A few questions to consider as August goes whizzing by. As always, answer as few or as many as you like, or just talk about something else.
1. What fragrance are you wearing today?
2. What's the last (new, or new to you) fragrance you tested, and what did you think of it?
3. On a scale of 0% to 100%, how "complete" do you consider your perfume collection?
4. If your collection is incomplete, are there any thematic holes you are still trying to fill, and if so, what are they?
5. What's blooming outside in your part of the world?
6. Share something wonderful with us! It can be anything — the most fun thing you did recently, something delicious you ate, your latest binge-worthy TV series, the last good book you read, any fabulous news you recently received — really, anything…
Note: top image is On The Pond [cropped] by Joel Olives at flickr; some rights reserved.
My answers:
1. Frederic Malle Carnal Flower.
2. I am not sure I have tried anything since JHAG Banana Rush, which I did not like at all.
3. 100%
4. If I buy anything else it will probably be something random that I don’t need!
5. There are still crape myrtles, and rose of sharon, and peegee hydrangeas (the oakleaf hydrangea blooms are all brown). The water lilies at Longwood Gardens near me are in top form and I need to get over there and see them…have been there very little this summer because HOT.
6. I listened to a great podcast on Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse at the gym this week and it has inspired me to re-read VW.
https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/the-lrb-podcast/the-philosophy-of-to-the-lighthouse
I will listen to that podcast. I love the LRB. OaklandF here on NST turned me on to the LRB with her recommendation of Mary Renault on the LRB.
I have only listened to a couple so far. Another good one on books is Backlisted.
I am reading Mrs Dalloway right now after reading and watching Hours.
This is my first VW read and I think it won’t be the last.
I will listen to the podcast, thank you.
Oh that one is my favorite, hope you will enjoy it!
NYPL has a large number of her holdings as well as diaries. I got to read her last diary entry before she went into the river.
Woow, that is amazing! I love memoirs and diaries and that last one should have been special.
Warning: some reformulation angst below… 😉
1. What fragrance are you wearing today?
A recent manufacturer sample of Musc Ravageur (w/ the red plastic atomizer) that’s smells noticeably different and worse for the wear than my 2021 bottle. Also, because I am nuts, I hunted down an older of MR from 2011, I believe, which I haven’t tried yet but am going to break into soon and will report my findings.
2. What’s the last (new, or new to you) fragrance you tested, and what did you think of it?
This morning I revisited probably circa 2015 samples of Diptyque’s Eau Mage, Benjoin Bohème and Ôponé. Mage is forgettable and smells like ambroxan mostly and Ôponé is a fairly standard woody rose. Benjoin Bohème is by far the nicest and most interesting…I will sample on skin at some point but imagine you’d have to hunt down an old bottle as I am guessing the current version will be subpar.
3. On a scale of 0% to 100%, how “complete” do you consider your perfume collection? Unknowable…you cannot step in the same river twice. eaheheh
4. If your collection is incomplete, are there any thematic holes you are still trying to fill, and if so, what are they?
Yes but the holes are always changing…see response above. 😉
5. What’s blooming outside in your part of the world?
Beautiful jacaranda trees all around and some deep purple mini Angel’s Trumpet in my backyard…we planted it from seed in a garden bed and it’s more than 7 feet high now…the hummingbirds love it too.
6. Share something wonderful with us!
My niece in CT finally got a full-time librarian position at a brand new library! She has had two part-time librarian positions for last few years but full-time positions are few and far between and the job market for 20 somethings is pretty tough (sadly tough for other ages too I know 🙁 ) . She diligently applied for several positions and went on multiple interviews…so proud of her. 🙂
Do update us with the MR comparison. I have a bottle from 2013 and love it, but it’s more of a spice fest than a musk fest on me. And congrats to your niece! 👏
Will give an update on MR when I try it and thank you!
I smelled Musc Ravageur in the red sample vial recently and thought the same. Quite changed. I thought I smelled lavender amidst the spices and amber. None of the intense rubbery amber topnotes I remember from years ago.
Congrats on your niece. Librarians are amazing, so happy for her.
Thank you, DeniseH! Yes, the sample was really weak…I shall report back when I break into the older bottle.
Perfect answer to #3!
And more congrats to your niece!
Thank you, Robin! 🙂
LOVE #3!!
Thank you, SP! 🙂
I’m so glad she has a new position! Congratulations to her! I worked in a library for 18 years, it was heaven. 🙂
Thank you, SmokeyToes! She is very excited. 18 years of heaven sounds like a wonderful career! 🙂
It was really fun, and our used bookstore was always filled with treasures for .50 or $1, CDs and DVDs as well. Thank goodness I have loads of shelf space, I’ve found more than my share of good books to read. The ‘to read’ list always grows longer, never shorter!
Fantastic news about your niece!
Thank you, Jalapeno! 🙂
1 thru 4: In finishing up a week of Fzotic, last night I dug into the discovery set and (re?)discovered Monserrat. I had clearly tried it before as the little vial was half empty, but I had no recollection of it at all even after spraying. It captured my fancy immediately, so this morning I looked up a few other osmanthus/apricot scents and came up with SL Jeux de Peau, and not much else with osmanthus other than Osmanthe Yunnan. I have a tiny mini of JdP that I don’t wear often because of how hard it is to get the tiny stopper out. It’s nice, but not nearly as cheerfully fruity as Monserrat, which may well be the next bottle I acquire to fill the osmanthus/apricot hole that I am now aware of in my collection. So my SOTM is JdP over the remnants of Monserrat.
