Whew!  2011 is nearly over and I still don’t have my Escape limo and I have NO idea where Woody Harrelson is right now.   Better hustle!!!  But – we still have a few days so let’s take a look back at the  best/worst/most intriguing of 2011.  Most of this will be perfume, as it is The Perfume Posse, not Anita’s Playpen…but save room for a couple of weird inclusions, just because I Am In That Kinda Mood.  We are also not limiting this list (or your comments) to stuff brought forth in 2011 – rather, we’re interested in what piqued your interest this past year – some may have transported you with delight, some might’ve brought up your lunch!  Ya nebber know.

So, without further ado, here’s what grabbed us in 2011.

Anita’s picks:

Cartier les Heurres Fougueuse.  I fell in love with this the moment I sniffed it.  Then, inexplicably, I fell OUT of love with it – I think I got scared.  Then I just…gave in.  And swooned as over the course of the year it wrapped its honeyed, monied silken tendrils of sun-kissed hay around my soul….sigh.  Oh, Mathilde…..every time I wear this my step lightens just a little.. Liz Zorn Centennial.  This is an offshoot of her Historical Chypre, which I fell in love with (and bought nearly every drop she had) during the Chicocoa Scentsation.  The perfect peachy chypre, it is the essence of everything I love about Liz’s work;  I’m praying she brings it back soon. Chanel Coco (the original).  Blame March.  I wondered what y’all were yarking on about.  Now I know.  Amouage Epic Bath Gel and Body Creme. (not too far behind on this one, right?   I know it’s a 2009 but I wasn’t able to make it to the Dubai launch -previous plans, don’tcha know…)…anyhoo, 2011 made it New To Musette.   I just might make it through the winter (and the coming Apocalypse) with this.  I’m going to have to send my water bills to Christopher Chong, though.  Or His Majesty.  Whichever one is most likely to pay.

Alahine.  Epic FAIL.  Can you believe it?  Neither can I.  I waited 2 years to sniff that and when I did……..nothing.  I mean, it’s nice.  But what in the hell are you people smelling that transports you so?  March can’t even SPELL it, she is so in love.  She’s all ‘Alahiiiiiiiine’.  Wish I could have what she’s having.  sigh.

BestChowDiscoveries: Trader Joe’s Chicken Shu Mai.  For all I know these are made with chicken feet and beaks.  But isn’t that the best part? Sonoma Farm (from Chicago, go figure) Hot Pickled Garlic (that’s not what it’s called but that’s what it is ).   The website is seemingly gone and their stuff is hard to find (and when you do, at Food Fairs, etc, well, let’s just say they are not Good With the Publick.  But!  these (and the Brussels Sprouts) are worth the slog. Perfect in everything and yummy alone.  But I suggest you actually BE alone when you eat this stuff.  You will be comin’ in HOT for awhile…

Movies:  I hate going to the movies so I’m usually months behind everybody else.  And I admit to being Cranky Old Bat about the sheer volume of crap that gets released every month – there must be a whole lotta money needs launderin’, is allz I got to say (don’t believe me?  take a look at this 2011 list  (and I’m not even that fussy – I love blow’emups and Tony Scott!).  I did brave the plex for Contagion.   3 of us in the theatre.  Hey, I could get used to that!  El O hated the movie.  I thought it was quietly horrifying.  I also finally got around to The King’s Speech - hey I said I was behind! Why didn’t the gen pop like this film?  I think Geoffrey Rush could read the phone book and I would be entranced.   The funny, touching scene with him and Colin Firth when Lionel parks himself in St. Edward’s Chair…  Pitch-perfect.

March says: I went back and looked at the release dates of new-ish perfumes I enjoyed, and … they all came out in 2010.  So this year has been kind of a dud for me, in terms of new releases.  The one exception is Bottega Veneta, a less-powdery alternative to the new iteration of Cuir de Lancome, if you like the smell of expensive handbags.  Mostly I’ve been enjoying old favorites gathering dust in my collection, including Alahine, Jubilation 25, Coco, Tauer Orris, and Lutens’ Fleurs de Oranger.  I can think of worse things.  Anita sez:  that’s Alahiiiine! to you, li’l Missy.

