It's Hump Day and National Absinthe Day. What fragrance are you wearing?
As soon as I get back from the gym, I'll be in vintage Yves Saint Laurent Paris.
Reminder: on 3/7 we're doing the Picture challenge, edition 10: celebrate Piet Mondrian's birthday by scenting Broadway Boogie Woogie, one of his most famous works. Extra reading: Why Piet Mondrian Broke His Own Rules in a Dizzying Ode to New York at ArtNet. Extra listening: a quick audio piece at MOMA. Extra watching: for background, Piet Mondrian – 'Abstract Painting as We Know It' at Tate, Piet Mondrian: Painting and dancing at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, This Mondrian painting is actually a jazz score from MOMA via Youtube. Extra opt out opportunities: Not in the mood for any of it? Pick one of the colors and use it to choose a fragrance, or wear a fragrance that works for New York City in the early 1940s.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2025, where I'll try (but usually fail) to have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: top image is Yves Saint Laurent et Pier Mondrian (Musée national d'art moderne, Paris) [cropped and contrast adjusted] by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra at flickr; some rights reserved. Bonus reading: The Mondrian Revolution at The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris.
Hello.
Sotd is Dior’s new Bois Talisman. Very vanillic, smokey incense woody scent. I also smell tonka, though it isn’t listed. It actually feels very much like something fro. Guerlain’s L’art & La Matiere rather than Dior. I like it a lot.
Apparently NYTimes is trying to help you find your “signature scent” through a short quiz. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/t-magazine/fragrance-scent-perfume-quiz.html
I remember when I first got into perfume many years ago, having a signature scent was the ultimate goal. Now, like a true perfumista, sotd is the absolute way to go!
Thank you very much for the link, perhaps sent by another NSTer earlier but I hadn’t taken the quizz then. I’m an enigma but haven’t heard of most recommendation, so still an enigma😀
Oops! Didn’t mean to re-post!
I am an enigma also 😀
Thank you for the mini review on Bois Talisman! That one is on my radar because Kurkdjian and because vanilla. 😍
I hope you will like it!
Yes, hajusuuri sent the link. I took the test, and it was pretty close to my personality, but I didn’t like the options they had for scents I would like.
Bois Talisman sounds wonderful!
I am wearing Caron Fleur de Rocaille from a beautiful vintage bottle.
I realized that it was evaporating so decided to wear it.
It stays close to skin and takes me back in time.
Fleurs de Rocaille is so distinctive I find, you smell lovely, I too have a vintage bottle but secure I think. Enjoy your amount left. Maybe some saviour decanting is in order?
You are right, maybe I should decant.
Did you try a new version ? I see that they have it at a discount site.
No, only familiar with vintage FdR, yes at the end of last year Caron realized their folly and re-released almost all the many classics they had discontinued, I am most excited about en Avion, I have a modern EDP and a vial of the extrait, both beautiful and now with an esteemed new perfumer we may be less disillusioned with the house, who knows?
Wait, what? Caron has brought back the good stuff?!?
No 19 Poudre
Another busy day at the library 📚 🦁 🦁
I look at my schedule and I am there everyday this week
Great scent for the library 👌
That sounds awfully busy. Good luck and I hope you get a well-deserved break next week.
Wow? For a volunteer, you seem to be there a lot. Good for you!
White Linen edt
I just got a little bit of WL online yesterday, to get ready for spring.
It’s fabulous!!!!
Smelling classy cm8!
Thanks, love !!!!!
I also love this. It’s my traditional Fourth of July scent!
Broadway Boogie Woogie kind of reminds me of PacMan, which was invented in 1980. I was wearing Cinnabar then and I don’t have any, but I do have a little Opium which of course was popular at the time, so that’s my sotd.
https://youtu.be/XY_ESTnBlS0?feature=shared
Song match!
Lololol perfect lillyjo!
Wow! That song is from a long time ago. Too funny!
I had the album!!
I was reminded of PacMan whenI looked at the painting, too! Hasn’t inspired me to find a coordinating scent yet though.