5. Last fall we took out the grass in the narrow strip alongside the driveway and put in small gardenia shrubs, on the recommendation of the guy who maintains our sprinkler system. I expected the gardenias to take one look around and promptly expire, but lo and behold they’re in bloom now for the second time! Their scent is better than any gardenia note I’ve ever encountered in perfumery.
6. Something wonderful … I had an idea for this just yesterday and now have no idea what it was. Brain like a sieve …
Well your #5 also works for something wonderful!
So it does! Thanks!
1. By default I’m wearing Bois des Iles because I’m wearing the same shirt today as yesterday.
2. I think the newest one is Fzotic Deixis. I bought a travel spray unsniffed and like it quite a lot but it will be better in winter, for sure. I think I’ve also sniffed some random stuff at Ulta in the past few weeks but nothing memorable.
3. 110%. I’ll be offloading some outliers before I hit the road this fall. I would like to add some more florals but there are just so few I’ve liked in this category that I’ve about given up.
4. See ⬆️
5. On the drive back today, fields and fields on sunflowers in all their glory!
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
6. I’m upright, in my (mostly) right mind, and (mostly) continent. Plus, I just ate a superb peach. 🍑 Does it get any better? I mean, world peace would be great but I don’t see that ever happening with Homo sapiens at the wheel.
My raspberry compote, which I never knew was so easy to make, turned out fabulous! Just sweet enough to offset the tartness of the lemons and the berries. It’s delish on top of a toasted slice of Costco Cranberry Walnut Bread. 😋 Now I’m for a nap because I just finished the long drive back and unpacked the camper. The Bestie beat me to it and is already snoring away on my pillow. 💤
Have a great weekend, all!
Oh I’m so glad the raspberry compote turned out well. I was wondering. You can make it with almost any fruit you have in excess and it will turn out well. But raspberries and blueberries are so easy peasy because there’s no peeling or coring or pitting involved. I’m a big fan of homemade compotes and jams because most commercial jams have too much sugar for me. I have yet to try marmalade though. But it is on my list of things to make.
Raspberry is a bit seedy, but for free..? Not gonna waste them. I generally buy frozen fruit because fresh goes bad quickly with just myself, especially in the warmer months. And because sometimes it’s a couple of weeks between grocery store visits when I’m out boondocking. I must have been thinking of a making a coulis instead of compotes because they’re a more labor intensive endeavor. 😅
I hope you mean content and not continent 🤣🤣🤣
I absolutely meant “continent.” 🙃
Maybe I was hoping you meant mostly content.
I absolutely knew you meant continent!
1. Demeter Fuzzy Navel. Yesterday I was hunting in vain for their Orange Cream Pop for Creamsicle Day and I stumbled across this, which — and I know how awful this is — I had forgotten I owned. It’s the quintessence of Demeter: surprisingly accurate (orange and peach), a super fun thing to smell like, no lasting power whatsoever.
2. I rarely ever smell things in stores any more but I got a discovery set from Wild Coast Perfumery in March and there are a few scents I like a whole lot, particularly Stoker (maple syrup and patchouli): I may have to spring for a full bottle.
3. 20%? Maybe? I have quite a few bottles (enough to forget that some of them even exist, apparently) and I should be happy with them, I know I should, but in an ideal world I would have access to all manner of vintage — things I never got to smell in the wild, things I owned once and would kill to have again, all that. Every now and then I peruse auction sites and sigh longingly.
4. All the chypres and some of the orientals from bygone days. No surprise there. I’m not actively trying to acquire them, for the most part: I’m really just dreaming.
5. Once the lilac is gone in late May/early June, I don’t pay a lot of attention to the flora of this part of the world. If it doesn’t have a smell, I can’t get terribly interested in it.
6. Over the course of the last few years I’ve gotten more and more interested in sewing. I started with masks in the days of COVID, and then made a barbecue apron (seemed easy, was), and then some quilts, and recently I’ve graduated to actual clothing! I started with a pair of lounging trousers aka pajama bottoms, I’m just putting the finishing touches on a couple of pairs of shorts (the gym kind, not the underpants kind), and I’m gearing up to make a shirt — very nervous about that but I really want to try. I make a fair number of mistakes and learn from them, and I’m enjoying myself so much: I never could have expected that even five years ago.
Best of luck with the sewing! Sounds like you’ve got a good start on a great and useful hobby. My mom was an absolute whiz. I wish I had a small compact sewing machine because it would come in very handy. 🪡
Oh congrats on the sewing, I would love to know how to sew!
It’s been a very busy last 2 days and I’m just catching up with this week’s cp now. SOTD is RL Ralph Rocks, which has been described as a ‘citrus floral cream.’ What it is is a creamsicle scent with a tropical vibe, especially layered over Dessert Treats Creamsicle body lotion and Calvin Orange Pop body mist. 🧡Although the Ralph Rocks is geared towards my granddaughter’s generation – not this grandma’s – I enjoy it as a juicy summer scent and have just a few spritzes left. . And the small bottle is a pleasant reminder of winning it back in the day at one of Marshall Field’s wonderful fragrance events, which sadly ended when Target took over.
