Hey, it’s spring, and my allergies are running wild thrugh the upper half of my head, which is just superfun. So I can’t smell a thing, unless it is strong things or bad things.
I did get curious when Jessica Simpson’s Fancy got nominated for both a CEW and Fifi award for 2009 and decided to sniff it this week. Well, it comes through loud and clear through inflamed, irritated and otherwise nonworking nasal passage. It’s sweet and fierce. Not something you want to wear if you’re unwilling to let your scent make a statement about you.
Though, I gotta say, there’s something kind of fetching about Fancy. It’s too sweet, but it falls into that weird pit of things that enchant me just because they’re something I’d never wear now, but there was a time in my youth when I would have happily worn this once or twice before, inevitably, I wore it to a kegger, got sick, and every time I smelled it after that, I’d get nauseous. There’s just a sweet innoccence that surrounds it that is suited for a young woman who wants just that – a sweet, innocent perfume.
After reading Kevin’s review of the new Le Labo Oud 27 on Now Smell this, I am jonesin’ for this like my next Claritin. It’s an interesting choice to release it in spring.
Given the state of my nostrils and my impending short trip that will include cowboy shooting competitions, that’s all I got for today, so tell me what you’re thinking you really need this spring/summer that’s not already in your perfume collection? Can be something new or that’s been around a while.
Just had a little brain wave (the first of the day) and a few lemmings floated in through the fog: The Party in Manhattan and SL Nuit de Cellophane, Penhaligon’s Elixir and Shiseido White Rose.
Going to Paris in 2 weeks, where Le Labo Vanille 44 is calling my name… plan to sniff the Oud and maybe buy that too. Other than that, the only other things on my radar (and soon samples in my mail box) are Ubar, and the 2 latest MDCI’s.
Durnit! Just when I thought I had my purchase priorities straight someone had to go and ruin it by wafting some spendy pure oudh oil at me. Am now seriously considering spending $200 for 5 samples–itty bitty ones at that. Oh, and I need, want, cannot live any longer without some more SIP full bottles: Fair Verona and Tosca for me, Black Rosette for the SO (who woulda thunk it would smell so compelling on him?). And I may have to cave in and beg for a bell jar of El Attarine–I’ve been through 2 samples already. I still haven’t gotten that bottle of OJ Champaca either…I’m gonna go weep now for my poor beleagured wallet! T_T
Too late. I already sprang for that PdN Temps d’une Fete, and shall be splitting some Drama Nuui. Otherwise, whilst there are plenty I would be pleased to bring onboard, I’m really enjoying re-discovering things on hand. Am going through some sort of sniffer adjustment–perhaps what translates as allergies to some of you (sorry, all) becomes a change in perceptions for me. Wrote Musette a note yesterday about how my experience of Violets and Rainwater, for example, has undergone a fairly radical revision.
Patty, I hope you feel better soon! The trees here aren’t budding yet–and that seems to be what kicks my small-time allergies…flowering trees. But it’s such a pretty sight, I’m still eager for them to bloom. Silly me.
Chanel Les Exclusifs have been making their way to the top of my much-have list for the past year or so. Rue Cambon is definitely entering my wardrobe for spring. I’m thinking of La Pausa and Sycomore, too. Other than that, I feel like I have everything I need or want (too much, in fact…there’s much I could part with), which isn’t a bad place to be, I think. Nothing new has caught my eye (or nose) since Vanille Galante. I’m waiting eagerly for much warmer weather to wear that.
The snows are melting, the waters are running, and the lemmings are spawning. I am jumping on the LL Oud bandwagon with everyone else, and will confess to being the third co-conspirator on the Carnal Flower plot (see above). The Andy Tauer Rose Chyprée is exciting too, and I look forward to smelling it.
Also looking forward to sniffing: Amouage Ubar, the new MDCIs (which are at the post office waiting for me right now), Hilde Soliani Vecchi Rosetti, and the Caron ouds (but where are they available?)
On the “sniffed and must acquire someday list” are Chanel Sycomore and SL Rose de Nuit.
oh, duh, and also DelRae Mythique and Emotionelle.
My lemming/must-try list is relatively short right now, a relief given the state of my pocketbook. The only definite buy consists of splitting a travel pack of Carnal Flower. (See partner in crime’s post above). Need to sniff the new Andy Tauer, which I am sure will go on the buy list. And based on Kevin’s review yesterday, the Le Labo Oud sounds delish. I’m also craving a re-sniff of Le Labo Vetiver.
