This is Stupid

I was going to do a review of Rouge Perfumery's Jasmin Antique. Well, that is not happening right now and I have a fair bit on what I want to say about it.

When I was reading either today's scent of the day or the 3 day weekend, there was something mentioned about the Chanel Les Exclusifs line extraits and had to go and take a look and there was a vain hope that there might be a more "affordable" option on any kind of no 5 extrait that wasn't the family sized version of no 5. When I saw what looked like the extrait is back in stock, I took a look. That seemed to be a huge mistake. It looks.like they rebranded/redid the whole extrait thing. If you just want the extrait itself, there is only 1 size and that is a 30ml bottle and that will set you back $440. But if you want it to come with a stupid case that has something that will help you open the bottle that is and extra $100. Yes, I had to do a double take at the whole set up was $550.

When I was that, all I could think about how stupid the whole set up was. For $400 I could buy an Amouage at full price or go to a discounter and get 2 Amouage offerings and those would be 100ml not 30ml. I could get a Serge Lutens bell jar for that price and those are 75ml. And all the while, kicking myself on not stocking up on the no 5extrait when I really had the chance 2 or 3 years ago or even when I started collecting perfume and 7.5ml of extrait set me back only $95. But that was a long time ago. It looks like I will be rationing what I have of the opened extrait and keep my sealed vintage sealed until I can nab more extrait.

 

BDK Rouge Smoking Extrait Review

I guess that I did luck out with the new Exceptional Extrait from Amouage. It wasn't Lyric. My adoration for Amouage knows no bounds and that is today's scent of the day. If Lyric is the next release, I will spit nails since I don't need another massive craving for a new bottle.

I figured that it was time that I actually bothered with testing something new. And since I fell in love with Gris Charnel, I figured I would try BDK Rouge Smoking extrait. Gris Charnel was one of those blind buys that really did work out. When I was buying my bottle of Vanille Banane, I put a sample of BDK Wood Jasmin in my cart as well. So when my bottle and Wood Jasmin arrived, a Rouge Smoking sample was in there.

When I wore Rouge Smoking, I couldn't help but think that I have smelled this before. I just couldn't place what perfume that it smelled like. It bothered me for the longest time, well it was two whole wearings that it bothered me. Then it hit me, it was pretty much a dead ringer for Tom Ford's Lost Cherry. Maybe it's the less trashy version of Lost Cherry. But with Rouge Smoking, I detect s stronger tonka note. Tonka is one of those notes that took me forever to figure out why I might not like certain perfumes. The tonka kind of amps up the sweetness of the whole perfume and I am pick about the sweetness in any perfume. If it is a thick, syrupy type of perfume, I despise it. Or if it is too fruity, I am not exactly a fan. At this point, I am not a fan of Rouge Smoking. From a dabber, the lasting power is pretty good. Again, since I am not a fan, I would hate Rouge Smoking if it were sprayed. At this point, it's money saved. Saved because I didn't spring for a travel spray without smelling it first. 

Lately, I have been guilty of springing for travel sprays instead of just getting some sample for the same price. But the travel spray buying and full bottle buying has stopped. One, it's not sustainable, two, it's kind of stupid. I can order a hundred travel sprays and only find a couple that I love, a couple that I like and the rest of them suck.
 

Dior Diorling Vintage Extrait Review

Dior is a perfume house that I haven't spent a whole lot of time exploring. There are so many houses and perfumes out there and I can't get to them all, so there are going to be tons that fall through the cracks.

For a long time, I was focused on the original Miss Dior. The other Dior offerings didn't do it for me. Then came vintage Diorling. I don't know how I came about my first sample of vintage Diorling but I fell in love with Diorling. At that point, I was really falling in love with the classic chypre category.

The vintage Diorling extrait has a huge cut green pepper note that I have never noticed before when I tried the most current formulation or the vintage EDT. I have noticed that the leather was more of a butch leather and not the plush leather that I am used to smelling in Cuir de Russie. As much as I do love Diorling, she can be the type to wear me.

At the end of the day, Diorling is a difficult perfume to wear and not something that I wear often. I am still kicking myself by not getting a bottle of the current stuff when I had the chance since it's not available in the US anymore. I figure that if Dior can release all of these Miss Dior and J'Adore flankers, they can keep Diorling in production. It seems they have kept all of the Dior classics except Diorling.
 

Amouage Gold Extrait Review

Back when I started my perfume journey, I had an unhealthy obsession with Amouage Gold. It was a dabber sample after dabber sample for quite a while. Then when I sprung for a full bottle of the EDP, I quickly figured out that Gold really wasn't for me. There is something about the musk that really went wrong. It smelled like I stepped in dog poop. Years later, I tried Gold for men and it was a little more of my vibe but not really. Vintage Gold for women smelled pretty good but not really.

