Quick PSAs: the freebiemeet will be next Saturday, and the Etat Libre d’Orange giveaway is still open!
It's Memorial Day weekend, and we're celebrating with our standard open thread poll. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the perfume bottle you most recently drained, whatever. And if you have a friend or family member who died while serving in the armed forces, and you want to tell us about them, please do.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: top image is Red Poppy [cropped] by m.shattock at flickr; some rights reserved.
Guerlain Neroli Outrenoir dabbed from a sample. Liking it a lot. Mostly smells like a sweet Earl Grey tea to me. Will have to get at least a spray decant down the road.
Its smells to me angelique noire and tea azzura sprayed at the same time.
You smell fab!
Guerlain NO is lovely!
I would get a 20 mL La Goutte Parfumee (a manufacturer’s travel spray) which comes out to a lot cheaper than getting 1/4 of a FB.
Do you order them from Guerlain’s U.S. website or the French one?
Shop France Inc carries these, and you can locate the shop on eBay and sign up for email alerts. Completely reliable, incredible customer service and personal requests are welcomed. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, just message the shop and you’ll get a prompt and considerate response.
Thanks!
Gooooood morning! Did not sleep very well last night and gave up sleeping in. So I have made a pot of coffee and had a nice chat with the cats. And for you my dears I am conducting a scientific perfume experiment–Civet on my left wrist and Chincilla on my right. ????
🙂
This morning had the visit of 3 fox (cubs? pups?) My goodness, they were cute–no visible parent in sight. Got a picture of one, but not very good.
Three? Wow. I am so envious. Maybe one was the mum? Depending on the species they can be small. We get the California Gray foxes, which actually have quite a bit of ruddy brown in their fur, and Red foxes that are non-native and very aggressive, but beautiful too.
Baby foxes are kits.
Squee! You’re so lucky! We have foxes in our neighborhood but somehow everyone else has better luck with sightings. I did see one in my front yard last night though. Unfortunately this poor soul appears to have mange, so not all that cute. If I saw babies I think I would plotz!
I tested Chinchilla and Civet together, too. Chinchilla was the clear winner to me but I wouldn’t refuse a bottle of either.
I didn’t have a clear winner. The first time I tried Chinchilla I hated it–too much waxy honey/dirty hair… but the trick to the scent for me seems to be applying the right amount. I think I over-sprayed the first time, and under sprayed the second. Also, the first 30-60 seconds of the perfume still don’t work for me–hardly a deal breaker tho. Civet was much less complicated–a slightly spicy incensy anamalic fragrance. It dries down much as it goes on. Chinchilla is a ride. The thing that really fascinates me about Chinchilla is how similar are the reviews of the scent, and how much my own experience matches that of the reviewers in terms of what we are smelling. I definitely get a vintage fur stole, honey (but not urine-like at all), beeswax, and some spices–very low rumble of florals and tonka in the background… ambergris-like funk… Okay, this was a long ramble!
Sorry to hear that you didn’t sleep either, Oakland Fresca! 🙁 I want to believe that perfumes help with insomnia; they must, right?
Well they certainly make me chatty!
LOL!
“will wear perfume for science”
One day we’ll make t-shirts and bumper stickers. 😉
I want that t-shirt!
S(s)OTD- Fez Perfume Oil (a really nice vetiver which is not a note I tend to gravitate towards)
Ambre 114
Tenue de Soiree
Cedrat Enivrant
Right now I am random sampling but I have organized my vast sample sea into small baggies of Guerlain, L’Artisan, Annick Goutal and Chanel and have also separated the leathers and winter heavy hitters into another bag. These are all dabbers. The decants and sprays I will explore later after the dabbers are gone.
Fez is one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s so old – walking through that tangled market is like walking through time.
Oh that must be amazing! You should check out this oil then. It is all natural and quite lovely…fresh and nutty to my nose.
Hi CM8, you have such a good memory for perfume, I thought I would ask if you remember one called Morac? I think it was made by Revlon, maybe in the mid to late eighties. I believe the cap was green. I’ve been making a list of every perfume bottle I’ve had, and this one is a vague memory for me.
oh YES I DO!!! In fact I owned and finished that one myself…I remember it was potent…do you remember that about it? spicy and chypre- ish? I remember that I had to wear it sparingly as it could overtake a room! yes, the cap was green…I will see if I can find some info on it…
and good for you making a list! I have a book of every full bottle drained and a separate book of everything I have and continue to sample.
https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Long-Lost-Perfume/Maroc-9385.html
Ok so this is not the original bottle and I am wondering if this one is a remake…but if you read the comments it was by Ultima (which may have been owned by Revlon? or a division of Revlon? not sure) and many commenters describe it as a rose chypre…I will see if I can find pix of the original bottle.
Also,do you remember Xia Xiang by Revlon? I wore that one too and the bottle was so pretty…I could kick myself for throwing it out!!!!
https://www.amazon.com/Original-Maroc-Prestige-Fragrances-Cologne/dp/B008HAPNU2
Holy crow!!!! Look at the price of that bottle!!! I paid somewhere in the vicinity of ten around the time I bought it…yikes!
https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Revlon/Xia-Xiang-4600.html
I had the bottle under the right under the main accords…..the irony is these types of perfumes that were sold in the drugstore for practically free (under ten dollars) would probably sell for two hundred today and be considered niche! LOL!
I found the flat bottle of Xia-Xiang in my recycling bin in my old apt. building. I wasn’t quite a full-blown perfumista yet but it was mysterious so I kept it!
Oh I knew you would remember! It was a chypre and spicy. I just loved it. My bottle didn’t look like the pictures, but it probably had a few changes. I bought mine from the grocery/pharmacy. I also had Xia-Xiang, I loved that too, but it tended to give me a headache. Thanks so much for all the info!
I totally used UP a bottle of Xia Xi’ang, and when I went to repurchase, it was d/c. (Oddly, Samsara reminds me of it now.)
