Luckyscent
Fragrance X
Indiescents
First in Fragrance
99Perfume
ExcelsisUSA
Parfum1
My Photo
Name:
Location: New York, NY
© Copyright 2005-2011 Perfume-Smellin' Things
All rights reserved
Custom Search

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Winter Blues

By Tom

It's the "fag end" of winter as Lee puts it, and as much as I would like to review something new and pithy, I can't bring myself to, really. I know it seems churlish at best to complain about our winter when parts of the rest of the country are digging out from snow or dodging tornadoes; I know it's petty and silly to complain that we've had another day of showers and haven't seen sun for two weeks, or that the temps are firmly in the forties.

But invariably at this time of year I start to feel deep ennui; I want to take to my bed with a couple of books for about a week. I want to watch Netflix and eat stinky cheeses and get weepy watching "Now, Voyager" and in general be really, really self indulgent.

That Pansy, how does he remain single?

In any case, this mild case of seasonal affective disorder cannot in real life be taken care of by hiding in my apartment, taking frequent bubble bath and plotting how to finance my first face-lift, I need to work. I need to go to my office and answer questions and make sure the freelances get paid and the billing gets uploaded into the system, the everyday stuff that actually pays the rent and keeps me semi-welcome at ScentBar.

So, I have been wearing the most comforting scents I can manage to the drab, fluorescent-lit soulless 70's joint I toil in. The olfactory equivalent of jammies with feet.

Sables is one that I've been dipping into lately, in this drab grey wet weather for some reason it's dried out and rather than being syrupy-sweet is warm and woody, with just a touch of that maple-cured goodness. I am glad that I am finding it that way, because I've worn it enough that my duvet might per permanently imbued with it.

Miller Harris L'Air de Rein is another. Colombina described it as "existing in an attractive and strange world of a wistful and vivid dream". While some think of this as being as forbidding as a bowl of musk-soaked razor blades I find it wonderful; suddenly those drab rainy days have been graced by the air of old tweed, leather-bound books and tea with a drop of peaty scotch.

But the one that I have deeply dipping into is thanks to Patty: Lostmarc'h Lann-ael. This is an odd scent, it really does smell like Froot Loops. Well, it smells like what I remember Froot Loops smelled like. I certainly haven't actually tasted any cereal that didn't guarantee to build strong bones and teeth while whisk-brooming my digestive tract in the past two-hundred years. I read her review and happily found that a sample of this had magically migrated to the top of my sample pile; its milky sweetness has been keeping me as happy as a nursery. The weather outside is frightful, fifty is no longer a vicious rumor, and well, the rest is boring. I've ordered a large decant of this for to help me through the rest of the "fag end"..

Anyone know where I can get jammies with feet that will have a 34 inch inseam and size 10 footies?

Oh, and bitchy Oscar aside: did John Travolta color his hair in with a sharpie?

35 Comments:

Blogger tmp00 said...

Sorry all for all of the typos- that's what happens when you go with the first draft as the only one!

10:16 PM EST  
Blogger marchlion said...

No, that hair was made out of ... something. Some sort of craft project? Like the fuzzies from pipe cleaners. Or maybe felt? Nah, more texture... it makes me think of those old-time games where you have the magnet and you move the magnetized metal shavings around on drawings of faces giving them hair ... also, what is the deal with his *neck*? His head's going straight into his shoulders now.

okay, moving right along! Would totally NOT have pegged you for Lann-Ael. It's such a weird, sweet thing. I like it.

10:18 PM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

March-

I think it was flocking. Or that nubby spray-paint one uses on patio furniture to give it the look of granite.

I never would have pegged me for Lann-Ael neither. It's so deliciously bizarre..

10:28 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom, the phrase "as forbidding as a bowl of musk-soaked razor blades" is pure genius. I'm going to try to use it in conversation as much as possible this week... if it is possible at all. Bravo!

12:16 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

mel-

Thanks! You've made my week!

12:36 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Right now, I'm wearing Andy's Incense Extreme to combat the blues. No cuddly scent that one, more along the lines of "pull yourself together, face the demons, bruise your knees praying, smelling of inherent holiness" or something..... I wish I could smell "Air du Rien" like you do. Or even the razor blades. On me, it's reminiscent of long trips and that ominous plastic bag in your backpack or suitcase which you keep the used underwear of the last three weeks in.....

