...ChapeauClack:I've been suffering from insomnia recently. It's all gotten out of hand really, I'm afraid I'll have to finally see the doctor or at least consult a...

...Dlane, you have a beautiful family!May I join the Ready for Fall Club too? Especially since we are now in the middle of the Da Shu (Big Heat) period by Chinese folk calendar. Urgh! I certainly was not made for this type of climate! I love staying cool and fresh and not having to blot my face constantly. Besides, I'll take beautiful elegant Fall clothes over the skimpy Summer stuff any day of the week, not to mention the perfumes. I've been suffering from insomnia recently. It's all gotten out of hand really, I'm afraid I'll have to finally see the doctor or at least consult a pharmacist and get some meds. :( Haven't slept at night for two weeks :(

...Oh how terrible, SSG! I don't know what else to say, except hang in there...

...I find that salt smells different depending on what kind it is. Sea salt definitely has a faint odor. Iodine-enriched salt also does. But the regular super fine salt we use doesn't smell like anything to me. It's probably purposely refined to such point.However I think "salty" notes (as in perfumes or certain food items like tomatoes) and the smell of salt per se are two different things. Sugar does smell, though. Any kind. And it's not a particularly pleasant smell too.

...ChapeauClack:Flavorite:In my opinion they are in the same vein of gourmands- spicy sweet incense.Gourmand?!? Wow, I've been testing Dzongkha and gourmand didn't...

...HAPPY BIRTHDAY CINCY AND WOLFM!SENDING LOTS OF FRAGRANT WISHES YOUR WAY!

...I made a sort of tutorial with pics, hope it helps.Just follow the link

...You are welcome, ladies!

...Dulce, I do the following:- choose the image I like on its page- right button click to see the options available for it- open image in new tab- go to that tab, copy the url of this new tab (http// etc)- above the Parfumo comment space there's a button with Img on it- click that twice, see appear- insert my earlier obtained image url between the two sets of parentheses - et voila! the big beautiful image is ready to be displayed

...Dulcemio:No compliments for niche, only for designer. And I've tried a ton of niche (only some are listed on my profile).That's precisely my peeve! I've been perusing the two similar topics on my native language Frantica and guess what - the one on compliments for designer/mainstream frags is ten plus pages long, while the one on niche compliment getters is more like three. And to beat the dead horse some more, literally everything listed there is more or less gourmand or at least contains an instantly noticeable vanilla note which normal people's noses are apparently capable of recognizing and evaluating.Ooh, and I forgot to mention, they also have an anti-compliment topic there to share negative and rude comments their perfume elicited. Niche features heavily on that one.

...Oh Dlane, Finn is such a darling little helper! I love it when dogs lend a hand (or tongue) with kitchen chores, no time for boredom when they are around. I've been not_enjoying the weather. For two days in a row I've been cancelling my mandatory evening jogging gig upon seeing distant lightnings and hearing thunder, but eventually it's never actually rained! :x

...She looks so dark and brooding in this picture! "Mon parfum cheri par Camille" seems to suit the mood.How about this? III L'Imperatrice from the Shadowscapes Tarot deck by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law (please don't suggest the eponymous insipid creation by D&G)

...Flavorite:In my opinion they are in the same vein of gourmands- spicy sweet incense.Gourmand?!? Wow, I've been testing Dzongkha and gourmand didn't even cross my mind. Is Timbuktu more in the foodie vein?Flavorite: Neither one of these were favorites from the line for me.May I ask which are? :)

..."Une Voix Noire" by Serge Lutens. A stunning gardenia and tubereuse confection.

...That's beautiful, Hayven!I love your description. Ahhh, the clean, pure air, how much I miss it.Apparently I'm a Northwest Pacific type as well, because somewhere with pines, mountains and cool air would be an ideal place to live for me too :) A big body of water at my feet wouldn't hurt either :lol:

...If I may disagree, Bouzeos. Working under the pressure of restrictions (budget, marketing strategy etc) is not a place to shine for anyone, perfumers included. This is the major flaw of mass market scents where all and any creativity is being obliterated. At that level perfumers are more concerned whether they meet the market requirements well enough to secure themselves another similar gig. Moreover, the big players in this market are also notorious for employing the same chemists to work on "fine fragrance" as on laundry detergent scents. So yes, in this field talking about the nose behind the fragrance is often irrelevant. However, that's just one, although admittedly the biggest one, part of the perfumescape. If we look at the scope of niche and artisan perfumes created under much more liberal conditions, it's evident that even with very precise briefs by creative directors, the unique style of each perfumer shines through. Jean Claude Ellena brings his sleek minimalist vision into everything he does. Bertrand Duchaufour's work is always recognizable too, no matter if it is sold under L'Artisan, Penhaligons or Neela Vermeire label. With significantly older creations "marketing" was not even an issue and most perfumers were their own creative directors anyway, so in vintages it's even more apparent. Maitre parfumeurs do venture into mass market labels once in a while, like Annick Menardo did with her Black for Bvlgari which to this day is the black sheep (forgive the pun) of that tightlipped flock. But we don't see the likes of Alberto Morillas making perfumes for Comme des Garcons and MPG, and there's good reason for that.

...Sweaty incense... Hmmm...I'd really love to see your comparison, Shera :)

...So Passage features somewhere in this equation as well...Thanks for the input PBullFriend, that's something to consider.

...Jean-Paul Guerlain, "Chamade"Jean-Louis Sieuzac, "Opium"

...ChapeauClack: I don't think I have both available. However, my testing notes (which are several years old) say that one time Dzongkha reminded me of Timbuktu and...