A month ago Twitter’s meme “What 5 items would someone put in a salt circle to summon you?” got viral when J.K. Rowling answered it.
In other answers there were perfumes (that’s how I learned about it – from somebody’s mentioning it on the NST’s daily threads), books, snacks and a LOT of cats.
So of course I started playing this game in my head. My first thought was: “Rusty!” But then I realized that, first, Rusty wouldn’t sit still in any circle with or without other objects, and second, Rusty alone would be enough to summon me.
But since I still wanted to play this game, I decided to count Rusty out and go with inanimate objects. So, what would be a set of five things to summon me? I don’t think it would be a surprise to anyone who reads this blog that Climat by Lancôme would be the first thing to go on the list. The next one would be probably that quirky blue Hello Sailor lipstick by Lipstick Queen and The Fifth Element – one of my all-time favorite movies. Now, when we took care of my mind and my look, let’s attend to my body: dark chocolate lava cake and a cup of cappuccino. Yeah, looks about right: put these five together, and I’ll be there.
What should I put in a circle to summon you?
Images: the salt circle from here; DVD cover – don’t remember; the rest – my own.
Undina's Looking Glass 
Now this is fun. Let’s see. Firstly vintage Shalimar Perfume. Specifically a bottle from the 60’s. My hair dresser, Richard so that I always look good. My grey Roots sweat pants. Strawberry shortcake, but only the recipe that my daughter makes. And a large bowl of slightly sweetened whipped cream, no vanilla extract please. Oops. I would need an unlimited supply of new episodes of Coronation Street. Guess I’ll drop Richard off the list. I’ll be fat and happy, so who cares if my hair isn’t great. Glad you limited it to inanimate objects, Undina, otherwise this would have been impossible.
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But your hairdresser is alive, no?
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marcellavmiller has dropped Richard off the list, so I hope he’s still live and kicking (cutting? :)).
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😂
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Apparently sharing is now allowed, at least according to Crikey and Val. So how about we go halfzies on the chocolate (dark, of course) covered marzipan. I’ll give you a piece of strawberry shortcake with whipped cream. I don’t think that Portia will be interested in sharing clean sheets with me, so I’ll just have to take his. Some of Jilliecat’s orange gin and smooth, praline chocolates would be nice. And of course Bee’s red Chanel lipstick. But, I’m not sharing Richard.
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Yes of course I will share with you 🍫🍰
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Ah! You’re so nice! I promise you will not be disappointed in the strawberry shortcake.
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I hope you understand that as an organizer of all of that I’ll be claiming my percentage in shortcakes and milliliters (not necessarily of perfumes)? ;)
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Okay. But you’ll cut me in right? 🤫
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🤣😂 Alive? Yes, but likely disappointed that he got booted out of the circle. Never mind. His ego is vast. He’ll get over it.
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Ha! I now see you taking him out of the inanimate circle!
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Ya. But I put him back in again. He’s a fully functioning hologram tho.
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You sound as if you’re packing for a desert island where you plan to spend long time or negotiate witness protection relocation, whereas the idea was the opposite – to conjure you from wherever you were (probably in a gym? ;) ). I mean, it’s a great list for any purposes, but are you sure one new episode won’t be enough to entice you to appear?
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😂😂 OMG!! I’m hysterical with laughter. I got this all wrong. Yes, I thought this was a ‘stranded on a deserted island’ list. Do I get to try again?
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:)
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Oh yes, Shalimar from the 60s – that’s when I first wore it (I hasten to add I was very young indeed then!). I swear it smelled very different from what it does now; I know reformulations change a perfume over the years, but I think the current version is nothing like the original.
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Jillie, a girl after my own heart! I love that you say “I swear that it smelled very different from what it does now”. Of course you’re right. I listed 60’s vintage because I recently acquired a late 80’s and early 90’s Shalimar, both listed as vintage. I assumed they would be as glorious as what you and I wore as precocious youngsters. No deal. Initially I thought that maybe Shalimar was not as drop dead gorgeous as I remembered when I received my bottles. So I’m glad you experienced the same. I have not tried the current version, but imagine it would be yet another step down from my two ‘vintage’ bottles.
