Happy Almost-Friday, happy first day of spring and happy International Day of Happiness! (Also, UN French Language Day and Fred McFeely Rogers‘ birthday.) What fragrance are you wearing?
I’m in Jour d’Hermès, which I included in 5 perfumes: pretty spring florals.
Reminder: 3/21 is International Fragrance Day. Wear a fragrance and tell us why you picked it.
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 Color Spirit [cropped] by M's photography at flickr; some rights reserved.
Hello.
Sotd is Angel’s Share Paradis. Very nicely done, very similar to the original with some raspberry liquor.
Just watched Snow White. It’s an expensive high school play on the big screen. Stiff acting and line delivery and questionable CG. The songs are not bad but not great. Not even for a moment was I fully engaged and invested in the movie. Save your time and pennies for something else guys…
Thanks for taking one for the team. I enjoyed it as a kid when dad took us to a movie theater with 3 kids (the 4th was smaller than a baby monkey)! I enjoyed it then but cannot see how I would so many years later.
The original was miles better than this remake! Definitely not enjoyable..
My mom and grandmother took my sister and me to see the original at a theater in NYC. I must have been around 8?
We both got Snow White purses and had lunch at Toffentis Restaurant near Times Square. So grown up.
60+ years later and I am happy when my Disney pension check is deposited!
What a fantastic day!
I just saw the preview last night at our big-screen theater, and I agree. It did nothing for me. So many of the new movies show part real actors combined with animation like Snow White, and Minecraft, which was also previewed. Just doesn’t do it for me.
I saw the Minecraft trailer too and although I have no idea what Minecraft really is, I bet it’s much better than Snow White…
Live action remakes of Snow White have been stinkers. Remember the one with Kristen Stewart?
Aromatics Elixir. Apparently, Clinique has recently changed its formula. I believe I bought my bottle about seven years ago, and my AE still smells very potent. While it’s not a pretty spring floral, I see it as both a spring and fall fragrance. To me, it somehow embodies both the rebirth and decay of nature.
I’ve already started working on haiku for the May challenge and have written five so far. Inspiration must have struck!
That’s a great description of AE Glannys.
Thank you. I think it’s herbal notes and oakmoss, and that warm earth note that creates that spring/fall feel.
You are wearing one of my favourites. I bought my bottle of AE second hand from ebay, some 10 years ago.
I will have to sniff the latest version to see how they compare
Glannys, 5 haikus by mid March! That is lovely.
I was so excited to see the challenge in the “Upcoming” that I started to think of them almost right away. 😂
🙂
Looking forward to the haiku you will post!
Happy Ostara. I’m wearing Ostara.
Woot woot!
Twins! Hajusuuri inspired me the other day with her wearing. It smells different to me. Might be a storage issue or might be my nose. Still nice but not as wet lush.
Wore it in honor of the first day of spring where we have about 3-4” of snow from a storm last night….
Good one for spring.
The in-focus blossom is unreal in its perfection. Oh, am trying Poudre de Musc again, but while it’s nice enough it might not be blitz-able. I’ve finished two travel sprays this month, so no sense in wearing perfume in a grimly determined manner,
I use his photos fairly regularly, he is really really good at flower close ups.
Gap Heaven
My signature in early 2000s
Are you doing a week of signatures?
For the cp, yes, each decade that I’ve worn perfume these have been my favorites then-
1970s Cristalle EDT
1980s Nocturnes
1990s Calyx
200Os Heaven
2010s Reglisse Noir
2020s First Cut
We overlap on 2, Cristalle EdT and Calyx. Honestly can’t remember what I was wearing in the 80s….possibly still Cristalle? I know I owned Paris too but don’t think I ever wore it every day. And pretty sure I bought Calyx shortly after it came out in the late 80s.
Ha, and just went to read my Calyx review and I see that back then, I still remembered that I wore Eau de Givenchy for years starting in the early 80s 🙂
Loved the Prescriptives version of Calyx.
Armani Prive Cuir Amethyste is my SOTD. Armani is international and can be found everywhere and Giorgio himself is Italian and the perfume is made in France so all bases neatly covered for the international CP.
I found this ‘black box’ bottle at an antique mall. It only has a handful of sprays left, but for $5, it was a good deal and a stroll down memory lane.
I remember about 15 years ago when MakeUpAlley was abuzz with people snatching up these for pennies on the dollar when they hit the discounters and then swapping madly. Cuir Amethyste didn’t grab me then, but today I am very much admiring its soft apricot/berry fruity velvet suede floral vibe. It reminds me quite a bit of Lutens Daim Blond, but that is going from memory, I don’t have any to do a side by side. Happy Thursday everyone!
