Summer listing

Do you list? I don’t in any other walk of life except my obsessions hobbies. And these days the listing is not generally of what to try, but what to buy. You see, I attempt to limit myself to one new bottle a season, and summer seems like the season for which I have least. I need something, and I need to whittle down the choices.

For the UK, it’s been quite sultry, as poor Nicolas Mahut and John Isner can no doubt attest, and my lack of crisp’n’clean scents is disappointing. So I’ve been listing. Here’s the shortlist, including those perfumes that have since been withdrawn and the reasons for that withdrawal.

Humiecki and Daft Bosque – I’m loving the memory of this, now my sample vial is long since drained, but perhaps it’s too odd for refreshment. Maybe straightforward refreshment isn’t what I’m after though, if it’s still on the list… Good bit of warped logic, that.

Editions de Parfum Bigarade Concentree – dude, you’ve got a 20 ml decant of this in sample box 4. Just because the sprayer’s feeble, doesn’t mean you need to go splashing out on a bottle.

Terre d’Hermes parfum – your EdT bottle is almost drained by your pesky live-in lover. You could buy him the parfum and still not be breaking your rules about one bottle a season. I like your my thinking!

Nuit de Tubereuse – in spite of all the loving, I’m finding this just okay and way too sweetly femme for me. I’d rather shock with the Criminelle, myself.

Diptyque Oyedo – I love the fun of this, but maybe I’ll smell like a melting popsicle/ice lolly when I wear it. Bugs will stick to me. And nestless wasps will hone in on me as their food source til death. And I’m not sure if I mean them or me.

Ninfeo Mio – sniffing it would help me decide, but I like the idea of a green figgy citrussy garden – like that Hermes series, but different?

Mandragore – lovely, sour, disappearing.

Caron Eau de Reglisse – the lemon and licorice popsicle to Oyedo’s sherbet orange?

Parfumerie Generale Bois Naufrage – not love enough. Nava is this one’s BFF.

l’Occitane Verbena – the cheap and cheerful option. It’s oh so chirpy, but sweet again and perhaps I need more atringency, even at this price.

Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel- probably my favourite on the list? I love it so. But it only comes in 100 ml bottles, and that may be too much for me and I’m too lazy to enter into all the splitting business. Clary sage herbality and salt. Oh my. You siren, calling me to the Bay of Biscay for foamy frolics!

Creed Selection Verte – replace the 100ml above with 250mls. Oh but it’s lovely – the most refreshing of refreshing smells ever made.

The Different Company de Baschmakov – they sent me a sample, but the envelope arrived, sans sample, but in a La Poste transparent plastic bag. Envelope torn. Nothing to be sniffed. For me, the one that got away. The idea remains lovely; the scent an enigma. French postal service – heading the way of its soccer/football team?

Hermes Vetiver Tonka – it’s time I bought you. You’ve been on every list for the past 4-5 years.

So, help me decide. Do you have a preference? Something not on this list that you think I might not have tried? Lemme know. And, just because, I’ve got a partly used 30ml bottle of Tom Ford’s loud and tropical Black Orchid to give away to one lucky commenter. Let me know if you are interested.

I might be slow to reply tomorrow. Allergies and asthma permitting (the bane of this week), I’m planning to be here for much of the day. I’ll be dealing with a very different – and much longer – list. The photo is from last year, I think.

  • Sue says:

    Fleur de Sel sounds great – I’ve been craving salty frags in the summer heat ever since I discovered my sample of Eau de Merveilles had dried up! I wonder if it’s a need for electrolytes. Ha! :p

    If the draw’s still open, I’d love to be entered. Never got a chance before the site went down for the count! So glad the Posse is back!

  • L says:

    I vote for the Fleurs de Sel. I find salty fragrances to be absolutely sexy and this one’s a beaut.

  • LindaB says:

    Lee! Lee! Leeeeeeee!!!!! There you are. I’m not much of a stalker, but I won a samp of Bois Naufrage and never received it nor an email from you requesting my address. If still available, please email me at lindalee7777 at hotmail.com. Thanks…

    And my choice for you is the Fleurs de Sel–seems to me the perfect summer scent for a man. Please let us know what you decide, hon!

    xoxo

  • mary says:

    Yay! Welcome back, Posse! Lee, I love the garden. I have been planning to add some Honorine Joubert to a couple of beds. I recently added a blue impatiens, which I am talking to every day– I want so much to see those flowers. Your list is inspiring. I don’t have a list for fragrance purchases, but I should. I need to prioritize. On my summer camping trip, I took along a lot of samples– the ones which seemed just about perfect were Yosh Kizmet for the chillier mornings, Ormonde Jayne Tiare for when the sun came out, and Maroc pour Elle for the balmy nights. Now that I am home, I am obsessed with Nicki de Ste Phalle. It is wonderful and refreshing, with the artemisia/mugwort note smelling like a silvery green leaf you just crushed in your hand. For some reason, I get a salty feel from it, but that could be my imagination. I haven’t read any one else describing Nicky as salty. Please enter me in the draw–my spouse likes Black Orchid:)

  • Elizabeth says:

    If I’m not too late, please enter me in the draw for TF Black Orchid. I haven’t been able to access your site lately until just now! :-<

    You have no doubt tried (and bought)way more frags than I, so I don’t have much to recommend that you don’t already know. I do list–hell, I notebook–and Ninfeo Mio is near the top, along with Clarins Eau Dynamisante. I’m also on the lookout for cheap but decent quality fragrance because my discretionary spending (ha!) is on a starvation diet this summer.

    Hope you are feeling better and that allergies are calming down for you.

  • karin says:

    Hooray!!!! Posse is BACK!!!! :d

  • Anita says:

    Hi Lee!

    Many of those scents I haven’t had a chance to try but the Terrre d’ Hermes Parfum on DH is OMG wonderful (and quite great on me I may add)! That would be my vote!!

    I’m in a perfume quandry. Summer taking a long time to arrive here and my faves are just too much for summer. Summer scents seem to be too high pitched for me although Sisley #3 is on my to buy list.

    I think Black Orchid is wonderful on a summer night (am a huge fan of the White Patchouli as well). Would love to be entered in the draw and thanks!!

  • Haunani says:

    Lee, it sounds like you may have made up your mind, but I’m going to chime in with my vote for Fleurs de Sel anyway. I finally got my bottle after dreaming about it for months, and I’m not sorry. There is really nothing like it, or even similar. AND it is great all year round – any time you want to take yourself to a fragrant and windswept seaside…

  • melanie says:

    Thanks for the link to the garden show. It looks wonderful; the house like something from a Jane Austen movie. I was reading the description of the fair; had never heard of a “bodger” and found this definition on-line: “Bodging is a traditional wood-turning craft, using green (unseasoned) wood to create cylindrical wooden wood turning via a traditional wooden-bed, polelathe, most commonly chair legs and stretcher poles, historically for the Windsor chair manufacturing industry.” The word is not in my American Heritage dictionary, so perhaps we don’t use it on this side of the Atlantic. Hope you enjoy the flowers.

  • Cheryl G. says:

    Crisp’n’clean scents? Add “dry” to the list and my vote is for Ninfeo Mio, hands down. That gnawing feeling in your gut will abate once the purchase is made.

  • Kata says:

    I would go for Ninfeo Mio as this summer’s scent, I’m contemplating buying it myself.
    However it’s such a cold summer this year, that I haven’ had much use of my refreshing, nor my beachy scents. Today I’ll think I’ll go for Boucheron Trouble, it’s so grey outside, I need some warmth :o My ideal choice would be Flower Le parfum with all its powdery blanket, but I don’t have it with me unfortunately.

    I’m in for the Ford, thanks for the draw!

  • Blessedme says:

    Please enter me in the draw.

  • sunnlitt says:

    I love Ninfeo Mio, sprayed, of course. It didn’t work as well for me when I dabbed it on.
    I also love Blu Mediterraneo – Fico Di Amalfi. It is figgy/ citrusy. Very nice.
    I do wish that my garden looked a bit more like the one in the photo. Maybe next year.

  • Elisa says:

    I’m going to put in a vote against buying Ninfeo Mio without trying it on skin first. I love fig and liked how this smelled in the vial, but not at all how it developed on my skin.

    The crisp summery scent I’ve been craving lately is Rossy de Palma from ELdO.

    Please enter me in the TF draw!

    • Tamara says:

      Elisa YES!

      I agree wholeheartedly about trying Ninfeo Mio out first Lee.

      Maybe you already have, what am I saying I’m sure you have right??
      Unlike some dumb asses out there ( cool it folks just talkin about lil’ ol’ ME) Anywho, am I the only person on the perfumista planet that could not wear this for the fact that it smelled so strongly of cat spray when it started developing on my poor skin? No one else? I own two sweet kitties and I have two rows of boxwoods right in front of my home and they do not smell that way, maybe very faintly in a breeze, and if for a moment I suspect one of the cats and they hear it in my voice , they run faster than you can say “What the hell?”
      So that’s why it stunned me..apparently into stunned silence because everybody went on and on about how much they loved it and I didn’t want to be a Debbie Downer.

