...Today I will start with Roald Dahl´s Collected Short Stories....after finally finishing "The thirteenth tale" (which I highly enjoyed).

...I could not do. I just could not. Honestly.There are so many "earthly" things my heart clings to (my small but very much loved collection of antique artefacts, my perfumes, my jewelry etc.) I dare say only death will take away those things from me.....I have spent so much time, money and effort to gather those items it would be a damned shame to just leave them.

...Uhhmm.....I do not like collecting samples. They pile up, they quickly turn bad, to me testing vials or minisprays are really just for testing.If I like a scent I try to get my hand on a full size (or used one) soonest possible, if I do not like a scent I am more than happy to give the sample away.Sounds like I am no parfumista :-)

..."31 Rue Cambon"Fourth day in a row....how could I oversee this treasure for so long ?

...Mais oui ! :-)Next time in Paris I simply must visit this address : Jovoyhttp://www.jovoyparis.com/jovoy.htmlToo bad I did not know the store exists when I was there the last times.....

...I must admit being a bit snobbish about celeb scents but in November last year I learnt not to generalize over this group of perfumes.It was when I found "Erotique" by Dita von Teese.Yes, it is a tacky name and definitely does not transport any sexiness to me BUT :) it is the better "Wonderwood" for me (the CdG version gave me terrible headaches). Sandalwood and some incense with a decent sillage and longevity. I was impressed. A wearable cheapie that I adopted into my collection with great pleasure.

...Hello Everyone !I am currently looking for something herbal to pick my senses up (not only on warmer days).Anyone remember the old fragrance by Les Copains ? A quite celery-like fragrance. Not quite what I have in mind but the concept is appealing.Aromatics Elixir is wonderful but to me more on the earthy side instead of herbal.....and the infusions by Prada are rather floral and not herbal enough for me.On the other side I cannot wear No.19 (smells awful on me, believe me).The scent I am looking for need not be fully unsweet, not too masculine either.I love sage, oregano, basil, caraway, bergamot, lemon....so the concoction may very well have a mediterranean vibe.Do you have some suggestions for me ? Thanks in advance, any hint is welcome :-)

...I love islands and beaches (but do not wear aquatic scents).I dream of seeing real polar lights one day.Am obsessed with almost anything Victorian (Gothic horror stories, Sherlock Holmes, would love to wear a Scarlett O´Hara outfit one day and have a souvenir photo taken, most favorably a daguerreotype).I enjoy watching TV cooking shows but am not much of a cook myself (love, love, love Nigella Lawson´s cooking and presentation).Cannot be a single day without music, I always carry my mp3-player with me.

..."Asmar" by SoOudSugared cappucchino with amber. :-)

...PontNeuf:I do not find "Sycamore" fruity or even sweet. Neither is "Bois des Iles" IMHO......As for the general trend of mainstream perfumes becoming ever so...

...I do not find Sycamore fruity or even sweet. Neither is Bois des Iles IMHO......As for the general trend of mainstream perfumes becoming ever so fruity-"pleasing" : I am with you on this one.Well, fruity perfume is generally not my cup of tea anymore (aaah, in my younger days, yes, but that was looong ago) and sweet is fine with me but there should be a twist with the sweetness :Either some dirty patch or some edgy amber or some smoldering resins or hot spices....you get my idea, I am sure :-)

...No such "relationship" for me. I have increasingly purchased online as I have made rather bad experiences with sales personnel in general. Sometimes you get a lot of "goodies", another time (with a similar purchase value) you get nothing. This is why I tend to buy online at my favourite addresses (one offers 3 samples of your own choice with your full size purchse) - no hazzle, no disappointed expectations.Here in Germany I find sales staff in stores quite difficult and I avoid them whenever I can.

..."The thirteenth tale" by Diane Setterfield.

...I love the bottles ofOpium ShalimarMitsoukoCocoDalì Femme (the mouth-nose bottle)Idole EdP (Lubin)Oud Imperial (Perris Monte Carlo)Oud Royal (Armani)Bijan WomanSahara Noir (Tom Ford)Angel (Mugler)Rajasthan (ETRO)and many, many others....

...The labels LOVE ... PARADISE ... GOLD ... SEXY ... are used endlessly. Dear Pipette,Yes, I agree...and increasingly also "Royal", "Imperial" and the like. It sounded exciting in the beginning (admitted, Armani Privé can pull off such adjectives) but it is getting annoying with more brands adopting this nomenclature.Also admitted : "noir" has been used inflationary as well....but it still appeals to me somehow.

...Nightmarish experience I had recently with a sample :"Kinski"Bad, very bad...strange it may be but on my skin unwearable. It still gives me the creeps when I think of that dirrrrty-musk-rotten-fruit blend. :roll:

...Meet the perfumistas: For a growing band of fashion fanatics the new lust-haves are obscure and extortionately priced perfumes.An article at the DailyMail Online, published in 2008, but still an interesting read.Any thoughts?

...I am starting to love Profvmvm Roma more and more. They are sadly underrated but maybe this is also their greatest asset...who knows.

...I must admit that a perfume´s name does catch my eye - more than the bottle.It is the name that I try to derive the perfume´s character from. For example, names with "noir"/"black", "midnight" or "oriental" etc. give me the impression that this might be a heavy, sexy and/or simply oriental fragrance full of patchouli, amber and incense.That is the theory :-)Of course, names do not always live up to my expectations. "Erotique" by Dita von Teese, i.e. is such a name. Beautiful scent (a very nice smell-alike of Wonderwood) but by no means sexy IMHO.I also admit that reading a perfume´s name sometimes initiates some sort of a "mini movie" in my head, telling me the "storyline" of the scent. Actually, I like that.

...@Scarletting : No bad intentions here, only the very best :D :D :D Yeah, I know Oud Royal is pretty expensive stuff but definitely worth a try. I like oud scents, too and have a great love for balsamic orientals (btw, do you like Ambre Fetiche by Annick Goutal ?...no oud but nonetheless VERY balsamic IMHO) but not all have worked for me. And with all the variety of oud scents out there it surely is possible to find one or two to fall in love with :-)Somebody mentioned "White Aoud" by Montale and I can also recommend that one for you. Both Oud Royal and White Aoud also have a nice sandalwood note enhancing the spiciness. A fruity (tangerine) rose-heavy oud with a nice sweetness and smokiness is "Luxor Oud" by MEMO. Very feminine, very cozy. No medicinal notes, no harshness, this one is easy to get along with.A peachy oud-scent with lots of character (meaning very heavy and strong-willed) is Boadicea the Victorious´ "Virtuous". Balsamic but it wore me out.