It's definitely not a Nashville party...

A New Year's Resolution to Shop List


I mostly shy away from New Year's resolutions, but this was one opportunity I couldn't resist. A few weeks ago, Rebella at Confessions of a Perfume Nerd posted her wishlist for the holiday season. With the year ending, I thought I'd post a hopeful "To Be Purchased In 2010" commitment list, which I am hoping to make come true as soon as I take the bar in February and find a job.

1. Andy Tauer L'air du desert marocain
2. CB I Hate Perfume M#3 November
3. Costume National 21
4. DSH The Vert
5. Guerlain L'Heure Bleue
6. Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille
7. INeKE After My Own Heart
8. INeKE Evening Edged in Gold
9. L'Artisan Dzongkha
10. L'Artisan L'Eau de Jatamansi
11. L'Artisan Timbuktu
12. L'Artisan Vert Violette
13. Montale Vanille Absolu
14. Serge Lutens Bois de Violette
15. TDC Sublime Balkiss
16. Guerlain Shalimar
17. Leslie Blodgett Bare Skin
18. Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol Silver Factory
19. Keiko Mecheri Iris d’Argent

Yes, I realize that's more than 1 bottle a month, but really, some of these choices are rather inexpensive and I'm sure if I shop around and check for swaps and... Okay, yes. I basically just committed myself to spending what will like be at least two grand on perfume next year after samples and impulse buys. Just don't tell my student loan people and everything will be fine...

What about you, dear readers? What purchases do you plan on making to kick off a new decade of scent? What scents combination do you long to discover for yourself?

I'm out for the evening. See you on the flipside, readers. And welcome 2010. We all pray you'll be better than the last decade.

"So I put my hands up.
They’re playing my song,
and the butterflies fly away.
I'm nodding my head like yeah...
I'm moving my hips like yeah...
And I got my hands up.
They’re playing my song.
I know I'm gonna be okay.
Yeah, it's a party in the USA!"
- "Party in the USA," Miley Cyrus

Circles and I’m watching the sparks; you’re traveling into the dark...

Bvlgari Jasmin Noir

As I've mentioned before, I love noir. I'm currently working my way through The Complete Sherlock Holmes, on loan from my husband in preparation for our post New Year's trip to see the new film. I'm really excited for the film, both because I love mysteries and because I have been a faithful fan of Robert Downey Jr. for years, even through his can't'-work-consistently-because-of-all-the-drugs period. If any of you have seen the movie, I'd love to know what you thought -- but no spoilers!

Because of my deep immersion in all things mystery related, I tend to run directly toward anything with the word "noir" in the title, even if in perfume, that means something very different. Thus, I am here wth a review of Bvlgari's Jasmine Noir, which I also stumbled across at Sephora. According to Sephora,

Bvlgari's newest fragrance, Jasmin Noir, captures the irresistible charm of a mysterious and intensely sensual woman. Captivating and caressing, Jasmin Noir is a rich mix of voluptuous floral and precious woody notes with accents of almond and licorice. This infinitely addictive essence is sublimely revealed by jasmine, a flower whose beauty is as pure as it is tantalizing. This scent embodies the very heart of the Bvlgari brand, reflecting the richest and noblest codes of a luxury jewelry legacy. The deep black and luminous gold bottle beautifully honors the heritage of prestigious allure.

Notes: Green Sap, Gardenia, Sambac Jasmin, Satin Almond, Precious Woods, Tonka Bean Absolute, Licorice

Despite this fairly crappy, overblown ad, Jasmin Noir is decent. It's a lot of sugar and flowers, surprisingly more gardenia than jasmin up front, though. I'd really get any woods or licorice, but after a while I do get some almond and hints of a vanilla-ish scent that must be from the tonka bean. It's a totally inoffensive scent, very smooth. At the end, it becomes what could be mistaken for powdery, but really it's a nice sweet floral mix. If you sniff carefully, you can discern both the gardenia and jasmin, which is really nice.