Patty chimes in: This has been a weirdly great year for me in finding new loves.  From Prada Candy to the new JAR Bed of Roses, to Flowerbomb Extrait to a never-smelled bottle of the now-discontinued Lorenzo Villoresi Ylang-Ylang I found in my closet (yes, everyone should have closets like mine where you find a box full of perfume you forgot you had) that has sent me to the moon (um, see yesterday’s post for histrionics over this), it’s been a mixed bag of great smells.

I still love Bertrand Duchafour because he’s prolific and great, and I know for a fact there is more great stuff coming in 2012, so he gets my vote for Perfumer of the Year? Decade?  Oh, wait, we are two years in a new decade, it’s too early.

Ann’s Picks:

MDCI’s La Belle Helene: Up until this baby, no way,  no how was I ever going into pear territory again. Annick Goutal’s Petite Cherie went sour on me in record time and too many cheap pear body products left me shuddering. Until a sweet Posse swapper sent me a sample of La Belle, and one day, feeling brave, I said, “Oh, what the heck!” and put it on. Wowza! Now this is a pear I can wear. On me, it starts out a little bright, but true to the fruit,  and later, deepens, getting burnished down to a slightly gourmand (is that chocolate I smell?) soft oriental. It has a touchable, almost suedelike vibe to it, not unlike SL’s Daim Blond. It’s almost as if her gloves got left behind in the pear orchard, instead of atop a bushel basket of apricots.

Maison Martin Margiela Untitled: The fashion minimalist in me (I’ve always loved designers such as Zoran and Ronaldus Shamask) coveted this cool, paint-dipped bottle long before I had a chance to sniff the juice. And what lovely green juice it is: A hit of bitter green galbanum a la Cristalle segues beautifully into some musky, almost smoky incense, and thankfully, not an ashtray in sight.

Parfumerie Generale’s Indochine: This has turned out to be one of my favorite comfort “blankies” this winter. It reminds me a bit of Kenzo’s Amour (perhaps the thanaka wood that both share) but to my nose, the PG is richer, more creamy, dreamy and woody. This in a body cream would be nothing short of heaven in a jar. Its stablemate, Cadjmere, is another fave, although it gets a little cheeky with me if I do more than dab it.

Bottega Veneta: This lovely is helping to make a leather lover  out of me, despite my earlier misgivings about the note. BV’s easy elegance just coos quiet sophistication and makes me feel like a million bucks. And it doesn’t hurt that the bottle’s a thing of beauty. Now, if we can just get our hands on some MPG’s Cuir Fetiche to try …

And here’s a wonderful scentiment   from Tom, which we all share!!!

I’m doing my “best of” scent-wise on PST, so I’ll content myself with with celebrating a different best here: YOU GUYS!  That’s right!  I want to toast all of you out there, fellow bloggers, commenters and readers.  In the last several years of blogging, reading, learning and meeting people I can honestly state that I have never met a more warm, funny, intelligent and giving group of people.  YOU are the best of 2011 or any other year and I wish you all the best in the future.

For more looks back at 2011 please visit  Perfume-Smellin’ Things, Bois de Jasmin, Now Smell This and Grain de Musc.

March is knee-deep in family stuff (all garden-variety, no Drama – but you know how those days go)…so it’s meeeee!  your sweetpatootieMusette, back for another day!

Hey!  Whereyagoin?  GET BACK HERE!

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!  The cookies! The tree! The Hanukkah candles! Fruitcake! The Cheesy Music (you know you love it!  I’m bustin’ out the Carpenters in a few minutes!)