Good morning fragrant friends,
Commando now, but plan on CDG Black after shower. I wore this the other day and forget how terrific it is.
Tea is coffee, a lazy morning.
Rarely if ever, do I have a credit on my Nordstrom card. I keep putting different fragrances in my shopping cart and leaving them there until I decide.
It’s mascara day at Nordstrom–today only. Resisting, as I don’t need 3 (already have a couple waiting in the wings).
Heh, I never knew there was such a day! I don’t wear mascara and have a constant supply (GWP). I’m happy to pass them along to you if you are interested.
If there are no takers I will gladly take them off your hands. YOunger family members go through mascara like crazy!!!
I have plenty to go around 🙂
oye ve, I am sure I have some from last years mascara event.
Q: What happens when you shake a bottle of Lush Lord of Misrule shower gel, and the top is not quite closed?
A: Oh no……
Yup folks, don’t try this at home, ’cause I already tried it for you. Green blood spatters everywhere. Ack!!
On to a more fun topic… last week I asked where to go sniffing in London (I will be there soon!! soon!!!) This week I’m asking: are there any London-exclusive scents I should sniff? I see that Robin has thoughtfully posted info on new Amouage and OJ scents, I might try to find those. What else?
Oh no. I hope you didn’t lose too much!
Not too much. But my bathroom looked like a leprechaun crime scene.
Ha!
This made me laugh out loud.
Ack, so sorry!
Yikes and the green is off putting!
London Exclusives to try:
Knightsbridge by Robert Piguet
Single Malt By Kilian (although this ones seems to be available at department stores with a By Kilian boutique – Saks, Bergdorfs)
Here is another one, a Tom Ford named London. Available at Selfridges, Harrods and, I believe Harvey Nichols.
That’s a nice one… got a FB already 🙂
Not London-exclusive per se, but Brocard (a Russian house) in Blooms might be difficult or impossible to find in the US?
Have never heard of them before! Any favorites?
Honestly, the only thing I tried from them was ultra-feminine and not to my taste at all – Queen of Spades (Modern), I think – a sweet. fruity floral. Brocard is not a niche house as such, more another country’s normal fare that we don’t get to see often and might just be fun to try. Full bottles are £12-£20 – this is not typical for Blooms! As the shop is in Covent Garden, there are all sorts of fun places to shop and eat all around you.
I would go to Perfumer H, which is the solo venture of Lyn Harris from Miller Harris. Mind you, I may have missed her stuff being available here in the US, but I’m okay being a doofus and I sure as s**t will never catch up so maybe you’re in the same boat…
ooo, that looks like a fun shop…
Eek! Just splashing it in the shower has left green spots on my fabric shower curtain. Sounds gruesome.
I can’t remember if I mentioned it here but I finished knitting my first sock this week! I’m working on dock 2 as we speak. I should have made notes as I was knitting my first one as I’m miserable at counting rows.
In more pertinent news, I joined Scenbird. Anyone else on there? Their selection has just enough niche for it to be worth exploring. My first decant is Amouage Lilac Love, which is lovely in all but price.
Today I’m wearing the Les Mythiques L’Interdit, one of my first loves in Nordstrom all those years ago. I got a tester this week and it is heaven. I may like it better than Eau Premiere.
Lilac Love smells much more like Amouage to me than like Lilacs. Not bad at all , except that I wanted Lilacs. Hence the little travel spray of En Passant taking pride of place as newest acquisition in my collection…
Today is cool, and I am doing a couple dump runs to get rid of all the non-burnable cleanup from my garden, so I needed something with heft. Barkhane fits the bill. I am definitely getting a FB of this when my sample is gone.
If you’re interested in splitting, let me know.
I like LL for everything but price! I love the powdery iris base and the delicious watery cocoa bean heart but it would be cheaper to buy Iris Poudre.
I’ve been wondering about Scentbird myself. I joined Olfactif this month, but wasn’t too impressed by what I received.
I joined Olfactif, but only bought one sample set. Not that impressed, either. I also tried Phlur, that was a big nothing for 10 clams.
I did Olfactif for about a year. I was introduced to a few things that I really love (so 3 out of 36.) That’s about the same ratio when I choose things on my own, so I figured I’d stick to picking myself. I also get more excited to test perfumes of my own choosing. Generally when my Olfactif box arrived, it’d sit untouched for weeks or months.
I joined Sens Unique, but calculated the exchange rate wrong so it turned out to be way more expensive than it should have been. Each box features a different note. I found out this month that I’m not a fan of most figs.
Errr. well that is information. (I too am not a fan of most figs–in perfume that is. Love fresh fig smell, and fig tree smell!)
That does seem like a fact that might save you money down the road!! I’m in the anti-fig boat too, a fact that I am pretty quiet about since I haven’t met many people who don’t like fig (or fig leaf).
You’re right, I feel kind of embarrassed about it to be honest.
I really hate fig leaf. I mean, REALLY hate it.
I’ll join the anti-fig club. There are only a few notes I can’t abide, and fig is one of them. (Also osmanthus, but I try to keep that under wraps, too 😉 )
I like it but the niche selection is pretty scarce. Still, I found about 12 months worth if I decide to keep the subscription.
I’m highly impressed with your knitting. I have never tried it myself. My alphabet sampler cross-stitch only has the A completed (with a lopsided airplane because I miscounted) and it had been 23 years since I touched it 🙂
That is really sad. I am still laughing!
Yep…i had 1 more niece and 2 more nephews to redeem myself but the youngest one is now 17.
This is the first time I’ve picked up one project after another. I have quite a few unfinished projects in my closet. I’m loving my socks so much, though. I wish I lived where it was cold! I’d make a pair for every day.
I am REALLY impressed with your knitting as I never got to the sock phase..hats, scarves and misshapen sweaters is as far as I have gone 🙂
Socks are actually not as hard as I thought, especially when you can watch tutorials on YouTube (I recommend Kelley’s Sock Class for the hairy parts!).
