It's Wednesday and National Cake Day. Plus, Thanksgiving Eve aka Drinksgiving / Blackout Wednesday — be careful out there! Birthdays: William Cowper, Mary Edwards Walker, Eugène Ionesco, Tina Turner, Marilynne Robinson, Elizabeth Blackburn. What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm commando and a little under the weather after a vaccine yesterday. I see a nap in my future, and I may put on perfume after that.
Reminder: on 11/28, pick your Black Friday poison: wear the last fragrance you bought, wear a cheap thrill, or wear a fragrance you love but refuse to buy in a full size because it's too expensive. (We've done this project several times.)
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 Turkey Cake Pops [cropped] by Jamie at flickr; some rights reserved.
Hello.
Sotd is J’adore layered over the shimmering body gel. All that glittery goodness sadly hidden under my sweater but when I roll my sleeves up, I feel so happy.
I have all these items in different shopping carts, and while most (if not all) I won’t be checking out, when the websites decide to clear them out, that annoys me somewhat. Does anybody feel the same? It’s like I put in effort and time to curate that cart!
How about the emails that start with “Have you forgotten …”?
Or…we saw you checking us out…
And then you click the link and nothing is in your cart …
Or even your cart is sad😉
UGH!! Seen that one a lot lately. Phooey!
Under-the-weather twins with Robin this morning, except mine isn’t vaccine-related — I only wish it was. The really bad head cold that’s been making the rounds here has landed on me for the second time (the hazard of being an “early adopter”). And we’re hosting Mr. G’s son and wife for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Eek. If the meds don’t kick in, I may have to lock myself in an upstairs room and hope they understand. 😥
Anyway, I’m scented with Carthusia 1681 because it’s one of the most soothing things I own, and boy do my sinuses need soothing. 😷
Oh no!! Very good luck, hope you can beat it before the holiday.
Hope you feel better soon and enjoy your weekend
Dearly hope your Thanksgiving won’t be ruined.
Sending soothing and healing vibes your way hoping they’ll work their magic in time for tomorrow!🤗
You smell lovely. I hope you will feel better soon!
Hopefully you are resting and will feel better in the morning.
Hope you and Robin both feel better soon!
Yikes! What awful timing! Sorry to hear that both you and Robin are unwell.
In Chanel Coromandel EdT.
Working half a day today and looking forward to the long holiday weekend. I will have lunch with my work team later and then do last minute grocery shopping for Thanksgiving.
Happy Wednesday! 🌞
You smell amazing!!!!
Thank you! 🌻
Glad you have a half day. The grocery shopping will be crazy by tonight.
It was already crazy when I went this morning 🤣
Thank you, Lillyjo!
I am sure it will be crazy by the time I arrive there. 😫
Coromandel is lovely.
It is!
Smelling fabulous!
Have fun 🛒
Thank you, Kris!
Have a fantastic half-day.
Thank you, Aurora!
Gorgeous SOTD! Hope that your grocery shopping wasn’t totally insane.
Coromandel is a beautiful scent.
The shopping was insane, but I survived! 😀
Robin , I’m so sorry to hear that you are under the weather because of a vaccine. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts on functional medicine and they have strong opinions on vaccines. I’ll be seeing a naturopath doctor next month and will be curious what my bloodwork reveals because I have been using weights for the past six months in addition to my daily walks of 1-3 hours per day. I might just post a selfie on Instagram today.
SOTD is a blend that I made from the essential oils Cauzabon sent to me…..sweet orange, ylang ylang, labdanum and vanilla pod.
https://www.instagram.com/chocolatemarzipan8/p/DRhm5kCEeRH/
Shout out to flopper who is my inspiration!!!!
Thank you! I don’t feel great but I almost always react to vaccines, and I have had it much worse. Hoping tomorrow I will feel much better.
and wow, you look fantastic, go you!! I have been much more consistent about weights this past year (and have reversed the mild osteopenia from my 2023 dexa, which was my main goal) but you have inspired me to work more on my abs.
lol! I still have love handles! But seriously, please continue with the weights!!! At our age it’s so imperative!!!!!
Do not worry, watching my mom age has been a huge motivator in staying strong, as was the osteopenia diagnosis. I have been lifting haphazardly for years, but now I lift much more. I do not want to be frail, ever, if I can help it. She is in pain much of the time, has lost a lot of height, and can’t lift a grocery bag.
I lift 4 times a week and do yoga twice, unless I am sick or out of town.
And, if you didn’t know, you can order your own labwork any time…I do it once a year at ownyourlabs, to supplement the things my regular gp tests.
