More LA Scentsation – and a Giveaway of your very own!

OMG!   I don’t even know where to start.  Well..  let me just start with an update – remember my little Chicken Little Butt?  I’d dug the hole below the compost and…well, you know how I thought it was going to end.  Apparently El O is the Butt Whisperer – I left a sick, tiny chick and came home to a pretty decent-sized young chicken.  She is now only about 20% smaller than her sisteren and she is running around, eating and pooping like a chicken should!  She says to tell all of you hello and thanks for your well wishes!  On to LA!!!

nvcsamples

Neela Vermeire goodies

So!  LA.  OMG!  I know, I need to get on with it.  Well, where to start…omg!  we were soSOSO thrilled to have so many great perfumers and distributors participate in this Event.  Wanna know just how much work goes into making an Event like this work?  A whole lot.  Here’s March and Patty, working like fiends to get the goodie bags loaded up …and I mean LOADED!   We nearly fainted when we opened the box of Strange Invisible Perfumes !!!  Lyric Rain. Moon Garden! Epic Gardenia, each one more beautiful than the one before……. my dad had a saying….it involves defecation or losing your eyesight.  I now know just what that saying means! LOL!  There was barely room to fit all the goodies in the bags we had!  Thanks to the incredible Tom, who provided us with cool canvas bags – we filled those things UP!!!!!  Btw – Tom is indispensable when it comes to BH and points West.  He helped Frank navigate through some really rough stretches of  traffic.  You do NOT want to get on the wrong side of the Beverly Hills Cops!  He also kept a goodly number of us from acquiring $250 tickets for walking against the light.  LA is fierce!!!  Mean Streets, baby.  MEAN!

courtesy Jeffrey Dame/Hypoluxe

THE BUS!!!  We piled on the Bus and Frank took us to SCENT BAR!  The gorgeous and exciting Portia kept us regaled with lots of hysterical stories and …well, I am just madly in love with her !!!  She kept us in stitches until we got to Scent Bar where we …well…it was magical.  Seriously.  Franco and his incredible Team of Fabulousness treated us like royalty!  Portia (gawd, just HOW did you hold up for the day – and in those heels?) MC’d the Event …  Portia and I sampled and reviewed Amouage Opus VII right there in Scent Bar!  Thanks to Christopher Chong and Amouage for making that happen!

courtesy Jeffrey Dame/Hypoluxe

courtesy Jeffrey Dame/Hypoluxe

 

Then it was on to Beautyhabit!  Wow…talk about a HAUL!  Beautyhabit is in Westlake Village which might as well be on the moon, from a freeway perspective.  We caught traffic…and it looked grim…except Portia kept us going with banter and fabulous giveaways,  and soon enough, we pulled into the lovely parking lot of..Beautyhabit, where  the beauties Teresa and Paula and their gorgeous, delightful crew made us swoony with welcome!

Lunch was exquisite, courtesy of Chef Vazquez of Rock Chef Rolls.  Portia won Chef in a drawing but I think Paula made her give him back (sadface).  Damn shame – the man can COOK!  And he’s pretty easy on the eyes, too!  Paula weighs less than my handbag.  I just don’t understand it!  I would be bigger than Chef’s foodtruck!  sigh.

beautyhabit lunch

beautyhabit lunch

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aisles of fabulousness

As fabulous as lunch was (and it was!  I dream about that salad)….let me just tell you….nothing compares to walking into Beautyhabit’s brick-and-mortar store.  March and I just stood there, gobsmacked.  I mean it.  For a full 45 seconds, we couldn’t move, just stood there, clutching each other like we’d hit Lotto!  It’s a beauty/perfume junkie’s Paradise!  I could bore you with words…but I’d rather show you.  When it came time to leave I had to scour every inch of the store, to make sure we didn’t leave anybody behind.  Folks were clinging to the shelves, whimpering, begging for just a few more minutes….yah.  Fuggesdaboutit!  GET ON THE BUS!

