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Saturday Question: Do You Wear Perfume When Working Out? (And Are You Working Out?)

By now, New Year resolutions about getting fit, if any of you had made them, have been already broken, and most of us should be back to the “status quo” (whatever it was pre-resolution), so it should be a good time to discuss the topic(s).

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #100:

Do You Wear Perfume When Working Out?

I realize that nobody would intentionally try to wash away perfume before working out if they happen to wear it earlier (or would you?), but what if for whatever reason before exercising you were “commando” perfume-wise – would you apply anything before going to somewhere to exercise or starting it at home? If yes, do you have any special perfumes or types of perfumes that you choose for that? If no, what’s the reason?

Bonus questions: Are you working out regularly? If yes, what do you do? If no, do you want to? Do you plan to? Do you have any favorite YouTube channels for exercising?

My Answer

While I never really enjoyed exercising, when I used to do it regularly (around the time when I started this blog), I discovered at some point that some perfumes bloomed perfectly in hot environment of Bikram yoga classes (for several years my post about it, Body Heat: Perfumes under Extreme Temperatures, was one of the most visited posts on the blog – of course, not for the content itself but because of the “Kathleen Turner body” search phrase that surprisingly a lot of people used back then).

In the recent years, due to laziness and health issues, my physical activity got to such a level where I wouldn’t call it “exercising” – so, it’s safe to say that I wasn’t working out while wearing my perfumes.

I started trying to get back to exercising before the New Year (just not to make those NY resolutions to break them later). I don’t do much: just some light stretching and a little bit of strength building. And since the only time I can make myself to do at least something is after my work day (when it ends at manageable time), and that is sometimes the first time I can pause, think about perfume and apply it, I again started combining these two activities. As I don’t disturb anyone but Rusty, who objects even more to the activity itself, I am not being mindful of my choices and wear whatever I feel like that day.

I have a quibble about many YouTube exercise videos “for beginners” that I was able to find: as someone who at some point was in a much better shape, now suffers from back issues (and plainly getting older) and tries take it slowly, I can tell that many of those stretches and yoga poses are not even close to be beginner-friendly. Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll have to seek some professional help to figure out what I can do without hurting myself. Meanwhile, it seems like my body reacts the best to the lying flat cat pose (unfortunately, extra pounds on me look not as cute as on Rusty).

Rusty on the Exercise Mat

Do You Wear Perfume When Working Out?

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Brand Appreciation: INEKE

Many years ago, I planned to run a series of posts to feature brands that I wanted to spotlight – not because they’ve released the newest popular perfume or got some award but just because. It didn’t materialize, and I published just one post. Now I decided to come back to that idea*. And today’s choice is a local to me (San Francisco-based) niche brand named after its owner and perfumer: INEKE.

I’m not sure why this brand doesn’t get more love. I’m talking not as much of “hardcore perfumistas” with hundreds of uber-expensive uber-niche perfumes in their collection (not that I wouldn’t expect Ineke perfumes to be found there) but rather about perfume enthusiasts who clear out TJ Max perfume shelves or shop “bargain basement” of online discounters. In my opinion, INEKE has all the markers of a great brand for both “civilians” and people who report in the NST’s quarterly polls more than 15 bottles purchases.

INEKE’s perfumes are pleasant and pleasing; maybe not revolutionary or daring, but at the same time they are head above fruity-floral mass-market concoctions or cookie-cutter creations from the plethora of recent “niche” brands.

INEKE’s packaging is superb: bottles, boxes and samples are all of the good quality and tastefully decorated.

INEKE’s prices are almost perfumista-free – $125 for 75 ml, which is quite reasonable if you like a scent.

INEKE has a flexible sampling program: one can get a set of 7 samples for $30 (which includes a $15 coupon for the future full-size bottle purchase) or buy individual samples for $5.

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I wrote before about two of my favorite perfumes from this brand: four months after I wrote about Hothouse Flower, a bottle of it joined my collection. And five years later, I bought Idyllwild and published a story about it.

But somehow, I’ve never written about the first perfume from this brand that I’ve ever bought: Field Notes From Paris.

Ineke Field Notes From Paris

This perfume was launched in 2009. Notes include coriander seed, orange flower, bergamot, tobacco flower & leaf, patchouli, cedar, tonka bean, leather, beeswax and vanilla. Perfumer: Ineke Ruhland.

