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.

Yet Another Bag Event

Today I had lunch with Sara Dornacker from work.  We went to The Cheesecake Factory, where another co-worker, Laura Marshall, works.   Sara is, I guess a regular there.  Anyway, I am still stuffed.

Afterwards, we went to Barneys.  They were having their fall bag event.  So, yes, I bought some stuff.

First, I got Comme des Garçons Ouarzazate, from their Incense Series.  I'm meaning to get all five, eventually.  It's not as show-offy as others in the series, but I like it.  It probably would have been better in the summer, and it has been getting colder and colder, lately.

Next, I got Serge Lutens Louve.  I had a sample of this, and tried it recently.  I don't think a lot of people like this one.   The Perfume Guide only gives it two stars.  I do think it is very nice, especially now that it is getting colder.  I may have more words on this later, after I have worn it more.

Barneys in New York has begun carrying all the non-export line in what they call "cloche" bottles.  (The Serge Lutens web site calls them "flacons de table.") Prices are roughly twice what they are in Paris.  I guess that is to be expected.  I ordered five samples from Surrender to Chance (my first order since they broke away from The Perfumed Court):  La Myrrhe, De Profundis, Boxeuses, Iris Silver Mist, and Fourreau Noir. I figured I wasn't about to blind buy a $300 bottle of perfume, and these were the ones I was most interested in.  Surrender to Chance also sells empty bell jars for, like, $9.  So I got one for Bornéo 1834, which I have in the export line spray bottle.  Muscs Koublaï Khän and Borneo 1834 seem kind of perfect if they were in bell jars.  I figure I can decant my bottle of Borneo into the bell jar.  I had bought a 15 ml decant of MKK in a bell jar a few years back from the Perfumed Court, but I never decanted my 50 ml export version into it (they do smell the same).  The MKK bottle's label was kind of smudged when I got it.  The Borneo bottle is in perfect shape, though... so I think I will go through with it.  If I like other non-export scents, and they are not exporting them soon, I may plunk down eventually for a cloche bottle.  Why not?  The cloche bottles are 75 ml.

I also got a 1/4 ml sample of Amouage Homage.  I haven't tried it yet (nor have I tried the Lutens decants). I was looking for something else today, and I found my sample, or what's left of it, of Amouage Tribute.  I'll hang on to it until my bottle comes (it's currently on backorder), considering all this talk about reformulation.

Sara was acting very conspiratorial with Andy at Barneys, and she ended up buying Nuit de Cellophone, which I thought an odd choice.

26 September 2012 EDIT:

Sara smelled very good in Nuit de Cellophane.  It actually was a good choice for her.  Beautiful.  I guess I pretty much ignored it previously because it was a floral.  I still don't think it would work on me.

While I had been at Barneys, I tried Bois de Violette.  I'd like to try it more.  I have Féminité du Bois already, but it really does smell different from the Shiseido version (of which I have a 1 ml sample somewhere).  I think Bois de Violette smells more like the Shiseido version.... although, I would have to compare them.  Anyway, more research!

I tried my sample of Homage, and, to be honest, was kind of disappointed.  I gave my sample, for what it is, to Sara, because she liked it. I hope I am not disappointed with Tribute whenever it arrives. I'm saving the remainders of my Tribute sample so I can compare it with the bottle when I get it.