Listen, I would promise to step up my game, but y’all already know I have the attention span of a gnat and get too sidetracked during my days to do any serious writing with meaningful content.
I think I had stuff to give away from two weeks ago? Swapapalooza intervened. Oh, yeah, yeah. You could pick either the Jo Malone Wild Bluebell or the MDCI two samples of Promesse – old and new. Winners of that are: Madea and Kirsten. Just click on the Contact Us over on the left, remind me what you won (pick either the Bluebell or MDCI) and send your address. I’ll send you back a quick got it note so you know it’s been received and not been caught in my spam filter. If you don’t get that confirmation, please e-mail me again!
I have another give-away this week from En Voyage Perfumes. They sent me samples of Nectar des Iles (gardenia and tiare island-type floral) and Vents Ardents (caribbean citrus, vanilla beans, bay tobacco and Jamaican rum). They are also going to give out two very special glass flacons in a random drawing of commenters. The presentation sounds beautiful and would be something I think you’d like to own.
As far as the fragrances, they’re actually quite nice. I’m not sure it suits my tastes exactly. They are rich and full, leaning a little sweet. I can’t fault that because it fits the mood of the fragrance, and I’ve been known to run my hand up the leg of some sweeter perfumes. Yes, I’ve admitted my Pink Sugar minor obsession – I don’t understand it, like a lot of the men I’ve dated and/or married in my lifetime, but it just works – and I’m refusing to get help or apologize for my appaling lack of taste for either. Back to the En Voyage perfumes. Nectar des Iles is exactly what it is aimed for – tropical, lush floral. It’s made well, not indolic, no rank gardenia’ish direction in it at all. So while I find it lush and a little sweet, it’s not so much that you’re making anyone pass out around you. In fact, I’d guess people around you would probably like you wearing it and would comment on it. It’s growing on me.
Vents Ardents is more interesting with the booze-soaked vanilla. I’m more likely to wear this one just because it seems like one thing on the surface, but it’s more interesting than just a booze-soaked vanilla. There’s all sorts of other fun notes going on in this that gives it interest and depth.
Nicely done perfumes. Again, the samples were furnished by En Voyage to me, and the prizes for commenters will be provided by En Voyage, but they’ll ship them to me to ship out to the winners.
Well, it’s almost July 4th weekend. I did my CSA farming duty this morning, including about two hours of picking up garlic in the field. Did you know it could make your nose run? More something in the soil than the garlic, I’m told – some enzyme or something? Once I quit digging around in the dirt to make sure I didn’t miss any, my nose stopped running like a faucet. It was the hottest day we’ve had this year, and I almost melted out there in the garlic field. We won’t talk too much about how unprepared I was with no hat. Well, I never had to wear a hat when I was 16! I grew up on a farm, and I somehow minimized a little bit over the last 30 years how hard the work is. Well, it’s all back, and I remember why I left the farm. Not that I mind playing Lisa Douglas once a week or so, but more often than that isn’t going to happen. My nails are shot, I can’t look at my toenails, and I’m counting the days to my mani-pedi on Friday.
What are you doing this weekend? Anything fun? Family get-together, quiet time, going on vacation, seeing some fireworks? Happy 4th, y’all!!
Hope I’m not too late to be entered in the draw! I had a wonderful 4th of July and hope you did too…lots of parades, picnics, friends, family, and fireworks!!
I’m a big fan of the actual gardenia and tiare flowers (they’re often used in hula and ori tahiti dancing, which I practice) and have smelled the genuine article live and in person–I lust after a cutting from my Dad’s stellar gardenias in his front yard but haven’t gotten up the nerve to ask yet.
So I’m always excited when I see these two notes listed in a new perfume, but alas! often disappointed that it just smells off to me, somehow, compared with the actual flowers :(( But your description of the En Voyage offering renews my faith. I’d love to try it–and the Vents Ardents as well (boozy vanilla? My cup of tea :x ).
Hello Patty!
Were you too tired and garlicked out to reward yourself with a lovely garlic accented meal? Now I’m going to make a roasted chicken with garlic, rosemary and thyme tomorrow… See what you’ve inspired? Garlic is one of my favorite things to cook with but I cannot imagine having to harvest it myself!!!
