First, two quick PSAs...next Thursday, July 1, we're doing a special community project to celebrate Estée Lauder's birthday...wear an Estée Lauder fragrance, if you have one. The next day, Friday, Donatella will be stopping by.
Meanwhile, four questions for a June that's racing to the finish... As always, answer as many or as few as you like, or just talk about something else.
1. What’s the best new scented thing you discovered in June? It can be anything, from a flower to a fragrance to a body product.
2. What new scented thing do you hope to discover in July?
3. Now that the year is about half over, what do you think is the best new fragrance release of 2021 so far?
4. Share something wonderful with us! It can be anything — good news you received recently, something delicious you ate, the latest TV series you binged — really, anything…
Note: top image is Rambling Rose [cropped] by Mark at flickr; some rights reserved.
We got our second COVID shots a couple of days ago, and apart from the same 12 hours of flu-like muscle aches I had with the first one, neither of us had any side effects at all, so that’s pretty good, I think.
Wearing layered Demeter Sandalwood and Vetiver, which together smell like a minimalist men’s cologne. Nice for a warm summer day.
Oh yay, that really is pretty good!
Oh, love that layering idea. Thanks!
A surprising number of Demeters layer or mix really well. Half and half Caramel and Black Pepper is amazing. It’s fun to play around with them, and they’re so inexpensive that you can easily build up a little library of mixables.
Such a fun idea. Can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it. Thanks.
I have a little library of Demeter samples, but I haven’t layered them much. Now I’m off to see which ones might work well together……
Nice layering! That sounds like a great fragrance combination.
Congrats on round two!
Thanks for reminding me that I have the Tomato (or Tomato Leaf) one somewhere and this hot, humid weather would be ideal for it!
Now I really have to try Caramel and Black Pepper. ?
Congratulations on your shots!
Glad to hear that you had minimal side effects from Round #2!
Hello and happy weekend to all! After more violent weather the weekend is nice & mellow so far.
1. This month I discovered Diptyque Ilio which I actually added to my perfume wardrobe this week. For a cute bottle photo see here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQlU99lB6-d/?utm_medium=copy_link
2. I woul like a good quality summer candle to burn in the evening. Something more original than coconut or citrus.
3. Possibly Parfum d’Empire Mal-Aime but it’s not a perfume for me.
4. My mum literally reads my mind and bough some delicious eclairs to enjoy with our weekend coffee. Yuum!
Today I am wearing Cedrat Enivrant.
Yay for your mellow weather!
I am thinking of Angie and Kevin this weekend, since the Pacific Northwest is going to be beastly hot.
Hope they can handle the heat.
Eclairs and coffee sounds absolutely wonderful!
Great pairing!
I love the bottle you show in your photograph. Hope to see it in person this coming week and try some sniffs from it!
Hi, Lucas! It’s hot and very humid here in the DC area, but that’s normal for this time of year and there is AC everywhere indoors.
The Cire Trudon Abd el Kader candle is usually described as inspired by Moroccan mint tea, but it’s both fresh and more complex than that:
“A gust of freedom blowing from the Mascara coast and the mountains picks up on its way the green scents of fresh mint, the rashness of fights, ginger’s hot and peppered air and the perfume of tea and tobacco from the Ouled Nail tribe…”
It’s really special. You don’t have to light the wick to smell it, either.
The Hurraw! balms I ordered recently arrived yesterday, and they smell pretty darned good, so those will be my June picks. Included with my purchase was a bonus lime & coconut balm (labeled not for sale, just for fun). Applying it made me feel like I was participating in yesterday’s community project–seems like a flavor AB would have appreciated.
While No 5 is hardly new, the soon-to-be-released scented body products will be something I look forward to trying in July.
It’s one of those days where if it’s not raining cats & dogs, it’s like pea soup outside. Something wonderful: TCM appears to be having a Hitchcock fest this afternoon & evening, so when I’m not dashing out for a quick walk, can plunk myself in front of reliable entertainment.
Oh good, so glad you like the balms.
I rediscovered Diptyque Tam Dao from a sample. It is really calming. I purchased Jo Malone Elderberry, which I initially loved but now doesn’t do much for me. I really enjoyed The Kaminsky Method Season 3 on Netflix. In July I am looking to discover a new fragrance for summer.
Tam Dao is the best de-stress fragrance I know 🙂
Tam Dao EDT or EDP? Inquiring minds want to know!
I love Tam Dao! Smells amazing
Best new scented thing Dior Tobacolor and les immmmmmmmodales vanilla Havana
I can never decide.
Best new thing watching Ted Lasso.
Working at the company of many fragrances I have learned the new fiscal year begins on mrs. Estée Lauder’s birthday.
Another great thing, my bottle of Shanghai Lily arrives today.
I would like to sample Hiram Green vetiver in July.
And yes best thing of all magic pillow, 10.5 hours last night.
Do tell more about this magic pillow!
Yes please tell us. Are you saying the magic pillow helps you sleep longer? Cuz I could use some of that.
The pillow.
I know I mention this pillow every weekend. My sister has one now also and she clocked 12 hours last night.
It from The Four Seasons Hotel collection. You can find them on their website. I bought the 25% down, 75% feather.
Does the Dior smell like Vanilla Havane?
No, the vanilla is not prominent. Overall, Tobacolor seemed sheer. I think it could be worn in the summer.
More vanilla for She-Ra:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQke_aDhuTX/?utm_medium=copy_link
Vanilla received!?
Wearing original Agent Provocateur body lotion, now sprayed some SL La Fille de Berlin on top.
I discovered this quarter that the itch to buy could be scratched with cheapies: an SJP discovery set, a dirt cheap Madonna Truth or Dare… I’ll confess to Donatella when the time comes.
