May 10, 2008 3:45 AM,  Dain said...

I'm a spender, not a saver, as you well know, but--I'm all for deliberation before buying, especially for anything $100 and above. Is there any way to try them on before you make a decision?

May 10, 2008 8:56 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

That's just the problem. There are several stores around here that retail them. It's a case of, "I'm afraid to try them because I might like them."

I have yet to try the Nordies route, which would likely be half the price if not less. Cydwoqs do go on sale online, and I've seen some on Ebay, but the sale ones tend to be either odd sizes or styles I don't like.

May 11, 2008 12:27 PM,  Joy Rothke said...

They're interesting...but the soles don't look very sturdy.

May 11, 2008 2:09 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

I'd have to see them in person, no doubt. I'm hoping to do that today, since I have to get shoes one way or the other (my beloved Cole Haan's have "vintaged" to the point of developing a hole in one side). I'm going to try Nordies first, but there is a shop in that mall that carries Cydwoqs.

April 27, 2008 12:28 AM,  EZE said...

The best part of the Salux cloths is the packaging. It's just the right mix of cheese and functionality.

April 27, 2008 1:20 AM,  Dain said...

I got a lot of citrus from L'Air du Desert Marocain, a sandy fizz over dry spices and curls of cedar. It was definitely nice, but not my taste. Have you tried layering it over one of your Montales? I liked it over Black Aoud.

April 30, 2008 12:52 AM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

I wasn't overly wowed by the packaging :) There were several Chinese knock-offs on the shelf, but I wanted to try the patented Japanese version. The pic is no exaggeration...the thing is like a small bath towel.

I got this at my local "Japanese dollar shop"...it's sort of a combination of a regular Japanese odds 'n' ends shop...they've got dishes and novelties...and a dollar shop, where they have 99 cent items. They also have a section for Japanese shampoo, facial cleansers and the like. It's pretty neat.

I get next to no citrus out of ...Marocain? On me it's spicy, dry, hot and calming. What's great is that it's not sweet. I'm not into spicy perfumes, but the dryness here works. I'll have to give it a go over a Montale.

April 25, 2008 11:03 AM,  Dain said...

It truly surprises me how few niche perfumes I want to keep for myself.

April 25, 2008 2:00 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Part of it is the cost imo. I rather liked that Tauer L'Air du Desert Marocain, but the thought of paying $90 for a little bottle of something with little staying power...eh...or having to hunt it down and buy it in decant form.

There are quite a few artisan perfumes I'd buy if I could...Jasmin Full, Intense Tiare, the Tauer one, Heure Exquise (maybe), AG Rose Absolue and Eau d'Hadrien, yadda yadda... The mainstream perfumes tend to be more reasonably priced.

April 25, 2008 10:24 PM,  Dain said...

I'm starting to be more open about fragrances with very little staying power. I've always been prejudiced in favor of strong, powerful perfumes. In some cases (Chanel Cristalle and Guerlain Après L'Ondée are good examples) ephemerality is an integral part of the charm—if they were stronger, they'd not be the same experience.

I think the only niche scent I find myself craving is Ormonde Woman, though I'm still in the middle of investigating Frederic Malle and find quite a few outright stupendous. Otherwise, the only sure bets at this point are Caron Parfum Sacré, which I snagged for $13, and Guerlain Mitsouko (still). I guess I'm more about the classics. : )

April 26, 2008 3:36 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Uh-uh...if it doesn't last, I won't buy it. To me it's an insult, especially for expensive perfumes. It's on the manufacturer to find a way of making the scent last. I don't use other cosmetic products that have no staying power, from eyeliner to blush to lipstick, either.

January 18, 2008 4:31 PM,  Dain said...

I've been trying "just notes" for random things, but I'm not sure how it might work.

I like labradorite; from a design perspective, it would go with so many things. Pearls, watery green amethysts, mm... it's just pretty to look at.

I think the reason why the blue might work is the fact that it may be a perfect contrast. A perfect contrast works better than a near match. Someone with brown hair, for example, might do well with green.