3:23 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm blues free, though I'm up for all of your choices except for the Lo'st'Ma'rc'h (or whatever) which is a little too squeaky on me.

I can't help you with the jammies, though they are an addiction of mine!

I missed the Oscars completely. Oh well.

Keep smiling, my prince. The fag end is exactly that. And then there's a whole new fag!

3:39 AM EST  
Blogger elle said...

Winter - my least favorite 6 letter word. Can't *wait* for it to end and I totally understand why you're fretting. L'Air is one of the most perfect scents imaginable for cloudy, rainy days. Absolutely love it.
One of these years Sables *will* work on my skin. I keep a decant on hand and keep patiently trying and waiting. Maybe by November, 2023?
Didn't catch the Oscars, but am going to have to Google JT to check out the hair.

7:05 AM EST  
Blogger chayaruchama said...

Dinagirl-
Between your panties, and Tomtom's
"Kidney Water", I'm having hysterics !

Too funny.
tyhank you from the bottom of my corpse...ooops, I mean, heart!

7:35 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This post makes me so happy. And no, it's not my profound sense of shadenfreude; I don't mean to joy in your ennui (seriously, one of my favorite words ever, along with malaise).

Oh come on, you can't find one cute gay with the same desire to watch Bette Davis movies and munch on some Stilton? Come back to the East Coast! Sure, the weather sucks, but it makes the people more interesting (sorry, I'm an east coast snob).

I've never tried the Losmarch, but I really hope you wear it out of the house at least once just to see what people's reactions are. "Gee Tom, you smell...fruity. And loopy at the same time."

8:08 AM EST  
Blogger Erin said...

Thank heavens somebody in perfumanity finally mentioned the Oscars. Was it not the most boring Oscars fashion-wise in years? And what the heck *is* up with Travolta? And did Gary Busey actually *bite* Jennifer Gardiner? And was Hudson's dress as bad as I thought? Jon Stewart rocked, but was his joke about Cate playing a pitbull in bad taste? And what about poor Dennis Hopper?

10:05 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Darlin', I hear your lament. All I can recommend besides perfume is macaroni and cheese. I've been wearing a lot of Chamade and Joy to psych myself that spring is coming.

As for the Oscars, what was that terrible ragging on Judi Densch about? If Hallie Berry grew up to have have Judi's presence, I'd be really surprised.

11:08 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

dinazad-

"that ominous plastic bag in your backpack"

I'm glad nobody's here yet, I would have had to explain the belly laugh that sentence gave me- thanks for cheering up my morning!

11:22 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

Lee-

The only reason I ended up watching is that a friend in New York calls me up saying "what is (he, she or it) Wearing!?!" then I end up being trapped in it for the rest of the 8 or 9 hour running time.

The best part of the winter doldrums is flannel jammies. And flannel sheets.

11:24 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

elle-

I really don't know what I would do if I had to live where it had a "real" winter. I've grown so used to never really having to wear a coat. The idea of shoveling snow? Oy..

Keep that decant of Sables, you never know!

11:26 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

Chaya-

That line of Dinazad's made me laugh out loud- I may have to revisit it several times this week!

11:28 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

billy-

I've lately had the feeling that I am indeed an East coast boy.

But snow? Oy.

I wore that Lostmarc'h to work I'll have you know. Nobody said a thing. i wonder if they thought I spilled my breakfast or something...

11:30 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

Erin-

Hudson's dress was a disaster. The bodice looked like they used the bumper and grille of a '55 Oldsmobile and some white tulle.

I want to know what's up with Jack Nicholson? The sunglasses indoors thing? The head that has almost completely disappeared into the tux? C'mon..

11:43 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

angela-

Ooooh, mac and cheese!

I missed the ragging on Dame Judy. I fear for any who dare- she looks like a lady who could take you out...

11:44 AM EST  
Blogger Alba said...

After an exhausting, soul-draining day I just want to take a warm bath, spray Tam Dao all over, put on my pyjamas and hide under the bedcover. Pity L'Air de Rien doesn't work on me: it reminds me of socks.

11:50 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

jane-

I am going to have to try that Tam Dso- I can't believe I haven't..

