PSA: our next swapmeet will start on Saturday, 3 October.
Meanwhile, we're marking the last weekend in September with our usual open thread poll. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the new fragrance you're looking forward to trying (or buying) next, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is After the Harvest [cropped] by Jonathan Pincas at flickr; some rights reserved.
Status update: I am doing fine and the last of my visiting family members has left.
I am going to try to catch up on comments this weekend, and also to catch up on new fragrance announcements. I have sticky-ed this post so as I put up more fragrance announcements over the weekend, it will not disappear.
And now things can settle down. Hope you can get back to whatever makes you happy 😊
Thanks ringthing!
Don’t rush, Robin. Get your breath back and take care of yourself first.
Thank you Kanuka! I promise I am not rushing…I am posting fragrance announcements as part of a general plan to put off the completion of other, far less enjoyable tasks 🙂
Belated condolences to you and yours, Robin. I’ve been lurking the last couple weeks and wanted to tell you how much your earlier comment that you and your sister were “adjusting to being parentless” resonates with me. I am six years on from arriving at that place, and that adjustment took much of that time. I don’t mean oppressive grief, just that change that all those blessed with loving parents and happy childhood memories can sense. Sending grateful thoughts to you and all the NST community for your meaningful words on so many non-perfume topics.
Thank you MossyBerry! I do feel privileged to have had my parents for so long.
🌷
Thinking of your Robin!
Thank you!
Hi everyone. Wearing just a touch of Arabie, it was 45F overnight and Arabie hits the spot.
It’s a beautiful early fall day. We have a 50th anniversary celebration to attend this evening and I love it, it’s an open house from 4-7pm. They know their friends, 7pm departure sounds perfect 😊
Enjoy the weekend!
45, ouch! I am complaining about our high of 59 today.
Hope the open house is lovely, and congrats to the couple 🙂
Enjoy your day!
Perfect Fall choice- you smell wonderful!
Lovely scent, ringthing. I’d love to bring mine out but at 95 degrees here today, I just cannot.
Well, I wanted Cuir Amethyste this morning, but couldn’t find my dwindling partial bottle anywhere so I must have thunked it at some point. Or maybe it will turn up when I least expect it. While hunting around I came across a neglected bottle of Dior Homme and nearly went with that on this chilly-but-sunny Saturday morning … but in the end the hand reached for TF Violet Blonde. So beautiful.
Bet it will turn up! That happens to me quite a bit. Meanwhile you smell grand anyway.
You definitely smell beautiful!
What lillyjo says! VB was one of my all-time great thrifting finds. I might just spritz some on today (was out and about and I’ve been commando so far).
I want to shop at your thrift shops, MossyBerry.
Thanks lillyjo and MossyBerry! I’m also envious of the thrifting — every time I’ve tried, it’s just been dusty and depressing. My VB find was also somewhat serendipitous though. I think I stumbled onto the last 100 ml bottle in existence — at least, it was the only bottle of any size that my local Nordie’s had, and subsequent searches for it turned up zilch.
Happy weekend!
Sotd is CLEAN Sun-kissed Papaya. Super tropical scent, not at all for Fall but I got the sample from a huge Sephora perfume samples pack and I wanted to try it.
Perfume I am dying to try is TF’s Tobacco Chocolate and Kilian’s Midnight Espresso. If anyone’s tried them please share thoughts!
I am curious about both of those too…possibly I’ve missed comments so I know nothing.
I tried Midnight Espresso yesterday. It smells just like the coffee and made me think of Montale Cafe Espresso. It seems much lighter though. I was testing a bunch of new releases, so I should probably go back and test it by itself.
I was wondering if that trio would be much lighter than his other fragrances…
They are light, but they smell good. I didn’t detect any ambroxan, so it’s a plus in my book.
Definitely a plus!
I’m wearing Carner Barcelona D600 today.
Happy Saturday foxbins!
The church bells in the city rang this week as the first royal northern albatross returned to the breeding site on Otago harbour…an 8year old male who has been above the southern ocean near South America , so its first taste of land for quite some time. Meanwhile a good dollop of snow on the hills again this morning and a gloomy start to daylight saving. I heard my first kingfisher of spring the other day: they return to the same tree every year. And in the river I watched a white faced heron plucking sprats from a backwater. A lot of activity in the natural world; all good. Wearing Breath of God today and reading a nice book called Mudlarking, which is a kind of personal history of the Thames told through the objects picked up from the river banks.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/aug/16/mudlarking-lara-maiklem-river-thames-review?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
About the Mudlarking book
How lovely your first albatross is back, I remember this from last year!
