Things I Failed to Post

I got Annick Goutal Rose Oud (75 ml) from Parfum1.  I don't see it on sale anywhere else in the US and the price wasn't bad.  Of the Goutal Ouds, I prefer 1001 Ouds. Rose Oud was somewhat less interesting, although I like it more than Vanille Charnelle.

Next, I got Diptyque Tam Dao, edt (50 ml).  As usual, I can't smell a thing. I've smelled it before, sometimes it smells of the lumber yard, sometimes a beautiful creamy sandalwood.  Most of the time, nothing.  I'm not sure why I bought it.  I'm not nuts about the edp version.

I also see that I failed to post that I got Oud Palao (75 ml), which is actually really nice. I got this a long time ago. Within the past six months.

I got that giant bottle of Jacques Fath Green Water reissue (200 ml).  It's ok.  Very lime.  

Finally, I got a 5 ml decant of Areej le Doré Siberian Musk instead of shelling out for a full bottle.  It uses actual deer musk legally sourced, they say.  So it's interesting in that respect.  It's very beautiful, but I'm not sure I'd like a full bottle.  I'm very curious to test their other fragrances. 

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.