Happy Friday, plus happy World Goth Day and Sherlock Holmes Day. RIP Olivier Creed. Our community project for today: recommend a favorite song, show, movie or book (or any form of entertainment, really) and match a scent to your pick, or to one of the characters, or whatever. Adapted from a recommendation by therabbitsflower.
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.
If you love old screwball comedies and you have not seen My Man Godfrey, do watch it!* William Powell and Carole Lombard, what could be better? I have been trying to get my son to watch it for years and finally convinced him just last week, so it's on my mind, but it's been a favorite of mine for eons. I ought to go with something period (Schiaparelli Shocking would be perfect, if I had any) but instead I'm matching the exuberance with Aftelier Candide.
Reminder: there will be a community project on 5/29, and once again I am late...I will refill the bucket over the weekend!
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 Peony Festival @ Garden of Toshogu Shrine @ Ueno Park [cropped] by Guilhem Vellut at flickr; some rights reserved.
*Bonus reading My streaming gem: why you should watch My Man Godfrey at The Guardian, My Man Godfrey: The Right Kind of People at Criterion Collection. The latter article was written by Farran Smith Nehme aka Self-Styled Siren, a fellow perfumista.
Checking in from my travels in North Carolina. I have limited perfume with me, so though it’s not my favorite song, I am going with Happy by Pharrell Williams. My scent is Clinique Happy. Good for this hot, humid weather.
Great choice and combo! I love both the song and the scent!
I hope you are having a great time!
Busy spoiling the grandkids😊
Nice to hear from you, and that you are enjoying North Carolina!
SOTD is Unum LAVS Incensing the Veil by John Singer Sergeant https://www.gardnermuseum.org/experience/collection/10873. What a wonderfully churchy incense.
Nice pair monkeytoe!
I’m back with my good friend Shalimar MVP today. It’s been a while since I’ve worn this one because I was busy using up my bottle of l’Essence. It’s cold and rainy and blowy today, so MVP fit the bill. My big excitement for the day will be heading to the book store later to pick up an order.
Last poem is by Joy Harjo. I had a couple of her books as well before I went mobile…
Eagle Poem
To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can’t see, can’t hear;
Can’t know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren’t always sound but other
Circles of motion.
Like eagle that Sunday morning
Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky
In wind, swept our hearts clean
With sacred wings.
We see you, see ourselves and know
That we must take the utmost care
And kindness in all things.
Breathe in, knowing we are made of
All this, and breathe, knowing
We are truly blessed because we
Were born, and die soon within a
True circle of motion,
Like eagle rounding out the morning
Inside us.
We pray that it will be done
In beauty.
In beauty.
Do you have an overall Shalimar favourite?
Gosh, I don’t think I can answer the question with even the tiniest bit of acumen because I’ve tried very few. Of the ones I’ve tried, I’d say MVP is my favorite, followed by L’Essence, then Tonka. But I’ve tried none of the floral flankers and none of the flankers put out over the previous years so YMMV. I’m sure there are many I’m missing out on.
Thank you for the poetry this week, Deva! It has been lovely to take a minute or two to pause and read.
You’re welcome! Pausing is very underrated these days. ❤️
I’ve also really enjoyed your poetry offerings this week. 🙏
❤️
Hi Robin, I was at the doctor’s yesterday – yes, I’d recommend Colleen Cambridge’s Paris mystery series. Particularly enjoyable is Tabitha’s friendship with her neighbour Julia Child, despite my usually not usually being a fan of Real People in mysteries. (Oddly, I’m not as taken with CC’s Mallowan Hall series,with Agatha Christie’s housekeeper-sleuth.) Probably going with Rien, but will have a look over the decant before then as well.
Thank you!
I’m recommending a fun thing and so I am wearing the absolute funnest thing there is, CSP Vanille Banane (with a little Vanille Abricot to tone down the madness a touch, as I usually do).
