tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269709114512395092024-03-18T19:19:11.668-04:00The Perfumed Realm of Eldarwen22Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.comBlogger747125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-29633568045144884122024-03-11T20:07:00.002-04:002024-03-11T20:07:32.137-04:00Shalimar<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2_AGZWLOo9S9NE_ZJ7QSMklZ52lJCS_FFjdMshZ_hpx7qu7GO1zavvSrhZXOQ7_wsgtzxRAr2X5ESPj1U2q5_zcxhkTZJzKJjTbycF3bDyjn8322UtHzSk-yST4meUin-Z-3BQ2viJpmgHu84tnMwgLaJ-QG1UnSxAir9y_t8tPEwgY4uLfGYlwE2_0/s505/a_0ea811ce-b130-4dc2-a4cd-a15b288d00f9-removebg-preview.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="505" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2_AGZWLOo9S9NE_ZJ7QSMklZ52lJCS_FFjdMshZ_hpx7qu7GO1zavvSrhZXOQ7_wsgtzxRAr2X5ESPj1U2q5_zcxhkTZJzKJjTbycF3bDyjn8322UtHzSk-yST4meUin-Z-3BQ2viJpmgHu84tnMwgLaJ-QG1UnSxAir9y_t8tPEwgY4uLfGYlwE2_0/s320/a_0ea811ce-b130-4dc2-a4cd-a15b288d00f9-removebg-preview.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p> Today seemed to be a day where many people, myself included, wore Shalimar. This is due to the fact that on Now Smell This, the Friday community project is to wear something vanilla in perfume. It looks like a few were starting out the week with Shalimar. But I did get into some thinking about Shalimar.</p><p>It seems like in the past year, Guerlain has released flanker after flanker of Shalimar. There were a couple times that I did have the means to get a bottle but something else demanded my financial attention. So the last time I managed to try and really like a Shalimar flanker is when the Ode a la Vanilles came out. At that time, I had managed to get my grubby hands on the Mexican version and not the Madagascar version. So off and on throughout the years, I have looked around to see if I could get a sighting of the Madagascar but whenever I did see a bottle, it was major money. For some reason the Mexican version seems to be the easier to procure one and it might be that more people might have liked the Madagascar one. I know that I appreciated the Madagascar one more. I found it to be richer, a little more smokey and just enjoyed it more. It's not to say that the Mexican version isn't great, it is but I prefer what I prefer. And I am kicking myself for discovering the Parfum Initial version of Shalimar long after it was discontinued.<br /></p><p>But I am not exactly thrilled with all the limited edition flankers. It seems like if I manage to get one and either really like it or love it, it's gone before I can get a backup bottle. Then I scout E-Bay and see that it's more than a car payment and the bottle might be half empty. Paying upwards of $150 for a half used bottle of anything isn't happening, those days are long gone. This means that I must make a better effort to enjoy what I have and start using up what I have. But that is easier said than done.<br /></p><p></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-64948584824234516662024-03-06T00:30:00.004-05:002024-03-06T00:30:00.132-05:00Bath and Body Works Lavender Iris Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3BqI9EtxMuIZ3ai_xRagINo5PyPoYSbDLtVWWz3KA5CisLQErrukGsoboY6El1B8iCFAkens7gYNA9W0iDNpIOZhEB7yyn63UsmRSqJOiC-8d_z5sqbKm7251m_L-f3Fgf8YccCMZv8R1_SYPa3bGA-EM7119jg5t0riZKgfuVsaMF5Y4TXSaeoTjIk/s471/026634164.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3BqI9EtxMuIZ3ai_xRagINo5PyPoYSbDLtVWWz3KA5CisLQErrukGsoboY6El1B8iCFAkens7gYNA9W0iDNpIOZhEB7yyn63UsmRSqJOiC-8d_z5sqbKm7251m_L-f3Fgf8YccCMZv8R1_SYPa3bGA-EM7119jg5t0riZKgfuVsaMF5Y4TXSaeoTjIk/s320/026634164.webp" width="238" /></a></div>Way back when, I was a huge Bath and Body Works fan girl. This is back when minimum wage was only $4.95 an hour. And this is when I was 14 and was starting out in the working world. So 18 hours a week at $4.95 per hour isn't a whole lot of cash today but at 14, it was a lot of money. Granted, even then, I knew that I couldn't buy a whole lot. So Bath and Body Works was my go to in terms of anything perfume for the most part. For $25, I could get matching soap, lotion and body spray and this was in the mid to late 90's and that was a bargain. Now Bath and Body Works has gotten pretty pricey and maybe a little too big for it's britches. The quality has gradually gone down and the prices has gone up. Eventually, I had to start paying for college and my expenses had gone up. When that happened, I didn't have the extra cash for Bath and Body Works and I eventually forgot about Bath and Body Works and perfume in general.<p></p><p>Candles did reignite my Bath and Body Works interest and have started to explore the bath stuff again. I became fixated on the aromatherapy line and saw the Lavender Iris line up and had to try it. I haven't broken into the body wash and lotion yet but decided to give the essential oil stuff a go.</p><p>This essential oil mist is sold as a multi purpose type of thing. You can spray it on clothes, bedding and on skin and I decided to wear it as perfume. I will say that the biggest note from start to finish was lavender and it was especially huge in the beginning. I kept waiting and waiting for the iris to show up and the faintest whisper of iris did show up. The iris that I am used to is what is in Infusion d'Iris, no 19 and Iris Silver Mist. No 19 and Iris Silver Mist is a carroty, root like type of iris and Infusion d'Iris is more of the higher class type of iris. There was a review somewhere that said that Lavender Iris was like Prada's Infusion d'Iris and truth be told, I am not smelling any resemblance to it. I almost got a Jicky type of vibe to Lavender Iris. I know that it is something from Bath and Body Works is not exactly high end stuff but for the price point and brand, I kind of do expect something a little better put together. This is pretty much a glorified room spray trying to masquerade as a perfume. Until they bring back Milk and Honey, Gardenia Lily or Night Blooming Jasmine, I will stick to the candles.<br /></p><p><br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-85934995105086787702024-02-29T20:00:00.001-05:002024-02-29T20:13:30.201-05:00More First World Problems<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiLftKBSi73v_C2pgfmwYNByD5QCuhuoe5oVqIh3ZA7gFdp8jL9dQm3IL30l1i3u4JqKK5r6CALN8MPCjz9SXFA8_tb0h2y1fH-N9pZnHOn8HphmY8P5FCJjoUUUOyUVFJ6p40yWOTE_ZJgAFwHqRHmdqS-Q73ZsCH1C4nk5pb1v5VDLt1G3U_jiUbGc/s500/375x500.31354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiLftKBSi73v_C2pgfmwYNByD5QCuhuoe5oVqIh3ZA7gFdp8jL9dQm3IL30l1i3u4JqKK5r6CALN8MPCjz9SXFA8_tb0h2y1fH-N9pZnHOn8HphmY8P5FCJjoUUUOyUVFJ6p40yWOTE_ZJgAFwHqRHmdqS-Q73ZsCH1C4nk5pb1v5VDLt1G3U_jiUbGc/s320/375x500.31354.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> It looks like Chanel has raised their prices, again. I know this is a first world problem but it seems like three or four months ago, they jacked up their prices. The regular lineup (no 5, no 19, Coco etc) is at least $10 more but the Les Exclusifs line is a different matter.<p></p><p>Chanel's Les Exclusif line started out as 6.8 ounces of the EDT for only $200. Twelve years ago, that was a bargain but that has changed. But lots has changed with the Les Exclusifs line. Now they offer a 2.5 ounce size, the line has expanded, EDT to EDP changes and some have a parfum version. In those twelve years, the prices have gone up. Back in March of2021, I had bought the Coromandel EDP and the cost was $200 for a 2.5 ounce bottle. Then in December of that year I had bought the parfum version of Coromandel for $240. The price of Coromandel parfum will set you back $305 for a half an ounce. The EDP of Coromandel will cost you $325 for a 2.5 ounce bottle and a 6.8 ounce bottle runs at $500. And that means that I won't be getting any of the Les Exclusifs line any time soon or any Chanel perfume for quite a while. I do wonder if Chanel wants to compete with Amouage in price. Amouage has always been expensive from the get go but the quality has always been there. The quality of Chanel can't compete with Amouage.</p><p>I do own quite a bit of both Chanel and Amouage and there are ways I can get bottles of Amouage for less. I can get an Amouage offering for less on Fragrancenet or Beautyencounter but Chanel keeps a vice like grip on who can and who cannot sell their stuff. But I think that Chanel has gotten greedy and at this point, I won't be getting anymore Chanel perfumes.<br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-22707723556657638302024-02-24T21:38:00.003-05:002024-02-24T21:38:51.405-05:00By Killian Good Girl Gone Bad Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg516Zmbq6fSbhiH9sBlcd4fus-DeD_sPPlr8lmg5B6Gogm9R0tQQznhJLM8im83O33bZgXjtBVMn9U8X7Rya9Ntix0NTJhuWc4Fht5XbX5y6KC51PdRjwbCdPo5u0-IhtD3xrob3vl-6A_TevG0eLxWhOYEbK_EdCua2xsjEU5VoLbjNJh1koNpXkvcRc/s650/29fd883ba6b6603c4b4e7d9e517764e5.