...Moving to freezing cold snow dark Michigan in December...If it wasn't for Keiko Mecheri's Peau de Peche and Aqua Di Parma's Colonia and a New Job t fund my fragrance addiction and a luxury rental apartment- I would probably be trying t slit my own wrist right now!

...It puts me in a mello/ melancholy state like Nina Simone, but sometimes this is a good thing for deeper contemplation. I like to put on something with a good sandalwood grounding when I'm in this mood like CdG "Wonderwood" Ava Luxe No. 23 or Honore de Pres "Love Coco" or even Hilary Duff's "With Love". Light the fireplace and get in touch with my earthier side. Thanks Nick Drake.

...Jo Malone's Lime Basil Mandarin

...Going for a big bottle of Jo Malone Lime Basil Mandarin

...

...I just tested a couple yesterday, I think are great seasonal change-overs:1. Cristobal- Balenciaga2. Cinema- YSL+13. Accenti-Gucci

...Sleuth:Good idea. If you don't know what to wear, spray on something that you don't wear often.I've been wanting to try out Hiris. How fresh and/or interesting is its dry down?Hiris is really quite fascinating! It is very strongly Carrot stew smelling to me for the first 30 minutes, then it becomes very just showered fresh and dries down powdery clean musk. It is strong and good sillage, the thing that I go back and forth on with it- while I am glad I got a FB, I know that I only need one to last my whole life- it's that overwhelming carrot top...some days it is interesting and other days I feel like I have the hot moist breath of a horse whose just enjoyed a bunch of carrots standing directly over me. It's worth try now (Northern Hemisphere), Southern Hemisphere friends- please wait until Fall! And if carrots, fresh soil and rooty earthy iris is generally unappealing- skip this one. As it definitely works better in cool weather Fall, Winter, Spring- Summer is definitely a NO-NO for this beauty.

...Sorceress:I've been wearing Habinita lately. And I've had two comments from two males, and I never get comments.The first one wasn't so much a comment but an action. I go for physical therapy right now for an injury, and the young man that is addressing my injury and I talk about all sorts of things. The day I was wearing Habinita, he said he "wanted to show me some photos from his cell phone". So he suddenly sits next to me on the table. (which he never did before) And he sits really close. I swore he was inhaling me, because he went through a bunch of pics with long descriptives. It was just funny to me how he was acting.The second one happened when I got a flat tire. The tow truck comes, the operator of the truck gets out, and fixes my flat. He starts this conversation with me, etc., and he's really talkative. And standing close. Then he leaves. My friend in the car wants to go to a fast food place across the street afterwards. So we go. Who's also there, but the tow truck guy. He sees me, jumps up from his table, comes up to the counter pulls out his cell phone, and shows me a photo of his dog and starts talking to me. Then he invites us to sit with him. So we do. As we're talking, he suddenly tells me, he smelled my perfume outside the car. My friend gives me the eye. Then he says, "Are you a woman that sprays the air and walks through her perfume? It just smelled so wonderful." This was outside in 30 degree weather, no less. Needless to say, Habinita has that effect on men apparently. My friend on the way home begged me for a decant of it....lol.Habinita....hmmmm....interesting! It must go on my test list; One never knows when one might have car trouble!!!

...Dulcemio:Count your blessings, Flavorite. You were olfactorily assaulted, yes, but at least you didn't embarrass yourself.This might possibly be TMI, but one time years ago I went on a business trip with my boss and my boss' boss to visit a few clients in a certain geographical area and take a tour of their factories. Well, on this one day my bladder became extremely overactive (I'm pretty sure it was due to the over-consumption of coffee to counteract an almost complete lack of sleep the night before, because nothing like this has happened to me prior or since) and in the course of three client visits in one day I must've visited the clients' collective restrooms no fewer than 15 times.Actually, I think my boss was more embarrassed than I was, I don't embarrass too easily, and I laughed everytime I had to excuse myself from a meeting or tour. Needless to say, I got teased about that around the office for quite a while.OMG!I have had one of these days- too much coffee or something, too during an 8 hour Customer audit in a big grocery store!!! At some point I said "I swear, I don't have some weird disorder...."(this didn't strengthen my case). It's pretty funny, my trainer must have thought "She'll" never cut it in this job, with that problem". I know what you mean- it's not funny at the time- but yet- it's just the call of nature, what can you do?

...LOL! The Hiring Manager called and wanted to proceed with the hiring process today! No Thanks! Fortunately a better offer came through today also...one that may involve bad smelling food plants but not cigars. I am just trying to focus on the lovely bottle of fragrance I will be able to buy myself with my first paycheck :) Ahhh, all better!