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Obviously, we were both barely out of diapers when we began Shalimaring ourselves.
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Tee hee – yes, I was a toddler of course! Well, I was a teenager …. Shalimar then was a rich, velvety perfume and now smells to me almost sharp with a lemony twist – not much of that “balsam” that I remember.
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Teenager/toddler. Pretty much the same when you look back at it, eh? I agree. That deep richness is gone.
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Velvety is a great description. It’s thinner now. Sheer cotton to my nose.
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LOVE it Undina.
OK I’ll keep it all inanimate too. Otherwise Jin, Kath and Paris (my greyhound) would all be on the list.
A bed with freshly cleaned sheets, potatoes cooked in almost any way, my phone, a set of untried perfume samples, my sneakers
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Yeah, I decided to stay away from anything resembling human (or animal) sacrifice :)
Do you have favorite sneakers?
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Love JKR!
I’m with Portia on the potatoes – I’m addicted – and probably roast would be my preferred tattie (or a creamy Dauphinoise). A giant glass/bowl of orange gin with clementine tonic. A huge 5 wicked Ormonde Jayne Ta’if candle. Original Madame Rochas perfume. A box of smooth praline chocolates.
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Potatoes, Ta’if, G&T… A woman after my own heart :)
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Very glad to hear that, Undina! You would be a welcome guest at mine any time! Although now looking at my comment I see that the candle looks “wicked” – which I suppose it is, but I wonder what the word is that means it’s got five wicks???
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This is a benefit of the second language: I totally understood what you meant and didn’t even question the word usage :)
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Reglisse Noire by 1000 Flowers, dark chocolate covered marzipan, my yoga mat, Tibetan Mountain Temple candle and a photo of the mini Marzipans since we are not including live people.
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Good one, the photo. Should have thought of that.
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OK, I’ll re-test Reglisse Noire (I have a small decant somewhere) :)
The idea of not including people/animals into the circle was specifically not to start proving who we like the most in the whole wide world ;-P
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yes please re-test Reglisse when you find it..even if you don’t like it I would love to know your thoughts. I don’t know why but I am crazy about it lately and that is all I want to wear.
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Coffee, Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss, BedHead Wax, iPhone, Cheddar.
Mwah. 💋
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I had to look-up the lip gloss, and now I want to try it.
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I cannot live without it. I don’t wear colours at the moment. Fairly heavy make up on eyes, but lips just with a clear gloss. 💋
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What?! No red lipstick?.. How come?
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Just a new look. I train four or five times a week, and don’t like lipstick in the gym. And it it so much work to keep it neat. 🙄
Shit ton of black on my eyes …. plus this gloss his ultra high gloss, and it looks fab.
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I get to keep/consume everything right? Bottle of Guerlain Aroma Allegorica Exalting, Chanel red lipstick, coffee & beignet from Cafe du Monde N.O. and emerald earrings. That would work instantly.
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Sure! You can keep everything but the tiny percentage – just to cover the costs of organizing all that, you know ;) One beignet would do :)
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Peanut butter and Marmite toast, a pair of black brothel creeper shoes, a MAC eyebrow pencil, a fountain pen, and a bag of Artisan Roast coffee. (I figured that a bench and barbell wouldn’t fit in the circle, and I can’t decide on one perfume…)
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I did not even think of taking perfume. If we meet maybe we can share the eyebrow pencil and the gloss?
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You’re welcome to share the pencil, even the coffee… but I’m all matte and nae gloss.
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Ok. Cool. Yeah I’ll share my coffee too. And between us we’ll come up with a makeshift bench and weights. No problem.
Nah – I love the matt look but my lips do not.
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Awesome! (Long hair, windy city, and gloss? BAD combo.)
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Hold the phone there! Is sharing allowed? In that case, I need to scan everyone’s list. Five items might get me back, but it’ll take a lot more to convince me to linger.
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I actually was surprised when I saw that you didn’t put a single VP scent on your list (while thinking about this post, I did a mental exercise for several of my blogo-friends, you included, and put Rozy and a red lipstick in “your” circle).
