If it's Saturday when you read this, rabbit rabbit rabbit! Welcome to August, aka Peach Month. That means we are late for our annual shower census....do tell us about the scented products in your bath or shower! How many scented shower gels and/or bar soaps are in your shower right now? And do tell us the names / products. If you have any great scented products in other categories (hair care?) tell us about those too.
Or, as always, just talk about something else.
Still in my shower from last year: Lush Sticky Dates, Lush Sunrise, Lush Posh Chocolate, Attitude Super Leaves Orange Leaves. (I have used up Rose Jam for the moment, as well as Lush Cherry Pop and Lush Bananaaa.) There is also a bit of Lush Jasmine & Henna hair treatment, quite expired but still in use.
New smellies:
Weleda Skin Food Body Wash smells like you'd expect if you've used the cream, and is unlikely to be universally loved but I am enjoying it. Like most of Weleda's body washes, it has a creamy consistency with relatively low lather. I am missing Weleda's Sea Buckthorn Body Wash and might buy that next.
Koala Eco Australian Mandarin, Lemon Myrtle & Pink Grapefruit Body Wash is a new-to-me reasonably priced (well, relatively: it is about $15 for 500 ml) citrusy herbal favorite. It has some glycerin so feels relatively non-drying, and like almost everything else in my shower is often mixed with other gels...I like it with Posh Chocolate but suspect that not everybody would.
Nuxe Hair Prodigieux High Shine Conditioner is less reasonably priced (about $30 for 200 ml but I did find it at a sale price). The sweet floral smell is nuclear-strength, and I can't even tell if I like it because it's so strong as to be slightly nauseating. Luckily I do not notice it after my hair is dry, and luckily I absolutely love how my hair feels after using it, but I will never buy the matching shampoo and I will think hard before replacing the conditioner. They really should do an unscented version.
Note: the "Loofah for Kids Bath Sponge Cute Animal Bunny Gift Set" is $17 at Amazon.
I remembered to 🐇 belatedly, but better late than not at all, right? SOTM is Naomi Goodsir’s Or du Serail because DeniseH mentioned mango yesterday.
I see that I neglected the poll. For some unknown reason, most of my shower gels and body washes have been relegated to the cupboard. Right now there’s only Juniper Ridge Big Sur body wash (currently out of production, hoping they’ll bring it back) and Fzotic Toasted Lilac bar soap. And KMS has replaced its Tame Frizz line (the one that had the heavenly cocoa aroma) with All Smooth, which actually works better on my hair but lacks that wonderful scent. It does (allegedly) contain olive essence which gives it a very nice, slightly herbal scent. Both still have shelf space in my shower.
I do wish Fzotic would do shower gels! I cannot bring myself to buy more bar soap but I would love to try the Toasted Lilac.
Well, as it happens, Bruno’s newsletter email today features the Toasted Lilac soap, and mentions that it’s at its freshest at this time of year. 🙂
The toasted lilac soap, as with all his soaps, is lovely. I wish I lived in the U.S. and could order them more often.
So far, I have some Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 62 and Lush Sleepy body washes going in my shower at the moment. The lotions of both are in rotation along with my unscented lotion. Currently in Infusion d’iris. Today is my dad’s birthday but we are celebrating tomorrow since I have to work today.
Happy birthday to your dad, Dawn!
Remembered my rabbits…gonna need the luck in the next few months, so I’ll take anything I can.
I’m not one for many bath products, but I do always have scented soap. Right now I have an orange flower one from Provence that I picked up at the lavender store on Granville Island, and a wild rose scented shaving soap that I make myself.
Ockeghem Teen managed to give me the cold she had before / during camp (or, maybe I shouldn’t have been hiking in cold rain at Whistler last weekend?). I’m trying desperately not to give it to Mr. Ockeghem, who has one more performance of Monteverdi to play tomorrow, so that means I’m sleeping on the couch, which is just a bit too short for me. My cat is not pleased when I come down at night, after trying to sleep in bed, and boot her out of her bed on the couch. She’s been expressing her displeasure by doing naughty things and keeping me up.