Also, I’ve started playing around (Merlin mentioned doing this) and some things actually smell really good. Tea for Two with Aromatics Elixir on top was a particular favourite. Also, strangely, SJP Lovely with a miniscule amount of Stash on top. Next I want to find the right musk with the right incense. Does anyone have a suggestion for a cheap church-y incense? Heely Cardinal was nice, but too expensive for my tastes and I can’t find Avignon anywhere.
I’ve recently tried my hand at the Indian spinach curry Saagwala (made with chicken) and it is pretty darned nice and not as heavy as most other Indian curries.
Watching old favourites on Netflix right now. Work is stressful and I’m in survival mode. Two weeks to go before I have some time off!
Have a lovely weekend!
I love cooking my own curries! After an amazing Indian meal at friends’ house, on their recommendation, I purchased Healthy Indian Cooking, by Shehzad Husain and Manisha Kanani, and I have found every recipe I’ve tried to be delicious while cutting back on some of the fat in traditional recipes (although I usually find they take longer to cook and I like more spice than they suggest).
I love curry! It’s so comforting.
Comforting is a good word for it! They can really warm you from the inside.
Thanks for the cookbook rec. I also amp up the spices – esp if the recipes come from authentically Indian websites or newspaper sites. And EVERYTHING takes longer to cook than the recipes say. In my experience at least!
I find it very reassuring that you also find recipes take longer than they say! I consider myself a pretty experienced cook, but it’s hard to not wonder what I’m doing wrong when yet another “45-minute meal” takes me an hour and half!
And yay for extra spices! So yummy!
Jovoy Le Liturgies des Heures is a nice church incense type incense, more oomph than Cardinal, not as overpowering as Avignon, which I expected to love but just didn’t. I believe it is available at Luckyscent, but if you go to the Jovoy website directly they are sort of making it very easy to buy things from them at very good prices.
Thanks for your answer! I’ve heard good things about Jovoy perfumes. I’ll see if I can find this one. My problem with Cardinal was also that it lacked oomph for the price!!
Ooh nice. Curry in all forms is a good time. A new Kashmiri restaurant (take out only) opened nearby recently and the food is very tasty and pretty much blisteringly hot to my tongue…. won’t stop us from ordering there, lol.
Ooh do you have a recipe link for saagwala? The only Indian recipe I feel I can do justice to is bhindi masala so far.
My stretch goal is to recreate the deep dish butter chicken pizza that we used to get from an Indian place in Vancouver. It was magical and always took an hour from ordering to arrive, but it was worth it!
I think I saw Avignon at Lucky Scent earlier this week, if you are still interested in getting that as an incense perfume.
I’m currently wearing Jour d’Hermes, because lately I’m obsessing about fig fragrances, and sometimes an application of something completely different drives a crack in the obsession. That gives me time to weigh whether I actually require more fig options in my collection.
Recent discovery is probably Nishane Wulong Cha, and I want a bottle. Bummer for me, the price range is a bit outside my comfort zone, so it’s sitting in my fantasy LS cart, along with other interesting choices.
We’re having another day of rain, and the forecast promises we aren’t done. So we’re at 75 and muggy, and I’m pretending I live in the tropics. Recent daydream: a 3 or 4 season room on the back of the house.
Current project: small-scale organization. Nothing crazy, just an intention to deal with specific clutter that’s interfering with my peace of mind.
You smell completely beautiful.
Very hot here so not much perfume excitement. Spritzed on Hongkong Oolong yesterday but it was gone in a flash, although pleasant while it lasted. Today will be TF Metallique.
Theoretically I’m excited about the July 7th release of Papillon Perfumery’s Spell 125 and 4160 Tuesdays Complicated Shadows, but since I’m out in the back woods of Canada until the end of October I won’t be able to smell either until than. Very delayed gratification. Three more weeks until we move into the new house. Yay!
I’m also very excited about the new Papillon. I hadn’t realised the release was so early in July, maybe I should have held off on my most recent splurge on samples 🙂
Yep, only citrusy colognes today. Too hot! Trying to figure out if my neighbours will get annoyed if we put our car on the street and camp in a tent in our underground parking spot…I’m half tempted. It’s so much cooler down there, and we need to get the camping equipment ready, anyway…
We used to sleep in the basement on those dog days of summer in Saskatchewan. Alas no basement in the new house!
Sending you cooling thoughts for the heat wave!
Thank you! My friend in NDG says it’s 27 and lovely, enjoy!
Exciting about the new house! I am not sure what to make of Hongkong O. Crisp tea w black pepper? I applied it very liberally.
I quite like it, what little I can smell of it. Definitely a 15ml bottle would be inadequate for such a light scent. All I have is a sample, missed the boat on that one. Today just a few spritzes of Mademoiselle Guerlain.
My scented thing from June: Last month when we moved back in I noticed that my papier d’Armenie had gone missing — the cover was there but the papers were missing (it was an old pack, and lives on the toilet for obvious uses). I was able to order it from a Canadian company for the first time (usually I can get the basic Papier d’Armenie but not the Year of Armenia scent I like), and ordered it in from Quebec. The extra packs have been making my linen/laundry closet smell lovely. I forgot how strong they are when they’re new!
My fragrance hopes for July are 1) more sawdust smells (which would mean my kitchen is being worked on) and 2) more kitchen smells (which would mean my kitchen is done). But at this point, #2 may be a September goal…I’m so over COVID supply chain issues at this point.
Something wonderful is that I’m getting my 11-year-old vaccinated today through something of a loophole in the provincial policy, which is “Born in 2009 or earlier (12+)”. Apparently that’s an and/or situation, though I’d originally read it as a both type of thing. Also the spouse got his invitation to book his second dose this morning, so mine should be on the way in a week.
Another wonderful thing is that Haida Gwaii is opening up to visitors and so we’re going there this summer. Another bucket list thing checked off!
Oh, Papier d’Armenie is so nice, especially the rose one. I haven’t burned any in ages but it’s so intensely scented that you hardly need to — just tear out a strip and bunch it up a bit and in a little while you can smell it halfway across the room.
