Life Intervenes

So this week was an epic fail as life intervened yesterday and kept me from writing anything beyond – hey, hi how is everyone?

Bulldog-Inglês-1

I know, I know, it’s cheap of me to apologize with a baby bulldog picture.  We are having a Best of Summer post this Friday, so think about your favorites while we give you all of ours.

Can I also just complain about my own complaining a bit?  I whined for 30-45 days about all the rain and cold through May and half of June.  Whelp.  Rain and cold is over, 90s are here, and I would give anything for one day of rain and cold now. This happens every year, why are we never happy?

In the meantime, I’m still loving my Armani Prive Sable Fume and Sable Or, and the lovely Unum Lavs, along with the Tom Ford Fleur de Portofino.  Incense is amazing in the heat, and the two more floral ones are great hot weather florals.

Let me see, I do have a drawing that needs winner.  Winners of the Armani Prive sample sets are – poodle, Tiara, Michele42 and Ellen.   Just click on Drop Us a Note at the top of the blog, send me your name and address and remind me what you’ve won.  I’ll send you a quick “got it” e-mail so you know it didn’t drop into my spam filter and then get it sent to you.

So what are you moving into as the heat starts setting in? More about that on Friday.  Does your perfume-wearing habit change at all?  Stay with the faves, change to something lighter, go with the big white florals that bloom so nicely in the heat, retreat into incense?  Let’s see, drawing for this week, I guess two sample sets of what I’m wearing now as referenced above – sample set of Armani Prive Sable Fume and Sable Or, Unum Lavs and Tom Ford Fleur de Portofino.

  • Winterlude says:

    I just got into fragrance a few months ago and honestly, it hadn’t occurred to me to wear different types of perfume in different seasons. Not that I’ve had much opportunity to experiment with wild temperature fluctuations or anything. Cold, rain, and not too much rain are what I’ve been seeing lately.
    I got a sample of Unum Lavs after you wrote about it a while back, I’m wearing it now and it’s pretty fabo. That’s a scientific term.

  • Kismet429 says:

    Heading into summer here in Hot’lanta, which is living up to its name. Temps in the 90’s or above. Wearing my summer faves, plus a couple of new discoveries including Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel and I Profumi de Firenze Patchouly Rosso. The patch is a bit lighter and drier than others in my collection, and does remarkably well in the heat.

    Have never really worn incense perfumes and would love to give these a try. Thanks for the draw!

  • Elisa P says:

    I think all I’m really asking for is variety in weather, not endless days of anything. Cool rain is nice, JUST NOT EVERY FREAKING DAY! Etc. I’ve been trying lighter, more sparkling, transparent scents for summer but mostly they don’t completely satisfy me like the hefty fall, winter scents. So I just use a lighter hand with those in the heat. I’m still open to trying things, however.

  • Tami H. says:

    It has been horrendously hot and humid here in SE GA so I have been craving some light and beachy scents. IL Profumo Pioggia Salata, CBIHP At the Beach 1966, Xerjoff Uden, IA Falling into the Sea and Mosaic.
    At bed I’ve been wanting some heavier scents. UNUM LAVS, LL Benjoin 19, SL Gris Clair and TFPB Amber Absolute.

  • Tatiana says:

    Here in NorCal it was mild all the way through May, which is unusual. Now all of a sudden it’s very warm to hot. It’s going to be this way, with bouts of extremely hot until at least October, I think. I’m already wishing and hoping for a cold, rainy winter.
    The heat snuck up on me so fast, I’m still wearing my spring greens; Jacomo Silences, Scherrer, Chanel No.19, Mito, PdN Le Temps d’Une Fete. Will have to dig in the back of the closet for the few summer scents I have. Mostly Chanel Cristalle.
    Funny, I didn’t realize Fleur de Portofino was new. I just kept thinking it was Neroli Portofino. Sigh. Dyslexia in action.

  • PrincessTonk says:

    I’m in Greece and Croatia for 2 weeks and only brought small sample-size decants but most are NOT what I’d normally choose and love. Thought I’d make myself test stuff since I’m limited to what I brought. Une Fleur de Cassie works well, Pleasures is ok, Kiss Me Tender, Chanel Eau de Premiere, all ok. But what I’m longing for is Passage d’Enfer, Un Lys, Lys Mediterranee, Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia, Mimosa et Moi (and seeing lots of mimosa trees in Croatia), and Kelly Caleche. I have a L’artisan travel case and Seville a L’aube and Chasse aux Papillons work so nicely. This is all to say that as wonderful and amazing as vacation is, part of what draws me home is MY FRAGRANCE CHOICES. Crazy, huh? Definitely seasonal choices although some translate better from season to season.

  • Kathy says:

    We have been hot,humid,and severe-stormy,wearing Tokyo Milk’Gin and Rosewater’ every day.

  • Kandice says:

    I’m right there with you. Too much rain followed by too much heat! I usually switch to lighter fragrances in summer. My favorites currently are are FM’s Eau De Magnolia, Grandiflora’s Magnolia Michel, and Dame Perfumery’s Pear, Waterlily, and Amber. Love the baby bulldog!