Sweaters are my last frontier, but I want to be my goal weight before making one. I have the yarn picked out already.
Congrats on starting sock #2! I’m still making rectangles, and am in awe of your knitting skills.
I’d be so grateful if you could keep us updated on your thoughts about Scentbird. I’ve been on the fence about it, and would love to know what other NST-ers think about it!
Thank you!
The one thing I will say is that I hate the scent bird travel case. My decant has already leaked on itself once.
Pretty sure JadainGA uses Scentbird and has been very happy with it.
Yes she does and she mentioned them in her latest video.
It’s definitely fine for the entry fee. You can see their whole inventory before you put in your info.
Go you! Sock knitting is so satisfying. I haven’t knit socks recently as I sometimes irritate my shoulder when knitting 8 stitches/inch. Cotton ballband washcloths are my TV knitting right now. Also hats for friends’ babies.
Mine are 5.5 stitches per inch (I think light worsted?) on 6’s but I definitely can’t knit for more than an hour at a time. I do want to try fingering weight next but I already had the yarn for these.
I’m trying Tauer’s Sotto La Luna Gardenia for the first time. I’m utterly confused by what I’m smelling and can’t put my finger on any note, but I am completely in love. What is this magic?
Oh, and I tried Arielle Shoshana’s fragrance last night. I was a bit anxious because fruit and my skin have a complicated relationship – it amps fruit notes (especially berries) to ridiculous levels. However, I was super happy that the passion fruit was not obnoxious, just tart and lovely. I think I’ll be running through my sample pretty quickly this summer!
I’m also charmed by SLL Gardenia. I think it’s just such so happy and playful, like some sort of gardenia dessert. The AS sounds nice, too. I like fruit if it’s tart.
Yay, so glad you like both of them!
The Tauer is a very sweet gardenia. Could not figure it out at first but it stuck onto my mala beads which I wear as a bracelet and it smelled divine the next day.
I am anxious to try Ari’s new fragrance as well for I happen to love tart fruit (big big fan of the original Calyx)
I just sniffed my mala and it is still there…a soft creamy gardenia…I think it was Monday that I applied to my left wrist. I guess the sandalwood beads truly absorbed it.
That sounds lovely.
Wearing Chantecaille Le Wild (from a sample). I arrived to the conclusion that this is my favorite gardenia. I won’t buy a bottle for $200 but know that I’ll have some regrets when they discontinue it.
I keep looking for a Winer gardens. I will look into this one…
Winner gardenia. Stupid spellcheck!
Would love to hear your opinion, if you try it! I cannot find any proper review written about Le Wild, but I agree with those who say that it is a green gardenia, that it has a raw white flower feel, and that it smells mature.
That one is nice. I have a sample which I just dug out since you mentioned it. It does smell on the greener end of the spectrum and less creamy. Starts out with quite a wallop but actually faded fast on me. Does it last on you?
I totally agree with your assessment. It doesn’t last very long, or, more accurately, it smells subtle after the first two hours. But I generally don’t mind it (to me, those that persist forever tend to have that synthetic feel … the drydown on this one seems rather natural to me; would you agree?). Today I want to compare its performance to Rodin Olio Lusso (different flowers, but possibly similar style; we’ll see).
Seems like such a trivial thing to complain about but I think I’m going to experience death by jasmine this summer. The courtyard in front of my building – well, in front of all the building here in this little complex – is lined with yards of jasmine bushes – each bush about 4 feet high. Until recently, the scent was pleasant enough…but since it’s been consistently above 80 degrees this week, the flowers are really starting to bloom. When I get home in the early evening, it’s intense enough to make dizzy. I practically have to sprint into the building holding my breath.
I like jasmine as a fragrance note just fine but…sheesh. This is too much!
Wow! Too much jasmine…maybe you could sell tickets. 🙂 I might like to experience that…
Ha! It can get pretty intense. I remember that from growing up in LA.
I learned not to have gardenias growing outside the bedroom window for the same reason!
sayitisntso, you have brought back a wonderful memory of death by Jasmine. I rendezvoused with my then husband in Delhi – I flew from US, he flew from Saudi and we stayed at a small hotel where we listened to Avalon by Roxy music for the first time on a cassette player and had a bottle of champagne that was kept cold in a plastic wash bucket. when we looked out the windows, their were girls with baskets and baskets of night jasmine for sale. I thought I would die, but it would have been death by a perfect moment I guess, rather than by jasmine.
I still love it, and just opened my window to get whiff.
What a beautiful memory!
That is a terrific memory!
*make me dizzy. :/
Thanks to a generous NST’er I am sampling box of eels today.
Cappuccino from NY social club, not bad, my first time
Farmers Market, nails salon, and now relaxing while the babies nap
You have a lovely life…
Thank you, I think I do. With my chubby buddha and little monkey its never boring that is for sure.
Happy baby days are the best. 🙂
Twins!
hey twin..we smell fab!
This is a skin scent on me..how about you?
It seems to balance the line between pushy and demure on me. As Goldilocks said, “this one is Just right!”
What a perfect day…..I envy you 🙂
I’m in ‘finish up the samples already!’ mode today. Bulgari Rose Goldea on the right, and Eau Rose on the left to compare.
The Bulgari is from a carded sample, and they listed the name of the perfumer, Alberto Morillas. I don’t usually see that on department store samples. It’s a nice rosey musk so far, but I definitely like Eau Rose better.
I tried Rose Goldea the other day. I thought it was pretty, but it didn’t hold my interest.
That was pretty much my conclusion as well.
Box of Eels for a work day. Peace Out, NSTers!✌????
peace out twin
You smell fabulous. I hope you have a great day at work!
