Happy Friday! It's also the last day of January and National Backward Day. Birthdays: Alan Lomax, Jackie Robinson. RIP Marianne Faithfull. Our community project for today: honor the Lunar New Year (which started Wednesday) by wearing a fragrance that reflects the qualities of the (Wood) Snake: wisdom, patience, elegance, charm and mystery.
What fragrance did you pick? As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you’re not participating in the community project.
Today I'm in Etro Shaal Nur, which to my nose covers wisdom, elegance and mystery.
Reminder: 2/7 is Rose Day, but we've already done rose for a Friday project at least twice, so we'll put a spin on it this time...wear your favorite fragrance that has a rose note but doesn't smell primarily of rose, or wear a rose fragrance layered with something that tones down the rose.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2025, where I'll try (but usually fail) to have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: top image is Green Tree Python [cropped] by Ian C at flickr; some rights reserved.
Wearing Mitsouko for mystery, since, according to Guerlain lore, it literally means “mystery”. And it does smell mysterious. Although I believe it is also fitting for elegance, charm, wisdom and even patience.
What a masterpiece Mitsouko is!
it really fits all of them
I’ve picked two vintage scents today: a 2-ml sample of Chanel No. 5 Eau de Cologne and a 5-ml decant of Samsara EDP. I applied them to my wrists as soon as I left the pickup point.
First impressions:
Chanel shocked me a little. While it is immediately recognizable as the iconic No. 5, my nose picks up a lot of musk, making this version both soapy and animalic. For some reason, it initially smelled very macho to me, though after about 10 minutes, it softened and morphed into a familiar floral aldehydic scent. A very interesting experience, but those first 10 minutes were not what I want in No. 5. For the CP, I would file this under patience and mystery.
Samsara is… Samsara! Gorgeous as always, though I can’t say I notice much difference between this vintage version and the modern EDP. Maybe it’s a bit smoother, with a more potent drydown? I don’t have a sample of the modern EDP to compare them side by side, so perhaps I just don’t remember the modern version that well.
In the context of the CP, Samsara is elegance, charm, and wisdom.
Well, here you go – an unexpected layering of Mitsouko, No. 5, and Samsara!
Your experience with vintage Samsara EdP tracks with mine. I found “my” EdP was very similar to a 5mL vintage.
Perfect choice! I’m a house twin (triplet?) in Jicky.
Instead of going for any of the supposed attributes of wood, I just went for a couple of Demeter woods: Mahogany, which has that bright smell of freshly-cut lumber, layered with Sandalwood.
Excellent!
House twins with Glannys–it’s raining and foggy this morning, so needed a pick me up and went with Chamade for its elegance and charm. Haven’t worn it in ages.
Sort of wish I had some Niki de Saint Phalle for its witchy snake bottle, though I’ve never sampled it🐍.
If I ever see an empty snake bottle I’d be snapping it up in a heartbeat.
I don’t collect empty bottles with the exception of this one – my dear aunt gave it to me so long ago. Charmed by it then, charmed by it now.
NdSP is not my jam but the bottle is so fantastic!
I’ve been wearing Chamade a bit recently, from the bee bottle version. It’s lovely. Have you tried the 2021 version from the Les Legendaires collection? I’m curious as to how it compares.
I agree, those snake bottles are so striking!
I’m in Eau de Protection, just because I found my decant. It was in the the makeup bag I took to my sister’s for Christmas.
A unique, Tough Rose scent.
I might wear that this weekend. It is kind of a tough rose, but I like it.
I’m in Le Lion. I love it, in the cold weather. It’s a strong fragrance-not in terms of sillage, but in its presence-it’s a scent with backbone.
More polar vortex to come-the snow is squeeking, it’s so cold out.
Ugh! We are warming up (high of 50 today!) but there is still a surprising amount of snow & ice in my driveway.
I decided on Encens Mythique today. I find this to be a mysterious scent. Also, I need to use patience as it develops on the skin.
You also get points for being an Elegant Lady.
(or Elegant Person)
Lady is correct😊 I guess it is elegant too.
Mysterious and smells really good!
I thought you might like it. Did you cave and buy a bottle?
Not yet. Keeping an eye on Teflon kitty to see if a vet appointment is in the near future.