You smell great DeniseH!
I used to love to wear it in the cold.
Thank you Lillyjo. It has a very warming aspect to it!
It’s Spring 1st and so I am in my customary scent, Yves Rocher Homme Nature, just about the greenest thing imaginable. (Its fall counterpart, Homme Nature Millénaire, has been put away until Autumn 1st, as is my tradition.)
What a great perfume tradition Pyramus.
Down to 25F last night so not very spring like here. I’m wearing AdV Ambre Liquide (again) because I luuurves everything about it: the bottle, the scent, the 10ml size, the idea behind it, et cetera, ad infinitum. ..It’s definitely an “international” brand in that AdV creates “historical” scents from places and events around the globe. Ambre Liquide is what I’d call a “happy” amber that’s light and radiant and boosts the wearers mood. (At least it boosts mine, but the 18/24 hours of sleep may have helped!) I can see why a concoction such as this was thought to possibly protect you from the plague back in the day when misinformation abounded, unlike these modern times when facts and science are revered and respected. 😉
Happy Thursday, aka Almost Friday Day!
I am so glad you are loving your blind buy, Deva!
Had a lovely sentiment all ready to respond to your last sentence, about facts and science, but it’s probably skirting the bounds of the comment policy, so will just say I probably need a bottle of the AdV 🙂
Hi all. Happy first day of spring! It’s cold and snowing here today, not very spring-like, but it was warm and sunny yesterday.
I’m wearing L’Eau for a haircut but will spray something warming when I get home. I’m thinking Amouage Opus VI because I love it and haven’t worn it in a while.
We got our snow last night. Today is pretty because it’s sunny. But cold
It was snowing like crazy here this morning. Thankfully it didn’t stick.
Snow might be done for the year where I am at. I took a chance and put away my ice scraper for the car this afternoon.
Feeling very spring-like and gardenia-like in Kai body butter and perfume🌸
I bet the body butter is really nice.
It really is.
You smell wonderful – that is a great Spring scent.
Thanks MossyBerry!
Seems that the furor over Kai has really died down.
Probably because it has been around for 26 years. I couldn’t believe it, but looked it up. I still like it and the body butter is great!
I’m wearing some vintage Anais Anais from Cacharel. It’s a pretty floral, and seems right for the first day of spring. But this one is emotionally loaded for me – maybe some of you have similar responses to certain perfumes. It was the fragrance of my college sweetheart. (Definitely the “one that got away.”) Years after we were no longer together, I would smell it in an elevator or in the air on the street, and I’d immediately be flooded with thoughts of her. It still has that effect, decades later.
You are having a Proust scent moment.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
In Guerlain Apres L’Ondee to welcome spring.
Happy Thursday! 🌷
Happy Spring Pl67!🌻🌹🌼
Happy Spring, Lillyjo! 👋🏻🌻🌷🐤🐇
Ooh, great choice!
I did a bit of research afterwards regarding d’Annam White Rice. Yes, it may be worth a sample just to see how it is on me. Just wondering if you’ve tried Taipei by One Day? I saw it mentioned on a yt video along with White Rice.
Perfect perfume pick for the first day of Spring!
Thank you, Jalapeno. It is one of my favorite spring scents!
Guerlain Mandarin Basilic – but it has no staying power on me.
That’s true of most of the Allegorias, unfortunately. But aren’t they nice while they last?
Indeed.
Like love. Nice while it lasts.
I’m very pleased to report that I got to sniff real hyacinths yesterday!! A coworker brought them to work to celebrate the Persian new year and they scented the break room strongly! It was just as all of you described. I was really surprised at how complex and perfumey they smelled, stunning. And they weresuch a pretty color too. Too bad I’d probably hesitate to have them in my house because the scent would be too powerful.
My week of Bertrand Duchaufour was derailed yesterday because I rushed off to work with only a sample of Comete with me. But happy to report that Comete is quite a perfect work scent. I will wear Trayee today, when I get around to it.
Yes! Can’t wait til mine bloom! But as I said in an earlier post, I only smell them outside, the smell is so strong that their scent actually chokes me if brought inside.
So glad you have smelled them now!
Hurray! Now for extra credit (LOL), maybe you can find some grape hyacinth flowers. They really do look like little clusters of grapes when they bloom. But grape hyacinth smell different than their regular cousins.
It’s been a really long time since I have seen any.
Happy First Day of Spring! May we all feel renewed in some crucial area of our lives today!
Spent yesterday back in ER as I worried Auntie was having a stroke. I was right (not paranoid) and we caught it in golden period from which you can recover. Got to bed at 2 am, now going back to hospital.
