And We’re Back!

Okay, class.   It’s been in the high 90s this week, although lovely today.  Welcome to summer!  So nice to be back online!  There are still a few glitches, please bear with us.

1) My kids are home for the summer.  Also I’m working on a real estate deal (I have this annoying thing called a ‘job.’)  Both of these are interfering with my blogging.  Comment response may be slow.  Do not adjust your screen.

2) Has anyone else noticed how boooooring our spam has gotten?  It’s all innocuous stuff like (direct quote): “I bookmarked this site a while ago because of the interesting content and I have never been unsatisfied. Continue the outstanding work.”  Click on the link and it gets you a whey-protein drink site.  It almost makes me nostalgic for the spam we used to get – the spam that made me put on my special eyeball-bleaching goggles and hip-waders before I wandered into the filter to retrieve someone’s legit comment.   That spam contained absolutely nothing fit to describe here and made me wonder whether anyone on the planet was still interested in an old-fashioned, garden-variety horizontal bop, if you catch my drift.  Anyhow, that’s gone, and I wonder why?

3) So: perfume.  In my July issue of Allure there’s an interview with Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez called “The Sexiest Fragrances (Ever)” in which they name five: Chinatown, Insolence EDP, Bulgari Black, 31 Rue Cambon, and …. Secretions Magnifiques.

Okay … sort of.  I get it.  Black’s kinky, 31RC has that ice-princess thing going on (but do guys find that hot in a perfume?  I wear 31RC for me, frankly).  But … Insolence EDP?  I really like Insolence, but I bet a lot of guys wouldn’t; too cloying and powdery.  Also, what’s sexy about Chinatown, exactly?  Chinatown does not whisper, come and get it.  Wouldn’t your average Joe (as opposed to our Posse commenter Joe, who’s anything but average) think you smelled, you know … kinda like a dude?  Also, can’t you just see the looks on the faces of the Allure readers when their unsniffed purchases of SM show up in the mail from Bergdorf and they pop them open and spritz?  I wish I was there to watch, although not standing so close as to get hit with any of the atomizer mist.

Here, I’ll take the first 5 things that pop into my head, truth:  Narciso Rodriguez; your favorite white musk (pick one, like Coty Wild Musk); Dior Addict (smells like candy porn; for bad girls only); Organza Indecence (or substitute your favorite vanilla, like L’Artisan Vanilia or Guerlain SDV, because I only want one vanilla category); and Angel.  If that last one makes you scream, pick your favorite kink-animalic.  (Mine: Jicky parfum.)  Animalics reel in the most interesting men, even if you end up throwing them back.  What do you think is sexy?  What do you think of LT/TS’s list?

4) Perfume In Public:  I went to have Hecate allergy-tested, the one where they prick your skin with various allergens.  When I made the appointment I was told specifically: no perfume, scented body care products, etc. in our office. Okay, fine, they’re an allergy office.  Also FYI in general I try to be scent-free on days I’m visiting any sort of medical building.  So early that morning I took a shower, and I was careful to wear just-washed clothes.  My first glitch was: I realized my shirt smelled faintly of Liquid Tide, because I got tired recently of my craptastic uber-green unscented detergent that leaves all my clothes smelling sour.  Also, Liquid Tide is great for removing hideous perfume scrubbers.   They didn’t tell me I had to have unscented laundry detergent, which got me thinking: where could a doctor’s office reasonably expect to draw the line?

In the elevator up to the allergy practice I was standing between two men, one in a suit and the other a construction dude.   Hard-Hat Man was … smelling all freshly sweaty.  And I was thinking about sweat, and how much I like that smell.   Fresh sweat is sexy.  The body odor emanating from someone whose last bath is a distant memory is not pleasant, but a freshly sweaty guy?  Delicious.  One interesting exception is guys at the gym, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because they don’t wash their clothes after spin class every time?  Do their gym bags make their clothes smell rank?  The lockers?  I don’t know.  I’m married to a man who perspires so copiously that squash matches have been stopped so he can mop up the floor with a towel before somebody slips and breaks a leg.  To the best of my knowledge he has never worn deodorant in his life.  The man simply doesn’t stink.  If it weren’t so great, it would be annoying.

Anyway, the other guy, Mister Suit, was wearing a heavy-handed woody-fresh gigolo scent that made me cringe.  Call me old-fashioned, but I would so much rather smell a discreet man-smell, or some sweat, on a guy.  Or, something ridiculously femme, like a whiff of tuberose.

The allergists’ office is a big group practice, and the man I sat down next to was clearly a smoker.  I could smell it.  Or, he’d been in an enclosed space (maybe a car?) with someone who smokes.  And that smell to me is every bit as noxious as any body spray.  But what are the office workers going to do?  Again, where can you draw that line?  Excuse me, sir, you smell like the Marlboro Man. We’ll have to reschedule your appointment.

So Hecate had her skin test, they draw on your arm with marker and then jab it with a bunch of different things.  I’ve never done this before.  We sat there for maybe five minutes watching her arm puff up, and the PA came back in, looked at her arm, and said wow.  And went to get the doctor.  It was upsetting, sitting there watching Hecate’s spindly little arm blow up and realizing, no wonder she’s climbing out of her skin all the time.  No wonder she’s so sensitive and twitchy and scratchy and sniffly and the rest of it.  That kid probably feels like hell 10 months out of the year, and she says nothing.  The last time we went to the ENT again, and he told me she has a sinus infection and both her ears are full of fluid, he kept looking at me like, What. Is. Wrong. With. You?   But I swear, that kid never says a word.  Because to her, that’s normal.

When I got home and got Hecate anti-histamined and settled and fed and playing with the visiting cousins (yay!), I opened my box from Tigerflag.  Did anyone else get their box?  I think I ordered samples of all the attars and a larger bottle of the majmua.  When I opened the box, that smell …. that smell of everything together rose up and embraced me.  Just the smell of everything in the package, all of it tightly sealed.  Because you can’t really seal in smells like those, can you?  I put on a teeny tiny dab of the majmua, undiluted.  It comes in this bottle that gives you a single drop.  And a drop of the mitti attar, the one that is essence of dirt.  And then I curled up on the bedspread with my nose to my wrist and listened to the dog-day cicadas, which have come out in the last few days, and breathed.

image: Edna Mode.  She just felt right.

  • Carol Anne says:

    Please consider the possiblity that Hecate is fragrance sensitive.

  • I agree with this article its shows for all the viewers to know what types of deodorant,perfumes they want to use to avoid allergies,bad odor.I want to thank the blogger very much not only for this post but also for his all previous efforts and i do appreciated well of your posts.Keep up the good work!!

  • Sherri M. says:

    Sexy near slutty, vibe: 1. Organza Indecence; 2. Angel and 3. Versace Blonde.

    Jubilation 25 and Fracas are somewhere between blatant “sexy” and elegance. 31 RC is definitely on the elegance side. Insolence? Berry L’Heure Bleue? Maybe quirky, but “sexy”?

    What I personally consider sexy: Cuir Beluga, Jubilation 25

  • nozknoz says:

    I usually agree with LT and TS (or perhaps I’m just suggestible) but the scents on that list are not my favs from among their favs. I also don’t agree with their idea of scents not being about sex. Everything is about sex!

