The seventh edition of the scrubbers poll: tell us about your most-hated perfume, your most recent scrubber, nasty layering combinations you've discovered, perfumes you'd prefer to never smell again, or anything like.
Please, DO NOT read the comments if you're at all sensitive about your own perfume loves. Someone else is bound to hate them! If you do read, be gracious about other people's choices. This is meant to be lighthearted.
And as always, feel free to just talk about something else.
Note: the top image shows a Kohler Brockway utility sink in teal and fresh green, via Kohler at Facebook.
I can’t think of anything in particular but it was probably something with Ambroxan or Immortelle and heaven forbid the two of them together!
Inspired by the Ylang-ylang poll and so much talk of No. 19, I’m awash in it this morning☀️
You smell fabulous 💖
Thank you, SheriG and I hope you’re feeling better soon 😊
Thanks allo 😷
I’m with you on the ambroxan. It’s in all new perfumes now though. I even smell it in the newer Chanel Chance line. I think some of us just smell it more than others. I think it doesn’t bother most people.
Ambroxan, ugh. I find myself shaking my wrist like a cat shaking its paw whenever I get it on me. Ugh.
That’s’ a perfect image!
I am not sure if I have any fragrances with Ambroxan so not sure if I like it or not. I know I have had some perfumes turn on me but figured it was either some of the musks or cedar.
I think most people don’t smell it. About 10 years ago I noticed I kept smelling a note that reminded me of Dior Savauge ( the Johnny Depp one) it turned out to be ambroxan. I can handle it in low doses but it drowns out the rest of the perfume for me when it’s overdone.
Thanks.
I feel that way too. There are a couple of fragrances where I can handle it because it’s so subtile and balanced with other notes.
If you do smell it, what is it like?
Hi Kris, It’s described as a musky, ambery, woody smell. It’s very synthetic and artificial smelling to my nose and in most perfumes that use it, it’s all I can smell.
Hmmm. Not sure if I have had that experience.
Oh my, Ambroxan is my scent nemesis. Sort of like how some people cannot stand cilantro because for them it tastes like soap. For me, smelling Ambroxan feels like my nose is full of tv static. If there is ambroxan present it drowns out other notes. It is not a gross note, it doesn’t make me nauseus like some very sweet scents do. But it is unpleasant and I avoid it whenever i can.
Lucky are those who can enjoy it, as it is in so many newer fragrances!
Well said, nebbe. It’s hard to describe Ambroxan.
Immortelle, yuck! 🤢
For me, the worst scrubber (really, that’s hardly strong enough as a descriptor) I’ve ever encountered was Imaginary Authors Bulls Blood. I had to double-bag the sample before I felt okay about putting it in the trash. Yikes.
Meanwhile, SOTM is Agar Ébène. I woke up with a bit of a sore throat (I blame Mr. G who just had a two-day head cold) and AE is soothing to me somehow. Hopefully my symptoms will be over in two days as well. 🤞
I hope you feel better soon!
Thanks lillyjo — it’s moving along, now entering the coughing phase. A good sign, I guess?
Wow, a double bag!😷
Hope you feel better soon!
Thank you! Getting there slowly — if it weren’t so bleeping hot today I’d have some chicken soup. Summer colds are miserable, but at least this one promises to be short-lived.
Yeah, I remember that one being awful. I would agree with you there.
Hope you feel better soon!
So awful. And thank you — the creeping crud that Mr. G shared is slowly easing.
I hope you get better shortly. My double-bag item was FM Dries van Notten.
Mine was MFK Absolute Pour le Soir.
And there are those who love that one! But then, there are those who love Bulls Blood and even Secretions Magnifique. Just proves that body chemistry is at least half of perfume enjoyment, I guess.
Oh now see, I really liked that Dries from Malle. Better than I like the Dries ones that aren’t Malle. To each her own!
Bulls Blood was impressively true to its name!
I hope you feel better soon, SheriG. And I bet Agar Ebene makes you feel lovely at least. I always get that one confused with the TF Ebene Fume. Maybe ‘ebene’ is having a moment.
I totally confuse them, too!
Twinning in the worst possible way on the IA Bull’s Blood. I received an I asked for sample. I wore for the CP on the murder writer’s birthday. Forgive me I can’t recall her name. It was a double scrubber! And yet that damn fragrance lingered and lingered- such nauseating sillage!
That an UNASKED FOR sample.
Yes, the lingering! It got into the fibers of one of my pullovers and took at least 10 washes before it was completely gone.
Hope that you are feeling better soon. Summer colds are the worst!
Can’t say I have had the displeasure of trying Bull’s Blood.
The worst scrubbers ever for me have been Perris Montecarlo Ambre Gris, Serge Lutens Le Participe Passé, and ELDO Secretions Magnifique. I hope never to smell them again.
I am wearing Berdoues Azur Riviera on this beautiful summer day. Warm, windy, and sunny. Perfection!
Leaving in a while to pick up raspberries and peaches from a farm with my nieces and brother-in-law. It will be a very nice day! We are missing my sister, but she will be back in time for apple picking.
Happy weekend, everyone! 🌞
Lucky me that I haven’t tried any of your scrubbers!
Have a happy and fun weekend!
Thank you, Lillyjo!
You are lucky indeed, however, many NSTers love Le Participe Passé. Although I don’t have problems with cumin as a note, in PP it was very strong and horrendous. That’s all I could smell.
PP was ok on me, I like cumin too, but there are a lot of earlier Serges with cumin notes that I like better. Maybe they are using a new cumin molecule now? I did find the note a bit offputting in Cartier Declaration.
I am glad it worked for you. The caramel and resin notes are the dominant notes, according to most reviews. Unfortunately, that was not my experience.
Oh, I’m with you on Le Participe Passé 🤮
Glad I am not the only one here!
Enjoy your nice day!🌞
Belated condolences pl67, I read posts earlier this week but got too busy at work to post.
Thank you, Madtowngirl.🌻
Enjoy the fruit picking! I have to get out for some local peaches here.
