Layer?

by Musette, who is craving some chocolate layer cake.

 

I remember the first time.  I was in Saks, back in the Joy/Paris/Poison days….  Diane was helping me, as I considered a purchase of Joy (remember when it was The Costliest Perfume in the World?)…anyway, she said “you need to layer” and proceeded to slather on some cream, then the spritz of perfume.  “It fixes the perfume and it lasts all day”.  Oh.  okay!  So…Amex groaning under the weight, I  bought the soap, the cream, the powder..and the edt.  And proceeded to lather, mousse and spritz myself into a Joy-ous olfactory coma.  Christmas = Gift Sets!.  It was the 80s and Layering was Quing.  I don’t think I wore anything in those days that wasn’t augmented by bath and body products.  Calyx!   My bathroom smelled like Sybil’s Whorehouse on payday.  I revisited that loft a year after I sold it and I could swear that bathroom still smelled of Calyx.   I think it penetrated the tile!

Then, sometime in the late 90s it stopped.   I went to a Perfume Only state, blissfully spritzing on a bare canvas.  Until recently.  It started about 2 years ago – Lovely Nancy, who introduced me to my Summer fave, Agraria Bitter Orange, sent along a little sample of the shower gel.  Bliss.  There’s something about surrounding yourself with hot, scented, foamy water that is just delightful – especially as the days grow shorter…and colder.  For lot of women (I can’t speak for the guys here), especially moms, shower-time is the only time you are even remotely able to have a couple of minutes to yourself.  Even if your kids sit outside the bathroom door, as my bf’s kids do, they are unlikely to come in the actual shower with you.   Perfect YOU Time.  My stress levels are sky-high and the shower is my one refuge – it’s difficult to think about business/personal drama when you are completely surrounded by the foamy scent of Jubilation 25.    I use one of those Japanese scrubbing cloths (mine is Salux) –  a dime-sized dab with a lot of water and scrunching and you have enough suds for 3 people and a Rottweiler, if you are so inclined.  Alas, the Bitter Orange shower gel was lovely in the shower but it deposited little scent on the skin.  No matter – it made showering a wholly different sensory experience from scrubbing up with  Dial.  Agraria’s hard-milled soaps are a better scent depositer and with the Salux it doesn’t matter – you still get a whole lotta foam.  So I foamed away!

Inspired by my found-again love, I went rummaging through the closet to find what other gels, soaps and lotions I might indulge in.  Uh….hmmm.  Apparently I bought a LOT of gift sets in the day.  So I had lots to play with for this post.

Fracas.  Had the soap, the shower gel, the lotion, the powder.  El O was gone (post-Fracas bathrooms can be a bit overwhelming).   I find that sometimes, when Milady gets to be a bit much perfumewise, a hit with the accoutrements  gives the same scent  experience without gassing everybody out of the county.   Carnal Flower Body Butter.   M. Frederic…?  S’il vous plait?  At least a hard-milled soap.  My water bills would be sky-high!  Aiiiiyyy!  but I would be soooo happy!

I played on, blowin’  the bathroom UP! with Lucien Lelong (gift set score!  gel, cream, edp.  whoa, Nellie! The bathroom smelled like the South of France for 2 days!!!)…..a lovely friend gifted me with vintage Diorissimo body lotion.  I should’ve grabbed the shower gel when I had the chance cuz it’s gawwwn now.  But the vintage lotion packs a hefty punch for such a demure fragrance and stays linear with the vintage perfume.

I got a lovely group of samples from Amouage, which included the Epic and Jubilation 25 shower gels and body creams.  Let me just say this:  it is scary, because I am currently in Bizarro World, can barely buy dog food some days and still I am ogling both Epic and Jube25 bath and body – and it’s a damn shame because I never ‘got’ Epic before I took a whirl in the shower.  The incense in the perfume hit my nose too hard and I just shut down.  But the shower gel spreads it out quite a bit, then add the body cream and wham-o!  You are ready for the gorgeous perfume.  I’m wearing it again today.  I’ve done this 4 times in the past 2 weeks and I am still finding fascination in how this scent unfolds.  Needless to say  I am now hooked.   I thank Christopher Chong every. stinkin. day. that he did not do bath and body for Ubar or Tribute.   I’d have to kill myself.   Jube 25 foamy is so beautiful it takes my breath away and both Epic and Jube gels leave a solid scent on the skin. It was surprising because the shower gels smell thin and weak in the bottle (at least the little samplse do – I sniffed them, thought “oh, what a rrrrrrrrrip!” …until you get a drop on the Salux, then they explode into a foaming cloud of scent that sticks with you, your towels, your robe….it is olfactory heaven that is tenacious (I actually have Designated Amouage pjs.  Really. Tide is no match for the Royal House).  If you use these, leave your bathroom door open, apres-bain.  Your house will smell luxe all day.

