Perfume Posse

Well, by now you’ve heard all about the LA event the Posse had and how much fun it was and you’re chartreuse with envy if you weren’t there (so tell them you want another one in 2014.) But if you read the post that went live yesterday at PST you might be getting greener. Well prepare to go olive because today Portia and I were squired by one of the participants, the handsome and charming Daniel on a tour of LA. He is wonderful and a practitioner of Ayervedic Healing (I hope I got that right) who designed ONA spa, inside the place that took over the Spanish Kitchen I wrote about. He’s a delight.

Daniel loves Los Angeles and likes to do the same thing I do: show off the city. So He took us up to Mulholland and through Beverly Hills and to the Lake Shrine (which if you come to LA you must see) and then into Venice to visit Strange Invisible Perfumes. Portia had never been and we made a raucous little group. So much so that after about 10 minutes the other customer in the store, a lovely young lady from New York named Sarah came over to join in on the fun. We sniffed everything and Portia and Daniel made purchases. Ashleigh was helping us and was great- she even let us sniff (since obviously Portia won’t be here in two weeks to try it) the new Astrological Series scent Aquarius, which is completely divine. I scribbled some notes: frankincense, grapefruit, lavender, beeswax and neroli I can make out. It’s a winner.

Then was Lunch and a stop into Le Labo, which was conveniently next door. Now, I suppose I must have been aware that Le Labo had opened up in Venice, but I guess I filed the info under “useless” since there’s a Le Labo in Barney’s on Wilshire and one on 3rd by the Beverly Center. Or to be more precise two storefronts down from Magnolia Bakery (why yes, I do navigate the city by pastry. Doesn’t everyone everywhere?)

Well, I was wrong.

The one place in the LA event that was a bit of a let-down was Barney’s. I didn’t expect them to genuflect upon our arrival, but there was a busload of people with their credit cards practically in their teeth looking to purchase. They were sort of greeted with blank stares when frankly it should have been more like a Warner Bros. cartoon where dollar signs pop up in the eyeballs and the lower jaw pops out like a cash register, complete with sound effects. I was so appalled that this was happening in my adopted hometown that I just bailed and went to the Beverly Hills Market (where you need to go when you visit- great weekly lunch specials and the nicest people evah) for a diet coke.

Which meant I missed out that L’Artisan had a presentation for us and that Justin from Le Labo had come in especially from the Venice store to greet us. Happily, Justin was at that Venice store  when we went in.

Le Labo needs to clone Justin.

We all have had sales assistants who were not great: poorly informed, uninterested; whatever. I like Barney’s but except for a couple of people am kind of shocked when I have to tell an SA what the new item in the collection they’re ostensibly repping is. It’s not my job to know, but since their paycheck is from there, it is theirs. I would be shocked for instance to find a salesperson at Casa de Cadillac not to know about the 2014 CTS.

Justin knew his stuff. I’m already familiar with the line but he took Portia and Daniel through it, telling us about the oils (which I hadn’t tried and are fab) and the new solid thingy (which is fab- I think I need one for the car- his suggestion) and even telling us that new scents being introduced later in the month. He wasn’t able to show them to us sadly but he did tell us that this is the first release in a couple of years and there would be two of them. I can’t wait. He was so kind and helpful he even gave us (flawless) tips on how to navigate back to Beverly Hills from Venice in the g-dawful choking Westside traffic from Venice at Rush Hour.

Portia bought a travel-size and I think my future Le Labo purchases shall be in Venice. Even if it’s a three-bus commute. That level of customer service should be rewarded.

Images: Roses at the Lake Shrine and interior Le Labo by my iPhone

OMG!   I don’t even know where to start.  Well..  let me just start with an update – remember my little Chicken Little Butt?  I’d dug the hole below the compost and…well, you know how I thought it was going to end.  Apparently El O is the Butt Whisperer – I left a sick, tiny chick and came home to a pretty decent-sized young chicken.  She is now only about 20% smaller than her sisteren and she is running around, eating and pooping like a chicken should!  She says to tell all of you hello and thanks for your well wishes!  On to LA!!!