Excellent!!!! Keep at it!!! My parents are 85 and 88 and still extremely mobile. They don’t follow conventions and have avoided all sorts of vaccines and conventional medicine. I’ve been doing loads of research myself and following current research which dictates how I have taken control of my health. I appreciate that the information is out there now and doctors are bucking against the system so that we can achieve optimal health!!!!!
Hope you feel better soon
Thank you Kanuka!
OMG, Robin — you have definitely led me to a new rabbit hole with Own Your Own Labs — all the tests I’ve read about but which my doctors never prescribe because my insurance wouldn’t pay or the cost-benefit for my demographic would be low, but which I am dying to know about. 😸
It is useful! There is another company doing the same thing, directlabs, so check to see who has the lowest price or the best coupon!
Dang! You look fantastic!
lol. I’m a work in progress. I decided to make my health a main priority and stopped eating processed foods, follow functional medicine doctors and added weights to my exercise routine. My joints are thanking me and I feel a thousand times better.
OMG! 🤩🤩🤩 Bravo!!!
😻😻
Brava! Strong arms make it so much less tiring to do many everyday things, too!
Your oil blend sounds good. Enjoy your strength training!
Thank you!! Strength training is something new to me but it is definitely paying off in dividends! In my entire life my arms have never been this large.
You look fantastic!!! Motivating me to live healthier!
It makes me so happy to hear you say this! I’m all about paying it forward and the two friends who inspired me to reclaim my health… well, I promised them to pay it forward. So, go for it!!!!!!
Svelte and strong! You look amazing!
Awww, thanks Daniel!!!!
ZOMG! You are an absolute UNIT with those arms!!
Passing you a cuppa Robin-feel better
SOTD Iris Ganache
Why did the axe this beauty?!?!
I saw Hamnet movie last night, I special pre-screening event. https://youtu.be/xYcgQMxQwmk?si=JoGbcLqBzUFuyKla
Very good!
You smell DIVINE. True gems are always the ones axed, it’s like a curse to be great.
Thank you!
So glad the movie was good, I really liked the book. I will see it when it comes out on streaming.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/22/100-best-novels-92-housekeeping-marilynne-robinson?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
I can remember reading Marilynn’s Robinson’s Housekeeping when a copy made its way ( sloooowly) to the newly opened women’ bookshop in my town back in the ‘80s. It was one of those novels that simply changed things, shifted my experience of reading and blew me away. I re-read it a while back and it is still brilliant. The language and attention to characters, and surroundings is profound and audacious. So, happy birthday Marilynne. Wearing Bapteme du Fer. The above review contains the storyline/ spoilers though I don’t think it matters.
Housekeeping was wonderful. I am not sure why but I have owned Gilead for years and never read past the first chapter. Eventually I will power through! But maybe re-reading Housekeeping would be the way to start.
That’s interesting as I had the same experience of not getting past the start of Gilead
I started out wearing L’Artisan Parfumeur Vanilia, but in the midst of going to the gym and doing the laundry and such I’ve also been decanting a bunch of scents for my co-worker’s daughters so now I smell like a tart’s underwear drawer. But they don’t know this is coming, and they will be pleased! I have 7 CSP vanillas and 7 or 8 (I lost count) Demeter food and drink scents for them. He’s said they’re at that age, 8 and 10, where sharing is anathema and they squabble over everything, so I’m giving them each their own set. I’m sure they’ll still find a way to argue, but at least I tried.
What a sweet present! Hope they will love it.
Happy Day Before Thanksgiving, everyone! Glorious morning here in SoCal. I’ll get some exercise, and then start the food prep. Getting stuff ready in advance saves me some T-Day stress.
Lo and behold, this seems to be Chanel week, though I really didn’t intend it to be. Over the weekend, I wore Sycomore and 31 Rue Cambon. Monday was N°5 Eau Premiére, yesterday was N°22, and today I’m in N°19 EdT.
Smelling good and chic
N°19 EdT is beautiful.
Smelling great every day!
Wow! You are really doing it up in the Chanels. I don’t believe I have ever tried No 22, but I know all the others. Smelling wonderful!
No. 19 is *always* appropriate! And smells great to boot.
I’m a twin of pl67-Coromandel EDT. I love this scent, and this is my preferred format. Just back from hand physio, which is going well, but will continue for another 6 months minimum. I’m thanking the universe for putting people like this physio on the planet-she’s incredible.