      And then they saw her and one hissed “Who brought her anyway?”

      But now I don’t care and I said it and I’m over here drinkin the free booze and the good appetizers at the foo’foo’ party.

      Done and done!
      Bye Lee , have a lovely weekend , I hope you feel much , much better soon and I hope you find a wonderful summer fragrance.

      Muuah <3

  • nozknoz says:

    Lee, you and I have little in common objectively, but we do both love PG Coze. Therefore, I’ll mention some of my summer favs, in case there are any that you haven’t already tried yet: AG Vetiver, TDC Osmanthus, Caron Royal Bain de Champagne, Etro Shaal Nur and Diptyque L’Ombre dans L’Eau.

    I’m going to recommend that you get BOTH the Fleurs de Sel and Tonka! >:) One never knows when these treasures will be reformulated or discontinued. l-)

    I’d love to be in the draw for the Black Orchid – thanks for organizing this and sharing your lovely list!

  • ScentRed says:

    Sure Lee, just send me you mailing info and I’ll get it out to you :-)

  • odonata9 says:

    I love making lists! Perfumes, restaurants, books, movies, etc. I’m sampling Oyedo for the first time today and as soon as I put it on, it was screaming “sweetarts”! Or maybe not sweetarts, but some other candy. Anyway, that’s all I can smell and it is not for me. On your list, I’ve only tried Mandragore and Ninfeo Mio. I love the Ninfeo Mio and it is on my to-buy list also! The other summery thing I’m thinking of is L’Artisan The pour un Ete – no light and lovely. Good luck with your decision!

  • minette says:

    nah, i’m the one confused. opone is the rose/saffron thing. i don’t have oyedo. is it as sweet and gooey as eau d’elide? i don’t remember it, and no one carries the full diptyque line here anymore.

  • NewMaven says:

    Lee,

    Re summer scents….

    Try James Heeley “Sel Marin”,insead of “Fleurs de Sel”

    …or an Oriental citrus like”Maharinih” from Patricia de Nicolai

    How about Malles’ “Bois d’Orage” (French Lover in Europe)?
    How about “Encre Noir” – Laliques amazing vetiver?

    I’m also short on summer scents……..BTW Borneo 1834, my favourite winter, is also incredible in very humid weather – who would have thought….

    NewMaven

  • K.R. says:

    All those plants reminded me to check the latest in a gazillion incarnations of the Goliath poppy I saw at Great Dixter in 1998, bought, left in the care of a murderous, presumptuous cretin for two weeks and was never again able to find despite epic efforts. It’s him, he’s blooming and it’s all Windsor neutral red with the plummy sea urchin Na’vi reproduction parts! He’s growing amidst blue nigella and the whole mess is scented salty l’Artisan Fleur de carotte + vintage Miss Dior way diluted. There you have it and if you want a split partner in that fat Fleur de sel, I’m in.

  • minette says:

    i’m confused about your oyedo mention. isn’t oyedo a rose/saffron thing that smells to some like decaying skin (and to others like agent provocateur)? the orangesicle diptyque is eau elide – is that the one you’re talking about?

    for crisp and refreshing with a little bit of sexy, how about eau sauvage, eau de rochas, les nuits d’hadrien, eau de cartier, or l’occitane jasmin (which is crisp muguet as much as anything)?

    for steamy sexy, there’s narciso rodriguez for her, which is great in the heat, believe it or not, libertine, montana just me, and yvresse.

    and for dark, cooling, green/black sexy, i’d vote for vetiver oriental, which i think is completely underrated.

    interesting list already, though!

  • Lisa says:

    Great list I know lots of people appreciate your hard work keep em coming :D

  • Madea says:

    I’d go with the Caron, as I think lemon and licorice would be wondeful this time of year.

    Please enter me in the drawing, as well.

  • Tom says:

    I love Fleurs de Sel and am so annoyed that you can’t get it here anymore! :((

  • bevfred says:

    I read the beginning of your post; you inspired me to put on Vetiver Tonka. That’s my vote for you.
    I had a sample of Black Orchid years ago and everytime I wore it people commented on how lovely I smelled. I guess loud suits me.
    Please enter me in the draw. The Black Orchid would have a good home!