Ugh, feel better ockeghem!
Summer colds are the worst. I hope thing improve soon because your cat may be planning your demise in retaliation for taking up his/her “spot.” You know how vengeful cats are…🤣
Ugh about the cold. Do sleep with your eyes open though because you know you are infringing on the owner’s sleeping quarters 🤣.
I have to say she was more chill about it last night than when I did it Wednesday night / Thursday morning. Then she picked at the bottom of the dining room chairs (which are Hans Wegner chairs with paper cord seats, which, yeah, it’s like a scratching post but NOT), and jumped on the dining room table, both of which she knows are no nos. Then she tried to scratch at the couch, which I was on, so she knew that was a suicide mission.
I hope you feel better soon 🙂 I’m onto day ten of a summer cold and I do feel better. My cat behaved beautifully (for once!) and stayed with me quite a bit. Try and stay hydrated-hard to do if you have a sore throat, I know. Look after yourself:)
Hmm, how do I put this politely, I’m sort of a bath product ho. 🤣
I have way too many choices and rotate a lot. At home I currently have a last bar of Snow Fairy soap, along with the following shower gels: LUSH Rose Jam, Philosophy Senorita Margarita, Native Tie-Dye Vanilla Cupcake and a citrus mangosteen I forget the brand. At the CABIN outdoor shower I have Pasha coconut soap, Body Shop Cherries and Cheer and an Italian brand I picked up in Genoa that is lemon basil. These are my summer products, they’ll change in September to fall.
Hello kettle, LOL…
Hello pot! 😆
Rabbits to everyone! I am still commando because I am pre-shower, just being lazy. Later this afternoon I will be attending via Zoom the memorial service for my close friend who died of cancer two weeks ago. I’m still struggling to absorb the shock of her very rapidly progressing illness. It will be good to hear others speak about her; the funeral is in Oregon and too far for me to attend.
Back to the poll–my shower still has the same washes as last year, Delina and Rocky Mountain Blood Orange and Grapefruit. I just don’t use them much! I do have new shampoo I like, L’Oreal Silver Hair Shampoo. I’ve often used the purple hair type from them but I think the silver is better. It has a strong rose scent that I don’t mind but it might put some people off.
By my sink I have of Mrs. Meyers basil hand wash. It’s among my favorites, along with lavender and After the Rain.
Is the Silver Hair shampoo purple or blue or? I have their Ever Pure purple and detest the smell so I almost never use it, in fact it’s hiding in the closet.
It’s Ever Pure Silver and isn’t purple. It is a very light blue color but the smell is very different, like a rose. I like it a lot. You only need to use a small amount.
I should look into that. My stylist said I should use purple shampoo once or twice a week to tone down the natural red in my hair to go with the growing silver, and she said to go with the cheap stuff, but it just didn’t really work for me (I was using the L’Oreal purple).
Ever Pure Purple does have a truly terrible smell! The Aveda purple line is much better but is also much pricier.
Thank you! I should try the Aveda…the Ever Pure was cheaper but a waste of money.
Your blood orange sounds great..I Love that smell
Sorry about your friend. My 2 best friends date back to high school. So far, all 3 of us are healthy but I treasure all of our time together. I live far from them and we make efforts to stay in touch.
You are very fortunate to have them! I appreciate your sympathy. The Zoom plus in-person memorial tribute meeting was really quite good, with sad and funny moments, and a few very poignant comments. I learned things about my friend that I hadn’t known–she was someone with many facets and a wide range of interests.
Calypso! Somehow I read the 2nd part of your message (my eye zeroed right in on haircare) and not the first part, I am so sorry. I am glad the zoom memorial service was good and you have my sympathies.
Me too! I am so glad the Zoom was good. I just lived through a borderline annoying service for my grandmother (she wanted it simple but my uncle felt she wanted a preacher but she hadn’t been to church in decades, so he invited any Methodist preacher they could get. He was just supposed to do the basics but somehow he kept going on about how he never knew her but the Bible would be comfort, so he’d quote more of it). The lunch afterward with my extended family was so much better for sharing stories.