Weather here has continued the same old same old – cloudy, warm, extremely humid, with thunderstorms whenever. No relief in sight til Monday, but only for a day or two before it starts over again. I don’t ever remember a summer like this one. ☹️
Will have to give some thought to the poll questions and respond tomorrow. Right now, though, I need to catch up on the 2 days of posts I missed . . . 🤓
Oh I remember Ralph Rocks, that was a fun one!
Yes, you did. I have your review from December of 2006!
1 SOTD is SL Chergui which a very generous friend here gave me. I had a hankering for its spicy tobacco honey but thought it would be be too intense for summer, but then a light bulb went off: the current formulation is lighter and the weather is a bit cooler (due to heat up again next week) so there was a window. It has worked nicely and given me an idea about wearing lighter reformulations of heavy scents in summer. I will save the treacle in my older bottle for the dead of winter.
2 Recent discovery is Sorriso from Profumum Roma. It reminds me that I love many of the PR fragrances that I’ve tired. They are majestic and well-crafted but I wish they weren’t so spendy.
3-4 My collection is probably 65% complete. The holes are mainly in niche fragrance from the 90s onward and also some indies like SSS, DSH, Ava Luxe, etc. I am pretty set with the vintages. I must add that my collection is based purely on my own personal tastes, so there are holes also because I don’t like ozonic, aquatic, fruitchuli, sweet florals, and some modern aromachmeicals. Of course there are always exceptions to those rules 🙂
5 Lots is still blooming, but nothing has hit me in the nose as I wander outside. I’m trying to nurse a few of my little orange poppies along, hoping that they will seed in my front yard for next year, but they don’t have an odor.
6 Something wonderful is the writing of the British mid-century novelist Elizabeth Taylor. Such precise lovely writing, astute commentary on aging, love, fear, friendship, conflict. I just finished Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (shortlisted for the Booker) and am working through her collected short stories.
You could also dilute the treacle with some perfumer’s alcohol to make a summer version if you wish. Also, if you just don”t like a category then it’s not a hole in the collection, but *your* collection,say I.
I will accept your verdict, AnnieA!!
Elizabeth Taylor is *such* a stylist – precise is such an accurate word choice. I’d put her right up there with Mavis Gallant. I read and really enjoyed both Mrs. Palfrey… & the collected stories a couple of years ago.
Nice to see another fan, spiderplant. She was also friends with Sarah Jane Howard, whose Cazalet Chronicles series of book I so enjoyed.
I shall have to add her to my list!
The Chronicles are 5 books set amidst a large and complex British family and all their relations and in-laws and secret lovers and servants in the countryside but not too far from London that starts in about 1938 (‘peace in our time as they gather around the ‘wireless’) and goes through WWII.
You smell great!
Thank you apsara. As do you with the vintage Benzoin Boheme. The re-issue was quite nice as well, but it was but a fleeting kiss on my skin.
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mrs-palfrey-at-the-claremont-2006
Did you ever see the movie with Joan Plowright? A good weekend afternoon movie
I will add this to my list! Thank you Kanuka.
1. Today, in another episode of Clumsy Decanting, I am wearing Arquiste Boutonniere.
2. Most recent snifL Let’s Pretend by ELO – which I could not smell at all. (Let’s Pretned It’s Not a Bottle of Water – ?)
3. I hate assigning numbers, so I’ll just say…mostly complete, but it never hurts to have one or two other items.
4. If your collection is incomplete, are there any thematic holes you are still trying to fill, and if so, what are they?
5. I just saw my first-ever orange petunias. A few lilies out there too.
6. I just stopped in at Daniel Le Chocolat Belge to buy friends some elegant and boozy chocolates.
Oops, no 4 = no thematic holes. If I don’t like ozonics (and I don’t) then it is not a hole, just a collection fitted to my tastes
Not a hole in the ozone. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
I read that as ‘chocolatier beige’ and was wondering if that was a way to say milk chocolate in French idiom which I’d never heard. But now I realize it’s just my bad eyesight.
Where do I find the entire series of “Clumsy Decanting”? Sounds like my kind of show.
Got a smile from “another episode of Clumsy Decanting”. Thank you!
I somehow missed yesterday’s NST – too much excitement at going to the supermarket maybe.
1. I wore Theorema yesterday, and can still smell it on my clothes this morning.
2. I ordered a few samples recently, including Neela Vermeire’s new release, Neith. I like it, and would be tempted to get a FB, if it wasn’t so expensive. However, given how fast prices are rising, it will look entirely reasonable in a couple of years.
3 and 4. “Complete” isn’t a concept I can apply to my perfume collection 🙂 . Have I got vastly more than is rationale – absolutely. Is there always something else I’d like – yes, although I can’t think of any particular gaps.
5. Spring is coming! In my neighbourhood, we’ve got early magnolia and rhododendrons, and I’ve seen a few daffodils.
6. See 5 🙂 .
Oh daffodils!! Lovely, good for you. Presumably, bad for me 🙂
SOTD is Benjoin Boheme in the older bottle.
Newest fragrance is G&B Sunset Hour Dark Peach.
