Same old same old: tell us anything you like — what perfume you’re wearing today, the latest perfume you smelled on the street and had to ask what it was, the fragrance you bought but no longer love, whatever. Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer.
Note: image is Pool (The pool at Victor Hotel, Miami 2007) [cropped] by zanzibar at flickr; some rights reserved.
Does anyone else practically want to eat their fragrances? Not only do I crave smelling a certain scent the way I crave a certain food, I also don’t mind if when I spray it in the morning some drifts into my water glass and I get the faintest taste of it in my mouth.
I forget what movie it is where an older bougie woman literally sprays her perfume in her mouth, like a breath freshener. Some days I want to do that.
I feel like I’ve seen that movie scene… or maybe more than one variation of it. You might enjoy the film “The Hairdresser’s Husband” as well. I don’t share your feeling so much, but I’ve had that feeling on a rare occasion… and smell/taste are very linked senses, aren’t they? LOL, I’m just thinking a faint taste probably isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t go for the full spritz!
As a matter of fact, today I do. I’m wearing Violetta di Bosco and would really adore some candied violets… Or rose petals for that matter, right about now. It’s warm and breezy today and they’d be just the treat to nibble out in the summer sunshine. VdB is one of those scents that makes me want to lick my wrist. 🙂 It’s a great take on the shy violet. More candied and extroverted, which makes it a bit duplicitous, and I love it for that.
yesterday I was wearing some Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille that I got in a swap with a dear perfumista friend….not only did I want to lick my arm ….but if I could have rolled around in a vat of this stuff, I would have!
Ooh sounds great. I’m actually looking for a plain but deep vanilla with oriental notes.
Guerlain SDV (to me) smells of deep rich vanilla and tobacco leaves drying…it’s sooooo delicious! I’m really developing a strong “hankering” for dark, delicious, gourmandy vanillas….
I’m imagining a gourmandy version of Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille. I’ll put it on my to-sample list, thanks!
I was going to comment that I feel that way about Guerlain SDV, but you beat me to it Daisy! Please spare your arm though!
Hey, a little licking here and there never hurt anyone!
Especially if it’s the spoon that mixed the cookie dough!
oooh, cookie dough….yum….
Wearing Lostmarc’h Lann Ael makes me hungry! Creamy cereal goodness.
Ooh, that one’s on my list! I really want to try it! It sounds wonderful…
I love it, but my only criticism is that it can be too sugary. But I am wont to finding things too sugary, so you might be ok. It smells like apple cake, cookies and breakfast cereal with milk. Mmmmm.
You know, it smells so much like Froot Loops… you can actually eat that one! Just get a box and don’t look at the nutritional requirements. 😉
You almost CAN eat Andy Tauer’s fragrances. Usually if I get some perfume on my finger and then forgetfully chew on my nail or something, it’s “ack! Ptui!” but with his, it’s more, “ooh, that is yummy” – lol
I kind of want to eat Balkis. I want some of that really bad right now. And even though I know I can get a bottle for $50, I want the giant bottle. Ack. I’m almost afraid to try Pulp.
Ha, I said just the same thing (see below).
Not sure what “older bougie woman” means…please tell!…but I do know that playing Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind, Vivien Leigh freshens her breath with cologne in order to prepare to meet Rhett (and mask the smell of liquor on her breath).
I was just about to mention that when I was in high school, 2 older girls schooling me in their evil ways advised me to put a dab of perfume in my mouth to cover up the smell of booze. Chanel No. 5 does not taste good, even when you’re drunk — trust me.
“Bougie” is a slangy way of saying “bourgeoisie”–or ostentatiously middle-class.
Scarlett O’Hara could spray cologne in her mouth because back in the day, you could drink cologne, and people did, as a sort of tonic. It consisted mostly of citrus and floral essential oils dissolved in potable alcohol, so it was sort of like unsweetened liqueur–Benedictine or Galliano without the huge quantities of sugar.
Ah, thanks.
Sometimes I find the scent of perfumes so entirely satisfying that they replace my appetite for the foods they smell like. And I’m no skinny little thing–I love to eat and am an enthusiastic cook. Frapin 1270, Spiriteuse Double Vanille and Tihota all saved me from many unneeded calories at holiday parties last winter. And although I gave up smoking many years ago, I still love the smell of tobacco. Jasmin et Cigarette and Bell’Antonio both make me feel better than smoking ever did.
FRAPIN 1270 !!!! that’s on the wait for September List !!! Oh, I want a bottle of that so bad I can taste it!!!! Luckily I have a decant to tide me over…..perfume rationing!
I finally caved in and bought a bottle of Frapin 1270 last month after all my samples ran out. I have been surprised how I like it even on a warm day. I had thought it was a winter comfort scent. I love it all the time!
I’ve been enjoying PdNicolais’ Vie de Chateau in a way that is like wanting to eat it. I keep reapplying, not just because it’s fleeting, but because I can’t get enough of it’s opening. I find it intoxicating, and I crave it like a drink.
As to old faves, it was chilly here the other night, so I put on some Lutens Chergui, which I had to stop myself from wearing over the winter. The opening powder-y note bothered me, and I was surprised. I’ve was SO in love w/ it for months on end. But, the drydown is still pure heaven to me.
Frapin is at the top of my fall fragrance wish list! Yummy!!!
Does fall start sometime in late July? wishful thinking…..
Daisy, fall 2009 started in early 2008 according to my fragrance budget.
You two are the cutest! And baddest. 😉
I’m like that lately about Arpege, which I got for a “push present,” so appropriate in the beautfiul black bottle with the gold grecian image of a mother and daughter.
Funny, Arpege isn’t technically a gourmand, but it has foody notes: peachy, milky, nutty. It’s so soft and warm. The sleeves of my silky shorty robe are permeated with the drydown scent, as I wear it at night.
mmmm, I’ve never smelled Arpege, but it sounds delightfully yummy! ( my robe smells pretty good too! Like Une Rose Chypree…one spritz several evenings ago and still when I slip it on in the morning I get lovely cinnamony-spicy wafts!)
I love how Arpege goes through the different stages on my skin, and it’s one of the few aldehydic perfumes that don’t bother the Husband.
A good friend is going to Thailand in a couple of weeks. Is there any special perfume in Asia that she should try while she’s there that you can’t find here? Or any special shops she should try to visit?
Hope someone will chime in, I don’t know a thing…
Hi all,
It’s a cold & foggy SF day, I’m wearing Montale’s Patchouli Leaves mixed with NR’s Musc Oil for her. It’s really comforting to me.
BTW, has anyone heard about A. Goutal having financial problems? The SA at my local Nordie’s counter mentioned they aren’t getting re-stocked, and the company isn’t communicating at all.
No, haven’t heard…could be an issue w/ their US distributor though.
Or maybe they’re busy reformulating half their list?
🙁
Oh no too terrible to think about! Puts hands over ears and sings la-la-la! 😉
I know! Terrible to think it could happen. Isn’t that line owned by Estee Lauder now?
Everybody is reformulating due to the new IFRA regs…has nothing to do with who owns it! But AG is not owned by EL, at least, not yet 🙂
That’s not new – AG has always been troublesome and disorganized with Nordies. Most stores swap inventory depending on their AG customers; transfer requests are extremely popular with AG. It was always a surprise when a new, unasked for shipment came in.
SOTD: Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa from a split I just received.
Awaiting a recycled bottle of L’Eau de Tarocco very soon (yay) and a brand new bottle of Eau de Gentiane Blanche, which was a steal yesterday on ebay at $52 (I’m amazed it’s already so cheap).
I’m in the midst of a satisfying sample and decant tidying/organization project this week, which feels great… finally!
LOL and you smell FANTASTIC!!!
Checking your mailbox must be the highlight of your day! 😀
Except when the bank statement’s in there. Oh, oops, I changed to electronic statements for everything awhile ago, so YES, the mailbox is just a thrill! I feel like some kind of smuggler half the time. Now if I could get rid of the BedBathBeyond flyers….
Nope, not gonna happen….BedBath&Beyond flyers are like Kudzu, Japanese Beetles —once they find you , there’s noting that can eradicate them. Like a curse. (frogs, locusts, bb&beyond flyers…)
Check your box in a couple days, Joe.
Wow. Thanks 😀
I think everyday Joe RUNS to his mailbox, possibly knocking old ladies out of the way…….( I know I do! )
My upstairs neighbor would resent being called an “old lady.” Just sayin’.
Ok, I take it back; she’s not an old lady….but are you saying you did knock her out of the way?
hmmmm, hmmm, hummm….
HA! I had a BBB flyer in today’s mail!
LOL —uh-oh, they usually travel in packs! now we’re all scared to check the mail…
dumdumdumdum….just when you thought it was safe to go back to the mailbox…..
But there might be a padded envelope in there! I must be brave….
I am envying your bottle of EdGB! I only put it on once but have been thinking of going back to my Hermes, pick up some free samples to tide over until I stop feeling the urge to sample everything that sounds half-good and start settling down. xD
sotd: Bronze Goddess. . . for the first truly hot and humid day in western massachusetts this season
It’s our first really hot & humid day too! I’d been lulled into thinking we would have perfect weather all summer, LOL…
Our hot & humid yesterday reverted to mild and pleasant today…maybe that’ll happen for you, too.
I wore 2 tiny dabs of Bandit to work today. A coworker came by and said that something smells like lab rats! I hope it’s not me…but I think it is. That was by far the strangest perfume comment I have ever received.
LAB RATS?? heresy I tell you! Heresy!
Lab rats are very chic. Life is short, smell good, you never know when you’re going to be growing a giant tumor on your butt.
LOL !!!!!!!!
LMAO too, What a good philosophy. When anybody complains much or whines, I can say, “Well at least your not growing a giant tumor on your butt.” 🙂
And just how would this co-worker exactly know what lab rats smelled like – eh? Sounds like he or she is not to be trusted! 😀
YEAH! what Fuddy said!
Right now I’m off to the gym so I’m not wearing anything (scent that is!), but for the last few days I’ve been wearing my new reformulated bottle of Amourouse. All of you who thought the original was just too much to wear will be happy with this version — losing the oakmoss (and maybe some of the jasmine?) has cut down the weight considerably IMHO. Part of me really misses the heft of the original, but this version is probably more functional for me – I can see myself reaching for it more often. I may experiment this weekend with layering it with oakmoss extract, to see if I can approximate its former weighty glamor.