I’m in Le Jardin de Monsieur Li today, yesterday it was Eau de Néroli Doré. This may be a Hermès week for me…
Hope everyone has a nice day 🌸
NinaV, you smell gorgeous! I just bought the Sur La Nil dry body oil. Years ago they offered this product in the Mousson scent and I loved that format. I’ll try the body oil and report back, if you’re interested, since you love JC Ellena’s work as much as I do. Hope you have a great day!
Thank you, carole!
Do report back on the oil, I love Sur Le Nil! 💚
Sounds fabulous – but I hope the price for the oil is not outrageous
It cost $80 CDN for 50 ml. Shoppers Drug Mart had a 20 percent off day, plus I had shoppers points, plus free shipping. I didn’t pay much for it.
Sounds like you got a great deal! I love Shoppers points!
Please let us know what you think about the oil. I am curious.
I definitely will, Hera.
ShiKai Yuzu Shower Gel combined with Lush Sticky Dates Shower Gel (This was from a recommendation from Robin-combine ShiKai with some of the Lush shower gels.)
Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream
SOTD is Indochine
Don’t ask me how it works, but it does!
Sounds great to me!
I don’t really know how I came up with this combination, but it seems to smell good.
How is the Bum Bum Cream?
It is quite moisturizing and smells of caramel, vanilla, jasmine, almond and pistachios. It can be worn any season, but Fragrantica recommends it for summer. Jalapeno said she wears it in winter and I agree with her that it is better then.
Sounds rich! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Adding on to what Kris has already said, I’d consider the Bum Bum Cream scent to be a rich gourmand. I don’t get any floral notes at all.
Definitely moisturizing!!
I’m still in traces of Shalimar, a perfume that seems “ yellow” to me, and fits the colours and light of early autumn. I had some good news this week ( my novel was shortlisted for the NZ book Awards) so I’m going to celebrate by going to the beach for a nice long dog walk.
Kanuka congratulations! If you’re comfortable, would you share the title? And you smell great 🙂
https://www.nzbookawards.nz/Images/Assets/49530/1/Ockhams%20Fiction%20Sampler%202025.pdf
Here’s a little sampler of the four books. Mine is the first one, with the glacier on the cover.
That sounds like a type of book I would really enjoy reading. I suppose these are not sold in the United States, are they?
Probably easiest as an e-book ( kindle or iBooks) but you could source a paperback
That’s terrific news, hooray for you!! Enjoy your long walk.
Oh my! this is wonderful news!
I’m so happy for you! What wonderful news!
Great news!
Congratulations 🎉
Congratulations! That’s wonderful.
That is wonderful news, Kanuka, congratulations!
Congratulations, that is amazing news!
Congratulations, Kanuka! 🎉
Hope you enjoy the beach and your walk.
Congratulations, Kanuka!
This is so exciting, congratulations.
Congratulations, Kanuka! 🌟 Enjoy your walk!
So exciting, congratulations!
Bravo 🎉 🎉 🎉
Congratulations — that’s wonderful! I hope the walk was good. 🙂
Wow! Congratulations! Thank you for the link and I love the cover! 👏🏻
Nice – congratulations!
Congratulations! How exciting for you! I read the excerpt and it sounds very intriguing!👍
Congratulations Kanuka! I hope you had a lovely walk on the beach.
Excellent news Kanuka! Congratulations!
How lovely, good for you Kanuka!
Congratulations, Kanuka!
I am in Eau d’Hadrien, the shower gel, body lotion, and EDT. I need to know I smell good and this scent always makes me feel special. The fact that this scent has that effect on me, after 30 years, is astonishing to me.
Have a great day, and may all the software you use not give you a headache 🙂
Eau d’Hadrien is sublime ! And you layered it brilliantly !
Commando because I had a rushed morning and am now at work. But I’ll report that I wore Arbolé last night. I noticed it’s now just called Arbolé as opposed to Arbolé Arbolé like on my old bottle. The juice in my bottle is also no longer that beautiful green but a brownish color. Love it just the same!
Have a great hump day, all.
Commando twins with you today!
Going with another new sample today, Amouage Material.
Do you like it?
I’m wearing PdN Odalisque, one of the first perfumes I bought when I fell down the rabbit hole. It’s still great.
My first was a PdN 🙂
I’m going classic today with Mitsouko.
That’s a great one Gaynor!
Mitsouko is old school in the best way!
