Our regular open thread routine: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, the perfume you've nearly used up and need to replace, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Fuschia Tulip on Purplish Pink by Pink Sherbet Photography at flickr; some rights reserved.
Hello dear fumees!
Yesterday I got a perfume package with samples from the Quality Missala perfume boutique owners (we made friends and I also wrote a post about them for perfume shopping in Poland).
Today I’ve been wearing Olfactive Studio Flash Back but was disappointed with the longevity. I had to spray something else after 5 hours.
Also I got Opus VII which seems to be a dark beast and Le Parfum Denis Durand Couture for M.Micallef which smells really nice. And I finally tried Amouage Beloved Woman which is stunning!
I will try to write more about those perfume after I spend some more time with them.
Have a lovely weekend all!
Hello Lucas! I forgot all about Amouage Beloved Woman and I was just at Bergdorfs (again!) 2 days ago. I will have to stop in again to have a quick sniff.
While I was there, the SA was so bored looking that I did not even feel like asking for help. She did though when I asked to smell Dia. She sprayed some into the cap and I did not realize how much liquid got sprayed that some ended up spilling on my coat sleeve. On the one hand, there ware worse things to get stuck smelling, but on the other hand, I really dislike having any kind of liquid spilt on my good coat…I guess I need to have it dry-cleaned sooner than I originally anticipated.
Have a fragrant weekend!
If you need any reminder you can let me know and I’ll be sure to give you a call 😉
Whaa? I hate it when they spray into the cap. How am I supposed to know how it would smell on me if they give me just a cap with some liguid. That’s a bad luck she spilled Dia on your coat, it’s a strong smell, isn’t it?
You too have a well scented time!
Au contraire, you now have a lovely scented coat. Enjoy.
Eek! Beloved was a scrubber on me! It smelled cheap on top of everything…
Sorry for that. But on the other hand your wallet must be very thankful for that.
Tried a sample set and none of them were must-haves, so indeed a relief to the wallet.
I really like two of the Opus collection, but there’s not a chance I will be buying any of them soon.
I really like Beloved, too. Fortunately for me, I find it very similar to some vintage perfumes that I happen to have, which is a very good thing, given the price of Beloved!
Inquiring minds want to know; which vintages would you compare to Beloved?
You didn’t ask me specifically, but I have thoughts as this is my all time favorite perfume, and, to me, it has something in common with both Aromatics Elixir (but sweeter and lighter) and Bal a Versailles. Maybe throw in a bit of Nahema. It has a dusty, floral oriental feel. It’s the clary sage, I think, and camomile that makes it, among other things, unique and “vintagey” feeling. I’m sure others would find different cousins to it.
Thanks Mough! Now I’m intrigued as Aromatics Elixir is one of my all-time favourites.
Mough, I agree, especially that 40th anniversary limited edition of AE. I should have gotten a back-up bottle of that one…
Balenciaga Cialenga is one. Also agree with Mough on AE.
Thanks, I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for Cialenga on my thrift/antique forays. I have a beautiful old bottle Le Dix parfum — violet gorgeousness. Not necessarily my style, but I do love smelling it.
Good afternoon (on Sunday).
I didn’t care for Beloved. I’m anxious to try Opus VII and look forward to reading your opinion of it, Lucas.
Hello!
I had to travel to the nearest city again yesterday so I managed to squeeze in a couple of hours of sniffing as well. Off the top of my head, I tried Dior Gris Montaigne, a couple of the new L’Occitanes (jasmine and narcissus), the two Hermès colognes and the supposedly yet un-released Jo Malone osmanthus. I’ll probably want to re-test the Hermès colognes but otherwise nothing really blew me away. I didn’t like the Dior, the L’Occitanes were better than expected but not must haves and Jo Malone was…well, Jo Malone.
SOTD is SL La Myrrhe. I like it but I’m trying to decide if it’s actually FB-worthy or not. I’m getting a lot of anise from it, wish I had a sample of Douce Amère to compare it with.
Smiling at “Jo Malone was, well, Jo Malone!” 🙂
I may have nearly the exact same sniffing outing today. I’m getting my hair done, and my shop is near the “big” Nordstroms downtown. And there’s a L’Occitane nearby, too. I wish I didn’t feel like an outsider every time I shopped downtown! Even when I dress cute. . . so I try to tell myself it’s weird SAs and not me. 😉
Ugh I wish I didn’t know exactly what you meant about being treated like I don’t belong. If it helps at all (prob not), as someone who sometimes goes into those stores looking like a part of that world and sometimes looking like I’m definitely not–being on the inside is extremely f***ing demoralizing too. Does not make one feel good about what people really value in other human beings (especially women). The only only way I can cope is to try to keep in mind that anyone who would treat someone shabbily (or obsequiously, for that matter) based on how they look is someone whose opinion truly is not worth the time of day!
But it still sucks and makes going into those places to try perfume a lot more stressful/less fun than it should be. Boo.
(I want to add that I realize there are economic pressures that incentivize this behavior and SAs are just as much subject to this system as are customers. But the system still sucks, and, I do think there’s not really any need to be a jerk.)
[Ed note: profanity removed, sort of]
This.
Thanks Emily–insofar as I find this toughest part to be the wondering, geez, is this really everyone’s baseline for treating each other??, it’s so reassuring to know there are at least a few others find it similarly objectionable!
Right there with you, feeling the pain CH! I do recognize that it’s really not personal, but it’s the bigger implications that upset me. And it probably hits some nerve that grew raw when I was a teenager!
Yeah it’s way easier said than done. Worth trying, I think, but also pretty reasonable when it doesn’t exactly feel awesome. I actually was fairly lucky (I realize belatedly) that I didn’t much get picked on for my appearance as an adolescent, but, I just mentioned below, now I do some work in the land of the professionally beautiful and even as an adult it has really made my head spin!
(Easier said than done meaning, not worrying about it. That’s what I get for responding to comments out of order! 😉 )
Oops, sorry Robin, didn’t realize that was out of bounds. Won’t do it again!
It’s ok, not a big deal, but there is something about profanity in the comment policy, and I think it’s not a bad idea to try to keep things mostly clean. Sometimes I miss it anyway.
🙂 Absolutely. Noted!
I think it’s mostly an age thing. I now am treated more wonderfully than my bank account merits, even when I dressed for a baseball game.
My favorite “bad customer” story dates back to the 70’s when the singer Linda Rondstadt (who was still producing hit records) was widely known to be living with George Lucas. She went into a Rodeo drive ultra exclusive store (the kind best afforded by superstar musicuans with movie mogul boyfriends) carrying a “Star Wars” lunch box as her purse. The sales associate failed to recognize her and demanded she leave.
When I asked about it, Jo Malone SA sprayed some on a card and then spent her time talking about the bottle.
As for belonging, perhaps I’m just super-thick skinned but it’s not something that I give much thought to – they are just shops after all! There are great and not-so-great SAs everywhere.
What I don’t like is feeling like I’m not expected to make a purchase. Like something about how I look or act suggests to them that I’m not serious about a possible sale. I agree, it isn’t universal, and there are certainly times when it doesn’t bug me at all, but when it happens repeatedly in a place that might be my only option for certain products, it irks me.
Yeah, it’s one thing when you can easily separate yourself from it, like shopping at a different store, but it’s a lot tougher when the options are either accept this treatment or skip something you would ordinarily like to do :/ I have a similar situation with a freelance gig, in an industry heavily focused on appearance (especially of women). Love the work, do not love all the noise (will spare you specific examples, too depressing). But I guess indeed, trying to focus on what I personally think is valuable…
Oh I agree that some could be a little less obvious about wanting you to buy (let’s face it – they all do, some just hide it well) but, please, don’t think of it in terms of being an outsider. Fancy or not, they are just shops; testers are there to be tested, samples exist so we can sample, SAs are there to assist and your cash is as good as anyone’s. IF you decide to spend it there, that is 😉
Abyss, I may have been an exception, but when I worked as an SA I was truly indifferent as to whether a customer bought something. Though the manager got a commission if we made target, the individual SAs did not. Generally I just enjoyed interacting with people and the challenge of finding the right things for them.