Hm, it's interesting that she was able to get an interview with Laurice Rahme. I don't really buy it, though, it is insincere. But I'm tired of the issue, and I still think Bond is a silly brand, just from a purely aesthetic standpoint. It is really the sort of thing that could go back and forth forever, and I think it was very wise for Liz Zorn to drop it.

January 18, 2008 4:57 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Yeah...I just didn't want to leave it hanging. There was a big splash about it, then nothing. From the article, it would appear this sort of thing happens fairly regularly...and from what I've seen of lawyers, I wouldn't be too surprised.

Every few months in California, you get something in the mail informing you there is a class-action lawsuit you might be able to participate in. At first I thought hey, great...then I read the thing. Usually it boils down to, you sign a form and mail it back. By signing, you agree the settlement is final, yadda yadda...and if the suit is successful, you are entitled to a $15 voucher toward, say, renewing your contract with your wireless phone company for another year...or $50 toward the purchase of a new stove.

It's a joke! The settlement "terms" are invariably next to worthless. It's clear to me that lawyers simply file these "class-action lawsuits" against major corporations...the corporations probably settle (cheaper than taking it to court)...whoever bothered to sign the form gets their $15 gift certificate. And the lawyers collect a fat percentage of the settlement. If I were cynical, I'd say they split the take with the lawyers for the major corporation, but I'd like to think they're far too honest for that. lol

January 18, 2008 8:54 PM,  Dain said...

It seemed absurd to me at the time because in cosmetics, people copy each other all the time, and it's not something trifling like names, it's like, NARS makes a gold-pink-peach blush with a clever title, and everyone from Chanel to Milani has something like a year later. It seems like copycatting in this business is a given.

Oddly enough, it has come up in fashion, too. I was just reading an article on Marc Jacobs' derivativeness in W today. Apparently, it caused quite the furor, and all things considered, it must have been far nastier. Fashion is bitcher than even Hollywood.

January 19, 2008 3:28 PM,  Dain said...

I think that gold-and-sapphire earring is especially rich. The colors kind of resonate with each other in a way that the silver doesn't. If it doesn't get too heavy, some vivid green drops at the bottom would add some extra intensity.

January 20, 2008 1:53 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Mmmm...the gold ones did come out prettier. I got some 14KT gold beads to try out...as usual, the cost per bead is relatively low, but they go so fast. Suddenly every piece "could use some of those." rolls eyes

I've found it's entirely different buying jewelry, and making it. If you're buying, then I can see jewelry minimalism. That's when you would want to get the most impact out of your pieces, because you have to pay the markup.

If you're making it, there's no point to minimalism. That's when you want to experiment and develop your own designs--which tend to be specific to you. When I'm making anything, I don't tend to lay it out, I tend to put it on. I'll try it on as I'm making it.

Now if you're selling it...that's when the design itself would take precedence. Because you have no idea who's going to wear it.

I have some tiny emeralds actually, I got them at the same time as the sapphires. It's amazing how tiny these things are. Imagine cutting and drilling them.

I was going to make something similar to these hoops using emeralds...but also thinking of combining the stones somehow.

December 28, 2007 2:30 PM,  Dain said...

I've heard that the Chanel exclusifs are very good, but of course, they are a mass-market brand's version of niche. I haven't smelled any of them, but talented perfumers and highest quality ingredients sounds like a promising mix. Guerlain is very tricky for me, Guerlinade is musty on me, but I do like L'Heure Bleue. If I had a house, it would be Caron. Caron never cheapens.

You know, Annick Goutals have never agreed with me? They are somehow... too cute, too benign. I think I prefer perfumes very strong opinions. Diptyque, I've only tried two, one was a big hit, the other a big miss. ETRO has very wearable, but unoriginal perfumes, I think. Serge Lutens, I think, gives you a real appreciation for raw materials--those two really know how to bring out a flavor, it's never the thing itself, but in a lot of ways, it is often better. I'm dead curious about Montale--I guess we'll see!

December 28, 2007 11:43 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

The odd thing is it's probably harder to get hold of a Chanel "secret perfume"--dunno, do they keep it behind the counter? :D than a plain old niche fragrance. The niche people were smart enough to start up sample programs, which go hand-in-hand with decant services.