I’m going to have to try the new version. A lighter weight would be welcome, the loss of oakmoss, not necessarily.
I didn’t know they reformulated Amoureuse. I loved it the way it was and although it’s potent, it never was “over the top” on me. Today I’m wearing Ormand Jayne Woman because it’s such a very soft and subtle scent on me and today is our very first hot and humid day as well.
This Oakland morning began cool with an overcast, but the sun is now warming the morning. I am wearing my favorite fragrance Prada, Infusion D’Iris.
You smell great!
Thank you.
I’m wearing JM White Jasmine & Mint today. Loving this lately … it is sooo refreshing in the humidity we’ve been having.
Sounds perfect!
A question for my fellow perfumistas / perfumistos ……
I recently discovered and am LOVING Guerlain Vetiver Pour Elle! It’s pricey and hard to find, so I was wondering, are there any other fragrances similar to Vetiver Pour Elle?
Many thanks in advance for your recs!
~Dawn
Can’t think of anything offhand…hope someone else will!
Dawn:
I can’t help you with the expense, but all of the Guerlain boutiques carry it as part of the Les Parisiennes line – Bergdorf Goodman NYC (800-558-1855), Nieman’s in San Francisco, The Palazzo in Las Vegas (702-732-7008), and I’m sure there are a few others.
Dawn,
I don’t think anything comes close this amazing fragrance. There is a richness the these high end Guerlains that’s just amazing. I double checked my Vent Vert just to make sure, but it’s not even close.
Thanks you guys for your replies. Much appreciated. 🙂
SOTD Estee Lauder Azurée, fantastic citrus leather! Last night a French lady came into the place I work in a cloud of L’heure Blue, just at the blue hour, magic!
How perfect!
I never really liked David Yurman…but to be honest I only smelled it from the bottle and on paper. So recently I was at the NEX and they had it (shocking); I decided to spray some on. After awhile of walking around the store and having forgotten about the perfume, I kept smelling something very familiar. Then it hit me–smells EXACTLY like the opening of TF White Patchouli on me–metallic white floral. I’m thinking, I’m not wearing that today–oh yeah, it’s the David Yurman. Anyway it stayed like that all the way until it faded. Did anyone else get that? Does ANYONE get metallic white floral from either, or is it just me, LOL?!
It actually smells like an old-fashioned chypre on me, which is why I like it. (Again, one of those I like that no one else does…sigh…) THE SA talked me into buying Trish McEvoy Blackberry Vanilla Musk to mix with it, and that makes it more of a fruity chypre–or would, if the bottle of the TM BVM hadn’t broken the day after I bought it. (I know, Robin, I need to take it back to Saks…)
Really?! I couldn’t wait to give away TF White Patchouli and I love how honeyed DY is on me.
I LOVE the patchouli dry-down in the TF. It’s the opening that’s weird on me, and DY smells exactly like it. I get a very weird metallic in the white florals. I’m not sure where it’s coming from…I don’t get it from all white florals. I get it in Tom Ford WP, David Yurman, and Gwen Stefani’s L. The L is so creamy on me though, I’m able to over look the metallic.
Does anybody ever dream about perfume??? Not the act of BUYING perfume (heehee – we all dream about that, don’t we?), but dream of an actual fragrance (real or imagined). I woke up this morning to the most beautiful amber scent – gorgeous and light and sharp and dusty – yet when I actually got out of bed, the scent was gone…..weird. Maybe it’s “fate” telling me I’m suppose to wear some sort of amber today???
YES. You’re not alone. I also daydream about it, and talk about it to anyone who will listen (or at least pretend to).
One of the strangest things I do (perfume wise) is fantasize about the perfect scent to relax before I drift off to sleep! Of course, it is also quite embarrassing when people look at me sniffing parts of my arm on public transport!
That’s not strange Farah, that’s pretty creative and cool!
I stare at my bottles of perfume on the dresser at night when I’m pretending to be reading… I’ve been caught doing this more than once.
It’s good to know that I’m not alone in dreaming about fragrances – thanks.
Unfortunately, staring at my fragrance selection sort of stresses me out….like I won’t have time to wear them all before they turn bad!
Wow! I’ve never had a smell dream, this is really special Marko! You’re probably having a lucid dream. Keep it up!
I have a question about fragrance concentrations that’s been bugging me for a while: can anyone tell me, definitively, what exactly “parfum de toilette” is? I’ve read that it’s just another word for eau de toilette; that it’s the same as eau de parfum; that it’s a concentration between edt and edp, and also that it falls between edp and parfum! Same goes for “esprit de parfum” if anyone could shed any light on that. Thanks! 🙂
The problem is that there is no definitive definition — it can be any of those.
https://freebox.it.com/perfume-faq/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Thanks Robin…I sort of figured it was one of those gray areas, but thought I’d ask. 🙂
What Robin said. 🙂
You weren’t specific about what fragrances you found in parfum de toilette. Thought I’d throw this factoid out: since I haunt ebay, I keep coming across Guerlain classics in PdT – Shalimar, Chamade, Nahema. Helg over at Perfume Shrine blog comments that Guerlain put out a bunch of PdTs in the 80’s, as a less-expensive alternative to parfum. She says that by and large, these are excellent quality and nearly as smooth as the parfum. I haven’t tried all of them, and don’t know if they made Mitsouko and Jicky in PdT, but the two I own (Shalimar and Chamade) are gorgeous.
This is a great tip, MALS86. Thanks!
Yesterday I wore Bronze Goddess and felt like I wanted to eat it! Or at least drink it as a fancy cocktail :).
Today I’m feeling a bit fragile. Feeling overwhelmed by work & life. You know the feeling when you don’t know how you are going to make it through and you’d rather just curl up fetus style in your bed and take a personal day even though you know it is impossible. The anxiety that makes you feel that way in the first place is compounded by the anxiety of knowing that you have to face it, you can’t “check out”, so to speak. Well that’s me today.
So, when I woke up this morning I knew I had to wear a fragrance that makes me feel empowered to attack all the tasks and issues mounting on my desk. I chose Cristalle, of course. I’m wearing the EDP, which makes me feel somewhat more grounded than the EDT (though I love both).
You know what? It worked. Cristalle embodies empowerment and grace. It’s like a panacea for that feeling of over-extension & the self-confidence issues that go along with it!
Sorry to unload on you lovely NST people, but thanks for reading!
We’re having the same day, I’m afraid…
I’m sorry to hear that… chin up!
Good to know that Cristalle is an empowering fragrance, I have plenty of those days. I’ll buy a sample.
What usually helps me in such days is sage tea, made of fresh sage leaves that you boil and let sit for 5 minutes. It smells gorgeous if you like the smell of sage. I take it to work and drink it all day long.
Wow, sage tea sounds wonderful. I’ll have to pick some sage and give it a shot. Thanks!
Hope tomorrow is better!
Thanks…tomorrow is another day!
I think we all have those days and it’s nice to have a fragrance arsenal to be able to help you fortify for the day. Mitsouko is my “I’m gonna whip somebody’s butt” fragrance – whenever my husband smells it on me, he mutters something along the lines of “boy, I sure feel sorry for whoever ticked you off”.
Hope tomorrow is better!
Nothing like a stunning chypre to open up a can of whoop-ass…
I usually hum the “I’m a gonna whip somebody’s ass” song on the way out the door, too. Even if I’m not really going to do it, the song and the Mitsouko make me feel like I’m loaded for bear!
On another note, I finally got my decanting supplies in today, have successfully decanted (now I really smell interesting) and will have your package in the mail tomorrow – which is also when I’m going to try Pulp. Hopefully, the 100 degree heat won’t turn it into a huge monster – I’ll have to start with a tiny drop.
I think I’m the outlier here…I didn’t find it to be a sillage monster. It’s definitely *there*, and you don’t need to glue nose to wrist, but it didn’t knock me flat. Then again…I have skin that eats topnotes, so maybe that’s why.
Chanel No. 19 (vintage, with the leather!) is my “Do NOT mess with me, you have been warned.” fragrance.
I have a bottle of the vintage too. I agree, it takes no prisoners…
{{{mjr17}}}
Another one here with the same kind of day. I chose Mitsouko (the one WITH oak moss!) And you know what? It worked!
I must need to fnd a kickass scent to keep at work. I wasn’t expecting that kind of day, it just crept up on me.
SOTD is Zeste de Rose by Parfums de Rosine. Harking back to Yonahleyah’s comment, I can imagine eating this one, or maybe drinking it. Like having lemonade garnished with rose petals. Or with a spoonful of rosepetal jam. Yum.
Roses must be particularly edible. I accidentally got Une Rose Chypree on my fingers one day, then started nervously chewing my fingernail. I was shocked to discover it actually tasted GOOD.
I too found URC remarkably edible-smelling, though I haven’t, um, tried chewing it…
The Lemming du Jour : Creed Fleurs de the Rose Bulgare
I want to buy a bottle (250ml) and split it up….anybody else lemming after this summery rose??? (I’m practically panting just thinking about it!! how sick is that?)
Sick, sick, sick. 🙂
How sick is that?
You got my note about 25ml, correctomundo?
yes, I did…..you are sick sick sick too! I think you are right, Joe—neither one of us can go a day without buying (or wanting to buy) something new!! Oh, and now I want that new L’Artisan too! ahggggg!
Gosh Daisy, why ever are you lemming that?!? *rapp bats her eyes with all innocence*
I’m LOL at Lemming du Jour! That needs to become a permanent part of the perfumistas’ lexicon.
I blame YOU Rapple!!!! you sent me the sample….which J promptly nabbed (it is rose after all) now we BOTH want some!
LOL your enablers card must be glowing!
I’m so glad you’re both enjoying it (although J. won’t help to defray costs of a bottle split!). I really wanted to love it, and it was okay on me, but turned a litle too soapy.
Sigh. Maybe when I’m done spending $970 a month on daycare…
That day will come, Boojum. Hang in there!
Oh, I know…I’ve been through this once already. Had just gotten to a cheaper point of life w/more freedom, and I had another kid (mine are 8 yrs apart). 😀 It’s just shocking to see the actual number in writing; it’s more than my mortgage!
Since I CAN’T WEAR PERFUME AT WORK (and am clearly not bitter about it at all), I can only talk about what I wore yesterday. One of my many orders to TPC arrived, and I decided to try my sample of Vraie Blonde by Etat Libre d’Orange. Has anyone else tried this? OMG, I love it so much, I’m almost afraid to ask, for fear someone will point out all that’s wrong with it and ruin it for me. So if you don’t like it, don’t tell me, I can’t take it!