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Picking one was too hard. Plus this game is not real. Or is it? 😫
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Well… Summoning is the easiest of the games: unlike selecting something for a desert island, it’s not like you’ll be stuck with whatever is used to summon you… unless you’ll get summoned to a desert island, of course ;)
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If someone wants me they can text me. 😄
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Eyebrows almost always, but lipstick only sometimes. Rozy would certainly get my attention in a summoning spell…
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Me too of course. The Voile.
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Now that I understand this, I’ve given myself permission to try again. Vintage 60’s Shalimar. Two large pieces strawberry shortcake with a generous side helping of whipped cream, a Cuban espresso, Richard (the hairdresser) and a double episode of Coronation Street. That would do it.
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Something is wrong with your math… Even counting two (large!) pieces of shortcake as one item, I still count six… You’ll definitely have to share Richard! ;)
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Well then, I’ll keep his arms and you can have his legs. As far as I know he hasn’t figured out how to style hair with his feet. So I’m safe.
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Love this: peanut butter cups, steaming cup of coffee, a great sci fi or ya book, perfume samples and probably jogging shoes. If it wasnt all inanimate there would most definitely be a cat :)
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Now I slightly regret excluding animals… I should have said that cats and dogs were allowed – as long as a picture is provided in the answer :)
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Rusty and chocolate! I love it. Those two would carry over into mine too. Toddles, dark chocolate with sea salt, a good book, and apple cinnamon candle and a mug of coffee with cream and cardamom. <3 If I could come wrapped in a quilt that would be clutch.
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Dark chocolate with sea salt is my favorite as well. I used to like coffee with cardamom but have never tried combining it with cream… It might be good, I should try.
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There’s a local chocolate company that does a *fantastic* dark bar with cardamom and coffee and a spot of rose oil…
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Steaming hot coffee, Chanel No. 5 EDT, fresh butter tarts ( made by my friend Bess), a copy of Dessa’s album Castor the Twin, and a cello. A pair of Fluevogs would work as a a sub conjuring tool.
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Oh, Fluevogs… I have just one pair of shoes from the brand but had they been available in a B&M store somewhere around, I would have probably bought more.
I’m glad to see so many coffee drinkers here: I can just serve 5-7 cups of coffee in a salt circle – and we’ll have a great perfumistas party :)
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Great question, Undina, and a tough one, too. OK, here’s what I think might summon me: a Van Gogh painting (preferably a landscape), a book on screenwriting, dry red wine or champagne, a Franz Ferdinand CD (“You Could Have It So Much Better” will do the trick) and a Leverage DVD set (it’s really hard to choose between all my faves!).
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Red wine and Leverage… Can I be invited into your circle? Though, it might get really crowded in there if you get real Van Gogh painting in there :)
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Of course, you’re welcome to come over any time! Don’t worry about my circle being overcrowded, I have a counterspell to ward off uninvited guests ;)
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To summon me, my salt circle should contain: glass of ice cold seltzer water with a twist of lime, videos of kittens, a new perfume from Puredistance, any book I haven’t read by Louise Penny (Armand Ganache series) or Alan Bradley (Flavia DeLuce) or Charlaine Harris or Alexander McCall-Smith and a moist pumpkin muffin with chocolate chips.
This was fun, Undina!
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What new perfume from Puredistance? I see you’re playing hard to get: with the frequency they release new perfumes it might be not a trivial task to summon you :)
Thanks for the names: I was thinking about finding some mysteries to read.
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I do want to get summoned as these are the things I enjoy. Rather than only Puredistance , I am updating it to include new perfumes from a select list of niche lines, including Puredistance, Aftelier, Tauer, NVC, Papillon, Hiram Green (I’m probably forgetting something but these should expand the possibility of summoning me).
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Ha! Thanks for that. Always on the hunt for good books. Especially series. There’s always something up next.
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Just found out that the Armand Ganache series is situated in the province where I live. This will be a fun read!
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Yeah…and best to read them in sequential order. I misspelled the name — it should have been Armand Gamache. I must have been influenced by all the chocolate inside various circles.