Sotd of YSL Libre L’Absolu Platine for maximum calming yet a touch of citrus for some energy.
Wow. Your Auntie was blessed by your quick action! Hope she recovers quickly.
Sending your aunt healing thoughts!
wow LesLiesse that is amazingly fortuitous that you were there with her and followed your intuition. Sending healing thoughts.
Quick work! You should have been a nurse. Good for you.
Take care of yourself and your aunt.
So glad you listened to your intuition-and I hope your aunt recovers quickly, with few side effects from the stroke. Well Done!
I hope your aunt makes a good recovery.
I’m sorry to hear about your aunt and so glad you caught the stroke in time🌸
Sending healing thoughts to your Auntie!
Thank goodness you were there for her! Wishing her well and some rest for you.
Oh, so sorry to hear! Wishing the best for your aunt and you – you are an 😇 for taking such good care of her.
Quick thinking on your part, sending best wishes for a full recovery. Get some well deserved rest today.
*for your aunt
I hope all continues to go well for your Aunt!
Because of your quick thinking, Auntie has the best chances for a full recovery. I hope she does well!
Oh good, so glad you caught it. Now I hope you both get lots of rest.
Holy smoke. So glad that you acted on your hunch. Here’s to a swift and complete recovery for your Aunt!
I’m in Heeley L’amandiere to celebrate spring. It’s impossible to know what to wear: you need a parka in the morning and evening, but a much lighter jacket during the day. Both yesterday and today we had freezing fog. This means the deciduous trees are covered with ice-every leaf twig and branch looks so pretty in the morning light. Also means roads can still be very slippery in spots lol. There’s still time to really damage your vehicle-that’s how I know it’s spring.
Honestly I am not even familiar with freezing fog, and hope I do not have to learn about it! Be careful out there.
Freezing fog = UGH!
Happy Vernal Equinox, everyone! I tried to celebrate by wearing Le Temps d’Une Fête, but to my sad surprise it had far too much of something that evoked lilies, despite the lack of those among LTDF’s notes. Took a shower and can still smell whatever it is faintly on my wrists. Maybe an olfactory hallucination? I think I may go do a thorough drenching in Mediterraneo (c’mon, spell-check — you used to know that one) and see if that helps.
Hope that worked! I like lily but guessing you don’t…
Nearly every day is international fragrance day here, because very little is made in New Zealand 🙂 .
I’m wearing 24 Faubourg to go with a dress in orange and brown autumn tones.
Beautiful combo!
On the Malle path in Lipstick Rose🌹
I bet that smells good. It always sounds nice.
It does, especially if you like the smell of lipstick. He really captured the lipstick essence.
“On the Malle path” sounds like a perfume pilgrimage. 😉
I thought that too after I wrote it😊
SOTD = Jorum Studio Trimerous
Love this orris! 🤍
https://www.instagram.com/p/DHbvDWoxkwk/?igsh=MXR4eHF1c3c2ZGdsdQ==
And for your reading pleasure, if not for a home buyer, then consider this as what to watch out for if you own a home. Hopefully you bought (or are buying) at the right spot!
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/your-money/home-buying-climate-change.html?unlocked_article_code=1.5E4.-O0u.R-tBKT6XTqIK&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Ha, as a home owner I am sure I am happier not reading that article! Ignorance is at least temporary bliss 🙂
I’m in Chanel Paris-Venise.
Those Chanel Eaux are lovely!
They sure are! Great for the warm days ahead.
I woke up this morning to everything snow-covered and temps in the 30’s. Happy Spring ❄️🌨️☃️! But bright 🌞 came out early and even tho the temps are only nearing 40, some of the snow is already melting. A warmup tomorrow so it should be gone by then 🤞. Luckily, the storms in my area last night weren’t too severe and we were able to get to the show unscathed and only slightly wet.
So for my SOTD I wanted something warm and cozy and chose Molinard Vanille Patchouli; it has a nice caramelly note that gives it a gourmand touch. It also enables me to participate in the cp a day early, as I bought this on my one trip to France years ago and a visit to Molinard. I also bought a coffret of the other vanilla scents, including the Fruitee, Ambre, and Reglisse. ❤️
Will get back in Spring mode tonight at a library program for seed-starting. I’m so ready 🌱!
Happy Almost-Friday!
Robin, you asked about The Birds. All I remembered from the first time I saw it years ago was, yes, the bird attacks were terrifying and that Tippi Hedren (Melanie) was beautiful. Thanks to our program host, who provided much background info, I gained a new appreciation of the incredible technology needed to produce this film.
