I´m having a nutty week, trying to pull some things together before we take off for LA – wheeeee!!!! By the way, I´ll be comatose Monday, having taken the redeye back from LA, so please stop by on Monday for Anita/Musette´s post on synesthesia. Also, for anyone in D.C. who doesn´t know yet – this coming Sunday the 15th, Ron Robinson of Apothia will be at Art With Flowers in McLean (top floor of Tysons II) from 12 – 5ish presenting his new fragrance, Pearl, and they´ll have the usual goodies. I´ll still be in LA unfortunately but I know several of our favorite dames are going on the earlier side. Have fun!
So. There have been some challenges in my perfumage recently. The new Hermes Vanille Galante (in English, “Oui, madame, I strangle you with my aquatic tendrils,”) was emphatically not my sort of thing, being a somewhat less melony Mousson with some wet, salty florals. Next up: Annick Goutal Matin d´Orage, which I stupidly kept reading as Orange, so I was expecting neroli, or something citrus-y, as opposed to what I got, which is, “Oui, madame, I strangle you with my aquatic tendrils.” It´s also got a big ol´ dose of Patty´s patented Tampax Fresh Accord. I am sensing a slightly terrifying trend here. Is fresh/aquatic the new pink pepper? I think I am the only blogger at this point who didn´t love these, so…
So I give up. Today you´re writing the review. The seasons are changing, it´s time to dig out your unloved bottles and dust them off. G´wan, go spray on something you haven´t worn in awhile and tell me how it went. Here are mine.
Kiehls Original Musk No. 1. I used to think this was sour and nasty. Then I thought it was … not bad. I just bought a bottle on the wiki splits page. It´s weirdly sweet and vegetal on me. I get cravings for it the way I crave carrot juice – even while I´m drinking it I´m not sure I like it, but that doesn´t stop me from reaching for the bottle.
Ines de la Fressange. I have the fussy, fabulous leaf bottle that smells different than the new one. I bet ten years ago I would have found this really sophisticated. It´s probably the most mainstream fruity floral I have, but it´s not gourmand and it´s not especially sweet. Sometimes I just want plain vanilla, you know? Or in this case, raspberry sherbet.
Jo Malone Lotus Blossom & Water Lily – I bought this last summer and promptly wore it too many days in a row, to the point that I was sick of it. Its tenacity on anything (skin, fabric) is astonishing. You can smell it on shirts a week later. I´m back to liking it again, but I want to mail some off to somebody like Octavian for his speculative analysis. It´s so pervasive and one-note in its radiance I have a suspicion it´s got an overdose of a single chemical ingredient, something it shares with the Dark Amber and Ginger Lily. Whatever it is, I hope they have the lid on the drum tight.
L´Artisan Mure et Musc. What the heck was I thinking? Ew. And I bought a backup bottle of this? Back into the closet. I bet in another six months I´ll love it again.
Hermes Jardin Sur le Nil – I used to think this was so exotic. Now that peppery incense note inexplicably reads as smelling faintly of vomit on my skin. Once I got that into my head I can´t get it out. On the other hand, this is JCE, right? This is watery, right? Separate from the vomit note, why doesn´t it nauseate me the way Mousson and Galante do? I think it´s something about the astringency – the citrus and the woods, but I´m not sure.
Your turn. Grab something out of perfume purgatory and tell me all about it. Have your feelings changed? Ardor dimmed? Passions rekindled? Tastes shifted?
Perfume Love for Everyone!
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Changed feelings? I used to think that Burberry London (now just called Burberry) in the pebble-shaped bottle was practically perfect for me in nearly every way and it didn’t take me long to nearly use up the bottle (got an umbrella with the purchase). So you can see how old this bottle is, since Burberry now has a new fragrance called London and the old London is now just Burberry or some call it Burberry Classic. So I ignored it for a year or more to explore other scents – not wanting to use it up and have to re-purchase. Tried it a few days ago and I have changed or the scent has. My room is cold in the winter but hot in the summer (new house – built in 1996 – it’s just my unluckyness that I choose the bedroom that’s so hot in the summer. I hope my perfumes don’t cook to much! I leave the overhead fan on in the summer even when I’m away from home, and turn it on in the winter just for good measure!)