SOTD = Annick Goutal Heure Exquise EDP
Methinks I could do. Etter with more than 3 sprays but I do not want it to get the ixnay from scent-phobe Mom. Heure Equise shares DNA with Chanel No. 19 and is a more aldehylic floral than the EDP and less orange blossomy than the EDT. It is a very nice alternative if you are trying to get away from Chanel all day every day.SOTD = Annick Goutal Heure Exquise EDP
Methinks I could do better with more than 3 sprays but I do not want it to get the ixnay from scent-phobe Mom. It shares DNA with No.19 – it is more aldehylic floral than the EDP and less orange blossomy than the EDT. It is a nice alternative to Chanel all day everyday. At the next swapmeet, I will be offering decants because I will not be using up 100 mLs.
Observations in and around town:
– You’ve heard that pets and owners tend to resemble each other. In an unfortunate turn of events, I saw a woman walking her bulldog. You can fill in the rest of what I was going to say next.
– Why is it that people of a certain age driving big cars and maneuvering into a handicapped space think they have the right of way even if one is still trying to get out of the space?
You smell great. I haven’t sniffed AG Heure Exquise for a long time but I remembered it as a powdery-aldehydic type of iris. Come to think of it, it sounds similar to FM Iris Poudre. Are they similar?
I don’t think they are, but that is just my nose
I will second that..different to my nose too.
Yeah, not much like Iris Poudre. HE is a good bit like No. 19 but softer and less backbone-y.
I don’t smell a resemblance with FM Iris Poudre. I think Carner Barcelona and Iris Poudre may have similarities. Perhaps the AG Heure Exquise you smelled was the EDT?
I’d not say they’re similar either. To my nose, it shares DNA with Oscar de la Renta (the original.) Isn’t it also inspired by L’Heure Bleue?
Can I tell you how much a love your SOTD.
I smelled it for the first time a few weeks ago. A generous NSTer scent me a small decant that I am treasuring. HE is a big love for me. Lemming a bottle, I see some on discount sites and trying to resist the temptation.
I am looking at my cat now and trying to see if there is any resemblance
I have a friend who says her life’s goal is to look like her Salukis.
If the discount is big enough…
I got mine at a Sniffapalooza / Annick Goutal event…not the one that just happened but the one from I think almost a year ago, when Camille Goutal and Isabel Doyenne were in town – they signed my bottle…well, the packaging.
I found a (used) bottle on ebay for a song.
I found the EDP to be richer, rounder and sweeter than the EDT which was more similar to no 19 to my nose.
I’d agree with that. My recollection of the edt is that it had a cool, silvery thread of iris running through it, which I don’t get from the edp.
I WISH I looked like T-Rex- everyone seems to find her adorable and charming, sleek and athletic. Me, on the other hand, not so much. ????
Well, you need to let someone else be the judge of that…for all we know, you’re the svelte human to T-Rex’s canine. You certainly have the charming personality and anyone who can use a power saw and can outfit a camper all by herself has got to be athletic, no?
Hi NST family!
Beat me to it why I haven’t realized earlier how wonderful perfume a Puredistance I is. Yesterday I was looking for something at parfumo and Puredistance I poped up as one of my search results. When I looked it up and saw it has magnolia, mimosa, tangerine and rose I immediately thought that should be divine for current weather.
I dug out my sample from a pile in a drawer and here I am, wearing Puredistance I. It is so gorgeous! I can really smell magnolia, mimosa and tangerine. But why I didn’t discover this beauty earlier, that I don’t know.
Now… where is my cone of shame? (make it perfumed at least, please?)
LOL. I’ll join you in that fragrant cone of shame.
I went to Jo Malone yesterday and tried Star Magnolia which struck me more as a pale floral than a lively magnolia. So I was a bit disappointed. The problem may have been related to quantity as the sales assistant did the spraying and she was agonisingly mean. Glad you have Puredistance as that sounds like the business.
I felt the same when I sniffed Star Magnolia this week. My magnolia HGs are still Eau de Magnolia (newer love) and Magnolia Nobile (old love.)
Great visual, hahaa!
Amongst the Waves perfume oil by Olivine Atelier. There is a Pearl Jam song of the same name and had I known, it would have been a good choice for match your perfume to a song week.
As the name implies, it is a tropical scent with notes of coconut and lily. It reminds me of Bronze Goddess, which I have never actually worn on skin but I have sniffed and been tempted by it many times when strolling through Macy’s.
Plus, Amongst the Waves is just a better name than Bronze Goddess, even without the song.
I think Bronze Goddess is a great name. Very 80s throwback to my mind.
True.
Happy Memorial day weekend, US NSTers. Is this Victoria day weekend for Canadians? In any case, I have a couple clients coming in so sticking around for the weekend.
Thank you for all your kind and loving comments to me on the Friday thread. A reminder what an amazingly supportive community this is. One kind soul even emailed me to see if I wanted some samples.
I was on the Twisted Lily site yesterday, putting a bunch of samples into my cart and then I realized that they carry pretty much all of the perfumes that I’m interested in, so I should just go there! I guess samples are very good for trying on skin over time, so I still might indulge – no fb purchases right now because of the money situation, but samples will get me thru the night. I have been really paring down my perfume collection because I moved out of my house and really have no place to put much where I am living now. There are quite a few items for giveaway and I will be for sure participating in the freebie meet as an offerer but not a taker this time.
I have a splitting headache today so my SOTD is just straight sandalwood oil on forhead, under the nose and on the temples.
Victoria Day (or May 2-4 as we usually say) was last weekend. It is the Monday immediately previous to the 24th of May. I have a headache too, maybe a weather change? In any case, feel better soon.
By the way, is it appropriate to say “happy” Memorial Day? In many ways it seems a bit of a sad day, but again I can understand why memorials are happy/proud/sad times.
I hear “happy Memorial Day” often, and think it means observe the day in a way that feels appropriate. 🙂
Thanks! I have been avoiding the issue altogether by saying, “Have a good long weekend!”