My recommendation is Board Game Arena, boardgamearena.com, a website with HUNDREDS of games, many of which you can play for free (the premium version with complete access to the really big-name licensed games is a very reasonable $60 CAD per year). Popular board games like Settlers of Catan, Carcassone, Hive, and Ticket to Ride, standards like cribbage, gin rummy, and backgammon, fun obscurities you’ve never even heard of just waiting to be discovered, an endless amount of entertainment, and of course you can play online with people all around the world. Lots of solo games, too. I discovered it a couple of weeks ago and it has given me so much pleasure — I had to share it.
That sounds fun! Both the perfume and the board games. When I was a kid, my family used to play board games quite a bit, my mother’s favorite being Clue, my brothers favorite was Risk, my dad could have cared less, and I was partial to Monopoly even though I always lost. Vanille Banane may be a (small) full bottle purchase for me soon. Waiting for a sale because I also need to replace my empty amour de cacao…I will check out that site for solo games, thank you.
I really do recommend Vanille Banane. It’s delightful, and the 30-mL bottle isn’t much at all (I got it on sale at Sephora before they stopped carrying the line in Canada). If you’re the sort of person who wears scents to put you in a specific mood, I can just about guarantee that VB will cheer you up. I almost didn’t buy it because it seemed so silly, but then I thought, well, why shouldn’t I be silly from time to time?
Nice suggestion, thanks! I love carcassone although I have my own house rules, ha…
The only problem with playing online is that you can’t have your own house rules. When I was growing up we kids had house rules for every game — the grownups of course were much stricter about how games were supposed to be played but what did we care? As long as it was fun!
Exactly!
Hello and tgif!
One of my favourite comedies is Schitt’s Creek and I am scenting Moira Rose. I think she wears TF F***ing Fabulous because she is absolutely that to a T.
Oh yes, PERFECT!
I love old movies, but I don’t remember seeing that movie surprisingly. I think it is on the Roku channel, so I will check it out. Some of the old screwball comedies were pretty silly in a good way and funny…my favorite one is ‘Bringing Up Baby’ with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. I saw ‘The Lady Eve’ with Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda recently, and that was very good.
My SOTD is nada right now and will pick something at random from my collection to wear later.
Bringing Up Baby is also in my top 5 for that era. I think you will like My Man Godfrey.
I am currently reading Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh – not finished yet, so please, no spoilers.
Today I am wearing Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet for Lord Robert Gospell: clean linen, lavender shaving soap, old-school manners, and a British gentleman who is old-fashioned in the best possible way.
Marsh’s books are hit and miss for me, but I just found Death in a White Tie available on my library app, and the first few pages of conversation between Roderick Alleyn and his mother are really hilarious. I think this is going to be one of the hits, so thank you for mentioning it!
Oh yes, that part was funny! Hope you enjoy it!
One of my favorite pastimes is gardening, and I’m pairing it with CdG Laurel. My gardening is entirely horticultural at this point because our yard is too shady for most veggies. I love the little whiffs of green and growing things that I get while peacefully (or sometimes not) pulling weeds, putting in new plants, pruning overgrown shrubs … not sure I’m “recommending” the activity to everyone, actually. 😉
My favorite screwball comedy is 1972’s What’s Up Doc. Peter Bogdanovich conceived it as an homage to the old-school screwball comedies. Barbra Streisand is great in it (and is also the reason I can’t get Mr. G to watch it), but Madeline Kahn steals a few scenes too.
I share your thoughts and love for gardening and also What’s Up Doc. Does Mr. G. not like Barbra, that’s why he won’t watch the film?
Exactly. It’s one of those irrational dislikes. He used to have one of those for George Clooney, but then he saw O Brother Where Art Thou and was won over.
I’ll have to check out that movie. I love a good screwball comedy and god knows we could all use some laughs these days. Whenever I hear that term, I immediately think of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” And that ain’t no lie! 😅
So true 🙄
Gosh, have not seen that in years. I should watch again.