I believe I recall your traumatizing story about SM. I’m sure it’s scarred you for forever!
Yes! I remember that story now. It really scared me to ever try it. I know cm8 loves it though.
Thank you, Gail! We had a nice time!
That experience with SM was traumatizing and embarrassing! However, my repulsion was even worse with Ambre Gris. So nauseating! It lingered on everything it touched for a long time, despite so many washes!
Well now I had to look up Ambre Gris. Wow, the reviews; sorry for everything!
What fun to pick summer fruit, perfumelover67.
I’m sad because my fave peach stand at my local farmer’s market is already done for the season. I was told the farmer sold half his orchard because the price of watering it was too high. So now he has a much smaller stock that is finished by early August. This is a problem with small growers throughout Southern CA, sadly. And I’m sure in many parts of the U.S.
That’s pretty sad! I am sure the cost not only of watering, but also maintenance in general must be very expensive.
The peach trees at the farm we visited today were full of big and juicy peaches. Deliciously sweet! I will enjoy the ones I brought home with delight!
I almost named SL Participe Passé!
So bad it didn’t work for you either. I was so lucky, I didn’t buy a full bottle blindly, as I had planned. The sample saved me a lot of money!
I remember your story about Secretions Magnifique. It was horrible for you, but the way you told it in your post made me laugh until my sides hurt.
Happy weekend!
Sotd is Shalimar l’Essence. The heavily empasized note is the signature Guerlain vanilla. There is also a gentle powderiness that feels similar to the meteroites powder (no violets though!). The sharp citrus has been dialed way down. This Shalimar is made easy to wear so I do miss a little of the glamour from the OG but it’s beautiful nonetheless.
My room is also scented with Guerlain’s Orchidee Blanche room spray. Close my eyes and I’m in Paris.
I don’t recall trying on a scrubber from recent memory but I didn’t like is the dry down phase of TF Rose Exposed. It’s dusty wood blocks and musty leather in a dark basement. Nope.
Hmm, I’m really tempted by that Shalimar. Plus, it comes in 30 mls.😬
mtg –
one spray yesterday from 30ml size with high heat and no a/c.
And I liked it a lot. for me a was bit powdery on opening but stayed lovely all day.
Happy memories of Les Météorites powder! Can’t wait to try the new Shalimar on 9/1 in the department store!
The new meteorites no longer smell like violets, which makes me sad. The new fragrance does smell pretty but it’s just not the same…
Ditto h888c!
Thanks for the launch date. It might be worth a trip to Bloomingdale’s, if they will carry it.
My most recent scrubber was the latest Kenzo, Homme Indigo. The sample folder said “Marine accord, iris, leather,” and I didn’t stick around long enough to see if there was any leather in it, because the first two things made me gag. It was horrifying, actually one of the worst things I have ever smelled in my entire life. I couldn’t scrub it off and bin the sample fast enough.
Went into Lush today to check out a new(ish) scent, Chelsea Morning, which they say smells like butterscotch, with “bright, biscuity notes”. It doesn’t. It smells like all the other Lush gourmands — synthetic and too much. I really wanted to like it, too. (I have the body sprays of Let The Good Times Roll, Yog Nog, and Sticky Dates, and they’re really all versions of the same thing, alas. They smelled better in the store! I’ve demoted them to bathroom sprays.)
Today I’m in vintage Lauder Spellbound, which has discoloured significantly but still smells mostly intact (a bit weird at the top but that’s soon gone) and is still spectacular.
That Kenzo sounds horrible!
None of the Lush perfumes have worked for me, too much sums it up. There is something in that base that makes me feel sickly.
Rose Jam is pretty good, and the Ectoplasm and Sun solids are delightful (both bright citruses, no lasting power), but I’ve tried so many Lush scents in various formats over the years and none of them is a true classic — there’s always something wrong with them — with one exception: the Lush that works for me 100% is Lust, a spectacular, brazen jasmine. (Half of the Fragrantica reviews include the word “slutty” and I can’t disagree with that. It’s really carnal.)
Love Lush Lust but I can imagine it being on somebody else’s scrubber list. Not for the faint of (indolic jasmine) heart.
I had the same experience with Lush Chelsea Morning. Total scrubber on me and I so wanted to like it (for the name).
“Marine accord” is a gigantic red flag!
Ooh, scrubbers. This will be a fun poll!
My most recent scrubber was Essential Parfums Velvet Iris, which was straight up ambroxan on my skin. Another that came close to being a scrubber, but I rode it out lol, was Summer Street from Brandt. This one teetered and then tipped into being too sweet for me. Sweet scents sometimes make me feel queasy.🤢
Todays SotD is definitely NOT a scrubber: Dune. No further explanation needed.😉
I’m in an especially good mood today because madtownteen is on her way back home!🤩 She’s been working at summer camp since June 11. She was actually supposed to come home 2 weeks ago and I made the trip up north to get her, but she was having such a great time that she decided to stay and work the family camp session after girls camp ended. I spent the weekend at my parents house anyway. We weren’t really sure how she was going to get back home but luckily mr madtown made the 400 mile round trip this morning to get her.
I received a sample of Velvet Iris recently — on me it was very faint, slightly unpleasant, and dissipated rapidly. Maybe I’m lucky enough to be anosmic to ambroxan!
I recently sampled Velvet Iris too. I didn’t think it was unpleasant but must have thought it smelled like something else I had or wasn’t that memorable as I didn’t see a need to add it to by iris collection.
Hey, isn’t madtownteen almost not a teen? She will need a new name!
Enjoy your time together!
Thanks lillyjo!
lol, yes! you have a great memory! She will be 20 next month, I can hardly believe it!
Yesterday I bought a 100 ml bottle of VELVET IRIS after having tested it well. I adore it
I’m glad it worked for you! 🙂
Yesterday I bought a 100 ml bottle of VELVET IRIS after having tested it well. I adore it
Enjoy your time with madtownteen!
Husband & I are laughing at the title of your article, Robin – the word ‘scrubbers’ has a totally different meaning here in the UK!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYDlX49yUSI
Withnail and I “ scrubbers” scene just for you!
