By the Gang
I hope it’s Spring wherever you are, my dearests. To the north, there are daffodils struggling in the slushy snow. Where I am, in the lower GI of Illinois, it’s Spring, alrighty, with temps swinging from 38 to 84 then down to the 50s with tornadoes. Ah, Spring – the Bipolar Season(s)…
But Musette digresses, as usual. It’s time for the Top 10 of Spring though I’m not feeling it right now, as I sit shivering in my flannels and fleece, praying that Glinda doesn’t have plans for me. I’ve been craving Big White Flowers, Big Pink Flowers. Big Flowers. Little white flowers. Lots of love for Diorissimo. Nothing says spring quite like Roudnitska’s Easter bonnet of Perfection. Little known fact about Diorissimo: it is a great weight-loss aid. It is impossible to eat a Mallomar whilst wearing Diorissimo. I know! I’ve tried, many times. How can something so soft and simple be so sublimely elegant? If you don’t know the vintage, don’t despair. The contemp’s not quite the same but it’s still beautiful, 55 years later.
This last month has been some really freaky weather – blasting, Santa Ana-type winds and the barometric pressure wielding a sledgehammer to my sinuses…I have been choking the life out of everybody with Fracas. Vintage. Contemporary. Shower gel. Body lotion. Dusting powder (vintage, with the pink feather puff). All at once. Go ‘head. Say sumpin’ I dare you …Fracas has a big sprayer and she’s not afraid to use it!
March says: it’s the topsy-turvy weather of spring that’s both delightful and annoying, although I’m not complaining, since the midwest has been slammed by terrible weather recently. Anyhow, from my regular stable of go-to scents, I’ve been drawn to two ends of the spectrum: the bitter-green-citrus Annick Goutals Eau de Ciel and Eau du Sud, both of which are designed for bike-riding and kite-flying on windy spring days, or perhaps a walk along the beach while it’s still too cold to swim. They smell pretty great in summer, too. On the other hand, I’m still wearing and loving my Majmua Attar, which I mix up with jojoba oil in small batches. It’s such a foreign-place smell, it reminds me of our trip to Thailand. I noticed recently that Tigerflag, where I got these attars, has closed down, but I think White Lotus has them. Any of you attar freaks, feel free to recommend another source. I’ve heard that some of the cheap-cheap ones aren’t authentic, but don’t know that for sure.
Tom sez: Since spring has sprung I find myself reaching for some of the lighter fragrances in my stash- for day Commes des Garçons Series 1 Lily, a grassy Lily of the Valley that’s almost oversaturated with technicolor summeriness. For evening I’ve been going back to an old favorite that people don’t mention much anymore L’Antimatiere by LezNez, which dances between clean and carnal and is as comforting as wearing your boyfriend’s cashmere sweater, after.
Patty says: Complete dittoes on Diorissimo and all Lily of the Valley scents, including the Van Cleef Muguet Blanc that has a more frozen cold approach, which works so well while spring is flirting between winter and warm and I keep doing the OpentheWindow/ClosetheWindow daily shuffle, either too cold or too hot. And my Daphne out in front of my house that everyone gets so tired of hearing about every year. The good news is, I’m getting a Linden tree for my front yard, so I’ll add that to my springtime smell yammering.
Nava says: I’m obsessed with finding an air conditioner to fit the casement window of my apartment. That said, I’m forgoing spring this year and preparing for summer; even though as of yesterday, the heat is still pumping in this frickin’ building. In the meantime, I’m quite content with Peace Love and Juicy Couture, which features the lemon note I’m so into lately, along with some honeysuckle, linden and a bit of musk. When I reviewed it, I said it reminded me of Cristalle. That was in cold weather. Now that it’s warmer, the scent is standing on its own a bit more. Plus, I totally dig that bottle. My other go-to (which I am running out of) is Givenchy’s Ange ou Demon Le Secret. How can you go wrong with cranberry, green tea, citrus and jasmine?
For more Top Ten lists, please visit Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc, Now Smell This, and Perfume-Smellin’ Things.
