It's Tuesday and Social Media Giving Day. Birthdays: Rembrandt, Iris Murdoch, Linda Ronstadt. What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm in Kenzo Air, which cost peanuts when I bought it many moons ago — it's rare now and costs more than peanuts, less than many new perfumes — and which is admittedly showing its age. Tea at the moment is Numi Chinese Breakfast.
Reminder: on 7/18, we're doing Cheap & Cheerful Friday. Suggested by ringthing.
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: the Round 2-Cup Teapot from Mud Australia is available in several colors ("This rounded 2-Cup style was inspired by the rounded Noodle Bowl silhouette. Our teapot has a glazed handle and spout which makes the act of pouring a cup even more pleasurable") and is AUD $210.
Currently in Ubar. I applied Ubar last night when the Narciso Rodriguez wore off and I can still smell Ubar this morning. When I get out of my shower, I will be in Cheirosa 62. I have quite a few cheap perfumes that are work safe.
Saw a hawk nab a baby rabbit on Sunday. Heard a ruckus and saw the hawk with the bunny. I know it’s a natural thing but it was still a baby bunny and it’s still sad.
That’s so sad. 😢 If it makes you feel any better, I saw a clip on youtube yesterday of a hawk trying to grab a kitten in a car but was confused by the “magcial” windshield.
It is always sad to see that. I remind myself that hawk babies also must eat, and that the prey got a kinder death than is afforded the animals we humans eat, but I still feel sad about the bunny baby.
Continuing with Lush body sprays. It’s hot today, so it’s time for Dirty – very minty and green.
Minty and green sounds great. I never had Dirty but I do miss my Herba Fresca.
Tea is Upton’s Kensington Breakfast Blend. It’s sunny, sticky and the AQI is poor, all of which made me reach for a sunscreeny scent, PdE’s Un Bel Amour d’Ete, not cheap as chips, but not outrageously priced either.
Just noticed TCM is showing The Fabulous Baker Boys tonight…it’s from 1989, practically a classic!
Gosh, I possibly have not seen that since 1990!
Hello.
Cheap but great sotd is Kiehl’s Original Musk. Doesn’t last at all but it’s okay.
I am going to have to pull that out and wear it either tomorrow or Thursday. It is cheap and cheerful and just the right amount of musk. Not too much to make people think that you haven’t bathed in a couple weeks. It smells so good.
LOL Dawn
Happy St. Swithin’s Day! (I know this only because of an old, old Simpsons joke, but I also know that folklorically, whatever the weather on this day is what the weather will be for the next 40 days and 40 nights: I hope not, because it’s already hot and gross, and we will have a humidex of 39º this afternoon with the added pleasure of smoke from wildfires out west.)
Today I’m in Michael Kors Michael for Men, which is not cheap and cheerful — it was an unexceptional price when I bought it in 2014 and now is essentially unobtainable — but it was the fragrance that taught me to love patchouli, for which I will be forever grateful.
That’s an excellent one, Pyramus. You smell marvelous. I have the vtg aftershave and it’s strong too. (Got it for hubs but he prefers his Egoiste). Interestingly, the label says “Givenchy” so I looked it up and discovered that Givenchy ‘made’ this fragrance for MK. Also, that it dates only to 2001, but smells like one of those very rich layered complex 80s/90s scents for men.
Gosh I hope St Swithin is WRONG.
96 degrees for the next 40 days?!? That’s a little much.
I am spraying my way through my summery Goutals, almost all of which qualify as cheap and cheerful since I bought all of them from discounters and most of them so long ago that their cost has amortized to practically zero. How’s that for a rationalization? Scent of the moment is Quel Amour EDT.
Goutal is the house that broke my heart. With all the discontinued scents they got rid of that were so beautiful…
I love that you are working your way through summery Goutals. That is an excellent project. I love Eau du Ciel and Chevrefeuille best I think. Perhaps more springy than summery but both work.
Wonderful!!! I was born and raised and lived in NYC and remember the days when Saks Fifth Avenue did a buy one get one free with the Goutals. At that time 100 ml were $90 so I was essentially getting 100 ml for $45. Those were the days!!!!
🤯🤯🤯
Another Goutal fan over here-gosh their stuff is great! I can still remember how special Hadrien was when I first smelled it-I still wear this house a lot 🙂
I wore Ce Soir Ou Jamais the other day and love the flinty rose.