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg516Zmbq6fSbhiH9sBlcd4fus-DeD_sPPlr8lmg5B6Gogm9R0tQQznhJLM8im83O33bZgXjtBVMn9U8X7Rya9Ntix0NTJhuWc4Fht5XbX5y6KC51PdRjwbCdPo5u0-IhtD3xrob3vl-6A_TevG0eLxWhOYEbK_EdCua2xsjEU5VoLbjNJh1koNpXkvcRc/s320/29fd883ba6b6603c4b4e7d9e517764e5.webp" width="320" /></a></div> Last year, my friend got me a Sephora gift card for Christmas and I wondered on what I was going to get with the gift card he got me. There is nothing that is inexpensive at Sephora and due to that, I don't really shop at Sephora. After poking around the Sephora website, I found a By Killian sample set and with the gift card and $10 reward that I had, I had only paid something like $10 for it. So it's been sitting around for a while and now have gotten around to trying it. I've never paid much attention to the By Killian line up because I can't afford to fall in love with another expensive perfume brand. Off and on, I've wanted to try Good Girl Gone Bad.<p></p><p>When I first put Good Girl Gone Bad, I was quickly hit with the D&G Light Blue vibe. I couldn't help but be pissed. It's bad enough that I smell Light Blue as it is. My mother adores Light Blue and tons of people at work wear it as well. I despise Light Blue and things similar to it, there is something about it that rubs me the wrong way. After about an hour, Good Girl Gone Bad had changed. The Light Blue vibe was still there but it had turned to Feminite du Bois. At that point I was like, <i>what in the actual fuck?</i> I do love Feminite du Bois and own a couple bottles but this was crazy and not really in a good way to my nose. I'm not going for a Feminite du Bois knock off and if I wanted to layer both Light Blue and Feminite du Bois, I would do that. I'm guessing the Light Blue is the Good Girl part and Feminite du Bois is the Gone Bad. Maybe I have been huffing to much MKK or Bal a Versailles but I am getting nothing that would be remotely sexy. Maybe sexy has been sanitized a little too much but this isn't doing it for me. So I am going to give God Girl Gone Bad a pass.<br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-29136612763311047422024-02-20T22:11:00.006-05:002024-02-20T22:11:57.491-05:00Coty Sand and Sable Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvpfhfaiMKrYOPFL-QrH2z5yIu-hdGHsQamxiYrv72zS8W2PtG_fLHMZJ9t-2o5Xel2JVisPo7F3bsm7T-OeW4mQmoN5956FeY8gfl4vQALcXeruKrO0Egs6u2fsc2kD3BpLOt4U0ksobS5cCHVijMkXNr0tqdxaft9L4URhAG_1Yaka-TZgWn5w6pt8/s768/1872609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvpfhfaiMKrYOPFL-QrH2z5yIu-hdGHsQamxiYrv72zS8W2PtG_fLHMZJ9t-2o5Xel2JVisPo7F3bsm7T-OeW4mQmoN5956FeY8gfl4vQALcXeruKrO0Egs6u2fsc2kD3BpLOt4U0ksobS5cCHVijMkXNr0tqdxaft9L4URhAG_1Yaka-TZgWn5w6pt8/s320/1872609.JPG" width="236" /></a></div>No more than a month back, Tom and someone else over at Perfume Posse was talking about Coty's Sand and Sable. Coty is probably the most prolific perfume house out there. It seems like every celebrity who wants to make a perfume goes pretty much through Coty. Even when they aren't doing a celebrity scent, they will release perfumes like Sand and Sable.<p></p><p>Coty must take Estee Lauder's advice of perfume should be an everyday luxury to an extreme. Just about every Coty perfume that I have ever seen has been dirt cheap and Sand and Sable is not exception.</p><p>When Tom mentioned that he got his bottle for next to nothing, I bopped over to Fragrancenet and Sand and Sable cost next to nothing for a little over a third of an ounce. The price point amazed me and I figured, <i>how bad can it really be</i>? I already had a Lolita Lempicka travel spray in my cart. So I got them and waited for them to show up on my doorstep. Did you know that Fragrancenet now has some kind of rewards program going on? I did know about it last year when they launched it but promptly forgot about it. I hardly shop at Fragrancenet anymore and never really shopped there to begin with. I have gotten more mileage with the rewards system at Ulta and even Sephora. If Luckyscent offered a rewards program and years ago, I might have started to shop there more consistently.</p><p>I wasn't expecting too much out of Sand and Sable. By the notes, it sounded like it was going to be a big white floral vibe going on. Truth be told, it isn't as big as I thought it would be. I do see gardenia listed as a note but a serious perfume snob is going to know that there is isn't any real gardenia in perfume just like there isn't any real lilac in En Passant. But there it is, something that kind of smells like gardenia but I am mostly smelling tuberose and this tuberose isn't cloying like Fracas Tuberose can be a tough note to love because it can be suffocating. This tuberose smelled beachy and there was a sunscreen note to this one. I did smell a little bit of jasmine in there along with a hint of musk. For a cologne, the longevity was pretty good and I don't think that it was a heavy or dense perfume. It would be heavy and dense if I over applied Sand and Sable. The bottle that Sand and Sable comes in is incredibly plain and if I was vaguely looking at the perfume counter at CVS or any drugstore, I wouldn't have looked twice at it or picked up on it at all. I think that the third of an ounce that I do have is more than enough for me.<br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-19994354521269269842024-02-18T23:50:00.001-05:002024-02-18T23:50:17.090-05:00I've Changed My Mind...Sort Of<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDt8IilRF-Z8eFj4pTs2aqdXVo5pY3dnRGOOsY931KsYle_KKP9-QEIJwiJZNEosWc5k6aEaVIgqi3jIWAYd1342WzDGxGEJAZWOapZxDdNSfpv6VKJiX4KI_fTjsZwF9zU4B20kv35EIdh287LbEBpKNCzfxmcMYpRdJhWegUe5URzPkluucVoTMoA-I/s1469/Eau-de-Hongrie-with-box-4%20Photo%20by%20Daniel%20Herendi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1469" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDt8IilRF-Z8eFj4pTs2aqdXVo5pY3dnRGOOsY931KsYle_KKP9-QEIJwiJZNEosWc5k6aEaVIgqi3jIWAYd1342WzDGxGEJAZWOapZxDdNSfpv6VKJiX4KI_fTjsZwF9zU4B20kv35EIdh287LbEBpKNCzfxmcMYpRdJhWegUe5URzPkluucVoTMoA-I/s320/Eau-de-Hongrie-with-box-4%20Photo%20by%20Daniel%20Herendi.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>Earlier this year, I have made some resolutions. The first one was not to buy anymore candles. I failed pretty early on but I got back on the band wagon. I haven't really been using my candles so much but when the weather gets warmer, I will start using them. My candles have been a bone of contention at my house and the only time I can have them lit is if I have a window open. Since we are in the ugliest part of winter, it's not a wise idea to have windows open. So I have to wait until the temps warm up and will stay warm before I can have a candle continually lit.<p></p><p>My second resolution was to limit myself to buying only two full bottles of perfume this year. Those bottles could not be back up bottles of anything. While I do love the extrait version of Gris Charnel, I don't think that I really want a full bottle of that this year. I know that the Eau de Hongrie is still in the cards but due to some more serious financial constraints that are popping up, I might not be able to get any perfume until maybe October of this year or maybe next year.. But that let's me work on seeing what I can do with finishing up some bottles of perfume and using up some decants. I do have quite a few that I haven't tried and really need to start wearing those and get on a regular schedule when it comes to writing reviews. But frivolous purchases are on the back burner for a long time right now. And that means anything that sounds like it might be considered "fun" is going to have to wait if it costs more that $25. I honestly thought that things were turning around with the finances but I was wrong. Trips are out of the question and the ghost hunt that I was thinking about is pretty much postponed until a later date.<br /></p><p>Today was pretty interesting. The decision was made to replace my old bed frame with a new one. This new bed frame is going to take a little getting used to. My old bed frame sat fairly low to the ground and this new one is pretty high up. While my dad and I were putting this thing together, I couldn't help but think is how much more vacuuming that wasn't getting done with the old bed frame. I was thinking of vacuuming after my new bed was set up but by then, I wasn't so willing to do it. Since I don't have to work tomorrow, I can get it done then. Today was the first Sunday that my mother didn't have any football (not soccer) to watch and she was a little depressed over that and tonight was the season 4 finale of All Creatures Great and Small. Now there isn't anything too interesting to watch on TV until Call the Midwife begins on St Patrick's Day.<br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-1589966116564371302024-02-14T18:59:00.002-05:002024-02-14T18:59:22.682-05:00Valentine's Day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBneFwKGv9Ze1__PDcbWCrHeEohTxVu74ikeJRSuduf5hiFRgcRhmdzK2qRx2Br2d-2PdWoaLMJVW7RbrngLsH__hUW5c5wjnfPkVs0QrwflAMXkdxpul4S_1Qs2a4KPnXbi86QcnidfXXBI3U0SinA3rgCKaNupPH18NRcBrKu9vxXoc_xdIvSt9cjI/s321/lyric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="157" data-original-width="321" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBneFwKGv9Ze1__PDcbWCrHeEohTxVu74ikeJRSuduf5hiFRgcRhmdzK2qRx2Br2d-2PdWoaLMJVW7RbrngLsH__hUW5c5wjnfPkVs0QrwflAMXkdxpul4S_1Qs2a4KPnXbi86QcnidfXXBI3U0SinA3rgCKaNupPH18NRcBrKu9vxXoc_xdIvSt9cjI/w344-h209/lyric.jpg" width="344" /></a></div> It's Valentine's Day here and for those who follow the Catholic faith, it's Ash Wednesday. I work in a bakery and had to deal with the overload of paczi yesterday. If I didn't work at a bakery, I wouldn't have had a clue about Fat Tuesday or Ash Wednesday. But the paczi that we sell at my store is an overrated jelly doughnut. You would probably have a better paczi if you went to an old school Polish bakery.