Though Field Notes From Paris is leaning a tad masculine, I enjoy its cologne-y freshness in the opening, but even more, I like the woody development. Reading “orange flower,” “tonka bean” and “vanilla,” one would expect more sweetness from this perfume. It does get sweeter 60 minutes into development, but for my nose, the sweetness comes from a tobacco leaf (not fully dried type) and not from those usual suspects. Field Notes From Paris has good longevity, especially on fabric: once I remember it surviving a washing machine on my blouse. But on my skin, it’s also quite good.

From the sample set that I bought first time (perfume names from A to G), I liked Fields Notes From Paris the most, and soon I found and bought a partial bottle from one of the FB groups. When my father, who usually wore Chanel, Jo Malone and Creed, asked me to recommend him something interesting and unusual, I figured out that he wouldn’t be going to stores to ask for and test perfumes, were I to suggest anything new. So, instead, I did what probably any of you would do: I made him a set of small decants from perfumes I thought he might be interested in and added a couple of Diptyque samples I happened to have. After Rusty approved my choices, I sent the package to my father.

Rusty and Samples for Father

Over time he went through all the decants that I prepared for him, and when I visited, he showed me two that he liked the most. One of them was Field Notes From Paris. So, for his birthday last week, I got him a bottle of this perfume. I hope he’ll enjoy wearing it.

 

Now I’m looking forward to their next letter – K.

 

Images: my own

* Disclaimer: it is not a sponsored post. Also, I’ve never received any promotional or free items from the brand (if not to count a hand-made sample I got at the event once, but it wasn’t as a blogger).
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Saturday Question: What Perfume Bottles Got Better After The Re-design?

We habitually lament perfume reformulation of perfumes. Change in packaging often goes hand-in-hand with the changes in how perfume smells (and almost always it’s not a positive change). But what if we were to look only at bottles themselves leaving aside negative connotations of the whole process of repackaging?

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #99:

What Perfume Bottles Got Better After The Re-design?

Can you think of any single perfume or brand’s bottles in general the second (or third) change to which you think was an improvement?

A bonus question: name 1-3 brands/perfumes where you disagree with the change and wish they haven’t done it. Don’t be “greedy”: do not do the whole laundry list of grievances. If you agree with someone else’s choice, add your negative vote to their comment – that will leave you more chances to scold the offending brand that hasn’t been named yet.

My Answer

I’m still lamenting the loss of those beautiful colored flutes of Annick Goutal, and I think that Teo Cabanel‘s glass bottles for their classic line were more attractive than the current “metallic” renditions. But I can think of at least one line whose repackaging increased their appeal to me: Mona di Orio. I know that some perfumistas preferred their champagne-bottle-style cap, but for my personal aesthetics, their second bottles interpretation for the line is much more attractive.

Rusty and Mona di Orio Vanille

What do you think?

What Perfume Bottles Got Better After The Re-design?

Baiser Volé EdP by Cartier
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Baiser Volé EdP by Cartier

Hey there Crew. I’m so sorry this post is late and I have no excuse at all except my organisational skills have taken a beating over the summer break here in Sydney. It’s finally got really hot here and we are also getting some very humid days. Sticky heat is nice but I’m glad it’s not always like this.

Jin and I are back at the gym and swimming and doing aquarobics. It’s so nice to have the venues back open again and both of us have some weighty covid kilos that need to get gone ASAP. In the heat of summer being immersed in water is my ultimate relaxation, even when logging the laps or panting my way through an aquarobics class.

JEFFREY SMART book

This week a couple of mates and I went down to the Nations Capital, Canberra, to see the Jeffrey Smart exhibition at our National Gallery. We arrived 30 minutes early and a snaffled one of the volunteer guides and she took us on a whirlwind of some important pieces in the galleries main collection. It was a very interesting capsule look at their important works. Then for the Jeffrey Smart I asked if there were Guided Tours and the boy on the door said, “Look for the badge that says “Ask Me About Jeffrey Smart.” OK, so I saw a couple of those badges on women chatting to each other and asked if they could take us around and explain. WOW! One woman, Jenny, was so excited. We went right to the beginning of the exhibition and for the next hour she transfixed us. So much information, we really got a deep dive into Jeffrey Smart, his use of colour, space, lack of story. We watched as his paintings evolved and progressed through the years. From his first watercolour self portrait at 19 to his very last oil painting, just before he died. I loved him before but now I’m in awe. (Above picture is the book of the exhibition.)