 

I do think there are some differences in the effect body products have on fragrance, though, depending upon the fragrance.   Malle’s Carnal Flower, for instance.  The Body Butter is insanely gorgeous and just the act of scooping out a bit and warming it in your hands is enough to transport.  If I want a ‘compliment’ to the scent, that’s when I use the cream because it actually smells a bit different than the perfume (skin reaction? composition?  who knows?)  – in the cream the eucalyptus/camphor thread is more pronounced.  If I want to smell CF straight I do Dial and then spritz.  It’s nice to have all those choices in how to experience the scent.  Personally I think that is the best thing since Miette dark chocolate cake but ymmv.  But know this:  you will have to pry both the Body Butter and the perfume out of my cold, dead hands.  I couldn’t live without either and if The Walking Dead show up and I have to flee, I will be fleeing with both of these in my totebag.  Oh!  While I’m on the Malle line:  Parfum de Therese.  For those of you who find it a bit fleeting or thin – the body cream locks it right down and gives it an almost perfect linear boost.  I think it’s that Old School, Dior-type formula.  But it really is the perfect match.

I know a lot of purists are probably shuddering in their shoes right now at the idea of adding body products to perfume use and I totally understand though there are some, like Fracas, that are totally linear to the perfume (maybe the old-school composition, like Therese there).  And some are downright terrifying (Mitsouko body lotion which, if combined with the edp, transforms Mme Mits into a scary, tentacled thing – I’ve never seen a soap or gel.  March and I saw some ‘lotion vegetal’ on the eeeB which I think is hair oil).  If you are focusing solely on the scent,it might work against you.  But if, like me, you are looking for a sensory experience, I think bath-to-perfume is an excellent way to go.  And  btw,  you can forget about  layering resulting in less perfume use.  LOL (or, as I was recently taught, LOLdemort!) – not happening.  You end up spraying/dabbing just as much scent as before because it’s all just so damn luxe!  Louche.  Lovely!  And why not? Go Big or Get Off The Bus.

So this isn’t a Frugal/Alternative Bathumista post.  Obviously I can’t say it’s  less expensive –  it’s mo’ stuff and even Fresh Sugar Lemon bath gel  will run you $20.  Jubilation 25 shower gel : E55, which as of this morning converts to a whopping $76!  But, used judiciously, that gel will last you 6 months, unless you take 4 showers a day, in which case it will last you 3.   I would happily take 4 showers a day but I have to work to pay for the shower gel, dangit.

What say you?  How do you all feel about ancillary bath and body products?  Do they support or do they change your perception of the scent?    What are your favorites….or do you hate the very idea!?

 

 

Next up:  we will discuss Happy Layering Accidents.  And some Not So Happy.  I have some whoppers!  So hang on to those for next week’s installment!

 

xoxo your foamy, creamy,spritzy Musette

 

photo courtesy of Country Living 2011 Chocolate Pumpkin cake

 

 

 

  • Joanie says:

    Oh, what a wonderful post! I am a bath and shower fiend! Most of my gels are GWPs that I hoard like crazy, I love having an arsenal of scents in the shower to match my mood!

    I have to give a shout-out to my current bath product love, Villainess! They have the most quirky/elegant scent combos that even my husband is addicted to! Some favorites are Pyromania soap (like toasted brown sugar and smoke) and Crushed body cream, which opens with dark berries and bittersweet chocolate but dries down to the most luscious, warm sandalwood! Add in their customizable scrub (called Smack) which can be ordered in scents including suede, incense, red woods and smoke, and it’s a li’l perfumista heaven!

    P.S. Forgive my fervor, I swear I don’t work for them! :P

  • mals86 says:

    x lkjw t.a 9q3

    Oops. Drool on the keyboard. You said Carnal Flower Beurre Exquise… beautiful, beautiful stuff.

