It's Friday, plus National Croissant Day and the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. Our community project for today is Play Nice Friday...wear a fragrance which, while it still bears the stamp of the perfumer’s art, is more or less guaranteed to offend no-one. Thanks go to pyramus for the suggestion!
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 went with (Thierry) Mugler Cologne: to me, a little bit of nothing and a little bit of genius, all at once.
Reminder: 2/6 is the opening day of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Do absolutely whatever you like with the theme: scent a winter sport? Wear something Italian to celebrate the location? Wear something to support your country's team? Or, pick a fragrance to honor your utter lack of interest in sports, or winter, or both. (Suggested by LesLiesse.)
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2026, where I'll try (but usually fail) to have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: top image is Quilt Shop Window [cropped] by Erich Ferdinand at flickr; some rights reserved.
Happy Friday, NST 🪻
As it happens, I’m at a doctors appointment, so I’m wearing my favorite background scent, Donna Karan Cashmere Mist. It’s my go to for appointments.
Hope your appointment went well. I love Cashmere Mist on others but found it was never me somehow.
Same.
Cashmere Mist never worked with my chemistry. More for those who love it!
Good luck at the dr’s.
Hello and tgif!
Sotd is the inoffensive yet unusual L’Artisan Bois Farine. I liked how L’Artisan was back then, they had better perfume imho.
I’m in agreement, happy888cat! They had some weird and wonderful stuff. I also liked the older price points, and the cheerful labels on the bottle. You smell so good:)
I have to agree with you, happy888cat. And at better prices as well!
And smaller bottles, too.
This one has my name on it and I bet that when I suggested it, I wore Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille as an example, because he has some weird and weird-adjacent scents to his name but this one is charming, accessible, and just a little tiny bit strange (whirls of licorice and splinters of wood occasionally interrupt the vanilla sweetness). I’m never not in the mood for this, and it’s especially welcome on yet another cold day.
Glad you are consistent 🙂
For the CP, Apres L’Ondee, from the 100ml Bee Bottle. I think this is a tamer version than the original, but I still get the magic after what I find to be a papery opening. I was not immediately smitten by it and in fact got it because of its many NST fans. You guys have seldom let me down! Another cold and beautifully sunny day. I really enjoyed my walk. Really 😁. *WAVES* to CM8, who I know is a Winter-walker, too.
Waving back dear friend!!! And you go!! I will be snowshoeing on my property tomorrow!!!
What fabulous winter exercise! Good for you CM8!
Something new for me that I started this year out of necessity because all my usual walking places are covered in two feet of snow!
I am a pretend winter walker…almost every day I tell myself I will walk, then I do the exercise bike instead. Truth is I might not walk til March.
I think the crucial word is walker! Good for you Robin!
My hat is off to the dedicated Winter walkers here!
I’m in Hermes Gentian Blanc. All of JCE’s scents are not likely to offend anyone, and this is no exception. I love it. No idea why it was discontinued.
Was about minus 22C this morning-now up to minus 10, which feels balmy:) There’s no wind so the air is cold clean and fresh beyond belief. Hope everyone has a good day wearing an innocuous scent 🙂
Often I think that those Hermessences are just playful watercolor essays by JCE or whoever is doing them for the brand these days and either due to fluctuating availability of raw materials, price, or sales, they are almost “limited editions” and when they’re gone they’re gone.
But I do notice that some top sellers and people pleasers such as Ambre Narguile remain in production (at increasing prices). So maybe profit trumps everything.
I reached for PG Felanilla again, the purring feline who chewed on a vanilla pod and got into the saffron threads then knocked a snifter of cognac into the iris plant. In other words, a naughty yummy kitty. (Thank you to the NSTer who sent me this, I’m enjoying it tremendously)
I don’t think it’s office safe because I find that people either love or loathe vanilla and so you’re always going to offend someone.
LesLiesse, I really like next week’s CP and need to start lining up some scents, it will be another good one to stretch my brain.
Also, I realize that I own very few office-friendly/unobtrusive scents. Like some of you here, I am all about the Big Statement.
