What's your fragrance today? And if you like, give it a star rating, from 1 to 10.
I'm wearing vintage Diorissimo. 10 stars, no question.
Reminder: tomorrow, wear the last fragrance you bought. The following Friday, 5 September, is the signature scent challenge: pick a fragrance, wear it on Friday, then wear it through the weekend and again on Monday (or longer?) ... see if you notice anything new, or if you get sick of it, or ...?
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2014, where I'll try to always have the next six or seven weeks mapped out in advance.
My SOTD is Cristalle by Chanel. This is probably the 2nd or 3rd bottle of a Chanel fragrance I have owned. I would rate this scent as a 7. The scent is unique, but I wish it would last longer. But overall, its a nice fragrance.
Yum, love that one…
Cristalle for me too, in the EDP. I’m not sure what a 10 would be, so will give this an 8. It does smell very unique to me as well and also doesn’t last as long as I’d like. Still…I do love it and never regret wearing it.
Oeillet Bengale. I’d give it an 8. When I first tried it I thought it was very nice but probably something I didn’t need, but then it got better and better throughout the day. Now on the third wearing I’m eyeing those little travel refills.
Really wish Aedes would do a mixed travel trio now that they’ve got 3…
Wearing BPAL’s Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil perfume oil today. Actually, wore it to bed last night and refreshed it this morning. It’s a LE and I’m happy I bought a backup 🙂
Hope everyone has a fantastically odiferous day!
Forgot to add my rating- 10! No surprise there since I bought a backup 😉
I love BPAL’s names. Looked that up, it’s caramel, which isn’t quite what I’d have expected. Glad it’s wonderful!
On me, the most prominent notes are the carnation and iris with a dash of sweetness bringing up the rear.
The name is taken from a painting by Saint-Aubert.
Because I am a dork I love researching stuff like this
Oh, that sounds pretty!
That makes you a nerd, not a dork. I should know. I am a nerd, after all 🙂 The BPAL scent sounds nice. I like Alice, which features carnation.
Cheers! From one need to another
Ooops! That was supposed to be “nerd”
🙂
SOTD is Vivienne Westwood Boudoir. This was a blind buy several years ago and I hated it. Tried it again and still hated it. It’s been years but this morning I felt like wearing it for some odd reason. It seemed like a nice spring day fragrance and it was!
It’s no 10 by any stretch, but it’s rocketed from a .5 to maybe a 5, variable.
And omg it lasts. It’s been 14 hrs. About 5 hrs ago I spritzed on some Illuminum Wild Tobacco to try and it has since faded but Boudoir drydown still hangin’ on for dear life.
Hey, 5 is a huge improvement from where you started!
Yeah. It’s only pencilled in though 😉
There’s been a few that have done that- gone from hideous to enjoyable- it’s interesting. Im waiting for the others in the banished corner to redeem themselves 🙂
I’m wearing Serge Lutens Fleurs de Citronnier. It’s probably around an 8 objectively, but a dead-center 5 for me.
Has anyone tried the new Arquiste x J Crew scents? I did last night, and I was surprised how much 57 reminded me of the Sensuous family. When I sprayed it on, I thought it smelled like they filled the bottle half from the Sensuous vat and half from the Noir, but as it dried down I kept revising my assessment to less and less Noir.
I also tried the 31 and Estee Lauder Modern Muse Chic, but wasn’t particularly inspired by either.
I tried them VERY quickly on paper and have already mixed up the numbers. Will have to go back to J Crew when I have more time. I think Jessica might review one of them eventually.
Ooh, vintage Diorissimo! This was my first ever scent and my signature for a long time. I now have the current version, which I shouldn’t have bought.
SOTD is Osmanthus Interdite. I’d give it a 7.5 in general, but a 10 for wearability – if that makes sense?
It was not quite my first, but in the first few…I was in middle school when I bought my first bottle. I have not smelled the new version, & don’t plan to. Do you hate it?
(and you smell great, totally get the 7.5 / 10)
I don’t really hate it, but I feel it’s pointless: the first 10-15 minutes are great and actually smell like Diorissimo, but then it just disappears. I don’t get any base whatsoever and what’s more, I get a lilac note combined with jasmine, instead of LOTV (and jasmine). Lilac and I don’t really get along.
