It's Spicy Friday! Our community project for today: wear a spicy fragrance. What did you pick?
As always, do chime in even if you're not participating in the community project.
I'm in vintage Givenchy Organza Indecence. I smell pretty darned great. And yes, it's still on the market. The full sized bottle is $95 for 100 ml.
Reminder: next Friday, 6 March, we're celebrating International Women's Day: wear a perfume by a female perfumer.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2015, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
SOTD: Pour Homme (vintage) – Patou
Have not smelled it!
Morning all! I’m wearing Tauer’s Une Rose Chypree — not all about the spice, but it plays a significant role. Also it just smells fabulous.
Mmm, you smell good.
Thanks!
Yeah. Lean over so I can smell, too.
*wafts*
Gorgeous! I just tried it for the first time this week. (Thanks, Sajini!)
Love this one!!
I was having a hard time narrowing down my scent, so I read some this thread a little early in the morning and went with Une Rose Chypre too. It was perfect!
Finally the challenging Friday has come!
SOTD: Epice Marine.
My most spicy probably wouldn’t begin to tickle some of your noses.. I am just not one for the spicy! Hopefully this mild one counts (it’s got spice in the name too!) 🙂
It definitely counts! It has cardamom, cumin, and cinnamon. You smell great today 😉
You smell great – this one is on my list for a discovery set – along with Poivre Samarkand…
Scent twins wearing this as well too. Love the cardamom in it.
I’m in Tea for Two and bet I won’t be the only one.
You’re not the only one–that was my pick as well.
My pick too! Don’t we smell great!!
I wore Tea for Two yesterday 🙂
SOTD is Five O’clock at Gigembre. Love this one – it manages to be rich and spicy but effervescent at the same time.
Agree on the effervescence! It’s a bit like ginger beer in the opening.
Snap! Me too! 🙂
Ginger Snap! 😆
I am wearing Hermes Ambre Narguile, does this count as spicy?
Of course! And great pick.
I’m in Royall Spyce. Years ago, I drained a bottle of it that was in the old dark bottle. I’m over halfway through a newer version in a lighter bottle. It’s not as good as the old stuff, but I stil love it. My husband likes it on me and sometimes tells me that I smell like carnations, and sometimes like pumpkin pie.
Notes: clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper. ‘Nuff said.
I don’t think I’ve ever smelled this one… but my grandfather wore Royall Lyme aftershave, and he always smelled lovely.
I haven’t tried RS’s, but I used to buy Crabtree and Evelyn’s lime cologne for my mom — great stuff. I wonder if it still smells good?
Is it close to Old Spice?
It’s similar, but Royall Spyce smells much better IMO (higher quality than current OS, anyway).
Thanks, I should give it a sniff.
SOTD is vintage Karl Lagerfeld edt. my first time wearing it, I like it.
that’s a good one! I remember wearing it in the 70s……lucky you to find a vintage 🙂 !!
I’m pleased to say that I found an old bottle I bought years ago – Comme de Garcons Palisander. Definitely some spice to this, which is nice and warming today.
Have a lovely one, dears!
I like that one 🙂
I am wearing a pas de trois from the indie niche house of 1000 Flowers as follows: Ode for HIm (with spice notes of coriander, cardamom and clove), Love is Sweet (with spice notes of pink pepper, cinnamon and vanilla) and Reglisse Noire (with spice notes of white pepper, ginger, star anise and vanilla) all topped off with Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Extreme which has the spice of vanilla in the top. mid and base notes. Wasn’t sure how it would work but the greatest compliment came from a family member who walked in the kitchen this morning and said “What smells so delicious?” (said family member told me that I smelled like a “freshly cleaned toilet bowl” not too long ago when I was wearing a vintage scent)
And for further spice….drinking the Republic of Tea limited edition Downton Abbey Grantham Breakfast blend of organic black assam with ginger and a hefty spoonful of honey!
Ohhh, you must smell wonderful!
Surprisingly it smells quite good….creamy, sweet spices 🙂 !! I really love Jessica September Buchanan’s work…I own full bottles of every fragrance that 1000 Flowers had launched thus far.
that’s “has” not “had”….
Oh that Reglisse Noire sounds mighty tasty! 🙂
Journey for woman-the opening smells like an arabian spice market to me..
SOTD: A*Men le Gout de Parfum – with a spritz of Bang.
I’d be spicier if le Gout wasn’t coming from a teeny echamtillon, mais c’est la vie…
I am wearing SL Rousse, which was a bit much outside but is great in the chill of my office.
I do like Rousse.