Sandalwood is fabulous for headaches. I think it was your mention of it a while back that clued me in. Thanks!
Hi NST! I am back from my vacation. I tried keeping up with everything here but gave up after a week.
So I saw:
– Strasbourg (Alsace is such an interesting region)
– Bern (beautiful but crazy expensive) – Parma and surrounding small towns/countryside
– small part of the Apennine mountains (where we met snow, rain and hail!)
– Genoa (awesome city)
– Grasse (the garden of the international museum of perfumery = highlight for me, 10 miles outside of Grasse, pretty quiet, and flowers and herbs, and as a bonus butterflies and bees and ants everywhere. And you are allowed to touch and smell the plants and flowers in one part of the garden 🙂
– the Jura, gorgeous landscape, must return there soon!
So we had a blast!!! I could travel for months, but my bank account and my manager probably will not be supportive 😉
Today is very warm in The Netherlands. 30 degrees Celcius, that’s what the weather folks call ‘a tropical day’.
Started out wearing Eau de Narcisse bleu (And thought to myself, I need more refreshing colognes like that).
In afternoon tried some Un jardin apres le mousson in the store. Works better in hot weather for me.
That sounds like a wonderful trip. I used to live in the French Jura ( about an hour from Geneva) and still dream of going back
Oh must be amazing living there!
To me it almost felt like a fairy tale landscape. Like going back in time.
Welcome back!
How lovely, and thanks for the description of the garden at the museum — it always sounded nice and glad to hear it really is.
It really is! You can easily spend 2 hours there. There are chairs and seats everywhere in the shade and you can bring your own drinks and food.
I had limited time and had to choose between the museum and the gardens. Weather was so good and I craved a more quiet and spacious environment, so I chose the garden!
I have sun and 70 degrees today! Wearing Alien eau Sublime for the first time. It is sparkly lemon paired with the traditional Alien. A very happy scent. The cable guy came this morning to install and switch out things, now I can’t figure out how to work my television, lol. I did at least find the Tigers game. Whew….
Ha, thanks cable guy! Glad you found your game, anyway.
While my older son was away for over two months, none of us were able to watch tv or stream movies in our playroom/guestroom (the only place we ever watch tv as a family). The day after he got back I asked him to please show me how to get past the msg that says “you do not have internet.” I swear he did exactly what I did, but some how it worked for him…
I’m wearing Safran Troublant (no, spellcheck, not Suffer Troubling). Good for a grey cool day.
Yum yum yum…..I am new to discovering this glorious scent and I absolutely LOOOOVVVEEEEE it!!!!!!!!!!
ST contains the most delicious vanilla note ever.
HA Suffer Troubling!
I tried Mad et Len Graphite recently. At first sniff, it’s similar to Bruno Fazzolari Lampblack, but softer and possibly more wearable.
Has anyone tried Graphite or anything else by Mad et Len? Kevin wrote a fairly positive review of Red Musk, but that’s the only one I’m finding:
https://freebox.it.com/2017/01/11/wheres-the-musk-aether-muskethanol-mad-et-len-red-musc-fragrance-reviews/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Their home fragrances get some mentions, especially the scented lava rocks and resinous crystals. BTW, Mad et Len is a play on the Proustian madeleine.
There’s also this brief review of another scent:
http://www.adyssmeets.com/beauty/review-mad-et-len-candle-perfume/
Day 6 of being away from home. Yesterday I tested some Mark Buxton perfumes ( some thing with a ghost and something with a devil ) and some Jo Malones ( Star Magnolia and French Lime Blossom ) and tried on a cool Vetements jacket ( which cost the same as a return ticket to Europe ). So far my top perfume points go to Boy, Ginsberg is God, Coromandel, Galop, the green Olfactive Studios one…is it Ombre something? A couple of the usual suspects from Frederick Malle ( all the ones mentioned here but that I had never sniffed). I have to go to the zoo today…taking a car-less writer who is doing a book about chimp tea parties based on a photo found in Anne Frank’s attic . No chimps at the zoo here but who am I to curb the imagination. I’m not big on zoos.
Blue not green:Ombre Indigo. Nice.
Ombre Indigo is lovely. I own that one along with Chambre Noire.
Sounds as if you’re having a good time 🙂
Ombre Indigo is very interesting, it’s been on and off my list of future purchases a few times. I’ve tried some Mark Buxton, they were pleasant but not exciting.
Sleeping with Ghosts. I think the name is more interesting than the scent and can’t figure out how the name fits the fruity vanilla. It is kind of yummy, though.
I got pure marshmallow fluff from that one.
I’m stuck on “a book about chimp tea parties” and “Anne Frank.”
Wut? and LOLOL!!
Also love Boy. I just bought one of those 4ml minis – the little bottles that come in the personal Chanel counter. (What to do when those bottles are emptied? They’re so adorable I hate to toss them.)
SotD = La Chasse aux Papillons
Wondrous. I smell like springtime. I sniffed the bottle of La Chasse repeatedly over the past few weeks, and it was a no-no each time. Today was the day at last.
On Monday we will have a flag ceremony and pancake breakfast with extended family. Can’t believe it will be June next week. Eeep!
The weather here is stuck in April! So I can’t believe it either.
Happy Saturday, all! It’s an overcast day, and the rest of the long weekend looks like it will be gray and drizzly.
I’m wearing En Passant. Random observation: I’ve had a decant of this for probably a decade, but it was only this week that I realized the brilliance of its name. Every May, during the all-too-short season when the lilacs are in bloom, I walk down a particular block in my neighborhood to catch their fragrance. I can’t smell it when I’m standing right in front of the bush, though; the scent always hits me either a few yards before I pass it or a few yards after.
that is a lovely one…first sniffed it three weeks ago. Funny, but En Passant is also a chess term and I always think of that when I see it ….you smell wonderful.
Thank you — both for the compliment and for the fun fact about En Passant being a chess term!
