Chilly Spring

Hello darlings!  You’re stuck with ol’ Musette again, as Mistress March wings her way to GayP.  I promise she’ll be back soon.  I promise.

Spring, where is thy sting?  I was going to complain about still  being caught in winter, then I realized this IS Spring.  Last week it was  cold, then rainy and warm, then sunny and hot (60F!  Alert the media!), now it’s back to blustery/chilly/sunny/cloudy/ohlook!there’s a robin!/snow-showery??  not a flower in sight/crap! it’s hot!/I’m freeeezing!! – in short, Spring in the Midwest.

This weird transitional time  challenges my perfume choices.  The beautiful Diorissimo is just too fragile for these mercurial days – in the time it’s taken me to type that sentence the sun has come and gone at least 5 times  and my go-to aldehydes are shivering in their boxes.  Big Floral goes all Suzanne Sugarbaker in this .  Funny how this wet, muddy cold wreaks more havoc than icy temps.

For me, this time calls for dirt.  Wet dirt.  And violets and the sharp edge of mint.  The wet dirt is obvious –  every single square inch from here to Nebraska is a sucking maw of mud but the goats are dropping their kids and I’m seeing chickens dropping eggs in the neighbor’s yard.  I pay homage to it with Liz Zorn’s Violets and Rainwater (like you all weren’t expecting that) – I likened it to finding an overturned pot of violets and daffodils on wet, windy Lexington Avenue but it works just as well in a muddy  field.  What you guys aren’t expecting from my anosmic self  is another smash hit for this transitional weather:  Le Labo Iris 39.  Ha!  Gotcha!  This is not only one of the only irises I can smell, it’s one of the only irises I actually ‘get’  – and definitely the ONLY iris I love.  And I love this stuff because it doesn’t actually smell like orris to me (not that I would know all that much since I usually can’t smell it).  I get ‘wet, muddy, windy Spring’ – dirt and violets and crocuses and a touch of wet leather – my bike jacket smells like this when I get caught in the rain.  Is that orris?  I wouldn’t know.  But it smells yum, pulling off the insane trick of smelling both complex and uncomplicated.

Mint is one of those herbs that always signifies early Spring to me -nevermind that I won’t actually get any blooming mint until  late June – but this is the time for hot, honeyed-mint tea, after taking the boys for a brisk walk  up Bullycow Hill to see the calves.  Too late in the season for hot chocolate, too early for lemonade, mint tea is the perfect seasonal bridge – and my beloved Charmes et Feuilles (The Different Company) is the epitome of a blustery Spring day. This one is green but not the warm green of Vent Vert.  Charmes et Feuilles is a tinkling sterling silver windchime in a mossy, rain-swept  knot-garden.  I’m trying not to wear a hole in my split (wait, that sounds..uh..) but I think I will just Shut Up and get the big ol’ silvery green bottle one of these days.  Oooh!  I almost forgot Geranium Pour Monsieur! I love so many of the Malles but this one has a special place in my heart.  It’s minty, which I love, without smelling like and the hint of scented geranium leaf is, like the leaves themselves, elusive.  I need to give this one a lot more love – it’s very deserving.

I’m hoping we’ll have this weather for awhile.  It’s a novel departure from our typical zero to 70F.   The bluebells and lilacs might stand a chance and I can play with these transitional scents a little while longer.

What’s up in your perfume and weather neck of the woods?

source:  all my stuff

  • teaparty says:

    Good day, I go over all your blog posts, keep them coming.

  • HAH! I KNEW you were going to use this to pimp Violets& Rainwater!!!! I’ve got 2 mins left on internet so xox. It’s cold and blustery and I’m eating lots of pastries, medicinally, of course. And Sancerre. Louise and I are off for a day of shopping, will meet Angela at the apt. at noon!

    • karin says:

      Sounds like too much fun!!!!! Have a blast. XO

    • Musette says:

      GET OFF THE COMPUTER! Go eat some sables! Go find that chick with the cloche and mug her for it (I would;) – and that other chick, with the plat hair! Too fabulous.