SL Cuir Mauresque for me today. Another drive-by from my sample/swap choices and Whooo-wee! did this one surprise me.
Totally qualifies for the spicey scent category for today as well!
I initially spritzed once last night after my shower and then considered jumping back in the shower for some serious scrubbing, but something told me to wait. And so happy I did wait because this morning I smelled fantastic!
I did another full spritz this morning and successfully crushed the urge to race to the shower. The opening is HUGE- it’s the barbarian hordes sweeping down on an unsuspecting town to wreak havoc on organized civilization, complete with frothing, lathered horses and sweaty leather, dust rising and falling under trampling hooves, and the screams of civilized people frantically trying to escape certain doom- total chaos!
Oh, but the dry down is like a soft and gentle lullaby!
I always dab that one to avoid discomfort in the top notes. The drydown is the best.
Me too – I love this one but can only wear it dabbed on sparingly. My bell jar is more than a lifetime supply.
Deva, nice to see you in fine form today! 🙂
Oh dear, that was hilarious :)!
Ooh, now I am curious, onto the sample list it goes!
I had a bilingual brain freeze this morning. I was looking in my samples for Epices Noirs, which I had tested but not worn before. It wasn’t next to Epice Marine, where it should have been. I found it later in the alphabet, since it’s really Noir Epices. This doesn’t seem all that spicy to me, and it reminds me of Mitsouko.
Julia Roberts looks quite stunning in that ad.
I knew I’d be wearing an Amouage for today, so I’m wearing Opus iv. I’m not a cumin fan, but it’s light enough in this one I can tolerate it and notice how it warms the fragrance as a whole.
It’s funny, I was just coming to comment that she looks sad and uncomfortable to me. Beautiful, yes (she’s always beautiful), but sad.
I think she’s more associated with that big happy smile of hers, which is gorgeous btw, but it’s nice to see her looking a bit more somber and I think it fits the ad really well. I can see how sad would come to mind.
I was thinking severe rather than sad.
I think that’s supposed to be her smoldering look!
I’m wearing the queen of the spicies in my collection: Opium (I think vintage), from a mini I found in an antique shop a couple years ago. I’m not sure of the age exactly, but I saw one on ebay that looked like mine, and it was from the ’80s.
I’m in Opium (of unknown age), as well!
Yay! We smell pretty awesome, don’t we
My Opium is from the early 90’s and smells wonderful. It was my sister’s, a gift from a college boyfriend. Her husband (a different man) doesn’t like it so she passed it on to me. Lucky me!
Wow, that is lucky!
Thierry Mugler miroir des majestes.
As a mutual fan I thoroughly approve of the choice!
Thank you!!
I needed something very plush and not too challenging today. I chose Miller Harris Rose en Noir, even though I was eyeing my bottle of Organza Indecence! I think all of us smell wonderful!!!
I used up the last of my sample last winter – such a lovely scent. And not noir at all… Rose in Russet and Green, IMO.
Yes- not really noir. Deep, rich rose is not necessary “noir”. I think the difference with ReN is how MH balanced the patchouli with the ambrette – there is none of that been there, done that (can be very good) rose and dark patch that are most rose and patchouli fragrances. It’s really so out of focus and pillowy in the drydown. My sister used to say about her chocolate lab (as a guard dog) that it would lick people to death. That’s Rose en Noir – the big lab who licks people to death. I think it’s very cuddly. Let me know if you ever want some more.
I was in Rose en Noir today as well – glad to find a scent twin 🙂 Usually rose, especially with patchouli, does not please me in the least – but this one is surprisingly good and well balanced – and you give such a great description of it with chocolate lab and all (I used to have a chocolate lab myself years ago, best of the best friends, miss her so much…)
Ah – sorry about your dog! It is nice though to have a scent twin with a frag that is so uncommon. We smell great!
This was a hard challenge, but also kind of fun. It gave me a great excuse to go through all my samples last night. And in the end, I found Orizia LeGrand Oeillet Louis XV, which is a spicy carnation, and in fact even spicier than Bulgari The Vert. So, this is what I wore today–1 spray so as not to overwhelm my morning meeting. It is lovely in the cold weather.
I can’t wait to try this. I’m still in a carnation kick.
Carnation is good. I got the you sent today! They look great, didn’t have a chance to sniff any of them. You have fed my iris kick, hajusuuri!
:-). Enjoy the goodies!
Thank you for mentioning this one – carnation scents are wonderful. I’m adding it to my must-try list. I love the story of the Oriza L. LeGrand revival.