Also being an Elegant Lady, in Iris Poudre. Vive l’élégance!
🙂
Perfect!
In the 30s for my walk with the pup this morning. Who says LA doesn’t have real weather?🙂
I’m in Beloved (Woman) from Amouage, and enjoying its elegance and romance.
That’s a beautiful scent. I hope the fires haven’t affected you too badly.
Thanks so much. I’m one of the lucky ones – my neighborhood was unscathed.
Glad to hear from you, and that your neighborhood has been left in one piece.
I’ll be in Iris Poudre shortly — joining others, I’m sure — for elegance. This has been a fun CP!
Since I complained to you all yesterday about not feeling well (since Monday), I just wanted to give you the update that I feel so much better today! Still a cough but the terrible congestion/headache are gone and I think I’ll live. Thanks for all the supportive comments yesterday. I was feeling very discouraged, and it was a bright spot. Also, the oldest SP son shared some homemade chicken noodle soup with me for dinner yesterday. Maybe that did the trick! ♥
Glad to hear you’re feeling better!
Glad you are feeling better. You smell fabulous!
Good news, and how sweet of your son. Homemade chicken soup is a real treat.
Glad you’re feeling better! I strongly believe in the healing power of homemade chicken soup, I’m sure that did the trick!
I’m so glad you’re feeling better!😊🍲
Glad you’re feeling better! Homemade chicken soup is perfection.
Thanks, everyone. His soup was delicious!
W00t w00t for feeling better!
You need more of that chicken soup.
In Sa Majesté La Rose for elegance and charm on a rainy Friday. We needed some rain!☔️
Beautiful scent! We got rain today too, which was nice as I planted some cool season vegetables this morning.
Glad to hear that you finally got some rain!
I’m in Hiris on this gloomy, rainy day. To me it is charming and also relates to wisdom, as it was previously used in herbal medicine. I’m mostly wearing it because I resolved to wear scents that speak spring or woodsiness to me for Imbolc and the days around it. So yesterday was Nuit Etoilee, today Hiris, tomorrow OJ Woman, and in the queue are Chamade, Grand Amour, Le Temps d’Une Fete, Vent Vert, and Silences. I don’t know if I’ll get to all of them; if the weather turns wintery again I’ll probably revert to my nice warm incenses and ambers.
Snakes. I quite like them although obviously, if one is in an area where there may be venomous species, caution is required. We have no snakes in our suburban backyard which is a sign of environmental degradation; reptiles and amphibians are the proverbial canaries in the coal mine in this scenario. At our cabin in the north I have only encountered 4 species of snake: eastern water snakes (non-venomous but ill-tempered), garter snakes, and two tiny and adorable species, the red-bellied snake and Dekay’s brown snake. The last two are only about the size of a large nightcrawler. The only snakes I hate to see are the half-eaten ones the minks leave in my covered boat to marinate. Yuck. Ontario has many more snake species than the ones I’ve encountered, but apparently not on the corner of the island our cabin occupies.
The only snakes I’ve ever seen in Alberta are garter snakes, though I think we have rattlers here too.
Parts of Michigan and Ontario are home to the phlegmatic Massasauga rattlesnake; it is apparently neither very aggressive nor very poisonous. Nevertheless I try to watch where I put my feet when I’m in a swamp, when I’m not too distracted by plants and birds.
Oh my goodness, you will be wearing some of my favorites all week! I love love love green fragrances.
Do you have others to suggest? A couple of the ones I mentioned are just little manufacturer’s samples so I could be tempted by something currently in production….
I chose CdG Kyoto today. It was the only thing work safe that complied with the CP.
Plus you smell great!
It fits CP perfectly 👌
Perfect! You smell great!
I’m wearing a drop of rose and a drop of sandalwood oil. It is a lovely easy combination from the co-op. We had a rare winter day yesterday and again today in Minnesota. Bright, clear, sunny and it hit 52 yesterday! A record. I appreciated it for being a beautiful day, but it throws off my body. I expect cold! When it hits 50 my body wants to go to the garden center 😜
We have similar weather and my husband has already remarked about buying seeds. Global warming January is weird.
