Untitled: March’s Turn

Unfinished business:  first off, regarding yesterday’s post on tattoos: y’all are freaks.  And I love you.  I knew I could count on you!  I knew everyone would be lifting up their shirts and dropping their drawers and offering helpful advice … I live in the D.C. area as some of you know, and I’m not traveling to get a tattoo (not that I’m getting one!!) so right now I’ve been browsing local websites, looking at portfolios, and reading reviews on Yelp.  Any local recommendations appreciated.

Second, I keep forgetting this – my own dear darlings, chat amongst yourselves in comments and arrange hookups to your hearts’ content, that’s why we’re here, but please don’t type your regular email address in comments. Spambots troll for that stuff, and then next thing you know you’re getting adverts to Empower your trouser serpent, to quote an actual email in my spam filter.  If you must, at least type it like this: jane doe at verizon dot net

Threed: Robin at NST smelled my CB I Hate Perfumes Wildflower Honey and thinks it smells just dandy.  So.  It’s me.  (sad emoticon here).  She suggested that maybe whatever musk is in there that I can’t smell is further blocking out the other dimensions of the scent … like the actual honey.  Sounds plausible to me.

So – today’s perfume review!   Martin Margiela Untitled!   Which Patty already reviewed and about which I didn’t care; if they can´t be bothered to name it, why should I bother to smell it, especially since I’m pretty sure right this second you can only get it at Colette in Paris?  Is that right?  (Oh, I don’t know, March – you’re the blogger.)

Notes are: boxwood, galbanum, bitter orange, incense, jasmine, cedar and musk. “The fragrance reinterprets aromas of greenery after rain.” (via Fragrantica); the perfumer is Daniela Andrier.

I don’t know if you’ve read many reviews yet but Untitled is not what you’d expect from those notes – or at least what I’d expect.  It’s not sharp/green, and it’s not pissy.  It’s certainly not floral, and if I were going to stereotype I’d say the “masculine” end of the unisex spectrum.  Patty mentioned Bois Farine in her review (which BTW smells doughy and awful on my skin) but I see what she’s saying in terms of comparison.  It’s woody/nutty but not yeasty.

It is so hard to describe perfumes sometimes, but as I smelled Untitled with Louise, I knew instantly what Untitled reminded me of!  Let me quote myself:  Untitled smells pretty much like the part of the smell of marijuana that I really like.  Not the acrid smoke – this smells like a bud, that green/grass/resin smell, neither super-high-grade stuff nor skunky ditchweed.   It is … decidedly hempy.  If it “reinterprets aromas of greenery,” we’re not talking about your lawn here.  Fresh Cannabis Santal to me is sweet/earthy, and Nasomatto Hindu Grass smells mostly like patchouli … although, hey, it’s not like either of these is advertised as smelling like weed.   (Nasomatto’s now done hash, heroin and pot – where’s my Nasomatto Crystal Meth?  Eh?  Or maybe that’s too …. synthetic for their aesthetic.)

Untitled is not virtual-reality pot – I bet CB could do an excellent rendition if he wanted to – there’s a musky component at the base and a hint of dry citrus that makes Untitled smell more like a cologne.  Dope cologne.  It smells great, it really does, and unlike actual dope smoke it wears lightly (delicate sillage) and doesn’t last more than five or six hours, which (for me) is pretty brief.  I think this would be very refreshing to wear in warmer weather.  It would never have crossed my mind as the sort of thing I’d want to wear, but … I do.   And since I’m queen: anybody doing a split I can weasel in on?  I really want a decant.

Source: private sample.

  • nozknoz says:

    March, I was thinking about your tattoo quest, and the images from vintage perfume ads and boxes, rather than bottles, came to mind – Femme lace, the woman in the Lucien Lelong Orgueil ad, the woman in the boots on the Schiaparelli cologne caps, the beautifully entwined letters of Chypre on the vintage Coty Chypre boxes…. there are many possibilities. Enjoy the quest!

  • DinaC says:

    I wouldn’t mind sniffing the MM Untitled since it has galbanum in it. I’m interested in the boxwood, too. Some people hate the smell of it, but I kind of like it. I realize it doesn’t smell “pretty,” but I still enjoy smelling it.

    Off topic, March, did you watch the Oscars or see any photos of Sandra Bullock? She seemed to be wearing a shade of lipstick that reminded me of our beloved NARS Funny Face/Hotwired combo. That magenta looked great on her with her metallic gown…a nice pop of color. I’m going to try and DVR “Fashion Police” tonight, so maybe I’ll get a better look.

    I’m wearing just the Hotwired a lot lately and really like it. I carry a retractable lip brush (from Sephora) in my purse with my pot-o-gloss so I don’t have to get sticky, pink fingers when I apply it.