Until recently, it somehow escaped my attention that Etta James covered the Rolling Stones (on Matriarch of the Blues).
Pairing Miss You with vintage No 19, and applying “miss you” to so many IFRA-banned notes. Give it a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXTozM_l-14&list=RDzXTozM_l-14&start_radio=1
I listened..so good! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing cover song!
Excellent, thank you!
My recommendation for the day is the Soviet era Belarusian film Savage Hunt of King Stakh, a really great folk horror that’s free on tubi.
The scent I’ve matched with it is Bog Witch by Warrior Apothecary, a herbal-medicinal scent that reminds me of the vibe of this film with its mystery and folk legends.
Your SOTD would be perfect for Halloween!
Thank you! Here is wikipedia on the book…it does mention there is a film and there was also an opera.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Stakh%27s_Wild_Hunt
Was thinking of Kyoto today but put on Cheirosa 62 instead. Kyoto would be a good one for Memoir of a Geisha or tales of Yanxi Palace.
Memoir of a Geisha is such a good book! Need to find something similar
CP Scent of the Day is Boswelia Scotia by Jorum Studio (from a kind NSTer who sent me a decant) to honor David Lynch, the TV show Twin Peaks, but especially the feature movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. I have been revisiting the TV show and just rewatched the movie after 30 years and wow, Lynch was really ahead of his time with this disturbing but profoundly beautiful and empathetic movie (roundly panned by almost all critics in 1992) and the culture has at last caught up with him. The movie has been re-appraised and is now widely considered a masterpiece and a masterpiece of horror (which itself has gained mainstream legitimacy) for Lynch’s fearless portrayal and probing of some very dark themes.
From what I’ve read, Fire Walk With Me displeased many Twin Peaks fans who expected more folksy coffee & donuts humor and got a horror movie about some very triggering topics that were only hinted at in the TV show (leaving this purposefully vague) and it baffled those who weren’t familiar with the TP universe. Critics were also outraged by Laura Palmer’s behavior in the week leading to her death and confused by the non-linear dreamlike scenes showing Laura Palmer’s fractured consciousness, but these days we understand much more about psychological damage and how that can manifest. Of course, all these themes are run through the David Lynch surreality art machine and there are no easy answers, just endless symbolism and questions about what it all means, which to me is the highest purpose of art anyway, to make us ask questions, question our assumptions, and think deeply.
I was going to choose The Fortune Teller by Caravaggio, one of my favorite painting by one of my favorite artists which I have had the good fortune to sit and stare at for long periods of time in Rome, but that will be for another day.
… and here I am wondering why Guy Savoy just got awarded Legion d’Honneur.
I am one of the few original fans of Twin Peaks!
I am also a fan of Twin Peaks; we were actually mesmerized by the series and eagerly awaited each episode. I know I saw the film but don’t remember that much about it, I should revisit both.
Yes!
Just know that the movie is darker.
I’m now re-watching Season 3.
I rewatched the whole shebang at some point, and *still* had to keep reading reddit to figure out what happened, LOL…I will do it again some day.
But ps, thrilled to see Lynch honored here 🙂
Up early for horseback riding lessons today — I’m fairly certain I won’t be able to sit down all weekend. My thighs are still learning two-point, and I could barely hold it for a few seconds, but it’s only lesson two.
This week’s perfume-song pairings:
Songes with “Wicked Game” and “Fade Into You,”
Typical Me by Kilian with “Smooth Operator”
Allure with “Into the Night” by Benny Mardones
Today I am in Chanel Gardénia
“Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” by Phil Collins
Lipstick is Casablanca by TF
Robin for ideas for community project (if you need any)
The late Ian Flemming’s birthday is next week..maybe a James Bond themed CP? Espionage scents..lol
I’d vote for that! The Bond movies offer vast opportunities of over-the-top characters and exotic locations 🙂 .