Baiser Volé EdP by Cartier 2011

Baiser Volé

The last few days I’ve been wearing Baiser Volé because it’s soft, dewy lily on open is refreshing and bright. I love the way it warms on my skin over the next 30 minutes and becomes a warmer, resinous lily. It starts to smell like a Georgia O’Keefe painting. Interesting, abstract, light and dark pushing against each other. It’s a quiet explosion of the dream of lily. Perfect for summer but also surprisingly good in the cooler months. Mathilde Laurent has such a way with fragrance, Cartier is lucky and clever to have her.

See you next fortnight.

 

Do you wear a lily soliflor, or any fragrance with lily as a note?
Portia xx

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Saturday Question: Do You Keep Any Perfume Records? (And My 2021 Year Round-up Entertaining Statistics)

A couple of weeks ago, in another SQ post, Jyotsna suggested this question. And I decided it was a good idea to combine it with my yearly statistics post.

 

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

 

Saturday Question #98:

Do You Keep Any Perfume Records?

Do you have a spreadsheet of your entire collection? Or maybe you’re tracking them somewhere online, as a wardrobe in one of the perfume forums? Do you record what you wear or test? Or, maybe, what you buy?

If yes, how meticulous are you? If no, do you have a desire/urge to do it?

My Answer

As many of you probably know already, I record everything related to my perfume hobby in a database. If anyone hasn’t seen it yet and is curious, in my 2017 Year Round-up post I told more about that database and shared some screenshots. Data that I record there allows me to run these yearly calculations to share with my readers. I try to record what I wear or test daily (in the last year’s statistics post, I provided an infographic that explains wear vs test concept), but some days I don’t get to the home computer where I have that database, so then later I would try to catch up for several days, if I remember what it was.

In 2021, compared to 2020, I wore fewer perfumes (178 vs 210) from fewer brands (79 vs 96) on fewer occasions (291 vs 367). It means that for 2.5 months during 2021 I didn’t wear perfumes. It doesn’t mean that I was completely scentless on those days: if not to count several occasions when I wasn’t feeling well because of the vaccination shots, I used those days to test perfumes new to me or re-test those that I’ve previously tested. But even testing went down in 2021 (compared to 2020): I tested/re-tested 180 perfumes (327) from 68 brands (126).

My traditional Top 10 brands worn chart has the same 7 brands that keep re-appearing in my yearly posts for the last 9 years in slightly different order: Ormonde Jayne, Guerlain, Amouage, Tom Ford, Jo Malone, Chanel and Serge Lutens. The remaining three brands are new on that chart: Puredistance, Olfactive Studio and Masque Milano.

My Stats Year 2021

Nose Prose just did a post on the first week of the project she runs this month: to wear different perfume for each day. When I first read about it, I was almost surprised: how else? I’m so used to my routine of not repeating the same perfume for months, that I forgot that many people, even perfumistas, often rotate through some small subset of perfumes (and I’m not even talking about Brigitte who might wear the same perfume for weeks). This year, out of 178 perfumes that I wore 110 made their appearance just once. And perfume that I wore most often, Ormonde Jayne Ta’if, I wore only 6 times (plus 3 times I wore Ta’if Elixir).

The only aspect where I “improved” is the number of 2021 releases that I tested – 38 vs 22 (2020) vs 16 (2019). The list of my Top 5 new releases for 2021 is in the previous SQ post.

 

Now it’s your turn.

 

Do You Keep Any Perfume Records?

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Scent Semantics #3: LUSCIOUS

Today is the third episode of the collaboration of six bloggers: Portia (A Bottled Rose), Elena (The Plum Girl), Sheila (Alembicated Genie), Daisy (eau là là !), Old Herbaceous (Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities) and Undina (Undina’s Looking Glass).Scent Semantics Project Banner

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This month’s word is: LUSCIOUS

I read the word. I listened to my inner voice. Nope. Nothing. I don’t think I’ve ever used this word. So, not a single association, if not to count the name of the online perfume store – Luscious Cargo, but I’m not sure I’ve ever bought even samples from them. I decided to try a more straightforward approach: dictionary.