    It’s hard to narrow down, but the following are springing to mind at the moment (leaving vintage aside):

    By Kilian Pure Oud and Rose Oud
    The Party in Manhattan
    Balenciaga Paris
    SL La Myrrhe

    And one word on nasal allergies: Flonase

  • Kitty says:

    I’m so sorry that Hecate has so many allergies. I hope you all find the right solution for her. As for sexy, for me it is Lyric and Ubar and for my DH it’s Dzing, Habinita and Timbuktu (thanks to Louise’s fabulous son for the latter recommendation). My DH is all about the leather (hmmm….).

  • aotearoa says:

    7 …7 is such a lovely age.
    I forgot Manoumalia which I think is deliciously languid and sexy

  • CynthiaW says:

    The allergists office – ugh. I swear that I stopped getting my injections mostly because I could never remember to walk out of my house unscented on the days that I was supposed to get them. I understand their point – but, like you said, there were plenty of other stinky people in there.

    Is Hecate done with that allergen part? I had to do two – one small one on the arm and then I had to come back and do the full-blown test on my back. I thought that I was going to crawl out of my skin that day and I’m an adult – I feel so bad for kids who have to get the test.

    Hmm… I don’t think that any of the LT/TS choices are that sexy – maybe they’re just screwing with the press now? It would be hilarious if Allure’s readers order a bunch of bottles of SM unsniffed – I can just imagine the howls of horror now.

    For sexy scents, I’d have to say Citizen Queen, Shalimar parfum, Epic Woman, Jubilation 25, and Alien Liqueur. Actually, only CQ and Amouages have been confirmed as sexy by the CEO, the others just make me feel sexy.

  • Gina says:

    1. Montale Black Aoud
    2. Bulgari Black
    3. SL A La Nuit
    4. SR Woman-Not for men
    5. Angel

  • monkeytoe says:

    Poor Hecate. I hope they work out the right combo.

    My sexy list pour homme:

    Or Black
    Pre-reformulation Bel Ami
    MPG Racine
    Gucci pour Homme
    Dzing!

  • Wendi says:

    As one of the resident perfume babies, even I can recognize that list as baloney. Either they are catering to the typical Allure reader or refusing to actually classify any perfume as sexy out of principle by just spitting out some picks that they classify in the “must try” category.

    My sexy list would be something like: SL Datura Noir, Black Cashmere, Dans tes Bras, Musc Ravageur, and Ambre Sultan (my husband’s favorite: the man can’t get enough of that amber-y stuff.) I think these strike the balance between interesting and scary well enough to be sexy, but that’s just me. I’m crazy about the sweatyman thing too. Not fermented sweatyman, freshly sweatyman.

    Your poor little one! Hopefully now that you know what’s wrong she’ll start to feel better soon. Allergies can be the pits.

  • mariekel says:

    Welcome back, my lovelies!

    I KNOW!. That list was whack. SM nearly made me lose it in the middle of Bendels the first — and only — time i got a whiff. The salesman looked ashamed to be seen near it. And, i am sorry, but Chanel perfumes are all too refined and snooty to be truly sexy in my book, much as i love their frosty little hearts.

    Number one sexy fragrance for me has got to be Delrae Amoureuse, which not only has a mix of indolic jasmine and tuberose but a delicious wallop of honey. On paper, it reads exactly like the sort of perfume that would make me rush heaving to the bathroom. But on the skin, especially in the heat, soooooo wonderfully naughty!

    I second White Aoud also. That one seems to attract men and women in equal numbers.

    • carter says:

      Amoureuse, most definitely!

      And you’re right — it’s the ones that *heat up* on the skin that really do the trick. Which is probably why roses work so well when it comes to men, at least on my skin. I’m absolutely certain that’s why that dang Tea Rose had them panting.

      And I know it wasn’t about me, because they would approach me (and, in some cases, literally run after me) and say “WHAT is the name of your perfume? I want to buy it for my wife!”

  • Koki2 says:

    I’m so happy! I’m not alone in loving Edna!! A community of Edna-lovers! THANK YOU!!! Once again proving that perfume people have the best taste ever!
    http://perfumeposse.com/smilies/yahoo_huggs.gif

  • Sexxxy:

    Bruno Acampora Musc
    Miller Harris Un Petit Rien
    By Kilian Pure Oud
    Serge Lutens Féminité du Bois
    Stella McCartney Stella Rose Absolute

  • dleep says:

    I am so glad you are back, I was having withdrawal. My vote for sexy/dirty would be Worth Courtesan. I received my samples from Tigerflag and have been wearing a couple of drops of majmua undiluted and have been receiving a lot of “wow, you smell really good” comments. So, thanks for the recommendation. I haven’t worn the mitti out in public yet. Have a great holiday!

    • March says:

      AND I LOVE YOU FOREVER. Because you love my BFF, Worth Courtesan. The fragrance many of my nearest and dearest don’t rag, even though they want to, cuz I love it that much.

      Let’s do a Tigerflag post next week! And a great weekend to you too.

  • Erin T says:

    “E” is always right – she has got to be my favorite animated character ever. Do you ever feel like, since you had kids, your life has become one long string of endlessly watched Disney or Pixar movies and Backyardigans episodes? One resident asked me yesterday if she really needed the enormous stack of documents I had given her to take down to the security and parking office and I replied: “Well, I’m sure I don’t know, dah-link, but luck favors the prepared.” She looked at me blankly, having clearly never seen Edna. She is an MD and she is 26. I’m starting to feel ancient.

    Organza Indecence sparked one of my fave reviews in Perfumes: the Guide – the one where LT tells of the sushi chef who likes German women because they are “tall” and they indicates they are well-endowed instead. LT follows it with “The re-issued OI is unquestionably a tall perfume…” So true!

    So sorry to hear of Hecate’s puffiness and stuffiness. MJ has terrible skin and resp reactions to everything – she gets a bug bite on her face and her eye swells completely shut, the wrong sunscreen makes her look scalded, playing in sand has her wheezing in minutes -and I asked my doc buddy at work how this could be. Then I had to admit to my constant hives and Epipen for stings and B’s constant battle with the asthma and nose pluggedness. A high level of histamine is apparently one of the most hereditary conditions there is (although nobody else in my family is particuarly reactive…) I know you suffer badly from allergies of various sorts – what about the Cheese?

  • Nava says:

    Since I live in the “scent free” universe here in Canada, I try to be extra careful when choosing so as not to offend. But, when I hear sneezing, I can’t help but think: Did I do that???

    Sometimes, kids grow out of their allergies. I hope that’s the case with Hecate.

    The most interesting spam I ever got on one of my posts was a guy shilling construction work boots. I followed the link to a website of blog writers, sent them an e-mail saying I write web content for a living – please don’t spam your brethren. I got an e-mail back with a profuse apology. Score one for us!

  • Mrs.Honey says:

    I try not to wear perfume when going to the allergist, but occasionally I forget as I go once a week for my shots. I had the arm testing (and was allergic to every grass and weed on earth, many trees, dust mites, dogs, cats…)I do the shots and it mostly works. I prefer the nasal sprays to the anti-histamines. That said, I once had a child client who took FOUR Benadryl per day and was still wide awake. I think they back test the youngest children as they can stick them all at once. That said, the nurse told me that kids usually don’t freak over the needles unless the adult with them freaks.