Calypso I’m sorry for your loss. I hope the service brings you some comfort. Take care.
Using my old standby, Shikai’s Yuzu, and also Maran’s Topless Tangerine–both are nondrying, though the Shikai foams up a little better. Tempted by Each & Every’s Eternal Summer coconut and lime shower gel. Always see Necessaire products, which I’ve never tried.
I still have half a gallon (!!) of my ShiKai Yuzu refill but when it is gone I think I will switch to the Koala Eco, assuming they sell refills — have not checked yet.
I keep meaning to try the Maran line!
I love ShiKai Yuzu and have been using it for a few years.
Happy weekend!
Sotd is Balenciaga 100% (that’s the name!). A beautiful rose that is reminiscent to Delina Exclusif but less “girly”.
In my shower now:
Sol de Janeiro Delícia Drench shower oil – smells perfumey (in a good way) and scent lingers after shower.
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Play shpwer gel
Lush Sticky Dates shower gel
Lush Ginger shampoo – my scalp was angry due to a previous harsh shampoo and this help sooth my scalp immensely
OUAI Bond Repair Balm – use in place of conditioner and it intensely repairs my hair, making it smooth, shiny and verrry soft. (Highhhhly recommend)
Out of shower find mention:
Oribe Hair Alchemy Bond Building Elixir – apply on damp hair, this is so effective at repair as well. I also highly recommend (but it is very pricey).
I use the Oribe Hair Alchemy shampoo and volume conditioner
Oribe products are really so good. Sachajuan is also another great brand.
Sticky Dates is a good one, but I use that one in the cooler months.
I have all the SD products, shower gel, lotion, body mist, hair primer… everytime I use SD I feel compelled to use the whole line and smell mighty delicious.
Somehow I missed that there’s a Lush Ginger shampoo! Does it have the same scent as the Ginger shower gel and/or perfume?
It actually smells like freshly grated spicy ginger! Earthy and mind awakening.
Oooh, I should look into that.
Pantene shampoo that I refill into a glass pump bottle
Unknown bar soap (but I have a 3-pack of Maja soap waiting)
Clinique facial scrub
Since last year’s poll I discovered the LUSH Archive webpage, thanks to you all! Now my normally boring shower (above) has a huge bottle of Avocado Wash, and a Cynthia Stout shampoo waiting in the cabinet. Both will last me forever.
It’s hot! Wearing Sunflowers today for a birthday party.
Avocado wash sounds good. I haven’t tried that.
I chuckled when I read Kelly Red’s post because I do identify with that addiction!🤣Just as I do with my perfumes, I change bath products seasonally – and a few monthly – and keep several shelves in a bathroom closet stocked with them, too numerous to mention all. Since my theme for August is white florals and coconut, you’ll find beachy, gardenia, jasmine and coconut products.
Today my SOTD is LMDLV Vanille Divine Des Tropiques edt layered over YR Island Vanilla sg, and BBW Tahiti Island Dream bc, bl, and bs.
Cool and rainy today and much of tomorrow, and I’m very happy to start the month with a quiet weekend at home. Will be leisurely doing miscellaneous while listening to and watching baseball much of today and evening.
Happy weekend to all!⚾️🧢
I’m like you. I have several in a box and several on shelves in my shower. They get rotated for the seasons. Right now, I have floral, coconut and beachy as well plus a citrus.
You have exactly what I have👍!
Twins 😊
I keep it simple. In my shower are half a tub of Lush Posh Chocolate body wash, the thick paste (the entire line is discontinued but I have a bottle of the shower gel when that’s gone), and a large pump bottle of Axe Dark Temptation, which serves me as both shampoo and body wash. It’s based on Mugler A*Men, much simplified, of course, but it does have that chocolate note and it’s surprisingly good. I have a number of backup bottles because they’re going to discontinue it some day, of course they are.
Oh, I adore anything chocolate scented, I bet that paste smells amazing!
The Sees candy factory is right down the street from our gym (Burlingame), we often walk out post workout to the smell of chocolates, marsmallow, and caramel. It doesn’t help when we’re trying to eat less sugar.
