Some new things before the end of the year I've failed to post

I did get some new things since I last wrote.

Soivohlé Oudh Lacquer, 30 ml.  It's ok, nothing exciting but nice.  Not particularly oudh-y but definitely chocolatey. They did send me samples of Carpathian Oud, Meerschaum, and Amun Re Tears of Ra, which I am looking forward to trying.

Someone started a Serge Lutens fan thread on Basenotes, so while on there, there was a sale at the sergelutens.com site (US) where, if  you spent more than $135, they would include a free gift of Le Vaporisateur Tout Noir.  I figured it would be the empty one, so I ordered Fille en Aiguilles, 50 ml., which I had never gotten.  I think it's much easier to wear when it's cold.  I used to think it smelled like crayons (Chypre Rouge definitely does).

Anyway, it turned out the offer gave you a choice of four fragrances:  Ambre Sultan, Feminité du Bois, Fourreau Noir, or Iris Silver Mist. As I have three of the four, and hate Ambre Sultan, this was a tough decision.  I was going to choose Iris Silver Mist, but never really wear it.   In the end, I chose Fourreau Noir, which, if you are keeping score, I just bought a bell jar of. So now I have tons of it (the atomizer comes with 60 ml of perfume! ). Anyway, this was definitely a deal.  The site lists the atomizer with Fourreau Noir at $190!  The offer ended up being on the site for only one day.  Do I love Fourreau Noir that much?  I'm not so sure.  I'm wearing it on one wrist and my bête noire Chergui on the other right now and they are very similar.

Moving along.

I dropped into Barneys last week and lo! and behold, Comme des Garçons Luxe: Patchouli (45ml) was available, so I got that.  Yes, it's pricey -- more so than the Serge bell jars!  But I really do love it.

Anyway, I think that brings me up to date.  If I've missed anything I'll add them here.

Bell Jars in Chicago!

My purple card eventually did show up, so today I decided to go to Barneys.  Fortunately, Patty was there.

I had every intention of getting Comme des Garçons Luxe: Patchouli but, would't you know, they had none in stock, although it was displayed.

The big news is, though, that Barneys New York in Chicago has started carrying the Serge Lutens bell jars.  I had noticed that Aedes de Venustas started carrying then and, since Barneys in New York and Beverly Hills both carry them, I was really wondering why Chicago wouldn't have them as well! Well, now they do!

(Recent news also has that a Serge boutique will be opening in Moscow.)

Anyway, after some deliberation, I decided to get yet another bell jar, this time, Fourreau Noir. This is my third fourth bell jar this year.

Of course, I don't have this particular bell jar.

Just now, I got a call from the building office that a package had arrived:  Pascal Morabito Or Black! Weirdly, I had found this on Amazon.com for something like $43! And it was from a store in fancy France!  Anyway, it was supposed to be delivered between December 14 and January 4... so it came very early!! I am impressed.  I am not sure if this is the old version or the reformulation (I'm assuming the latter), so I'll have to compare my mini with this.

This is the bottle I have.

Fourreau Noir photo from The Non-Blonde.
Or Black photo from Basenotes.

Serge Splurgin'

In which I continue with the mess this year started.  Two more Serges. Yep.  Including one more bell jar.

I was able to find a 50 ml export bottle of Bois de Violette online for a reasonable price (although, had I gotten it a year ago or so I would have paid maybe $40 less).  Weirdly, it was through Amazon.com sold by Parfum1.  It was a lot more expensive on the Parfum1 site itself.  Which makes no sense.  And Parfum1, always the best in my book, were gracious enough to include some nice samples of things I have actually not tried.  I need to buy from them more.  Lately, though, they seem less a discounter than legitimate sales outlet, so things are not usually on sale like they used to be.  But if I need to get something like ELDO fragrances, I might as well buy from Parfum1. Also.... is Parfum1 connected to Twisted Lily?  I thought so, but then wasn't so sure. Included in my order was a Twisted Lily post card, so I'm assuming so.