<p></p><p>I'm not following Valentine's Day either. I might be off but I am not with anyone, so I have nobody to celebrate it with. I am waiting for tomorrow because I want the half priced Valentine's candy. But we shall see if I really want to be out and about tomorrow. Probably not though.</p><p>I'm pretty sure that many people have bought their significant others jewelry, candy, flowers and perfume. I was thinking about that I think would be great perfumes for a Valentine's gift. Then I got to thinking about a list of solid choices for Valentine's perfumes, even though I am bathed in the traumatically discontinued Fendi Theorema. The people at Fendi were total morons for getting rid of Theorema.</p><p>I have to start off with Lyric. Since the Valentine's colors are red, pink and white, the bottle fits with the general color theme. Since roses seem to be the most gifted flower on this day, the spicy rose of Lyric fits the day. Lyric is one of my most loved perfumes and probably the first Amouge that I fell head over heels in love with and then Epic was my second. Yeah, Amouage is expensive and probably the most expensive brand on this list but you only live once.<br /></p><p>The original Shalimar is going to have to be my 2nd choice in all of it's vanilla goodness. Shalinar isn't a straight up vanilla thing, there are more moving parts. There is the citrus aspect of it and whatever else is in there to make Shalimar a little on the slutty side. I haven't tried too many of the Shalimar flankers outside the Ode a la Vanilles. Shalimar is pretty affordable but the Ode a la Vanilles from around 2010/12 and crazy expensive if you can find them.<br /></p><p>My third choice would have to be the tried and true and probably my lamest pick on the list is Chanel no 5 in extrait form or the edt form. You could possibly get away with the edp version but the extrait and edt are the first two versions of no 5 that came out. I would ignore all the other no 5 flankers for Valentine's Day. Coco said that she wanted no 5 to smell like a woman and not a flower. In the '20's, that was revolutionary in terms of perfume but that would be a whole different post. With no 5, outside of the aldehydes, no other note sticks out but no 5 wants you to move in a little closer.</p><p>I was thinking of putting Mitsouko on the list but outside of perfume nuts, who really would seek out Mitsouko? She is a little too strange and maybe a little too harsh for a lot of people. I am thinking it's a little too strange. I am leaving out vintage Bal a Versailles due to the fact that it's vintage and can be a little on the pricey side. Plus I don't think that most can deal with the outright slut in vintage Bal a Versailles.<br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-91242911280151614592024-02-05T16:43:00.000-05:002024-02-05T16:43:00.197-05:00Not Exactly Amused<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuD4A8kbnU0l6a3Y1CfYRy54pErkhiiDh2PwvSA9zARgAkPxiMQ7DX7cN39fiQJ_4dELK25yvl5fA4LYrUxt6K6zFgNQfzBtmEz7DqARyuNLROvVRgUALzIQIRJuyEkhXRN-CdCAtbA2A3e2-5nL4ncrB7_WmLXyJD_mNSTEmLB55_WLBLq981mOv4QkY/s599/funny-money-memes-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="599" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuD4A8kbnU0l6a3Y1CfYRy54pErkhiiDh2PwvSA9zARgAkPxiMQ7DX7cN39fiQJ_4dELK25yvl5fA4LYrUxt6K6zFgNQfzBtmEz7DqARyuNLROvVRgUALzIQIRJuyEkhXRN-CdCAtbA2A3e2-5nL4ncrB7_WmLXyJD_mNSTEmLB55_WLBLq981mOv4QkY/s320/funny-money-memes-33.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I have blogged about having my Afterpay account frozen and wanting to pay it off before I thawed it out? I decided to pay the rest of the stupid thing off a week early and thawed it out. Because I was stupid and needed to make a payment arrangement to make sure it was paid off, Afterpay has reduced my limit to $100. I fully expected them to reduce that $1,400 limit to maybe $200 at worst and maybe $400 at most. Between those two numbers, it was a usable amount and very workable amount. I just wasn't expecting something <i>that</i> severe. Afterpay's reasoning was to "encourage responsible spending" but after reading tons of posts on Reddit, Afterpay seems to be on everyone's shit list. People who have never paid late or made excessive purchases are getting denied for orders or their limits reduced. Some are only getting a limit of $50 and that isn't a usable limit at all. I am going to use the $100 that I have and maybe use that for gift cards and then get the things that I will need. Maybe by March or April, May at the very latest, I might have a $300 limit. So perfume purchases have been pushed back and probably way back. I am okay with that though. With having Afterpay paid off and the rest of my cellphone bill will be paid next week, I can rework my budget and I am a little more relaxed at this point. Paying $75 every two weeks was starting to kill my bank account. But it looks like Afterpay might not be doing all that great if orders are being denied or limits being slashed to something unusable along with taking away the no upfront payment feature.<br /><p></p><p>Tax season has started in the US and I got my W-2 in the mail a few days ago. I could have filed it yesterday or today but I am being a little lazy about it right now. I don't want to file it right now, even though I am going to receive a small refund. The extra funds would be beneficial to me but I have to wait until what others decide what is about to happen with the cellphone business that we have going on. Are they getting their own plan or wanting to stay on my plan and just upgrade their phones? And this is another first world problem. I had let someone know that if she wants an iPhone, she either pays for the entire thing upfront or she goes and gets her own plan, my budget doesn't support an iPhone. What I would really love to do is upgrade my phone, pay the activation fee and just bank the rest of the money.</p><p>I am trying not to go out and get back ups of anything this year and mostly succeeding at this point. I would love to get a backup bottle of Chanel no 5 in extrait form. Even though Sephora has it and will have a spring sale around April, I must remind myself that I have tons of no 5 already and I don't need more of it. I want to finish up another bottle or two of no 5 and must finish the extrait bottle that I already have before I can consider getting another extrait bottle. This is a year were I am more motivated to make some changes to my life. To have a better relationship with money, to use up more things (like candles and perfume) and actually go out and do more. By trying not to buy stuff, means that I can save some money to actually go out and do things. At the end of the day, I just want to enjoy life a little more. I am tired of being invited to go out and do something but have to turn down the invitation due to money. I would like to live a little bit more and live a little better.<br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-51620233683410105382024-01-31T21:45:00.003-05:002024-01-31T21:45:45.727-05:00Trying to Use Decants and Vintage Bal a Versailles<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9j_1xEmI1LLD-DNcnXvRI_LRt5L9OKzF6T3B2Sj4S0gwc_DeGsfVX-ICtqFnanGwJVVjUf0OjHVUiGxitcZXtoHJnajMJ-wB05By8w4dHoUrcHd0vrWzQcp74b6dY3jV0uqZGShQma34CB4g2fvetoV1weKjKi2FpL4o7GP0HeLMfpph_x-j3PDjLgco/s1200/s-l1200.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9j_1xEmI1LLD-DNcnXvRI_LRt5L9OKzF6T3B2Sj4S0gwc_DeGsfVX-ICtqFnanGwJVVjUf0OjHVUiGxitcZXtoHJnajMJ-wB05By8w4dHoUrcHd0vrWzQcp74b6dY3jV0uqZGShQma34CB4g2fvetoV1weKjKi2FpL4o7GP0HeLMfpph_x-j3PDjLgco/w233-h320/s-l1200.webp" width="233" /></a></div> I've started to do a little bit of what Portia from the Perfume Posse is doing. She is using up some of her decants and maybe some bottles. The idea makes perfect sense though. When you've got a million bottles of perfume already and billions of perfume decants running around, things start to happen, especially if you have some dabber bottles of perfume. So after finishing off that bottle of Chanel no 5 edt, I want to get into the spirit of that and actually do it. Thus far, I have finished a dabber decant of Lyric edp and a decant of Lyric extrait. I have tons of Amouage Lyric and I figured that it would be a great place to start. It's all in the baby steps people, all in the baby steps.<br /><p></p><p>I was rooting around that huge perfume tub that I have in the "guest" bedroom. That guest bedroom is kind of like our formal dining room table. The rooms that nobody in my house really uses but it's a place where tons of things just end up. I am not exactly sure why a was rummaging around in there but I was. Two things occurred to me. </p><p>The first thing is to organize the stupid tub. Things are on their side and they shouldn't be. That makes everything more prone to spilling and what is even more important is the potential for things to break. When you have a fair bit of vintage perfume, you can't afford either of those. Because vintage is, you know, expensive.