A naughty yummy kitty!?! DH, you have almost turned me into a cat person with that description of your scent! I always enjoy reading the CP interpretations, so I’m extra honored that this is my first CP suggestion. Hope everyone enjoys it, even if counter-programming w tropical scents for warm weather.
Some people don’t like vanilla? There’s plenty out there out in the wild. I don’t like the cheapo stuff, and was suitably shocked when a friend went to Mexico and brought me back a bottle of fake! vanilla – a national disgrace, say I!
I love vanilla, IRL and in perfume, but I will also say that many of the fragrances that annoy me “on the street” are very sweet very loud vanillic things, and they often smell like they were made with fake vanilla from Mexico :-).
Second that, Robin!
You smell great! A kind NSTer sent me a decant of Felanilla and I have debated getting a FB.
Thank you, She-ra. I’m happy to see it’s still in production just in case I ever need a BUB.
Did someone say Croissant Day? 🥐
For the CP, I’m wearing No. 5 L’Eau.
It feels like every book I put on hold at the library arrived at once—what to read first? A very good problem to have. It feels like every book I put on hold at the library arrived at once—what to read first? A very good problem to have. The stack includes Graziella (newly translated into English), My Lover’s Lover, There Are Rivers in the Sky, and Half His Age.
Hemmingway’s The Garden of Eden didn’t quite land for me. I was bored halfway through, and it felt a bit too repetitive. I finished last night.
Perfect scent for the CP today. I didn’t even think about that one.
You have a shiny Enabler pin for my SOTD ♥️
😘
In the same boat, have 3 at the moment and another apparently “in transit”.
I have more in transit too. The rest I put on “freeze”
I think I will sit down and see which one calls to me.
You smell great! At our libraries the holds are placed alphabetically under the borrowers last name-nothing better than seeing all of the books lined up. Hope you have a great weekend of reading.
Your SOTD was an option for me today. But the hand went to Gingerale.
I chose Caron Tabac Blond for the CP, and I’m wearing dabs of the vintage extrait. It’s hard for me to imagine, but I gather the original formulation confounded some people. The modern EDP is pretty enough and recognizably Caron, but the only people it “offends” are those of us who know that it’s merely a wan shadow of its former self. (I haven’t tried the modern extrait, so maybe I’m comparing oranges and … mandarins?)
Hey, happy Friday everyone!
hah that’s a good point SheriG, that it’s the poor reformulations that offend us, not the original innocent scent itself.
Perfume neutering is such a bummer.
Livre Blanc for the cp.
I was up early and out to my 7 am barre class. On the agenda for the rest of the day is laundry and working on homework in my home office, aka gradtowngirl’s old bedroom. It’s set up with a nice desk and workspace. It’s also the smallest room in the house which means it stays the toastiest, which is perfect for me.☺️
Perfect scent for the CP!
I’m starting the day in biehl parfumkunstwerke mb02, a Mark Buxton creation and a gift from a lovely, generous NSTer💕
With its violets, iris and carnation, someone describes it as “Relaxed avant-garde. Very sophisticated, very casual, very mmm.”
I had an uncanny experience this week, given our CP. I never smell fragrance in my office building (except me!) but this week, on my way to the restroom, I smelled someone wearing a lot of Baccarat Rouge. I don’t think I’ve smelled that much perfume, even on my most offensive perfume wearing days😬
And that stuff is strong!
Very, very strong.
Wow, you got gassed out!
A stressful day, and I’m wearing Essential Parfums The Musc by Calice Becker for the CP:
“At once fresh, honeyed, and warm, The Musc is a subtle blend of captivating scents. It opens with red ginger from Laos and natural lavandin grosso from France. Natural and sustainable beeswax brings a creamy sweetness to the heart, paired with a pure note of Nirvanolide musk. Australia’s natural sandalwood punctuates the blend with warm, woody tones.” (Essential Parfums website)
Is it really non-offensive? I think so, but some people are sensitive to modern, synthetic musks, so there’s always a risk. To me, it smells clean, fresh, and warm at the same time, with a touch of spiciness from ginger and honey. It feels soft and cosy – neither sheer nor thick. It’s a soft scent that doesn’t have a very strong presence, but is still memorable.