Was just watching a Midsomer Murders episode (season 25!) on mudlarking, which somehow I had never heard of as an activity (and which, of course, is a deadly activity if you happen to live in Midsomer), so very coincidental to see you are reading a book about it.
As a person for whom much of my spirituality is rooted in nature, your fragrance so beautifully speaks to the rest of your post!🥰
I love that the bells ring for the albatross’ return. I follow the Cornell Bird Cams feed and they show the Royal Albatross Cam, and they are such amazing birds.
I love the bird cam of the colony. They are overwhelmingly beautiful in real life and they seem to take a good look at you as you stand watching them fly above.
What a lovely tradition.
Some cities here ring the bells for the return of the bar tailed godwits who fly 12000km nonstop ( 9-11 days) from the Arctic/ Alaska to NZ.
https://nelson.neighbourlynews.co.nz/wait-what/on-a-wing-and-a-prayer-church-bells-ring-out-for-12000km-avian-marathon-33962
I’ve been sniffing some new things and things that are new to me – I’ve had to be patient waiting for my cold to improve, but I can smell things properly again.
New things – I bought the discovery set from O Te Ra, a New Zealand brand that popped up in Fragrantica’s list of new releases. None of the four wowwed me on first try, but I’ll see how I feel after further sniffing. The presentation is beautiful, so I’m enjoying my purchase regardless of the perfume.
New to me – I finally got my nose on some of the Mendittorosa range. I found a stockist in Australia that posts to New Zealand (Noah, for any NZ readers). Le Mat is a very nice rose patchouli, and Id is a lovely soft spice.
Thanks for the information and reviews. I hope you start feeling better…it’s dragged on a bit
So glad your sense of smell is back! Hope the rest follows.
76F and sunny here today, which is lovely. Unfortunately, I slept through most of it and now I’m getting ready to head back to work. It’s been an actual DELIGHT walking out of work in the mornings because there’s a delicious chill that wakes me and makes me happy as I pass through the door.
Today, I’m wearing Ummagumma in honor of all the lovely cool days to come over the next couple of months. This is a perfect fragrance in my opinion- nuanced and multidimensional, warm and comforting, and perfectly unisex. It transitions gently and softly, and has a lovely round smell which lasts forever on me. It’s like an olfactory poem- an ode to my nose if you will. 😍
Robin, in my experience the hardest part is just beginning. Once the dust settles, we are left to confront our grief without any buffers or distractions. I hope this season of grief passes quickly for you. ❤️
Saturday night working twins! I hope you have a quiet shift.
Thanks, but it’s a weekend and a full moon. Not sure if the science supports Full Moon Shenanigans, but in my experience, it feels like it’s legit. I’ll have to consult RFK on the science. 😉 Hoping your night is filled with gracious, polite shoppers, big sales, and a crap ton of commission (if that’s how it works at your job)! 🤞
My sister is in admin now, but was a psychiatric social work in the psych ER for a long time. She agrees that there are full moon shenanigans.
I wish I worked on commission. People buy like crazy here.
Deva, having lost my dad in 2020 and my husband in 2023, I can tell you that I am already a MASTER of creating buffers and distractions. I expect to “process” all of it before I die, but I work slowly!
I think we all do. My mom died over 40 years ago, my grandfather 13 years ago, and my grandma just this year. Life is an endless series of buffers and distractions, and the grief for each of them will pop up at odd moments, for the rest of my life.
Exactly. I am having lots of breakthrough grief for the loss of my husband the last few weeks…I keep thinking of things I need to tell him.
That happens to me, thinking of things I want to tell my mom. I decided to just go ahead and tell her. 🙂
During what some religious traditions, describing the church calendar, call “Ordinary Time”.
I had never heard that term but did just look it up, and yes, exactly.
Joining SheriG in Violet Blonde. In other news, my daily lemming turned out to be that El Morocco sample kit that Luckyscent was promoting. The cigarette case sample holder was just too much to resist. So far, I’ve tried 154 and really liked the dry down.
Just went to peek…yes, that is nifty!
Yep. And another thing: one of my favorite movies, Bell Book and Candle, contains a reference to El Morocco (which is the only reason I know about the place) when Shep and Merle are on the way to The Zodiac Club. No spoilers about what the context is!
Thank you…I did not realize the name of the company was referencing the night club! So now I see the inspiration of the sample packaging.
I awoke this morning to bright 🌞 shine – 😱 I can’t remember the last time that happened – and it stayed out all day! Full harvest moon tonight, but I awoke in the middle of the night last night to moonlight streaming across the bed (so bright as if someone had turned a light on). It was just the moon high in the sky. Wow!🌕
Had a nice relaxing afternoon working in our much-neglected garden, and enjoyed my SOTD, the original Burberry Classic for Women (the 1995 one in the round pebble-shaped bottle). A fall favorite, nicely balanced with its fruity blend of peach, apricot, pear, black currant and green apple, with soft vanilla, woods and musk.