I smell wonderful, as always, in Santal Exotique from The Exotic Island Perfumer. So cozy and yummy
Does this mean you’re always cozy and yummy? 🙂
A couple of discreet dabs of Shalimar parfum. Less sillage than the edp (off to yoga). It’s really pretty! My other option was Houbigant Orangeurs en Fleurs, because of the nutmeg. But the dabbed on Shalimar is actually quieter.
I layered Caron Poivre with Santa Maria Novella Garofano. Never thought of this before, so thanks for the inspiration! I like the spicy clove of the Poivre, but it sometimes smells a little stale or dusty to me, so the fresh burst of green facets and carnation spice from the Garofano, brightens the overall effect (while the Poivre mellows and softens the harshness of the Garofano). Pretty successful mash-up, I think!
Thumbs up!!
Sounds very pretty!
I think my sample of Arquiste Anima Dulcis best fits the bill but I’m kind of nervous about that one. I haven’t tested it yet and I’ve read that it smells quite scumbag.
Many folks love Anima Dulcis, but this is what I said about it “Anima Dulcis has been a big disappointment. On me, it smells like chemical-laden, generic perfume combined with some fermenting (or decaying?), sweet chili powder. The other notes are absent.” YMMV.
Too bad. Do you think you might be anosmic to something in the formula? Anyway, I decided to save it for another day. Truth be told, I don’t think I’ll like it even if it smells exactly as described.
Og dear, that should be animal not scumbag. Curse my Swype dependancy.
And that should be ‘oh dear’ of course.
I think it’s time for me to pass the funniest auto-correct mishap baton to you 🙂
LOL!! Excellent.
I like some skank in a perfume, and I didn’t get it from AD. I thought I might be anosmic to most of it after my first test, but I used more than half the sample on the second try, and got a mild, pleasant gourmand with a citrusy opening, and pretty good longevity. Unless I’m really missing something, there’s nothing that will scare the horses.
I forgot, and put on Seville a l’Aube! But, the notes say there is pink pepper in this, so I guess I participated in spite of myself!
You smell great in any case 🙂
Yes it is wonderful! Driving home 11 hours later, I was still getting delightful little whiffs of it!
I went with A*Men Taste of Fragrance (chili) It just feels confortable on this (yet again) horribly cold day!
Scent twin!
I can’t make up my mind right now. Even though I want to wear no 19 for the 3rd day in a row, should I wear Amouage Lyric, Epic, Theorema, or Bal a Versailles?
I wore Epic Woman yesterday and it certainly was spicy! But you certainly can’t go wrong with any of your wonderful options.
BaV! It was in the running this morning for me too.
Went head on, with Serge Lutens Arabie. It’s super hot and humid, with a storm forming in the sky, and I sprayed quite a bit. BTW, I want to know where Tania Sanchez finds such good smelling camel riders.
I like Arabie in theory but not in practice. I find it slightly indigestible, a problem I have with a lot of Lutens creations.
I’m a big Lutens fan, and although I like Arabie very much, it does feel like three perfumes together. And I mean three big ones, like vintage Magie Noire, Opium and Miss Dior all at once. Co workers and fellow commuters, beware!
You are not the only one, Austenfan!
As is usual for me with the Friday choices I hesitated quite a bit between various spicy fragrances. I finally decided to put on Mauboussin’s Histoire d’Eau Topaze by Nagel. It’s cousin’s with Teorema, but just a tad drier.
Have a great Friday everyone, mine has been quiet but good so far.
Does this have less chocolate than Theorema? I loved T very much except for that white chocolate facet.
I would guess so. Theorema has a certain creamy aspect that Histoire d’Eau lacks.
Weird, Hd’E doesn’t seem spicy to me at all. I guess hardly anything does except old-school Opium and things with suffocating levels of black or pink pepper. “Warm” is how I’d describe most of the things other people perceive as spicy, and I’d have ascribed it to the leather in Hd’E. I think I’m getting better at identifying floral notes, but still have trouble with nearly everything else.
Ambre Sultan – and I just realized I am doing herbs rather than spices. Coriander, bay leaf, oregano, and amber. Fantastic!!
Pairing it with Depeche Mode – the grabbing hands, grab all they can, all for themselves, after all – it’s a competitive world!!!! Everything counts in large amounts…………. 😀
Coriander (from what I read) is both an herb and a spice 🙂 !
Thanks bardot! I learn something new every day!
OMG DM!
Wow, just reading those lyrics sent me spiraling into old memories.
The song does work for the perfume analogy 😉
Yes Jenkr! My favourite DM song, well maybe a tie with Policy of Truth!!! 🙂
How about both herb and spice? Coriander is the seed – spice – of my favorite herb, cilantro!
