A quick PSA: our next splitmeet will be coming up on February 20. A swapmeet will follow in March. I am considering adding a reverse swapmeet in April, where readers can post about the items they are looking for and what they'd be willing to offer in return. You might be looking for a mule to purchase something you can't get your hands on, or a specific sample or decant, etc and etc. Do comment if you have any interest or concerns!
Today, our usual open thread poll: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, the perfume you wish you'd hoarded while you still had the chance, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Snowdrop 0205 3481 [doubled] via Ross Elliot at flickr; some rights reserved.
Wow, that’s some fancy snowdrop! Gorgeous. It makes me think of florals, of which my collection is woefully short. I guess it’s the “final frontier” of my perfume education. (rifles through collection)
Aqua Allegoria Angelique-Lilas it is. Not exactly green & white, but couldn’t handle a green today.
Mixed florals, or soliflores?
An early AA, mixed. I still can’t quite picture what angelica smells like. It’s mostly lilac, though I noticed a musk dry down I’d never noticed before.
Chilly and cloudy out. Might open my bell jar of Boxeuses – enabler pin to Annicky ????
And enjoy it’s lovely warmth.
Hmmm.. things I wish I’d hoarded:
M7
Gucci Envy for Men
more Yvresse, Nu, Alchimie
wish i had: By D&G, D&G Feminine
wish i still had: original Ysatis.
Funnily enough, the gap in my collection is orientals and the deep, dark, mysterious and interesting. Funny because these are my original, always worn preference, but I seem to have spent the last several years ‘branching out’ and now my signature genre has been superseded. Must remedy. Sampled Memo Italian Leather today. That is on The List 🙂
I sampled African Leather and it went on my List. I will have to try the Italian!
African Leather is great — and that leopard bottle!
I looked up the other Memo scents and African Leather looks divine! I will order some samples so I can try them all before ordering any, but Im almost scared to. I suspect there are a few beautiful scents in their range and I might end up with a List of Memo :-/
Be sure to sample Shams Oud, it is wonderful!
I completely sympathise and seem to have gone the same way- I have recently tried to remedy this by a small bottle of Protrait of a Lady, but I suppose moving away from whatever our original genre was is a demonstration of broadening tastes!
Now look here all you NST commenters! I made a vow not to buy any more perfume until February. (I made the vow in mid-Jan, so it wasn’t huge as vows go). And then yesterday you (you, plural) made me go order some Guerlain samples and today you (and that means ‘you, singular’ perthgirl) made me order a bunch of Memo samples. So now my vow is reduced to “I won’t buy any perfume on the 31st of January” and that’s really not very impressive at all. ;^)
I also made a vow to stop buying for a while….and I’ve bought several things this month! Donatella forgive me!
Ha! One day at a time, as they say…
Dear Koenigsberg,
Firstly, I must admit I feel rather honoured to be singled out, so I suspect this is already heading in the wrong direction.. 😉
Secondly- those Memo samples look awfully appealing do they not?? I have already broken my January no-buy promise so Im happy for you to join me 🙂 and I suspect that when they arrive there will be at least one there that will make it all worth it.
Aaand, really, do samples count? And it will be Feb when you get them.. And, have you sampled Beaufort Londons offerings? There are only 3, but I think 2 of them are on my List too…
Looking forward to hearing what you think of your samples!! 🙂
You make some good points perthgirl (or at least, you’re saying what I want to hear). I already had Luxor on my investigate list and the leathers looked interesting so I went for whichever sample box featured those.
Yes, I got the 3 Beaufort London samples (after the vow but before Guerlain, so they have arrived before month end and do count towards the disgrace index). I think they are fascinating and sniff them often, although don’t always feel better for it. I’m not sure they are entirely practical for a life shared with other humans. I’ve packed Coeur de Noir as an ‘extra’ sample for this week as possibly the most wearable, but that will be for the evening as none of them strike me as work safe. East India and 1805 are both even more challenging, to my nose at least.
Oh, I couldn’t cope with 1805 AT ALL. I’m not sure wafting ‘blood’ at work is approved 😉
In November, I thought a friend who said she spent on average $30-$50/month on perfumes was ridiculous, and now I’ve spent $100 in January (which, judging from these perfume blogs, is practically nothing compared to you all). Any bets on whether I’ll manage to buy nothing in February and March to get my monthly average down to hers?
Not a chance. 😉
Haaaaa 🙂
I vowed to go on a ‘no buy’… at some (unspecified) point in the future. I predict that I will be able to keep this vow 😉
Love your hoarding wish list! I am a huge fan of Memo’s leather line as well. I had a really really hard time choosing only one. But French Leather spoke to me and is wonderful for spring/summer. Still torn on what my next bottle will be. If you love juniper, Irish Leather is fantastic.
SOTD: Black Opium. Going to smell sexy and sophisticated whilst cleaning my house and doing the chores I hate the most. (Anyone else hate to mop?)
Taking the teenager to Belk this afternoon to shop for her Sadie Hawkins dance….We’ll do some fun sniffing then, so there’s that reward to look forward to later! 🙂
Mopping is at the very bottom of the fun chores list. Bathrooms and vacuuming and cleaning the blinds are down there too, but mopping is enough to make me want to hire a cleaner..
I hate dusting! This is the dustiest place I’ve ever lived and I have to do it all the time. I disliked mopping too, until I got a good steam mop, and now it’s just an ordinary thing. Dakkie hates the steam mop, though: it swears at him and insults his fondness for knitted mice. Sometimes he lies in wait for it, all belly-to-the-ground and flattened ears, preparing to pounce with much dramatic wriggling of his rear, and you can tell that if he actually goes for the mop, it’s going to be all over for steam appliances; other times he beetles off and hides among Richard’s winter shirts.
That Dakkie – so cute yet so ferocious 🙂
Mopping? Not while ironing lives and breathes. }^(
i hate to mop- but don’t mind vacuuming
Ugh, mopping. It’s easier with a Swiffer mop, but you have to go back later and catch the corners it didn’t get.
Hate mopping, but don’t mind the floor steamer as much since the cats think it’s a kitty-eating demon. They aren’t afraid of the vacuum and they take turns trying to ride the Swiffer, but the chugging steamer is ebil. Also, easy clean-up and no mop bucket. Gotta work quickly on the wood floors, but it is possible.
Tried the steamer for awhile but found it to be a PITA with the cord, having to refill the water, etc. Now I alternate between mop/bucket and Orange Glow.
Yeah, the cord is too short but I can usually do most of the house on one reservoir of water. Plus, I have no idea where our actual mop even is anymore. I think my husband may have “lost” it last time we moved :/
Mine are wood floors with a couple of large rugs so there are fiddly edge bits. I do have a steam mop and it cleans well, but still, PITA 🙂
I grew up in an OLD house that was all wood floors (with a few covered in more modern linoleum), and I have strong memories of the endless nastiness that was my step-mother mopping the house with one of those rope mops. I would *much* rather steam-clean my carpet once a year!
I love floorboards, and still I think id rather mop than have carpet hiding them. Or hire that cleaner 🙂
I think the wood is beautiful, but the endless hair and muck from children and pets seemed like such a hassle for my step-mother. Now, I just like having warm toes. But also agree, with a cleaner, wood would be preferred!
Aww…Sadie Hawkins dance! did she ask someone to the dance?
No….she’s going with a group of girls, stag! She’s only 14, so her Dad and I are THRILLED with that! 🙂
So fun, I approve 🙂
Make the teenagers do the mopping! (Seriously, it’s what we do in our house.)
I can definitely get behind that! I will say that my oldest is good about cleaning the showers and toilet duty, so that’s pretty good….
We have snowdrops coming out in front of our building. Wearing Iris Poudre for a coffee date with…a man. Finally dipping a toe into the line dating pool. Will report back here on all my choices — at least for the perfume.
OOOOOOH Iris Poudre and a date! Hope you enjoy both.
Dipping toes?!?!
So exciting! (I know, I know, so much easier for me to say on THIS side of that situation! It is also frustrating, annoying, disappointing, and sometimes boring.)
Can’t wait to hear if you’ve met someone worthy of your awesomeness! (And do let me know if you need perfume-choice advice. I’ve been on A LOT of first dates! 😉 )
Majorie rose – this is such a nice and encouraging reply to the op. Perfume people are the best.
Thank you! Very kind of you to say. 🙂
Oooo! Have fun!!
Yay! I hope he’s nice and that it’s enjoyable, even if he isnt right for you.
Oh-la-la! Hope you have a great time!
Very exciting. Good luck!
Keep your expectations low and remember it’s a numbers game ;P But enjoy the Iris Poudre with abandon!
Have a wonderful time! It is a numbers game to echo kpaint…and you never know when a good one is lurking just around the corner…
I hope it goes well with not too many awkward moments.
Thanks for the good wishes! Back from a pleasant if click-free date. When faced with a bewildering array of Asian drinks called “tea”, I of course picked the osmanthus one. Under-applied the Iris Poudre, but will splash out a bit more next time.
Good for you for getting out there! At this point I would just about settle for pleasant.
Pleasant and ACTUALLY single.
I know right? What’s with the plague of duplicitous cads out there?!?
Oof too true.
Echoing others– good for you for getting out there!
#saturdaylibrarian wearing Safran Troublant. So glad this thread is up now. It’s been a slow morning so far. Nothing worse than working on Saturday when the library’s not busy.
My mom works one day a week at her small-town library. She’s had days when not a single person has come in, even to use the Internet. Hope the readers are all just sleeping in!
Do you have a jigsaw table where people can sit down and, well, do jigsaws? An easy way to kill a couple of hours if you dont have anything else to do..
Oh, I can always find things to do (as in actual work), but the day goes much faster when I have lots of patrons asking for help.
Oh, that is too funny. I work as a librarian at a small women’s college and Saturdays are one of our slowest days. It can be VERY boring sometimes. Luckily, I am not the one working today, but I have been receiving very bored text messages from our librarian who is there today.
There’s a happy medium between too busy and not busy enough, and my small town library part of that is whether you are working alone or with another staff member. Slow is a blessing when you are the only one there.
Books + Safran Troublant, your library is currently the best-smelling place on earth 🙂
Really wanted to douse myself in Haie Fleurie but since that’s not work appropriate, I’m in Rose Rebelle Respawn
I can’t keep my brain from linking Rose Rebelle Respawn to Rihanna’s Reb’l Fleur! 😉 Actually, Rihanna should wear NV Mohur or Bombay Bling.
