Spring is slowly coming to my neck of the woods. The temps are slowly rising but still not short sleeved weather, my daffodils are starting to wake up and soon the hyacinth will start too. I have slowly adding to my spring/summer wardrobe but short sleeved weather can't come fast enough. This is when I am pretty damned impatient for warm weather. It's more than wanting to wear short sleeves, I want to be able to open the windows and have the ability to leave them open.
On top of the weather not changing fast enough, we have the coronavirus. Everything in the state of Ohio is pretty much shut down. Can't go out to eat unless it's delivery or takeout, most shopping venues are shut down unless it's a gas station or a grocery store, schools are shut down along with government agencies. So many day to day things are altered right now.
What I am really waiting for is to bust out the warmer weather offerings. I am ready to bust out Courtesan, no 19, Chamade and a few others. I am over winter right now and the dry skin it brings.
Monday, March 23, 2020
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Blast from the Past
When I was in high school, Estee Lauder Pleasures came out, well a year before I hit high school. I fell in love at first sniff. When I got my first job in high school, there wasn't such a thing as online shopping, all the money I made went into a savings account that I couldn't access without a parental signature. Most of the time, this was out of my price range, so I waited for birthdays and Christmas to get a bottle or two. Most of the time, I wore Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon because it was cheap and I a little more access to a store.
For a few years, or quite a few, I wasn't in the habit of wearing perfume. I used up what I had and never really bothered to replace anything. Then Cuir de Russie came along and perfume wearing was back. But I still didn't get a bottle of Pleasures until about a week ago. It's dirt cheap at this point since it's been out since 1995 and has spawned a few flankers. I have never tried any of the flankers and have had no desire to.
I had debated for probably a minute on what size bottle to get, just a minute. The 3.4 ounce bottle would be overkill for me a 1.7 ounce probably would have been too much. Then I saw a 5 ounce bottle. If Pleasures was my only perfume, a 5 ounce bottle would have been great, so the one ounce bottle was the perfect size since I don't want large sizes of anything anymore. Pleasures smells basically just like I remembered, a dewy floral thing. Maybe a little or a lot louder than I remember (will probably wear soon to find out) and the dry down seems to be marginally different than I remember. But it's still the same from what I remember.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Home Smells
My latest thing is buying up candles and plug in home scents. For a long while, I have never been a candle person, let alone used plug ins.
For the past couple years, I have bought up a bunch of candles and now have started to use them. I am very specific about how my candles smell. I am not like my aunt who gets huge candles and goes through one a week. My aunt is very specific about her candles though. It seems like she doesn't care so much about the scent of the candle but how it matches her decor. It has to be either blue grey and maybe some green. I don't care so much about the look of the candle. I don't give too much of a shit if it's pink, blue, purple, red, orange but I care about how the candle smells. I'm not a huge fan of candles that are too sweet, tropical smelling or smell really artificial.
Candles serve a very functional purpose in my house. We do lose power quite often, since I live in a rural area. So candles are a must in my household but I still never burned them on a regular basis except mostly in the winter. When the power goes out in the evening, I need light. When it's winter out, candles are for light and heat.
Now my candles are much more than just functional, candles in general are not so much for function but ambiance. I am a huge fan of some of the Bath and Body Works candles. My favorites are Winter, Frozen Lake, Lilac and the straight up apple ones. It's funny how for so long I have turned my nose up at Bath and Body Works. In some ways, they have gone down hill. Pricing, discontinuing a lot of things, some things like "retired" stuff is only sold on their website. But this year's spring offerings are not that great. Many are too sweet and loud and just don't smell that good. I think that the lilac one and the rose and ivy are the best smelling ones.
I am gotten into use those plug in things because I don't always want a candle burning (I have dogs that do like to counter surf and I don't want to be babysitting the candle to make sure the house doesn't burn down). I have loaded up on some refills but have to keep reminding myself to change the damn things every 30 to 45 days.
For the past couple years, I have bought up a bunch of candles and now have started to use them. I am very specific about how my candles smell. I am not like my aunt who gets huge candles and goes through one a week. My aunt is very specific about her candles though. It seems like she doesn't care so much about the scent of the candle but how it matches her decor. It has to be either blue grey and maybe some green. I don't care so much about the look of the candle. I don't give too much of a shit if it's pink, blue, purple, red, orange but I care about how the candle smells. I'm not a huge fan of candles that are too sweet, tropical smelling or smell really artificial.
