First of all I want to thank all of you that left faceplace messages for my annual 39th birthday. It was greatly appreciated. I actually ended up doing practically nothing over the weekend: there was the return of the annual Concours on Rodeo classic car show, but since practically everyone I know has come up positive for Covid within 24 hours of hanging out with me, I, despite testing negative, decided to skip it. I went by and there were of course throngs of people, so I took myself, my convertible, and my hypochondria for as much as a drive as I could manage with $6.50/gallon gas and 90 degree heat. Then home to a Buffy marathon and cheese.
One funny thing: I posted I collage I thought was humorous (attached) asking which I should choose at my b-day gift: a $100k Porsche, a $100k Patek Phillipe watch, a $3 million penthouse, or a $3 Perlier soap. I thought it was a cute joke: “We all know I don’t have the budget for the former 3, but soap is good too!” Ha, ha, right? Well, I guess it wasn’t funny or I present as being a lot more wealthy that I am since people were saying to pick the Porsche, or the Patek, or all of them. Unless they were goofing on me and I just didn’t get it. Since I haven’t hit Powerball yet it’s a moot point.
Annoying how you actually have to purchase a ticket in order to play.
JC in “Flamingo Road” from IMDB
In any case, onto the main event. As you know from last week, Musette sent me a bottle of the real deal Tabu, just at the same time I got a sample of the vintage stuff from Surrender to Chance. WOW. What a difference some reformulations make. The vintage opens with a candy sweet woods, closer to sarsaparilla than root beer, jacked up with,, bourbon? It goes though the other stages with all of the ingredients cranked up to 11- the warm spices and cloves are furnace heat. Everything in this is on heat. Musette called it “hooker on payday” but it makes me think of an ole time “woman you were warned about.” The kind Barbara Stanwyck played on screen (and reportedly Joan Crawford off) who went after men like some men went after women: no holds barred, damn the torpedoes (and as Miss Crawford allegedly said to Rock Hudson when she had him in a clinch “It’s okay baby, just close your eyes and pretend I’m Clark Gable.”)
The perfume starts a little more calmly than the EDT (?) Musette sent me but still.. Subtle? No. Work friendly? Hell to the no! Apt to signal that you are not only available but on the prowl to any man within smelling distance and to any woman to lock the husband up or get her own bottle? You betcha. Would I wear it out? Nope. Would I buy it? In a New York minute.
The reformulated Tabu is available at loads of places for practically free. The real deal you will have to scour the interwebs for, hope for a generous friend, and/or visit Surrender to Chance to experience. Photos are my own, except Joan from IMDB and cover photo from Pexels.
TABU is the first-rate sensual fragrance for women’s romantic pursuits, evoking desires of forbidden however thrilling terrain. A must-consist of fragrance in women’s romance and sensual perfume collection.
Normally I would summarily delete comments that link back to a retailer. I think it’s rather like coming to my tea party and trying to sell your tupperware. But I will leave it up here for the others to decide your fate.
But really, tacky..
Its luscious oriental floral composition starts with fresh citrus and spicy notes. The spices in the heart accentuate the beauty of exuberant flowers jasmine, narcissus, rose and ylang-ylang. Warm oriental base includes amber, resins, civet and precious woods sandal and patchouli.
Normally I would summarily delete comments that link back to a retailer. I think it’s rather like coming to my tea party and trying to sell your tupperware. But I will leave it up here for the others to decide your fate.
But really, tacky..
Happy Birthday, stonefox!!! I’m glad the Tabu got there without NSA accompanying it. That stuff is… well, it’s certainly Something, innit?
I’ve been feeling Very Miss Crawford these past few months, and I’m loving it! Not quite Tabu (or Jungle Gardenia) level – but enough to give the horses a bit of a shiver.
xoxoxo
… and my mother called from her grave, said to remind you it’s WHOREHOUSE on payday. Just in case.. y’know.. you have to reference it again (and I wanna be there when you do, okay?)
xoxoxo
You know I wrote that without editing/checking that the quote was correct. Bad Tom! In my defense, I did spend 12 years at The August Times, but I wasn’t a reporter. So there.
My fondest wish would be to get us all together for a “whorehouse on payday” holiday. Preferable catered by Roscoe’s and underwritten by LVMH (if only for the booze and the accommodations)
I think sometimes its a very good thing to feel a mite bit Crawford..
Happy very early 39th birthday for 2023!
Glad you got to try two vintage Tabus. She’s a muck mare!
I always perceive Crawford as Jungle Gardenia. Tabu has a heart of gold under all that lacquered exterior, more Mae West.
New game? Which film star or celeb matches which scent?
Actually I believe Miss Crawford wore Jungle Gardenia in real life.
Now I’m longing to smell vintage Tabu. I wonder how the modern version compares to Jessica Simpson Fancy Nights? Portia might know. Iirc they were fairly similar.
We’ll have to ask Portia- I’ve never smelled the JS
I have heard the Joan Crawford quote before and I love it. Remember Will and Grace and Grace’s “I told you so dance”……….. I wear my vintage Tabu out once in a while. In winter, I spray it on a long knit scarf and it gently wafts around me and trails behind me. I’m glad you like/love it too.
Oh, I love it. I wish it was still out there.
Happy Belated Birthday Tom! Loved hearing your reactions to the vintage formulations of Tabu. That stuff sounds scary strong! I had never heard that Joan Crawford quotation: so funny!!
I wouldn’t say scary strong- just strong enough. It’s just wild what they could get away with back in the day.
Ooooh it sounds fabulous! And much more like it should smell, given the whole advertising message. LOL’ing about the Rock Hudson quip…
It is a funny quip- not sure it’s actually true. I was in a book I read and those books can be, shall we just say, inflated?
Happy belated birthday! Nice collage. The woman who owns the bakery I love in next village over has a mid green Porsche. It is a thing of beauty even though I generally think Porsches should be black, silver or grey (I’m boring that way). You’ve made me want to start trawling the local charity shops to see what surprises might pop up perfume wise.
Thanks! I actually don’t really have a desire for a Porsche (I would much prefer a vintage Mercedes SL so I could pretend to be Richard Gere in “American Gigolo”) but it fit in with the “P” theme and was there in my faceplace feed..
HAPPY BIRTHDAY sexy pants!
Tabu is worn by one of my fave trivia players. She wears loads of it and smells fantastic.
I have an old bottle but when I wear it usually choose the modern, it’s less va va voom and more powdery amber on me.
Also, I love the shower gel. It’s a soft focus reimagining of the original.
Portia xx
I think normally I would choose the modern one. The vintage is crazy good, but it’s also crazy.