Definition of Luscious

Let’s see what can be applicable to perfumes: “highly pleasing to the […] smell, richly adorned; luxurious and sweet to excess.”

This is something to work with.

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Created by Alienor Massenet in 2018 for Floraïku, I Am Not A Flower fits well that description. According to the brand’s site, I Am Not A Flower includes main notes of Ginger oil, Amber oil and Sandalwood oil, as well as additional notes of Rose, Vanilla, Sandalwood Essence and Patchouli Essence. Several other sites, including all major perfume forums and Harrod’s, list also “white oud” and do not mention the additional notes. Either they all got a wrong list from the same source or the brand has changed the description, but I can’t smell agarwood. And since I usually do not like it in perfumes, I assume I would have noticed its presence.

I have previously complained about Floraiku’s minimalism when it comes to revealing notes, so I feel strange complaining now about having “extras,” but I cannot smell either rose or patchouli. Why would they mention or use rose in perfume with the chosen name is puzzling. Maybe they were afraid it wouldn’t smell as sweet?..

I Am Not A Flower is quite pleasing to the smell; its packaging is luxurious and richly adorned; it is sweet; and in the drydown one could probably add that “to excess” part.

Floraiku I Am Not A Flower

I always thought that Floraiku perfumes were overpriced for what they were, so I didn’t really plan on buying any when I stopped by the brand’s booth at the Harrod’s Salon de Parfums. I tried the only two perfumes from the line that I hadn’t tried before. I Am Not A Flower was one of them, and I liked it immediately. At that time, it was “Harrod’s exclusive,” so for a short period of time I considered purchasing it as perfume from that trip. But it was more than twice as expensive as the “regular” Floraiku perfumes, and I couldn’t justify that price.

I Am Not A Flower would have stayed just a pleasant memory of that trip if it weren’t for an unexpected find: one of the perfume sites had it listed, probably by mistake, for the same price other Floraiku perfumes were sold, and I got a significant discount on top of it. I couldn’t pass on that deal.

I Am Not A Flower is luscious woody amber perfume with almost caramelized ginger. It is sweet and rather feminine. And it stays long on my skin, though close to it.

What Floraiku does perfectly is packaging: it is beautifully made and very luxurious, as it should be with expensive perfumes. I know that some perfumistas questioned that massive cap, so I want to clarify that it doesn’t have to be used on the bottle: the set comes with a replacement regular cap, and the one that you see on the picture above becomes a holder for the included into the set 10 ml travel spray with its own cap (see the picture below).

Floraiku I Am Not A Flower

I Am Not A Flower is pleasing to all senses, I do not have anything else that smells similar, and I enjoy owning and wearing it. But it is not phenomenal, so I would have never paid full price for it. In general, I think that it makes sense only as a luxury item for consumers who habitually buy those for $600+ for yourself or as gifts. But as luxury items go, in my opinion, Floraiku perfumes are impeccable.

 

Images: my own

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Saturday Question: What Are Your Top 5 Perfumes of 2021?

So, we’re in 2022. I think, by now we all learned to be rather cautious than optimistic about the year to unfold. But at the same time, in the beginning of something new (even though in this case it’s quite arbitrary, just a number accepted by a majority as an identifier for the span of time we find ourselves in), it is both customary and easy(ier?) to let yourself to be hopeful. So, let’s hope that the next 12 months will be kinder to those who had it hard in 2021 and at least not worse for those who didn’t suffer from that year much.

That was about life in general. Perfume-wise, in my opinion, 2021 wasn’t that bad. Yes, on the downside, some perfume events had been cancelled, and many of us had less opportunities to sniff something new both locally and while traveling. But at the same time, it felt like we finally got our wish: in 2021, not everyone and their uncle has launched a new perfume brand; and existing brands seemingly slowed down with new releases. And while we still had a lot more new releases than it’s feasible to test and review, somehow it felt less overwhelming (or maybe I just got used to it?).

So, I thought it might be interesting to share our “best of 2021” perfume finds.

Saturday Question #97:

What Are Your Top 5 Perfumes of 2021?