I have so much more to tell you, including yapperage about the charming and gorgeous Brent Leonesio of Smell Bent, who took time to COME ON THE FREAKIN’ BUS! because Frank couldn’t find a parking space anywhere near Brent’s stand.     We had to cut it short, alas – and now we wish we hadn’t because it was a whole lot more fun than Beverly Hills, though…whatchagonnado, eh?  Next time it’s Smell Bent!  But for now,  Brent is having an online Garage Sale now – get thee to it!

Okay!  One last thing before I get to the giveaway – I noticed that a lot of you are concerned about having to be an extrovert to enjoy this type of Event.  Naw!  That’s why we have Portia!  And The Posse Gals!  You can choose to ramble on with friends new and old..or you can just relax and quietly observe the Crazy as it unfolds.   We do ‘ask’ after folks, to make sure they are feeling comfy – and several of our guests made it clear that they were just hanging back, having a good

beautyhabit

Paula lovin’ Portia!

time just hanging back.  So don’t worry about that.  It works anyway you want it to – until you try to abscond with The Chef.  Then it gets a little dicey!  But in the end….see?  All smooches!!!

So!  To our giveaway (‘finally! lawd, but that girl do go on, don’t she?’)….the elegant Jeffrey Dame of Hypoluxe wants those of you who couldn’t make it to the Scentsation to have a bit of fun, too!  So he has kindly offered up sample vials of his fabulous new scent Grand Cuir by Parfums Retro.  If you recall this is the one I am in love with, that smells like cold cream and leather and a whole lotta fabulous!  The first 50 people who request a sample at sendmeasample@grandcuir.com will get one!  Isn’t that lovely?  I think so.  And when you smell Grand Cuir I think you will, too!  It’s a little bit of the LA Scentsation, coming to your mailbox!  Don’t forget to give Jeffrey your mailing info!

hypoluxe

Portia w/Jeffrey Dame

  • For easy viewing all 61 LA Scentsation images taken at the Scent Bar visit are now uploaded to the front page album at Perfume of Life. Enjoy.

  • Kat says:

    Folks, LA Scentsation was beyond wonderful. Portia and the posse definitely had their act together and all the shops we went to went WAY beyond what was expected. As soon as they post next years, I;m on it.

  • Naoemi says:

    Wow, this sounds really fun. I hope that I’ll be able to attend the next Scentsation. Anyways, I do hope that I still get a chance to win this giveaway as I am really pleased with the review that you’ve made with this sample. I wanna try it so bad. Ha Ha.

  • eldarwen22 says:

    I’m glad that the little chicken made it. I wish that I was there for the Scentsation. Maybe my bank account will be a little nicer to me and allow me to go to the next one.

  • Hi all, the GRAND CUIR sample orders continue to come in, which is great. I’ll be sending out the first 50 this week, and the waiting list for more in June when the next batch arrives. So if you have not yet requested your GRAND CUIR sample please do so. A reward worth the wait. With all the excitement last Saturday you may have missed some of the information for GRAND CUIR. I did try to keep it short and sweet, people are always better than products. Anyway, GRAND CUIR is brand new and exclusive at Scent Bar and Lucky Scent. The samples are available now, the full-size next month. The scent is outstanding, but of course I am biased. In the Scent Bar give bags handed out to the 60 Perfume Posse members who were in LA there was a very large GRAND CUIR 3.75 ml dram gift. I would encourage you to wear GRAND CUIR and explore it, as the scent is unique and with many facets. If you could spare a few words, please post a review of your GRAND CUIR experience on the “Post A Review” page on the Lucky Scent web site so others can read and enjoy your perspective. Best, Jeffrey

  • CC ... says:

    Fabulous commentary, as usual! I definitely want to go on the next one.

  • Maureen says:

    What great reporting from what sounds like an awesome event…I would love to be at one some day. Portia seems like a wonderful entertainer and loads of fun. I am so glad Little Chick is better. Your writing consistently cracks me up! Thanks. Fingers crosssed for a sample of Grand Cuir in June.

  • rosiegreen says:

    I am glad Little Chicken survived. Maybe we can have a post on the event from the passengers points of view, most fun moment, best samples,best personal meeting ?