And the Presents!  Every year, I indulge in this Give/Get-Hi/Low Fantasy.  The extravagance depends much upon the state of my simoleans but no matter what, it’s a fun game.  This year I only did  a couple of ‘gets’ because…well, I’m still struggling with the square footage of this house – and anytime you’ve lost several pairs of Beverly Feldman shoes (in a box somewhere, in storage.  Somewhere).  well, you have Too Much Stuff.   Except diamonds.  One can never have too many diamonds.  And if one can, I’m certainly willing to be the guinea pig for that particular experiment.

But for this post I’m focused on the ‘Gives”.   Here are a couple:
Scented (non-Perfume) Gifts:

High:  Frederic Malle Candles.  I would probably stick with 1er Mai because I love it so and it’s an easy one for non-perfumistas to ‘get’.  For my more avant-gardes?  Coffee Society, with that indefinable smell of energy, elegance and culture. Low:   Custom-made diffuser blends (with the sticks and everything) and easier to do than you might think.

Bath Stuff I would love to give or get:   High:  Amouage Epic and Jubliation 25 bath gel and body cremes.  Need I say more?  Low: Pacifica Persian Rose (for March) and Malibu Lemon Blossom Body Washes – they’re really nicely done and at $10 a pop…c’mon!   I haven’t tried their body butters yet but the Tibetan Mountain Temple sounds divine.   I might use that Persian Rose to amp up the rose in Tribute, since Christopher Chong doesn’t love me enough to make a Tribute cream <sob!>

Foodstuff: High:  Pierre Herme Macarons for all my macaron freaky-friends (I prefer sables meself).  Low: Pierre Herme Macaron cookbook.  Especially if you’ve got a mean streak. Another great ‘low’ : homemade nut brittle.   I’ve been making this since the recipe first came  out in 2007 here    You’re welcome.

Books:  High: Michael Edwards Fragrances of the World 2011 edition.  What a beautiful, informative book !  Low:  Posh Crossword Puzzle books.  Addictive.  And you can throw them in the smallest handbag!  They have number-y versions as well (I think that’s what Sodoku is, isn’t it?  It has numbers which means I try to avoid it, when I can…but my sister loves those!  She actually took an accounting course – for fun!  Weirdo.

So what are your wants to give?  To get?  Are you giving perfume this year?  Books?   Something over the top?   El O wants this diesel extended-cab pickup truck.    Yah.  I’ll get right on that!

by  Who Loves a Good Blade, Baby!

….I never liked the story of Madame Butterfly.  It’s a beautiful opera and I understand the elemental idea and emotion but, given what type of emotion usually grips me, while everyone else is sniffling I’m sitting there, ruining my dental work and rooting for Cio-Cio San to plunge that blade into Pinkerton’s guts.  Friends no longer offer to accompany me to that opera. “We’ll wait for a Wagner”, they say …”or Medea”.  “much more you”

So it’s fitting that I missed Every Single Aspect of the romance that is in Honour Woman.  I’d read the glorious copy on Luckyscent and was very excited to try it – the notes!  The Notes! Pepper, rhubarb, coriander, jasmine, tuberose, gardenia, lily of the valley, carnation, vetiver, frankincense, amber, opoponax, leather !!!

SO right for my nose, my skin, my very being….

so, so wrong.

What I got was so far removed from any of those notes, save rhubarb (maybe) that for a minute I thought I’d maybe gotten a counterfeit sample.  On me, it smelled like a constipated frog burping up canteloupe.  Loving the Omani House as  I do, I was ….well, I’m not sure what I was.  Shocked, stunned?   Terrified?  Had I lost my True New Love?  Well, no.  After all, there is still Epic.  Tribute. Jubilation. Lyric.  Life can go on.

Turns out, Honour Just Isn’t Me.   But!  Read on…

After a last, desperate, failed attempt to get what the Luckyscent folks were jammering on about I took an opportunity to try it on two other people during one of my Saturdays Francine.  Mohammed, who introduced me to the Amouage line when it was at Nordstrom and  Miss Francine herself.