    Regarding sexy, my vote would be Musc Ravageur, NR for her (which is what I reach for), Fleur Oriental (on which I have actually had compliments), Addict, Bebe, Jubilation 25, Angel (on the right person, which is not me.)

    Frankly, I think men would benefit more from a list of sexy fragrances. Some scents just make a man more appealing, but I won’t ask the man wearing them as it might sound like a come on, and I can’t accurately skin test men’s fragrances as I have found that they just smell different/better on a man than on me.

  • waftbycarol says:

    1. Hecate – I feel so bad for her . There are no allergies in my family , and my husband has none either . So many products are over scented now , it is impossible to go unscented . The antibacterial spray I use in the ichen about knocks me flat , the Swiffer thingy for quick mop ups is Febreze scented and I have to open the windows if I use it…most laundry detergents make even me feel itchy , but the Kirkland brand from Costco is not scented . I hope she outgrows it . Seems alot of kids her age are very sensitive , much more than older generations !!

    2. LT/TS – If I can’t say something posotive , I will say nothing …NOTHING !!!
    Sexy scents are perfectly subjective , but I agree , they should be slightly animalic , at least a little musky . I know men love vanilla , but it isn’t because it is sexy .
    My parents have an old little pomeranian , and her head smells incensey ALL THE TIME ! If you smelled it , you would think she was being doused with something but she hasn’t , she just smells great naturally !

    3.I love Mitti Attar and Shamama too…the verdict is still out on the majmua . Kewda is shocking on opening , that bitter medicinal smell but soon is glorious .

    Welcome back online , for 3 days it told me * Forbidden ! *
    I felt so bad wrong naughty…

  • maggiecat says:

    So glad you’re back (and sorry Hecate suffers from pesky allergies, as I did myself when I was younger. Pain. I did grow out of most of mine though, if that helps). I laughed at LT/TS’s “sexy” list, figured they were just giving a “commerical” answer. My DH finds most sexy scent (orientals and the like) not sexy, but sneezy. Vanilla based scents work, and he’s admitted that many mild rose scents are pleasant. I’m waiting till our upcoming vacation to spring MFK’s Lumiere Noire on him…

  • Disteza says:

    Who knows, maybe SM makes the LT/TS collective pant at each other? Wouldn’t be my personal pick–that title goes to either Feu d’Issey or the unholy layering of Rose de Nuit and El Attarine. If SL would just offer a half-n-half bell jar of that stuff, I’m sure I’d end up ruling a country somewhere.

    • carter says:

      Whoa! I *really* need an emoticon here.

      • Disteza says:

        There might even need to be two–one for the thought of people actually getting bothered in THAT way by SM, the other for the scented seduction that is the RdN and ElAtt combo!

  • furriner says:

    L’Artisan Al Oudh is the sexiest one I own.

    Also: Although I don’t think it is particularly sexy, Encre Noire on me kinda gets others in the mood, for some reason.

    I haven’t worn deodorant since some time in the ’80s.

    • March says:

      My 16-year-old daughter has fallen for Al Oudh! She of the, god, mom, stop making me smell this stuff! I like it too.

      Encre Noire, now that’s an interesting choice. You know what? It is sexy. And to my nose, more wearable than Black.

  • mals86 says:

    Like everyone else, I’m mystified at the Allure article… I don’t get any of them. I like Black very much, but for me it’s odd, fun, and comforting all at once; the rubber smells to me like new bike tires or brand-new Keds at the beginning of the summer, when there’s still plenty of bounce in them. Sexy? Not. Insolence makes me want to scream, and SM was ungodly hideous. 31RC is a bit too standoffish for “sexy.”

    MY idea of Sexy: Citizen Queeeeeeen, ooh la la. Bal a Versailles. Organza Indecence. My husband’s idea of Sexy: TM Alien. Nuit de Tubereuse. MJ Daisy. (YesyesIknow, he’s a freak. But the man asks for so little, it’s easy to oblige now and then.)

    NO CAPES!

    • Masha says:

      I’ve had a lot of male compliments when I’ve worn Alien (and YSL Nu, actually), but Alien’s a little too strong for me to wear often. It’s kind of overpowering.

      • mals86 says:

        It’s pretty sweeeeeeet, too. I do a teeny spritz on one wrist, which keeps it bearable. (Unless I am wearing it specifically at the behest of The CEO, and then I spritz cleavage.)

        OH! And I totally forgot Lumiere Noire pour femme… that stuff makes my knickers fall off.

  • karin says:

    Love your list, March! I think it’s right on target with what many men drool over. I’ve mentioned this before somewhere, but that Coty Wild Musk used to drive a former boyfriend crazy. He loved that stuff. Kind of upsetting that the cheapest perfume in my collection turned out to be the man-magnet. Vanilla is also a sure thing in most cases…and Angel…and Jicky!

    I laughed when I read LT/TS’s list. For Allure mag, it was quite funny. I mean, I bet most Allure readers wear scents like Beyonce Heat and Pink Sugar! Though Allure does often have Frederic Malle as their guest fragrance writer, so perhaps Allure readers are a bit more sophisticated that I give them credit for (hey, I admit I’m a subscriber myself, though I wouldn’t necessarily call me sophisticated – ha!). As Denyse said above, looks to me like they named scents they loved, and threw in SM as a joke. I have that Insolence EDP, and boy is that stuff powerful. Can’t say I’ve road tested it in public yet. Afraid to.

    • March says:

      If we’re going to generalize blah blah — those white or vanilla musks are winners. Vanilla is a winner. Angel, much as I loathe it, is clearly a winner.

      Allure readers are I think youngish and maybe willing to experiment? Although I think the price point for a lot of niche stuff would put them off. They’re not going to spend $150+ for perfume, IMO.

  • rockinruby says:

    How old is Hecate? I’ve been kind of tempted to take one of mine to do that whole allergy screening routine, but I’ve hesitated to put her through it. Perhaps the relief she might get would be worth it in the end, but the process seems quite nasty… I hope if I take her that I end up in an elevator with a freshly-sweaty construction worker, too!!

    As for Turin and Sanchez, I think that may be the most ridiculous perfume list I’ve ever heard! I just don’t find any of those scents particularly sexy, and I can’t imagine most men finding them sexy, either. Such bizarre choices. I mean, with Secretions, one could argue they’re going for “scent that smells like sex” and with Black, one could argue that they have an active erotic life involving black rubber catsuits, and this scent brings them right back to last night’s romp….but I can’t even come up with an angle for Insolence!

    I think mine would be:

    Mitsouko
    Secret de Venus (zibeline)
    Scandal
    Musc Ravageur
    Habanita (parfum only)

    • March says:

      Hecate is 7 — which seems to be the age at which they are ready/willing to start doing the widespread testing thing? It was a coincidence for me to be there now, but if I understood the doctor correctly, much younger than that and allergies are still developing, or something. I got the impression that 7ish is the age they’ll start doing the shots. Which we are likely to do, as the consensus seems to be that Hecate has the sorts of allergies that respond well to that regimen.

