Hothouse…leather?

Hey, it’s me – Musette! March is all enchanted and everything,  EATING MY BREAKFAST BURRITO –  but am I bitter?  noooo….

let’s just talk about some new  Rose love, shall we?  That’s March’s favorite perfume note, right???

A week or so ago, WAFT by Carol unveiled an unknown fragrance from her incredible find: The Webber Collection; this post was (maybe?) the finale to a series  that read like a perfumed mystery thriller  -you can read about it here and it would be just flat-out ridiculous to try and do more than say ‘What Carol Said”.   I was lucky enough to snag a bottle of 6T (now called Enchante-Trois) from thewonderfully generous Carol, along with some other goodies, including a rose soliflore from a Dubai outfit called Malak.

I’m going to say 3 or 4 things about 6T and move on because it really is What Carol Said.  Some of the notes, based on her sniffage:  aldehydes for sure (but not too much), jasmine, maybe neroli (which is always iffy for me ) and a touch of bergamot, which I only know by sheer luck…and rose.  It is a lovely, soft fragrance, modern but definitely not contemporary.  I think it would be a  classic, if somebody could deconstruct/reconstruct it.     And I will be wearing it in early autumn, as the days cool off.  Right now, it’s a million degrees by 7am and even cats are panting and  6T got its lunch ‘et’ by 8:15, every single day, poor thing.   I kept thinking I must be a doofus because I am craving ROSE right now and I don’t even like rose all that much.  Maybe heat stroke?

I tested 6T all last week and the weirdest thing kept happening – it has just enough rose in it to make me want MORE ROSE – but  grindier-grittier/heavier/crunchy-munchy/I-will-beat-you-’til’-you’re-black and blue kinda Rose.   Jane Russell Rose, with the sweaty bra and the dirty panties and that nasty-girl curl to the lip.    I kept turning to the Malak, hoping it would do the trick – it’s got a darkness to it that I like (if Jane Russell were a vampire she would wear the Malak  to the grocery store – but not to the Cross Your Heart Club).   Very pretty but it’s so close to an actual rose that it freaks me out – real roses have that vaguely plastic smell that is divine in reality but I dislike in a rose perfume, which is why most of the Rosines don’t work for me.  This was getting kinda stupid until I realized that what I was craving wasn’t rose itself but rather that weird thing that happens when  rose top-notes dry off and you’re left with ashes of roses, like in Tribute Attar, with that smoky dryness.   But that’s not happening, me and the Tribute – it’s allergic to the dust in my wallet.  And anyhoo, it’s missing a jammy-squelchy thing I wanted in this chewy-hot weather …and that’s when I found out Jane Russell had a hot date in the back seat of the Chrysler with Ricardo Montalban out back behind the vampire club – he’d strewn oily Bulgarian rose petals all over the back seat of the Chrysler  Cordoba ….. did I mention the back seat of the Chrysler?  (in this story both Ricardo and Jane are in their prime and kickin’ it, so stop with the ‘eewww’ing )

That’s Cordovan Rose from Liz Zorn.  I am SO glad  6T pinked my memory.  I remembered I’d  bought a bottle for someone and then ‘forgot’ to give it to them (oopsie!) – it’s  a heat-seeking missile  o’ love, baby!  The rose-y rose burns off fast, leaving some hippish jam and tar and smoke and that Rich Corinthian Leather.  And way later the tar burns into the leather and the whole thing morphs into something vaguely rose-smoky-ash but by that time the rose is little more than a rich shadow imprint, which is fine because like I said  I don’t like Rose all that much anyway – it’s the ashy/burny/crispy/dusty stuff  that rose turns into that’s turning me on.   So thanks, 6T, for the re- introduction  –  you really are gorgeous and you’ll be the Queen of the Autumn Festival.

let’s see what you think.  Throw a comment on here about how you feel about roses, roses and leather, marshmallows, lutefisk or whatever in the chewy summer sun  – what unlikely note(s) really blossoms for you in the extreme weather (hot or cold) of wherever you are.  I’ll get my baby Rottweiler to pull a name out of his dish and the winner will get a sample of both 6T and Cordovan Rose.  You’re out of luck with the Malak – I used it all up – but you can contact Carol for info on that one. It really is pretty.

photo:  one of my paintings:  “Niobe” – don’t ask me what it has to do with roses – it’s 90F here @ 9pm and I am too sweaty and stupid to figure out Flickr – this will have to do. Those gals are baking in the sun, and I know just how they feel.

T6, Malak from my personal collection, with special thanks to WAFT by Carol

Cordovan Rose:  I bought it and I’m keeping it.  So there.

Quick Note:  I have to run out to a client so please continue to chat amongst yourselves  – I’ll be back later this afternoon to chime in.  FWIW:  unless you tell me specifically to NOT include you in the draw, everyone who posts a comment is in!  So don’t freak if I don’t respond to everyone individually, okay?  Carry on – mas tarde!