</p><p>The second thing would be evaporation from the dabber bottles. I had found what is probably my largest bottle of perfume. My 9 ounce lyre bottle of vintage Bal a Versailles showed some signs. I'm thinking that 2 forces with that bottle are at work. The outside of the bottle smelled like vintage Bal a Versailles but the bottle was sealed and I remember the bottle being a little fuller than it is now. I'm thinking that since I found that bottle more on it's side, I think that the alcohol content of the perfume started working on the unbroken seal of it. I think that I probably have more vintage BaV than I know what to do with but I am not exactly a fan of evaporation. It's all the more reason to go through all of my perfumes that don't have a spray mechanism and really start using them up. Then I won't have to freak out so much over evaporation and I might manage to create some space. Now if my candles would quit multiplying, I would be happy.<br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-35471473748300165382024-01-26T21:55:00.003-05:002024-01-26T21:55:47.488-05:00Gris Charnel Extrait Updated<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdH9EdxZfoE-H_IjdxyHVTQfpzvdLSp0KgIBwH6lF-QEgU3o63uENzdROuXVRIrHm_FLFCsTO3id4LzxNgXFcgRtU0pIMu-QWLQyx-L8ejeoNe1GdpKrQS1euWuYADyRBjhT6d7L89GwqEK9V4JHbf3NjMxiSn4hBZ-3FLwbyqNGPHRgNi_PzQHesXhk/s500/charnelextrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdH9EdxZfoE-H_IjdxyHVTQfpzvdLSp0KgIBwH6lF-QEgU3o63uENzdROuXVRIrHm_FLFCsTO3id4LzxNgXFcgRtU0pIMu-QWLQyx-L8ejeoNe1GdpKrQS1euWuYADyRBjhT6d7L89GwqEK9V4JHbf3NjMxiSn4hBZ-3FLwbyqNGPHRgNi_PzQHesXhk/s320/charnelextrait.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Back in April or May, I did a review on the extrait version of Gris Charnel. At that time, I had just a little dabber sample and the full bottle version is a spray. Now that I have a spray decant of it, I can review it a little better.<p></p><p>There is a bigger depth and richness in the extrait version. I will make a note that the fig seems to be kind of buried in other things like vanilla and there isn't that kind of mouthfeel that I am familiar with in the original Gris Charnel. The extrait version is pretty intense and lasts a good long time on skin. But I think that getting a bottle of Gris Charnel extrait is going to be a purchase for late this year or maybe even next year and I will tell you why.</p><p>Sometime between May and today, there was some kind of price hike for the extrait version. The original price for the extrait was $280 and now the price has been jacked up to $305. It might be a $25 price increase but a $25 price increase for a bottle of perfume can mean the difference on if I will get it or not, even with Afterpay. So a Gris Charnel extrait bottle is not in the cards right now. But I have a couple other ideas on what can replace the Gris Charnel extrait. Maybe the Phi Une Rose Kandahar from Andy Tauer and the Eau de Hongarie from Viktoria Minya would probably work. I am holding off on getting any kind of perfume right now but come February, that might be a little bit of a different story.<br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-21570753607551338722024-01-21T15:12:00.002-05:002024-01-21T15:12:45.656-05:00It's Been Two Years<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzxnN_pkr3lpcV6ciaqeRfpDawWpdBwU3Rw7smY5ZDZtAN8kuY7ZeH_IP1CFWHlRbL5GVASqg6PdDOgVwXcNNVFM4iyR_ZzFddWuvWOVrwcYnhpa5AT7nndLJGKk-Thdhx5c8oRiM1V5iQby0DPZSNwzRSPiajGNqPB7wNEsvzR_aZ4pn6ubIgP2JYXE/s600/jakesydney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzxnN_pkr3lpcV6ciaqeRfpDawWpdBwU3Rw7smY5ZDZtAN8kuY7ZeH_IP1CFWHlRbL5GVASqg6PdDOgVwXcNNVFM4iyR_ZzFddWuvWOVrwcYnhpa5AT7nndLJGKk-Thdhx5c8oRiM1V5iQby0DPZSNwzRSPiajGNqPB7wNEsvzR_aZ4pn6ubIgP2JYXE/s320/jakesydney.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's been two years that Jake has been gone and the grief hasn't lessened too much. In some ways, I can't believe that Jake has died. I am still waiting to hear him "talk" to me about feeding him his dinner a little earlier than normal. There are so many things that I did with Jake that miss terribly. The funny thing is the last few days that Jake was still alive, we had a pretty big snow storm and we just got through one yesterday. Every night, I still have to wish Jake goodnight before I fall asleep. I still remember how his coat felt under my hands when I would pet him and the look he would give when I stopped petting him. I still do not regret taking those calling off work for those two days to spend that time with Jake. It was extra time with Jake. What I miss the most is just being with him. Even when we were not doing anything, it was the being together that meant the most. I have been trying to keep myself busy the past few days to keep from not stewing about the things that I might have been able to do differently the last couple months that Jake was alive. At the end of the day, I don't think that it would have bought me extra time with Jake or improved his quality of life. The most important thing is that Jake was loved all of those eleven years that I had with him and we gave him the best quality of life we could give him.<p></p><p>I am just two payments away from paying off my Afterpay balance. I am debating on if I should keep my account frozen for a couple weeks after it's paid off or unfreeze it and make a Luckyscent order. I keep window shopping Luckyscent website and I have taken to window shopping the Nordstrom website. I keep promising myself that I wouldn't go and buy more than 2 full bottles of perfume this year. With that resolution, even though I haven't bought any new bottles of perfume, I am wavering on it. I want the back up bottle of the Chanel no 5 parfum. I doubt that it's going to discontinued any time soon but with Afterpay, I have the "funds" to get a bottle. My whole New Year's resolution is mainly to spend less money and not be living paycheck to paycheck so much. I am seeing some results of not spending so much. I am not quite as worried about being so thin on funds by Monday. I might have hiccups along the way but I really want to work on building a better relationship with money and shopping. I would love to be able to take a short trip in the next year or two and if I can build a better way to spend money, a short trip is possible.<br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-22564911686062486842024-01-18T20:21:00.005-05:002024-01-18T20:21:58.804-05:00The Weather Outside is Fightfull...Sort Of<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnVq7-OXUBInpWaWxWPtp343V85ti4mKf0ROtgoRLyOvCJxQysU5Xb5FtEmRv5rRBfkPn8z1ED7tcoNQ4-t_WQJIc7eglrKqlUl5r0OOdAUFEo9TRcDS3yctKJZlFKz0DBlRoXBVIUPAuJIvfl8bNvS4irzIBbBprgqjFYa3nUJIwGA_ILPSkPzt3xE0/s225/ohiostorm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnVq7-OXUBInpWaWxWPtp343V85ti4mKf0ROtgoRLyOvCJxQysU5Xb5FtEmRv5rRBfkPn8z1ED7tcoNQ4-t_WQJIc7eglrKqlUl5r0OOdAUFEo9TRcDS3yctKJZlFKz0DBlRoXBVIUPAuJIvfl8bNvS4irzIBbBprgqjFYa3nUJIwGA_ILPSkPzt3xE0/s1600/ohiostorm.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Supposedly we are in the midst of some winter storm weather. For once, it looks like the only time I have to be at work is 4pm on Saturday or out of the house in general. I've already been to the grocery store to make sure that I had some milk, bread and one or two other things.<p></p><p>With winter storms it's always the same old song and dance type of thing. Make sure that the house it cleaned up. That cleaning means that vacuuming was done, dishes are done and 90% of the laundry has been done. But I do have to remember that I live in the snow belt of Ohio. It could be a couple inches or a foot of snow. I just wanted to make sure that many things are in order if I lose electricity. The less dirt I have to look at, the better when the electricity goes out.</p><p>If I do lose electricity, I have plenty of candles to get me through at least a couple weeks. I still have a Leather and Brandy candle going and the next two candles that I have picked out are Vanilla Bean Noel (three wick and single wick). If I lose electricity and use those candles that I picked out already, I have no idea on what candle that I will use up next. I really do want to start using my candles but when family members have complained, I guess most of my candle burning will have to wait until spring. You know, when the weather warms up and stays warm.</p><p>In terms of perfume, I was doing some cleaning and found that my full bottle of Lolita Lempicka was on it's side and most of the perfume was gone. There was only a smidge of it left. So the bottle was thrown in the trash and it was a shame since the bottle is cute. The only saving grace at this point is that the original Lolita Lempicka is cheap enough but I am not exactly sure if I want to go replacing it. If the top make it easy for the perfume to either evaporate too quickly or spill out if it gets tipped on it's side, I am a little reluctant to go replacing it. Maybe way down the road, I might consider it but I am trying to keep my perfume resolution here.