      Oh, I love your list! You mean vintage Scandal, I assume. And MR … MR I think I should have put on my list.

      • rockinruby says:

        Thanks for the allergy info. My little itchy, sniffly one is 6 1/2, so it may be getting close to being time. Wishing Hecate some quick relief!

        Scandal, yes, vintage Lanvin Scandal — oodles of it. :)

  • Olfacta says:

    Secretions Magnifique? What an awful thing to do to those poor li’l Allure Readers! Shame shame shame. And…Chinatown? Enough to induce Diabetes. BB? Into Rubber. OK, that explains it.

    Allergies now are not confined just to kids. My Tonkinese cat is allergic to himself. Prescription food, and now he’s undergoing skin tests — and he’s allergic to benadryl. Benadryl! It makes him foam at the mouth like a rabid dog and, incidentally, is the standard allergy treatment for cats. I can see that this cat is going to cost as much as some kids. Well at least we don’t have to pay for his college education.

    “Sexy” perfumes are the ones that make you feel like you are sexy, don’t you think? Bal. Agent Provocateur — one of the few that the DH actually likes. Bourbon French’s Orange Blossom perfume. Amouage Lyric for Women. Rosine Poussiere de Rose. And many more.

    • Ari says:

      Hahaha! I don’t think Allure has a particularly high readership, but it would be hilarious to suddenly start smelling SM everywhere.

    • March says:

      We could define “sexy” in dozens of ways … I was going for the Allure-ish “straight guys will find this hawt” angle. Certainly there are pefumes that make ME feel sexy that are not on their list and never will be. And yes, you’re right, if it makes you feel sexy, it’s certainly likely to make your man think it’s sexy.

    • March says:

      PS We seem to specialize in allergic dogs. Our last dog got allergy shots for all his environmental allergies (which btw helped a lot.) Our current dog is allergic to eggs and wheat and dairy, among other things. I cook for him. 🙂

  • Ari says:

    I’m so sorry about Hecate! My little brother was an allergic little thing and it wasn’t much fun for anyone involved. Somebody’s getting paid for this list, is my honest opinion. Who could find Insolence sexy? Who could find Insolence tolerable, for that matter??

    I have given up on the idea of scents that will be attractive to the opposite sex. All of my sweet, vanilla-heavy scents (Lolita Lempicka, Kenzo Amour) have no effect whatsoever. But they all LOVE Coach. ???

    • mals86 says:

      I could be successfully tortured with Insolence edp. HATE IT.

    • March says:

      I like Insolence, although I admit I find the top jarring. (I can cheerfully be a party of one on this one.) The drydown seems very LHB to me, but that’s not everyone’s cuppa tea either. I just don’t see a man finding it “sexy.” Tania loves Badgley Mischka, why didn’t she suggest that one?

      Wow, lots of Insolence haters on here! 😮

  • Melissa says:

    Yeeps! SM? Okay, this must be some sort of joke on the Allure-reading audience. And Chinatown. A love-it-or-hate-it scent if there ever was one (I hate it). The others just seem oddly placed on a “sexy” list, maybe with the exception of Bulgari Black, but even that one may not be everyone’s libido booster.

    My list-many of the usual suspects: vintage Femme, vintage Tabac Blond parfum, Scandal, Jubilation 25, AdP Profumo, vintage Miss Dior pdt, Rose de Nuit, L’Arte di Gucci edp and a recently discovered animalic beauty, Nina Ricci Fille d’Eve. A good test seems to be will I wear it to work on a day that I have meetings? If not, probably too sexy.

    • carter says:

      Yeah, L’Arte is nice, innit? Can’t wait for the Fille d’Eve. Maybe today!

      • carter says:

        Oh, it’s here! I’ve been wearing it for the past hour on the back of my hand because the rest of me is covered in Rose de Nuit. Skanktabulous!

    • March says:

      I acknowledge that our list of “sexy scents” is as varied as we are. Having said that, yes, suggesting SM in Allure seems like a cruel joke. And I would find any of the ones you suggested sexy!

  • sybil says:

    First…Poor Hecate. I’ve had several friends’ children get the shots, to good effect. That sucks, though…she’s gotta feel miserable, poor baby.

    Second…Chinatown? SM? You’re making me cry. Sexy smells are somewhat associative, it seems to me. I have a guy friend who inhaled my arm and pretty much drooled on me when I was wearing Vetiver Oriental. Same with Costume National Scent Intense (neither of them making it on any hawt perfume list i’ve ever seen). And I’ve gotten very good results with Chergui.

    And body chemistry seems to have a huge effect on fresh sweat. One of my “project guys” smells really great when he gets sweaty. When someone figure out how to bottle that, I’ll buy it!

    • March says:

      Definitely associative, and one man’s sexy is another man’s turnoff, etc. I was trying to think of the broadest categories and types of scents I’ve seen straight men react to. Hey, if your man loves it, it’s sexy, right?

      There’s sweat and sweat. Some men seem to smell instantly sour/rank when they sweat; others smell delicious.

  • Silviafunkly says:

    My hubby is pretty much allergic to everything but has been taking a course of medicines that at the end of two years will apparently cure him almost completely. He is 1/2 way through and already can see a big improvement. There is hope for tough cookie Hecate.

    On the sexy scent side, I find Theo Fennell Scent is rather steamy. For men it’s got to be Al Oudh, at least on mine, though I second the charm of fresh sweat on the right chap.

    • March says:

      Oldest daughter tried Al Oudh and fell in love! How funny is that. (She hates me sticking something in front of her all the time.) Probably not too many 16 year olds at her high school wearing it… thanks for the hope re Hecate. My guess is we’ll go the shot route.

    • carter says:

      Al Oudh sure is getting its share of love on this post. I’m thinking it’s time to investigate…

      • March says:

        Carter, here’s a hint: I am NOT an oudh lover. It’s very hard for me to take (like the Montales.) Al Oudh is smoother and much easier and … yes, I guess, sexy. Can’t remember the notes.

        • Masha says:

          I loved it, but being the Great Cumin Amplifier, I couldn’t actually wear it anywhere but in my basement, alone….

  • Louise says:

    Oh, yes on fresh mansweat-but it does depend on the fellow. this is where I believe in the pheromoans…there are just some men that stink, even after a shower. And those that just don’t, even hours into a sweaty job ; )

    On the detergent-try All Fresh & Clear-does the job, no odor. Fabulous, maybe not green, though.

    Sexy-well, that’s a lame list (maybe personal preferences???). And-it depends. My fellas have liked spice on me-various orientals, incense, etc. Black Cashmere has won a few rounds, and CdG Oriental (to which a bf just sniffed and said “thank-you”).

    I feel hawtish in Big Florals lately-Amaranthing, Datura Noir, Tubes. Not sure my audience agrees!

    Allergies so, um stink. I’ve gone through the testing, and the real winner was shrimp-all the office staff were called in to admire. But that I knew-have gone to the hospital several times for the little beast. I’ve not done shots-too much work, I guess-but they help many. For me-Neti and Claritin do the job, kinda.

