Monday through Friday

On Monday, Birgit asked "Are you still looking for the one?"  Well you know what is interesting?  I found (one of) THE ONE(s), the It Girl of fragrances, totally unsniffed and extremely early in my perfume blogging time:  Miller Harris L'Air de Rien, and of course I'm wearing it today.  So why would I continue in my perfume journey?  Because I hadn't found others in my 'much loved' category!  And I was hooked - looking for new loves in fragrance became too addictive.

Tuesday:  Since Andy Tauer is on my mind today, I'm wearing his Carillon pour un Ange.

Wednesday: I received the most wonderful package of scents from the most wonderful lovely Marie.  She knows I adore Agent Provocateur Eau Emotionelle, and stocked me up with it, as well as sending me APs Strip which I have never sniffed.

Strip was launched in 2007, and is a warm, amber/vanilla woodsy clove-y scent (I cannot find cloves in any list of notes, but I swear it's in there), with that AP signature.  Is there anything from AP I don't like?  (Now admittedly, I'm not ga-ga over L'Agent like others in this line, as I tend to like scents that punch me in the arm, but I do enjoy it, esp on hot days.)  What joy is Strip!  There is a faint reminder of L'Air de Rien, and also what I remember of Boudoir (I gave my sample to my cousin last autumn).  Love love love!

Another really hot day today (Thursday) so I made cucumber pickles this morning, and then caught up on emails and sprayed on some Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess (samples from Marie).  I'm a bit disappointed, and am trying to figure out why.  True,  I'm normally not a Lauder fan (other than Youth Dew), but I thought that this would be a golden juice.  I'll see how I feel later today.  Maybe my nose is all filled up with vinegar and spices?

Birgit likes it.  And so does Dee and Marie and Undina.

Okay, it's hours later - and I reapplied.  It's a pretty perfume, but not for me.

Friday - La Chasse aux Papillons.  Yes it's also a pretty perfume, but to me it makes me think of that one cherished poem I read as a pre-teen; evoking rose-colored nostalgia.

I need to get off the computer and get some gardening done. Hoping that everyone has a beautifully scented weekend!  

a week of scent

I left Facebook for awhile, so I'll be doing my SOTD's (Scent of the Day) here (if I remember!).  Also, if I have already reviewed it, I'll link the name to the post.

Monday:  Raphael Replique - the shapely bottle version which is an EDT - I currently have three versions of it so this is my 'middle vintage' one.

Tuesday:  Coty Chypre - even sprayed some on the Moth, and he smells great in it.

Wednesday:  L'Artisan Mimosa pour Moi - what a delight!!  But because I already have Miller Harris Couer de Fleur, which features mimosa, no full bottle for me, though I wouldn't mind a nice sized decant of this.  So I sent the sample off to Rice from Notes from the Voodoo Lounge  because in this post she was lamenting the loss of mimosa trees.

Thursday - Eau de Pickling Vinegar and Spices

Friday - See above

Saturday - Lutens Sa Majeste la Rose and heading out to the Farmers' Market. Although we are starting to harvest from our garden, we still needed some onions, tomatoes, corn, and local home-grown chicken!  I worked all day on outdoor projects and The Queen Rose lasted along with me.

It's Sunday morning now and I'm not sure what I'm going to be wearing today - need coffee.  But I'm thinking that I'll be wearing Providence Perfume Eva Luna because the Moth and I are going to see "Midsummer Night's Dream" being performed locally.

these are AWESOME - spicy zucchini refrigerator pickles

a chypred Frida is a happy Frida

Oh yes indeedy!

Coty Chypre is punk rock

me in 1981

Yep, I realise that this post title may have perfumistas saying 'what!?!'

I'll explain in a bit. But first I had to figure out what the heck is a chypre to begin with.   So I'm researching away, and getting all kinds of confusing and not specific information, so I go to the site where I should have gone to the first place - the wealth of information known as Perfume Shrine.  Check our Elena's marvelous Chypre Series here.

Elena says "Back on point, the basic chord in a classic chypre however is always bergamot-oakmoss-labdanum. (Whatever other notes the sites/guides mention , those must be in there for it to qualify as a classic chypre). "


Okay, so Coty Chypre notes are, well wait a minute, they're actually hard to pin down, but suffice it to say, the chypre trio is in there (at one time or another).   