I think I’m about 95% complete but that doesn’t seem to stop the yearning for who knows what. 🤪
Been up in San Francisco where it was really chilly and windy and nothing appeared to be blooming.
Back home there is red bottlebrush in the courtyard.
Yippee it’s audible book credit day and I have uploaded A Guide to Open Water Lifesaving by Virginia Eubanks.
Your comment about San Francisco gave me a chuckle as I remembered a long-long ago trip there when I was a young married. I hadn’t traveled very much and never to California. It was August when we visited there; August here in Chicago is hot and I was going to California where it’s hot, right? Wrong, not in San Fran in August. I took only a stole for warmth I had crocheted – it was actually light and airy and served only a decorative purpose. Needless to say, I was cold the entire time but I did love San Francisco. The next time I went back there I was a little smarter.😉
Mark Twain said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.
Still no word on going home but there’s been some areas sent back. Tomorrow may be good news! I’m hopeful.
Yesterday I was in BG, oversprayed; today I oversprayed Clouds. I learned in the last week to use your fragrances; overspray to your heart’s content.
I hope you get home very soon and that your house and neighbourhood is okay
Thank you Kanuka! I really appreciate it. I almost teared up tonight when I was thanking a few of the folks. Someone said “our hearts sure go out to you”.
Gail, I must have missed what has happened. I hope you are safe and able to return home. ❤️
I desperately need an iris perfume BUT it has to be available in NZ because our exchange rate is rubbish ( I think NZ$1.00 is US 60 cents ) and shipping is expensive. So, it must be a common iris perfume, and cheaper than Misia. Any suggestions welcome.
Snow on the hills again but snowdrops in the garden.
Wearing Grand Chalet for no reason.
Saw Odyssey finally. Disappointing screenplay and there was one scene towards the end where Penelope is standing tall in a gown and speaking and it was just like watching Tyra Banks tossing up between two contestants on Next Top Model and I got the giggles ( you know, you stand before me blah blah) .
I have Yardley Iris. It was cheap as chips a few years ago. It’s not a complicated scent but I like it on a hot day; I find it slightly green-ish.
I can’t find it here, sadly
Basically I need to choose between Hermes Hiris and Prada Infusion d’iris and both would be a blind buy. Any preference?
I find Hiris a touch more powdery than the Prada (I have the Prada Absolue – gold cap). You can’t go wrong with either. If I had to to choose, it would be Prada.
My preference would be Hiris. I have about eight different Iris scents and all a little different. It depends on what you like which makes it hard with a blind buy.
Definitely Kris; depends what you want. I have the blue bottle Hiris, not sure if you do as well. To me it’s powdery and maybe a bit rooty in hot weather. For me, Prada is more wearable every day. I have probably 10 or 12 iris scents and love them all! Also love my rootiest of all – Iris Silver Mist.
I don’t get the powder so much but definitely the rooty and almost boozy scent to it. Prada is probably a safer bet.
You can’t go wrong with either (hostess with the mostest).
I think Hiris is the better scent but the Prada is easier to wear / a good no brainer.
But I have not smelled a new bottle of either in ages…
I think both sound worth buying.
I love and have both. The Prada is beautiful-sort of powdery and it’s like wearing a chiffon scarf-transparent and leaves beautiful silliage. My Hiris is the older blue style bottle and the dry down is incredible. Hiris is my favourite. Can you get to a counter and try these? They’re both beautiful and wearable.
My 2 cents – Hiris is more green. The Prada sweeter and more powdery. Kanuka, do you have the old mall shops in NZ: L’Occitane, Caswell Massey, Crabtree, etc. They always did very nice soliflores including iris, at decent prices.
Hi Denise. I think there is one L’Occitane store in the country but none of the others you mentioned and most of my perfume shopping is online except for mainstream perfumes ( a very limited selection).
Both are beautiful. But I would go with Hiris. Hiris had this special “super iris” smell and it even has a bit of a carrot-y of a note. Infusion D’Iris smells too generic for me. Like the other million iris fragrance that has followed. Hiris isn’t another Iris + wood and oriental notes. Nope. It’s totally iris. Earthy, carrot-y, sheer but prominent. Cold and perfect. Love Hiris.
Thanks for your help everyone. Sounds like I can’t go wrong with either ( or both)!
1. BBW Covered in Roses body wash and lotion topped off with Essential Parfums Rose Magnetic.
2. Glitter by Estee Lauder. I was disappointed and not impressed.
3. Compared to others on here it is probably about 10%, but it is plenty good for me. I guess it depends on what your definition of “complete” would be.
4. Always up to trying something new.
5. I haven’t been paying much attention to what is still blooming now that the changing of seasons is around the corner.
6. I really enjoyed the last book I read. The Calamity Club is by the same author that wrote The Help, so if you enjoyed that, you may enjoy this book.
Was Glitter sweet ?
Oops. It’s called Glimmer. It is sweet but it just reminded me of your typical mall fragrance. Nothing special to me.
I feel the same way about it.
Oh, good. I thought maybe it was just me.
That’s a shame.
Kris – A complete minimalist collection is to be admired. I don’t have that much restraint and I’m too fickle in my tastes to ever settle.
I had to laugh at your word minimalist as my husband and I have both been told we are minimalists. Our house is very organized and clutter-free, but people call us minimalists. We just laugh. It’s just how we like things.