      Give Pierre Herme my love.

      Hiss at Hermes for me (though I’m jonesing for their Bombay bag, the weasels)

      Have a great time!

      xoxo to L, A, D and everybody else. If you meet Celine E, tell her she knocked it outta da park! with CyF.

      Okay! that’s it!

      xo >-)

  • Joe says:

    NEW LOVE = Iris 39. I’m hoping TPC is still having a sale on large decants, but my mind is doing that scheming thing thinking about a split.

    Buh-cept now I have a ginormous decant of Angelique Encens on the way and I need to figure out how to use it up. Or put it in mothballs until the fall. :-w

    That’s all I got. Oh… and this: <:-p

    • Musette says:

      Le Labo is so twee they make my gums hurt. But I do so love me some I39. How weird.

      Joe. Joe.. – you know how this works. Remember? The erotic sound of the ‘thump’ of a package on your doorstep? 😕

      (where’s whistling guy when you need him);))

      xo >-)

      ps. I need to talk to you re VV – let’s chat off-Posse

  • ScentRed says:

    p.p.s.

    The Different Company version of Bois d’Iris that is.

  • ScentRed says:

    p.s. I’m thinking that Bois d’Iris will be getting quite a bit of airtime this Spring. Yum.

  • ScentRed says:

    An extra dose of Musette is as welcome as the warm weather that’s coming our way this weekend 🙂

    SOTD was Escale a Portofino layered on Cashmere Mist body creme. SOTonight is Bois des Iles and then I did a little sampling of Bois d’Iris before caving on another split. The combo is intriguing.

    • Musette says:

      :”>

      You are so sweet to say that, especially as y’all are sort of stuck with me for awhile, ’til Missy March gets back (though I think we will be in for a Paris-based treat < :-p We have the warmth now - looking at heavy rain over the weekend (it has been ever thus for the past two weeks). I'll have to let Shelley know (if she's not already reading this) about the B d'I/B d'I combo. I can't manage either one of those but I think she loves both! xoxo >-)

  • mary says:

    Ooops- sorry for all the typos–heh heh:d

    • Musette says:

      Honey, nobody even notices typos on here, I don’t think. We just read through them (I’ve seen and made some doozies!)

      When I was first learning to be a perfumista an Enabler sent me a sample of Anne Pliska. I spritzed it and got this weeeeiiiird note – couldn’t identify it (driving me 8-}!!!

      Go to bed. 2am, I sit bolt upright in bed and yell “Play-Doh!”. Neither El O or the boys so much as turn over, so used to my insanity are they.

      That Niki is wack. I have memory of it from the 80s which comes roaring back every time I pop the stopper on my Enabled sample…but man…that stuff is odd. Mugwort, huh? That explains a lot…:-?:d

      xoxo >-)

  • mary says:

    Musette– I enjoy your humor, and thanks for the great post. Lots of rain here in Oakland– it has rained off and on the past 24 hours, with a thrilling 5 minutes of hail yesterday afternoon. I have been wearing my sample of Luctor et Emergo for the rains. It is– delicious and strange, very unlike anything else I have worn, except for the time when my children were little, and we played with a lot of playdough. This perfume has a disturbing zing over the playdough-iness though. Ver interesting. The other spring fragrance I took out was my sample of Nikki de St Phalle. Niki has notes of marigold, and mugwort, an odd smeeling herb which is reputed to stimulate dreams. I owned a small bottle back in the 80’s. I loved it. A very well written comment on one of the perfume blogs prompted me to seek it out again, and now, I am loading up with a couple bottles from Fragrancex for spring. Time to dream big. :)>-

    • sweetlife says:

      I adore Niki and give her a shout out whenever I can. I don’t find it “odd” really, though everyone else seems to think so. But then I love that rusty fall smell of marigolds. And I wear the parfum more often than the edt.