… but at least it’s not so warm that the cherry blossoms got confused!
lol, we hit 60 yesterday and I did go to the garden center! I was good though — I only got some cool season vegetable seedlings, and I planted them this morning. Just in time for a nice, gentle, soaking rain. Fingers crossed that they all survive, but I think we’re past any really hard freezes.
My January has felt more like December here. And February will start off feeling like January. It’s weird!
Rabbit rabbit rabbit. February has arrived and ( with luck) summer might begin to kick in. I’ve got a five hour drive today as I’ve been out of town all week and am now heading home. I’m going with mystery,, CP-wise, wearing a sample with no label, or rather, a blurred label that I can’t read.
I hope you are home now safe and sound.
That is the perfect mystery! Hope the drive went well and you’re now relaxing at home.
I’m on the Elegant Train in Caleche today. To my nose, it somehow manages to be both old-school elegant and trés moderne.
I agree!
Yep.
Hello and tgif!
My SOTD choice for Wood-Snake is the fitting Gucci The Voice Of The Snake, for its name and oud note.
The weather is beautiful today and the air is fresh. But gosh I can’t believe winter and a month of ’25 is almost over!
Great CP choice — you should get extra points!
Going with Onda VdE today since Onda is defined as “a moving ridge, larger than a ripple, moving on the surface of water,” and snakes move across both land and water using this rippling, undulating motion. It’s a stretch, I know. 🤣
Foxbins, if you’re reading I hope you’re doing okay! I’ve been in your shoes, err…cast! It’s not fun…🙁
Very creative choice for the CP!
I’ve been thinking of foxbins too…
Reve d Ossian smells like patience and mystery to me. and i needed a calming scent to end my workday. too much stress at the job, i need a break!
Sorry tannina! Hope you have a peaceful weekend.
Reve d’Ossian is perfect as a calming scent.
Robin, you smell wonderful today! We are almost house twins; I decided earlier this week to wear Etro Messe di Minuet today but two sample orders arrived in the morning mail. Like many here, it’s a murky rainy day and I am looking forward to trying some new perfume.
I am falling in love with old Serge Lutens scents that I’m sure I tried early on but I’m discovering with a different nose. First it was L’orphelin and now it’s Bapteme du Feu, I’m immediately on the hunt for an online deal. It appears to be fairly widely available. So gorgeous!
ringthing – I can assist you with the Bapteme du Feu.
Email me at vivienne dot elliott1 in the land of outlook dot com.
Thanks apsara! Just emailed you 🙂
Love Baptême du Feu!
😍
MdM is perfect for the cp, but finding new love for old scents is even better.
Good job, getting MdM while it was around. I don’t even see it at the discount sites anymore.
My bottle is old, I got it in a makeupalley swap years ago.
Inspired by Robin’s choice earlier this week, I’m in FM Dries van Noten. Also, because it’s quite a chilly morning. Any heat and this scent can become unbearably cloying on me
Have a wonderful Friday (and weekend ahead)!
You smell wonderful!
It is a bright sunny day here, 62, supposed to get up to 66 later. Nice! My SOTD is an improbable one, Zoologist T Rex. Hear me out now! It’s in the reptile family, right? I am using it to promote an experience of patience. After its nostril-burning opening of leather and cade, it unfurls itself over time into some truly gorgeous floral territory with a beautiful musky incense dry down. Which happens after maybe 24 hours (and regardless of any baths or showers!). I actually am planning to go out today, to the big museum show here of Gauguin, and so I hope I won’t offend anyone.
Sounds like fun! As to offending others, it’s their loss!
T Rex — brilliant! And Gauguin sort of fits the theme too, I hope the show was great.
Please report back on your museum jaunt!
I. treated myself to a pedicure this morning. The place I go has great massaging chairs, so my toes are happy, my back is happy, and I am ready for the onslaught of rain turning to snow with plummeting temperatures tonight which will just make a dump run tomorrow totally unnecessary! 🙂 I will sort paper piles and get my tax documents in order instead!
Ah, forgot to add- SOTD today,Mon Precieux Nectar, a very elegant ladylike perfume. I actually put on red lipstick to go to the spa! Tomorrow, an orange blossom, either St. Clair Casablanca or Seville a l’Aube, I will decide in the morning. Maybe I will make some cinnamon rolls with orange cream cheese icing for breakfast – my mom used to do that when we had a snow day, if the road was impassable and the bus couldn’t run…
Save me a cinnamon roll!! That sounds scrumptious.
