Violetnoir emailed me to meet up this weekend (for the first time! yay!) when she was in town, so she, Louise and I started off with a leisurely lunch at the M Café in the Chevy Chase Wall o´ Bling.
Lunch could not have been more fun, with that instant chatty bonding you get in perfume land – like getting together with some old friends from college. We were chatting away about families, clothes (ask Vi about her shoe addiction!) etc. having a grand old time.
Through the extensive sniffage afterwards, we found a couple interesting things, but more often than not, our comments ran along the line of, “Well, huh, that´s sort of … you know … it´s kind of like … hmmmmm.”
I saved a ton of cards to remind me what I sniffed, and here it is:
Van Cleef & Arpels Feerie – okay, the bottle´s adorable (they pointed out you can use it as a ring holder) and it´s apparently selling like hotcakes to men looking for presents for the ladies. It´s an inoffensive, pretty, musky-green violet that works nicely in the summer heat and isn’t overly sweet. I feel obligated to point out that while it is waaay cute I wouldn’t call it classy-looking — at $150 it’s visually step up from those kitchy Avon bottles (which btw I love) but not a giant step.
David Yurman – the NM website says woods, patchouli, rose, waterlily. Bored the crap out of me, but actually I think it´s perfect for the line – it smells exactly like the jewelry looks, which is expensive and a little blingy without an iota of unwelcome sensuality. The bottle is absolutely gorgeous, one of the best I´ve seen this year.
Alien Eau Luminescente – fresh neroli? White musk? Clean amber? Dominique Ropion couldn’t come up with something more compelling than this?
Lancome Magnifique – smells vaguely like Sensuous (did they crib each other´s notes?) but with some rose in it, and vaguely like, I don´t know, a bunch of other stuff. But it didn´t make me dry-heave, itself an achievement for a Lancome fragrance.
Ungaro – the new one, it smells like a high-concept 1987 ad for Frederick´s of Hollywood – according the the SA, blackberry, jasmine, patchouli, and a really trashy amber-musk base hiding something not quite nice, like a bathroom air freshener. (Okay, she didn´t say that last part, and I´m guessing it´s the jasmine rearing its skanky head). It´s a fragrance with the basic, neon-lit message of slut however you say that in Italian. I would have loved to see the brief for this — I imagine something along the lines of, I want it to smell like a cracked-out porn star on a bed of candied caramel, although it probably just said something like appeal to women 14-80 and sell like crazy. Can I tell you how happy this made me, in a sea of timid scents? Way to go with your 80s freak flag, Francis Kurkdjian! I am not sure I´d wear it on a bet, but I´m thinking the gourmand base might make it a big hit in cooler weather (and I cannot believe they are trying to sell this in August in this area.)
YSL L´Homme in the special Jean Nouvel-designed container. Okay, this at least was good for giggles. A base like a bolt, and an inverted bottle like a … I hope I can find a photo online, it´s like a cross between one of those water-filled gimmicky thermometers and a sex toy. It´s got a teeny green YSL logo bobbing around in it like a fishing lure. No, I am not making this up. Fragrance for the man who is compensating for something, or (possibly) just a big fan of Nouvel.
Fascinating by Ferragamo – which I assume given its bottle is a flanker for the original F? If it’s not in fact a reworked F (since I don´t see the original anywhere, and had an interesting discussion with the SA who claimed no memory of any previous fragrance in that rather distinctive bottle.) I can´t think of a fragrance with less of a truth connection between the juice and the name. Oh, wait, unless it´s Notorious. THE PLOT THICKENS: I was just on the Sephora website, and the original F Ferragamo has disappeared – there´s the original photo, but the listed fragrance is now “Fascinating.” Have I lost my mind? There was another fragrance in the dimwit shoe bottle, right? Is this the same juice? It seems a bit more insipid than F, and they were calling it “new,” here´s the blurb: Mandarin Sorbet, Sambac Jasmine, Patchouli. “Style: Chic. Fresh. Young.”
Mark Jacobs Pear splash bottle – none of the three of us could smell it.
Mark Jacobs Daisy EDP – smells pretty much like the EDT. The bottle’s darling – like the Daisy EDT, only this one has an opaque black bottle with gold flowers. For those of you who couldn´t get enough of the EDT.