My ardor has not dimmed for Miss Dior Cherie. I just love that stuff. I got a 50 mil bottle for Xmas 2007 and I’ve used over 1/2 of it. And I didn’t start using it until April, 2008 (or thereabouts) because I wanted to use up some of my other stuff.
Still nutty about my only two Carons – Fleurs de Rocaille and Nuit de Noel.
Still love Coco Mlle. I don’t own a bottle but I spray some on while at the Macy’s near my office. It’s a small Macy’s with very little choice in fragrance. I keep on reaching for the Coco Mlle. I know that Miss Dior Cherie and Coco Mlle are marketed to the young set – people younger than my daughter, even. Sorry people if my tastes are young also. Second childhood?
Now I’m trying to be brave and use the scents that have languished while I madly spritzed away with the Miss Dior Cherie.
I like to spray on some Chanel No. 19 when I’m out and about but that is hard to find. And I think I have to avoid garlic and onions or else it is very cat-peeish on me at first.
Like Ivoire de Balmain – once the initial top notes fade. Uff da!! It is something else the first few minutes. I’ve been spraying at home over the weekend.
Tried Miss Balmain a few days ago and that was nice. May have to save my schekels for a bottle. But must use up some of my stash first!!
Don’t like Revlon’s Flair so much anymore. Tested and tested the bottle at the CVS when it came out. Then bought a bottle when they had a special: Buy a bottle and get a free evening bag. Well, the evening bag was adorable. Burgundy velveteen with a chain strap and a clever snap. Had to have that evening bag. I am a purse/carryall bag/small suitcase whore and will buy something I’m not absolutely in love with to get that item. After a few times doing that, I really had to avert my eyes because I had more purses/carryall bagss/small suitcases than a person could need in a lifetime. But I fell for that evening bag. Now I’m stuck with Flirt and . . .
Lessons learned? Test, Test, and Test some more. Keep an open mind.
Wow, what a great post! Got everybody thinking for sure.
I can’t think of anything that I have gone off, really, because I try to rotate my stash so I never wear one scent too much. I only buy FBs of stuff I really love, so I am safe there for the most part.
From reading the comments I am now really curious about Vanille Galant, since the lily part would be a huge PLUS for me and not a negative. If I were put in a room with wall-to-wall lilies I would lock myself IN. :d
I recently bought a new bottle of Miss Dior. I bought my first bottle in Paris in 1966, (before some of you were born), had gone through two other bottles since then, and decided I still loved it, so I’m enjoying wearing it to work everyday. Nobody has commented, so I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I was surprised to find out Miss Dior has patchouli, which I normally don’t like. I grew up in L.A. in the 60’s and 70’s and was exposed to too much BAD patchouli. And I’ll ask you this, since no one else would be interested. Why did they name the perfume “Miss” Dior? It’s a French couture house; shouldn’t it have been Mademoiselle Dior?
in re: your upcoming trip to L.A. Drive down the Santa Monica Freeway (#10) West, toward the beach. You;ll go through a tunnel that dumps you on to PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). Drive north for a while, check out the ocean, the beaches, the houses in Malibu. Gorgeous. Another suggestion: Brea Bakery, on Fairfax, just north of Wilshire Blvd.
I thought Vanille Galante was heinous – smelled like a ham sandwich with lilies on me. Could not wait to scrub it off.
Matin d’Orage smelled like swampy florals, distinctly unappealing.
So you’re not the only one who hates both! I hope this is not the new trend for 2009.
Thank goodness. I thought I was the lone holdout on the Wet Ham Sandwich Love Train. Yes, let’s go back to pink pepper. Or lychee even.
I’m seeing “salty” in perfume descriptions a lot recently, but last time I checked, salt had no smell. What are we talking about? Perspiration? Sea water? Generic mineraly? Help a sniffer out.
I’d say any or all of those. I think it’s an attempt to suggest various aspects of marine/aquatic/mineral in a way people “understand” even if it doesn’t make any sense. If that makes any sense. 🙂
March, that helps a bit, thanks!
I’m with Esri Rose: Where is this smelly salt/smelling salt accord of which everyone is speaking? I guess I don’t get it. Then again, water doesn’t have a smell either, but “watery floral” definitely makes sense.
Oh, and the VG was waiting in the mailbox when I got home tonight.