I’m hoping to make a dent in the taxes this weekend too.
People would come to help at branding just to have a chance to eat Mom’s cinnamon rolls. I don’t have her touch, but the ones I make often come out pretty good. The secret is butter-more butter in the filling. 🙂
Sounds like you had a great Friday!
Today I am wearing Nuit de Longchamp, an elegant and mysterious mossy floral That reminds me of a green silk gown, so the “color” matches the little snake in the pic as well.
Nuit de Longchamp – you smell fabulous! I bought it very early in my perfume career, and I hardly ever see it mentioned.
Ooh, I’m adding this to my must-try-vintage list!
Chanel’s Misia and a Chanel lippy to match
The Snake is associated with wisdom, sensuality, and mystery—qualities that align with Misia’s refined, vintage glamour.
Happy Friday!
Misia is beautiful.
Shaal Nur is a great choice. I went literal today and dug out my mini of Rochas Mystere.
That’s perfect!
Marianne Faithfull, Patty Boyd and Jane Asher.
All my sister and I wanted to be at that time.
I am happy to close the door on a dreadful January for so many reasons.
SOTD is Sana Jardin Sandalwood Temple.
I’m sorry your January has been dreadful. I’m sure you smell lovely in Sana Jardin, though.
Thank you, OH! I am sure it’s been a rough start for so many.
Yep. Done with January, suspect I will be happy to be done with February too.
I got inspired by the green snake photo here, and I a wearing Ffern Winter 2025. i just broke the seal on my bottle, the first one I got from them. It’s very citrusy scent so far, freshly sprayed, with almost a slippery feel, with cool mint and rose undertones, and I can smell a distinct green mandarin rind note. There is also vetiver and eucalyptus that will come up in due course, per the list of notes, and red cedar for wood base. It smells slithery and mysterious, par for course. I like it a lot and it’s a nice intro to Ffern for me.
I’ve never even heard of Ffern until it was all over the place on Instagram!
I don’t remember how I first heard of them.. might have been on Instagram! I got a sample of Summer 2024 from StC and liked it a lot so I applied for the ledger and recently they asked me to join. It’s not for everyone, I think, you have to like all natural perfumes that most definitely not powerhouse scents. I will have to see how much I like their new releases, I think Spring 2025 will ship in March.
RIP Marianne Faithfull. Broken English came out when I was in my mid-teens and The Ballad of Lucy Jordan has stuck with me always – the realisation that the possibilities of your life narrow over time.
On the other hand, with age comes wisdom, so maybe there’s a nice balance 🙂 .
I’m wearing CdG Kyoto today, I can definitely associate incense with mystery and patience and it’s also very elegant.
Kyoto seems like a perfect CP match!
For today’s cp, I’m going with ‘elegant’ and ‘mysterious.’ My Jolie Madame woman is dressed in an understated but simply elegant black sheath dress; she is wearing long white gloves and carrying a smooth leather bag; and adding a hint of mystery to her day’s wardrobe is the simple veil covering just her eyes from the small black hat she wears on her beautifully-coiffed upswept hair.
Fragrantica’s use of the words ‘earthy, animatic, woody, leather, green, mossy’ to describe this scent also suit our wood snake as well as a dreary, dark day here with heavy rain and flooding predicted. I’m grateful for the 🌞 warm weather we had all week; I went out with just an unbuttoned coat, no hat, gloves or scarf – that won’t happen for awhile! Today luckily I have nowhere I need to go and 😻😻😻are very happy to keep me company.
For those of you who love British mysteries as much as you love fragrance, last week on PBS I watched an episode of the Sister Boniface mystery series, ‘A Fragrant Scandal.’ Absolutely delightful! I think you can find it on Britbox.
Wishing everyone a great weekend ahead and Happy February 💕 – finally!
Hope you won’t have to deal with any flooding this weekend! Stay safe & dry.
I’m a little on the nose today with the “mystery”. I’m wearing this month’s mystery sample from Indigo. I got a lot of lemony citrus in the opening, then coriander seeds, and now it has settled into a fluffy musk with floral note that I can’t identify. Almost-but-not-quite peony maybe?
