We've had a bath, a hyaluronic sheet mask, egg & chips and are now in Opium. Come and join us for Lovely Friendly Perfume Thread 11!

[explodingkittens]

Welcome all, old hands and newbies, to LFPT no. 11! Pull up a chair and tell us all about your new finds, old loves and burgeoning obsessions. Ask a perfume-related question and someone here will have the answer. Niche, mainstream, celeb scents, drugstore El Cheapos or hard-to-find exclusives - we love 'em all.

We are also doing the Big Sniff every Sunday, so please join us there too!

Thanks for the tip Liberty, I needed to send some flowers for a few birthdays coming up this month - you jogged my memory and saved me the trouble of trying to find a good online florist

Ooooh bloom and wild sounds nice!

Ooh, I was going to ask about Bloom! I have a meeting in London and have an hour and a half between end of meeting and train leaving Euston.

Meeting is halfway between Barbican and St. Paul's stations so I was thinking I could afford 20 minutes or so in Covent Garden - possibly Bloom. Would it be worth it? Do they sell individual samples or is it just the packs and perhaps whatever I can spray while there?

Pineapple I found the PP Pom Noir to be lovely, and I'm not a No Malone fan, normally. Get it for your friend!

I have made some unexpected eBay money this week so dithering between a trip to TK Maxx for lovely bar soaps and maybe perfume or just a huge load of fresh flowers for the house. Both seem like a great indulgence to me and a good way to spend "treaty" money. Just can't decide which is the best!

I also love hearing about "mums' perfumes" - this is what drew me to the perfume threads in the first place. I wear Anais Anais as a bed perfume and still tuck the DCs in (although I then tend to go to bed myself while they're still awake snap chatting or watching Netflix ) so I hope in future it will be a cosy and happy scent memory for them.

Is anyone getting any perfume for Mother's Day btw, either to give or receiving themselves? (Sorry if this is insensitive, I know not everyone has their Mum around for Mother's Day and don't want to upset anyone. These days can be tough for lots of reasons, I know).

Love all the reminiscing about mum scents - that L'Air du Temps bottle has brought back memories as it was my Mum's favourite when i was little. More recently she has worn Opium, Eternity and J'adore all of which smell rank on me and lovely on her! Shes had a few skin problems lately so had stopped wearing perfume, i must ask her how shes getting on.

Re mother's day I have sent dh a link to 4160s website and a request for Ealing Green or WIDOMH. We shall see what happens, possibly neither!

SOTD Orianne - lasted from 7.30am to early afternoon and smelt lovely

Cheap, you should definitely try to pop into Bloom if you are anywhere near Covent Garden - however I warn you, it will be hard to spend a mere 20 mins there! They have the full range of all the perfumes on the site, more or less. You can sniff whatever you like, obviously, and they will do you samples of anything in the shop, for £2 each (or free if you buy a FB). They are really lovely, very knowledgeable and friendly. The SA who was there today was telling me how she used to be a customer, and she came in so often that they ended up telling her when they needed a new SA and encouraging her to apply

So, after my TK Maxx triumph, I wandered over to Bloom merely for sniffing purposes (obviously). I had seen a few small bottles of ELD'O Bijou Romantique in TKM and thought, rather than blind buy I'll sniff it in Bloom and see if it's worth going back for. I didn't come out with that, but I did buy Bon Parfumeur 302 which is a lovely iris, amber and sandalwood scent. I also got (free!) samples of ELD'O You Or Someone Like You, Like This and Eau de Protection (Rossy de Palma), plus (also free!) samples of Imaginary Authors City on Fire and Memoirs of a Trespasser.

And then I went next door to Diptyque, where they had to look all the notes up on Fragrantica but they did give me a sample of the new one, Tempo, which is a lovely patchouli in the vein of Tam Dao.

And I also bought the Lizzie Ostrom book.

Seriously, I need help

Sotd is Avery E from the Big Sniff. I really like this.

liberty really pleased you like B&W, it’s such a treat having a box waiting when you get in, isn’t it? I sent my mum one of their plant things, an azalea I think, for mother’s day. It comes with a pop-up pot.

This link will give you £10 off Bloom and Wild. (I get £5 credit too if you use it.)

bloomandwild.mention-me.com/m/ol/ng4ne-03a8ba1cc6i

Arguably Floof, this series of threads in one long collecton of pop-up sniffs .

I'm terrified by those Mary Greenwell bottle tops. They are so heavy and perfectly round that I live in fear of DS lobbing one through the front window just to see what would happen. They are sort of tempting.