  • Mariann says:

    Its been mainly bug spray around here as I must seem like steak tartare to mosquitos whereever I go. But when I do get a chance, I tend to gravitate to vetiver and orange blossom notes. Looking forward to the recs on Friday.

  • Neva says:

    TF Fleur de Portofino is on my “to try” list for a while but it has not arrived around here so far… I have always divided my scent wardrobe into seasons, summer being the one for lighter, greener scents like Weekend a Deauville, Jardin sur le Nil, Bulgari au the vert etc. A month ago I got for my birthday a bottle of Amouage Epic and I discovered how well incense actually fits into warm weather! I can’t stop wearing it and it’s rather warm around here. Now I’m considering buying a decant of Tam Dao – mmmmm…
    I would love to try your favourites!

  • Katrin says:

    It´s been unusually cold summer this year, but I feel like wearing something green, out of old habit I guess. So today I found
    a decant of vintage Y, which I really enjoy but don´t get to wear that often. It never fails to impress me, must be the least fussy
    perfume in the world. I´m also looking forward to wearing Hermes´ Jardin sur le Nil which I finally acquired a bottle of. Would love to sample those scents you mentioned!

  • tiffanie says:

    Last summer when the weather warmed up I walked around sniffing from my travel spray of Songes. This summer is the same. I don’t always want to spray it on, but it smells great in the bottle. The past few days I’ve been enjoying Jour d’Hermes in the morning with a refresher in the afternoon. I’m surprised because last summer I got lots of grapefruit, but this time around it’s gentler citrus and flowers.

  • Sarah says:

    Bulldog puppies are cute!
    Hot and wet-ugh. I’m a snow and cold girl myself.
    Using the cheap thrills (March recommendation) “Cedar Mist Light” on everything – including myself.
    Patty your description of TF’s Fleur Portofino will get me in trouble. Time to scent sniff at those $$$$$ stores. Dangerous!

  • flowergirlbee! says:

    i am in the south so we are getting colder .we had a particularly cold snap recently so i pulled out a motley crew after wearing lipstick rose and en passant continuously.i tried a bit of feminite du bois,dolce vita and some eau de magnolia which was stunning!!

  • Eloquaint says:

    I don’t change what I wear with the seasons, because my habit with all but the very lightest and coolest perfumes (e.g. Annick Goutal L’Heure Exquise) is to decant some into a small roller bottle, and apply sparingly to my wrists and collarbones. That way I can keep most of my serious collection in the basement fridge and preserve it better, and I don’t overwhelm myself or anyone else no matter what I wear.

    Here’s your mosquito trivia for the day: hematology studies have shown that mosquitos are most attracted to people with type O- blood.

    Thanks for the drawing! Those perfumes sound great.

  • gvillecreative says:

    Oye. Spell check is awful. That should have said Kelly Caleche pure parfum.

  • gvillecreative says:

    You know what I’ve been loving in the wet 103 degree Florida heat? Key Caleche Parfum. It’s so perfect. It cuts through the heat but is also elegant. A perfect perfume for humidity.

    But I am dying to try the Fleur de Portofino.

  • Suzy Q says:

    Hi Patty. I’ll have what you’re having, lol. I’d love to be the winner of this particular draw.
    I am definitely ruled by the seasons when it comes to perfume. Winter and summer are clear cut. Spring and fall? Lots of wiggle room. Summer is citrus, cologne, green and beachy scents.

  • Tiara says:

    A picture of a cute pupply is perfectly OK with me! We’ve had hot, dry weather here but finally had a good 18 hours last week of rain. Storms have gone north of us, south of us, fallen apart before they reached us so that precip was most welcome. I’ve been wearing Escale a Portofino most days. Doesn’t last all day which is good because it doesn’t interfere with the bug spray I have to use when I go outside. Mosquitos love me. And thanks for the Armani Prive sample set — have sent the email already.

  • AnnieA says:

    Not a huge fan of colognes, as they’re gone instantly on my scent-eating skin. Orange Sanguine sticks around at least for a bit and is extremely cheerful. Vetiver Pour Elle is pretty and summery.

  • Jackie b says:

    Ha, totally sucked in by the bulldog puppy.
    It is cold here at the moment so I am wearing Cuir Beluga quite a lot, and Cologne pour le Soir to bed. I am almost afraid to try the Armanis, but of course am desperate to!

  • Gigi says:

    We’ve had pretty much 2 months of sunshine (very unusual around here!) and it really has changed what I reach for. Anything vetiver-based definitely strikes my fancy and lighter in general as I do find heavier fragrances can radiate too large when the heat is on!

  • Sapphire says:

    My perfumes definitely lighten up in the summer, though sometimes you just gotta pull out a diva like Jean Patou Sublime. I get out the light florals like VCA Muguet Blanc, Jo Malone Wild Bluebell, and O de L’orangerie in this kind of weather. Eau premiere always works, too. Just discovered Arquiste for J. Crew #57, too. Light woods with a little vanilla. Thanks for the drawing!