You are wearing my all time favourite! Wearing Heure exquise myself.
Completely stressed out about the exam tomorrow, just wishing it wasn’t necessary.
I hate to be a pedant but it is Piet Mondriaan and not Mondrian.
austenfan, you smell terrific. for the anxiety, try exhaling one breath longer than you inhale. For example inhale for four breaths, pause at the top of the breath, then exhale for count of five. Do this several times and then return to regular breathing. It always helps me. I bet you’re well prepared for the exam, and this time tomorrow you might be posting that it’s all over. Sending positive energy 🙂
Best of🍀 for tomorrow.
I will be sending you good luck thoughts and wishes all day! I think you’ll be brilliant and nail the exam. Good luck. It will soon be over.
Good luck to you!
Wishing you good luck 🍀! 🤗
Wishing you good luck tomorrow!
Good luck! 🍀🍀🍀
Very good luck tomorrow!
English sources all use Mondrian…I realize it is not the original spelling of his birth name. I am staying out of the dispute, but this is what Wikipedia says:
Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (Dutch: [ˈpitər kɔrˈneːlɪs ˈmɔndrijaːn]; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), known after 1911 as Piet Mondrian …
I wasn’t aware of the name change at all. I just assumed it was an anglicised version, and was surprised to see it here.
In the museum that shows Victory Boogie Woogie his name is still spelled Mondriaan. Maybe the Dutch never forgave him for adapting his name! 😀
Frozen mango and yogurt smoothie
La Fille de Berlin for Daniel. Sprayed on a blotter for slower development, love the bright fruity top notes and detect quite a lot of aromatic geranium in them, geranium with rose, it is sometimes dismissed as the pedestrian fougère ingrédient but I disagree, then it’s gently spicy and the drydown is full of patchouli to my nose, I adore this note so I’m very happy and this perfume is now a firm SL favorite. It reminds me a bit of my Rouge Nocturne which has the distinction of having a wonderful rose essence.
Sotd I continued with SL and Bois de Violette, possibly my favorite Lutens, I want to wear Violette before the days warm up and tonight I wanted a fruity chypre and chose Y from an indeterminate oldish bottle, I also have a proper vintage but the oldish smells quite wonderful anyway.
Yesterday’s mail also had a package from the Ordinary, I tend to order the same formulas, glycolic acid mask and peptide serum because I already use a retinoid prescription religiously for years now but this time I’m trying something new, Ordinary growth factor, we’ll see if it’s effective, it’s an alarming blue in the bottle and on skin, so best for evening application.
Aurora, thanks for letting me know – I’m so glad you like it! I think it’s a stunner. I hope you love it on skin.😊
Hi Aurora, what would be your top 3 skincare recommended products for maturing 😆 skin please? It sounds like you have good skincare knowledge and routines. My skin is in relatively good condition for my age which is a combination of fairly religious sunscreen since middle school and lucky genetics. I am always curious what unsponsored end users recommend. 🙂
Hi She-ra, I would say the most useful routine you can have for your skin is to introduce a retinoid, prescription ones (0.1% strength is the strongest but you can prefer the gentler 0.5%) are the most effective but can be irritating, so should be introduced gradually in the evening with a good moisturiser. If you decide not to go the prescription route adapalene is the next best thing, brand name differin, again introduce slowly, once or twice a week in the evening + a moisturiser, if you feel adapalene is not for you two retinol creams, Neutrogena retinol boost and the Ordinary retinal 0.2 are popular and affordable. For the use of vitamin C, niacinamide, azaleic acid and peptides, all useful ingredients I would encourage you to read Victoria of BdJ Ordinary posts that’s how I learned to use peptides😀. Congratulations for having used sunscreens consistently, I started using everyday in my 30’s and I already had moderate sun damage (a few dark spots) reversed quite well by my prescription cream. For the latest, growth factor, time will tell.
Thank you, Aurora! A previous derm recommended Differin and I used that for a time but got lazy and wasn’t sure if I saw any results. I may try the Neutrogena or Ordinary products you mention to ease back into it. And I have read some of Victoria’s posts on skincare and will revisit…she has great info. Thanks again!
Rather surprised that I liked Bois de Violette when I tried a sample. Usually violet does not work with my chemistry.