    I really kinda like the B&BW shower gels – they smell nice, and then they’re gone by the time I get dressed. I like that. Have not really gone for any of the bath products of anything, you know, SERIOUS like Amouage or Chanel. I have the same problem as Ann N – I hoard, so that’s probably not a good idea for me.

    My sister, the Coco Mlle girl, loves the CM soap, which is really only the floral-woody part without the patchouli. It’s purdy. Might have to get her some more.

    Loved, LOVED this post. What a joy to read!

    • Musette says:

      Thanks, sweetie!

      You made me spit out mah spit b-( laughing at the drool!

      What IS it about the cream and the hoard? I actually get like that with regular old Cetaphil cream, which is redonkulous! They must put something in Bath and Body that encourages the Crazy, eh?

      xo >-)

      • mals86 says:

        Okay, I admit it. I have hoarded a bottle of B&BW shower gel called… uh, Perfect Autumn, I think. Smells a lot like Mauboussin/Dolce Vita/Bois et Fruits. Yummy stuff. I used two bottles last year, and this one I saved for this year. Should get it out, after the Orange Ginger one is gone.

        And I went by there today and bought Dark Kiss body products for Bookworm. The lotion lasts pretty well.

  • HemlockSillage says:

    Curses! You’ve inspired Amouage ancillary product lemmings!

    I, too, love scented soaps. Just tried Claus Porto’s Wild Moss, and love it to wear under leather fragrances. . .it leaves a touch of oakmoss to round out the sharp edges of leather things. Other guilty pleasures–Agent Provocateur’s original soap is a love, and I wear it under lots of rose fragrances. I love the Atelier soaps, particularly Bois Blonds.

    Lotions and creams don’t grab me as much. . .though Chanel No. 5’s cream is amazing as a scent. I cannot imagine slathering it all over, as it is very fragrant. I use it in place of perfume. The Carnal Flower butter sounds amazing–I love the camphoraceous edge of that scent, and if that amplifies that aspect, I may have to try it. If M. Malle came out with scented soaps, I’d likely go through the entire line.

    Thanks for a fun post. May your CEO find you nice birthday gifts :d

    • Musette says:

      I’m going to have to check out that No5 cream. I love the perfume and the edt (the edp, not so much).

      You would LOVE the CFBB. One hit and you’ll be hooked. They reformulated it and it’s super-smooth, with a really nice thread of camphor running through it. Just perfect.

      Hope all is well in your world, btw? When you get to Paree, go to Amouage and try the creams. Just a dab. You might change your mind!

      xo >-)

  • Austenfan says:

    Now this is going to frighten you, but I have the body cream of Aromatics Elixir which I layer with the eau de parfum. It’s wonderful!
    I hoarded scented body products before I started to seriously collect perfume. I don’t care much for shower gels but love body creams and lotions. Great and fun post, Musette!

    • Musette says:

      Aromatics of Dooooom! I actually kind of like it, in a perverse sort of way. It’s beautiful, as it’s laying me out on the couch in a migraine of pain…:((

      what is it about body products that encourages hoarding? I feel it too. I’m looking at my little sample of Epic and ….well…..I’m going to have to suck it up and USE IT UP! Just because. [-(

      xo >-)

      • Austenfan says:

        Oh, and I hoard soaps. You know the nice artisanal Fwench ones, that I buy in Fwance when I go there. I have differently scented soaps to suit my moods. My go-to one is an Alep soap, which is wonderful for your skin. You don’t even need lotion afterwards. I do put some on though, else it will spoil!

  • (Ms.) Christian says:

    Musette, I always love your columns.

    I have an entire dresser drawer (and this is an antique dresser with steamer trunk sized drawers) and 2 closet shelves full of soaps, shower gels, bath oils, foams and what have you of the high end scented variety so I am with you 100%. One of my happiest finds was from the U.K.- a Balmain shower gel (plastic bottle too!) of what smells like the vintage formulation of Vent Vert. Lathering up with that is better than an anti-depressant, 50 minutes on The Couch, most weekends away or a photo of Gina Gershon in cargo pants and a midriff top.