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Ganache/Gamache. Now I’m confused. Do I have to choose between Armand Gamache and a chocolate ganache? The former, being a fictional character, should qualify for the circle. But I really love chocolate ganache. Wait, this has nothing to do with the circle. Or does it? Well, I suppose I’ll have both anyways.
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Ooh, I’ll play! A crystal rose bowl filled with a mix of David Austin roses; an iPad loaded with Kindle app and all my favorite books (I know, borders on cheating!), a Japanese maple bonsai, a fancy English hat, and 70% cocoa dark chocolate Lindt truffles. I hope someone will trade a truffle or two for some coffee!
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I think you’re cheating more than just with books! ;) “crystal rose bowl” is already a very particular object – and you’re asking for specific cultivar of roses (I won’t even complain about the plurality of said roses and chocolates ;) ).
When it comes to Lindt, those are my favorite truffles as well. I look forward to Halloween when I buy those (and other dark chocolate candies) to torture trick-or-treat-ers (or make their parents happy).
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Is there any penalty for cheating Undina? I might be tempted. I would like to put Ophelia, Border, Rita and Lucy into the circle. Since they are all cats, and therefore in the same category, technically, that counts as one. Right?
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You should provide a photo proof (of them all being cats I mean), and we’ll decide ;). BTW, you realize that it’s not you who would be herding then into that circle? How do they take “cathandling” by strangers? ;)
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Oh-oh. You have Rusty. I think you know the answer to how agreeably they might view cathandling. Which is to say not at all.
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Something tells me that you don’t want to share not just Richard but even a picture of your cats… ;)
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I said you could have Richard’s feet, Undina. Yeesh, don’t you be maligning my generous nature. As for cat pics, I’m afraid once Rusty sees them he’ll be like “Hey, get a load of these four lovely ladies!” and then spirit them into his own salt circle.
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What a funny idea! Let me think and I’ll get back to you soon with my answers
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I know what not to put into your circle – coffee and wine. So now you need to clarify what you’d like to see there when summoned :)
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Now I know! I’d go with a flacon of Prada Amber Pour Homme, loose leaf green tea, pistachio ice cream, Harry Potter book and finally a map of Italy :D
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I like your circle :) Perfume I guessed as well as the general direction (tea) but I didn’t think it would be green (not my favorite but I’d drink good green tea). Pistachio ice cream is a great pick! I would definitely visit your circle to take a closer look at it – while you’re reading that Harry Potter book ;)
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Thank you :) :)
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Vintage Chanel 19 edp, a glass of Pinot Noir, a complete set of Jane Austen, a pot of English Breakfast tea, and a croissant. Fun!!
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I’m not sure about Austen, but the other four in your circle seem quite appealing :)
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Marvellous question…Immortal Beloved perfume, Kettle Chips (various flavours), balls of pretty much any nice quality wool, a freshly baked loaf (no olives, please) and a nice vintage notebook. But I have far more than these five if you want them, a number involving wine!
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I guessed wool right. For perfume for you I was thinking Sognes. And I was so certain that there should be tea that I habitually thought first that Kettle Chips was something related to tea making but specific for the U.K./British English but I checked and now realize that I eat those too (not to often but when I eat any potato chips, I buy those). Wine is a good idea… I should have stipulated that if I’m called at night, coffee should be replaced with a glass of good wine, scotch or gin-based cocktail.
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Great post idea, Undina. Here goes…
A glass of chilled champagne
“The Hounds of Love” LP by Kate Bush
3 slices smoked salmon
1 bottle Comme des Garcons Garage
2 tickets to Lisbon
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ONE glass champagne? THREE slices smoked salmon? Guess you’re not planning on any guests in your circle. Or you haven’t learned the not-so-subtle art of gluttony yet.
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Probably he just thinks that his guests are on a diet: the glass of champagne and salmon is for them, Richard will be on a plane to Lisbon with the book and a bottle of perfume in his suitcase :)
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I guess he didn’t buy two tickets, either ☹️
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Noted! :) (and now I’m curious to try that perfume)
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