I would love to be entered in the draw for the vents ardents… tobacco vanilla and rum? Yum! I’m sold!
Happy 4th of July to you and your family!
After a crazy busy week and soaking myself in the fruits of swapmania, I’ll be relaxing with family on the boat that my boyfriend-then-husband has been building for 7 years. He finished Thursday and we test launched last night. I wore grand neroli for the happy ocasion.
The Nectar des Iles sounds great.
I am always looking for the ‘perfect’ tropical scent.
Maybe, one day I’ll find it, but the search is still fun.
I’ll be spending time with my family, both youngsters and oldsters.
Ooh, Nectar des Iles sounds lovely. So does the other, though. :o) I’m just in a missing Hawaii kind of mode lately…Have a great weekend, everyone!
I’m another ‘fumista making eyes at Vents Ardents, but really, both fragrances sound just beautiful. I’m taking a long restful weekend after a somewhat challenging week, healthwise. Maybe I’ll venture out to a local town fireworks display later on but for now: it’s hammock-time! Ice tea, good book, shady spot in the yard.
Happy 4th of July to all!
The fragrances do sound lovely – Nectar des Iles sounds like a good antidote to my “wearing a nice fresh cologne to the office” trend of late. The holiday weekend will bring, for me, some much needed R&R with DH, maybe some cooking out. It’s too darn hot to think about much else!
Will be spending my weekend sleeping and eating, oh and maybe watching some fireworks, wearing L’Artisan’s Mimosa Pour Moi. I have the strangest craving for garlic now…:)
I have been wanting to try these!
No big plans for the weekend, though I *do* need a mani/pedi, too. Tuesday…
meant nice
these sound so mice. Will be spending the 4th with my youngest granddaughter in the pool and watching her watch her first fireworks. . . . G
Boozy vanilla – sign me up! Seems perfect for summer with warm suntan oil and Rum Swizzles or bourbon iced tea.
We will be spending the weekend househunting ( having finally sold ours) and packing for our trip to the States. Sadly missing spending the 4th with family and friends but we will make up for it the following weekend I am sure! Would have a mini-celebration here but it seems wrong to celebrate independence from the country I now live in…;-)
Happy 4th all!
Oooo, these both sound nice! I love lush and Ilove booze soaked vanilla.
Weekend? Dinner with friends Friday night, yard and house work Saturday and lots of lazy on Sunday and Monday helped along with barbque and home made iced coffee (and some home made Sangria in the evening!)
Did someone say tobacco and rum? Mmmmm….I don’t drink or smoke, but I love those notes in perfume.
There’s a holiday weekend? I’ll be working Sunday and again on Tuesday (after the neighbors terrify everyone’s pets and damn near burn down the neighborhood – sigh), so no holiday weekend for me. Pity party, though. ;-)
That Vents Ardents sounds right up my vanilla/rum/tobacco loving alley!
This weekend, we have friends visiting from out of town, so some entertaining and sightseeing will be in order. Hosting a cookout on Monday, slightly Mexican style – carne asada and pollo asado on the grill, rice, beans, tortillas and homemade pico de gallo. And margaritas, of course!
Ooooh, boozy vanilla sounds wonderful. I love vanilla fragrances in general, but it’s usually these types that I find the most interesting.
This weekend my dear friend is finally in town and celebrating her 21st!
These sound lovely, would love to be in the draw.
It was another ‘Kirsten’ who won the last draw, maybe I’ll be the lucky Kirsten this time? I wonder if we’re scent twins?
:-?
This weekend I’ll be new car hunting, but right now I’m off to do some gardening with a dab of Carnal Flower on. If I can’t grow Tuberose in Scotland, at least I can pretend my garden smells tropical!
Happy 4th July everyone!
K
Hello, Scotland Kirsten!
We definitely aren’t scent twins, as Carnal Flower and I don’t get along! On the other hand, I do grow tuberose here in Texas, and I love the scent in the garden…
Hello Texas Kirsten! Nice to meet you!
CF is something I daren’t wear in public, and it took some perseverance to get to this point.