  • Kathryn says:

    Not much heat here in northern New England yet, but it has been good garden weather. I haven’t been wearing much perfume because it smells so good outside that I just want to fill my lungs with what’s in the air. The mock orange is in bloom and peonies, too. Yesterday I weeded out an overgrown border that smelled of fern, mint, damp earth and grass. It was wonderful. However, when I’m out and about in town it’s often with a spritz of Van Cleef & Arpels California Reverie, light and dreamy and mostly jasmine. Thanks for the draw!

  • Audrey says:

    Thank you for the drawing. I have and love unum lavs perfect for summer. I just sprayed on some tobacco rose.

  • Sun Mi says:

    I tend to go lighter I think. When it’s muggy out, the last thing I want is to feel swamped or suffocated by anything too loud. Wafty, lightly sweet florals seem okay though!

  • thegoddessrena says:

    I tend to go greener or more floral in the summer. Today I’m wearing Rosa Sur Reuse which is a year rounder on me.

    • Eloquaint says:

      I tried Rosa Sur Reuse not that long ago and I loved it, too, which was fun because I don’t usually like rosy perfumes. That one is VERY nice.

  • Bastet says:

    Patty, I won a sample in the Unum Lavs draw. I really liked it – thank you so much! It has gone to the top of my “to buy” list, although I may go the decant rather than FB route considering that I already have a number of incense perfumes and don’t really need another. Anyway, thanks again for the opportunity to try this.

    • Bastet says:

      I meant to add that because I already won an Unum Lavs sample, I probably shouldn’t be entered into this draw (although I would love to try the other scents, esp. the new TF).

  • mals86 says:

    I try never to complain about the cold, because I know July is coming and I’m going to be gluing myself one foot in front of the fan then. (Merely saying, “Wow, it’s cold,” is not complaint; it’s observation. “D*mn this horrible cold, I’m sick of it,” THAT’S complaining. I save my complaints for summer. 🙂 )

    I love changing my seasonal wardrobe according to the weather – what I’m wearing now is light citrus florals like Pamplelune and Moschino Funny! and Kelly Caleche, with an occasional blockbuster BWF. I’m not ashamed to wear Tommy Girl, which seems to hold up very well to humidity and heat. Oh, and Silences, because that’s like virtual AC.

  • grizzlesnort says:

    please enter me in your drawing. Portland, OR-we complain when the temps rise above 80 as many people don’t have A/C “because it never gets that hot.” Expecting triple digit weekend.

  • Asali says:

    There has been no heat at all yet, and that although days are already getting shorter, sob! But going from what I remember from summers past 😉 I do tend to wear lighter perfumes, or a cologne type perfume as a body spray and dab my favourites on the wrist. Especially animalic, they seem to be wonderful in warm weather. Would love nothing more than to try those armanis, they sound amazing.

  • Janice says:

    A picture of a baby bulldog would make up for almost anything, I think. It is not as hot here as in many places, and I seem to be reaching for things that are not traditionally very summery at all—heavier irises like Iris Pallida and incense (Silver Factory, Dzongkha). I don’t really have a lot of light, summery, citrusy perfumes. Very curious to know what everyone recommends on Friday.

  • jirish says:

    After three months of working at an animal shelter, I find that I’m craving anything that isn’t animalic in my off time. Too much wearing of puppy poo in my working hours – a badge of honor in my new line of work. Those cuties can get MESSY! I too love incense in the heat, and my bottle of Jaisalmer is almost empty now. Will have to replace.

  • Shirley Munoz says:

    It’s all your fault ! After your review of Unum Lavs, I got a sample and immediately fell in love, I mean hard such as blind with desire. I bought a full bottle (Twisted Lily). living in the South, I intend to wear it during the hot humid nights taking my cue from the glorious night scented flowers that bloom.

  • Nemo says:

    Puppies fix anything, really! It’s a muggy, boggy summer here too, so I have been wearing much more EdC style perfume this year, and it’s gotten me to try some new things as well as start using up citrus-y green perfumes that otherwise languish. I guess that is something!

  • rosarita313 says:

    Here in the Midwest, we missed our long cool to warm spring entirely as the temperature just see sawed between cold and hot and it’s rained every day the whole month of June. No clear blue 70s at all, just straight into muggy, buggy summer. I do think that the older I get the more narrow is my parameter of acceptable weather; I remember as a kid getting so tired of my parents and relatives whinging about the weather and I hear my husband and I doing the same thing. Wearing Messe di Minuit a lot, incense really is wonderful this time of year.

  • eldarwen22 says:

    For the past few weeks it has been nothing but 80 degrees plus with on and off thunderstorms. Of course with the thunderstorms, it has been muggy. So yeah, my habits have changed. But I am still wearing a lot of Bal and Sarrasins right now. I am just not happy with my dogs right now. I have to stand on my deck with them last night so they could go potty. I was out there for 10 minutes and managed to get 11 mosquito bites (yes I counted) and one of them is on my face. If this were a dry heat, mosquito bites would be almost nil. I think today I will wear Courtesan.