Beige

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Liquid Sunshine: Chanel Beige

I do not favor adjectives as perfume names in general, and use of color names feels even less inspiring, though I like, own and wear Amouage Gold, Puredistance White and Bvlgary Black, to name a few. I might have considered perfumes with some of the names Vanessa (Bonkers About Perfume) came up with while discussing a related topic, but as a rule when I see those “Happy,” “Guilty” or especially “Young Sexy Lovely” (don’t start me on punctuation!), I wince.

I read people complaining about Chanel’s choice of the name Beige for that perfume many times (those weren’t objections to the part of the speech, though). And I could never understand it: maybe it’s a “language thing” but in my mother tongue (and culture, which doesn’t exist any longer, so it’s just a recollection) this word and color had a positive connotation. Somehow, it was more noble and superior than, for example, “pedestrian” brown. Also, it might be that in two different countries the color named as such was slightly different. “Beige” I think of is probably darker than the one those who find it too plain imagine. By the way, according to Chanel’s booklet I have, “[Mlle Chanel] loved all shades of this color, which evokes natural elegance and grace.”

So, when I was trying Beige for the first time, I had no preconception about that perfume: my positive feelings towards the color must have neutralized the negative attitude to the adjective use. I immediately liked Beige and bought it.

 

Chanel Beige perfume

 

I’m not sure if my cropping skills have fooled anyone, but just in case I want to clarify that what I bought was just a 4 ml mini (Chanel makes them extremely appealing). While being cute, those minis are not the best format for EdT concentration. For the most of Chanel Les Exclusifs, those splash bottles are nice for a discreet re-application on the go but not for wearing. I should have probably bought a bottle of EdT while I could. Instead, I participated in a split and got a 10 ml decant. I still have some perfume left in both. Once it’s gone, I’ll see what I think of the new EdP formulation.

Years ago, I published “Perfume Purrfect?”, in which I introduced my cat for the first time on this blog. Among other cat-and-perfume-related bits, I shared that Beige was one of Rusty’s favorite perfumes.

In conclusion I wrote:

While I was writing this post, I came across an article in a Beauty on the outside blog about the same phenomenon. After reading comments there, I realized how lucky I am: my cat at least doesn’t steal my clothes. Well, not yet – as far as I know.

Many years forward… Rusty does not steal clothes per se, but if any article is left where he can get to it, he’ll surely spend some quality time sitting or even sleeping on it. Knowing about it, I recently “donated” to him my old beige cashmere sweater. When he sleeps on it, I wrap it around him. He seems to enjoy it.

 

Rusty and Chanel Beige

 

I presume most of you have tried Beige and do not need any reviews, but I want to share with you what one of the commenters (Petunia) recently wrote on the NTS’s SOTD thread:

We started off the day overcast and gray. We had minor snow storm,
just a few inches. I put on Beige earlier because it feels like liquid sunshine.

And I agree with her and hope she doesn’t mind my citing it here and in the title: Beige brings up that feeling for me to.

 

Rusty and Chanel Beige

 

Images: my own

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Perfume Purrfect?

There comes a time in every blogger’s life when you should write about your pet. So here I am.

I share my habitat with a very good-natured, affectionate and companionable medium hair orange tabby cat (though whoever classified him as such should start coming to my place daily in a month Rusty and Climat by Lancomeso we could discuss that definition over their vacuuming my floors and other surfaces covered with that “medium” hair). He’s very food-oriented (he even learned some tricks – sit, paw, down) and omnivorous (among strange things that my cat likes are mangoes, avocados, apricots and pecans). We got him from a shelter two years ago, and he keeps brightening lives of everybody around him as a small furry sun. His name is Rusty.

Dive in to keep reading…

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New Year Resolutions: January

 

One of my perfume-related New Year Resolutions this year was to slow down the testing gallop and start wearing more often those perfumes that I like already. The goal was to spend at least two days a week with my favorites – perfumes from my collection, not test vials and sample sprays. After all, why to look for a perfect scent if I will not give it enough face body time once the courting is over?

The first month of the year went by almost unnoticed. Looking in the perfume diary for January I see that somehow I managed not to get too far from the goal: I wore one of my favorite perfumes on nine different occasions. Of course, nine times does translate to “twice a week”, but I cheated a little by sometimes putting on something new in the morning – “just to see how it feels”, – and later the same day or in the evening I would wear a perfume I own and love.

Quick January statistics:

* Different perfumes worn: 46
* Favorite perfumes worn: 9
* Perfumes tried for the first time: 25

* Perfume house I wore most often: 
   Chanel (Coco and Beige, two times each)
   Ormonde Jayne (Orris Noir and Tiare, two times each).

* Most popular notes: top – bergamot and mandarin; middle – jasmine and rose; base – musk and sandalwood.

Image: my own