Woohoo! Another person who loves cilantro. It is my favorite herb also.
have either one of you tried teas brewed with herbs? I just read about it in my TeaTime magazine…..the colonialists did this as tea was very expensive…thus far my favorite is sage with honey but I have also tried oregano, mint and thyme….and if you can get your hands on some dried lavender leaves they are amazing blended in any tea! (Ok, I know this is a perfume blog…sorry 🙂 !!!)
Making your own herbal tea is easy as long as you have a ball infuser or similar. My husband drinks thyme tea when he has a cold – it’s a Mexican remedy for coughs (and other places too I’m sure!).
I haven’t tried just herbs as teas (officially, I think they are called infusions). Sage and honey sounds amazing.
I have made lavender lemonade before and it is really fantastic.
Years ago when I was in Greece, people would recommend this “Mountain Tea” to us students when we had a cold. It had all these herbs in it that were supposed to help us get well. I know it had sage and thyme in it, but I don’t remember anymore about it. I’ve kept the jar it came in all these years – somewhere. But these days I drink dried dandelion root tea a lot.
Mine too! And I’ve managed to transmit the love to my kids. The boy said once that it tastes like all green tones together!
It’s supposed to be genetic, isn’t it–it’s either a lovely herb, or it tastes like soap. My mother loves it, but unfortunately I’m in the “tastes like soap” camp. Coriander I like, though.
I love cilantro. My mom used to grow masses of it, and I’d put fresh cut cilantro in floral bouquets. There is just something so mood-lifting about the smell of cilantro. I love it in cooking and use more than I should.
Perfume people are so smart!! 😀
Coriander counts for me too – it’s in my frag today! You smell great!
Thanks AnnS! You smell great too! Miller Harris Rose en Noir is definitely a friendly fragrance! 🙂
And now I have that song in my head. 😛
I loved ‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’! Still think of Gahan as having long hair and wearing black leather trousers 😀
I can’t think of any music that shoots me right back in time more than DM. “Just Can’t Get a Enough” was our go-to song when we needed to take a break from studying when I was in college. We’d put it on and dance around like idiots. We wore out that spot on the cassette tape.
Mmmm I wish it were cold enough here for Organza Indecence, im really missing my cool weather scents.
I picked 5 O’clock au Gingembre and smell delicious 🙂
The only spicy notes that I really love are ginger. I was going to wear Ginger Essence, but I’ve worn that recently, so I chose Tibetan Mountain Temple. I think that it’s more incense than spice, but I like it. I wish I had more ginger-centric fragrances.
You smell great! I LOVE LOVE LOVE TMT (so much so I think I’ve drained at least 5 bottles). I used to buy it dirt cheap in my local health food store but recently I discovered that they no longer carry it (only the fruity Pacificas are there now). And when I looked online there are a lot less offerings in the Tibetan Mountain Temple range (they used to have body wash and body butters). I am wondering if they are going to discontinue this one….it was their very first fragrance so I really hope not! On me it has a yummy sweet gingerbread accord….and the candle is amazing too! More incense to my nose.
The TMT candle is wonderful! I definitely get more incense in the candle (and actually wish the spray perfume smelled more like it).
After getting a lovely sample of TMT with a donation here from the wonderful hajusurri, I can definitely say that TMT is now on my to buy list. I have a few other Pacificas, so I know they can be good. TMT reminds me a bit of Diptyque’s Eau Lente as well.
Don’t wait too long….I have found my local health food store to be a good gauge on when Pacifica will discontinue certain scents…years ago they had two that I liked, Madagascar Spice (which would have fit in great for today’s theme!) and Thai Lemongrass…they got rid of them in the store and when I called Pacifica’s customer service it was confirmed that they were discontinuing those two….same fate for Egyptian Bergamot Rose and Avalon Juniper (but luckily this time I knew so I stocked up on the EDP and the solid perfume which has better longevity in terms of storing/smelling the same years later). I am going to check one more store for TMT and if I can’t find it there I may have to order directly from Pacifica…..I am really miffed that they continue only the fruity/florals and get rid of the more resinous/woody and unusual blends….and btw, Spanish Amber is gone too…..
Thanks for the tip!
Good idea – I only have the solid perfume, but I do love TMT.
I am wearing Byredo Seven Veils, which is very spicy on me.
I agree with Mals86 that Julia Roberts looks very sad and depressed in those photos.
Robin, you smell pretty darned great and I do, too, as your scent twin in vintage OI.