Oh, the Lush Posh Chocolate is lovely. I had it for my kid when we were living in Germany last, but it didn’t get used much, so I used it up before we moved home.
This is so timely, because I just this morning ran out of everything! I’m out of soap! (It was Whole Foods jasmine gardenia.) I’m out of shampoo and conditioner! (They were Native Peach and Nectar.) I’m out of face wash! (La Roche Posay unscented, because scents in face products always irritate my skin.). Looking for inspiration!
I bought a little bottle of Lush Rose Jam in 2014 (so says the bottle), used it once, hated the scent, and put it away. Earlier this year I poured it into a citrus-scented body wash (I don’t remember what it was, it’s in a generic pump bottle) so now I’m using it. I also have a Weleda Sea Buckthorn tube that’s about 2/3 gone. In reserve are some sandalwood bar soaps and Lush Hot Toddy and Flying Fox, both from 2014 as well!
I am still sampling. Today is Initio Oud for Greatness. I like it quite a lot, the price not so much. I certainly don’t need a full bottle of anything but I might spring for a 10ml decant.
Yesterday I signed a contract for a new roof on the house since mine is 20 years old and has started to leak. The price took my breath away. Housing codes have changed and the gaps in my 74-year-old tongue and groove roof decking no longer meet code, so I have to have plywood sheathing put down over the whole area before the waterproof membrane and shingles get nailed down. Plus, I need new gutters and downspouts, too. The company has hundreds of five star reviews, absolutely stands by their work, and came in 15K under an estimate I got last year. But wow, it’s a lot of money.
I’m sorry about your roof. The amount of money it takes own and maintain a home these days is diabolical.
Ugh, I can definitely empathize since my roof is also due for a replacement before long.
I didn’t like Rose Jam at first either, but several years later Robin mentioned mixing it with ShiKai Yuzu and that combination I like. I bet your citrus body wash works well with it.
Yes, it smells nice now!
Ugh, I’m so sorry to hear about the roof, they are so damned expensive. Mine was replaced and upgraded to hurricane code in 2015, I’m hoping for a few more years but who knows??
Yeah, my strata is going to need to replace the roof soon, just based on age. It will be crazy expensive. I feel you.
Yikes. I can only imagine the price tag on that roof replacement. Does homeowners insurance help out at all?
No, not at all. It isn’t storm or wind related damage, it’s just an old roof.
Adorable little bunnies!
Feeling flush in shower department right now. Generally I only have one soap or shower gel that I toodle around with in the camper, and sometimes it’s a multipurpose shampoo/body soap type of thing. Since I’ve been back in a sticks and bricks for a couple of months now, I’m reverting back to buying things I don’t really need, like multiple shower gels/lotions/candles. This is how it begins. If I’m here for another 6 months I would fill up my entire bathroom vanity with “stuff!” 🙃
As it is, right now I have Sarah Horowitz Perfect Vanilla shower gel and lotion. Both of these I prefer to the perfume because they’re more scented and the lotion especially leaves my skin wonderfully soft and supple.
Then I have the BBW Almond Croissant shower gel and body creme, which I’m thoroughly enjoying. The scent is initially quite strong but fades fast so it doesn’t interfere with perfume. The body cream is just average as far as a moisturizer goes.
As for hair care, it’s mostly a generically scented. I have a bottle of Redken Blondage to keep my greys silvery, a bottle of Nizoral to keep my picky sensitive scalp healthy, and a jar of Curlsmith Double Cream Deep Quencher conditioner to keep my curls bouncy. When I feel like splurging I use Briogio Curl Cream to “style” my hair, alternating with Olaplex #10 Curl Gel. Neither has a noticeable fragrance. I also recently bought a back up candle of “A Day at the Cafe” last week because I love it.
