Oh, look, it’s that time again! As you all probably know by now, EBP isn’t some kind of official-speak, as in, “Hey, Joe, what’s your ETA to the next delivery stop?” It stands for emergency backup perfume, and it was coined by lovely Posse reader AnnieA, commenting on one of my posts several years ago. It’s something a lot of us probably do without even thinking about it: We apply a scent at home, then put the spray or vial or mini bottle into to-go mode and head out the door. And after a busy day or week — or in my case, sometime even months ? — we forget to take them all back out again.
Now that we’re in a new season, it’s high time to sniff some fragrant transitions.
As for me and my emergency backup perfume, I’m in warm and cozy mode, carrying around decants/samples of Guerlain’s Cuir Beluga, Cartier’s Gold Must de Cartier, Donna Karan Chaos and Black Cashmere, and Aerin Lauder’s Tangier Vanille. And of course, the always warm and fuzzy (and oh, so layerable) Le Couvent des Minimes Eau des Mission. Plus, I’m even tiptoeing into body products territory with a sample jar of Frederic Malle’s Portrait of a Lady body cream that I happened upon recently.
These were perfect this weekend as we here in the Deep South went into the deep freeze, but looking ahead to later in the week with a day or two of near-70s temps forecast, and I’m thinking I’ll have to change horses and pull out some of the lighter- and middle-weight frags. Oh, Mother Nature you fickle lass, you! And of course, you folks in the Southern Hemisphere will have a whole ‘nother set of choices for wearing in your weather.
What about you? Do have a peek at the bottoms of your purses, backpacks, briefcases, etc., and share your emergency backup perfume: What vials, decants, bottles, etc., are rolling around in there?
And, as always, a word of caution: I try to keep my EBP items in a plastic zip-top baggie (a plastic-lined makeup bag would do nicely) in a feeble attempt at organization, but also mostly because I’m deathly afraid of leakage. Having once had the lining of a handbag stained this way, I’m not eager for a repeat performance. And it is nice to have your scent choices all together and see them at a glance, instead of spread out all loosey-goosey in the bottom of your purse, which is what I used to do, before said accident.
Epic by Amouage at the moment!
This winter, I ‘m also loving CDG’s Avignon 🙂 I just ordered a sample of Shalimar to layer the two, ha!
I often have a little travel Ziploc that jumps between bags ( fils de dieu, OJ woman, a couple more) plus a sample or two in each bag. Jo Malone verbenas of Provence was in my backpack. I’ve been wearing fluffy cuddly scents like km loukhoum and many vanilla and amber scents.
I don’t keep any in my purse, but for winter I now have two go-to’s – Dior Addict, and Hermes’ 24 Faubourg which I just discovered and really love!
I have a little box of samples that I put in my purse whenever I’m running late and don’t have the time to choose a perfume in the morning. Or whenever the day is going to be exceptionally long. Or when I’m going away overnight and don’t have the time to pick the pefumes to bring.
The contents of this little box has been the same since I started using it, which isn’t that long ago. There are large spray samples of: Slumberhouse Norne, Ore, Jeke and Kiste, Mona di Orio Cuir, Les Liquides Imaginaires Bello Rabelo, Anatole Lebreton Bois Lumiere and Annick Goutal Vanille Charnelle. It’s mostly a random array of samples that I didn’t really put much thought into, but I haven’t felt like changing the selection, so it must be doing the job right. There is something for most of my moods…
Nothing in my purse, because once a sample of Une Fleur de cassie leaked and almost put me off perfume forever. But, I have my winter stash in my work desk drawer: ambre 114, Interlude Man, Myrrh that Disappears (Myrrhe et Delires), and Ambra Aurea.
Everything except Interlude man seems to work for any kind of day for me. Interlude Man is only for emergencies.
I don’t carry perfume either – I douse myself thoroughly before leaving home and that’s it until evening. The only beauty item I carry is lip balm.
I don’t carry fragrance on me because I wear heavy perfume as a rule and it lasts all day. But ask me about lipsticks, gloss and balms. Goy vey.
lol! I have three THREE! of my Soyphisticated Peppermint lip balms in my makeup case! Which is insane. But …yeah, three. and two of my go-to lipliners (Rimmel Coffee). Which means if I lose my makeup case I’m triply and doubly squooed!
xoxoxoA
Ha!
We’ve had a warmup here too — from -8 to near 20! We’re havin’ a heat waaaaaaaave — a tropical heat waaaaaave. I’m in cozy mode, too — I also have a sample of Cuir Beluga in a ziploc baggie, along with Ciel de GUM and Les Indes Galantes.
omg. I am SO boring. Decants in a Ziploc bag in my plastic-lined makeup case (because I carry an Hermes Bombay and if something leaked therein I would prolly drop dead right then and there)…and whyyy? am I SO boring? Because it’s the same 3 little vials I’ve had in there since The Flood. Vintage No5 extrait. Vintage Gold extrait. Hiram Green Dilettante (which is so lovely but is in there because I am too lazy to go in and get it out). I have a purse spray of Carnal Flower but I just took that out a few days ago. And I’ll probably add my little vial of vintage Arpege extrait, making it a hat-trick of aldehydes.
xoxoxoA
How is that boring? Why settle for less than the best? 😉
well, thank you, my dear! I guess ‘boring’ because, as a Posse writer I should be more interested in the new/the now/the intriguing….and I love to sniff (and even wear them) sometimes – but at the end of the day, it’s Those Three, the Holy Grail of Aldehydes (4 if you count vintage L’Aimant, which I wear often). They occupy most of my mind and skin time.
xoxoxoA
Decants in my purse right now: Naxos, Ambre 114, Patchouli Leaves and Stoned.
Hermès Santal Massoia for me – a 4ml official sample lives in my bag. It’s versatile for occasion and temperature and seems happily leak free.
There are two Lush perfume tins in my purse, Kharma and Lust. I’ve been enjoying Kharma a lot, it feels grounding and refreshing in the middle of the day.Then there is this cute Surrender to Chance baggie with sanples of: Avignon, Rose Kashmir, Dzing!, AG Passion, Songes and Sables. A girl needs to be prepared! No makeup of any sorts, though, just a couple Maybeline Baby Lips. It’s been so incredibly hot here, even a little mascara would be unthinkable. Everything melts!