LOL…my lips are sealed! No, seriously, I’m not even sure I’ve tried it…there are still a few from the brand that I haven’t gotten around to.
Cooler weather here today, headed for a high in the low 70s. SOTD: Montale Soleil de Capri (speaking of edible). And now I know I had a question waiting for one of these days, but can’t remember it (as usual). OH well.
Haha I have EXACTLY that feeling; I’ve forgotten my question too. You have just inspired me to go dig up my decant of Soleil di Capri, that’s the one that smells like a nice version of Light Blue, IIRC.
LOL @ “a nice version”. And Boo, yeah, it’s edible; I like to call it the “fruity custard” scent.
…don’t forget ‘spicy’ **snickering**
Well, officially you’re right, of course – the note list includes “spices” – but none come through on me, unless they’re aromatic rather than spicy spices.
I’m wearing Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille, from a decant I got at TPC. It’s a little hot here in LA to wear such a strong, warm vanilla, but I’m alone at home and took the opportunity to smell as a please, what a treat!
HA…it is a treat to stay home and wear whatever you like, isn’t it?
Yes it is :)!!!!
Would anyone, please, recommend a perfume with sage or that smells a bit like sage?
Thank you!
Parfumerie Generale’s L’eau Rare Matale has a sage note. I don’t know if that’s the predominant scent I got from it—I think most people consider it more as a tea scent, but for me it was a bit herbal/floral.
Thank you Janice, it sounds delicious anyway and I’ll try it.
L’homme Sage by Divine
Thank you Carlos, I will look for a sample. Do you like it?
Angelainthesky: I posted a couple of sage suggestions in the wrong place…way at the bottom…I think the heat has fried my brain today!
Lucky Scent has it. I honostly don’t remember since it’s been such a long time since I tried the sample. I suppose I didnt LOVE it, since I didn’t wind up buying a FB.
Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel has a very prominent sage note with other herbal type accords. It is really neat stuff.
Thank you AnnS. I will also get a sample of this one. Sounds nice!
Wearing Ava Luxe Venus Sands…it is gorgeous!! The first time is sprayed it was in the car (I had just gotten the delivery from the PO and couldn’t wait to try it) and my son, from the back seat, immediately said “What smells so good?”
Anyone have any other Ava Luxe suggestions?
What’s Venus Sands like? I have a ton of AL samples and I recently fell in love with Kretek. Also enjoy her Sweet Patchouli, Midnight Violet, Royal Parvati. I’ve also been hankering for a sample of Love’s True Bluish Light, but haven’t ever tried it.
I would describe it as a beachy floral, a little bit like really reallly nice like suntan lotion, but much more beautifully floral and subtly vanilla. It has a tropical feel, but not like Hawiian Tropic. I think it’s heavenly for the summer. Notes are: Gardenia, Jasmine Sambac, Waterlily, Island Orchid, Comoro Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, Nutmeg, Clove, Thai Coconut Milk, Vanilla, Amber, Incense, Sandalwood. If that helps…
I am dying to try Midnight Violet..
It doesn’t help “the list” or the wallet…..
Tara – there are SO many great Ava Luxe fragrances. My recommendations would include Chypre Noir, Cafe Noir, Hong Kong Garden, and No. 23. You almost can’t go wrong with Serena’s line of fragrances. Good Luck!
Thanks Marko…The only two ALs I have are Venus Sands and Chypre Noir, which is really nice. I bought both unsniffed and do not regret it.
I think my next purchase will be No. 23. Have you tried Madam X (think that’s the name?) or Love’s True Bluish Light?
I can’t wait til AL comes back from vacation!
I ADORE Ava Luxe Moroccan Mint – I wore it for my wedding (layered with Calyx!). I’ve been wearing this one a lot alone lately – perfect for warm summer, I think. There’s a light floral background with something to give it depth, but the bright clear mint at the top is delicious, refreshing, perfect!
Now I want the Beaches one. Thanks for the thought!
I’m looking for a perfume for my niece’s birthday. She is about to turn 14, is taking voice lessons, claims not to like reading but makes an exception for fantasy (vampires and dragons) , and refused to go to Girl Scout camp with her sister. Last year I gave her Baby Doll Paris, which was a big hit. This year I’m looking for something in a different style, probably floral. It should seem sophisticated to a teenager but not overly sexy to adults, should probably be mainstream because it’s unfair to get someone too young for her own credit card hooked on niche perfume, and should be tolerable to my sister (whose favorite is Coco, so I take this as a warning to stay away from Flowerbomb and Pink Sugar). Candidates: Anais Anais, Daisy (I can hardly smell it, but the bottle is great), various Rosines available on Amazon.com (OK, those are niche, but Rose d”Ete, Roseberry, and Zeste de Rose all sound suitable), l’Occitane Eau des Quatre Reines. Miss Dior Cherie is probably too much like Baby Doll.
Floral: what about Guerlain AA Tiare Mimosa? Easily tested/had, not too pricy, and a soft, warm floral.
How about Nina by Nina Ricci, Burberry The Beat, or one of the new Benefit scents – Laugh with Me LeeLee is floral.
I wear Baby Doll when I want to feel carefree, and Cheri does not smell anything like it. There is a vivid strawberry note going on with the caramelized sugar in Petite Cheri. Baby Doll is more a fruity floral. And Petite Cheri has an adorable chic bottle. What about Rock N Rose by Valentino? or Champs-Elysees by Guerlain (pretty) or Fleur D’Interdit by Givenchy? Fleur can be had at Fragrance.com and is a Fruity Floral that is very non-offencive.
Hmmm, for a 14 year old Daisy or Anais Anais seem about right. Some others that come to mind include Fresh Strawberry Flowers (available exclusively at Sephora, I think); Harajuku Lovers – for the adorable bottles; Philosophy Amazing Grace in the EDP concentration; The Body Shop Morroccan Rose; Clinique Happy in Bloom. I am sure I can think of others, but I’ll stop there. 😉
I agree Daisy is great for a teen. When someone mentioned Cherie I immediately also thought of Annick Goutal Petite Cherie which is very nice. Some may laugh, but I discovered Gres Cabotine recently and like it a lot, and it’s VERY affordable. Check it out.
I wont laugh, I spray Cabotine on myself in the cosmetics area at the grocery store! it’s very affordable. I should just buy one one of these days… can’t afford this month though.
The grocery store? Good grief, I didn’t realize Cabotine was THAT downmarket! Either that or your grocery store is slightly posh…
lol I’m not sure that Loblaws is posh, but they even have some Chanels!
Wish I’d ever seen it where it could be sprayed! That’s one of those scents I see multiple bottles of every time I’m in TJ Maxx or Marshall’s… but have never sniffed. Right now there are flankers galore, besides.
third or fourth on the Daisy ….that is a perfect for her age and it does have a very cute bottle and is really reasonable at discounters. Also some of the Rosines could be worn quite easily and have a little more panache.
Good suggestions. I’ll sniff the ones that the local Sephora has in stock, then see what I can mail order, since the Post Office classifies perfume as a hazardous substance that has to be sent parcel post unless you have a license.
Or unless you lie about the package contents. And I don’t really know anyone who’s ever done that. 😮
certainly no one at this blog! perish the thought!
Or go UPS ground…
Actually, if you ordered something , you could quite easily have it shipped directly to her. Most places will even gift wrap it for you for a small charge.
The Harajuku Lovers have even hit TJMaxx – at least, they’ve hit my TJMaxx in a really cute set that comes with the edp and the solid perfume in a cute package. Now, I can only stomach G and I already have stuff that smells like it, so I didn’t get it, but I would think that a young girl would enjoy it.
I’d also second the Daisy rec – I think that Sephora even has some kind of GWP going on right now and the Benefit rec on the Crescent Row. LeeLee wasn’t my cup-of-tea, but it’s a cute fragrance and the packaging is adorable. I even thing that Something About Sofia would be appropriate and your sister wouldn’t mind smelling it on her daughter.
Perhaps one of the Guerlain Insolences.
My vote is for Rose D’Ete. It’s so young, with a touch of class. When I was that age I also liked the smell of lilac. Maybe you can try something with that note in it? The only one I know of is Frederick Malle’s En Passant. Tommy Girl, of course, is very popular with that set: floral & tea. Coco Mademoiselle is grownup but light-hearted.
These are my suggestions for your niece, though those made above are also lovely, esp. the AG Petit Cherie. Sonoma Scent Studio Lieu de Reves which is a really stunning powdery violet-heliotrope scent. Also Caron Aimez-Moi, a very happy violet scent with a nice vanilla dry down. Along the vanilla oriental lines (as she likes Coco, one of my early fav’s when I was a teen), is the Mouboussin which is just a really nice dried fruit-floral-vanilla oriental, very wearable. A much richer version of this she may like is the Badgley Mischka. The new St. John fragrance that has a rich saffron/osmanthus/vanilla thing going on – very pretty, a little sweet, very youthful, yet sophisticated. Lancome Mille et Une Rose with that lovely soft sweet rose and vanilla-musk dry down…. Good luck!
I just heard that Charlotte Gainsbourg is fronting the new Balenciaga fragrance. Any guesses as to what it would smell like? Amber and patchouli, perhaps?
http://fashionista.com/2009/07/balenciaga_has_become_my_secon.php#comments
OMG I LOVE HER and Balenciaga has been on a roll these past few years. The combination of them working together on a fragrance is blowing my mind.
Can’t even guess, and we have to wait until next year to find out, drat!
Wearing Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere today, but now I have three other scents scattered about the backs of my hands and arms – trying to decide whether or not I want to purchase a bottle of Histoires de Parfums on sale at Miomia. 1826 on the back of one hand , 1804 on the other, and Vert Pivoine on an arm. They’re all beginning to smell the blend together into one big mess. Think I need a whiff of coffee beans or something to reset my nose!
Meant “they’re all beginning to blend together…” Geez. I really should proofread before I click that button. 😉
I’m wavering about the 1826 – guess I’ll try it again today.
I haven’t even tried the Vert Pivoine and I feel like I want to buy it JUST because it’s $35. I didn’t really love any of the other HdPs I tried (Sand, Sade, Collette, Patch). Is this a perfume addiction or what? I think I’ll pass, but I laugh when I think about how my mind works.