Tom Ford White Patchouli – fine, I wanted interesting, and this is interesting. It´s got a strong, medicinal note like oud, and it goes through a great peppery stage early on before it turns into something thin and bitter and unpleasant (on Louise´s skin and my card.) YMMV. I can´t decide whether there´s oud mating with patch to give that bitter, apothecary note, but it ain´t pretty.
Angel Men Pure Coffee – this was scrumptious, if not weather-appropriate. The bottle says (if I am deciphering my hideous handwriting correctly) “woody coffee, oriental, musk.” Funny brown rubber bottle with the basic Angel men design. Wear this and find random strangers burying their noses in your neck, moaning with pleasure. You were warned. I certainly hope to be wearing this again in the fall to see if my ardor holds up.
Are you getting irritated with me and my whining, just reading this? I´m irritated at my whining. Sometimes, your fondest wishes have the funniest way of turning around and biting you on the butt. On this blog I´ve mocked various nasty/oddball fragrances, when I wasn´t lamenting the lychee, sneezing at the pink pepper, struggling to find new and different ways to insult subway-killers like Angel. And then you know what happened? I found myself wandering through a bunch of perfumes with two dear friends, with the dawning realization: I am bored to tears by most of these new releases.
I think you could line up much of what is here – from the orange Alien to Feerie to Magnifique to Lismore – and your take-home thought upon smelling them would be: innocuous. I kept pondering: is this a sign of the times? Are we in a mini-era of Safe Perfumes, born to help us out in a scary, Anthraxed, mortgage-defaulting, bank-imploding world? If the most exciting thing about Notorious is the name, what does this tell us?
David Yurman, fragrantica.com; Cicciolina and friend, images.wikio.com; YSL L´Homme image, yslbeautyus.com; ; MJ Daisy, neimanmarcus.com
I have a question between 1980 and 1988 there was a men parfum of Avon Fareud, in that time I buy it in Miami,please some body who known about this let me know if they have change the name or maby the company don’t make it any more, I never could find that smell of that parfum any were in europe or the world not even France Thank you.
i used the words “pleasant” and “nice” to describe many of these, and i now realize i should’ve used the word “boring.” it’s more to the point.
and may i say here and now, i hate sensuous. a coworker wears it and it is disgusting. smells like YSL M7 washed with some gawdawful laundry detergent notes. the clean notes are what make me queasy. omg. wood and detergent don’t go together.
Thank you for saying it! Sprayed it the other day and thought that maybe I just needed to give it another chance. But I had the compelling need to spray 1/2 ml of Red Aoud over it when I got in the car. Hmmmm…. Covered it nicely I will say. No scrubbing needed.
Well it sounds like you had a great time! Jealous!
And you’re looking for “puttana” in regards to your Ungaro review (Italian word for slut, or more accurately, whore). Ahh, it seems my double major is useful sometimes. As it seems I have forgotten a good portion of the language, the curses are the last to go.
I’d sort of guessed it (I could come up with puta in Spanish). However I wish I’d have taken French, and I would have if I’d known about this little hobby of mine…
PS If I ever design my own perfume, it’s going to be called Puttana. Has a certain ring, yes?
I’m just psyched for the new SLs and that crazily named Parfum d’Empire – Aziyade… You three sounds like you had a ball.
I miss it here.:x
So come back already! Geesh! :d:*
Like he said :d/
Well what are you waiting for? Come back already! :-w
So glad I’m not the only one bored to tears! 2005 and 2006 seem like distant, sunny dreams. My word for the year is BLAND. Killingly bland. Dull enough to send a perfumista into a permanent coma. Is it because so many things have been banned? Or because things are being made so cheaply now, there’s nowhere to go but to the land of dull bathroom scents?? Oh woe….
Bland. Bland bland bland bland. When I start longing for the days when I’d sniff something that took my head off, we are in dark times.
It’s been so bland that I nearly went into delirium when I smelled that skanky bit of cumin in Molinard’s Nirmala! I’m glad I bought a bottle of Dzongkha a couple years back, because it reminds me how good it can get (or could get). And I haven’t tried Serge Noir yet….
Oh, how lame! Okay, I like the Feerie bottle even in person. It is a little kitschy, but I kinda like that. I think that perfume will do pretty well once it hits discounters and a reasonable price per bottle, which it’s a perfectly nice perfume in the $40-60 range.
Yurman is perfect for what it is and what it is meant to be, but it’s really not me.