I am a fan of Skye Gyngell’s cookbooks, and was devistated to learn she died over the weekend of a rare form of skin cancer. If anyone here is into podcasts there are several good ones with her, where she discusses life, love food, addictions-everything under the sun. I came across her cookbook in a clearance bin years agio. It was $2. 00 , and I had to think whether or not I could buy it. I bought it and I’m so glad I did-it’s a beautiful book, an excellent cookbook, and it was interesting to have the perspective of a person who did a lot and had a lot happen to them. Inspirational for me. The cookbook also had three pretty silk ribbon bookmarks sewn into its spine and I found that charming.
I had not heard of her, but will do a look see, she does sound interesting. Thanks carole!
You smell great too today!
I had to grin a little when you mentioned cookbooks as I was looking at my vintage Better Homes and Gardens cookbook today as I was preparing our Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time. It is falling apart and discolored, but it still works!
I have one like that called Gourmet on the Go-it’s from the 70’s, has soy sauce stains, and some of the pages are very thin. Those are the best kinds of cookbooks 🙂
I am wearing NR White Cube and honestly I am so thankful I have only myself and the cats here for Thanksgiving. I am making roast lamb, mint jelly, peas, and Yorkshire pudding tomorrow. Today I am making coconut pineapple macadamia muffins that I will freeze and eat for breakfast over the next few weeks. It’s rainy and gray so a good day to stay inside and bake.
Those muffins sound amazing!
I was thinking the same thing.
Ongrats on your new kitty Tiptoe! And hoping both cats will soon become fast friends 😻😻. What a wonderful grateful way to begin Thanksgiving!
Would love the recipe to those muffins.
I am making pumpkin pie 🥧 today
From Serious Eats. I added about 3/4 cup of roasted, chopped macadamia nuts. https://www.seriouseats.com/pineapple-coconut-muffin-recipe?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareurlbuttons
That sounds pretty easy. I think I would skip the pineapple but add the nuts.
I missed news about your new kitty but am glad to hear of another person like me who will enjoy cooking a nice meal for herself on the holiday! I’m making a small turkey and various side dishes for myself, with a couple of samples for the cats.
Enjoy the time with your cats!
Thanks for the recipe link!
I am happy to have a short day today. I’m crossing my fingers to make it home before the roads get really bad.
I’m wearing Coco edt for my driving stress.
Robin, I hope you feel better soon!
Hope you get home safely!!! Fingers crossed 🤞
I’m home! Woo-hoo!
Have a happy evening and thanksgiving…hope you can relax
I’m relaxing now. Thanks!
Smelling elegant. Hope you got home safely.
I did thanks!
Happy Thanksgiving, Lillyjo! I hope you and the kids have a good day.
Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Hope you’re snuggling at home by now. You’re wearing my favored concentration of Coco, I always reach for the EDT, never the EDP, I find the EDT spicier, just better. Perhaps you recall I acquired a 15ml bottle of the extrait, I’m yet to open it, it just looks so pristine unopened somehow.
I agree the EDT does seem spicier. I have a tiny bit of the Parfum. I will probably wear it for work on Black Friday.
Thank you lillyjo, already feeling bit better and suspect I will be fine tomorrow. Hope you got home without incident!
I made it home! Now I just have to keep making it to and fro for the next 3 months! Lol.
I’m glad you are feeling better.
Glad to hear that you had a short day at work and got home safely! Good luck with that turkey tomorrow!
Thanks Jalapeno!
I hate the short day paychecks but can’t deny that I like the short day.
Friday will be a long day, of course.
I was thinking of you today when I was cooking my turkey a day ahead of time. It was 10 pounds, and I took it out of the freezer on Sunday morning. It still had one ice chunk in it, but I was able to get it out. Did you get yours thawed?
Mine is 9 lbs and it seems like it’s thawing pretty well. I will be cooking it mid to late morning tomorrow.
Coco is the perfect treatment for driving stress and you smell divine!
I’m wearing Scherrer, a cheap thrill and bought unsniffed. I swore I’d never buy something I hadn’t tried, until I discovered a New Zealand-based online discounter 🙂 .
You smell lovely, EDT or EDP?
HA, it is hard to resist sometimes!
I think I bought this blind too and never looked back😊
Wearing Cheirosa 62 today and working until 8 tonight. I might be going to California next week for my vacation but no concrete plans as of yet. I am debating on either Theorema or Feminite du Bois for tomorrow.
I will do Theorema for sure 🙂
Those are excellent choices and you will smell wonderful either way.
Hi all,
TF Shanghai Lily. Another beauty that got axed.
Heading out to run errands.
Robin and SheriG – hope you are feeling better soon.