That being said, the people I worked with who had a much lower education and economic level (perhaps that’s the reason?) did not appreciate my attitude. They complained about a million and one things about me but because (ironically) my sales figures were so high (turned out the manager was keeping her eyes open) they kept me anyway.
I agree, ignoring it is really the only thing to do. I do see a pretty marked difference in how I get treated if I’m dressed(/coiffed/madeup) to meet with freelance clients in the entertainment industry, versus being dressed for my usual ascetic academic environment–sometimes literally from the same SA!–so I can’t quite pass it off to individual personalities or even just, maybe someone is having a bad day. But I do agree that bottom line, it’s best taken as a reminder of what is and isn’t really important.
According to the literature, there are two dramatically different ways of dealing with snobby SAs:
1) Carry a shopping bag from an expensive store — they’ll think you’re in the shopping zone
2) Lean forward and say, “I believe you have a moustache” (IF SA is female, and downtright mean)
Hahaha, clearly I’m behind in my reading! 😉
Lmao at the moustache thing.
I know someone who – when confronted with a particularly frosty SA – just looks at a SA and asks directly (but politely) if she’d done something to offend them. When the SA looks surprised, she explains that she’d noticed that the SA seemed cross with her and that she was wondering if she’d perhaps done something to inadvertently offend. That tends to embarrass them back into acting like a human.
Deft!!
I may try this next time. I am not one to be shy in confronting SAs (or anyone else) and will demand to speak to a manager and loudly if provoked.
I do like that response! Of course, I sort of did that in a shop in Minnesota, and they more-or-less informed me that I wasn’t the sort of customer that they wanted. (Meaning, that I was interested in researching, taking notes, contemplating my scents before I bought one. They didn’t like that I was taking notes–they assumed it meant I wouldn’t buy anything. Of course, their response meant I *didn’t* buy anything!)
Ugh, Marjorie I am so sorry to hear that. Awful.
Marjorie, if you were taking notes they might have thought you were writing names down in order to order off the internet.
Before I brought my dog home from a rescue shelter I was at a pet shop making notes about what I should buy for him. It turns out they thought I was working for a competing pet shop and trying to out-price them or something! One of them said something so sharp my head spun for about a week. I never went back and about 6 months later they had closed down…
Merlin such a good point, and yikes about how the people at the pet store spoke to you! It’s too bad they didn’t just ask–I had a similar situation recently, where the clerk at a thrift store thought I was using my phone to compare prices, but she mentioned it in a pretty low key way so it gave me a chance to explain that I was actually trying to check about a vintage/reformulation. I didn’t end up buying anything that day but the positive interaction has def made me stop in more frequently.
Merlin, yes I think that is precisely what was going on. I had hoped to buy something, but I never buy something on first sniff. There’s no way for them to tell the difference, I guess.
But I still have a problem with them being rude to someone, even if that *were* what they were doing. I get that it seems unfair to brick-and-mortar shops that folks do this, but it is also becoming part of the cost of busines, it seems. I heard folks on the radio calling it “showcasing,” and I think it’s happening with furniture and all sorts of other products. I like to support local businesses, but I get why folks decide to do their shopping online for a deal on something they’ve seen in person.
If I can I always buy things at reduced prices so I often test things at places that are easily accessible and then drive out further to find it at a better price. Lots of shops make a loss on me, but then I am sure there are many people who are prepared to pay for how easy it is to simply buy at an easy to access shop. They just have to factor in people like me – it is, as you say, part of doing business in today’s world.
I kind of don’t mind if SAs ignore me when I’m sniffing about. I guess I’m just oblivious enough to not recognize it as snobbery or whatever, but unless I have a question or want to buy something, I don’t want to talk to them anyway. To that end, I’ve discovered that the best time to go to Saks is around 5pm on a Sunday because the place isn’t crawling with SAs like it is on Saturday.
Yep, if I were left to my own devices no matter what I was wearing, I would be quite happy with that compromise!
(To wit thanks for the 5PM Sunday tip, I am definitely going to try that!)
I don’t mind being ignored if the alternative is being hounded with the latest frooty floral! Mostly what I get, though, is that after I don’t show much interest in said frooty floral, they look sort of miffed and don’t offer much assistance for the things I *am* interested in!
Ah yeah I see what you mean. I haven’t had one get overtly snotty with me when I wasn’t interested in whatever they were supposed to be pushing, but I have gotten the sense that they didn’t quite know what to do with me.
Agree about the Jo Malone. Oh well.
Made it to Nordies but not to L’Occitane. Nothing exciting. I was pretty much ignored by the SAs, for better or worse. Sniffed the Jo Malones–just to say I tried them. Still not for me. Tried a few other mainstream newer releases, but I’ve forgotten them all already! When did I become such a snob?!
When most mainstream perfume started sucking, perhaps? 🙂
I know that’s overly glib, but I do relate. Even at last month’s SF Sniff, when we were specifically out to smell the good stuff, I was surprised by how many scents ultimately underwhelmed me. (Though some of that was no doubt due to a tired nose!)
How long has that been, would you say? I admit, it took about 3 months of sniffing at department stores early in my perfumistahood to decide that I’d sniffed them all, and they mostly weren’t for me. But maybe I just entered the fumiverse after things had turned south?
I doubt it’s snobbery. I still approach department store perfume counters with excitement and interest; it’s just that, as you say, they bore one quickly. Not our fault! (There have been a couple of things released at department stores in the last few years that I enjoyed sniffing – but only a couple.)
Just to say – maybe it’s THEM that suck, not you. 🙂
I get extra excited when a mainstream fragrance is good because so much of it is unquestionably rubbish.
Yes! And then maybe buy a back-up bottle, since it probably won’t be a commercial success. 😉
I want to share this discovery with you all: Method Orla Kiely Tomato Vine products. I picked up the liquid hand soap on sale at Target this week (no affiliation). It smelled SO good, I went back and got two more. At first it just smells sweet and green. Then a few seconds later you get the tomato vine scent, which lingers on your hands for awhile after using the product. But fear not, it fades fast enough not to interfere with your SOTD.
Tomato vine/leaf is such a distinct smell! I remember conversation a while back about a fragrance with that note, too. Any chance they had a candle? I don’t usually go for scented lotions, but I do like me a candle!
Hi MJ! I don’t know about a candle but I’ll look next time I’m there. The hand soap was located in the cleaning products aisle. Must investigate further!
That’s kind of you, Suzy! I could, of course, just go look for myself sometime! 🙂
Thanks for the info SuzyQ! I have to check it out at Target. Orla Kiely has some nice home goods designs, too. Also, Neiman Marcus has its Beauty Event and there’s a GWP for Orla Kiely products.
Checking out the NM beauty event now.
I got a booklet in the mail about the Neiman Marcus thing. It had a sample of the new Monegal in the back.
I am thinking about checking out the event. I’ve been thinking a lot about AC Rose Anonyme and am kind of thinking about getting the 30ml if they have it. I don’t need 200ml of anything.
The 30 mLs are a great size. NM does carry the Rose Anonyme in 30 mLs — I have one which I bought from the Atelier Cologne boutique in NY.
I have this in my kitchen right now! It smells exactly like tomato stems!
Egabbert, I just found out it goes great with my SOTD, Chamade! LOL
Taken aback and intrigued… I like tomato leaf/stem smell, but not necessarily on myself – and I do love Chamade. Hmmmm.