Today I’m wearing CSP Amour de Cacao. It’s around 100F again and I must venture out into the Hellscape at some point today. I’m off for the next couple of weeks and it would be nice if it cooled off a bit so I could tolerate being outdoors. There’s some lovely hiking in the area but between the heat and my constant (but slowly improving) fatigue, I’ve been hibernating in the A/C like a big fat grumpy grizzly. ROWR!🐻
I don’t think I can tolerate 100F degrees at all no matter the humidity. I went to Wegmans this afternoon and the sushi guy (I don’t if he does sushi but he’s usually around there) asked if I am enjoying the breeze. I had to look at him intently to say it’s kind of humid but I suppose he was thinking of the breeze when he and his family were on vacation several weeks ago!
I do not have little bunnies in my shower
And I am sad.
Triple digit temps suck. I feel sorry for my brother, since he is working during the latest spate of that here. At least he’s on the night shift.
Sorry to hear about your fatigue, a good quality vitamin supplement perhaps? Lots of red fruits and citrus too.
🐇 🐇🐇 x 4 so I have 3 to give away!
SOTD = Guerlain Tobacco Honey
Smells good!
In other news, if you fly Southwest (I don’t think I’ve ever), you may need to show up 5 minutes earlier than usual – 35 minutes and not the usual 30 minutes. That said, I try to be at the boarding area usually around 1 hour beforehand. Here’s article from the New York Post mentioning this.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/01/lifestyle/southwests-new-earlier-boarding-time-is-live-see-what-it-means-for-your-travel-day/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=mail_app
Thanks for the bunnies. I totally forgot them today.
In the middle of this SoCal heatwave, I’m indulging in Eau de Cologne from Chanel, spraying it liberally and frequently.😊
Stay cool
Daniel you smell great! One of my favourites, too 🙂
I really love soaps and shower gels.
Right now I am finishing up SMN Melograno shower gel and I also have Chanel Chance eau tendre hand and body wash which smells amazing. I am looking for a nice smelling soap for the kitchen.
🐇🐇🐇! Today is also Colorado Day, and this year marks the sesquicentennial of Colorado being admitted as the 38th state. That fancy $5 word means 150th year.
Currently hanging out in my shower are 2 LUSH showergels (Sparkling Light and Mango Lassi) and one from Korres (Jasmine Renewing Body Cleanser). The LUSH showergels are limited editions from previous years’ Diwali collections. Mango Lassi is pretty self explanatory. Not a strong mango scent to it, though. Sparkling Light is a combination of black pepper and jasmine; surprisingly harmonious.
I also have 3 different facial cleansers and one scrub hanging out in my shower. I rotate thru them depending on how my skin is behaving (or not).
SOTD = back in Eau de Neroli Dore.
I knew I knew that $5 word, from Oregon’s 150th a few years ago … but how is it possible that Oregon became a state before Colorado? I’m off to do some research.
Colorado’s nickname is The Centennial State. 😉
A quick Wikipedia search shows that Oregon became a state before the Civil War.
Yes. In researching, I had to slap my head when it became clear that ocean-going exploration would of course mean that coastal territories (not to mention lumber-producing areas) would be populated sooner than inland territories. Duh. 🤣
Happy Colorado day and ma y thanks for a new-to-me word.
In my shower:
*the last of the now-gone Yves Rocher honeysuckle shower gel;
*Le Petit Marseillais almond shower gel;
*Chanel Paris-Venise body gel.
Oh, I would be all over that honeysuckle shower gel. But I rarely visit countries with Yves Rocher anymore (they’re not in Germany, or at least the parts I visit)…and it sounds like it’s not available, anyway. Sigh.
I’m not a big shower gel person but I love a good smelling soap.
Currently in the shower:
– Féret Parfumeur Délicat parfum de miel/honey fragranced soap (if you like honey, this is a must have)
– Aveda Ultra Exfoliating Shampoo (I don’t know if it really helps prevent hair loss but I’m giving it a try)
– Misc conditioners, usually from mini samples. I’m intrigued by the Nuxe conditioner that Robin mentioned so I might try it when I’ve gone through the current stash.
I adore a nice soap as well, that honey soap sounds delish! I hear honey is a natural humectant, another plus!
It says that it’s a “delicate” honey fragrance but it’s pretty strong (and good!) to my nose.
I’d be curious to hear about your experience with that Aveda shampoo.