    Have a good week!
    🙂

    • March says:

      Random Strange Fact: Sandra Bullock was the year behind me in my high school. And I don’t remember her at all. Also, Brad Pitt and I were in college together, although I didn’t know him. He was just another d-bag frat boy. FYI.

      Um, and NO. I didn’t see her. Although now I will google her.

      I need to get one of those brushes in my purse! I don’t like sticking my finger in the Hotwired, I’d rather use a brush.

  • Leslie says:

    Huh. Evidently, Demeter does a Cannabis Flower (http://www.demeterfragrance.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=1005).

  • sara says:

    March–I highly recommend Great Southern Tattoo in College Park. Family-owned and operated for 30+ years. Very professional. I’ve sent half-dozen friends to Sandy and they’ve all been very happy with her work!

    • March says:

      Thanks! I just said this above, but I can’t believe how many folks on here recommended particular artists! I’m astonished. ^:)^

  • Christine says:

    This has almost nothing to do with this post…but going back to your tattoo posts, if it’s anything at all, I noticed you said that your father had done some wood block work for himself. Maybe one of those images would be suitable for a tattoo? That’s what I would do if my father’s artistic abilities extended beyond boats and cars 🙂

    But mostly? keep us updated.

    • March says:

      Heh. Well, I’ve ruled out Spongebob. And Homer Simpson.

      My dad’s stuff is gorgeous but it’s that very loose ink brushstroke – think bamboo. I’ve actually seen a tattoo like that but I have something a bit more precision in mind. I can’t believe how many people on here recommended particular artists!

  • Joe says:

    March… Um… Hrmmmmm… 😕 … I need to try this one again, because the first time I tested it on my arm, I had been opening a packages of decants and I went into a frenzy thinking SOMEONE was a chain smoker and some kind of stale, nasty, ciggy scent had permeated a package. Then I thought it was the ***UNTITLED*** that smelled like that. Then I reapplied. Then I wasn’t sure. But I was sure I wasn’t loving it. And I sure as heck wasn’t getting any nutty goodness. b-(

    So I need to do a full-spritz job and see what I really think. I think it’s sort of green-herbaceous-woody, but also sort of short-lived, so I don’t think I’m going to be craving more than the 5ml decant I bought from a split pal. I’ll have to do some thinking about the “dope cologne” angle when I test it next.

    • March says:

      God I hate that. It’s actually the bane of my eBay existence, something that has (clearly) come from the house of an indoor smoker, whatever they say online. I’ve thrown things out.

      You know … depending, I could totally see getting ciggy from Untitled. Think about it: the smell of pot and the smell of cigarettes have some similarities. So if you didn’t get the rich nuttines and instead got the stale bitterness, that would make sense.

      • Joe says:

        Well, you assume I had that same 7th-grade health class scratch-n-sniff so that I know what you’re talking about. :d

        Yeah… stale bitterness. I’ll need to check it out again. Now that I know I’m not flipping out with ciggy-bubble-wrap, I might be a little more calm.

        • March says:

          My friend, we all took that 7th-grade health class. Because otherwise how would we learn to Just Say No?

          Give it another hit. Uh, try.

  • Patty says:

    I think it’s exclusive to Colette until llike March or April, and then I assume Lucky will get it. I adore it, it’s competely nutty on me in the best way. You know what it goes well with? Tan Guidicelli Annam. 🙂 Seriously, I smell like a dessert that doesn’t exist, but that you want someone to figure out how to make.

    Tattoos, I didn’t comment yesterday, but I’ve been meandering down that same block as you. I hate tattoos for me, never occurred to me taht I’d want one, but there’s something so expressive about it. That if you can find that one image that would complete you, that’s the one I’d tattoo on. I saw one of Mary once that I would do, but it’s kinda big, and I think I don’t have enough Valium to get through it. Maybe order more?

    • March says:

      Ohhhhhhhhhh! I can try that!!!! And “nutty” isn’t something I get all the time in fragrance, it’s definitely fun.

      Hon, get some Xanax! You could probably have the whole Virgin of Guadalupe done on your back, shoulder to butt. I remember taking Xanax before my MRI. They could have said, “we’ll be removing your left leg now!” and I’d have said, “sweet!”

      Or I could come out there, we could get drunk with Harry as our driver (?) and go have something lame and pathetic done that we’d regret.

      • Louise says:

        Kin I watch 8-}

      • Patty says:

        They gave me a xanax/valium/percocet (not sure all three were in there) cocktail before a minor surgery I had. They could have done a sex change operation on me and I wouldn’t have cared. Well, not then, but after I woke up face down in the Sushi and figured out I Had new equipment, I would have (I did wake up face down in the Sushi that I ordered after Harry brought me home.)

        Harry would do this for us, I can guarantee it, as long as we let him take pictures to post on the internets later. Can we get eyeliner tattooed on at the same time? I need tequila for that.