...I had a crazy day today, I thought would be a interview/slash training day and I was expertly groomed, showered with a neutral unscented soap, and a fresh citrus sea salt bar just for good measure- 2 types of deodorants, sleek hair -3 hours- chose Jo Malone's Lime Basil Mandarin (just 2 sprays, so as to not offend anybody's chemical sensitivities) and I ended up driving around with a cigar smoking conservative right wing pig in his filthy car as we went to visit a filthy restaurant, and egg processing factory and a smoked salmon factory- at least they gave me a pound of free smoked salmon! I smelled so gross when I got back to my car, I didn't even want to get into my car---which is filthy, but doesn't wreak of that rotten cigar smell. Ugh! Ever have one of those days where you brought your "A-Game" and you find yourself wading through the swamp?

...I would add to this list:1. "Ellen Tracy"-by Ellen Tracy (massive -well made bottle, gorgeous 3-season scent- very inexpensive).2. "Bal de Clochettes"- by Berdoues (I've hear their whole line is really good for the price) and if you're a violet fan their "Violettes Divine" is apparently awesome.3. "Les Senteurs Gourmandes Vanille Bourbon" Perfume- as well as 4. "Vanille Monoi", 5. "Tendre Madeleine" and 6. "Vanille Noir" by Laurence Dumont

...WolfM:Things happen fastest in the Facebook these daysYou can ask on their page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/LArtisan-Parfumeur/168787479845980A week ago, have announced a new line... ''Bertrand Duchaufour himself presents the 3 fragrances he has created for our new collection Explosions d'Emotions.''http://www.artisanparfumeur.com/shop/collections/explosions-d-motions/the-perfumer.html...Then - the 21st oct. - a new store in Bangkok...who knows!?Ooooh, these new fragrances all sound very intriguing! Looking forward to testing those!

...Lately, I am out of sorts, because I don't know what I am in the mood to wear when it's still sunny but chilly (denial of pending Winter, I'm not ready for spices yet... I am going to dig deep into my closet and try out Hermes "Hiris" and Lacoste "Pour Femme" again.

...Apicius:I guess I will wear "Minotaure" a few times, and maybe Divine's "L'homme Infini"."Minotaure" is one of my absolute favorite scents on a Man! A friend of mine had this many many years ago and we used to jokingly get about 10+ people to just chase him around our house trying to sniff him at parties!

...Perhaps try Perlier - "White Almond Body Spray" (lighter than a typical EDP, but might have the right vibe). It's a whole line, body wash, lotion, body mist that can be layered.

...Dulcemio:"Les Nombres d'Or - Vanille"I get a huge bonfire experience from this one, though it does begin like an ashtray on me. (I don't smoke.) But of course you must also like vanilla quite a bit.You know, this one is quite peculiar. My knees went weak went I smelled it first. I bought several samples of this and I was sure it would be wonderful. It was just perfect last November, but oddly enough, the one time I wore it out (just a single tiny dab on my wrist) I felt so overwhelmed and awkward (at a rock concert?). It made me very self conscious in such a closed space and I felt like I had lit up a cigar in an elevator or something...so I haven't been back into it in over a year. Yes, it does have a bit of that ashtray!

...Currently Bruno Acampora's Musc EDP and Serge Luten's Daim Blonde inspire this feeling of total luxury for me!

...Cincy:Flavorite, I snapped to ends off of my Blue Carnation nip yesterday. Wow! Cloves galore. Real.... in your face spicy scent.It's glorious! I have Wichapi to thank (again) for a generous sample. When life really seems like a crapper- I treat myself to a long hot bath with a bar of the Roger & Gallet Carnation Soap and a single spritz of the Blue Carnation...better than therapy!

...PBullFriend:I tend to agree with Barolo on this one. If I don't think something is available somewhere (eBay, discounters), then I usually avoid it for fear of having my heart broken. (Yes, I know. I'm such a delicate flower! :lol: )I also am likely not to try a scent that goes for $200 and up per bottle. At that price, I am unlikely to find even a decant I can afford, and there are relatively few parfumistas/os who might be willing to trade me one.Even if I had more money, there's something about $200/bottle that seems like the very far end of my extravagance.I must be a glutton for punishment...usually knowing that I can not have it makes it absolutely irresistible! Thank you "Blue Carnation" by Roger & Gallet I have spent many sleepless nights pining over a discontinued scent that I think I can't live without. Once I figure out how to acquire it and I have it my hand-usually I realize it is so-so- not the ultimate scent- now out of storage space. Or more often I fall victim to the rumors that something is just about to be discontinued...because everything I read on the internet is true, right? LOL! Then magically- 1/10 are actually discontinued...and again I've got a bunch of bottles of easily available back-ups for scents I'm just lukewarm about, I am on to my next obsession. still looking for this one particular scent that was a mystery concoction thrown in a mislabeled bottle from Keiko Mecheri- can't figure out what the notes are and haven't ever encountered anything like it. Ugh...I really just love the torture I think!