The bell jar i got was, as usual, through Barneys and in order to get a lousy $25 Purple Card (which I still haven't gotten, btw):  Santal de Mysore. The good news is that it smells even better than the sample I had from The Perfumed Court. Which means if there have been recent reformulations it has been for the better. Reading reviews online, I am kind of confused my comments indicating it smells of curry, or that there is no sandalwood. Well, I don't now what  you whippersnappers think sandalwood smells like, but Santal de Mysore is the closest scent I have gotten recently to true sandalwood.  When I lived in Japan, they used to sell folding fans on train platforms in the summer which were scented with sandalwood (I wonder if they still do, considering Japan's disregard, usually, for international sanctions). That, plus true sandalwood fragrances used to be more readily available and I have had a few. Anyway, I know a thing or two, thank you. I wonder if it is indeed true that Serge Lutens used real sandalwood they had reserved before it was sanctioned. It's beautiful in any event and not at all syrupy, as I have also read.

Bois de Violette photo from liberty.uk.com
Santal de Mysore photo from Fragrantica. 

Between Oranges

A few years back, Musette over at Perfume Posse wrote a review of Ramon Monegal Entre Naranjos, which she translated as "Among Oranges "or "Between Oranges".  I still haven't tried the Monegal, but Between Oranges kind of stuck in my head.

As you may have noted, recently, I have been getting orange fragrances, with Mandarine-Mandarin and Theorema forefront. Although citrusy colognes read summer to me, I guess oranges are indeed a winter fruit.  In Japan, mikans are one of the things I -- and probably everyone in Japan -- associate with New Year's celebrations.  Anyway, I've been craving oranges lately.  There are limits to where I will go -- looking at you, Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine, unless I want to relive the smell of my grandmother's kitchen and orange juice concentrate. I suppose I could layer it with Annick Goutal Sables for the aroma of a pancake breakfast.

I recently got a bottle of L'Artisan Parfumeur Mandarine, the reissue of Mandarine Tout Simplement. L'Artisan reissued it a few years back as a limited edition at $100 for 100 ml, but lately are charging their regular price for edt.  Beauty Habit still had it at the $100 price point, so I grabbed a bottle. It is in the newer bottle and cap, so I'm not quite sure why Beauty Habit does not charge $145, but I'll take it!

Mandarine is very light, and probably will work better in the summer.

Photo from Luckyscent. 

No One Can Hear My Muffled Screams

I know I have been on a serious Serge Lutens kick lately and have been buying a lot of Serge fragrances as of late. Things have not always been this way, however.

When I first tried something from the house, in fact, I absolutely hated them. I consciously avoided the house for several years because of it.

The first three Serge Lutens scents I tried were Chergui, Daim Blond, and Ambre Sultan. I chose them because of reviews I read on Basenotes, basically, thinking they would be a good place to start. Most people seemed to love them.  Instead, I found all three unbearably sweet and cloying. "Treacly" was the word I used at the time, I think.

Ambre Sultan has the distinction of being the only perfume to make me physically ill.  Granted, I had been out with a friend the previous night drinking kamikazes so was generally very hung over when I tried it first. However, the scent still makes me queasy whenever I smell it.

Fortunately, I discovered some fragrances that I liked in the house.  I think Gris Clair... was the first Serge I bought. Then Chêne. Bornéo 1834 and Muscs Koublaï Khän came out in the export line. So I learned to love some things in the house and generally paid attention more than I had in the past.

Why have I gotten so many bottles this year, though, is the big question. By my own count, I have gotten ten Serge perfumes this year, most in the past few months.  Part of it is the availability of the bell jars in the US in recent years.  Part, too, is the availability of the export line at discounters more recently, at fairly reasonable prices.

I got two of my hated scents, Chergui and Daim Blond, recently, as they had been on sale at a discounter for each under $50.  Hell, Bvlgari's Eau Parfumée au Thé Rouge is going for more than that.  100 ml of the Bvlgari used to be easily found for less than $30. It must be getting rarer.

The odd thing is, I don't find them as sweet as I remember them. Reformulation? Maybe. Maybe my tastes have changed. I still don't think either is the best of the house by a long shot. Chergui made #4 in Basenotes' recent list of the greatest modern perfumes, based on Basenotes data. I really don't get why it is so popular.  Unless, of course, that it smells of baked goods. Or maybe just the bandwagon. 

Ambre Sultan I still can't abide.  I recently received a mini of Ambre Sultan from Serge Lutens when I ordered something directly from the Serge web site. I didn't throw it away in scorn or give it away.  I think I'll hang onto it because -- who knows? -- I may end up liking it at some point down the line. 