I use it as a bookmark, too.
Love the bookmark idea!
I gasped out loud when I read your comment about Haida Gwaii. It is on my bucket list as well. But I gave up planning for it this summer with everything so up in the air with the pandemic. There’s only a 9-day period when my sons’ and my husband’s and my own schedules align for a proper holiday. So instead I have plotted out a week for us in Molokai–another less traveled shangri la. Please do report back on your adventures.
If it makes you feel any better, I think it’s only open to other BC residents as of July 1. (Guessing from your user name you’re south of the border.) Molokai would be lovely!
It does and I am! (And that is as it should be—thank goodness for indigenous people everywhere who have been fighting for the environment since Europe discovered the new world!) Can’t wait to hear how it goes.
Hope your kid’s vaccine went well! I I was so relieved when I got mine vaccinated
Thanks — yes, it went swimmingly, at least so far!
The Year of Armenia is my favorite too…thanks for the reminder to put the sheets all over the place. It’s lovely to have one scenting the inside of your purse!
Oh, and the matching candle is lovely too!
Yes! I have the candle, too…packed away in one of the boxes we can’t unpack yet. It is lovely.
“More sawdust smells@. Nothing like it! Good luck on your kitchen. Checking out Haida Gwaii now.
I was unaware of the Year of Armenia. Used to buy the regular packs at the pharmacy in Quebec. The Haida Gwai trip sounds intriguing, may need to look into that!
Congrats on all of the shots your family getting!
Yay for getting vaccines!
In Fragonard Vanille today…very sweet flowers, caramel and vanilla.♥️
Thanks for all the well wishes for my sister and support yesterday. I came for perfume but I stay for all the wonderful NSTers.?
Hi She-ra – have you tried Parle Moi de Parfum – Guimauve de Noel? Orange blossom *and* vanilla and so light and pretty.
Sending more well wishes for your sis — and you!
I missed the news about your sister but sending warm thoughts in all cases
I’m also sending comforting thoughts out for your sister.
My sister gave me a couple Fragonard solid scents she brought back from France. Off to find them!
Missed Friday’s post but sending lots of positive vibes & vanilla hugs!
1) New discovery in June – Bread hair oil smells exactly like gummy bears! I was very excited about this. It smells great for about 3 minutes and then the scent is gone.
2) I’m hoping to discover a new perfume love in Vegas. Our hotel has diptyque, le labo, and Hermes (as well as others that I can’t remember), so chances are pretty good!
3) The number of 2021 releases I’ve tried is extremely limited. But my two favorites so far have been Salt from Scent Trunk and Desert Rose by KKW fragrance.
4) Wonderful? I’m on summer holiday! Last summer I spent the entire break packing and getting ready to sell a house and move (oh, and finding a new job…. It was a lot!). This summer, the biggest thing I have to worry about is which yoga class I’ll choose for the day. I am so grateful for this opportunity to rest and recenter.
SOTD is Child.
I have had some wonderful perfume shopping experiences in Vegas. The SAs seem less snotty than some other locations I’ve wandered about (Honolulu, for example). Enjoy exploring and have a good vacation!
Ooh Vegas is perfume heaven! Enjoy
Sistine, hope the summer holiday is everything you’re hoping!
Yay for a relaxing summer!
Enjoy your trip to Las Vegas! I hope you find something wonderful there.
I’m completely vaccinated and my2 weeks after were up yesterday. I’ve ditched the mask. Got five DSH samples yesterday and they are all great. Can’t decide now which one I am going to get a 10 ml of. Currently trying Axis Mundi. I keep flip flopping on them. Definitely getting the Euphorisme D’Opium cream.
Oh yay!! Congrats for being fully vaccinated.
Congrats on being fully vaxxed and incubated!
Following pyramus’ lead, I’ve got Demeter Black Ginger as a base, followed by Flowering Tonka, and topped off with Saffron. Hey, Demeter layering totally works!
It really does!
Welcome from the blast furnace that is Portland, Oregon! Our AC turned on at 7:20am this morning, when the outside temperature was already 75 degrees F. Very grateful to have installed AC in our house last summer. I have invited family without it to drop in anytime the next few days. The futon is open!
I am wearing Bronze Goddess body cream with OJ Tiare edp layered on top. I smell tropical and beachy. Seemed like the right vibe to go for.
I got my run in early this morning, and now I plan on being very lazy and spending lots of time lounging around the house. I am reading Burn, by Dr. Herman Pontzer and enjoying it–all about human evolution, metabolism and energy expenditure. Nerdy and well-written!
That combo sounds absolutely gorgeous.
Why thank you! I do smell good, if I say so myself!
So glad you have a/c Marjorie Rose, that is dangerous heat!
Thank you, Robin! Yes, it’s not a given to have central air in homes in these parts. I think before 10 or 15 years ago, it was sort of silly and not worth it. Unfortunately, that seems to no longer be the norm.
You have AC! So glad — temps down there sound worse than here and here it’s unbearable up on our third floor in the master bedroom. Too late to buy a portable unit.
Ugh. Hot bedrooms are really the worst. When I lived in MN, all we had was a little window AC unit in the bedroom, after our landlady felt sorry for us and had it installed. What gift to be able to sleep at night again!
I hope you are able to manage ok during this hot spell. I’m a big fan of a cold shower before bedtime when it’s too hot to sleep.
Just did one of those cold showers. 😀
I caved and got us a hotel for tomorrow night. It’s bad enough that we live in a construction zone, but living in an insanely hot one is too much.
They finally made school optional for the kids tomorrow, but honestly my kid’s school is cooler than our house as it’s uphill from here and closer to the water. It’s supposed to be 41C here, though I know it’s worse down your way!