      Love that there’s a dreaming herb in it! Makes total sense the Ms. Niki herself would do that (and she did have a lot to do with the development of the scent and bottle). After all, she agreed to the perfume deal to raise the money she needed to build her Tarot sculpture garden. Sweet dreams!

  • BBJ says:

    Weather is alterately bright and rainy out here in Northern California.

    Perfumes?

    I’ve decided that I really love Chanel No. 19 in the EDP better than the EDT, which is contrary to all received wisdom. I am unique!

    I’m going through my dabs of Heeley Ophelia at a great rate for the sweet florals and green stemminess.

    Cuir de Russie has stopped working again. I think this just wasn’t meant to be.

    And Bandit for the rainy nights…

    • DinaC says:

      I’ve been wearing No. 19 for a couple of decades, and like you, I prefer it in the edp. It’s much harder to find, though. I save mine for special occasions. 🙂

      • Musette says:

        Doesn’t everybody prefer that iteration? I know I do. the edt is great for certain thing but the edp is ^:)^

        xo >-)

        • Shelley says:

          No. 19 is one of those scents that behaves very differently (on me, at least) in parfum, edp, and edt. And while parfum took me in without me ever checking to see where the exit door was, and eased my way into edp, I was still skittish about the edt. I either bolted or was wanting to bolt most every time. Until a few months ago. Now I can see a place for each. (Gee, how *unusual* of me… 😉 )

  • mals86 says:

    Hippie butt funk!! :))

  • Erin T says:

    Great post, M/A, love all your choices.

  • Suzy Q says:

    SOTD: Calandre. It’s perfect for this spring day. I’m in the southern US where the flowering trees exploded In blooms last week. Time to break out my samples. I’ve got a lot more than I had this time last year. Great suggestions here for new possibilities, too.

    • Musette says:

      SQ,

      I wore Calandre for a hot minute, before it, much like Cristalle, started making me very melancholy. But my memory of it was of a perfect spring scent.

      xo >-)

  • AnnieA says:

    This week Vierges and Toreros and Bulgari Black have fended off all kinds of weather changes in Vancouver. Later in the spring Dioressimo will make an appearance.

  • mariekel says:

    In DC today it is sunny, blustery and warmish: typical March here. The weather has been schizoid lately, veering from horrible late wintery to ridiculously early summer. I myself deal with this by indulging in green fragrances and anything loaded with hyacinth or narcissus: Temps D’une Fete, Cristalle EDT, MH Jasmin Vert (need more of this), CB Wild Pansy, MAC Wild Honey (new discovery — gorgeous and clovery) and, of course, my long beloved Chamade!

    Spring has most defintely sprung.

    • Musette says:

      Gorgeous list! and another vote for Chamade! How on earth did I miss this one?

      xo >-)

      • Ruanne says:

        And from the very same locale! Clearly, the weather channel called for mostly sunny with plenty of Chamade in D.C. yesterday.

  • janh says:

    AZ is in the 80s and the orange trees are in blossom-we’re always outside. I’m wearing alot of old Chanel #5 cologne.

  • maidenbliss says:

    It’s a beautiful spring day and it calls for VC&A Bois d’Iris…sorry, Kitty:) It’s really the only iris I have to say I am in love with, but haven’t tried the Le Labo. Violet Empire has also been dabbed on just for the earthy dirt spring-like effect. I’d love to find the a true rainy day scent, perhaps that will be Chamade which I’ve not smelled in a long time. My daffodils are peeping up all over my hillside–finally the sun!

    • Musette says:

      I think I hate you.:-w

      I didn’t even know Violet Empire existed until a few minutes ago.

      And now I do not think I can live if I don’t sniff it – and soon!

      this one is on YOU! (lord, my :-w list is getting LONG on here, innit?;))

      I can say, though, with absolute sincerity, that I’m with Kitty on the VC&A – it has a ‘huh?’ effect on me.

      yay! on the daffs! we only have a few yet – but lots of scylla – some are even that breathtaking true-blue!

      xox >-)

  • Dante's Bra says:

    The weather is also crazy schizo here in Seattle: cold with sideways buckets of rain, then 60 and sunny with flowers everywhere, then dark at noon with thick clouds. Spring can be so violent!