<br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-8516238343671907302024-01-14T17:05:00.002-05:002024-01-14T17:05:32.495-05:00Serge Lutens Tuberose Criminelle<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrialaOAP2rsRDEaM8MKstG4cWVBwmQf22RlwwQ1yvQJT-MGMYSJOyZ72I6XdyN90Vlf8vHuupaSQMZSUG-gphn4OoybEUCGEYh4NsfXCeWkviylRg7XLd5bn_q5XrBIZ-okJQO9-0ZL8o5o4Upe0qhcMfwfIFks_xFa8BGdKi0RkrHNQBvXqxbmxX9M/s1340/tuberosecriminelle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrialaOAP2rsRDEaM8MKstG4cWVBwmQf22RlwwQ1yvQJT-MGMYSJOyZ72I6XdyN90Vlf8vHuupaSQMZSUG-gphn4OoybEUCGEYh4NsfXCeWkviylRg7XLd5bn_q5XrBIZ-okJQO9-0ZL8o5o4Upe0qhcMfwfIFks_xFa8BGdKi0RkrHNQBvXqxbmxX9M/s320/tuberosecriminelle.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>It always seems to take me forever to test out anything new and then blog about it. Back when I was new to the world of perfume and niche, Serge Lutens was the first house that I started with. Even when I first started, I didn't try anything of the Serge Lutens lineup. For a long while, I didn't pay attention to Serge Lutens. I think that it was after De Profundis is when I kind of lost interest in Serge Lutens.<p></p><p>For a very long time, I hated tuberose as a dominant note in perfume. I haven't done a complete 180 on tuberose but I have started to enjoy it as a dominant note. I think it was Narcotic V that made me start to see the light.</p><p>A week or two ago, I won a raffle for a Surrender to Chance gift card and decided to get a tuberose sampler set in my order. And in that sample set was Tuberose Criminelle. What I am going off of is a dabber but that's alright, I have a bell jar of Sarrasins and De Profundis and dabbers are nothing new in the Serge Lutens lineup. I had bought a spray decant of the Gris Charnel extrait to really make sure that I still really love the Gris Charnel extrait. But onto Tuberose Criminelle.</p><p><br /> Tuberose Criminelle starts of kind of like Sarrasins does. That wintergreen candy like blast followed by a whopping dose of jasmine. The jasmine stays pretty strong throughout the entire wearing but not quite the star player. Then the tuberose comes roaring onto the scene and never leaves. I do detect a smidge of leather once in a while but not often and leather isn't even listed as a note. I did notice some oily notes in the whole thing and I am thinking that the hyacinth is probably doing that and I don't really smell the hyacinth nor the vanilla or orange blossom.</p><p>This isn't what seems to be the queen of tuberose perfumes, that's pretty much Fracas. I do really like Tuberose Criminelle and I mean <i>like it.</i> I would like to get a bottle eventually but it's one of those exclusives that are horribly expensive and that is going to have to wait before I hop onto the Serge Lutens website to pull the trigger to get a bottle.<br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-84240176748113991252024-01-05T23:00:00.009-05:002024-01-05T23:17:47.655-05:00It's the New Year and I've Already Failed<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBKA7whpAM_mzPtBed0eIf00Sc_kWROccCCi6VGjWal8-avM0avUORc9-GT1buBNte0_wQODeoRkHeYrdDjS5ZVXbmUB4CVYWQI3e76kizaGDw6EwZR4Gfk8e2qUsa2WPbVs04eOwcCjQi0N-9cGAQ3T9UMe3pixuIy0J26eFOsGcaztT2VllhnLZs5M/s420/i-dont-call-them-new-years-resolutions-i-prefer-the-term-casual-promises-to-myself-that-im-under-no-legal-obligation-to-fulfill-7f1ae.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="420" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBKA7whpAM_mzPtBed0eIf00Sc_kWROccCCi6VGjWal8-avM0avUORc9-GT1buBNte0_wQODeoRkHeYrdDjS5ZVXbmUB4CVYWQI3e76kizaGDw6EwZR4Gfk8e2qUsa2WPbVs04eOwcCjQi0N-9cGAQ3T9UMe3pixuIy0J26eFOsGcaztT2VllhnLZs5M/s320/i-dont-call-them-new-years-resolutions-i-prefer-the-term-casual-promises-to-myself-that-im-under-no-legal-obligation-to-fulfill-7f1ae.png" width="320" /></a></div> We are not even a week in to the new year and I've pretty much blown one of my resolutions. I hopped on the Bath and Body Works website and spent that $50 gift card and a little bit more. I promised myself that I would wait a little while before I spent that. I over by $10. But the fact remains that I still failed at it. I guess I have to get back on the bandwagon and seriously get moving on trying to keep my resolutions. I haven't broken my perfume resolution yet but I want to work on saving money.<p></p><p>I am working on cutting more subscriptions in an effort to do that. I don't watch Hulu that much and that went and my PBS subscription that I had tied to my Amazon account went as well. Amazon Music had to go as well since I wasn't really listening to it. I downgraded my Barkbox subscription. I used to have all of these add-ons with my Barkbox along with a double Barkbox but my dogs are going to have to content themselves with 2 toys and 2 treats every month. Yes, I am too much of a wimp when it comes to the dogs. Between my dad and I, Amazon Prime pretty much pays for itself so Amazon Prime stays. That let to a $45 a month savings and that will lead to over $500 per year.</p><p>I had to strip down my cellphone plan as well. Take my word for it, those plans can get expensive and expensive quick. I might have only been able to shave about $15 per month but with small changes, I have to start somewhere. And those subscriptions and the cellphone stuff were the first things that I had to start somewhere. What is working in my favor at this point is that I am 3 more payments away from having my Afterpay balance paid off. Having to pay $75 every 2 weeks eats in to a budget. I might wait a week or two before having that account unfrozen before I will use it again.<br /></p><p>I am starting to rethink my grocery shopping. I'm trying to buy less soda, frozen meals and junk food along with shopping that sale fliers. I'm not exactly trying to eat healthier but want to see if I can stretch my groceries a little farther. Cutting back on the soda, junk food and frozen meals might be convenient but it gets to be expensive you get in the habit of buying those things. So I am trying to plan meals around sale ads. What is working in my favor is that with Costco runs, my freezer is to the point of over full with frozen meats. All of the meat has been all separated into manageable portions. That way, I am not throwing out a whole lot of food.</p><p>What I am planning to do in the next 2 or 3 months is go with a friend to the Mansfield Reformatory for a ghost hunt. For a shade over $100 per person, from 7pm to 3am, you will be locked in the Reformatory to ghost hunt to your hearts content. If we go, we will probably get together at about 3 or 4, grab something to eat and start to head down. It will take about an hour and a half to get down there and eating takes some time. I think that I will pick up either a Panera of McDonald's gift card well before then. Nothing is finalized yet but we are planning to go when we get some kind of tax refunds.<br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-47659658530743070672023-12-31T15:26:00.001-05:002023-12-31T15:26:12.634-05:00New Year's Resolutions<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbjBNbr8-LHloTy1K-G4qoideeAnTRE8705Z7mBZAPFaKCpjR4iurR19Csjd4oT2hDUzsl-T9waIAYW5fwOd_vaLlDsVUBa_QH-IIipujjncyKEsU_A73p0fSqUQzfHDmobA79UZPQg4Cw7RVelBQpuK2GVD0F51rXh6INZSjj5_2IJFG1Vs4ioXv6PQ/s600/bigos-memes-lotr.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="600" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbjBNbr8-LHloTy1K-G4qoideeAnTRE8705Z7mBZAPFaKCpjR4iurR19Csjd4oT2hDUzsl-T9waIAYW5fwOd_vaLlDsVUBa_QH-IIipujjncyKEsU_A73p0fSqUQzfHDmobA79UZPQg4Cw7RVelBQpuK2GVD0F51rXh6INZSjj5_2IJFG1Vs4ioXv6PQ/s320/bigos-memes-lotr.png" width="320" /></a></div> It's New Year's Eve today and I got to thinking about some resolutions. I didn't decide to do the same old lose weight or quit smoking. I always fail at those, probably because I am not ready to do those things yet.<p></p><p>My first resolution is to limit myself to only buy 2 full bottles of perfume. The restriction is no back up bottles, it has to be something new. The two perfumes that I did pick out is the Gris Charnel extrait and the Viktoria Miny Eau de Hongrie bottles. The other part of that resolution is to use up what I can with full bottles and decants of what I have.</p><p>My second resolution is to seriously start using up the candles that I already have and make an effort to not buy more. Or at least buy as little as possible with the candles. I keep making that resolution and keep failing at it. I can never seem to keep that one. As soon as I start to make some serious progress, Bath and Body Works seems to either release old favorites or have a really good deal. And I can never refuse a good single wick candle sale. For right now, I am only allowing myself 2 candles every 6 months.</p><p>I guess the main part of this whole post is just to make an effort to spend less money. I am thinking the whole idea of saving some cash is to maybe do a short trip somewhere. With one of my vacations, I would like to do a 3 day trip to Gettysburg and maybe around October, I can do a ghost hunt at the Mansfield Reformatory. I don't think that I will have to try all that hard to convince a friend of mine to go. It just comes down to if the cost would be reasonable for him. Well, tax season is right around the corner so it might be a whole lot doable then.