We're marking (mourning? celebrating?) the last weekend in July with with our usual open thread poll.
Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the fragrance you're thinking you never wear and might as well get rid of, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Just like Narciso [cropped] by Kátia Goretti Dias Vazzoller at flickr; some rights reserved. [Note: this picture is a repeat from 2019 because I am out of town and having minor problems with my laptop!]
No need to apologize for repeating a photo, especially when it involves a cat. Any picture of a cat is worth a repeat viewing.
Right now I’m rather irritated at the sluggishness of both USPS and some sellers. I have two perfume orders placed many days ago that have just slipped through the cracks, both of them from ebay. One item was ordered back on July 12, and still has not shipped. I finally messaged the seller when a week had gone by with the status stuck at “USPS Awaiting Item”, and the reply was that they had just forgotten to mail it, but would get it out to me the next day. That was three days ago.
I am trying to be patient, as I suppose an absent-minded seller is better than USPS losing a package, which is what appears to have happened to my other order. The status is “USPS picked up item” on July 18, with nothing further. I fear the package is just gone. I suppose I could get a refund, but really I don’t want the money back, I want the item, especially since it is a rather rare and hard to find item (naturally, USPS couldn’t lose something that is easy to replace).
OK, rant over. SOTD is one of my recent purchases that DID make it to my house, vintage Shulton Friendship Garden. This one bears a strong family resemblance to at least two others from the same company. There is a hint of Old Spice’s carnation at first, but I also get hints of Blue Jeans, which was my go-to perfume in 8th and 9th grades. It is labeled as “Toilet Water”, but feels lighter than most contemporary EdT. It seems to have been intended to remain politely in the background, almost subliminal.
Basenotes has an article about USPS perfume shipping regulation changes that took effect on July 12. In essence, there’s now automated screening of packages and perfumes found to be incorrectly labeled are subject to a $50 fine. Maybe your package was flagged?
Oops, it’s a post, not an article, in the General Fragrance Discussion section.
Wow. Good to know. Although a bit odd. Has fragrance really caused so many problems for USPS that it needs to be flagged?
Oy yikes, this is really bad news.
Oh, I loved Blue Jeans, too and wore it in 8th grade as well! Haven’t thought of it in ages. Thanks for the mention.
Hmmm, but maybe I am thinking of a different fragrance. I looked it up on Fragrantica and the only Blue Jeans was by Versace, from 1994. I was in 8th grade more like mid 1970s… I know it was a similar name. I wonder what I am thinking of. Or was there another Blue Jeans by some other brand?
Shulton made a fragrance called Blue Jeans in the 1970s. It doesn’t seem to be in the database of either Fragrantica or Basenotes. Parfumo lists it, with a release date of 1970. It was heavily marketed to teenage girls. I got American Girl magazine in the late 1970s, and saw ads for it in just about every issue. I think they stopped making it sometime in the early 1980s, although I don’t now the exact year. I just know that when I had drained my bottle and went to buy a replacement, it had vanished from the stores. The Versace perfume is an entirely different thing.
Thank you! That was it. I didn’t think the Versace bottle looked right!
Google Shulton Blue Jeans: most of us who were around in the seventies remember it. (Fragrantica is very incomplete, btw.)
Yes, it was the Shulton. Thank you!
Hi, I am so sorry to hear about the obstacles with Your orders. I know how frustrating this can be. I am so sorry to be so nosey – or just curious – but the one that is rare and hard to find (I know what You mean by: I don’t really want the money back, I just want what I had purchased especially if it’s rare and hard to find) but which one was it that was hard to find? I want to know so badly which perfume is it that You are trying to make a purchase of!!
It is Caswell-Massey Casma, a vintage bottle with the C-M “coat of arms” label that should be the “original” formula, not the 2002 relaunch. I had some of the 2002 formula before, and I did like it, but I recall it being very different from the earlier formula. There are a few other bottles of Casma available, but they are all the 2002 reformulation. The older formulation is a very sweet, powdery floral aldehyde. The initial impression I get is of something coated in powdered sugar. That might not be everyone’s taste, but smelling it just makes me feel happy, and I would love to be able to spray it on with abandon, not just dab.
