Being Contrary

After hanging around the perfume blogosphere, you start to notice a few things. Well, I've noticed a few things. That is how contrary I am when it comes to perfume. It seems like there are perfumes in the perfume blogosphere that seem to be universally liked and I am not exception to some of what is universally liked.

But I do have a hard time getting the love for Amouage Ubar. When I first tried Ubar early on in my perfume journey, I tried really hard to like it and say nice things about it but I really don't like it. It just smells like someone trying to tell me that bug spray with a hint of flowers is perfume but it's not. And I am still not understanding the general like with Jubilation 25 because something just doesn't sit well with me and I am thinking it's the fruit in that one that prevents me from loving it. It's kind of funny when there are a few that get tons of love and I end up trying them and actually hate them.

Now, there are those perfumes that I am wild about along with many people but it seems like I am in the minority with such a small thing a which strength I love. It is always seems to be the one that not too many mention loving. Chanel and Guerlain seem to be the big ones. Chanel no 5 and no 19 seem to be the ones where it's the parfum and EDT get the most love. I'm a little different though. I prefer the EDP version of both of them. But it seems like Jicky is one of those where people seems to prefer the EDT to the EDP and I like the EDP much better. I am thinking that part of it is that my skin is so dry, using the EDP is a necessity. But the vintage versions of all of these is worth seeking out and getting. Vintage EDT's seem to last a very long time on my skin.

Montale Ginger Musk Review

Yesterday, after wearing Diorling, I had pulled Montale's Ginger Musk out of my unsampled bag to wear. And this morning, I am trying it out again and not exactly liking it. I honestly think that it's the fruit and laundry musk combination that bothers me. I've always had a hard time with fruit and musk can be questionable but this time, in this perfume, it just doesn't work for me. There was no animalic growl or anything to make me think that there was anything more to this perfume.

This is the 3rd Montale offering that I have tried and I did come to the opinion that Montale is not for me. Greyland seemed to fall apart on me, Jasmine Full was a candied jasmine and Ginger Musk was just weak and it seemed like more of a mainstream offering than a niche offering. Now my wallet can breath a little easier.

Nighttime Perfume Ritual

Ever since summer started, my perfume ritual has changed a little bit. In the beginning of my perfume journey, I wasn't in any kind of ritual of applying perfume before bed. As time went on, I began to apply perfume before bed but it was the same perfume that I had worn that day.

But this summer is a little different though. I had really figured out that if the perfume that I had worn during the day has faded out when I am about to go to bed so I am free to pick something else out. I have a little luxury to have some of my perfume right on my nightstand so before I turn out the light, I can reach over and spray something and then turn out the light.

But on my nightstand, I don't keep things that are too odd, too loud or too whatever. The exception seems to be vintage Bal which I have no fear wearing to bed for some reason and vintage Bal is the skankiest perfume that I own but seems to be the most soothing before bed. It seems like Shalimar, Bal and no 5 seem to get the most wear at night. But it is a good thing because I have so much of all three of them that I can afford to drain those bottles.

The First Foray into Decanting

Yesterday, while doing some housework, I came across some of the decanting supplies that I had gotten a while ago to decant a couple of my splash perfumes. Needless to say, I haven't gotten around to that until last night.

I spent a good 15 minutes trying to decide which splash bottle or mini to use as a first time experiment. Then I got the bright idea of using Cuir de Russie just because it was the first perfume that had me fall down the rabbit hole. I'm not talking the huge spray bottle of the EDT but the parfum version of it. Since I had the bulb syringes, I used one of those to transfer the parfum without incident. I was so excited to have made my first decant ever that I sprayed it on my wrists. One spray would have been more than sufficient but I did two. Let's just say that it didn't exactly end well. I was overwhelmed by this version of Cuir de Russie and by it being overpowering, it didn't smell good at all. About two or three hours, I lived with it. I have come to the conclusion that pure parfum many not be the best choice to decant into a spray even though I want to try Chanel no 19 in parfum form for some reason. I think that part of that thought stems from Nasomatto's Nuda that is pretty much the same concentration and is in spray form. So it's pretty much lesson learned.