Well!  Finally!  It was lovely on Francine – I got hints of the jasmine and tuberose, with a slight undercurrent of the frankincense and a touch of the oppop.  It was lovely,.  A little melon-y on her, no frog.  But it was on Mohammed that Honour Woman lifted her rice-powdered face and belted out her beautiful aria.    The burping frog turned into a full-throated gardenia diva – and the slight blue cheese accord ( heavy-duty on me and, along with the rhubarb, is where I think I get the canteloupe-eating frog bits) well, it provides an interesting support for the lotv and the tuberose.   I still didn’t get the leather but I didn’t miss it – the frankincense is so beautiful in this (as it is in all Amouages) that it builds a sterling silver base for all those rich white flowers.  For all that, this isn’t a heavy scent at all – it is true to the more minimal aspects of Japanese-inspired perfumery – and there is an aquatic element in there as well – but on the right skin this is a shimmering, luminescent floral.   On others I could smell the romance.   Alas, for a woman like me who carries a jeweled stiletto in her evening bag, it’s not meant to be.

Honour Man is interesting.  I have not read Christopher Chong’s actual  brief  but the intriguing Luckyscent copy allows me to give my vengeful mien (and that dagger) free rein.    Yeah, like you didn’t know that was coming! .  Pink pepper, black pepper, geranium, elemi, nutmeg, patchouli, frankincense, cedarwood, vetiver, tonka bean, musk makes it a beefier, glammier Poive Samarcande.  I get traces of Epic, too, but  there’s a slicier/greenier edge to it (I think it’s the elemi, which is a turps-like resin – as if I lit a pine candle in my studio).  All in all, I see Honour Man as its own master – and I have high hopes for the son of Cio-Cio San…but which direction will his Honour take him?

Even though Honour is not for me, maybe it is for you!  Let’s see, shall we?   Drop a comment, tell me a story.  Do you cry with Poor Butterfly or do you give way to your Inner Ninja?  What are your hopes vis a vis the notes? Does M. Chong envision the son of Cio-Cio San returning to Japan in Zen fashion or does he go all Benihana in Bakersfield….the choices are endless.  Anyhoo, I will ask Pick to hit ‘enter’ on random.org once again and the winner will receive a carded sample each of Honour Woman and Honour Man.  Winner will be chosen on Friday am, announced next Tuesday.

xooxox Musette, who does NOT own that blade, alas.   It’s courtesy carters.com  oh, well…it’s a tad too big for evening anyway…

Amouage Honour samples courtesy Amouage

Winner Alert:  Cuir Fetich sample winner is……..Mrs Honey!!!  drop a line at ‘contact us’ with your deets (and please remind us what you won).  thanks!

Unless you live on Jupiter and only get intermittent internet signal, you know that I am still having some issues with living at the back of the back of beyond.  This is mitigated, somewhat, by my occasional Saturday forays back to Chicago.  Two weeks ago I leapt aboard the train and went to do a Mag Mile stroll with my darling Miss Francine.  Lots of stops, including Chanel  and over the next couple of posts I will tell you allllll about some new stuff I sampled and sniffed.

The Universe was on my side that Saturday.  Starting out frosty, it quickly warmed up to the mid-60s, which made strolling an absolute delight.  We met at Nordie’s, where I got to sample the Bottega Veneta everybody’s been raving about (more on that in another post, I have to take my time with that subtle one)…I also sampled Prada Candy and……..I still feel like the Nerd Girl at the Cool Party.  I can’t ‘get it’ because I CAN’T SMELL IT!  sur-prize!  I have yet to find a Prada I can get more than a faint ‘scent-over-alcohol’ smell from.

Prada Hates Me.  Who cares?  I Love Kilian. 