Fumerie Turque

Continuing with my Serge obsession, I got a bottle of Fumerie Turque.  It arrive a couple of days ago.  Sadly, I have come down with a cold and have not been able to smell anything! I've smelled it in the past, so know what it smells like.  Still, would be nice to smell it now.

This is the second bell jar I've gotten this year.  In the past, I've confined myself to one bell jar a year.  I hope this is not a continuing trend.

Last night I saw Crimson Peak with my nephew Raffael. It was ok.   Nothing really exciting.

Naoki was here for three weeks and went home two days ago.  I'm off six days, but now I'm sick.  I hope I'm not sick the whole time.

Theorema

Last week, Robin of Now Smell This was wearing Fendi Theorema all week and there was subsequently much discussion in the comments about the scent.  Which got me curious.  So, after a perfunctory Google, I found that Beauty Encounter was actually selling bottles of it! It was discontinued so long ago and I have never seen it available in recent years.  So... combined with the recent talk and my new-found love of Mandarine-mandarin (which The Non Blonde described as "a butchy and more sombre version of Theorema"), I grabbed a bottle.

Anyway, it arrived yesterday.  It is very nice.  I am surprised, however, how short-lived it is.  This may have added to its discontinuation, although Fendi discontinued their complete line at the time.   EDIT:  I gave it a full wearing a few days later, and it had respectable longevity on me.  I wore it to work and could still smell it wafting off me the following morning, some 12 hours later. 

Also, continuing with my movie free association -- Pasolini's Teorema, in which Terrence Stamp manages to seduce an entire household!  -- and this perfume.

Well, along with Theorema, I ordered Guerlain L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Extrême.  It was very cheap, so I figured, why not?  It's popular as hell for some reason.  I can't say I'm all the more impressed by it.  Something about it smells cheap.  I'll give it a few more wearings just to be sure.  If I decide I don't like it, I'll give it to one of my nephews.  It seems pretty popular with the young'uns.

Perfume photos from Fragrantica.

Perfume and Film

In a recent post by Ça Fleure Bon, Pam Barr has a review of Bruno Fazzolari's new fragrance, Seyrig. In it, she cites Mr. Fazzolari as saying the "cinematic inspiration" for the scent was Faye Dunaway from the late '60s to early '70s.  I find this surprising, since I had figured it referred to Delphine Seyrig.

Similarly, when Serge Lutens released La Réligieuse, the first thing that popped into my head was Anna Karina in Jacques Rivette's film of Diderot's novel (not a happy tale). Reviews I have read have not made this connection.   The Sound of Music and Sister Bertrille have been mentioned, though. Perfume Shrine does discuss Diderot, and perhaps French reviews have as well.

Anyway, just wondering if the connections I made are legit.

EDIT.  I guess a newer film version of La Réligieuse came out in 2013, starring Isabelle Huppert.




Delphine Seyrig photo from Edward Copeland's Tangents.
Anna Karina photo from piclist.com. 

Yet More

I just happened to be looking at the Women's Beauty section of the Barneys Warehouse web site (I almost never do) and they were selling the 20th anniversary bottle of 10 Corso Como for half off, so I grabbed it.  True, I already have 10 Corso Como, but I figured I would get this bottle.  I wonder if they smell the same. I can give my other bottle to one of my sisters for Christmas.  Anyway, I checked the web site the next day and it was sold out (along with a normal bottle of the 50 ml.).  So, good timing.  Groovy bottle.

I also ordered Serge Lutens Cuir Mauresque (50 ml.) directly from the Serge Lutens web site.  Anyway, lots of giveaways:  5 ml. minis of Ambre Sultan, Un Bois Vanille, La Réligieuse, La Fille de Berlin, and Clair de Musc; 2 pages of the wax sample book; and 1 ml. spray samples of Bas de Soie and L'Eau Serge Lutens. Anyway, I'll give some of these away. Tamio said he liked L'Eau Serge Lutens the other day when I wore it, so I'll give him the sample. I don't like Ambre Sultan... should I keep it as reference? Give it away? I'm still deciding. I already have samples of Bois de Soie and La Fille de Berlin and I own Un Bois Vanille.