You went from Perfume Math straight into Perfume Economics!
I am in omni crystalline -which I picked up cheap at a perfume warehouse type of shop close to Herald Square.
To add to the cheap and cheerful I am in Wine with Everything lippy from Revlon.
Today I have a doctor’s appointment-but virtual so I can spray as much perfume as I want.
My lemon thyme is growing out of control so I am looking up recipes that use this herb…
My cuppa is hazelnut coffee with cream I picked up at a bodega.
You can also make lemon thyme iced tea. Perfect for the summer! ☀️
sounds refreshing!
Thyme butter is great…on crusty bread, toast, scones, corn etc. Just mix in fresh thyme leaves in butter, roll into a log shape, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate. Add salt or even honey to taste if you want. Can also be frozen.
oh wow! That sounds de-lish!
Lemon thyme can also be used in marinades for meat, poultry, or fish.
When the lemon thyme gets out of control I stuff a bunch in the cavity of a roast chicken along with half a lemon, then chop more for a butter sauce.
Oh yum!
I am finding that some cheap and cheerful scents I have are no longer cheap if they’re available at all, and that makes me less than cheerful. But I’m going with what I paid originally. In that vein, I’m wearing vintage Dune on another hot, sticky day. Having no pool or beach access (or bathing suit) I am engaged in another favorite summer activity, staying in my house listening to the AC run until I have to leave. Enjoy your day everyone!
So very true. And sad.
Agree. I was looking at the Perfume Vault last night and saw bottles that I paid $13 for selling for close to $300.
Wearing Moschino Cheap & Chic I Love Love, and yes, it’s cheap and cheerful and the citrus is just right for this very warm day.
Plus there should be extra points for the name!
Today I am wearing Tè Nero by Speziali Fiorentini which was 23.31 USD when I got it in 2015. It is now discontinued. It is a light tea with vanilla and gentle spices.
I remember that one!
I’m wearing Tauer Sundowner, which of itself is not cheap, but since I got it as a free sample it is as cheap as can be. This would be fine in the fall and winter, but not so much in the heat of summer.
SOTD = Gallivant Bukhara, a light, cool, not sweet, iris, perfect for hot summer days. Luca Turin just reviewed some of Gallivant’s new offerings, which might be worth looking for.
This morning we gave the old pony, Sheba, a dose of Bute (horsey aspirin) for her old sore joints, and she will get another dose at 3:00, before the farrier comes out at 4:00 to give her a pedicure. Last time she about fell over, trying to keep the weight off of her knees, poor old girl. Last time I had a pedicure, they gave me wine, because I am so tickelish! Somewhat the same effect, and I will be going back to that place regularly!
Adorable hubby and I are rewatching Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen. The actress who plays Suzy Glass steals every scene she is in, and the storytelling is riveting, but almost all of them are such horrible humans beings, except for Jimmy, the hapless pot wizard enthralled by the vixen, and Geoff, the less hapless but equally helpless grounds keeper enthralled by the Duchess, that I am not enjoying it nearly so much this time around. I find myself very tired of being urged to like and admire people breaking every law and code of human decency just to make some more money, you know? But I suppose I will watch the second season when it comes out.
In healthier entertainment I am reading a cute fantasy novel called “The Invisible Library” with the spunky junior librarian earning her stripes fighting faye folk, vampires, various undead ghouls and werewolves for possession of an extremely rare copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales which contains a extra story that explains the origins of said Invisible Library, or something. Also sexy dragons, a Detective, steampunk ethos, zeppelins from Lichtenstein, and general wittiness. The heroes are heroes, the bad guys get what they deserve, and it is a nice escape from current events…
Happy middle of summer everyone…
And of course, those pastel teapots are fabulous, Robin! Makes me want to do a modern minimalist house just to have those be the only touches of color anywhere!
Wouldn’t that look nice?
On even numbered days I am all about the most minimalist of minimalism! On odd numbers days I am much more hung-ho boho maximalism, colors, patterns, more colors! LOL! I need two little houses side by side for this split in my decorative design requirements!
HA, that sounds perfect. I could go for that too.