I’ve been in a fight with myself on these for a while. The one I like most is Marquis de Sade but of course that is not in the $35 mix. I had big plans for about a minute – lol. The Vert Pivoine is not quite there for me, and the 1826 is the only one that I like enough to think I would wear it. It is just a nice wearable fruity concoction. Argh.
Might be worth dropping Katie at miomia a note and asking if she has any of the old 1740 bottles left…I know she had some a couple of months ago.
I have won my fight and determined I don’t need any of these unless someone decides to just give me one.
I really like the citrusy one for Colette…I was tempted too, but I think I’ve only tried the new version so was worried about ordering the old.
Yes…I did a comparison of old/new versions awhile ago (have samples of each), and they are VERY different. Definitely do not purchase based on a sample of the new scent. That $35 price for 4oz, though, is quite a steal! I know Katie’s been trying to get rid of these things for awhile now.
A word of warning Robin….I tried the new version and liked it quite a bit—-bought the old version based on nice descriptions and they are nothing alike….I can easily send you a LARGE decant of Colette if you are curious!
Thanks — I was afraid of that! But in that case, I think I’d just as soon not even try the old version, though you’re very kind to offer 🙂
I have a sample of the old Colette – super soap. On me, anyway.
yup, headache inducing after a while for me.
I’m feeling some perfume enui at the moment. I’m pretty sure I misspelled enui, too – enuii? Not quite boredom, but just can’t seem to get excited by anything. I’ve gone a few unscented days lately and it’s been kind of nice. Maybe it’s because the weather here is more like mid September than July!
ennui
🙂
Thanks! I knew one letter was doubled……
Going unscented — even for a few weeks! — always helps me.
I do that too and was even wondering about my new-found love and commitment to perfumes. I’m so glad to hear that you people also take breaks. It’s like taking a break from your husband once in a while, always a good idea. Then, the romance is renewed.
Wish my husband would grasp that concept. Even when he does go somewhere, he calls about 4-5 times a day. How am I supposed to miss him if he won’t leave me alone?
LOL!!! Well, I got myself a husband who also likes to be left alone, so, it’s a reciprocal deal 🙂
He’s not in love with perfumes though, which is sad. Oh well, can’t have everything.
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune today, after a three week stretch of wearing only Trish McEvoy Sexy 9. I went to Europe in June, thought I’d find something new or previously untried to delight me, and didn’t. I did try DIor Escale a Pondichery but didn’t want to buy without the chance to wear a bit. (Rather wish now that I’d bought it). Anyway, after returning home I went to a Blue Mercury and found the Sexy 9. Love the Pamplelune, which both energizes and comforts me.
I hope everyone is enjoying beautiful summer days.
Glad to hear another “yes” vote for the Pondichery…can’t wait to try it.
We are having a fall day here today,unbelievable for July but I could see my breath last night…so this morning I went with ambre sultan and it is the perfect choice!
It’s so neat how a rich oriental scent can make you all cozy inside…just like a plushy blanket on a winter’s day. 🙂
Lucky you, it’s so darned hot & humid here!
R, you just can’t win this year, can you? From cold and rainy to hot and humid, just like that? I think we’ve had a bit of everything, which suits me just fine.
Nah…really, we had 3 weeks of perfect weather in between, it just came late this year!
Here in Wichita, the land of Oz, it has been 100+ and humid. I drag myself to the Refrigerator and spray on Gucci Envy’s Sun spray (alcohol free) all over. I’m thinking about buying Kenzo’s D’ Ete? They are out of stock at Sephora’s on line and they usually aren’t. I’ve never smelled it but it sounds light and watery. They don’t list any base notes though. I want a sparkling floral with a petite amount of spice/muskiness or woodiness…any suggestions????Oh, the only thing I feel like eating my own arm off…in a good way, is Cruel Gardenia buy Guerlain, but it’s $230+ and I think I’m the only one who likes it.
And I’m wearing AG La Chevrefeuille, but it isn’t helping. 🙁
Love Le Chevrefeuille, but haven’t tried any of the others you mention. I would recommend an osmanthus scent as a sparkling floral. My faves are TDC Osmanthus, Osmanthus Interdite and Osmanthe Yunnan. Failing that, L’Artisan’s The Pour en Ete, or Ete en Douce? I’ve gone off my Ete en Douce though, it has become too synthetic smelling.
Wow, I wish I knew what to say. Perfume is such an easy thing for me to choose on a cool, cloudy day. On a hot day like this, I don’t know! I’m not even sure perfumes go well on days where the temperature is so unrelenting.
I’m with you on that one, plume. It’s been really hot in LA of late and I’ve found myself more inclined to go without perfume altogether. I think fragrance just suits colder weather better, when you can choose it as an accessory to the rest of your ensemble and sort of wear it as armor. Right now it seems almost superflous.
Having said all that, I still wear fragrance more often than I don’t. I’d feel naked without it. 🙂
One thing I’ve noticed works pretty well on hot days is CB I hate perfume’s “water perfume” line.. one or two sprays is very, very mild and seems to allow the air around me to breathe, especially on very hot days. I can’t stop singing the praises of Christopher Brosius’ stuff!
Thanks for the tip! I will definitely check it out.
It’s so hot in LA that I can’t sum up the will to drive up to Hollywood and try all the new things at Scent Bar. (Also, I feel kinda bad going there because I’ve decided not to buy full bottles anymore, so I’m really only there for a free sniff… )
I got a sample of Ormonde Woman and it is amazing. I especially love the hit of vetiver in the drydown. I only wish it lasted longer on me. :/
Aw, but It’s a free country…I say sniff away!!
Haha, I try not to go more than once a month. I figure that’s kinda fair? 😉
I’ve made the same vow; full bottles are so much to handle! Unless it’s something that would be hard to get again. I had a friend get me a SL bell jar when she was in Paris and if I could, I’d do it again. xP
If I’m ever in London or Paris there will be no holds barred! 😉 Otherwise I’m determined to sample first, then decant, THEN go full bottle, if I still love it.
I just can’t imagine needing a full bottle or much. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think I’ll even need 100ml or even 50ml of one thing.
Tell me about it! I had to learn the hard way. These days I’m pretty satisfied with 10 to 15ml decants. I have a short attention span anyway, so I figure if I still love something after a year, I can invest in more of it. 😉
Okay, so you all know by now that I am wearing the 1826 and mulling the purchase.
Can I tell you how good I was yesterday? At Ross, they had Bulgari Black for $25, and since I already have some I didn’t get any. They had the BIG bottle of Harajuku G, also $25, but I don’t love the juice quite enough although it is my fave in the line, and a bottle of Covet for $10 (already have some). Plus Omnia, which I am intrigued by but have not sniffed. Quite the bonanza, and I walked out empty-handed.
On the plus side, I am enjoying my Czech & Speake samples (faves so far Rose [regular] and Oxford & Cambridge [lavender cologne]), plus just received my Bois d’Oranger winnings and love it. Found out my friend’s BF has just discovered scent and is going all-out with it, dabbing her with Noir Epices and talking about how Ellena does too much citrus. lol – fun.
Swap pals – your packges are on the way!
Ack, B Black for $25??? I wish I had a Ross near me! You really were good.
Not all Ross’ are that good – mine is like the 7th level of Hell and full of horrid scents like all of the Paris Hiltons and the Bratz perfume.
My TJ Maxx, on the other hand, has been distressingly full of nice stuff lately.
Same here. I actually quit going to Ross. TJ Maxx/Marshall’s however, I live at…much to my husband’s chagrin!
Wow! You are a pillar of strength! spine made of twisted blue steel!!……I know I would have caved on at least one…but my spine is made of marshmallow, and I accept that.
Daisy: You and I both would have bought two Blacks (one as a needed “backup” of course) and an Omnia just in case we knew someone who might want it…
I know, I know….*shaking head in disgusted resignation*…I am hopeless….
but as soon as I got home with them—I’d email YOU and see if you wanted to split them!!!! **fellow perfume dragon**
At a garage sale a scent trail caused me to ask “what IS that delightful perfume?” Turned out to be Tabu in its current drugstore incarnation. Bought a bottle for $10–cheap thrills!
Great find, congrats!
It’s not cagey shopping–that’s just its regular price.
I like its “I’m naughtily inexpensive, and I don’t care who knows!” attitude.
quite a pleasant summer’s day here in Blighty, bit muggy this evening. I received my Ormonde Jayne sampler kit this morning — seriously sexy/chic packaging — and don’t know where to start! Any suggestions? (also seriously good value at 35 quid for 11 small spray samples at EdP strrength and postage free in the U.K. )
Ooooh, what fun! Start anywhere, really — they’re all so different. And let us know what you think!
I recently received a sample of OJ Orris Noir from the kind and generous Daisy, and I love it! It seems to work fine in the heat and humidity as well.
Glad you like it so well….there should be more of it in your mailbox by tomorrow!
Thanks! Can’t wait!!
Didn’t mean to sound like an advert for OJayne but as you can tell I am quite taken with it.
We all do that….on a regular basis too! It just confirms that you are one of ‘our people’. 😉
We looooove enabling…..err, I mean user recommendations!
umm, yeah….”recommendations”….no pressure…..(buy it buy it buy it)
I may very well be the only person on this blog who hasn’t yet tried Ormonde Jayne. Am I missing out or what? I wonder how much shipping would be from London to Los Angeles? Probably a lot!
The cost of the sample set is not too bad, and personally I think it’s well worth it — it’s one of my favorite lines.
SOTD: Jicky parfum. Every time I go back to this, I just think, God, what a work of art. It’s simply stunning. Nothing like it. Every sniff is heaven.
What’s not heaven: leathers. I’m really beginning to hate that note. PG’s Cuir Venenum, Montale’s Aoud Leather, Heeley’s Cuir Pleine Fleur…awful awful awful.
I felt that way about leathers a lot, Jared, and I’m still “learning.” I think Dzing! and Bulgari Black were good starter leathers for me because they’re both a little weird and not straight-up leather (though Dzing! is more than a bit ‘Eau de Riding Crop’). I’m finally getting into others more slowly: good stuff like Chanel Cuir de Russie and suedes like Daim Blond. Still not my fave note, but it’s also easier to take in very cool weather.
Gosh, I keep forgetting about Dzing…that is a definite on my “try” list. As for Bvlgari Black, I LOVE IT! But I feel it more as rubber than leather…either way, it does sit nicely in the “weird” category. You’ve both inspired me to Dzing! though. Bring it! And I do still need to try the Chanel. That’s my last holdout on the leather list. I hear circus music…..