Oud. It’s offensive and intoxicating all at the same time.

SOTD is PP Black Orchid. I haven't tried the original so I can't comment on how true to source inspiration it is but this PP version is lovely. Really really nice, will definitely buy more when what i have runs out

Oh dear Dlpdep, what have you been sniffing?

I can also vouch for Bloom & Wild; I bought my mum a year's worth of the 'letterbox' bunches a few years ago - they were lovely and really lasted well.

Will definitely be up for a Freidemodin 'Little Sniff' if my box ever turns up.

Thanks Fennel I'm sold! £2 a pop is really very good - I might need to do a bit of research first. Goes without saying that ELDO SM will be on the list (definitely not spraying it then getting in train...). Ooh really hope the meeting doesn't overrun now!!

SotD was Map of the Heart again. This was the first of the TBS scents I've revisited, and it wasn't quite as nice as it was on Sunday. Wonder if the office air con makes a difference... And I used some mint and bergamot hand cream and completely lost the scent after that!!

I know I owe some people some samples, apologies I have been rubbish at getting to the PO - should be able to get there on Friday.

aubergines thank you for the Dark Heart

Yes, cheap, I would say if your time is limited definitely go in with the intention of scoring samples of stuff you fancy.

I noticed that the bottle of SM was on a very high shelf

Oooh
Planning a trip to London at Easter...

Ooh I'm in London Friday and have about 3 hours to kill in the afternoon/early evening. I was going to be cultured and go to the British museum

Do you ono, I've never been to Bloom and I live less than a 30 min tube ride away. You've all inspired me to take a trip there at some stage next payday

My eBay purchases from last payday have started arriving:

Vintage Ysatis, which I sniffed and instantly remembered my Mum wore at some stage, too. Had forgotten that. Absolutely love. I'm going to need a back up bottle, I can already feel it .

Also got a small bottle of the original YSL Champagne which I am so made up with. Currently wearing it and blessed out with the mossy, spicy Sophia Grojsman peach.

I got some D&G Feminine, too (Yes! My old 90s love!), but haven't tried that yet. The PP dupe is almost there, but there was something missing, which I'll be able to detect now.

Generally feeling very chuffed with myself, but definitely no more purchases for a bit. Birthday coming up soon, so perhaps I'll hint-hint about getting a FB of something lovely then (although if I 'hint hint' the Serge Lutens or MFK's I recently feel in love with I have a feeling DH will to me to Do One ).

Fennel, a dream of a trip, and all the ELdO scents I want to smell. Descriptions of Rossy de Palma transport me but, weeping, it wasn't included with the sample set I bought for a friend. I was hoping for a quick sniff.

One - if you liked PPs Black Orchid then it is definitely worth seeking out Primark's Noir for a sniff (Mens dept). Can't imagine TFs team are very happy...

Bloom visitors - there is a big collection from Pierre Guillaume's Parfumerie Generale. This has a special numbering system and is named in French (not unreasonably for a French house ). My top tip would be read about this line before you visit and have a shortlist.

Zoologist is one of the big draws too. Be sure to try Civet, Bat, Rhino, Elephant and Camel.

But do also pick up a sample pack and report back! I'd highly recommended the one inspired by Luca Turin's favourites if you are of a reasonably adventurous disposition.

UF how frustrating that your Friedemodin's are MIA. Be suspicous of any delicious smelling colleagues

Get well soon Blue. What number was the MoV BS? Am looking for my sample...

thanks for the tip mrsGruber i'll have a nosey next time i'm near primark

Feeling much better now. A day st home has helped. 4 weeks now with a chesty cough and I seem to have suddenly stopped coughing so much so i think feeling very unwell today has actually helped!

No worries Fennel I have your address and will post soon. MrsGruber think it was Blue B - it’s the one with lots of suede/leather.

Lots of enabling today- I’ve got my fingers in my ears as I’ve got that bloody childcare bill to pay. Cannot spend it on perfume!

SOTD is Rossy De Palma. Huge, knockout rose at the top, not too sweet though, quite fresh, almost cartoonishly bright and full. Then the 'blood accord' comes in, a metallic edge, and you know you're in ELD'O territory. I only put it on an hour ago so don't know if I've reached the proper drydown yet but there's something patchouli-ish creeping in now.

It's very clever. Like most of the ELD'O scents I've tried so far, I think perhaps I like the concept more than the execution, but it's early days yet.