...An odd marketing technique...

I have seen sex-heavy ad campaigns before, but I have never seen a necklace displayed on a butt.

Ladies and gents, from Etsy.com:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sc_main_17&listing_id=23060675

Notes, Blitz Reviews

I've been trying on samples like a madwoman this week. Unfortunately, I've also been swamped with readings and classes and Impending Doom (no wait, I meant finals...in a month). So unfortunately, all I can do for right now is something akin to Bittergrace's one-sentence reviews with maybe a tenth of the wit...

Genie in a Bottle (Trance Essence) Beautiful packaging, beautiful concept. Janna Sheehan's lovely. I have this in the fragrance oil, and it's dense and sweet. Vanilla/bubblegum on top of incense, like an early Christina Aguilera rolling around in a headshop. I don't get as much frankincense as I'd like, but this scratches an itch for me for some reason.

Brandy (Brandy Parfums) I'm thinking of purchasing Brandy for a friend who loves the scent of apples but dislikes the Jolly Rancher-characterization green apple scents so often have. Brandy isn't -quite- as tart as your normal green apple scent, it's more rounded. I was infatuated with the top notes for a while, but something about Brandy keeps me from -loving- it. It's sweet, peachy-appley-fruity at first, but the 'herbaceous' heart promised never becomes herby enough for me. Drydown's too sweet on my skin, too.

White Patchouli (Tom Ford) Not for me. Nice, classic Tom Ford, but not for me. Will have to do longer review. Still sorting out feelings about this one.

Eleganza Luminosa (Linari) Overwhelming. Patchouli. Will have to resniff and re-review.

Sweet Lime and Cedar (Jo Malone) Scrubber. Was there supposed to be pandanus leaf in here? I grew up with the scent of that in teas and rice, and that note is nowhere to be found. Pleasant enough, but I found it slightly too masculine in feel for my taste (when have I ever cared about that? apparently I do in this instance...). Would like more cedar.

French Clary Sage-Daytime (Lisa Hoffman Variations) Got deluxe sample from Bergdorf's. Very light fragrance oil. Fragrances come in sets of four--different concentrations for different times of day (Morning, Daytime, Evening, Bed Time). Understandably herbal. Has 'linen and cotton' accords. To me, that smells like clean laundry in the sun. If that's what they intended, they succeeded. Dries down to beautiful skin scent. It's not groundbreaking, or flight-inducing, or dramatic. But it's lovely. Very happy with it. Like it very much...but not sure I can justify the cost ($150!). You can buy a MONTALE AOUD in the small 50ml bottle for that price!!! It's halfway to an Amouage bottle!!!

Vetiver Oriental

Holy allergic reaction, Batman!

Vetiver Oriental, as it turns out, does not like me. I'm afraid the feeling is mutual. Within minutes--minutes!--of application on skin, I've got Rash. Now, I've had allergic reactions from perfume for a while now, and while it's an unfortunate condition for a perfume-o-holic, I've learned how to deal (spraying on clothes, rotating spray zones, etc. etc.). Is it oakmoss?? It might be oakmoss. I've worn oakmoss before but haven't had anything so spectacularly itchy. But hey, this is an individual problem, and it doesn't affect how the perfume smells, now, does it?

I wish I could like this. Luckyscent's descriptions are always so nice.

A Palais Royal exclusive, released for export for a limited time only, Vetiver Oriental is a completely unique interpretation of vetiver, as original as we came to expect from Lutens. Rich and striking, Vetiver Oriental enthralls us with its luxuriously balsamic accents of benzoin and labdanum. Moving from the brighter, more aromatic vetiver of the top notes, highlighted by the greens and the earthy chilliness of iris, the fragrance darkens considerably. The heart is a nocturnal, sultry brew of spicy gaiac wood and vetiver, a deep, exceptionally luxurious accord, which underscores the velvety depth of the vetiver by including a chocolate note. The union of the earthy, resinous notes and the dark, bitter chocolate is breathtakingly beautiful. Enriched further by the opulent base notes of soft musk, golden amber, sweet sandalwood and warm, silky-smooth labdanum, the scent wows us with its exceptional luxuriousness, its mysterious beauty and proves once and for all that where the woody oriental perfumes are concerned, Lutens has no equals.

Wahh. I smell...powder. Vetivery-bitter-ish oakmoss-ish powder. An iris-based, headache inducing powder. 15 minutes into application, I'm developing some sweetness.

