousness. We hosted and made beef, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. The mashed potatoes were the big hit of the night. Funnily enough the cooking has left me wanting to cook more, I’m having fun brainstorming ideas for leftovers.
Wishing everyone a chill black Friday!
I started the Leonardo but haven’t gotten very far yet. Streamed all of the romcom Nobody Wants this over the past few nights while everybody else was sick, so hopefully after all the fluff I can get back to Ken Burns 😉
A cheap thrill for me with another sample: Vetiver Extraordinaire, a vetiver for purists.
It’s been nice finishing these samples, most of which I have had for years.
Love VE!
Wearing my last FB purchase, DSH Rose Vert, and thinking I need to use that DSH holiday coupon (Joy20) again to get more of it. It’s such a perfect mossy rose, with real oakmoss and sandalwood in the base. It’s an all natural scent so it’s not very long lasting but it works great as subtle, gently projecting skin scent for me.
That sounds lovely!
It’s a sunny Saturday here, it’s not as warm as it looks, but the blue sky is glorious. I’m wearing La Pluie from Miller Harris, a gift from Kanuka.
We’ve just been out for breakfast and I’m feeling very full after a huge plate of French toast with spiced apple and mascarpone.
We’d normally just have had our usual weekend porridge, but we’d run out of rolled oats. My beloved had major dental work a couple of days ago and has wanted porridge for dinner 🙂 . It’s a bit odd to have porridge at the end of the day, but it’s a very simple dinner to cook!
French toast with spiced apple & mascarpone sounds amazing…and far more appealing than porridge 😉
I left work sick this morning after 1 hour. I feel like a jerk leaving them on black Friday. I went to the med center and now have some antibiotics.
I’m wearing Coco today because it is what I wear every black friday.
Not jerky at all. It could have been something catchy, for one.
Thanks AnnieA.
Sorry you’re sick, please take care of yourself.🤗. agree, not jerky at all.
Thanks Laila.
Oy! Hope you get better soon!
Thank you!
O no, so sorry Lillyjo, hope the meds will help you.
What a great tradition wearing Coco for BF.
Coco is my ” no matter what happens, at least I smell great” go-to.
If you were sick enough to see a doctor, you weren’t a jerk for leaving work. Besides, as other folks have pointed out, what if it’s contagious?
Hope you are feeling better soon!
Thanks jalapeno.
Oh, so sorry you are sick. Feel better soon.
BTW how did the turkey come out?
I overcooked it and it was a little dry. Nobody complained though.
Then I am sure it was just fine!
If you went in and tried to work, it’s definitely not being a jerk. I hope the antibiotics work quickly and do their magic.
I hope you feel better soon, lillyjo.
I just wore my latest purchase a couple of days ago so this morning I chose Krizia Teatro Alla Scala. I put up the outdoor Christmas tree and hung the holiday wreath on the front door and I am done decorating for the holidays. I will burn my Thymes Frasier Fir candle, too, and I have one that smells like sugar cookies that I am saving for Christmas Day. I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving, and sending get-well wishes to ones feeling poorly.
What a classy choice! Teatro all Scala is one of the great 80s orientals, according to me. And Luca Turin. Do you have the EdP or parfum..?
It’s the EdT. I wish I had the parfum!
I put out my Thymes Frasier Fir candle too today along with some pine smelling wax cubes. It certainly smells like Christmas in our home. I asked my husband if it was too overwhelming, but he didn’t seem to think so.
Apple and yogurt smoothie
Today I wore my latest cheap thrill, a bub of J-L Scherrer edp, new 50ml, £17 free shipping. I’m confessing here so that I don’t have to do it again. The EDP is quite elusive to find in Europe so that was a lucky find. It’s far too too elegant for what I’m doing today and tonight it’s My Burberry Black parfum. I know it’s not an ideal perfumista choice but it is so comforting.
Well played…
I think Black is overlooked. More perfumistas should try it. It’s a little pricey now but I keep trying to reasonably score an older bottle. I think the newly repackaged My Burberrys might be reformulated.
Lillyjo, I got mine three years ago, it smelled the same as the one I had tried at duty-free.
There could be a very long and drawn out discussion over what are and are not “perfumista worthy” perfumes. Personally, I think if you like a lot of perfumes and wear them, it’s all good!
True that.
That JLS was a true bargain! They haven’t reformulated that one to death, I’ll say that much. Still one of my loves. 💚
Glad you’re a fan too.
I have a cheap-ish thrill: one of the online seller had a 100 ml bottle of Masque Milano L’Attesa for the price of a 30 ml. I didn’t even know they had big bottles, and I knew it would be one time I’d empty a big bottle.
That’s a great deal!
Wonderful find.
That’s a great deal!
Wow! What a great find.
