Scent & Taste

Don't even bother taking a quick (or deep huff) of your wrist if you recently have had a peperoncini in your mouth. First I got a taste of the pepper, then it's slight fire which radiated to the roof of my mouth, then to the back of my throat, and from there up my nose. Peperoncini aren't really hot, but hot enough for me to create a slight burning sensation which I still feel an hour later. I have gastritis so I really shouldn't be eating things like that, I love the peperoncini in small amounts-like in a salad or on an Italian sub like I had today, I just have a little, 1/2 of sub, plus a few tiny bites of the peppers, it's enough heat for me.

In-between bites I took a sniff of my wrist, couldn't smell a thing. All I got from my nose was the heat from the peppers. Now that the fire is out I am enjoying Chanel Allure EDP. I seem to be on a Chanel kick lately. Well, I liked the Allure Sensuelle so much it led to me trying the others. I even scored a bottle of the Allure Homme for Hubby, which I'm going to put away until Christmas. Heck, while I'm on a roll I may even give No.5 another go, something I haven't worn since I was a teenager. A few weeks ago I was in that horrid Macy's and gave myself a couple of spritzes of Cristalle that was on display. Not a wise move, it smelled terrible, has this been reformulated? This carp smelled old, sour, sharp, dusty, not good at all. I have a small bottle that was my mother's and I don't recall it smelling bad. Will have to revisit that one, too.

Back to the Allure EDP, this stuff is fabulous. Smooth and slightly sweet, must be the peach note giving me the impression of sweet. Love it. It's much more vanilla/oriental than the Sensuelle.  Very vanilla but not gourmand at all. A perfume-y vanilla, a grown up vanilla. And of course I get a bit of muskyness, although musk isn't listed in the notes, not the note lists that I've seen. But not dirty/sexual musk like in Sensuelle. And it's not as heavy/heady as Sensuelle, it's easier to wear. Not to say that Allure isn't a sexy perfume, it is, just not as sexy as Sensuelle. I do like it very much.

Why is it when I only buy a small amount (my bottle is only 10ml) I practically fall in love with it, but when I blind buy a larger size, many times it's ho-hum? Should I run out to the vintage store that has Chanels for $65 and pick up one? I recall they had Chance (ugh) No.5 and 19 and Allure EDP. I am itching to try Coco Mademoiselle, yes I've tried it before but I feel like trying it again. Can't do today, we're going to the mall to get a new cellphone for Hubby. There is that awful Macys there, what's new that I can check out? Of course I'll try the Coco Mad while there. Maybe the new Prada Candy? We'll see.

Un Bois Vanille: Lay Your Sweetness on Me

♫ ♪ Lay it on me - Lay your sweetness on me - lay it on me - Ooooh Hold me tight I need you lady ♫ ♪





Today I've had the sweetest, most beautiful song ringing in my ears, and an equally sweet scent on my skin, Serge Lutens' Un Bois Vanille. Spent the day working next to the sweetest, uh, oh, a VERY NICE co-worker, we chatted & joked, shared some candy a customer gave me. I became very aware of both of our body language after he touched the back of my chair, then later my back. Yikes. Very sweet, though.  It made the day go faster than the speed of light.

The air around here has begun to have taken on a crispness, them temps have been lingering in the 70's & 80's during the day, cooler at night. Fall is on it's way.  A rich, Oriental like Bois Vanille works well now.

Bois is very sweet, but it's a sophisticated sweetness, or is it the price tag giving it that air of sophistication? To my nose, it's not really a gourmand. Notes are: sandalwood, black licorice and coconut milk. There's something else in there giving it an "edge", cutting the sweetness, something citrus, bergamot maybe? I also smell vanilla, caramel, and chocolate. Yes, later down the road it takes on a nice chocolaty smell, kind of chocolate and a mild coffee, not an acidly, strong coffee like you encounter in Sonya Rykel's  Bell en Rykle, this is a smooth mocha coffee. And a smokey note, like incense. I only get hints of the licorice and sandalwood, It's smells a bit milky, more creamy than milk and less like coconut milk, if that makes any sense.

To sum Bois up: a warm, creamy and sweet comfort scent with an edge. Will go nice with a snugly sweater this fall and winter.