I agree with others that the price of the Oud makes a difference in whether I would actually buy it, but I do like that Le Labo has 15 ml sizes. And word is that Andy will do the same with his new scent! Perhaps others will follow this trend?
I’m a lemming free zone, strangely. Haven’t smelled anything new so far this year, as far as I can recall.
Hope the allergies ease hon!
I think special acknowledgement must be made whenever one lands in, and recognizes they are in, a lemming free zone. Enjoy the peace…and hoard those farthings…the times, they likely will be a changin’ ;).
Must sniff the new Hilde Solani series when at New London Pharmacy next week . Futur , being released by Piguet , a chypre
and the new Molinard , 160 . Also , for some reason , want to sniff the Aqabas , at Bendels .
The new MDCIs are burning a hole in my lemming too…
Ahhhh…New London…gotsta do it. In the words of the infernal Wolf Blitzer “Thanks for that!”
In addition to the oft-mentioned Homage That Shall Not Be Named on order at Luckyscent, I’m thinking that I’m finally gonna have to spring for a bell jar of Sarrasins, damn it all to hell, and definitely the Rose Chypree, but being here in Posseville has really gotten my tiny brain wheels in a whirl and every day the list careens more and more out of control. Plus, this ain’t some spread in Texas the size of some small European duchy, it is a tiny shoebox in the Duchy of Manhattan, so one must be discriminating even in her choice of samples and decants. But my collection is not as large or as varied as many of yours and I am determined to expand my horizons a bit this time around.
Early spring (not the early spring of these cool days, I mean warm early spring) for me means Apres l’Ondee extrait and EDT, Bois de Violette and Un Lys as my three main squoze, with lots of other beautiful florals like Divine and de Nicolai’s Fete and vintage Violette Precieuse. But once we’re well into summer it’s damn the torpedoes, here comes the tuberose, primarily in the form of Carnal Flower and Criminalle (gimme, gimme that freaky accord). Iris is always somewhere in the summer mix, hence the Sarrasins purchase.
I also throw Amoreuse into the mix for both seasons — the boxwood haunts my dreams and I can’t wait till the weather is warm enough to wear it. And Missoni by Missoni for some fruity chocolate goodness, which will never top March’s “fresh sperm and cake” tour de force, but I’m promoting it as a serious contender nevertheless. I need a few spicy-middle-eastern selections along the lines of Chergui — maybe some of the Montales lie Oud Rose Petals or Oud Attar, Tauer marocaine — and some South of France lavender, Isle of Capri ideas as well. I love Jicky, but Jicky doesn’t love me.
What inevitably happens is that I reach for the Carnal Flower 7 days out of 10, and then let the kiddies present arguments each morning as to which one of them would be the best candidate given my mood and the task at hand.
I love iris, and I love Sarrasins. But I don’t get one bit of iris in Sarrasins. Just gorgeous jasmine and suede. I now have to find the iris in there!
Oh, no don’t! Did I say iris? Pay no attention to the idiot behind the typing 😉
I get hay fever, aka springtime allergies, too, and Claritin doesn’t do jack. In Canada there’s an OTC medicine called Reactine, the active ingredient of which is cetirizine hydrochloride, and it is MAGICAL. Hay fever, cat dander, these weird welts I get on my hands when I handle cheap Chinese cardboard shipping boxes at work: gone, all gone. I use the generic version, which is about half the price of the name brand. You can get it as Zyrtec in the U.S. (I just Googled it).
I reviewed that Jessica Simpson scent along with the newest Anna Sui (Night of Fancy) and Christina Aguilera (Inspire), and the Simpson was, to my shock, the best of the three by a considerable margin. It’s not great perfumery, god knows, but it’s pleasant and well-constructed and very appropriate for someone who likes that sort of thing–sweet and innocent (emphasis on the sweet, for sure) is exactly right.
Cetirizine does diddly squat for me, whereas loratidine is the shizzle. Funny how we all vary with drugstuff… :-~
Hell of a thing, isn’t it? I had to go through pretty much every medication on the market before I stumbled on Reactine. Nothing else, literally nothing, works, while cetirizine HCl does the trick every single time.
The only good thing about living in this part of Atlantic Canada is that spring starts late, so I won’t have hay fever until mid to late April.