I definitely get the Vanille, I must admit. On me, it’s like a nice light jasmine/vanilla mousse or something. No aquatic tendrils. Really quite nice if you’re into jasmine desserts. I think I like it. Tomorrow we give it the “All-Day Test.”
Joe, “watery floral” definitely makes sense, prolly because everyone has had the experience of adding water to something (coffee, dirt) and having it smell both diluted and more wet.
Well – today being a nice warm day (73) in a yo-yo week of 70’s and upper 40’s, I decided I’d break out the Marc Jacobs for Men. God I love this thing – but why, why, WHY can’t it last longer, or have more sillage, or SOMETHING? It’d be a nice candidate for a “concentre”, or an “intense” or maybe even an “extreme”. Oh well – one can always dream. And reapply throughout the day.
I lurve MJ for men. It should be stronger, though, shouldn’t it? Is there a lotion you can layer it with? Yummy figs in this weather.
Ah ha! Now that’s an idea…. I’ll go on a hunt for something that fits the bill. Looks like I have some time; we’re back to 46 for a high tomorrow. I’ve been taking advantage of the colder weather to pull out some decants that I’ve been “saving” for a special winter occasion that never happened…[-( PG Cadjmere, SL Chergui, FM Musc Ravageur. Don’t know WHAT tomorrow’s gonna be just yet….
You and I have to meet up for a sniff-fest one of these days… I am jonesing MJ Men in a big way right now. 😡
Read this late last night just before I went to bed, & was too tired to comment but wanted to thank you for sending me to be laughing with “Oui, madame, I strangle you with my aquatic tendrils†and “Patty’s patented Tampax Fresh Accord”. Perfect.
The AG grew on me a little after wearing it for several days, but still don’t love it. But I have a feeling we’d better get adjusted: this seems to be the new thang.
What is wrong with me? Everyone loves this thing. Okay, you and I are not precise scent twins, but other than folks complaining about a lack of vanilla I have not seen a single negative comment about VG or the Annick. (Mousson is a different story.) If we’re moving into aquatics I’m going to find a different hobby. 😉
Trying to decide which is worse: 500 new generic fruity florals a year, or all my favorite niche houses suddenly deciding to do high end aquatic/ozonic things. It’s a toss up.
Sigh. You win. 500 new fruitals is worse. I can just spend a year revisiting the classics until the trend shifts. 🙂
I’ve been pulling out some of the more random perfumes from my collection–I guess I’m not the only one who looked at the big bell jar of Rahat Loukhoum and said “WTH, why not?” I have the exact opposite opinion: I should only throw that thing on when it’s 70 degrees or warmer, much like Arabie. I also dug out some of my SIP samples, and somehow keeled over in abject devotion to Fair Verona. The last time I tried it on I remember thinking, eh, move on, but this time it was magical orange blossoms and deliciously gourmand at the same time. It didn’t put me in mind of Verona as much as it convinced me I should have been wearing a hoop skirt on a plantation veranda someplace warm, sipping a mimosa. Must. Have. Now. I’m also desperately waiting for some warm weather to break out PG’s Louanges and Angelique Noir, my pretty spring go-tos.
Isn’t it fun when you put something on again and think, oh, goodness, hello darling how did I miss your charms the last time? 8-| And you all with your warm weather SLs…. I’ll try this summer.
Grr! my comment went to the wrong place… sorry!
It’s been placed as a reply to March’s reply to Trish, right at the top, but it should have been a stand-alone post. I don’t think I can move it…
Well, I can’t move it either, this dang blog is beyond my control … :-w
Oh, that’s ok, it was my silly mistake.:)
I just need to remember that reply doesn’t default to replying to the main post, even if that was what I selected.
Topic: another I retried recently was Caron Royaokl Bain de Champagne. Nope, still smells cheap on me. Oh well. In the swap pile it goes!
I know if I reference The Guide one more time somebody’s going to smack me upside the head with a copy but I swear buried somewhere in there is a review (of a feminine) that says it is exactly what Royal Bain used to smell like back when it was good… 😕
I remember it too and think it was Kenzo Flower – one of the Kenzos anyway. Too powdery for me but as with most Kenzos great quality and a darling bottle.