I’m seriously considering installing AC in the new house, this climate change thing is probably going to make it necessary. :-/
I can’t recall more than a handful of days above 90 for all the years I was a kid, and now we can reliably get at least a few weeks every summer. The summer humidity is new, too. It makes me sad that the temperate climate of my childhood seems to be gone, at least for my lifetime.
Preparing to head home on the red-eye tonight. Blergghhh…hate red-eyes.
I didn’t discover anything new scent-wise in June, but I did confirm the local lavender-chamomile guest soap in our bathrooms is wonderful and doesn’t dry out my skin. We will see what surprises me in July…
No idea in best 2021 release so far, but I did buy Tangy Rhubarb so, since I own it, I’ll vote for that.
Downloaded Season 2 of Lupin but haven’t watched yet. I liked Season 1 quite a bit. Also looking forward to the final season of Bosch. I’ve been binge-watching The Chosen so I’m caught up to watch the next Season 2 episode with a group at church tomorrow night. Lupin might be my plane viewing if I can’t sleep.
We loved season 1 of Lupin and watched the first episode of season 2, which didn’t wow us that much but we will continue and hopefully it gets better
Bosch! I love that series!
I also have friends who didn’t at all like Season 2 of Lupin, and so I’m hesitant to watch it. I will definitely watch the new season of Bosch, though!
Braced for Ludicrous Temperatures here in the furnace with Marjorie Rose, Ede and foxbins, among others, and wearing Cristalle EDT again. I finally found the tree I wanted to replace the decrepit flowering plum we took out of the front yard before the pandemic hit, and Mr. G has been very sweet about keeping the new tree shaded and hydrated while we wait for cooler weather — apparently it would be bad to plant it in the ground when it’s 113 degrees out (duh). For context, our predicted high for tomorrow is 2 degrees higher than today’s predicted high in the California desert. I just can’t get over it.
LOL. I received some discounted, end-of-season dahlia tubers a week or so back and just got them in the ground two days ago. The planting instructions (assuming, I presume, that I received them in the spring) tell me to wait to put them in the ground until the soil temperature reaches 60 degrees. Check! Not a problem.
Hmm. Roasted dahlia tubers … I wonder if that’s a delicacy somewhere. ?
Twins, although I don’t know if I have the EDT or the EDP. I will ask.
Well, at least house twins. 🙂 I have and love both the EDT and the EDP, but in this heat only the EDT will do. ?
Thanks for the reminder to go water my garden tonight!
Wearing Nishane Wulong Cha, thanks to Hajusuuri.
I am usually behind trying new releases. This year, thanks to some NSTers, I have discovered old and new scents like Jo Malone Tangy Rhubarb, Nishane Wulong Cha, L’Artisan Coleur Vanille, Jean Patou Vacances, Juliette has a Gun Vanilla Vibes and few others that I don’t remember now. I am always open and ready to try perfumes new to me.
I am already on my way to a street festival in Manhattan, my first outdoor activity with lots of people around since 2019. I will be masked though. I am not ready to ditch my mask yet.
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy weekend! ?
Enjoy your outing!
Thank you! It was pretty nice!
Sounds like fun! When I opened the door at 10am, a. Last of hot humid air hit my face. Ugh! I basically melt in the heat.
It was fun! I walked from 57th to 47th street. Lots of people, mostly unmasked enjoying the fair. I got a couple of nice smelling bar soaps. Then I went to the Hudson Yard Shops where I grabbed coffee and macaroons. Nice afternoon!
The humidity was really bad today, but I appreciated that it was windy and not so hot. Starting tomorrow, I am not planning to go anywhere. Next week is going to be awful. Glad I will be working only from the office.
Stay cool!
And you smell good!
Thanks to you! ?
Glad you had a nice day!
Thank you, Lillyjo! Hope your weather improves! Stay dry!
Ooh enjoy the street festival!
Thank you!
Happy to hear that you had a nice day out yesterday!
Thank you, Jalapeno! ?
I’m wearing a couple of LS samples that I’ll talk about later – jury is still out.
I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on Tam Dao EDT vs EDP? Anyone?
I’m answering #4: neighbor invited me over to help pick her raspberries and they are incredible and delicious and I have lots. Going to add them to the stracciatella ice cream that I’m making tonight. 😀
On Tam Dao, my strong preference is for the EDT. The EDP was too … vegetal, or something, on me. But YMMV, of course.
Thanks. I like the EDT (and it’s less $$, so another plus)–but I’ve never tried EDP, so just gathering intel.
Yay for fresh raspberries! And homemade ice cream?! If you hear knocking on the front door, it might be me. 😀
C’mon over! With our weather this weekend, I think I may be eating a lot of ice cream!
We’ll definitely be risking a Portland line to get some good ice cream this weekend.
The edp is a tiny bit more full bodied than the edt. I have both and I would say the differences aren’t major. Not worth over-thinking about at all.
Thanks!
Your ice cream sounds divine!
I agree with @ka_rina. — I found the edt and edp to be similar but the edp is fuller and (unsurprisingly) lasted longer.
Raspberry strudel is delicious, too!
Wearing my rose incense oil and waiting to fill a prescription at the grocery store. I am getting closer and closer to pulling the trigger on retiring, just because my weekends center around getting ready for the next work week, and I never do anything but spend money at the grocery store, cook and clean house! Grump, grump. Sorry. First world problem! Grateful to have money to spend and a house to clean and family to cook for….
Yes, I get it!
Your weekends sound like my weekends. I’m decades away from retirement but I would if I could
meredifay, I am totally with you. I have decided to retire at the end of 2022 — it’s early for me, but I am convinced that I’ve got better things to do with my time than continuing get more and more stressed and frustrated with the ever-rising tide of bureaucracy and silliness in the California community college system. I, too, am grateful for a good job, a house, and groceries. But I’m still retiring. 🙂
You can always retire, but get a part time job you like or love. My aunt is holding on in a job she hates. She’s 66 in September and has a good retirement income but is trying to squeeze out a few extra bucks. Life is too short to obsess about getting an extra 25 bucks per month.