Thanks eggabert and Suzy Q, I will definitely check this out next time I”m at Target. I’m always looking for new hand soap to try. If anyone wants to try a perfume with a good tomato note, Donna Karan for Women is kind of off the beaten path and smells great, esp. in the summer.
Me too, and will add CB I Hate Perfume Memory of Kindness, which I love.
I belive CB I HATE Perfume has a tomato vine based scent called Memory of Kindness. (When he was a kid, his aunt let him lie down among the tomato plants).
Good Morning!
No scent, yet, this morning. I will have a first date this evening, so definitely will want to give the SOTE some thought. I don’t know quite as much about this fella as I usually prefer to, but the timing was such that I’m giving it a try! And there’s another fella I’ve been writing a while who’s finally talking about meeting, and I’m feeling cautiously optimistc about a possible connection with him. Kinda nice to feel like I have options! 🙂
Great to have options. Have fun tonight! I met a guy once who remarked that he didn’t like perfume of any sort. No surprise, things didn’t work out!
Yeah, it’s differences like that that make me want to chat a bit before we meet in person! I don’t mind if a guy’s never given it much thought, but if he’s anti-scent, it seems rather unlikely we’d be a match!
You never can tell, though. My husband HATES HATES HATES commercial scents (and I have a huge collection) and yet somehow we’ve been together for a quarter of a century. You make compromises and it all works out somehow. Sometimes it does, anyway.
Indeed! My beloved hates perfume. But he does love me!
See, this is the challenge of online dating in a nutshell. There is this illusion of *SO MANY* options, you have to come up with some criteria or be totally overwhelmed. I recognize that for nearly every rule I create, there will be exceptions, but I need some kind of boundaries to start with! Hating scent might not be a deal-breaker, but if he also doesn’t savor his food, doesn’t slow down to appreciate beauty in other forms, then it’s definitely not gonna work.
That’s so great. I think it’s much easier for something to work when there are multiple things in the mix, no pressure to make any given thing work out. Or even if they don’t, just lower stress and more fun in the meantime. Yay.
So what are you considering for SOTE?
Oh, do you prefer to have a few options? I’ve never been very good at that, I admit. I don’t really know how to broach the fact that I do, indeed, have options, but if I *don’t* mention it, I feel sort of dishonest!
I’ve been wearing my roses a lot lately–Nostagie, Attrape Coeur, Lipstick Rose–so one of those are likely. I like a scent that has some presence but isn’t too much.. If things go well, I want him to think “Wow, she smells good!” if there’s an initial hug. 🙂
MJ, I know what you mean about feeling dishonest — but in my experience with online dating, it seemed that people assumed everyone else was pursuing other “options” unless it was explicitly stated otherwise. It’s not how I usually operated, either, so I know how you feel — but there’s no need to feel guilty about it, especially at the first-date stage. Hope you have a great time tonight!
(and meant to call you MR, not MJ!)
Thanks, Emily! I do think there’s a sort of different ethic to online dating–it’s one of the things I find challenging about it. I don’t really know the expectations, because I recognize that they’re different but not always *how* they’re different! In any case, I don’t feel bad at first date status, but if we go into three or four, I feel like some sort of decision might be expected. (Not that I’ve ever been in that situation, mind you! Usually one date is enough.)
Oh, and I kinda like MJ–sounds like the hip nickname I coulda had, if I were cooler in high school! 🙂
Hahaha just catching up with this, yes, agree with entirety, definitely once involved beyond, like, meeting a few times I’d feel a need to clarify my status. Earlier than that, though, I do think the assumption is everyone’s meeting numerous people and while I also agree that’s not an unambiguously great thing, I think there are some advantages (which one might as well benefit from). I have a bad tendency to start immediately asking myself, “Would I want to have to talk to this person Every Single Day (For The Rest Of My Life)?” which, you know, not a great recipe for a relaxed first date. Having a few different people around makes me more able to be a little bit more casual (cuz ultimately I am just looking for one person, so by definition not all of these things will end in lifetime commitment). And I think that’s probably appropriate 😉
Wait–are there people who don’t find themselves contemplating the possibilities in those first few meetings? How can you not, since it’s kinda the purpose of the whole thing? I’m not saying I start planning my wedding as soon as I meet a nice guy, but if I can’t imagine chatting with a fella over the next months/years and still find him interesting, then there’s really no point in another meeting.
So, personally it’s unfathomable to me, but I do know some people who, on these outings, merely go with the question of, “Did I have a nice enough time that I’d want to hang out with this person again sometime?” And if a second time, then a third time, and just kind of wait to see what kind of relationship develops. At least anecdotally, this seems to be a better mindset for fostering a relationship than my death grip. I can’t imagine why 😉
(I mean, I’d be the last person to advocating sticking around in a situation you’re indifferent to, def one has to ask the question, am I genuinely enjoying this, but I do think the enormity of imagining The Rest of My Days on This Planet has the potential to quash even things that could be nice.)
You know, I think that’s sort of how I ended up dating my last fella for as long as I did–he’s a nice guy, I was mostly enjoying myself. But when I played the mental experiment–what would this look like 15 years from now?–I wasn’t excited. And I never fell in love. I think the two might be intricately entwined for me! I have to have that sense of “oh, this could be forever!” with excitement, otherwise, it’s just friendship or company.
Ah yes, that makes total sense. “Mental experiment” sounds like a very appropriate use of that question–I think where I run aground is in feeling like it’s more of a looming preoccupation. Tends to suffocate any excitement I might have felt under lower pressure circumstances 😉
Oh! I have a question I’ve been meaning to ask forever! Here goes:
Does anyone else use Oribe’s hair product called “dry texturizing spray”? How would you describe the smell?
It remains one of my favorite smells and actually has drawn more compliments than any perfume I’ve tried (that may have to do with size of data set, but, anyway, crowdpleaser), and I hoped my continuing crash course in nose education would help me identify what exactly it smells like (so that I could seek out similar things!), but I’m flailing. Is there someone here with a sharper nose who’s smelled it and could say more precisely than I can what they get from it?
Wait, the website has been updated since last I went looking for information about it; now it contains the answer to this question, complete with endorsement from Le Labo’s Fabrice Penot!
“It is a very complex fragrance for a hair formula. It could be a fine fragrance in itself. It smells like an old style glamour perfume from Italy to me…with a fresh ‘apricot’ note that brings modernity to it. You should make an Eau de Parfum; I think the fragrance is a big part of the cult following of Oribe.”
Admittedly the interview that seemed to have been conducted by Oribe PR, so, adjust accordingly, but still interesting…
http://www.oribe.com/index.php/explore/view/2534
Meanwhile the site describes the notes as: Watermelon, Lychee and Edelweiss Flower Extracts, Amber, Aloe Tea Leaf. And while they don’t sell it as EDP as yet, it does come in a hair mist that seems mainly intended as a fragrance product.
Weird! They are reading your questions! 🙂
Ha, yes who knew the Oribe people were secretly haunting NST as satellite customer help desk?? But seriously I do find it interesting that they’d enlist Fabrice Penot–besides the obvious things it says about Oribe’s price point (alas), it seems sort of interesting about increasing awareness of perfume creators, on the part of the general public. Not that I think people necessarily know who he is but that the general (ok, the expensive hair-product-buying) public could plausibly be interested in his opinion, when someone explains who he is.
Yesterday on the NYT site, saw an article about a type of pedicure offered (in Bali, maybe, or possibly somewhere in Europe–now i can’t find the article) where you place your feet in a bowl of water containing tiny little fish that consume dead skin–ugh!
They may be outlawed due to a low risk of contracting bacterial infections. Talk about suffering for beauty!
This is regulated by state…pretty sure they still do them in PA.
Think they’re known as Doctor Fish — big in Japan…
From what I’ve read – I’ve never actually experienced this – the fish are very gentle.