Serge Serge Serge

So my bell jar of Mandarine-mandarin (I just now noticed the hyphen) came the other day.  Fortunately, it smells the same as my sample does (sometimes they don't!).  I'm really happy I got this.  I looked at my initial response to the sample from a couple years ago.... I wasn't impressed.  I think I was kind of overdosed on Serges at that time.  See that post though, for that really beautiful bell jar.

I got this at Barneys.  I also ordered two more Serges, Bois et Fruits and Cèdre from Beauty Encounter.  Both came in the mail today.  I can't try these all at once or I will probably be ill. So I will leave my thoughts for another day. Today I probably will wear Mandarine-mandarin, though.

White and Black

Once again, Barneys is having a bag event.  I got two Comme des Garçons fragrances:  White and Black -- nyuck nyuck nyuck.   I've been trying to get White for the past year, but they never had it in stock.  Also, perversely, whenever I want to get something by Comme des Garçons, the sales assistants always start to show me something else.   I guess they're too inexpensive!!

I had tried Black before, but thought it too sweet, but liked it.  I liked it much more today.  It seems more gourmand-ish than I remember it.  Anyway, so in an unimaginative way, I bought two related perfumes and was able to buy enough to get the bag.   I almost got Zagorsk, which I've been circling for a while, but figured I could wait until the weather got colder. 

I had been looking at the Le Labo stuff.  I actually am interested in getting Ylang 49.  A sales assistant came up to me asking me about the line.  I said I was interested in the ylang, and she started showing me Vetiver 46! What's wrong with these people???

I also did order Mandarine-mandarin, as I said, so will get another bag.  Today's bag was with women's samples.  Supposedly the one I'll get with the Serge is with men's samples. 

Frango Mints

I recently made a few purchases.

First off, Serge Lutens Vétiver Oriental, which was available in 50 ml from a discounter.

Is it just me, or does this remind anyone of the smell of Frango Mints (or, alternately, Fannie May Meltaways)?  Maybe I'm imagining things. I do like it and am glad I got it.  I've been on a Serge kick as of late.  I may get Mandarine Mandarin next.

I also got Aramis Perfume Calligraphy Saffron, which was on sale fairly cheap.  This was a blind buy.  I have yet to wear it extensively.  I was not expecting a whole lot.

Lastly, a retailer on Amazon.com was selling the elusive Shiseido Basala in the edt, so I got it.  It smells ok, but I fear it may be a counterfeit.  The lettering at the bottom of the bottle ("Eau de Toilette" and "Shiseido") rubbed off almost immediately when I opened the box.

I've been searching for this for years. It's near impossible to find.  I think I will give up looking. This is much stronger than the after shave, which I got several years ago.  However, it comes across somewhat thinner than I remember it.  It does last on my skin fairly long, though.

Barneys Perfume/Wine-Tasting Event

Trillian (sp?), an SA at Barneys, organized an event for last night involving wine-drinking and how it enhances the whole scent experience.  I'm not sure that the objective was met, but it was a whole lot of fun, led by L'Artisan people Amy and Karen from the New York headquarters.

I'm not much of a wine drinker, truth be told, but Trillian did a good job selecting wines, I thought. The perfumes they chose to focus on were:  Rose Privée, Mandarine, Ambre Extrême, and Amour Nocturne. Three out of the four I do not own, which I was glad for, as it made the event more interesting for me.  I was able to appreciate Mandarine and Rose Privée much more than I had originally and might reconsider purchase at some date.  I still don't like the amber, but it made me realize why I liked Amour Nocturne in the first place.  The Explosions d'Émotions have not gone over too well, at least critically, from what I can tell. Paired with a dessert wine, it really shone among the night's offerings.

In addition to not really knowing much about wine, I haven't had a drink in ages. Consequently, I was rather tipsy by evening's end (we had four full glasses of wine within an hour and a half, with some nibbling on cheese and bread).   Hopefully, I wasn't too giggly.

Five attended (among 17 or so who RSVP'ed, so there were a lot of leftovers). L'Artisan was extremely generous to attendees. With a L'Artisan purchase, we received a bag which included: La Chasse aux Papillons shower gel, a 175 g Tilleuls au Vent candle, a small bottle of La Provence room spray (which they don't actually sell -- it probably smells of the new Boules de Provence), and a 50 ml bottle of either Timbuktu or Nuit de Tubéreuse -- I chose the latter, as I'm not much of a fan of Timbuktu. Anyway, this was completely unexpected.  I was thinking we would get a 15 ml of something and leave it at that. Very nice. Probably over $200 in giveaways!