Hey twin!
I’m wearing Comme des Garcon edp, one of my first blind buys and a real winner. It’s warm cinnamon on me and truly lovely.
Scent twins!
I bought it unsniffed too!
That’s my sotd too! It was my first niche purchase and is still a favorite.
I am wearing L’Artisan Piment Brulant. Lots of good peppery smells wafting up at me!
Well hello smelly people! I’m only a toddling newbie, but I have to jump in here because spice is kind of a thing with me. A good thing. So. Today I’m wearing Amouage Fate (for women), which I’ll someday find a way of buying despite its formidable pricetag. Until then testers are my best friends.
Thanks for toddling on over! You smell great! Amouage are worth the wait. I’ve been patiently putting funds aside to eventually get a bottle of Beloved. One of these years!
Let’s start a prayer circle.
Hi Hiddles! You smell great.
Greetings Hiddles! I tried Amouage Gold for Women and it’s masculine counterpart. I could certainly appreciate them but it was not love. The price tag is daunting and I have therefore made a conscious decision to test no further!
It’s a pickle, I know. I want niche on a drugstore budget. Why oh why.
Thank you, neighbor across the Bay!
I’m waving to you!
Samples, decants, and splits are also your best friends until you can afford a bottle!
Ooh, so many potential friends! I’ve kept an eye out for Fate decants and splits, but so far no luck. I’m not giving up, though. The universe is obviously testing me.
Surrender to Chance has it available.
Update: they’re having a 15% off sale on certain lines, including Amouage, this weekend. (Not affiliated, just trying to enable.)
Hi hiddles! I have to ask: that’s a pic of Jerri Blanc, yes? If so, LOVE. If not, omg I am mortified for my inpertinence.
Looks like Jerri to me, too.
Ah oui! Jerri Blank is the sun. The sun, I tell you.
Welcome! That photo looks like Amy Sedaris. I love her brother, David’s, non-fiction. I think that she does some of the voices on his book recordings?
Yes, and so much more. See a show called “Strangers With Candy” that everyone should watch at least once or twice or on an endless loop into infinity.
I love “Strangers With Candy”!
After starting the week with Christine Nagel’s glorious Orientals, transitioning to Estée Lauder’s Cinnebar and Youth Dew, here we are on Friday and I am wearing one of my favorite Woody Orientals, the original Commes des Garçons perfume layered with Pacifica Spanish Amber. It is a heady, spicy melange with rose and carnation occasionally peeking out. There is some honey and plenty of cardamom, clove and cedar. I think if you love Yatagan, YSL Nu, or the original Magie Noire you would probably enjoy this fascinating composition as well. It does not seem out of sync with the afore mentioned fragrances so I find it old fashioned in the best sense: rich, complex and evocative.
You smell great! I always found pacifica’s spanish amber a bit too watered down so I used to add to it a hefty dose of eden botanicals amber essence oil….but layering it with another fragrance is such a great idea!
It is a great layering fragrance. I find all the hot spices of the CDG overwhelm the base so a little amber grounds it nicely. And Thank You!
So glad for the prompting to get my Voyage parfum out–I don’t wear it enough and it smells great!
I have this one too alon with the Voyage shower gel / body shampoo!
Me three! It was either Elixir or Voyage today and in the end my love for cardamom won.
Wearing Lady Levine, for some cozy saffron.
Good evening everyone, I’m in Mona di Orio Cuir. Mmmmmm, that cardamom. I was debating over Noir Epices for the night. Should I? I have a deliciously freaky little fiction book in my stash, and a box of black pepper and liqoeur bonbons. I think it’ll be perfect.
Have a peaceful weekend!
Where did you get those. bonbons? They sound wonderful .
Well they were:). All 9 of them:). Mmm…
That is a kind my old univ. friend makes, she specializes in one-of a kind hand crafted macaroons and truffel (is this the correct English word for bonbons handmade?) and she is truly awesome. She nows Im a cocoa aficionada, so I get to test some when we meet, but she cannot come often and they don’t have a long shelf life:). These were made with an inner crystallized sugar coating to protect the liquid inside, and the pepper is worked into the chocolate paste later added as the covering. Poetry, if you ask me:).
The Malle was a perfect complement.
Hail spezie:).
Current Mitsouko EDP paired with vintage EDP. Cinnamon, with some black pepper. Nice, but no love.
The vintage has a wee bit of top notes left but otherwise it’s a very nice vetiver.
Trying Vintage (80’s) Estee Lauder Cinnabar. I can’t possibly be solo on this one, can I? It’s really nice, warm and interesting. Wonder if it was zingier when new. But I’ll definitely be wearing this one again.