I recently acquired a “Cologne Sampler” set with small (15 mL) bottles each of Casma, White Rose, Lavender, Red Jasmin, and Helio. I hate Helio, like Lavender and Red Jasmin quite a lot, and love White Rose and Casma. I have already snagged a nearly FB of White Rose, and was hoping to add the bottle of Casma.
Oh thank You for this awesome reply. I am crossing my fingers You are able to get the pre-reformulated Casma!!
Sweet powdery floral aldehyde or something coated in powder sugar makes my mouth drool!! I have a feeling I would love that one too.
Sorry for your postal woes! Hope they will both show up.
I had totally forgotten about Blue Jeans! I very vaguely remember it being around…
Today felt like Hermès Vetiver Tonka, which I didn’t love when I got it as part of the first four-pack from their Hermessences line (before you could pick and choose — there were only four scents) but now I really do. It has the same flip-flop between warm and cool that Mugler Aura has.
Just got back from seeing The Odyssey, and it has flaws, primarily that it is MUCH TOO LOUD, almost to the point of being painful — I’d honestly have to recommend good concert earplugs — but mostly is just extraordinary, completely alive in a way that movies of classics hardly ever are. There will be Oscar nominees among the cast and Samantha Morton as Circe had better be one of them: it’s a standout performance.
Good to hear, I am seeing mixed reviews. There is no way I will ever see it in a theater so at least I won’t have to worry about the volume level 🙂
Divine Spirituelle today. Such a lovely rose: it’s a little ambery, spicy, and warm, yet light and airy.
Starting tomorrow we have guests for the next two weeks. Although I enjoy both sets that are coming, I always wish for a bit more down time in between. This time I only get a day in between. Enough time to change the sheets and clean the bathroom!
That is a quick turnaround…hope your guests are all lovely and you have a great time!
I’m recovering from my cold, and our weather seems to be perking up too. I haven’t left the house for a couple of days and I desperately need a walk and some fresh air!
I’m wearing the lovely Rouge Sarây from Atelier des Ors. It’s quite sweet, but it’s the dried fruit kind of sweet, not the caramel kind of notes that I don’t like.
I hope you will get that walk Gaynor! It’s awful to be cooped up with a cold.
108F right now and smelling like an almond croissant. 🥐
Gah.
That’s miserable.
Pity we can’t split the temperature between us. I could do with 20C
On the other side of the state, it is 95 degrees, but the weather report says it feels like 113. Plus, the humidity and dewpoint are making it miserable.
Jeeze Louise!
And now storms are coming in.
I slept poorly last night and so today I am dragging. I’m wearing BDK Rouge Smoking for the cinnamon blast in the top notes. The rest of the fragrance is just meh to me.
I’m also watching old episodes of Project Runway since seasons 21 and 22 are unwatchable for me. The older seasons captured the creativity of design but in the new episodes the focus has shifted from designing and sewing to bitchy “interviews” about the other cast members. It’s not about the clothes anymore.
Everything is so staged for ratings now. It’s irritating.
The concerning thing (to me anyway) is that all this kind of petty, crappy behavior by humans is getting high ratings. Why? Tearing down everyone seems to be the new religion. I find it all rather disgusting.
I have my conspiracy theory thoughts on this.
This really ramped up with Jerry Springer. Exploiting people and the such.. but I think it can even be traced back further. It is disgusting.
I’m currently in a layering of Eau de Marina over Dawn Detergent, or maybe the other way around. My younger stepson is watering our house plants and reports that the bottle of Fzotic Creosote that I blind-ordered was on the doorstep yesterday, so now I’m super anxious to get home and try it. But that won’t happen for several more days — sounds like Mr. G is going to have to stay here for a couple more rounds of boat repairs. Not at all sure I’m up for that much more boat time, so I may be flying home alone. Mr. G won’t be alone though — his older son is joining us sometime tomorrow, along with his wife, so if I stay on there will be double the number of butts vying for room in the kitchen and time in the facilities. Should be, er, interesting?
I hope you like your new perfume!
I hope so too! I usually at least like Fzotic’s offerings, and the description of Creosote is promising.