Speaking on LA, what should I NOT wear when I see you? I know Aomassai is a big no, what else? Don’t want to gag you out.. :”>
Oh, wear any old thing you want to! Louise wears Angel sometimes when she sees me, just to see if I’ll notice. Mothballs. Don’t wear mothballs. I really hate proximity with mothballs. So other than ruling out Tubereuse Crikey and Borneo, we’re good. 🙂
Oh gawd, great post, March!
I pulled out three other J-CE creations last week, Rose Poivree, Sel de Vetiver and Bergamote (what happened to the “Divine” part) and wore them, one on Friday, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Ain’t I monotonous?
Anyway, I still love RP, and SdV is still salty weird, just as I like it. But…the Bergamote…sort of bored me. I loved that fragrance three years ago and bought the big square bottle, instead of the smaller sized ones (I bought RP and SdV in the smaller size). Now it just seems like, plain old bergamot that’s not divine at all.
Hugs!
Correction, Sel de Vetiver is Celine’s creation. So sorry! No wonder I still love it. Her Sublime Balkiss is lovely, too!
What happened to the Divine part… I love that. But maybe in the teeth of summer the love will come back?
Can’t wait to see you! 😡
Sweet fragrances have been driving me bats lately. I’m still ok with incensy-types. But, my bottle of Lann-Ael has been turning my stomach and may have to go! So sad.
Lann-Ael I think I eventually gave away. Same sad situation. Why do things go sweet, I wonder?
I pulled out L’Heure Bleue from it’s winter purgatory just yesterday. Almost scrubbed it off because it just didn’t sit well. But I hung in there and as the day progressed, wowsah!! Call me crazy but I can only wear L’Heure Bleue in the heat (and Shalimar in the cold). Odd skin indeed!
IMHO L’Heure Bleue is the most sociopathic of all fragrances, which explains my own personal attraction to the thing. But at least it’s only perfume; you should meet my mens.
We haven’t really had a winter in Denver this year, so I’m bucking the trend by really craving winter fare. We had a wee bit of snow yesterday and a coldish morning today, so I brought out the EL Youth Dew Amber Nude. I still can’t quite make up my mind if I’m ‘grown up’ enough to wear this yet (which is a bit hilarious considering I’m well on the wrong side of 50), but it did seem perfect for a cold day. YD was so ubiquitous among well-to-do women of a certain age during my formative years, that I still think I need a blue hair rinse and one of those mink stoles with the heads, feet and tail still attached to pull this off.
Your YD models seem a bit older than mine (who had pepper-and-salt bouffants and wore mink only in pillbox hats), but I still don’t feel mature enough for it either. Sometimes I spray a little on my wrist before I go to bed, and then yes– it’s still too much. Smells like Mom just came downstairs dressed to kill. So funny, because by personality she should have been a galbanum gal, but she loved to slam that nutmeg cola. That would make a fun post: what perfumes do we love even though they’re out of character for us?
My only complaint about VG is the intense initial blast of lilies. After that, it is sublime.
I was over at MUA yesterday and someone brought up Marc Jacobs Men. I thought I had a bottle of it in my stash, but no dice. Now I have a major fig craving. MAJOR fig craving…
Fig fig fig. We all love fig. And that’s one you can find pretty cheap at discounters.
No we don’t. Me don’t.
I keep thinking I will – but something in the Figgy makeup makes me just a wee bit b-(
Not horrible:-&, mind you, probably not even b-(
more like :-s
But definitely not 😡
xo>-)
Wow, you and Patty (and the commenters, too) are really on a roll with teh funny this week, aren’t you: “Oui, madame, I strangle you with my aquatic tendrils.â€
After many months of vanilla, spice, and incense, I’m revisiting spring faves: Après l’Ondée, En Passant, and Angéliques sous la Pluie. In fact I feel as if I can’t get enough of ASLP. So I wouldn’t exactly say they were in perfume purgatory, just waiting to come out with the first buds and shoots.
The other morning, I couldn’t figure out what to wear, and said, oh, well, what the hell, let’s do Habanita. As soon as I sprayed it on, I remembered that I hated it the other time I tried it. But I was running late for work, so had no time to scrub it off. After about an hour I found I liked it, and remembered that happened the first time, too. But I’m not a patient woman, and I don’t want to sit through an hour of wondering if I’m going to have to chew my own arm off before the scent becomes more pleasing.