Thank you! Have to admit it’s a film I’ve never watched, despite being a Richard E Grant fan.
Oh no, I just looked this up!
Richard E Grant!
Me too!
I trust you were suitably shocked and/or amused…
I know I was both.
I vaguely remember someone pointing that out in one of the earlier polls! Oh well!
Zoologist Panda made me rethink my life choices.
I know some like it, but Amouage Myths was way too strange for me. But I will hang onto the sample. Sometimes opinions change!
“rethink my life choices” is an excellent way to look at a true scrubber!
I really hate Ambroxan but also fried butter/ buttered popcorn scents, like Lush Let the Good Times Roll. After watching Rocky the other night we watched the 2015 movie Creed last night , based on the character Apollo Creed’s son who is trained by an elderly Rocky for a big fight. I’d seen Sinners by the same director this year ( Ryan Coogler) …but now I think I’m done with boxing movies for a while. Wearing Bracken woman today.
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/aug/23/foodie-perfumes-weight-loss-drugs?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
An article about possible link between weight loss drugs and rise in gourmand perfumes
Slept downstairs last night. At least 15 degrees cooler than upstairs without a/c.
Prob sound like a spoiled brat about being cool. Living in Saudi and Iran with no a/c I have had a few rounds with heat exhaustion and sun poisoning, so no joke for me.
Scrubbed JM Myrrh and Tonka immediately in the store after spraying.
Scrubbed Papillion Salome, Anubis and Bengale Rouge.
Scrubbed Brandt London Fog.
All headache inducers.
Post first of two showers today will be one spray of Shalimar Essence
I did the same thing with Myrrh and Tonka.
Oh good, am not alone in my hatred.
I have London Fog in my try list. Do you recall what was objectionable?
I find all of Brandt to have a synthetic, cloying note that runs through.
But that’s just one persons’ nose.
I would have to say the most recent scrubber for me was IA Strawberry Fool. It isn’t the worst I have smelled but it did not smell like the strawberry I was looking for.
On another note, I am wearing Shalimar L’Essence today and find it to be very pleasant. I think I have finally found a vanilla I can wear and feel comfortable in. I find it to be a very pretty, powdery vanilla scent that is more geared towards a younger generation. The OG Shalimar never seemed to set right with me. Maybe it seemed too old fashioned when I tried it in my younger days. Anyway, I am glad that I decided to purchase it.
Glad it’s a winner for you!
Me too. I was a little nervous about buying it, but I knew someone would want it if it didn’t work out for me.
Oops Not IA Strawberry Fool. Dame Perfumery Strawberry Fool.
Kris, I have to join you on the Dame Strawberry Fool. While Bulls Blood name alone was off-putting, I had high hopes for a fragrance named after a yummy dessert.
I was hopeful too, but it was not to be.
Strawberry Fool did not work for me either. Too sharp, strong and sweet on my skin!
Me too!
I remember not liking Dame’s Pineapple Musk when I tried it. Was way too masculine on me.
That one I didn’t try but now I won’t have to if it is masculine. I have a tendency to stay clear of fragrances that lean in that direction.
Tom Ford Rose Exposed was a scrubber for me. The drydown was an awful chemical plastic smell that lasted 24 hours. I hated it. The Noyz brand from Ulta is vile. Social media hypes them up. They are paid liars. It’s not even perfume, just chemical factory smells.
I’m working tonight ( speaking of bad smells, lol) I will be copying madtowngirl in Dune.
Have a good night at work. You will be smelling fabulous!
Yay- Dune! You were smelling great, and I hope work went by quickly!
Ew, plastic notes are some of my most hated ones!
One of my worst scrubbers was Lush Comforter. This was in their black matte bottles. Ironically, the same-named bubble bar and shower gel were fantastic. The perfume had a definite cat-pee smell that wouldn’t stop. I took it on a trip to Mexico; the bottle ended up staying there. Many of my ‘bad fragrances’ get left in washrooms or hotel rooms, mysteriously.
Today I’m wearing Montana. It’s such a pretty scent and it also contains ylang ylang. The pebble bottle adds to the beauty.
I hope some poor underpaid maid in the Mexico Hotel found it and enjoyed it. Since I have a morbid imagination, however, it makes me think of that KGB poisoning in England where the assassin left a bottle of poisoned perfume (something radioactive IIRC) by the doorway or walkway of the targeted victim. I forget if the victim died or was just severely injured. But so awful.
Oh my goodness, that is so awful! I don’t remember ever hearing about that.
Novichok ( a nerve agent) was placed in a Nina Ricci perfume bottle by Russian agents in Salisbury and was accidentally picked up by a local who found it and passed on the perfume to his girlfriend, who died after spraying herself with it. It was part of a bigger nerve agent assasination event
Yes, that’s it! So awful and brazen. Thank you Kanuka.
This is definitely what swapmeets were created for!
There is a screechy woody amber that another perfumista calls “screamwood” that has shown up in many scents this last decade that I have a hard time with.
There are also certain houses that give me trouble, like Ormond Jayne and 4160 Tuesdays. Might be the ambroxan or Iso E Super. But I’ll keep trying. I think Comme des Garcons uses Iso E Super a lot, and I like their scents, so go figure.
Maybe that’s why I haven’t found a 4160 Tuesdays scent that I can wear.
Scrubbers: Worth Je Reviens, the modern iteration. Maybe it used to be good, but the one I tried was just awful.
Ungaro Apparition was also bad. I don’t remember why.
Now for a story from about 20 years ago: I was in the L’Artisan Parfumeur store in Paris taking a little perfume appreciation class, and it was right around when La Chasse aux Papillons came out. They gave us samples, and it was an instant headache for me. I haven’t tried it again since then.
No SOTD yet because I’m on vacation and still in my nightie! Ahh.
Hope it’s a great vacation!
Thanks lillyjo!
Oh gosh. La Chasse is a scrubber for me, too, also because of the headache. I have about three seconds of “oh, so pretty…” and then — run away! IIRC it works well for Robin?