12:20 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jack Nicholson ALWAYS gets mentioned by the host, and he ALWAYS tries to talk back to them even though he's not miced. It never fails to make me laugh.

I don't know what was up with Travolta's hair. I couldn't get past his face, which looked like it was made of orange marzipan.

We watch the Oscars during a big party with money on the line and booze in our hands, and it goes by very quickly. Loved the "Once" performance and Jon Stewart this year.

1:36 PM EST  
Blogger rosarita said...

Remember the old Ken doll? The one from the early 60's? His hair was this fuzz that was glued onto his injection-molded plastic head. It rubbed off with age. THAT is what Travolta's hair reminded me of.

Hey, I like winter, and I'm here in the thick of snow, ice, cold, yada yada. Even I'm sick of it. I just treated myself to a bottle of Tom Ford's Black Orchid Voile d'Fleur and it's bergamot opening and dark gardenias blooming deep in a truffly woods somewhere is working for me. So is Barbara Bui, which I really thought would be too sweet, but I've fallen in love. Had to swap away my decant of Lann-Aell or however it's spelled; I know right away that it wasn't for me. Glad it's working for you, through your winter blues. Now's the time to buy yourself some really gorgeous flowers. :)

3:15 PM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

anon-

Orange marzipan? That's it! With little gooseberry eyes..

3:28 PM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

anita-

Flowers? What a great idea- I never think to do that for myself. I usually go for the more caloric indulgences..aties

3:29 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry you're feeling so blue. I can relate, although this year it is bypassing me. I'm with you on the flannel pj's and sheets, nothing better in winter! Lostmar'h and Sables are on my to try list, I've been craving them for some time. When Christmas passed this year I started craving florals and have been wearing them a lot since (the weather was kind of warm-ish), but for the past two weeks I've been craving soft comfort scents. These would fit the bill. Have been thinking of ordering a bottle of Rousse, too, since receiving that one as a sample not too long ago.
P.S. Agree with you on the JT hair. What happened?
Sabina
P.P.S. Hope you feel better soon.

5:43 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

LMAO - as usual, you made my day with your snarky humor and wit! If I were there with you I would gladly (or sadly?) watch Now, Voyager - I love that movie! We could drench ourselves in Sables whilst we weep.

Travolta's hair - heh, what ever it was, it was not made by Mother Nature. I was somewhat distracted from it by his otherwise bizarre appearance - to me he looked as though he were molded out of Cheddar cheese. Alec Baldwin can pull off the extra heft that comes with his middle age - John just looks weirdly puffy. I expect we might see that visage floating above the crowd in the next Macy's Christmas parade. (snark.)

6:18 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Other continent, same blues: my recipe for happiness? Candied orange peels dipped in dark chocolate and Penhaligon's Hammam Bouquet. That and watching ageing movie stars trying to look younger by wearing fake body parts.

6:38 PM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

sabina-

Thanks for the kind words. I'm not really feeling that bad, I'm just kind of wallowing in it. The weather has brightened considerably and it's almost springlike here, so that helps a lot!

6:56 PM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

flora-

Macy's parade? Hah! That's an image!

6:58 PM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

edwardian-

Candied orange peels in dark chocolate are something that the existence of I must never acknowledge. They are more addictive than crack...

"watching ageing movie stars trying to look younger by wearing fake body parts"

In Beverly Hills that's called "shopping" ;-)

7:01 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

John Travolta looked like he had a brown "hair" equivalent of the Brady Bunch's astroturf lawn on his head. And he had way too much makeup on, and it certainly wasn't his color!
Jon Stewart was funny as always of course.
But what was up with those ridiculous cinderella-ish musical numbers?? I couldn't believe they subjected viewers to three of those...!
The other two musical performances were good though: especially the Irish duo.
--Molly

7:42 PM EST  
Blogger Unknown said...

Isn't that Lann-Ael great? It's my very best childhood breakfast morning, all sleepy contentment.

I get the same tail-end of winter blahs, rewatching Pride and Prejudice too many times, curled up under blankets sleeping.

7:49 PM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

molly-

those musical numbers were L A M E!!

10:25 PM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

patty-

The curled up under blanket part I enjoy. Blankets are a wonderful thing..

I have had an almost insuperable desire to buy a box of Froot Loops..

10:28 PM EST  

Post a Comment

<< Home