Jared, I agree. Jicky is INCREDIBLE!!! Doesn’t seem to get as much love as some of the other Guerlain classics, though (Mitsouko, L’Heure Bleue). I’m also a fan of Chamade.
As to leathers, can’t say I know much. But I do have a bottle of Dzing! Took me awhile to “get it” but now it’s one of my favorite scents. I typically give scents 3 tries. If it ain’t workin’ after that 3rd try, it’s a goner. I posted this before, but Dzing! was one of those scents that haunted me. It was SO weird at first…really strange. But I couldn’t stop sniffing it despite its weirdness. It slowly turned into LOVE mostly because it was so intriguing.
Why bother with trying to love something, though, if it’s really “hate” for you? There are SO many other scents out there to enjoy…and find that you really love!
I agree that Jicky parfum is out of sight! One day I’ll have my own bottle…..
I hated Aoud Leather! Actually, I only liked one of the seven Montales I tried: Santal Sliver (?). The rest made me want to gnaw off my arm. Not a line I think I’ll need to scope out. xP
I am starting to think I don’t like perfumery’s leather. =x
Is it the leather or the oud that is ruining it for you? Oud can be some pretty powerful stuff sometimes! Personally I don’t like most of Montale’s Ouds….but some of the non-oud Montales are fabulous…like (my personal fave) Soleil de Capri and the new Mango Manga.
I’m pretty sure I loved Tom Ford’s oud scent, though I tried one only two several months ago and I could be wrong. I know the other one was Purple Patchouli and, even if it gave me a mild rash, I loved it. But the other one could very well have been something else.
I don’t know, though. I’d have to really hear resounding stuff to sample them again.
shhhhh ….don’t say “rash” very loudly…they’ll come and ban something else!
I’ve also found some of the non-oud Montales interesting. There’s something the oud combines with in a few of them that give them a mechanical/gasoline smell. I’m not sure what it is, bust I suspect leather. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Black Aoud, but I’m learning that oud can be a volatile note that can do some crazy things for good or bad.
I like the leather of Kelley Caleche – it’s what is making that scent grow on me.
That’s one of the 2 perfumes I have in quarrantine (double bag, back of the drawer). Spent the better part of a day wondering what “that smell” was and each time realized it was me. The other one also quarrantined is Bond No 9 Broadway Nite. My husband asked me, “Do you smell like that on purpose?”
lol – well if you ever decide that the KC needs a new home let me know.
I don’t know if you all realize how heartily I enjoy the comments here.
“Wondered what ‘that smell’ was and realized it was me…” = CLASSIC!!! Only in perfumista-land!
Hi Jared – I like *some* leathers – if it’s lightly used to help with the overall construction. But massive leathers are too suffocating for me. I recently tested the DSH DirtyRose and felt like someone locked me in a closet stuffed with newly tanned rawhide. Not pleasant for me at all. I do like soft leather that comes from the use of vetiver though, like in Arpege, JHAG Citizen Queen, etc…
SOTD: Theo Fennell Scent from a TPC sample batch I just treated myself to, and mm-mm-mmm is it good! I get the barest whiff of skank — not the overload that seems to put off so many — and it’s gone through a few phases, but right now it’s smelling like a dead ringer for Baume du Doge. I just got my Czech & Speake samples today as well, and I’m so excited for my sniff-fest!
Here’s my kooky question: My mailbox is very dark green, painted to match the house, and it’s on the west side of the house, so it gets blasted by the afternoon sun. Unless I grab everything as soon as the mailman passes by, it all gets completely cooked — yes, we’re talking boiling perfume samples. Does anyone have any brilliant suggestions? I rent, so painting it white is out of the question. Insulation? Ice packs? Schooling the mailman in the niceties of perfume and its sources?
I mentioned something along these lines before: if it’s only “cooking” for a couple hours at most, I might just stop worrying about it because you have no idea what things have been through before they even get to you. UPS trucks get awfully hot, so if cases are sent to retailers that way, etc., etc… I’m of the mind that a few hours of any extreme isn’t going to hurt anything (it’s not a dairy product, after all). Not to make light of the concern, I’m just saying I personally wouldn’t worry especially since there’s probably no great solution.
Could you get a post office box? Then your perfumes would be cool at least while they waited in the post office for you.
Or have them mailed to your work address? I usually have the perfume mailed to the house, but we have any electronics or other large packages that will be left on our doorstep unguarded to either my work or my husband’s work.
Cover it with tin foil? Might blind all passers-by but might keep it from cooking.
Look at me saying “tin foil” – I don’t even think I was around for that, but it’s so much easier than “aluminum”.
or make people think your mailbox fears alien invasion and mind control…..
can you use foliage as shade? Perhaps a nice trailing leafy plant secured to the top of the post ( I don’t know how your mailbox is situated…on a post, attached to the house, hanging?) But if you could affix a bushy, leafy plant that can take full sun (potato vine, wave petunias etc) and the foliage could drape over the sides of the mailbox it would naturally cool it.
Or maybe you could think insulation. Thick cardboard taped inside the box, or a liner of that foamy stuff they use to pad electronics shipments. If you’re expecting a perfume shipment that day, throw one of those blue ice packs inside that morning.
Thanks for the suggestions, all… I can’t afford a p.o. box and don’t have a work address, but a big potted bush or an ice pack on perfume days might work. As for the tin foil (hey, that’s what I call it too!), my landlord lives next door and can be a bit nitpicky, but it might look cool and space-agey. I suppose I could have everything shipped to my father’s nice shady address, but I do so love the thrill of samples in my own little mailbox! Not worrying about it also sounds tempting…
Ordered 10 samples from luckyscent. I thought Labo’s Iris 39 smelled a lot like Tom Ford’s White Patchouli, PotL’s Luctor et Emergo smelled like cherry cough syrup with cooking spices, and CdG’s Stephen Jones smelled like my friend’s sheets. Among other things. I’ve basically been playing catch-up. But I liked all the samples from L’Artisan (Jour de Fete, JCE’s La Haie Fleurie, and Piment Brulant). But I’m wearing Dzongkha today and I need another bottle–the last one broke–just, maybe a little less. Maybe I’ll work up the courage and try to set up a split. And I bought a small decant of Mitsouko EdP and I love it! Happy perfume times.
Your Dzongkha broke?? so sorry! That would make me shed a flood of tears!
100ml, two months after I bought it. My heart broke with it. I’d actually forgotten how good it was, though. =o
It took me a while to get used to Luctor et Emergo, and for the longest time I was not sure I wanted to buy a full bottle. Then I bought a large decant and was surprise how much I liked the stuff. Spraying it made all the difference, the sweetness gets more defused and not so strong. I love it now.
Too bad; no mini atomizers from Luckyscent. Just as well, I guess. I don’t really need any new loves. Got so many backed up!
Wow, you lost 100 ml. of masterpiece. Sad. Isn’t Dzongkha amazing?
I know. I love Dzongkha so much. It was really upsetting at the time, and now as I fall in love with it again!
SOTD – L’Occitane Bergamot Tea, although it didn’t last very long. I guess I’m so used to being careful with heavier scents, edp and parfum concentrations that I didn’t spritz enough on. Next time, I’ll try practically bathing in it – lol.
I also made the mistake of spraying on Halle while I was a Walgreen’s – I keep hoping it will get to the lovely spray down that Robin and others have talked about, but right now (2 hours in) it’s a SCRUBBER on me. I actually thought that I might get sick when I got into my 100+ degree car with it on. It isn’t as nauseating on me as Burberry Weekend, but it’s definitely way too sweet for me right now.
For those of you who do love (or even like) Halle, it’s on sale for $16.99 for the 15ml size at Walgreen’s.
Ack. I don’t think I could wear Halle in the heat either — to me, it’s a fall/winter perfume. So sorry you’re suffering!
I went ahead and scrubbed – although it still seems to be lingering a bit, it’s mostly drowned out by the overspray from the decanting.
That’ll teach me to spray something directly on myself in Walgreen’s – especially since I already thought that it smelled like Pink Sugar on paper and I knew that wouldn’t be a good idea in the heat!
I really almost never spray anything on in a store unless I’m truly desperate — it always backfires!
Yeah, didn’t work on me, either – dried down to smell like caramel butter. Kinda greasy. Blech. Scrubber for me, too.
SOTD = Mitsouko (as I mentioned above). It’s almost a comfort scent for me.
I recently read about Ensoleille-moi on Grain de Musc and it sounded lovely. Has anyone here tried it? Comments? Thanks!
I reviewed it here:
https://freebox.it.com/2007/03/22/andre-gas-ensoleille-moi-fragrance-review/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hope others will chime in too!
Thanks Robin!
I just read your review Robin. “Sweet and heavy” and fades to “vanilla musk” doesn’t sound like a good idea to me in the heat and humidity.
Moment of vindication today. Years ago there was this lovely (straight!) guy at my favorite flower shop. I asked him out –a first for me– and he had a girlfriend, so I naturally did what any other neurotic 27 year old would do, switched florists until I was sure he no longer worked there.
Today I returned for the first time in two years to collect some gardenias (tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of Billie Holiday’s death) and he was there. I’d just doused myself with a healthy serving of L’Ombre dans l’Eau. He was delighted to see me and very flirty –that ship sailed– and then asked me about my perfume, identifying the Bulgarian rose immediately. He said in his 26 years of life (I’d forgotten he was so young!) he’d never once complimented anyone’s fragrance.
That ship has sailed, but what a fun story.
Vindication indeed!!
Cute story. Also love the fact that you were getting gardenias for Billie Holiday-related reasons.
Nice!
Just discovered my new favorite frag, thanks to a very very very generous MUA’er… it’s Week-end a Deauville by Parfums de Nicolai. Wow!! Lovely! Similar on me to Eau du Lude and MDCI’s (mucho expensive) Un Couer en Mai— plus has a nice dollop of Odalisque in it too. Definitely considering a full bottle purchase from Paris or a split (why isn’t this on the wiki??). This is a must have and a must try for and PdN lover. This would be my very first purchase of a truly niche frag full bottle. Thus far, I’ve been really good and had great self control, but this is to die for. Really.