Best new scented thing for June was Scents of Wood Plum in Cognac from the most generous Hajusuuri. Hubby likes it, too, which is a bonus. I don’t know that I have smelled anything from 2021 other than Ellis Bee, but I did like that. New and wonderful thing is fresh-picked local blueberries. So much more flavor than most of the ones in the store.
Has anyone ordered from Ava’s Box before? Are they reputable?
I have never ordered from Ava’s Box before. Plum in Cognac is something else, isn’t it?
I have smelled no more than a handful of new scents since spring 2020…and not really worried about it 🙂
1. New bar soaps from Crate 61 (really loving the sweet almond and the lemongrass bars I bought) would be my June scent pick.
2. Looking forward to testing out perfumes in person now that lockdown has once again ended.
3. No idea yet, but there were a few that definitely intrigued me…
4. Scored some garlic scapes from a local farm, so will be making a big batch of scape pesto to freeze and use for the rest of the year.
SotD is Acqua di Gioia… nice and light for the oppressive humidity we currently have.
joining you with the humidity today, your SOTD sounds along the same lines of what I was in the mood for when I picked my SOTD
SOTD Ninfeo Mio
1. When a friend gave me a bouquet of peonies. The scent is amazing..
2. After watching Disney’s Luca I would like to smell like the northern coast of Italy.
3. I have no idea! Curious to know others thoughts on this years releases? I really love the new Bvlgari pride colored bottle that Robin posted about, but I haven’t smelled it. Anyone?
4. I am taking my family “glamping” this summer, we rented an airstream upstate. It reminds me of my youth when my Dad was alive and he had a “pop up” camper and we use to do that together. Mr L has not had these experiences so I hope he does ok.
We are also, weather permitting, going to Storm King. Someone on NST mentioned this and I am all in. Looks right up my alley.
So glad you are going to Storm King. You will definitely not be disappointed! Enjoy!
Your glamping trip sounds very fun!
We used to rent pop up campers! That sounds like so much fun.
Happy weekend!
I have a sample of the new Francesca Bianchi winging its way to me from Luckyscent. I won’t get to smell it till July, and I don’t know if I’ll like it yet, so I can’t claim it for June The next excitement is the new one from Papillon.
I’ve also got a bottle of Armani Privé Ambre Eccentrico on its way to me from Auckland – yes, from within New Zealand!!! Free postage, I nearly fell over, I’m used to paying up to US$50.
I’m not up-to-date with the latest perfume releases, nor with TV shows. We’ve got completely hooked on the British police drama, Line of Duty. Someone mentioned that here recently.
Me! I’m waiting for the final episode of season seven to drop this Tuesday. I’m dubious they can bring off the big reveal in just one episode.
Just got back from a mall outing where I tried Edimbourgh Chanel. I think it’s very well done. Also tried Tangier Vanille by Aerin and I think that would work better as a body cream.
Took a deep breath and braved the BBW sale for small gifts for non perfumista friends
And oh new scented things I would like to try: HG Vetiver and the Tauer cologne
How did your BBW haul go? Wasn’t all that impressed with their semi annual sale.
Did you get anything? I only shopped the 75% off tables. I got some body creams, shower gels and one spray pen.
I got a couple candles, foaming hand soaps, body washes and a body spray. It’s difficult to get to a BBW store so I did mine online. The selection wasn’t too great online.
I shopped the 75 percent table too and got a mix of shower gels, lotions and sprays. Tbh it all smells the same to me – sugary sweet
I bought the chocolate covered cherry for the fall. But yeah, they are all pretty similar.
1. What’s the best new scented thing you discovered in June and what new scented thing do you hope to discover in July? I didn’t discover anything new in June, but I’m hoping to smell Amouage Boundless and Material in July.
3. Now that the year is about half over, what do you think is the best new fragrance release of 2021 so far? I haven’t smelled anything new! It’s pitiful.
4. Share something wonderful with us! I planted five raspberry canes three years ago and they produce more fruit than I can eat. One of the best and easiest plants ever!
Oh, and no scent today. It is so hot I don’t want anything on my skin.
I remember an NSTer long ago talking about keeping Bronze Goddess or something similarly sheer in her refrigerator for a refreshing, cool spritz on hot summer days. Might be time to renew that tradition!
Totally agree about the raspberries. We have wild black raspberry canes growing in patches all over the property and the harvesting season has just begun. So good, but so overwhelming in quantity.
I used to pick wild ones all the time as a kid in Michigan. But as an adult I became allergic to poison ivy so I don’t dare do it any more.
I just picked my first two black raspberries yesterday! With all the rain, I expect many more to ripened the next week. I would love to save enough to make a pie or a little jam, but I generally eat all I pick every day…
We just filled a 1.5L bag and there will be more tomorrow, lol. Plenty for making stuff with here.
Too many raspberries? Never heard of such a thing. Nope. Never.
This is why jam and jelly were invented!
I really miss wild blackberries. The ones in the supermarket are entirely different: large, coarse, and tart, as opposed the wild ones, which are small and delicate (more like red raspberries), and a more complex flavor. My grandmother always made pies with them.
I would kill for a decent blackberry, the ones in stores are awful.
I pick (at a local u-pick farm) obsidian blackberries, boysenberries and marionberries (a local hybrid blackberry + raspberry) every year and eat easily 2 pints a day while they’re in season. It’s a good reason to come down to Oregon in July. 😀
YUM for fresh-from-the cane, sunwarmed raspberries. They are incomparable.
Hello all.
1) There are these beautiful yellow lilies around the side of my house that I hadn’t noticed last year; took a big ole’ sniff and boy did they smell heavenly.