Soft but memorable! That moves me Glannys. An intricate dance for those notes to do. Ideally this scent is an antidote to your stressful day. If antidote is too optimistic, then a small olfactory escape.
A can of hard cider helped, too.
🥃🥃 Santé !
Sorry your day is stressful
Ugh, so sorry Glannys.
Sending 🤗🤗
Hope that tomorrow is a better day for you.
I love all the color and dimension in today’s photo! 📸
No surprise SOTD here- L’Essence again. 🤷♀️
Lots of errands today in prep for a couple of weeks of boondocking. Just finishing some scalding coffee after filling up on an egg, turkey sausage, and cheese quesadilla. Delicious, hot, filling. 😋
Stay safe and warm, peeps. 🙂
You smell lovely in your Shalimar L’Essence D!
Smelling fabulous!
Waving frantically! 👋🏻 🥰 You smell great.
Isn’t that a great shot? And the world needs more quilt shops.
Oooooh, that quesadilla sounds delicious! 😋
For the CP I am in Courreges Blanc. Love this scent and can’t imagine it offending anyone.
I am reading the Bruno Courreges series and *no one* has made mention of the designer-! The French version of Jones, perhaps?
You’re not only CP compliant Kris but also the COTY Cloud Dancer compliant! A double CP! Have you ever layered your Courreges Blanc?
I rarely layer with another perfume, but prior to applying Blanc I used BBW Butterfly body wash and body cream.
Once I get through summer camp registration and a workout, I’ll be in Chanel Bois des Îles extrait, which stays pretty close to my skin, so should be CP-compliant.
Listening to the sound of online grad program applicant interviews happening downstairs. It’s an interesting project these days, I gather, as the interviewers have to have AI open on a different computer offscreen to see if students are taking their responses from AI offscreen.
AI, the scourge of academia
House twins
Everybody Loves Candy
🙂
👍👍
Another delight you guys talked me into!
Happy Friday my playing nice, beautifully scented perfumistas!
Sotd Clinique Happy Heart. Everytime I wear it, I think it’s so gentle and lovely.
Purchased in ‘24 during a long wait to get my car smogged (Californians IYKYK) across the street frôm a fragrance & beauty shop, she was my only bottle of scent for months. Imagine a collection of one! Anyway I bought her for her gentleness, softness and comfort because I had anything but a happy heart after my uncle passed that spring after an arduous decline. I still find she gives me those same feels when I wear her. Soooo a gentle, soft and comforting Friday to all.
That’s a good one!
🩷
Hope it is carrying you through the day!
Yes, gentle, soft & comforting is a good companion to waiting.
Heh, where I got my car emissions tested is in an industrial park off a frontage road. No pleasant diversions there!
I’m so glad my state doesn’t make us or even suggest that we do that with our car’s.
Firmly in my Amber Era and trying the 2024 redo of Absolue Pour Le Soir…it’s quite lovely! I’m getting lots of Cinnabar vibes in the opening. I did smell the original a long time ago but never had a FB. Below is some ad copy from the MFK website. 😉
Has anyone tried Reflets d’ambre? Curious about that one and need to hunt down a sample.
Inspired by decadent New York nights in the 70s, Absolue Pour le Soir is an eau de parfum with animalic, ambery sensuality. A vibrant, languorous, and hypnotic sillage.
Your SotD rang a bell…a sample sent along with an Ebay purchase…went rummaging in my “preferred sample jar” and found it: BUT it is Grand Soir. The notes have some overlap, so I am sure you smell wonderful. On your amber journey, I think you’d like this one, too. There’s vanilla, though the lavender is very woody and makes me think of patchouli, so it trends away from sweetness. Also, I don’t see Grand Soir as especially office friendly! 😸
I had to warm up to the original.
I really liked it by the end of my sample.
Today’s theme is quite a lot to ask when it comes to my perfume collection. I was wearing LVNEA Feu Follet few days ago and my kid told me I smelled like “global warming”!
Still, today I’m wearing something that’s unusual but very pleasing in a universal manner: Aftelier Lumiere, an ethereal mix of green tea, and floral notes of magnolia, honeysuckle and boronia, on bed of incense and real ambergris. This is a new version; when I spotted that the list of notes have changed, I got a sample and then a full bottle of EdP. The old version had a beautiful but somewhat distracting blue lotus note and fruity top that I did not care for. This one is perfectly blended and seamless and I see myself wearing it very often.