Smelling good thegoddessrena!
Haie Fleurie is the only thing I hoard ( pretty sure I have a lifetime supply at my current rate of wear)
Still very much exhausted these days, but looking forward to venturing out of the apartment for lunch at Spice, a great Thai place.
I am not much of a hoarder-I like to actually get rid of things
I tested a sample of Jasmine Angelique the other day that I got in the mail-maybe it was just my mood-but I hated it and had to scrub it off right away.
Though Chance and its flankers aren’t that popular-I am in Chance Eau Fraiche today
I don’t consider myself very inclined towards hoarding, either, so it was a pretty big deal when I started to give myself permission to buy back-up bottles. I’ve limited myself to things that are either a)very difficult to get and suddenly available at a good price or b) unpleasantly reformulated (or discontinued) and I found an older bottle at a reasonable price.
Sounds like you have a good plan for the back up bottles.
I wish I had a back up bottle of ode a la vanille Madagascar version.
Back in 90’s I use to love Gio (not the aqua or gia) and I wish I had a bottle of that.
I always feel like I’m trying to find a balance between not feeling like I have TOO MUCH STUFF and giving myself permission to own things that bring me pleasure. My dad is sort of a minimalist-hermit type, and he’s instilled a rather barren aesthetic into his children, I fear! We all start feeling guilty when our bookshelves (etc) get full.
But that’s what all the shelves are for! Lol
Now, when you have piles of books lining your hallway walls, and you cant open or close doors, it’s time to seriously question your hoarding habits.. 🙂
I know, it’s neurotic! I go through phases (whole years!) when I stop trying to pare things down and just enjoy stuff. But that feel of TOO MUCH always seems to creep in, anyway. . . HA!
I’m much the same, I have a horror of having too much stuff. My parents are a minimalist and a collector so I oscillate between both.
Agreed. Gio was awesome. I didn’t appreciate it then, as much as I do now.
I think Eau Fraiche is the best of the Chances.
I agree!
Spice is very good! Yum. Enjoy!!
I think I’ve been the lucky recipient of your non-hoarding tendencies 😉
I hope that is a good thing!
I still have the remains of Shalimar Light hanging around (won’t catch a shower until the bathrooms are clean and the floor has been mopped… yeah, Saturday is our day for that), but am also sampling L’Erbolario Hedera. It’s ostensibly ivy, but this is one of the most pleasant citrus things I’ve tested recently. Not that I’m a big citrus fan, but really this is very nice. Wonder if they make a room spray or something.
There is a lot of mopping the floors happening today on this blog!
Not sure about other parts of the world, but in Minnesota, folks enjoyed what was commonly called “mud season.” LOTS of mopping during that time of the year!
Not at my place! I’m just refusing to look down and not going barefoot 😉
There will be some dusting later though. This house is not tight, it’s been insanely windy, and there’s a very messy woodworking project happening in the garage right now. Also, cats.
I am feeling icky this morning. A cold swooped in Thursday morning, and I’ve worked despite it the past two days. Now I can finally just lay around with a cat. Except there’s all those weekend chores calling my name. Ugh. So, trying to plod my way through one at a time with plenty of coffee-sipping and cat-lap-sitting in between.
No SOTD, although the decongestant finally seems to be working, so maybe I could spray something and enjoy it. Wish I had something that smelled like my coffee when it’s freshly brewed with a little “cream” (vanilla soy milk, in my lactose-free world).
I hope you feel better, Marjorie Rose! Don’t let those chores get the best of you. Rest up and feel better, and if you get to those chores, more power to you. I can’t think of anything to make you feel better than snuggling with a cat and a good cup of coffee.
Thanks, missylulu! Cat and coffee is a tried-and-true treatment, that’s for sure! I know you’re right about the chores, but it’s so hard to ignore them, knowing if I do, they’re just gonna still be there tomorrow!
Decided on couple of dabs from a cotton ball spritzed with Youth Dew. Even with light hand, I can smell this one through my cold!
I hope you’re feeling better! By the way, what have you found out about introducing a scent-related curriculum for your severely disabled student? Actually, for your classroom regardless of abilities?
I just got the go-ahead yesterday from his parents to give it a try. I haven’t quite figured out the best way to integrate it into my classroom, yet, though. Unfortunately, there are very close reigns put on teachers these days in terms of curriculum and content. I could spend a day doing something off the schedule, but there’s no way I could really delve deep into something that isn’t included in the state or federal standards. Honestly, it’s hugely frustrating–if my kids get really excited about something not in the approved content, I don’t have the freedom to explore it further with them. Likewise, if they’re really struggling, I can only take so long before I have to move on to be sure I teach everything I’m required to teach.
Anyway, long story short (too late!), I’m now in the problem-solving/ planning stages. 🙂
Hope you feel better- and bear in mind the chores will bemore bearable when you have rested a bit. Enjoy the Youth Dew- I find Coco always seems to power through any congestion.
Thanks. It’s somehow reassuring to have a scent that can cut through the thickest congestion! (Maybe less-so for the folks around us, but then again, sickly loafing is so often a solitary event.) 🙂
Hope you feel better. Cat snuggle time cures many ills.
So true!
Sending feel-better wishes from overseas. I’m adjusting to the doctor-prescribed lactose-free diet, and have only cheated with my “koffiemelk” added to tea, a Dutch creamer that is somewhat similar to American evaporated milk. I know this sounds awful, but it’s the way I drink my (very strong) tea. I’ll have to try vanilla soy milk to see if that is a satisfactory substitute. I’m supposed to try going gluten-free as well. It’s so much of a change all at once! But I’m already noticing improvement with my very serious intestinal issues! And, I’m already losing a bit of weight!
De-contegestants are not sold in this country! Anyway, wishing you well!
You should be able to get lactose free milk easily in most supermarkets, (AH), and all kinds of gluten free stuff as well. Even in our smallish supermarkets in the Veluwe area where I live it is increasingly easy to obtain gluten and lactose free.
Oh, duh! I had no idea there was such a thing as lactose-free milk! Thank you! Maybe there is even lactose-free koffiemelk? Yes, I’ve been hunting around in AH and Jumbo and Ekoplaza. Hmmm. There is an Ekoplaza very near to my house and they are open today. That’s my walk decided! 🙂
You can’t get decongestants? I think I would have to move if I lived there.
True dat!
I drive across the border into Washington to buy mine. In Oregon, we can’t get the kind that actually works anymore.
Thank you, Jonette!
I figured out I was lactose intolerant by doing experiments on myself (like any good mad scientist!). When I was quite confident that dairy was the common thread to my discomfort, my morning coffee was high on the list of concerns! I have adjusted to the vanilla soy milk, but it is never gonna be as creamy as cream. I haven’t seen anything like evaporated milk or condensed milk lactose-free. (I tried to switch to black with a little sugar, but blergh! A whole new list of tummy troubles!)
Good luck with your transition! I *did* lose about 8 pounds, more or less all at once about a month after I cut out dairy from my diet. It doesn’t make up for not getting proper pizza anymore, but it’s not nothin’!
Following Hamamelis ‘ advice, I visited a nearby health food shop this afternoon, but they never heard of lactose-free “koffiemelk”. I did pick up the vanilla soy milk you recommended, but haven’t tried it yet. Then I googled the big supermarket chain AH and they had one listed online! I called a nearby branch and they stock it, so I’ll be heading over there tomorrow (weather permitting). I’ll report back! BTW, a friend said that shops that specialize in kosher products might carry lactose-free coffee creamer. Worth a try for you, maybe.
I never thought I was lactose intolerant, and in fact, I was eating mostly “vla”, a kind of baby custard, before my trip. It was easily digestible and seemed to soothe my tummy. But after the tests, the doctor recommended going lactose-free.
Glad you found it!
Things I wish I had hoarded include the original Fresh soliflores, Kingdom, the Robert Isabel perfumes, and the beautiful dewy but not chemical-sharp roses of the nineties and early 00s such as Fresh Bulgarian Rose and the original Evelyn. My mom wore those beautiful roses and Tea Rose just ain’t the same. I don’t know if it’s just nostalgia, but I miss the pretty-watery florals right now.
On that note, I’m wearing Diptyque “hand creme” as body lotion and a splash of Fresh Sweet Pea EDT. I smell very pretty-pretty.
I wish I had hoarded Evelyn, too. One of my favorite aunts used to wear it (Aunt Rosa 🙂 ) and I always wanted to wear it when I was big enough to wear perfume. But the new Tea Rose is just not the same.
Are you guys talking about Crabtree & Evelyn’s Evelyn Rose?
It is a major disappointment that it was reformulated. I never tried the new version, as it got such awful reviews. It was a favorite, also for layering, and I always got compliments when I wore it. I now grow Evelyn roses in my garden and they smell wonderful, but I’d rather be wearing them!
Yep. The original is selling for about $300 on EBay. I’ve not tried the reformulation, but I hear it’s pretty dire. Nobody seems to carry it in store or I would test it to see for myself, but I’m not going to blind buy an almost certain disappointment.
Yes. It is a shame. I actually work at a place that sells C&E and we don’t carry it. We do carry the Rosewater, but it’s just not the same at all. People ask us for the Evelyn all of the time and it makes me so sad. I haven’t smelled the new formulation but as MikasMinion says, I’ve heard horrible things about it. I bet your roses smell incredible though!
Is the Fresh Sweet Pea a realistic sweet pea fragrance? I love the smell of sweet peas, and they’re very nostalgic for me — when I was little, my dad used to buy me a bouquet of them at the farmers’ market each week when they were in season.
You know, I’m not sure. I’ve not smelled real sweet peas in years and need to refresh my memory. Probably not close enough to the real thing, more powdery than real blossoms.
Yardley used to do a Sweet Pea in the late 80’s/early 90’s. It was probably the first bottle I ever drained. Sooo wish they’d bring it back (but no hope really as they’ve just re-form’d April Violets into just another sickly fruity floral 🙁 )
I am a hoarder but back in the days when I was wearing Dune, Poison, Ysatis and Yvresse it did not occur to me that perfumes could be reformulated or discontinued, so I have none left at this point. 🙁 And have not had great luck buying vintage, so all I can do is sigh and hoard the ones I love now (Beloved, Ubar, Fate, Musc Ravageur, Dans Tes Bras, Noir Epices, etc.)
Today I’m wearing Rundholz April 3.1968 which is a huge animalic incense bomb (of which I purchased 3 bottles).