It's not heavy enough to be heavy, but not light enough to be delicate. There's nothing dark about it, either. When I hear noir, I come looking for darkness, complexity, mystery. This is about as mysterious as a Nancy Drew novel. Now that's not a slam from my perspective; once upon a time, I owned all 52 original Nancy Drews in hardback. (Also, I found the Nancy Drew tweeny-bopper movie that came out a few years ago charming, even if, in my childhood mind, Nancy was a lot less cardigan sporting and a lot more Veronica Mars.) But it isn't a grown up kind of mystery. It's an easily solvable mystery, the kind you along with because you enjoy the sweet simplicity of the problems and their ready solutions, not because you are looking for intrigue. But I thought, on the whole, that Jasmin Noir was a pretty and accessible jasmin for a really good price. Definitely worth a try if you've got a Sephora nearby.

You can buy Jasmin Noir in 10ml travel spray and 33ml bottles for $25 and $68 respectively from Sephora or Amazon, though Ebay had bottles for a fairly decent discount. And before you drop those 68 bones, you shou7ld know I saw a 100ml bottle available through an online discounter for a mere $55. If you like this one, you can get a bottle as large as those ridiculous skulls sized jugs of Prada Infusion d'Iris I'm always seeing in Vogue and Elle.

"The night you swore your heart nearly bled,
I saw a part of you that’s already dead.
I’ve heard places and times they’ve got their own M.O.
Tear the surface; let’s go looking below.
I’ve heard faces and signs they’ve got their own M.O.
Hiding secrets they don’t want you to know."
- "M.O.," Oppenheimer

Want more reviews? Try...
~ A review from Robin at Now Smell This!
~ A review from Perfume-Smellin' Things
~ A review from Pere de Pierre
~ A review from Polish, Platforms, Perfume
~ A review from Fragrantica

Best of 2009!

My favorite fragrances for 2009 (at least that I tried this year -- might be older): Ineke Field Notes from Paris, Ava Luxe Film Noir, CB I Hate Perfume M#3 November, Bond no. 9 Andy Warhol Silver Factory, Téo Cabanel Oha, Il Profumo Vanille Bourbon.

Classics I discovered I loved immediately: Robert Piguet Fracas

Classics I have finally developed an appreciation for: Caron Tabac Blond, Guerlain Shalimar


Best packaging: I love the Marc Jacob's Lola bottle. The flower on top, that looks like sculpted glass, but is actually just plastic so it won't break? So fun!

Biggest surprises: Very Irresistible Givenchy For Men, because I never thought I'd find a coffe/mint/citrus mix I liked! Washington Tremlett Royals Heroes 1805, because I never thought I'd want to wear bananas, but man is that stuff good.

Biggest disappointment: My biggest disappointments were L’Artisan Parfumeur Havana Vanilla, Amouage Jubilation 25, and definitely Prada’s Infusion de Fleur d’Oranger.

Best celebrity fragrance: SJP Lovely. Of the stuff I smelled, I choose Lovely.

Best commercials: Personally I loved the Audrey Tatou Chanel ad.

Worst commercials: OH wow. That Jay Z one? Where the chick just rolls around in his bed like a cat in catnip? Definitely the worst.

Cheap thrill of the year: Bath & Body Works Wild Honeysuckle

Best gift I asked for: This awesome Tori Amos comic book, Comic Book Tattoo Tales.

Best surprise gift: A tie between the Sephora Sampler Set from Star and this beautiful scarf in lavender Darius sent me.

Check out the other great blogs who are posting their lists right now!:
Now Smell This!, Mossy Loomings, 1000fragrances, Smelly Blog, Bittergrace Notes, Shoes-cake-perfume, Eiderdown Press Journal, Scent Hive, Olfactarama, Roxana's Illuminated Journal, A Rose Beyond the Thames, The Non Blonde, Notes from the Ledge, I smell therefore I am, Under the Cupola, All I am a Redhead, Perfume In Progress, Savvy Thinker

Maybe we make a deal. Maybe together we can get somewhere...