I ended getting a bottle of Caligna as my purchase, which I had planned on.  I probably should have gotten the Mandarine or Rose Privée, as I would probably get more use of those than of Caligna. Or maybe backup bottles of Tea for Two or Dzing! Well, it just adds to my collection.

Anyway, it's nice to see me getting out and about.  I've tended to be a hermit lately outside of work.

Rien

I ended up getting Etat Libre d'Orange Rien with that coupon I had.  It's been on my wish list for a while, although I had the 10 ml mini from the ELDO sample set still left.  One of my favorite leathers.

As promised, I also got a Costes bath product, in this case, a shower gel.  The scent is even lighter than the edt, and it doesn't lather much.  Maybe I should have gotten the shampoo!

More more more

I finally ordered a bottle of Dior Eau Sauvage, which arrived yesterday. I guess it has been reformulated.  I do remember smelling oakmoss, which is gone now, sadly.  I have the flanker, Eau Sauvage Fraîcheur Cuir, which I think I like more than this version..... we shall see after more wearings.

I also got Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau.  It is probably better for cooler weather.  The licorice really stands out in this weather. Reminds me of Douce Amère.

I also forgot about another pair of shoes I got this summer:

Costes

I'm pretty much a fan-boy of almost anything and everything by Olivia Giacobetti.  True, En Passant really isn't me and Drôle de Rose might be a bit too girly, but I tend to like her aesthetic and have many of her fragrances.  It's a kind of shame that she has not been producing much as of late.

Anyway, I have had samples of Costes for years.  Perfume Posse posted a discount code for Beauty Habit for 20% off, so I felt the time was ripe to get a bottle.  It's nice for the summer.  Giacobetti's work tends to be pretty light.  Costes is very light and does not have much longevity.

The bottle is a beaut, to boot.

My bottle is a bit darker red, and the logo is so dark it's almost illegible.  But the shape is the same with the bakelite cap.

Beauty Habit included a $20 off coupon, which is only valid for another week.  Because Costes is so light, I was thinking maybe I should get some bath products, which may extend its presence.  Or, maybe I'll get Costes 2.

I also got yet another pair of shoes recently:

LAVS

I ended up buying UNUM's LAVS from Twisted Lily, the only store it is offered at in the US right now.  It is a very nice incense scent, although I am not sure about all the effusive reviews it's getting.  It reminds me of something else, I'm not quite sure of.  Something I have? Serge's L'Incendiaire?  My sample has run out, so I'll have to go to Barneys to compare.  Also, it's Latin "lavs", as in "laus", as in praise. Not "lavs" as in lavatories.  Wonder if that would impact sales here.

It's also shoe sales season, so I've gotten a few pairs:

This pair, from Rag & Bone.  I'm kinda surprised I ordered another pair from them, as the last pair was kind of ill-fitting. Tight in the toes.

This pair, from Christopher Kane. Again, my last pair, sandals, was very narrow, but these seem better.

Finally, these pair of Kenzos, which I never have problems with.

UNUM photo from Twisted Lily.
Rag & Bone photo from Barneys New York
Christopher Kane and Kenzo photos from Ssense. 

Jury Duty

I had jury duty Monday.  Just sat there all day and was not called. This was the first time I had to go in since the '80s.

Got a couple of things:

Barneys had Annick Goutal's Neroli (the original, not the cologne, which I also have) on sale, so I got a bottle.

It is stronger than the cologne, but still very light.

I also got a bottle of Hermès Eau de Narcisse Bleu.

I always need things for the summer.

I forgot to mention.....

Naoki and I went to Rome for a week from 18 - 26 May.  Prior to going, I was trying to work up some mileage and bought a lot of stuff, in hopes that I could use miles to purchase a business-class ticket one-way.  (I didn't quite make it).  Anyway, I ordered some perfume, natch, among that.

First, I got Cartier L'Heure Fougeuse, which, granted, cost a bomb, but Saks had 12 miles per dollar that day, so I chalked up a lot.

I also got Comme des Garçons Wonderoud., which I like very much.