    I’ve been dipping into the skank, which seems a propos to animals getting all frisky and cabin fever-ish. The most pleasant surprise has been l’Air de Rien, which seems like a cute cartoon version of Hippie Butt Funk, all sloppy and happy. But the greatest discovery is the wet fur of vintage Femme, and I blame it all on you!

    Great post, I’ll email you soon with my skank evals!

    • Musette says:

      bwa-hahahaha! on the vintage Femme. You’re right, this is a perfect time for it!

      Is there a perfume called Hippie Butt Funk? PLEASE say there is. I would buy it just for the name!;))

      Seattle is springtime is scary! I once got caught in a deluge that appeared out of nowhere! Now I understand why there is a coffeeshop every 75 feet! They’re the NW equivalent of tornado shelters – with a beverage bar!

      xo >-)

      • Joe says:

        Wait! Are you into vintage Femme too? Hallelujah. ^:)^

        Just got me some for pennies. EdC, but who cares. Wished I hadn’t o’ split half of it off, because I want it ALL.

        • Dante's Bra says:

          Yep, I’m in lurv and it’s all musette’s fault! I like the new one, but the vintage is just so vavoom. I get so excited when i put it on i can’t sit still!

  • mals86 says:

    The mountains of VA are having schizoid spring weather recently, banging around from cool-and-rainy to warm-and-sunny to cold-and-windy-but-with-some-sunshine… My daffodils bloomed on Saturday, but nothing else is out; everything’s blooming late.

    Wish I got some nice wet dirt outta V&R, it’s all candied violets on me. I am wearing mostly greenies these days: Chamade, Silences, No. 19, Jolie Madame, Le Temps d’une Fete, and my new juicy-greeny love, Crown Bouquet. It’s not humid enough for Ivoire here, IMO; that one will have to wait until I actually break a little bit of a sweat outside. I really love your description of Charms&Leaves as silvery wind chimes, melodic and a little icy – now I need at least a sample of that…

    Have not had the *least* inclination to wear Diorissimo, which surprises me. Every time I pick up the bottle, something inside me just says, Not yet. Perhaps Sunday will be the day. (If not, it’ll be Crown Bouquet, with its springing, new-leaf green followed by gentle hyacinth and white flowers.)

    • Musette says:

      Your green list is envious (ha! see what I did there? I crack myself up!=)). I def in agreement with that whole list, though Td’uF goes a bit ‘base-ish’ on me.

      I think Diorissimo is a perfect Easter Sunday scent. Whenever I wear it I imagine myself in a pale violet New Look dress (with accompanying nipped-in waist, of course) and a big saucer hat!

      That Crown sounds intriquing! Must investigate…

      xo >-)

      ps. so sorry about poor little Benjamin. The boys and I were rooting for him. @};-3:-o Hope there are no more ‘interesting times’ for you this spring.

  • Kitty says:

    I am so glad I am not the only one anosmic to iris. I was thinking, Ooh, I should try the Le Labo… and then I realized that I have tried it, and I just figured there wasn’t any actual iris in it. (Because, well… it’s Le Labo.) I need to bust out my sample of that and try it again.

    It’s rainy and depressing here in Portland. (I know that doesn’t sound anomalous, but we had a false start of spring about a week ago, and we were all fooled into thinking it would warm up.) I jsut this week got a decant of Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio, and am loving it. It dries down to all fig on me (which I don’t like–thank you, Byredo Pulp, for ruining it for me), but the top notes are so lovely I can forgive that.

    • Musette says:

      K,

      Portland O or Portland M?