It’s hard to tell how much the shampoo is helping vs. taking Minoxidil (the pill form of Rogaine). It’s a sub-therapeutic dose of a blood pressure medication that also stimulates hair growth. I read about it in the NYTimes, met with my dermatologist and she recommended it.
It has definitely worked, though I will add that in a minority of cases (I was one), you lose hair before it stimulates growth. This was alarming for the first few months but like clockwork, on the 3rd month, the hair loss stopped and my hair slowly started filling out. My hairdresser is impressed!
The other thing it does is spur hair growth everywhere, which is difficult for people with dark hair. I’m a blonde so a little peach fuzz on my face is okay considering the other benefits.
I have not tried your shampoo but I use one by Lanza that is a stimulating shampoo that is supposed to help with new growth.
Rabbit rabbit! I have a few scented goodies in the shower. My favorite summer bath scent is Linden, I’m finishing up the last dregs of Roger & Gallet’s Tilleul shower gel, I have a linden soap from them that I’ll crack open when the gel is gone. The packaging is so pretty, it’s a shame to break it open.
I have Verveine soaps from pre de Provence, the large 16 oz size soap, I’ve used this one for years and it lasts forever!
I came across a tube of Aromatics Elixir shower gel/cream, it’s old but still good – I wish scents came in the full line of body products, it’s so enjoyable to use the soap, gel, deodorant, and cream. I guess it no longer sells. I have two bars of the AE soap that I ordered from Germany, they are too sentimental for me to use, but my sock drawer smells pretty good!
For shampoo and conditioner, I have the Moroccan Oil shampoo, conditioner, and leave in conditioner. I love what it does for my curly hair but it is so intensely fragranced, if it were reduced by half, that’d be a godsend!
I have at least one tube of Aromatics Elixir lotion. It’s very well scented, so much so that sometimes I mix it with unscented lotion. Too bad my favorite unscented lotion for that purpose is being discontinued.
Aromatics Elixir bodycare products are so good. It really sucks they are no more. I used to rotate between the deodorant and Youth Dew.
Did you know Moroccan Oil also has perfumes? One of them I think is the scent of their products.
I wish they sold the entire line of products too. I loved it years ago when I could at least get the body wash and lotion to go with the perfume. A salesperson told me that it didn’t sell too.
Just popping in to say I’m continuing the CP not with a meal but with more fruit – one of my fave Jo Malone’s, the d/c Wild Fig & Cassis. It’s also very green and cooling so double points for me. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Never more than a couple of shower gels on the go, I am faithful to Original Source usually because I discovered it when I first landed in the UK, and I’ve never seen it anywhere else, it’s UK-made, currently Mango, Lime which is especially amazing and they have limited editions too, OS is not a luxury brand but agrees with my skin, I get them at Boots usually. Soaps are another matter, usually 3 or 4 at a time, always a R&G Oeillet Mignardise and other less fancy brands but always French. Oriza L. Legrand soaps are wonderful but spendy.
Wearing l’Eau Mixte as I found a forgotten brand new bottle in the guest bedroom that I didn’t know I had, I had loved a sample years ago so must have purchased then.
I never managed to do my errands yesterday. The only time I went outside was to take the dog out to do her business, all the while urging her to hurry up and pick a spot before I spontaneously combusted. Then who would give her belly rubs?!
I was up and at ‘em early today before the heat killed what little energy I possess. Got some stuff done before 9am and don’t plan on leaving the A/C again today. Predicted high is supposed to be >100F again. I’ll be busy staying cool-ish and making a chickpea salad with a lemon vinaigrette for dinner.
Wearing CSP Vanille Banane because I need a whole lotta Chiquita Banana energy today. 🍌
Stay cool, and for all those facing the fires out west here, I’m doing a rain dance because it’s effing tragic. 🌧️💧
Oh I love bath and shower gels. I have La Proche products for when I need to be unscented, and then I have loads of nice Roger Gallet soaps (love bois dosage, the new vanilla soleil one, and the classic cologne one), multiple L’artisan gels ( mure et must, la chase, and historic d’oranger), and some Goutal Paris eau d’hadrian shower gels. I live in the middle of nowhere so I bought these at the discounters when they were available.