If you tried enough 2021 releases to come up with 5 that you liked, please share those. But if no, you do not have to limit yourself with just new launches: your top 5 might be of new for you perfumes that you tried in 2021 for the first time and liked. Or it can be 5 perfumes that you finally got into your collection in 2021. And if none of these apply (if you were on a strict “no buy” or just didn’t like anything), just give us your top 5 favorites that you wore in 2021.

My Answer

I plan to look into all of my 2021 numbers soon for my traditional Entertaining Statistics post, but I already looked it up and know that I tested 38 perfumes released in 2021 from 29 brands. And among those that I tested, there are enough perfumes that fit this week’s question. And I can even rank them.

#5: Chanel Paris – Edimbourg

While I don’t think I’ll buy Paris – Edimbourg for myself, I liked it, especially on my vSO. So, one day, after he finishes the samples I passed on him, he might get a bottle of it under a Christmas Tree.

#4: Eris Parfums Green Spell

What can I say? I love green perfumes. I’ll finish the sample I’ve got and then will probably get a 10 ml travel spray.

#3: Teo Cabanel Rendez Vous

Randez Vous was my favorite from the Teo Cabanel’s new line. I can see a small bottle in my future.

#2: Serge Lutens La Dompteuse Encagée

Since I reviewed La Dompteuse Encagee, I had a chance to test it in Hawaii and confirmed that I enjoy it in hot/tropical weather. But since, at least under those conditions, it is less tenacious than I would like it to be, it seems that I will “need” a bottle of it.

#1: Puredistance No. 12

I consider Puredistance to be “my brand”: I had a couple of “loves” from them over the years, and most of the rest perfumes were strong “likes.” But each of their last three releases, Gold, Rubikona and now No. 12 (why haven’t I wrote about it yet?!), was making it almost impossible for me to choose my #1 perfume from this brand. But for 2021, No. 12 is my uncontested No. 1.

Puredistance No.12

What Are Your Top 5 Perfumes of 2021?

I by Costume National
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I by Costume National

Hi All, I by Costume National is not one of my new perfumes. It was given to me by the Australian Libertine Parfumerie crew as a Press Bottle a couple of years ago. Right now I’m thinking it’s particularly good for you Northern Hemisphere crew because it’s the type of cozy that will be perfect for your winter. TBH our summer has been so wet and cold this year I’m still wearing it. I know it’s the least important thing about a perfume but every time I wear this someone says I smell amazing or asks what it is. 

I by Costume National

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Saffron Thyme Bergamot
Heart: Labdanum Lavender Geranium
Base: Leather Ambroxan Cedar

Most amber rich fragrances are pretty interchangeable, especially if you aren’t a full on, head in a box of perfume constituents type.  Ambroxan is so ubiquitous these days too. So when I first heard Costume National had released another amber it didn’t tweak my interest at all. I even may have rolled my eyes in the seasonal masterclass with my mate Ainslie. Then the host spritzed some mouillettes and the world tipped slightly sideways. WOW!

A very different herbal opening, not particularly textured or tapestried but very different. i catches me off guard every time. Even though I’m expecting it. Also, the fragrance is quite animalic but not in a feral way. A clean, cared for pet kinda way. There’s a smoky, mass market corn chips accord and all these side hustles float over and through a rich vein of amber.

I doesn’t stay still but is in constant fragrant motion for the first hour out so till it calms. Then it’s ambrosian/labdanum/smoky woods till dry down fade. It”s not a BIG perfume but has excellent sillage and projection, right till the very end. Perfectly unisex and smells so good to me and many of the people around me.

Are you an amber lover? Favourites?
Portia xx

 

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Saturday Question, Rusty’s 13th Birthday And Merry Christmas to All!

If any of you are allergic to cats… stories, feel free to jump to the end, to the Saturday Question part.

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We all have witnessed that scenario in real life, on TV or maybe even participated in it from one of the two sides: a loving mother would tell “a funny story” from the past about her grown-up child, and the said child would be wincing with embarrassment or displaying his/her discomfort one way or the other.

Luckily for me (and him?), Rusty does not read my blog (as far as I know), so I can get off telling his kittenhood stories scot-free.