      Interestingly I do get ‘iris’ from 39. L’Artisan’s Iris flirts along the edge of my awareness so I’m able to get some vague idea of what it smells like (I hope) and 39 is like that – but amped differently (and she’s offff! :”>

      Is the AG in full distribution? Doesn’t look like it.

      And don’t get me started on the Byredos. I swear, they would all kill me 8-x if I gave them the chance.

      xo >-)

  • BPerf says:

    Love, love, looooove Charmes et Feuilles – I have to get a full bottle! My other scent for the these spring rainy days is – what else – Angeliques Sous La Pluie! 😡

  • karin says:

    Rain, rain, rain!!! Floods, floods, floods! Grateful for a sump pump or our basement would be an instant swimming pool!

    Trying out Amouage Dia today. LIKE!

    • Musette says:

      Ew! on the flooded basement
      !< :-p on the sump pump. My early-teen years home had a sump pump. It was great. Except it had a short. My brother touched it one day and got blown halfway across the basement! 😮 The freezer had a short, too! 😕 Perhaps it was simply the House of Electrical Disasters? xoxo >-)

      I missed Dia. It was at Nordies, back when they had that gorgeous little Perfume Salon (shoulda snagged those chairs!) but no tester and Mohammed was unwilling to bust the Amous out of their wrappers for a piker like me (not that I blame him). They had Lyric Dia and Gold, I think.

      Is it oudhish like Tribute? Whazzitlike?

      xoxo >-)

      • karin says:

        Hi A! I’d call Dia a very bright, soft floral. Some say it reminds them of Chanel #5 cause of the aldehydes; others call it a tamed, daytime version of Amouage Gold. It’s beautiful, though I probably wouldn’t rush out to purchase a bottle. Methinks there are many similar offerings at lower price points. It’s attributed to JCE, so JCE fans should definitely check it out.

        As to electrical problems…yikes!!!! Our house was built in 1920, and had the old knob and tube wiring. We had it all pulled out and updated before we moved in a few years ago. Some say knob and tube is actually safer than other wiring, but the insurance company wouldn’t cover it.

  • Shelley says:

    I’m with you on the challenge of this time. As a gardener, I love it being more about the dirt than the leaves. The earth has to get ready before the leaves can unfurl. For me, a frequent go-to when weather and sunlight and temperature are all being fickle…yet the movement toward spring is undeniable…is Silences. It has the grounding effect of dirt and a coolness that echoes the temps, but radiates a certain something that allows for warmth to enter the picture.

    (Ha! Nary an official note in there. I’ll try to wrangle that some other time. It *is* an honest portrait of why I fall back on it this time of year.)

    I have to admit, I also sometimes take advantage of this inter-season to just give up on my matching already. If I’m perhaps distrustful of what a big floral, or a gourmand, or what have you, would “taste” like in a particular weather, now’s a good time to find out. Since there’s a good chance all bets will be off before the drydown is done, in terms of the weather I think I’m coordinating with, I just let it go. And find out. 🙂

    Nice post. @};-

    • Musette says:

      You and that Silences.

      I blame YOU for that one :-w

      xo 😀

      srsly, it is a lovely, green scent, innit? I like it for this time of year as well, plus it has an old-school vibe that resonates with me (somehow it takes me back to those early ‘green’ days, back when I thought I could be Cathy to some poor sap’s Heathcliff – or something like that)

      whatchuwearin’ now? You’re in hot-as-blazes dry heat this week, aren’t you? Bel Respiro? Fracas?

      xoxo >-)

      • Shelley says:

        Heya! Have a moment of connectivity…so I can:

        a) Accept blame for Silences. :d
        b) Confirm my heat situation…though it hasn’t reached blazes level yet, it has been Really Hot. But cool at night. You know what I lucked into? Brought my sample of Rose Ikebana along. The grapefruit/sharp aspect against the rose is working really well for me. Here. I shan’t mention from whence one obtains said fragrance… :-\”

        I hear it got nice again up there. We’ll see what is in store for me upon my return… :-s

    • DinaC says:

      I agree with Silences being perfect for spring. It’s that lovely green galbanum note (my fav). Also love it in Bel Respiro (wore it yesterday), and No. 19 (all-time HG). Plus Silences has that earthy, dirt thing going on, too. :>

  • DinaC says:

    I live in the same general area as March (Mid-Atlantic US), so it’s been very changeable around here. Lots of days in the 50s and low 60s…but by the end of this week we may get up to 80. This week it’s been really windy.