I say 10% for my perfume collection since I only have about 25 different perfumes compared to the hundreds that some of you have purchased over the years. There are certain scents I just don’t like so any “holes” in my collection will probably stay that way. Probably for me, my collection is closer to 90%. I was not sure how to determine this.
Thanks for the after-sniffing report on Glimmer. It sounds like bottled ‘Meh’.
Meh would be a good description.
Sunday morning, and I’m rounding out Fzotic Week in Ummagumma. My god but this is beautiful, and it’s blending well with the aroma of the banana bread I’m baking for my dad’s 90th (!!) birthday party this evening.
Isn’t Ummagumma fantastic?! It gets better and better with every sniff. Instead of fading, it just morphs very subtlety and becomes a different version of itself. ❤️
It is and it does! It’s one of my all-time favorites.
Best birthday wishes to your dad on this milestone!!
Thank you, apsara — I’ll pass them along to him. 🙂
90! Happy birthday PapaG!
Thank you! It is a big milestone, for sure.
Happy Birthday Papa SheriG!
Thank you, hajusuuri!
Happy birthday to your dad on his 90th 🥳. You are so lucky to still have him. Mine left me suddenly when he was just 41 and I was just 14🥲.
Oh, I’m so sorry — that’s so young. I am doing my darnedest to treasure every moment with him.
Happy Birthday to your Dad!
Thanks lillyjo!
I’ve loved reading about your Fzotic Week, SherryG.
& many happy returns to your father.
Glad you enjoyed Fzotic Week, and Dad says hi. 😉
Belated birthday wishes for your Dad, SheriG! Hope you and yours had a lovely time yesterday.
Thanks J, we did! My nephew won the evening with his gift — a baseball cap embroidered with “It took me 90 years to look this good!” 🤣
Happy Sunday!
1. Kayali Bougee Kitty Caramel Milk + L’Occitane Lavande
2. Kayali Maui in a Bottle Sweet Banana. The banana was not creamy or ripe enough, leaned dry and not as sweet as I’d like it to be. Plus, Summer’s almost over so I don’t need it!
3. 50%. I am at a happy medium. I’d love to add to my collection but at the same time I have enough variety to feel mostly content.
4. Gourmands. I have loads but I never pass on a chance to smell delicious.
5. I haven’t been paying attention or been to any parks recently to notice!
6. Just got off an hour and half video call with my close friend. Easily the best thing to happen this weekend. We are doing a 2 person book club and book at the moment is Jade City, an action fantasy, quite a depart from our usual whodunnits.
A good banana is hard to find 😉
I’m all kinds of fresh, fruity, and citrusy today after a shower with BBW Orange and Ginger body products, topped off with citrus scented tallow on heels and elbows, then blasted with multiple sprays of Nifeo Mio…you can smell me coming! 🍊🍋🫚🍋🟩
It’s a lovely day and I’d love to get out and take a walk with doggo but my GI tract is still feeling the effects of Cursed Costco. 🤢 So, the only plan is to stay close to le toilette while I tidy stuff up, do a load of laundry and make a peach crisp in the air fryer. Hope everyone has more exciting plans for today…
The Orange and Ginger body products from BBW are very good. Energizing!
They are! I just wish the scent lasted longer. But the flip side to that is that whatever perfume I choose, there’ll be no competition.
Well shoot, that Costco mistake was costly!
This are looking up! The Rapid Transist System is slowing waaay down! 🙃
Oh good.
Here I am again at the start of another working week, Mondays come around very quickly!
I’m comforting myself in Arquiste Anima Dulcis.
Sorry Gaynor!
SOTD = Sultan Pasha Attar Irisoir
Tobacco vanilla! I’ve used it quite a few times and still the volume has not gone down. I’ll take that over evaporation.
In other news, we have two goats who decided to board the equivalent of MTA buses in Oregon – no valid tickets and no destination! For what it’s worth, just FYI, although there’s now no limit to gifting articles, you now have to have either a paid subscription (I’m OK with my $8 / month fee) OR have a free account to read the stories.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/us/goats-bus-portland-oregon.html?unlocked_article_code=1.51A.b6nd.zjJwjjdg6B5D&smid=nytcore-ios-share
I loved that goat story 🙂
How do you like Irisoir please?
I have a sample of Quintessentially Amber and have worn it once. I found it beautiful but kind of formulaic ehaeheh 😉 living up to the name I suppose. I shall try again today and report back! Heat be damned. ehaeheh 🙂
I love Irisoir! It is an intense tobacco-vanilla. Two years ago (or so), I saw an EDP version on LuckyScent. I did not purchase it because I still have my never ending version in attar format.
Thank you for weighing in! Irisoir was out of stock when I picked up Quintessentially Amber but I see it’s back now and will try w/ my next order. 🙂
1. SOTD is Balmain Ivoire I layered over BBW’s Rose Water & Ivy body lotion and Covered in Roses body spray to add more rose and some sweetness. Finally some 🌞 today but it’s hot and the humidity is ghastly so it’s an inside day for me and a good one for Ivoire, which I would not wear outside on a day like today.😅
2. Haven’t tested anything new in awhile.
3. 120% complete! I have found that like other ‘collections I have – such as Native American jewelry – I reach a point where I’m perfectly sated and happy to just enjoy what I have without wanting more.
