By Ann

It’s raining cats and dogs here, and although we need it, it makes for cold, dreary afternoons and evenings. So I rambled through my perfume drawers (that sounded kinda funny, didn’t it?) to see what I could find.

I decided to cozy up to some warm and fuzzy ambers, including Ambre Sultan, Ambre Fetiche and my new sample of Ambre Orient — all lovely. And you know what? They really helped to take the chill off, literally and figuratively. Paired with a nice cup of tea and a good book, and I nearly forgot that the weather outside was a bit frightful.

What’s your favorite scent for a rainy day?

Photo from flickr

By Ann

 Ah, tomorrow’s the big red  heart day. Everyone ready? I’m sending perfumed hugs out to all of you lovely Posse peeps.

 In lieu of a perfume-centric post, I’m going with something (nearly) equally dear to my heart — lipstick. I don’t wear much makeup these day, except for special occasions, but I do love  a great lipstick, preferably in red. I tend to look best in hues within the blue-red family, deep burgandies or plums and even those with a hint of brown. Orange-based reds are a no-no for me, although I’ve seen some gorgeous shades in it that I wish I could pull off. And I envy all of you who can wear those lovely pale pinks, peaches, beiges and nude lips.

 My all-time favorite (sadly discontinued) is Estee Lauder’s Perfect Silent Red — the best drop-dead glamorous red (on me) I’ve ever found. Other faves (also discontinued) are Chanel’s Shanghai Red and Laura Mercier’s gloss stick in Fuchsia (not so much a hot pink as a very vibrant blue-red), that’s amazing with spring and summer brights. I wised up and bought back-ups on that one.

 Lipstick loves of mine that are still available include Lover and Fatale by Chanel and Clinique’s Butter Shine Lipstick in Cranberry Cream. Next time I’m in the big city, I’m looking forward to playing with Chanel’s newish line of matte lipsticks; several of those sound right up my alley.

 So share with me: What shade of red (or pink or whatever) will you be wearing for Feb. 14? And what are your top lipstick picks? P.S. Inquiring minds want to know if any of you have found a product that really helps stop lipstick bleed and those annoying vertical lip lines that occur as we  get older. Thanks!

By Ann

OK, with Swapmania close to being history, how about we take a little break from the ‘fumey stuff (and all that decanting, packing and mailing) and go in a new direction.

I was poking around on eBay, imdb dot com and Netflix the other day and happened upon some of my favorite old romantic movies that I hadn’t seen in a while. And since Valentine’s Day is next week, I thought, why not go with it?

My picks are fairly recent (from the ’80s on), but I know many of you will have older gems to recommend, so I’m looking forward to those.

My No. 1 is the Merchant-Ivory classic “A Room With a View.” Such a beautiful, lush film with so many great names in it, wonderful music, and it’s got a perfume named after it (CB I Hate Perfume ARWV), so a winner all the way around. And that poppy field smooch (see photo) has got to be one of the best movie kisses ever.

“The Scarlet Pimpernel” (1982) with Jane Seymour and Anthony Andrews. Great foppish fun, swashbuckling adventure and gorgeous scenery and costumes — what’s not to like? There are many versions of this out there, including the great 1934 film with Leslie Howard, but  I saw this one first and it’s remained my favorite.

Another British-set film I’m fond of is “The Very Thought of You” (1998) with the broodingly handsome Joseph Fiennes paired with darling American Monica Potter.

And Steve Guttenberg, Jami Gertz and Shelly Long are adorably quirky (in my opinion) in the 1990 male-makeover comedy “The Boyfriend School” (previously titled “Don’t Tell Her It’s Me”).  Many have dubbed it hokey (and I guess in a way it is), but it’s a charmer all the same, and reminds me of the importance of looking beyond appearances.

Oops, almost forgot, I do have one “older” film: “Some Like It Hot.” Can’t go wrong with this one and its wonderful cast — screwball comedy at its best!

What flicks are your tried-and-true favorites, the ones you put on when you’re feeling blue, need a lift or just want to veg out and laugh?