Let’s see what Robin 🤔 thinks!
I’ll be a second vote for your CP idea!
Oh great idea!! I am almost sure we did something on Bond but I’m sure we can find a variation. I will investigate.
SOTD = Profumum Roma Dulcis in Fundo
Very nice for this coolish spring day. If I wanted to be more formal, I would have replaced all the “u’s” back to “v’s”.
So an article from the New York Post mentioned that a good number of people had been complaining about wacky iPhone keyboards (I have to look for the link). I happen to have noticed the same but I attributed it to my wonky fingers. They’re not really wonky, but maybe my thumbs are wider than normal? I don’t think so but apparently there’s a fix for the keyboard. Maybe I’ve installed it but who knows? 🤷🏻♀️
For this fun Friday, here’s a free feel fabulous (😂 see what I did there?) article from the New York Times. Who says foxy foxes 🦊 can’t be fun? (OK, so NOT foxy, but generally a feel good)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/22/nyregion/stowaway-fox-bronx-zoo.html?unlocked_article_code=1.kVA.ICNh.M_ZWRlB3PXAk&smid=nytcore-ios-share
Supposedly there are foxes all over the place here. I have yet to see a single one.
Well, this will pick up on hajusuuri’s fox article above. I’m wearing Fox in the Flowerbed today.
My pairing was with Franz Marc’s “The Foxes”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Foxes_%28Marc%29). This particular painting isn’t at the museum I’m about to recommend, but many of his are: The Lenbachhaus in Munich. I’ve been a fan of the Blaue Reiter group since university, and there’s really no better collection of their paintings anywhere. Its strength is early Kandinsky, through to when he broke into abstraction (which figured into one of my undergraduate honours theses, back in the day). And it’s a very manageable museum, but if you want more art you can get it in spades throughout Königsplatz, where most of the Munich art museums are. So maybe my recommendation is for Munich as an art city, really.
Lovely painting and it’s not a style I usually go for, but I love it. The history of painting, and its travels around the world make even more interesting…
Wow, what a cool painting! Thanks for the link.
I’m continuing with my general theme of vampire movies, and I’ll wear Andrea Maack’s Coven later today. The earthy notes seem just right.
Meanwhile, I’ve got a facial appointment this morning, and Coven doesn’t feel quite appropriate for a pampering session 🙂 . I’m thinking about a little bit of Chanel’s 1932.
Speaking of Vampire movies, I wonder why Twilight never came out with a perfume? I imagine it would have sold like hotcakes to a certain demographic.🧛♀️
A Twilight perfume would have been loaded with sugary glop. Yuck.
True, if they’d aimed it at that “certain demographic”. But think what a beauty they could have come up with — something mossy and dark, smoky and animalic. It wouldn’t have sold, but it could have been beautiful.
Interesting thing, at least about my little corner of young Gen Z: Twilight is a hate watch for them. Ockeghem Teen went to a slumber party recently where they watched and dissed the whole movie. 🙂 I guess the kids have moved on.
1932 is beautiful
A lovely day today with temps just a tad warmer and enough 🌞 to brighten one’s spirit. Got an early start to grocery shopping and other errands and am spending the rest of the day switching closets from winter to summer.
I’ve really enjoyed some of the new PBS offerings this past season, my favorite being The Forsytes On Masterpiece. Set in London, a beautiful costume drama about a wealthy family, rivalry over who heads their family firm, and the stories of those who marry into the family. A great cast of characters, among them, Jo, my favorite (and so-o-o handsome!)
But the one I’m scenting for today’s cp is Irene, a beautiful young woman and aspiring ballet dancer. Her once-promised dream of pursuing the next stage of her ballet career in France falls apart (unbeknownst to her, partially through the fault of the Forsytes). Pursued by one of the Forsytes who falls in love with her and renews her dream of ballet in France, she marries him, although she’s not yet in love with him but hopes to be. Will her dreams be fulfilled or thwarted once again? (No spoilers here.)