Who knows, maybe they could do something similar to what Guerlain did with Mitsouko recently (or so I heard) and somehow “restore” it.
I wish they would! Both of my vintage bottles are lovely, but they don’t have the ‘sparkle’ that the fresh bottles used to have.
Georges Stahl’s beautiful Elle d’Elissa is today’s choice for me. A lovely Chypre Floral. Notes include tangerine, peach and apple, heart of Egyptian jasmine absolute, Bulgarian rose and orange blossom. Base of patchouli, sandalwood and musk.
Not sweet just a soft blend of femininity. Sillage is just right and it is pretty tenacious too. Great for bidding summer a happy farewell as Fall is peeking around the corner.
Forgot to give it a rating, I think 7 out of 10 is good for this one. Keep in mind I save my 10’s for fall & winter frags. 🙂
Fall and winter fragrances are the BEST! Why I live on FL is anyone’s guess.
I’m wearing Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia. I’m fond of lily fragrances and this is one of my favorites, so I suppose I’d give it a 7 or 8 (need to leave room for real classics like Shalimar).
I’ve still never tried this. And I love lily! Need to get my hands on a sample.
Acqua di Parma Arancia di Capri for me today. I think I’d have to give it a 5/10. The scent itself is delightful. Sweet, fresh, and juicy. But it has so little sillage, and doesn’t last very long at all. I also read something about a cardamom note in this fragrance- I wish I could smell it! IDK, for the amount that Acqua di Parma charges, I expect much better. I’ll enjoy my sample while it lasts, but that’s it for me.
Have you tried the lotion? I have it and the fragrance seems to stick for a long time…..maybe that will do the trick?
I haven’t! I’ll have to give that a shot. Thanks!
Voluspa Cocoa Tamarind. The name is a total fib, because after the very brief cocoa-and-fruit opening you mostly get dirty gardenia and vanilla, somewhat peculiar; but some days you just need to smell a little off-kilter. Keeps people on their toes around you. I guess maybe 6.5, maybe 7 out of 10? Let’s say 6.5.
Yeah, after the first few minutes Cocoa Tamarind becomes a somewhat peculiar white floral. Definitely unique. Not bad, but I was disappointed because of the lack of tamarind. I love the tamarind sauce that they serve at Indian restaurants (insert Homer Simponesque drooling sound here) and Jarritos tamarind soda, so I thought a tamarind fragrance could be interesting.
DSH’s Nourouz (Tamarind/Paprika) features tamarind, but it also features pomegrante (I’m not a fan of pomegrante in perfume) so I have not been in a hurry to buy a sample.
BTW, I’ve seen Jarritos soda at Target, along with Inca Kola. Inca Kola tasted better when I was a kid. Perhaps they reformulated it? Ha! Just kidding.
I’m testing TF Velvet Orchid. So far I really do not like it — a 4 at best.
Oh – give us a mini review please! I’d love to compare your comments to others I’m seeing around the blogs. 😉
I kind of liked it Ann (did a small skin test when I saw it in Saks). I don’t know that I’d buy it, and I probably still like the original Black Orchid better, but it didn’t bother me. Elisa, I’m curious how you feel about Black Orchid?
I like the original Black Orchid actually….never felt “me” enough to buy it but I think it’s interesting and well done.
Joe: thanks for the comments and b/c I think I understand the kind of orientals you like, it makes a difference. I think we only part ways on the weird “pepsi” accord I don’t care for…. I liked the original Black Orchid but the dirt smell kind of got to me after a while, not b/c it wasn’t good, but b/c it’s not something I want to smell with chocolate and plums for hours and hours. But at least I respect it as a major fragrance and something very different. I’ll still be interested if a Velvet Orchid crosses my path, but I’m not going to go crazy trying to get my hands on it. Honestly, I’d rather spend on Jasmine Rouge, which I really like, or try and get my hands on Sahara Noir, which I’m very curious about. I have some of the Black Orchid Voile de Fleur which I think is outstanding, and so far has served me well.