Beautiful scents that have been axed twins 👯
Thanks! Hope the errands are easy peasy!
Wearing a cheap thrill today in Courreges Blanc.
Are you getting the Thanksgiving storm?
We had a little rain/snow yesterday and a ton of wind. Now nothing until Friday and Saturday, but predictions are all over the place. Could get a trace of snow or six inches. What about you?
The wind was crazy today. It literally blew me across the parking lot! ( about 50mph gust) Snow tonight and tomorrow. Saturday is looking pretty scary but they say it might shift south of me. 🤞
The U.P is supposed to get 20+ inches!
Oh, wow!
YAY for cheap perfume thrills!
Very cheap. I think 20 bucks for three ounces.
Happy Day Before TurkeyDay in the U.S.
Sotd CRA-YON Vanilla CEO, but hopefully not “plain vanilla!” 😆. A very pleasant fragrance!
Beautiful day here post-rain! Actually exercised this morning in the park. The fragrance of the flowers and the morning dew’s grass was glorious! Didn’t put on any fragrance til I returned home to not distract from Mother Nature!
Yay for a beautiful day!
🤗
Somebody had to post this:
https://youtu.be/co6WMzDOh1o?list=RDco6WMzDOh1o
Perfecto!
I reached for EL Sensuous Nude today. I needed simple and inobtrusive.
Yesterday I was in Guerlain Millisime Iris; I think I overgassed myself (with probably 8 or 10 sprays including my shirt), this was completely my fault. Who thought you could overspray that one?
I don’t believe you overspray at all. Shalimar, for miles.
Aw, thank you! I’m home alone so I’ve been overspraying most days; it’s easy to lose track.
You’ve been smelling wonderful!
Thanks Mossy! Happy Thanksgiving to you. Are you heading to Florida this year?
Hi all, I’ve been working through recent sample purchases and acquisitions this week. Today I’ve got Astier de Villatte Ambre Liquide on my left arm and Sorce Vampire Husband on my right arm. So far I’m loving the AdV and could see buying a 10ml bottle. It started off really spicy with cloves most prominent and now it’s settled into spices, incense, and flowers. Thanks to DeniseH for sending me this and a couple other AdV samples!
My other big success from sampling thus far is Scents of Wood Patchouli in Rye, which smells to me a lot like Mugler Cuir Impertinent. I’ll have to do a side by side comparison soon. I love that Scents of Wood offers a 10ml travel spray. This was a freebie selected for me by Ministry of Scent when I bought Arquiste Misfit and Venice Rococo. I’m so glad they picked it for me!
I’ve also tried AdV Delhi (very interesting but not one I’ll pursue beyond the sample), Zoologist Cow (ordered against my better judgment and was very underwhelmed), Vilhelm Parfumerie Purple Fig (Steven at Scent Bar/Luckyscent said on Instagram that it smells like Finesse shampoo and yes it really does), and Sorce 2 AM in Lafayette (burned coffee and burned sugar, a bit too much emphasis on the burned for me).
That seems like a lot of burned notes. I don’t enjoy any burned smell.
Yeah, a burned note has to be really subtle for me to like it. Also, they didn’t call their coffee note burned in the description, but that’s what I smell. 😉
I tried Delhi too and thought it smelled a lot like Obsession. It was fine but just not me.
I am waiting for Arquiste Venice Rococo since I recently ordered that. Should be coming Monday.
Ooh yay on the Venice Rococo. Did you sample it first or do a blind buy?
Ewwwwwww, burned coffee is gross. 🤢
I think the note is supposed to come across as caramelized, but the aroma chemical(s) they used are dialed up too much.
Temps in the 30’s with wind gusts up to 50 mph made our 5-block walk from the hotel to the train this morning a bitter cold one, and somehow by the time we got to our hometown the 3-block walk from the train to our home seemed even worse, so happy to be warm inside! Cats went out on the screened porch for all of 30 seconds🙀🙀🙀!
Sir Paul McCartney’s concert was spectacular! I could not say it any better that the Chicago Tribune review of Monday’s concert, which I will gift link to at the end of my post. But 2 things I will long remember: the sense of unity present and the diversity of ages attending. When everyone slowly waved their phones’ flashlights during Let It Be, I got chills down my spine and tears in my eyes. And to say the 2 young guys seated next to Mr. Laila were ‘rockin’ is a vast understatement; I spoke to them afterwards and told them how gratifying it was to me to see their enjoyment and appreciation of this musical icon I grew up with; they told me they viewed it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Indeed it was, unforgettable!