We went to SFA to yakk with Rosie – and smooch the Kilians.  Francine hadn’t spent a lot of time with them so it was fun to watch her reactions. I think she fell in love with Straight to Heaven , though knowing her perfume tastes I am thinking it might have been A Taste of Heaven. – it was one of the Heavens, that much I do remember (I’m OLD).   I always forget that Kilian has two gorgeous Ouds, confusing them with the Tom Fords which reside cheek by jowl against the Kilian display.  Saks’s perfume counter is abysmal, banished to the back of the section like a smelly old dog.    Anyway, I stumbled back upon Rose Oud.…I have no idea why I keep glossing over this scent.  It combines two of my favorite scent families, rose and a soft, dark oud accord – I don’t know if you remember my summer experiment where I combined Amouage Tribute Attar with Rosine Poussiere de Rosine for the Hog Roast at the nursing home….this is similar, but without the ashy accord (which I love to distraction, btw).  This is much lighter and just beautiful.  In a ‘pretty’ way.   I find myself embarrassed to describe it thus because somehow ‘pretty’ has become almost anathema in the lexicon of Serious Perfumery.  It’s okay to be ‘daring’ or ‘challenging’ or ‘intriguing’ – why not ‘pretty’?  Tribute is GORGEOUS but it can be challenging and, in some situations, requires some explanation.  Sometimes I just want to smell beautiful, in a pretty way.  Just like this.

Rose Oud is, by far, my personal win of the Kilians, with Incense Oud  in for the place.  Both of those gorgeous beauties are done by the ultra-fabulous Calice Becker.  I applaud that she didn’t crush the rose notes under a whole lotta lotta, y’know?  Rose gets short shrift sometimes, just like ‘pretty’ – for example, the Rosines are often dismissed because of their lack of darkness and complexity – but I am going to come right out and say that I LIKE a sunny rose now and again.  Yeah, they’re not over-nuanced but there’s a place for them.  Rose Oud isn’t ‘sunny’ by a long shot – rather, it’s a glowing, faceted opal of a scent, with the roses and spices weaving and winkling around each other, forming a shining veil, luminous sunlight through stained glass.   It is complex without trumpeting its complexity like a fedora on a 14 yr old boy.

I’m not in the market for a full bottle of Rose Oud because my lottery ticket has not been verified just yet but when I am I won’t be getting it in the justintimefortheholidays glamazon Swarovski crystal limited-edition bottle – as magpie as I am, I can’t love the embellished Kilian bottles.  They feel ‘bedazzled’ to me, like someone hung a Juicy Couture charm on a vintage bottle of No 5 perfume.     The standard Kilian black bottles are elegant, classic – and good enough for me.  You may feel otherwise and that’s okay – diff’rent strokes!
But I thought you might like to see it anyway.  That’s it up there.

Notes for Rose Oud are: Turkish rose, oud, saffron, cardamom

Photo courtesy shopstyle.com

SURPRISE!! If you slogged through all that, there is a halfway-decent reward.  This charming young man at the Killian counter gave me this charming little box with 5 charming Kilian samples, including Rose Oud.  I’m giving it away because I am Just That Kinda Gal.  To enter, just let me know which Kilian is your favorite  – or which one you have always wanted to try, or how you feel about the LE bottles v. the regular ones, or what you’re having for Thanksgiving dinner, because I am Just That Nosy.   Giveaway will be open until Friday, November 25.   Winner will be announced next Tuesday.

by Musette the Anxious

 Since the ‘publish’ thingydoodle boogered up the schedule, we are going to continue this chat through Monday!

I have been in a state of high anxiety for a LONG time – and most of it is my fault (well, being in a business-challenged state isn’t – well, it is but only partly my fault...oh shut up and get ON with it already!)  Anyhoo, a big reason my anxiety is super-ramped is that I have not been painting.  In fact, I haven’t been doing much of anything except scrambling to build our business (relatively successful) and trying to walk at lunchtime/early evenings (before the zombies come out) to keep my stress levels down (only mildly successful on the stress thingy).

I woke up at 5am this morning with an epiphany:  I have to paint if I am to survive.  Yes,  I love Bear Boring and am very proud of what I have accomplished, wrestling this business into being from the ground up.  But when all is said and done, in order for me to breathe normally I have to continue painting.  March told me to stop sobbing in my soup and PAINT.  Besides – you wanna talk smellgasmic?  You get me around some Archival oils and linseed.  oh, yum!