Wouldn’t that tickle? I don’t know if I could sit still while fish nibbled at my feet.
When I was in London not that long ago, I saw this pedicure fish service being offered in the outdoor Camden Markets… I think they were charging per 15 minutes. People were just sitting there with their feet in the tank watching the fish eat the dead skin off their feet. One of the girls was giggling a lot, but I don’t know if it was because it tickled or just the novelty of the situation…
Hello! I tried one of these when I was in KL a couple of years ago, just for the experience. It is kinda freaky, it does tickle, and the bigger ones are greedy and feel like they’re taking a chomp :-/ so when I had mine they put my feet in with smaller fish first, then bigger fish after I got used to it.. It did take some getting used to and I cant say I’d do it again.
This has been banned in the UK, I believe. Unhygienic.
Oops, wrong place. Meant to be a response to the little fish comment. 🙂
SOTD is Jo Malone Blackberry and Bay layered over Chanel No. 5 edp. I’ve been wearing this for a week now and am quite pleased with this concoction. I’m starting to think that No. 5 goes well with anything, especially the lighter JMs that sometimes need a boost.
Huh! I’ll have to try that. Sounds interesting.
Oooh, I have to try this too!
No scent yet… I’ll probably go for Cuir de Russie today though 🙂
I have a question for Canadians on the list… have you ordered fragrances (esp. decants or partial bottles) from outside the country? Is there a trick to it? I ordered a small bottle on eBay and it’s taking forever to arrive – I’m starting to wonder if Customs has blocked it / sent it back. Yeah, I’m new at this… *hangs head*
I’ve never ordered from eBay but online companies such as Luckyscent and FragranceNet are just fine: I’ve never had the slightest trouble getting deliveries to Canada. I’ve had plenty of swaps, too, in both directions, with no problems at all.
You never can tell with customs, though. Sometimes you get dinged for ridiculously huge duty fees, and sometimes the parcel just sails through without a hitch. In the last six months I’ve ordered fountain pens from Hong Kong, ink from the US, and journals from the UK with no duty or customs fees at all.
Thank you for your kind reply.
Do you remember whether the items you received were declared as ‘perfume’ though, or as something else? I did get a couple of minis before but now that I think about it, the senders marked them as ‘collectible bottles’ or somesuch. I’m not sure this seller will have thought of that…
I have had packages marked “fragrance”, “cosmetic samples”, or “fragrance samples”, and all of them got through without any problems. If the sender marked the actual value on the package, then there could be a holdup and a duty charge, but the contents themselves shouldn’t really be an issue. (Most senders undervalue the contents so the duty charges if any won’t be too onerous: this is illegal, but almost everybody does it anyway.) I am pretty sure that most government postal services want fragrances to be shipped ground rather than air, so that lets out most international shipping, but continental North America should not be an issue.
Ah, but this order was shipped from the UK. Hmm.
Well, I’ll give it anothe week and see what happens. Maybe in future I’ll just take care to order from within North America, if that’s safer. Thank you for sharing your experience with me, I really appreciate it.
Hi Snorfer,
I notice below that you mentioned the parcel is from the UK. They recently severely tightened their shipping regs around perfume, and so it may not even have made it out of the UK. My understanding (from all the complaints on Fragrantica) is that they don’t return the package (including contents) to the sender but instead remove/destroy the contents and just send a don’t do this again letter to the mailer.
Wonder if it has to do with the ml capacity of the bottle you ordered?
On Angela Flanders site (based in UK), they say they’re not permitted to ship bottles larger than 30 ml internationally.
This applies to companies, not to individuals. Ordinary UK people are not allowed to post perfume abroad full stop. All packages get scanned and they’re destroyed if they’re shown to contain perfume (or nail varnish, etc.).
Hey Snorfer, I just wanted to say hi and welcome! Your name cracks me up! 😀
Hello back, and thank you for the friendly welcome!
(I ganked my username from a certain piglet on Cute Overload 🙂
I’ve ordered ‘fumes from London, England and had them arrive no problem. They were marked “cosmetics”, and the company shipping them indicated they were a gift so I would get around duties. I’ve received samples from the States, but never any fb’s. I have those shipped to a P.O. box in the US. I hope you get your order soon!
I know the Q2 damage poll is a while off, but I must prematurely beg Donatella’s forgiveness, for I did a Very Bad Thing in Las Vegas last weekend. I went to the Guerlain boutique and somehow ended up buying Nahéma in extrait. As my credit card statement will show, what happens in the Vegas Guerlain boutique does not stay in the Vegas Guerlain boutique.
On the upside, Nahéma extrait is utterly glorious. My one tenuous justification for this purchase is that I didn’t buy any new perfume when I got married in Vegas a year and a half ago, so this is my extremely belated fancy wedding perfume.
I was too nervous to pack it in my luggage, so I took the bottle out of its packaging (and put the boxes in my suitcase) and carefully shepherded it back to the Bay Area in my purse, in a TSA-approved plastic baggie. It seemed a rather undignified mode of travel for such a precious object, but hey, it got the job done.
Is Nahéma still any good? I haven’t smelled it in years and years because I am afraid they’ve reformulated the EDP to bring it more in line with modern tastes, which is to say a clean top note and a vague musky-woody base.
I bet it’s AWESOME in extrait, though.
And dare I ask what you paid? Because I am going to be near a Guerlain boutique in a few weeks’ time….
The boutique didn’t have the EDP, so I’m not sure what that smells like nowadays. The SA said the EDP concentration still exists, but has to be special-ordered. I don’t know what older versions of the extrait smelled like, but I am quite happy with the one I have. And for (gulp) $328, I had better be!
Oh, good for you! I love Nahema and can only imagine how wonderful it smells in extrait. Looking at it as a belated wedding perfume is a great idea, enjoy 🙂
Thank you! It’s so hard to find rose perfumes that work on me, but this one is magical.
Congrats, what a lovely purchase!
Thanks, Robin!
I was in that shop in March and really tried to try everything I didn’t have regular access to. Somehow that one didn’t get a sniff! Maybe I should be glad! I came home with samples of Cuir Beluga and Bois d’Armenie. I decided that I especially like Cuir Beluga, but it doesn’t have the lasting power to be FBW. I felt sort of bad for not buying something, as the SA was hesitant to give me samples. I probably made it harder for other ‘fumies to get samples by not following through! Sorry!
I didn’t care for Cuir Beluga, but Bois d’Armenie is nice. Still, though, I feel like I have many fragrances that fill that niche and don’t cost nearly as much.
The high-end Vegas shops are interesting to consider in relation to the thread above about feeling shabby (and sometimes receiving shabby treatment from SAs). Most tourists dress VERY casually, yet can stroll into whatever fancy boutique and poke around and generally receive a friendly welcome. You can never tell who might have just scored big in the casinos.
Yes, I generally felt that I was well-treated in Vegas. I was especially happy with my SA in Barney’s–she was informative, friendly, unpretentious! I really wished I’d found some new love so I could thank her with a purchase. 🙂
I wish the opening of Cuir Beluga lasted through the the duration – it’s so interesting for that first 30 mins.
Yes! It’s the opening that I really enjoy. But it doesn’t last, and it becomes too sheer and less interesting in the dry down. And for the price–I want longevity and presence!
I love Nahema and wore it yesterday. Congrats on your wonderful acquision, Emily – I’m sure Donatella will approve! 😉
Thanks, Nozknoz. It’s my SOTD — I am determined to actually use it up!
I know for a fact you don’t need absolution from Donatella for Nahema in the extrait. Congrats on your wise and prudent purchase!
Oh, but congrats on your wedding perfume, no matter how belatedly!
That’s what I call a treat. Congratulations and enjoy your fabulous new perfume!