  • Tamara says:

    And the faces did’nt work either!
    That’s so annoying, probably like my long ass posts.

  • Tamara says:

    Hello dear Lee, it’s nice to see you posting again.
    I’m so jealous (I’ve mentioned this before) of your dog days of summer. It’s just not that way over here,
    it is very disheartening to wake up to a grey sky when you crave warmth and sunlight.
    Gaaah! Washington needs to get with the program!
    But because of this weather, I’m confused on my scents,
    I’ve been wanting my winter loves lately instead of my summer affairs, I stared at them this morning and felt…lonely.
    None of them want me and vice versa.
    The usual suspects for this season are as follows-
    Guerlain Vetiver
    Dior Escale a Portofino
    Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess
    Kenzo Eau De Fleur (the white tee one) oops I spelled it wrong but it IS comfy like one actually!
    Hermes Eau des Merveilles

    and I have no love for them. Waaahh! It makes me pissy Lee :-w
    AND I also commited a sin in fume’land and bought a FB UNSNIFFED(K.M.Loukham Eau de Poudree) and yes..as the story goes I don’t love it either, unrequited love all around these parts.=((
    I don’t know why the hell I want turkish delights on my skin but I do and it ain’t workin, it was so sad..
    I KNEW I should’ve bought the damn Une Rose Chypree Lee!
    I knew it but I didn’t..:-<

    So sorry for the pissin and moanin’ I just feel out of sorts.
    Bad fume’ choices have that power with me.
    I have no answer to your dilema, buy the Hermes and go sit in the sun for me while you smell of fragrant vetiver , dry and earthy and then roasted nuts take it to a sweet but never too sweet edge. Yah go roast your nuts LEE for me :x
    Have a wonderful day!
    ~ Tamara
    ps. enter me please, thanks boo:o)

    • Lee says:

      >:d< Sell the KM on the 'bay. I'll roast my nuts. You're in the draw. I love your rambles! @};-:x@};-

  • Heather B says:

    I say buying the Terre d’Hermes for your fellow and borrying it does not count. And Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel for yourself. So what that you’ll have a lot left. A lot of us figure our perfume collections will outlive us right. Have you tried PG Harmatan Noir? Thats my non floral summery love right now. I call it a dark and dank cologne meant for a sorcerer. Mint/ salt/ bone dry woods. I would love to be entered in the Black Orchid giveaway. Thanks so much.

    • Lee says:

      Harmatan Noir is another of my summer loves. I have plenty left of that!

      I think you’re right.

  • Gretchen says:

    That’s a long short list! I’d better not suggest anything to add to it (in any case, my summer scents are chosen for my dry Mediterranean climate and might not serve you well).

    I do hope you feel well enough for the garden show! I don’t even like to garden, but I’d love to visit that wonderland.

  • Louise says:

    My list is quite short this year (advanced perfume addiction)-and is mostly satisfied.

    I got a Big Floral-Tubereuse Couture, which also covers the coconut/beach territory well. And I did a split of Acqua di Sale-what a marvel-all dirty wood and swhett giving way to salty light floral. Oh, my-it makes me very, very happy.

    I need no BO-just to know that you are well and well-entertained.

    :x

    • Lee says:

      It’s all good here. Cept on Wednesday I broke a glass bowl when cooking. Lots of little glass shards in my fingers = ouch and unnecessary amounts of blood. Though nothing serious…

  • Erica Y says:

    I vote for the Vetiver Tonka. It might not be the most unusual or the newest to fascinate, but you know you love it and you’ve been wanting it for five years. Five years in human years is like 100 years in perfumista years, the same way that one year equals 7 dog years.

    Also, I’d love the Black Orchid, it’s one of the few Tom Ford frags I like. It’s so over-the-top, and I’ve been lemming a bottle. IMHO, even better (sparingly used) in the heat.

  • donanicola says:

    I just tried the parfum version of Terre d’Hermes as I was passing time in Dalaman airport and wowee I really liked it. Kept sniffing my wrist all flight and shoving it under the nose of my rather bemused travelling companion (“very nice dear”). But I’m not sure it fits the crisp and refreshing requirement so although I love love love NdT and Ninfeo Mio my vote for you goes to Fleurs de Sel (or Sel de Vetiver). Catch you soon, I hope, Lee!

  • Nina Z says:

    Bigarade Concentree is gorgeous! Buy yourself a big bottle and send the broken decant to me!