    • Masha says:

      I can’t believe Amaranthigh didn’t make the LT/TS top 5 list! It really does belong there. People do strange, nuzzly things when they catch a whiff of that stuff.

    • Musette says:

      Ho, yus on the ‘moans. If they’s good, they’s gooooood!

      and if’n they izznt….waaal….tant pis.

      xo

  • I can sympathize with Hecate. I underwent the same ordeal, but not as a trouper: one look at those needles and I ran off howling in the hallways, had to be caught and restrained. I was like her though: I thought sniffling was natural. I was nose-blind for most of my childhood before I got anti-histamines. For all it’s worth, I continued to be exposed to allergens and the symptoms, though not entirely dispelled, went down a lot as I became a teen.

    LT/TS’s sexy list? I seem to remember they’re both quite adamant that perfume is NOT about sex, so I think they went at it tongue-in-cheek and just listed things they love, with Sécrétions Magnifiques as a kind of a joke (you want sexy? I’ll give you love juice!), though Luca admires it.
    But if a guy came on to me wearing that I think I’d call an exorcist.

    Not entirely sure what reads as sexy to men, Carnal Flower seems to do the job, I’m pretty sure Musc Ravageur ravages.

    • Suzy Q says:

      C., I think you’ve hit the nail on the head regarding LT/TS’s sexy list.

    • Denyse, I agree with your analysis of Laz’n’Taz’s choices. Their list includes their all their “old faithfuls”.

    • carter says:

      How incredibly helpful of them for those not in the know. Why participate in the article at all?

    • March says:

      Carnal Flower, Amaranthine, Tubereuse? I feel remiss for leaving a big white flower off my list. After all, what’s sexier in this heat? I am wearing Montale Jasmin Full right now, which is quite the sexy thing.

  • Austenfan says:

    I meant neither not either!

  • Austenfan says:

    So glad you are back! Had a crap weekend and this site always cheers me up.

    As I have never smelled either the Secretions, Rue Cambon or Chinatown I can’t comment on those. Black may be sexy. I like it because it is weird and comforting at the same time.
    What perfume do I find sexy? Le parfum de Thérèse. And Divine par Divine. Grown up elegant sexy. Kind of like Cathérine Deneuve, whom I would fancy if I were a guy or gay.

    Pollen allergies which seem to be your daughter’s main problem tend to respond rather well to hyposensibilisation therapy. She seems a very brave little girl. I hope whatever therapy is chosen it will work for her. Earache is one of the worst pains.

    • March says:

      “Weird and comforting” is interesting because I have seen that exact word combination for Black multiple times. It’s too, too rubbery on me to be comforting (I find it kind of grating TBH) but clearly there is something in there that others find comforting and attractive.

      Yes, the doctor said that her particular allergies were a really good target for the shots. My guess is we’ll do it. The medications help, but not as much as I’d like.

  • Klara says:

    Yeah, Perfume Posse is back:d
    Poor Hecate, those allergies can be extremely annoying. And I should know, I’ve hade them since a child too, and now all of the sudden I got tested again and now apparently I’m not allergic to anything any more (although I would still like an explanation why my skin is so itchy and full of little red bumps :( ).
    Re sexy scents: I don’t agree with LT/TS list at all. For me, Le Maroc pour Elle is definitely sexy and men love it. And of course there’s Ta’if which is a bit more elegant-sexy. And I think it’s time for me to at least smell the Secretions Magnifique and see what the fuzz is about :)

    • March says:

      Contact allergies? And Maroc pour Elle is definitely sexy!

      SM is fascinating, but it’s not something I can ever see myself wanting to wear. It’s a milky-blood smell.

      • Klara says:

        I don’t know, actually. I have the little red bumps, tiny white bumps and rashes on my hands and on my legs. The most I can do is to use very gentle skincare with no perfumes (ha!), essential oils and other irritants. Although lately I’ve been thinking of cutting some foods from my diet as well. And I guess I’ll have to go to a different dermatologist because this one was treating my rosacea on my eyes with corticosteroid and then my regular doctor was the one that prescribed the proper medicine that helped that. OK, enough with my rant. Milky-blood actually doesn’t sound that bad, but I guess it’s really not something you’d want to smell like, though will try to get a sample of it, deffinitely :)

      • Aubrey says:

        Klara –

        OMG. You are my scent and allergy twin! I have some sort of red little bumps all over my arms this week (which apparently is a contact allergy), and I think that Ta’if is in my top 5 sexy frags. The bath oil is also tres sexy. If you haven’t tried it, you should hunt it down!

        Good luck with the rash!

  • carter says:

    Poor Hecate. My brother was allergy tested when he was her age and he tested positive for everything except distilled water. He was like freaking Bubble Boy. It’s tough, and yes, I hope she grows out of it or else the come up with some miracle cure that doesn’t make you a manic depressive.

    Those choices really surprised me. I’m disappointed by them…all of them. I almost feel like it’s got to be a misprint or something, it’s such an odd list. Anyhoo, Tom up there picked two of my five: Bandit and MKK. I would add to those vintage Rumeur and Scandal — two Lanvins! — and, somewhat incredibly, vintage Tea Rose extrait, simply because, as I know I have said many times here before (sorry!) it drove men absolutely wild. I have never seen anything quite like it; it was actually kind of scary.

    But since that one is pretty much extinct in extrait form, I would substitute Rose de Nuit as a current rose that men seem to find terribly sexy, and so do I.

    • carter says:

      In fact, I’m going to put some on right now before I go to bed.

    • March says:

      See, you’re doing more the bump and grind list 🙂 and there are definitely men who find those sexy, those mossy, musky vintage thingies. About the rose … I will politely say nothing except I will take your word for it! @};-

  • Flora says:

    Ok, that “sexy” list is just mystifying! Of all the perfumes those two have smelled, old and new, great and terrible, and THIS list is all they could manage?! Makes me question their taste indeed. Of course, everything is subjective, but the very last thing I would wear if I wanted to smell sexy is Insolence, closely followed by SM! Maybe the BB, but that’s it.

    My sexy list is long and very eclectic, and none of those are on it. Where do I start? Montale Greyland. Montale anything with oud. Fumerie Turque. Yatagan. Parfum Sacre. Carnal Flower. My Sin. Jolie Madame. Colony. Bal a Versailles. My insanely heady vintage Le Galion Jasmin. L’Air du Desert Marocain. LOTS more. (I am old-school to a fault, obviously.)

    Poor little Hecate, I hope they can figure out which substances are giving her such misery!

    I LOVE Edna!!! :d

    • March says:

      Well, they get props for picking some scents probably outside the most obvious choices on the Macy’s shelf. I’m always supportive of making people aware that there are perfumes that don’t come from Sephora or Victoria’s Secret. And I don’t even mind the weirdness of the list. But are you seriously going to recommend SM to an Allure reader who’s probably a perfume newbie? I mean, she’ll hate niche forever if she tries that.

      Ah, your sexy list is some of the old animalic standards. That’s my #5 category on my list. To some men I think they smell too old-ladyish, but there are def. men who like those animalic chypres and orientals. Jasmines are deliciously filthy.

      Edna makes me smile when I look at her.