I am very, very jealous of your garden :)
Have a great holiday x
Oh – the Vents Ardents sounds very interesting, but I also have troubles with sweet fragrances. It has to be just right, but I’m always willing to try.
I always need to wear a hat in the sun since I got into my 30s. I just can’t take it at all – probably b/c I’m an office troll now. It’s not even about getting burned. I just feel like I’ll hallucinate if I’m in the sun too long – brain fried or something.
Have a great long 4th of July weekend!
Both of those perfumes sound interesting. I think I would like either one. Looking forward to sitting out on my back porch with a gin and tonic this weekend.
Happy Holiday to you!
I’m looking forward to a nice, quiet weekend with a family barbeque at the end of it. We’re going to try taking my toddler to a fireworks show, but who knows how that will turn out. Have a great holiday!
I’m on a white floral tropical mission these days, looking for the perfect scent. So far, no such thing, but layering several comes with good results. Therefore…
Please enter me in the draw! The floral scent sounds especially promising!
Thanks
white floral and tropical… Manoumalia, I know many won’t agree, but if you don’t know it, you could a least try it, a teeny weeny little whiff?
Gardening plays hell with the nails and keeps them short. Weekend: time with family and friends, a cookout, and I need to regain my respectability in the community by cutting the grass. “Rich and full” — yes, please, I like rich and full.
These sound neat!
We weren’t planning a whole lot for the weekend, but it turns out we have to go down to Bar Harbor to pick up my son and his wife, so in the end there will be a one-day excursion on Saturday. But otherwise, it’ll be staying home and mostly resting.
Happy Independence Day!
Wow…you farm. I’m impressed. I can hardly get through weeding my garden. My nails are shot too…mani/pedi tomorrow. I have a 4 day weekend!!! Yeah! Lots of great music happenings in town (Philly). May have to go down there and tear it up tomorrow night. Singing with entertainer friends on Saturday, flea markets & BBQ’s Sunday & Monday. No hard labor this weekend, just shopping and salads for BBQ’s. LOVE summer!
Both fragrances sound wonderful. Please enter me in draw, and if I were to win…surprize me!
Since it will be well into the triple digits this weekend around my way, I think I’ll stay inside and try to work my way through my Netflix queue.
Happy weekend – holiday or not – to all.
Monday is my hubbie’s birthday. Big party on Sat. I need to get organized!
Both samples sound right up my perfume alley.
Hi Patty! The Vents Ardents sounds very interesting. I like booze and I like vanilla, and I really like them together. This weekend I’m going to enjoy my brand new patio, which should be done today (fingers crossed), and go to the Med in Boulder to drink some sangria. Have a great weekend!
Those scents do sound tempting.
Tomorrow is Canada Day, so that worked out well for most North Americans, who’ll get a three-day weekend out of the deal either way, which is nice. (Not me: I have to work on Saturday.) It’s supposed to rain here, so I expect the fireworks display will be cancelled, or at least postponed to Saturday night, although it might rain then, too.
My little rural town has a festival planned that starts Friday night and lasts all weekend. Bands will play, flags will wave, dubious carnival rides, with hot dogs & sweet corn for all. Thanks for the draw!
My nails are shot too and it’s only from indoor cleaning :P
I’ve visited fields with my horticulturist bf, just walking through and it was exhausting and hot. Glad you survived :)
The Nectar des Iles sounds wonderful, I’ve got to try a boozy fume soon :)
Hope you got to take some of that garlic home :)
k
They both sound promising; please enter me in the drawing.
I’m not sure what I’ll be doing. Maybe a Dexter marathon?
Spending my weekend at the beach!
Thanks for the giveaway, the En Voyage scents sound great!
Planning a small celebration to cheer up my mom, who hasn’t been well lately. Lobster rolls and fresh strawberries and just spending some time outside to enjoy the weather. There’s some rain in the forecast, but Saturday sound like it might be just about perfect.
“Rich and full, and leaning a little sweet” sounds like something I might like. My dry skin eats up perfumes so lighter scents often vanish rapidly on me. Both the En Voyage scents sound pretty good to me. I would love to try them.
CSA Farming…wow! So you’re liking it overall, and would do it again?