I think the reverse swapmeet idea is great, please let’s do it!!
I have a sample of Ysatis a family member gave me back in the 1980s or 90s. I rarely wear it, but I love to open the vial and breathe in the opulence. Magic!
I am hoarding Dans Tes Bras like nobody’s business. I am so worried for that beautiful gem.
I know! I bought two 100ml backup bottles.
These comments made me realise it’s one of my (old) Malle coffret scents I havent really worn and couldnt recall the smell of.. so went and spritzed… oh my.. this is beautiful isnt it?!
It really is! I feel a little goofy, but it is a fragrance that really moved me. And the first time I wore it, maybe I under applied, but I didn’t notice it at all. Then I was about to put it in my “meh” pile, but decided to give it one last try. And I am SO glad I did. Was completely captivated by it.
I just looked up that perfume you’re wearing on Luckyscent. Oh my, that sounds fabulous. I love incense. It’s going on my list.
I hope you enjoy it – I bought it blind and it was love at first sniff!
I could see myself blind buying it. I’m supposed to be behaving and not buying anything but I’m really not enjoying it at all. If/when I do get it I will be sure to add an enabler pin to your collection. Lol.
Thanks 🙂 it will be my first.
With hundreds of new scents available all the time, who has time to mourn the past? 😉
I try not to think about “lost” perfumes, but I do sometimes sniff something that reminds me of the Chantilly (it was such good stuff!) that I bought when I was a child, ahem, more than a few decades ago. It was a gift for a family member and was later handed back to me with a smile when I was barely a teen. Wore it every day. I must have been a scent-oddity in middle school.
At the dentist the other day I flipped open a copy of Vanity Fair to see the fragrances advertised inside. Wood Sage & Sea Salt was very nice. Prada Candy EdP was delicious. Both were a nice surprise as scent strips almost always smell odd to me. So either scent strip technology is improving or those fragrances might work for me. Time for a hopeful trip to the mall to sniff-sniff-sniff.
Happy weekend, everyone! You smell mahhh-vel-ous.
I loved Chantilly. I bought it for a friend in junior high but I don’t think she liked it nearly as much as I did.
Chantilly! I haven’t thought about that one in ages. It was such a beauty.
Chantilly was lovely!
I saw vintage Chantilly on the bay last night if you’re interested.
I wish I had hoarded a Gap scent called Om that they made in the 90s to early 2000s. Anyone else remember that one? Orange colored juice in a simple, frosted bottle. Kind of incensey, if I recall correctly. Everyone else wanted Dream, but I wanted Om. Wore it for a few years and never saw it again.
Making a trip to visit a new friend and her baby on Long Island today, bearing Italian pastries and wearing Natori.
Have a lovely one!
I remember those Gap scents…I think Grass was in that line too. In general I would say I enjoyed the perfumes of the 80s and 00s much more than 90s. The 80s had the powerhouses that people tried to recover from in the 90s and then realized they missed them in the 00s so why not churn out some new ones it seems. 😉
And I have Natori too…with the amazingly heavy cap…I seem to remember another Natori fragrance at some point that was light floral but it is the purple one that gets all the love I believe…haven’t worn it in a while and need to. You smell great.
Everyone told me how great Grass was, but pretty sure that by the time I tried it, it had been reformulated. FRESH instead of green. I hated it.
I remember Gap perfumes
YES! I love the idea of a reverse swapmeet (De Profundis decant, anybody?? lol). it would be a wonderful way to do a good deed for our generous community as well (I was happy I was finally able to give Hajuusuri something this last freebiemeet, because she’s always so generous!).
I wish I had bought more Gucci Envy when it was still widely available. I recently purchased an unused bottle on Ebay, and it had gone sour — I’m nervous about buying anymore because it’s getting so pricy these days. Oh well….
Wow – finding something to give to Hajusuuri is quite an achievement! Well done!
Thank you, Kelly! I am woefully behind in sending thank you notes errrr, emails. I am preparing packages from the freebiemeet. Lots to do!
Please don’t even worry! I saw how many you were sending! And I know I’ve forgotten to send thank you emails, as well.
Good!
Wearing OJ Woman this morning, pre-shower and it is fabulous.
Binge watching “The Wire”. This is the life. Love Saturdays.
I wish I still had a bottle of Perry Ellis from the early 90’s which was my thing back then. I really don’t quite remember what it smelled like.
My favorite TV show of all time. Enjoy!
Ditto. It was so excellent
True that!
Was it Perry Ellis for Women (in the flat bottle) or a different one? And +3 for The Wire.
Ya, the flat sort of rectangular one. Do you remember it? I seem to recall it was big and bright…maybe a bit like YSL Paris but I also wore Paris a lot then so I might have superimposed the memory :-/
Yes! It, along with the original Bill Blass, was my first perfume and I just got a mini of it in the mail the other day. I was really young when I wore it (13-14?) and hadn’t smelled it since then, so smelling it again was a really strange experience. I felt like an olfactory path synced up with a memory store (almost like a plug going into an outlet) and said, “Yep, that’s it!”
It starts out almost nose-searingly green but mellows out and some florals make their way in. It stays very green, quite tart (almost citrussy,) and crisp with some floral underpinnings (I’m getting quite a bit of rose.)
I wouldn’t call it big but it’s certainly bright and I can see a relationship with Paris. It reminds me a bit of Lauren, as well.
Thanks for the review! I thought this was many years out of production and not sure how it would have held up! I’ll have to try to track some down, for old times’ sake.
I’m assuming it’s long been out of production, too. Also assuming the mini I have is from the original release. I bought it and 2 others from an ebay seller and they’re all in remarkably good condition, so I may have lucked out. Green notes often don’t hold up so well over the years. That said, any time I’ve seen a bottle/minis come up they’re very reasonably priced so it might be worth the risk. (I paid $3.99 for mine – what’s to lose?) I’d send you some if my little bottle weren’t so tiny!
I reorganized my samples today. Feeling very accomplished! All samples are now properly labled, sorted and where they should be! I was a bit stunned by the sheer numbers of samples I have amassed though, there are more than 400 of them! O_o
Was wearing Kiss Me Tender and Kiss Me Intense to get a more specific idea of how they compare, but I forgot to sniff after I started sorting samples. I do like Kiss Me Tender more though because I get rather a lot of edgy ylang in that one. I’ve always thought that the name was unsuitable for the edgy floral frag that it is on me. Kiss Me Intense is more a generic heliotrope/almond/vanilla, been there done that… I can think of at least three similar scents so it’s just nothing special. Sad that they discontinued something lovely and replaced it with something so generic. 🙁
Congrats on your accomplishment! That is quite a task. What kind of organizational method are you using?
Well it’s different for every type of sample. I’ve given up on trying to store carded, sprays and dabber vials together.
I have a little chest of drawers that I found in the trash… originally dirt cheap from IKEA I think. It has six drawers. I store dabber vials in two, sprays in one, one holds decants and minis, one my indie oils and the last is for swaps. I store more swaps in a couple of separate boxes and carded samples in a drawer in my vanity.
The 1 ml dabber vials go into old plastic film canisters. Each canister holds 8 samples, divided by perfume genre (leathers, tobaccos, balsamics… etc.). Larger dabber vials in film canisters without lid. Then there are some indie oil samples that I store separately because I don’t have enough film canisters for them and I don’t wear them very often. I store them standing in small ziploc bags, five samples per bag, sorted by brand. The spray samples are also stored standing, in and around a couple of paper tubes (7 cm high, 7 cm diameter), and also divided roughly by genre. Carded samples are the most difficult to store I think. I just keep them loose in a drawer.
Yeah, kind of a variety of methods and systems… But I can usually find what I’m looking for in a timely manner! So long as I can remember what kind of sample it was that is… 😉
Brilliant! Sounds like a very gratifying project. Reading this made me think that cutting the inner cardboard tubes from toilet paper down to the right size could be a great way of keeping smaller samples upright.
I am kind of an organizational freak so I love hearing about other peoples’ solutions. I’ve actually copied and pasted this into my perfume spreadsheet under a new tab called “Storage Solutions.” 😉 Thanks!
Toilet paper rolls. That’s really a brilliant and fabulously frugal idea!
Toilet paper tubes do work quite well when cut in half. They are a bit light though, tend to move around too much or even topple over… So now I’m using thicker cardboard tubes. My current solution isn’t ideal though. You want a cylindrical or square container that has a diameter significantly smaller than the shortest samples are long. That way you can leave the container half full without the samples toppling over and just making a mess. Still looking for the perfect cheap solution…
Lol, I’m too lazy to stay organized! I am a librarian though so some types of organization do appeal to me. 😉
Oh, hmm, I can see that but they probably work better than the larger diameter tubes (I’m thinking of the kind you’d carry blueprints and the like in) as far as the toppling over problem, no? Maybe if one were to glue some together they’d be less inclined to shift around or fall? They might even be kind of cute if they were spray painted…
Anything that is heavier in relation to height and diameter will stay in place better, as general rule of thumb. Gluing the toilet rolls together might be a great solution though! I’ll have to consider that myself. I could find other use for the cardbord tubes as containers for my decants…
The best storage solution I have found for samples is an ammunition case (for bullets). Each samples has an individual little space and nothing topples over. I found one for about $5-$6 on Amazon. Plus, you can get ammo cases in larger sizes for the bigger decants. The case has a cover which snaps closed, so no light.
Those ammunition cases sound awesome but I haven’t been able to find any suitable ones that are both affordable and that ship to my location without me having to pay an arm and a leg for shipping alone. 🙁 Sellers also seldome give any measurements at all apart from what sort of rounds they fit so I, who has barely even seen a gun, find it difficult to know what boxes would suit samples… Any advice on that, in case I’m ever able to find something affordable?
I tried many sample organising systems over the years, and the final (and the best by far!) are the clear pocketed hanging jewellery organisers. They’re double sided, clear so you can see whats there, and theres bigger pockets on the bottom for decants/carded. Its SO easy to find things. I have 2, and theyre alphabetical by house.
The organisers were $13 each at a discount store, and each has 32 pockets either side.
Paper towels and wrapping paper and foil and plastic wrap have thicker cardboard..
The hanging jewelry organizer is a great idea! I just found one on amazon with white backing which would make it much easier to read the labels on vials – and you could label the pockets. Plus, your closet would smell good!