  • Ninara Poll says:

    Oooh, I *love* roses, although they tend to either go a predominaintly tea-rose soliflore scent on me or just disappear entirely. Before I went on my “no perfume until the weather cools” I was actually enjoying vanillas; for some reason, this year vanillas have been turning into either rare exquisitely beautiful butterflies or incredibly cheap air-freshener quality caterpillars on me, and I’ve been rocking them even though I always get a craving for ice cream when wearing them. And I’ve been rocking the chypres, especially Paloma Picasso, in hot weather the past two years; not only do they bloom on me, I derive pleasure from walking by people and witnessing them sniff, stop, and then almost universally express some sort of “What is she wearing? And in this weather? It’s so strong!” Hey, it’s summer, public opinion be darned, I WILL wear what I choose… and if I have to look at people who have no business going topless or in shorts or in bikinis just because it’s summer, then I feel I can wear whatever scent I want ;)

  • Perfume is a lot more complex than we realize with many aspects to consider before making a purchase.

  • Daniele says:

    Incense! I know it’s not the most typical warm-weather scent, but lately in the afternoon heat I’ve been reaching for my heaviest incenses. Not just frankincense, which I find rather ‘cool’, but pretty much anything from the genre. Chaos, Incense Rose, Incense Pure, Nu… I’m on a kick. ;)

    • Aparatchick says:

      Joining you in loving incense in the heat. Wazamba and Zagorsk have really been doing it for me this summer.

  • nozknoz says:

    What I want to know is, why do I pass on Tribute Attar and then spend that much on several lesser things? Why? Why? Because if I bought TA, I would probably STILL buy the other things, of course. But a more mature person (maybe when I’m 90) would just buy the TA and rock it, wouldn’t s/he? :((

    I’m intrigued by PG Brulure de Rose – I’d probably go FB if there weren’t so daggone many recommended roses that I haven’t even sniffed yet. I enjoy vintage Shiseido Zen, a very soft woody rose, Une Rose Chypree, and Tocade. Also Joy and Parfum Sacre, though I don’t really think of them as rose per se.

  • Lilybug says:

    Did you actually paint that, Musette? Or is it a painting you’ve collected? I like it, it draws me in. I paint, but not as often as I’d like to. 

    Donna Karan (signature) has been a surprising delight to me this Winter. It’s a staple anyway but it’s perfect in this weather, I can’t get enough of it. 

    But today I’m wearing vintage Chanel no. 19 on one arm and Jean Desprez BaV on the other arm (which has completely taken over). Love them both. They arrived this morning in a big box of random perfumes I snagged. I am in heaven! There are so many treasures in there, I’ll be busy for weeks ;)

    • Musette says:

      yes, I did. It’s part of a series called The Maggot Broth of Memory.

      19 seems to do well in the heat – I’m going to have to try that again! Bal is a go-to for me all the time.

      I love those boxes of random perfumes. Like Ali Baba’s cave!

      xo >-)

  • Bev says:

    It’s funny because this summer I too have been wearing scents that I’d normally wear in the fall or winter.
    Incense Rose with a hit of Killian Oud. And Yes to leather!

  • March says:

    Don’t you dare send this thing to me. 8-x I really did like that Cordovan Rose, though.

    Let’s see, in the last 24 hours I have eaten green chile chicken enchiladas, frijoles, rice, carne adovada, chips n salsa, a breakfast burrito the size of a fat chihuahua (bacon, eggs, potatoes, cheese, extra green), and two excellent currant scones from my beloved Sage Bakehouse. (Why is it so hard to find currant scones rather than raisin ones? Far superior.) Tonight I’m thinking some kefir and a plain salad.

    • Musette says:

      :((

      😡

      The only thing that is keeping me from dying from envy (and Envy is a Sin so we know I’mo go to the >:) is the knowledge that I Hate Scones. And Kefir.

      Eat some Green for me, willya?

      xoxo>-)

    • carter says:

      Good question. I love currants in baked goods, one of my favorites being an Irish Currant and Raisin Cake from Nick Malgieri that I will whip up at the drop of a hat. I probably eaten a hundred of them by now. Plain, simple, delicious!

      • carter says:

        Oh, and all of that food sounds great! Mexican food (gen-u-ine Mexican food) is soooo incredible! My brother lives in Arizona and regularly ships me a cooler of green chile chicken tamales from this little mom n’ pop near him that I can’t imagine having to live without for very long. The doorbell rings and I start to salivate like one of Pavlov’s dogs…

        • Shelley says:

          What’s your brother’s address? I need to send him a change of address form…for you…the new one just might happen to be mine. ;)

          • carter says:

            It is my understanding that he is in the witness protection program so i am not at liberty to divulge that information, but if you keep your eyes peeled for a 6’5″ middle-aged guy on a trapeze, you’re getting warmer.

  • AnnieA says:

    I’ll sometimes buy rose shower gel, and do have a little bottle of Yves Rocher Rose Aboslute, but I do like the scent best on the actual flower, preferable on s drowsy summer day. Are there emoticon problems? Will test one out::(|)

    • Musette says:

      They come and go, as they please and bow to no one.

      xo >-)

      ps. I quite like that Yves Rocher – Shelley clued me into that and I thought she was nuts – then I smelled it! Yum.