I've never had Guerlain work on me...have never tried Caron. Givenchy is my "mainstream house," since I'm allergic to the older, better Chanels.

Annick Goutal is weirder than Etro if you think about it. Etro, overall, struck me as masculine, where AG struck me as feminine--but wildly differing. Not all of their scents are nice-girl concoctions. It's as if someone goes crazy in the lab late at night, and pops out something no one else has, that is too perfect. And then it's business as usual the next day.

Lutens...mmmmm...I suspect he's more your guy than mine. You're more European in taste than I am. Montale to me has this slight French edge, but it's largely Middle Eastern in flavor. I sense SL is largely French with a slight Middle Eastern edge. (I could be entirely washed up here, it's more of a hunch.)

December 29, 2007 12:04 AM,  Dain said...

Yeah, Guerlains are just tough, but very rich food for the mind. I guess that will just have to be my next perfume review. ; )

To be honest, there are only a very sparing number of SLs I'd consider FBW, indeed Tubereuse Criminelle is alone assured. They are magnificent to appreciate, as one might savor fine wine in a restaurant, but it is quite another thing to buy a case of the vintage (approximately the relationship between decant and full-bottle, no?).

However, I see what you mean, and I think your hunch is a good one. It is very French. But you know, Fleurs d'Oranger is one of the least impressive of the SLs, pretty but... And I have never tried Montale. We'll just have to see.

October 31, 2007 1:08 PM,  Dain said...

I like that, sweet without saccharine. A good amber is like that.

November 1, 2007 6:53 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Montale Blue Amber is kind of neat...although it is simplistic. It's just amber and vanilla, at least to my nose. It doesn't have enough depth imo to be worn alone. But for what it is...it's a super strong, super dry amber and vanilla...it's not bad.

October 25, 2007 3:35 PM,  Dain said...

Those Montales sound amazing... I hate weak, derivative perfumes!

October 20, 2007 12:25 PM,  Dain said...

How pretty. You have my interest piqued in the Bill Blass now. Which Montale did you get?

October 20, 2007 10:57 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

I've never tested Nude, I only smelled it on someone else. I read some reviews on Basenotes, where it was described as "artificial" and "synthetic," yet it did get four thumbs up (out of four reviews).

:D I'll post about what I got when I get it...

October 14, 2007 7:16 PM,  Dain said...

Violets are nice. They are very motherly, though sometimes they're over-candied.

October 14, 2007 7:48 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Aoud Blossom is an indestructible violet. I put a few dabs on in the morning, and could still smell it quite strongly on myself (close to the skin) past midnight.

It isn't candied here, it's a bit powdery and soapy. It's nice but I feel it's...conservative...for me?

I tried Boise Vanille out with Aoud Roses Petals today. This just might be "it."

What's odd is ARP, which is a strong rose scent (rose, saffron and oud, bit o' cedar in the drydown) hardly smells rosy at all over the Boise Vanille. The whole works becomes one of those rose-in-the-background blended perfumes.

I'll have to see what happens tonight though...yesterday, BV faded out long before Aoud Blossom (hence the last x hours of almost pure soapy violets).

October 14, 2007 9:05 PM,  Dain said...

I can see that... violets also make me think of Victorian sentimentality, which is pretty conservative. Maybe you can get Boise Vanille and a couple to layer over it as the mood strikes you?

October 14, 2007 11:02 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

They are so...expensive. The price here appears to be fixed. I checked all of the sites I could think of that carry Montale...parfums raffy, aedes, luckyscent, four seasons, there's a Canadian etailer too, theperfumeshoppe.com (which is cheaper, but who knows what the shipping's going to be)...

The cheapest place is Suravi, but only because they have a 10% Basenotes and MUA discount. They don't have the scents I want up, but it's probably a matter of emailing them and asking.

Other than that, there is theperfumedcourt, but all I saw there was an 8-ml decant.

I've heard you can order it from Paris and it's cheaper that way, but more aggravating.

Haven't decided yet which I like better, Aoud Roses Petals or Aoud Blossom (White Aoud is out of the running).

October 15, 2007 3:03 PM,  Dain said...

But if they last as long as they do, and unfold in such a complex fashion, you can consider them like "parfum", which are around $200 for a tiny bottle anyway. Imo, though, parfums don't need layering.