4. Having said the above, I’m a sucker for gourmands, so you never know . . .
5. Not too much, lots of pink and white Rose of Sharon shrubs and lots of golden Rudbeckia🌻
6. I love going to the ballpark because it’s right in the heart of the city neighborhood I grew up in and for the strong sense of community – regardless of race, creed, color, age, gender – amongst its fans. This week I sat next to a young Latino man who was very polite and a very knowledgable Sox fan. He was at the park with his sister and her friend but because it was a sellout they sat 2 rows in front of us and he was unable to get an adjacent seat. We exchanged baseball talk during the game and, late in the game several people in his sister’s row left the park. He went to join them but first thanked me for our discussion and said, ‘I’m going to join my people.’ Before I knew it, I gently corrected him and said, ‘We are ALL your people.’ He looked at me, got a tear in his eye, thanked me, and gave me a great big hug. It was a beautiful moment of connection that stayed with me all week!😍
Happy Sunday!
Love your #6. Bet that made your day.
Yes, it did + it gave me a good feeling all week.
Your #6 is wonderful. It’s very special when good people meet good people. Is this the game that you beat my Tigers?
Yes, sorry. We won again today so we swept the Tigers all 3 games. We’re just trying to make up for our horrible season last year.
Oops, sorry, I misread your question. The game I referred to above was on Pope Hat Day in Chicago when we played the Cincinnati Reds earlier this week. We just finished a 3-game series today in Detroit where we swept the Tigers.
Your item #6 was awesome! Loved reading about it.
1. Prada Un Chant d’Amour for my last day of teaching at the hospital until the end of October. The Prada is long gone by now, but that’s what makes it safe for work.
2. I recently completed my sample collection of all of the Chanel Les Exclusifs line. Some of them were new to my nose and others I was revisiting. Interestingly enough (to me) the one I find easiest to wear and would probably reach for the most is Boy.
3. I feel like it’s complete. I am actually trying to “thin the herd” down to true loves only. I’ve recently sold off a couple of bottles that weren’t being reached for.
4. Well, with the aforementioned being said, I did thunk my beloved Glossier You a few months ago and do miss it. Thinking of replacing it with Room 1015 Sonic Flower.
5. I don’t know about specific blooms, but this time of year in wisconsin is SO green. It’s just beautiful.
6. Where to start…
a. gradtowngirl turned 26 this past monday and her boyfriend of 4 years proposed. She is officially engaged! (also, I need to think of a new name for her because she finished her masters in May).
b. madtowntwenty returned home tuesday after 2 months away working at summer camp (along with the big sister). I love having her home. We went to a Big Thief concert together Friday night which was fabulous, but I realized I am getting too old for GA concerts. Standing on concrete for 3 hours is almost more than my back can take!
c. I finished another graduate class this week- I am officially half way done with my masters!🤞🤩
Oh my gosh to your #6!
Congratulations to your daughter and to you! How about “Bridetowngirl”?
Also nothing makes me feel old like hearing the ages of kids that are now adults. Lol. How does that happen!?
I know what you mean. One of my old co-workers just posted her daughter’s senior pictures on insta, and I can remember going to her baby shower! Time flies.
THIS!!!
Thanks lillyjo! That’s a good one! You are much more clever than I am.😊
Brilliant idea, Lillyjo!
Wow You have completed all Chanel Exclusif samples, wow!! The only ones I haven’t tried yet are: La Pausa and Bel Respiro. I never set a goal to “finish” smelling all Exclusifs but as I went forward with my hobby and passion for perfume, I ended up smelling most without visiting the boutique in person.
Chanel Boy is so amazing. How I got to know this one? I ordered Chanel Cuir de Russie pure parfum from Evilbay* (lol) and the seller was so sweet to include a manufacture’s sample of Boy EdP. It is absolutely the biggest pleasure to wear it and I would love to add a FB one day. It is a no-brainer of a fragrance, it can be unisex easily. Even a manly man can wear it although it is a “baby blue – baby green” pastel, just that manly man would smell clean, fresh and crisp. It is also perfect for women I think. It’s not girly. It’s not masculine. It’s just “paster baby blue- baby green”, it has a very soft herbal side, I believe it has lavender also a very very soft one.
Congratulations to gradtowngirl on her engagement, and congrats to you for another step closer to your own masters!
1. Today I wore Chanel Paris-Paris and got complemented.
2. The last and new to me was Misia (although I had a VERY good understanding of what it would smell like, I knew it would be what it is. But the way Misia is done… It is absolutely so gorgeous I am obsessed.
3. For a normal person it would be 90% complete – that is for someone who wants to own 50 bottles and call it a day. But it is me. My passion. Biggest passion. I will say it’s 50% complete because I would love to add: Misia, Boy, Jersey, Coromandel, Le Lion and Comete in both EdTs and EdPs. I also want as many bottles of the pure Parfums (including the new Les Exclusifs) as possible. My collection will never be complete though as I use the perfumes (except for the ones I put to the side that are sealed and will be kept that way to treasure) and I will always be buying more Chanel perfumes to replace what I have used.
4. Chanel, Chanel and more Chanel. Thematic? Les Exclusifs EdTs, Les Exclusifs EdPs and Les Exclusifs Extraits. And to add Chanel # Poudre and to add Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu even though I haven’t smelled it I already love it haha.