  • Janice says:

    I see that the Grand Cuir samples are gone for now, but I was fortunate to get to sniff it at Scent Bar Saturday and just wanted to say it was one of my favorite things I tried all day (and I sampled a LOT of stuff). Musette, your review was dead on– or maybe it’s just the power of suggestion that I’m smelling cold cream in there–but for anyone who likes soft, suede-like leather scents I’d say it’s definitely worth ordering a sample from Luckscent.

    And I’m so glad to hear the chicken is doing well. I almost asked you about her Saturday and then was afraid it would just depress everybody if the news was bad.

    • Musette says:

      I’m so glad you liked it, Janice. It’s one of those perfumes i can easily smell in my mind!

      xoxoA

      ps. please make sure you come back next Wednesday – I’m going to take Tiara’s suggestion and mostly throw the post over to you guys, see what perfumes you liked best!

      xoxoA

  • Tiara says:

    I would love to hear what folks on the trip sampled that surprised them or even prompted them to shell out for a FB.

    So happy to hear the little chickie is doing well…baby chickens are so cute! You’ll have to let us know when you get your first egg(s).

  • Hello Posse people! It was nice to meet everyone on Saturday and share the day. I felt like my good luck mojo was bubbling over; my name was called as a winner several times. Thanks to the Posse for a great day and to my fellow bus riders for making it fun. Cheers, Rob

  • missyl says:

    Thanks for the great pics and update on the sweet chick. I was so relieved to hear she was,well…. relieved! Poor little behind. : ) So glad it all came out ok..And thanks for the info on the Grand Cuir sample giveaway! Can’t hardly wait to smell it. Blessings and sunshine to you today!
    Missyl

  • OK Wednesday morning May 15th, all of the first group of 50 GRAND CUIR samples are gone. However, I do have more samples arriving in June – so go ahead and send your request with your mailing address and I will put you on the waiting list. sendmeasample@grandcuir.com

    For those who can not wait LuckyScent does have samples of GRAND CUIR available today at $4.00 each.

  • HemlockSillage says:

    Fantastic! This whole trip sounds like it was a hoot! Wish I could have been there. So glad you all had great fun. The tiny sick chick’s saga and El O’s heroic efforts just makes it even better. A good ending 😉

    • Musette says:

      Literally, eh? I think it’s hysterical that two adults get stupid-goofy grins on their faces, every time that chicken takes a dump! LOL!

      Maybe we can corral you into coming to the next Event??????

      xoxoxoA

  • Wow! That is so nice of Jeffrey Dame to offer samples to those of us that couldn’t make it! I love companies that do things like that. It instantly elevates the company in my mind.

    And his pictures were AMAZING. Seriously– I am dying to go to Luckyscent now.

    BH sounds amazing. Am I the only one who didn’t know that they have a brick and mortar?

    • Musette says:

      Re Beautyhabit: No. You are not. It’s not ‘really’ a ‘store’ – it’s their corporate office/warehouse in an industrial park-type plae….but if you know how/where to find it, you can shop IRL.

      Jeffrey Dame is one of the most elegant, charming men I’ve had the pleasure to meet. He was gracious enough to be the First Wave photographer (he sort of got dragooned into doing it and gamely accepted the (cough)demand(cough) ‘request’ – and I think he caught so many wonderful moments at Scent Bar. A true artist and a gentleman.

      xoA

  • Ann says:

    Hooray for sweet lil’ chickie!! So glad she’s a happy chicken, enjoying life. Thanks for the update. And thanks, sweetie, for the wonderful report of the fabulousness that was Scentsation. It makes those of us who didn’t get to go feel like we were there!

    • Ann says:

      P.S. A huge thank you to you, Patty and March for getting the whole event together, and Portia, too! Anyone who can keep you upbeat and smiling through L.A. traffic gets my vote for entertainer of the year!

      • Musette says:

        This was a total team effort – it wouldn’t have gotten done, otherwise! Portia is so amazing. I just can’t …..words fail me. She is STUNNINGLY FABULOUS!!!