So I just came down from my ramshackle studio, where I was throwing away packing boxes and putting away suitcases, etc – yes, it had turned into a storage room – Call A&E!  I’m not quite done but I set an alarm for 2 1-hour stints.  It’s 10×10 – maybe- and the goal here is to make it so I can get to the easel and get back to work.  Will let you know how that second hour goes.  My goal is to have a canvas on the easel by 5pm and at least a dab of paint lurking somewhere near. wish me luck!

(this is my studio, pre-clean.  Shameful.  Just shaaaaameful)

During the declutter I rewound some odd body product/scent pairings.  Some of them were on purpose and a couple were accidental.  I will share them with you now, you lucky Posse.  Warning:  some of these might bring up your breakfast.  Proceed with caution.

The Good:

This one was totally accidental.  I took a shower in the vaunted Amouage Epic.  Layered a bit of the body lotion (every bit as smellolicious as the cream, btw)…and then absently grabbed the wrong sample and spritzed Opus V from the Library Collection!  Quel horror!??  Uh, not really.  I’d worn Opus V once or twice and was a bit mystified – It’s almost-luxe and because I equate Amouage with luxe before anything else I was having trouble with this one.   LOTS of orris.  a little bit of rose.  I totally missed the civet.  And the dry wood?  On its own perfume merits, I barely noticed it.

However, when paired with the Epic lotion, it really sings – in fact, I like the combo better than an all-Epic menu.  The orris and frankincense (and maybe just a touch of the sandalwood) boost the base notes of Opus V and give it the heft I have come to expect from Amouage.  Possibly not what it was designed for but hey!  It’s Amouage!  Go Big!

The Bad:

I decided to do some experimenting with complementary scents, forgetting that I don’t have a clue in class what I’m doing.  Witness:  Fracas bath and body products.  Paired with Henri Bendel Jasmine and Tuberose Body Cream (you wanna talk room-clearing?   I could clear Wrigley Field with this!)….then, hey!  Tuberose has ‘rose’ in it, right?  RIGHT?  So why not try  Rose d’Homme (Rosine).  Why not set my hair on fire while I’m at it!  The lavender-vetiver base, so lovely in that scent, went headlong into war with the buttery-oily tuberose…and got stomped into a gooey mess.   It smelled like Godzilla had eaten an entire field in Grasse (rose harvesters and all) and then threw up in yet another field, burying the lavender harvesters in his vomitous sludge.  Other than that, it was okay.

The Uuuuuugly:

There are so many in this group – but the funniest of the Uglies are accidental (the on-purpose pairings are just scary).  Accidental one:  This was awhile back but is seared into my memory.  Some cheap Taylor of London Muguet  body wash and body lotion (in itself not the worst thing in the world – I was intending to augment the decidedly-thin Coty Muguet)…then the phone rang and my sister was having DRAMA!  I grabbed…..(I swear to Floyd I am not making this up) my go-to:  Mitsouko.  Contemporary Mitsouko.  Do y’all remember Meryl Streep in ‘Death Becomes Her’?

yeah.  Just. Like. That

On purpose (but Just As Ugly):  I am having trouble with Amouage Honour (more on that later) – but there was this note I thought I should maybe/could maybe amp – so I paired it with Calyx ancillaries.  In another review I will explain why this actually works in theory – sort of (okay NOT.  but the ‘idea’ isn’t as offbeat as you might imagine).  In reality, though, it could’ve given ol Maddy up there a lurch for her money!

There are many more but I’m sick of embarrassing myself.  Time for y’all to fess up.  Your Goods.  Your Bads.  Your Uglies/Funnies.

post-Hoarder – at least I can reach the easel!

Clint/Lee Marvin photo: Paint Your Wagon

Streep photo:  filmweb.pl