  • Lee says:

    Loving your work. Is all.:x

  • Connie says:

    Oy … the strange characters after admiring your gorgeous painting should have been the “I bow to you” emoticon. Actually, I’m noticing NONE of them showed up. And I was feeling inadequate before. Sigh.

  • nicolibba says:

    I’m not sure what happened to me but I used to really dislike rose scents – thought they were all old-ladyish. Now I am a big fan. I love many of the scents from PdRosine especially Une Folie Rose (even in the heat). Cabaret was a lucky cheap find at a local TJMaxx. Top favorites: Rose Chypree and Attrape-Coeur.

    • Musette says:

      I envy you the ability to wear A-C. By rights it should be a sig scent of mine but all it does it bring up my lunch and give me anxiety attacks. Weird, huh?

      xo >-)

  • Connie says:

    I always smile/chuckle when I read your posts, thanks! And what a gorgeous painting. ^:)^ Sheesh, I feel so inadequate all of a sudden. :-(

    Not really a rose girl myself but the way you’ve described these sounds like I need to try and find the love … especially in this heat. Please include me in the draw. Thank you. :-)

  • maggiecat says:

    I’ve been craving roses lately too for some reason, and here in Dallas we can empathize with anyone who’s fed up with the heat right now! The T6 sounds delightful (the lutefisk not so much) and I’d love to try it. And now that you mention it, Ricardo Montalban in his prime sounds pretty yummy too… Please enter me in the drawing, and thanks for the delightful imagery to get me through the day,

  • Fiordiligi says:

    Nobody mentioned Nahema? OK, this is me mentioning it.

    I just LOVE the Jane Russell/pointy bra/Ricardo Montalban titbit (oh dear, I shouldn’t have written that, should I?)

    And spare a thought for we Europeans who don’t have access to a/c except in the car….

    • Musette says:

      I know – we are totally spoiled here. I just read Donna Leon’s latest Venetian mystery, set in a scorcher of a heatwave. I read through the first half of the book, wondering what the big deal was…then I remembered: little of Venice is AC’d. I only go to Europe in autumn so it never even occurred to me! How on earth do you manage?

      xo >-)

      and =)) re ‘titbit’ – if it qualifies for anybody La Belle Poitrine is certainly a contender!

  • Aparatchick says:

    Here I was sitting at my desk, having a perfectly good lunch when you had to go and mention lutefisk ***shudder***

    Most roses go sour on me. Very frustrating.

  • Jill S says:

    I love leather, but associate rose with “tea rose” and would like to rediscover it in a subtle form. Any suggestions? Please include me in the draw.
    Thanks so much,
    Jill S

    • Musette says:

      You are in the draw. I am stumped for suggestions because I don’t differentiate between tea rose and other rose until you get to the dirty stuff (with the exception of greeny-rose, like Rosine’s Rose d’Ete and Une Folie du Rose)…..I like my rose buried under other stuff, like dirt and smoke-pits…

      Take a look at the comments – they are chockablock with suggestions, most of which floored me (like Ines, which I have and love – never thought of it as rose. huh.) And Carol suggested Raphaella’s series at Sniffa magazine – sounds like you and I both need to head on over there!

      xo >-)

      • mals86 says:

        Ines Vol. 1 (octagonal bottle, silver top) is rose – I think the second version in the elongated bottle with gold leaves may be what you have, M, and that’s not rosy, IIRC.

  • Cheryl says:

    I’ve been craving roses at a certain points in the summer day. At night, “La Nuit” by Paco Robanne is great. But many many roses leave me frustrated..they seem so insipid and monolithic. Rose + leather, that’s the ticket!

  • KJanicki says:

    Rose and incense rocks my world. I love Tauer’s Incense Rose, Paestum Rose and Amouage Lyric.

    • Musette says:

      I love Lyric! Still working through Incense Rose – I like the idea, intellectually but can’t quite get with the program…

      xo >-)

  • Erika says:

    Well, my summer rose is Kenzo Fleur Essentielle; on me it’s a whole wallop of Damascene rose (complete with slightly murky, overblown petals on the ground notes) with a waft of incense…

    Is it wrong of me to feel slightly guilty about how mainstream my rosy choice is compared to all you fabulous aesthetes?:”>

    • Musette says:

      Beans.

      See my response to Ruanne. Real ‘sophistication’ is like style v. fashion. To wear/eat/drink/read/etc what YOU enjoy, regardless of its cost or trendiness, is what makes a true aesthete, imo.

      And remember: Jean Nate? Great summer classic. $9.99.

      4711. Ditto ($17.99).

      And Canada Dry makes great ginger ale!