But I also found much to criticize, just watching it. The beginning was rather lame, that Melanie would go to such great lengths to deliver the birds – and row a boat and walk in sand in high heels! And later when she hears the birds in the attic and opens the door only slightly and sees the birds flying all over, difficult to believe she would then enter the room and close the door, letting the birds attack her fiercely. And Rod Taylor (Mitch), who looked to be around 45, has an 11-year old sister? His mother looked just a few years older than him and more like his sister! He spends his weekends away from being a SF attorney at his Bodega Bay beach house – always dressed in a suit and tie? And the end was very abrupt, almost suggesting a sequel but there was none, and no explanation of why the birds attacked. (One background source suggested we take nature for granted or that the characters are self-absorbed and their personal world is far from harmonious, and that the birds represent this unpredictability and turmoil they feel inside. Who knows?). But it was still enjoyable, especially seeing a 4K DCP restoration on the big screen. 🎬
In the original version, the birds attacked the family as they were leaving, but the studio made Hitchcock do this sanitized version with a “happy ending.” Also, he really re-wrote the Daphne du Maurier story upon which the film was based, which was set in Cornwall in WWII, where the birds clearly represented air attacks, and everyone is destroyed at the end. I like that there is no explanation, because I think it’s just presenting a picture of cosmic bleakness. My favorite scene is where she’s sitting outside the school as the blackbirds gradually assemble on the big jungle gym behind her. It’s one of the most chilling sequences in film!
Yes, my understanding is that the only similarities between the movie and the book are the title and a bird attack. But my understanding is that although the ending you referred to about the family being attacked on their way out was storyboarded (as much of the film was) it was never actually filmed as it would’ve taken at least another month to shoot given the technical challenges involved.
So interesting, thank you! I remember virtually nothing of the actual plot, just those birds…to this day if I see a row of birds on a telephone line I feel just a little queasy! (Weren’t there rows on a jungle gym too? But you almost never see metal jungle gyms any more)
And if I ever knew it was based on a short story by DdM I’d long since forgotten.
Smoothie is a pear.
Crabtree & Evelyn Eau de Rose this morning and tonight MK Midnight Shimmer.
Ooh Midnight Shimmer is great!
It was gone in a flash here.
It lasted too, can still smell it this morning. I got it when it came out, before discontinuation IIRC.
I recall seeing MK Midnight Shimmer on the discount sites quite a bit. Haven’t checked for it in ages.
It got discontinued quickly, I think it was a limited edition.
Happy Spring, fragrant friends! I’ve been lurking this week as I am jet-lagged and woozy with a slight head cold, post-trip to London and Malta. Sis and I had fun together and spent most of our time in museums. Way cool to nerdy us was seeing the Cippi of Malta exhibit in Valletta. The National Gallery in London had an exhibit called Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300 ‒1350 that was way cool, too. Perfume shopping fell by the wayside as normally turtle-paced me was so much on the go. I brought Zoologist Squid and V&R Ruby Orchid with me and that was all the perfuming I did. Honestly, I found the Duty Free area overwhelming though I’d had high hopes. I didn’t think I could really make any connections at that time. Mostly this is because I am so unused to travel. I did get a Harris Tweed coat, which was a bucket list item, with a little egging-on from my sister. So that was my splurge. Everything about the trip went very well. What I loved about Malta was I felt like I was getting their unique culture along with Italian, Greek, and North African vibes thrown in. Lots of very yummy food there. Not sure about a perfume today, but yesterday I enjoyed Fumerie Turque.
Welcome back, MossyBerry! Glad that you enjoyed your trip.
Thanks, Jalapeno – as I told allo, I loved being on the trip, but still was a bit homesick. It’s just been so long since I traveled far from home!
Welcome home! Sounds like a wonderful trip; Malta sounds especially intriguing.
I would go again; we were there in an off-season time, so though it was full of people on the streets, no one museum or site was very crowded. The cities there are very densely populated, and there was a lot of construction going on.
What fun, and congrats on the coat, I bet it is beautiful!
Welcome home!
I so enjoyed the trip, but said a prayer of thanks when I touched down at the home airport. It was funny to be of two minds. Ha, I did not travel light, so I did have comforting “trappings” with me.
I didn’t have anything special in mind to wear this morning. Them my decant of Rousse on my shelf caught my eye and I read here it is UN French Language Day, plus this should be our last day with temps in the 40s – so all things pointed to going ahead and wearing Rousse! My decant is almost gone, sadly. However, I do have a decant of 5 O’clock au Gingembre from a kind NSTer, and I find these two fragrances similar. So hopefully when Rousse is gone, the other will fill that need.
You smelled great today…Rousse is a beauty.