I'm sorry, I can't wait for this to dry down any more...

Helg, I don't know if you'll read this, but I wish this review on Vetiver Oriental was half as eloquent as yours. As it is, I'm just sharing my real-time reaction.

Must...Scrub...Now...

*runs for Advil, Cortisone 10, and soap...*

PS: NY sniffapalooza last weekend huge success in re-fanaticizing me in perfume...writing reviews for Raphaella...

This morning's cup...

"Rooibus Tropica"--A flavorful and amazingly fragrant blend of Green and Red Rooibos, strawberry, peach, sunflower and cornflower petals, and orange peel.



From Teavana: "Sweet Lily White"--A euphoria inducing floral blend of rare white tea with rose and marigold petals combined with apples, lemongrass, and cardamom.

I have an ambiguous relationship with Teavana. On one hand, they're educating the public about loose teas, making tea accessible in malls across the country, and doing for tea what Starbucks has done for coffee. On the other, their prices are amazingly high, and sales associates in their stores tend to be, well, snooty (COLUMBIA AND BETHESDA, MD TEAVANAS--TAKE NOTICE). They understand the whole 'different temps for different teas' concept, but I will find sometimes that they simply don't bother using cooler water for white teas, and so on. Usually I stay away from Teavana, choosing to make my purchases from a local tea vendor or from online tea vendors that have more reasonable prices (you'll note that Teavana's prices are in 2 oz. increments--many other vendors will do 1/4 lbs).

Staying away was a bit difficult about a week ago, however, when I came across Pittsburgh's first Teavana in a local mall. I was with a friend who was relatively new to loose-leaf tea brewing so in we went.

I surprised myself with my purchases: Sweet Lily White Tea and Rooibus Tropica--both scented teas that were being brewed together in a sample. Now, ya'll know I'm a bit of a tea nut (and getting worse each day--blame it on Tea Ceremony and a small pipeline to literal fresh-ground matcha tea from Japan). And I usually stay away from scented white teas. I think, 'If you're gonna buy a white tea, why kill its natural flavor with scents and fruits? That defeats the whole purpose!'

But ohhh, man. The scent that was wafting from these two, blended, appeals directly to my fruity-girly side. The scent? Evocative of Miss Dior Cherie, without its heavy patchouli base. Strawberries and roses and cardamom. Sweet Lily White on its own is sweetly floral (emphasis on 'sweet'). Rooibus Tropica is more fruity. They're divine. Divine! I caved on first sniff, and I'm so adamant about not buying scented whites. I brewed the Sweet Lily White and Rooibus Tropica together using 1 tsp. of each in about 16 oz. of water. I compromised on temperature--generally, you'd want a white tea in cooler, NON-BOILING water, and rooibus with a roiling boil. I tried to find something in the middle. The liquor that brews is a bright gold, with a tendency to sweetness. It'll scent your palate for a while after swallowing.

Song for a Fall Day

Autumn Leaves/Les Feuilles Mortes...the Piaf version.

I tend to favor more classical arrangements of this song, although the jazzy version seems to be more popular on youtube. The video's a little cheesy...but the song's perfect.

Burnout

I know it happens to all of us, sometimes.

Everything's been grey lately. Nothing's been interesting to me for a long, long time. Nothing's been exciting, nothing more than 'meh-worthy.'

What happened?

How do other people get through it? I just can't get over how intensely disinterested I am in perfume these days...actually, I can't get over how intensely disinterested I am in EVERYTHING these days. All I really want to do is crawl into a little ball and disappear for a little while.

Going to the Sniffapalooza in October, though, and I'm hoping those two days of manic energy will bring me out of my slump.

Thought of the Day: Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

If you haven't yet heard of Randy Pausch, his appearance on Oprah, or his NY Times bestseller book, I cannot give you a better introduction than his last lecture itself. Randy delivered a lecture built on the question of what words of wisdom one would leave to one's students if one knew that one was dying. Mr. Pausch delivered this lecture after a diagnosis of cancer. For those of you that have heard of him, but have only seen the abbreviated Oprah version, please view this version, delivered at McConomy Auditorium at CMU. It's longer, it's quirkier, and I think it's truer to the heart of his message.

I don't know why I haven't posted it before, actually, but it was aired last night on PBS and I thought it was best to write a few words on it.

Mr. Pausch died a little over a month ago, just a while after having spoken at the May 2008 Commencement. I do not think I've ever heard such poignant last words from anyone. I have never been prouder to be CMU alumni.