    In spring, I feel like wearing delicate florals. I love iris and violet especially. Le Labo Iris 39 is one of my favorites because the iris smells almost carroty to me — very earthy like you mentioned. I also like 28 La Pausa, AdP Iris Nobile, and Prada’s Infusion d’Iris and the newer VC&A Bois d’Iris. Today I’m wearing Apres L’Ondee which goes with my “delicate florals” theme, but is also suited to rainy days.

    I recently bought myself a large-ish sample of vintage Diorissimo, which is quintessentially springlike to me, as well. My only problem with it is that it’s not very lasting, which surprised me.

    I also got a sample of Miller et Bertaux #3 Green, Green, Green and Green…perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. It has that tender shoots of spring growth smell to it. I passionately adore green scents, so I’m writing down the Charmes et Feuilles you mentioned above for my next sample order. The Violets and Rainwater sounds gorgeous, too.

    Great blog, Musette! Thanks for sharing!

    • Musette says:

      Dina –

      for Violets, def try Liz’s Rainwater. It’s a perfect watery/changeable spring scent. Sort of A l’Ondee-ish, but wearing dirty, comfy Wellies and carrying a big, muddy stick (that’s a good thing, btw. One should always carry a stick – you never know when you might have to fend off a bunch o’ coyotes – or a zombie 😉

      Every iris you named, with the exception of my beloved 39, is nearly undetectable to me (I can smell La Pausa but I don’t like it). The first time I sniffed Prada Id’I I thought I’d gotten a factice!

      xo >-)

      • DinaC says:

        Ah yes, the Teddy Roosevelt method — speak softly and carry a big stick! :d

        Amazing and sad that iris is like the invisible note on you. Too bad. Thank goodness for LL39. 😉

    • Suzy Q says:

      Lez Nez the Unicorn Spell is a violet. Don’t let the name fool you. It’s a grown up violet.

      • DinaC says:

        *Writes on ever-growing list of things to try* Thanks, Suzy Q! Sounds good. Many years ago Crabtree & Evelyn used to make bath and body products in Violet (a soliflore) that I really loved, but they don’t anymore. Boo. I’ll have to hunt down that Unicorn!
        Dina

      • Musette says:

        That stuff is so b-( on me, it’s not even funny! Like leftover Tom Yum soup! My skin does something really strange to it.

        xo >-)

  • Fiordiligi says:

    We are having horrible weather here in London – really icy rain and wind today which is ridiculous. The warmth of Tonka Imperiale is perfect for me today, but if it’s like this tomorrow again (and I hope it isn’t) I think a liberal dousing with Apres l’Ondee extrait will be just the thing!

    • Musette says:

      That sounds divine!

      Of course, I run the opposite – I would drench myself in Angelique Sous la Pluie and feel all :-< - and love every 'windswept heath' minute of it!=)) xo the >-) Drama Queen

  • Fernando says:

    Rain, rain… This is the third day in a row, at least. The weather wizards say it’ll end today, but no sign of that yet. We call it mud season here in Maine, usually because of the melting snow. This year we got little snow, so it’s all gone… but the rain is making up for it!

    I’m wearing Guerlain Derby, one of my wife’s favorites and a perfect choice for this kind of weather. It’s not a sunny or fresh perfume, there’s no “watery” aspect to it at all, but it shakes its fist at the rain and tells it to go away.

    Let’s hope it works.