Happy weekend to all!
Luckily I saw the almost-Harvest-Moon last night too because there is nothing to see here tonight…
I got called in to work tonight. It’s overtime so I couldn’t resist.
I’m not feeling super great, like a cold coming on.
I’m just wearing a body spray. Pink Obsessed from BBW. I’m not up for real perfume tonight.
Yay for overtime, but hope you can ward off whatever virus is trying to get you lillyjo!
Thanks Robin. I think I really just need some rest.
I hear you!
I hope you’re able to kick it, lillyjo!
The Moon is beautiful here, and someone was setting off fireworks–the big, sky-high starburst kind–nearby. I wondered if there was a connection? Could be a wedding, too: we are near an historic home that is now an oft-used venue for various celebrations. I hear a DJ and music.
How lovely to see both!
Lyric for me today. After two days of gloom, the weekend weather is lovely.
I think I’ve talked my dad into an adjustable bed, or at least trying one when he comes home from the rehab facility. He’s been sleeping in a 50-year-old recliner at home for so long that I can’t even remember exactly why he has to sleep upright, but there’s some reason. That recliner is probably the reason he’s been in hospital / rehab for 2.5 months…he fell three times in a day, his back went out, he went from sleeping in the recliner to being in it 24/7, he got a bed sore he didn’t notice, and then ended up in hospital with an infection in his bone. He’s been sleeping well in a slightly raised hospital bed at rehab, though, and instead of going into a new recliner at home I think he should try for a bed. Fingers crossed it will take.
We had an adjustable bed with the rails for my Mom. It really helped her get in and out of bed. Hopefully your Dad will agree to one.
I hope you can convince him, ockeghem. An adjustable bed sounds way more comfortable.
We got a bed for my dad as well, thinking it would make him more comfortable. He refused to use it. At all. When I asked him why, he said “If I get in it, I’ll never get out of it.” So I think for some people, it’s a last ditch effort to maintain their independence by being in a chair or couch, even if they aren’t really independent anymore. It’s a very sad part of aging and illness. We sent the bed back to hospice and he spent his last days on the couch he always laid on with 3 dachshund’s piled around him. ❤️
Dad’s agreed, thankfully, at least to try it. He’s been sleeping well at the rehab facility, and said it had occurred to him that he might try sleeping in a bed again at home, but he would have to pile up pillows a bit, and I’m like…but you really don’t have to. He always tries not to spend money on himself though he likes to tell us that he has plenty of money (he does!), so I want him to spend $2-3k to make his life better (or I will spend it). My sister the social worker tells me the social worker at the rehab can arrange a rental hospital bed so we can at least try it. Fingers crossed!
I have an adjustable bed. It doesn’t look hospital-like at all, it’s a platform that a regular mattress sits on. It’s queen-sized and there is a remote that will raise the head and/or the feet as much or as little as I want. Very helpful for GERD.
That’s what I’m hoping we can get him into.
Crossing fingers with you!
My SOTD was Rare Mimosa from Henri Bendel. I got a low bottle recently and i’s very pretty and well-made but my sister might like it better, she likes soliflores. I am late to these Henri Bendel scents, they were only in Los Angeles for 10 years and now they’re out of business altogether so that’s that.
Hurray for Swapmeet, I can’t wait.
Robin, we will try to distract you here, bwaaaahaha, but not too much.
Very hot and humid again here, and there’s a fire somewhere, I can smell it. Hopefully it’s nothing much.
Ah, Henri Bendel. I remember their Chicago store so fondly. I bought a more casual dress there in college that I really shouldn’t have, but then, it looked so good on me (as validated by two different boyfriends 🙂 ). And there was a formal designer dress there that I circled for most of a year, while it went on sale, but I could never really justify it. I still think fondly of that dress, though. It looked SO good on me. But I never had the $ to walk out with it.
The NY store had such a lovely (small, but lovely) perfume nook on the stairs (I think it was on a stair landing?? hope I remember correctly), with such a nice selection. Back in the day, between Bendels & Barneys & Takashimaya & Bergdorfs, it seemed like you could find so nearly every fragrance you might be looking for.
I wish I had a time machine!
Spending Sunday morning in OJ Woman. Just two sprays — it’s a powerhouse! But a gorgeous one.
It’s the Fumerie swap this evening so I am wearing Yves Rocher Voile d’Ocre, cedarwood and sandalwood. It will be gone by swap time so I can test all the potential new scents.