The rest, haven’t smelled, but I think I need to try that Pure Coffee thing, which I’ve overlooked!
I’m so jealous, sounds like you guys had a blast!
We totally had fun, and it would have been even more fun with you there. You and Louise could have given each other a run for the money in the makeup dept.
Hey, am I going to see your fancy new shoes in Chicago? I’m going to be working the sneakers. /:)
***enabler alert*** Jimmy Choo, right across from Hermes, easily scoped & shopped during the “flex time” before lunch…
(Said she who will likely be wearing some sort of Earth Shoe equivalent…)
Was I the only one who made it to the thing @ AWF? It was good, BTW; the staff was quite jolly by the end, and it was interesting to have the live music and poetry. As I was coming from work and had on no perfume, I decided to spritz myself with the Arabie tester so I could try it in the heat, and you know what? I LOVED IT! I imagine it’s people like me who make the rest of the masses scared to stray beyond the safe perfumes. 😉
Seriously though, I refuse to spend any amount of $$$ on perfumes that are bland, safe, or otherwise undeserving. However, since I’m an nth-level niche snob, my bar for ‘deserving’ is set pretty high.
It sounded great — but that was the only time we could get together, and we figured we’d keep it low-key in the area. In hindsight, AWF might have been the way to go!
At a certain point, I just don’t “need” anything new unless it really sets my skirt on fire. Having said that, some of the stuff I fall for is mainstream.
The Waterford Lismore is hysterically dull, really, almost insulting given the “luxury” positioning. At least you get the vase, I guess. And so agree on Feerie. Scent is silly, bottle WAY less compelling in person. The only thing I liked this weekend was Infusion d’Homme, and it’s so close to the women’s that I don’t need a bottle.
Oh, I didn’t see Infusion d’Homme! Although it sounds like I wouldn’t need it either.
I wish I could have been there- I sort of wandered through Nordstroms between “Mamma Mia” and “Brideshead” and sniffed a few things, including some Tom Ford thing that didn’t even register.
Of course it was the last day of some sale there and the place was mobbed; I hate crowds, they make me want to bite people.
On a side note it was nice to see that both movies were packed to the gills; real adult movies getting an audience? Yay!:d
How was Brideshead? I’m going to see it today. I really, really didn’t like Mamma Mia. Bad casting, too much theater direction for 18-feet-tall people on my movie screen. 🙂
What a coincidence–saw both movies this weekend too.
Brideshead is pretty to look at, but so simplified in a cause-and-effect type way. Everything is pretty much laid out for you. And I wasn’t even that impressed with Emma Thompson (whom I love). That being said, Matthew Goode(‘s lips) gives a great performance, and Ben Whishaw is really mesmerizing. An up-and-comer, that one.
Mamma Mia was ridiculous. It should have been called “The Movie Where Everyone Fidgets.” All I can say is at least the cute one was gay. And Amanda Seyfrield is impossibly physically perfect. Like, for real.
What was it with the lips on that cast- they were the most lip-licious group I’ve seen in a while. Even Bridey (who’s supposed to be really plain) was fabulous looking, or would be if this hair wasn’t starched..
I’m going to be a post whore and tell you to read my blog for my opinion on them. Although I did like both okay enough.
I did want to yell out at one point “Stop with the tilting camera already!” at Mamma Mia..
Gosh, I must try that Angel Men, that sounds wonderful ~o)
I assumed the Fascinating was a flanker, my SA seemed to think so & she told me its really popular as its floral/fruity but not OTT, no jasmine skank & therefore works for the office. I have a decant – its perfectly pleasant, & I’d wear it if I was given it, but its not a FB purchase.
The similarity between Magnifique & Sensuous – I personally don’t find that. Sensuous is more honey/woody (& smells like rotting fruit on me ;D) & the other more sweet vanilla/rose. But that’s skin chemistry for you ;D I do find there’s more connection between Magnifique & Notorious – not surprising since they are both from Lancome. I do find its a shame that so many of the Lancome frags (whether under their own name or house brands) are somehow becoming more & more blah.
I think it’s a flanker too — it doesn’t smell like the F to me, it smells lighter and more sparkling — but whither the original?
