Gris Clair. What to Wear?

What do you wear when you're going to meet your oldest and best-est  friends, ones that you've know since you were 15 (they were 16 & 17, I was the baby of the group, or clique) and haven't seen in a couple of years? Three to be exact. One lives several states away-when she makes a trip here it equals a reunion. The others, one lives 30 miles away, another lives about 10 miles away and the third I see every time I pay my house insurance late & have to run into her office to pay it. When you're a grown up it's just so difficult getting together, this one has kids, that one is far off, this one is taking care of an ill husband/mother/insert relative here, the other works weekends (that would be me). You all can't get together every Friday night for movies, or pop into that one's apartment when I get out of work to watch SNL and drink cold ones. Or hide out at anothers' house after you're had a fight with your boyfriend or mother. Not anymore.

Sooooo, we meet up every couple of years. They feel like family to me and practically all of us have not many blood relatives. These are friends I don't need to impress at all. There was a point where my life was falling apart, we only met up once during that time and I just kept mum about it. They knew it anyway. And here we are a couple of years later, things are fine in my life .

Other than clothes, I had to decide what perfume to wear to this occasion. It was 2 occasions, first day me and the long, long distance friend hung out on her hotel room, caught up on things and went out for a bite. Last night all of us met up and went to a more formal dinner. The clothes were easy, jeans and a new top. I stood over my dresser covered with perfume bottles and had to pick something. Something modern because I know one might drop an  "old lady" or "old fashioned" comment if I wore something like Madame de Carven (which I've had in frequent rotation recently) or Sherrer 2,  and it had to be something that wasn't familiar to their noses. As if I know where their noses have been. I wanted to wear something I was comfortable in and enjoyed, of course. I was leaning toward Alien or one of the Sunessence flankers, but decided against it, too strong. Couldn't wear anything overbearing because one has allergies. Supposedly. She spritzed her bottle of Jessica McClintock every time she went near the bathroom. Uh, not my style and I would not run out and buy a bottle for myself after smelling it.

I went with Serge Lutens Gris Clair for both occasions. Why? Well, it smells good, no great. Powerful silage, but not enough to make others sneeze. No one sneezed. I love the the stuff. Originally purchased for my husband,  I snagged it, kept it out of his reach so I could wear it. It's too yummy for him, very vanilla and soothing lavender, kind of masculine but strong and sexy smelling. Confident. VERY modern smelling, most likely nobody had encountered before.

Unfortunately it didn't stay with me long. I didn't put a shitload on and it wore off a couple of hours later. There was a lot working against it. We met up at 3pm, and between going outside for them to smoke pot (I did not partake) and with the wind blowing their pot smoke and my cigarette smoke on me,  a few raindrops, then her Jessica  McClintock filling the air, and at 7pm the insurance friend joining the group wearing Boyfriend my perfume fizzled out.  At dinner, a hot and steamy restaurant where they cook the food at your table, flames and smoke and all, whatever was clinging to me was gone completely. I should have sprayed my clothes, the shirt from the other day still smells like it. The Boyfriend wearing friend, I guessed it as Pink Sugar, of all things! I do have a small purse spray of it myself, I should have known what it was. Once she told me it made sense, but it smelled very sweet on her. When the hell am I going to guess a perfume off someone and be correct?

Work tomorrow, it's going to be hot & humid for the next couple of days. Hmmmm, maybe I'll dip into one of the Sunessences or Jil Sander Sun. If it had been a sunny & bright day today I probably would have worn the Sun. It was grey and cloudy, more approiate for Gris Clair. Mellow.