That’s a fun series! I’ve just started Cogman’s new series, a fanstasy version of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
I saw a blurb for that new series! It sounds like fun but I haven’t really looked at it. How is it?
While I might have missed reading Scarlet Pimpernel as a kid I am enjoying it, despite not being a huge vampire fan.
I pulled my sample of Bukhara out for a sniff. Definitely worth wearing! 💜
It works best on me when it is really hot out, when the coolness of the scent comes to the fore. In less intense weather it just seems like a “meh” little iris with no personality to speak of.
Gallivant Bukhara is a nice iris. I find it similar to Hiris by Hermes. Anyway, have you tried any of the other Gallivant scents? Not sure what new ones are out there that Luca Turin reviewed. I have tried London and Nida and really liked both of them. London is not new, but I believe Nida is from 2024. Both are florals and both are very pretty.
Not sure how chic it is but it’s cheerful to me and quite cheap, this morning’s choice is the original Flower by Kenzo EdP. So we are scent house twins, Robin. When it wears off (lasts a long time on me) I will switch to Reve d’Ossian from Oriza LeGrand, which was verrry cheap, in fact free, because I got it in a swap from an NSTer here. I don’t know if churches are ‘chic,’ prolly not the adjective I’d use, but it smells ancient, timeless, gorgeous, old world. Thank you swapper!
♥ Reve d’Ossian!
You always manage to obtain amazing things in your swaps!!! Kudos to you!!!! Reve is a gorgeous fragrance!!!
Reve d’Ossian is stunning! What a swap!
Also, I’m behind on the weekend’s reading pool as usual but right now I’m reading a fun beach read, Other People’s Clothes by Calla Henkel, set in Berlin around 2008. There’s a murder and shady goings-on (though I figured out the murderer already) with two hapless art college students studying abroad. The author namedrops a lot of perfumes. One of the main characters used to work at a department store perfume counter and mentions fragrances including Chloe EdP and Coco Mad, which she misnames Chanel Mademoiselle and describes as “A ubiquitous Windexy vanilla scent that was popular with dental hygienists, gallery assistants and other women proximate to benign power.” And Chloe EdP “It was a perfume I had sold to young beach wives who preferred their tanned skin to smell chemically clean as if they had no genitals.” This gives you an idea of the spiky humor throughout.
I completely understand the idea of a Windexy scent. It’s like a jab up the nose. 😆
Ha, those are great descriptions!
I’m in Bulgari’s blue tea, matching both my summer dress and today’s tea set. Yay for cheap & cheerful! I definitely have a candidate or two, not even counting “bought at a crazy price” items.
House twins!
Yum!
I have a feeling that most of our scents this week will be of the “it used to be cheap but isn’t anymore” variety. Mine this morning is on the edge of that category — I’m in AdP Iris Nobile EDT. My bottle is a veritable vat that cost next to nothing in perfumath, and to replace it now would take a bit more $$ but it’s still fairly affordable. And it’s perfect for a day that’s supposed to top 90 degrees F.
You ain’t just whistling Dixie about the cost of older perfume now. I’ve been searching for week’s looking for something vintage to use my gift card on and everything is so expensive! I can’t believe what people are charging.
Agree!!! I’ve been looking at the prices on eBay and am shocked!!! I guess inflation affects vintage perfumes too.
Scarcity is the coin of the realm, cm8!
Indeed. If only I had bought backups of all the bottles I used to get at the brick and mortar stores in NYC in the 1980s I’d be all set 😆
Scarcity is the coin of the realm, cm8!
Inflation, or profiteering?
Both?
I was looking for “cheap and cheerful” this morning. It seemed as if the cheap ones weren’t cheerful, and the cheerful ones weren’t cheap (think Bombay Bling or Pulp). But then I remembered Smell Bent! I am not wearing any today, but they will be my choice for the remainder of the week. Today I’m wearing White Cube.
Smelling great!
Yeah! Smell Bent fits the bill!
My daughter got a new lip gloss from the brand girl cult. When she was trying it out she said excitedly ” Mom! My lip gloss smells like your perfume!” Then she asked me to figure out which one it smells like. Well her lip gloss smells like a red rose. If I had to compare it, I would say it smells like Stella, which I don’t have. The only rose forward perfumes I have are Paris and Nahema. I gave her the Paris to spray and she seemed happy with that. I was happy that she recognized perfume smells. Now I want another rose perfume. Lol.
