Part 4- All you ever need to know about fragrance continues

[shoeprincess2]

Well, we're nearly all full.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/1665844-Part-3-Fully-fledged-perfumistas-share-your-fragrances

Where are you getting your Envy from Cointreau? I adored it. It was my signature scent for years and then I just couldn't find it. It goes for £££ on ebay.

Aaah, Chocs, I have a secret source. PM me your address and I'll send you a decant.

I can't. I have fainted with gratitude.

I just dug an ancient bottle of Eau D'Issy out of the back of a drawer and had a squirt - god, it's awful. The calone is overpowering. I used to love it, too.

I used to love that, as well. Can't stand it now but it was very very different and interesting at the time.

SOTD - Lonestar Memories. Ah, so warm and smoky. I just love it.

Bah. Scrubbed the Issy.

Morning ladies! Been ages since I posted, but don't have too much free time anymore as returned back to work after maternity leave and it just seems to be chaos from dawn till dusk in our house now .

Anyway, I had yesterday off and went to Manchester with a friend. After having a sublime lunch at Jamie's (washed down with a gin and earl grey martini), we went perfume sampling. I was impressed that Selfridges had all the Chanel exclusifs out, complete with named cards for testing (we had brought pens). There was also the Armani Prive collection and the Dior Collection Prive. I have completely fallen in love with Grand Bal- a beautiful jasmine scent, perfect for the onset of summer (here's hoping). I tested Grey Montaigne, the new Dior one, but it remined me too much of Vicks chest rub!

In Harvey Nichols we tried out even more- i finally got to try Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille, and was distinctly underwhelmed. It was a bit "meh" and nothing special. Petit Fracas was lovely- very different to the original Fracas. Not as nuclear in it's sillage.

We had a play with the Tom Ford makeup. Beautiful but I don't think I could justify £62 on an eyeshadow quad. I made my friend smell Tobacco Vanille and I think it was love.

Anyone use Kiehls skincare? I was impressed by their range of products. In particular the eye creams and serums. Any good?

Sorry for the essay, but was a most enjoyable day (plus I got to read my newspaper with a coffee on the train- haven't done that for ages).

Cointreau-Remember Issy in the 90s? Everyone wore it. It was so NOW back then!

It was the Eighties smell.
I hated it even then.
My Eighties was Calyx.
And Poison.

I've always though the big hitters were very 80s : Poison, Obsession etc and then the caring sharing 90s came along with Eau D'Issey and Cool Water, but thinking back, you might be right coffee. I remember my friend wearing it in the early 90s, so maybe it had been around a few years by then?

shoeprincess sounds like a blissful day!

I managed to win an auction for Caron Parfum Sacre Intense on ebay yesterday - won a 30ml bottle for £12.49!
Its a blind buy but fingers crossed

I've linked to the auctions on ebay but note there is a normal version and an intense version of Parfum Sacre

Cool Water 1988, Eau d'Issey 1992.
I hate calone too
Those of you ladies who read French, my favorite reference is Elisabeth de Feydeau's Les Parfums - Histoire, Anthologie, Dictionnaire: 33? and over 1000 pages packed with information. I often just read one dictionary entry - very good timelines and tables in the end.

Oh!
Got my ''ties mixed up.
Of course of was 1990.

Off sniffing today.
Really want to try Volutes and Tobacco Vanille.
Have sniffed it before, and remember liking it a lot.

wow, this guy has a good collection and is selling decants on ebay

Kiwi: that's quite a collection, yes! Too bad nothing for me really. But they are also selling a disney princess scooter (a bit incongruous)

SOTD Jeux de Peau. I hated it when I first got it, but now like it. Smells of slightly burnt liquorice flavoured milk, and like the salty painted leather on my ice skates (when I went to classes as a kid).

Coffee: Tobacco Vanille is gorgeous, but after wearing it exclusively for 5 days on a trip down south to the rellies, I have to say that it can also get a bit "much". Great for a day or 2, though.

I really don't like Tobacco Vanille - I thought I would love it but find the tobacco overpowering to the point of unpleasantness

Well, I didn't try it today.
Went to the Tom Ford counter and without thinking reached for the Tuscan Leather.
Already had Seville a l"Aube on one hand and Volutes on the other, so that was that.
Love Volutes, might buy some but later, it's an Autumn smell.
And Seville is growing on me, the cool incense dry down is lovely. then again, if I had to choose an incense it would be Coeur de Vetiver Sacre.

Bought a lovely nail polish though, a speckled Illamasqua one.
happy.

I love Volutes - I had a swapped sample from a fellow perfumista.

TV is lovely too, but I agree it can be a bit relentless.

SOTD is ELdO Fils de Dieu, coconut rice and spice.

Coffee I bought a decant of Seville some time ago from Crystal Flacon. It's quite unique and lovely.

Wearing Vega again. I love this comparison review Vega vs. Vraie Blonde. They are not all that similar on me. But I'm suddenly getting whiffs of Teint de Neige from Vega's drydown, how did this happen

Hmm.
Thinking about it.

SOTD: Byzance. A half used full bottle left from my late Greek grandma. Very smooth and balmy, and reminds me of her.

SOTD Chabochard. It grows on me every time I wear it. The leasther notes are really really strong on my skin, very different to my usual choices.

Frugal today - instead of buying a mini of YSL In Love Again, I sampled it at the department store. A good thing - while I really love the green cassis bud part in this (and it's by JC Ellena), the rest is a bit too conventional, something I have smelled thousands of times in locker rooms, cafeterias and buses. Also smelled Y in passing on a strip - am I growing old, it smelled great