Photo from film reference dot com

By Ann

First off, congrats to the winners of the Dahlia Noir samples: dinazad, Madea, Austenfan and Elizabeth C. Drop Musette an e-mail at her gmail addy evilauntieanita  AT

Now that we’re well into the dangerous time of year for ice and snow in the South (much of our worst weather has come January-March), it prompted me to think about mishaps on slick or icy patches.

Even at my best, I have a natural inclination toward clumsiness. Perhaps it’s because I have too much on my mind and I’m not as aware as I should be of my surroundings. That tendency, paired with skin that bruises if you look at it too hard, makes me a prime candidate for a full-length padded body suit, as soon as someone creates one that’s practical.

One of my worst incidents, a few years back, was especially embarrassing. Coming back from the mailbox, I slipped on some icy slush at the edge of the garage, fell down, hit my browbone on my son’s scooter handle and passed out. I wound up with a whopper of a black eye and what I can only call a kaleidoscopic knee:  Each day showed off yet another intense hue on the bruise color wheel. That I covered up with pants, but the eye — well, all I can say is thank goodness for heavy-duty concealer and dark purple eyeshadow (to help make my good eye match my bruised one). It wasn’t foolproof, but it passed muster upon casual observation and helped keep the stares to a minimum. I must have looked like a goofy middle-aged woman in dire need of a makeup lesson. Poor hubby, understandably, was a bit reluctant to go anywhere with me for fear of the dirty looks he was likely to get.

Then last summer, I fell at the beach, slipping down on a rain-slick ramp in the condo parking garage. Didn’t pass out that time, but both my behind and my pride got a good bruising.

Now, you might be thinking, “Good grief! What on earth does her rambling have to do with fragrance?” Well, fear not, I’m getting to it.

A few years ago on one of my annual late spring trips (pre-unemployment, naturally) to my beloved San Francisco, I headed over to the lovely Chanel boutique on Maiden Lane. I walked in the store, so quiet and serene, almost reverential, exuding luxury from every square inch. I headed across the plush ivory carpet, past the to-die-for handbags and down the stairs to the fragrance and cosmetics area, where I could see the glorious glass bottles of the Les Exclusifs on display.

Almost there and  then — whoops! I completely miss the last step and go crashing down on my derriere. This, of course, not only knocks the wind out of me, but also mortifies me beyond belief. I’m praying the earth will open up and swallow me, because almost instantly I’m surrounded by security guards, multiple sales associates and the store manager. Turns out I wasn’t hurt, just shaken up, and I got back on my feet as quickly as I could. I assured them that I was all right and got the crowd to disperse as I limped over to the fragrance counter. There I was most attentively helped and given a good selection of samples. So in the end, my humiliation ended fairly well, save for a few days of bruising and soreness. But I might consider donning a disguise were I to visit again.

Anyhoo, what’s been your most embarrassing moment, perfume-wise?

 By Ann

 With our Posse swap coming up next month, I’ve been poking through my collection, seeing what I have accumulated and (attempting) to decide what to keep and what can go.

 As I was taking inventory — sort of — my mind wandered over to what I’d really love to add this year, perfume-wise. Still can’t afford much, so I was thinking that I should scrimp and save for months, buy just one fantastic bottle and call it a year. Just not sure I can do it, though, as it would sorely hamper my love of sampling new scents, despite my New Year’s resolution to curb that impulse. My limited budget tells me I can’t have it both ways, unfortunately.

 If you had asked me  a year or so ago what I really wanted most, I would have said Amouage’s Memoir for Women. I thought I had to have a bottle, but never was able to take the plunge.  I haven’t worn it for quite some time so I put some on today, and although it’s still wonderful, it’s no longer the object of desire that it once was. Isn’t it funny how cravings come and go?

 I’m still loving several of the Le Labo city exclusives  and hope to add a bit more to my decants and samples of those,  but I can live without a full bottle until the next time Luckyscent offers them all for sale (that is, if I’ve been good about saving).

 Right now, what I’m most jonesing for is more of Byredo’s Gypsy Water, its body products, and their new Seven Veils (which Musette  also liked and wrote about recently). Not necessarily full bottles, but more to test-drive them a while longer.

 So what about you? What singular bottle are you planning (or desperately wishing) to acquire this year? Or maybe you’ve already gotten it …