by

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

 

This post is a final installment in the “birthday-perfume-blogger-bash” suggested by Asali and supported by Ines. For the last couple of weeks I couldn’t get rid of this song.

Aquarius Undina

I love my birthdays and it has always been this way. Looking back I can’t remember a single year when I wasn’t looking forward to it or hadn’t enjoyed it.

When I was little my mother always managed to leave a present next to my bed while I was asleep so I would wake up to something wonderful. When I got older I remember getting from Grandma something great and hard to find (which at that time in the country was almost anything worth getting,) so from my friends I usually requested to bring just flowers which at winter were expensive enough to be a gift on their own. In my adult life I refuse to request birthday gifts: I can buy for myself everything that can be gifted to me by friends so I’d rather be surprised.

The first gift this year I got from my friend and a talented young designer Valerie who created images for our blogging project (see above). I’m going to use it as my logo.

Perfumes as gifts… My grandmother gifted me with my first bottle of my all-times favorite Lancome Climat. For many years it was the only perfume that I associated with everything fun – birthdays, dates or holidays.

Lancome Climat

Many years later my vSO gave me for my birthday Vera Wang perfume. Despite the first-time-wearing debacle for many years it was my go-to perfume for special occasions.

Rusty and Vera Wang

Three years ago I got another perfumed gift from my vSO – Antonia’s Flowers Tiempe Passate. This one hasn’t become my party scent but I considered it as a special day-wear fragrance.

Rusty and Tiempe Passate

I’m not superstitious. I do not believe much into cosmic connections, predetermination and other such things. I believe in coincidences.

February 12, 1947: A major event was held at 30, avenue Montaigne in Paris, where Christian Dior presented his first fashion show. With his flower women and bright colors, the Designer launched a fresh fashion trend. “It’s a New Look!” exclaimed Carmel Snow, Editor-in-Chief at Harper’s Bazaar, thus christening the Designer’s inimitable style.

From Dior’s website

Dior New Look 1947

Last year on my trip to Las Vegas, without reading that information above, I bought Dior New Look 1947 exactly on February 12, my birthday. It was my gift to myself in addition to my first Guerlain love that I found there – Cruel Gardenia. I absolutely adore Cruel Gardenia and admire New Look 1947. I wear the former when I dress up and feel pretty and the latter when I [want to] feel elegant and sophisticated.

Guerlain Cruel Gardenia

I do not have a preferred way of celebrating my birthdays: I like everything from large loud parties with music, dancing and laughing to quiet evenings with my vSO on our birthday trips. This year I hope to have a little of everything. And definitely I’m gonna have some fun!

Oh, and I treated myself to one more perfume from Guerlain. Care to venture a guess which one?

 

Images: Aquarius mermaid – Valerie Rodriguez, all others – my own.

73 thoughts on “Girls Just Want to Have Fun!”

  1. Thank you very much for participating Undina. :)
    I haven’t heard the song in a long time and then I turn on the radio on my birthday and imagine what’s on? :D

    I wish you a very happy birthday!
    I love your memories of birthdays past. And the synchronicity happening.
    Once more a big thank you to Valerie for the amazing pictures she created.

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  2. Happy Birthday, Undina! Those are some very fine birthday gifts you’ve got there, which Rusty clearly knows how to appreciate…

    What fun about that New Look coincidence – it gives your purchase an added resonance.

    Have a brilliant day when you eventually get up : – ).

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  3. Dear Undina, A very happy birthday to you. Yes, indeed a huge thanks to Valerie for a very special birthday present. I really enjoyed reading about your birthdays, so sweet that your mother left a present next to your bed, and fun about the special connection with Dior New look.
    Oooh tough one, but I do imagine you finally getting that bottle of Vol de Nuit?
    Have a great day- keeping that song in mind

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    • Asali, it was a great idea – thank you for thinking of me: I think I wouldn’t have done anything like that without a nudge from you and Ines – so thank you!
      Stay tuned for this birthday’s Guerlain reveal!

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  4. Dear Undina
    What aromatically adventurous anniversaries you seem to have. Long may they continue to be smell this sweetly,
    And if you were to loan out your VSO for perfume picking duties I’m sure you’d make a pretty penny or two.
    I hope you get to take that night flight with Guerlain sometime soon!
    Yours ever
    The Perfumed Dandy

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  5. I’m voting you bought Tonka Imperiale or Iris Ganache. Happy birthday my dear.
    You know what? I can’t believe that but – I’m a February born child too! And to be more precise, just double your birth date to get mine :)
    What a wonderful perfume collection. And Rusty is such a perfumoholic!

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  7. I’m glad you enjoy your birthdays. Mine have never been that wonderful or memorable really. I’ve never had a party and probably never will. I was really shy as a kid and never wanted a party because I was afraid no one would come. Nowadays my birthday is just another day. I hope you have tons of fun on your birthday and I hope you get lots of wonderful presents. I have no idea which Guerlain you might have gotten. There are quite a few good ones to chose from so whichever it is I’m sure you will smell fantastic.