I’m deviating slightly from today’s cp, wearing my #1 favorite cold-weather fragrance I won’t buy a BUB of due to its expense, if I could even find it as it’s been long-d/c and I can’t even find any info about it online. But it also qualifies as my favorite cheap thrill.❤️
As I was walking thru the mall, probably in the mid90’s?, I saw a new boutique that had just opened called L’Occitane. As a lover of all things French, I was intrigued and went in. I came away with the original Vanille in edt form, and later purchased the same fragrance in the tiny perfume extract form. A bit of old advertising material (unfortunately undated) I still have describes the scent as “Sensual and warm, this caramel-coated vanilla is a mouth-watering delight.” It lists the edt @$36.00 and the extract @9.00; I could only find one used bottle online now for $240. I have received more compliments on this fragrance than any other scent I have worn and it is my most-treasured one which I now wear sparingly. (This original ‘Vanille is not to be confused with the later also-d/c Eau de Vanilliers scent, not at all alike.)
We had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating Thanksgiving and my son’s birthday. One of the funniest memories will always be my tall, well-built 17-year old grandson demonstrating (albeit extremely gently) his jujitsu and wrestling skills with one of their cats; he calls it ‘catju.’ A willing, extremely flexible participant, and no harm done, the cat knew he’d get paid well for his efforts – in turkey!😻😸
Wishing everyone a great weekend ahead!
L’Occitane has had some gorgeous scents in the past.
The cat story is charming.
On the cheap thrill front I’m wearing a fragrance that I picked up at a farmer’s market for $35…but I can’t tell you the name because the perfumer didn’t label it! It’s a very yummy pumpkin chai scent.
That sounds really nice.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Arriving today, among other, more precious things, were some samples of too-expensive scents that I keep refusing to rebuy because the lines have shot so high in price over the past decade or so. For example, Frederic Malle. After lusting to have Iris Poudre again for a few years now, I finally have a sample—which I got in hopes of stringing out further my eventual buying of it. Well! It’s a scrubber! I absolutely hate it for being way too assertive and muscular. My tastes have changed so much in these past years, and I prefer the quiet magnificence of Perfumer H or the thorough Frenchness of Maitre Parfumeur. It’s yet another sign that one cannot go back, so I think I’ll treasure my memories of wearing Iris Poudre instead. 🙂
I have a few perfumes I can’t wear anymore due to changing tastes.
Well thank goodness you got a sample first!
SOTD = Montale Bubble Forever
Somehow, I ended up with 3 Montale perfumes even though I dislike the packaging. In keeping with the Community Project, this one was FREE! I had to buy something (not because of the freebie) and between paying for shipping versus getting this GWP, we KNOW which one won!
As the name suggests, this smells like Bazooka bubblegum, besides being a fruity floral with vanilla!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DC-ILKtxWZy/?igsh=MWdnaXRoMmU4Z2R2Ng==
I survived Thanksgiving! The controversial topic kept wanting to be included in Q&A and the tension was palpable; however, through clever deflection, we never got into the combative portions that could have derailed the very nice time we all had.
Happy to hear it was a nice time!
It sure was!
Glad to hear that your Thanksgiving get-together went well!
It went well!
Skillfully orchestrated deflection is a wonderful thing.
I agree with you on the looks of the Montale bottles, but aluminum is absolutely the best container for many liquids. It’s easily recyclable, too. I don’t, well, yes I do, know why more companies don’t use it.
Did not want to be anywhere near a retail establishment today, so I stayed home! But I have been busy shopping online. Took advantage of the Fzotic Black Friday sale yesterday. Many thanks to the NSTers who reminded me about it!
SOTD = still in Smell Bent TEN. I figure this one counts as a cheap thrill, since I picked it up during Smell Bent’s closing down sale. It was something like $37 or $38 at the time?
Did you pick up his newest? I’m curious about that one…
Fzotic’s Lilac Brulee? Nope. I wasn’t up for a blind perfume buy this time.
Got travel sprays of things I was lusting over earlier this year.
I’m glad you got something from Fzotic.
I picked up 3 somethings! 🤣 I think you were one of the people who mentioned something about the Black Friday sale.
I don’t know what that smells like but I bet you smell GOOD!
My SOTD is a stripped down cousin to AG Encens Flamboyant. Loads of frankincense with a citrussy topnote.
You have started a lemming in my brain.
My latest purchase just arrived Wednesday. I got the last bottle of Parfumerie Generale (Pierre Guillaume) Louanges Profanes that Osswald had in stock. This has been on my buy list for a very long time. I have to say that while it still smells just about the same, I miss the richness of my old decant. Well, I’m counting on my new bottle getting richer with age. I got it 15% off and only felt a little salty when they sent out a 25% code yesterday.
Of course, if you had waited for that 25% off code, the perfume you wanted would have been gone. 15 percent off ain’t bad!
I’m still happy with the discount for sure!
Also, I meant to say in my comment that actually this isn’t the last bottle I purchased because I snagged a travel spray of the new Fzotic perfume, Lilac Brulée. But that hasn’t even shipped yet
Congrats on the new bottle!
Thank you! I got the 15% code right after we found out my partner got a job after being unemployed for 10 months. So it felt like the right time to make a celebratory purchase. 🙂
Oh I meant to say congratulations about the job the other day. Congratulations!
Thank you!
I’m playing along with the CP today, wearing Rebecca Minkoff, which was cheap *and* the last perfume I bought. Also, I believe it is allo who deserves an enabler pin for this! ⭐️
Oops.. see below.
RM is a very nice perfume with a very nice price.
Yes, it is! It was a blind buy for me, and I was very pleased.