My sotd is the cheap and cheerful Clean Ultimate Beach Day. I paid $11.00 for it on clearance. I think it’s just as good as TF Soliel Blanc, or Bronze Goddess and it makes me happy.
Nice!!! I loved the Clean scents back in the day. And your daughter cracks me up💛
You should have heard her trying to guess with me. She was shouting out ” is it Shalimar? Is it Poison? ” lol.
Ahaha!!!! And now I love her even more!!!!
And please PM me if you want another rose perfume
It’s a very sweet story about your daughter.
Thank you Aurora.
Nice! You taught her well!
Lol! I’m glad she paid attention!
Both your kids are a trip, lillyjo!
Can’t argue with you there. Lol.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/dec/13/97196-words-essays-emmanuel-carrere-review?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
I’ve been reading a lot of essays recently and nonfiction, and been going through Emmanuel Carrere’s books, starting with the most recent V13 which is a court procedural concerning the Paris terrorist attacks, following the testimonies of the survivors and the work of the plaintiffs. It’s pretty gruelling . Other collections are 97196 Words and Yoga, and The Adversary …which is a terrific book, think Janet Malcolm.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/nov/03/v13-chronicle-of-a-trial-by-emmanuel-carrere-review-bataclan-attacks-paris-2015?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
V13 review
Good luck with your reading!
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/01/05/06/reviews/010506.06salamot.html?module=inline
Review of The Adversary about the man who pretended to work at WHO ( and murdered his family) …the most Janet Malcom-like of the three books.
I have yet to read V13, but have read a lot of his earlier works. The Adversary was the first, an unusual case of deceit, and a chilling case. Particularly interesting as it was the case of someone pretending to be a doctor, who fell at a small and early hurdle.
Carrère often writes about identity, and The Adversary is probably the
Have you read La classe de neige?
*is probably the most extreme example of the construction of an identity.
Thank you. No, I haven’t read that one. I will look for it as an e-book. I have read My Life as a Russian Novel, which is how I found his books.
Cheap and chic ( and cheerful) Perry Ellis 360. If I’m not mistaken my 6.8 oz bottle sells for under $40
Robin, I think cheap and CHIC would make for a nice community project when we run out of ideas. What say you? 🙂
I totally misread the CP for this week and thought we were doing cheap and chic already, lol. As to swapping, chocolate marzipan, I’m always willing to do two for one if it’s something on my wishlist and I do love me a good incense scent. The swapper is very happy with her vintage Mitsouko and Gucci Envy so win-win!
Well, maybe then we can convince Robin to make it another new CP! And as someone who has swapped with you I can attest to the fact that you drive a hard bargain but swapped is satisfied 😍
Sure, we can do that!
Cheap and cheerful is a sample of EPC Bergamot Incense.
Not so cheap is the price for a bottle.
It is both summery and incensy and I keep huffing my wrist.
Yum! I’d be huffing my wrist too!!
Your SOTD sounds really good!
2 white nectarines from Spain
It was Green tea lavender (real lavandula angustifolia) for the CP and the dentist check-up which I passed, no cavity, healthy gums said the dentist. It was supposed to rain but only a few drops fell, we badly need rain, so I’m not happy but pleasant 20C temperatures. Tonight, still for the CP it’s vintage Jovan musk which smells just beautiful.
Jovan Musk I wore when it wasn’t vintage. You smell sooooo good.
Thank you, so glad it took you down memory lane, the wonder of something so cheap smelling so good.
It’s amazing how these affordable perfumes from back when brought us so much pleasure. Back in the day before expensive niche.
Yay for the good checkup!
Thank you Lillyjo, it was a relief.
Huzzah for a good dentist visit!
Hope you get some gentle rains soon.
Thank you Jalapeno. The grass is parched which is rare in England.
I’m wearing 31 Rue Cambon today, I always feel elegant and prepared for anything when I wear this. I’m looking forward to a planning workshop today. My manager and most of my management team colleagues live in other cities, and we’re meeting in person today. I haven’t seen some of them in real life for over a year.
Well you smell fantastic, and you’ll be emanating vibes of elegance and preparedness 🙂
I don’t often want to wear 31RC but I do like to stash my decant in my purse for sniffing on days when I need to face the day with my head up. You smell wonderful.