For some reason, I have a decant of Gold extrait and decided to give it a shot. I figure that if I don't care for the extrait, Gold for women and I just aren't meant to be. And we are not meant to be. While the extrait is well made and incredibly well blended, it's just too much in all respects. The musk part is amped up and this smells like an upscale vintage no 5. The musk in Gold is overwhelming and gives a a bigger stepped in dog poop vibe. I am sure that this does work for some people but this isn't my thing. I think that I will stick to either Dia or no 5 proper for my aldehydes fix.

 I am happy that I honestly gave Gold a true shot to see if she was my vibe and after about 10 plus years of perfume blogging and trying Gold off and on through out it. Gold just seems to go off the rails on my skin. My bank account is incredibly happy that this perfume just really isn't for me. I am also happy that there are other Amouage offerings that I have and totally work for me.
 

Vacation and Gris Charnel Extrait Review

Today is my 1st official day of vacation. I do have a couple things planned but one of them has to wait later in the week. I tried really hard to have some kind of funds to do more but with the last of the large Afterpay payments, I was left with precious little until payday. I am just happy that I am almost there with having Afterpay just about paid off.

I am hoping that I am going to have used at least 4 or more candles used up. The weather will be warm and I can have the windows open and that means that I can have more than one candle going. I have 2 candles going at the moment and I am hoping that by Tuesday, they will be finished. At this point, I think that one of them will be finished off by tomorrow.

Back when I had a perfume spree, I did receive a dabber sample of the Gris Charnel extrait. Naturally, I had to try it but in some ways, I didn't. I have the original Gris Charnel on my to buy list and my rational was that if I love the original so much, what will the extrait going to do to me? With dabbers, you don't always get the best reading of a perfume. I would have rather had a spray vial but Luckyscent isn't one to give out spray vials very often. But I am not exactly one that orders from Luckyscent too often.

I was at a wedding yesterday and had to give this a go. I didn't want to go with anything too loud and the dabber of Gris Charnel extrait fit the bill. When I am going to be in tight quarters or a subdued affair, a dabber vial can be a great thing. You know when you spray or dab that kind of perfume that really works on you? I got that with the extrait version of Gris Charnel. The clouds parted and the angels started to sing. I find the extrait to be deeper and richer than the original EDP version. Since this was from a dabber, I can't discern lasting power or how big of a fragrance cloud it creates but I loved it for the whole 5 hours that it lasted on my skin.

As much and I love the extrait in all of it's fig glory, I am having a little trouble stomaching the whole $280 price tag. I think that I will have to content myself with the Gris Charnel EDP travel spray right now.
 

That Shit You Ain't Ever Going to Afford

Did you ever have those types of perfumes that you know damned well that you will never be able to afford? I have a few that I will never be able to afford. Unless I come into some kind of cash. My tax refund is going to be used on sensible things that I need. But that tax refund is going to be tiny this year because of tax law changes.

There are a few that I know that I will never be able to afford on my own. When the price of food, rent and other necessities take precedents and paychecks are not that huge, some of the things I want are way out of my price range. 

I want that trip to either Iceland or Scotland but I know god damned well that's not happening anytime soon. There are places even in the US that I want to go but I don't have the cash to go do them. I keep hoping that something works out for even a weekend get away. Every time I get asked from family on why I don't go anywhere, I get a little snippy. It's great that my cousins make enough to afford to go on these vacations but I don't have the financial luxury to do that. I'm more interested in keeping a roof over my head and food on the table. My priorities have to be a little different.

But right now I am looking at the Amouage extraits and the prices. I'm looking at Lyric, Epic, Epic 56 and Jubilation 25. But who really has $400 or more lying around to spend on a perfume? I sure as shit don't and would love to spring for one of those bottles but have to content myself with the dabber vials from either TPC or STC. Rarely to I take a look at perfume discount sites for Amouage.

Outside of those bells jars of Sarrasins and De Profundis that I got in more financially stable times, any other bell jars are out of the question. It's not worth looking at the Serge Lutens website. I just don't want anymore sticker shock at this point.

 I do have perfumes that I would like to get but I have to take stock on what I can really do if I save my pennies. I wonder what other people's limits are in terms of price when it comes to perfume.
 

Vintage Jicky Extrait and Other Things

It's been a rough few weeks. Some things are sad and a couple things are looking up.

Not this last Sunday but the Sunday before, I went to see my sick grandmother. She had been battling ovarian cancer for almost a decade but decided enough was enough and entered into hospice care. We understood her decision and supported it. It was getting difficult at the end with all the tests and she was getting sicker and sicker. My grandmother wanted to go more of on her terms. She passed on Friday and the funeral was today. The last visit, I went with a dab of vintage Jicky extrait.

Maybe it was the wrong me or the wrong perfume that day but it just didn't work. I have never gotten a whole lot of skank out of Jicky, even in vintage form. Jicky has always been one of those perfumes that seem to be acceptable in most situations but not that day. I think that it was the lavender that was bugging me.