</p><p>Does anyone else have some resolutions?<br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-68449231000970217182023-12-27T19:29:00.001-05:002023-12-27T19:29:56.259-05:00Christmas is Over<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeYhpQIJDBfLWTFxbvlaKh7nmqdwRHmQniBtJreArpFkpVZp1wUuQ276rQ8TbHhqGpRqo03M7km8UAeiMJQsBHWArO1ZdYxrwX15OjsmW1lluo9af6uemieXJrKw63awcTj_jdH2pgWxzjWBGQFTPLu6awQJunrN2_6ASFTt2EA3BdngYOzdH_RRnKLI/s1024/86510755.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1024" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeYhpQIJDBfLWTFxbvlaKh7nmqdwRHmQniBtJreArpFkpVZp1wUuQ276rQ8TbHhqGpRqo03M7km8UAeiMJQsBHWArO1ZdYxrwX15OjsmW1lluo9af6uemieXJrKw63awcTj_jdH2pgWxzjWBGQFTPLu6awQJunrN2_6ASFTt2EA3BdngYOzdH_RRnKLI/s320/86510755.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Christmas is finally over but the holiday season isn't quite New Year's. Since I work in retail, I can't exactly relax yet. I just have to make it one more week before everything calms down.<p></p><p>Christmas Eve and Christmas day had some drama in it. The skilled nursing place that my grandmother is at, isn't really doing what they really need to be doing. She has dementia and a busted leg that can't put any kind of weight on her leg. God above, I know it's the holidays, could someone really try to keep a better eye on her? To keep reminding her to call for help if she needs it and making sure that she isn't getting up on her own. Bringing a dish to Christmas dinner is always filled with drama. I wanted to just make the mashed potatoes with caramelized onions the night before but that led to when I make mashed potatoes, it's too lumpy. At the end of the day, Christmas was nice enough. But I am tired between work, wrapping presents, having to travel places.</p><p>I didn't get any perfume presents per se but got money towards it. Got a $15 Sephora gift card and had a $10 reward and turned that into the By Killian sample set. I have an Ulta gift card and there is a Clinique Happy sale, so I will nab that when I get a chance some time soon.This is pretty much been the closest that I have come to being gifted an actual bottle of perfume in years.</p><p>I have said that Clinique Happy doesn't have the longest shelf life when it comes to perfume. I have vintage bottles of Mitsouko that smell fabulous but for some reason Clinique Happy has a shelf life of about 5 years if you don't wear it to often. If Happy is your signature, you don't need to worry so much about shelf life.</p><p>It seems like the Bath and Body Works semi annual sale is pretty lackluster this year. I do remember last year's semi annual sale having more of a selection online. I narrowly missed out on nabbing more of the Sweet Whiskey candles but did manage to nab more Leather and Brandy single wicks. I was hoping for a little more selection for this sale. The good news is that the Pink Lavender and Espresso candles are back in stock and what makes it really awesome is that they are in single wick form. But more candle buying has to wait until I use some more candles up and the next really good candle sale comes along.<br /> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-28680393337704367362023-12-20T18:37:00.002-05:002023-12-20T18:37:32.709-05:00Losing Shit and Christmas<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gM58rIwHrJwQ9zWifQV__x7t9w7ew940l60-r0ADeHnOgnOAHtWEDMvgpoIY8tDUCpo1lebU9hZEG9EyICr8V6zQvph4VXWsJ74FG4-jBPKl-IiKzm0Ge9CObaxuczWEfGYj2K5oGFwEIfnAs-uG9EkMUZvEXgVvbJFc-ONB-T_CXJ8zKDdOdrDSH7E/s500/apia0fqz9__09180.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gM58rIwHrJwQ9zWifQV__x7t9w7ew940l60-r0ADeHnOgnOAHtWEDMvgpoIY8tDUCpo1lebU9hZEG9EyICr8V6zQvph4VXWsJ74FG4-jBPKl-IiKzm0Ge9CObaxuczWEfGYj2K5oGFwEIfnAs-uG9EkMUZvEXgVvbJFc-ONB-T_CXJ8zKDdOdrDSH7E/s320/apia0fqz9__09180.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> I knew that I shouldn't have worn that pendant to work instead of my normal one. Yesterday was my first day back at work today and some how, I lost the pendant but the chain didn't come loose or break. It was that little loop thing that the chain goes through. When I noticed that it was missing, I initially didn't panic. It wouldn't have been the first time that a pendant had fallen in my bra and this one had before. I work in a grocery store and this thing could be anywhere in the store. I couldn't exactly go back tracking looking for this thing. I hadn't worn the thing in forever and thought it would be fine. I got it at Colonial Williamsburg a few years ago. I will replace it in the spring next year. I am just kicking myself right now. I have lost earrings but never a pendant. Fun stuff is pretty much going to have to wait until after the new year, preferably after taxes are filed.<p></p><p>I pretty much accomplished nothing during my vacation. I finished my Christmas shopping that week and went to the art museum. The only things that I have to do is wrap my gifts and wait to see what I need to bring for Christmas dinner. I am hoping that nobody calls last minute and asks me to bring rolls. Last time that it happened, there was only one package to be found and that was a huge argument and I think that my family probably wised up to actually ordering things ahead of time or letting me know days ahead of time. With any luck, I am hoping for gift cards this Christmas season. I have some rollerballs that I have my eye on.<br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-15233325997260104602023-12-16T20:57:00.001-05:002023-12-16T20:57:15.371-05:00If Someone Handed You<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHl9VoZUJz7NvTla1yr1FxVM4Axm_hjzXZBWHEOZonXjGmFWMjNGg14aCsSKU4zD2hE3TzGXjTUq_hUzwlhsuYv6vtRM167I-bpHfJjMz_h9y7FfqjQEOIFVL8FiFBaneNeUTc49jwGikMWWt9ulITldT39nSnV8rsP597EHoZEUo3iLq4po_P7Wqorc0/s2000/amex-platinum-cards_Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="2000" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHl9VoZUJz7NvTla1yr1FxVM4Axm_hjzXZBWHEOZonXjGmFWMjNGg14aCsSKU4zD2hE3TzGXjTUq_hUzwlhsuYv6vtRM167I-bpHfJjMz_h9y7FfqjQEOIFVL8FiFBaneNeUTc49jwGikMWWt9ulITldT39nSnV8rsP597EHoZEUo3iLq4po_P7Wqorc0/s320/amex-platinum-cards_Fotor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>All day, the fantasy of someone handing me their credit card and telling me to go on a shopping spree has been floating around my head. I have no clue on why that has been floating around but the fantasy is there.<p></p><p>If someone handed me their credit card for my birthday or Christmas and said to buy whatever I wanted but the catch would have to be is that I only have a half an hour to do it, Would I be able to it? I do believe that I would be able to it. Like quite a few perfume collector's, I have a list of what I would like full bottles of. The debate is the ones that I want the most. In this fantasy it's go big or go home.<br /></p><p>I would probably kick it off with Epic 56 and the Epic woman extraits along with some Jubilation 25 and Lyric extraits. Since the Gris Charnel extrait is next year's full bottle purchase, I am leaving that one out. I would most likely get a bottle of Diaghilev and snap up one of those massive bottles of Chanel no 5 extrait bottles. Or maybe even a bottle of the Coco Mademoiselle extraits.Since I don't know anyone who would even do something like that, it's
going to have to stay as it is. Nothing but a pipe dream but sometimes a
pipe dream can be fun or pretty interesting.</p><p>My vacation is slowly coming to a close and outside of the art museum and celebrating my grandmother's 93rd birthday, I have pretty much done nothing. All the gifts that needed to be bought and shipped have been taken care of. I will probably be finishing up some odds and ends on Thursday or if I am off Sunday. I am hoping to finish things up fairly soon. I would just have to get something for my dogs and then call it a day.<br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-27698656545014991792023-12-12T22:23:00.005-05:002023-12-12T22:23:30.097-05:00Art Museum<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmdo-39IQ8Uqsnw3BTc3Vq0VIgSS3_FJKzRqcMf8ZxbFzOZ0-54iID7NngP9fuIFlaN3LF0jILVsNxMi4yogdBwxr8GHFOlLfuE-6MxfPCKSAnH_W7LR5u3fdF4Rr0gjtzWk3iCeefthmgWhikXgM3IZcZPXpCUWOGWxE6AYs4e8OrXzKi7YnZr9_UPc/s4032/20231212_133616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmdo-39IQ8Uqsnw3BTc3Vq0VIgSS3_FJKzRqcMf8ZxbFzOZ0-54iID7NngP9fuIFlaN3LF0jILVsNxMi4yogdBwxr8GHFOlLfuE-6MxfPCKSAnH_W7LR5u3fdF4Rr0gjtzWk3iCeefthmgWhikXgM3IZcZPXpCUWOGWxE6AYs4e8OrXzKi7YnZr9_UPc/w376-h327/20231212_133616.jpg" width="376" /></a></div>I did actually manage to go up to the art museum today. There were a few exhibits that I actually got to see today. <p></p><p>For some reason, I never could quite manage to see every exhibit. The main part of the art museum is free but if there is a special exhibit, you have to pay. I wasn't so interested in the current special exhibit, probably because I am not into the whole Impressionist art thing. I mostly wanted to see the Chinese collection and the Faberge collection. I can't believe out of all the times that I have been to the art museum, I walked past the Faberge collection. I think that it's in a little corner that's kind of out of the way. The notable Faberge egg that we have is the Imperial Red Cross egg. It might not be the most extravagant or flashy egg that was created but it's still impressive. The amount of skill that was needed to make it makes it impressive. Every time I go to the museum, the egg is never open to reveal the inside paintings. Right across the Faberge collection, was the armor. The armor always fascinated me when I was younger for some odd reason but I didn't spend so much time with the armor. U think that I was a little too hot and remembered that I had a pretty long trek to the car.