Chantilly in the rain.

   Rain showers have been hit and miss all day.  With each one I keep hoping it will linger a while. That way the temperatures stay down at least a little bit!  But no, the rain passes through and the sun comes out. Then the steam starts to rise off everything! Its hot and ridiculously muggy.  But then again, its Summer in central Florida.... and this is what happens! hahaha
   This time of year presents me with challenges when it comes to picking a fragrance to wear for the day.  The humidity can make certain perfumes mutate into hideous monsters on my skin!  (And of course, those NEVER wash off easily)  August is the worst month. I usually wind up using AV by Adrienne Vittadini  for the whole month. For whatever reason, it stays "clean" smelling on my skin.
    But today, the last day of June, I've chosen to splash on some vintage Chantilly eau de cologne by Houbigant. Now I'm asking myself why I forget about this one so often. Perhaps because the newer version by Dana seems so coarse. Its a bit difficult to like and impossible for me to love. The older version however, is a whole different story! And the edc is turning out to be a great choice for this weather.
    Chantilly! Now theres a perfume that brings back memories for a lot of people! Created in the early 40's, it has graced dressing tables and school lockers for years. I meet women who still use it as their signature scent. A lot of people refer to it as "old fashioned". Well if that's the case, then we need more old fashion perfumes on the market!  I wish someone would resurrect this in it's original formulation and with quality ingredients. I'd love it if everyone had a chance to experience this nowadays!
    On my skin it starts out with citrus notes. I hear a lot about the lovely fruity notes in the top, but I barely recognize them. Perhaps they're the sweetness that I detect immediately upon applying. Maybe they are more pronounced in the stronger concentrations.   The beginning is very crisp! That soon mellows as the floral notes rise. Spicy flowers. A hint of carnations.... love that note! Powdery flowers, lots of them. Roses especially. Blended beautifully with the rest of the blooms. Soft musk and even softer leather mellow out the composition. Even the benzoin is soft. Not quiet..... soft ....and gentle. The spices give this a delicate "sparkle". The sandalwood and oakmoss give it a luscious depth! And yes, the vanilla will remind you a bit of vintage Shalimar. Its a joy to wear.
   Chantilly is intricate and yet gracefully simplistic in its overall effect. Its fragrant metamorphosis is a joy to experience!  A testament to the beautiful perfumes of the era it was created in. A classic!

Edit on July 2nd: Seems I got so carried away I forgot to mention how comforting Chantilly is. This is one for soothing the nerves and calming yourself down when the world has been treating you harshly. Enjoy!

Chantilly by Houbigant                         Oriental           1941

Notes (gathered from various internet Fragrance sites)
    Top: Fruity notes, Neroli, Bergamot, Lemon
    Heart: Spices, Carnation, Jasmine, Ylang ylang, Rose, Orange blossom
    Base: Leather, Tonka bean, Musk, Benzoin, Oakmoss, Vanilla, Sandalwood
   

Soooo Frustrating!!! Also a small update.

    Just when I thought I had this whole "photo posting" thing under control, it would seem that the computer gremlin has changed the rules on me.  Yep, I'm blaming a gremlin!  When I follow all the same steps on several different occasions and get a different response each time ..... then something is wrong! And I refuse to take all the blame! hahahaha
    The worst part is that its probably just a simple thing that I'm not computer savvy enough to understand. My "savvy" is in horrible short supply! chuckle
    Lots going on. Have acquired a couple of bottles of vintage Arpege by Lanvin. That led to receiving a sample of My Sin, also Lanvin. I was so smitten with that one, that I purchased a bottle from a dear Etsy shop owner. Holly has some wonderful vintages! I bought my Chantilly cologne by Houbigant from her.  
     Then there was my trip to the zoo. While I was there it became apparent that the male Clouded Leopard really liked my vintage Magie Noire perfume! Have some good pictures of him ~ that I would LOVE to share! BUT I'll have to slay the photo gremlin first.
     Was one of the winners in a vintage perfume sample give away. Got that package in the other day. I get to try and review 1. Vol de Nuit, 2. Chanel No. 22 edc and edt, 3. Fendi, 4. Bal a Versailles and 5. Parfum Sacre.  Thank you to Dana for her generousity.
    FINALLY found my Ruffles edp! There seem to be a couple of notes that are a bit off. But once it starts drying down its fine. A partial bottle of Rochas' Femme pdt has started me on a whole new "love affair". hahaha
     But my most ambitious effort is to try to go on a NO-BUY!  Haven't been doing very well with that so far........ but I keep trying to get back up on the wagon! lol   The money situation gets tighter in the Summer, but my animals still need food and care! So I chose my furry children ahead of perfume.  Anyway, I all ready have a lot I can review.    I just want to be able to post photos to go with them!!!    Love & Light to everyone!