Hey, my first niche bottle was PdN too 🙂
Isn’t PdN lovely? I have to try Week-end a Deauville. I’m really impressed with the ones I’ve sniffed so far: Odalisque, Le Temps D’Une Fete , Vanille Intense, and Vanille Tonka. The last is a tiny bit too lime-y for my taste (I’m not really into fruity), but strangely when I feel like wearing vanilla, I end up reaching for it more than any other vanilla fragrance. Go figure!
Hot (90+) and dry as usual in the South Bay today (south SF Bay), and I’m wearing Aliage. Ordinarily I save it for temps over 100, but I felt like switching things up since I’ve been wearing Chanel no22 so often in my dry sunny climate.
Wish it was dry here too…it’s the humidity that makes me nix so many perfumes.
Right now I’m sampling Soivohle Remarkably Incendiary – it makes me think of cottages… must be the wood?
I sprayed myself with Kate Moss’ Velvet Hour yesterday at the drugstore and since It did not make me want to scrub off my arm or cut off my nose I deem it ok 😉
LOL…that’s not a very high bar.
Compiling next month’s to-sample list. Anyone have any quick suggestions about realistic-fruity (not fruity-florals) fragrances that are not too sweet? KM Peau de Peche was my first foray into this type of thing and it made me realize that my small wardrobe is totally lacking in girliness.
Well, maybe because I am lemming it right now, PdN Balkis has my vote. Makes me swoon every time.
Lots of people here like Byredo Pulp but I haven’t sniffed it.
The Trish McEvoy #9 Blackberry Vanilla Musk is a really good berry.
I LOVE Balkis but find it a little sweet and just as much about rose as about raspberry.
That’s a hard one, Ojeda. I like Mure et Musc, and I also think that Jardin sur le Nil is a great mango scent, but I don’t know if either is “realistic-fruity”. I imagine Demeter is great in this regard. Also, some of the Comptoir Sud Pacifique fruit-vanillas, but I think many of them are sweet. Let us know if you find anything terrific; I’d be curious. I do like Pulp. I also like CdG Rhubarb.
I think I liked Mure et Musc but didn’t love it, same with Sur le Nil. Demeter unfortunately is hard to get ahold of (though I have no idea why) and I want something that lasts. Peau de Peche was a disappointment because it really is quite weak on me.
Definitely try to get a sample of Pulp. Rhubarb sounds interesting: I always love sweetness + wood.
I definitely WILL try, sorry. 😉 And thanks Joe!
Second the CdG Rhubarb (which is still in season, by the way). How about Moschino Cheap n Chic I Love Love? It strikes me as a very, very accurate grapefruit. Like in your bowl at breakfast with a grapefruit spoon and a sprinkle of sugar.
Ok, Joe. You keep mentioning this one, and I keep thinking about it… the only other Rhubarb I’m intimately acquainted with is the rhubarb note in Rose Ikebana. How does CdG Rhubarb compare with that? Any thoughts?
I love Rose Ikebana but the price tag makes me feel guilty when I use more than a spritz or two per week. Recently I swapped for a mostly-full bottle of YSL In Love Again… on me, ILA is the less-tart, less grown up version of Rose Ikebana. And with a full bottle, I can go wild with the spritzing to the point of chasing off my dog with the fumes. However, it’s missing that tart rhubarb note. So maybe the CdG would be a good test for me…
Is it floral too? Or just sharp?
To be honest, I’ve never tried Rose Ikebana, but CdG doesn’t really have floral to me… it’s kind of a tart but “creamy” scent even though that sounds paradoxical.
I’d recommend ordering sample vials of CdG Rhubarb, DL & Co Lady Rhubarb, and Byredo Pulp for variations on the same theme.
I tried Balkiss but I have no idea how much I liked it; I think it might’ve been too floral (I’m difficult with florals, sorry — jasmine is the only flower I like in large quantities). I was trying to remember Pulp; haven’t tried that yet. Thanks!
There is PdN Balkis and TDC Sublime Balkiss – never smelled that one but they are both fruity.
Oh! I conflated the two. I’ll check the PdN one for sure, thanks!
PdN Just en Reve is a lovely, sheer tropical fruit fragrance that is really outstanding. PdN Rose Pivione has a nice “classic” berry-rose accord, very similar to Ferre Rose which is a nice sheer “modern” watermelon-fruit-rose.
Oh man I really need to check PdN out as a whole line. These sound great, thank you!
So glad this is an open thread day! In a conversation the other day, a friend and I were discussing sillage and got to wondering if perfumers can control it. Do certain ingredients lift off the skin more than others? Can perfumers predict ahead of time how much sillage they’ll get from a certain “blend” and can they control it?
Yes, some ingredients definitely have more lift than others, but as to whether or not perfumers can “predict” how much sillage a blend would have, I can’t say.
SOTD is Sublime Balkiss by TDC. I just bought a bottle of Montale’s Mango Manga – not the most complex perfume but I love it!
Mango Manga! Cool. I’ve totally lost track of the Montales.
I love mango so me buying this was pretty much a given. It’s pure mango deliciousness!
How does this compare with Un Jardin sur le Nil? I love that one… mango heaven!
It’s been some time since I smelled Un Jardin sur la Nil but from what I remember, that one is more complex. Mango Manga is straightforward, freshly cut mango.
After a few cloudy, 70-degree days, it’s HOT. And HUMID. However, since it was cool yesterday, I dragged out that other sample of L’Heure Bleue which must be a different concentration than the edt I tried a few months ago, and which was just *awful* – Medicine Cabinet of Hell, I say. The stronger concentration (I can’t even remember which person swapped it to me!) is just gorgeous – all rich and anise-y and just a weeeee bit dirty in the base, definitely a Guerlain. Wow. I was wrong, I recant my heresy. Might have to get a decant of that baby… do they make it in parfum, and if so, will I have to give an arm and a leg for it?
Then in the evening, I spritzed some Citizen Queen, which is my go-to for Gettin’ Some Luv. (TMI? Sorry.) It smelled great alongside the remnants of L’HB, and has lingered through today… although it’s humid, I really wanted something weighty and warm. I briefly contemplated Une Rose Chypree, but as it turns out, Gres Cabaret + remnants of Citizen Queen is great, too.
I don’t know why I didn’t go for light and summery, in this weather. Go figure.
I love L’Heure Bleue in the edp concentration – when I first sniffed the sample straight from the vial, I thought that it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever smelled. It is available as a parfum, which is on my to-try list and is $18 for 1 ml at TPC. (Yikes! Why does $90 for 5ml actually sound better than $18 for 1ml?)
I’m pretty sure I saw some L’Heure Bleue parfum at scentwiki for less than that….so check before buying ok?
Where is this scentwiki place you speak of, Oh Great Enabler? I tried googling and got nothing.
Here you go — go nuts!
http://scentsplits.wikidot.com/
That place is EVIL, pure evil. I’m afraid to even look for too long.
l’Heure Bleue does come in parfum and I’m almost afraid to try it. I have an almost lifetime supply of EDP and I would hate to have it pale too much in comparison.
Lord, $18 per ml?! I just bought almost an ounce of vintage LHB parfum on ebay for $85. It’s quite nice, but I don’t know if it’s REALLY old and has just mellowed a LOT with age or what… but I actually like the sharp “Medicine Cabinet from Hell” that I get from the TPC decant of EDP that I own a bit better. Live and learn. Parfum isn’t always “better”, and I did get a vial of parfum first too… Still, I’m happy with what I bought.
Angelainthesky: Choc edp (Pierre Cardin) has a strong sage note; it’s listed as clary sage but smells to me like sage (as in cooking sage). It’s an odd fragrance but I really like it. Le De is also supposed to have a sage note but I haven’t tried it yet.
Sorry…posted the above in the wrong place!
No worries! You can go add a note in the right place if you want to be sure she finds it
Thanks…done!
Thank you Gilty!! The Pierre Cardin sounds especially promising as I’m looking for a perfume that smells like cooking sage.
Random funny perfume story: I was in Sephora looking for something new, and this ragged older woman w/missing teeth and a Southern drawl drifted over to me. She grabbed the Fracas, spritzed it, put it back.. and then she asked me if I could help her find “something sweet”. I told her other than the one she just sprayed, darned near everything these days is really sweet, then gave her a few suggestions. She said she had read somewhere recently that “older men like things that smell sweet, and the younger fellas, they just don’t care about it at all.” Took me awhile to realize she was asking me to help her find a man-trapping scent. LOL!
Did you tell her that if she’s trying to attract men, she’d be better off stuffing a few pieces of bacon in her pockets?
BACON!! Demeter…are you listening…?
Today wearing Osmanthe Yunnan and loving it. Although my sample is almost out, I may try to see if there is any on sale on ebay.
I keep checking, too! Osmanthe Yunnan is high on my wish list, and my sample is almost gone.
Today I wore Ralph, the only fragrance I’ve received multiple compliments on. I wonder if my coworkers think everything else I wear is really stinky? It’s the single frootie-floral in my ‘drobe.
Hey! Glamour has a lil feature on light summer frags, and a couple suggestions for “hippie-chic” perfumes. I was thinking about writing them and asking for a feature on niche/vintage. But at least they’re trying to keep the interest alive, for their part!
Cool — which scents did they mention, do you remember?
Lemme get the mag & find the pages….
K, first they say “All-out Sexy” then they say “superlight.” ??? Here we have Vera Wang Rock Princess, Burberry Summer, Lacoste Love of Pink, CH Carolina Herrera, Elizabeth Arden Pretty, Benefit My Place or Yours Gina, & Celine Dion Chic. In the Hippie-Chic section are Marc Jacobs Lola and Dior Escale a Pondichery. They also have test strips of Be Delicious and Beautiful, and Justin Timberlake saying he thinks pheromones are”way sexier than any scent.”
🙂
Thanks! Their idea of hippie chic isn’t very “hippie”, LOL…
I’m very new to the perfume world. I wore Lauren from the time I was in high school up till now (decades!). But I’ve become a fanatic after reading some books on perfume and discovering The Perfumed Court.
My current favorite is Bulgari, Omnia. I’ve been trying not to bathe in it.
I have so many decants that I just ordered to try that I don’t know where to begin. I ordered a batch of decants which I became interested in after reading The Perfect Scent by Chandler Burr–Bvlgari Au The Vert, Hermes Kelly Caleche, Hermes Un Jardin Sur le Nil, Frederic Malle L’Eau d’Hiver, The Different Company Sel de Vetiver, Bvlgari Black (which my husband loved), People of the Labyrinths Luctor et Emergo, B Never Too Busy to Be Beautiful Breath of God (which I loved), CB I hate Perfume Russian Caravan Tea, CB I Hate Perfume In the Library.