Started the day in L’Artisan “Batucada” in the expectation of another hot, sunny day.
Top: lime, cachaça and mint leaves;
Mid: tiare and ylang ylang;
Base: coconut water, marine notes and sea salt.
My expectations were dashed: we’ve had a grey, cloudy day with a stiff breeze and at times I’ve regretted wearing shorts. Batucada never lasts very long on me so as a second SOTD I used the last of my decant of Nobile 1942 “Rudis”. Well suited to a cooler day:
Top: bergamot, dried fruits and grapes;
Mid: rose, geranium, carnation, saffron and cedar;
Base: leather, patchouli, vetiver, immortelle, musk and incense.
Sadly not available as a decant in the UK at the moment, and I’m not springing for a FB at £175 just yet. So I’ve ordered a bunch of 2ml Nobile 1942 samples, including two of Rudis, from Roullier White. That will kick the can down the road for a while. :^)
I just noticed something interesting on the Luckyscent website! It’s what they call a “Fragrance Fitting Sample Pack”: you tell them something about what sort of fragrance you are looking for (day, night, etc.), the fragrances you’ve loved or hated, something about yourself, and so on, and they’ll send you samples of five fragrances selected to match your interests. This service costs $35.
http://www.luckyscent.com/product/322180/fragrance-fitting-custom-sample-pack-by-luckyscent-sample-pack
I’m really curious and thinking of doing this myself if I can decide what I want. 😉 (No affiliation with Luckyscent.)
If you do,ease let us know how they do! They might come up with something you love…
I’ve tried hundreds (possibly thousands) of perfumes over the years, but Luckyscent has so many niche brands now, I often feel I’ve only scratched the surface and could be missing the perfume love of my life. The challenge is figuring out how to communicate what kind of perfume I like best in a couple of paragraphs.
And, getting them to not send you samples of things you’ve already tried!
This!
Ha, yes. I have ordered a few samples from them already… 🙂
Thanks for pointing that out. I’m going to try it, just out of curiosity and to see if I discover something new and wonderful. I’ll let y’all know how it comes out.
A dull Sunday here. I tried Superstitious, the new Frederic Malle, last night and I can still smell it on my jersey. It’s a nice jasmine, but so far hasn’t screamed ‘Buy me!’.
Disclaimer: Not to enable or anything and absolutely no affiliation
PSA – OsswaldNYC is having a 15% off sale on items marked on sale, with code SALEONSALE. I am putting my money where my mouth is (is this the right expression..although yuck on licking money) and have purchased LM Sensual Orchid. I will put this up for split…anyone interested, please email me. I originally had 3 bottles in my cart and removed 2…so really, with the money I saved by not buying the other two, this one is kind of free, in my very twisted perfumath.
Lol!, I’ve always been bad at math, but your perfume math is EASY to understand:)
Great choice!!!
I emailed you
Good morning, all. We have network connection problems again today chez Waterdragon, how tedious!
I’ve been doing some tidying of perfumes and cosmetics, and found something I had totally forgotten owning, Chypre d’Orient by Molinard. I know I bought it in France at Molinard when I dragged the poor dear man all the way to Grasse so I could buy their famous tobacco scent (name currently escapes me), only to discover I really disliked it. He went to so much trouble to get me there (it was madly out of our way) that I felt I had to buy something, and Chypre d’Orient was it. At the time, it was a duty thing, rather “Meh”; now, either it’s changed or (more likely) I have, because I’m loving it, in a restrained and cautious way. It’s a big, rich, properly perfume-y perfume, not shy, but not screaming “Here I am!” either. Useful and interesting find among the bottom-shelfers!
And now that I’ve decided I like Cd’O, you know what? I’m going to go back and have another go at J’ai Ose, because I was probably wrong about it too! Be well, relaxed and fragrant, all.
Habanita?
Yes! Thank you. I could have looked it up. But it’s Sunday, and I feel bone idle.
Still enjoying the Cd’O– it’s the sort of perfume a very smart great aunt would have worn in my childhood.
I’ve never tried the original Habanita but a lovely NSTer introduced me to Habanita L’Esprit and it’s one of my favorite fall/winter scents. Seems easier to find abroad than in the US.
Since the weather is finally seeming to cooperate and it is warming up, does anyone store their oil based fragrances or extraits in the fridge? Usually I keep many of my regular fragrances in the bedroom stored under the bed, but it can get warm with our hot summers here.
I have a Shalimar extrait and Le Labo perfume oil that I want to keep from going bad. Is the fridge a safe environment or does it change anything for the worse?
I do store my oils and lotions/creams in the fridge and it has preserved them wonderfully. I think it works less well for alcohol-based perfumes, I had one bottle (sealed unopened) that completely went off but I’m not sure why. A basenoter said she had several go off on her in the fridge too, so I have removed all of them to the basement.
Thank you cazaubon!
Long walk in Lower Manhattan today with the friend visiting. We had planned to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge but I took one look at the crowds and declared “no way.” So, continued the walk through Chinatown for lunch, up through Soho to finally grab the subway just below Union Square.
As we walked, I noted the new Fueguia 1833 store in Soho. I’m completely unfamiliar with their scents. Anyone know much about them? I didn’t go in because i wasn’t alone, and we were already a bit tired. And, I was already wearing Jour Ensolleille, with a dash of Muguet Porcelaine from our quick stop in the Hermes fragrance store downtown. They are so nice in there…it really is a treat.
I tried a few at Luckyscent, none of them really grabbed me.
Thanks cazaubon. Always good to hear when things seem very pricey… ????
Like Jiji, I too am back from a trip, in my case England. It was great to meet up with friends and family and I visited a couple of new places as side-trips. The perfume highlight was visiting Burgins in York; I sniffed a lot of perfumes and bought Aqua Manda bath oil and Floris Hyacinth and Bluebell room fragrance. At the duty-free I also got some Jo Malone Velvet Rose and Oud body oil. Overall, I was quite restrained.