  • Disteza says:

    I’d have winnowed that list down to Fleurs de Sel or Vetiver Tonka, being the vetiver slut I am, but I already have them! If you’re looking for some chest-thumping vetiver, please try Les Nez Turtle Island: it’s dirrrty and the vetiver is, ahem, virile enough to put some extra hair on ya.

  • Kirsten says:

    Hi Lee!

    Sympathising with the Hayfever this year – this weather has been unseasonally Scottish, and I’ve developed streaming eyes for the first time at the age of 38!

    Lots of crossovers on our lists.
    I have Ninfeo Mio which I think you should go for, it really opens up in the heat. And, the bottles are so beautiful…
    I also have Vetiver Tonka, but for me that’s more for Autumn, must be all the hazlenuts!

    I must try some Bois Naufrage and dig out my sample of Oyedo again.

    Count me in for the Black Orchid draw, too!

    • Lee says:

      I will kirsten. Yeah, this year, the grass pollen is KILLING me. But my new regime of eyedrops, nose spray and heavy dooty tabs is working out now.

  • maggiecat says:

    Feel better soon! I vote for the Fleurs de Sel. If you love it, you should own it, and while I haven’t sniffed it, it sounds lovely. Black Orchid and I Do Not Get Along, alas, so don’t enter me in the drawing (give it to someone who’ll love it as it deserves to be loved!) but have a great time making your choice!

  • Kate says:

    I was ready to goad you into Nuit de Tuberose but agree it might be a bit femme since lately I’ve been getting too much vanilla when wearing it. So that leaves Ninfeo Mio since for me, its the new crack (think US crack definition not Irish). Boxwood! Fig! Other stuff!

    • Lee says:

      I hope it doesn’t leave you with crack aggression when you don’t have it to hand, hon!

      Boxwood! That’s hit and miss for me…

  • Musette says:

    Huh. Well, I can’t speak to any of those but can I put in a good word for my Eau d’Imperiale? Good enough for Jo, good enough for me.

    Of course, I wore contemp Femme to bed last night (can’t wear it in the day, in this heat, as it gives off that ‘ uh, we’ll wait ’til you shower’ vibe.)..but today it’s me and Boney’s Babe’s Brew.

    xo >-)

    ps. on the Big Concentree – why don’t you just change out the sprayer? Or splash it? If it’s like the Malle, it makes an excellent splash.

    xoxoox

    pps. plant fair looks luscious!

    • Lee says:

      Cuz I’m a total dweeb lazy ass, is why. And stoopid.

      It was luscious. That ain’t my house, btw.

      I’m quite loyal to my Eau de guerlain in the Eau world, donchaknow.

      • Musette says:

        It took me a minute to figure that out, with the house I mean. I was swoooooooooning, thinking “hey, Lee likes me – a little bit? at least I can come for tea…? And maybe move in?”

        then I remembered your house isn’t pink, right?

        But if it were your house, I would have to move in. Srsly.

        You are a goof! You are not dweeby, lazy or an ass. Nor are you stooopid. But you are a goof.

        Go splash that stuff. Me and Jo gotta date in about 20 minutes. Fleeting stuff, that Imp.

        xoxoxooxox >-)

        • Shelley says:

          ♥ the Imp…

        • Lee says:

          Nope – my house is a Georgian terrace in Suffolk mellow yellow brick. From 1830. Tall and skinny – a little like me (though less skinny than ages past).

          I love my goofy side.

          Keep on Imping, darling.

  • Dusan says:

    Forgot to say that I’m in no way interested in the Black Orchid.

  • Dusan says:

    So you’ve donned your Wimble-hat, haven’t you? Poor Isner indeed, especially after losing to De Bakker today. Wonder what Mahut had to say about that.

    I summer-list, yes. Heck, I season-list. Little gets ticked off these days, mind. Like you, I’ve had VT up there for ages. It’s perfect, but to me more suited for autumn. And a deeper pocket.
    I’d say go for My Nimphlet or Purple Mandy, or if you’re feeling particularly stingy, the fab Thierry Mugler Cologne can be had for peanuts.
    Now if you’ll excuse me, I hear the vuvuzela siren call.

    • Lee says:

      You’re football addicted? Who are you supporting now? Erm, just asking…

      :d

      I’m not in a stingy mood exactly…

      xxx

      • Dusan says:

        Not exactly addicted, well not as much as I am to tennis, anyway, but my testosterone levels seem to *have* shot up recently, yeah.

        Argentina is my bet. Least of all because Maradona promised to get nude if they win.