I am hooked, unfortunately, I do not yet have the vocabulary to describe how wonderful (or not these are).
I have been enjoying reading every single one of your articles, posts and comments. Thank you!
Hi Bohoteacher! Isn’t this a great place? I too have learned so much. Looking forward to seeing more of you! 🙂
Ah, this is how it starts! Meemmmmmmm’ries (and it’s not that long ago, either, that some of us remember being exactly in your shoes). Welcome and we regulars hope to see more of you.
Bohoteacher, welcome to the club!
Welcome Boho!! Vocab is nice, but you also need to be able to spell sound effects like “meh”, “blechhh” and “wahhhh” (for when things are not available yet)….creative punctuation is important too ( I always keep an extra sack of exclamation points handy for this place!!) …add a level of wilingness to nearly bankrupt yourself for perfume….and you will be a fully vested member of our community.
😀
“add a level of wilingness to nearly bankrupt yourself for perfume”, ahhhh, so true! I’m kind of at your level Bohoteacher, except that I’ve already started to bankrupt myself for perfume and don’t even know that much about it. But, you know what? No regrets, I found a new love.
Hi all! I spent most of the day in airports and airplanes, but now I am beginning a glorious, mostly lazy three-week vacation. Believe you me, I need this! Anyway, I want to share my new addiction. My most recent purchase is a bottle of L’Artisan L’Eau de Jatamansi, and I am smitten. This morning I spritzed myself and my husband lightly, and it seemed to have a calming effect on us as we negotiated boarding, baggage claim, etc. Now we are settled in for vacation and I’ve re-spritzed from a little sprayer I made up. This fragrance just blooms in warm, humid weather! I recommend it highly, and if you are a cardamom fan you simply MUST try it.
Have an awesome vacay, H! 🙂
Have a fun vaca – there will be a package waiting for you!
Hey, hope you enjoy your vacation, whereever you are! (Hawaii?? I hope!) That sample of Jatamansi you sent was so nice — I also got quite a lemongrass note from it, but maybe that was just me. Anyway, enjoy and relax!
Thanks, SunnyFunny, Tama, and Joe. Yes, we are on Kaua’i. Sigh… the air is so clean and so wonderful. You would all laugh at the number of fragrance samples I packed! But I know you would do the same, LOL. Tama, the package will stay nice and cool in our PO box — thanks! Lemongrass, Joe? That is interesting. Hmmm… sniff… maybe!
I SO BADLY MISS living in Hawaii! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!
Thanks, Juniper. It is a special place indeed.
Oh wow, that sounds fantastic! I keep wishing someone would insist I take a month off and go away, leaving the kids behind….sigh. Too much stress! It’s a shame our country is so behind the times when it comes to things like leave time. Glad you finally got your Jatamansi… still need to revisit that one, but since the weather has cooled drastically, it won’t be soon. Have a fabulous vacation!
Thanks, Boojum, this is like my second home, and it was hard to carve out time away from work. SO worth it, though! Yes, do revisit Jatamansi. I didn’t get its full effect until the day I bought it. It’s a funny story — I was recently visiting family in Portland, OR, and went to the famous Perfume House to try a few things and maybe buy a summer bottle of something. After lots of going back and forth, I fell for Acqua di Parma Colonia, and walked out all happy with my purchase (it is certainly a gorgeous fragrance). It was an unusually hot day, and as we drove away, the Jatamansi (one of four things on my hands/arms) literally BLOOMED. I mean, it came alive on my arm! So I told my husband to turn around and a pink-faced Haunani (pink-faced from heat AND embarrassment) gave the Colonia back and came back out with the Jatamansi. Cost a few dollars more, but I’ve rarely been happier with a purchase!
Hey, if you take a drive up Waimea Canyon there is a gift shop where I got my eensy bottle of really good plumeria oil. Years ago, God knows if it still exists. But you might get lucky and see some nene at least!
Well, you never know. If we go up there, I will look. Thanks!
Have a wonderful vacation Haunani!! Looks like you’ll have goodies from Tama AND me in your mailbox when you get home! Don’t forget lots of sunscreen! –especially the tops of your feet…why do people always forget the tops of their feet?
I take it you will be in contact with NST occasionally? I can’t imagine no NST for 3 weeks!!! ACK!
Thanks, Daisy. Have laptop will travel. If anything, I’ll have more time for NST! 🙂
Cute story: I am a devotee of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely. Okay so it’s a shopping mall fragrance, but there must be some deep and powerful compatibility between it and me because it’s a perfect match. It makes me feel calm and dreamy, but also alert and sparky. Amazing how perfume can do that for you.
My 6 year old daughter knows it is one of my favourites and she knows I will share it. This morning she asked for some ‘Lovely cream’ so I got it out for her. It was such fun to smooth it on her innocent little chest. ‘Oooh that’s lovely!’ she said. And it was. And she is.
She sat in front of the gas heater while she got dressed (it’s winter here) so the heater picked up the warm scent from her body and wafted it around the room.
It’s fun to share.
Awww. What a sweet thing.
Thank you for sharing that sweet little moment with us!
That is precious.
Awww….
awww, what a little sweetie! 🙂
I feel a bit stupid but I wish to share with you my recent discovery: Vetiver.
I once tried the famous Guerlain, “the reference Vetiver”, and I totally disliked it. I thought: vetiver is not my cup of tea.
Last month I enter a Hermes boutique to try OY and a genenerous SA gives me a huge sample of Vetiver Tonka.
WOW.
I think it is one of the most wonderful scents I have ever tried. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
Enboldened by the discovery (I might like Vetiver after all!!) I enter the Chanel boutique and ask to try Sycomore – another huge sample falls in my lap and another, double WOW!! and triple LOVE.
So I share with you my conclusions and a question:
1- high end stores are becoming very generous with samples. Crisis? Anyway me happy.
2- I think I LOVE vetiver.
3- Me and Guerlain are never going to be friends (well, maybe except for Jicky)
4- Do you have and Vetiver wonder to suggest me?
😉
any Vetiver wonder…typo.
It ususally takes just one really outstanding fragrance to flip that switch into loving something you used to not like. The same thing happened to me last with year galbanum (from AG Heure Exquise), and after that, I love love love the stuff! Hello Chamade & No 19 – I’m talking to you!
How true!
I already happened for me with rose…
I also noticed that after a year of frantic smelling, my tastes have changed a lot!
Zazie, I have never tried the Guerlain, but I think Sycomore is my absolute perfect, holy grail vetiver. You may want to sample Terre d’Hermes too for a different twist on it.
2nd! Sycomore is the ultimate example of perfection, in my opinion. And I love Terre also.
I have become a bit of a vetiver freak and have tried many. I kind of break them down into 2 categories – rich and mid-range/light.
Rich – Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire, Tauer Vetiver Dance, MPG Racine
midrange/light – CdG Vettiveru, Chanel Sycomore, Terre d’Hermes
The only one I have a FB of is the Comme des Garcons, for summer. It is fresh and citrussy. However, the Malle is to die for and must be experienced. It’s fun to try them all.
I need to try that Malle vetiver. I love that line and it sounds great! Recently I discovered Annick Goutal’s Vetiver. Now that is a line I’m not so crazy about, but the vetiver is SO “me” in all its salty, seaweedy splendor. TDC Sel de Vetiver is another that sings for me. I also have a sample of Etro’s vetiver, but haven’t tried it yet. I’ve heard that it’s on the earthy side. And another thumbs up for Terre d’Hermes – awesome on my husband.
Oh, I forgot about the Sel de Vetiver – I have enjoyed sampling that.
I really want to try the Guerlain Vetiver Pour Elle – now that I hear it may be in the SF Needless Markup , I need to sniff. Haven’t tried the AG – I have such a hard time with that line – but I will check it out.
I just tried a sample of Guerlain’s L’heure bleue, and it is love at first smell!
Perfect!
Well, I’m a day late and a dollar short, but wanted to share the fun day I had yesterday with folks who may appreciate it. I had to go to the mall, so on my ‘to do’ list was: stop by L’Occitane and Nordstrom. Did not wear perfume on purpose in order to do a little sampling. @ Nordstrom I had the pleasure of sampling EL PC Jasmine and White Moss on one hand and Bvlgari Jasmine Noir on the other. I have been so curious about both. I remember when you reviewed the BJN Robin, and you didn’t find it to be too noir-ish. To me, and side by side with PCJWM, it was quite noir-y. I don’t know the notes off hand, but I think there may be amber or perhaps vanilla in the BJN mix? It had an Oriental feel to me. The Jasmine White Moss seemed mainly to be about the Jasmine imo – I really didn’t get much moss at all until near the end and even then it was so soft. I enjoyed both of the scents. I was very surprised my husband liked the Bvlgari one better, I thought he would go for the softer one. I’m not sure yet which one I’ll purchase. @ l’Occitane, I tested Verbena, Citris Verbena and Bergamot tea on paper strips. All lovely and will test on skin next time. I threw the strips in a bag with a new top I purchased and of course it smells divine now. So, that was my exciting Thursday excursion! Wish I could do that every day. 😉
Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a great day.
It really was enjoyable. It’s not too often I get to wander around and indulge myself like that!
Love Citrus Verbena and Bergamot Tea, and with the low price point, you can apply as heavily as (unfortunately) you need to. 😀
I have heard they’re not too long lasting which is unfortunate. I just hope they’re as nice on me as they are on paper – they seem to be perfect for hot sultry weather.
I still think I’m anosmic to something in the Bvlgari — everyone else describes it so differently.
Hi – late to the party as ususal. I actually had a blinding head cold this week which made reading blogs very unfortunate…. My SOTD is Chanel No 5 parfum b/c I needed a rather sophisticated pick me up after being sick. It smells great wafting around my hot office for sure!
I finally got some DSH samples – anyone else here fall in love with her Giardini Segreti?
Still haven’t gotten to DSH, though I meant to… we’re looking at a record cold high temp today (low 60s? in JULY?!), so I’m taking advantage and testing Coco today – edt on the left hand, edp on the right. MMMMm. I think this replaces the now-too-sweet Safari in my rotation. But which to choose…
Oh Yeah! I’m so glad you like it! You’ll see that the edt and edp are different from each other as they progress. I am going to get a Coco parfum for my birthday this year, which I’ve wanted for a long long time – I’ve been wearing Coco since I was 17! Interesting that you mention Safari in the same sentence. I do prefer non-sweet fragrances for sure – I think Safari is just about perfect, textbook composition for a classic floral chypre. I’m sorry I missed it when it came out, but glad I found it now.
