Ooops!

   I'm debating whether to admit what happened the other night... but I'll say this much..... vintage MaGriffe layered over vintage Madame Rochas is BEYOND AWESOMELY GORGEOUS!  Oh yeah!!!

Just a note!

   A very, very quick note: Remember the Golden Lotus Electric Incense Burner?  Well, definitely DO NOT wipe out the interior of the lid. After a while there is this wondrous oily, sticky "build up" that smells beyond divine! And today I realized that you can dab it on as a perfume............ I'm in heaven! Very concentrated and lasts for hours!

When Atomizers Attack!!!

Looks benign enough, doesn't it?

    The afternoon started out innocently enough. A highly anticipated package arrived in the mail. My bottle of Ma Griffe   parfum de toilette. The perfume box was in pretty rough shape, it had obviously not been treated kindly. The bottle seemed fine. The cap offered a bit of resistance to being removed. I noticed a little "sticky" residue along the sides of the bottle, but didn't really pay much attention to it.    Wish I had. Perhaps I would have proceeded with more caution.  That would have been a good thing.........
     So, per my usual actions, I went to spray a little bit in the air so I could wave the back of my hand through the mist. I've found that to be a safe and sane way to test a perfume when I first receive it, especially one that has some age to it and/or has been used.      Unfortunately, my technique wasn't exactly "safe" this time. In no form or fashion did I ever anticipate what happened when I depressed the spray nozzle. After a tiny sputter and spit..... that bottle took on a life of its own, and a possessed one at that! What force! What fury! Once it raged to life, it would NOT stop!   The spray of Ma Griffe reminded me of a small fire hose, blasting full force...   on my curtains, on the window, even the dogs, who had been resting peacefully at my feet.
    The cats, being CATS and obviously possessing a certain level of psychic premonition had quickly slipped away as soon as I unboxed my fragrant treasure.
    With PDT shooting forcefully across my kitchen table, dogs jumping up and trying to run for cover (remember, they're at MY FEET), I'm there trying to maintain my balance while fumbling with the nozzle until in desperation I simply ripped it off the bottle!   In retrospect I should have done that immediately after this chaos began.... but I was in a state of shock and, yes, awe! And as they say, hindsight is 20/20. 
   So, there I was, hands dripping with Ma Griffe. Decided to rub as much as possible onto the all ready wet curtains. At least my kitchen smells freaking AWESOME!  And hey, I now know why the bottle was sticky feeling!!!
    Now there is a lesson to be learned here! No matter how excited I get about a new acquisition, you can bet that from now on I'll examine it very closely! Especially if it has any sticky perfume residue on the bottle or cap!!! AND from now on, that first spray......... that will be done outside on my porch.



Here is the spray mechanism that caused all the trouble! ........ look at the width of that perfume stem. Hmm, another point to remember to check on older bottles.

 

  
 All this and I've neglected to give any information on the actually fragrance! hahaha  
   Ma Griffe is one of my favorites. And while I didn't really get a chance to enjoy this perfume due to my rather "rattled" state of mind after all that, ah, excitement. I did go through the rest of the day smelling absolutely divine!! (And the kitchen STILL smells wonderful.)   Will do my review a little later.

ma griffe   by Carven   Jean Carles   Chypre Floral  1946

Notes (according to various internet sources)
   Top: Aldehydes, Gardenia, Green notes, Asafoetida, Clary sage, Lemon.
    Heart: Iris, Orange blossom, Orris root, Jasmine, Ylang ylang, Lily of the Valley, Rose.
   Base: Labdanum, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Cinnamon, Musk, Benzoin, Vetiver, Styrax

Nina. A Captivating Beauty.

    Well now, I was finally able to procure a bottle of Nina by Nina Ricci. Mind you, its the one from the 1980's.  Don't really know where to begin trying to describe it. Its so lovely. Very feminine! A complex composition that flows so smooth and effortlessly through my olfactory sense.   Its all about "old school" elegance with an underlying sensuality.
    Seriously, it made me want to put on my softest silk blouse and a long, full skirt (the one with the lush roses printed all over).  Curl up in an overstuffed armchair next to the window with my old book of Tennyson's Poems. And it would have to be the one published in 1874 in order to give me the proper tactile experience I'd want with this fragrance.  Oh, and lest I forget.... it should be a "gentle" day. Delicately overcast with the softest of rains casually strolling through. With just enough sunshine to occasionally make the raindrops glisten on the leaves like little gemstones. 
   Yes, that's how Nina makes me feel.   I truly do love this one.


Nina   by Nina Ricci   Christian Vacchiano  Floral Aldehyde   1987

Notes (gathered from various internet sources)

   Top: Aldehydes, Mimosa, Orange blossom, Currant buds, Green notes, Peach, Basil, Marigold, Bergamot, Lemon
   Heart: Mimosa, Violet, Orris root, Jasmine, Ylang ylang, West Indian bay, Rose
   Base: Iris, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Musk, Civet, Oakmoss, Blackcurrant syrup, Vetiver

Really Need to Get This Under Control!