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  8. Happy Birthday!

    Hope you have a lovely day. You already have some lovely gifts and beautiful flowers.

    I can imagine growing up with scarcity has made you much more appreciative of the things available to you now. You’ve found a nice way to keep gifts special too.

    I hope you got some Vol de Nuit as it’s a favourite of mine, otherwise Angelique Noire is a wild guess.

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    • Thank you, Tara!
      Flowers on the pictures are from the last year, this year’s bouquet hasn’t made it to my blog yet (but it will soon – for revealing of my new Guerlain perfume).
      On the positive side: I do appreciate things available to me now; on the negative side: it’s harder not to indulge ;)

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    • Thank you, Steve! I think I’m still a Chanel fan more than Guerlain’s one. The bottle on the picture is from the last year – Cruel Gardenia. Stop by in a couple of days to see what this year brought to me :)

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  14. Wishing you an absolutely splendid birthday, Undina! I very much enjoyed reading about your birthdays in the past and the coincidences surrounding your purchase of New Look 1947, which is such a pretty and uber-feminine perfume.

    Was Chamade the other Guerlain you treated yourself to?

    Off to check out your friend Valerie’s site. I love that style of drawing!

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  15. Happy Birthday, Julia. It was wonderful to get a glimpse into your past birthdays and the scents associated with them. I was one of those people who got really excited about my birthday but in the last couple of years that has changed for me. Here’s to hoping I get the excitement back. :)

    Congratulations on your new Guerlain, I have no idea what it may be.

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    • Thank you, Melis! I really hope you will be able to get back your birthdays: unlike many other things in life, it’s almost always enough to choose to enjoy your birthday – if not with a person you love, then with a friend, friends, co-workers or close relatives. If it’s special to you, you’ll find who to share it with.

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    • Thank you, Birgit! It was a wonderful day with a lot of good food, beautiful smells (mimosa and other blooming trees) and a lot of relaxation. Now I’ll see how comfortable the bed in this hotel is :)

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  18. Happy Birthday, Undina! Thank you for sharing your birthday memories with us. I agree: that bottle of New Look was meant to be!

    As for the Guerlain guess? I will also throw my hat in for L’Heure bleue as I remember your fondness for blue bottles!

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  19. Happy Birthday! We didn’t celebrate birthdays or make much of them growing up so my birthdays were somewhat forgettable. I always loved celebrating the birthdays of others though. :-D As for the Guerlain, I’ll take a wild stab in the dark and guess Tonka Imperiale–just because.

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  20. Happy Happy Birthday Undina…Enjoy your get away with your vSO. How ironic that on your birthday I would be wearing a scent that you gave me a sample of – To Dream from Sonoma Scent Studio.

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  23. Happy birthday!! I like hearing about your birthday perfume memories. I have wonderful birthday memories as a child, but honestly in recent years my birthday has become rather harried as it’s right around Thanksgiving and holiday travel for my family. But I still think fondly of it. :)

    Is Encens Mythique d’Orient this year’s birthday Guerlain?? I am putting that one on my buy list, myself.

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    • Thank you, Susan!
      Yeah, I know, it’s harder to have ones birthday around popular holidays (personally, I’m not that thrilled to have St.Valentine’s Day that close to my birthday).
      I’ll have pictures of my new Guerlain as soon as I get home and shoot them ;)

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  24. Happy, happy birthday, sweet Undina! I hope it’s a marvelous day and that you’re pampered like mad. For me, birthdays are the way I mark my year — not New Year’s Day. So, I hope this year is the best one ever for you.

    As for your Guerlain, I’ll guess Angelique Noire based on something you wrote a while back elsewhere.

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  26. Happy birthday!! Loved hearing about your past birthday bottles, and love, as ever, the beautiful pictures of Rusty with your gorgeous bottles :-) I’m going to guess VdN for your new birthday Guerlain, but whatever it is I hope you love it! (And I hope we get future pics of Rusty appraising it :-)

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  29. I really love the drawing – it is perfect for you! I hope you had a wonderful day.

    I already emailed you a guess about your birthday perfume, but I also think the L’Heure de Nuit is a good guess. (But you are practical, and that is a LOT of perfume, so I will stick with my original guess of Vol de Nuit.)

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  30. Oh no, I missed your birthday, Undina, but better late than never! Belated Happy Birthday!

    That Rusty, looking sooo handsome once again!

    Hmmmmmmmm, Guerlie Girl Undina….I guess you got Chamade!

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  31. I AM SO UPSET THAT I MISSED THIS. Happy birthday, lovely Undina!!! You are one of the kindest and most thoughtful people in our perfume community, and I hope that your birthday was full of beautiful fragrances and endless adorable Rusty moments!

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    • Thank you, dear Ari! I’m glad to see you here. And it’s not late! I just had friends over last night to celebrate. As to “Rusty moments” – he was a center of attention and everybody’s favorite. I bet he got more compliments yesterday than I did.

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  32. Pingback: Unveiling the Identity of my Birthday’s Guerlain Perfume « Undina's Looking Glass

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