      So there. enjoy the Kenzo, feel no guilt!!!

      xo >-)

      • Shelley says:

        Canada Dry ginger ale is reasonable. But you haven’t understood ginger ale until you’ve had Vernor’s. I’m just saying. :-)

        Which is not to say ginger beer…in which case I’m a Gosling’s gal. (What’s that you say? Who led us down the ginger ale path? Okay, fine…ever enjoyed a Ginger Chew? ;) )

        Incidentally, Erika, I think Bulgari Rose Essentialle is overlooked as a nice, serviceable, simple rose. Not complicated by a single thing. Which you could do yourself with layering…or just leave it be… The Yves Rocher, too.

  • Rosiegreen says:

    Thanks for a great post Musette, I love the image of Jane and Ricardo in the backseat. I used to think I only loved roses on the bush, especially my Mr Lincoln(best red rose smell ever) but I have recently fallen in love with CS Dark Rose and Parfum Sacre( I got the round bottle of edp in the black box) and would wear them every minute if I could. Thanks for the tip on Habanita, I will wear the vintage cologne today to try it out. Please enter me in the draw, I would love to try 6T and Cordovan Rose.

    • Musette says:

      You are in. Mr Lincoln is gorgeous – and I am not a huge fan of red roses, except for a single I fell in love with about 20 years ago (cannot remember the name right now – it’s a climber) – ooh! Scharlachglut! dingdingding! That is a gorgeous rose.

      I haven’t grown roses in over 10 years – I’m hoping to do so once we get the 70-ft trash elm out of the back yard and get it set up for landscaping (you wouldn’t believe the number of carpenter ants in that tree. Nothing scarier than a 70-ft tree with a hollow core)

      anyway, once that is done I will revisit roses. I see a ‘Kiftsgate’ in my future! LOL! – NOT! I had one in a City backyard – I grew it on the garage and it took it over completely and nearly ripped the roof off!

      xo >-)

  • Kim says:

    For me the heat seems to bring out the skanky / leather bits of a perfume so I find I like what I might otherwise find too sweet.
    That’s why I love love love L’Heure Bleue in the heat. A true wonder, almost like a new creature in the heat – anise and leathery bits with an undernote of almond and marzipan. Sigh.
    I have also been loving Chanel No 22 in the heat this year. Somehow the extreme heat makes it almost fizzy on my skin – the sparkly aldehydes become even more dominant for me in the heat. That and the orange flower. Perfect antidote for the heat.

    • mals86 says:

      I think summer is the only time I really *love* L’HB. It’s nice enough in the winter, but I get a lot of “almond pastry” aspect out of it then. In the heat, the anise pops up and it seems much more complex.

    • Musette says:

      OOOOH! 22. Love that stuff. Haven’t tried it in the heat. It’s 88F here right now. I’m off to the showers, post-floor mopping; that will be my SOTD!

      thanks!

      >-)

  • jen says:

    Hmm, my fave is Lady Vengeance and I dont even know if that is really a rose.

    • mals86 says:

      I think so. Old style rose chypre? I haven’t tried it, though.

      That is one of the more interesting avatars I’ve seen here… an octopus-lobster-bunny, or some such…

  • mals86 says:

    Good thing I had finished my coffee before I sat down to peruse… Jane & Ricardo steaming up the backseat! Ahahahaha! You are killing me today, Miss M, and I mean that in a good way.

    Love rose anyway, but I’m wearing it a lot in the heat. Sweet apple-melon rose of Rose d’Ete, happy Fuzzy Navel-rose of Ines de la Fressange Vol. I, all the rose samples I GOT (and I got plenty), including reform. Rose Poivree and Putain de Palaces. Last night dragged out the Very Naughty suede-rose Citizen Queen, yum.

    Would LOVE a sniff of the 6T especially!

    • waftbycarol says:

      I too really love Citizen Queen ! I think I’ll put some on now that I have finished my bike ride and showered !

    • Musette says:

      oooh! Rose d’Ete. My fave. One I can’t wear right now but I can smell it in my head.

      btw: can you imagine the love-child of Jane and Ricardo? Those would be some killah chromosomes!

      xo >-)

      and you are in the draw!

  • Sherri M. says:

    Roses are hard for me, both to grow and to wear. I like L’Artisan Drole de Rose (rose-baby lotion accord) for summer mornings. It only lasts until noon (if I’m lucky). I don’t care for the darker and/or more natural roses (C&S Dark Rose, Sa Majeste, etc.). They wear me rather than the reverse. I walked outside this morning to walk the dog and was greeted with the most beautiful scent of grass and earth and dampness and Tennessee heat mixed with a few of our determined roses which are fighting the beetles and black mold but still hanging in there. Rose smells divine in the heat! I’d love to find a rose that has green and earth, or the rich velvety spiciness or some varieties. On the not-trying-to-capture-nature hand, Tamara, I agree Micallef’s Rose Aoud is rose candy! I also like it. And I love the dry rose note in Jubilation 25–yes even in this weather–and though I’m not a huge leather lover myself, I say, heat just intensifies the beauty of such, so enjoy!!

  • Ruanne says:

    Although I feel like it outs me as a girly little beginner, I love rose by itself or wherever it shows up. Earlier in the summer (back when we thought we knew what HOT was) I was very attached to a sample of Rosine’s Une Zeste de Rose. It seemed just right with its citrusyness.