5. Everything is blooming – I live in subtropics. But one of my faves are Spanish Limes and Sea grapes both edible and both baring fruit right now.
6. My Daughter started 2nd grade and Her new teacher does something the previous two did not do: a sheet of paper with my child’s mood/behavior on it. I don’t know what it indicates on a bad day because so far all She had were smiley faces so that’s all good. And She comes home excited and the teacher seems to reward them a lot and She just loves going to school. She sports Chanel Paris Venise tiny spray every morning haha
Did you try the new extraits? I am curious to smell 1957 extrait.
The new new ones no. Just the old ones. I’m sure 1957 new extrait smells so good.
I was able to purchase a full bottle of Chanel Gabrielle pure parfum (1.2oz) just now – my other bottle is half full and I have 2 extra 10ml minis of Gabrielle pure parfum. It’s weird I went to walk the dogs and I was thinking how much I love Gabrielle pure parfum. I got home and checked and my favorite seller had one that I snatched right away
Wow, serendipity!
It got shipped already. 100% authentic, I know for sure. With tax and shipping $60 but no box which I don’t care about.
Busy weekend and no time to post, so I’ll just say that I wore D&G Light Blue today and my answer to #3:
My collection is probably 80% complete. I think it needs some more classics/vintages and a few more early Lutens. And, frankly, it will never reach 100%. There is always the possibility of another big love…
What classics are you eyeing?
I adore D & G Light Blue, it’s such a pleasant scent, attached to fond memories of a beach in FL.
1. I wore at least 10 sprays of 4160 Tuesdays Clouds today. At least I smelled good. Still in limbo with going back home.
Hi Gail. I hope you are able to go back home.
Thank you lillyjo! Me too; we were hoping for Sunday, but it didn’t work out. It won’t be Monday either.
Catching up on posts I missed your earlier one. I can’t imagine going through this, hope you get to go home soon. 🤗
Thank you Laila!
Gail, I’m so sorry for this long, long wait you’re suffering through. Have you gotten any news at all about your neighborhood and/or home? The not knowing must be excruciating. Sending my best wishes for a return to an undamaged home asap. ❤️
I think our area is ok! I saw some photos this morning in someone’s post. No homes in the town itself were burned as far as I know; but information isn’t that prevalent. They’ve been doing gradual reentry, based on distance from where the fire was. Plus getting the water pressurized etc.. apparently a huge deal! They don’t want to flood all the systems at once so I need a bit more patience. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing we should be OK.
We were being hopeful (maybe being a bit selfish). Others have lost their entire homes, just charred remains from photos I’ve seen. These houses were around 20 miles west from where I am.
Oh, so happy to hear that it’s mostly a waiting game at this point but that you’ll eventually get back to your undamaged home and neighborhood! ❤️
Thank you Deva! Hopefully we can unclench and relax a bit now.
Gail, this is hopeful news. And yes, just awful about the homes not that far away that did not make it. The wind direction is so random during fires. In the Eaton Canyon/Altadena fire, some small groups of houses were left standing while everything around burned. This was the case with close friends & a family member. So sad.
Yes, wind is the biggest factor. Plus there’s been a drought here (for a few years).
Mind-boggling how some houses are still standing after the LA fires.
Sending hugs and strength, Gail. So tough and sad. I hope you make it back to home tomorrow.
Thank you She-ra! I hope so too.
Hope that you will be home before the end of this week!
Thank you! Fingers crossed.
1. SMN Rose Novella. I have a lot of samples I am working through. I also wore Fressia. It was nice but that is not my favorite note
2. I tested a bunch of new fragrances from the Chloe line.
3. I don’t understand the question 🙋🏻♀️
4. I love the Iris from SMN
5. My balcony has lots of herbs, peppers are growing like crazy, zinnias, marigolds. Lots of these are from seed so they are just popping open
6.…Reading Hello Stranger and then will read Villa Coco.
Check off the bucket list: vacations plans for later this summer: we will take the Berenia Express train 🚂 through the alps
Congratulations on your seed success! Zinnias just amaze me. And if you grew peppers from seed, that’s not easy to do.
Hurray for your own herbs and peppers! 🌶️🫑🥬🌱🌿
Just got back from a short meet and greet (and computer work) at the hospital, so I’ve just now sprayed a bit of CSP Amour de Cacao. Mmmmm!
We had some wicked storms and heavy rains yesterday and we need at least another week of just dumping rains here. So dry!
My beads were delivered 2 hours after I left last week, so I just now was able to pick them up at the post office. They are stunners! I bought a bunch of teardrop shapes from different vendors on Etsy in different colors, sizes, and finishes, and they’re just beyond expectations! Looking forward to getting started. Here’s a photo for any interested:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DcJig4YMz79/?igsh=MXFsMjZjdGU1dzdkNQ==
Also, finally cracked open Country People by Daniel Mason, one of my favorite authors. I’ve had the book for a good month, but I put off starting it because I knew how much I would love it, and then be almost bereft (that’s not hyperbole either!) when I was done. It’s almost like I need to delay the gratification to fully embrace it. (Wish I could say the same thing for dessert!). Anyway, three chapters in and I’m not disappointed. I love his writing style and characterizations. Under all that, I can see and feel the authors huge heartedness thumping away, filled with life, love, and every other emotion on the human spectrum. How long will I have to wait for another book..?