Wearing vintage Lauren today, thanks to a perfume goddess online friend I made here-her generosity still amazes me. Trying to get up the courage to use my road bike with lipless pedals-one thing I find about being middle age is fears pop up out of nowhere, for no good reason. So I am pushing back against this unwarranted fear by doing a small slow tame ride, to get some courage back. Wish me luck, please!
so many auto corrections, which were fine without the auto corrects-ugh!
My new (old) bottle of Cristalle has arrived!! And thanks to Denise H. I was able to borrow down the version of Cristalle that I fell in love with. It’s the flat, rectangle, squarish bottle – from the 1990s. Almost a year ago I was able to purchase a lot of like 12 or 15 Cristalle vintage samples and loved it. Ordered the slimmer, thinner bottle and the scent was off. Ordered a newer version and it wasn’t it. Denise H. was so kind and generous She sent me a little bit left in that rectangular, flat bottle – Her preferred version – and that was it!! Thanks to that I am now able to repurchase this fantastic version of Cristalle and it’s the snowy, fresh, soft ice queen of a beautiful scent. One of a kind. Soft but in its own special way. It’s just so one of a kind.
I have also ordered a tiny, mostly used (but with more than enough left) sample (clearly someone’s decant) of Misia. Because there was like only 2ml left of its original 5ml content I paid less than $3.00 plus shipping. Just with my lifelong perfume experience, reading the list of notes and descriptions of Misia I unmistakenly knew what to expect. I was more than aware that it was going to be a rose-violet scent and was prepared for it to smell very familiar. Just a side note, personally, I am all for violet perfumes. I absolutely love powdery and violet. I was sure that it was impossible for me to dislike Misia because as a rule of thumb I LOVE violet and powdery. The reason I have put it off for so long to try Misia is because of how familiar I am with this fragrance family. I just KNEW I would probably love it, the very least like it, but with the prices of samples and perfumes not so cheap, during the last year of collecting Chanel, I had been focusing on trying Chanel Exclusifs that I had no clue about what they would end up smelling like just from descriptions. But I saw this sample at such a steal, it didn’t matter what the atomizer looked like or how much was left in it, if I was going to try Misia, and I live too far from the nearest Chanel boutique, that was the best (cheapest) opportunity to do so.
I will be honest, Misia smelled just like I knew it would (or imagined it to). It smells strong and what surprised me the most – very woody. To me, in my opinion, it is a VERY woody perfume. And I absolutely freegin* love it so much. I can’t stop thinking about it. That’s crazy. If I could give it a nickname I would call it: “Woodland Violet”. This is what comes to my mind when I smell Misia. It is candied-violet with juicy raspberry, blush rose and some rooty iris on a total woody base. What woods You may ask? I don’t know. But I do know that Chanel has made it very clear to me that this smells like a violet in the woods and I am obsessed!! Insolence? Absolutely not. Not even Lipstick Rose.
I love imagining that I already have my very own, large if possible, bottle of Misia and I get to use this as much as I may want. I think whenever I splurge on the next Exclusif – it may very possible be Misia.
Another thing is that how many times have I searched Evilbay or the other sites looking for perfumes. Thousands of times, really. I have made hundreds of perfume purchases throughout the years, plenty on the second hand market.
I have several bottles of niche/high end perfumes that I don’t use. Some are rare, hard to find, discontinued or just of high value. It’s been a long time now I have been thinking about what I should do with them. Keep them? I certainly don’t or haven’t ever used them. Sell them? I’m scared because I read so many stories about how these sites protect the buyers and not the sellers. How some people do the whole fraudulent return thing and what not and the seller loses both the item and the money.
Ideally I would be able to swap them for Chanel perfume but this isn’t the early 00s and I have searched high and lo’ and apart from swap days on NST, I haven’t been able to find anything even remotely as easy and friendly looking as it was back in the day with makeup***y functioning as a swapping platform. What do You guys do when some of Your bottles are just collecting dust when You could actually turn them into something You would like to own and wear?