  • Jackie b says:

    Who would have thought that I’d tear up over a CHICKEN!!
    You must have had the most amazing fun time, even battling traffic over there, your excitement comes through my screen, thanks for the smiles!

    • Musette says:

      LOL! I KNOW! (about Chicken Little Butt) – but she was just so tiny….and now she’s all “hey! whazzup!”, which is very nice! The beauty of The Bus? Traffic? NOT OUR PROBLEM! Portia just threw out some more fun and I pulled another winning ticket!

  • lucasai says:

    Lovely report and photos, hi Portia! (waving!)
    Too bad Los Angeles is like the other end of the world to me, maybe someday 😉

    I’ll give it a try to get a sample of Grand Cuir

  • poodle says:

    I am so happy to hear the chicken is doing better. It seemed pretty bad for a bit there. Glad the LA trip was fun.

    • Musette says:

      Thanks! It wasn’t looking good. Glad to come home to good news. Maybe you can join us on one of these Events! xoxoxo

  • Tara says:

    Thanks for posting the photos and reassuring us about Chicken Little – so happy she is doing better! It was wonderful meeting you. 🙂

  • ojaddicte says:

    Yay, little Chicken Little Butt pulled through! I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I wish we could keep chickens here where I live.

    OMG. Beautyhabit looks uh-mayz-ing. Wish I could have participated, it looks like such a fun event. 😀

    • Musette says:

      Beautyhabit is the most terrifyingly fabulous place I’ve been, EVAH! Good thing I was too busy to really shop – I would’ve bankrupted myself. Everybody else came out of there laden with bags – if we’d been on camels instead of a bus, they would’ve collapsed from the weight! LOL! xoxo

  • FeralJasmine says:

    So happy about your chick and your wonderful LA trip.

    • Musette says:

      Thanks! She is doing great! And the Event was amazing! I’m just so damn happy I got to go back to Roscoe’s. “Don’t it always seem to go..that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?”

  • spiker says:

    I’m ridiculously pleased to hear your little chick is doing better. Clearly, El O is a hero. How many people do you know willing to soak a poor little chick’s butt, really? (somehow that sounds a little perverse now that I’ve typed it, but never mind).

    Sorry to have missed the goings on in LA (already emailed for a sample – with address). Sound like the loveliest sort of mayhem. I’m adding my vote to a Chicago outing next year.

    • Musette says:

      This may gross you (and others) out – but what he did was even more disgustingly heroic. He gently squeezed her little tummy. What came out was godawful – but it started her on the road to recovery!

      xoxoxoA

  • Tom says:

    I forgot to explain to people about the beach totes- for those of you who got one, they were from my last job- a Beverly Hills City Council race, So it has the name of the candidate (who thankfully won!)

    So you all have a piece of BH History. Plus they’re great shopping bags. Especially if your town banned plastic ones.

  • rosarita says:

    Oh, this sounds like it was so much fun, thanks for sharing, Ms A! (and thanks for the chicky update because I was concerned) Are there more pics floating around that you guys will post? That Chef Rock Rolls truck is totally badass! Beautyhabit looks – amazing isn’t the right word, maybe overwhelming? Glad I can live vicariously through you guys and I really would like to see how much makeup Ms Patti took home from BH 🙂

    • Musette says:

      She’s actually doing very well! I can’t believe she survived! And now seems to be thriving. Ah, well. It’s like those dessicated tomato plants (too long in a hot greenhouse) – I threw some Vitamin B on them and left them to recover overnight – and 7 out of 8 did! Nature is predisposed to survive, I guess! xoxoxoA

  • don’t forget to include your mailing addresses, several of the first few requests for GRAND CUIR have come through without an address.

    • OK Wednesday morning May 15th, all of the first group of 50 GRAND CUIR samples are gone. However, I do have more samples arriving in June – so go ahead and send your request with your mailing address and I will put you on the waiting list. sendmeasample@grandcuir.com

      For thise who can not wait LuckyScent does have samples of GRAND CUIR available today at $4.00 each.

  • Joe says:

    Ahhh…. I’m still feeling bereft at missing all this fabulousness.

    Someday, dahlink… someday.