Smelling fabulous! I hoard my bottle of that because I don’t want it to run out. I think I have at least 1/2 bottle, but it has gotten so expensive that I am not sure I would purchase it again. When I originally bought it 31 RC was much cheaper. I love it though!
It’s a warm day here, and it was outside work for work-including the most glamourous of jobs, hosing out the garbage cans. I’ll spare you the details 🙂
I’m in De Profundis-I wanted to see what it smell like in the heat. It smells good! But I prefer it in slightly cooler temperatures.
Not my favorite chore either. 😜😂🗑️
sotd = Cologne du 68
I think I smell like everything good in an airy, uplifting kitchen sink full of flowers and everything good kind of way.
I’ve missed y’all the past few days. My eye doctor recommended i limit screen time for a bit. 🤓
Happy birthday to Iris Murdoch. I’ve tried to read a few of her books in the past and floundered. I should try to read from her work again.
The bio-movie titled Iris (with Kate Winslett I think) was interesting to me as my stepfather had Alzheimer’s dementia.
Wishing everyone a terrific Tuesday. 😊💕
Wishing you a terrific Tuesday too!
thank you, fragrant friend! 🌸
Glad to see you back posting! Has your eye issue been resolved?
Hi Jalapeno, you’re so kind! 💕 My eye issue is ongoing but trending in the right direction. ↗️ I have a follow up doctor appointment on Thursday, hoping it goes well. 😊
Pleased to hear that your situation is being monitored. Good luck with the appointment!
I haven’t seen that movie, but since Alzheimer’s disease is a passion of mine and I educate people on it, this is a movie I should see. I have mentioned on here many times that my grandmother and mother both had Alzheimer’s disease. It is also a disease I worked with a lot in my many years as a geriatric nurse. Thanks for the information.
Hi Kris! I hope you can find time to watch the movie Iris. Brain disease is fascinating and devastating. I wish we could do more to help people.
I started the day in Cheap and Cheeful – Papavero e Fico by Derbe, a poppy and fig fragrance that always makes me happy.
Then I thought about Gardenias and shifted to Cheerful and more expensive, Grandiflora Saskia, my favorite Gardenia fragrance.
Cheerful & expensive could also be a cp 🙂
As I got it at a steep discount which makes me cheerful, I am wearing Que sais-je by Patou.
Those Heritage Collection Patou scents are seriously underrated.
SOTD = Pacifica Malibu Lemon Blossom
$8! Maybe I won today? It IS cheap! Yesterday was Pacifica Mexican Cocoa although I am pretty sure it was > $8 but < $25.
We’ve been lucky in these here parts with regards to flooding and other damage from the storms. Not far from here, I’ve seen massive flooding from newspaper pictures.
I know NSTrs had mentioned Libby. I just discovered it and will be exploring this further. I borrowed a mini book “Extraction” by Preston & Child and I am now reading one of JD Robb’s books. Money saved overall!
It’s good to know you are safe from the flooding!
Glad to hear you were high and dry during all that rain! But OMG, the New York subways!!
Libby is how I borrow most of my library books 🙂
Haircut day today! I had between 2 and 3 inches taken off, and layers put back in my hair. Glad I brought an umbrella with me, because of course I got caught in a sun shower going back to the car. Also ordered a new pair of glasses today. E-freaking-gads, that is an expen$ive purchase.
SOTD = Perris Monte Carlo Essence de Patchouli, from the Sample Stash and AnnE, iirc. A very elegant take on patch.
Yay for a new haircut and glasses! I’m way overdue for an eye checkup.
We’ve been missing AnnE for a bit. I hope she is well.
I left a decent sized pile of hair on the salon floor again. But nothing like my cut back in January. I’ve noticed that my hair seems to have acquired a red tint to it here in Colorado.
Glasses are horribly expensive these days, but if you need them, you need them.
My current glasses are around 2.5 years old now. So I suspect my Rx has changed a bit. And I am going for progressive lenses instead of single vision.
A very productive day, your haircut sounds lovely.
Thanks Aurora!
My SOTD is cheerful and fairly inexpensive these days-Marc Jacobs Daisy.
MJ Daisy is absurdly cheerful!
Even the bottle makes you smile 😀