Hmmmm-curious what global warming smells like🤨
Burning forest incense, apparently! Feu Follet is rather intense in that way..
Got it!
Ha – love your post’s opening. My collection is for sure short on “play nice” scents! Your SotD sounds great-I need to sample some of Mandy’s latest scents too!
Kris beat me to the question I was going to ask!
I’m wearing Miller et Bertaux Indian Study; no one could take offense at this dry, slightly spicy sandalwood. I have a haircut later today! I’m so looking forward to it.
Enjoy your haircut appointment!
I’m sitting on the couch, I’m a bit dazed to realise it’s Saturday after a truly wild week at work. When my manager called at the end of the day on Thursday to say that yet another interesting thing had just happened, all I could do was laugh, then say that I was happy to help.
I’m thinking about Annick Goutal’s Le Chèvrefeuille for the morning – it’s light and summery for a day of reasonable weather.
sometimes all you can do is laugh!
Laughing sure beats screaming (expletives optional)!
RIP Catherine O’Hara
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/30/nx-s1-5694218/catherine-o-hara-dead
To say I was shocked is an understatement! In looking at recent pictures, she did not look well though, so there’s that.
My phone had a brief flurry of notifications about this right around lunchtime from some of my friends.
She was so funny. R.I.P.
SOTD = Tauer L’Air du Desert Marocain Noir
A “safe” flanker? Maybe. I would like to think so. THEREFORE, I am “compliant” with the CP! Close enough …
I got a response back from my frozen coffee subscription. My subscription was confirmed as deleted – YAY! And I asked for a voucher for 25% off of the cost of this one (which I haven’t received yet) and the CSR said yes! I’ll believe it when I see it although the email was confirmation enough. BTW, the email response was where I did a side eye when the CSR said that their process is to replace it with something equivalent; why the h e double l did I get an email asking me for my preference for a substitute?
In other news, I don’t normally use “meal delivery” services. I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I’ve used them. Anyway, here’s a gift article in the continued proliferation of these services:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/dining/food-delivery-apps-doordash-uber.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IVA.tBhY.ymEONFBMpU6E&smid=nytcore-ios-share
I’ve used Door Dash a couple of times, and both times something went wrong. So I am not at all impressed.
If I want food, I will get off my tuchus and get it myself!
Me too.
Nothing went wrong with my deliveries but they were expensive!
I have never used a delivery service. I don’t like paying extra and I especially don’t like strangers coming to my home. My neighbors get delivery all the time. The other night a strange man came to my door and was taking a picture of my house. I was freaking out and didn’t go to the door ( just peaking through the window) after he left I opened the door and saw he delivered chik fillet to the wrong house. Lol.
The delivery dude was taking a picture of his delivery, for confirmation. Standard operating procedure. I’ve opened the door on Amazon drivers doing that a couple of times by accident.
Hahaha 😂! Did you keep the food?
On the first of 3 upcoming trips— first stop, Phoenix to see cousins.
Wearing SL Un Lys. I probably wouldn’t put any of Uncle Serge’s creations in the “guaranteed to offend no one category”, but this and a few others might come close worn softly.
Oh good, have fun in Phoenix springpansy!
Safe travels!
Had to think a while before I came up with something for today. The weird weather was a bit of a factor to consider.
SOTD = Demeter Gingerale Cologne Spray. It is a sparkling example of what Demeter can do. And it plays very nicely with the far drydown of Euphoria on my sweatshirt.
I love the smell of Gingerale. I bet you smell very refreshing.
It was fun while it lasted, lillyjo!
I swear I considered that one!
That hint of carbonation makes me laugh every time!
Never saw this one at my (previous) perfume hunting places.
I ordered it directly from Demeter. I haven’t seen any for sale in brick and mortar stores anywhere around here.
