Candles, Perry & beauty blogs

I promised to report in on the Seda France Belgian Marigold candle.  Their description “The bright, sunny yellow hue of the Calendula flower was the inspiration for this crisp creation. Piquant citrus notes of bitter orange and tangerine are combined with rich West Indian bay leaf, followed by lavish layers of robust applewood and cinnamon bark, ripe peach, and the spicy bite of nutmeg, clove, curry spice and a subtle dash of vanilla musk.”

If you’re looking for a lot of pungent marigold smell, you’ll need to keep going.  This just isn’t that. I get a hit of it from time to time, but it’s much more a spicy fruity orange candle.  That makes it no less great, but definitely not marigold dominant. Disappointing to be sure. The throw isn’t the best throw of the Seda candles, but it is decent.

Also smelled that new Perry Ellis Women’s perfume.  I’m not finding any notes listed for it, but it starts off all citrusy and crisp with a pretty floral heart peaking through.  It’s a really nice, simple, cute bottle.  The scents leans a little too far over into that “fresh feeling” scent early on, but once that vamooses, it’s very nice and subtle.  $65 for 3.5 oz makes it one of the more reasonable entries in perfumeville, and I’m guessing there will be a much more decent price point for it once it hits discounters.  It’s certainly easy to wear, not loud in the least and would be a great scent for the office or anywhere you want something pretty, quiet and feminine.

I have to also share one of my favorite beauty blogs, KarlaSugar. She does almost nothing but swatching.  This girl has got to have amazing arms that takes the kind of swatching and scrubbing she puts hers through.  I aways go check there for a new listick or eyeshadow collection because she will have the whole darn thing swatched on her arm.

So share one of your favorite blogs with us!  It can be beauty or maybe some other special interest you have.  I”m always looking for unusual and fun blogs to add to my rounds.

  • Shelley says:

    Glad to see Aparatchick giving Lucy Fishwife the love up there. I visit her plenty.

    No beauty recs, so fair warning to move on. However, I visit:

    For watching the folks who are responsible for the news: Romenesko, found at Poynter online: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45

    Gardening: A Way to Garden http://awaytogarden.com/

    For those who love everything about books…here’s one on book design: Book by It’s Cover http://www.book-by-its-cover.com/

    A running blog about blogs: Boing Boing http://www.boingboing.net/

    Cooking, with pictures (nearly as good as perfume porn): Smitten Kitchen http://smittenkitchen.com/

    And, where I recently learned about Garden and Gun magazine, but found because of an article on Norman Norell: An Aesthete’s Lament http://aestheteslament.blogspot.com/

    There ya go.

    • Shelley says:

      Sadly, I am replying to a comment requiring moderation…still. Obviously, I’ve included too much questionable, untoward, and generally distasteful detail. 😉

      • March says:

        Okay, I fished you out. I think Askimet’s convinced y’all are trying to porn on us. Really, if you could see the stuff in our spam filter…. ugh. Doesn’t anyone want regular old normal plain vanilla kinky sex any more? There are tastes I wish I didn’t know existed.

        • Joe says:

          HA! Seriously…. it makes me blush to think about people’s mothers and grandmothers having to clear out their spam folders. Not that some of those ladies haven’t heard it all, but still. Have spammers no shame? (yes, I know the answer)

  • veuve amiot says:

    Fun twist on the Sartorialist: http://thecatorialist.blogspot.com/
    Ok, not something you’ll check daily, but it’s cute in its good-natured parody of fashion blogs taking themselves too seriously. I like it, anyway.

    • carter says:

      Very funny! I that had I not learned so much about simply how to see by viewing fashion, and life, really, through Scott’s eyes I’d have written it off as far too highfalutin years ago. I’ve been following since he took up a camera and hit the streets after 9/11, and it’s amazing how far he’s evolved as a (self-taught) photographer and influence on how we dress ourselves simply by knowing what to shoot.

  • Aparatchick says:

    Another Fug Girls fan here. Their blog, Go Fug Yourself, is in the middle of their version of March Madness called Fug Madness. Tilda Swinton for the win!

    Two other faves:
    Life Happens Between Books: http://lucyfishwife.blogspot.com/
    The very funny musings/adventures of a London bookseller.

    At the other end of the spectrum is Tales from Kulafumbi: http://www.wildernessdiary.com/ Spectacular photos from a filmmaker living near Kenya’s Tsavo National Park. You’ve got to take a look at her house – described as The Flintstones meets Out of Africa.

    • veuve amiot says:

      Make that SWINTON for the win. Yah, another follower, here. 8-}

      • Aparatchick says:

        Can you believe that Bai Ling’s not winning her bracket!

        • March says:

          I can’t BELIEVE they made us choose between Bai and Solange!!!!! Toughest call so far. But I agree with another commenter that Bai didn’t bring it this year the way she has in the past. OTOH I am pretty sure Solange’s crazy mother designs a lot of her stuff, so maybe it’s not her fault.