    • Musette says:

      Thank you! :”>

      My heart just raced a little bit faster at the thought of your dresser drawer – I’ll bet perfumistas just come over and PANT, don’t they! I would! The mere thought of that VV has me hyperventilating somewhat. okay. a lot!

      xo >-)

  • helenviolette says:

    Loved this post my dear- and MAD at you for making me lem stuff….hope the birthday bunny brings you some great shtuff!

    • Musette says:

      we’ll see…..it’s not until the end of Nov so I’m hoping BE has another one of their incredible sales (today is free shipping on anything! whoo-hoooo!)

      xo >-)

  • AnnieA says:

    How I miss the Cristalle bubble bath. The bathroom would smell of it for a couple of days, so it was good value, really.

    Nowadays I use mainly Yves Rocher shower gel, although I splashed (ha) out on AP Premier Figuier shower gel, since it was on sale in Montreal this summer.

    I also have some Jo Malone Wild Fig and Cassis bath oil for those I’m-not-getting-out-of-the-tub baths. BTW, I see that Jo Malone’s Dark Amber and Ginger Lily is back as cologne in Canada — is it in bath oil form in the US?

    • Musette says:

      hmmm…dunno! Any Maloners out there? I got gassed into a massive sinus headache in my goddaughter’s bathroom – she fell in love with that….uh..limebasilmandarin? Is that it? anyhoo, there is a note in there that is like an icepick to the upper sinus.

      But I do like that DA&GL, Niiiiice. 🙂

      xo >-)

      • AnnieA says:

        Oh yes, I get the same reaction from the Basilimemandarin. Did you know it’s almost identical to Bond’s Nouveau Bowery? Alas, I have a friend who loves them both and will doubtless pick one to buy as soon as she’s finished her samples. Atchoo…

  • ggperfume says:

    I love bath products IF they’re a decent echo of the original scent – some seem to lack a proper family resemblence, if you know what I mean. It’s like the difference between edt, edp or parfum for a given fragrance: some don’t translate well from one form to another. You have to try each one and evaluate. That said, I love lotions, body creams and especially bath powders (which are almost never available nowadays, so back to evilBay). Some creams can substitute for the real thing (yoo-hoo, Bois de Paradis); they may need more frequent re-application, but that can be useful if your hands tend to be dry. Soaps and bubblebaths, on the other hand, don’t scent anything but the bathroom, so not as much bang for the buck.

    • Musette says:

      I like how you think! Though some really good soaps can deposit quite a bit of scent on the skin, imo (the Agraria does better in soap form).

      For sheer, unmitigated weirdness, nothing beats Mitsouko ancillaries.

      xo >-)

      • ggperfume says:

        I am hog-wild to get Mitsouko bath products now. All the fear and panic expressed in the comments today have only whetted my appetite.

        On the soap issue: of course I still have plenty of perfumed soaps (my mother loved to treat me to those gift sets), and they add a luxurious hint of scent to my clothing drawers without imbuing any garment with a particular fragrance.

        • Musette says:

          I used to wash my bras in Calyx for that reason. And when I got over my Joy, I used the rest of the body wash (and the soap) for that – left just enough scent – without the ‘scent’… like you said, more a luxurious ‘hint’

          xo >-)

  • Janice says:

    What a great post! I love the idea of layering and have bought quite a few scented lotions to match favorite perfumes. But now that I’ve got so many darned bottles and decants of perfume and wear something different almost every day, I mostly go with unscented everything else, to avoid those Not So Happy Layering Accidents. If I had unlimited space and money, though…

    • Musette says:

      ….and unlimited bath time, too! That’s the key. Morning: Jube 25. Lunch: (insert fave here) Going out: Pick Something Fabbo. Nighttime: Epic.

      Summer rotation would be different, of course. 😡

      xo>-)

      ps. next week we will be doing those NSH Layering Accidents. b-(

  • maggiecat says:

    I LOVE scented soaps, shower gels, and lotions! They’re perfect not only for layering but for when a hint of scent is all you want, but you want it to be a good one….On the inexpensive side (to make up for the lemming for Amouage that you’ve now inflicted us all with) I enjoy SJP’s Lovely in body lotion and shower gel. The lotion lasts all day and is even nicer than the perfume, I think. It’s my favorite “just hangin’ around doin’ housework but still want to smell good” scent. Not that I don’t wear it other times as well…

  • pam says:

    I LOVED reading this post!
    However, I have never gotten into the layering thing. I guess one reason is that I have had a few rashes due to creams, etc., and am a bit conservative about what I slather on. Also, I am so ADD that by the time I’ve showered, I’ve changed my mind about what perfume I want to spray for today. Could create a conflict with the scented soap.