I had the same sort of issues with the original – dirt and chocolate were kind of a no-go for me, but I love Voile de Fleur.
I’m actually downgrading it to a 2 … way, way too sweet and cheap-smelling. Total fail for me. (I’m going to review this for BdJ so you’ll hear more!)
Oy, yikes. Well, I’ll push that one further down my list. Sometimes it’s a nice thing to be able to move on from the craving/curiosity. It certainly does get reviews/comments all over the place, so that’s not promising. I’ll look for the review on BdJ – the reviews there are always useful. Thanks!
I looked around and see that it has gotten some positive reviews. Honestly, I’m baffled. I really hated it. Maybe we all have perfume Stockholm Syndrome (since mainstream releases have gotten so bad).
LOL — excellent.
Sacrebleu Intense by PdN is such a lovely, classical fruity floral with spice and woods, too, that I have to give it an 8.5.
Does anyone know how this version compares to the original Sacrebleu? I only have the SI.
I’ve never compared them side by side, but I went through a sample of the original and then had a sample of the Intense version and didn’t notice any huge differences. I’m sure they’re there, but they give similar impressions. Someday I want a bottle!
I’ve never tried the intense either, I have two bottles of Sacrebleu, including an old one in very basic blue packaging. The fragrance is the same, utterly gorgeous!
SOTD is Infusion d’Iris. 10 STARS! I don’t have strict criteria for rating anything, but I wear this often and every time I smell my wrist while wearing it I sigh with happiness, so … 10 stars it is 🙂
Me too! This is a great gentle wear to the office and the movies perfume. People are always asking me what I have on.
I need to try the Absolute version.
Love the Absolue version. Do try it!
It’s foggy and cold here this morning and I have noticed the first leaves turning on the elm in the backyard. I am wearing Chanel Bois des Iles extrait this morning, definitely a 10.
Such a 10…it’s on the top of my wishlist.
I justify the expense by remembering the “meh” bottles I have purchased. After initial infatuation was followed by the discovery that they weren’t as wonderful as I first thought, BdI looks like a bargain to me. BdI never disappoints.
I like how you think, foxbins!
Top of mine, too.
Top of my wishlist too.
I’m still encouraging myself to dig deep into my neglected fragrances. Today I’m wearing Guerlain’s vintage Jardin’s de Bagatelle edt. Ah, this reminds me so much of being 16, on a short school trip to England and France, and all my exiciting hopes for the future!
I put on some Rodin Olio Lusso perfume from a sample. I haven’t had it on long enough to give it a rating. I’m just going to have to wait and see how it develops.
I wore that yesterday! So pretty–I hope it lasts longer on you than it did on me, I only get a couple of hours from it.
I am wearing Oud Imperial and I just love the way that it envelopes me in a cloud of smoky oud. Dense, cloying, and consuming, just the way I like my ouds to be. I would rate this fragrance a perfect 10. Interstingly enough, my initial feeling was not so favorable. By the second wear I was head over heels.
I’m wearing Prada Amber Pour Homme Intense and it gets 10 stars from me as it is my evening & go-out alternative to Prada Amber Pour Homme which is more casual and daily.
Chanel no 5 Eau Premiere, and it’s lovely as always. I ended yesterday with Chanel no 5 (love it in the heat, but usually at night, at home) so continued the good times.
My rating system is pretty fluid, and I give both 10s!
I love the way Chanel no 5 smells in the heat also.
Interesting! I always think of no 5 as perfect for cool rainy weather (late winter weather here in northern California).
This is my SOTD too. 10 for sure! Contender for signature weekend.
Yes! I feel like I could wear this a few days in a row without ending up sick of it. I better, at least, since I bought a gigantic bottle of Eau Premiere…
I am wearing 7 Virtues Afghanistan Orange Blossom yet again. I’d give it a solid 8/10. It’s nothing complicated or groundbreaking. It’s just a simple, joyful scent.
Today I am wearing PdN Odalisque. Absolute 10 for me, I just adore this.
I get a salty vibe from it which I’m finding is one of my favorite smells, but I’m not sure what I’m getting that from. Is that from the moss? I’d love to know because I want more.