Happy Monday!
Those beads are gorgeous! I will be seeing my sister in mid-September for a visit (and to do some beading). I saw her at Christmas time; we made bracelets based on our birthdate, location and time, etc. It was great fun to match stones with our personalities. Now she wants to make more of the same with her daughters.
She would lose her mind with your new beads!
That sounds like a lot of fun, and a such a unique bracelet. I bet it’s gorg! Sounds like she had a rather large bead collection. The beads on Etsy are very affordable. However, the shipping, which is often more than the cost of the beads, is not great, so it pays to buy in bulk. I did buy from US based glass artists, but still the shipping was no bueno! If she is looking for unique beads that are made by small businesses, there’s a great selection on Etsy (not affiliated). I was kind of appalled when I saw the recent cost of the Miyuki and Toho seed beads on a bead supply website that I frequent …💸💸💸
Revisiting my sample of Sultan Pasha Quintessentially Amber today and notes are below. Last time I wore it, I found it beautiful but a bit formulaic…also maybe a too much everything but the kitchen sink style amber. Of course I am that crazy person who has been wearing ambers non-stop, on repeat the last couple months in the midst of summer…don’t mind me. 😉
Citrus, Aldehydes, Spices, Rose, Amber, Labdanum, Benzoin, Styrax, Musk, Patchouli, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Ambergris
Not sure I can even think of amber scents at the moment.
SOTD is Chanel No 5 L’eau as I had to go to an attorney’s office this morning and wanted something nice but subdued.
Perfect choice.
Great choice Kris!
Elegant!!
Hope everything was settled after the office visit. No. 5 L’Eau is so, so good!
We review our will and advance directives every five years with her plus we had a few questions regarding my mother in law’s estate. All pretty easy.
Popping by to say that I’m wearing Le Galion’s Bourrasque, it’s a lovely light amber.
Just read a description, that sounds lovely! And Rodrigo Flores-Roux always does a good job.
1. Lush Dirty body spray layered over Dirty shower gel – applied about seven hours ago, before bed. I’ll take a shower soon and perhaps switch to something for this week’s CP.
2. Goutal Folie d’un Soir. I thought it was nice – rose, myrrh, and a touch of leather. The downside: it’s quiet, with virtually no sillage.
3. I’m not striving for completion! I’m here for the ride – until I get bored.
4. See above. However, violet, linden blossom, lilac, and myrrh are notes I’d like to see better represented in my collection.
5. I saw chicory blooming a few days ago.
6. I’m taking a week off work starting next Wednesday!
Absolutely understand your item #4!
Same notes? Cool!
There are some notes I would like to get more of in my collection. But I already have more than enough perfume for the rest of my life.
Enjoying the perfume ride while it lasts, for sure.
Ok. After the shower, I picked Jul et Mad Fugit Amor, which I have not worn at all this year. Carnation and cardamom – best reserved for colder weather but still works at night in summer, if sprayed sparingly and when it’s not very hot.
Happy National Black Cat 🐈⬛ Day to all from my black cat 😸!
A one-day reprieve here from humidity and thunderstorms, woo hoo! 😆I celebrated by turning off the a/c, opening the windows, going into the backyard and hanging laundry – all of those for what feels like the first time in forever!
My SOTD is another of YR’s annual summer releases from awhile ago, Aquarelle Vegetales Eau Fruitee pour l’ete, which is a lot of words for Fruity Water for Summer. It’s inspired by the aftermath of summer rain, with fresh and fruity notes refreshed with drops and the first sun rays giving nature a watercolor look. Could there be a fragrance more appropriate from our one-day weather reprieve with the 🌞 shining? I’m enjoying it very, very much 👍
Wishing all a good week ahead!
Glad to hear that you are getting a much deserved break from wild weather right now!
Black cats rule! 🐈⬛🐈⬛
Looks like the monsoon rains and thunderstorms have hit ‘pause’ for a little bit here. Some spots really got hammered over the past few days, so I am sure they will appreciate a respite.
Poll answers!
1. SOTD = commando. Not going to force wearing perfume at the moment.
2. Last new to me perfume? Probably either Imaginary Authors Slow Explosions, Version 1, or The Cobra And The Canary. The first one is rather hard for me to describe. The second smells like an auto shop in the best way, big dark leather, a hint of oil/grease and machinery. I find it oddly soothing as an ambient scent.
3. Zero to 100% complete? Never really thought about it. I figure it’s like one of those calculus equations with a limit between zero and infinity.
4. Is your collection incomplete, and what is it missing? A bottle of Chanel No. 19 still hasn’t been acquired.
5. What’s blooming in your area? Back to school sales and 2 new apartment buildings to the immediate north of mine.
6. Share something wonderful! Two small things. First, I can clearly see the mountains today. It’s been a while since I could say that due to wildfire smoke and weather conditions. Second, one of my NJ friends sent me an adorable picture of her very floofy black cat. Meow! 🐈⬛
Your #5 made me laugh 🤣
Glad you can see the mountains again!
All those back to school sales are overlapping with “End Of Summer!” sales. Complete with the exclamation point.