  • Jared says:

    Oh sexy. There are probably as many definitions of sexy as there are people. My two scents: Chinatown is, sadly, awful- the most sweet cloying thing ever, and I think it gave me a rash. Something in the Bond line did. Never smelled 31 RC, although I am wearing Cuir de Russie on my hand FINALLY for the first time, and it’s damn sexy. Speaking of the whips, Black gets my vote for sexy. Still never smelled Insolence EdP or SM. But hey, I’m glad they’re still putting their opinions out there. I am enjoying the differing opinions lately; just loving that it generates dialogue. I don’t want a bunch of guys wearing my sexy scents anyway! I don’t want the competition! The only thing I ever smelled on a guy was some Iris 39 I sprayed on one, and when the time came, it was massively sexy. So, whee. And these attars? Color me curious. Add them to the list of the 500 other things I have yet to try.

    • aotearoa says:

      Chinatown – despicable. I couldn’t agree more.A rash would have been the nicest thing it did for me…
      I think L’Artisan Al Oudh is sexy as is Bandit for me.

    • Hilary says:

      Cuir de Russie!! YES!

    • March says:

      I was doing generic quickie sexy based on personal experience, as in: what do straight guys seem to like on women? Which I think is the Allure angle. Certainly if I were picking what makes ME feel sexy, it would be a completely different list.

      Surprised how many Chinatown haters there are on here. I liked it well enough but have yet to buy a single bond. I’d probably take the Andy Warhol, the first one.

  • Joe says:

    Wouldn’t your average Joe (as opposed to our Posse commenter Joe, who’s anything but average) think you smelled, you know … kinda like a dude?

    Oh, y’all say the sweetest things. And that list is SO not sexy. And if I knew a dude who smelled like Chinatown, I’d make him leave the room before I :-& And I’ve heard of some kinky things, but if Secretions is sexy, I’ll enter the convent right now, thank you very much.

    What’s sexy? If you’re gonna stick with ELdO, Vierges et Toreros is sexy. Theo Fennell Scent is sexy. Musc Ravageur is sexy.

    Good luck with the allergy stuff; I’ve only developed some very mild allergies as an adult (pollen in Calif. is outrageous), and I habitually take Zyrtec. I feel bad for those with major allergies.

    • March says:

      Theo Fennell. Sigh. There are several votes on here today, yes? I tried and tried. It is massively cumin/B.O. on me, but not the sort of B.O. I like (and I know you know exactly what I mean!) One of those ingredients is not playing nicely on my skin. But hope springs eternal, I love it for the first five minutes….

      MR is tres sexy, and a lot less dirty than you’d think. I do think people’s reactions to that one vary widely depending on musk anosmia issues? I know people who can barely smell it.

      Thanks for the kind Hecate words. She comes by it naturally, we are all massively allergic (parents and grandparents.)

  • Madea says:

    I read that interview, too, and :-? at it. Weird picks, but I’m not a LT/TS person.

    I think the ultimate sexy perfume is the rose/jasmine Middle Eastern perfume I have. My BF isn’t into perfume at all, but he loves that stuff. It’s huge, in terms of presence and femininity.

    Speaking of which, is there any way I can get MaidenBliss’ info? I promised her some of the above.

    • March says:

      Uh …. let me see what I can work out for you. I’m gonna email her first, ‘kay? I’m all about the privacy of our commenters…

      As you know I’m playing with my attars, and there is definitely a new, different, unfamiliar sexiness to this style of perfumery. So the rose/jasmine would be very sexy.

  • Divalano says:

    Yahooo huzzah yay, you’re baaaaaaack!!

    Yeah, I so don’t get the sexy on that list. I mean, I don’t usually get the sexy in most of what I read in Allure but I *REALLY* don’t even understand why that list would be sexy to ANYone. Sexy around here? What makes me feel sexy:
    Cuir Beluga, Datura Noir, Tabac Blond, Ambre Fetiche, and a good, heady jasmine … A la Nuit will do. Or my new Tigerflag Night Blooming Jasmine, speaking of …

    Yup, got my samples. Gotta say, a bunch of them kinda smelled like vitamins & I was scared to try. The Mitti was interesting but not really wearable for me. The 2 I’m playing with are the jasmine & also the Saffron. I think the Saffron needs some cold weather for a fair shot tho, it has a sour note in the heat.

    So right now: Claus Porto Vanilla lotion, CB’s Bonfire … and Tigerflag Night Blooming Jasmine. I’m so happy :D

    • March says:

      I’m no doubt going to do another attar-play post since they’re new to me and I’m fascinated by them, but will say they definitely need some room to open up and air out, those things are STRONG. I stopped dabbing them on my skin, they’re too dense. I’m going to have to do an oil dilution. A couple of them are srsly skanky. The saffron/mitti shamama is delicious, btw.

      Those big white flowers are definitely sexy. I’ve busted out the Montale Jasmin Full in the 99-degree heat.

  • tmp00 says:

    Firstly hats off to Hecate for going through the process and being a trouper. I never say this but encourage her to complain more.

    1) real life sucks. I’m trying to find away to avoid it. So far Lottery tickets and fond hopes that David Geffen will adopt me haven’t panned out.

    2) I suppose you should be happy you get spam. You’re important enough to warrant the attention.

    3) Secretion Magnafiques… Let me tell you, I could forgive a prospective paramour a lot. His desire for a “Smokey and the Bandit” era Firebird for instance. His fondness for Sarah Palin. His deep and abiding hatred of L. L. Bean. But I draw the line at SM. Sorry, on my skin this smells like the fragrance Jeffrey Dahmer would have designed if he was able to channel his (ahem) appetites into more socially acceptable areas.

    My five (in no particular order):

    1) Muscs Kublai Kahn
    2) Bandit
    3) Le Labo Musc 25
    4) JAR fermes tes yeux
    5) Joy Parfum.

    Sense a trend?

    • Joe says:

      Wow, Tom. Sarah Palin or Eau de Autopsy… I really have to think hard about that, but I might develop a greater appreciation for bleeding flesh than I knew I was capable of.

    • carter says:

      Sarah Palin? SARAH PALIN????

    • March says:

      okay your paramour is HYPOTHETICAL, right? Not a real guy? And I laughed out loud at your list. Yeah — there’s a trend all right. You are a smutmuffin. What, no CB Musk Reinvention? (too tame, right?) No Miller Harris Rien?

      • Tom says:

        March-

        Sadly all of my paramours are hypothetical. :((

        CB Musk and Rien would be on that list if it went to ten, along with more smutty favorites. Fermez tes Yeux is on there even though I don’t own it. If the hypothetical was a Firebird-driving Sarah lover I would force him to have gotten it for my birthday.

        I did snag the last bottle of Rien available in LA (I think) at Bloomindales in the Beverly Center- for $40!! I felt like I’d won something!

        • March says:

          I would totally be your paramour, I think you’re the bomb. You were so much fun. But I have a hunch that in some ways we aren’t the perfect fit. 😉

          God, did I type that? Well, it’s pretty vague…

          Rien for $40, good for you!!! And did I ever tell you my Yeaux story? (not sure if I’m spelling it right.) I asked the sauve JAR dude (now THERE’s your boyfriend, hon!!!) who buys that thing?!? And he said older couples come in together to try the JARs and it drives the men wild! How adorable is that?