They somehow have a similar “feel” to me, in a way that’s hard to describe. The odd thing is that finding Safari “sweet” is a recent development for me; it used to just be warm. I wonder if it’s my nose or my skin that has changed…or just the fact that I no longer smoke. Shame we can’t all get together for sniffing parties; I’m always curious how things I don’t like smell on other people, for example.
Haven’t tried that DSH, Ann — only recently got my first samples from her as well — but I think Cimabue is absolutely amazing. Glad to hear you’re over your cold.
Hi Joe – thanks. I was going to test Cimabue until I read about the saffron which doesn’t always work for me, but it was sure tempting.
Also, have you tried the JHAG Citizen Queen? The only reason I mention it is that I think it smells like a modern, hipper, leathery type fragrance like Sikkim with some leather and some violet/florals….Could be a masculine on the right guy. And since I have a defective skank-o-meter it doesn’t get too naughty to me, just really “rich”.
FYI – I can’t decide is Aimez Moi is too pretty for a guy, or it if falls into that happy confection/fougere land of Habit Rouge or LV Dilmun. Can I suggest it is a floral vanilla fougere without sounding like an idiot? …. Definintely a lot less moody & medicinal than L’Heure Bleue! It is a very sunny “bonny” fragrance, and the violet takes on a more “peppery” stems and leaf quality than sweet candy violet. It’s really nice, but not drop dead gorgeous. You would be quite a dandy in it with a seersucker suit!
Ooh, I would NOT look good in seersucker, believe me. How about linen? Hardly anything is “too pretty” for me if I don’t OD with it.
Haven’t tried Citizen Queen; I’m curious to try it, but I don’t *want* a “hipper” Sikkim. LOL. That’s turning out to be my holy grail of the year, so thank you.
hypnotic poison
Good choice!
Hello! I’ve been reading this blog for weeks, and this is my first post. It’s gotten to the point where my husband will look over and recognize the blog, saying “Oh, you’re reading about perfume again.” hehe
I’ve been buying some samples from The Perfumed Court, but I haven’t bought a full bottle of anything yet. Unless you count some Demeter and loads of foody oils from various etailers. I am in love with Black March from CB I Hate Perfume. I have a sample of Lann-Ael making it’s way to me now and I am thinking it may end up being my first bottle purchase along with the lotion and shower gel. I’m going to have a bit of money to spend and once I smell my sample, I’ll decide if I want to do that or just buy a lot of things from my Perfumed Court wish list to sample. Any opinions? I am so new to this and I’m trying to learn!
I try to sample a scent a few times before I decide to buy it – different weather, different times of the month, even. There have been a few that were love at first sniff but others have had to grow on me and others I liked at first but then after some comparisons to other things or just a changing nose, became “meh”. I have a zillion samples. Sometimes I will become intrigued by a note (like the vetiver posting above) and try a lot of different things with that note. And then I break all my rules and buy Bulgari Black after one spritz and a little walking around in the store before purchase (I ALWAYS give it a little time – I have never sprayed and bought immediately) and have never regretted it.
My advice? Just have fun and buy what you want! lol
Hi Donia: I was drawn to the Perfumed Court initially b/c I was looking for some very specific samples, esp. right after they launched and then un-launched the No 5 eau Premier. And that was really the beginning of the end for me. There were a number of classic fragrances that I’d wanted to smell for a long time, and so I began there. There were times when I’d spend $60 on samples and not like any, and then times that I’d totally fall for a whole bunch. You always have to assume that a certain percentage of samples will not be to your liking, and then chalk it up to the learning curve of your nose & brain.
My recommendation for getting started is to either go by house (Guerlain, Chanel, Tauer, Goutal, etc.) or by notes. TPC has a really nice navigational tool for fragrances by notes, so you can go in an pick out rose, oriental, chypre, etc. Or they also have some beginners sample packs. I really started as a combo of house and notes. And I totally agree with Tama above that you need to spend some time with fragrances – all kinds of things will affect how you smell something so you need to revisit, even ones you think you hate. Some fragrances will always be love at first sniff though. And don’t be too quick to git rid of samples that you don’t like. As your nose develops you might want to revisit some, which happens to most of us, and something will click, and it will be love. … Good luck!
Hi Donia – I’m quite a new Perfumista, and like you, went through an initial phase where TPC became my best-friend! I spent a lot of time browsing through reviews on NST, and made note of the fragrances that sounded the most interesting to me. Then I found them in stores and tried them – or ordered samples. The first that piqued me were Tabac Blond and a few Serge Lutens. Then came Ormonde Jayne and Comme des Garconnes……….after sampling all of these, i came to recognise which scents I liked and it helped me hone-in on other scents in the same ‘vein’ as it were! For instance, I made bee-line right for Andy Tauer after reading a few reviews on this site, and knew I’d love his work. And I did! I have a very select perfume collection, i only own 3 full bottles and 1 decant and approx 20 samples. After all my exploring and sampling, I’ve decided to stop for a while, and invest that money in a few full bottles of Tauer and Ormonde Jayne. I’ve learnt over the past 8 months that I love their scents, wear them all the time, and they bring me immense pleasure.
Recently the Saks store here (Houston Galleria) began carrying all of the By Killian scents. I went and tried them all once by spraying on paper and was not impressed. Then I went and tried again, because a perfumista friend commanded me to do so. I found two I sort of liked and tried on skin, Cruel Intentions and Prelude to Love. Later I went back again and tried on again to narrow it down to one: the winner was Cruel Intentions. I can’t decide if I love it or just think it’s “meh.” I got a sample from TPC and am still vacillating. It’s just a really odd scent. And speaking of the “licking your own wrist” phenomenon, this perfume does that to me. In fact I thought that ALL of his perfumes when first sprayed smelled just like something–yeast! It’s the weirdest darn sensation. I still think that of this one. It does not smell one bit like any of the notes that are listed for it: Bergamot calabria oil, orange blossom oil, violet accord, centifolia rose absolute, agarwood, Indian papyrus oil, gaiacwood oil, Haiti vetiver oil, sandalwood, styrax absolute, castoreum absolute, vanilla absolute, musk. I get no blossoms, absolute zero bergamot, no oudh, no sandalwood, no vetiver. Is the yeasty note I am smelling = styrax? I have no idea what that is. I wish I could leave this one alone, but the small cute travel size beckons me at “only” $135. 😉
I will have to try it again, I don’t remember anything “yeasty”. Anyone else??
Open thread?
Here goes! For the past 2-3 years YSL has released a summer edition of Opium both for men and women. Since it is nearly impossible to find Opium anywhere in Canada, does anyone knows it a summer edition has been (or will be) released this year?
PS: I ordered my last bottle of Opium through an online discount place ($26 US + S&H + duty–so all included $55 Can) only to find the very same bottle at my local Walmart last week at $25 Can ($23 US)
I did not see a summer edition of Opium this year, but of course it’s perfectly possible that there was one & I just missed it.
Can’t believe the prices. I paid $126 – it might of been even more for 30 ml edt of Opium about two years ago. I must test a summer version, but with the prices here, I don’t know if I’ll dare buy one.
Hmmm … how frustrating (your Opium purchase). I bought my 30ml EDT of Opium over the counter at $50 Australian, which is about $44 Canadian, and thought I had a bargain. But it sounds like your Walmart price was very good indeed.
I’d like to see a summer edition of Opium – I’ll keep an eye out. A nice thing about Opium is that it comes in so many forms and concentrations. I’m rather fond of collecting various forms of a favourite fragrance. That way I kid myself that I’m not REALLY buying new fragrance.
I’m currently enjoying some samples purchased from a retailer in Australia (found thanks to this site, I didn’t realise there were any stockists here of more niche lines). Lubin Idole (fantastic but slightly generic smelling dry down, costume national 21 (quite good all round) lubin vetiver (actually really wearable for me not being a vetiver fan but couldn’t detect the supposed incense or smoke notes unfortunately) and also lubin Gin fizz which is pleasant but quite fleeting. Anyway, I remember there being a bit of buzz about the Gin Fuzz when it was mentioned here so I thought I would offer to send it to anyone who was interested. No charge of course! I must be feeling generous today!
Ross, I’m still waiting for Gin Fizz to show up in the US, but I’ll leave your kind offer for someone else in Australia since it’s crazy to send it so far, plus it ought to get here soon. Glad you found a local outlet for niche stuff!
Robin–from CSP’s facebook page…
If you love Aqua Motu, check out CSP’s latest Fresh water scent called Eau des Lagons http://www.lushoasis.com/product.php?id=189&brand=comptoir&category=&family=
Didn’t work for me…love Aqua Motu, didn’t care for Lagons. But thanks for the link!
I’m probably coming to late to this post to get a response, but I have two queries:
Anyone know of a scent that has a strong birch note that doesn’t smell like root beer (or any other soda)?
I’m also looking for a scent with a strong hawthorn note.
.
Molton Brown’s Bracing Silverbirch Body Wash is divine! It comes in a body scrub also. Their products have enough ‘smell’ to them if you can’t find anything in fragrance.
The reason I asked is because I love the scent of two body products; Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil (doesn’t do anything for cellulite, as far as I can tell!), and Doctor Hauschka Hawthorn Body Oil. I love the scent of all Dr. Hauschka products, actually.
Hawthorne: Guerlain Apres L’Ondee, Paul & Joe Blanc.
More hawthorne: Chanel Beige, Ava Luxe 23, SL Rahat Loukhoum (believe it or not!), Cuir de Lancome, Fahrenheit, PG Louanges Profanes
P.S. Of those, the most predominant hawthorne note is in Beige and Cuir de Lancome.
I’ve been wearing Lolita Lempika-
It’s really noticeable when the top note goes away. It feels like I’m all of the sudden wearing a different perfume.
I love it because it’s exciting. ><
On the other hand, Clinique's Happy always gives me headache.
=(
So glad you like the Lolita Lempicka 🙂
A random perfume item: I read recently on the MUA Frag Board that some spray their unmentionables with perfume for a mitigated waft of scent. Hence my questions: Does anyone else? I spray my lingerie drawer from time to time but not any particular item directly. And why would spraying an unmentionable be mitigated? Ack!
Gracious. No personal experience in this area, sorry!