Also — I covet that sink. And will admire it from afar.
Glad to hear I’m not the only one who couldn’t take La Chasse!
Love La Chasse! And to me it is a lightweight white floral 🙂
I, too, adore La Chasse!
Whoo hoo, vacation!
On the occasions when I have a scrubber, mostly it’s when I try something and think, “Nope!” I scrub it off so I can use the skin to try other scents. But the one scrubber that I will never forget is Pharrell G.I.R.L.. I sprayed it on and I felt, instantly, “Get it off!” I trotted over to the Clinique counter in the store and used their toner to scrub it off. I’ve never had such a strong reaction to anything else. When I was in Paris I smelled Secretions Magnifique. In my mind I had it smelling of sewer, but it was not nearly as awful as that. I don’t think I would wear it but I have smelled worse things.
Today I am wearing Assam of India, temps are in the triple digits and it makes me feel cooler.
Forgot about the Pharrell. My hubby, who never usually comments, asked me to never put that on again!
Good idea to scrub that with toner.
Foxbins, I recall Girl as a kind of abstract and meh floral, and I also recall scratching my head and thinking, really CdG? This is the best you can come up with? A missed opportunity if you ask me, as Pharrell is a very interesting guy, with a unique fashion style. But maybe he wasn’t involved, just licensed his name. Though that would surprise me too, as one would think it would be a cool creative opportunity to work with a perfumer and explore a new genre.
I remember taking a big whiff of something sour, acrid, and sharp. It was terrible!
I had a similar experience when I sampled Pharrell G.I.R.L.
I recall trying Lady Million and it gave me the gagging reflex that ambroxan and its avatars do.
Wearing l’Air du temps parfum de toilette.
Now I know not to try that one!
I hate the bottle.
Oh, yes, so tacky.
You smell beautiful today, Aurora.
Thank you ringthing, it’s a great classic, timeless.
Didn’t care for Lady Million when I tried it either. But your reaction was far stronger than mine.
I’ve tried many things that I’d never want to try again, but I don’t come across many actual scrubbers that I just have to get off me, but one recent one was Uruk from Anatole Lebreton. I’ve passed the sample on to Kanuka, she might have a very different response 🙂 !
One person’s scrubber could be another person’s swoon.
I tried it yesterday and washed it off but it lingered, smelling a bit like a toilet chemical cleaner
SOTD = Lush Sticky Dates Body Spray
Two sprays was enough but it seems to linger on so it has become Scent of the All Day!
Scrubbers – the most recent worst one was ELDO Secretions Magnifique from the dearly departed Henri Bendel. Not having seen it on display, I asked the SA where I may find it. She opened a drawer and discreetly moved a trash can closer to where we were. I almost hurled because it was VERY BAD!
hahaha, that’s very funny. Poor saleslady!
I am gonna need to respray my SOTD, which is Bowhanti, just to get the scent memory of Secretions out of my nose, even though it’s been maybe 15 yeas? 10 years? since I tried SM.
I am really liking the Bowhanti. It’s light, woodsy, resinous, spicy, incensey, a tiny bit floral. I bought it on one of the FB perfume groups. It’s d/c (of course, so many of my faves are). Smells a bit like Frapin 1270 to me, and it reminds others of Feminite du Bois, though it is missing the plummy note I get from FdB.
Somehow I missed Bowhanti when it came out, it was part of a short-lived group of fragrances called “Elixirs of Nature” that Body Shop did, none of which I’ve sniffed. Bottle is pretty too.
This is a fun weekend project, and I’m enjoying reading everyone’s most repugnant scents.
https://youtu.be/n1lgXnzjBQc?feature=shared
🤣
funny
🤣😂
Smart SA!
Sotd Moon Glory today with a layering of Jasmine Attar tonight.
As listed above IA Bulls Blood- a double scrubber.
Robin, being the newbie still, I thought this weekend we weee discussing our favorite cleaning product scents . 😆😆😆
Double scrubber.. now that’s pretty bad!
Hey, we COULD discuss our favorite cleaning product scents. I’m sure there are strong feelings about those. I have spent too much time in aisles opening laundry detergent bottles, dish soap, shampoos and more to sniff them. I have chosen products based on scent too often. Ok nearly always. If a product is amazing but I don’t like the scent…it’s a nope.
I’m moving toward non scented products so my perfumes don’t clash…and to choose the scent of my space.
But you made me smile. Be well!
Lysol Hisbiscus & Mango wipes are bad imo, as Clorox wipes go!
Will have to think about the poll question for a bit . . I’m sure there’s something . 🤔
We’re headed out to a ‘real’ indoor concert tonight, Lyle Lovett at the Old Town School of Folk Music 🎶. It’s a beautiful, warm evening, and since I’m wearing a tropical shirt for the last days of summer I’m sticking with another white floral, albeit no ylang-ylang, VS Angel Gold. Someone gave this to me years ago, and it’s a nice blend of gardenia and jasmine with some fruity notes, not too heavy and nice for summer.
A bittersweet day for me, treated my grandtwins to an early 18th birthday brunch today because she leaves for college in Massachusetts next week prior to their actual birthdays and won’t be home til early December 😿. She’ll spend Thanksgiving with her other grandparents who live in the Boston area. He is staying local so I have that to look forward to 😺. We talked about books, movies, music, what they learned from their summer jobs and their tentative career paths – and I am so proud of the young adults they have become. 👏
Happy Saturday to all!
Happy Birthday to your Grandtwins! I wish them the best of luck in college!
Thank you so much, lillyjo, for your kind wishes.
Laila,
My sister is at a going away to college party for her 18 year old granddaughter this afternoon.
She is feeling very bittersweet.
The family is taking her to Dublin and then driving about 40 minutes south to look at a home.
Best wishes to your grandtwins!!
Thank you, apsara. Yes, definitely bittersweet, especially since these are my only grandkids. But the ‘sweet’ part of it is my pride in their characters and accomplishments thus far, and the wonderful memories we share of good times spent together. Best thing I ever did, retiring early to help in their care and spend precious moments with them.