          • tmp00 says:

            Actually the guy who helped Gaia and me at the JAR booth was fairly delicious, but I wasn’t getting a gay vibe there. But I have the worst Gaydar in existence. You could be Richard Simmons driving a pink power mower in a tutu towing a sequined rainbow flag and singing showtunes and I wouldn’t tumble..

            We can be chaste paramours. We’ll share cocktails and perfume bottles and watch movies in matching jammies.

        • carter says:

          Yeah, Rien would have been my #6 or 7.

  • minette says:

    oh, and how lucky you are that your man doesn’t stink! that is so cool.

    • March says:

      It is cool. Weird, but cool. I like the way he smells, which is helpful, since I’m married to him. Sometimes he likes the way *I* smell more than other times. :-\” 😉 There’s a banned-perfume list over here…

      • Musette says:

        I still get a chuckle when I recall El O’s response to Catagan! This is mos’ def an acquired smell! LOL!

        I’m channeling Louise today and wearing Carnal Flower – there’s a nippy little sumpin’ in there that resonates with men moreso than does Fracas. I’m heading to civilization (well, civ-lite) a little later today – we’ll see how it plays.

        xo

        • March says:

          The tuberoses and jasmines have come up several times. I waffled on those, but I think they (as a category) could be on this list. Assuming you don’t have a guy who finds them smothering, what’s sexier than tuberose or jasmine? Or both?

          • minette says:

            i used to think l’artisan’s tubereuse was a man-pleaser, then the guy i was seeing at the time (much younger) told me it smelled like urinal cakes. couldn’t get past that one. i still think it’s a good tubereuse – on the buttery, coconutty side, but good. and now that i think about it, the last time i wore fracas, a guy at work said it reminded him of coppertone sun lotion. so, i wonder if i just don’t do tuberose well, even though i like it tons.

          • March says:

            … or maybe because you get hints of those facets in tuberose, it has these other associations for them (like the rootbeer for me in Vamp?) Although to ME, the smell of suntan lotion is kind of sexy, you know? The beach, kicking back…

  • minette says:

    first, poor baby hecate! i hope she grows out of her sensitivities, and finds something she can take for them in the meantime.

    regarding the LT?TT list, cynical me thinks there is some marketing going on there. but then, everyone’s sexy list is different. mine, based on how they make me feel, and the types of comments i’ve gotten from men would include: narciso rodriguez for her; dior addict; l’artisan dzing!; francis kurkdjian lumiere noire; revlon intimate; and une fleur de cassie. i wear what i wear for me, but it’s always nice to get a great reaction from a guy.

    and yes, fresh sweat beats macho cologne any day.

    • March says:

      Oh, definitely, we should wear things for ourselves! My list was a don’t-overthink-this stab at what I *think* are scents I’ve seen straight men respond to on women. Dzing’s an interesting one, you know, I could see that!

      • Divalano says:

        Yanno I almost said Dzing! My bf loves it on me & I have a friend who when she smelled it got all swoony. I won’t tell you what I said, I can’t, it’s not X rated but it was perhaps just a touch bit kinky.

  • Tamara*J says:

    I read that too ! Whatta crock of SH*#!!!!!
    Is what I said to not myself but my whole house.
    My 14 yr. old daughter read about S.M. and said
    “Eeeeeeeeeewww! Period smell with flowers?!”
    With a disgusted face. Yup.

    Thats sexy alright.
    And the other ones were sooo bland to me.
    None of them is what I feel is sexy at all. But to each their own.
    I feel in my world Dinah, there are two sexies.
    You see there is sexy to moi and sexy to him.
    They don’t always mix.
    Mine-
    Vintage Femme Rochas
    Aoud Queen Roses
    White Aoud
    Fracas

    His-
    M.Micallef’s Rose Aoud
    Prada Tendre
    Euwhoria
    Barbera Bui
    (what the hell?)
    He took away the comfort factor
    and made me wary to wear it to bed.

    I’m sorry about yo bebe girl, she’s a trooper.
    Allergies are the devil , my girls aren’t quite as sensitive as Hecate but it’s always sad when your lil’ tinies suffer from anything.

    I didn’t get the attars, I’m waiting for Une Rose Chypree and will not be getting anything until I get my lil’ hands on it!

    Thank God your back so I can do my usual ramble. ;)

    • March says:

      The SM makes me laugh. What are they smelling? I think your description is appallingly apt.

      BB! See, though, a soft, sexy musky scent like that. I can see a man loving it, absolutely. Prada Tendre, the same (slightly edible.)

      Une Rose Chypree is definitely worth waiting for.

  • Hilary says:

    Those are some very weird “sexy” picks indeed. Sécrétions Magnifiques?! Perhaps the one scent in the world that would absolutely have me running screaming in the circumstances (or any other). Organza Indécence is a terrific one. Otherwise, I’d mention Musc Ravageur, and Shalimar; the latter I think of as the olfactory equivalent of a really expensive corset, all insolence and cantilevers and entirely too much for casual wear. Parfum Sacré is a good one, too.

    • March says:

      MR is definitely one of those scents I’ve seen guys flip over. It must depend on how much of the musk you can smell? 😕 Shalimar isn’t my cup of tea, but that dirty vanilla thang probably has some appeal.

  • Musette says:

    Perhaps LT/TS are pandering to Allure’s target audience (skewing way younger than this ol >-) I’m sure)… NONE of those fragrances smell ‘sexy’ to me. I love 31RC but sexy? uh….

    What smells sexy to me isn’t what smells sexy to the average (not our) Joe: I love Mitsouko – scares the pants off a guy – and not in a good way (though the guys who DO love it are…interesting).

    Stuff Guys I Know Like (on me): Morillas’s Ines. HUGE hit. Carnal Flower. Fresh Lemon Sugar (with that little bit of musk in the drydown – yeah, I know)

    Jo Malone French Lime Blossom, which brings up my lunch. They LOVE that stuff.

    Calyx.

    Vanilla. Plain ol’ vanilla

    Bacon. Tania got that one right.

    Guys Who Sweat: I got a shop full of them. Here’s my take – if a guy comes in clean (especially if he is HAWT! – alas, there are no hotties in my shop right now) and he fires up the welder and starts a-weldin’…or he’s wrassling a piece of steel…about 10 minutes into it….yowza!

    About 2 hours into it….not so yowza. More yow!

    I don’t like actual SWEAT at all, though. And gym sweat skeeves me out worst of all. But that clean working man smell..

    xo >-)

    • March says:

      Uh yeah Mitsy fits in my Jicky box — I don’t think sexy to most men, but the ones who like it are interesting! And yeah, I guess I was trying to think of scents I’ve worn that guys have complimented me on, and it’s like your list. Ines for sure. Fresh Lemon Sugar, again I think it’s that musky bit, yes. FLB makes me heave, but the right guy would love it. And Diva and I were laughing about dabbing vanilla extract on from the bottle! Cook some bacon and whammo, you’re good.

      Fresh-sweat. Fresh clean mansweat. Yeah baby.

