Sniff and Scribble

Fizzy Cola and French Macarons: A Lab On Fire’s Paris*LA

Does anyone out there get as ridiculously excited to receive new samples as I do? I love visiting my favorite sample sites, reading about what’s new, imagining the fragrance, then receiving it and seeing if it lives up to what I’ve conjured up in my olfactory dreams.  I just got a new set of samples of three scents I’ve been interested in: this one, Olfactive’s Selfie, and Serge Lutens Jeau de…

A step above department store: Arquiste for J. Crew No.31

Do you remember the J. Crew of olden days? One of the first nice things I had was a navy cotton roll-neck sweater my dad bought me in 5th grade. It was navy and matched my school uniform and I loved it.  Since those days, J. Crew has evolved (to some criticism) into a much more fashion-forward, and much more expensive, brand. One thing I have found interesting about the ‘new’ J. Crew is the…

I recently obtained a beautiful bamboo essential oil diffuser (thanks, hubs!), and oh my how I’ve been enjoying it. I love essential oils for their aromatherapeutic properties, the same way I love the way perfume affects my mood each day and night. Once I had the diffuser, I set out on a quest to locate interesting and effective essential oil blends to help me relax in the evening and to mitigate…

Annick Goutal Nuit Etoilee

I was home for the holidays and rifling through the bottles of perfume on my mom’s dresser when I came across a (very) old bottle of Lagerfeld’s Sun, Moon, Stars, which I wore to death circa 10th grade and haven’t smelled since! Sniffing it again after all this time, I found it much less delicious and much more bug-spray than I remembered. However, that beautiful blue bottle got me thinking about…

Woooow!  I have been gone for a long while. I’m not sure if anyone noticed as I’m not sure whether anyone read the first entries of my fledgling blog, but for the last year it’s been tough for me to write.  In dealing with some mental health issues last winter, I lost my urge to both sniff *and* scribble, and even shied away from reading all my favorite ‘fume blogs. I felt a bit sad this holiday…

Clearly, I’m VERY late to the party on the Chanel Les Exclusifs collection; but I believe they were introduced to the marketplace before I really got into fragrance. See my 31 Rue Cambon review for an explanation of my adoration of Chanel; this one certainly helps me to continue to love the house for its sophisticated approach to fragrance. Like 31 Rue Cambon, this one is an instant favorite for…

Sorry to have been away for a few days; I was enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends in Alabama!  Hope everyone out there had a festive day, maybe even a bit of a break from ‘the grind.’

Returning home, I decided to pull a sample I was less excited about and tackle something a little more challenging.  Hence, Rock Crystal! Olivier Durbanois a French jeweler who creates perfumes…

I love seeing the many fragrance, home, and body packages that arrive in time for the holidays.  While purchasing fragrance for others can be tricky, someone who loves perfume will be thrilled to receive something smelly under the tree. Many of the things I’ve chosen offer opportunities to smell several scents at once. Alternatively, you can look to home fragrance or nourishing body products to…

She's a Lay-day: Chanel's 31 Rue Cambon

In my previously mentioned sample spreadsheet, I keep a tab of things that I really want to smell, to help me remember what to seek out as I read reviews on other blogs.  Chanel’s 31 Rue Cambon has been on that list a long, long time.  My recent participation in a Perfume Fairy swap via Perfume Possefinally earned me a sample, and I’ve been obsessively wearing this ever since.  Growing up, I…

Scent and the Chakras

I’m currently engaged in an online course with two yoga teachers (who are also friends), which explores the chakras through yoga and nutrition.  Having trained as a yoga teacher myself, I have always connected with the idea of chakras–energy centers in the body which have a bearing on your sense of health and wellness.  Each chakra is associated with a particular color, part of the body, set of…

How Do You Organize Your Samples?

My deep interest in perfume truly began when my mom handed me a box of samples her ‘perfumista’ friend had given her.  I had always loved perfume (my mom had, too), but this collection of samples contained the first niche perfumes I ever smelled, including some L’Artisans, some Serge Lutens, and a couple of Sage perfume oils. This little box was the beginning of my tumble down the proverbial…

Little Red Riding Hood: Cartier's La Trezieme Heure

Cartier’s Les Heures de Parfum is a collection of fragrances composed by Mathilde Laurent (who has composed the lion’s share of Cartier’s fragrances over the last several years, including Baiser Vole, which I adore) in celebration of the House’s 100th year. Each fragrance is meant to evoke a different feeling, correlated with different times of day.  Les Heures I through XII explore lightness (L’…

Random Sample Sniff: Histoires de Parfum Vici and Vidi

In my sample haul from Sniffapalooza ’13 was a beautiful Histories de Parfum glassine envelope with three samples nestled inside.  The Veni, Vidi, Vici series references Caesar’s famous quote- “I came, I saw, I conquered.”  My mom and I gave these a sniff about a year ago and weren’t big fans, although my mom did like Veni, which I let her take with her (commence kicking self).  Today, I’m giving…

A couple of years ago, my husband bought me the greatest pair of navy flannel pajamas.  They had little white dogs on them, which resemble one of our pets.  Anyway, he found them online and as a result got us added to the mailing list for one of my all-time favorite catalogs: The Vermont Country Store. I can spend hours lost in this catalog; it puts me instantly into a cozy, nostalgic mood,…