Laila, how wonderful you did that!
My dearly departed brother in law died when the first granddaughter was only 2 months old.
We are so sorry he missed these years and so grateful he was there the day she was born.
My sister only worked a bit longer and then went part time to be with the girls. She is THAT grandparent.
Laila,
My sister is at a going away to college party for her 18 year old granddaughter this afternoon.
She is feeling very bittersweet.
The family is taking her to Dublin and then driving about 40 minutes south to look at a home.
Best wishes to your grandtwins!!
I have seen Lyle Lovett twice and would love to see him again! Hope it is fun.
Good luck to both of the grands! My nephew (the youngest of the grand kids on my maternal side) starts college in Mass next week too. So that’s that generation done and dusted 🙂
Thanks, Robin, for your good wishes, and good luck to your nephew, too! I envy them going to college in Massachusetts; I was never fortunate enough to go away to school but somewhere in New England would’ve been my choice.
Louis Vuitton’s Spell On You was more like a curse on me.
Lol!
hahhahhahahaha
🤣🤣🤣
I don’t have the nerve to try Secretions Magnifique and nor do I want to. From what everyone says, it sounds truly vile. The last scrubber that sticks out is one of the older Frapin offerings.
I wore Estee Lauder Pleasures and I am thinking that Sunday (today) will be a Infusion d’iris kind of day.
I tried it only on paper, that was enough. They did a fantastic job with it, it smells just like it is supposed to.
My worst scrubber was zoologist T Rex. Just gross on my skin. Angel also smells bad on me, no idea why. I have a sample that I pull out occasionally to recheck and – nope.
So that’s at least 2 votes for Zoologist today!
Adding another – Rabbit! Absolutely can’t stand it. Meanwhile T Rex is probably my favorite from the line! I’m in a Zoologist FB group and people are always asking, for some reason, what a safe blind buy is – the answer is none!! They are strong perfumes with big personalities and that is why I like the house.
Every Zoologist perfume I have ever tried starts off painfully loud on me and then collapses into a hard to detect skin scent in 2 hours or so. Not worth going thru that!
I’m checking in with another Zoologist scrubber–Squid was, for me, just instantly vile, as in the sense that it truly made me feel like vomiting. I had to double bag my sample and throw it deep into the trash can. Looking at the notes list now, I believe that amyl salicylate is the culprit. Fragrantica describes it as “a fresh fruity floral green fragrance reminiscent of unripe banana.” The aspect of Squid that I found so nauseating was a really weird fruit note, with that kind of sickening sweet quality–something like a moldy marshmallow. Ugh!
I’ve been a bit out of it since I had a bad fall on Thursday. One of my cats tripped my up as I was carrying a plate of food from the kitchen into my TV room. I went splat full out on the floor and meanwhile the plate shattered. Both of my knees are badly bruised and my shoulder and hip hurt, but the GOOD news is that nothing broke! I had so many bad falls with things breaking that this is almost an occasion for celebration in and of itself.
Later today I think I’ll wear Jubilation 25, because someone wore it for ylang ylang day on Friday and it reminded me of how much I love it.
Sorry to hear about your fall, Calypso. I hope you feel better soon!
Glad you’re OK but so sorry about your fall! Cats! Mine liked to cut me off going downstairs, trying to trip me up.
Zoologist fragrances are just not for me; I’ve tried several but I finally gave up. I was close with Bee, but ended up liking Hiram Green’s Slowdive much more.
Glad you’re ok, Calypso!
Oh, ouch! Ice those bruised spots and heal up soon! We none of us bounce the way we used to.
Before my allergies drove my cats outside, I used a squirt bottle with a drop of ammonia ( just one!) in it to inspire my cats to respect my space. That and hissing – my one cat was so surprised the first time I hissed at her, she sat down and stared at me, like, “Oh, you really mean it? I thought we were just playing tag.” My cats learned to give me a 3 foot berth until I was sitting down, then they could come close.
Oh no! I’m so sorry you fell. I hope you feel better soon!
Gosh, I was afraid to read the outcome, but YAY so glad you didn’t break anything, that is wonderful news and hope your bangs & bruises heal quickly.
And yep, Zoologist is making a good showing here today!
I’m glad for the GOOD part of your news but so sorry for what you went through! And thank goodness the broken plate didn’t hurt you further! My home has narrow doorways and narrow hallways and my 3 cats constantly park themselves right in front of me so that I have to step over or around them or, as usually happens, give them a very gentle nudge to get out of my way! I’m terrified of falling one day.
Yikes!! Dear Calypso, please be careful!!
ZOMG! Glad that you didn’t break any bones or sprain anything. I taught my cats to stay away from my feet when I was walking by stomping in place a few times. Kept them from tripping me and it prevented me from accidentally stepping on their tails or paws.
My SOTD today, is the lovely Chanel 5 L’eau. I like this a lot, and the original feels like a bit much now, in comparison, even though it has been a standard in my rotation for decades. (Literally, decades. OMG, where did the time go?)
As I continue cleaning up my collection, I see my set of “standards” (Old and New!) – Chanel #5 some version, Dior Diorissimo (the houndstooth check bottle version), Dior Dune vintage, vintage), Guerlain Shalimar some version, Guerlain Mitsouko, Guerlain Mon Precieux Nectar, Neela Vermeer Mohur Extrait, Tauer L’Aire du Desert Marocaine, Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons. These are the perfumes I would never be without. I might add the new perfume, incense and musk, Maksim Beastia Sacra to the list if I live with it a while longer. It is much better than La Liturgie de Heures, which I would have called my standard incense before I smelled this new thing. I am surprised to not have an iris on this list – I love iris but none of the iris perfumes I have quite rise to the standard of irreplaceable for some reason. VC&A Bois d’Iris probably comes closest, but the bottle I have is quite old, and seems to have gone off a bit, or my nose has just changed and I don’t enjoy it as much as I used to.