Aquatic: not quite sure what that is, but I’m guessing it the note in the stuff we all thought smelled like frog at last Spring’s Sniffa?
Precisely. That’s how they make aquatics. They press frogs. I am sure that’s how they do it. It was in Fleur de Liane, which literally means juice of the frog. Another free French translamation from your flavorite blogger! Glad we made you smile.
Habanita, ack. I am such a rookie. I can never get past all that powder. :”>
That’s not exactly vegan.
I’m just gross. I can’t believe patty doesn’t kick me off the blog. /:)
OMG, I’ve been getting fickle on perfumes all the time lately! Maybe it’s the season change here in Austin. You know which perfumes gag me right now? The super-chic powdery/green flower-bombs like #22 edt, Chamade edt, L’Heure Exquise, Madame de Rochas, and Niki de Saint Phalle. They all seems to sweet and smell the same to me, suddenly. Yikes, that seems like a lot of perfumes to fall out of love with! I still have some misguided idea that all my collection should actually get *used.* What a silly idea! I have too much to actually use it all! But if I don’t change my mind again in 6 months, maybe I’ll swap them or something.
Niki? Sweet? OK, it could be Cedar Fever. I used to get that every spring in Austin. I have no idea what I’d wear for that time of year….Hope you find the right one!
Wow, I just had the sketchiest manicure… urgh, wonder if I should boil my hands? Wow.
The idea that the collection gets used doesn’t necessarily conform to the reality. 🙂
hey peanut – when you get to Santa M, go to Christina’s on Main Street – it’s a skanky li’l manicure shop (3 block south of Pico – that’s the one where the nekkid crackhead surfer came in the door and all the women jumped up, screaming and ran into the farthest corner – I had to don some latex gloves and gently turn him around and out the door – ) but they do a great mani. Take your polish or pick one of theirs…it’s my go-to mani place and despite the odd green paint on the walls it’s relatively clean..
xo>-)
Okay dokey. My toesies look lurvly, Queen of Everything (silver-gold).
“nekkid crackhead surfer” LOL! God, I do miss LA sometimes.
I was in a burrito place the other day and walked past this girl, student type, tapping away on her Mac,looked about 18, and she was wearing patchouli oil! And I mean of the dirty, room-filling headshop variety. Talk about flashbacks. Patchouli oil, as worn in the sixties and early 70’s, had one purpose: to hide the smell of pot that otherwise clung to one’s hair and clothing. Fooled a lot of parents, teachers and maybe even a few cops. What other reason could there have been to wear it? And what on earth would compel someone to wear it today?
Say it ain’t so!!! :(( I can’t *do* aquatic florals. Vanille Galante didn’t work on me. I’m not sure if it was the overwhelming melon note or the watery aspect or the combo.
Thanks for the huge giggle this morning…Patty’s *TFA*…love it =))
We first discovered the TFA, I believe, in the Jennifer Lopez oeuvre. But it’s everywhere. 😮
Calyx. Wore it to death in my mid/late 30s. Luuuurbed it! It smells like limeade wrapped in aluminum foil which, depending upon your mood, is not a bad thing. I spritzed it in honor of this post but we had a 30 degree temp drop with 45mph windgusts – Calyx, for all its bombalicious tenacity, is not for that kind of weather. I felt like I’d been soaked in salt water and thrown out of the house, naked. Brrr!
Recently got my petunias handed to me by L’Heure Bleu parfum which I would’ve sworn would see me through the Apocalypse. Wa-ronnnng! What a stunning upset! Either the juice went bad or Times Have Changed. It smells like cheap old lady powder on me. EdT still behaves nicely.
Interesting that you should post this, just as I am feeling trepidation over reapproaching Fracas. My go-to scent for about 430 years, lately I’ve been eyeing it much as one would a large, growling dog……..oh heck, why not? It’s a bazillion degrees below zero today – I’ll break it out and see if I (and everyone else at the construction site) can stand it!
xoxo>-)
ps. Waffles for Everybody! (especially moi!<:-p
Hahahahahaha!!!! That is the most perfect description of Calyx! I too wore it back in the day. And now it smells fine but it’s just HUGE, HUGE! Also a bit sweet on the wrong day.
LHB (we talked about this, yes?) is scarcer than hen’s teeth. I sold my decant awhile ago. I felt like it traded tenacity for density. It lost its youthful good looks. 🙁
I am really looking forward to my waffles!