  • chris g says:

    Love your list! Please enter me in the draw – thanks!!!

  • Cheryl says:

    Mandragore! It has zing. And it’s beautiful. And it’s like a summer affair!

  • ScentRed says:

    Hope you’re feeling better, Lee. I’m wearing Bigarade Concentree today and completely understand the urge to buy a vat of it. So wonderful. For me, it has recently nudged AG Eau de Sud out of the #1 spot for hot, humid days.

    If you want to mull over Ninfeo, I’d be happy to send you some. I have a decant that is fully unloved by me. I can be reached at: scentred at gmail dot com

    Another possibility might be Jardin Sur Nil…maybe Hermes will have a two for one sale – you can always dream, right?

    You’ve inspired me to get a sample of Fleur de Sel – sounds perfect for summer days and right up my alley. I agree with the others who have said that if that is your heart’s desire, then you have your answer. Besides, a certain roommate might just help you power through those 100mls ;-)

    • Lee says:

      Indeed he might, though I think he thought it smelled aromatherapeutically medicinal. He has a VERY POOR sense of smell, is all I’m saying. I.e. ‘can tread in catcrap and walk it into the house without realising’ poor…

      Might take you up on that, scent red, you lovely person.

      I think I shipped my bottle of sur le Nil to one Marchie a while back. I loved it once; it grates on me now. Dunno why.

      BC – you smell fantabulous.

  • Ari says:

    What a great list! (And yes, I compulsively make lists of everything. A to-do list appears on my whiteboard every morning. I have a problem.) Ninfeo Mio is stunning, never smelled anything like it. But if the Miller Harris is your true heart’s desire, then you must go for it. Maybe you can sell decants from the bottle? I’m not sure if that’s any different than splitting. Please enter me for the Black Orchid!

    • Lee says:

      Ari – is not a problem. It’s your solution to a problem! :)>-

      You’re entered – and oh, I think you’re right, so right.

  • Style Spy says:

    D’ya know what’s lovely in the heat? Zagorsk. It smells like a snowy day in the woods — I put it on and instantly feel about ten degrees cooler. I’m also a big fan of Angeliques sous la Pluie in summer — it smells like a rain shower.

    But of your list, I say go with the Vetiver Tonka. If it’s been on your list for that long, it must be true love. Succumb, succumb!

    • Lee says:

      Oh, my lovely friend in California wears Zagorsk in the heat. I see it as her smell though. AslP is delightful, but disappears on me as quickly as a gin and tonic does when I’m hot and bothered…

      • Musette says:

        I was just thinking AslP a few days ago, when the temps soared to 90. It was sooo refreshing. lasts a bit longer on me than that G&T would! :-)

        xo

        • Lee says:

          That means one of the following, none of which is mutually exclusive:
          a) you sip
          b) I’m a lush
          c) my skin is greedy.

  • Snosher says:

    From the fun & joy of your described reaction –

    it HAS to be fleurs de sel!

    :)

    • Lee says:

      I’m thinking it may have to be two – but this one is top really… Thanks snosher.

  • Rowanhill says:

    Ninfeo Mio or why not Eau de Rochas

    • Lee says:

      Yes, EdR is all kinds of elegant. Not sure I often am!

      • Rowanhill says:

        EdR is not too much of a snob. It lives very well also in jeans, wrinkled summer linens of the acordeon variety, even with a bathing suit.

  • Ines says:

    I settled my craving for NInfeo Mio with 2 decants but the bottle I most wish I had at the moment, is Vamp a NY. Well, I’m working out a plan on acquiring it. :)

  • sybil says:

    Hi, Lee…First, enjoy the plant fair! That must be amazing opportunity and more fun than the usual trip to the garden store.

    And second, buy your dear man a bottle of Terre d’Hermes of his own (so you can borrow it, and enjoy it vicariously when he’s wearing it.) and spring for the Vetiver Tonka for yourself. Time to take that bad boy off the list!

    • Lee says:

      You’re right about that bad boy. Most definitely. Matt and the VT both!

      I’m spoilt for plant nurseries where I live; there were a couple of exceptional ones at this fair though.

  • karin says:

    Hi Lee! Hmmm…on the Vetiver Tonka, if it’s been on the list for years, it may mean you don’t like it well enough to buy it! Perhaps there’s another vetiver that might catch your fancy? Sorry, can’t help cause I have no experience with vetiver!