Tea today is a masala chai mixed with Fortnum’s irish breakfast for an extra kick.
I was at a neighbor’s house for a block meeting last night and had the best cake I have ever tried – it was coconut and it was perfect. It came from a local baker and I’m already trying to plan a dinner party so I can order one. (And I’m usually a pie person, not a cake person!)
Why wait for a party? 🤣
I’d either make myself sick eating the whole thing or sad tossing what was left 😂
I love the idea of planning a dinner party around a cake you want!
A local baker who is that good is a treasure!
I am honoring the Lunar New Year by wearing Tam Dao EDT, which to me reflects all the qualities of the Wood Snake.
Looking forward to next week’s CP 🤗🌹
Next week’s CP sounds like fun 🙂
SOTD = Chanel No.5 L’Eau
Loving it, from the RED bottle! It is so beautiful!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFgQMxgxBYc/?igsh=cXB6bTZycno3bXln
Tomorrow, I am celebrating lunar new year 🧧 🐍 a few days late, but eh, better late than never.
In other news, even though I don’t know anyone in that sports field, I am sad about what happened with the mid-air collision between the AA regional jetliner and the Blackhawk. Even though they are from different locations, the pool of elite competitors is relatively small. While far from being a whole generation, it reminds one that tomorrow is not guaranteed. “This too shall pass” is so easy to say but for the relatives and friends, not so. May their memories be a blessing.
Love that bottle and the juice is good too!
They are both great!
Chanel No.5 L’Eau is so lovely. 🤍
I agree 💯%!
Lovely scent, lovely bottle! Yes, the air crash is such a tragedy. I’ve been trying not to immerse myself in the news coverage, especially given some of the polarizing public comments which do nothing to comfort the bereaved. I cannot imagine the loss each family has suffered, in some cases losing more than one beloved member.
Another one today in Philly…
I was sorely tempted to blind buy that red No. 5 L’Eau bottle when it came out! Wish that Chanel would bring out more colored bottles.
You and me both!
Decided on 4160 Tuesdays Both Sides of Clouds. To me it has the qualities of the Wood Snake, mostly patience. It’s a fairly quiet scent, but I love the split between citrus, iris and woods.
Happy Friday everyone!
Ooh, I love Both Sides of Clouds! You smell great!
Thank you! It’s such a great fragrance. Glad you love it too!
I’m in Memoirs of a Trespasser, which to me sounds like there’d be a lot of mysterious things uncovered. The scent isn’t mysterious enough, though; hadn’t worn this sample in a long time and forgot how sweet it is on me.
It’s been raining cats and dogs all night, and now looks like it may be turning to driving freezing rain. It’s supposed to be snow by tonight. We could have used the rain, after a strangely sunny January, but I’m not sure we needed quite this much of it.
Freezing rain? YUCK!
Frozen cherries and yogurt smoothie
I picked Orangerie Musicale this morning and it’s my favorite orange blossom perfume along with APdlFd’O Néroli Blanc. I discovered it when I purchased Lait concentré and it came with a sample of OM and promptly fell in love. Lait concentré is a novelty perfume for me, uncannily mimicking condensed milk but my little 30ml bottle is more than enough, I don’t want to smell like this very often.
Tonight for the CP it’s Cacharel Eden because there was a serpent in the Garden of Eden. It’s still my weirdest scent, I reached for the vintage but the modern one is good too, just less heavy on patchouli in the drydown.
Great match with Eden!
Thank you Lillyjo! I thought of that match earlier this week.
Ah, Eden is an excellent pick for this CP!
I’m wearing Guerlain’s Jicky eau de toilette on one wrist and the 2021 Jicky eau de parfum on the other. Not sure if either one fits the brief of a wood snake’s qualities, but I’m enjoying them very much! I had an older bottle of the EDT, which I’ve loved, and just got a new bottle of the eau de parfum from the 2021 Les Legendaires collection. Their openings are pretty distinct (the EDT is much brighter with more citrus) but at this point about 1-2 hours in, they smell almost indistinguishable.
So you are pleased with the 2021 version of Jicky EdP?