    Well, I've written before about my ability to convince myself of things. Such as "Yes. I do need that." or "That's such a great deal! I can't NOT take advantage of that." and, of course, the ever popular "Its ok to use money from my account to buy this perfume. I can just replace it on payday!" etc., etc..
    WHY the heck do I do that to myself? More importantly, HOW do I STOP doing that? My logic and good sense have all fallen to the wayside.... and that is not a good thing. I must retrieve them somehow!
    Perhaps I shouldn't be so hard on myself. After all, I'm doing so much better than I was! Baby steps aren't so bad.     SEE, there I go again...... its an automatic response! Arrgh!
    Where has my ability to reason things out correctly gone to anyway? Yes, I do repay my bank account. But that just evens it out again. Or it would.... except that I pay bills out of there! So the total amount of money is decreasing every month.    You know, before I got back into perfumes, and fragrance in general, I would have looked at a situation like this and SLAMMED on the brakes!  Now my brakes have failed.... and I'm the one sneaking out in the middle of the night and cutting the lines!!!  This is quite the eye opener for me! I'll have to stay vigilant in order to keep my compulsive behavior reined in.   You'd think at 55 years of age I'd have a better grip. But perfume does that to me.... and incense... and those astounding tropical flower plants I keep trying to resist buying. I don't want to plant what I can't eat. But then.... there is food for the Spirit! And that's what fragrance does for me. Feeds my Soul. 
   Perhaps I was just deprived of it for too long. Seventeen years IS quite a while! (There I go again!) But that's no excuse for reckless behavior.   Oh my, guess I have to reorganize my thought processes and focus on things that are more important.   You know repeat it enough times and it becomes habit. Maybe those exotic flowers would be a good thing after all. Perfume and beauty all in one.... plus the time I'd spend taking care of them.  Communing with the plant people used to be one of my greatest joys! Always brought me back to a place of balance within myself.      Hmm, I think I've just stumbled onto why I've been rambling on here. To remind myself to Be in Balance.  chuckle

Seeds for sale. Michelia Champaca.  Also know as Yellow Jade Orchid tree or Joy Perfume tree. Sounds like the blossoms smell heavenly! Although I've read where others recommend Michelia Alba as the most fragrant. They are in the Magnolia family. Rumored to be a flower used in Joy perfume.

I'm Smitten........

I Feel like Gardenia today!

May 12th, 2014
   Do you ever wake up in the morning thinking to yourself  ~ "Today I want to smell like a gardenia! And not just a single flower... oh no! I want to smell like a huge bouquet of gardenias! A whole bush absolutely smothered in blooms! Yes! That's what I want to smell like today!" ?
   What do you mean "no"? You actually NEVER wake up with that thought first and foremost in your brain?     Really?      Why not?      Gardenias are AWESOME!  
   But lets get back on track here. Today is a Gardenia day. I don't know why, but it is. I have Rose days too.... and Lily of the Valley days... and light, green leafy days.... rich resin and incense days... and watch out now! Those drench me to the bone in essential oil of Patchouli days!  Whoooaah! I LOVE THOSE DAYS!!! Patchouli seeping out of every pore...   Wow, got completely distracted there. Hang on a minute... "breathe deep ~ exhale slowly ~ center Self ~ find balance point ~ keep breathing deeply.  Now, refocus thoughts on... what was it again? .... oh yeah. Gardenia. Gardenia, GOT IT! " OK, I'm back. (And now y'all know that patchouli is my drug of choice! hahaha)
   Now I like to use gardenia to lift my spirits.  There is just something about that scent that makes me happy. Perhaps its childhood memories or just how gorgeous those flowers are!  (Hmm, I need to remind myself to plant a couple of bushes around here.  Until then I'll just have to keep wearing my Gardenia by Elizabeth Taylor.)  Also the full moon is approaching. And that plant has immense feminine and lunar energies! 
   They're said to aid in healing. Place a bouquet in the room or just one flower next to the bed. They have a very high spiritual vibration so in that way they can assist in communications with angels, ancestors and helpful spirits.   And, of course, down through history those lovely petals have been used in love spells of all sorts! Considering how lush and sensuous the flower is, I can understand that connection.  Almost forgot, they're said to enhance dreams and ritual dream states too.
    Need to gain some compassion? Either for others or yourself... this is a flower that can help.  Cup a bloom in your hands and inhale deeply. Feel its energy.   I always get the visual of Kwan Yin sitting on a gardenia instead of a lotus!     The scent has a way of wrapping itself around my shoulders like a light, velvety prayer shawl. It gives me great comfort and gladdens my heart.
    Well, there you have it. Gardenia days are good days!

This is my favorite go-to Gardenia fragrance. Always makes me smile!