The scenes that show Irene dancing in her ballet attire are beautifully done, somewhat softly hazy in how they’re shot, in a dreamlike sequence, very ethereal. I’ve scented her (and myself today) in philosophy Ballet Rose, a soft, fresh rose/peony scent, not powdery at all, but clean and uplifting, yet somehow dreamy and ethereal. It’s one I would certainly wear if I were performing ballet. Early in my youth I was a serious ballet student and my dreams also fell apart, so perhaps this is why Irene and Ballet Rose touch my ❤️ . Can’t wait for next year’s Season Two.
Happy holiday weekend to all who celebrate!🩰🌹
I remember one of my college friends had a younger sister who did ballet. I was shocked at how hard those toe shoes were. That pink satin was quite deceptive.
Sorry that your ballet dreams didn’t work out for you.
I loved the Forsyte Saga but had not seen the prequel yet, thanks for the reminder!
I’m wearing Hush Hush parfum again and crawling the neighborhood huffing lilacs. 😁
Every time I see that perfume name, I have an earworm from Deep Purple run thru my head.
I do love to huff lilacs! They’re just about gone here, though.
Songs of the day for World Goth Day: “This Corrosion” by Sisters of Mercy and “Walking in London” by Concrete Blonde. My musical taste had a decent goth-y streak show up in the late 1980’s and thru the 1990’s.
So yesterday I threw a pigeon off my deck. I have two decorative flowerpots on it that are empty. But that was not the case Thursday morning. I saw a feathered bird butt sticking out of the smaller one. Couldn’t tell if the pigeon was stuck, but I really didn’t want it hanging around anyway. So I picked up the flowerpot and turned it over when I reached the deck rail. Pigeon flew off unharmed.
SOTD = Ton Ford Black Orchid, to go with my goth-y musical selections above. Both the name and the scent itself match up very well.
We are scent twins!
Hiya twin! 👋
I’m constantly on the lookout for effective methods to deter pigeons from my outdoor balcony.. fake owls.. tin foil..
Last year, I spent a significant portion of my time on the balcony cleaning up pigeon droppings. 💩
Pigeon crap is nasty stuff. An episode of “Dirty Jobs” back in the day had Mike Rowe cleaning it up off an office building. The amount of pathogens it has is kinda scary.
I am thinking of getting a strip of bird spikes from Home Depot to attach to my deck rail. They don’t hurt the birds, just deter them from perching.
Concrete Blonde! LOVE them. The soundtrack to my freshman year of university. “Joey”, “The Sky is a Poisonous Garden”, anything off “Bloodletting”. I had a serious goth streak but somehow never listened to Sisters of Mercy.
I still have my Sisters of Mercy CDs. “Lucretia My Reflection”, “Temple of Love”, and their cover of “Gimme Shelter” are highly recommended.
Kinda surprised I never picked up “Bloodletting” from Concrete Blonde.
Wearing Profumum Ichnusa to go along with my gardening today. I’m continuing on with my recommendation to grow something: the last few years I’ve been growing garlic and like tomatoes, there is a world of difference having fresh, juicy garlic versus the stuff in the stores. It’s *super* easy to grow and makes great gifts because not many people grow it. Happy weekend, all!
Are you growing garlic in a container or in the ground?
In the ground.
I’ve been slowly watching Sons of Anarchy, which ended in 2014. I am matching the character Gemma Teller ( played by Katey Sagal) with Black Orchid. They are both very compelling and sometimes I don’t like them. Lol.
I picked up extra hours tonight and am slightly regretting it now.
Scent twins indeed! But we sure had different matches for the perfume.
It’s rare if ever that we are twins.
I go through streaks with that scent. Sometimes I love it and other times I do not! So, I think we agree.
I do the same but I keep coming back to it!