  • Francesca says:

    GREAT post, Musette. I enjoyed every word.

    I love a scented bath or shower, but I don’t usually use high-end products—some inexpensive pine bath salts, EO rose and chamomile shower gel or bubble bath. Or even just some lavender essential oil poured into the tub. I did have some AG Petite Cherie shower gel that I got FWP, but it’s a fragrance I hardly ever wear, so it didn’t get used that much.

  • rosarita says:

    Ohhhhh, Ms A, this post was a pleasure to read. I’ll be honest, as a perfume lover on a shoestring I’ve never shelled out for HE body products. My husband gave me a jar of Coco body cream for an anniversary one year; unfortunately, the midwest in me caused me to keep it for “good” (read: special occasions.) It went bad before I used it up and I’ve been scarred since – I wouldn’t let that happen again but another jar hasn’t made it into my life yet. I’ve found some nice stuff at TJMaxx on occasion, though, most notably a jar of YSL Nu body cream and a tube of Donna Karan Gold lotion, both of which I have thoroughly enjoyed. Perfumed shower gel sounds heavenly decadent, I’ll have to work on that. I think evilbay is a good source for gift sets.

  • Catherine says:

    I love, love, love, LOVE bath products!!!! This post is music to my ears!

    I haven’t indulged a lot over the past years (money’s gone elsewhere), and I’ve discovered that bath products especially can cause eczema (booooooo!) so I use Cetaphil all over, BUT:

    My dream bathroom/shower would contain Chanel No. 5 (and other) soaps! And I love, love, love Chanel lotion, cream, and powder. FM’s stuff is the bomb, and I’d like that in the few fragrances I have. OH, and Hermes does some fantastic lotions, too. I use the Eau des Merveilles lotion instead of the perfume, and it’s BETTER.

    So glad to hear you’re enjoying your stash. I hope more beautiful things start falling into your beautifully-scented arms!

    • Musette says:

      Thank you, darling C.

      Have you considered trying the body stuff on top of Cetaphil? Not the shower stuff – that sounds like it wouldn’t be a good idea…but maybe a teensy little bottle just to foam up on a Salux and….I dunno…wash your feet with it? How louch would that be!

      xoox >-)

      Interesting that the EdM lotion is better…wonder what they did to make it so? The CFlower isn’t ‘better’ – it’s just as good-but-slightly-different.

      • Catherine says:

        Oooooo!

        How decadent! Just for my feet! I’m loving that idea!

        For the EdM, I think it’s “better” because there’s more emphasis on the base notes. I’m wearing it today–you inspired me!

    • Joanna says:

      :(( I am one of those people who avoid scented bath products because they cause eczema. I wish I could indulge but as I don’t enjoy being one big scaly hive I will have to stick with perfume unaccompanied.

  • Mrs.Honey says:

    I am totally feeling Ann on the hoarding thing. I have been know to do that with body products.

    If I were a serial monogamist, which I am so NOT, body products would make sense. I had a little shower gel of Lolita Lempicka back when it was my signature scent. I remember using it in the shower at the gym and the other ladies commented on how good it smelled.

    Also, I want a shower gel that I can use to shave with. Consistency is critical. I admit I do occasionally use Molton Brown shower gels and then wear a related perfume, such as the Pink Pepper gel and Si Lolita.

    Still, I do wear some scents pretty consistently. Your post is yet another reason to Chanel No. 5 soap or bath gel.

    • Ann says:

      Hi, Mrs. Honey, glad to know I’m not alone! :) And, I, too, like some of the Molton Browns (the Naran Ji makes me smile) — good to know I can use them for shaving, also. Thanks!

      • Musette says:

        Oh, I think 99% of perfumistas are hoardy to some extent (I am 😉 – that’s part of being a collector. As long as we don’t let it control us, I think it’s okay.

        What I found is that the body products (esp the bath stuff) don’t seem to go bad – they just hang out until you’re ready for them again. I would only use bath/body stuff for regular rotation scents, though. Otherwise you end up with a Bigelow outpost…:-?