    • Musette says:

      Fernando,

      I want to come hang out with you and your lucky lady wife one of these days. May I bring El O? He can hang out with you and learn a bit about enjoying fragrance (he’s okay at sniffing (and actually has a way better ‘nose’ than I do) but is unwilling to take it beyond the occasional :-& (Catagan) or =p~ (Ines, leaf bottle). Anything that requires intellectual discussion ain’t happenin’ at Casa O.

      Derby. YUM! I have some vintage winging its way to me. Can’t wait!

      xo >-)

  • I’m wearing Le Labo Iris 39 today too!!

  • Olfacta says:

    A lot like your weather only a little warmer. Our flowering pears usually bloom in early February — they’re just blooming now! Red-violet redbud tree blooms, cherries (like in Washington DC), daffodils everywhere and lots of new foliage. No dogwoods yet, but it’s gorgeous here. The birds are making a racket every morning, too.

    I just received a full bottle of Ivorie, but it’s so green that I think it would be better for hot weather. So right now it’s florals, like the outdoors — rose scents, orange blossom, etc. Sometimes they’re too much when it’s really hot but right now they’re perfect.

    • Musette says:

      your neck of the woods is always so beautiful this time of year!

      Ivoire. That’s yet another scent folks are crazy for that I cannot remember. I’m telling you what I told Ruanne…:-w 😉

      :d

      xoxo >-)

  • Ruanne says:

    Daffodils all over the place, sunny, blustery, chilly, and Chamade is hitting me just right at the moment.

    • Musette says:

      okay. that’s it:-w

      I am simply going to have to revisit Chamade. Everybody is all bonkers over it and I simply cannot remember anything about it! If I fall in love with it and go haring off, trying to find vintages, I’mo blame YOU![-(

      😀

      xo >-)

  • kathleen says:

    Good Morning, A. Weird weather out our way, as well. The wind is whistling & whipping about, shaking the rafters. Last night I wore HdP Tubereuse Trilogy Animale, which was perfect for all of that bluster. Friday it will be the beginning of an 80 degree weekend, and definately a good day for springtime frags. I just snagged a bottle of vintage Diorissimo from the ’60’s, but will be torn between LOTV, hyacinth, lilac & mimosa scents. All of which I love at this time of year. Maybe a different scent for each limb?

    • Musette says:

      We are having the exact same weather, K, just a day ahead of you! It’s so weird. Right now I have all the windows open!! Monday everyone was in turtlenecks and down jackets.

      Go figure.

      YESH! on the differently-scented limbs! Not only will you smell divine, you will have interesting options!

      xoxo >-)

  • Isa says:

    Here in the South-East of Spain, spring arrived two weeks ago. We have not had trasitional weather. One day it was freezing, the next day it was cool and sunny.
    These Eastern days I’m enjoying Yves Rocher Comme une évidence, FM En Passant (I loooove it!), Un Jardin Après la Mousson, Lancôme Miracle, Czech & Speake Neroli, Agua de Sevilla… And I’m craving some mimose scent or linden blossom scent.

    • Musette says:

      Isa,

      I’ve never heard of Comme un evidence – can you describe it? The rest of your list sounds ^:)^, as does the idea of living in the South-East of Spain! I know I’m gonna offend a lot of cows with this statement but: living in the middle of Central Illinois is just…..b-(, except maybe right now, when the land shows its promise, once again.

      xo >-)

      • Isa says:

        Comme une évidece Eau de Parfum -I have not tried EDT- is one of my favourite scents for spring time and it’s the one I wear in winter whenever I want to remember sunny and warm (but not hot) days.

        To me it is a honeyed lily of the valley scent. The honey note (not listed) makes me think of yellow mimose flowers too. Luckily for me, I don’t get violet, one of the official notes.
        It doesn’t change a lot, but it’s longlasting on my skin. Some call it a chypre-floral, maybe because supposedly it has oakmoss in the base. I see it as an extremely floral scent. Good and non-expensive

        🙂

      • Suzy Q says:

        The landscape of central Illinois is beautiful. I miss it. I don’t miss the weather.