2) As I (slowly) make my way thru alllllll of my perfume samples, I hope to discover something that will totally knock my socks off. Or sandals, since it’s too hot for socks.
3) I haven’t been paying much attention to any new releases, but I did sniff at SJP’s latest offerings, as well as the original Lovely, over at Kohl’s.
4) After DVRing and binging the whole dang thing on PBS during lockdown last year, I turned on Netflix and found that Downton Abbey is happily situated amongst the Red Giant’s offerings. I sighed, and said, “what the heck, I shall watch it again”. But probably only the first two seasons. Maybe. Possibly. Perhaps.
Today’s Soup Of The Day: Musc Imperial. Pretty.
One of these days I am sure I will watch Downton Abbey again, why not? Meanwhile, am watching too many things at once 🙂
Howdy everyone! It’s still raining and I have some basement flooding. There were a lot of tornado warnings throughout the state today. My county stayed under a watch. We’ve been upgraded to a flood warning now. This is why I don’t live by the river or lake. ( This, and the cost, of course. Lol) for celebrity Saturday I wore Sofia Vergara Sofia during the day and Jlo Love and Glamour for tonight. (Taking this opportunity to say I am just tickled happy that Jlo and Ben Affleck are back together)
Questions –
1. Best scent I discovered was Kendall by KKW Amber. I just tried it today. It’s very powdery, and reminds me slightly of Emeraude. Fragrantica and I are once again not in agreement. It has pretty bad feedback.
2. I wouldn’t mind smelling the new Dior Tobacolor.
3. I haven’t tried many new releases that I recall but I will give it to NR Musc Noir.
4. Something wonderful..
You all! ???
Ugh! I hope you stay safe and dry and there isn’t too much trouble with the wet basement! I know people get used to them, but tornados scare me.
They scare me too.
? u back Lillyjo.
?
Yikes, hope the flooding and tornadoes steer clear of you!
Fortunately today has stayed dry so far.
ACK! on the basement flooding. I hope that the rain clears out for you ASAP.
So sorry about the basement issue!
My best “new” fragrant thing is really a rediscovery of something I loved as a child: balsam pillows. They just smell so wonderful!
Oh, how cool! I vaguely remember those from summers in New England.
Oh, a balsam pillow. What’s that? It sound nice.
Me too, inquiring! This is for Old Herbaceous ?
Hope she will answer, but these are the sort of thing I remember:
https://paineproducts.com/shop/category/souvenir
Oooooh. I have one of those Calico cats—from Nantucket but it must be the same thing–probably the same company (Maine? Who knew?). And I always thought the scent was cedar. I luuuuurv the scent. I had no idea one could get that smell in other things. I may just have to buy that green silk pine cone pillow.
I think what I had when I was young was from New Hampshire — a plain square with some tourist image on it.
The cats are obviously way cuter!
Currently in Worth Courtesan this morning and happy that I did my cleaning Friday since it’s going to be around 90 degrees today. I don’t know if I want to keep wearing Courtesan after my shower or go with something else.
Got about that hot here today. Can’t complain since the Pacific Northwest is sweltering worse than we are!
Happy weekend all! Sending cool thoughts to everyone suffering through the heat wave on the West Coast.
I’m not very current in trying 2021 releases as I’m in Canada and we’ve still been in lockdown til recently, but I did get to try the Boy Smells perfume line this spring. Their candles are lovely.
No must-haves for me in the perfume line although they were all interesting compositions.
Violet Ends was the most intriguing to me, a smokey violet with a tart opening.
I did just get a bottle of EldO Eau de Protection, which is “new” to me as of this year, and I’ve been wearing it all weekend! A fresh, spicy green rose.
I love that ELDO! To me the geranium stands out, and I always smell lavender (the way it smells on your hands when you scrape the flowers off the stem in passing) even though no lavender is listed in the notes.
Yes, the geranium with the rose is what makes this one super nice to my nose. I get what you mean about the lavender stems! It somehow hints at that more than the flowers themselves.
That violet fragrance sounds interesting. Thanks for mentioning it. I love Kerbside Violet and am looking for other unusual violets.
I found Eau de Protection to be a dark, spicy rose instead of a green one. Funny how we can perceive the same perfume so differently. You smell great!
I read “Violent Ends” and “Burnt Ends”. That said, Violet Ends looks like it’s right up my alley!
If tobacco didn’t go just a bit funky on my skin I would have loved it!
It smelled like someone wearing a tulle party dress and a vintage leather jacket with a packet of unlit cigarettes in the pocket, walking into a violet field to sit down for afternoon tea set up on a blanket in the middle of the field.
Sunday! We survived yesterday! And so did our new tree, despite falling over sometime during the night. (Are those wonderful things? I think so.) SOTM is Dryad, Bosch is back for another season, and there are still coffee and books and perfume in the world. And air conditioners.
In other news, Mr. G and I started watching The Crown. We’re only on episode 4, but I can already tell that Princess Margaret is going to annoy me and I’m going to feel sorry for Prince Philip most of the time. Stay safe and try to keep cool, everyone.
Two more days in the hundreds and then we get to much more reasonable 90+ degree weather, SheriG! We can do it! (And so can your little tree, I hope!) Seriously, how is it not even July?!
Not even July, and how is it that we have come to think temperatures in the 90s are “reasonable”?? And yet somehow we have.
I admit, the tongue was firmly in cheek with my “reasonable weather” comment! I find it all terribly absurd. OTOH–90 degrees would be a 20+ degree drop from what is expected from today. So, from that perspective, it will seem certainly less awful, if not exactly reasonable. The pizza shop across the street from us is closed today and tomorrow. They tweeted out that their kitchen was 120 degrees yesterday afternoon. Unsafe work conditions.
Coffee, books, and perfume. Simple and reliable luxuries that never fail to cheer. Agreed!
Indeed – they’re cheering me as I type this. ??? ? (How is there no perfume bottle emoji? ?, I guess.)
