...Stephen Fry. Even if he had never said anything else in his life, his bit about being offended makes him my hero.Newman and Woodward?orGeorge and Gracie?

..."Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang"Now that it's discontinued and only rich people can afford the inflated eBay prices . . .If you have firsthand experience with this beauty, can you think of a good alternative?When my supply runs out, I think I'm gonna have a mini meltdown.I might not return to this (hopefully) thread right away, so thank you in advance for any and every response.

...Cryptic:I luff Cary Grant. He was an icon of masculine style, but Tom Hanks gets my vote on substance.Green beer or Irish whiskey?Beer, please.Wall art: traditional frame? Or unframed stretched canvas?

...PBullFriend! 'Supp?I'm almost jealous of myself, can't wait!As for politics, isn't it funny how personally we take something that is so impersonal? :DI am genetically liberal, working in a bastion of diehard consevativism with a tv in the lobby, perpetually tuned to news - alternately Fox and CNN - which inevitably sparks comment as we walk through. I say passive-aggressive stuff like, "Poor Trump, the GOP really hates his guts." :-)

...Cryptic:Glad you had such a positive experience, Dulce. I'm all in favor of sensible eating and a healthy lifestyle, but I sort of hate the use of the word "clean" in connection with food. It seems like some judgy person came up with that term in order to appeal to puritans or something. In my world of filth, food isn't "dirty" unless it fell on the floor and stayed there for over five seconds. Master Spanish.The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars or Let's Dance?Totally agree that "clean" is judgy. Not to mention subjective. Ziggy Stardust, no question. Quinessential Bowie. Iconic. Rock n Roll Suicide, Suffragette City, etc. "She said she had to squeeze it, but she, and then she .. " LOVE!***Olympics: Winter or Summer?

...Cryptic:The funny girl is back!Cake please.Clean eating: an excellent idea or the latest dietary gimmick?No, YOU are! :-)Excellent idea. Did it fanatically for many years, looked and felt better, so no brainer for me.Make it mandatory for American school children to:Master the metric system?OrMaster Spanish?

...Scent Fan,Thank you for those great suggestions. I know you're on the right track, because I am familiar with all but two of those, and own a bottle of Chergui. Haha! :-)Cryptic,Your wonderful description has increased my anticipation tenfold. It sounds like a perfume addict's dream! Woot woot!

...Briarthorn:100 I like. I'm afraid having only one will eventually become tiresome and no longer a love.Cappuccino or latteOh lordy, I think you just accidentally made a case against monogamy! Haha! And I just realized the one album you love forsaking all others makes a decent metaphor for true love. Deep, huh? :-) (spelling edit - no such word as meaphor) :-)Anyway ... (Soy) Latte, definitely!Birthday cake?OrBirthday margarita?

...Cryptic:Hermès. ;)Kim Kardashian or Kanye West? (Death is not an option)Hahaha! Kim. Kanye is worse than death.A desert island iPod loaded with 100 albums you likeOrOnly one album you loooooove?

...I plan to be in LA in the Spring and will visit the Scent Bar. Based on the fact a couple of my staples are "Volutes (Eau de Toilette)" and "Ambre Precieux", what would you suggest I sample at the Bar?

...Richly sweet, but balanced, like original formula Samsara.On men, I like ones with just a hint of sweet spice. But warm and oriental all the way. I don't dig fresh and cool.

...Briarthorn:I'm currently 10 weeks pregnant with my third kid, and I haven't been able to bear wearing perfume for almost two weeks. It was giving me really bad headaches and even my light scents were overpowering with my new hyper sensitive sense of smell. :( I miss my smellz.How about something very subtle, like a natural oil AND, if you applied it to your back?Since determining that most of my regular perfumes make my sinuses mad, I've been applying a small amount only to my back. All day long it sort of gently follows me around.Also, I've found some very subtle, quality dupes sold by Face n Earth on amazon that don't bother me much at all. Also, Kuumba Made has some good ones, sold online and at Whole Foods.

...Congrats, Briarthorn!This makes me think of a moment on Modern Family when Claire is holding baby Joe, inhaling his scent, and tells Jay, "That's the stuff."

...Cryptic:DorothyGrace, have you seen the Minajesty commercial? It's about a Disney Princess who desperately chases her prince (apparently, a horse) through the forest. She loses her gown in a briar patch and arrives at the castle in her underwear.Classy.

...I must report back that I have found a natural cosmetics company that sells natural-ish dupes based in oil, called Face n Earth, LLC. Sold on amazon. I've tried several and they vary in their similarity to the original, but all are lovely in their own right, they last for many hours, and very inexpensive. Some of their dupes that I have tried so far:Addict: Very similar to original, the main notes are there in correct proportion, it's just calmer, for lack of a better word, than the original.Obsession: Almost right on the money, just smoother and more delicate than the original.Chanel No. 19: It takes a while to develop, but even then, the similarity to the original is minimal. If taking a blind smell test, I wouldn't have made the connection, but it's still lovely.Morphine: I've never tried the original, but this is nice. It's got a sort of tartness to it, layered over some pleasant oriental notes

...DorothyGrace:I am reasonably certain that the classification of perfume as being for the young or for the mature is a modern phenomenon.Seems that way to me too, DorothyGrace.And my own personal history with perfume supports what Cryptic brought up about the appetite for sweets waning in adolescence. I came of age on Chanel No. 19 and Paco Rabanne Eau de Calandre. Oakmoss and aldehydes. No sugar there.It was only in middle age that I opened my mind to sweet orientals. And now I'm hooked.However, I think marketing has played the biggest role in our perception of what we should wear, BUT, only in tandem with what's in fashion, ie, what has been available to consumers at any given time. For example, as a pre-adolescent in the 70's, there were no fabulous, sweet perfumes even available to me. At least not by today's standard of sweet. Back then, sweetness usually signified inexpensive (Heaven Scent comes to mind). But then again, sweet back then was nothing like the ubiquitous candy notes we have today.Jumbotron, if you love how that stuff smells on you, wear it. If it turns out in my old age I develop a taste for "Sweet Delicious Creamy Meringue" I'm just gonna go ahead and wear that shizz. ;-)(By the way, the great thing about being a perfume hobbyist is that we are exploring the ones no longer available at Macys and appreciating perfume the same way we appreciate music, art and literature. No one would ever tell you you're wrong for listening to music that came out 50 years ago, right?)

...I know I speak for many here when I say that age-related qualifiers are simply to be ignored by anyone with a mind of their own. It's a bit like saying "only people over 60 should listen to the Beatles." :D

...Just curious, Greysolon, if you've ever tried wearing "White Patchouli"?

...Briarthorn, I wish that were the case. But most of my faves don't have either of those and some that do are the lesser offenders. :cry:

...My passion for fragrance has waned recently because I have confirmed through much trial and error that most of my fragrances give me a sinus headache to one degree or another. What a clusterf**k, right? Considering I now have more bottles than I'll use in my lifetime.With a couple exceptions:"Ambre Precieux" - sprayed on my back, doesn't bother me much, plus I LOVE it."Coromandel" - again, on my back, bothers me a little more than Ambre Precieux, but still no major sinus drama. And I LORRRVE it.I've had good luck with natural and semi-natural oils, such as Kuumba Made. Which, if you like oriental bases, you can have a field day mixing together sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla, amber, etc., in different proportions. Kuumba Made even makes a great Opium oil.Anyone else out there found some sinus-friendlies?