Update:
Reached for Fracas – You won’t believe this: She reared back, bared her fangs and…..and…she tried to BITE me! Me! who champions Her at every turn, defending Her with emoticons and exclamation points! What a >:p Scared the crap out of me! Luckily Femme, my besty, jumped in front of Her and took the hit. We decided it would be safer to stick together today, Femme and me….you know, besties have to hang in these perilous times…..
(of course, I dunnot what will happen when DNuui comes to stay with us….
xo>-)
I believe that Fracas is responsible for the hair on my chest. I can drink Bandit, but one drop of Fracas and I’m in traction. Tuberose Criminelle? Gimme more, more, MORE!
You TC freaks are hardcore. Hardcore, I tell you.
Um. Wait. Are you saying you layered Fracas and Femme? Dang.
it was a wild ride, lemme tell you – WILD 8-x
I’m off to the shower. Must. Just gotta. Otherwise I will have nightmares and shiver in my sleep.
xo>-)
Giggling. That is appalling. That’s right up there with my FdB/Poison Clash of the Titans.
Oh, l’il ole L.A. Don’t forget about Pink’s Hot Dogs on La Brea —
near the Scent Bar — best experienced late at night, but, hey, any time will do.
Oh, perfume. Right. The other night I wore Jicky EDP to sleep. It was one of the first decants I ordered. Sweet sweet sweet and yeah, there is that fecal note at first. Can’t imagine what the original must have smelled like — strong enough to mask the rankest BO, I’d wager! I think now I’d layer it a little bit of Moment Supreme or other dry lavender-based scent to cut the sweet/indolic a bit. It is history in a little bottle, but I’m not sure I’d wear it Out now.
Do I have to be totally drunk first? We’re also going to Roscoe’s, I can’t wait.
Jicky PdT!!! Delicious….. my precioussssss…… wait, where were we? My eyes were hooding over… I must have special fecal supression powers. But I have heard some of the PdT bottles are extra nasty, maybe you lucked out. 🙂
Weeeelllll…it helps, but isn’t necessary. We always make a pilgrimage there when we’re in LA seeing the relatives. Pink’s is just such a great microcosm of LA’s people, everybody gets there sooner or later. There’s always a line, but that’s the picturesque part.
I assume you mean Roscoe’s Chicken n’Waffles? In Hollywood? That’s a good place too.
Could be that the Jicky just sweetens up on my skin, as most things do. It’s not herbal on me at all, just a whiff under the vanilla/indolic notes. Or maybe the bottle’s just a little old. The very old Moment Supreme I have is just dry enough to fill that out, I suspect.
I thought people were pulling my leg about the chicken and waffles. It turns out they are not. So we are going. 🙂
The older bottles do sometimes seem to concentrate the skank.
I just went and pulled Nasomatto’s Absinthe out of purgatory. WHY had I been ignoring it? Damn fine stuff. Utterly delicious. And last week I rescued L’Artisan’s Tubereuse. Happy sigh. But I’m also wondering if it’s possible to have multiple personality disorder, but just for your scent self. I think my bottle of Tom Ford’s White Patchouli may be evidence I have a hidden evil olfactory personality. I forced myself (same feeling as walking to the gallows) to go retry this the other day. Gah!!! Nauseating stuff! But when it first came out I *had* to have it. *Immediately*. A full bottle at any cost. I’m still utterly mystified. I’ve fallen out of love w/ other perfumes before, but usually it takes some time and I can see the reason I loved it initially. Not w/ WP. Don’t know what I ever saw in it and I’d already fallen out of love w/ it by the time the bottle arrived. Again, my only thought is that I’m the olfactory version of Sybil.
That Nasomatto! I should definitely retry that, that seems like the one that gets all the love… those bottles are great too.
You and your White Patch are a bit of a headscratcher, since you and I are frequently scent twins. To be honest I smelled it first on someone else and it was vile. I wonder what you loved about it? Maybe it’s a TF thing — I had to have a bottle of Black Orchid until I actually got one… BO is right. 🙂
Whenever I am tempted to purchase TM (which, admittedly, happens very rarely) I just think about that bizarro train wreck of a Vanity Fair cover and poof, all better!