I’m wearing Le Labo Myrrh and trying to focus after having my eyes dilated at the eye clinic this afternoon, where I went for a consult on cataract surgery, I know it’s common now but it’s made me rather anxious and now I’m even more anxious since I’ve learned how much I”ll have to pay out of pocket despite having good insurance. :-(. On the bright side, (a) the ophthalmologist is a hottie, and (b) the clinician who ran a lot of the tests on me complimented me on my perfume and wanted to know the name and where to find it. I did tell her but didn’t have the heart to tell her that it’s super expensive and only available for one month of the year. I figured if she goes to a Le Labo store she will perhaps find something else she likes and is more affordable. She said something interesting, that my perfume was “comforting.” I could tell she really liked it though, it wasn’t a fake compliment.
Omitted was the fact that I now have the surgery scheduled, one eye next week, the other eye, the week after. If anyone has experience with this I’d love to hear from. you.
I had cataract surgery in my right eye when I was 48. It developed very quickly due to all the intra-ocular instrumentation for a retinal detachment repair the year before. The cataract surgery was a breeze. Numbing eye drops are all that was needed. I had an IOL lens put in as well, and drove myself home. You’ll do great!
Thanks! Why is an IOL lens?
Intraocular Lens. It’s inserted when the cataract is removed. For some people, they may not need additional correction with glasses/contacts as the lens implant comes in various strengths and may meet their needs for optimal visual acuity.
IIRC, my Mom had had cataract surgery. It was easy-peasy, and she had no complications.
Can’t remember details anymore, though.
Good to hear!
Not that you need this but perhaps if you should want to come to Houston for some eye surgery some time….
https://www.diagnosticeyecenter.com/eye-doctors-houston/andrew-salem-m-d/
My cataract surgery went very smoothly too. I’ll mention that I had lens implants that corrected for near vision rather than distance vision. Since I mostly do close-up activities, it has worked very well for me. I was very “high minus” (nearsighted) pre-surgery. I have a distance vision contact that I wear in one eye for driving and sightseeing and other activities that require seeing near and far at once. But being able to read without bifocal glasses was the big win. Oh, and I love that you had a perfume compliment!!
I’m sorry the surgery is going to be expensive. But at least they usually go well, probably because how common they are.
And how lovely it is that you got a perfume compliment!
I’m having a busy day off running errands. I had 2 poor customer experiences and 1 good one.
I’m wearing a bunch of samples today. I don’t have anything great to say about any of them.
I did try what I think is the newest flanker of CH Good Girl
If you like cherry it’s a Cherry Bomb.
https://youtu.be/_EBvXpjudf8?feature=shared
Sorry.. lol
OMG, The Runaways!
I love your “customer experience” realness! I had a miserable patient experience the other night, to the point I went to the charge and said, “I will not accept another assignment with this patient. She’s FIRED!” 😂 Then I had a little gramma who weighed about 70lbs soaking wet waiting for placement because her daughters boyfriend attacked her and almost fractured her hand and wrist. She was just the most ADORABLE lady, and I can tell you I would have no problem going WAY off on that guy (and the daughter, who refused to give him the boot!). People be peopling like crazy! 🙃
Hopefully you have better experiences soon. Were they rude to you?
Hope all the errands went well and that you will only get good customers today.
Still chilly in my part of the world today, but at least the accursed wind has taken a break. Teflon kitty got good news at the vet this afternoon; no more ear infection! I will keep watching her for a week or so to make sure that everything has cleared out.
There was something super stinky in the neighborhood this afternoon. Not sure if someone had applied manure to their fields, or just lit up an extra nasty, king-sized joint. It was that bad. Pee-yew!
SOTD = back in Leather Jardin again. Still cool enough to wear this for a bit longer.
Yay for Teflon Kitty!
Boo for stinky neighborhood!
She’s acting much happier now. I’m glad I went with more aggressive treatment this time.
It’s the time of year for that particular Eau de Pew!
Glad Teflon’s ears are better.
Thank you MossyBerry!
Glad TK is doing well now.
You smell great!
Teflon is better, but still improving I think. She certainly had a healthy appetite today!
Thanks for the perfume compliment!
Good news, Teflon Kitty!
Thank you Laila! Hoping she doesn’t see the vet until her rabies vax is due now.
Excellent.
Ha, I meant kitty not manure!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I noticed you didn’t type “excrement”!
Yay for no ear infection!
Thanks Glannys! We’re both happy about that. 😎😸
Glad for Teflon after all the drops.
Teflon didn’t get a course of the steroid drops this time. Those are still an option for later on if her ears don’t dry out.