There needs to be a perfume bottle emoji, a sumo wrestler emoji, and a raspberry fruit emoji!
Agreed!
You smell great! And yay for surviving. Coffee, books and perfume are indeed wonders. That and carbs, and I can get through near anything!
Carbs, oh how I love thee. And butter. They have been, and will no doubt always be, the things that stand between me and my old waistline. ?
I don’t know if anyone else had this experience, but I loved The Crown right up until it got to the events I lived through (or noticed)…so about as soon as Charles & Diana got married, I just lost interest. Forced myself to watch a couple of episodes into their relationship and then decided nah, don’t care, I’m done.
I have a feeling I’ll feel exactly the same way.
Hello lovely scented folk!
1. Best new scented things… well I discovered these recently though not in June. Fragonard Beau de Provence is a fun fruity fig (I cannot resist fig scents) and Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey is peach, cassis, and clean honey (I can’t resist peach scents, either).
3. Best of 2021 so far… guess I’d go with Chanel Paris-Edimbourg. It doesn’t displace Paris-Deauville at the top of my personal Chanel Les Eaux rankings, but it’s pretty good.
4. Something wonderful… the wedding we went to last weekend was so, so fun! The bride & groom are a great couple, and the wedding was lovely. We’ve known the bride all her life, it was so nice to see the wedding (postponed from a year ago) finally happen.
And I had a fun scenty moment with the ‘man of honor’ (the bride’s best friend is a gay man). I was chatting with him and his sister and had to stop and ask “Who smells so amazing??” He was wearing Dior Sauvage, and it smelled fantastic on him.
Oh dear. You just created a peach and honey lemming. Ayeeeahhh!
I can send you some…. 🙂
Eeeeermmmm. Yes?
Have you tried Pêche au Yuzu by Kyse? It’s a peachy romp and I like it more than I usually like sweet fruity fragrances.
Wonderful things! I am now an aunt! My SIL and BIL had a baby boy (or maybe I should say a baby with male genitalia, in the spirit of pride month) early this morning. The baby is yet to be named.
It was a long, complicated labor that started two days ago and of course, we aren’t allowed into the hospital to give love and support, so we must wait a few days at least to meet the little guy. I’m glad my SIL can finally get some rest. I know next to nothing about babies and will be totally useless as a babysitter, but I have offered to provide as many baked goods as they want, whenever they want! It’s not enough, but it’s what I can do. 😀
Congrats on the new family addition! Baked goods are an amazing contribution and I’m sure your excitement means the world to them.
Thanks! I’m thinking if I make a mix of healthier things like a crusty, whole meal bread and less healthier things, like cinnamon rolls, (both of which freeze well) then it will still count as helpful and not bothersome.
Nice crusty hearty bread and cinnamon rolls! Perfect offering for any new addition!
I just finished my second Zoom from Roxana Illuminated Perfume’s, “Ancient Scents of Egypt Workshop Series with Dora Goldsmith”
https://t.co/2p8jln8fd
I learned about this thanks to Robin’s NST Twitter post — massive thanks for that, Robin!
The next Zoom is July 11 on Egyptian gardens, IIRC. They are not cheap but are completely worth it if you love perfume and ancient Egypt.
Dora presents and translates the actual hieroglyphic texts to illustrate each point, and there are ample archeological photos and diagrams. The format is one hour of presentation and one hour plus of Q&A discussion. The participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines, and Dora is so knowledgeable that the discussions are equally fascinating.
She also sells kits for making some of the ancient Egyptian perfumes, perfume cones, and unguents, or for replicating the scent of ancient temples and gardens. Last week, she demonstrated how the perfume cones were made. I’ve ordered a couple and will report back.
Sorry, this is in the wrong box!
And the link is incorrect. ?
That is wonderful. A wee bundle of hope for you and your family!
It’s a new chapter for all of us!
Bread was one of the offerings to the gods in ancient Egyptian temples. ?
Bread is definitely sacred food as far as I’m concerned!
Sounds perfect to me! Like you, I know nothing about babies but I can bake. Bread & cinnamon rolls sound great!
Sounds like there is a mini Baby Boom here at NST! Congratulations to you, Auntie!
What fun!!!
And you won’t be useless…they don’t know anything about babies either!
Saying hey in Mal-Aimé by Parfum d’Empire. Will test this one a second time, but the herbal’s wearing more like gerbil on me at the moment. ?
Gerbil as in musky or as in sawdust?
Woodland animal.
But the drydown is pretty. Warm green floral. I am the odd one who really does not like Corsica Furiosa—despite my whining, this one is now playing nice.
Glad it’s less gerbilly now! I know I tested Corsica Furiosa, and I don’t own it, so it must not have left me feeling swoony, either.
I want to try this. I actually like Corsica Furiosa.
SotD = CdG Sticky Cake
because last night I went to the wedding of two very dear friends. And because I love all cake but especially wedding cake. The couple has been together for 10 years. It was their time at last, and they couldn’t have planned it better.
best new smell in June – the magnolia flowers on my neighbor’s tree. The very tall tree is carefully shaped so that it has very low branches, making it easy to sniff a flower when it opens. Smells like lemon curd and vanilla custard. 🙂
hope to smell in July – oh, anything new would be nice. In a few weeks I’m going to get together with a friend to help with shopping for new clothes to attend another wedding. I may venture to the perfume counter if we go to a department store.
2021 releases – have no clue, I don’t think I’ve smelled any new releases in a year or more. I have a little collection of favorite samples that were new (or new to me) in 2017,
best thing to watch – Sweet Tooth! It was compelling and escapist. I couldn’t resist the cuteness, even though I perfer to avoid post-apocalyptic plot lines. I wished there was more to watch when the last episode was over.