While in Rome, I had wanted to check out some Italian brands, such as UNUM and Bogue, but did not see them anywhere.  I actually wrote to UNUM while I was there to find out where their fragrances were for sale, but I didn't get the response until after I got home. I was having credit card difficulties (I had failed to advise Chase that I was going abroad, so they blocked my cards), so I couldn't have gotten anything anyway.

Spend! Spend! Spend!

I really need to get my credit cards paid off, so what do I do? Buy some perfume!

I got a bottle of Ex Idolo's Thirty-Three.

I'm kinda sorta disappointed.  I don't smell the oud at all, just roses. I'll give it more time.

I also got Bruno Fazzolari Lampblack, which is, in a word, amazing.

Luckyscent gave me some other Bruno Fazzolari samples, which I am eager to try given how much I really love this one.





Thirty-Three photo from Fragrantica
Lampblack photo from Brunofazzolari.com

This Month's Bag Event

So Carmon decided she couldn't go.  Her mother in Iowa is ill, and she had too much on her mind and would be driving there for the weekend.  So... I went back to sleep that day.

I did go the next day by myself, and got Aedes de Venustas Copal Azur (I keep wanting to type "Azul"), which I like very much, thank you.

For those of you afeared of the threatened marine notes, no, it is not all melon-y or Caloney. I can see it perhaps getting on my nerves if I had to smell it all day, though.

Anyway, that is what I got. It didn't cost me full price, as I had a $115 gift card. Anyway, it qualified me for a bag-o-samples, which I gave to Carmon. This year, they said they would have man bags.  But, wouldn't you know it, they ran out of those within minutes the sale started.

I went on Saturday again with Gisela, because she really wanted to go. My SA Patty got me looking at Nomad Two Worlds Raw Spirit -- Wild Fire, which is kinda sorta interesting, but smells like something else I have, I'm not sure what. Anyway, it wasn't too expensive, and I figured Gisela would buy something else in that range, and, added up, we would get to $200 and Gisela could get her bag. No dice, Gisela wouldn't buy anything.

I had wanted to get something Comme des Garçons. Now Barneys' selection of Comme des Garçons is very limited.  I wanted to get Zagorsk, but, as usual, all the SAs steered me away from that (they are kind of like that with all the Comme des Garçons, when you think about it). Anyway, winter is on its way out. SO I was going to get White.  But they had none in stock.

Some new SA and Gisela convinced me to get Etro Jacquard, which comes in a purty bottle and is nice n all, but really not me, and I ended up spending more than I had wanted.

I did get a free gift of a 10 ml atomizer of Etro Rajasthan, which comes in a really pretty bottle, too.  It is less like me than Jacquard, but I figure I could give it to someone as a present some time.

All in all, eventful.  I went with Gisela to Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  It was packed -- the day of the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chicago.  Our co-worker, Laura, works there weekends, and we did run into her, too, but she was on her way home. I had a mushroom burger, which is what would normally get there. However, it had this weird petrochemical taste to me this time.  So, no need to ever go to Cheesecake Factory ever again, except to see Laura.

Gisela, who, I think, does not get out much, was still raring to go, and ended up meeting another co-worker, Maria, and headed out to a casino in Indiana. I was tired, as I had met Gisela during my usual sleeping hours, and went home to sleep.

Spring, Maybe, is Coming

Weather is sorta warming up.

I got a bottle of KenzoAir Intense.  I have the original KenzoAir, but have yet to compare the two.

The bottle is bluer and not as clouded as the original.

I also got these shoes (Ann Demeulemeester, on sale, naturally):

Barneys is having their bag event this week.  I am supposed to go tomorrow with Carmon, my building manager.  If she can't go, I may just go Friday.  Stay tuned!

Bearing the Cold

A bit back, I got a bottle of Serge Lutens Serge Noire.   I'm pretty happy with it.  Of course I didn't get this bottle.

Also available was L'Artisan Parfumeur Mon Numéro 9, which I bought blind.  I've read it described as a cologne.  I find it very similar to Parfum d'Empire Yuzu Fou, which, while citrus, is certainly not a cologne. They're almost too similar, so no need to own both, which now I do.  Numéro 9 is not as loud as Yuzu Fou, though.

I also got these shoes, which get me nothing but compliments:

They're Alexandre Plokhov, if yer interested.

Here's a pic of my feet wearing 'em someone took at work.  The above pic's color is more accurate, for some reason.