Candles serve a very functional purpose in my house. We do lose power quite often, since I live in a rural area. So candles are a must in my household but I still never burned them on a regular basis except mostly in the winter. When the power goes out in the evening, I need light. When it's winter out, candles are for light and heat.
Now my candles are much more than just functional, candles in general are not so much for function but ambiance. I am a huge fan of some of the Bath and Body Works candles. My favorites are Winter, Frozen Lake, Lilac and the straight up apple ones. It's funny how for so long I have turned my nose up at Bath and Body Works. In some ways, they have gone down hill. Pricing, discontinuing a lot of things, some things like "retired" stuff is only sold on their website. But this year's spring offerings are not that great. Many are too sweet and loud and just don't smell that good. I think that the lilac one and the rose and ivy are the best smelling ones.
I am gotten into use those plug in things because I don't always want a candle burning (I have dogs that do like to counter surf and I don't want to be babysitting the candle to make sure the house doesn't burn down). I have loaded up on some refills but have to keep reminding myself to change the damn things every 30 to 45 days.
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Panic
The year 2020 is a difficult year so far with some major financial changes that I hope to resolve in the next couple months. It hasn't been the easiest time for at least 4 months but I am starting to make some big changes and the panic comes and goes.
In years past, I thought of nothing to spend whatever on bottles of Amouage, Chanels, Serge Lutens, vintage perfumes. Those days are loooooong gone. Now it's mainly considered to the occasional decant or two at this point. Last year, I was happy to get that bottle of Ubar and get the Kiehl's Original Musk Blend gut those were rarities and I was a little anxious about spending the money on perfume when I have plenty. I did my taxes and decided to splurge on getting a bottle of Coco Mademoiselle from Sephora. I offset a little bit of the cost because I had gift cards to use. That mini Chanel no 5 travel set was a splurge as well.
I am trying to appreciate what I have and tightening my belt right now. Last year's Ubar was a little bit of a surprise but still worth it due to Fragrancenet having a really good price for a 1.7 ounce bottle. I really don't see Amouage offering 1.7 ounce bottles of Ubar.
Why did I decide on Coco Mademoiselle and not the others that were at the top of my list? I felt like I couldn't quite justify the price of the others at this point in time. I had to set a hard and fast line with myself. Only get the smallest, most affordable bottle that was available and that was the 1.2 ounce of the EDP. I don't know what the intense version smells like, nor the EDT. For those of us who are pretty familiar with Chanel, every concentration smells different. I also did see some people say that the EDT has the tendency to disapear pretty quick, so the EDP it was.
In years past, I thought of nothing to spend whatever on bottles of Amouage, Chanels, Serge Lutens, vintage perfumes. Those days are loooooong gone. Now it's mainly considered to the occasional decant or two at this point. Last year, I was happy to get that bottle of Ubar and get the Kiehl's Original Musk Blend gut those were rarities and I was a little anxious about spending the money on perfume when I have plenty. I did my taxes and decided to splurge on getting a bottle of Coco Mademoiselle from Sephora. I offset a little bit of the cost because I had gift cards to use. That mini Chanel no 5 travel set was a splurge as well.
I am trying to appreciate what I have and tightening my belt right now. Last year's Ubar was a little bit of a surprise but still worth it due to Fragrancenet having a really good price for a 1.7 ounce bottle. I really don't see Amouage offering 1.7 ounce bottles of Ubar.
Why did I decide on Coco Mademoiselle and not the others that were at the top of my list? I felt like I couldn't quite justify the price of the others at this point in time. I had to set a hard and fast line with myself. Only get the smallest, most affordable bottle that was available and that was the 1.2 ounce of the EDP. I don't know what the intense version smells like, nor the EDT. For those of us who are pretty familiar with Chanel, every concentration smells different. I also did see some people say that the EDT has the tendency to disapear pretty quick, so the EDP it was.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Spring and Sephora
Yes, it's still winter outside and we have a ways to go before spring gets here. But I am ready for spring to get here. I am ready for the temps to warm up and stay warm, I am ready for short sleeved shirts, I am ready to have the ability to go outside to leave the house without a coat and a few other things. After Christmas, I get really tired of winter.