        • March says:

          Eggsactly! You look down and you’re sporting whole new equipment!!! Hey, did I ever tell you my goofy twins story? So: one boy, one girl. And I was of course totally exhausted. So every now and again I’d pick one up when they were wee babies, and I’d be taking the diaper off and I’d be sure that I had (for instance) Hecate and then WHAMMO — there’s a little man-junk staring at me. And I would FREAK OUT. Like, for 3 seconds I’d think, Hecate grew a penis!?!?! 😮 Which I think really shows how stupid you can be if you’re sleep deprived.

          Do you *really* want to do drunken eyeliner? What if you accidentally wind up looking like Pete Wentz? Or with a permanent moustache or something?

          • Patty says:

            boy/girl twins would have had my head spinning for months. It’s the girl parts in the tiny baby version that I’m not used to. Man-junk in miniature is normal’ish.

            You get the gray eyeliner, so it’s not really dark, but it lets you go without stuff on your eyes. A friend of mine did it who is blonder than I am, and it looks great on her.

            Well, that’s what Louise is going for, to stay sober and make sure they don’t give us clown faces as a prank

  • I emailed you some info on Baltimore tattoo people.

    The thing that has always stopped me from getting a tattoo (well, aside from the fact that I’m currently losing a lot of weight I gained from medications so I don’t want to do it until I’m a stable weight) is the placement. I want to be able to cover it up, but then what is the point of a tattoo you never see? I just can’t find a good compromise. One day, I hope!

    • March says:

      YEs, persackly! I want it to be a place I can see, say, at a glance in the mirror — so, not down my back. But I don’t know … upper arm? I’m not rushing into it, for sure.

      Also someone yesterday said you can’t get a CAT scan (they’re metallic?) I had no idea.

      • I know! It’s a toughie. They are costly though so by the time I decide on something, I’ll probably be out of school and have money to pay for it.

        You know what we SHOULD do though, while on the topic – I want to see some inspirational perfume art! Know where to find some?

        Also, here is a collage of the bottles I was considering – all in black & white, of course:

        http://i47.tinypic.com/1792tw.jpg

      • Kelly says:

        It’s my understanding that during an MRI they can get “warm”. I believe that the technicians can put an ice pack on it and it’s not a problem. Although I have two tattoos, I’ve never looked into it because I also have screws in my elbow that rule out MRI for me anyway /:)

        • March says:

          What distinctive bottle shapes! That could be a blast … and in B&W it would look gorgeous.

          Other art — I have no idea. Unless we all hook up again and grope each other’s bottles 🙂

        • March says:

          Oh for pete’s sake — wrong comment placement.

          Thanks for the MRI info — I had no idea. Why don’t our fillings fly out of our heads? Are they not metal? Maybe mercury isn’t magnetic?

        • (Ms.) Christian says:

          I run an imaging center. Tattoos are MR safe.

      • I think it’s only older ink that has metals in it anymore (or so I was told)

  • Shelley says:

    Wait, your headline could alternatively be: “MM Untitled: That’s Dope!”

    Are you allowed to title an entry about Untitled?

    Am I entitled to ramble on?
    😮 :-w 😉

    Went and spritzed my own little split. I’ll be hornswoggled. You’re onto something there. I smell it, that thing which you talk about. I mean, should anybody be listening, that I smell the something which must be that which you *say* is reminiscent of the thing which is dope. But it is in and out pretty quickly. Actually gets kind of sweet on me, but not in a thick way…maybe good for a warm spring day, with the summer sun warmth lurking around the corner? Will be fun to see.

    • March says:

      Well, yes, you smelled dope from a scratch-and-sniff in the same DARE class I took in high school, yes? So we’d know what to avoid? [-(

      How the hell did everyone get ahold of this thing before I did? (sulks)

    • March says:

      You are entitled to ramble away. Dope does that to you. I hear. DUDE, WHERE IS MR. WHISTLING EMOTICON WHEN WE REALLY NEED HIM?

      • Shelley says:

        I KNOW!! I’ve need Mr. Whistler a few times…

        I’ll ramble on again after I’ve rustled around in the cupboard…there’s *got* to be an extra large bag of chips around here somewhere…maybe a bunch of cookies…

        • March says:

          It probably says something unfortunate about my writing style that Mr. Whistler is so often missed.

          Yeah, I’m baking a pizza. 😉

    • Musette says:

      I just took a little dab off the samp that Patty sent me for having a room built 😀 and you’re right! You know what it smells like to me? Like Cristalle went and got herself a contact high!;))

      I don’t get the schweet that you do, though. Some hay on the drydown. This is pretty. I don’t know if I would FB it but it might be good decant?

      xo >-)

      • March says:

        So you liked it? OH!!! I need to email you!!!!!!! I got my package!!!!!!!! (NOT THE ONE WITH THE POT BALE IN IT.)