I got one of these organizers http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PMS2AY4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00 to sit on top of my dresser to hold my current rotation. It’s not particularly attractive and clashes with my MCM dressers but it holds a lot – samples and decants in drawers; minis and FBs on top.
LaDomna, I found mine on Amazon. I don’t have time to look it up now but I will get you the info (vendor, item no) next time I see you post. Mine works great for 1 and 2 ml samples And I think it was shipped by Amazon so it was free but I will double check.
That would be nice of you, but if it’s a US based vendor I would most likely have to pay somewhere around $30 to get it shipped to me… Free shipping to Finland is a pipe dream I’m afraid, even from places like Amazon.
Oh, I see your dilemma.
Please come organize my samples
That would be fun actually! I have in the past hired out my skills as bookshelf organizer to friends and family! Organizing someone elses stuff has the added benefit of being sort of like a treasure hunt! You never know what you’ll find! 😀
I use .222 caliber plastic ammunition boxes for dabbers (holds 50 vials), and 10 or 12 gauge for 2-3ml spray samples (holds 25 vials). I can usually get them cheaply from Amazon or EBay.
Another cheap solution are aerosol hairspray caps or shave gel caps, which I keep and use for dabbers I’m testing out and want handy.
When I want to get all fancy, I have some beautiful straight-sided crystal votive holders I found at a discount store. They are just a bit tall, but the clear straight sides make them almost practical. I put those out with a selection for guests to peruse on the rare occasion I have guests.
I’m sure if I ordered ammunition boxes they would be confiscated by the post office and I would be facing a police interrogation!
This discussion of storage is very much of interest to me. I not only have a gazillion samples (looking forward to a swap someday), but also an ever-growing, sizable fb collection and need a good way to store that!
Where do you live?! I know people around the world who use ammo boxes for storing jewelry and craft supplies, even in countries where firearms are strictly controlled so it never occurred to me that they might be a problem.
I live in the Netherlands. I would expect it to be a problem, not only because of firearms laws but also because increased vigilance about terrorism.
I’d rather not risk it.
That isn’t a problem in the US. There are hunters, and people who shoot for sport, law enforcement, etc., everywhere.
Anniky wrote a lovely post about how she has stored her samples at her blog Life in a cold climate. She found a terrific box at Zara, they sell it online and I am seriously considering buying it.
Thanks for the caliber info that’s really helpful! I despise surrounding myself with plastic boxes, but those ammo cases would be great for organizing samples that I want to swap…
I purchased 2 of these, and they wok perfectly. I organize some samples/decants by house, and some by note – depends how I think of them.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=little+black+dress+jewellery+hanger&rlz=1C1LENN_enCA449CA449&espv=2&biw=1680&bih=941&tbm=isch&imgil=RkPFSgaBAGqE4M%253A%253BKqNt4gQhHfZflM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.moriluggage.com%25252Fblog%25252F2013%25252F02%25252F12%25252Flittle-black-dress-jewelry-organizer%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=RkPFSgaBAGqE4M%253A%252CKqNt4gQhHfZflM%252C_&usg=__IeN0XXZ5z0pI0XhYXYaZ61XGXx4%3D&ved=0ahUKEwiwjrXdltXKAhVGHo4KHanxCSUQyjcITw&ei=K5WuVvDMN8a8uASp46eoAg#imgrc=RkPFSgaBAGqE4M%3A&usg=__IeN0XXZ5z0pI0XhYXYaZ61XGXx4%3D
So many lovely things today! A perfume that I wish I had purchased, there are two, are the Prada exclusive fragrances Violette and Cuir Styrax. I am kicking myself for not calling the stores sometime last year when they were still available and getting a bottle of each.
Today, however, is lovely here in Missouri. Almost 60 degrees! And I got a fun bunch of samples this morning. So I am wearing VCA’s Rose Velours (lovely rose and honey scent) on one arm and Annick Goutal Duel on the other. I’m in complete love with Duel. It is a soft, violet suede. And in the opening, a great, green-y tea!
I love Duel! It’s one of the tea scents that actually work for me. I should probably grab a bottle before it’s reformulated down to plain water. I remember my first sample having much better longevity than my current sample.
Oh man, I think I should try and find a bottle too. I applied it a few hours ago and it has already faded into nothing. It was so nice while it lasted though!
Wow, 60!! Officially jealous.
I wouldn’t be too sad if it stayed this way…
Commando so far, but enjoying the lingering dregs of Puredistance White in the cuffs of the sweater I wore yesterday. Things I wish I’d hoarded … long ago (and at different times) I wore Aliage, Byzance, Chanel N. 5, and a couple of others that I wish I had known to save little bits of. And my mom wore L’Air du Temps, Coco and Bal a Versailles. Who knew back then that lots and lots of lovelies would be reformulated out of all recognition? I agree with Tiffanie that there are lots and lots of new lovelies to explore these days, but can’t help wishing for a time machine sometimes.
A time machine would be PERFECT. When I find one I’ll let you know. 🙂
My mother has an empty atomizer of L’air du Temps from 30+ years ago. It is the white and gold cylinder-shaped bottle. I think it was refillable. Thank goodness Mom thought it too pretty to discard. Even empty and decades later it smells 1000 times better than the current version.
I bought one of those for my grandmother for Christmas (it used to be her signature scent.) Hopefully she’s wearing it rather than admiring it, but I suspect the latter.
Yes! I managed to get some Byzance a few years ago, and my mother also wore L’Air du Temps and Bal à Versailles.
Your laugh for today: I keep reading posts on NST about people going commando. I was only familiar with the phrase in connection with being without underwear, and only just finally figured out you guys mean “unscented”. I was starting to think I was among a bunch of nudists or… and wondering why you were all so open about telling everyone!
That’s hilarious! 🙂
Ha!
HAhahahahahaha hahaha!
Perfume people are just so very openminded! ;D
Enjoying the remainder of a sample the Guerlain counter at Bergdorf gave me of Elixir Charnel Gourmand Coquin. This is probably the best chocolate scent I’ve encountered as its not super sweet, but the chocolate is deliciously real and chocolaty (it’s actually inspired me to make my favorite chocolate cake today!), and I’d say it is in fact quite elegant. Total skin scent, doesn’t move beyond the skin and that’s probably my only complaint. I’d be open to a split of this one if anyone is interested. Not a cheap scent, sadly.
This apartment can only handle one hoarder and that would be my husband. He’s actually gotten a lot better, but he loves back-ups of stuff.
I went to Costco with my mom today. She has a tendency to buy backups before a backup is needed. She also likes to return things or get credit when something she bought goes on sale . So this morning, she wanted to buy backups of two vitamins that were not on sale and I asked her how much she had left of each. For one, she has a 4 1/2 month supply and for the other 5 months. These are ALWAYS available and have a tendency to go on sale 2 – 3x per year. Thank God she listened to reason and skipped those!
Sounds like your mom and I have a lot in common 😉 I am the queen of the price adjustment and start to get panicky if I don’t have backups of items I use daily.
I do find it easier to purchase multiples, especially when they are on sale. The annoying and time-consuming part is the returning or getting price adjustments. Ha! Just my long way of saying I’m no saint and hoard with the best of them!
I not a hoarder by any stretch (I fall on the other side of that, actually – I love getting rid of things) but the majority of my shopping I do online, so I do lots of returns (clothes, makeup.) Price adjustments I do by phone so it takes very little effort.
I buy most of our toiletries online so I do get multiples of items we go through more quickly. The things I get nervous about running out of are basics like toothpaste, TP, laundry soap. Growing up, we were constantly out of basic stuff like that and it was never replaced quickly, which I think is why a half-full bottle of saline registers as almost empty and in need of immediate replacement.
It’s a mom thing.
LOL
My grandfather was like that. When he died Mum found about a 10 year supply of washing detergent, toilet paper, cat food, kitty litter, aluminium foil… random stuff in MASSIVE quantities, like he was preparing for another Great Depression :-/
When my noeces and nephews were younger, my dad would take them down to the basement to “shop” for treats.
That would be nieces, stupid fat fingers.
Yes! I shopped in my grandparents attic for stuff. Remember that memory as if it were yesterday.
It’s so interesting that back up mentality. I get it for the depression era folks but quite curious when it’s someone not even near that age.
In some ways I’m grateful to not live in a bigger home where it would be even more tempting to fill up empty spaces with back up of things.
Now I want Chocolate!
I always want chocolate!
I just bought this one, it is yummy! Not much projection but it does last all day.
It’s really beautiful. Good for you!
I love the idea of a reverse swapmeet!
Yesterday I received four minis that I finally remembered were from the last freebie meet. Alas, I couldn’t remember which perfume had inspired me to grab that lot, and I couldn’t make out the brand on the bottle, although the it might have started with K and did have a little elephant on the top. I also got the first perfume I’ve ever needed to scrub, the revolting-to-me Spellbound by EL and a couple of others. Thank you to someone in Atlanta for following through! I will enjoy that mystery scent and think of you when wearing it.
SsOTD are Green and Incense by Terveer. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy Incense, but it morphed into something enjoyable, while Green I liked immediately but has become less green and more flowery and is thereby less distinctive.
K + elephant sounds like Kenzo Jungle L’elephant.
Kenzo Elephant?
Oh, that was me! Sorry I didn’t include a note, I was very hectic in getting to the post office as I’m sure you can tell by my packaging. That is indeed Kenzo Jungle L’elephant. And I agree with you 100% about Spellbound! It was sort of mean of me to include it in the freebie lot but was hoping the spiciness made it at least similar enough to Elephant that someone might like both… I guess not 🙂 Enjoy the Jungle!
Thank you, everyone, and especially Regina! Yes, I really wanted to try Jungle Elephant, hurray. And you never know about scents: One woman’s Poison can be another woman’s Joy. I had a hard time believing that EL was responsible for Spellbound, though. ????
Not someone from Atlanta but Decatur.
Heh, I was looking through the helpful index of Luca Turin’s ratings and he rated Spellbound a 1. I’m having fun looking through it. For every 1 star I wear next week, I will deride one of his 5 stars!
I was looking though the 1 star reviews too and Midnight Poison is there as well I believe. So many people were morning it in the flanker thread yesterday. many of the 1 stars are surprising. I have MP and will probably wear it on Friday…not shamefully either…proudly despite its rating. I won’t be perfume shamed. 😉
Honestly, some of his one stars I think are fabulous and some of his five stars I wouldn’t wear at all. No one should be perfume shamed. As long as you love, wear it and be proud.