  • Carol Sasich says:

    http://www.helloblackbird.blogspot.com/

    off the wall , a place to get the uber:niche Cowboy Grass and Cowgirl Grass by D.S. & Durga…(fragrances , that is…)

  • Olfacta says:

    Guess my coding didn’t work. The URL is http://hollywood-elsewhere.com

  • Olfacta says:

    Second on “The Sartorialist” and I kinda like Hollywood Elsewhere, a very “inside” column on film, the film business, indie movies, etc, with great links. I don’t read it every day, but it’s amusing.

  • Marsha Smith says:

    The Polish Addict also has a great nail polish blog. Let’s don’t forget het. She may be a little bit slow right now cause she’s taking the Bar exam, but she is extremely knowledgeable about nail polish.

    Marsha

  • Fiordiligi says:

    Oh! Nothing much to say – I’m not a fan of marigolds – but I am so delighted that I can actually post a comment on the new and improved blog! I’m not having the “nesting” problem which reduced the space and made it impossible to respond.

  • Joe says:

    Huh? My comment is awaiting moderation? What’s that about?

    • March says:

      It’s detected some latent perversion?

      Kidding. When commenters post a bunch of links (like they are doing today) it freaks the spam filter out, since that’s 99% of the spam — links to porno sites. I just fished several folks out of the filter.

      I know there’s a way to do this that doesn’t agitate the filter. Tinyurl? Somebody techie pop on her and explain it? It’s a way of posting links that doesn’t trigger the filter.

      • Joe says:

        I’m pretty sure all my perversions are no longer latent. 😀 At my age, what’s the point of not letting it all hang out?

  • Sweet Sue says:

    I had a feeling that the new Perry Ellis would be a good everyday choice. Glad you liked it.

  • Joe says:

    That KarlaSugar is outrageous with the swatches; has anyone asked her secret to not scrubbing her arms raw? Dang.

    Of course all the usual perfume blog suspects, but in addition:
    http://icanhascheezburger.com/ is good for some pretty hilarious kitty pics and captions (and I’m a dog person)
    – of course you already know about http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
    – I used to like http://www.dlisted.com/ for some ROFL naughty-assed celebrity gossip that’s way worse than Perez Hilton. I’m more mature now, however, and rarely go there. =))

    • carter says:

      I never knew ‘nothin ’bout no Karlasugar, but now that I do I can’t stop looking at those amazing swatches. So many swatches, so little time!

  • bella says:

    love the Fug Girls– Go Fug Yourself. They are HILARIOUS!!!
    Blogdorf Goodman
    Now Smell This–of course
    Perfume Smelling Things
    All About the Pretty
    Beautiful Makeup Search and Beauty Blog
    Beauty Addict
    Beauty Blogging Junkie

  • Trish/Pikake says:

    I would love to find a true marigold candle, perfume, bath soap…whatever. I love marigolds! Let’s keep each other posted on that, eh?

    I like popping into http://figandsage.com/

    ~T

  • Marigolds don’t always thrill me, but this candle sounds like a yummy must-have. Here are some very cool, non-perfume blogs I follow that you might enjoy:
    Bo Mackison’s amazing nature photography:
    http://gardengrow.wordpress.com/

    Jessica Hagy explains life at:
    http://thisisindexed.com/

    Mary Gillen is CelticWriter, and she’s certainly kissed the Blarney Stone–you won’t be able to stop reading:
    http://celticwriter.typepad.com/celtic_writer/2006/01/39_yards_of_emp.html

    And, finally, for any journal-keepers who think they can’t draw, but want to keep an art journal:

    Enjoy!

  • Francesca says:

    This is a great movie blog–clever, perceptive writing and terrific pix–that I learned about from Rick:
    http://selfstyledsiren.blogspot.com/

  • Flora says:

    Well, I can explain the candle thing – Calendulas are not Marigolds! Their nickname is “Marsh marigold” since they grow in damp areas, but they are no relation to true marigolds (Tagetes) at all. Furthermore, the flower’s scent is quite faint, rather mild in fact, and there is a a slight lemony quality if the leaves are crushed. It’s the color that confuses people; in both the most common color is a deep golden yellow bordering on orange.

    I love the beauty blogs too – where were they when I was young enough to wear all that shiny, sparkly stuff? Oh, wait – there were no Intertubes back then. 😀

  • Elle says:

    That’s too bad about the lack of a marigold punch. 🙁 Still, must got see if I can find it in local stores that carry a good selection of Seda candles.
    The only blogs I check out daily other than those that are perfume related are design blogs. My absolute *must* reads are Design Sponge, Oh Joy and Desire to Inspire. Also usually get to My Marrakesh – just interesting and lovely pictures. http://www.designspongeonline.com/
    http://ohjoy.blogs.com/
    http://www.desiretoinspire.blogspot.com/
    http://moroccanmaryam.typepad.com/

  • violetnoir says:

    Ooh. I get my daily fix of nail porn by tuning into alllaqueredup.com and scrangie.com. Talk about swatching-These two gals are the queens of nail polish swatching.

    Hugs!

  • carter says:

    Other blogs? Qu’est-ce que c’est zees “ozaire blogs”?

    Well, if you were to twist my arm (and limit me to one) I’d have to say Scott Schuman’s The Sartorialist

    http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/