Maybe I missed some places? 🤷♀️
My “offend no one” SOTD is the pretty, but not boring, floral from Acca Kappa, Calycanthus. This has been an easygoing favorite of mine for many years, and it got in my head to wear recently from smelling all the sweet box (sarcococca) blooming throughout my neighborhood. Calycanthus doesn’t really smell like sweet box, but it is a sweet and lovely floral.
I love Sarcococca and mine is in full bloom!
I also keep meaning to mention my neighbor’s fragrant flowering bush which looks like a Paperbush. It has hanging yellow cluster flowers on bare branches and smells like Mimosa to me.
And I have seen a Daphne variety with large flowers in bloom (my variety has smaller flowers). Such a thrill this time of year!
That all sounds so nice! There’s a paperbush planted outside the Amazon sphere downtown, and I walk by it when we go to a movie theater down there. I love our winter bloomers in Seattle.
My bottle of Calycanthus is in less than pristine shape, but really should wear it soon, it is indeed lovely.
I hope it’s not too bad off. I was a little worried about mine since I haven’t worn it in a while, but it’s still intact.
ZOMG. Things are blooming in your area?!?
Yeah in the Pacific Northwest! We get really good winter bloomers here, and it’s also been unseasonably warm this winter.
I think I have a lot of perfumes that could be selected for this week’s CP – Lovely, LL Musc 25, JHAG Musc Invisible for the musk category and then we have Glossier You, which I think is a musky/powderly floral. I could also veer into the gentle woody scents – Gypsy Water, Nothing but Sea and Sky.
I wore Clean Reserve Skin yesterday, that one is subdued to me. EL Sensuous Nude is similar in my view.
Today, I picked Escentric 02. This is one of the few my husband likes, the other being Byredo Blanche Absolu. Even though I like these molecular scents – I really like my travel size of Another 13 – I crave more variety most of the time. Blanche Absolu to me is as if Another 13 and the original Blanche got mixed together.
We should have a CP of perfumes that we like but cannot wear due to the perfume being too strong. If my hubby had anything to say about it, he would say almost all my perfumes should placed in this category.
I overhead 2 nurses talking about wearing perfume (lightly) at work and how having a pleasant scent on themselves helps them through their day. I did not speak up but I feel the same way.
Escentric 02 was a good one, but I know what you mean about variety.
I don’t think it would offend anyone, but that’s not why my SOTD is Guerlain’s Vanille Planifolia. I was just given it by a dear friend, in Extrait 21 format, and I’m totally thrilled. It’s a great Guerlain vanilla, as only they do, with (to my nose) a noticeable amber and herbal vibe. I feel very spoiled, grateful, and lucky. Now awaiting some incoming snow, but feeling very warm and cozy!
What a nice gift, and how nice to be inside and warm and cozy 🙂
A tiny bit warmer today but cloudy with gray skies and intermittent bursts of heavy lake-effect snow through tomorrow. Happy to be tucked inside and have nowhere to be for the next few days.
My SOTD for today’s cp is Barbara Bui Le Parfum, a favorite winter soft, ambery, woody skinscent. Although it has an incense note, it’s barely noticeable and I don’t think this warm, comforting fragrance would offend anyone..
Hoping all in the path of this weekend’s severe cold 🥶 and snow ❄️ stay warm and safe.☝️
I remember when Barbara Bui used to be mentioned here at NST quite a bit.
Stay warm!
Perfect choice!
BB is so pretty. You smell great. 😊
I went back to work today. I can’t say that I missed it. We did get some sun though, which I have been missing.
I copied someone from earlier this week for the cp. I wore Angelique Noir from the purse stash.
Glad that you saw the sun today. Sounds like you needed it. 💙
Yay for the purse stash! 😁 I have a little black velvet bag with a drawstring full of samples that is always in my purse.
And I always carry purse chocolates too. 🤭
Glad you’re back at work. I take it that you’re feeling better?
Wearing Guerlain My Insolence for today’s CP.
I liked Insolence but now I can’t remember if I ever tried My Insolence. I’m sure you smell great!
Insolence is one of a very few fruity perfumes I can enjoy. It’s just so pretty-pretty. 💕
Safran Troublant for the project today.
sotd = Tobacco Vanille
Smells good to me, and I almost always have someone ask me what smells so nice. 😊
I love them: the compliment AND the perfume!