Enjoying the warmth of my SOTD PB Miss Balmain and relaxing tonight, looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner at my son’s house tomorrow.🍁🍂🦃
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/paul-mccartney-got-back-chicago/?share=5twiieapatwngcgitaoa
That’s great about your wonderful concert experience!
Agree!
How wonderful!
Sounds like you had a great time!
So glad, thanks for the report!
What an incredible experience and one of the sweetest birthday gifts ever!
Laila how totally marvelous! What a story!
Wearing a relatively cheap thrill today, Bronze Goddess (I got my 100 ml bottle for 50€ at a duty-free shop).
I woke up this morning feeling a bit under the weather too. In my case, I think it’s the result of the stress I’ve been under after receiving some worrying news about my mom’s health. In the end it turned out to be less serious than I had feared, and the moment I relaxed my body just crashed.
Hoping a good night’s sleep will work its magic🤞
Best of health wishes to you and your Mom!
Thank you!
Hoping the better news about your mom helps your body to relax and feel better soon
I am feeling better now, thanks 😊
Glad to hear that you got some good news today about your Mom.
Thank you Jalapeno!
Good luck, and so happy about your mom!
💕
Happy to hear the good news about your mom!
Thanks LesLiesse!
Robin, get better soon, commented and read yesterday but didn’t get aroundto posting SOTD, it was Miss Dior le parfum during the day, alarmingly only a third of the bottle is left, and I don’t remember what in the evening. Today tested VC&A Orchid Leather, gosh was it strong, I bought a little bag of 12 samples and no need of a bottle. It’s a leather plum, I tried to analyse and I found one of the aromachemicals in the base bothers me some, it is not ambroxan and its ilk, something else, wish I knew what exactly, this evening to continue the theme it’s Miss Dior Chérie second version, the elegant one, I alternate wearing the two.
Dior yesterday’s theme to clarify.
Aurora, my Le Parfum is getting pretty low too. I have the 1.3 Oz version which I think is the perfect size.
Also a big thank you to you. 🥰
And get some sleep!
😀 thoughtful as always. Not too bad just somewhat late night but refreshing. I’m thinking of you for that turkey’s prep.
We’re both nervous and trying not to hoard as replacing is not an option with those prices.
You and I were both checking out samples today!
😀
Thanks Aurora!
SotD Creed Royal Oud, a sumptuous scent in anticipation of tomorrow’s Thanksgiving Feast. Maybe some CP points as I would not buy this at today’s price, but found it years ago on Ebay from a local seller. The woods, musk and green note-maybe a nice touch of galbanum- made my day, scent-wise.
I am afraid to even go look at the price so I won’t…enjoy your decently priced bottle and have a great Thanksgiving!
Been a chilly day out here. I spent most of it indoors and cooking more food. But I did take some Xmas lights out of my little storage closet. One box is going to the Habitat Store. How many of the other lights I put up is anyone’s guess.
Got some good news this afternoon. A dear friend from my college days has been worried about his FIL, who has been on a ventilator and a feeding tube in hospital as of late. The situation was dire enough that end of life discussions were A Thing. Today, his family took him off the ventilator.
I was not expecting to hear that T’s FIL has improved. He is breathing on his own. Still on oxygen. Got a long road to recovery. Something to be thankful for.
SOTD = Dior Hypnotic Poison EdP. Got some samples from StC on Monday. At first I wasn’t sure I could smell anything with this one. It’s certainly not the powerhouse stinky liniment smell I remember from back in the day.
Yes, your friend’s FIL definitely a reason for gratitude. How’s our favorite Teflon kitty doing with her ears?
Tef’s ears are still bothering her. She’s miserable with the whole ear drop routine now and doesn’t really like me touching them.
Good news for your friends family!
Is the HP the current version? I think it’s been toned down.
Since Surrender to Chance didn’t say what version the HP was, I am going to assume it’s the current one.
A few hours in, I got a little whiff of Play-Doh.
Hope he will continue to do well!
I have fond memories of HP but will live with the memories 🙂
Me too.
And now for something completely different!
I have a small decant of HP Sensuelle, which is drop dead gorgeous on me. I discovered that flanker after it had been discontinued and not even available for a king’s ransom on EvilBuy. So it goes.
And pretty sure I never smelled that one, just as well!!
What great news and at Thanksgiving! Answered prayers!
Happy for you about your friend’s good news re FIL.
I’m blissfully ignorant of HP current state, so I don’t have to chase a vintage bottle😉
Glad your friend’s FIL is doing better!
I’ve sworn off buying from STC ever since I did the calculation on the mark-up …