It is cooling off here in Michigan, and adorable hubby has spent several days trying to get the log splitter running so that we can start stocking up on wood for the winter.
Back at the ranch, the fire is approaching 130,000 acres,and now maybe 50% contained, but it is burning east, away from my family ranch, so the assessment of damage has begun. My brother in law has take some pictures of miles of barb-wire fence, built in the 1910’s and 1920’s with cedar posts cut by my grandfather and his brothers, all gone. The wire is there, but the posts are ash, now, and the trees that made the posts never really regrew after the great drought of the 1930’s. It will have to be replaced with metal posts, and new wire probably, the heat has made the old wire brittle. And that is just our ranch. My BIL says it will take another hundred years to rebuild it all. Well, better than having nothing to do, right?
Happy Sunday, everyone. Thinking about olive oil zucchini banana bread…
You have some great fragrances. Of course, I have or have had some of the same ones😂
So does almost everybody, I would think. They are great, and people can tell. And when you look at it like that, I am pretty conservative in my fragrance choices. 🙂
So sad about the loss of the historic family fence. Now that the fire is moving away, I’m hoping the assessment won’t be as bad as perhaps anticipated.🤞
Thanks for the kind thoughts! Now it looks like around a thousand acres burned. About 10% of that fall/winter pasture.. This is a fragile grassland/sagebrush valley, highly impacted by the ongoing drought, and susceptible to being overrun by invasive, low nutrition species like chest-grass. It is a corner so it should be not too hard ( just expensive) to fence the burned area off and put the cows out on the rest of the pasture in October, where they will stay until the middle of November when they will be moved the farm, and fed hay through the winter. We can cope with a 10% loss. The neighbor directly to the east lost 90% of their fall grazing.
I went back to ylang ylang today and am wearing Chanel Gabrielle body cream and fragrance.
I already have my five lined up for next week!
I’m working on my five, and I think you will see your fragrant influence!
That’s okay. They are probably some of my favorites too.
Actually, I don’t know how many I will wear since they are mostly “cool weather” scents. The CP says to list them on Friday and wear one so not sure if I am just going to wait until Friday or try to do one every day.
Ditto. Most of mine are scents I wear in colder weather so I will probably just wear one on Friday. I’m still finishing my summer/tropical ones through the end of August.
Me too!
Hey Kris. Re: ambroxan, the next time you are at Sephora try JHaG Not a Perfume. I believe the only note is ambroxan ( that brand calls it cetalox) once you recognize it you might be able to sniff it out in your perfumes. ( we ran out of room up top so that’s why I am mentioning it here)
Also you smell great!
Thanks 😊
I have tried that there and didn’t smell a thing. It was quite a while ago and I was wondering what the scent was supposed to be like as I got nothing. Now I need to try again and see if I can smell something. Maybe I missed it.
I couldn’t smell ambroxan when I first came across it, either.
Sotd SA SUNPLOSION an aloha state of mind for its hibiscus notes.
Speaking of hibiscus, RueLaLa has a good price on a small 30ml size. Is that a good source to buy from ?
Plinked my Moon Glory last night before resupply arrives tomorrow. Went out to belatedly celebrate my goddaughter’s college graduation. We lived it up at a gorgeous Italian restaurant (she studied in Florence her junior year), eating to our heart’s content (some libations were imbibed as well 😉). It felt so deeply marvelous to feel real joy for the first time in months. I’ve felt fleeting moments, like during Mimosa Adoration & Reverie week, but this was sustained and profound to remember has a baby, then toddler holding onto my knee and looking up (she’s 5 inches taller than me now), to her teenage rebellion, then the struggle with the pandemic (no prom, no senior ditch day or awards night, graduation in her living room over zoom) to be a striking happy young woman with a good job, it just fills my heart deeply and broadly! I’m confident my feels are not unique to me as it’s gratifying my to see our beloved children and godchildren grow up!
Re: Jeni’s Golden Nectar ice cream-!the sequel. Goddaughter had a summer job scooping Jeni’s and she remembers the Golden Nectar flavor.
Wishing all a beautiful summer Sunday!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful celebration; your memories echo mine of my grandtwins (although they’re 4 years behind your goddaughter, just heading off to college). It really made me smile because both She and He are way taller than me, and I was never short . . . until now 😊.
Yes, now we’re looking up at them in more ways than one!
A summer job scooping at Jeni’s would be my dream job! Congrats to her on her graduation and so glad it made you so happy 🙂
Thank you Robin! Yes she said that many times. I had joked that she should go in to merchandising for Jeni’s, but she’s a writer for Buzzfeed.
She also said that many flavors are only offered on the website and not in stores.
Congrats to your goddaughter!
Thank you jalapeño! Her glow has been uplifting!
I’m back home from visiting my mother and have all perfumes to choose from, so I’m belatedly joining the CP. I’m wearing L’Astre from Le Galion, which has a definite note of ylang ylang.
Hope your visit was a happy one!
Always nice to be home again 🙂
For the poll, since my least-liked scent note is tobacco/tobacco leaf, 2 popular fragrances that have this in its many notes are dislikes for me, Tauer PHI Une Rose de Kandahar and Diptyque Volutes edt. I remember how much Deva really liked the Une Rose, as did others, but all I got from it was tobacco, tobacco, tobacco, absolutely no rose. Volutes, also popular, was the same, just tobacco. Both big no’s for me.
SOTD is JCB Fleurs d’Ombre Ombre Bleue, a scent that was supposedly created for summer holidays, the beach and distant travels. Lots of florals in this with sea and sand bottom notes, very pleasant, especially the carnation note.
Tonight we’re off to a nearby community’s annual festival featuring our favorite Chicago-area cover band, Tributosaurus. What’s so cool about them is they recreate the original artist/s’ works exactly as performed. A core band adds additional members as needed and uses only those instruments that were originally used, even if this means searching antique stores for instruments no longer readily available!Tonight they’re doing Van Halen, but only the David Lee Roth years, 1972-1985.
Happy Sunday 🎶!