Going by The Guide review, the saline note IS the oakmoss 🙂
Thank you perthgirl! I was suspecting it but not sure. Thanks for confirming. Too bad it is the oakmoss, since that is an endangered species 🙁
In perfume that is, not in nature…
I’m taking a vacation day today (yay!) and choose one of my favorite hot day summer scents, PdN Eau Turquoise. I can’t get enough of the juicy sparkling opening! I’ve been hoarding my bottle since it’s long discontinued and since it’s been (relatively) cool this summer, I really haven’t worn it much. Since we’re nearing 100 degrees and I’m on vacation, I’ve sprayed with abandon despite a dwindling supply. If I’m lucky, another bottle will find it’s way to me before I totally run out…
Diorissimo is so lovely fantastic! I’m a big LOTV fan… you smell marvelous!
Enjoy your mini vacation!
I am wearing no 19 poudre and Chanel Eau de cologne. I tend to layer…
I give both 5 stars. When your pregnant and trying to wear perfume anything that de isn’t make you vomit deserves 5 stars
Ha…I remember that feeling!
My sotd is Gabrielle Strehle Strenesse and it’s at least a nine. Partly because it is one of my first perfumista loves, but also because it is so unique and comforting. It’s a shame it’s been discontinued.
Vintage Diorissimo sounds so lovely. I really need to sample it since I like lotv so much. 🙂
Today I’m doing a side-by-side comparison – AG Le Chevrefeuille on one and Eau de Camille on the other, as many say they have some similarities. Le Chevrefeuille is one of my favorites and I just love honeysuckle, so I’ll give it a 9. The Eau de Camille is just OK, green and refreshing, but i want some more sweetness so it gets a 4.
I love both of these – in fact, the Camille is my winner and I’d mark it as a 9. But you’ve given me the idea of layering them as sometimes Camille seems just a bit too sharp, so the Chevrefeuille will sweeten it up; and sometimes I feel that Chevrefeuille could do with more attack, so Camille will do that!
Today is scrabble around in the sample box day. I came up with Agent Provocateur Maitresse, or at least I think I did, it’s so blah and disappeared in a New York instant. Maybe it’s just me. I do tend to be a ‘fume eater’ and scents do sometimes do a disappearing act on me. But this seems more ephemeral than usual, even for me. It opens with aldehydes, powder, and some vague white flowers. Meh. Then poof! it’s gone.
What a shame that AP wasted such a perfectly good name for a scent on this wimpy little nothing scent. This ‘mistress’ would send an erring man right back to his wife…..zzzzzzz…..borrrrring.
Ah hahahaha!
Although adultery is no laughing matter.
I’m trying a new scent for me, L’ Artisan Séville à l’Aube, which is very nice. It’s sweet because of the orange blossom, but I think some of the other notes including incense help it from being too sweet. Lasting power so far is good. I’d give it a 7 at this point.
I have been wanting to check this one out since it arrived on the scene. I am not a floral gal in general or an orange blossom gal in particular, but the incense notes have me intrigued. Curious to see how all that would play out- I need to add this to my sample list.
My favorite orange blossom is Field Notes from Paris by Ineke. It’s actually a good orange blossom for men as its tobacco note is very evident and it makes it not such a girly orange blossom.
I wouldn’t say the smokey note via the incense is a strong presence, but it does soften the potential cloyingness of an orange blossom.
I love tobacco! And you hit the nail on the head- for me, most OB perfumes are too “girly” for me- I always imagine a group of flittery, simpering young girls dressed in ruffles and lace when I smell most OB fragrances. I have no idea why this visual comes to mind…
I’ve been testing this one lately as well, and think it may be fb-worthy! Tomorrow I take it for a test drive in public :). I love the fact that it’s definitely centered around orange blossom, but still retains an air of mysteriousness and darkness.
Tomorrow I’ll move from dabber to spray 😉
Lancôme Sikkim today (the La Collection reissue). A 9-star fragrance for me — green floral leather chypre. Longtime favorite and a revelation to me when I first tried it.
