A Little bit of This and That

I love trying out new perfumes and quite the nicest smell of all is my old biscuit tin filled with half used samples; none of which, incidentally, are suitable for deciding on the purchase of a full bottle (too old).  I think I like trying out new perfumes more than I like to own full bottles 'though of course I do like full bottles for high days and holidays when I am wearing perfume rather than huffing and puffing over my latest 2ml acquisitions.

Some of the perfumes I have recently tested out on my skin (always on my skin) don't wash off all that well so I am taking a short break as the leftover smell is muddying the waters somewhat.  A little bit of a break also lets me shop around online for some new companies, new places to purchase.  I have noticed that many more fragrance houses have got with the online way of buying and sell sample sets so plenty to choose from.  Only today I was wondering, now that Debenhams is no more, how to sample Guerlain, Dior, YSL et cetera.  I could, were I so inclined, travel all the way into London but as stores don't routinely give away or sell samples it doesn't seem worthwhile; I think a week with a perfume is about right when making a decision to shell out what is, to me at least, a rather large wadge of cash especially since so many perfumes don't sit well on my skin (it could be I'm wafting around the most delicious of smells - but I doubt it).

Musk Mantra has lovely packaging that made me feel quite happy when I opened my parcel.  Heavy glass bottle and lid, nice atomiser, sturdy box with lift off lid that can be used for sewing sundries.  Nice packaging suitable for gifting.

My new sample of Phul Nana didn't impress me.  I don't remember it having such a metallic geranium all the way through, but do remember it as being a little bit powdery.  Has it changed?  Have I changed?  Is it that the new sample is in a spray whereas the old was a glass phial with dipping stick?  Something's different at any rate and this is now quite firmly off of my want list.  Or is it? because I have been absolutely captivated by the notion of having their set of three fragrances from the end of the 1800s/beginning of the 1900s.  Probably the more likely reason is that my mum remembered little perfumed cards of Phul Nana being posted through the letterbox.  Must have been in the 1930s.  I surmise they were advertising cards.  I would like Phul Nana in rememberance of a happy day with my mum having happy memories of her childhood.

I loved going over to see my grandma.  If I were lucky then I would see the rag 'n' bone man with his horse and cart, and once saw the knife grinder, events I found absolutely thrilling.  I can feel myself standing on the pavement watching the cart draw up in front of me and hear the cry of, "Old iron and lumber.  Old iron and lumber."  And just thinking of that I can smell the smell of the buttery current cakes whooshing up to my nose as I take the lid from off the blue enamel tin.  My nan always had a tin of sweet current cakes for us children.

My nan was a lady and only ever had a dab of lavender on a lawn handkerchief in her handbag but grandad's garden made up for it with giant incurved rust coloured chrysanthemums, red dhalias, sweet peas, brussels sprouts, onion, cabbages, a little glasshouse of tomatoes.  He worked in that garden a couple of hours before and a couple of hours after work.  There was always plenty of lovely fresh salad in the summer.  Grandad always let me pick a few peapods to eat the peas from, and pick runner-beans for mum to take home.  He packed an awful lot into what in reality was a postage stamp sized garden.  They were late Victorian/early Edwardians; their self-sufficiency puts me to shame.  I still use, around the house only because they are not quite my size, a couple of knobbly old walking sticks my grandad made from tree branches.  Rustic and utilitarian, they are amongst my very favourite things.

I drifted off topic there a little bit although maybe not far off as it seems my happiest fragrant memories aren't those from a bottle.