Leslie Blodgett Perfume Diaries Bare Skin EdP

I was wandering around Sephora the other day while a friend, Jill from Pearl Sugar, was looking for new make-up. While browsing around the standard perfume choices (and schooling one of the employees on their own offerings) when I stumbled across the first offering from Leslie Blodgett's Perfume Diaries line, Bare Skin. I liked the packaging and description and was intrigued, so I sampled away.

Here's what Sephora has to say about Bare Skin:

Imagine you're on a beach. The warm rays are beating down on you. There is nothing on the agenda for days, save for sunbathing and sleeping in. Leslie Blodgett has captured the ultimate vacation th rough fragrance with this intoxicating blend of creamy sensuality, dreamy florals and sexy musks. Glowing, gorgeous sun-kissed skin that just begs to be touched is at the heart of this limited-edition scent, created exclusively for Sephora.

Notes:(top)Black Pepper, Freesia, Anise, (mid)Iris, Vanilla Orchid, Plumeria, Patchouli; (bot)Sandalwood, Labdanum, Musk.

The first thing I thought when I tried this was, "Wow, this is surprisingly complex...and good!" It stars sweet and spicy, then it balances with a bit of pepper and oil, like the smell of a supple and well-oiled leather seats of an expensive sports car with the windows rolled down and the smell of vanilla and flowers in the air. After the dry down I get the sandalwood and labdanum, but faintly at first, then growing stronger. Mostly I get a lovely spice and oil mix that reminds me a bit of Caron Tabac Blond.

This scent would make an excellent scent for a man or a woman. When I smell it, I think of something much more expensive than you'd think for the price point. I get a mental picture of a very expensive car speeding along the beautiful cliffs of the 101, walls rising up from the merciless slams of the ocean, twisting and turning dangerously. I imagine driving too fast along the curves, windows down, music up, sunglasses reflecting the setting sun as the smells of the ocean, the leather seats, the flowers that climb the cliffs all in bloom dancing on the wind as it whips through the car. And I don't care if you're a man or a woman, that is a lovely smell and wondrous experience.

You can buy Bare Skin EdP for a mere $55 for 1.7oz from Sephora, Amazon, and other equally accessible locales. It is also available in a solid perfume and and body cream for equally low prices.

"You got a fast car
but is it fast enough so we can fly away?
We gotta make a decision.
We leave tonight or live and die this way.
I remember when we were driving, driving in your car.
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk.
City lights lay out before us
and your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder.
And I had a feeling that I belonged.
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone."
- "Fast Car," Tracy Chapman

Want more reviews? Try...
~ a review from Beauty Junkies Unite
~ a review from Bella Sugar
~ a review from Laughing Lindsay

And all the souls on Earth shall sing: Draw Results and a Very Merry Christmas!

According to randomizer,

There were 3 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Sue
2. Ines
3. Mary

Timestamp: 2009-12-22 05:11:01 UTC

Congratulations Sue! However, because there were only three of you, EVERYONE IS A WINNER! Yep! Also, I added two additional 2ml samples -- CB I Hate Perfume Black March, a spring favorite of my mine, and one of my favorite fragrances for any time of year, L'Artisan Iris Pallida. So I just need addresses. ((Ines, I still have yours.)) Please email me at diana.wiener @ gmail.com with your mailing details.

Packages will go out, but probably early next week because Feminine Things is going on hiatus until middle of next week. As it is I have been crazy busy with holiday stuff as it is, and it's only going to get more intense over the next few days.

"I saw three ships come sailing in,
on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.
I saw three ships come sailing in
on Christmas Day in the morning."
- "I Saw Three Ships"



Images are of the Christmas tree in Pioneer Square in downtown Portland, Oregon and of one of the Christmas ships ready for sailing in the annual Portland Christmas Ships Parade.