I’m unfamiliar with , Nahéma , but after reading your post and the responses, I looked further on NST and now I’m convinced I have to try this! I’m wondering if the edp is even worth sniffing, seeing that it’s been reformulated. I may have to just save for the extrait, if I like it. So thanks for bringing it to my attention.
You could have wasted that $328.00 on slot machines, a draw for an inside straight, some jeans with $50.00 worth of crystals sewn onto the front pocket, or any one of the 50,000.00 tricks the casinos use to take your money and give little or anything in return.
Instead you got a bottle of beauty which will last for years. Sounds like a wise choice to me.
I knew I could count on the NST crew for absolution and rationalizations. Thanks, folks 🙂
I have a newbie Serge Lutens question, for all the experts out there. I have the good fortune to be in Paris for a couple days, and yesterday I visited the SL Palais Royal boutique for the first time. It wasn’t nearly intimidating as I’d thought it would be based on what I’ve read elsewhere; perhaps it helps that I speak French, but I didn’t get the “zombie-like” vibe from the sales assistant. I told her that I had already sampled a lot from the export line, and she was actually rather friendly and gave me the whole set of wax samples for the exclusive line before I had even decided if I was going to purchase anything or not. I wasn’t sure at first, because while I admire them, many of his louder, well-known fragrances are a bit too overwhelming for me to wear myself. Anyway, after smelling the strips I tested a few fragrances on my skin, and a few hours later I ended up with a bottle of the lovely De Profundis (only have room in my budget for one bottle at the moment). Today I visited Père Lachaise (where of course Oscar Wilde happens to be buried), and I decided to wear it for the first time, as it is decidedly appropriate for such an occasion. However, I realized I wasn’t exactly sure how best to apply it. I ended up using the cap to dab some on my pulse points; however, I have heard that this is not ideal, as oils from the skin can potentially damage the fragrance. So my question is, what do you usually do with your splash bottles? Decant into smaller spray containers? Dab away, without noticing any consequences? Apply using something else? Also, I assume that longevity and sillage might be improved if decanted into a spray container, as this seems to be the case with samples?
Lucky you! The boutique is an amazing experience.
I bought two of the bell jars at the Palais Royale (Fumerie Turque and Fourreau Noir) a couple of years ago, and as soon as I got home I decanted into small sprayers (and tucked the bell jars back into their boxes and keep them in a dark place). I don’t blame you for dabbing right away, but it’s never a good idea to do that in the long run: you get flakes of skin, body oil, oxygen, and bacteria in the bottle every time you do so (if you’ve ever seen a half-used bottle of extrait, you’ve probably see that slurry of stuff drifting around the bottom), and that is bad for a scent’s longevity.
Have fun exploring the Lutens line via those wax samples, but be careful: his stuff can become an obsession. (I have a dozen full bottles and as many decants, and I regret nothing.)
It’s a personal thing but I ALWAYS use spray and I’m the type to “spray and walk into the mist” (practically speaking, I hold my hand high and spray). For your bell jar, I highly highly recommend decanting to atomizers, not the small plastic ones but larger glass atomizers (new, never re-use as you can never get the previous scent out of the plastic part of the sprayer). Many department stores and Sephore carry travel atomizers which hold 5-10mLs each.
I am torn. On the one hand, I love the glamour of the beautiful bottle, taking the stopper out, and dabbing perfume from the bottle it with my fingers. On the other, I’m afraid that the lotion, sunscreen, etc. that I have on my hands and skin will contaminate the perfume and alter it.
Depending on how intense the perfume is, I may decant some into a spray or rollerball. The latter is more like dabbing. But I haven’t gotten around to that yet for very many of my perfumes.
I was just there last week! They are very generous with samples, I’m happy to say, because I go through a long period of ambivalence with SL frags before I know whether to buy. Anyhow, the SP at Bergdorf told me that Lutens hisself recommends shaking the bottle (to mix the oil and alcohol), then removing the spray cap and applying the juice by brushing the skin lightly with the long tube attached to the cap. I guess he thinks the perfumes are strong and better experienced in tiny hints. Anyway, this surprised me but I really do find that the scents present very well this way.
I decant my stoppered bottles into two types of containers – into a sprayer and also into glass vial with a screw top. That way I can have the option of touch-applying from the vial or spraying from the sprayer. (I read somewhere that JC Elena recommends sort of pushing fragrance onto the skin with your fingers to warm it and infuse the skin, so to speak.)
I own a decant of de Profundis and have been able to wear it sprayed without it seeming too strong.
Anyway, I suppose if you go through stuff quickly, touch-applying from the bell jar isn’t so bad. My stuff lasts forever, so it’s not a great option for my collection.
Songeuse, congratulations on your lovely purchase! I just drained a sample of this yesterday – it was love at first sniff, and I’m trying to figure out a way to acquire a bottle. 🙂
I always decant fragrances from a splash bottle into smaller spray bottles, for all above-mentioned reasons. If it’s a small enough decant, you can always unscrew the top and dab instead. Enjoy!
SOTD = Dior Mitzah. I am trying to decide if I should get a FB. It is being discontinued at Dior bouitques. The dry-down is definitely appealing…I’m just not quite so sure of the opening.
SOTE is to be determined. I am going out to dinner for my brother-in-law’s birthday.
This week, I got the chance to try all 4 of the L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse, on paper blotter. My favorite was Magnolia & Mure, but not enough to buy the FB. I now have the coffret and will be decanting them to sprayers. I bet I’ll end up changing my mind about which one is the best although I do not see myself buying a FB any time soon or at all just given some other better perfumes in the market.
Wow, I can’t believe they are DCing Mitzah already! I really liked one of those, but I can’t remember if it was Mitzah or New Look 1947. Must get out those decants and check before it’s too late…
If you want Mitzah then hurry my dear! By the way, have you by any chance tried new Dior Exclusive, Gris Montaigne? I’m curious about this one.
SOTD: Bas de Soie. It’s sure to make cleaning out the closet feel like a terribly elegant activity…
Just ordered a sample of this one. No surprise: I’m an iris freak.
I just got a sample of Bas de Soie in a swap. It is gorgeous stuff. Happens to be my SOTD as well. It’s rainy today so it feels kind of appropriate.
This week, I had two very welcome days off for dental surgery, which finally gave me a chance to read Alyssa Harad’s book Coming to My Senses. I have samples (or bottles) of most of the perfumes mentioned in the book (you can learn the identities of most of the unnamed perfumes on her website), so I was able to sniff along. I really loved it!
Has anyone else read a good perfume-related book recently?
I hope you’re feeling better — dental surgery is the pits. Thanks for reminding me to check Alyssa’s website; I read the book last summer, but had so much fun guessing the perfumes that I didn’t even think to check their actual identities.
Oh, yes me too! Will do!
Meanwhile Noz, I enjoyed Diary of a Nose, if you haven’t read it already! Elena has some really nice details in the back describing molecules you can combine to make different notes. Haven’t had occasion to try it but even just reading was quite fun.
I need to get this one! I have his earlier book, Perfume: The Alchemy of Scent, and have enjoyed it.
Thanks, I’ve recovered pretty quickly, fortunately (or not, I have plenty of other neglected books!). It’s interesting to find out, even if that’s not the point of the book. I found I’d guessed a few of them correctly, but most not.
Nozknoz, I read Denise Hamilton’s Damage Control recently. It’s not about perfume but the protagonist is a perfumista. It was a good read, very entertaining, not predictable.
I should get that – her Jasmine Trade was good.
Heads up fellow perfumistas – M. J. Rose’s BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES is the Kindle Deal of the Day today (Sunday), on sale for $1.99 for Kindle. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the software to any PC or Mac for free and read it on your computer.
Thanks — posted this on FB & Twitter too.
Help! I was at nordstroms and I picked up a sample of something. It was on the table with other bulgari fragrances, but maybe was misplaced. I didn’t jot down the name. The bottle was black. I think the name was I love you or xoxoxo or something. What the heck did I get a sample of? Yes, I am an airhead.