    My summer wish/shortlist includes Mandragore, Eau de Sisley #3, and now…Nuit de Tubereuse! I agree with you on the Mandragore disappearing act. Haven’t tried the EDP, though, but don’t like Poupre as much. Hey, have you tried Saveur d’Artichaut by Sinfonia di Note (Luckyscent offers samples)? This one reminds me of Mandragore a bit – same category of scent. I love it and am contemplating a bottle, though the $150 price tag deters me. Eau de Sisley #3 is a wonderful ginger/patchouli/citrus combo. At discounters for less than $100 US. That Nuit de Tubereuse has me enamored, though…

    • Lee says:

      Well, no. There are plenty of things that stick around on my list forever. Timbuktu. And I want them. But call me Mr. Austerity or something – I defer and delay on purpose!

  • rosarita says:

    Such gorgeous flowers! :x @};-

    If I had easy access & means, I’d buy a bottle of Fleurs de Sel in a heartbeat. Summer perfect.

    • Lee says:

      It was quite overwhelming there, but the 30 min traiffc queue to get in wasn’t a pleasure.

      Rosa – you and me both. But, wait, I do have the access. For you and me both!

  • Monica says:

    I vote for Vetiver Tonka because I too have yet to buy a bottle and it has been on the list for years.. =P although I’d say this one is more of an all year scent and not so much summery…so perhaps you can justify that this would be a year-round bottle and split the cost over 2 seasons?

    Ninfeo Mio was very green and a bit harsh the last time I tried it, but I should give it another shot.

    I’d vote for Mandragore or Mandragore Pourpre (which lasts all day on me, lucky me)

    As for me… I’m going to drench myself in Jasmin 17 until everyone else that are in on the split are convinced that it is simply beautiful~
    or.. Tauer Vetiver Dance? (another bottle on the to buy list but haven’t gotten there..)

    • Masha says:

      I just got my bottle of Mandragore Pourpre (March turned me onto it!), and it’s a very hot day, and yes, it’s just perfect, in a Tim Burton, Harry Potter way. Of course, the witchy vibe is why I bought it in the first place….

    • Lee says:

      Fun ideas here. VT is more autumn – or early autumn, than summer per se…

      Vet Dance was one Tauer I actively disliked, I’m afraid (but clearly not that afraid!) to say…

  • Daniele says:

    I personally love the Bois Naufrage (I still want to know if it smells anything like Womanity) but it doesn’t sound like it does as much for you. I like the way it smells a little bit like suntan lotion and warm sand on salty skin. Plus fig.

    Speaking of fig, I usually love it but I wasn’t a fan of Ninfeo Mio. I’m not sure what it was about it. I thought it was great at first but over the day it turned into something grating on my skin.

    Please enter me in the draw because mmmm…. Black Orchid!

  • lamombo says:

    love tf,s black orchid. i have the lotion and would love to try the perfume as well.:)

  • I say when in doubt go for vetiver, although I’m the type that wears white florals in the summer (getting heavy wear out of Nuit de Tubéreuse and Vamp à NY). But I’d say Sel de Vétiver would probably be more refreshing than Vétiver Tonka.

    My Baschmakoff sample, also sent by TDC, also arrived without the sample. And it only just went from one Paris neighborhood to another, so the delinquent perfumista postal worker is clearly near TDC.

    • Masha says:

      Ah, vetiver in the summer. In the southern US, we stuff all the linen drawers and chests with the dried roots as soon as it starts heating up, so I always associate heat, humidity, and vetiver! Hove still sells the bundles, they’re in New Orleans.

    • Lee says:

      Sel de Vet is the ultimate in refreshment – transparently close to Celine ellena’s picture of a vetiver stem in water. Quite lovely. I need some now. Low cloud, high humidity, sultry damp flesh, crumpled linen.

  • zeram1 says:

    I hope that your allergies and asthma get better soon! I’d choose Creed Selection Verte – nice and refreshing. Please enter me in the drawing for the TF as well.

    • Lee says:

      Much better today, you know. Much better!

      It’s lovely, that SV. But soooo big.

      You’re in.

      • Shelley says:

        Yay to feeling better! :)

        • Lee says:

          It was two days of pollen death. Visit to doc – stronger meds (and more freaking steroids) and I spring back like a jack-in-the box on forardwindrewindforwardwindrewindforardwindrewindforwardwindrewindforardwindrewindforwardwindrewindforardwindrewindforwardwindrewindforardwindrewindforwardwindrewindforardwindrewindforwardwindrewindforardwindrewindforwardwindrewindforardwindrewindforwardwindrewindforardwindrewindforwardwindrewindforardwindrewindforwardwindrewindforardwindrewindforwardwindrewind… you get the picture.