Vintage Camot Soir

   I have a tendency to purchase things I know nothing about. hahaha  Then I try and research them. I find it really interesting! This lovely little bottle of perfume is one such item. The label on front says Camot, the back says Soir. I know the latter means "evening" and that's about it. I haven't had time to investigate further.

   It measures three inches high and just shy of two and a half inches wide. Approximately five eights of an inch deep. And its what I refer to as a "stucker"! Because the glass stopper is stuck like heck!!!  Since its arrival yesterday I've tried some of the basic tricks to unlodge the top, but no success .... yet! I've learned to be very patient. And persistent. That helps tremendously. Presently its sitting in a cool, dark place where it can just relax. I'm reading up on some suggested techniques for stopper removal and planning my next attempt.

   You see, its all a bit of an adventure. Vintages are, in the first place, a gamble. The bottles may have been poorly kept and the notes have gone "off" or the contents have just outright spoiled. If the name is not commonly known, then that adds a bit of mystery. If research pinpoints what the perfume is, then you have discovery, which is very gratifying!
   My warning stands: This can become addictive! chuckle  
  

Oh, the DESIRE TO ACQUIRE.

Third warning: You start looking around for what you can get rid of... so you have room for more perfume!

 
    I'm telling you, its all starts so innocently. But doesn't stay that way for long! I knew when I started getting back into the whole perfume gig that I wanted to get a good number of them to compare, research and write some reviews on.  Little did I know THIS would happen. I refer to it as the DESIRE TO ACQUIRE.   I keep reasoning with myself along these lines.... as long as I can keep it from becoming an out and out addiction then I feel like I'm retaining enough stability to continue purchasing every once in a while. hahaha  Yeah, right!
   Humans are funny creatures. We can convince ourselves of darn near anything. So it is with me and my perfumes. Its been quite a journey of self-discovery. I had no idea how good I was at making excuses!!! I can get really creative at times!
   Luckily I feel I'm at a point where I can start to organize and downsize. Yes, there are soooooooo many left to try!!! But I have a few favorites that I truly do cherish. And ones that are appropriate for certain social events in my life. Usually that does NOT overlap with my favorites. (I was a teen in the 70's and a young adult in the 80's, no one should be surprised that I usually like 'em  strong and loud.) 
   And that reminds me..... its just begun to really sink in that what I used to wear is now considered "vintage". How the hell did that happen??!!! When I say that word I'm talking about perfumes from the 20's, 30's and 40's.  Hmm, guess I'm back to that whole self-discovery thing. Ageing is an interesting process.....
   But back to the perfumes! You see this photo? That's only three boxes. There are five more like these. chuckle  And some random bottles here and there. Does this means that I've quit buying fragrance?  Of course not! The mass is great enough now that an ebb and flow motion has started.......  so its just beginning to get truly interesting. And since the moon is almost full, that means the tides will be more extreme.    Perhaps that explains the box that arrived today with eleven bottles of vintage Emeraude! Oh what fun!!!

Yes. It has begun.

Second warning: You'll notice you need more room for your perfumes.