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsX8czBJP-K_GUQGwkw6fd5hBKPSQuUMqhHA_j_nul-1jG2l6LsrRxZycZYDrP4tqhxxLk2Fz-LmZI2E2JKClz-NLQsM5TwaKJ_OSFwPsp6TJQkdiEUoZe6wlrahbzfeZvJ1ra93lzvvC_UsZWkPojW-lSSNiNoe4fwVbc3SQfkKAOZFLFsJxXHSfkyE4/s4032/armor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsX8czBJP-K_GUQGwkw6fd5hBKPSQuUMqhHA_j_nul-1jG2l6LsrRxZycZYDrP4tqhxxLk2Fz-LmZI2E2JKClz-NLQsM5TwaKJ_OSFwPsp6TJQkdiEUoZe6wlrahbzfeZvJ1ra93lzvvC_UsZWkPojW-lSSNiNoe4fwVbc3SQfkKAOZFLFsJxXHSfkyE4/s320/armor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>For the longest time, I had a hard time with which perfume to wear. I really wanted to wear Coromandel extrait but also wanted to wear Gris Charnel. I did have to think long and hard about that one. My mother loathes Coromandel and my dad isn't a huge fan of it. That left Gris Charnel for the art museum. Coromandel is pretty strong even in the tiniest dose. Since I am not going anywhere tomorrow and family will be at a party tomorrow, I will wear Coromandel. I will be home alone and I can enjoy every bit of it.<br /><p><br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-62238100506940638482023-12-10T21:51:00.004-05:002023-12-16T20:58:00.200-05:00The Final Vacation<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBwgVA3taaJPnA3Ac23e9L_lyOUvvI2xESUTUWeDjXxb4003IVD8zxTjW3-xrgnWr9AeHNu1fkqUkCX_1JuzP0RJga8nfKjp6NLYN16VYWXq5HxroifAMsBujqMjkUcnci2-fPn7GoqFybStjIKvwuSrhc3iek_NDoUeHAMlhF4Lrgfs_rKNsjw6Oh7I/s318/office.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="318" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBwgVA3taaJPnA3Ac23e9L_lyOUvvI2xESUTUWeDjXxb4003IVD8zxTjW3-xrgnWr9AeHNu1fkqUkCX_1JuzP0RJga8nfKjp6NLYN16VYWXq5HxroifAMsBujqMjkUcnci2-fPn7GoqFybStjIKvwuSrhc3iek_NDoUeHAMlhF4Lrgfs_rKNsjw6Oh7I/s1600/office.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>I am on my fourth and final vacation of 2023. I don't have any big plans for it. I might go to the art museum on Tuesday or maybe the zoo tomorrow. I haven't really decided yet. I just have some limited means until payday. Which is fine by me. This time of year, there really isn't a whole lot going on. The important thing is that I did get my vacation. <br /><p></p><p>Every year, my place of employment has me pick out which weeks I would like to take for my vacations. That means that I am competing with many others for the same weeks. The official story for my last week is somehow, my last week wasn't entered into the scheduling system. I am not sure on how it got missed or what the real deal was but I am happy that I caught it before there was a big problem.</p><p>All I really did today was vacuum the house, laundry and put the house in order. When you have animals, the vacuuming never seems to end. There is always some kind of dust bunny that keeps showing up. I don't have any home projects that need to be done. I don't have any plans to go Christmas shopping any time this week. I would rather not fight the crowds and end up spending more cash than I need to. I just have to get two more gifts and then I am done.<br /></p><p>What is getting me excited is getting to wear what perfumes I want to wear. I might even get moving on trying something new. What I really want to do is to really start using my candle collection. I am currently finishing of that Bath and Body Works Luminous candle and will be finishing it tonight. I don't find the scent to be luminous, more of a generic fruity like scent. I am thinking of either Winter or Tree Farm for my next candle. I don't really have a goal for how many candles to use this week. My goal for the rest of the year is make a concerted effort to not add more candles, especially since I just purchased candles during Candle Day.<br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-21922867222222603432023-12-05T23:05:00.002-05:002023-12-05T23:05:23.959-05:00Perfume Spillage and Shalimar<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V_Xt0S2cFeBfnMjedlCYS0WS-miP-rO43dCw326GHpLZw4NcrR8odNRPwZPQ6cyTZ-StZ2bNYOveF7Es4QpGBrIb3bxM1OSVIEdjlaRbF5ykDBuaQ2cgu7E-kgPkMfQ_9u7cBr-5qQccAeKKLpSYYZr2betmYW0vpdltsJICVMc6hXYlDW7_j5sz6XM/s1975/shalimarparfum.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1975" data-original-width="1580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V_Xt0S2cFeBfnMjedlCYS0WS-miP-rO43dCw326GHpLZw4NcrR8odNRPwZPQ6cyTZ-StZ2bNYOveF7Es4QpGBrIb3bxM1OSVIEdjlaRbF5ykDBuaQ2cgu7E-kgPkMfQ_9u7cBr-5qQccAeKKLpSYYZr2betmYW0vpdltsJICVMc6hXYlDW7_j5sz6XM/s320/shalimarparfum.webp" width="256" /></a></div>Once in a great while, I do have some very unfortunate perfume accidents. There were instances of spilling some of my perfumes. Cuir de Russie, vintage Bal a Versailles and a bottle of vintage Mitsouko fell victim to being spilled. I did manage to save most of the actual perfume but what was spilled was soaked up by my carpet. Eventually, by weekly vacuuming and the periodic steam clean, you can't smell that now. But there was an unfortunate accident of a broken decant. I was in my bathroom about to take a shower and my decant of Rose de Nuit got knocked over and shattered all over. There was no saving anything. Even with mopping the floor, my bathroom smells like a slutty rose. It was my only decant of Rose de Nuit and decants of it are a little pricey and a bell jar is out of my reach. I am hoping that a tax refund will get me a bottle. But that's a ways away and if something else doesn't grab my attention.<p></p><p>There seems to have been quite a few Shalimar flanker releases. It seems like it has been so rapid fire that I can't keep up with it. I try to kind of ignore the Shalimar flankers for a reason. When I first discovered Shalimar, the Ode a la Vanille flankers were limited editions and production on those had stopped. I spent way too much time trying to procure a bottle or two. The only Ode a la Vanille that I could find were the Mexique ones and if I did find the Madagascar, it was way out of my price range. I will be honest, I think that the Madagascar was the better of the two. The Madagascar seemed to be in more of the spirit of Shalimar.</p><p>I do have a decent amount of Shalimar. The edp version, vintage edt, vintage parfum and the Odes. With a bottle of my dresser, I have no idea on why I don't reach for Shalimar that often. It's gentle, plush but not too plush leather, the civet of ambergris lends a sensual element. But let's not forget the vanilla. It's not an edible smelling vanilla, nor does it smell like something a tween/teen or early twenty something would wear. I think that I am going to have to make a habit of wearing Shalimar more often, even though my mother says that Shalimar is dated. And this is a woman who's go to perfume is Light Blue or anything Dolche Gabbanna. So I will keep wearing Shalimar anyway.<br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-45052922683851107722023-12-03T14:30:00.001-05:002023-12-03T14:30:27.926-05:00Candle Day 2023 Recap<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1iuwkYrUnDJK6JtgcjhyP1Uh5-MM3M6tBiRZV0tI-DmtBnTxHp3-1CkXc63yB92wRikmRHJkx4X_YNI0qwDYsk2njY6pCnJ8EV1X4aFLSMWmcJ8qeUxbKO1D19M80yysnZl3zlPfl-nrPFpFUICcW5bQZOSs6OJpsgAprPYcAZgFGzSuGTdb774d-uQ/s484/Funny-Money-Meme-Money-In-My-Wallet-Aaaand-Its-Gone-Picture.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="484" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1iuwkYrUnDJK6JtgcjhyP1Uh5-MM3M6tBiRZV0tI-DmtBnTxHp3-1CkXc63yB92wRikmRHJkx4X_YNI0qwDYsk2njY6pCnJ8EV1X4aFLSMWmcJ8qeUxbKO1D19M80yysnZl3zlPfl-nrPFpFUICcW5bQZOSs6OJpsgAprPYcAZgFGzSuGTdb774d-uQ/s320/Funny-Money-Meme-Money-In-My-Wallet-Aaaand-Its-Gone-Picture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>You know how in my last post that I would only get 4 candles at most? That didn't happen, I bought 6. I didn't stick with my tried and true candle scents. Well, the only one I stuck with was Vanilla Bean Noel. The rest was Paris Cafe, Pure Wonder, Champagne Toast and Sweet Whiskey. If I don't like any of the new candles, then it is no huge loss.<p></p><p>I didn't go to the brick and mortar Bath and Body Works. I wasn't willing to deal with other people at 6 in the morning on Friday or even today. I kept to the commitment of doing my candle shopping online. </p><p>When I woke up at about 7 on Friday morning, I hopped online to order my candles. I knew that I was probably going to have to wait in a virtual line. The question with that how long was I going to have to wait. I only had to wait about 5 minutes. I was fully expecting to wait at least a half an hour to an hour. I was tempted to get more after I bought those 6. I really had to stop myself by the fact that I still have Christmas gifts that I still have to get and I still have a ton of candles already.