I’ve been wondering about Fzotic Soft Focus. Have you tried that one?
No, I haven’t. It sounds quirky … not that that’s a bad thing!
I’m combating our heatwave with spice – specifically, cumin. I’m in Parfum d’Empire’s Aziyadé, which I know divides opinions around these parts, and elsewhere. I tend to love cumin notes in perfume, and this one works on my skin. Maybe the most challenging from the PdE line, but I love it.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.
Hope you have a happy weekend, Daniel
I am sure it smells wonderful on you Daniel!
It was so cold on my morning walk today that my face ached and despite all my layers I feel quite chilled . At least it’s now sunny and I’m home with a nice hot chocolate and a pile of books. I’m wearing Journey again and about to hang out the washing, which will probably take three days to get almost dry. Saw lots of birds mating today, including one poor female duck that was held underwater while its mate mounted her. Seemed to go on and on for ever ( he held her head down with his bill) and I was relieved to see her make it through alive …sometimes Mother Nature seems a bit cruel
SOTD is Shalimar Millesime Rose. I am not sure this is the best choice in this heat, but I really like it so there you have it.
I just started reading The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. The author also wrote The Help so I can only guess that it will be a fabulous book. The first few pages already have me hooked though I think it will take me a while to read since it is 600+ pages. Anyone read it yet?
I matched my sotd with the picture. I’m wearing Narciso White Cube. I finally got the sprayer working again.
I’m working tonight and tomorrow night.
Great match. I love the photo but my first thought was “I hope there’s some stairs so he can climb out if he falls in.” 😬 We’re also work night twins. 👯♀️
BTW, what is the actual name of the White Cube?
It’s real name is just Narciso Rodriguez Narciso.
Thanks, I know this one gets mentioned a lot but I seem to have missed out on it all together. 😢
Wearing Iris Pallida after a long hot shower to scrub off all the sunscreen and bug spray from the camping trip and relaxing under the AC. Ahhh. Can’t wait for the summer heat to be over. I much prefer spring and fall.
Me too!
Me three!
Just got back from extended family vacation. It was quite nice but I am glad to have a few days here at home to get myself organized and relax before heading back to work.
Looking at all the scorching temperatures around the US, I am thankful we are having a cooler than usual summer, thus far. I know the heat is coming but at least my plants are all still alive with minimal assistance from the water hose and it is already late July.
I did a lot of sample-wearing on my vacation but wearing Kiehl’s Original Musk, one of my oldest perfumes, as a cozy welcome home.
Speaking of throwback musks, I bought some Alyssa Ashley Musk EDP at the duty free shop when I returned from Italy in April. I did not find the prices on most of the offerings to be that great in Europe and I bought the musk mainly as a curiosity. I tried it out, thought it was so-so at first but noted the shawl I had over my shoulders after wearing it smelled fantastic. One thing I have noted: the older fragrances lack the synthetic character of new scents. Don’t get me wrong, I like ambroxan and other synthetics but they are so ubiquitous that fragrances tend to smell a lot the same. I am glad I have a few vintage perfumes in my collection that smell different. I also noticed on my Alyssa Ashley bottle that it says the company is owned by Perris Monte Carlo.
Where I live – Aberdeen, north east Scotland – unfortunately all we can smell is smoke, coming from the dreadful forest fires burning in the Cairngorm mountain range, despite the fires being almost 100 miles west of us. The fires have been burning for days, & various parts of Scotland have been affected depending on the wind direction. People have had to leave their homes around the areas that are burning, although I believe some are now able to return. Someone working on an oil installation off Norway posted an article on LinkedIn saying the crew were told to stop working outside because the smoke was reaching the installation.
Well, I was wrong about the temps yesterday and got corrected when I got arrived at work and was told the high was 111F.
In an effort to not become a complete wreck at the state of the world, today I’m wearing B-A-N-A-N-A-S! CSP Banane Vanille to be specific. This perfume is the epitome of dumb and happy. I aspire to be just like it. 🙃
https://youtu.be/l9ml3nyww80?si=CVLpxOZVK9ET5w6y
I’m song matching your post🎵