If the bottle was black, I’m guessing Dolce & Gabanna Desire (actually, I think it’s called The One Desire).
That’s frustrating! If you really like it, you might try scrolling through the perfumes on the Nordstrom website to see if anything looks familiar. This might take a while – they seem to have many pages under fragrance!
Yesterday I made a beautiful fragrant discovery!
In my stash I have a bottle of Youth Dew Bath Oil, I’ve played around with it a bit in the bath and combined it with fragrance free body lotion with great results. It’s nice dabbed on the skin as it smoother and more discreet than the perfume.
In a stroke of madness I put some in the oil burner and it was Ah mazing !
It wafted this fluffy baby powdery loveliness throughout my entire house without the sharp balsamic amber accord. It was easy going and comforting. I have decided this is going to be my house signature scent coming into winter.
Shout out to Youth Dew Bath Oil , 5-10 drops in oil burner. “TRY IT”
A bottle of Jolie Madame came today ! Another Leather for my collection. It’s absolutely lovely. I get facets of Bandit and reminders of Cabochard together in a searing green stem opening that made my mouth weather in delight. It feels like bruised suede leather to me which reaffirms why I needed it ! It covers that genre in my leather category. It ends all to soon though, longevity very short, but what a pleasant introduction. This will be getting lots of use for when I want a brief encounter as its a skin scent after 2 hours. Small tear.
One perfume that caught my attention this week was Boudoir by Vivian Westwood. It sounded interesting from online opinions and I was interested to experience the dirty notes mentioned. My excitement short as the juice was only hiding a slight cumin hint, overall lovely but not nearly enough smut for my taste. It did have a wonderful dry down that lasted through showering which really impressed me. My partner commenting i smelt like cigarettes 1 hour into testing! Awesome. If owned this i would want to layer in MKK, I like it on that level.
Oh I’m going to try that with the Youth Dew oil! Sounds totally delicious. I’m coming into winter too.
Sinnerman, is the oil literally burning, or being heated?
I love leathers and Youth Dew!
Pardon me , I should have used the word diffuse , in the oil burner .
Just as if using essential oil , 3/4 full of water and Youth Dew to suit ! I did not find 10 drops over powering , but aroma was very noticeable . Enjoy 😉
Thanks, what a great idea! I’m always seeing vintage bath oil versions of classic perfumes on ebay, but have been doubtful about trying to wear them – this would be a great way to enjoy them!
Wow ! Absolutely indeed ,
Skank/smut recs: *vintage* versions of Femme, Bal a Versailles and Je Reviens (in extrait). I wore JR the other day and was almost embarrassed as I had forgotten how dirty it was!
Thanks ! I own all of these already , thou not in vintage . I love all of them and imagine the vintage juice is dynamite !!!
I have this problem that my husband hates perfume. Since I have an extensive and beloved collection of same, this means that I have to go away a lot. Whereupon I can spray, daub, and sniff to my heart’s content. The only thing he can bear is Hermes Vetiver Tonka – and only a touch of it. Well, I am here to announce that he finally likes a fragrance, and it’s the last thing I would have imagined. Lilac. In the form of Ineke’s One From My Heart. I have to agree, this frag is superb and has made me utterly forget FM En Passant. I’ll have to use sparingly though, or he’ll get sick of it. Now if I can only get him to like Ineke’s Chemical Bonding, the tea one. Then we’re in business. 🙂
It sounds like he has one foot on the slippery slope now, irisfreak! 😉
Wow, congrats! So far my husband has only ever made one positive comment about fragrance – when I was wearing Memoir body cream at night, he said it “actually smelled kind of interesting”. Cling to those small comments!
Now I will also have to try that Ineke. 🙂
Gorgeous spring day here in VA. I spent the morning drinking assam and catching up on New Yorkers, took a nap, and played tennis with my husband. So SOTD was sunblock – haven’t needed that in awhile! One of those ideal weekend days that make me realize how lucky I am.
SOTA/E is Smell Bent’s Prairie Nymph – it’s all honey and carnation, so simple and so lovely on spring day.
I’m in Northern Virginia, and the weather was perfect!
Just a bit of fun news, picked up a 50ml + rollerball of SJP Lovely at a thift store this AM, not quite full but only $7. Win!
I’m wondering, relatedly, whether long-time thift store perfume shoppers are finding Ebay has changed the hunt. Just this week I’ve had thrift store proprietors in two very different places (one East Coast suburb, one tiny rural town out West, which is where I got the Lovely) tell me they price their stuff by what it goes for on Ebay. $7 for the Lovely set was fine by me but the same place also had a Prada 50ml Infusion de Tubereuse bottle, marked tester and only 80% full, priced at $40. Was definitely a good bit higher that I expected in the context, but I haven’t been at it long enough to know whether this represents a change?
2 funerals this week. I wanted to wear a scent for myself and something that laid close so it would not overwhelm in church but be a comfort as I hugged friends. I ended up with a very old bottle of Avon’s Odyssey! Mimosa, lily-of-the-valley and magnolia with a woody undertow. Something you might smell in a southern cemetery without being morbid. Springtime with a hint of melancholy. Apropos. I clings for hours but stays close. This is one low-cost scent that does not smell cheap and they have not altered through the years.
Condolences and well wishes ! X
I’m heading off to the beach for a stroll on the esplanade ! STOD Cabotine body lotion with Cabotine ! Feeling Spring in crisp Auturm. Hope everyone is having a great wknd , viva la perfume all !!
2 blind buys this week: VC&A Muguet Blanc and Lalique’s Hommage à L’Homme.
Muguet Blanc is one of those very rare purchase that I regret. The lily-of-the-valley is good but it’s there for 60 seconds then it’s a tulip sap/ dirty vase water, then cheap soap thing. The full bottle was $35.00 so not too much lost.
The Hommage à l’Homme is one of the best thing ever! I just LOVE it. All and all, not a bad week!
I adore Muguet Blanc! If you’re interested in getting rid of it, send me an email: turnbullanne at yahoo dot come. I’ll pay for it or we can talk about swapping (hope I’m not breaking commenting rules!). Perhaps it’s fate, we both have squirrels in our gravatars…
I’ll give it another try and I’ll let you know!
I’ve never swaped a bottle! I’ve alway assumed that I was stuck with my unloved bottles, just like I always finish a book, no matter how much I hate it. Lol
I’ve never swapped a bottle before either (just samples), but I’m game! Do you think it’s just disagreeable notes to you or that the bottle may be “off”? I’ve never purchased from Fragrancenet before, but from everything I’ve heard, they’re very reputable; if you like, I can send you my manufacturer’s sample vile of the scent if you want to compare the two before anything major gets agreed upon or mailed.
But no worries if you want to just sit with your bottle for awhile, lol.
And much like fragrances you don’t love, life’s too short and filled with too many good books to finish one you don’t like. I’ll give a book until page 100, and if I’m not hooked by then, I’ll find something better to read!
LOL, squirrels in your gravatars! You got a good deal on that Muguet Blanc. I like it a lot in the late summer, for some reason. I’ve got a couple of decants, otherwise I’d be competing with Squirrely for your bottle!
For some reason it just rubs me the wrong way. On me, it just smells/ feel sad. It has none of the naïve, happy, spring morning feel.
I love the Annick Goutal Le Muguet, and I was hoping for something similar. Oh well… Glad to know others like it.
Might as well ask, where’d you get the VC&A at that price?
Lys: I got it from Fragrancenet. (No association)
Brand new but no box and I had a 20% off coupon, so it was a good deal. Would have been even better if I loved it!
