Emma Corrin for Miu Miu Miutine.
Friday scent of the day 9/5
Happy Friday and happy International Day of Charity! It’s also Freddie Mercury’s birthday (he was born in 1946, and would be 79 if he were still alive today). Our community project: scent a Queen song, or honor Freddie Mercury with your fragrance in any other way you see fit.
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. And a bonus question: suggest an artist, group or theme for a music community project. For reference, I will post a list of what we’ve done so far in the comments. And remember, you’re ALWAYS welcome to suggest a community project on any theme, and you’re ALWAYS welcome to ignore community projects …nobody cares, and you don’t ever have to apologize or explain if you don’t join in. They’re just for fun.
My inspiration today: Somebody to Love, the Aretha-Franklin-inspired, gospel-tinged 1976 song from the album A Day at the Races. It’s easily my favorite Queen song (of those I know, which admittedly is a fraction of the band’s output). The lyrics are introspective bordering on morose, but the music is soaring, and it always makes me happy when I hear it. I’m in Aftelier Candide…
I wrestled with how to move forward with New Dawn
I wrestled with how to move forward with New Dawn. Was I supposed to switch to Mrs. Meyer’s? Inconceivable. I briefly considered that I was overreacting, then did the only rational thing I could think of and walked to seven different stores trying to find a legacy bottle hidden on the back of a shelf. Eventually, I bought a dust-coated hardware store out of its ancient mini bottles of the original Dawn for a 300% markup.
— Cleaning products get reformulated too! Read more in It’s Not Just You: Household Product Scents Are Getting Stronger at Bloomberg.
Ormonde Jayne Vanille des Afriques Intensivo, Babylonia & Xi’an ~ fragrance reviews
Earlier this week I heard that MakeupAlley.com, the message board and online community founded in 1999, is shutting down at the end of September. This news brings out some really deep feelings in me. I created a MakeupAlley.com account in June 2003 hoping to learn more about a newly launched fragrance, and I ended up making so many long-lasting friendships — and, in 2006, finding out about an opening for a writer at this very blog — along the way.
Even if I hadn’t met so many special people through that site, I still would have learned more about perfume than I ever could have expected — new fragrances, vintage perfumes, everything from drugstore cheapies to cult classics to hard-to-obtain “niche” lines. I certainly learned about Ormonde Jayne on MakeupAlley, because the brand wasn’t available in the United States in those days. I’m not even sure how I did my initial sampling of the “OJ” (as we abbreviated it) fragrances I still know and love, like Ta’if and Champaca. Did another MUA member send me some hand-decanted sample vials in a swap? Or did someone circulate a sample set acquired on a London shopping spree?
In any case, I’ve kept up with the brand’s doings ever since, and made my own visit to the Ormonde Jayne boutique in London’s Royal Arcade about a year and a half ago…
The daily lemming
Layering opportunities? Philosophy's Hair & Body Fragrance Mists in Vanilla Hug, Coconut Rush, and my pick, Pistachio Paradise: "this mood-boosting mist blends notes of pistachio flower, creamy cinnamon milk, and warm vetiver, that swirl together in a moment of blissful indulgence. infused with glycerin and niacinamide for 24-hour skin hydration and a healthy-looking glow", $28 each for 236 ml.