   Hmm. And so it begins. Quite innocently enough. A few blind buys that you find at a good discount. A perfume you know you love on SALE! (And this little voice in your head yells "Score!") Then you start looking on purpose..... even making up some benign excuse to go out to your local discount retailer. "I need new bath towels! Yeah, thats right. New towels!"
    And when you first peruse through an online business that sells fragrance at below retail. Watch out! Its really easy to go overboard on spending.
    Places like Ebay are overwhelming! They have SO MUCH! And if you get caught up in a bidding frenzy...... with your adrenaline coursing through your body like a wildfire.... you're toast!  Or should I say, your credit or bank account is toast. 
    If, however, you're one of those folks that gets really nervous and your stomach starts churning and threatening to erupt when you are under that kind of pressure ~ in other words, you have a built in safety switch that shuts you down in order to keep you from doing harm to yourself ~ then go ahead and check out Ebay! Its great fun and a wonderful place to learn about fragrance.... and damn near every other thing ever made on the face of this planet.
    Think I'm kidding? Someone had a box of Kotex sanitary napkins from the 1950's or 60's up for auction. If I'm remembering correctly, the price was up over $50.00 last time I checked. It was just too absurd!!!!!!!  I know some people want to buy things that remind them of their past, but really? Sanitary napkins?? Who wants to remember THAT?!
    Anyway, the point I was trying to make with this post was that Fragrance Foraging can be lots of fun. Just use common sense and stick to your budget. It helps to save up some money JUST for this purpose. Get a friend who loves perfume too and plan an afternoon devoted to the hunt! Or if you have the stamina and the wallet... the whole day! Do some research beforehand. Know what you're looking at, have an idea of the prices (so you know if it really is a bargain or not) and make use of those tester bottles in all the stores!!! That way you really know if you like something or not. Most of all, ENJOY. 
   
   

I Really Need More Sleep!

Warning: This is what starts to happen!

   Oh my, spent last evening looking at perfumes on the computer. When I looked up and realized it was almost 1:00 a.m., I popped off an email to my friend that introduced me to Ebay. Told him he was "evil"! Spritzed on some Quelques Fleurs l'Original and went to bed.
   Its always interesting to see whats out there in the world of fragrance. So I typed in "vintage perfume" ..... there were over 10,000 listings! Whoa! I can only make a very tiny dent in that over the course of a few hours. But I never fail to learn new things. I find perfumes and perfumeries that I never knew existed. Heck, I could spend hours just looking at the bottle designs. Would love to educate myself enough so that I could tell what year(s) a fragrance was from just by looking at the bottle. And the box. Lets not forget that. With reformulations the box usually changes. Sometimes only in subtle details. Fascinating stuff!! Thats where online forums come in so handy. You can ask other people about such things. More often than not, someone has the answer!
    I can easily see where perfume can become an all consuming obsession! Make that "passion". Sounds so much better. Not nearly as desperate and with such a positive, life affirming connotation. haha 
    Life is an adventure and a learning experience. I say ENJOY it!

Remember to ask for help.

   Well, in the last post I told y'all my distressing story of parfum spillage. Now let me share what else has happened. The other evening I took that little bottle and used up the last few tiny droplets. I annointed my crown chakra, my third eye, heart and solar plexus ~ plus a tiny bit at the base of my skull. WHAT DREAMS I HAD!   Very powerful stuff!  
    Of course, after this experience I found myself fretting about not having anymore of that wonderous liquid. Whatever was I to do?  Well DUH! First of all, I had to get a grip and approach the issue from a higher vantage point. So I made a request to my Guides to help me either find some more... or something that would be an energetic equivalent.  Lo and behold, guess what I found on Ebay the very next day? A seller had not one, not two... but four!!! And at a very reasonable price.  Talk about getting a rapid response.
   This is a reminder that we need to ask for assistance! They're waiting to help us. But for a clear path or channel to be opened, a request must be made. So remember the next time you need help, of any kind, open that door and invite them in.