    What’s surprising me in the heat though is L’Artisan’s Al Oudh. When I first sampled it, I put it aside for when my husband & son are working late and I wanted to feel like there was a sweaty man somewhere in the house. I certainly wasn’t going to really wear it. Well, the other night, I dabbed on a bit for just that reason, and instead of cuminy sweat, I got the precise smell of a little box I once bought in Taiwan. The box is long lost, but I feel like I’ve been trying to find that smell again all my life. I don’t know if it was the box, the shop it came from, or something else that permeated it and made it smell that way (and admittedly, all my memories of Southeast Asia come with a note of sweat) but I am really enjoying this.

    I would love to be entered in the draw.

    • Musette says:

      Definitely!

      And don’t make yourself crazy attaching labels (though I quite like ‘girly little beginner’) to what you like or don’t like.

      Did you notice how many of us wear….Jean Nate? $9.99 at Walgreens, baby.

      I’m a huge fan of Rose d’Ete and consider it to be a very sophisticated rose – interestingly, though, I cannae wear it in this heat (you’d think I would but you would be wrong). It works better for me in the dead of winter, which is just Wrong ;))

      xo >-)

      ps. I love your ‘little box’ story – smell triggers so many memories, doesn’t it?

  • waftbycarol says:

    I have a bottle of Malak Rose with your name on it Ms Musette….
    The cordovan Rose sounds awesome…if you haven’t read it , the four part series Raphaella did on roses in Sniffa magazine is mind blowing !

    • Musette says:

      😕

      you know, I’m wondering if we aren’t EST (Evil Scent Twins), depending upon the weather. I tried the Benjamin Khus Khus last night and FELL IN LOVE – I sat there wondering “where’s the oily darkness”? I can’t wait to see what you think of Liz’s CordoRose – see Shelley’s comment above – it’s some heavy, hefty stuff and its beauty really blooms in this heat.

      I want to retry 6T when it’s cooler. This weather is eating a lot of lunch in Perfumeland.

      xo >-)

  • Olfacta says:

    It’s been so freaking hot here that I have thrown out my normal perfume “rules” (light citrus in summer, etc.) and have been hitting the high octane. Yesterday I wore Habanita perfume and a little Field Notes from Paris. Smelled great to myself.

    I love rose in all its forms. Right now I’m into Rosine’s Rose Kashmerie, another one I’d normally save for cooler weather. Also some old Replique perfume I have, which I thought was ruined but bloomed into an interesting edgy powder in the heat.

    I guess everybody on the east coast and in the south is suffering mightily — our AC quit for a day last week and it was 88 in the house — to the point where we’re just tossing the rule book out. Something about this unrelenting sweat-lodge summer feels apocalyptic, maybe that’s why. Think I’ll wear some 6T to the gym today. And some a la Nuit and maybe some Boudoir too, why not? (No need to enter me in the draw, I’ve tried both of these.)

    • Musette says:

      😮

      88 IN THE HOUSE? That’s when you shut everything down, grab a bag of ice and make a big ol’ cooler of lemonade, grab a book and a lawn chair (or chaise) and find the nearest big tree!

      I am not a fan of AC so I tend to arrange my work day around the weather. Luckily I can do that, most days – and my customers are almost all construction-type businesses, so they are ‘first shift’ (7-3). That’s a beautiful thing as by 4p this place is an oven!

      xo >-)

      what did you think of 6T? I can’t wait to try it when it’s cooler.

      • Olfacta says:

        I liked the 6T. It was very chypre-like on me. I just wish it lasted longer. I just have that kind of skin, it sucks the fragrance up fast.

        The HVAC guy is here (again). Seems that when we had a new roof put on in April a lot of sawdust drifted into the attic, then the furnace sucked it it, now it’s clogging the condenser drainpipe to the outside, tripping a safety switch and shutting the whole damned thing down. Ah, well, it’s temperate today, only 93 or so.

    • Aparatchick says:

      I feel your pain, Olfacta. Our AC died in June and yes, it was upper 80s in the house before we broke out the credit cards and got a new AC system. Worth every penny. There isn’t enough refrigerated Jean Nate in the world to get you through 88 degrees inside.

  • Madea says:

    Will I get sent to the Fruity Floral/Cupcake corner of shame for admitting I haven’t got a clue who Ricardo Montalban is? Or what a Cordoba is?

    I’m back. My go to rose right now is Possets’ ‘Isabella’. Imagine Arpege if Arpege had a note of tea rose. I’m also loving Jean Nate, which is rich and a little metallic on my skin.

    As for smoke and leather, Habanita. It makes me feel like Clara Bow–sweet underneath, but could win a fist fight if the need arose.

    Can I be entered in the drawing?

    • Musette says:

      of course!

      xo >-)

      wait. you don’t know who Ricardo Montalban is? You can still be entered in the drawing but I’mo have to send you to the school of popular culture, circa 70s-80s.

