Thought it would be amusing to start collecting samples of "mankiller/femme fatale" scents. The kind of perfume that you can imagine Kathleen Turner wearing in the movie Body Heat. (One of my all time fave movies.) The kind that have a reputation for making the opposite sex go weak in the knees. The kind that dangerous femme fatales in noir films would/should be wearing. The kind that might help you release your inner dominatrix. You get the picture. Suggestions for where to start? Carolyn

Spin-off from 5oaks thread...I was thinking recently about the actual colour of the liquid for various fragrances. I find I'm in the old school mentality of darker=stronger, while clear=light.

I'm not all the educated on how companies treat their perfumes to effect the colour of the juice...is anyone in the know? For example, if a perfume like Chanel No. 18 contains rose oil, how did it end up being perfectly clear? Do they bleach them somehow? Or is it just really diluted? I remember reading that Roudnitska chose a "clear" oakmoss for Diorella...not sure if it was because of the smell, or the aesthetic.

Also, juices like Sarrasins and Mandarine Mandarin really make me smile because the heavily pigmented liquid almost makes them costumey.

The field of perfumery has so many interesting aspects. Bottom line is the juice but is that the only thing about perfume that draws you?

This thought came up because I was considering expense and my policy of only buying in local brick and mortar stores, which means full list price, with rare exceptions. But I don't think I would enjoy my perfume as much if I sent away for it and did not have the in-store experience, from first testing to stalking to budgeting to determining a purchase date to the purchase itself to carrying that cute little bag home on the bus to unpacking it and arranging it in the dresser display to picking it up and using it day after day. I get a thrill from "going downtown and buying perfume" that is worth the money to me. The bottle is a throw of the dice because half the time or more either I don't like the bottle's aesthetic or I find it hard to handle. Both the Exclusifs I have been wearing and Jasmine White Moss have bottles that while extremely attractive aesthetically are annoying to use--but that would not stop me from wearing the scent.

What about you? I know that our Jeffery finds the print ads essential to his enjoyment of a perfume, many have deliciously described the anticipation of receiving a package with perfume, and sometimes attractive bottles or packaging grab positive attention. How much do those things and aspects such as the history of perfume, knowing about the noses, the thrill of the hunt for something rare--or other aspects of perfumery play in your total enjoyment of perfume?

I realize fully that many people wake up with just enough time to jump in the shower and throw some clothes on before dashing out the door to work, but perhaps some of you have a morning schedule more like my own. I'm up early for a 45 minute dog walk/Starbucks trip. I then drive my wife to work before coming home and preparing for my own day, giving me a good couple hours before I shower. I use this time to wear a 'scent of the morning'. It's a perfect opportunity to wear fragrances that don't lend themselves well to a full day's wear at an office. Scents with fleeting longevity (i.e. Jicky), obnoxious sillage (Le Labo Patchouli 24), and/or overtly feminine (i.e. Gucci Accenti) all get worn in this A.M. slot. I also use this time to test wear decants and confirm whether or not I like the fragrance during a full wear. All in all I very much enjoy the opportunity to 'double' my rotation. Depending on what my SOTD is (if it's fleeting or weak) I may apply a third fragrance late evening for the couple hours before bed, but this only happens 1-2x/week.

So who else has multiple SOTDs?

Good morning dear folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. 31 Rue Cambon is the scent that made me appreciate pepper - with its shade of smoke - as an olfactory element. After quite some days with Coromandel, I'm up for the next Chanel Exclusive. This one has never failed me.

Dreamed of Obama. He was in function - at an official meeting with other heads of state - but couldn't stop laughing. It was both a bit uncomfortable and infectious. I started to laugh along (sitting with the officials), which made matters only worse. Quite funny. This was just one section involving him. I remember a nice anthology, about fifteen years ago, of dreams about Madonna. I think within this term, such a book could see the light about Obama. Like Madonna he's quickly become a symbol, appealing to our imagination.

Have a good one!