Wow, you get rotten fruit from Sensuous? Skin chem, yeah. I get no fruit at all, and I think I kill off a lot of the rose in Magnifique, which is fine with me. /:)
Just checked the Ferragamo website – F is still listed as available & has different notes to Fascinating – jasmine, rose & leather. That’s an interesting combination I’m curious to sniff now to get a sense of the leather note, though I wonder how popular it is.
Of these I’ve only smelled the Angel Pure Coffee – and thank goodness it’s not dull! But, I prefer the original. They are both harsh and loud, which I can live with in the original but the new one is just too much for me.
“But it didn’t make me dry-heave, itself an achievement for a Lancome fragrance” – had me spitting up cereal this morning. At least you had fun meeting with the peeps and writing the post, even if the sniffage was dull.
Really, the Pure Coffee is too much? I am trying to decide whether I like it or A*Men better, but maybe I just like both.
Oh, glad you caught the Lancome reference! I like some of those reissues (Climat, Sikkim) but lordy, most of their new stuff kills me.
LOL–thank you for that extra nudge, because I didn’t get the sarcasm! I’ve just been hearing how marvelous the bottle is for weeks now. Infomercial!?! Yes! I was thinking of what my sister would say if I actually got my niece the bottle. Her response would have two parts. 1) (in a whisper) You know you could have found something equally as fairy like down at Big Lots. 2) (in a state of horror) You could have gotten *me* Carnal Flower!
Um, yeah. When I look at it in terms of $150, I tend to think of other things that could be had for roughly that amount of money.
I’ve decided what I think looks cheap: the shiny silver metal. I think some sort of slightly darker, burnished matte finish would have looked better. It doesn’t *feel* cheap when you touch it, but it looks like it could be that silver-toned plastic.
Yes, March, that is the part with which I have the most problem. And to be fair to the Feerie creators, caps seem the hardest part of the bottle to do with any grace, if an atomizer is involved. This one….well, it’s so *fussy*…
Still, it’s interesting how violet scents are popping up. I’m interested to smell this and others solely for this reason. I don’t actually like violet in perfume very often, so for education’s sake, I’d like to get a rounder picture of what’s available. If I’m up for sniffing FM’s new violet, then I should be up for sniffing Feerie for the same reason.
We were joking that violet was the new lychee. Or possibly the new Pink Pepper. Feerie was sitting next door to Love in Black, which I think is violet, although I need to check. I myself am partial to violet and thus have no objections to the trend. 😉
Well, March, Louise, et violetnoir, it seems you had a bit of a day–both fun and disappointing. Can I say, without getting scolded too much, that I seem to be the only person who very much dislikes the Feerie bottle? I’ll probably never smell the juice, because what if I like it?!? I couldn’t bear to buy a bottle of something so flashy and cute-zy. On the other hand, I know exactly who I could make happy with it–my eleven-year-old niece. She loves anything to do with fairies.
Perhaps if scents like these were pushed during the Chicago sniffa, I will have a go at them. But, even then, there would be other, more compelling things. I’m with Louise–let me have a go at the FM counter. Surely, someday, Une Rose will slay me. Led me into Prada. I need to sniff those new parfums. The last time that a new release got me all excited, it was Mona di Orio’s Amyitis, way back in early spring. The one that’s calling to me this fall is FM’s Dan Tes Bras–violet & incense?! In the doldrums of a muggy August, however, when the only new things are the new spider webs that splay entire windows, I’m not sure what I could suggest. Well, I did get the remaining two of the Roja Dove trilogy–man, that felt great.
Well, I won’t scold you Catherine! Maybe I need to make my sarcasm scream a little bit more loudly. I think combined perfume bottle/ring holders would make great infomercials, don’t you?
Seriously, I wish you could have been there for the demo. Like I was gonna jam the rings on the fairy’s head or something.
=))
Or try to fit them INTO the bottle???
Catherine,
If that (and other mainstreamers) are at any of our Event stores I’m sure you can get a sample – they LOVE pushing that stuff. Even if samps aren’t available it’ll be a perfect opportunity to spritz it so you can say ^:)^ or b-( or…:-< Me? I'm bringing lots of sinus spray!!!
I’m bringing my migraine meds, and after yesterday it sucks to admit it but I think I’m wearing my sneakers. Sorry. Even just four hours in reasonably comfortable shoes was too much.