Nice buys, and welcome home! 🙂
I pulled Manoumalia out from the back of the cabinet today. Somehow, it’s even better in the tropical heat we’re having. You’d think it would be Too Much, but no.
Manoumalia is great!
PSA: Indigo Perfumery has a 20% off on certain US brands (DS, Kerosene, etc). Code: redwhiteandblue
Luckyscent has a whole bunch of markdowns on some fragrances
And twisted lily has one of their gift card promo and a free shipping above $20.
SOTD – Le Galion Iris.
French Leather today! Love the floral (lime blossom)/leather combo. I can see how this might not have a big fan base. 9 hours later, I am still catching whiffs!
Robin,
After almost two months of patiently waiting, I received the vetiver bathmat that you mentioned in one of your vetiver posts (I bought it from a place that had somewhat lower shipping costs and offered a coupon discount but then they didn’t have any in stock). It arrived this afternoon so I cannot say much about it yet except that it looks great (basically just lots of vetiver roots bound together that smell real). My cat seems to have lots of interest in it, so we’ll see how this goes, but for now I am very happy with my purchase.
Oh my goodness, such a long wait that I forgot all about it! Glad it at least looks great, and can’t wait to hear if it wafts gorgeously every time you step on it with wet feet.
Yes, it works very well with wet feet! It smells so nice (and it feels great) but it is, to me, a subtle effect. However, the cat, from all the cushioned spots in the house, decided to spent the night on the mat in the bathroom.
Hmm, this makes me wonder if I should get a mat for my furbies to (hopefully) enjoy…
Robin, I forgot to add that I also followed your take on Wash Behind your Ears shower gel! I behaved well and got a small bottle first which was soon joined by a medium size one. I haven’t opened the larger one yet, but my small bottle is all about carrots (rendered in a great way).
Oh good! I am going to buy more if they still have it when I’m at the mall again.
And how nice that your cat loves vetiver!
OOh! I missed that post but that sounds really cool!
https://freebox.it.com/2017/04/07/5-perfumes-vetiver-fragrances-for-spring/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Walking around in a cloud of lavender today wearing SL Encens et Lavande on one arm and SL Gris Clair on the other.
Both soooo gorgeous *sighs*.
ooooh, I’m imagining you surrounded by a shimmery halo of scent. 🙂
I’ve had a hard time with the few SL scents I’ve tried in the past, but right now I’m sniffing a sample of Iris Silver Mist and liking it very much.
I’ve not been a big fan of most of the SLs I’ve tried, but ISM is one that I still want to try. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve put a decant of it in my cart then removed it. Some day!
I’m in Gris Clair this AM and like it okay, but am not swooning. What is the Encens et Lavender like? I once had some Japanese lavender incense that was very pretty.
Encens et Lavande had the more swoon-worthy opening but overtime the lavender took on a soapy quality and took turns with the incense wafting back and forth. Not churchy incense but softer (more like Kyoto). I will enjoy the rest of my 2ml spray but I don’t expect to buy more at this stage.
I enjoyed Gris Clair much more – the warm dry spices with the greenish lavender went onto my FB wishlist – but of course your mileage may vary.
Thanks for the description. As long as the soapiness doesn’t veer into tonka or vanilla, I suspect I will enjoy the Encens et Lavande (won that fight w autocorrect!) more than you.
SOTM was JM White Jasmine and Mint from a sample. SOTD is L’ombre dans L’eau edt. I have tried this before, but this time around, it has grabbed my attention.
As it should — you smell great!
Songes EDP from a decant. Found a good deal on Notino (no affiliation) on a 3.3 oz bottle, so I went ahead and bought it since my decant is almost empty. It works well today on a humid Saturday. I watched the “kitten gentling” link Hajusuuri(I think) added in the comments the other day – I had no intention of getting a kitten. On Thursday, my son asked if I wanted a kitten, as one hitched a ride in his wheel well – still don’t quite understand what happened – so now I’m the new parent of an orange kitten! ???? Last night was an adjustment, but I think s/he (not sure, Vet will confirm on Tuesday) is very happy today!
Sounds like fate at work with the kitten, flopper! Orange cats are usually (but not always) male. Congrayulations to both of you!
Ohhhh, sweet! I’m not a big cat person but I have a real soft spot for orange kitties!
I’m glad the kitty found its way to you — no matter how unconventional its mode of transport! Congrats!
Thank you all! Been awhile since I’ve interacted with a kitten. Have yet to come up with a name. So far, the name has been “Kitten”.
SOTD: Songes EDP, again. Funny, I wasn’t able to wear it when I first tried it years ago. Now I really enjoy it.
My last kitty was a beauty, all orange with a sweet, cuddly disposition. He was a senior kitty whose owner had died. I had just lost my little Cornish Rexxie.
His first mom called him Skye, so I stayed with that. We had seven years before his time to go to the rainbow bridge.
Actually his full name was Skye Masterson….someone must have loved Guys and Dolls or Marlon Brando.
Good luck w/ new kitty!
Ah, thank you, good to know about orange cats usually being male!
S(s)ITD-
Baser Voile
Osmanthus Yunnan
Lady Gogo
Wall of Shame
Added Miyako to the mix which smells EXACTLY like osmanthus essential oil.
Osmanthus Yunnan is so pretty, a Luca Turin best floral pick, he gives it 5 stars. I just recently tried it myself. Although I’m an easy mark for anything JCE does.????
I agree, it is very pretty, but unfortunately it has the lifespan of a gnat on my skin 🙁
Mine too.
And now I am testing Rahele on the top of my hands….lovely……
Of course I am somewhat late to the party but I was wiped out yesterday. After looking at my somewhat vintage travel spray of no 19, I realized that I already used half the bottle. I think that I might wear it again today even though I wore it yesterday. After wearing both over the past 6 months, the edp smells better to my nose. Scent of the moment is vintage Bal though.