        …wait. that is a Bad Thing. Right?

        xo >-)

  • CMH says:

    I loved Loved LOVED this post! It reminds me that I really should layer scents more and gives permission to seek out spendy (Amouage) products to give them a try.

    One of my favorite layering scents is Philosophy’s Amazing Grace – the shower gel is divine! Foamy lather really does help experience scent in a whole new way, and I fell in love with AG when I used the shower gel. It was my signature scent for years (until I became a perfumista!) I still love the shower gel, but mix it up a bit now. (Philosophy’s Flowers is another win in the shower gel, but not so much in the lotion or perfume column).

    Time to shop for some shower gel/lotion gift set combos!

    • Musette says:

      Foaming is Fun! innit? That Amazing Grace was my first Philosphy and I agree, it is divine (pun intended but only because I am so proud to have seen it. I’m sorta slow with those…:”>

      The Amouages really are amazing. I was so surprised, given what I was expecting, smelling them in the bottle.

      xo >-)

  • Ann says:

    Hi, sweetie, great post! I, too, am a fan of the Carnal Flower body butter and I could go for some Carnal Flower shower gel or even a soap, too — yum, yum! Please get on that, Mssr. Malle. But my problem (at least in the past) with layering, is that my “hoarding” tendencies tend to come out with body creams, etc., and I hesitate to use them. And then before too long, they’ve gone bad and it’s too late. That happened once with a huge honking jar of Coco body cream, I think, and that cured me. So now I get sample jars and say, “Use it or lose it!”

    • Musette says:

      Watch it, dollface. You don’t want to end up on A&E, like that lady in TX (I felt awful. Here she is, baring her soul on cable TV, and all I can think of is “oooh! she has a GREAT stash of perfumes! :”>

      Use it ALL! There really is plenty more. I found a half-empty jar of Kate Spade body cream. Still good. 😕 wonder what they put IN there? ;))

      xo >-)

  • March says:

    Laughing at ancillary body products for Mitsouko, can you IMAGINE? Like that stuff isn’t enough to kill you on its own. But then again you can get it for Fracas…. it just seems wrong, though, for Mitsy.

    Mostly I use unscented everything else, and just go insane with the perfume (multiple scents on the arms, test drives etc). I don’t scent my house either for the most part, I just don’t like it, although occasionally I burn some nice incense or papier d’armenie.

    Although… okay, I’ll fess up, I have a bottle of BBW Brown Sugar and Fig in the shower. But as far as I can tell, when I use it, the smell doesn’t linger on my skin afterward.

    • Musette says:

      March, you jes’ don’t KNOW! I’ve never tried the cream but I’m in agreement with you – it just seems wrong. The lotion is terrifying.

      You have that lovely Noel stuff for the house. I’m getting some of that, no simoleans be damned! It’s sooooo pretty!

      xoox >-)

    • Winifrieda says:

      Ooooohhh I definitely had Mitsy soap and I think body powder!!! And I laid ‘er on not just in the bath but in at least two concentrations afterwards for the Big Nite Out! I can still picture the smell of the cologne and edt on warm skin over the strangely fatty yet dusty sort of smell of the soap…and then the extrait before I stepped out…it must have had pheromones or something, so huge, powerful, and magnificent. The trauma of the changed formula had two effects on me; firstly I nearly gave up perfume, secondly I discovered the perfumista universe…and…and…
      I DO NOT need to know about the Amouage!!!
      I have had some of the Chanel ancilliaries (Coco); the cream is magnificent and the soap gorgeous. Like many I try to rationalise…well I need to have a wash so I may as well use something great!

      • Musette says:

        Cleanliness is next to….!

        The idea of a vintage Mits SOAP sounds wonderful! Ditto the body powder. I think it’s the thin lotion and the one shower gel I remember smelling that terrorized me.

        I’ll bet you smelled insanely divine! ^:)^ I’mo have to investimagate those Chanels…:-?

        xo >-)

  • karin says:

    Great post, M! I went through a phase (before the online explosion of perfume bloggery and my frenzied accumulation of more bottles) where I thought I had too many perfumes (oh…if I could only see me now). I put myself on a bottle diet. Decided I could only purchase ancillary products. But I haven’t been in that phase for over 5 years now. Maybe it’s time to revisit! Though I did think that wearing all-over body cream was way too much. Perhaps why I stopped…

    As to what I remember – Allure body cream, Narciso For Her shower gel and body lotion, No 5 body lotion, Angel shower gel and body cream, and…hmmm…can’t think of anything else, though I know there must have been more!

