Chanel no 19 Parfum Review

For a very long while, the extract version of 19 has been sitting on my dresser, unopened since the day I got it last year. I normally don't go an buy the parfum version of any perfume unless it is love. What stops me more often than not, is the cost of parfum that scares me. Over a $100 for maybe a quarter ounce? Please, I like a little more bang for my buck, hence why I usually go for an EDP version of any perfume.

Even online, Chanel doesn't seem to offer much in the way of sizes when it comes to the sizes of the parfum versions of it's perfumes. With the exception of no. 5, Coco, the Les Exclusifs line, no. 19, and a couple others, it is the one size fits all.

Often times, I have found myself absolutely hating the EDT version of Chanel no 19. I do love leather and having a strong liking for galbanum but I find no 19 EDT to be way too butch on me to be wearable. Also, it does turn to be like milk gone bad. The EDP version is what I like better because it's rosy without be loaded down in amber or musk.

After deciding to just open the parfum bottle, which is a real pain to do with a tiny bottle, just to get a whiff, I end up spilling a couple drops on my hand. Holy crap, this version of no 19 is stunning, There was the carroty hiss of iris for about 2 minutes then in mostly became no 19 in EDP form. I've never noticed iris in no 19 before but I think that after trying out Silver Iris Mist, I really became aware of iris. When I say that it is mostly like the EDP version, it is. No 19 does have some butchy aspects to it but it is not harsh and overbearing. I'm happy that I do have a tiny bottle even though I don't wear parfum that often, I use parfum for special occasions.

Remember When?

After a few people got sick and tired of finding decants laying around, there was a qstion of "Don't you have enough?" Isn't having 5 perfumes at most enough? Of course this is after my millionth bottle of No.5 says that it is shipped. My response is no. Perfume is a luxury that I chose to indulge in. People who blog about books, wine, cheese or whatever, it's not freakish or scary. But perfume is for some reason. Maybe it is the current recession, people wearing some weak fruity floral garbage.

I  still hold on to the belief that there is a point where there is too much in a collection to chose. Today is grey, wet and the rain is still falling. Amouage Gold and Dia are both crying for some attention. Is is going to be the civet monster Gold or the effervescent Dia? I'm still debating.

Andy Tauer Lonestar Memories

Yesterday was the first time that I can recall that I wore an unsniffed perfume to work. One of my rules is that I test perfume only when I know that I am not going anywhere. But after wearing Noontide Petals and L'Air du Desert Marocain, I figured that it was a perfume by Andy Tauer and most likely wasn't gonna smell like pig poop.

I swear this smells almost like Bois 1920 Sushi Imperiale except with a little citrus thrown in. Yep, shaving cream. At first, I smelled nothing, absolutely nothing and felt a little cheated but then after a couple minutes, I got the shaving cream and hint of citrus. What did surprise me is that the lasting power. I did get a full 10 hours of wear for an EDT instead of the usual 3 or 4 hours.

All Over the Place

For the past few months, I have found myself wrapped up in all sorts of drama that leaves me not wanting to try anything new and found myself wearing the same few scents on top of it. Or the it's so damned hot out, why would I really want to.

I've sort of made a resolution to finish some of my smaller (3ml or less) decants of perfume to make some kind of room in that makeup bag overflowing with decants. It is somewhat working because I've actually managed to finish 10 small decants but had to throw out 6 because of evaporation issues. That's alright though, the evaporated ones were ones that I didn't care for much or hated. It seems like every time that I finish a couple decants, Surrender to Chance has one of those really good sales of take 15% off your order and it's the here we go again, getting a bigger pile of decants. It's funny how I can make a half hearted resolution and mostly stick to it.

Hoardin Vintage and Hard to Find

I have found myself hoarding some of my perfumes. Hoarding in the hoarding the 3ml decant of vintage Mitsouko EDT and the 8ml of vintage Chanel no. 22 and not wearing them a whole lot. Don't get me started on my 16 ml of Deneuve extract or the mostly full bottle of the EDT.

The reason of why I really do it is because vintage can be hard to find or out of reach price wise. When I find a bottle that is halfway full or mostly full for a reasonable price, I try and see if my budget allows for it. Thus far, no, but next couple weeks, I should be able to.

Ever since I have joined Ebay, I have found a reliable source for full bottles of Worth Courtesan but none for full bottles of Sarrasins. It kind of bothers me that something may be readily available in Europe but not in the US. I know for a split second Barney's had the bell jars but the prices were horrible. I would love it if the Serge Lutens non export line were available in the US. Say, 5 or 6 would be sold full bottle wise then back to the non export line then it would be the the next 5 or 6. Not everyone has the desire to fly to Europe nor the means. It would take me 6 more years to save up for a trip to Paris. I know there is Surrender to Chance and The Perfumed Court but certain decants cost quite a bit if a perfume is not available in the US.  Discontinued, I understand.

I do hoard my vintage collection most of the time is that there never seems to be a situation or good time to wear these. I'm not wearing vintage anything to work is I've dealt with too many nasty people and bad situations where it has ruined some of my perfume collection. Or it is a family situation that has utterly ruins a perfume for me. It's kind of funny how something like perfume can get ruined by something or someone.

Tablets and Cellphones

I absolutely hate it when that time of year rolls around. The dreaded contract renewal of cellphones. Before I had a family plan, it was an easy process of contract renewal. Now, when there are three people, everyone wants something different. One wants a plan with more minutes, a bigger cell screen or what have you. Since someone else makes those decisions, it still means that I have to do all the research. I can write down what exactly is needed and said person doesn't get it. How hard is it to upgrade or downgrade? I let the one who is in charge of the cellphone plan know that they are on thier own, if they can't figure it out or complain about prices, then the cellphones must go. I find that some people make it harder than need be for something so simple.

Tablets like the iPad can be the worst thing for when I can't sleep. I don't have an iPad but the Samsung tablet and love it. I've never bought into the Apple hype like many people have. I can see cellphone wise if carriers are offering the iPhone for free. A friend of mine has an iPhone and after looking and using it a little bit, I've come to the conclusion that the iPhone sucks. But for the past couple nights, I haven't been able to fall asleep and I've been watching YouTube videos and reading blogs until 3 in the morning. I am thinking of leaving my tablet downstairs so I am less inclined to use it at night.