      PLEASE tell me you remember Fantasy Island? (“Fentesy Iiiiiisland, indeeeeed”).

      And I am def with you on the Habanita – great description!

      xo >-)

      • Madea says:

        I’ve seen snips on TV and heard the show discussed, but it predates me by a few years (I’m 22).

        And, thanks. Clara Bow is my style icon–maybe I need more to do?:d

        • Musette says:

          Good Grief! My apologies – I suspect both Miss Russell and Sr. Montalban, rest his soul, have grandkids your age! No wonder..

          heck, I feel like I have grandkids your age most days ;)) – luckily it’s just the kids (and don’t get me started on when I mentioned Grace Kelly to my niece!)

          Carry on…

          Clara Bow is fabulous – great style. even though she looked ‘cute’ – she was considered quite the pre-Code hottie.

          xo >-)

    • mals86 says:

      Arpege with rose? Hmmm. I mean, I’m sure there’s some in there, but it’s not prominent… hmm. Now I’m intrigued.

  • Melissa says:

    I went through my rose phase early this season, or more precisely, last season-during the spring. Aoud Damascus, Krigler Manhattan Rose and Delrae Coup de Foudre. Predictably, as the weather cranked up toward the ridiculous, I began to reach for the florals that bloomed with indoles and “challenging” notes.

    And now? I’m all over the place, but the extreme weather seems to be causing extreme fragrant mood swings. If I wear Carnal Flower one day, the next day I’m reaching for a vintage scent that wafts out animalic notes. Vintage Piguet Visa in 95 F anyone? Civet? Castoreum? A little odd, I know, but the heat seems to bring out a brazenness in my fragrance cravings.

    So, I love the title of your blog-post. Leather sounds fine right about now to me too, as long as it’s not too refined! Carnal, hothouse, indolic, skanky, sweaty, ummmm panty-leather? Oh wait. Rich Corinthian Leather. That’s okay too. And 6T. Please enter me in the drawing!

  • Debbie R. says:

    Hi Musette! Rose is a tricky note for me also. Out of all of the Rosines, only the Ecume seemed okay to me; and with “okay”, you can probably guess that I will not buy a decant, let alone a bottle. FM’s Une Rose was real rose to me. I loved it, but couldn’t see wearing it. Stella has a modern, ultra-easy-to-wear vibe, and I’d like a bottle of that at some point. Mille et une Rose (sp?) is another easy-to-wear one. However, my heart is really with NM’s Rose of Kali and Vanilla Rose. Those are so gorgous. Um, you can add Montale’s White Aoud to the gorgeous list also. So anyway, yes, rose is difficult. And that’s why I’d appreciate it very much if you’d throw my name into the drawing.

    A baby Rottie?! At some point, you’ll have to get a picture of him on one of your posts! :) :x

    • Musette says:

      You are in!

      xo >-)

      My Total Bad: by ‘baby’ I meant “my” baby – he turned 6 on 2July, weighs 110lbs and is a total nutjob. He is gorgeous and you know when he was a (real) baby he was beyond adorable.

      I had his dad up on my FB page for a long time (he passed away in October) – weird that I have no photos of his son. Must rectify that.

  • Thanna says:

    Ines and I must be sniffing in the same circles because I’ve noticed a lot of rose in the air lately too. I’m still searching for a rose that loves me though so toss my name in the hat please. Maybe some leathery rose will be the answer.

    Meanwhile I’m loving all of my incense fumes in the TX heat.

  • loverdoll78264 says:

    For me, rose is Agent Provocateur . . the original . . . love it in the heat, or anytime . . though I am almost out . . . . rose/leather sounds good to me. . . . G

  • Tamara*J says:

    Dahhhhhhhhling this is my cuppa!
    I adore rose fumes’ but they have to have heaviness, depth, sweetness OR darkness.
    I love Liz too but my rose from her is Sinti- galbanum, clary sage and dry Rose de Mai. It’s perfect.
    I huff Montale’ Aoud Queen Roses and White Aoud.
    I drench myself in Parfum Sacre at bedtime for dreams of softly spiced roses.
    Keiko Mecheri’s Gourmandises and Loukham Eau de Poudree are sweetened pink and white rose petal puffs.
    Micallef Rose Aoud is rose candy.
    And of course everyone should know by now how I’m waiting and saving for the ultimate URC and also on the mantle beside her will be URV.

    I love your painting and also when it’s your turn to post.
    Please enter me dear and BTW, I don’t just need roses-
    I’ve been craving tiny drops of a sample of vintage Femme too.

    I long to spray it someday.
    Yeehawwwwwwwww!
    That stuff is addicting:D

    xoxo~ T

    • waftbycarol says:

      ooh yeah , you reminded me of Mecheri Loukhoum Parfum gu soir , gotta get me a bottle of that ! any splits out there ?

