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.

Back from Japan

After about a week and a half in Japan, I am back.  I have two more days, less now, left before I go back to work Friday night.

My bottle of Aedes de Venus's awaited me when I returned, and I am glad to report that I am extremely happy with this purchase.  It is much better than I remember it being.  People referred to it as Jubilation XXV lite -- I don't quite get that.  I have never really been a fan of the Amouage.  It's not bad.  I just never saw what people were all worked up about. L'Artisan's Aedes de Vensuas, nosed by Bertrand Douchaufour, is really beautiful.  It's a shame it is being discontinued. Plus, it was a real steal.

At Narita, I ventured into the Hermès shop.  The SAs this trip didn't seem to know much.  Much of the stock in the smaller bottles was low or out.  I sampled Epice Marine.  I liked it, and may have gotten 15 ml as part of the set had it been there.  They didn't have the recent Cuir d'Ange, which I was also interested in trying.  I ended up getting a 100 ml bottle of Rose Ikebana -- which was kind of what I had been planning all along.

Since it was kind of duty free, and with the stronger dollar to yen lately, it only ran me about $180, where it is normally $240 plus tax at Hermès boutiques, so not a bad deal.  This is my second full bottle of one of the Hermessence line, the first being Osmanthe Yunnan.

The New Year

I'm here right now in Japan.  I got here the night of the 9th.  It's 3:30 in the morning and I'm up because, well, jet lag.

First, some news.  I got that job full time that I've been doing for the past six months occasionally.  I officially started this month.  So, I am happy.  My hours are going to be the midnight shift, so I really shouldn't be jet-lagged. I'll be here in Japan for two weeks or so, so hopefully will adjust in time to go back to work and then not experience jet lag back home.

I forgot to pack perfume samples so I will be scentless for the next two weeks, unless I decide to wear what Naoki has: Terre D'Hermès parfum, Alain Delon Samourai, or Givenchy Insense Aquamarine.  I wouldn't mind the Hermès, but not every day. The other two, no thanks.

Since I last posted, I bought a bottle of 10 Corso Como.

Before I left a very cold Chicago, I ordered a bottle of the L'Artisan Aedes de Venustas from a few years back, which is being discontinued, since Aedes de Venustas started all over again. I just chanced upon the L'Artisan web site, and they were having a sale.  Oddly (as it was only ever for sale on the Aedes web site), among the sale items was the Aedes de Venustas edp. Normally, I think it runs $180 for 100 ml. It was on sale for something like $40! So I grabbed it. 

Yesterday, Naoki and I went out for tonkatsu.  Today, we're going out for hitsumabushi.  Seriously, I'm trying to diet.

Somewhat interestingly, yesterday I was on this social web site, and this guy started chatting with me.  He lives in Yamagata-ken, teaching English on the JET Program. I mentioned that I had been on the JET Program for three years.  He's a young'un -- 25 years old.  It wasn't until I woke up jet-lagged in the middle of the night that I realized that I had started working on the JET Program in 1989 -- the year this young feller WAS BORN.

Yikes! I am getting old.