        So you liked it? You liked it? Yum! Decant maybe? I love Cristalle got herself a contact high!

        • Musette says:

          mebbe….let me check it out a little bit more. When I said ‘dab’ I meant it. Must explore a bit more…

          xo >-)

          pot bale should be there tomorrow;) sent it by flying:(|)

  • Ruanne says:

    I HEARTILY recommend Ax at Rick’s Tattoos on Lee Highway in Arlington. It’s one of those places that I would never have gone into just judging by the outside, location, etc. (it just looks like trouble,) but my daughter & I looked at a lot of people’s work before getting my second and her third & fourth tattoo.

    Ax is the best- she’s creative, experienced, careful, and despite her appearance, has a very “mom-like” vibe- if your mom had startling piercings & full sleeve tats.

    It’s walk-in (I think a lot of tattoo appts. get broken) and they’ll try to put you with whichever artist is up next, but call ahead to see if Ax is working, and then insist on her.

    And I would definitely wear dope cologne to get a tattoo.

    • Melissa says:

      I don’t have a tatoo, but I’ve heard of Rick’s and they have a good reputation. I wonder how I knew that? 😕

    • March says:

      Hey, that’s just up the street from my DAD!!!!! He could come with me, wouldn’t that be great!!!!??? Because he would be SO JAZZED about it. 😉 Almost as thrilled, no doubt, as he was about the nose-piercing back in The Day.

      And thanks for the recommendation.

  • k says:

    I’d recommend either Jinx Proof, or Timebomb. And lower-back tattoos are only tramp stamps if they’re a) right in the middle, and b) right off the lame designs in the flash books. Double points off for butterflies or fake tribal anything! 😉

    cheers. good luck!

    • March says:

      Mmmmmmmmm, I’m thinking of either a big ol’ fake Maori thing or some kanji that actually means something else (doesn’t Britney’s mean “odd” instead of “unique?” And a butterfly AND a unicorn.

    • Musette says:

      =))

      For a hot minute I thought you were referring to new perfumes! A perfume called Timebomb? Jinx Proof? Sign me up, baby. I don’t care if they smell like :(|):-&

      xo >-)

  • Melissa says:

    Hmmm. I have a small decant that I’ve been saving for warm weather. Maybe I should wear it to work? 😮

  • Louise says:

    Jeez March-first tats, then %%- :d/

    I am loving my decant of MMM, and may need to seek a fb. I didn’t notice the hempy part on first wearings, but now that you mention it, it does bring back a youth of Gro-Lites, under-drying foliage, dorm rooms. Not that I would know =:)

    This week, with its unseasonable warmth, calls forth the greens. I just got my Papyrus de Ciane, and it’s a lovely one, with an herbal bitterness in the musk bed that is very pleasant. Today I’ll wear Le Temps d’une Fete (thank you PdN!), and am lining up my vintage Ivoire, Vent Vert, and YSL Y for the rest of the week.

    Unless, of course, I go with Musc Ravageur and Ambra Grisea 8-|

    • Shelley says:

      Hey, Louise…I just got my hit of Papyrus de Ciane, too…the “herbal bitterness” totally reminded me of a leather in the middle. Bandit-y leather. Granted, it was on the back of my hand, and not an inner wrist, which sometimes makes a difference. You?

      Sheesh, today’s post is going to lead me to being dope on one side and leather on the other. I might need a tattoo after all…

    • March says:

      Hah! Well, yes, when I was talking about that bud smell of course I was thinking of the one time I smelled it, in high school, in my DARE class.

      I need to smell the Papyrus. It doesn’t sound like “me” though.

    • Musette says:

      ooooh! the =:)

      you had me at Greens.

      You lost me @ Musc R!:-&

      xo >-)

  • (Ms.) Christian says:

    I posted this about “Untitled” in the Candy FAIL column and I have to repeat myself. Not to argue with you, just to comment on the difference in perception and skin chemistry.

    And that new Margiela nameless thing by a design house Patty wrote about that (to her) smells like nuts/kinda Bois Farine-y? To me/on me it smells like forgotten carrier oil gone rancid as it sits in the very hot trunk of the car of a massage therapist who is now in Barbados while the car is in long term parking at the airport.

    G’night.

    • Musette says:

      uh, so you prolly don’t like it?:-? =))

      xo >-)

    • I love these sorts of stories imaginative people concoct about the details surrounding particular smells. Wish I could do that!

    • March says:

      So … I’m thinking you don’t like it? 😉 Although your description doesn’t sound that far off.

      • (Ms.) Christian says:

        Um, I didn’t especially dislike it. It’s not something I’d particularly want to smell like. It was foodie enough (and I hate foodie) to turn me off, not interesting enough for me to wear at private, perverse moments (Secretions Magnifique fills that bill) when I don’t care how crazy I smell. I think it annoyed me more than anything.

        Is that a non-answer or what?!