Hey, it’s sunny out there! I think I will wear Muguet Porcelaine.
Happy Sunday everyone. It’s a lovely sunny day so my hubby went golfing with his brother early this morning. With me being home alone I’ve safely sprayed 4 blasts of Aromatics Elixir. It’s wafting beautifully right now from the heat created by exercising. Must get back on a regular exercise program stat as I always feel so much better for doing it.
Sip of the day is coffee, but I’m not quite sure if it’s as good as Bear’s triple strength potion.
I’m trying to think of what perfume to put on because our weather is so disgustingly hot and humid. It’s like August in May–no fair! I want something citrusy I think but don’t know what to try.
My neighbor has a frangipani plant in bloom with yellow blossoms and they smell so nice-beautiful flowers!
Meanwhile I am keeping very busy with my adorable foster kittens! I know there are some other cat-lovers on here so here’s a little treat for you–Teddy Bear Kittens–
https://www.flickr.com/photos/94283635@N00/34084068234/
So cute! They look like my last fosters; we called them “The Fluffies.”
Sooo cute! They look so innocent, right? Thanks for sharing 🙂
Want! Good on you for taking care of them, Calypso!
There’s really nothing better than kittens, is there?…
Would love to smell a real frangipani in bloom — bet it’s heavenly!
SOTD = Cartier L’Envol
Sheer, sweet, powdery, musky, woody iris, unisec skin scent and works regardless of the temperature. You may get something soapy and/or a baby smell.
Thanks for those who provided suggestions on Sangria. The seedless grapes that will stand in as ice cubes have been washed and getting their freezer makeover :-). I will cut up the apples and oranges right before leaving for the get-together. There were no organic plums.
Yum – enjoy! I love Sangria on a warm lazy afternoon 😉
Cold and wintery monday blahs have me wearing CdG Black for a peppery blast of optimism. Still not enthusiastic about heading to work but I do smell spicy and warm 😉
Lol…this wasn’t meant to be a reply Doh!
Goodness me, it’s Monday, but it’s worth it because it marks the start of the ast teaching week of the semester too, for which I am deeply grateful. It’s been something of a grind this time. I’m bouncing off to work in a haze of Loukhoum by Keiko Meicheri. I can take a lot foody sweetness in my perfumes, but this one is so rich and so sweet that it lies at out the outer limits of wearable for me. It’s almost, but not quite, a comic book gourmand, a caricature of sweetness and womanly opulence. Or maybe it’s a Mae West of a perfume, all husky voice and charms all artfully-arranged and displayed. Whatever. I really do like it it, but it takes quite a bit of living up to…..I don’t, of course, but too bad.
Be well, all.
I’ve never tried the original Loukhoum, but I did get to try Loukhoum Parfum du Soir when we were in Germany last year and loved it. I think it’s supposed to be less sweet than the original. It’s on the someday list.
Dipping at random into Jean-Claude Ellena’s The Diary of a Nose…
“As a child, I liked to go out at dawn and — using my thumb, index finger and middle finger — pick porcelain-white jasmine flowers, intoxicated by their light, tender, green fragrance. Towards noon, the last chalky-white petals exhaled a warm scent of orange blossom. By evening, the forgotten, yellowing flowers gave off a penetrating, animal smell of big cats.”
????
Enjoying a glorious holiday weekend with sun and temps in the 70s (!!) I heard yesterday that it’s the first rain-free Memorial Day weekend in Seattle in 22 years. I haven’t checked but I’d guess it’s been even longer since we had one with temps this high 3 days in a row. This is a climate where one often finds oneself watching July 4 fireworks in a down parka or raincoat, so this is a Big Deal.
Tried Au Coeur du Desért in yesterday’s warm weather and it gets a thumbs-up from me. My H wore the original A*Men, and zomg, YUM. Not to be crass but it gets panty-dropper status from me. (He really likes Pure Malt and expressed interest in a FB. Naturally, I thought he should try the original and some other flankers before making a decision. He still prefers Pure Malt but has agreed to wear the original for me 🙂 He also now knows what a flanker is. 😉 )
I also tried out a hair product my aunt had decanted for me that has the most divine jasmine scent – exactly what I’ve been looking for in a perfume but haven’t yet found. I asked her who made it (hoping they make some kind of body product or oil) and she couldn’t remember what she’d given me! I’ll have to keep bugging her until she figures it out.
ATM I’m in SSS Yin & Ylang. I got a sample of it last spring from a very kind NSTer, went through it really quickly, and made a note to get more for the following year. It would have fit the past 2 weeks’ community projects as it starts as a bright juicy yellow-green floral then dries down into a delicious vanilla-woody skin scent. Good stuff.
Two gorgeous weekends in a row in Seattle? That’s worth celebrating. I remember well the year it rained so steadily that you couldn’t see the boats on Lake Washington during the hydro races. I swear no one appreciates good weather more than someone who lives on Puget Sound. 😉
I like your crass …”panty dropper status”… 🙂
I happen to love A*Men on myself …I drained a full bottle many years ago…I think I might like it better than Angel…have not tried any of the flankers, though.
Smell the Oscar Blandi hair stuff next time you’re in Sephora, and see if that is a match!
Well, I was in the taxi about half way to the airport when I got a text message form the airline to say the flight was cancelled. So now I am back home and flying out tomorrow night instead. Annoying. (And nothung to do with the BA meltdown so I’m not even on trend).
SOTD has been Gucci “Guilty Absolute pour homme” as reviewed recently by Kevin.
Top: leather;
Mid: patchouli and nootka cypress;
Base: goldenwood and vetiver.
This is really good – it sits in an ambiguous space along the leather-wood-petroleum axis and could easily pass for an Histoire des Parfums or some other credibly niche brand. :^)
A delightful mix of sunscreen (even the unscented kind still has a scent) and icy AG vetiver, straight from the fridge, to refresh after being in our actually quite hot roof garden.