Neela Vermeire goodies

So!  LA.  OMG!  I know, I need to get on with it.  Well, where to start…omg!  we were soSOSO thrilled to have so many great perfumers and distributors participate in this Event.  Wanna know just how much work goes into making an Event like this work?  A whole lot.  Here’s March and Patty, working like fiends to get the goodie bags loaded up …and I mean LOADED!   We nearly fainted when we opened the box of Strange Invisible Perfumes !!!  Lyric Rain. Moon Garden! Epic Gardenia, each one more beautiful than the one before……. my dad had a saying….it involves defecation or losing your eyesight.  I now know just what that saying means! LOL!  There was barely room to fit all the goodies in the bags we had!  Thanks to the incredible Tom, who provided us with cool canvas bags – we filled those things UP!!!!!  Btw – Tom is indispensable when it comes to BH and points West.  He helped Frank navigate through some really rough stretches of  traffic.  You do NOT want to get on the wrong side of the Beverly Hills Cops!  He also kept a goodly number of us from acquiring $250 tickets for walking against the light.  LA is fierce!!!  Mean Streets, baby.  MEAN!

courtesy Jeffrey Dame/Hypoluxe

THE BUS!!!  We piled on the Bus and Frank took us to SCENT BAR!  The gorgeous and exciting Portia kept us regaled with lots of hysterical stories and …well, I am just madly in love with her !!!  She kept us in stitches until we got to Scent Bar where we …well…it was magical.  Seriously.  Franco and his incredible Team of Fabulousness treated us like royalty!  Portia (gawd, just HOW did you hold up for the day – and in those heels?) MC’d the Event …  Portia and I sampled and reviewed Amouage Opus VII right there in Scent Bar!  Thanks to Christopher Chong and Amouage for making that happen!

courtesy Jeffrey Dame/Hypoluxe

Then it was on to Beautyhabit!  Wow…talk about a HAUL!  Beautyhabit is in Westlake Village which might as well be on the moon, from a freeway perspective.  We caught traffic…and it looked grim…except Portia kept us going with banter and fabulous giveaways,  and soon enough, we pulled into the lovely parking lot of..Beautyhabit, where  the beauties Teresa and Paula and their gorgeous, delightful crew made us swoony with welcome!

Lunch was exquisite, courtesy of Chef Vazquez of Rock Chef Rolls.  Portia won Chef in a drawing but I think Paula made her give him back (sadface).  Damn shame – the man can COOK!  And he’s pretty easy on the eyes, too!  Paula weighs less than my handbag.  I just don’t understand it!  I would be bigger than Chef’s foodtruck!  sigh.

beautyhabit lunch

aisles of fabulousness

As fabulous as lunch was (and it was!  I dream about that salad)….let me just tell you….nothing compares to walking into Beautyhabit’s brick-and-mortar store.  March and I just stood there, gobsmacked.  I mean it.  For a full 45 seconds, we couldn’t move, just stood there, clutching each other like we’d hit Lotto!  It’s a beauty/perfume junkie’s Paradise!  I could bore you with words…but I’d rather show you.  When it came time to leave I had to scour every inch of the store, to make sure we didn’t leave anybody behind.  Folks were clinging to the shelves, whimpering, begging for just a few more minutes….yah.  Fuggesdaboutit!  GET ON THE BUS!

I have so much more to tell you, including yapperage about the charming and gorgeous Brent Leonesio of Smell Bent, who took time to COME ON THE FREAKIN’ BUS! because Frank couldn’t find a parking space anywhere near Brent’s stand.     We had to cut it short, alas – and now we wish we hadn’t because it was a whole lot more fun than Beverly Hills, though…whatchagonnado, eh?  Next time it’s Smell Bent!  But for now,  Brent is having an online Garage Sale now – get thee to it!

Okay!  One last thing before I get to the giveaway – I noticed that a lot of you are concerned about having to be an extrovert to enjoy this type of Event.  Naw!  That’s why we have Portia!  And The Posse Gals!  You can choose to ramble on with friends new and old..or you can just relax and quietly observe the Crazy as it unfolds.   We do ‘ask’ after folks, to make sure they are feeling comfy – and several of our guests made it clear that they were just hanging back, having a good

Paula lovin’ Portia!

time just hanging back.  So don’t worry about that.  It works anyway you want it to – until you try to abscond with The Chef.  Then it gets a little dicey!  But in the end….see?  All smooches!!!

So!  To our giveaway (‘finally! lawd, but that girl do go on, don’t she?’)….the elegant Jeffrey Dame of Hypoluxe wants those of you who couldn’t make it to the Scentsation to have a bit of fun, too!  So he has kindly offered up sample vials of his fabulous new scent Grand Cuir by Parfums Retro.  If you recall this is the one I am in love with, that smells like cold cream and leather and a whole lotta fabulous!  The first 50 people who request a sample at sendmeasample@grandcuir.com will get one!  Isn’t that lovely?  I think so.  And when you smell Grand Cuir I think you will, too!  It’s a little bit of the LA Scentsation, coming to your mailbox!  Don’t forget to give Jeffrey your mailing info!

Portia w/Jeffrey Dame