They twist, and I'll twist...

So, David and I have returned from the great dramarama of Disney reunion 2008. Sufficed to say, there are quite a few things I'd have undone about the weekend, not the least of which was getting unbelievably sick. My ears, nose, and throat are a-ringy-dingy-dinging, making it impossible to enjoy one of the good things about the trip: there is a GIANT Sephora in downtown Disney.

Let me make this plain -- Portland is no backwater. Certainly there are Sephora stores here, but none that I live near. Going to Sephora in Portland requires a half hour pilgrimage each way, and I tend to work in the opposite direction. So walking past a giant Sephora 2-3x a day on vacation is bound to test the will of any devoted sniffa. I held out until the last day, but have since returned with...bottle number 13.

Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle is lovely. According to Chanel, the notes are:

Top Notes: Orange, Bergamot, Grapefruit.
Middle Notes: Litchi, Rose, Italian Jasmine.
Base Notes: Indonesian Patchouli, Haitian Vetiver, Bourbon Vanilla, White Musk.

Now I admit that my nose has been a little off, but on me it reads as a light, lemon cirtusy scent, perfect for the blaring heat I was experiencing in June in L.A. There five days and without a cloud in the sky, most of the stuff I took with me was not cutting it. It all seemed too rich, too heavy, too warm, too much. I did sport Annick Goutal's Songes, which always makes me think of the beach, and Red Flower's Guaiac, but neither were wearing as well as I would have liked given the amount of direct heat and perspiring I was doing whilst I stood in line for my fourth go at Space Mountain. (As my friend Kate pointed out, it's amazing what you can do with the advanced technology of disco balls.) Coco Mademoiselle was light enough, not too sweet, and flowery without being powdery, thus meeting the challenge.

Post-purchase, I discovered that Emma Watson has signed a two-year deal to front Mademoiselle. Personally, I think this is an improvement over Keira Knightly. I am amused to think I now own Hermione Granger’s perfume!

Lastly, I have to say, I think perfume may be the best souvenir I could have opted for. My olfactory memory is, like most people’s, very strong, and now when I catch a whiff of Mademoiselle, I immediately have a little déjà vu experience that warm California sun. This fortuitous discovery may encourage more holiday perfume shopping on future adventures. Why buy $30-40 of t-shirts, key rings, pint glasses, and other bric-a-brac when you can have the joy of juice and all its attendant memories?

"Well the girls are frisky in old ‘Frisco
A pretty little chick wherever you go
A-a-and they'll walk and I'll walk...
Well they're out there a'havin' fun
In that warm California sun."