Squirrels, check out the pillow featured on this blog! 🙂
http://www.aperfectgray.com/search?updated-max=2013-04-11T06:00:00-04:00&max-results=7
Tried a bunch of Ineke perfumes today… My favorite of the bunch was Chemical Bonding. SOTD is actually Atelier Cologne Sous le Toit de Paris, lovely dry violet scent.
Isn’t SlTdP lovely? I just got some and I imagine myself wearing it a lot this spring–on bare arms. It will smell terrific wafting in the air.
SOTD was initially Bois d’Encens, but as soon as I sprayed it I regretted it. It is autumn but not quite cool enough and it felt a bit too much for 7am before work :-/ so I looked for something to take the heavy edge off and decided on Yardley Sandalwood. Now this was my signature scent when it was released in the mid 90’s, and I loved it so much I bought a backup bottle even though they’re a big 120ml bottle! But things changed and I wore other things and I only found these again in a box recently, having not worn or smelt for over 15 yrs! I forgot how much I adore this scent. It was what my world smelt like for so long, and it’s perfect to soften BdE.
Good sandalwood improves almost everything imho. 🙂
Indeed it does! 🙂
It is a slight drawback, in this rabbithole of new loves, that there is less time for old loves.. Aah the price we pay 😉
Darn, I saw a big bottle of that Yardley Sandalwood on eBay a while back, for a good price, but I skipped it. Wish I’d snapped it up now. But the thing is, aside from April Violets, which is very good, I’ve never liked any of the other Yardleys. So I passed over the sandalwood as well. Oh well. Plenty more fish in the sea!
annemarie, i wouldn’t say that Yardley is really my thing either, but I did love April Violets and Sweetpea when I was about 15 in the early 90’s. I would love to find some Sweetpea again! But I digress.. I adore sandalwood, and for a cheap sandalwood that smells really quite lovely, I do recommend this if you ever find it again cheap. It was released as a trio of men’s? fragrances, Sandalwood, Imperial Vetyver, and one with a blue label, a citrussy cologne one I think it was.. The pricetag on it from c1995 is au$17.99 🙂
Oh but wait! I just thought of it, silly me 🙂 – I can send you some if you’d like to try it?! I’ll be away for the next 5 weeks, but if Australia Post lets me, I can send you a decant when I get back.. Email me at lynleyforgione at optusnet dot com dot au if you’d like some 🙂
Oh I do have a real question that I hope someone can help me with.. Next week I’m going to Turkey for a month, and I’d like smell/buy some frags that aren’t available here. Ive learnt that Kanyon Mall has a Harvey Nichols and a perfume shop called La Deesse which I’ll try to visit, but, and this is the question:
Does anyone know if I can get Chanel exclusive (smaller size), Dior exclusives, or Hermes exclusives (esp gift set 15ml sizes) and Ambre de Merveilles in Istanbul??? Does Ataturk airport have any of these?? 🙂 thankyou- Lynley
Hey Lynley, so I don’t know Istanbul in particular (or the airport which presumably would be the most economical solution, if they did have what you’re looking for), but for whatever it may be worth–I see that there are boutiques in town for all the brands you mention, and I’d guess that will cover you at least for the Hermes and Dior–the boutiques I’ve been in have the things you mention on hand. The one bit could that could be tricky is the Chanel in the correct size–I know my nearest boutique does not carry all the bottles in all the sizes although right now I’m forgetting exactly which they do and don’t have (someone who knows the LE line better than I do may be able to say?). But anyway, it seems def worth stopping in to ask, if you’re there a month.
Oh actually. If you’re there a month, maybe they could even order something for you, if they don’t have what you want in store?
Alternatively, are you flying through Dubai by chance? Alas I haven’t been there since I fell down the rabbit hole, so I haven’t made a thorough study of their perfume offerings, but for high-end retail, that place is nuts. Def worth looking around.
Thanks for that C.H. 🙂 good idea, I’ll suss out the addresses before I leave and mark them on my map..hehe that sounds so sad..Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Dior… Lol! 🙂 and actually I am going via Dubai. The last time I was there was also pre-rabbithole, so I didn’t take a good look, although I do remember a display of perfumes/attars aimed at maybe a more middle-eastern market that I wish I’d paid more attention to!! I’m only there for a couple hours in the middle of the night so I’m hoping that they’re open at 3am :-/ I know there are limits to duty free perfume I can bring back, but I’m not sure if that includes ones stuffed in my checked luggage..
Thanks again!! 🙂
Happy to help! I know that DXB used to make a big deal about their stores being open 24/7 but as I say, it’s been a couple years so I don’t know if the economic climate has changed that. Good luck, hope you get some fun things!
goodmorning all!
I posted last week that I finally found a new scent, Dia Amouage.
Though I love it, I am still looking for a scent close to LA PERLA CLASSIC. I smelled the new restyling edp..it’s not bad, it smells like the former edt which I have. It just doesn’t stay more than two hours.
Any (niche) suggestions?I know knowing, aromatics and paloma already.Thanks in advance!! Jacqueline
Diva by Ungaro might do
Happy Sunday, all!
So, first things first, the date was fine but there won’t be a second. He’s very quiet and a touch shy, I fear my gregarious personality would dominate too much! I could get him talking in bits and spurts, but there never was a natural give and take. Wore Lipstick Rose, which is always lovely, imo, and suited the warm day quickly turning to cool wind in the evening.
Dating business aside, I am thinking that I need to move my perfume cabinet to the downstairs of my new house. I’m noticing that on the warmer days, my upstairs is definitely hotter! What do you think, should I be concerned enough to move things? I woulnd’t mind having it all in easier reach, I just thought it might be odd to have it in the guest bedroom. 🙂
Update: I decided to not wait for advice and have moved things downstairs. It’s not an ideal set-up at the moment; my perfume cabinet is low and would be more easily accessed on top of a short dresser or something. So, I may need to rearrange furniture or buy a small piece to set it upon at some point. I *will* be glad to have it in easier reach, though! Much less likely to go to work without a spritz, which just feels WRONG! 🙂
Alas! Sorry to hear the date wasn’t so exciting. (On the other hand, glad it wasn’t terrible, either!)
As for perfume, sounds like the right call to move it–even if it doesn’t get crazyhot, I feel like daily swings in temperature can’t be good. Like moving wine in and out of the fridge.
Yup–it’s the swing in temps that really had me wondering. And I’m very protective of my vintage Shalimar! It came to my new house wrapped in bubble wrap in the beverage holder next to me in the front seat of my car! It would be a shame if hot summer days turned it when I’m not done enjoying it!
Hi everyone, after a dark and stormy day with rain, thunder and lightning, and floods yesterday in Houston, I am so glad to see sun and blue sky today! One of my poor cats hid under the bed all day yesterday. This morning I’m trying Interlude Woman on my left hand and Interlude Man on my right hand to compare them. I’m not good at articulating the difference, but the Man seems less sour and sharp. So far so good. I don’t plan to buy either one but just curious. In the storm yesterday I wore Anima Dulcis, comforting. Have to decide later what to wear to the opera this afternoon. Just ordered samples from Luckyscent of all four Tommi Sooni scents. I’m curious to try them. Has anyone else? Opinions? Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Isn’t Anima Dulcis wonderful?
I ordered Tommi Sooni samples directly last year, and wasn’t impressed. One of these days, I’ll try them again. I’m curious to hear what you think of them.
My day began great! I stepped outside to see what the temperature was like, and inhaled chocolate. Is that a great start to the day or not? Every once in awhile, if the wind is right, the breeze travels direction Amsterdam from the Zaan river, where all the best chocolate factories are. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Today was one of those rare days. It’s so heavenly, like drinking good chocolate through your nose.
SOTD is Atelier Cologne Mistral Patchouli. I was so intrigued by Lucas’ review of Sous le Toit de Paris on his blog, that I ordered the sample set from AC. It is charmingly packaged — each scent in a little decant in an envelope with a postcard with their charming stories. As a writer, I really appreciate whoever writes their copy.