Same here – hello Secretions Magnifiques
I’m not always in agreement with him either. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Cartier’s Le Baiser du Dragon! On me, it smells heavenly! I may be the only person on the planet who loves it, and because of that, when it was discontinued, I managed to buy four bottles of the pure parfum for a decent price through a Dutch discounter. I’m still on bottle one, but at least, I have a lifetime supply!
Wear it proudly!
I’ve even doing the same thing and having a lot of fun. I might wear Emeraude next week, but I have many more pages to thumb through.
I need to look for the newer reviews as my collection has more of the newer releases although I have my share of the vintage classics.
I have a bunch of Mona di Orio’s plus Cartier Délices – I am going to make it a 1 star week!
So far I only have three of the 1 Stars but may not wear the Chanel Gardenia as the last time I wore it, I got hives – boo hiss.
Oh yes, I have a small amount of that in extrait… Will try to wear that one too (as I am wearing 2 a day).
That’s the thing about using a rating system. Enjoying perfume (to me, anyway) is about making an emotional connection. I trust LT’s judgment as far as making an assessment of quality, but quality has nothing to do with an emotional response.
I’ve avoided reading The Guides thus far lest I be swayed, but recently I’ve been reading his arabia.style columns, and the Folio collection and have been enjoying both as he’s a phenomenal writer, funny as hell, and oddly quirky. I also think it’s good to have someone as high-profile as he is out there taking the perfume houses to task.
I’ve borrowed The Guide numerous times and never cracked it open. The spreadsheet was useful and I want to peruse some of the newer reviews. I found another 1 Star I will wear — Amouage Sunshine!
I agree with you about the emotional ingredient missing from his ratings.
I’m already on record as having difficulty with Mr. Turin and his snarkiness, but when I saw that he rated Tabac Blond a 1, I was speechless. Hopefully he was rating the current EDP formulation (and even then, I beg to differ). I won’t have any trouble at all with next Friday’s theme. AND will be looking forward to hajusuuri’s commentary. 🙂
I have to channel my inner snarkiness 😉
No no – set it free! Hee. 🙂
There’s some really good stuff among those 1 stars. I’m definitely going to wear Mona di Orio Nuit Noire and maybe KM Loukhoum, Mayotte, LV Garofano, Tabac Blond, Emeraude, Amarige Mariage or Must de Cartier. Lot’s to choose from!!
I think most of us have multiples to choose from!
So true.
Spellbound is vile, isn’t it? I smelled it on a card at a department store and asked for a sample, but regretted putting it on my skin. I generally like big, vulgar perfumes, but it is too much in all the worst ways.
Agreed with all due respect to any fans out there. Something in it is harsh for lack of a better word.
There are very few perfumes that I consider scrubbers and /or I won’t try but I seem to remember smelling a tester of this at the counter a long time ago and then stepping away b/c I just couldn’t put it on.
Not unlike a repressed memory, I believe my sister who is 7 years older than me may have worn this for a time I am now thinking. So perhaps my fear was learned after all. 😉 I shudder a bit when I think scent…
When I think of this scent that is.
It’s not one of the better releases that Estée Lauder had that’s for sure.
Yesterday was blisteringly hot, and I did a bit of a droop, lying around torpid most of the time. It behoves me to get up and moving early today, but that doesn’t seem to be happening….at the moment, I’m wearing the remnants of bed-time Beloved. It’s barely even a breath now, but it’s just clinging to my wrist. Lovely!
I wish I had understood more about perfume behaviour (both the perfumes themselves and mine) and had not dumped things that seemed slightly off or that I tired of, back when I owned one perfume at a time. If I had hoarded instead of disposing, I would now have bottles of Climat, Opium, Kenzo L’Ete, Rive Gauche, Vivre, and –this one possibly hurts the most–Fidji in both the parfum and the EdP. Still, I have more understanding now, so it will never happen again with the different but equally beautiful perfumes I own now. Have a great weekend, all.
Regrets: I have a few, too. I’m a purger and I’ve thrown out some perfumes that I’m kicking myself over now. Specifically, a mostly full bottle of AG Chevrefeuille and a mini of Eau D’Hadrien. Gah! I packed up a bunch of stuff last year in a decluttering effort before putting our house on the market, and I can’t remember what I did with my bottle of Laura Ashely No. 1 (pre-reformulation). I’m hoping it’s in a box somewhere, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I might have tossed it. Boo!
I tossed an almost full bottle of Queles Fleurs once because it was old and I had a fresher bottle (I was only about twenty, so I plead youth). Of course, the newer bottle was smashed the next time I moved 🙁 I learned then never to toss perfume unless it is completely turned.
I will also confess to having tossed what was probably half a bottle of original Poison without even sniffing it, most of one of those pretty purse sprays of Safari (I kept my bigger bottles, thank heavens), and some Aspen for Women that had miraculously not yet turned. This happened around the same time as the QF and I have been much more careful about de-cluttering since.
Oh my, Aspen for Women… I loved that stuff! Unfortunately it did not age well.
I loved Fidji and Vivre.
I’m pretty sure I wore Vivre on my wedding day. It was quite long ago but I seem to remember loving Vivre and giving up something else so as to wear a perfume I loved. We were very hard up then! I know that Richard walked to work for weeks after we were married to save the bus fare in order to buy me a birthday present!
I didn’t wear it on my wedding day, but I wore it in those early, heady years of first love.
My name is Vivienne and I was pretty sure Vivre had been made with me in mind????. Because, it’s always about us. Especially at that age.
Richard sounds like a dream husband Waterdragon!
I bought a bottle of Fidji in a box of garage sale perfumes, and as it looks nothing like it does now, with its big clunky black lid, i dated it by its code and it was born in 1983. While it doesnt smell off, it certainly has a vintage smell to it which Im not sure is actually what its meant to smell like..
(Yes i know, what apostrophes? Lazy sunday on my iphone..you all will just have to imagine theyre there 🙂 )
waterdragon, this is totally on the mark! In addition, I used to give perfume away whenever I moved, thinking it wouldn’t survive overseas shipment. I’ve hunted down many of them on ebay, but not all. The most frustrating is a Russian perfume I wore in college that I can’t even find any reference to. On the other hand, trying to track down these squandered treasures is one of the things that led me to discover NST and other perfume blogs, and the treasure of the perfume community.
The scent memory that made me dive down this rabbit hole was Faberge Woodhue. I can’t say I wish I’d hoarded it since it seems clear that the Faberge scents really didn’t last well — I have sniffed vintage bottles of Woodhue and eeeaarrrrrrrrrgh hoo-whee are they off! But I wish I could re-smell it ‘fresh’.
I grew up in a hoarder household, so Too Much Stuff makes my shoulders go up around my ears. Though I clearly have the acquisitive gene that runs in my family (as Donatella knows all too well), I also get to a tipping point and then it’s ACK ACK ACK Make It Go Away!! I love our local freecycle group, I find it’s quite satisfying to give things to someone who wants them. Hmm now I’m thinking it may be a good day to do a winter clothes purge…
Reverse swap meet would be fun!
For the splitmeet: I’m thinking of hosting a split of Profumum Roma Ambra Aurea. Save your pennies 😉
I’ve been meaning to look into freecycle. Is it very time consuming to use?
My freecycle community has a yahoo group where you can post stuff you want or stuff you want to get rid of; then correspond 1:1 via email to arrange where/when to meet. (I usually arrange to meet somewhere public and busy.) We also have quarterly swapmeets so I’ve gotten to know some of the folks. I tend to post notices for big or limited-interest stuff (furniture, appliances, light fixtures) and take the smaller odds and ends to a swapmeet.
Thanks, pixel – this is helpful!
My mother stopped wearing perfume regularly after they discontinued Woodhue.
Thanks for the laugh, pixel. I go through a very similar cycle!
I’m scentless after a very fun, very late evening yesterday, that has left me somewhat depleted. Actually, not entirely scentless – I’m very carefully testing MPG Camelia Chinois, but it really was a small dab only. It’s nice.
I’m not generally a hoarding type, I don’t have back-ups of anything. But I’m now making sure I’ll have a supply of Fleur de Chine to last me years.
I thought to not get too close to Fleur de Chine, since I love Shanghai Lilly, but perhaps I need to rethink my strategy….
Courtesy of Atelier Cologne I received carded samples of their new Collection Orient earlier this week. I’m wearing Mimosa Indigo today and I absolutely love it. I can easily see a bottle of it in my wardrobe sometime soon.
Darn. I’ve gotten behind sampling the Ateliers and was consoling myself with assuming that so many new releases meant declining quality. Perhaps I can arrange a quick swing through NM next week for a sniff.
Never mind. They aren’t available at either of my NMs so I guess I will wait until I stumble across them.
They’re at my Sephora–Atelier in general, I mean, I don’t know about the new ones specifically.
None of the Sephoras near me carry any but Orange Sanguine and Vanilla Insensee in-store. In fact, none of the Sephoras near me carry much in the way of perfume 🙁 Couldn’t even find No. 5 last trip, they said it’s not a big seller and tried to sell me something else “classic but not so old-lady” by Tory Burch.
We got Sephora online in Aust just recently. Not a perfume to be had! How rude! Lol.
It never had occurred to me that my favourite scents would one day not be readily available. At one time I saved my empty bottles, but in a fit of cleaning, they were discarded. The only one I would have hoarded is Fendi. I do wish I would have kept a little of Trueste by Tiffany ( my wedding scent ) D&G Sicily, Halston Catalyst, K de Krizia, and New West. Oh, I would have also hoarded YSL Paris.
I have a couple of vintage minis of Fendi and recently bought a full size bottle of the EDT. It is glorious! I’ve also got a lifetime supply of K de Krizia, not because I’m hoarding it but because I picked up a large lot for a song. One of these days I’ll get a FB of vintage Paris.
I wish I still had some New West too. There was only a bit left when I got rid of it but I suspect it wouldve turned by now anyway.
And Eau Givree by Avon. I don’t really do Avon, but this was fresh and green and fabulous, and I so wish it still existed.
SOTD is First from the freebie meet! Thank you Oakland Fresca – I’ve worn this three times this week and love the narcissus aspect enormously! Definitely interested in a reverse swapmeet.
I need to re-try First. It was very soapy the first time I tried it, but I love narcissus.
Laurels, I find the first half hour very soapy too with all the aldehydes – for me this is one where the drydown is worth the wait!
