DS & Durga Jazmin Yucatan

Happy second May bank holiday and Memorial Day in the US.

We are in a mini heatwave. Should last through the week, which is the spring half term week off for school. This means I’ll do stuff early or late but it’s only a fool who ventures out during the rest of the day unless absolutely necessary.

(This is my sun hat. I’ve had it for ages and it has travelled widely.
I love my hat.)

I spent Friday – literally all day but only in bits of time – collecting up the dry fallen leaves from my neighbours’ eucalyptus tree. The tree overhangs my garden and I love it. The process is laborious but sort of zen, in that it takes some concentration but leaves a bit of headspace to think about the garden. But nothing else.

Last week was a grumble with some nice things, one of which was getting a haircut. I am growing my pixie cut out and am finding that by the fifth week before a cut I look like my mum put a bowl on my head and cut round it (I did do this to my son once when he was little – did not do that again). I love my hairdresser and she is good – nothing she can do about the 2-3 days before next cut.

And had a reflexology session which left me with sore hips and a grumpy gut. Which is fine. Manipulation is supposed to shake things up.

Anyway, the grumbles:

• I yelled at an elderly woman who cut in front of me at the farm shop. I don’t get it: why is it so hard to behave like a decent, considerate, patient human being?
• I started four weeks of no sugar. I’ve done no sugar periods in the past. The first week or so is not fun. The stuff really is addictive. I just felt that after Paris and eating what I brought back it was time for a break. Every day has been my brain going ‘just a piece of dark chocolate, just some ice cream, just a small pastry, just a small bag of peanut M&Ms’. But no, so far have managed not to give in.

Anyway, pre-haircut, a visit to spaceNK. I have a weird thing about DS & Durga: loads of their perfumes sound so good but nothing works on me. So, when I’m in a shop with the brand I tend to try something, just to see if my streak holds. Thus, today’s perfume.

(A generic DS & Durga bottle. I couldn’t find JY.)

I had a go with Jazmin Yucatan on paper a bit ago and thought I should do skin. Which I did.

I think March was first to write about this brand here. This fragrance was released in 2020. Notes list: water, passionflower, bergamot, jazmin Yucatan, jasmine sambac, clove, snake plant, vetiver and copal (a tree resin best known as being used as a ceremonial incense).

This is weird on me. Ozone, marine, tame citrus and then it dries down to jasmine candy (ie, like violet pastilles but jasmine). I kept forgetting it was on my wrist and then would remember and do a smell.

Clearly, this is not for me. It’s just one of those things you do sometimes.

Anyway, before I tried JY, I had a look at the Victoria Beckham foundation, which is the makeup equivalent of a pricey handbag. Reviews are fulsome. In pics the stuff looks beautiful on skin, even older, grumpier skin like mine.

The SA chose three shades (all of which thankfully were out of stock) to test on me and one just disappeared – just so right and so beautiful on my skin. Just say no.

So, any DS & Durga you love/like/think are cool? Any big grumps from the previous week? Any Victoria Beckham stuff you like?

Oh, and the heat means I broke out the Goutal Ninfeo Meo, which has to be one of the most perfect ever hot weather fragrances. Have a good week.

Pics: wikiparfums, pexels, mine