      • Tamara*J says:

        Carol, another lover of KM! I do like her scents although they don’t seem too popular on the blogs but that never mattered to me.
        I would totally go in a split of that perfume if I could but right now I’m SAVING FOR MY TAUERS.
        (I’m going to annoy the s*$@! outta people saying that over and over. Mals started it.)
        The Loukhoum Parfum du Soir is divine!
        Actually call me crazy but it really, I mean really reminds me of Kilian’s Back to Black, so similar and can be had for so much cheaper. Do you find that to be true to your nose?

    • Musette says:

      Vintage Femme is the Devil’s Handbag.

      Once you get hooked on it, you are in deep.

      you’re in the draw!

      xo >-)

      • Tamara*J says:

        Yes it’s full on addiction now, I wish I could get a hold of more.

        Even though my girls told me I smelled like a barnyard and made fun of me and laughed themselves silly at my expense.

        I just layed there and huffed my hand while they guffawed and teased. Teenagers! Whatta they know?????????????? ha.

  • Ines says:

    :)I’ve been wondering what’s wrong with me as well because I was never a fan of rose and this summer first it seems to be in everything I’m smelling and secondly, I seem to love it and crave more of it each day.
    Btw, no need to enter me, I was lucky to get a bottle of 6T.

    • Musette says:

      You are lucky and it is beautiful, isn’t it?

      You and I may be having the same Rose Epiphany!

      xo >-)

      • Ines says:

        Wondrously beautiful actually. :) Each time I try it, I find something more to fall in love with.
        Btw, I’m blaming my newfound love for rose on Carol – she was the one who provided most of the wonderful roses I’ve been smelling lately.

  • Shelley says:

    There’s Jared, bringing up the Rose Poivree…which I do happen to have in what I believe is its original formula, one from a travel set, with the smell that I call panties and Denyse/CC has called the gusset (no, something in French that is like that, but I know the seamstress term, so there you go). Not just used gosset, but used gosset soaked in old vase water.

    I *SO* have to be in the right mood to even pull out that bottle. But you’ll notice I have kept it…

    For fear of losing my cookies, TDC Rose Poivree does not = heat/humidity of summer. If I’m going rose, I’ll go…oh, this is tricky, because when I like rose, I love it, but when I don’t, ewww…OH! I know. Tauer Rose Chypree. Depth, interest, and yet still sparkle. If you could put that ambery base in a glacee, it might be Rose Chypree.

    In the same vein, maybe a Twill Rose from PdRosine? Otherwise, I’m digging that Amouage idea…that stuff is so gorgeous, I could be melting and it would be okey dokey. Of course, this is obtained via the magic that brings me a flacon from an estate sale for like, $14. Ah ha ha HA ha ha HA hahaha. (I’m not even in that heat, but I’m clearly delirious. ;) ) Thank heavens for smaller amounts and peeps who know how to make it happen/share.

    LZ’s cordovan puts me so smackly in the tanner’s booth that I don’t think I could do it in the heat. But maybe I’ll {insert proper phrase here…man up? develop a couple? dive in? go for it?} and try it next wave. I dunno…there’s that sharp note in my opening that cuts like…a knife through hide. It’s cool, though. Somebody’s gonna dig it.

    Dear heavens, woman, did you say *lutefisk*????? Ye gods. Nothing like bleached fish to put a sharp note in your day. Wait, no, I’m gonna Tom Sawyer this one: You aint tasted s’mores ’til you’ve had them with lutefisk…what, share mine? Gee, I dunno, it’s so good…I *might* consider it, Musette, since it’s you, but gosh, I hate to give it up…

    ;)

    • Musette says:

      RP is AWESOME in this heat! In other, more temperate times, mebbe not so much.

      I thought the same thing about leathers+ heat but I changed my mind when I put on Cuir Ottoman in July last year. I’d been wondering why I wasn’t quite ‘getting’ it – in fact, it was really ooking me out – in January. Someone posted something about trying it in extreme heat so I figured 😕

      and I’ve been off to the races ever since.

      still loving citrus and vetivers, etc in this weather but the chewy temps eat ’em way too fast. I figured, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.

      erm, no lutefisk for me, thanks!

      xo >-)

  • Jared says:

    Fun timing- I’ve been thinking about roses a lot lately. I just don’t know what to do with that flower! Whites like lily, gardenia, tuberose- fine. Love. No question. But rose keeps me puzzled. All of these roses that people say are “dark” just don’t say dark to me. Every rose I’ve tried buzzes in neon pink lights, and that’s even things like Une Rose and Black Aoud, the supposed dark ones. Black Aoud is probably my favorite rose, though. And I dug out Rose Poivree and that’s one of my favorites, too, though I only wish I had snagged some pre-reformulation with the reported civet and skank. So, yeah. I like smelling roses on the bush, but I’m still not sure what to think of them in perfume. This makes me think I need more of a Nahema sample- mine’s gone. Now that I’m thinking about it…I’m yearning for some Joy and maybe some 1000! There’s some rose I can love! Ok, problem solved. Now to sift through the dust in my own wallet for some Joy extrait….

    • waftbycarol says:

      I have some vintage Joy parfum if you want to swap samples , e-mail me !