What do I really need this spring, besides a new allergist? Hmm, I will join the crowd, and pick the Oud, and Andy’s Chypree.
I also am planning to split a travel pack of Carnal Flower, and would be very happy to buy a drop of #22 parfum.
Otherwise, just cheap thrills. I am really enjoying my new Ca Sent Beau, because it really does 😉
Will you be at Sniffa ? I will share my vial of #22 with you .
I will be there…and I’d love a smidgen…;)
{aaahhh} sniff one more time for me, ladies…
see ya there then , I’ll pt my samp in my suitcase !
will do , Shelley !
I want a ticket to NYC so I can go to that Mandy Aftel show thing at Bendel’s.
I consider my daily snort of Flonase a must year-round. I still get a sniffle here and there, but no full-blown attacks of pure misery like I used to have.
I MUST figure out a way to work a bottle of PG Drama Nuui into my poor pathetic budget. This and TDC Jasmin de Nuit are all I can stand to wear lately for some reason, probably that big final blow-up of hormones 🙁 I’ve got three bottle of JdN, but only a rapidly disappearing decant of Drama Nuui.
I’m a year-round Flonase snorter meesef. Thinking of looking into the Zyrtec now though based on pyramus’s comments. But Flonase does do the trick usually for the nasal stuff, and it doesn’t go into your bloodstream, just yer schnozz.
That not getting into the bloodstream is one of the selling points for me, especially since it’s a type of steroid 🙂 Been using it for ten years now!
OOOOh! another Drama Nuuuuuui lover! Yum! Come sit by me! I finally(!) broke down and got a FB after driving March insane (INSANE, I TELL YOU!x-w with all the ‘should I? shouldn’t I? crap. She rightly christened my signature DRAMA!
And I don’t regret the purchase one little bit! Perfect for spring and summer.
xo>-)
That Drama Nuui is really delicious stuff; I’m growing more addicted to my decant by the day. I never saw myself as a jasmine type of guy, and I haven’t really tried many jasmine scents, but I’m also looking forward to a sample of Jasmin de Nuit to be arriving soon.
Jasmin de Nuit would be great for a guy! It’s a warm, spicy jasmine and not particularly sweet, perfect for all occasions IMO!
Perfect! I’ll be right there! Be sure to spray on lots so I can enjoy your aura!
So you’re inflamed and irritated even WITH Claritin? Oh dear. That’s bad. I consider Claritin a daily ritual almost year-round now, and luckily I rarely have symptoms, even when every tree in the neighborhood is busting out the pollen artillery… kind of like it is right now. Sorry to hear that.
That Oud review of Kevin’s is worming its way into my brain, but I think I’ll forget about it soon enough.
But I definitely know what I NEED this Spring: That MDCI Sampler Pack, and especially Invasion Barbare and Enlevement au Serail. It’s a real shame that my “need” list always runs a bit more pricey than the latest L’Occitane thing. Funny how that works.
Yeah, funny.
Highly recommend the MDCI sample set Patty was so kind to tell us about a few weeks ago. The samples are huge and they are amazing enough to have quelled my other lemmings for the time being. Although….. it *will* be fascinating to compare the citrusy opening of Andy Tauer’s Une Rose Chypree to the one in MDCI Promesse de l’Aube. I’ve seen them both compared in style to 31 Rue Cambon, pretty nice company to keep.
Oh, I’m so glad you got it! Incredible set, isn’t it? Did you get the original five, or add something new?
That Walmart takeover ad needs to go. I doesn’t have a way to kill it and it won’t die on it’s own.
strange- now it’s gone.
I’ve been aoudy lately and am looking forward to trying the new le labo. Hope it’s not too spendy..
I had the same experience with an ad. Weird.
I SWEAR that’s not our ad! I don’t know why it keeps showing up! I can’t make it go away either…. it only happens sometimes.
Really hope you get relief from your allergies soon! DH is saying prayers to various gods of pollen each day, hoping to minimize his yearly spring allergy suffering.
I’m currently obsessing over Hilde Soliani’s second series and I’m fairly certain I’m going to need the new Ubar and Andy’s new rose scent (99.9% certain about this one). Just read the NST review of that Le Labo Oud – definitely more budget danger on the horizon. I’m also hoping there will be new scents from OJ, Vero Kern and Yosh. Oh, and that new Miller Harris has me intrigued, but it’s hard to tell just what it will really be like from the notes and press description.