Congratulations to your friends! ????
thank you, Jalapeno! I thought I was past the “wedding season” of life, even so it’s wonderful that some of my friends are taking the plunge. I’m so happy for them. And a wedding was a fantastic way to accelerate my introverted self’s return to socializing. 😀
Tiffanie!! I just got soooooo happy and excited someone actually uses CdG Sticky Cake!!!!!! It is not a fragrance anyone I would expect to read someone was actually wearing!!
Yay for Sticky Cake! I’m glad you like it too. CdG fragrances are usually good to me. 😀
CdG fragrances are so great!! I am a huge fan of many of them!!
Woo hoo! I have Sticky Cake too – now to find it!
ha! I hope you do find it and enjoy some Sticky Cake soon. 😀
Wonderful, another person has Sticky Cake!! I always felt like noone absolutely noone likes CdG Sticky Cake but me… Woohoo Sticky Cake!!
I just finished my second Zoom from Roxana Illuminated Perfume’s, “Ancient Scents of Egypt Workshop Series with Dora Goldsmith”
https://www.illuminatedperfume.com/products/scents-of-ancient-egypt-workshop-series
I learned about this thanks to Robin’s NST Twitter post — massive thanks for that, Robin!
The next Zoom is July 11 on Egyptian gardens, IIRC. They are not cheap but are completely worth it if you love perfume and ancient Egypt.
Dora presents and translates the actual hieroglyphic texts to illustrate each point, and there are ample archeological photos and diagrams. The format is one hour of presentation and one hour plus of Q&A discussion. The participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines, and Dora is so knowledgeable that the discussions are equally fascinating.
She also sells kits for making some of the ancient Egyptian perfumes, perfume cones, and unguents, or for replicating the scent of ancient temples and gardens. Last week, she demonstrated how the perfume cones were made. I’ve ordered a couple and will report back.
Sounds fascinating!
It is!
So glad it was worth it!! So, do you mostly learn about things or to make things? That is, could you now make your own cones?
Most of the time is on learning about things, and the amount on making them depends to what extent the subject of the lecture is an ancient Egyptian perfume mixture, like kyphi or mendesian (sp?), or an scentscape, like a temple or garden.
For example, she did show us how the cone is made. I could now make a one, but I would need to buy the kit (unless I wanted to go to a lot of trouble to source the materials myself).
Today we learned about the scents of the offerings in a temple. So didn’t learn to craft the scent of temples today — although I guess if I ever find myself in charge of a temple, I’ll know what offerings to assemble. There is a kit that has tiny bottles of individual scents that comprise it, and vial of a combined temple scent that Dora composed.
Some of the kits come with a phial (test tube) with the dried ingredients in layers, such as the mummy embalming ingredients, I think. This would be convenient to sniff when reading about ancient Egypt, or to take to a museum with an exhibit on Egypt to sniff for a bit of atmosphere. (Although that would depend on museum security.)
Anyway, as I love both perfume and Egyptian archaeology, I’m in heaven with these seminars!
How lovely, thanks for the details!
Very much looking forward to hearing about your own perfume cones!
Sotd is Kerbside Violet – I just keep reaching for it.
June discovery is actually an old scent memory – the Privet bush. Every year I smell this familiar, ubiquitous bush and this year I finally looked up the name. Though I find the scent comforting because it reminds me of my grandma’s house growing up, I laughed when I read this description of the bush and it’s flowers:
“Although the flowers are pretty, privet flowers have two major drawbacks. The first is a cloyingly sweet smell that many people find somewhat sickening. The second is that they produce a mother lode of pollen.” Chacun a son gout!
Since July is my birthday month, though I have no need of more perfume, I will undoubtedly find something to discover…
I went to a few estate sales yesterday and found minis of vintage Joy, Emeraude and Tresor along with some beautiful brass candlesticks. This could become a habit 🙂
Great score at the estate sale!
And I meant to add that the grand total for the perfume was $7!
That’s definitely perfume-math free!!!!
Perfumath free!!!!
That’s a crazy good deal!
?? ?
Vintage Joy!!! So nice.
SOTWeekend = Olivier Durbano Rock Crystal EdP, from the sample stash. I haven’t quite thunked this sample yet! I’ve pulled out a couple more incense samples to help cope with the expected heat wave.
1. I found one of my favorite green jasmine teas at a local grocery store, after not seeing it for a couple of years at least! So I had to make an addition to the Tea Stash.
2. Hopefully my nose will find something marvelous to sniff!
3. No clue. I’m not sure I’ve even smelled anything from 2021. Life has been too crazy to keep track.
4. Some friends of mine are now first-time Uncle and Aunt! Their nephew came into this world on the 23rd.
Waving ?! Stay cool my friend!
Iced tea will be my bestest food friend this week!
Late party twins with jalapeño!
1. Hard to pick just one! Goldfield & Banks Silky Woods, Maison Violet Sketch, Ulrich Lethe and Abaton Chinotto Gourmand.
2. Hoping to smell Papillon Spell125 (although realistically may have to wait until August) and Hiram Green Vetiver.
3. Best in 2021 – I don’t want to play favorites ?
4. Something good – a wedding which was postponed from November 2020, orchids at Wegmans, steampunk decoration and FINALLY all caught up with my Readers’ Digest and in fact, I have a few more pages left of the July / August issue!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQm5p4hBYWV/?utm_medium=copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQpGjQphr4Q/?utm_medium=copy_link
In other news, what a heat wave huh? It is too hot and I may only just pick up the mail and that’s it! Also, in the spirit of Letting It Go, I have decided not to engage with a comment I found offensive – life is too short!
It was really gross out when I grabbed the snail mail around lunchtime this afternoon. Glad I won’t have to do that tomorrow!
If there is a comment here that isn’t in keeping with the comment policy, I hope someone will tell me! (I don’t know if that is what you meant or not.)
Jealous that you are caught up with Reader’s Digest, because I am still on February New Yorker! I want to catch up but just can’t seem to.