Oh gosh. That’s all I need. An addiction to bottles as well as the juice inside. That David Yurman is a work of art. I saw Feerie at the duty free in Detroit last week. Didn’t squirt, though. Brain was massively overloaded. It was all I could do to escape with my beloved Kenzo Flower and not purchase fifty million other bottles.
The Yurman is one of those rare birds — a bottle that looks even better in real life than in the photos (and it doesn’t look too shabby in the photos, either).
Sounds like you behaved yourself very well in the duty free!
My sentiments exactly on the Tom Ford–it’s a little dissappointing (I was hoping for something more unisex, more outrageous), but it is complex and at least interesting. It’s got a personality, one that makes it difficult for most people to love, much like Black Orchid. I really need to pick up my bottles of Moss Breches, Noir de Noir, and Neroli Portofino before they go up in price, eh?
So the White Patch didn’t go perfectly for you either? I want to admire it (as I admire Black Orchid) while I would be unlikely to love it. And I heard the Creeds are going up as well?
Somebody has to explain this Moss Breeches to me…have they truly combined green and skank? 😉
No, didn’t make it to AWF. My son came back from the UK yesterday (with the Ambre fragrance from L’Occitane for mom-sweet kid!) and I couldn’t fit everything in. Wanted to make it to AWF also , but too much to do in one day. Hope it went well for them!
I hope they had a good turn-out; don’t things seem really quiet around here right now?
It’s spooky how empty the store are 8-x
March,
I wanted to do a department store Sniffa of my own this past weekend – I had dinner with a friend of mine across the street from the swanky Westchester Mall (Neimans, Nordies, etc.) and down the block from Bloomingdales. I wanted to get there early since my friend is no perfumista. Thanks for doing the leg-work for me. The only one of the dulls I’ve smelled is Waterford Lismore on a cent strip in New York Magazine. I had to rip the darn thing out – it was atrocious!
I expected the David Yurman scent to be exactly as you described it, but I am really disappointed in Tom Ford. I love a few of his Private Blends (although not the price tags), but Black Orchid and now White Patchouli don’t sound like they’ll have much longevity.
I don’t think we’re in a “mini-era of Safe Perfumes” for the reasons you stated, rather I think most of these are “safe” as a response to the practice of minimum exposure/maximum profit corporate culture. Fragrance is always the big moneymaker for these couture houses who make their wares to appeal to a very small, exclusive, WEALTHY group of people. If they can make a crapload off the masses buying their perfumes, better safe than sorry, ya know? I’ll raise your whine with my pessimism. /:)
The Tom Ford …. full disclosure, it’s really not my kind of scent to start with. I mean, I am not a big fan of oud, and although it’s not listed as a note, that is at least the effect you get. And/or the patch is very medicinal. But Louise and Violetnoir were really digging it at the opening, and then not so much.
I didn’t think I’d find myself longing for another Pucci Vivara, or Aromatics Elixir, but I was. 8-|
Little wonder that most of my fragrances purchases are made on ebay, searching for vintages and non-reformulated classics. Or in a few small stores where the managers know my taste and reach for bottles when I walk in the door. And yes, Louise, I fully agree with the niche comment. Much more excitement there, and no safety, especially for the wallet!
Well, I can’t say that I expected much from the Van Cleef, but I sooo needed a combined ring holder/perfume…
The SA took her cocktail rings off and dropped them on there to demonstrate, I think she thought I was struggling with the concept. 🙂 And also, the stores were so empty it was pathetic. August in DC is pretty dead, but this was ridiculous. My guess is the luxury stores are taking a bit of a hit right now. Good thing Louise bought some makeup. 😉 We have to do our part…
Did you go to AWF? We ran out of time/energy.
March,
In running around to perfume counters a lot these past few months, I’ve taken the time to spritz a lot of the new mainstream offerings, something I would’ve never done afore I came onto this blog. There are a few horrors out there but for the most part ‘meh’ is exactly what I would say to describe the juices that are being bandied about. At this point I would welcome and ‘eeek’! or two, just to wake me up!!!
The day, however, sounds like it was absolutely delightful!!! What made Louise’s lips so gorgeous, other than that they were on Louise?
xo
Yes, where was my “eeeek”?!?!? Although the Tom Ford was close … 😉 Still it was probably better than most everything else we smelled.