Sotd & CP Green Cedar because it has 3 different woods: guaiac wood, Texas cedar, Atlas Mountain cedar. Sillage is nil on me. 15:30 and I’ve had to respect 2x. Otherwise I’m walking in the forest trying not to step on any snakes.
Although I do like the character of Snake Plissken from Escape from New York then sequel Eacape from LA.
Snake Plissken! Swoon. Lol.
I didn’t care for LA as much either.
Yes lillyjo Snake was a total swoon!!!
I have the day off today and was able to go out to breakfast with my cousin. I wasn’t impressed with my food. It was scrambled eggs potatoes and toast for 15 dollars. The whole time I was thinking I could have made this myself for a week for the money.
I go so I can visit though. Next time I might just get toast.
For the cp I am wearing Vintage Dior Poison. I’m matching it with mystery. Those original print ads really were mysterious.
Oooh, I was thinking about Poison for mystery!
I just thought of it this morning!
So glad you had the day off and saw your cousin. It sounded like a simple enough dish, sorry it wasn’t good. Perfect choice of Poison. Yes, I remember the ads all green and purple. Hope you are less tired.
Thank you Aurora. I do have a little more energy today.
Glad you had day off and spent it with your cousin! Sorry food was a disappointment. Love the Poison tie-in with the snake and Garden of Eden.
Thanks!
YAY for lunch with a favorite cousin! Too bad the food was a disappointment. Is there another place you both could go to next time?
Vintage Poison is freaking gorgeous.
We normally go to this same place but I think I will suggest somewhere different next time.
If you have an IHOP near you, it would be a good place to go.
Eek, count me among the snake phobic. While I’ve smelled good all week, I’m looking forward to getting back to a snake-free zone here. 🙂
Today I’m in MCMC Amara for wisdom. It was the first perfume that came to mind for the trait, probably because of the Buddhist statues and temple that appear on the packaging. And the perfume was created for The Humanity Fragrance Project, which was inspired by the feeling of compassion. And I find wisdom in compassion.
Yesterday I finished a sample of No. 5 L’eau for elegance.
Interesting fact I read in the news the other day — the Chinese stores around here (there are a lot of them, there’s a huge Chinese community in my city) were reporting that sales of decorations for Chinese New Year were way down this year, because it’s hard to make snakes cute. 🙂
I read that too!
I believe that!
Well, it is sensible to be afraid of snakes if you are a rabbit. 🐰
That’s a very good point. 🐇
Will you get a bottle of No. 5 L’Eau?
No, though it did grow on me over time. The first time I tried it, I was kinda unimpressed. But while I do like it quite a bit now, I have plenty of perfumes already that fill the “quiet elegance” style. And it’s not a category I would call a top favorite. It was nice while it lasted though!
I decided to post an updated list of zodiac animals with a song that matches them. Here goes!
Union of the Snake — Duran Duran
Horse with No Name — America
Shock the Monkey — Peter Gabriel
Rooster — Alice in Chains
Atomic Dog — George Clinton
War Pigs — Black Sabbath
The Rat — The Walkmen (Glannys & therabbitsflower)
Ox — The Who (Glannys)
Eye of the Tiger — Survivor
White Rabbit — Jefferson Airplane (Robin)
Puff the Magic Dragon — Peter, Paul and Mary (tulipani)
The only animal I don’t have a song for is the Sheep.
Bonus animal: Black Cat — Janet Jackson
The Vietnamese zodiac has the Cat in place of the Rat.
SOTD = Samsara parfum, from a teeny tiny 2mL micromini I got off EvilBay. It smells amazing, with a depth of sandalwood the other versions don’t have. But the EdT and EdP have much better projection plus more obvious floral notes. So maybe elegance, since the parfum isn’t “in your face”?
Now I’m trying to think of a sheep song. I’ll be up all night! Lol.
There’s a Pink Floyd song called Sheep.
I cheated and looked it up.
https://youtu.be/GStr1ZHxlDI?feature=shared
Honorable mention for rat?
Or just a cool song. Lol.
Whenever I hear The Boomtown Rats mentioned, I think of “I Don’t Like Mondays”. That song has a really messed up backstory, though.
Yeah I know that song and story.
Sad.
You’re so clever with the songs and Chinese zodiac year matching!
Thank you! Once I got started, it was fun trying to come up with a suitable match.