Hiding and Jumping

The apartment where Rusty spent his first year didn’t have too many places a kitten could hide. Rusty had discovered one great spot: in the corner behind the sectional sofa (on the photo below, it’s where the floor lamp stands). The spot was perfect in all respects but one: Rusty could easily get down there from the sofa, but since the bottom was too close to the floor, he couldn’t get out that way, and since the backrest was too high, Rusty couldn’t jump back up. So, once he would get bored hiding there, he would start crying, and one of us would lay on that backrest and fish him out from that corner. It wasn’t easy: that backrest was high. And one day my vSO managed to hurt himself trying to free Rusty. At this point, we gave up and moved the side of the sofa that was under the clock away from the wall – so that Rusty could get out on his own. I think that spot lost its appeal soon after that.

Corner Sofa and Wall Clock

Speaking of the clock. It’s hard to think of what was happening in Rusty’s head: the clock didn’t have a secondhand, so there wasn’t any noticeable movement. But he kept watching it for days. Then once, he stepped far away from the sofa (probably to somewhere close to the point of view for the photo above), then ran-ran-ran, jumped on the sofa, then on the back, uuuuup to the clock… What happened next looked exactly like the Glass Smack and Slide move from a cartoon: Rusty smacked into the wall under the clock and then slid down, behind that side of the sofa that we moved away from the wall. Silently. We thought that if he didn’t kill himself then definitely injured. But several long seconds later, Rusty walked out from behind the sofa, demonstrating with his demeanor that nothing had happened, and it wasn’t even him who just fell… He ignored that clock from that day on.

Sudden Attack of a Shopping Bag

In the same apartment, under the entryway console table, we kept a paper shopping bag that we used for recycled paper. Magazines, papers and store ads went into it as is, and for mail that one wasn’t supposed to just throw away my vSO worked as a human shredder. Rusty loved hunting in those bags. He would dive into it, find the most interesting piece of paper and play with it for a while, until either it went under the sofa, or we put it back into the bag. It went on for months, until one day Rusty managed to get his head through the bag’s handle, got spooked and started running with the half-empty bag “chasing” him. It took us some time to catch up with him and free him from that paper monster. My vSO called it “a sudden attack of a shopping bag.” It took Rusty a long time to forget about that incident. But in a while, he got over it and now considers those bags as a type of a box and either gets inside or sits on them.

Rusty in the Bag

Unexpected Effect of the Drought

With umbrellas, it was the opposite. For the first couple of years of his life, Rusty was fascinated with umbrellas, so whenever we would bring one into the house and open it to dry, Rusty would sniff it, sit under it or play with it. And then because of the 5-year drought we had in our area, umbrellas disappeared from Rusty’s life. And the next time he saw it, he unexpectedly got scared. Since then, as soon as he sees me carrying an umbrella, a closed one (!), he runs away. So, the only proof it hasn’t been always like that is those rare photos I managed to take when Rusty was much younger.

 

I have many other stories about Rusty – both from years ago and from yesterday, even though he got much smarter with age, learned a lot and taught us many things. But I’ll leave those stories for another time. Today, for his 13th birthday, Rusty got to spend quality time on our bed, enjoyed Ricotta cheese for breakfast and turkey breast for dinner (in addition to his regular meals), and was rewarded with plenty of treats for compliments he got from my readers and Instagram followers. I hope he stays healthy for many more years, keeps his kittenish mien and brings joy to us, our friends and everyone else who knows him in RL or online. And to all of you, from Rusty, my vSO and me (that photo was a collective effort):

Rusty Merry XMas 2021 and Happy NY

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Saturday Question #96:

Do You Have a Pet (and Does You Pet Like Your Perfumes)?

I know about pets companions of many of my loyal readers. Some of them virtually visited Rusty on his 10th Birthday. But I don’t know everyone’s pets, and I’m sure that many of you do not know each others’ cats, dogs, rabbits or rats (If you named your fish, I would consider those as pets as well) – so, please share your pets’ names, links to photos (if you have them publicly online) and, if you’re sure they don’t read my blog, any stories that they would have been embarrassed to hear.

What do your pets think about your perfumes (if anything)?

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

My Answer

As a kitten, Rusty didn’t mind any of my perfumes. Then later he started cleaning my wrists when I tested some perfumes. As he grew older, he started avoiding stronger scents if I apply them to my wrists: he might come to sit on my lap, but then he smells perfume from my wrist and runs away. So, when I know that he would be spending some time with me, I try not to scent my wrists (neck is OK).