Last January I was in Barney's and testing all the Lutens, Malles and Byredos, there was a pair of SA's who were extremely helpful, let me test anything I wanted, made good suggestions and showered me with samples when I purchased Daim Blond. All Serge Lutens samples, not the Carnal Flower sample I was hoping to score. Anyway, I recall one of the SAs saying he often used Lutens' scents together and showed me an example-Un Bois sprayed on top of another scent, it was something lavender. Together they smelled appealing, but a bit too gourmand for me, it brought to mind these lavender sugar cookies I used to make. Perhaps it was a ploy to get me to buy 2 bottles? I planned on only buying one, and I felt guilty enough spending all that money on one, let alone two. I've been in Barneys twice since and haven't seem either of those two SA's. It's a shame because the other SAs I've encountered  have been un-knowledgeable and unhelpful.

Tomorrow, well technically today, is my day off.  The laundry is all set to go into the washer, all 2 or 3 loads, dishes are washed and the food shopping list has been made out. I was toying with the idea of going out, I don't want to stay home all day! Thinking about hitting Barney's and testing some Muscs Koublai Khan, I feel like being dirty, like smelling something animalistic, earthy and dirty. Hell, I'm dirty already for carrying on with my sweet co-worker. Maybe I'll throw on some Khiel's Musk, stay home and call it a day. Boring, but very affordable.

Chanel Allure Sensuelle or What I Did On My Day Off Last Week

When you only have one day off a week you cram as much as humanly possible into it. Laundry, light house keeping (because making this place immaculate is impossible right now), bill paying and such are done either the night before or on the day when I work the night shift.

A few days before the day off I stumbled upon an auction for Chanel Allure Sensuelle, bid & got outbid all in the final seconds. I thought I had a sample around here somewhere, found it in my mother's stuff and it was Allure EDP, which smells better than my EDT version. Fueled by being outbid, reading that it's no longer available in the US, I decided to try the vintage perfume stores that I frequent. Plus I had an appointment in that area so....that morning I hopped on a bus, went to the appointment then did some shopping. First store, no Allure, second store no Allure but a tempting big bottle of Gucci Accenti but at $55 or so I declined. Instead, I bought a new pair of pajamas because I co-worker that drives me to work keeps showing up extra, extra early and I didn't want to be seen in the same PJs all the time.

Caught another bus (a long ride, not long as in Greyhound long, but long enough for my arse to nearly fall asleep) and went to the 3rd perfume store. I am having a love/hate relationship with that place, well more with the store owner but that's another post. I wound up with a 1.7 oz  bottle of EDT- as to how I "wound up" is another post again. I also bought 3 bottles of Balenciaga's Michelle and a vintage Cafe for Men for Hubby. $85 total in the store, $65 for the Chanel, which I wasn't even sure if it was authentic at first. I couldn't really smell it, I think my nose had worn out that day. A wearing told me otherwise.

I wore the Allure Sensuelle today and it's fabulous, even for an EDT it's beautiful. And STRONG. A little goes a long way, and that's coming from someone who likes their perfumes strong. It really doesn't wear on me like an Oriental, at first it's a harsh blast of bergamot, pepper and some spices. I think pepper and spices bloom on me. Like it's name, this juice smells sensual, the scent brings to mind beautiful lingerie, lounging in and around the sheets with a partner,  it's got sort of a sex smell, almost like sweat, but not really sweat, not dirty sweat or cumin, nothing unclean, but like perspiration in a way. It's a deep smell, oh, this is tough. It's sexy & musky. Warm, something you want to get close to, to snuggle up with, or nuzzle. Sexy and classy.

Will I wear this again? Yes, I've already worn it a couple of times in the past week.

Would I wear this to work? Yes, I have, but lightly applied.

Actually, I'd like to get s whiff of the EDP of this, I like it THAT much.

NOTE: This scent seems to "stick" to clothing, after one washing I could still smell a bit of it in my shirt, and I did NOT spray my clothes with it.

Work, Work, Work

For the past 2 months or so, maybe longer, it feels like the better part of my life, I've been busy working. The days seem to blend and I find myself wondering if such-and-such happened yesterday, today or last week. Didn't I do that yesterday, or was it earlier today? Weekends are worse, doing doubles it feels like I live there. We all end the shift rather than saying "Goodnight" we say, "I'll see you in a few hours."

I'm NOT complaining, not in the least. I do love my job, I love my co-workers (well, most of them, most of the time), and the work isn't hard or boring, never a dull moment. In this economy and the way the business is going we all wonder if we'll remain open in the next few months. So I snatch up all the work while I can, while it's available. Who knows, I may wind up on unemployment over the winter. To keep myself going I keep reminding myself that after Labor Day I probably won't be working so much. Then I get a mass email from my union boss saying we'll probably remain busy for the next 6 to 8 weeks and to work while it's available. What?? I know I can hang in there. And sometime during the next 6 to 8 weeks I'll be waltzing in there with a new purse on my arm. No, we haven't hit the coach outlet, due to his mother being sick and other obligations. Plus I want to get ahead on the bills before splurging.