One more comment re: Promesse old & new versions. I got a bottle of the old (with the bisque head no less!) last week or two ago on ebay. For starters, the juice even looks completely different. The old is orangey-ambery, and the new is yellow gold. The main difference in the two is tne topnotes. The new one is very citrus-y and imo harsher at the initial spray. I think this is my main irritation w/ the new. After an hour or so they are nearly identical. Do you think the topnotes in the new will die off within a year or two? I didn’t think that happened ’til years down the road.
Oh, and the stoppers: The old came with the bisque stopper (the main reason I got the ebay bottle), but I see w/ Belle Helene and some of the others a resin stopper is now offered…what’s up with that? Are they discontinuing the bisque?
Big teen party weekend here: surprise party for daughter’s friend tonight, Airsoft sleepover for a dozen 13 yr. old boys Sat., fireworks with more kids’ friends and some of their parents the Fourth…if you are thinking those kids have busier social lives than their parents…yes you are right! :0)
Wish y’all a Happy Fourth!
Maybe people finally realized that if they bought it retail, they were paying 200 bucks extra for the bisque head?? Thanks for the report on old vs new. Glad to hear they’re nearly identical after the top dries down.
I’ve been lemming Vents Ardents, keep hearing about it on the blogs and it sounds gorgeous. This weekend I’d like for my daughter to see her first fireworks, but other than that the celebration will be a quiet one, trying to keep the dog and cats calm, because they don’t care for the fireworks so much!
the perfumes…sound goooood
sad, sad to happy…..sounds good (bottom lip up for march)
being in the garden(for us hongkongers)…..sounds good
well on July 1 is my 14yr olds birthday. on july 2nd is my ceos xxth birthday and on july 3rd is my daughters 18th….luckily we are not in USA….don’t think I will have any more celebration power in me!!!
I plan to spend the weekend cooking for friends and reading old horror novels. I have decided that cleaning will be forbidden this weekend.
Nectar sounds more to my taste. A well-done floral is a great thing!
These scents sound big…I like it!
I hope to collapse from a hellonious week at work, which won’t be over until Friday at 5:00. Not looking forward to the predicted 97 degree weather, but definitely looking forward to lots of good BBQ.
Hope everyone has a happy 4th!
Those EVs sound interesting!
Work has been super intense for the last month, so I’m REALLY looking forward to the long weekend. It’s supposed to be very hot, so I’ll probably skip the fireworks, but do plan to visit the museums, cook some seasonal goodies and test lots of samples.
Wishing everyone a great 4th!
Hi, Patty! Thanks for the draw — those scents sound really nice, especially the Vents Ardents, as I am a vanilla hound from way back.
And don’t fret — Friday will be here before you know it …
Both scents sound interesting but like so many others, Vents Ardents sounds more to my tastes.
Looking forward to the local farmer’s market this weekend and maybe seeing what the nearby Amish colony has available for sale. Lots of cleaning and cooking to prepare for the 4th and being as we are just returning from a short vacation I still have to mail my swap packages. I got a heckuva deal on a bottle of Rich Hippie Rockstar perfume and I’m hoping it will arrive in the mail this weekend. :)
Sounds interesting, the vanilla-tobacco-rum one in particular!
I’m not in the US, so no celebrations for me, but this weekend is a quasi-official moving time over here – so I might spend it helping out friends!
I have a five-day weekend and plan to eat out for as many meals as is possible and still fit into work clothes next week…
I feeeel your paaaaain! :(( I just weeded and mulched the kitchen garden – and my nails…aiiiiyyyyy!
Just wanted to stop in and say hey! Happy 4th everybody!
xo
Lots of family in for the 4th for us. But it’s also my husband’s bday! (I got him 2 awesome Lego sets)
The En Voyage sound interesting too. I do love a boozy vanilla.
Happy 4th to all!
Oooh, those fragrances sound interesting, and I can always use another boozy vanilla as a change-off from SdV.
Looong weekend–we have Tuesday off. Saturday: farmers’ market and bathe the dogs; Sunday: cookout with bf and his partner; Monday, what is promised as “a real Tennessee barbeque” at the home of two other friends; Tuesday: sleep off all the food.
A good Fourth, everyone, be safe and happy.