Louise has a really great eye for picking out lipstick and gloss colors that go with her skin and hair coloring (she’s a lippie addict). And I feel like she can work a darker lip and look fabulous, whereas I feel ridiculous. But maybe I just need an attitude adjustment. 🙂 Other than one great matte red in the cooler weather, I shy away from darker tones. I live in fear of looking like those mauve-lipped ladies from the 80s.
Awwww, smooch :”>
The lipstick is a Guerlain Kiss-Kiss in Brun Jazzy-with a clinique bronzy gloss…I feel fall coming!
Well, boring perfume aside, sounds like y’all had a good time 🙂 The descriptions I’ve read of Angel Men Pure Coffee are mouth watering; how does it compare with Bond 9 New Haarlem, which is my favorite coffee scent so far?
Well, egg-zacktly!!! Other than the perfume, our sniffage was perfect! We did spend a little time playing with the lippies and new fall makeup, and looking at the jool-ree…
It’s been awhile since I sniffed New Haarlem, I have to think about it. Off the top of my head — Angel is … nichier? Gah. Trying again… Angel is denser, more velvety, less perfume-y, simpler (I am recalling a more expanded set of smells in NH). NH might be a touch sweeter (in a nice way).
Okay, I just went and peeked at the notes and NH has a touch of lavender. But I am pretty sure either Louise or Vi detected that in Angel. So let’s see if someone else weighs in with a side-by-side test. I’d own both. 🙂 I will say, considering the way scents usually last on me, the Angel was a little tentative — a nice creamy smell but essentially gone several hours later. Mind you, that was one spray on one wrist. Could be fine if I’d applied it more generously.
Oh, we had such a great time!
But surely, if I wasn’t with two such wonderful women, I would have become incredibly depressed by the scents. You said “safe”, I say sad 🙁
And when you say “safe” I can only think what I would like to use to cover that YSL thingy
I feel pretty snobbish, but I am almost completely now pushed over the niche edge…and glad I can remain excited about the new SLs, Parfum d’Empires, and a nichy surprise or two for the fall.
So grand to meet you, Violetnoir! And thanks to both you gals for encouraging my lippie purchases…:x
Your lips were so gorgeous. I am now jealous. =:) And lord, can you believe it cost us fifteen bucks to get out of that stupid lot? Next time– moving the car, transport cheapskate that I am.
It was sad. I kept thinking, how are these so … nothing? There have been some great mainstream releases (Bronze Goddess is great, off the top of my head) so they don’t have to be dull. They seemed very tepid to me.
Huh. How ’bout that? The Angel Men Coffee is the only one those I’ve liked enough to purchase.
I like how you didn’t even list the notes for that YSL men’s thing 🙂 Because I’m sure how it smells is way beside the point with that one!
Do you think Van Cleef & Arpels would just sell the empty bottle for that Feerie? I don’t want to waste that much money, but I sure do like the bottle :d
The YSL — shame on me. But it was getting late and I figured, hey, it’s been out awhile. And yeah, you’re right — the juice is totally fine but doesn’t do much for me either way.
Now I’m feeling guilty about the Feerie. It’s really a perfectly nice scent — nothing wrong with getting a full bottle.
I guess someone has to cite Freud–and I guess it’s going to be me–by noting that sometimes a bottle is just a bottle. I could name a dozen taller-than-they-are-wide fragrance bottles: Yohji Homme, Catalyst for Men, Pierre Cardin, all the Perry Ellis 360 scents, CSP’s travel sprays, Aquolina Blue Sugar….
I personally love the Nouvel bottle for L’Homme, including a feature you missed: the spray tube is of the exact same refractive index as the juice, so it’s completely invisible. Nice touch! I think the bottle is terrific, and in fact I love everything about L’Homme except, unfortunately, the scent.
Okay, I admit that if the refractive feature had been pointed out to me I’d have thought it was cool. But we were concentrating on whether you could just yank the darn thing up from its base to be able to spray it. The SA did point out to me later that you can place the bottle in the stand right-side-up as well…
Here, I’ll throw out my totally illogical reasoning for you to poke fun at — women’s bottles can be as gimmicky as Feerie or Betsey Johnson and I’m fine with that. But gimmicky men’s bottles make my eyes roll, it’s like men should be above that or something. Although, I really liked that Armani Attitude Zippo-lighter bottle, so there — I poked a hole in my own argument. /:) I did notice most of the flip-caps ripped off of those in the store, presumably because people either broke them trying to open them, or couldn’t open them at all….