I mean TF…mother, smoking…
Well, I’ve only tried the Mousson but I’m with you enough on the bilgy aquatic slimelimbs of that one. I’m in no hurry to try VG or Orage.
I’ve this morning tipped coffee and juice all over the bedroom, flipping two buttered crumpets on top of the mess, sunny side down, and am in too much discombobulation to try a mash-up of scents. Sorry.:”>
Lord. Stay away from your fragrances! Go out in the garden. 🙂
😮
what March said.
xo>-)
Hell, stay away from ME with your bad self…
And now I seem to be having an allergic reaction to the washing powder Matt bought…
What a freaking day!
Oh, but to answer your question (did I mention that my mother smoked when she was pregnant with me?) my direct-from-purgatory-and-straight-back-again scent of the moment is SL Rahat Loukoum. I may be a tart, people, but I am not a cherry-almond one.
I think I love you.
=))
xo>-)
Gag. All of those smothered-cherry-almond ones. Erm, no. No thanks.
You know, I pulled that one out the other day wondering why I hadn’t worn it. Then I remembered why. Never apply in temps above 50 degrees
Transitional is hard. By this time each year I’m itchy with ennui, which means that my favorites — Iris Silver Mist and Apres l’Ondee — are definitely out due to the sobbing, aching melancholy thing. On the other hand, I am sick to death at this point of spicy, ambery, foody, my-ain’t-we-cozy scents and am craving florals like a wino craves Thunderbird. On the third hand (my mother smoked when she was pregnant with me) I don’t want to jump the gun and go all My-Fair-Lady-Opening-Credits on everyone’s ass — I mean, Spring ain’t sprung yet and it’s better to come late to any party. So it’s a dilemma.
What I come up with is an attempt at balance. Jolie Madame (the vintage stuff) which I have been wearing since I was in high school a hundred years ago, is always my favorite whenever I want it all and require moderation at the same time. Perfect, perfect, perfect, as far as I am concerned. I am also recently smitten with FM Dans Tes Bras because it is interesting as all get out and beautiful at the same time. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and great, to boot. Next up are L’heure Bleue and Sacrebleu because I am really enjoying comparing the original, brilliant, classic Guerlain with Patricia de Nicolai’s gorgeously modern take on the same theme. And finally, Caron Violette Precieuse (again, the vintage formulation) which I bought 400 bottles of when it became endangered and love to whip out for a shot of pre-Spring violet. Oh, and one more…if the weather suddenly turns nippy again and I want a little shot of spice, I go for the Costes Room Spray because it’s lighter and more linear than the EdP and seems more fitting for the season.
What a wonderful list! And you made me laugh — yes, indeedy, I am suddenly and dramatically over the comfort scents. Go away, comfort. You’re right, those vintages are great fragrances to fill in the gaps right now. I’ve only recently discovered vintage JM and what a joyous discovery it’s been.
I’ve never tried the Costes room spray, sounds like I should!
You are one hilarious lady (cracking me up with the Tampax Accord), but I tell you I am askeered because my split of Vanille Galante is arriving any day now. Unsniffed! =)) I kind of want to try that Orage thing, but mostly for academic reasons — Lady Day I am not, but I can appreciate gardenia intellectually. I’m surprised you like Lotus Blossom even though you have those “aquatic tendrils” issues. I rushed like mad to snap up a 30ml bottle last summer BECAUSE ZOMG IT WAS LE!!! :-ss It’s nice enough but it’s not getting packed in my desert island emergency kit.
OK, I’ve got some stuff out of purgatory, but first I’ll mention something I pulled out a couple weeks ago: Fleur du Mâle. And this time it didn’t make me gag. About twice a year I get in a neroli-bomb mood, apparently. I love that new Varvatos Artisan, but the Gaultier? 5 spray samples will last me till Armageddon.
In any case, tonight I pulled out some Kenzo Amour Indian Holi, which I wanted a decant of for comparison back when Le Parfum was coming out. I still think I like the regular Amour best. I want to love Indian Holi because of the name and all, but it’s got some kind of synthetic sweet plasticky buzz going on. This and the EL Sensuous I do not understand. Maybe the EL needs to come out next for another go-round.
On the other wrist I brought out the big guns: Yatagan. I’ve gotta say, I know you insist you get all the nasty bits of the men’s room in this thing, but on me it’s all beautiful herbaceous pine-forest floor with just a bit of warm skank underneath. Smells like Christmas. I may need me a big ole decant next December.