I’m wearing Odalisque which I like more every time I wear it. I would give this one somewhere between 8 or 9 stars. Mme De Nicolaï is such a genius.
SOTD = VC&A Bois d’Iris
I almost went commando as I was running late this morning. At the last minute, I picked up my decant and spritzed away. I would rate this an 11.
I’m wearing Dior Addict Eau Delice today. Its very agreeable with my skin. I’d give it a 7.
I’m using a sample I got, and I’m trying to decide whether or not to purchase a full bottle
I am curious about this one. How does it compare to Addict?
Believe it or not, I’ve never smelled Addict. I’ll have to try it next when I’m in Sephora
Wearing Amouage Silver. What a great scent!
SOTD vintage Chanel 19. So very pretty.
Wonderful stuff.
The Body Shop Woody Sandalwood oil.
10 of 10 for the scent, 0 for 10 that the name seems like a bad joke. 😉
Is that Jennifer Lawrence photoshopped into unrecognizability ?
Yes! She did an interview about her last set of Dior ads & said she didn’t even recognize herself & she loved photoshop 🙂
Thanks! I will have to Google that interview.
And I guess if I knew it was her, I did recognize her face……..but they rearranged it somehow. LOL 🙂
You are way ahead of me- I thought she was just another Dior model …but then, I’m old and my eyesight is failing =)
I’m old, too – but thought she looked familiar….. 😉
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fash-track/jennifer-lawrence-her-photoshopped-dior-425504
Thanks for that link! And I liked the original images better, but to each their own.
I thought you were totally wrong – as in how can that be JL? And then someone else mentioned her lower down…
Truth is I still can’t recognize her in that photo – but I have to admit my face recognition skills are generally a little wobbly!
I had to stare at the image for a while, but thought, yeah it is JL !
Oh Woody Sandalwood! You smell like my wayward youth! 🙂 I still have half a bottle so I went to sniff on reading this and yep- still smells fantastic after 21 years!
You smell fantastic, half the world away, PerthGirl!
Testing my decant of Le Galion Whip (recent release) today. This is considerably less successful, so far, than Tubereuse. I saw galbanum and leather and floral notes in the list, and thought it would suit me.
Nope. Huge slug of lavender in this, so already I have a monster fricking headache. No discernible galbanum. Sharp citrus. The tiny hit of leather I got early on was nice, though.
Ugh, hope the headache is short-lived.
I held out as long as I could… about 2 hours… but had to scrub. Lavender frequently has that headache-inducing effect for me, even in fresh blooms. Don’t know what it is.
Some of my favorites do have lavender in them, but it tends to be a delicate accent there and not a primary focus. This one was far more lavender-focused than I could manage.
And I think it’s one of the scents they recommend for headaches, right? But I never found it relaxing myself, and it’s supposed to be good for that too.
SOTD is Divine. I don’t usually care for it in hot weather – it’s more suited to late spring, to my taste – but it’s making a nice change of pace from my usual summer favorites.
Oops, forgot rating number: 8.
Love Divine par Divine. Have you tried the extrait?
Still using up a sample of edp. Is the extrait as wonderful as one might hope?
I’m testing some old Diorissimo parfum. It’s relatively more spicy than fresh resembles older Coty Muguet des Bois than more recent Diorissimo does. Don’t know if this is because the Diorissiomo formula has evolved over time in a fresher direction, because the old perfumes have more older ingredients in common, or because older Diorissimo has aged in the same way as Muguet des Bois – or what.
I’m going to have to test it further to know how I really feel about it. It’s too unique to give it a number, anyway.
Ooops, missing word: It’s relatively more spicy than fresh AND resembles older Coty Muguet des Bois…
I wish I could tell you, but I couldn’t afford the extrait back in the day…
Yeah, me neither. It would be great to visit the perfume counters of yesteryear with today’s dollars! 😉
I’ve worn Diorissimo in all its strengths since the 70s (yeah, I used to spend my college grant and first meagre wages on perfume!). In those days of yore the extrait was incredibly powerful. Lily of the valley was obviously the main note, but it was never light or even very fresh – it was a lily of the valley for a sexy woman, not a sweet, virginal girl! It was swathed in deeper floral notes and had a slight underlying skankiness of civet. You are so right in saying that it was almost spicy. The first impression was a huge hit of green before the richness took over. The other strengths were more luminous – vivid still, a little more floral, and just as powerful in their own way.