Sunday here and the sun is shining for the first time in a week. That might be quite the norm for a lot of you northern hemisphere folk right now, but here it should be the height of summer.
Wearing a tiny dab of Vero Profumo’s Kiki EPD from a .5ml decant I bought a few years ago. It seems a little softer now than when I first tried it, I don’t know if Kiki has mellowed a bit, or if my nose is more experienced. Enjoying it more than I expected, whatever the reason!
Gaynor, I wish Wellington and Auckland could exchange weather for a bit. You’d be so very welcome to some of our sunshine. It’s so bright already –at not quite 8 a.m.–that I want sunglasses to look out the windows! This old building has thick walls, nearly 30 cm of concrete, and they they radiate heat all night long. It’s a heritage building, and the body corporate rules forbid air-conditioning. Sigh. Something smelling super-green for me again today, I think.
Our summer is doing weird things too. The first week of Feb- back to school week- is notoriously excruciating and ALWAYS in the low 40’s. This year, rain and 23 with an overnight low of 12. I dont remember a summer like this.
The snow is finally disappearing from my garden, and I saw my first crocus today (a tiny lavender one)! My spring florals are in storage (in shoeboxes under my bed), but the crocus inspired me to dig out my decant of Amaranthine – so beautiful. I sure wish I had bought a bottle before it was discontinued. For some reason it is reminding me today of Lanvin Arpege, maybe the rich creamy ylang ylang note?
Gorgeous. I got a bottle of Amaranthine for Christmas. I think it’s out of stock at Fragrancenet now, but still available at Lily Direct.
And now I need to try Arpege.
I would definitely participate in a reverse swap meet if there was one. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun. My SOTD is Wild Fig and Cassis. I was in a fig mood today. Just seemed like the right choice. Hope everyone has a nice weekend.
That’s a great one.
I am so bad about not reading through the whole post that Robin put. I totally missed to mention what fragrance(s) I would have hoarded if I had the opportunity. I definitely would have gotten more of Leiber by Judith Leiber and also Peony and Moss by Jo Malone. It is almost impossible to find either now.
The perfume I miss is Romeo Gigli per uomo whch I used to wear in the 90s. This was long before I knew anything about perfume notes, so I am relying on fragrantica for the description:
“Top notes are aldehydes, plum, lavender, mandarin orange, tarragon, grapefruit, bergamot, lemon tree and brazilian rosewood; middle notes are honey, carnation, ginger, cinnamon, balsam fir, jasmine and rose; base notes are sandalwood, tonka bean, amber, patchouli, musk, benzoin, vanilla, oakmoss, cedar and styrax”.
There are some vintage bottles knocking around, but even at the time it wasn’t something with a great life expectancy so I can’t imagine it’s worth the risk now.
Today I am wearing Caron Pour un Homme with is perfectly pleasant. Yesterday I realised I hadn’t anything by Guerlain; I wore SL Borneo 1834 which was interesting but not really me I think, and when I got home I used a scentsamples promotion code to order another batch of 2ml samples of various Guerlain mens’ stuff plus 1ml of Shalimar, Mitsouko and Jicky (they didn’t have L’Heure Bleue). Better late than never, eh? :^)
Cleaning, recycling, helping hubbie drag a log out of the woods, shopping. Started off with a kind sample of a Roses and Oud from Mancera, which is nice enough. After taking all the recycling to the local drop off center, I applied Lou Lou, which was nice enough for working in the woods. In the round of shopping, I picked up for adorable hubbie two new teaching ties-there is a faculty dress code at the community college where he teaches the occasional computer science class. I need up right at Ulta, and asked then if the had any real Shalimar at the moment. Girl 1 said “no” but girl 2 said “oh let’s look!” and she found 1 larger bottle of EDT and one smaller bottle of EDP as well as several Initial bottles and some Samsara. I got the EDP and am now drinking a latte at the Starbucks in the grocery store and feeling pleased with myself. It is the newer bottle, which looks cute in the one oz size. And I smell really good. 🙂
need = ended, I ended up at the. ULTA store. Lol…
Yes, but you needed that bottle of Shalimar!
Yes, I did! Can’t be without at least one version of Shalimar! And this new little bottle is charming, I think, as a thing in itself. Reduces my longing for one of the blue vintage bottles!
I have been reading about Karetu, a scented grass used by Maori and it turns out that it’s in the same family as the ‘sweet grass’ found in Europe and North America that was used by the Cheyenne and other Native American tribes (California) in various rituals….often burnt for incense but also woven into perfumed belts etc. What a cool connection.
I’m fern obsessed though. Mokimoki ( fragrant fern) only grows ‘up north’ and I’m wondering if I can justify a ‘fern sniffing’ trip? Probably not. It’s ok for kiwis to travel the world to watch rugby ( and wear a patriotic silver fern ) but I’m not sure if fern sniffing is sanctioned! Later in the year I will apply for an Auckland Museum research grant and see what happens.
Can anyone recommend a great fern perfume?
Happy weekend everyone. Love the mop stories…you shall go to the ball!!!!
I wonder if it would survive travel? I could get some and send it to you by express courier, but I’m not going up home for a while, unfortunately. It’s a gorgeous smell, part of the smell of proper Aotearoa, but elusive.
Oh, and meant to say, I remember a Bronnley perfume from my childhood called French Fern. I loved it when I was little, and I think I once had a tin of the talcum powder, but it almost certainly had no acquaintance whatsoever with an actual fern! I think your project is excellent: maybe you will be the auteur of the first perfume that genuinely captures the scent of A-NZ’s heartlands. Now there’s something I would hoard!
My mum used to have Mornay soap in fern…really super duper. I will keep a NI trip as the pot of gold for my research rainbow!
As it is indeed a lazy weekend, your post prompted me to do a bit of old-fashioned internet surfing. So it turns out karetu is related to the bison grass used to flavour Zubrowka vodka. I wonder if karetu could be used similarly? The bison grass sweetness and vanilla smell/taste apparently comes from coumarin. And for reasons which defy common sense, the vodka is therefore banned in the US (or at least it was when the WSJ wrote about it in 2011).
Sometimes I love this internet thing. :^D
Very interesting – thanks for the research and explanation, Koenigsberg!
I like how one things leads to another when researching…thank you.
I don’t think it’s banned anymore. I remember seeing something like that in the liquor store but I may be mistaking it for something else so don’t quote me on it.
There was a coumarin-free – i.e. “what’s the point” version that was sold in the US, for a while. Since I usually buy Zubrowka when I travel to Poland, I have a stash of the good stuff, one with the blade of grass in the bottle, on hand, and I have not had to look for it here, but in Chicago or NYC area, it should be easy enough it find it in liquor stores. Not sure about NZ though..
When I have time I will look into vodka and alcohol! Maybe if I get my still I could carry out some experiments. In the meantime I am going to focus on resins and lichens.
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-BesFore-t1-body-d1-d9-d8.html
You might find this interesting?
I love your posts Kanuka! I also love sweet grass. It’s such a warm, uplifting scent.
Hope you’ll win that grant, Kanuka; your project sounds great! Keep us posted.
SOTD was Dzing! which was a nice balance of sweetness and skank. It’s pretty much just a memory at this point so I’ll be picking another scent soon.
I’ve been working to get Stella to wear one of those gentle leader type things to go on a walk since she pulls like a crazed animal and my shoulder joint can only take so much. Today I finally tried taking her for an official walk with it because she was no longer constantly acting like a bucking bronco each time she had it on. Success! We had a delightful but chilly walk. I kept a few treats in hand to keep her behaving and it was the best I could have hoped for. Her SOTD was a little Habanita.
Totally off topic but can anyone recommend a good liquid eyeliner that doesn’t smear, run, or flake off? Are gel liners better? Too many to choose from and the few I’ve tried haven’t been too good.
I’m not very good with makeup, and worse since I got my new eyes, ‘cos now I have perfect distance sight but lousy close vision, but for what my opinion’s worth, Bobbie Brown gel eyeliners behave perfectly, and seem to have the approval of makeup professionals like Lisa Eldridge. They’re expensive here, but I bought one when I was in the States, and was agreeably surprised by the price. Better still, they last for ever.
The Bobbi Brown gel eyeliners applied with the eyeliner brush will definitely stay put. I also like Stila eyeliner pens, which are a little easier to apply, at least for me.
I second both of these?
I will look into those. I’ve never tried anything by Bobbi Brown.
I have had good luck with two gel eyeliners, Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eyeliner and Shisedo Accentuating Cream Eyeliner. I tried the pens and just can’t get the color worked into the lashes the way I want, but with a brush and these little pots I have much better results.
I like the idea of the pens but I’ve yet to find one that I can control as well as an eyeliner brush.
The gentle leader was a godsend when I had a frisky terrier with very strong bolting instincts. It was seriously like magic.
I recently started using Marc Jacobs liquid liner (Magic Marc’er Precision Pen Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner) and it is a dream. The tip is always fully loaded (no shaking to get product down to the tip between swipes) and once it’s on, it’s on. The pen’s also a little fatter and heavier than most, which feels more comfortable in my hand and is a bit easier to control.
It stays on so well that if you make a mistake you can’t just rub it off with a moistened qtip or finger – you need to use remover to get it off, which is the only downside. I wear contacts and use it to tightline so I can’t wear anything that will smear or run into my eyes and this is the best I’ve found so far. It’s quite expensive but totally worth it IMO.
I’ve never even considered Marc Jacobs for some reason. A glowing review from someone with contacts makes it very promising. I wasted so much money on liners that don’t work that I don’t mind spending a little more for one that does. A lot of them seem like they last when you swipe them on your hand on the store but then you get it and put it on your lid and it’s just not the same.
Noted, thanks! I always pass over the Marc Jacobs stuff too. I have oily eyelids, I wear contacts, and I sweat like a fiend when I’m outside so I’m always interested in a good liner for tightlining. I’m fine with having to use strong remover since I use Heroine Make mascara which doesn’t budge without industrial solvents (probably. I don’t want to know what’s in that fancy remover).
I’m also a fan of the Remedy Concealer Pen. It has a thin, lightweight consistency (think Touche Eclat, except I find Touche Eclat really drying) so you don’t get heavy duty coverage but it doesn’t dry my eyes out or settle into lines. I’m not a fan of his liquid foundation, and find the mascara subpar, and the adorable Kiss Pop lipsticks just might be the worst lipstick I’ve ever tried. But the liquid liner and concealer are gems.