Your evening sounds like a blast! Enjoy! And do tell us how it was tomorrow!
Oh, it was a blast! Nice night for an outdoor event, especially with music as loud and rockin’ as Van Halen! I’ve seen Tributosaurus many times bringing to life many famous artists and they are just fantastic no matter who they do!
She saw the look in his eyes
And she knew better…
Have fun!
Oh, I did! Three nights of concerts in a row at my old age 😂 – Steely Dan tribute, Lyle Lovett (and opening for him, a wonderful English folksinger John Smith), and the Van Halen tribute tonight. All great!
Party on Laila! It all sounds very fun.
Story of my life Robin. Lol.
Recently went on a trip to North Carolina and I was looking for a tobacco plant to smell. There were lots of shacks by the side of the road which were supposedly for drying tobacco but not a live plant anywhere I looked. I actually ordered some seeds and I am going to try growing the plant next year. I might not like the smell but I want to experience it.
Very cool idea! I’m looking forward to hearing the results.
That is a great and unsung one and you smell great, Laila. It is indeed warm and sunny. The original Ombre Rose is also wonderful, the vintage is supposed to have real sandalwood. I have a small bottle of vintage parfum that I’m waiting for a special occasion to crack open.
I remember the big kerfuffle when David Lee Roth left Van Halen. Some people called the band “Van Hagar” after that.
👋 I was one of those people. I love Solo Sammy, but I prefer the DlR songs.
Heh. I did too. 🤣
I often have to scrub, even if I love the fragrance. My girlfriend is very sensitive to certain notes in perfumes, and, (even though she loves the scent,) will have a bad reaction. Which means a quick trip to the sink or shower for me.
A couple of biggies that I’ve voluntarily scrubbed: Dior Sauvage and Bleu de Chanel. Are they horrible? No, not really. (I mean, I don’t recoil, and my stomach doesn’t turn.) And I can understand how someone might find the Chanel “well made.” I simply don’t like them, and can’t leave them on my skin.
You’re a very thoughtful inamorato Daniel! Re: Eau Sauvage, I liked the old formulation but not so much at all the new one. (Then it could be my aversion to J. Depp?). Not familiar with w Bleu.
The OG Eau Sauvage is excellent. Luckily they made a lot of it so it’s still floating around online.
Yes, the original Eau Sauvage has nothing in common with Sauvage, except that they were marketed to men. Also, Alain Delon > Johnny Depp.😎
My recent bottle of Eau Sauvage is pretty good. Would love to someday smell an earlier version, say, from the 90s.
Wish I would have grabbed a bottle of Eau Sauvage Parfum in 2012. It had such a beautiful myrrh note.
My scrubber was a sandalwood heavy dupe of Gypsy Water. I had bought a sample, trying to find a less expensive version. It was so vile, I had to remove all the packaging from my home, even the plastic bubble wrap smelled horrible.
I like the sandalwood in GW and also in Nothing But Sea and Sky but the dupe I purchased seemed to be an older version of artificial sandalwood that was so harsh.
Most fragrances I test out fall into the “meh” category.
Some of those artificial sandalwoods are a real cheese grater on my nostrils too, Zephyr2. It must be a chemistry thing though, because many people love the ones that make me scream.
The vilest perfume I’ve ever smelled isn’t strictly speaking a scrubber because I never actually let it near my skin. I’ve described Nishane Unutamam as neglected cavity that turned gangrenous and putrid.
OMG, that description alone is horrifying!
So is the perfume, believe you me!
I’ve been testing Guerlain Nerolia Vetiver Harvest on Saturday and today, and it is definitely NOT a scrubber.
It’s very neroli-forward, supported by honey, orange blossom, and vetiver. I think it’s inspired by traditional neroli colognes but feels more complex and concentrated, with a noticeable sweetness from the honey. It’s sunny and fresh – I imagine orange trees in bloom with bees buzzing around the blossoms. I like this a lot and definitely want a decant.
I can’t imagine any Guerlain being a scrubber Glannys, although I can see someone somewhere saying “meh” as the strongest dislike possible. Guerlain is just a divine house imo.
I was going to agree with you, but then checked my dislike list and found four Guerlains there. 🤣Three AA scents might be more like a mild dislike, but I think Mahora was a scrubber.
Although Guerlain might be my favorite house.
I haven’t smelled a single AA fragrance. Now I’m going to have to check these out. 😆😆😆
I like some of them, but they tend to be lighter and more geared towards the spring and summer months.
It’s my last day of freedom before I go back to work tomorrow. It was nice to wear whatever perfume that I wanted without regards on if I have to work that day. So it is a Lyric day today.
Hope it was a good day!
I tested the new Devotion and Miu Miu yesterday. They were both ok. The Miu Miu had a bit of a plastic pepper smell. The Devotion was really light with some nuttiness. I will test them again, but neither seemed very interesting.
Today I am wearing YSL In Love Again. I’m just pushing through the last 4 hours of work before my day off tomorrow. I worked the late shift all weekend and I am exhausted.
Hope you can have a nice day off tomorrow.
BTW-I did go to the mall for something else and was able to stop in Sephora and smell JHaG Not a Perfume. Now I know what ambroxan smells like. I didn’t really care for it, but I am guessing if it was in small doses maybe I wouldn’t notice it. I really hated Not a Perfume Superdose which is just cetalox. I was not familiar with that, but it is a musk. Now I know that when some perfumes go funky on me it is because of certain musks.
I haven’t tried Superdose thank goodness! But glad it helped you identify what was going funky.
Enjoy your day off lillyjo! 👋
I will! Thanks!
Gosh lillyjo, hope you enjoy your day off after such a grueling schedule!
Thank you LesLiesse!
Hope you rest well tomorrow! Is back to school madness over at least?
I think everyone finally went back to school today. Sunday was just insane.
After all the back to school crazy you have been thru, you have more than earned the day off!
I’m so glad it’s over.
Enjoy your day off! I hope it’s a restful.