 

Do You Have a Pet (and Does You Pet Like Your Perfumes)?

 

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What I Wore Wednesday: Perfume Advent Calendar 2021, Week 3

Even my Perfume Advent Calendar was no match to my last work week this year: I was so busy that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. The Week 2 post included 8 days, and I noticed that only after I posted it. Then I had a bad headache, so I didn’t wear anything on Day 16. And since I was too overwhelmed on my last day, Wednesday, to do this post, I decided to include the last 3 days of the calendar.

Day 17: Dior Miss Dior vintage
To catch up our breath from the year-end insanity, my vSO and I took a day off and spent it in the nearby wine country. I invited Miss Dior to join me. It was fortunate that I drew it from my Advent Calendar that day: it was easy to bring with me that parfum bottle to take pictures. Miss Dior is my long time favorite, and I still enjoy it every time I wear it. And I still think I can pull it off wearing Miss Dior if I happen to find myself in a Groundhog Day.

Miss Dior

Day 18: Dusita Le Pavillon d’Or
An understated elegance. I chose Le Pavilion d’Or for this month for its “gold” part, but I think it wears better in warmer weather. Still, it was quite enjoyable.

Rusty and Dusita Parfums Pavillon d'Or
Day 19: Dior Mitzah
In the past, whenever anyone would mention this perfume, the reaction would immediately follow: “Oh, Mitzah, Oh…” But it got discontinued, whereas many other perfumes from the Dior La Collection stayed there and were re-issued after the most recent revamp. Either it was too expensive to produce, or it wasn’t selling that well. Anyway, I got the bottle when it was still available. I haven’t worn it in a while, and this time I was surprised that I didn’t love it. I liked it, yes, but it wasn’t even close to how I remember feeling towards it before. It might be that it isn’t cold enough here for it. I’ll need to revisit it again soon.
Dior MitzahDay 20: Aedes de Venustas Cierge de Lune

Many years ago I thought that I wasn’t a vanilla fan. But since then I discovered at least several vanilla perfumes that I really liked. Cierge de Lune is one of them. I wonder how the recently re-released version smells.

Aedes de Venustas Cierge de Lune

Day 21: Teo Cabanel Alahine
After I mentioned Alahine in the Second Sunday Samples: Teo Cabanel Les Expressions Parfumées post last month, I kept thinking that I didn’t wear it in a while – so, I added it to my calendar. It was absolutely wonderful. I love it, and I feel a little sad that the brand decided to go into another direction. It’s not to say that their new perfumes aren’t good: I liked two of them and even think of getting those. But they are very different from the first line…

Day 22: Guerlain Encens Mythique d’Orient
Encens Mythique d’Orient is has such a presence that I didn’t dare to wear it to the office, especially since one of my co-workers criticized it when I first got it. Interestingly, this time when I wore it, I think I got that whiff of masculine perfumes that she referred to. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment from wearing this perfume, but it was a curious discovery.Guerlain Encens Mythique d'OrientDay 23: Shaik Chic Shaik No 30
Completely unplanned, I got in sequence two perfumes that I previously considered “not safe for work.” Small perks of working from home.

All these years I hoped one day I would come across this brand somewhere at a store to try their other offerings, including masculine ones. But it hasn’t happened: after that first time many years ago in Vienna, I haven’t seen these perfumes anywhere, and none of the US decanter sites carries the brand. So, while I’m still curious to try those, for now I’m satisfied with the one that I have (but I still can’t get over that strangest packaging it came in).

Chic Shaik No 30 by Designer Shaik

Day 24: Amouage Ubar
As I’m writing it, this 24th day hasn’t happened yet. How do I know what I will be wearing? As for a couple of other cases, I pre-arranged perfume for that day because Ubar is one of my traditional perfumes for this holiday. I plan to wrap into it tomorrow to celebrate Christmas and Rusty’s birthday.

Amouage Ubar

For more pictures of Rusty, see the Advent CaTendar on my Instagram account (@undina_ba) or stop by the blog in the next couple of days to celebrate Rusty’s 13th Birthday.

 

Images: my own