First off, let me wish everyone a very happy Memorial Day, which we’re celebrating today here in the U.S. If you will, take a moment today to remember service members around the world, past and present. And now on to the fragrant portion of our program. A few weeks ago I visited a Nordstrom in the big city, one that I rarely get to, so I enjoyed seeing a few different things that are not in the store that’s somewhat closer to me. What made my heart go pitter-patter the most, however, was spying a tester bottle of Cartier’s La Panthere lotion.
Obviously, it’s easy to try a spray fragrance of something, but with the body products, not so much. So I was happy to see this, and even happier when the kind SA made me two sample jars of the lotion.
Cartier did a good job with the Panthere lotion, IMHO: The formula is quality, paraben-free, lasts quite well, but best of all, the scent is spot-on. And that’s so lovely to find, because sometimes a fragrance’s body products are just not up to snuff, either not quite true to the actual juice, or they have an odd note to them that can be off-putting, or something else.
At $55 for a 6.7-ounce bottle, it’s not exactly drugstore cheap, but it gives great olfactory pleasure without breaking the bank, so I’m dubbing it a (relatively) affordable luxury.
So now I’m thinking that this will soon be mine. I’m a little hesitant to wear a spray of the EDP to the office but the Panthere lotion seems just about right. A soft veil of deliciousness that I can smell and enjoy, but no one else, unless they come up and stick their nose in the crook of my arm. (And I do have one co-worker who just might do that, as she’s somewhat of a perfume lover, so that’s OK.)
Now if only the stores would put out a tester of the shower gel …
What about you? What cheap thrills are you enjoying as we kick off the unofficial start of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere? Or what cooler-weather gems are you folks down in the S.H. loving right now?
I just got a bunch of B&BW stuff from my niece so I’m enjoying that. She was cleaning out her room and realized she had doubles of some stuff or decided she didn’t want others so she bagged them up for me. So I’ve been enjoying some scrubs, lotions, and body sprays in a variety of scents. One was a mango scrub. It smells summery and goodness knows after the long winter we’ve had (and can’t seem to shake) I need all the sloughing I can get. I too wish that perfumers would release body products in my favorite scents. Like you, I want good ones though, not some awful excuse for a lotion that is sometimes included in those occasional gift sets. I really think if they put a bit of effort into releasing good quality lotions, soaps, etc., people would buy them.
I used to love the now-gone Chanel Cristalle bubble bath. It had high-quality bubbles, and made the bathroom smell nice for a couple of days. For my current cheap thrill I have taken to adding some Nougat London Tuberose & Jasmine perfume to Epsom salts, as I wasn’t wearing it as a perfume. Hmm, might try the unused Marc Jacobs Cucumber next…
Oh, wow, Annie, I remember that — what a lovely product! And what a great way to help use up extra scents; thanks for sharing!
I agree, I love that Jour d’Hermes has a whole, line but only the perfume is ever testable. I thinking a shame and a huge loss of potential income!
Hi, Rina! I didn’t realize that about the Hermes — they sound lovely. Maybe an Hermes store itself would have the testers out? If not, I try to keep an eye out for smaller sizes that come with gift sets; often you’re not paying too much more (if anything) over what the actual spray might cost, and if you’re buying the fragrance anyway …