I found this quote on Ebay:  "The Coty Chypre women’s perfume holds the aura of Venus. The top notes of African Orange flower, Bergamot, Amalfi Lemon and Orange of this Coty Women's Eau de Toilette mark the entry of the Goddess of Love. Lilac, Jasmine, Rose and ylang-ylang at the heart of this Women’s perfume slowly unravels her presence. Lying at the base of this Coty Women's Eau de Toilette, Patchouli, Oakmoss and Musk leave all mesmerized with its warm soothing earthly fragrance. It’s about time you don the aura, it’s about time let out the Venus in you with Coty Chypre."

Coty Chypre starts off in that typical chypre-ish way.  Kinda pointy. Kinda 'stay away from me, you fools.'   Kind of  "woah, don't get too close to me!"  I can totally understand why Dorothy Parker wore it (if she did indeed wear it, which makes perfect sense once I tried this perfume).

Then is dries down to its innermost niceness.  Like every single person I knew from the punk rock scene back when I was a young one.  No wonder that, when standing in front of the perfume counter at Halle's in 1980, trying to choose between  Chanel No. 18, No. 19 and No. 22, I chose No. 19 (a chypre).

To me, it's punk rock because Chypre was startling, a little bit scary, but oh soo tender once you get past the prickle of what is chypre.  Now of course, given that I was involved in the punk rock scene, and not in the Dada scene or any other 'shocking' culture, I view it as such.  If I had lived in another era, the title would have been different.

There is a Coty similarity in the dry down with both L'Aimant and Chypre. As L'Aimant is my new-found love, do I have room for Chypre, too?  Of course, my heart has room, but my bank account does not.  And I want to thank Pat from Olfactarama again for sending me a glorious sample of it!

I'd also like to send you to a terrific review from Pat  And here's a quote " Although Coty Chypre is discontinued now, the classification “chypre” lives on in the name of a perfume family, based on that same oak moss/labdanum/bergamot trinity that has been disparaged in recent years as an “old-lady” scent. Puh-leeez! Kids, there is nothing old-lady about it."

No, it's not old lady - it's PUNK ROCK!

Here's more great reviews- one from Yesterday's Perfumes and another from Olenska

PS: please excuse the formatting flaws on the page - even after all of this time, I still have trouble getting fonts to all match up, esp when I cut and paste.

Three samples, three short reviews

(photo from The 7 Virtues website)

The 7 Virtues Afghanistan Orange Blossom:  A pretty dirty little orange blossom.  Though it faded on my skin after three hours (dag-nabbit!).    Review by Dionne at BoTO

Infusion Organique Buddha's Fig:  Although VERY fleeting, at $35.00 for 50 ml you really cannot go wrong.  A really good fig scent.  Here's Brian's review at NST.

L'Artisan L'Eau D'Ambre:  There is something in this that reminds me of childhood. Is it Play Doh?    A positive review by Birgit at Olfactoria's Travels.

Of all three, I like Afghanistan Orange Blossom best.  Again, wishing for most lasting power.


* I received samples of AOB and BF from Dionne, and LedA from BIrgit or Michael.  I feel very guilty that I cannot remember who sent me that sample.  But do want to thank  you!

Another 'not a true perfume post' - I blame it on the weather

It's the heat I tell ya.

I have a couple of perfume posts in the making, but for days I just sat in the living room, in the air conditioning, and even that gave me a headache.  The heat gives me headaches ('oh poor me") but constant air conditioning can too!

Okay I didn't sit in the living room for days straight.  But when I went outdoors (to water the chickens, to water our garden in the yard and our 'allotment' at the community garden, and to go to the grocery store) it was overwhelming hot and humid.  You know, the type of weather that you can barely catch your breath?  Yep, that kind of hell.

The only perfume I could deal with last week was the lighter cologne-y stuff - Florida Water, 4711, that Demeter I mentioned, and Fresh Lemon Sugar Sugar Lemon.

But now the weather is better.  Today, after The Moth fixed the lawn mower, I was able to mow the weeds.  Then I did some laundry and hung it out on the line.  And I made some dill pickles.

I'm dying to wear Coty Chypre (thank you Pat!!!) and write about it.  Hopefully I'll be able to do that tomorrow.

waiting for the pot to boil