    • Musette says:

      I’m with you on ‘dark’. To date, only Cordovan Rose qualifies as ‘dark’ to me – and that might be because it’s not ‘rose-y’?

      you are in the draw! In the meantime, wear some of that Rose Poivree – tell it I said hi!

      xo >-)

  • mary says:

    Ok, you were right– it’s a Chrysler– and here is a fun take on Ricardo, loving on his Cordoba

  • mary says:

    A–I love that painting. I wish I could give them all paper plate dishes of my Aunt Myrna’s banana pudding to help them cool off. B– wasn’t the Cordoba a Ford? Was it really a Chrysler? And must I really research it? Really? C–Yosh Sottile is a sweet rosy fragrance, but for some reason, roses have not been at the top of the list, except for the real roses in the neighborhood, which smell all kinds of wonderful, right now. I bought the steeply discounted bottle of 100% Love, but just can’t seem to make myself wear it, even to try. Maybe the fall. But I would like to be in the drawing. Marshmallows–s’mores–the chocolate note in %100 Love– I think just about anything you throw out there relates to perfume in some way–:)>-

  • dissed says:

    Yes, please, I would like some roses strewn on leather. I’ve never found a rose that doesn’t turn watery, plastic or sweaty, but hope springs. I need leather roses. Orris Noir has worn well in the heat.

  • Dina C says:

    We must have grown up in the 80s, because we can all recite that “fine Corinthian leather” voice-over that Ricardo Montalban did for Chrysler! How hilarious that that is one of his most memorable legacies.

    I am most definitely not a rose fan. There’s something in rose perfumes that smells sour to my nose. Maybe I haven’t sniffed enough ones yet, or at least the right ones yet. I like rose when it’s in a combination with other stuff…No. 19, EL Knowing, other florals. Is there a dab of rose in Chamade? Cause I love that, too.

    I love green notes, especially galbanum, woods, tea scents and other things which I perceive as “cool” and “dry” when it’s hot and humid outside. Been wearing a lot of Tam Dao lately, and today I wore Cristalle eau Verte. Maybe Wednesday will be Jacomo Silences. I like leather and smoke, too, but I perceive those as fall-autumn scents.

    Great post Musette!

    • waftbycarol says:

      Sinfonia di Note Petale Rose is creamy and jammy and not sour at all !

    • Musette says:

      Thanks!

      You might really like T6 – it’s NOT rose. It’s gorgeous. And I’ll bet if you put on some leather in the heat it would surprise you. Something …happens..

      xo >-)

  • chris g says:

    Roses and heat go hand-in-hand – wonderous! Please enter me in the draw – thanks!

  • zeram1 says:

    I adore the smell of a beautiful rose – does anyone else find Serge’s Rose de Nuit as a beautiful “green” variety, one not yet blossomed? Please enter me in the drawing as well.

    • Musette says:

      okay!

      xo >-)

    • carter says:

      I don’t find RdN to be very green, but it does have a fruity apricot right up top that might give you that impression. It is a dry, musky, leather rose…a Turkish rose…which I would almost describe as being the Bandit equivalent of a rose. But it is by no means heavy or oppressive; RdN somehow manages to convey a certain airiness while still being a “dark,” sensual beauty of a thing, which is why I find it so utterly compelling.

  • Natalie says:

    Oooh, cross my heart with that reeech Coreeenthian leather, baby! I, too, like the *idea* of rose in perfume more than the reality (Tauer’s Incense Rose is my kinda rose).

    And thank you for sharing your amazing painting with us.

    • Musette says:

      you are welcome. thank you for the compliment.

      and you are in the draw. Neither 6T nor CordoRose qualifies as ‘rose’, so I think you would like either/both.

      xo >-)

  • Kristin Sargent says:

    I haven’t tried rose or leather in the heat, but I know many people on the blogs are rockin’ the Chanel 19, I’ll have to crack my precious few mls. of the vintage EDP out. I’ve been on a white flower/skank kick. Now the closest thing to skank I have is Rochas and that’s only in the Madame although I might be ready for the Femme :)

    I have some very well mannered Crabtree & Evelyn Rose, but pure cooking rosewater though light on sillage and staying power has an afterglow that can smack you. Good on both your skin and in your yummies :)

    You’re pushing my boundaries in a good way and I yanked out some of the heavy hitters: Oscar, Roger & Gallet Sandalwood, Obsession, Elle, Oxygene, Opium. It was love for a minute and then I had to put them back, although Angel and Lolita L are calling my name. Mariah’s M and me, while marshmallows may as well be made for campfires, I can assure you, we won’t be making sticky happy in this heat.

    Please toss my name in the bowl for some roses and puppy love :)

    • Musette says:

      19 is a wondrous thing but I prefer it in cooler temps (think April/early May).

      Mme R is perfect for now and Femme…well, she’s perfect anytime (the vintage, I mean – the contemp Femme, which I also adore, requires a bit of special handling in extreme heat, imo, lest you cause people to wonder if you’re been doing a bit of your own ‘backseating’, if you catch my drift ;))

      you are in the draw!

      xo >-)