October 15, 2007 4:56 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

What I've read is the Aouds keep very well, but the regular EDP's don't necessarily. In short if I got one Aoud, it would be fairly safe to say it wouldn't go bad. For the regular EDP it would be a decision between 50-ml and 100-ml, but it might depend how fast it goes.

These don't need layering...I like to layer. I have it in mind to get two scents that could work on their own, or else be layered together to create a third scent. Besides, I like the idea of wearing something next to unique. Unless I bump into someone with the same notion of the same two scents, applied in the same proportion, it's unlikely I'll smell this on anyone else. To me there's nothing sacred about perfume; if it works, it works.

Aoud Blossom is pulling ahead, if only because I still don't think of myself as a rose scent person. They don't seem to sell the Aouds in smaller bottles, so the Aoud factor is key here.

October 13, 2007 6:59 AM,  Dain said...

We shall not see their likes again. I've heard that Lindsay Lohan is the "Marilyn Munroe of our day", and in a sense I can see a slight similitude, in that Lohan is also a tragicomic beauty, a girl who wants desperately to be loved, who seems inevitably destined for a bad end, but it's like comparing water to wine.

On a superficial note, I've been thinking of silver glitter polish, and those shoes of hers have confirmed it.

October 13, 2007 7:09 AM,  Dain said...

What's with the timing?

October 13, 2007 10:21 AM,  Chez Moi said...

Boise Vanille layered with just the slightest hint of rose sounds like something I've been dreaming of. Again, where'd ya get yer samples?:)

October 13, 2007 10:29 AM,  Dain said...

Carol (forgive me if I'm wrong)? How've ya been?!

October 13, 2007 1:52 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Dain: Marilyn Monroe was a fans' actress, I think, more than a commercial success. For example, Elizabeth Taylor got paid one million dollars for Cleopatra...I read Monroe was making a fraction of that, even though her films were as well-attended.

I'll go so far as to say she's still a fans' actress, that's why her image has survived. If you look at it, she was very strong, she came from nothing and nowhere, she hung in there longer than the next person would have. They say a weaker person would not have been able to live as long as she did, with that level of pills and booze. I don't think she intended to die, she just miscalculated how much of this and that. Maybe she was over-confident.

The Net has probably only created more fans, because Monroe posed for thousands of still pictures. People get hold of them and digitize them... Again it could be said, she was simply harder-working than other actresses or models of the time who were more commercially successful. She was an interesting broad, people are still trying to figure her out.

Carol: Hey! :) These samples came from luckyscent.com. They're more expensive than aedes.com, but they carry some scents aedes doesn't. I got Boise Vanille, Aoud Blossom, Intense Tiare, and Blue Amber...and these are the last perfume samples I'm planning to buy.

Montale is expensive...they had a big blowout sale at the Swiss Montale a while back (apparently they were closing the Swiss branch), and it would have been worth the hassle of ordering from an overseas site, but I'd only just gotten into Montale and didn't want to buy unsniffed. As it is, I'm really trying to narrow down which Montale's to buy.

Imo, Blue Amber is genuinely better than Tabu. But it is also quite similar. It's drier, more vanilla, a bit softer, but basically it is strong amber, and vanilla.

Boise Vanille is already on my short list. I'm going to try it out today with the Aoud Blossom layered over it.

BV is drier and less sweet than other woods-and-vanilla scents I've tried, it's next to unisex and I think a man could actually wear it. But it's not sharp enough so I'd dismiss it as man's scent. I don't do men's scents well.

I'm warming to the idea of getting this and a floral scent to combine it with. Expensive, yeah, but ultimately it might be better, in the sense of being able to "tune" the scent to exactly what you want, and being able to wear each on its own (and the cost is the same as buying two higher-end perfumes, which is what I was thinking of doing anyway).

October 13, 2007 1:55 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Ugh I screwed up the time on this. I have to add three hours, half the time I get it wrong.

October 13, 2007 2:11 PM,  Dain said...

Lol. It's funny to have comments that come before the post.