I am currently browsing Sephora and trying to pick out a Chanel. I have enough of no 5 to last for a while and it smells like the EDP has been reformulated. I am not sure if I want to go the original Coco or Coco Mademoiselle and which formulation. I decided to not go down the Andy Tauer route nor spring for the Hedonist travel set. I think that the price tag is part of the reason and I am still not sure about the Hedonist travel set. The original Hedonist, I love, Hedonist Rose is a take it or leave it and I have never tried Hedonist Cassis. Besides, I have two Sephora gift cards to burn and that makes the cost of a Chanel go down a little easier but getting a large bottle is out of the question.
I am currently in the process of doing a load of laundry. I am getting ready to spend the weekend at my aunts place and I do need some clean clothes, especially underwear. What I am really working on is what I am going to take perfume wise. It might be only 3 days but I won't have access to my whole collection. Do I take Shalimar or do I take Ubar? Do I take both? Do I take one and have a decant of no 22 or the full bottle of Hedonist? I am having the hardest time picking out. I have done it once, picked out a perfume and stuck to it for a week.
I am currently browsing Sephora and trying to pick out a Chanel. I have enough of no 5 to last for a while and it smells like the EDP has been reformulated. I am not sure if I want to go the original Coco or Coco Mademoiselle and which formulation. I decided to not go down the Andy Tauer route nor spring for the Hedonist travel set. I think that the price tag is part of the reason and I am still not sure about the Hedonist travel set. The original Hedonist, I love, Hedonist Rose is a take it or leave it and I have never tried Hedonist Cassis. Besides, I have two Sephora gift cards to burn and that makes the cost of a Chanel go down a little easier but getting a large bottle is out of the question.
I am currently in the process of doing a load of laundry. I am getting ready to spend the weekend at my aunts place and I do need some clean clothes, especially underwear. What I am really working on is what I am going to take perfume wise. It might be only 3 days but I won't have access to my whole collection. Do I take Shalimar or do I take Ubar? Do I take both? Do I take one and have a decant of no 22 or the full bottle of Hedonist? I am having the hardest time picking out. I have done it once, picked out a perfume and stuck to it for a week.
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is coming up in a few days. That means that my e-mail is being bombed with sale ads. Ulta sent me a couple emails about extra points on perfume but I didn't bite and that is just one example and I know it's going to get worse.
I just filed my taxes on Saturday and will be getting a little back and I am thinking about adding a new full bottle to my collection. I am debating between Coromandel, Lonestar Memories and Viktoria Minya's Hedonist travel set. I haven't made up my mind which one I will get, let alone if I should get one. I haven't decided on anything. But it is looking less and less likely that I'm going to spend some cash on Coromandel. The EDP is a little to thin and sheer to be the strongest contender and I don't really think that the EDP is worth $200, $120 at best. I haven't smelled the extrait but I have never been one to justify spending $250. I've pretty much grown out of buying extraits. Extraits are just more money than I care to spend on so little a bottle.
Due to my taxes and Valentine's Day, I was thinking about my collection. Thinking about all the cash I have spent on perfume. I've never added up the totals of what I have spent over the past decade but I know it adds up into the thousands of dollars. Whoever is a perfume fiend and has been at this for a few years knows about what it can cost for a few millileters of scented alcohol. It's a scary thought and scary to see what a few millileters of perfume could cost.
Some niche brands are fairly cheap and easily gotten and others are not so easy to obtain and wildly expensive (I'm looking at you Roja Dove and your bell jars, Serge). I don't have the cash to spend on anything hugely expensive nor the space to do it. If I do get a new perfume in the next few weeks, I wan't something that I am going to, you know, use. But I am liking the fact that a few niche brands are catching on to the whole travel set thing. I think it's to appease us perfume freaks who don't really want full bottles of anything anymore or just maybe something no more than an ounce. Considering what I've spent on niche, backup bottles and vintage, I want some travel sets in my collection.