31 Rue Cambon
Top notes: Pepper, Bergamot
Heart notes: Orris, Narcissus, Jasmine
Base notes: Patchouli, Ambrette, Vetiver, Labdanum

I didn't smell Boucheron de Boucheron since when it came out in the late 80s, I didn't even remember anything about it, probably back then I was too young for this. Following The Guide's new Ten Best Feminines that now includes Boucheron, I went to Bloomingdale's this weekend to try it: instant love and immediately bought it in edp! It smells incredibly elegant (I know that term sounds old-fashioned but I mean it in a good way), restrained, collected, timeless, polished yet highly feminine, powerful, expensive, confident and yes sexual too.
Leaving Bloomingdale's I'm taking a cab going to Colombus Circle to meet friends for a night out in the city. I wasn't in the taxi for more than two minutes than already the driver asked about my perfume, that I smelled so good and that it had a certain effect on him! At the restaurant, the italian waiter said us ladies smelled very good... of course my "jealous" friends/freenemies didn't say anything because they all knew I was the one who smelled good like that but not them! LOL You know I live for that, anything for perfume attention!

I know serial monogamy is an oddball way of proceeding for most here but I did want to share the experience.

I'm in the process of moving from Cuir de Russie (back) to Jasmine White Moss, the edp of which is scheduled to be replenished in a few days. In the meantime, I've been wearing the JWM parfum and body cream, but I find the edp is the best everyday concentration. Today I found a small sample vial of edp and spritzing some on, I noticed a fleeting note redolent of the original Miss Dior, something I don't find any more in the current Miss Dior. It must be a note Lauder has captured in it's patented "white moss mist" 'cause we know it ain't a blast of oakmoss.

The serial monogamy experiment undertaken a while back is having partial success. As I suspected earlier, Chanel is throwing a monkey wrench into the works. That's because the scents I embarked upon come in the 200ml bottles. I'd arrived at about the halfway point of CdR when the urge to move on occurred. For any other brand, that would have meant a used-up bottle, which was my aim, but not for an Exclusif. So I guess you could say the program is working "in principle" although in practice it would be necessary to wear an Exclusif twice as long as normal.

The new bottle of JWM edp will be my third purchased since it first came to town last summer, August, I think. I didn't realize I had used so much. I'm just wondering how JWM is holding up over time for others who liked it when it first came out, and what are the impressions of those who have become acquainted with it since then.

http://cgi.ebay.com/PURE-ROSE-OIL-OTTO-ROS...=item439d152c67

http://www.beautyhabit.com/product2544.html

I have long heard of this stuff and from what I gather from MUA to BN, this isn't a particularly beloved scent.

I found a sample of it I didn't realized I had and spritzed some on and my feeling about it is favorable. I find it so unique and exotic. A scent that no one you would find wearing and yet it's a scent that I can't see many liking either due to it's nature; that being a scent to evoke vinegar! A strange idea for a fragrance and I must say it's totally what I think I like about it. The strangeness of it. I get spices and this sort of watery note to it that's almost oceanic without being oceanic whatsoever.

It's nicely priced at Beautyhabit.com and I'm considering it.

The drydown is pretty good, I can see this being a sort of any time of the year scent if worn very discreetly and not using the leadfinger which I'm so guilty of here.

Give me your thoughts?

And furthermore, before I consider even buying this one if I do, anyone have an unloved bottle of this stuff? I'd be willing to take it off your hands and name me your price!

TIA,
Ruf aka Mando

I am loving Calandre. I also got a decant of Rive Gauche (I assume it's the current formulation), and it's awful, in my opinion. It never softened on my skin...just screamed metal. I ordered a can online in 1999 and it smelled way better than this decant does.

Calandre is beautiful and reminds me a little of Caleche, though sooo much more affordable. Also, the way I remember Tuxedo smelling.

I am such a novice at notes. What is the common thread in Calandre, vintage Rive Gauce, Caleche, and Tuxedo other than aldehydes? I DO loves those notes. They are "just me"---and my mother loved them too, so I have fond memories.

I continue to try and find something to replace my beloved vintage EL Estee. However, I've been thinking---wonder if the Estee lotion & powder smell good nowadays. Maybe that's a way I could wear it. Most EL lotions are beautiful. I just want the option of returning it if necessary.