You smell great!
I stopped by Macy’s at lunch and tried out the current Cinnabar. SA told me that the current version was ‘exactly the same’ as my vintage (I did *not* roll my eyes). My vintage stuff definitely is light on the top notes. The current stuff is definitely light on the base. Maybe both together would be Just Right 🙂
I think you are right! I thought it was just my absurdly abused(not by me)bottle that had caused those top notes to disappear but maybe it just happens with some vintage bottles of Cinnebar. I will have to wear the old one to Nordstroms and ask for a squirt of the new one and see. A worthy field trip. Besides which, I take great delight in ignoring those ridiculously over priced Aerin Lauder’s and asking for something that is not out on the counter!
I’m also in Opium today, from a bottle recently acquired through the freebie swap (thanks missionista!). What a lot more spice than I usually wear. It’s such a new experience that it’s really hard to identify the different notes. But it was also interesting: I sprayed it on, and then felt like a different person, which led to putting together quite a different combination of clothes for the day. For me, that’s a huge part of the fun of scent!
Hi Delacey,
Thanks for the shout-out, but I think someone else sent you Opium. I don’t think I’ve ever had it –not even a sample. Glad you’re enjoying it though.
Oh goodness, so sorry, mixed up my emails. Eeps. The thanks should have gone to Gi!
Was planning on Mitsouko extrait but woke up coughing w a sore throat and thought I needed more vavavoom…. So Ubar it is… Not so spicy, but it focuses me.
Uh oh….get better!
I’m wearing DSH Oeillets Rouge, which is a very spicy carnation/nutmeg fragrance. Although I only have a 2 ml. dabber sample, it will last me a long time, as this one is a powerhouse!
I’ve been thinking of sampling this. Thanks for the description.
Oh gosh, I love Oeillets Rouges. I bought the 4ml dram bottle about three years ago and it’s still half full.
Oh, that must be the bottle I have, too!
I have the 10 mL EDP atomizer. Perhaps you have the perfume extrait which is probably that much more amazing than the EDP which is amazing.
You may be right. I bought it at least four years ago and don’t remember.
I was very surprised how few spicy frags I have…must rectify this gap! Went with a fave that must count though: The stunning Mohur.
And I have a lot more spicy frags than I thought!
I’ve got a spritz of Poivre on my neck and Tauer L’eau d’Epices on my wrists. Mmmmm.
Cardamom all the way, Lumiere Blanche on wrists, Epice Marine at my neck 🙂
Jacomo #8, all milky chai against soft floral background. Yummm.
Jac 8 was my second choice. Maybe I will sneak a spray before my next client. It’s subtle enough to get away with I hope.
Later, I will douse on some Casbah.
Les Parfums de Rosine Majalis. A pretty, spicy rose.
Good morning and happy spicy Friday everyone! I went looking for my Lavanila Vanilla Spice sample, but couldn’t find it – think it’s at the office and I am working from home today. So then I was going to try some CSP Vanille Cannelle, but I only have a tiny bit left and I’m still congested, so didn’t want to waste it on a day when I couldn’t really smell it! So I saw my Smell Bent One and decided to go with that – a nice dry, spicy vanilla with a side of books. I’ll top it off with some Tibetan Mountain Temple this afternoon. Thought about joining you in OI today, but it’s not cold enough here for that at the moment (and rarely is here in SD!).
Pardon my ignorance but is Vanilla Spice by the same Lavanila that sells in Sephora and is all natural? I remember seeing Vanilla Coconut, Vanilla Grapefruit, Vanilla Lavender but no combo with spice…I am on the lookout for fragrances that won’t break the bank but are also readily accessible (ie: drugstore, dept store, local sephora) so that I can stealthily hid my purchases without any excessive packages being delivered or charges on the credit card! Suggestions?
And yes to the TMT in the afternoon…that is such a comfort scent to me……
It is, and seems that it was a limited edition. I don’t have a bottle, but got a sample from Sephora a long time ago, maybe a couple of years? The sample has probably turned or evaporated by now! Pacifica is my favorite cheap thrill, and seems you are already aware of them. L’Occitane generally has some good stuff that isn’t too pricey if you have one at your mall (most of their women’s stuff is lighter, and I don’t know your style, but Eau de Baux (mens) is very nice). And stalking your local Marshall’s/TJ Maxx is always a good idea, though totally unpredictable.
thank you!!!!!
Smell Bent One! I love that stuff. Chai with a side of old books, yes.