Things seemed to be looking up when I got home today and checked the mailbox. I was eager to get my STC package but a couple other letters came for me and both made me pretty happy. A couple headaches did go away that were pertaining to my cash flow. Except for my Sephora order, I received my Barkbox order and my Ulta order. Gap finally decided to ship the shirts I ordered and my Chanel order is arriving tomorrow. Now I feel more comfortable with adding a new full bottle to my stable but I still kind of have my eye on the Viktoria Minya Hedonist travel set but I haven't made any hard and fast plans on what I should get.

Tuvache Jungle Gardenia Vintage Parfum Review

I was starting to bored with the same old scents and wanted to try something new. It happened when I was doing a decant cull. I was going through decants and throwing out the evaporated ones or ones that might have had 1 measly wear. Let's say that space was created, which was nice. The clearing out of old decants led me to my vintage parfum dabbers and since I was looking at trying something new, I figured that testing out Tuvache Jungle Gardenia.

I have never been a fan of tuberose, especially as a dominant note in any perfume. Too big, too buttery, well just too much period and Jungle Gardenia is no exception to my nose. I had ordered a tiny bit of it while reading a post on Perfume Posse. I always hope that there might be a tuberose that works for me but I keep coming up empty handed.

Jungle Gardenia is a huge tuberose scent with no discernible gardenia in it. It's the biggest, slutiest tuberose that I have smelled so far. It's the tuberose that's starting to rot with a little bit of some kind of musk thrown in. If there is musk, it's somewhere, and very hidden. Even though I adore skank in my perfume and not afraid of massive skank notes in my perfume, this is missing the mark with me. Don't get me wrong, there is no shortage of skank in Jungle Gardenia, it's the type of skank that I sure as hell don't understand. Good thing that I have only a tiny bit and I am not eager to find more of this.

Amouage Jubilation 25 Extrait Review

I have always had a thing for a few of Amouage's early works. Memoir, Epic, and Lyric are the ones that I love the most. Dia and Gold took a little while for me to love but I haven't been that enthused by Amouage's work after Honour with Beloved being an exception. Maybe Christopher Chong has lost a little bit of his direction or after so many Amouage classics that the bar is probably set a little too high.

For the past few mornings, I've been wearing Gold (women's version) before my shower. For quite a while, I haven't been wearing Gold. I've always known that it was a grand perfume and that I don't have many occasions to wear it to. Sunday morning was the morning of doom for Gold. For some reason, it infuriated my mother who said that it stinks and to throw it out. I had forgotten how animalic it was. Gold is much more than Chanel no 5 on steroids. Dia is no 5 on steroids. I still wouldn't go calling Gold skanky or high class skanky. So I guess I will be wearing Gold when everybody is out of the house. But you didn't come for me yakking about Gold.

It took me a really long time for me to love Jubilation 25. Don't get me wrong, I do love Jubilation 25 but there is something about her that won't let me wear it on a regular basis. I say it's the fruity aspect of it that makes it impossible for me to wear it frequently. Mitsouko and I have the same issue. Yesterday afternoon, I applied my dab of Jubilation 25 in extrait form. Holy crap, is it good. There is a depth and richness to it that made my jaw drop. The bloom of Jubilation 25 takes a little longer to open up and have people notice. From trying the Lyric and now the Jubilation 25 in extrait form, they still smell just like the EDP's but it's deeper and richer. it's not like the Chanels and every concentration seems to smell different. For reasons that I can't fathom, Amouage has the full bottle extraits in 1.7 ounce sprays and very few perfumers have extraits in spray form. I'm happy to say that it was a good thing that I only got a dabber and not a spray decant. Only a dab will do ya and this lasts  for an effortless 10 hours on my skin.

Amouage Lyric Extrait Review

I really haven't worn my bottles of Amouage recently but the craving did strike yesterday. Yesterday was the day my dad had to go for a chemo class and I couldn't exactly go and clear out a room. Amouage has the ability to do that. What I did was used some of my Lyric bath stuff. Did I use the body butter? No, I busted out the hand lotion. The hand lotion is a whole lot less than the body butter in terms of scent. Then I proceeded to dab on the Lyric extrait.

The extrait of Lyric isn't as loud or bombastic as the EDP version. The reason I say loud and bombastic is that when any of the Amouage offerings applied generously, they are bombastic and really loud. The extrait is much softer and much more smooth than the EDP, if such a thing is possible. I noticed that it is far richer and deeper than the EDP. I'm thinking that it's the sandalwood that's the culprit for this. The lasting power is phenomenal for this and lasting power has never been a problem for any of the Amouages that I own.

I would love to own a bottle of this but I can't exactly afford over $300 for this one. Yes, that's the right price but it is a 1.7 ounce spray bottle. The funny thing is that I don't often see extrait of anything over one ounce let alone a spray bottle. Guess it goes on the long burn list of the bottle worthy list.