I love Dzing!
Me too! I hadn’t worn it in ages and it really hit the spot today.
I highly recommend the Tom Ford liquid eyeliner. It is crazy, stupid, ridiculous expensive but it goes on like a dream. It has two ends, one long brush and one short one. I use it for fancy cat eyes but also to tight line; it is amazing.
Everything Tom Ford is crazy expensive. I like the idea of two brush sizes. There’s no place nearby to see it in person so it might be a bit pricey for a blind buy.
This means a trip to NYC, dontyathink?
“A nice balance of sweetness and skank”–this! They play so well together.
I like Kat von D’s Tattoo liner. It’s a felt tip pen kind of deal. I also like Sephora’s own brand liquid liners, but I haven’t bought any since they changed the packaging, and I don’t know if the formula changed.
The Kat von D liner seeped into my eyes and coated my contacts with an oily haze. The first time I wore it, I drove to work half-blind and spent the day barely able to see through dirty contacts. Then, because I’m smart, I wore it the next day and exactly the same thing happened. But I use liquid liner to tightline, so my needs are different. I know this one has a lot of fans.
There have been loads of excellent eyeliner recs. Unfortunately, the good ones are always expensive. Bobbi brown eye gel, Stila eyeliner brush, and Smashbox jet set perform really well on my eyes (which water whenever I’m outside in the wind and cold.)
I am a eyeliner junkie, I use pencil on the top and bottom lid, then go over the top with liquid. I would like to recommend Ciate London eyeliner pen. It is highly pigmented and doesn’t smear. For the cream pots, I like Anastasia Beverley Hills. Both are available through Sephora. Sorry for the late reply.
I, too, didn’t know that perfumes could/would be reformulated. I wish I had my old bottles of Muguet de Bois, Wind Song, Replique, Jean Nate, and Tatiana. Now that I do know about reformulation/discontinuation, I have saved Panthere de Cartier, L’Heure Bleue (but only the 80’s parfum), Amouage Homage, and Parfumerie Generale Un Crime Exotique, which is what I’m wearing today.
I am also desperately trying to ignore comments related to mopping, which I detest and postpone as long as I can, but the floor! the floor! So much rain and big muddy paws equal a task that must be tackled soon. Ugh.
I forget what note(s) Tatiana was but I remember it fondly. 🙂
And me too although the bottle belonged to my sister and I was naive to think that I can sneak in a spray or two when she wasn’t looking.
I hope everyone’s having a great weekend so far. I’ve just found out that one of my local Sephoras has started carrying Serge Lutens. As you can imagine, I’m over the moon right now. I’ve only tried Chergui (which I love) and I’ve been wanting to explore the line but couldn’t justify the cost of ordering samples through the mail. Now I don’t have to. I can’t wait to put a smell to all those names.
SOTD is L’Eau Trois layered over Rose 31 body lotion.
Color me envious! Where do you live?
I am in Canada. Here’s a link to the posting at Basenotes that tipped me off.
http://www.basenotes.net/threads/416559-Serge-Lutens-now-Available-at-Sephora!
Yes we have it in Montréal!
It’s in Vancouver, too…
Dang, with the exchange rate what it is it might be worth the trip up from Seattle. *ponders northward trek for spring sale*
Vancouver is a lovely city to visit and has more than one perfumista-relevant shopping opportunities! 😀
I realized after posting this that my H & I are heading up in April to see his sister in a performance. Where should I shop?
Email me through clicking on my name for Vancouver shopping ideas and/or if you want to go on a smelling adventure with the other Vancouver peeps…
L’Eau Trois over Rose 31? You must smell great!
We have all the windows flung open today and are soaking up the sunshine, as it’s a balmy 59 here in Denver in these last hours of January. The shoe will drop tomorrow however, as we’re looking at a hefty dumping of snow to start the new month. As the saying goes, if you don’t like the weather here in Colorado, just wait 10 minutes….
To go with today’s gorgeous sunshine, I’m really enjoying Dame Perfumery’s Osmanthus Soliflore. I picked up a 5 ml sample of the EDT when I ordered the magnificent Tuberose Soliflore oil, and I have to say, this is one amazingly beautiful osmanthus! Creamy tart-sweet apricot, with a tiny hint of green and a very light touch of silky suede in the drydown. I love this one at least as much as the Tuberose Soliflore. Now I just have to decide if I want a FB of the oil (which I usually prefer), or this wonderful EDT. If you love osmanthus, I really urge you to sample Dame’s Osmanthus Soliflore!
I certainly regret not hoarding a few favorites. I wore Fendi almost exclusively back in the late 80s and early 90s, and because I was given several bottles as gifts, I never thought to stock up on it when it began showing up at the discounters. Now I have ~40% remaining of my very last bottle, from the early 90s, and I am wanting more. I also deeply regret not buying a bottle of Angelique Encens before it disappeared. Naively, I never imagined that a 250+ year old perfume house ever discontinued a fragrance, and by the time my eyes, were opened, AE was selling for $400 on eBay 🙁 I did buy a backup of Attrape Coeur before it disappeared, and I have started hunting down and stockpiling vintage Safari. I wish I’d stocked up on the Poison flankers before several were d/c (Midnight, Tendre) and became so pricey. I am sorely tempted to start buying up Hypnotic Poison before it goes through the roof as well. I’m pretty good about not hanging on to stuff, but freely confess that perfumes and books are my exceptions to that philosophy.
Dame’s Osmanthus has gone on my list of things to try. And thanks for helping me to decide what to wear today – I still haven’t tested out my Ormonde Osmanthus and it seems like a good day for that. (It’s also deceptively springlike up in the Pacific NW!)
Thank you for the review of the Osmanthus Soliflore. I’m saving my pennies for the splitmeet, but if I have anything left over, one of those travel-sized samples (and the Narcissus) will be mine.
I think the Dame Perfumery prices are in the perfumath free category 😉
Yes, they’re very inexpensive. I’m jonesing for the Narcissus now.
…aaaaand I just ordered both Narcissus and Osmanthus, plus a few more. Been meaning to try more of this line for a while (really like his Verbena, Freesia, and Musk), and y’all just pushed me over the edge. Enabler points all around 😉
I’ll get that pin someday!
Like so many I didn’t realise perfume could be re formulated or discontinued until too late. I don’t tend to get back ups but wish I had original Samsara and Venezia. I too am trying to make sure I have some stored Fleur de Chine.
Amazingly a really lovely SA at the FM booth at Liberty gave me a sample of Carnal Flower as well as the sample body butter of it. She also showed me an article on Frederic Malle in the most recent UK Vogue so will try to investigate that. Apparently (according to the article) POAL was the hardest to get right.
Thanks SophieC. I will check out that UK Vogue when I go to the drug store later today.
Robin, I like the idea of the reverse Swap Meet.
Good. And I admit it is for entirely selfish reasons…have a few things I can’t seem to get my hands on and thought I must not be the only one 🙂
That’s what I had in mind, too… Count me in.
Are non-perfume items allowed in splits and swaps? I’m specifically thinking of some teas I’d like to try that aren’t available to buy as samples. (And some I’d be happy to clear out of my shelf 🙂 )
I hesitate to answer because the threads are already sometimes very long and hard to navigate…I certainly don’t mind if people offer to swap tea or other items for perfume, but I don’t think we can start swapping tea for tea…and there are already places where people do that avidly!
Got it!
I love the idea of a reverse swapmeet, too. Does anyone know where I can purchase good decanting supplies in Holland? Otherwise, remind me which is a reliable source in the UK or USA. Thanks!
I’ll email you, Jonette. I owe you a reply to your email.
Thanks! Looking forward to hearing from you.
The only place I found is hekserij.nl They sell 2 ml sample sizes, no larger decants. I use travalo sprays for decants, easy to use and easily available.
I use Travalos for myself as purse sprays. But they are a bit pricey and large for swaps. I know I’ve read about poor quality decants, so I want to be sure to get the right kind. Daisy sent me a post about this years ago, but I don’t have it any more and… where is Daisy?
I buy decanting supplies from Chinese sellers on Ebay, and so far I’m quite happy with the results. Fast shipping, low prices, and good quality. Good luck!
I have never (yet) dealt with Ebay. I do like Etsy, though.
I buy mine from Proudstyle, which is I think, Hong Kong based.
Me too!!
I didn’t get into perfume until about 3 years ago, so I wish I started looking for perfume at thrift stores earlier…imagine all the things I’ve missed…
On another topic: Australians, I have a friend going there for a month (who is also interested in scents) are there any products she should try? Or I should request mule-ing?
Tommi Sooni has been talked up. Also check out Australian Perfume Junkies, who will mention if something is local.
Tommi Sooni is no more —
This is so sad. I’m sure glad I bought a back-up bottle of Tarantella when I could!
Aesop! They have three scents now, I think. Marrakech, Mystra and Tacit. The first two are good and I haven’t tried the third but Perthgirl knows it. And their hand creams are beautiful. The Aesop stores are always lovely, too. . Jurlique face mist is nice…good for a long haul flight. And keep a nose out for Boronia…it’s a beautiful jammy scent.
Mystra has been discontinued.. but the other 2 are nice.
It might be worthwhile her checking out some healthfood shops as they usually carry local natural brands of body products and perfumes. 2 WA brands that have some lovely stuff are Tinderbox and Mt Romance sandalwood so Im certain if she’s in Sydney or Melbourne there will be other offerings too.
Im not sure what you have access to but if there’re things you want but cant get easily, maybe check out the Mecca Cosmetica site for range and prices (exchange rate may be in your favour!). Also David Jones. I dont know where she’s going but Melbourne has Peony for niche, Brisbane has Libertine. They both have websites.
But do get her to grab some candy if you eat it. Musk sticks I hear are an australian thing. And TimTams. And whatever choccies you dont have 🙂
Also, for tea we have T2. They have a massive range and are in the city and bigger shopping centres/malls.
I think she will be primarily in Adelaide. We actually have an Aesop now in Vancouver, but it’s probably cheaper by you (also our dollar is not so awesome right now).
Thanks for all the suggestions. I will check these out!
Oh Aesop! Imdid not realize it’s an Australian brand! There’s a boutique in NYC on the walk between Aedes and Frederic Malle. It’s also available at Barneys. Nice line of body products!
Amouage Fate, after a long, tiring but mostly nice day.
I’m enjoying it, but it’s not really my thing, although I have to admit that it is beautiful.