I really enjoy the last 3 on your list by the way. Sur le Nil is kind of what got me into this ridiculous hobby a couple years back, and I’m so happy I don’t get a trace of vomit! Still wish I could hunt down a dab of vintage MetM though, to know what I’m missing.
Joe, honey, everyone else loves VG. Lubs it lubs it. Only complaints I’ve heard are: not enough vanilla. Which is fair to me (what vanilla?) but I am in the definite minority.
That Water Blossom dealio seems like just the right thing on the right day, but I’ve learned that more than a day or two and I am done. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if they reissued those, they were very popular.
MetM! I know, I know! It was apparently All That about 20 years ago… sigh. FdMale I like in theory but don’t want to wear, although I like regular Le Male a lot. And I think regular KenzoAmour is my favorite too. Artisan smelled great but gosh, it was gone in 15 minutes on me. And anyone wearing Yatagan can come sit by me.
Hey, try the Sensuous lotion. Just for grins (giant ugly purple bottle.) To me it smells so much better than the fragrance, for reasons I’m totally unclear on.
OK, I’ll splash on some Yatagan and sit by you then. I swear it was someone here who said something funny about it — maybe it makes Patty sick? I remember a comment that referred to something like throwing up in the urinal. Or maybe that was the description of some other Fine French Perfume. :d
I’ll go bother the Lauder ladies one of these days and tell them to bring out the fat purple bottle for me.
A lot of people think Yatagan smells like pee. I think even LT admired its weirdness (he called it hissy, I think.) Although he liked it. I think P likes it too. But it’s kind of an acquired taste. 🙂
Alright then. From the depths I grabbed and dabbed Miller Harris Coeur de Fleur. Used to love this little light-hearted gem of a vanillic floral, and well, much to my surprise I still do. It’s sweet in that precious way, not cloyingly so. Dainty and pretty, but the vanilla base adds a creaminess that keeps it interesting. Perfect for a summer wedding I’d say.
See, now, isn’t that great when it happens? You feel all meh about something in your mind and you take it out and try it on, and it’s like running into an old friend. :)>-
You guys are killing me!:d
I’m not near my collection right now, but coincidentally, I did pull out a seldom-used frag the other night to try again. Does that count?
It was SL A La Nuit. I remembered it as an over the top jasmine overdose, but this time it was all cute and light and just lovely! It was like Carmen Miranda took off her fruity hat and turned into Amy Adams in Enchanted.
I wonder if I dare try it for work? Maybe this was a one-time thing and it will pounce next time, claws out…
Talking of LA, it turns out I’m going there in April! I only have about one and a half days free to do my own thing, so, advice please: where should I visit, scent-wise? I’ve heard of the Scent Bar, and Opus Oils, and that’s it.
Course, I won’t have transport, so I may not be able to get to them anyway… (I’m attending an event in a hotel, and staying there too.)
Tania, I don’t know LA at all, it’s my first visit. All we’ve got planned for sure perfume-wise is Strange Invisible Perfumes in Venice (well worth your time) and Scent Bar.
damn ya’ll are freaking killing me.
I tried L’Heure Blue again a few weeks ago after a long hiatus, and it now goes sour on me! So does Chanel no.5. Do they share any notes, I wonder?
They’re not off, it’s not that smell. Just sour and unpleasant.
Ow! I know that feeling. I occasionally have that with F du Bois and, oddly enough, Jicky (which I used to wear with abandon). Even Mitsouko every once in awhile gets cranky.
I think it’s hormonal – but that’s just me….>-)
Except, after a few hours it did get a wee bit cloying. Maybe it’s like that old friend where you remember after a couple hours of talking why you haven’t picked up the phone to call her in a really long time??:-@
PS: I just posted re Apres L’Ondee and referenced you guys here. Hope that’s A-OK!^:)^
Oooooh, excellent deployment of the chatterbox emoticon! That one gets underused. And I sooooooooooo know what you mean about the annoying perfume… and thanks for the blog mention.
perfume you’ve had enough of=can’t wait to get off the phone
and not like you need *my* PR LOL, just hopin’ you were cool w/ my rather off-the-cuff reference.
(I too love those spot on emoticons);)