  • Masha says:

    I vote for Ninfeo Mio, it’s so lovely! And for one that’s not on the list, the easily found (and inexpensive) Eau de Lalique is full of herb garden goodness, and, hey, it’s by JC Ellena, so you know it’s good stuff! For a bitter tonic kind of cologne that’s perfect for really hot, humid days, I like Guerlain’s Anisia Bella, but it’s hard to find now.

    • Lee says:

      Eau de Lalique. Have I smelled that? Y’know, I don’t think I have.I like a herb garden!

  • Janet says:

    I love Bois Naufrage and Fleurs de Sel. The Ninfeo sounds lovely but I have not had a chance to try it yet.

    Nice list!

  • Jemimagold says:

    I’m really enjoying Hermes Eau de Gentiane Blanche in Houston’s steamy summer heat. It just feels refreshing, kind of like AG Nifeo Mio…

  • Ruanne says:

    I would pluck the Ninfeo Mio right off the top and buy it today. It’s near the top of my list. and yes, I not only list, but also prioritize (I guess in case, say, the perfume fairy appears and says I can pick 3 full bottles if I can name them immediately.) I would like to try the Black Orchid, but I haven’t smelled it, so perhaps someone who already knows they like it is more deceiving.

    • Lee says:

      You’re in with a chance anyway, Ruanne, even if you’ve never smelled it!

      I MUST SMELL NINFEO MIO, daft name not withstanding.

      • Ruanne says:

        p.s.
        that’s “deserving” not “deceiving.” Stupid tiny screen.

        Yeah- Ninfeo Mio sounds too much like “ugly me”

      • furriner says:

        Whenever I see the name, I think, in a W.C. Fields voice, “my little nymph, my little kumquat….” Ninféo Mio is on my wish list, though, so would probably go with that.

  • Shelley says:

    Tease. You terrible, terrible tease. The plants. And the salt.

    Vetiver Tonka. Nice. I’d push you toward a bottle of that…unless I were adding Sel Marin to the list…or casting a glance at the Sel et Vetiver on my own, erm, my own spouse’s shelf. I mean, my own pesky live-in lover’s shelf.

    Speaking of TDC (which I did when I mentioned that Sel et Vetiver)…they persuaded Baryshnikov to leap into a bottle? Vas iss dis Baschmakov? Oh, right. You don’t know. Again, you tease.

    Enjoy the show. Breathe well. May you enjoy as many rounds as you are ready for…but perhaps not in Isner/Mahut proportions, love. (Tennis is also a tease, btw, with such a grand word for nil.)

    • Lee says:

      I didn’t buy anything too exciting actually. I’m so preplanned with my obsessions that impulse buys are very much a thing of the past. Only impulse was three of the grass Cynodon aethiopicus – a blue grey grass with helicopter flowers. Lovely. And then more geraniums, anemones and a couple of other bits and bobs…

      I love SeldeVet. de Baschmakov is now on the Different Company’s website I think…Octavian wrote about it: http://1000fragrances.blogspot.com/2010/05/de-bachmakov-different-company-from.html

      • Shelley says:

        Um. Wow. I think I’ll grab me some of that and watch Aronofsky’s “The Fountain.”

        Just put in the almost last of the fruit trees, and moved some things about. Weather is wacky this year…and very conducive to a sabbatical in the garden. The Cynodon sounds lovely, indeed.

        • Lee says:

          You enjoy that movie. I love his missus but I think he lost his filmic way with that one.

          All my newbies now in. More Honorine Jobert, more Hadspen Abundnace (both anemones), more Geranium Patricia… The garden’s in its June lull – cut all the tulips back but the late summer ‘bedding’ (tithonias, cleomes, annual rudbeckias, giant zinnias, amaranthus, salvias,nicotiana sylvestris etc. etc., and all those dahlias I obsess over) still need to fill out and get on it, godammit.

          • Shelley says:

            Oooh, I do need to get my own fillers happening. ‘Cause I’m just about ready to let summer take over and the garden work on its own. In with the veggies, the tomatoes are as tall as I am; I’ll have to focus on harvesting and the occasional weeding soon.

            I run a couple of perspectives on The Fountain. I think he stumbled. (That was a challenged project in a few ways.) But I think he was on to something. So I haven’t written it off, even if I don’t loudly endorse it.