Most memorable scrubber for me was ELDO Noel au Balcon. I got a freebie travel spray as a gift with purchase. It smelled like cat pee on me, I actually tossed the whole thing immediately. I wish I had tried to rehome it or given it another try, since it does seem to be loved. I just had such a viseral reaction, right into the trash, hahaha!
Will be much more fun to think of desert island scents this week.
Tulipani that’s a sad story to me because the name is so romantic! One more example of marketing creating unreal expectations.
There’s no mistaking the cat pee smell though. To me, you made the right call.
I would have thrown it away too.
Cat pee is always a no to me.
Ew, cat pee is So Not Good!
It’s another sunny spring morning! I’ve got a few meetings today where I want to give the impression of elegance and competence, so I’m wearing 24 Faubourg.
The perfect perfume to convey elegance and competence! Hope your day went well.
I’m feeling better after being under the weather all weekend so I’m wearing Yosh Ginger Ciao. My husband loves this one, it is gorgeous but really strong, and it has a strong spray button besides, so it’s impossible to apply lightly. I should decant some into a smaller sprayer because it is so pretty and not like anything else in my collection.
I really like it when my friends and loved ones love my fragrance! I used to love my aunt in White Shoulders, the I developed an allergy to some of the notes. But I still remember burning my fave in her neck when I hugged her hello and goodbye during visits, and it such a happy memory!
Aww that’s lovely.
I’m glad you are feeling better!
Happy last Monday of August NST!
Sotd & a plink: JHaG Sunny Side Up. Very suntan lotion-y. Enjoyed the sample but won’t miss it.
That one seemed to have been discontinued quick. I only tried it once and didn’t care for it myself.
It’s disappeared within a few hours on me.
Early fall weather arrived today, morning temps in the 50’s! I don’t ever remember a day in August when it was too cold to open a window! Bizarre! But I’m fine with it, I’m ready for fall. Looking forward to a quiet week at home and some much-needed gardening. 🪴
Despite the cool temps, I’m still finishing a few summer fragrances that remain unworn this month. SOTD is EL Sensuous Nude in the edt version, which is softer and more floral than the original. Very enjoyable.
Happy last week of August to all!
I turned the heater on in my car this morning!
Oh, I believe it! I con’t think there ever was an August morning when I didn’t open a window if the a/c wasn’t on except for today. Absolutely weird!
You had a pretty hot summer out there in Chicago this year, didn’t you?
Yes! But it started out cold, we delayed planting our garden and even the swimming pools opening was delayed; then it got immediately hot. We rarely sat on our little deck on the morning, or in the afternoon on our glider swing in back, and rarely ate dinner on our screened porch – too hot and humid. Today it’s been too cool to do those, too, it only reached a high of 69. But I love it, highs in the low 70’s all week and lows in the mid 50’s. I prefer cool to hot any day, except when I’m swimming, and my pool is already closed.
Feeling like Autumn here in Colorado since the weekend. Actually had some decent rain falling late last night along with a bit of thunder and lightning.
Was over at my brother’s yesterday for a steak dinner. I brought over some baby potatoes and a couple of ripe pears for him to snack on before his next hitch. Plus ice cream mochi for dessert. The weather wasn’t an impediment to grilling.
On to the poll!
Most recent scrubber: Demeter Holy Water. It’s an aquatic with a pronounced cucumber note. I. Hate. Cucumbers! I tolerate their existence in sushi and bahn mi.
Previous scrubbers have included Jimmy Choo Flash, JHAG Gentlewoman, ELdO Cologne, ELdO Remarkable People, Alexander McQueen Kingdom (too much cumin even for me!), and the worst of them all, Shalimar. I’ve ranted about Shalimar in previous editions of the scrubber poll….
SOTD = Demeter Frankincense. Incense and root beer for a Monday!
I love cucumbers to eat especially in a Greek salad. I hate a cucumber note in perfume or lotion though.
Your brothers steak grilling always sounds so good!
We went in together on some big honking steaks that were on special at the time, plus his employee discount. We both knew that deal probably wouldn’t come around again.
Had some leftover steak in a salad for lunch today!
HA. I, too, ran screaming from Shalimar. It was quite a few years ago, but I found it so awful that I have never had the nerve to try sniffing it again.
Glad I have company with my Shalimar dislike!
I’m also not a Shalimar fan. The only one I find pleasant at times is the cologne version. Have you ever tried that one?
Nope. I also have issues about Shalimar b/c it is the signature scent of the former Mr. Jalapeno’s step-mom. Major bad association for me.
Understood!
Cucumbers are hit and miss for me in food. I guess I’m ultra picky, depending on how they’re cut (big or small) or if the flavor overpowers a dish.
I do recall buying a perfume with a cucumber note, completely in error. I recoiled when I put it on!
Back in the 1990’s when cucumber-melon was everywhere (or so it seemed) in perfume and body care products, I was desperately trying to avoid it.
Your grilled steaks potatoes and pears are making my mouth water jalapeño! What does your brother’s “next hitch” mean? As for cucumbers,!I adore eating salads but prefer not to smell like one personally. 😆
My brother’s job is scheduled so he works 7 days in a row, then has 7 days off. When he is working, it’s called “on hitch”. When he isn’t, he is “off hitch”.
Thanks for clarification ! You’re a good sister!
Still feeling like the middle of summer here. The forecast keeps extending the heat until into the first week of September. Good thing my Shalimar was delivered this morning before heading out the door.
I sprayed twice on my forearm, just to get a feel for it. It seems really good at first glance. I’ll put it away now for the cooler weather that is coming, right?
I’m stuck in the low 60’s here. I will send it your way!
Sounds great, we can swap!
Got up to around 72 here today. I’d share the coolth, but I am currently enjoying it too much!
Me too!👍
Ooh that’s a good temperature! I’d keep it too.
Bandit. An absolutely terrifying experience.
Also Shalimar.
SotD – Synthetic Jungle. Will finish the sample but that should suffice.
I loved the idea of Synthetic Jungle, but it was so screechy on me. Like nails on a chalkboard bad. Insert sad face.