I really regret not buying a bottle of Paris YSL extrait de parfum years ago. I have enough Paris to last me several lifetimes, but it came in a beautiful box, and in a lovely bottle, and it’s my most loved fragrance.
On the other hand, I got my Eau du Fier very shortly before it became unavailable. It’s now occasionally sold on ebay for about 15 times the price I paid for it.
And today I’m wearing one of my latest purchases, the lovely, cuddly, soft and gorgeous Ambre Cashmere Intense. It’s cold wet and dreary outside.
I thought it was supposed to warm up today here but so far it’s cold and gray too. It’s not doing much for my ambition level. Ambre Cashmere Intense even sounds warm and comfy.
You smell cozy!
Today started with Rose Jam shower gel followed by Andy Tauer’s Rose Flash. Then I went to our local movie theater and watched the Met’s simulcast of Turandot. So far, today has been a great day!
You smell wonderful! Love both those scents.
Nice!
Wearing Organza Indecence today after all the discussion in the flanker thread yesterday.
Haven’t worn it in a very long time so excited to see how it wears. It is fairly old so there was a little alcohol at the beginning but it is creamy spice now. 😉 God bless flankers and all who love them.
SOTD is Lostmarch Iroaz. Re hoarding, I still have a few scents from the 90s, but I wish I had saved some of scent my mother inherited from her mother, who died in the 70s. My uncle lived in Switzerland, and my grandmother would meet him in Paris, and she liked perfume. We had No. 5, No. 19, and No. 22. There were a few Dior scents too.
Robin, I like the idea of a reverse swap meet!
SOTD = Jacomo Silences
A dear NSTer gave it to me for Christmas! Thank you – you know who you are.
I wore just a tiny spritz of this as I didn’t know how strong it would be and I was going to be cooped up in a car with my mom, scent-phone extraordinaire. Well, I need not have worried with that tiny bit! As many have mentioned, it is green green green, despite its formidable list of notes! The opening reminds me of Chanel No.19 although I could have sworn there were tendrils of No.5 as well. I definitely like what I am smelling and will give ot a proper wearing when it’s warmer.
that would be “scent-phobe”
And…I forgot to mention that I finally got my Lord of Misrule Shower Cream and…I LOVE it! The green was a little scary upon first application but it was meant to be washed away!
Yes, it’s quite runny and a violent mint green but it smells fab!
SOTD is Byredo Gypsy Water. I am not a hoarder but my husband’s parents are both really bad and he has hoarding tendencies. I fear it will be a constant battle. I wish I had hoarded The original Fendi, plus Aveda Amazonia. I had bottles of each and don’t remember finishing them so I probably just threw them away in a move not realizing how hard they would be to find again!
Chopard Casmir layered with Bliss Vanilla Bergamot body lotion. We were outside today which effectively trapped Casmir under multiple layers of clothing. Result: One big Vanilla Amber beast tamed.
I got my second STC package today, and so I am wearing Coromandel. I bought this unsniffed, since everyone seemed to love it so much, and am I ever glad I did. It is incredible. Easily my favorite Chanel so far.
How nice when you love something that you bought unsniffed; it feels like some sort of victory, doesn’t it?
It does feel victorious. In this case my victory is in choosing the right place to pay attention to what is being worn and remarked upon. I had never heard of it before I started reading and commenting here. Those are my favorite discoveries, the ones that I wouldn’t have made on my own.
Agreed. Probably the best Chanel fragrance in my opinion too.
It seems quite different for a Chanel, at least in my limited experience. It’s spicier and earthier than any of their fragrances I’ve smelled. Well, except for Chance on the spice factor, but that was just pink peppercorn.
I love the Christmas surprise excitement of buying unsniffed….though sometimes the interesting package turns out to be the equivalent of a hankie set. I’ve never tried Coromandel so,have a spray for me! How’s the RPG going?
It is exciting! I’ve been pretty lucky so far. I bought a lot of unsniffed things in the STC sale, and so far I don’t smell anything vile. I haven’t gotten to wear them all yet, but I’m working on it.
We haven’t started yet, but I met with my Game Master last week, and we got my character all sorted out, which is exciting for me. I bought a new set of dice, because this system runs on 3 d6 instead of 1 d20, and I’m pretty much all set now. Our first session is next month. Thanks for asking!
Isn’t it wonderful? I keep wearing it for days at a time, while some of my other new purchases have yet to be used.
With all this talk about what you regretted not hording when it was discontinued, you people made me buy a back up bottle of Amaranthine! This wasn’t a plan for today, and now I think it was probably a bad idea, but hopefully it will turn into a great thing next time we discuss hording, who knows …
And I like the proposal for a reverse swapmeet.
One backup bottle of something you love is fine… I have been known to buy far more. :-0
Ha, now I am again wondering whether I have enough …
I’ve been known to do a little math, with the help of Kevin’s article on how long one’s collection will last. “Ok, if I tend to wear X spritzes every time I wear this, and I went through the first bottle in X amount of time, how long will a ginormous back-up bottle last me?” If the answer is less than 5 years, I feel justified in considering a second bottle (especially if it’s on sale). 🙂
I can’t do the math; never used up a bottle! ????
No more backup bottles for me. With a sizable collection, I’m unlikely to use more than 10 ml of most of the bottles I do have. Although I must admit I’m nervous about SSS Tabac Aurea – such a small bottle. 😉
Bottles under 50ml make me nervous…
**whispers** that’s why I bought a backup bottle recently.
You guys! 😉
Talking about discontinuations and hoarding, has anyone tried Penhaligon’s Tralala?
I was never moved to look for it after all the discussions about its name, but now I wonder whether one shall still try it before it is gone …
SOTD is La Parfums de Rosine Poussiere de Rose, which is a lovely warm, spicy rose with a powdery opoponax base. Many roses go sour on me, but this one is just beautiful. I got a decant from Hera at the Freebiemeet before last, and I think I will have to put it on my Buy list.
Scents I wish I’d hoarded: Pauline Trigère Trigère. Beautiful grassy green scent. I have very little left from a little bottle of Parfum. I used to wear it on the first really hot day of the year, but now even that frequency seems too much. And seconding (thirding?) Ysatis and old-school Opium. I have a backup bottle of Roberto Cavalli Oro, but am contemplating another, and maybe a backup of Mauboussin Histoire d’Eau. My mother is a hoarder, and my own bookshelves are overflowing, so I hesitate to start accumulating multiple bottles of things. On the other hand: I could have had more Trigère!
SOTD is Keiko Mecheri’s Ume. I bought a fb of this and her Passiflora when I was in Germany. This is my first time wearing it. After three hours, I feel I need to re-apply. My favorite by her is Peau de Peche, but that literally faded within less than a half-hour, maybe even 15 minutes! I’m happy I bought Ume. It’s quite different from anything else in my fragrance wardrobe.
I like Ume– it’s on my fb wishlist
Oh, I own both Ume and Peau de Peche and like both of them. Never tried Passflora, though. What’s it like?
Passiflora, that is.
It’s very pretty, very feminine. I hate the label “fruity floral” because, to me, that conjures up Barbie doll images, but that’s the category. For me, it opens with a blast of peach/nectarine, as if someone had just cut into the fresh fruit. There is no peach listed in the notes, so this could just be my nose. Then it is followed by a chorus of mango-enhanced fruit cocktail with musk. That sounds awful, but it is a consistent, very pretty cloud of scent, a happy fragrance.
This does sound pretty. I think that KM fragrances are underrated. I hardly ever hear anything about them. In addition to Ume and Peau de Peche, I have a bottle of Loukhoum Eau Poudree (delicious sweets and much better than the Prada Candy imho) and a decant of Canyon Dreams (too expensive for a full bottle!).
Very late to this post but I hope someone who likes By Kilian finds this. Gilt, the flash sale site has three BK scents on sale for 1/2 price. They have Liaisons Dangereuses, Love, and Citrus Tea Bamboo Harmony. 🙂
Liaisons Dangereuses is fabulous!
A rainy Sunday morning here, lying in bed with the dogs…a favorite way to start a delicious day of lazing around reading and drinking tea. I am wearing Dorissima Goldmund, which I think is discontinued but is a lovely floral. I ordered a bottle of Salome blind, hope I love it. I am a big fan of her other scents and Absolue Pour le Soir. If not there’s always the swapmeet. 😉
Sunday SOTM is Ex Nihilo Fleur Exotique, from a small sample vial. It’s very nice – light, non-indolic jasmine and bergamot, among other things. It’s early on yet, but there seems to be some kind of interesting development going on on my wrist. Goes well with coffee, at any rate, which is all I really expect on a lazy weekend morning.
Oops – it’s Fleur Narcotique, not Exotique. See? Lazy!
Morning, all. It’s cooler today, though at 7 am it’s probably a bit bold to make that announcement, but I’m taking advantage of the lower temperature to bake. We’re celebrating my brother-in-law’s birthday, and I always make him peanut brownies, which he loves. I’ve seen him five without stopping, with no visible ill effects– how on earth can he do that? I’d go all green and wobbly, but he seems as bouncy as ever! I’m wondering whether I’ll make a cake too, just ‘cos the oven’s on and I’m in my pinny…all this cocoa and creamed butter and sugar carry on made me crave a gourmand (mind you, almost everything makes me crave a gourmand!) so I’ve put an injudiciously large dab of Angel on each wrist. It will be lovely until I shower, and then I will probably seek out something green and refreshing. I love long weekends!
Am in PHI this a.m. It’s both cozy and beautiful; I quite like it. My Andy Tauer sample set should arrive soon *fingers crossed.*
And speaking of which, my TPC/STC BOGO orders arrived. I think this may be the rare case of a sample order where everything is a hit. I got Chanel No 18 and Bel Respiro, L’Air Rien, Temps d’une Fete, Arquiste Nanban, and they all smell heavenly from the bottle.
Also realized that since fragrance projects more strongly from the tops of my wrists than the underside, that’s where I should be applying perfume when I wear it, not just when I test it. Derp.
I just started doing that after having the exact same realization. Great minds and all that. 🙂
Robin, I would love a reverse swap! I really wish I had at least saved a portion of all the powerhouses I wore in the 80’s and 90’s. I saved a little bit of a few, but there are a couple that I miss terribly 🙁
Wearing Eau de Reglisse (Caron) today. Yummy stuff, it is fading but I love the last stage of it anyway. 🙂
Does anybody of yours wear a Scent to drive the night dreams?