Maybe you liked it because it’s so special😀
Sotd Doe in the Snow for our rainy cool day and Ash Wednesday.
Petrichor- I just learned it what makes rain smell amazing. Does anyone have any petrichor fragrances they’d recommend? I’m in a rain-centric mood. I ordered a sample of Angeliques Sous la Pluie last night.
Also Abel having. 30%-60% sample sale for damaged outer packaging. I resisted! 💪
Marissa Zappas Petrichor
L’Eau des Merveilles Bleue
… ask me how I know 🤣🤣🤣
Color me intrigued. How do you know?
I am guessing she owns them. Hajusuuri has about a billion different perfumes🤣
Kris is right!
CB I Hate Perfume is a good place to go to get small samples of petrichor / rain scents. In the premium accords, he has Wet Pavement London and Soaked Earth, both of which I have 2 ml samples of — I should get them out and try them again as it’s been awhile.
Another thing you might think about is Mitti Attar. There’s an article on it here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/smell-of-rain-kannauj-perfume-mitti-attar-india. It’s meant to be the smell of the monsoon rains on baked earth. Another one I have a small bottle of somewhere…should get it out again.
How have I never heard of CB I hate perfume? I’m utterly charmed by this company. I can’t locate a discovery set 🥺. I want to try them all! I noticed a scent called Black March. I seem to recall someone wearing this recently. Thanks for suggesting this!
Robin and spiderplant wore Black March yesterday.
Impressive recall there Kris!
https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/Articles/2015/March/the-smell-of-rain-how-our-scientists-invented-a-new-word
Here’s an article that contains a link to the 1964 Australian scientific paper that first identified petrichor ( in an academic sense)
You may not be able to access the original article without paying but you can see it in Google images ( if you can put up with poorer quality)
Kanuka, that was riveting especially the YouTube video of the process. Isn’t nature deeply fascinating? Thank you for giving our rainy day ân entire new level of appreciation!
CK Truth is petrichor light, IMO. Seconding hajusuuri’s suggestion of Hermes Eau de Merveilles Bleue.
SOTD = Diptyque Kyoto
So lovely!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DG1PJRrRKu5/?igsh=OTNuYTRjYmd1MW9z
In other news, I better get cracking on assembling my documents to prove I am who I say I am. This RealID business is a pain in the tuckus! My appointment is at 11:40am tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Good luck! 🍀
You smell great 👍
Thank you. My documents are all in a bag hanging on the doorknob!
We will vouche for you that you are who you say you are!
Thank you, lillyjo! I knew I can count on you!
Oy! Best of luck with the MVC tomorrow!
I have no idea why NJ insists on calling their DMV something different.
We just got to be different!
I’m also following Daniel today in Fille de Berlin, for the red rosiness. Yesterday was Both Sides of Clouds, followed by Azemour for dinner out with an old friend; I guess you really only get orange if you combine colours in the painting, so not really CP-compliant yesterday. 🙂
I wasn’t cp compliant yesterday or today, although I’m giving myself partial credit for the YSL connection to Mondrian.
Wore Tihota today from a recent sample for today’s audit which is done! 💪🏻 Have another audit tomorrow which may be a little stressful but our auditor is super nice and laid back.
Tihota is nice but never wowed me and still doesn’t. Nemat Vanilla Musk is very similar.
Good luck for the audit🍀
Adding my good thoughts for your audit. I read your previous posts on preparing for them and remember going through this all too well!
I also have a sample of Tihota and had the same reaction as you. Very underwhelming!
Good luck!
I found Tihota to be nice too, but thought it was a bit too expensive for me to smell like a vanilla cake. However, that being said, I am not a big fan of most gourmands.
I have a sample of Tihota but I can’t remember if I have tried it or not. I don’t have any testing notes for it written down.
Thanks to all for the kind birthday wishes yesterday!
Sunny and cool here and I’m once again wafting Kalemat because I love it. This week’s artwork moves me not at all (except in a way that makes me want to avoid looking at it) so I’m just doing my own thang this week.
Happy Hump Day!
The painting comment… 🤣
Always making me laugh Deva.