    • ScentRed says:

      Agua de Seville!:(( I’m so jealous.

      I may just cave in and order it from their website but the last time I checked the shipping costs were more than the perfume, which is kind of crazy.

      If you have any info on availability in N. America (?New York?), I can be reached at ScentRed at gmail dot com.

      Thank you very much 🙂

      • Joe says:

        Hey SR: You’ve been making ME lemm the Agua de Naranjos de Sevilla and I’ve never smelled the stuff… but hooo, it’s damn cheap in Spain, isn’t it? I have a mind to dash off a note to a friend in Madrid to bring a bottle back to NYC for you next time he jets over. Hrm… or another friend here in CA who might have family who visits from time to time. This feels like a research project. I’ll keep you posted. :d

      • Isa says:

        I’m going to send an email to Agua de Sevilla asking for their retailer/s in New York 🙂

        In Spain it’s not very cheap, but it’s not an expensive line either. Agua de Sevilla is a lovely green-orange blossom scent, and Agua de Lavanda is enjoyable too.

  • Jared says:

    Musette- you rock!I am totally with you on the Iris 39. This is the time of year I pull it out the most. It’s for rainy days only! I love that earthy, wet, patchouli-laden greenery. It’s like iris pulled out of wet dirt. And the civet at the end…

    And hey, I have a full bottle of Geranium Pour Monsieur on the way! I can’t wait for it to arrive…I may have just purchased it off a memory smelling it at Barney’s (for shame.), but it was so distinctive. And mint- love it.

    And speaking of Malle’s, my beloved Dans Tes Bras gets a lot of wear time in this season. DTB is cold and wet to me, so hey, perfect! It may not offer any warmth this time of year, but it fits. I agree with you- this time of year is very hard to find the “right” scent. Patchouli is the go-to for “wet earth”, but I still haven’t found that perfect patchouli…

    • Isa says:

      Hi Jared!
      Have you tried ELDO Nombril Immense? It’s my favourite patchouli, not being a patchouli lover myself. It’s earthy, relaxing and introspective. I know eventually I’ll have a full bottle of it.
      However, I think it’s not strong enough to please true patchouli lovers.
      Il Profvmo Patchouli Noir, another favourite of mine, is completely different, but I find it more sweet than earthy.

      • Jared says:

        I have not tried the ELDO, a line which I have sampled very little from. But I probably would like something that packs a bigger punch. I do have a sample of the Il Profumo, though, and I’ve been enjoying it. It’s a contender! I would prefer it to be less woody in the drydown, but I appreciate its darkness.

    • Musette says:

      If I don’t overthink patchouli I find that it’s an essential ingredient in a lot of scents that I really like. ‘Overthink’ means I’ve, once again, relegated it to Head Shop status. And that is just dumb.

      Jared, NOBODY is more 😮 than I am on my love for Iris 39! Shelley was with me when I first sniffed it and both of us were just stunned! – at my reaction. 99.999% of the time I can’t smell iris and the other .001% of the time I mostly hate it. Until now.

      Which is a shame because Le Labo gets on my last nerve. But isn’t that always the way?

      I think you and I might be Minty Scent Twins, except for that DtB, which does NOTHING for me, NOTHING, I say!;)) (can you tell I’m feeling all histrionic and emoticon-y this morning?). In general I love the Malles, both as concept and as wearable scents(this is a great time of year for Angelique SlP, imo) but somehow DtB leaves me ‘cold’ 😀

      more for you!

      xo >-)

      • Jared says:

        Wearing Mr. Minty today! Quite a piece, this one. See, this is a “cold” scent on me, too. I’m picturing myself biting into a York peppermint patty and having a sheen of ice develop on all the furniture around me. But it’s not really about the mint for me…I get the anisic qualities big time, so, hey, cool. Either way, I think this will replace the traditional cologne for summer time that we discussed a post or two back! I love how this GPM is totally synthetic, too. Doesn’t feel like a real bone in its body…it’s an android!