Perfumes and Purses

I don't know what happened, I seem to be on a purse buying spree. Well, I'm not really buying any much, the prices make me uncomfortable. A couple of months ago I came across this ad in a magazine, probably Vanity Fair or Vouge:

and just fell in love with it. Bubble gum pink leopard print! Va-va VOOM! With loads of hippie-esque fringe hanging all over the place. Drool : ) Yes, I am a peculiar dresser and I do not find it tacky in the least. I would use that purse in a heartbeat. A New York minute. Why, I even have a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers in the same shade of pink. I can see myself now, that fantastic purse, matching sneakers, a pair of jeans and my fur coat for the winter. Oh, you say it's a Spring/Summer purse?  I could rock that year round.

Unfortunatly, the closest I'm going to get to that purse is the ad hanging on my fridge, which it is. It's by Blumarine, which is somehow connected to schiaparelli pikenz, anyhoo, they all make perfume so I was familar with the names. But the prices....yikes, I saw a plain Blumarine purse, no leopard but it had the fringe-and it was around $1,000. Nearly knocked me off my chair.

Talk about Champange tastes on a beer pocketbook. Literally.

"A shitload of money" seems to be the going rate for a designer purse. As in more than I'd ever dream of paying for a purse. So I've been shopping around. Then the desire to out-do somebody (my sister in law, it's a long story) came about and I decided to buy myself a really nice purse. I've never owned one before. Plus, every year when I work my ass off during the summer I buy myself something special. Last year it was a vintage diamond ring, $200, with very sparkley mine cut diamonds. Another year it was a tiny ruby heart shaped pendant. I have been doing 50 to 60 hour weeks the past few weeks, so it's that time again. The price of gold is crazy right now, and I have enough perfumes, there isn't any paticular perfume I'm pining for at the moment. Why not a new purse?

SIL has a Coach, and since what I knew about Coach (plain, brown signature pattern purses) I looked around for something better. Prada, Gucci, Balengencia, to name a few. No can do, they're pricier than Coach. Next I inadvertently bought a fake Coach off ebay. Only $30, but it was too small to actually use, I couldn't fit all my stuff in it. Yes, I'm doing the chargeback now. Anyway, there are some Coach purses I do like, they're not all that boring brown signature print. Actually, the signature C's in "Moonlight" is very appealing. So is the horse and carriage print. And the C pattern in pink and silver. I still check them out on ebay, very leery of buying one there again. It's a project, I'd have to check the serial numbers, make sure the style number matches the bag and so on. My fake one had serial numbers. It isn't easy.

Betsy Johnson has a few nice purses, nothing spectacular though. Fossil has some eye catching stripes. I kind of like the Juicy Coulture Daydreamer bags, BUT I've seen them in person, in a store and am not so sure. Terry cloth seems cheap, especially for the prices they're asking for. I also like the B. Makowsky leather purses, there's one in pink I've been eyeing-but I've heard that the color of your clothes can rub off onto the lighter purses. If I'm going to drop some serious cash on a purse it better not have/get any issues. Is that too much to ask?


We may be going to an outlet place in the morning. Yup, I've hounded Hubby about purses since this kick has started. Then I cried in front of him when I found out my first Coach was fake. It hurt getting taken like that. I don't break my neck working 50 to 60 hour weeks to get taken by buying fake purses. It wasn't just $30 (plus shipping)  I had just won another one on Ebay for $50 and that was a fake, too. I would have been out $80 to $100 for crap.  Needless to say, I wrote to the seller of the 2nd purse explaining that the serial number was wrong, it was a replica purse and I wasn't going to pay. I also reported it to ebay, they have done nothing.

So this outlet place, they have Coach store, a Juicy store and several others. Wonder if any of the places would have that Blumarine purse? I'll look. My maximum to spend is a soft $200. I say soft because I could go a bit higher, but not more than $250 or $300. My spending comfort level is being tested here, I don't know if I can go through with a purchase like this! I felt the same way when I splurged on that bottle of Guerlain's Sous Le Vent, $315 at Saks. It took me several trips to the store to actually go through with it. Then I signed up for their credit card and got 20% off, which eased up the tension a bit. I paid it off within the month, so no finance charges, I spent enough for it, didn't want to have pay any extra.

I wonder if the outlets carry perfumes? You know, in case I have money left over.