LOL! I kind of like the dresses that look like that, but I can’t think of a scent that goes with the theme so like you will wear whatever I want this week.
Do your own thang!! And happy birthday…you are celebrating tomorrow?
A stay-at-home day today, doing chores, menu-planning and grocery-shopping prep. Gloomy, windy, temps dropping with the rain just starting to change to the predicted snow ❄️. Even 😻😻😻disappeared instead of joining us as they usually do for yoga.
I’m seeking soothing comfort from my scent today, and LMDLV Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar works nicely. Sweet vanilla with a soothing lavender note and a bit of incense to add some Om to the fragrance. I received this, and 3 others from La Maison de La Vanille range, ‘All Vanillas of the World,’ from a person on another fragrancefan website years ago who gifted them to me because they were too sweet and powdery for her taste. I think of her whenever I wear one of them 🙏. Perfume people are the best!
Wishing you soothing comfort today! ☮️
We had dreary rainy weather here too Laila, but luckily no snow. Hope the yoga improved your day!
Teo Cabanel Tres French 🍐
Love that name!
I’m in LL Iris 39 today.
Recently discovered that my unloved bottle of L’Occitane Arlesienne spray oil works wonders for moisturizing my feet at night. Somehow oils are not as sticky and cold as traditional moisturizer when applied judiciously to the skin.
I never thought to put oil on my feet. I’m going to try it.
I recall reading somewhere that any moisturizer etc. that you want to use up, put it on your feet. When I saw my bottle of oil, the light bulb went off. I don’t love the scent but it’s OK for my feet, being far enough away. I hated that the bottle was just sitting there.
Clever idea!
Thank you, Jalapeno. I was happy to find a use for it since I have so many moisturizing things in my arsenal. I think it helps that it’s a dry oil; you don’t necessarily want slippery feet!
Oh, you smell good, I have Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar, very soothing.
This was for Laila.
😊
I think I might have had a dress similar to the one in today’s photo back in the early 90’s.
It’s rainy and very windy today. Tomorrow the windchill is supposed to be 15.
After seeing it mentioned a few times, I am wearing Shalimar Millesime Iris. I’m not the biggest fan of iris, but I love this one.
I remember seeing shift dresses quite a bit in the late 1980’s.
I’m supposed to get more wintry weather on Friday.
You smell wonderful!
You smell wonderful!
That dress looks so familiar that I feel I may have had it too, but I don’t think so.
Posting late today. Went grocery shopping during the evening rush. Traffic to the store wasn’t different than normal, but the foot traffic inside was busier than I am used to. Got everything on my list and didn’t forget anything this time, LOL.
On the way I noticed a HUGE column of smoke from a prescribed burn in a different city. Usually don’t see that much smoke when someone is doing that.
SOTD = commando, but I used Flying Fox showergel today. Hello, jasmine! Also wearing TBS Grapefruit Body Yogurt in the usual spots. Still have a couple of things left from The Body Shop.
Grocery store foot traffic is awful between 5 and 630 here. I try to go earlier or later if I can help it.
Rush hour starts at 3pm here and ends around 6:30. I was at the store a little after 4pm. I know better than to go any later!
The Body Shop at the mall we went to closed shop ages ago. I knew something was not quite right when I returned something I got as a gift and got full price for it.
When ULTA was carrying some of the body butters and body yogurts I stocked up on the ones I really liked. I only have the Grapefruit and British Rose left.
I loved their body butters!
They were good up until the last 2 years or so that TBS was around. I remember hearing a LOT of complaints right before the end.
Is there air pollution in Colorado cites Jalapeno? Also yes, Caron re-released their classics. Very expensive though, are they worth it? I haven’t tried them yet?
*cities
Air pollution in Colorado? Oh yes. Very much so. Denver has some of the worst ozone pollution in the entire US. It’s a perfect storm between emission sources and geography. There’s also quite a bit of photochemical NOx pollution. However, other cities aren’t exempt from the infamous “Brown Cloud”.
Prescribed burns are a form of wildfire control. Set a small fire to prevent a larger one. At least, that’s the theory behind it. Fire is an integral part of a lot of ecosystems out here in the American West.
I haven’t tried the Caron re-releases. Haven’t even seen them. But Caron was never widely distributed here, it seems.