Smell Bent One smells very interesting!
SOTD = Bvlgari Man in Black
Despite the name / man-marketing, it feels unisex to me. It is sweet, woody, Spicy and has all the goodness of benzoin, tonka beans and rum. Fragrantica mentions leather, tuberose and iris but I don’t smell any of these – either my nose is broken or these are so well blended to be undetectable as such.
You smell fabulous. And Black smells very unisex to me, too.
Thanks!
That is an amazing fragrance. I tried it last weekend, from a shop that had just the tester. If they’d had bottles, I’d have wanted to buy on the spot. I tucked a paper strip in my bag, and later wondered what smelled so amazing? Bvlgari Man in Black. Enjoy your sillage 😀
I got mine at Sephora late last year with a 20% off coupon. I felt slightly guilty because my Nordstrom SA clued me in to this. I like this one a lot!
Now I know what I’ll be trying tomorrow. (And thanks!)
SOTD Arquiste Anima Dulcis. I find it very cosy, perfect today with miserable windy weather.
Happy Friday, everyone!
SOTD is Amouage Memoir Woman. I’m not sure I’m all that jazzed about the top notes (I feel like I’m wearing maple syrup), but that drydown is killer.
Yeah, the topnotes are… weird, though I never get maple syrup, more just a hodgepodge of medicinal stuff. And I say that as a total Memoir W fangirl. The topnotes actually remind me a great deal of Serge Noire. (Which I also like, but I’m definitely not in the majority on that one. Go read Kevin’s review of Serge Noire on here if you’re up for a cackle.)
I always get maple syrup. Money saved re another Amouage…
Casbahhhhhhh (but later, don’t want to gas my clients)
Sajini, I thought Casbah would be a great incense for summer because of the cooling angelica, but I have to admit – it is too much for the heat right now!
Yes, I noticed the coolness of Casbah in comparison to the warmth of LDDM and the Angelica would be a reason for that. now I’m wondering what spice scent you could use in hot weather.
A co-worker just told me that Leonard Nimoy died today. Very sad news.
This nerd girl is kind of crushed.
Oh no. Oh no. He seems to have been such a lovely man.
NO! Somehow I expected him to live forever. Very sad.
This nerd girl is sad too. 🙁
Got a perfume for Christmas, recently found the box it was shipped in and found three samples courteous of Parfum1. One of the samples was Bay Rum by Providence Perfumes, not bad and certainly spicy:). I get some cinnamon for sure. Liking this one:).
I’m wearing CK’s Obsession for women. One of my spicy cold weather favorites. Robin, I’m getting very low on Organza Indecence. Is the current formulation that’s still available worth a shot? Even if it isn’t exactly the same, close enough would probably do as well. My kids love that one and the more I wear it, so do I. 🙂
Somebody else can step in here to comment as well, but I’ll say that I have a small 15ml bottle of the original stuff in the funky frosted-glass dress bottle, as well as a decant from the newer version, and I can’t tell a huge amount of difference between them. The only one I really notice is that the original has a bit more dusty-dry patchouli in it than the newer, and I have a tiny preference for the newer stuff (but not enough to ditch the old!).
I have not smelled it, but everything I’ve heard is just what Mals said…not that different.
Sounds promising. Maybe I’ll pick up a bottle. Thanks, Robin and Mals. 🙂
SOTD is Jo Malone Nutmeg & Ginger, layered with a spritz of Bvlgari Au thé rouge. Very nice combo!
Oh, that does sound like a nice combo, must try that!
I’m in Tom Ford Violet Blonde. I love everything about this fragrance, but today am focusing on the warm spicy notes. Yummy!
Violet Blonde is really lovely. I can’t believe that TF discontinued it! It gets tons of good comments, reviews, etc.
DC’d?! Good heavens! Now I’m glad I bought the 100 ml vat!
I love spicy stuff so had lots of fun choosing The One for today and ended up picking L’Air du Desert Marocain. Normally, it’s a summer scent for me, for the dry sunny days when I want to add a tiny bit of Saharan wind to my Northern European summer. But a tiny bit of Sahara is also quite good for ugly drizzle days like today.
I like L’Air du Desert Marocain but for me it’s definitely not a hot weather scent – too heavy. So I wear it in Fall or Spring.
SOTM wa CdG Jaisalmer, followed by Byredo Encens Chembur.
Tibetan Mt Temple lotion but Tabac Aurea behind my ears. Comforting.