Marilyn Munroe is fascinating without even trying. I'm partial to the poise of Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, because they are much stronger, self-possessed, graceful women, compared Munroe's sort of helplessness to make your heart break. I find her, oddly enough, a rather bad actress, but I don't begrudge her for it. I think if I could really name anyone contemporary who has that level of charisma, it would probably be Justin Timberlake. He's not the most attractive or the most talented, but he has some genius for selling himself.

October 13, 2007 10:17 AM,  Chez Moi said...

Interesting!
I happen to like Tabu. I'm guessing I'd like this one too! Where did you get the sample from?

October 13, 2007 1:08 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

See ya in the previous comment box. ^
:)

September 26, 2007 2:18 PM,  Dain said...

Fleurs d'Oranger is real pretty, I liked it, at a time when I didn't have much interest in florals. I'm not sure how it compares to AG, though.

September 26, 2007 9:17 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

AG Néroli is lovely, but it's way too light. It smells quite authentic...not perfume-y, but like actual blossoms, a bit of green leaves, a little tart orange fruit, in that order.

I've tried applying a lot of it, but it never seems to get any stronger, and the lasting power at best is so-so. It's issued only as an EDT so there aren't higher concentrations. mumbles...

September 24, 2007 1:05 PM,  Dain said...

I'm jealous. I really wanted to be able to use Dr. Hauschka cleansing cream, but can't... I really liked the premise, a paste that you "press" into a creamy emulsion that lifts away all that is bad without disturbing what is good, and it works, but... ach, allergies.

I agree 100% about skincare. Things that work miracles at first never keep up to the promise.

September 12, 2007 1:29 AM,  Dain said...

Hm, I'm not one for samples. The whole process drives me nuts for some reason. The faceless wee things, and I've been burned by samples before. Something I really loved turns out to be real disappointing full size.

As such, I tend to buy bottles, even without trying, which may not be smart, but I'd rather not go through the fuss. Just purchsed Parfumerie Generale Bois Blond, with a few samples. But I also have my eye on: Shiseido Bois de Feminite, Chanel No. 19 parfum, and Guerlain Apres L'Ondee.

September 12, 2007 4:03 AM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Eh...one thing I've found with samples is that you have to apply a lot of the stuff, to replicate spraying it on from a regular bottle. Those little plastic wands are next to useless.

It's easy to see a point where you could spend more money on samples than you would on an actual bottle of perfume. I've been judicious about what I've decided to try as a result.

Or you could simply end up in a sort of samples hell, never buying a bottle of anything in favor of buying more samples.

Those Montale samples though, amazing...nothing the way they've been described on the Net. There is a distinct Middle Eastern flavor to them, it's instantly recognizable. The interpretation of roses is nothing like other rose scents, you don't get that sort of...blandness, or generic rose quality.

Now I'm wondering about the reviews of other Montale scents I've read. A lot of people missed the saffron in Aoud Roses Petals altogether. It's literally like smushing up saffron threads and mixing them with water, it's very strong, almost as strong as the roses themselves (and stronger than the oud imo).

From this point actually, I feel inclined to try only Montale.

September 9, 2007 2:38 PM,  Joy said...

I adore Fracas, but it takes some getting used to! :>

September 9, 2007 2:56 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Yup, I hear that! :)

September 2, 2007 5:47 AM,  Dain said...

That song defies so many odds. It revels in how bad it is. It's good at being terrible. I've gotten over the fact that no one expected Fergie to do anything after that one song she did with black eyed peas, and then she went vulgar, like so many b-listers do, and then she went solo, and surprisingly, is still successful.

There is some really weird video of Fergie as a young child. I think the show is called Kids Incorporated. It has her singing to a clown, it's creepy.

About perfume, actually, I think it's been this way the entire time. Perfume seems to inspire a sort of fanaticism that's an extra level above other cosmetics. I think it because people can take scent very personally; the people who collect perfumes en masse tend to know quite a bit about what they're buying, in a way that a senseless collector of eyeshadows does not, necessarily. What's been new is that the mass market lines dwindled in quality, and the niche brands took over. I think L'Artisan was really the first, and then Serge Lutens took the crown (and I don't see SL relinquishing it yet). This whole idea of a "nose" finding room for creativity instead of being stifled by mass market demands, I guess it is similar to makeup in the idea of a makeup artist line. But anyone can dab on eyeshadow, willy nilly, with practice. But it takes intelligence to appreciate perfume. I don't that has ever changed, since the first bottles were churned out by Guerlain at the turn of the century. I think this fact is obvious by the fact that it's always better to have the newest lipstick or face cream, but usually the most prestigious perfumes are the ancient ones that have such limited distribution (beyond LE) that they can only be found in moldy old shops in France or the Czech Republic guarded by crazy old ladies who sell only if they want to.