I like Sous le Toit de Paris very much. I’ll have to try it some more before deciding whether I love it. On the other hand, I think I may be falling in love with Mistral Patchouli. The downside is that my perfume-eating skin leaves very little to sniff after a half hour.
In a follow up to last week’s poll in which I commented on my purchase of the Designer Shaik fragrances: I decided to wear the Chic fragrance all week, and my nose must be working better because now I just love it madly! The ingredient I couldn’t identify (must have been having nose dementia) is vanilla! When I go outside, the breeze makes my perfume waft up to my nose and I smell roses, vanilla, oudh and there’s supposed to be cardamom and some other notes. It’s truly lovely and I still find it demure.
Wow! The smell of chocolate on the air sounds at once magical and maddening! 😀 I used to live around the corner to a bakery, and late in the evening, the smell of fresh bread and donuts would waft through my windows. It was delicious-smelling but could also make me hungry!
Oh, and I like the idea of nasal dementia! How many times have I sniffed something that reminds me of *something*, and I can’t quite place it! It can be maddening.
(Sorry for the redundant use of the phrase “maddening!” Apparently, I’m easily driven crazy! 😀 )
hahaha! I just wanted to tell you, MR, that I am following your dating exploits with enjoyment. You go, girl! Hope you find a real keeper.
Ha! Thank you! It’s good that it provides amusement for more than just myself. 🙂 Sharing seems to make it easier to stay amused!
Jonette, so glad you are enjoying it! I remember searching for images of the brand and being amused at the (faux?) opulence of it all:)
Last weekend I realized that Sephora has come to Stockholm! Just had time for a quick run through the shop but noticed Miller Harris’ beautiful bottles. Must return to investigate more.
The range of perfume shopping in Stockholm has improved continually during the 3+ years I have been into scents. Very satisfying!
Lucky you! Miller Harris seems to be bowing out of the US market. Beautyhabit has just 3 in their line, all on sale. Tangerine Vert and Fleur du Matin are nice, never tried any of the more recent releases.
Hello everyone and thanks for the wonderful threads. We are having a beautiful sunny weekend here. Nature is warming and soothing us. The bombings happened in a part of Boston that I was avoiding after my client pulled a nutty and slashed my coat the other week. Perp 2 of the bombings was on the loose in my neighborhood and turned up in someone’s boat less than a mile from my house. Bodywork clients last week have been really freaked out, their reticular alarm networks off the charts with stress. I’ve been treating a couple of close friends of Krystal, after they attended her funeral at the beginning of the week. I used up almost an entire bottle of an energy clearing room spray called “Dragon Super Scrubber” that has a wonderful grapefruit citrus smell. I think I’ve had enough drama to last awhile.
SOTW has been Yves Rocher Neroli but on colder days I’ve been wearing Amber Sultan, the most comforting scent ever. Just opened my decant of Amouage Interlude Man and gave it a sniff and it seems to have perfumed my nostrils because I can still smell it. That stuff is so strong!
Hi Sajini, I also live in the Boston area in one of the towns that was in lockdown last Friday. You have been personally involved through your work with the victim’s friends, and I can’t imagine how stressful it has been for you. All good thoughts and healing wishes 🙂
Thank you for your kind words Farouche. I hope you are taking good care of yourself. Most people are more effected more than they realize and I’ve been seeing a lot of really spaced out people (including myself) since it happened. Last night I put on some Ancient Resins and Amouage Interlude man and it was very comforting and grounding.
Hi Farouche and Sajini, just want to extend my sympathies as well, and say I hope you’re taking good care of yourselves in the aftermath. Being exposed to something like that, even seemingly just “indirectly”, can have real effects. I’ve lost two friends/colleagues whose research involved taking histories from victims of violence and their families, and it’s really made me believe we don’t take remotely seriously enough how far-reaching the consequences can be of hearing these stories–not that it’ll produce such tragic consequences every single time, but that it can, so we all need to be alert and responsive to the toll the stress is taking. Please do take good care. Big hug–C.H.
Thank you, both Sajini and C.H. Your comments are very perceptive and comforting.
So I have a teeny tiny perfume problem at the moment. I know, I know, it’s a teeny tiny problem, but still….
So after the almost-ten years since I “fell down the rabbit hole,” my DH has been really good about putting up with my obsession, sniffing my wrists when proferred, and generally being a good guy about it all. At the same time, he has remained totally and irretrievably unmoved by the allure of perfume-wearing. By me, by him, by anyone. The most I could every get out of him was “it’s okay.” I came to terms with that.
Until…until… the other day when I was testing a sample I had gotten from a boutique. Completely umprompted, he said, after a hug, “ooh, you smell nice!”
So what’s my problem?
The scent is Xerjoff Damarose. Be careful of what you wish for, indeed. So can anyone feel my pain? 🙂
When’s your next wedding anniversary? Maybe it could be a gift to both of you! 😀
That’s a good idea. We just celebrated one, so now I have a year to save up!
Ha!! I was not familiar with this scent until just now. Haha. Wow. Yes. I think Marjorie’s got the right idea. $50/month into a mason jar marked “anniversary”? (Too bad savings account rates are so terrible right now! In better times, putting $600 aside for a year would have earned a little bit of money–a small discount on the purchase 😉 )
Wow! You prompted me to look this up and – wow! – can’t believe the price! Would it be worth you looking at some similar, rose/chypre type? I can’t remember any right now (maybe Portrait of a Lady?), but perhaps your chap likes that combination and you could try a few samples to see if the Damarose is a fluke or not.
Good idea–Soir de Lune might be another rose chypre worth trying (although I have not trying the XJ so I can’t really say how they compare.) This does make the $270 price tag on SdL look downright reasonable 😉
I have never smelled Damarose, so I don’t know how similar it is, but Teo Cabanel Oha is a beautiful rose chypre. It is a little hard to find, but worth trying to track down. I don’t remember exactly how much I paid for my 50 ml bottle, but it was less than $100.
I have a random question. I was hoping to split a bottle of 10 Corso Como with a friend, and I am trying to figure out if the 50mL bottle is a splash or spray bottle. Perhaps I’m being especially dense, but that information seems surprisingly hard to find on the internet. Your help is much appreciated!
I’ve only seen it available as a spray. If you google 10 Como Corso perfume 50 ml you will find it.
Edited to add: google 10 Corso Comos Perfume 50 ml spray
Jean Paul Gaultier and L’eau De Issey and Boucheron Homme i need to get new bottles of… almost out of them!
I received a decant of Lourve by SL. I love it. I really really love it. I’ve asked for a 100 ml bottle of carnal flower for Mother’s Day. I just got a Portrait of a Lady and Carnal Flower from a swap friend, Mary!!!! I love her. Hopefully we can meet and do some Parfums shopping together abroad. That would be ideal. I guess I want Lourve more but I should not change my request cause when else would my husband and children want to pay for such an elaborate offering. It’s $340+ tax and shipping from Barney’s. I know I want carnal flower. I know it!!!!
Byredo’s Oud Immortal and Frederic Malle are my favorite with Le Labo coming in 3rd. Poivre is on my list for September. That’s when Barney’s will have it. I’m going to grab a bottle.
Hi All,
Late to the party, but fun to read the threads. I have a question, maybe you’ll be able to suggest answers.
There is some note that I absolutely hate, and I do not know what this note is, called. I’d love to knows, so I can avoid it. It smells to me like a combination of cilantro (ugh) and orange zest, but yucky orange zest. I have recently smelled it in Demeter’s Rain. I’ve occasionally smelled it on other people, but have never felt like I could ask them what they were wearing; if it was to compliment them, then no problem, but I can’t do it for an unpleasant scent. Anyone have an idea what this could be? Thanks!