  • sweetlife says:

    Oh, and meant to say–poor Hecate! Maybe if the allergies settle down the naughtiness will, too? That happened with a friend’s child. He was nothing but trouble, and then it turned out he was allergic to half of what he was eating every day. They stopped feeding him like a normal child and he turned into one. I wish her clear ears!

    • March says:

      I think this is a definite possibility. She’s allergic to The Great Outdoors — everything growing (trees, grass, pollen etc.) Wildly allergic. She is probably a good candidate for the shots.

      • Lee says:

        I had those tests after my mystery pneumonia coma larks a few years back. And I’m wildly allergic, like H. But you can survive with the right meds – look at me – dirty fingernails and all.

        • March says:

          I am looking at you, darling. And thinking, crap, I need to make up your package! How much longer can you live without SOULgasm?

      • mals86 says:

        I remember those tests… except when I got them, back in the dark ages, they did my BACK. Marked me up like a tic-tac-toe board x 6 and scratched me in every little box. I turned out to be allergic to: all pollens, molds, dust mites, citruses, tomatoes, every kind of grass except bluegrass, and *chocolate*. Yes, chocolate. I was the weird kid sadly turning down the chocolate cake at other kids’ birthday parties. (Surprisingly, no allergies to wheat, eggs, or shellfish.)

        I got the weekly desensitizing shots for two years – and I’m much less allergic now. Chocolate still makes me sniffly, but I just eat it anyway and take a Sudafed. I’m sure treatment will make a big difference for Hecate.

        • March says:

          Some kids have it here on their arms, some on their backs, not sure why. Hecate had two rounds, the second to refine the results from the first. No food allergies (knock wood) but the usual suspects: cat, dog 🙁 mold, but the worst were the outdoors ones. Off the charts. I’m grateful not the food allergies. Those are so difficult.

          • Scent HIve says:

            Just to chime in, I am crazy allergic to everything H seems to be. Grasses, early blooming trees, late blooming trees, molds, dust mites, etc. I started taking the shots 2 years ago and it changed my life. Amazing!!

          • March says:

            Oh, that makes me so happy to hear! The doctor isn’t pressuring me and we’re trying meds first, but she felt Hecate is in many ways the perfect candidate for shots, given the broad spectrum of her allergies and the particular allergens. And you don’t have to do them forever — two or three years? So we’ll probably try it.

  • sweetlife says:

    I think those picks sound very LT/TS, and that the world won’t be such a bad place if lots of women rush out to buy some Bulgari Black and 31C… :)>-

    I’m dying to talk about the Tigerflag attars! The saffron is so, so gorgeous–saffrony and honeyed and slightly spicy, just heaven. I want more. The mitti–totally different than I imagined. I have to try again, but it is…burnt? (Guess that makes sense if it’s baked clay…) The Majmua. March, you’re going to kill me for this, but it smells like rose to me. Not perfume rose, or garden rose, but hippie oil rose, with a camphoraceous angle, like the beginning of an oud. (The oud, on the other hand, is so fecal in the diluted bottle that I haven’t dared to try it on the skin yet.) Anyway, the Majmua unsettles me. I feel a little agitated while I’m wearing. I think I should send my jojba’d sample to you, with love, and I want what you get. Maybe my vibes are wrong? I’m kidding, but there is something about these that feels vibrational, just a whole different wavelength than conventional perfume…

    Dying to try the jasmine now!

    • March says:

      I am immune to your @};- suggestion. LALALA CAN’T HEAR YOU.

      :d

      I do know what you mean. I’m smelling it right now … camphor plus sweet plus sharp? Yes. Oudish. One of those sharp roses. Am now deleting this train of thought from my mind.

      The Champa was surprisingly indolic to me! The mitti and the saffron (and the saffron shamama or whatever it’s called) were glorious. Also the noya chakh is freaking weird in a wonderful way. I will probably do a followup post just on these.

    • Masha says:

      The majmua has a similar effect on me- I can’t wear it and do yoga. You’re right, it’s kind of agitating, but for me, in a good way. I have to pay attention to it, if that makes sense. There’s no rose in majmua, though, that’s odd that you’re picking some up. A mystery!

      • March says:

        This is all veeeeery interesting. As I emailed Amrita, I found the majmua a very strange combination of calming and giving me an extraordinary sense of focus — liquid Ritalin? It’s a get-things-done smell for me. As I’m used to wearing scents for their smell and nothing else, it was an odd feeling.

      • sweetlife says:

        On the site they actually say that one of the attars in the majmua mix is good for “artists and writers” and “encourages focus.” Can’t remember which one. That’s part of why I put it on—I’ll take all the help I can get, y’know?

        Masha, I know there’s no rose, but there’s a rosy feeling (sorry M., I tried not to say it out loud, but you teased me on the other post) that I associate with many rose/oud scents. Exactly the kind of sweet/camphor thing March mentions above. I’m wondering if it’s the hyacinth attar they’ve mixed in. Anyway, whatever it is, I find it vaguely disturbing. Will probably try a few more times before I give up.

        And yes, I diluted to 10% with jojoba immediately before trying them on.

        Oh–and Mashsa, if you’re reading this, could you give us a good source for perfumer’s alcohol in the U.S.? So curious about what a little lift would do for that saffron.

        Looking forward to future posts on this March!

    • Divalano says:

      Ahhh yay, someone else who loved the Saffron. I think it will be wonderful in fall …

  • Darryl says:

    Those picks are indeed a bit odd. Chinatown and 31RC, really? Chinatown’s too playful, 31RC’s too elegant; not bedroom material. Totally with you on Angel and Addict, though; guys LOVE that sweet/dirty stuff on a woman. Also with you on the smell of fresh man-sweat – yowza. I’m suprised you Posse girls hates YSL’s Kouros, which has that fresh-sweat thing in spades right around the halfway mark (past “urinal cake” and before “slept-in bedsheets”).

    • March says:

      Kouros …. a challenge for me. It’s the urinal cake bit I have trouble with, to be honest. I’m all good with the rest of it. Also, some men seem to really work with that smell and it’s just awful on others. I guess you could say that about lots of scents!

    • Masha says:

      I’ve seen men drawn to Addict like flies to a fresh cow pat, it’s incredible…(of course, the gal wearing the Addict was an extremely buxom bottle blond!);) But LT/TS’s list seems totally weird to me….

      • March says:

        Nobody’s said much about Addict … I reviewed it awhile back and I think it’s a love it/hate it, but definitely there are men who love it!

  • mary says:

    Hi March– I feel for Hecate– I went through allergy tests a little more than a year ago– I was told that some allergies I thought I had from childhood days were gone. I hope that also happens for Hecate. Re Chinatown–it’s not for hor weather, in my opinion. And, I would not call it sexy, really. It’s a cheerful chypre, to me. Givenchy II has it beat for sexiness. Right now, I’m still grooving on a couple of little vintage things I found– the Galanos and Zadig. I also agree with you on the Organza Indecence– disco in a bottle. :)>-

    • March says:

      Chinatown is so NOT sexy. Nice perfume, but sexy? Okay they don’t want to be obvious about it, but still. And definitely not in this weather.

      Galanos I really want to try, I think someone else commented about it recently.