Perfumes remind me of wine. Or furniture. Of course you could use IKEA, but who (taste aside) would prefer it to a precious Chippendale?

September 2, 2007 12:45 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

Hmmm... I agree, part of what's spurring a broader interest in perfumes, is the mainsteam ones have gone downhill.

I do think there is a connection though. It is different when you're older. I'm sensing there are young perfume fanatics, but there are probably more older ones.

When you get to be forty, you turn a corner. I don't mean forty literally although it feels that way (more metric I suppose). It's at that point, your memories have amassed...or things have changed to the point your earlier memories are too different from whatever's happening today.

Something simple...say a telephone answering machine. Before they existed, if someone called and you missed the call, that was it. If you didn't want to talk to someone, you didn't answer the phone. I remember the common practice was to hang up after seven rings.

It's trivial, for sure. But now, it's impossible to miss a call. It's impossible to avoid anybody. Nobody counts telephone rings...in fact you can't miss a call ever, because of cell phones and answering machines, and cell phones with answering machines. You can always be reached.

Take the VCR. Same thing...if you missed the tv show, that was it. Some special movies and shows were shown once per year; the kids would wait all year for them. The concept of the rerun...typically a show was rerun only once. A few shows became syndicated, but it was limited.

Now, if you want to see it, almost no matter what it is, it's a matter of opening a browser and clicking a few times. From something you could see once or twice in your lifetime--it's become, you can see it as many times as you like, whenever you like.

The VCR is not a new invention--probably the answering machine isn't either, but there was a lag in years between when they were created and when ordinary people started using them.

Those are only two small inventions that changed how people live and how they think. (Not even going into personal computers and the Internet.)

A memory that's ten or fifteen years old, is not the same as a memory that's thirty years old or more. I still think something like youtube, has influenced people into retrieving memories...things you forgot you'd forgotten, either because they were trivial, or, as likely, because you never thought you'd see them again.

August 28, 2007 10:44 PM,  Dain said...

Nice video, says a lot without saying too much. Culture these days, we want to disclose everything. It'd be nice to retain a sense of privacy...

August 28, 2007 10:53 PM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

I felt funny watching it, it reminded me of this tv movie I saw long ago, with Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay. Oh here it is: A Rather English Marriage

Both of them try to capture a time and place, that haven't existed for years, that will never exist again, that would otherwise simply have been forgotten.

We almost bought a house that had a bomb shelter. lol It was the first one I'd ever seen in person. Really weird...thick, bank-vault style doors, a posted list of supplies, a place where the canned goods would have gone...

August 29, 2007 2:18 AM,  Audrey_H said...

Aaahhh, Donald Fagen is great! I heard him live in Stockholm (with JennyB!) this summer. I've been a fan for nearly twenty years now.

August 30, 2007 5:47 AM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

That would be fabulous, to see Donald Fagen in concert. I'm seriously jealous. :)

August 19, 2007 1:49 PM,  Dain said...

I'm thinking of getting a new perfume too. But I've only just started.

August 20, 2007 2:11 AM,  Colleen Shirazi said...

I wore AG Passion all day today...mmmmm.

It's the oakmoss. Even on the AG site, they barely mention oakmoss, but that's what makes Passion good.

I didn't request Passion as a first choice actually, rather as a back-up in case my first choices were out of stock. Based on the AG individual product page for Passion, I thought it would be too sweet--tuberose, jasmine and vanilla.

It's the oakmoss that grounds this. It reminds me a tiny bit of the Ava Luxe "Ingenue" I sampled (a replica of Catherine Deneuve's perfume). That was described as a chypre. I recognize that same note in Passion.