    • Musette says:

      I think an all-over body cream is a great alternative to perfume, if applied carefully (and prolly earlier than right out the door, y’know? 😉 I am wearing Epic today -put the body cream on earlier and right before I hie out of here I will do a small perfume spritz. Perfect complement. Had I done it all at once I probably would’ve smoked out the joint!

      Your choices (except for the 8-x Angel) sound deee-vine!

      xo >-)

  • JAntoinette says:

    My stepmother did the layering thing: soap, lotion, edp and powder, much to our horror. We could smell her come in the front door from the third floor of the house! To this day, if I smell White Linen, no matter how subtly applied, I recoil in terror. So, um, not a fan of layering here, haha!

    • Musette says:

      I think that’s why so many people avoid it now. The 80s were HUGE – in all ways. I remember guys in Polo. Outside. They left a sillage wake from the Wrigley Building to Ohio! b-(

      xo >-)

  • DinaC says:

    Anita,
    Great Post! I’m a huge bath-aholic, so this was right up my well-scented alley. :-) I also am a big fan of a perfumed bath and shower gel, even if it doesn’t leave scented skin behind. The experience during the bath/shower is soooo lovely! I’ve heard great things about the Salux bath scrubbie cloth. I use nylon scrubbie gloves — similar idea. Makes tons of lather with just a little bath gel.

    My favorite high end splurges have been Chanel No. 19 bath gel, Prada Infusion d’Iris bath gel, and Balenciaga Paris bath gel. All three smelled very true to their edp scents. For mid-range, I enjoy Roger & Gallet Green Tea or L’Occitane The Vert, especially in the summer for a super refreshing shower. I’ve tried samples of some Kniepp products, too, that were very soothing and herbally. And for a quality cheapie, I like the Aveeno fig & shea butter, and the lavender & ylang-ylang.

    Lotions I have loved: L’Occitane The Vert, Floris Cefiro, and Chanel No. 19. Lately, though, I’ve been using unscented Cetaphil so that it doesn’t clash with whatever I’m wearing.

    I recently noticed on Nordstrom’s website that they seem to be getting in lots of gift sets in time for the holidays. Maybe one or more will have to go on my wish list? I’d like to try the Diptyque products sometime soon. :-)

    • Musette says:

      Oh! oh!

      Thanks for the reminder!

      That Aveeno Stress Relief stuff (is that the lavender ylang one?) that stuff is incredible! ^:)^ I still use the lotion for nights when nothing but a bottle of wine and an axe seems to do…

      I was gifted with a l’O Verveine set awhile back….I keep eyeing it…but I’m thinking that’s more summer. We got our first rime of frost this morning and I’m craving warmer scents.

      For extreme cold (and colds) nothing beats Kneipp balsam!

      you have some fabulous suggestions there. thanks!

      xoxo >-)

  • Queen Cupcake says:

    Wonderful post today! “Sybil’s Whorehouse on payday” heehee, I was hooked. I have to admit that I’ve always viewed the ancillary soaps, lotions, creams, body butters, etc. as just another way to hoover $$$ out of my Visa account. Not having kids, I don’t need the shower to be such a refuge, although it could be more pleasurable if I perfume it up more…mebbe I try. XO

    • Musette says:

      QC,

      We are now grands so there aren’t so many bathroom issues (we’re putting on an additional bath because I Do Not Like To Share [-( – but the funniest is my bf’s girls – they can play for hours alone, when mamma is in the kitchen…but let her go upstairs to take a shower….

      xo >-)

  • Louise says:

    A-it’s not nice to taunt a post-Sniffa splurgee with these delicacies….but now I’m off to continue a hunt for the Amouage gels and creams-I think Beauty Encounter has a pretty full line.

    You’re eeeevil ;)

    • Musette says:

      8-x ;))

      BE has them? :o

      :-? (mah birthday is a-comin’ up and I have an El O with NO idea…:-?

      xo >-)

    • Dante's Bra says:

      That Jube 25 cream is AMAZING, a bit softer than the fragrance but really long-lasting. And the packaging is the most opulent thing I’ve ever owned, and so worth the $!!!!

      I’d totally buy parfum de therese soap, that sounds magical!