</p><p>I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that the limit that anyone could get in a single transaction. The limit this year was 24. I remember the 2020 candle sale and what a fiasco that was. Where everything was sold out online and when I went to a brick and mortar store, all the holiday candles were gone. So many people, myself included, were livid. I don't know what it was with all the scalpers that year. The scalpers seemed to buy up most of the supply and then turn around and sell them for 3 times the original price. I know that 2020 made people a little crazy but that was just a crappy thing to do. It was the same thing with the Xbox x/s console. And the scalpers wonder why they get the hate they get. But the 2020 Candle Day was badly planned and executed. I think 2021 to this year, Bath and Body Works did plan and execute Candle Day in a better fashion.<br /> </p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-14795649632331558012023-11-30T21:34:00.001-05:002023-11-30T21:34:06.697-05:00So It Begins<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioidc7YMLwLDgieWAHlwuleQdT8J_qx3uRRud1nadjsqYM0iSaiLwFAham9XwE-9RUj7Ci6T4gkffKa8OtVf3dzp2ewQy7nMDQzKJvCMpGIZYH1scbJJ7sEmCfwtpvHFFNUo2hIrfKljFPBtZEOh0rd-7FlWGTCB5CJ4jukXywqhIgmg5gnsdd2eiNsGk/s600/she-hits-snooze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioidc7YMLwLDgieWAHlwuleQdT8J_qx3uRRud1nadjsqYM0iSaiLwFAham9XwE-9RUj7Ci6T4gkffKa8OtVf3dzp2ewQy7nMDQzKJvCMpGIZYH1scbJJ7sEmCfwtpvHFFNUo2hIrfKljFPBtZEOh0rd-7FlWGTCB5CJ4jukXywqhIgmg5gnsdd2eiNsGk/s320/she-hits-snooze.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Bath and Body Works Candle Day email hit my inbox not too long ago. If you are a rewards member, you can start shopping the sale in person or online beginning tomorrow at 6 am. Yes, it starts for me at 6 am because I am one of those idiot rewards member. But I am not going to a brick and mortar store, I am doing this online. <br /><p></p><p>This week's bills have been paid and I just bought this week's groceries. With those things out of the way, I created this week's budget for candles and whatever might come up during the week. After my gift card, I made a rule is that I can only spend no more than $15.</p><p>My budget is a little lower than last year's budget. Inflation has eaten away at any kind of discretionary spending, my hours at work have been reduced. But I work in retail and even with the holidays coming, any extra hours are really not going to come mt way. The only way I might get a little bit more is if someone stops me and asks to place an order, the I might get something extra. My candle collection is pretty large, so I can't exactly justify more than getting 4 more candles.</p><p>With a price tag of $9.95, two candles are going to be ones that I love and the other two will be ones that I have never tried before. The two that are my tried and true is Winter and Vanilla Bean Noel and the two are Sweet Whiskey and Pure Wonder. Bath and Body Works does release some candles just in time for Candle Day but I am not interested in the ones that they are releasing. I do have a couple back up ideas for other scents, just in case the ones that I want are sold out. But I shall see how this one goes.</p><p>What is a little different from last year, is that this year, the sale begins at 6 am and not online at 8 pm. In one way, this might work out a little better. I work 2nd shift and I don't exactly the time when I get off work to wait in a virtual line. I can wake up a little earlier than normal and order my candles.<br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-55927678433866123802023-11-28T00:00:00.001-05:002023-11-28T00:29:45.547-05:00Sigh...Cyber Monday<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGZHWUd8vfawGdS30CJbIFMX1GkLfXULJ34dzAXS12dQ8B6JJaoOfNKGIZg9R2UyOitiRRPrTxzwjBDPALFoQf05IsIgiU6tn1RD5XfLTFf303cUQhCjJA9ugHx8MuodVYXrTvce1AdK54tRZReF0SglfcORbks1z_lDZYt61S13Xsv3AVW8bcKkHaGQ/s680/cyber-monday-memes-introverts.jpg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGZHWUd8vfawGdS30CJbIFMX1GkLfXULJ34dzAXS12dQ8B6JJaoOfNKGIZg9R2UyOitiRRPrTxzwjBDPALFoQf05IsIgiU6tn1RD5XfLTFf303cUQhCjJA9ugHx8MuodVYXrTvce1AdK54tRZReF0SglfcORbks1z_lDZYt61S13Xsv3AVW8bcKkHaGQ/s320/cyber-monday-memes-introverts.jpg.webp" width="282" /></a></div> It's Cyber Monday and it's almost over. Nothing really excited me on Black Friday. The only "deal" that I took advantage of was The Perfumed Court sale but it was a small percentage off and I did get 2 dabbers. I don't know if Covid pretty much killed Black Friday or what but it seems like this year's Black Friday was really lackluster. I didn't go out shopping on Black Friday, I went to work instead.<p></p><p>I pretty much swore to myself that I would wait until Bath and Body Works' Candle Day sale. That plan failed and I used one of my gift cards that was earmarked for Candle Day. I used that to get two single wick candles for gifts. That will probably mean only 2 candles for Candle Day and I am okay with that. With the amount of candles that I already have, I really don't need any more candles, let alone get another 2.</p><p>The only other Cyber Monday ad that I was pretty excited about was that Luckyscent email. But it's the same old song and dance with my bank account. Afterpay is still on time out until after the new year. Luckyscent doesn't seem to send out too many emails about sales. When I do see a sale email, it's either for perfumes that I am none to interested in getting or the finances are not working out at the moment. Most of my funds are earmarked for the upcoming holidays or for the boring things like, I don't know, bills. Perfumes isn't the cheapest hobby.<br /></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626970911451239509.post-56130138820678561402023-11-21T13:30:00.002-05:002023-11-21T13:36:12.337-05:00That Time of Year...Again<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUufer-US3UiHgnwrZP3parsGM_hu_gZpquRSv2fnPHhVAmfLwa0K_A84FaI1GbKRW5tJcpbInJyWgLx1BUmDm-NPKbLJURlOjyNt9tm0f83GQ83xEGqKheWPd4QlXjN62mQdQLRb-ZFvr7VLQ0WoAHJbQqJbqbEWXnnk_ac0I2lpFiC04oS4t3ZAemcg/s246/grocery.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="205" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUufer-US3UiHgnwrZP3parsGM_hu_gZpquRSv2fnPHhVAmfLwa0K_A84FaI1GbKRW5tJcpbInJyWgLx1BUmDm-NPKbLJURlOjyNt9tm0f83GQ83xEGqKheWPd4QlXjN62mQdQLRb-ZFvr7VLQ0WoAHJbQqJbqbEWXnnk_ac0I2lpFiC04oS4t3ZAemcg/s1600/grocery.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><p>Here in the US, we are coming up on Thanksgiving. And with Thanksgiving comes Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the general holiday shopping season. I would say that about 95% of my holiday shopping is done. So I have very little to do for holiday shopping. I mainly have to finish up 1 friend, my father and start with my nephews. I have some ideas but need to hold off for the next week and then start taking care of those things.<br /></p><p>I am not so interested in Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals. What I am truly waiting for is the Bath and Body Works Candle Day sale. I don't think that I will get more than 2 or 3. My candle collection is sitting at almost 70 and I don't need more but I do like to stock up on seasonal favorites. If I am game, I might check out the Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals from Bath and Body Works. Whatever shopping I might do, I am going to be doing it from the comfort of my couch. What I am going to be doing is when I get paid next is get a Bath and Body Works gift card to really make sure that I have some cash set aside for Candle Day. I am hoping that when Candle Day happens, I do not go hog wild with candles. Last year, I pretty much did because the price was right. Last year, those candles were only $10 a piece and there is no word on what the price will be. Usually, customers will not know the price until the day before or the day of the sale.</p><p>Ever since I did finish that bottle of Chanel no 5, I have pretty much taken a break from wearing no 5. I'm not fully sure on why I've taken a break from it. I do have a bottle of the edp and a bottle of the pure parfum out, I just don't want to wear it so much. I've worn the Eau Premiere version once or twice and wearing Eau Premiere today. </p><p>I do have a perfume wish list going on. What I keep hoping for the a bottle of the Gris Charnel extrait and a bottle of either the extrait bottle of Lyric or Epic. With having over 100 bottles of perfume, people have said that I have enough perfume and there is no way that they will pay that much for a bottle of perfume. With the 3 that I have listed, by doing the math, the price per ml is much cheaper than a bottle of any of the Chanel extraits. I know that eventually, I will get that bottle of Gris Charnel extrait. I just have to get through the holidays with my bank account being alright.<br /> </p><p></p>Eldarwen22http://www.blogger.com/profile/15592297508456509382noreply@blogger.com0