Totally forgot about spices, but stuck on a newly arrived sample of Aroma M Amber Rouge. It’s amber and spices up top, then honey and beeswax in the base. The base recalls BPAL’s O, but more like honey in the comb, with the wax. (Not as blatantly sexual and salty as O). It’s fun! I think I accidentally followed the challenge?
Question–I have a blind date Saturday, and it is my policy not to wear any of my beloved FB, as if things go badly, I don’t want it associated with my precious. I usually wear a sample. Do you think the Amber Rouge would be too big for a first date?? Thanks!
Do you really want a second date with someone who can’t handle a little sillage?
Good point. (Start off the way I intend to continue!) My best friend observed that it is weird how I get all stressed for a date, but if I were just having dinner with a friend, it’d be no big deelio. Reframed that way, I should wear whatever makes me happy that does not interfere with a nice meal. It’ll be fine.
This is an awesome quote!
I’v been having a spice-averse season so I began in Herba Fresca, later I put on some The Verte (L’Occitane) and this evening I have some Jovoy Chypre – which I thought might be closer to the theme, but it turns out to have no spice… In any case, I smell GOOD! 🙂
Haven’t checked the theme in advance but ended up wearing a fitting perfume – Chanel Coco. I haven’t worn it in more than a year and am very surprised that I forgot how great it smells.
And I haven’t worn mine in even longer!
Coco is so great!
I’m feeling like going hard. I’ve cracked out the Kenzo Jungle l’Elephante. Mmmmmm… spiiiiiiiicy!
I think you just won the spice prize! Here is a sack of cardamon and a pot of pink pepper 🙂
I’m wearing it too; it’s one of my favorites!
I just bought a (used) bottle of Mure et Musc Extreme so I’m wearing that today. It iss actually a bit pepperier than I remember from my samples, so it sort of fits today’s theme!
I hovered for a moment over Opium. (Pre-reformulation) However, it’s still so hot and humid here, plus I teach in a high school, so it didn’t seem right. Instead I went with Ormonde Jayne Ta’if for day, and Gucci EDP in the evening at home.
Lovely!
My intentions were good: I had decided to wear Lorenzo Villoresi’s Piper Nigrum (but hadn’t located it in advance). I was running so late this morning though that I gave up the idea of searching for PN and went with V&R’s Spicebomb because I could find it easily. Lame? Maybe… but I’ve kind of felt that way all week. I need a spring tonic…
Very much on theme, though. You may just be too hard on yourself.
Not lame! Sometimes scaling Mount Sample is just too much effort. Spicebomb is fun, and right on theme. Done. You smelled nice today 😀
Laurels and Hemlock, thanks for your kind words! I feel better… 😉
SotE is Caron Bellodgia from my little sample vial. Oh, how I wish this one were more predictable. I always enjoy it, but sometimes it’s more violet-floral, sometimes it’s more carnation-spicy. Today Bellodgia is dark and spicy. I blame it on the cool, cloudy weather.
Love the androgynous Givenchy photos of Julia Roberts. Not a bit like the Julia of La Vie est Belle.
Those pictures struck me as very French.
Wearing old-style, but not vintage, Opium. It might be the last version before they scrapped it and gave the name to a different perfume entirely. Not the powerhouse it was 20 years ago, but still recognizably Opium. I guess I’m lucky I decided to look for something new before YSL snatched it away. Wearing it almost exclusively for so long has definitely broken my spice meter, though. Even Jungle l’Elephant smells more fruity than spicy to me.
Fortunate timing indeed!
My bottle of Opium is from 2005 and still smells great. There’s not much left though. While I really like it, I am sure Opium wore me early on as I chose it mostly on reputation and not a thorough consideration of my own tastes. I was in my early 20s and first professional job at the time. My previous perfume was Ralph Lauren Romance and the next one I purchased was Hugo Boss Deep Red – both perhaps more conventional choices for someone in their early 20s at that time.
I used to love Deep Red! Still have my almost empty bottle of it.
I completely punted today. Wish I’d thought of Indecence. All I could think of was Slumberhouse Ore and I didn’t want to wear that bc I just wore it recently and my nose was tired of it. I wore a sample of Carner Barcelona Rima XI which is beautiful but I was dissatisfied all day bc it really wasn’t enough and I couldn’t smell.
Trust me to complicate things by doing two syncs simultaneously. I had to pick spicy and discontinued. Chose BBW Velvet Tuberose shower gel and lotion ( the gel is spicyish, the lotion seems a trifle banana-y as each BBW thing usually features one or more notes more strongly). This was scented enough for grocery shopping . Applied YSL Nu , from the silver puck …Mmmmmm……..thanks for mentioning it Stinker_kit!