I just filed my taxes on Saturday and will be getting a little back and I am thinking about adding a new full bottle to my collection. I am debating between Coromandel, Lonestar Memories and Viktoria Minya's Hedonist travel set. I haven't made up my mind which one I will get, let alone if I should get one. I haven't decided on anything. But it is looking less and less likely that I'm going to spend some cash on Coromandel. The EDP is a little to thin and sheer to be the strongest contender and I don't really think that the EDP is worth $200, $120 at best. I haven't smelled the extrait but I have never been one to justify spending $250. I've pretty much grown out of buying extraits. Extraits are just more money than I care to spend on so little a bottle.
Due to my taxes and Valentine's Day, I was thinking about my collection. Thinking about all the cash I have spent on perfume. I've never added up the totals of what I have spent over the past decade but I know it adds up into the thousands of dollars. Whoever is a perfume fiend and has been at this for a few years knows about what it can cost for a few millileters of scented alcohol. It's a scary thought and scary to see what a few millileters of perfume could cost.
Some niche brands are fairly cheap and easily gotten and others are not so easy to obtain and wildly expensive (I'm looking at you Roja Dove and your bell jars, Serge). I don't have the cash to spend on anything hugely expensive nor the space to do it. If I do get a new perfume in the next few weeks, I wan't something that I am going to, you know, use. But I am liking the fact that a few niche brands are catching on to the whole travel set thing. I think it's to appease us perfume freaks who don't really want full bottles of anything anymore or just maybe something no more than an ounce. Considering what I've spent on niche, backup bottles and vintage, I want some travel sets in my collection.
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
The Things We Carry
I was cleaning out my purse today and getting some stuff ready for an appointment for tomorrow. I carry a smaller purse in hopes that I wouldn't accumulate so much in my purse. But I still accumulate stuff in my purse but my purse fills up faster, making organizing a must every 2 weeks.
It was amazing what I found in my purse. A whole bunch of lip balms, lipsticks and hard candy along with hand lotion and my wallet but not one tiny decant of perfume. I couldn't help but think, how did I accumulate so many lipsticks and lip balms in my purse? Naturally, I had to think about what I really needed to carry in my purse besides my cellphone and wallet. I chose one lip balm, the tube of mascara and one lipstick.The hand lotion was a given but I didn't need a million lip balms and lipsticks in my purse. I picked out two small decants for the road tomorrow, Miss Dior Original and Amouage Beloved for women. I won't be wearing perfume to my appointment tomorrow, I need to focus on other things, not my perfume. When my appointment is finished, I can spray all I want.
I have never been a makeup fiend and don't have a ton of it. I figure that all I really need for my makeup is mascara, lip balm and a lipstick or lip gloss. I leave the eyeshadow and other make up things at home. I don't need an eyeshadow pallet nor do I need a primer or eyeliner. I just don't have the space for that in my purse. If I need to put on makeup in a hurry, the mascara and lipstick will do. I normally carry perfume in my purse about 97% of the time but this recent cleaning didn't turn up and decants in my purse. I did put a few but not many hard candies in my purse.
It was amazing what I found in my purse. A whole bunch of lip balms, lipsticks and hard candy along with hand lotion and my wallet but not one tiny decant of perfume. I couldn't help but think, how did I accumulate so many lipsticks and lip balms in my purse? Naturally, I had to think about what I really needed to carry in my purse besides my cellphone and wallet. I chose one lip balm, the tube of mascara and one lipstick.The hand lotion was a given but I didn't need a million lip balms and lipsticks in my purse. I picked out two small decants for the road tomorrow, Miss Dior Original and Amouage Beloved for women. I won't be wearing perfume to my appointment tomorrow, I need to focus on other things, not my perfume. When my appointment is finished, I can spray all I want.
I have never been a makeup fiend and don't have a ton of it. I figure that all I really need for my makeup is mascara, lip balm and a lipstick or lip gloss. I leave the eyeshadow and other make up things at home. I don't need an eyeshadow pallet nor do I need a primer or eyeliner. I just don't have the space for that in my purse. If I need to put on makeup in a hurry, the mascara and lipstick will do. I normally carry perfume in my purse about 97% of the time but this recent cleaning didn't turn up and decants in my purse. I did put a few but not many hard candies in my purse.
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