Over the years the intensity has gone and it is no longer rich or green. The very latest formula, like Trixiesweet says, is hardly a lily of the valley at all (well that’s not surprising as the lotv ingredient is a victim of IFRA and probably doesn’t feature) and smells like a light, clean jasmine. And is so fleeting. Really not Diorissimo and not worth having.
I still have some old stuff, which is slightly degraded, but infinitely better and delicious.
Wish I had a time machine too!
Finally, a brief respite from the yucky, tropical/stormy weather we’ve had for a week already. Because everything is so green here from all the rain, instead of the usual end-of-summer brownness that signals autumn is just around the corner, it feels more like a glorious spring day with blue skies, sunshine, low humidity and temps only into the 70’s.
The weather plus Robin’s lovely Dior photo and question-of-the-day inspired me to choose vintage Miss Dior (houndstooth bottle) as my SOTD. It’s a definite 10, one of my signature scents – loved it then and love it now – both for its beauty and for all the memories I associate with it as a fragrance that has accompanied me through my whole adult life! I usually only wear it on cool spring days or in early May as new life is emerging. Didn’t know what to wear as I’ve grown tired of my summer scents and am not yet ready for fall ones, so thank you, Robin, for the nudge I needed to get out of my perfume rut and visit with an old friend today!
Nice! And gosh I loved those houndstooth bottles. But the “plain” glass ones they use now are probably a better fit with what they’ve done to the fragrances (ha).
Totally overslept this morning and only woke up when there was already a student nearly at the door! I glanced around for Concentre Orange Verte but did not see it quickly enough and so I used Apres la Mousson. Its a day in early spring and I have to say it is absolutely perfect. As a perfume I would give it a 7, but for how well it has accompanied me through today I would give it an 8 😀
I’m wearing Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise. This one never gets any love, but I rate it as at least a 7.
It gets love from Luca and Tania – 5 stars in the Guide!
I went with PdE Cuir Ottoman today. I’ve had a decant for a while but hadn’t worn it yet. I like it but it seems quieter than I’d like. Or maybe I just didn’t spray as much as I think I did. Not sure I could venture a rating at this point.
I like that one. Not enough to buy any, because it goes quite sweet on me, but I think it’s very well done.
I love the beautiful Jennifer Lawrence ad! I would love to try Diorissimo but never have. In fact, I don’t own any Dior fragrances at all, but have liked almost all of the ones I have smelled. Coincidentally, I am wearing a sample of J’Adore EDP, which I LOVE.
Fracas for me today. Haven’t worn it in ages and it made me nauseous for half the day. The musk was overwhelming. More stank than I usually get from it. Objectively an 8/10 perfume but today it was more like a 4 unfortunately.
Today I tested my sample of Portrait of a Lady, and although composition-wise I’d rate it a solid 8, I don’t think it works for me. wearing it makes me feel as though I’m pretending to be a seasoned glamour queen from about 50 years ago, and my goodness does it cling. I took a shower and it’s still hanging in there, strong as ever. There are times when I get whiffs of it and think it to be so warm and classy, but then it just reminds me so intensely of something an Indian grandmother would wear (maybe even my own Indian grandmother actually) and I just can’t pull it off.
Heh, that one sticks around! I once dabbed a little on one wrist, smeared it to the other, put on my wool coat and went out.
It was STILL on my wool coat two weeks later, strong enough that the pharmacy clerk complimented me on it.
Total fail day for perfume, as I just ‘wore’ what was leftover on a tshirt. Threw it on, started working at 7:30 and didn’t look up from my computer until 2pm. Lame. It was Light Blue, so even more silly. To me, it smells like the taste of diluted lemon juice, which means it works for hot summer days. It’s not super hot here in the south Bay Area but still seems more summer than autumn.
Tomorrow is a bonus holiday for me, so I’ll have to break out a strong non-office friendly favorite! 🙂