Back in the day

Speaking of my mother, she passed away in 2008. I think of her often and know she would have LOVED having all this perfume around, perfume coming and going, it's sniff fest around here. She'd be having a ball right along with me. I probably wouldn't be able to sell any of it! Sure we had perfumes when she was alive, she had a modest collection herself. Several years ago (and before she became ill) I was always going shopping on my days off and would pick up things on sale, bargains and such. Actually, me and my mother did a lot of shopping together, mostly clothes and things for the house, flea markets and second hand stores. My more favorite memories of us would be the ones of us out and about shopping. When I was 21 we went into the city for an afternoon of shopping and dinner out. I showed her around the city. She was probably wearing her Giorgio and I probably had on some patchouli or sandalwood. It was in July and boiling hot out, I remember the both of us resting and cooling off on a stoop, and people watching. Does anyone people watch anymore? I haven't done that in years. Who has time anymore to sit and watch the world go by?

My perfume craziness isn't a replacement for the loss of my mother. I do miss her terribly, but I'm not filling a void with the perfumes. Not that I'm aware of, and I've thought that one out before.

Back to the perfumes, if I brought one home and she took a liking to it, I'd have to go back and get a bottle for her. She had to have her own bottle. And she'd say things like, "I like this, it smells 'rich', like something a rich woman would wear." If I remember correctly that's what she said of Norell. When I smelled Van Cleef by VC&A I instantly thought of my mother, she would have loved that. Mitsouko, too. And Rumba by Balenciaga. Well, our tastes were usually along the same lines. Usually. She hated Sunflowers. She once said to me after I has sprayed on Sunflowers while in the other room, "You've got that stuff on again. It smells like a haystack." I don't recall washing it off before going out that time. I do remember giving away 2 bottles of Sunflowers to an aunt when I got tired of it.

The haystack comment, that was one of many several of her critical comments she'd use on me when I was about to go out. The others were:
"Have you got a bra on?"
"You're going out in that?"

"Where's the rest of your clothes?" (That one was used once, which was when I was about to emerge from the house to a night of drinking and clubbing wearing a bustier for a top. What the hell, Madonna and a couple of my friends were wearing them as tops. Mine was a black lace (not sheer) number, I also wore a long black wig with a pink streak, it was around Halloween 1989. I threw a black button-down sweater over it & left with her approval. An hour later, the sweater was dumped into a trash can downtown.)

 And the usual ones like,
"Those stripes make you look bigger than you are"
"That (add whatever article of clothing) doesn't do anything for you."

Although I wasn't crazy about her comments at the time, I kind of miss them now. I often wonder if my bra is doing what it's suppose to do and if what I'm wearing is flattering or not. I think my friends are too polite to say otherwise, and my husband knows better.

Heatwave

I thought everything was cool. As in cool temperature in the room I store many of my perfumes in. A spare bedroom, it was my mother's room. I don't recall it ever sweltering in there. Toward the end of her life she didn't even use an air conditioner in there, just two windows open for "cross ventilation" and it was cool.

Not anymore, not for this current hot weather. After going in there and feeling the heat, I went into panic mode and moved EVERYTHING outta there and into our bedroom, nice and air conditioned 24/7. We have an elderly pet so the AC stays on for her, well, for both of them. She also has a heart condition so once the vet discovered it, I decided the electricity bill didn't matter, my baby is more important. The electricity bill never got too crazy, not even last year with 2 air conditioners running nearly all the time. Now my perfumes reap the benefits, too.

Did I mention that I moved everything? All of it. Took maybe 2 hours. In my mother's room I had everything somewhat organized-the permanent collection, stuff to sit on and sell someday, stuff I'm currently selling, things for next Christmas, for Christmas/birthday gifts, stuff I frequently wear, and so on. Now it's not so organized, some are in a cabinet, on top of the dresser, and on 2 shelves of a bookshelf.  My husband slept through it all. Through all my Guerlains: my big bottle of vintage Shalimar extrait, my tiny 1/8th of an ounce of Ode in the umbrella bottle and box,, my Djedi,  Parure, Jardins de Bagatelle, Apres L'Ondee, L'Heure Bleue extrait and a bottle of EDC, the most precious and important ones were moved first. Some were already in our room. Then I moved 2 bottles of Joy extrait, my Chanels-especially the Cristalle and no.19 my mother owned,  Calendre and La Nuit, and so on. It was a busy night. Hubby didn't notice that the perfumes in our room had multiplied over night. Bless him! Since a bunch are in cabinets with the doors shut he still doesn't know the how big my collection is, but it shouldn't bother him too much. He encourages me with my collecting, even now that it's perfumes. Oh, they don't make that anymore? Haven't made it in years? That might bring in a bundle on ebay? Then just get it. See what I mean? I love him!