Sorry that there is no new post for today. I have been struggling with sleep issues and general funks.

I decided to wear a long forgotten fragrance to match my spirits. I chose Serge Lutens Douce Amere.
It is a crazy mix of anise and absinthe. It smells like a bag of licorice.

There is a MAGNIFICENT quote on the online site Luckyscent for this fragrance:

Moody and contrary, this is the unexpected lightness of heart at the sight of a gray, rainy day; the decadent thrill of reveling in a bad mood overlong; the sharp stab of melancholy when you hear of someone else being happy.

Yep.
This is how I feel.

What fragrance did you choose today?
You can purchase Serge Lutens Douce Amere at Luckyscent for $120.
http://www.luckyscent.com/shop/detail.asp?itemid=36118

Credit: William Klein

Catalog Lemmings

My Current Lemmings from the Barneys Fall Beauty Catalog.

Twittering Teese

All of my online stalking of Dita Von Teese's twitter account has paid off!
She is fan of Serge Lutens Bois de Violette fragrance.

From Gregory Arlt's(MAC Guru) twitter:
Happiness is: Shopping on a crisp Fall day in Paris and buying Serge Lutens fragrance!!

Dita's response: I wish I were with you! I want Serge Lutens Bois Violette!

*Fist pump and twirling in ytown*

Check out Dita's lemming at Luckyscent
http://www.luckyscent.com/shop/detail.asp?itemid=36126&section=1
Now I will go back to adding tags to my blog.
Have a great Thursday!

For the Perfume Junkies: A Rare Peek into the Serge Lutens boutique in Paris

Parfums : Dans les coulisses des Salons du Palais Royal
Uploaded by capu5987
This rare peek is courtesy of the beauty blog Babillages.
She is lovely and all kinds of fabulous!

Kate Winslet SAG Beauty Breakdown

Celebrity makeup artist Jillian Dempsey played up Kate’s eyes with lots of black eyeliner, mascara and shimmering shadow paired with a soft neutral palette on her lips and cheeks. Jillian used Lancôme Artliner in Noir on the upper lash line and then lightly dusted Jillian Dempsey Professional for Avon Eyeshadow Trio in Pebble Wash on the eyelid. She finished the eyes with a few coats of Lancôme Ôscillation Mascara in Black. For the lips, she used Serge Lutens nude lip liner and filled in the entire lip. Finally, she applied Color Fever Gloss in Engaging, a very sheer nude shade, for a high-shine pout.

Credit: Celebutopia, Lancome

Serge Noire by Serge Lutens

I am generally a fan of anything from the house of Lutens.
I own many including two precious bell jars.
So it brings me great pain to diss Noire.
This fragrance is quite foul. And not a grand and interesting foul like Tubéreuse Criminelle.
I hate comparing this scent to body odor. It always feels like a cop-out or a simplistic description.
But it is pure BO on a hot sweltering day.
It has all the notes I love from leather to smoke. But that opening note just sinks into your nose and just makes it wrinkle like Samantha Stephens in disgust.
It is available at Barneys and Aedes and is priced at $140.

http://www.aedes.com/home.php

Photo: Aedes

Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido in Paris

I have been meaning to share my photographs from my pilgrimage to the Serge Lutens boutique.
It is "mecca" to fragrance junkies.

Today I am wearing Datura Noir layered over Tom Ford's Black Orchid oil. The combination is successful so far. We shall see how the drydown morphs.

Share your favorite Serge Lutens fragrance in the comments.

Credits: Blogdorf Goodmam

Fragrance of the Day: Serge Lutens Bois Oriental

I have always wanted a bell jar since my early days on makeupalley. During my last trip to Paris, I decided to visit the salon on my own. I have no sense of direction and no french language skills.
I got lost within 5 minutes of setting out on foot. I was about to give up and make my way back to the hotel when I spotted the "beetlejuice" columns. I literally skipped to the storefront.
I was nervous upon entering due to the stories I had read on makeupalley. One member had stated that the staff was unfriendly and cold during her visit. She had left in tears.
Other members chimed in about the correct way to enter and act in the salon.
I am no oaf but I still had a fear of doing something inappropriate.
I entered the salon with a loud and sing song greeting and promptly moved to the right.
I am sure I looked like a nut case.
A sales associate gave a warm smile and spoke immediately to me in english.
The experience was beyond lovely. She fed me candied violets and introduced me to every Lutens fragrance.
Caught up in the moment....I caved on two bell jars.

Bois Oriental is a less sweet version of Shiseido's Feminite du Bois.
I find it to be a whisper-light spice fragrance.
My nose detects a smidge of cinnamon,vetiver, and cedarwood.

Tell me what you think of Bois Oriental in the comments.

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman
Disclosure: I purchased this bell jar in Paris.

40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Cult Reviews
Day 8, Serge Lutens Rahat Loukoum by Patti aka Cavewoman

I'm wearing Serge Lutens Rahat Loukoum this morning so that I can feel a little inspiration for writing this review. What I should have done is dab the Rahat on one wrist and my Amaretto Di Saronno on the other. I don't think there would be much difference.

First of all, I have to say that most Serge scents do not agree with me. Rahat is the only one I own. I was able to obtain a bottle from someone who offered to make a purchase for me when she was visiting Paris on her vacation. I'd never even smelled Rahat Loukoum, but I jumped on the offer and felt rather smug that I'd be obtaining a bottle of what had quickly become the main topic of conversation on the fragrance board of makeupalley around the time I started to read there. It sounded like magic to me, with all the glowing reviews and romantic prose with which its scent was described. I couldn't wait to own one of the coveted "bell jar" bottles. Cult status should be attached not only to the juice, but the bottle as well. People want either and both. People go to extremes to obtain the elusive and coveted Serge scents in the bell jars. I was one of those people.

A few weeks later, the package arrived. I carefully opened the box and held the bottle in my hands. So this is the much-praised bottle? Okay, well, it's pretty and the glass is smooth, and the stopper is charming, but it was just okay, not breathtaking to me. And then I dabbed on the scent.

Suddenly I was overcome with an urge to run to the Italian grocery and pick up some amaretti cookies. And a jar of maraschino cherries. And pour myself a cocktail of di Saronno on the rocks. This scent is pure foody. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing! For weeks all I wore was Rahat. I couldn't get enough of it. All the raving was a promise fulfilled in my bell jar bottle.

I used half my bottle within months. I now have to say I feel sorry for the people around me on those days when I left the house drenched in Rahat. I probably came close to asphyxiating them. I dabbed and re-dabbed. No one made any comments like "you smell divine!" or "what's that fascinating scent you're wearing!" and there were no incidents when I noticed anyone trying to get a little closer to my cookie-scented neck.
Maybe I should have been more observant.

One day I just reached for something different, and I never did go back to wearing the Rahat Loukoum.
Dabbing it on today reminded me how much I used to like it. But I'm fickle, and my head, and nose, have been turned by other pretty perfumes. I look at the half-used bottle of Rahat and remember how much I wanted it and how glad I was to get it.

I think it deserves a better home now.
Anyone want an amaretto sour?

Credit: Patti aka Cavewoman

Disclosure: This perfume was purchased by Cavewoman

Stumbling across Serge Lutens...

I was a horrible perfumista while I was in Paris. There just was not enough time to visit the perfume shrines.
I did manage to locate the Serge Lutens boutique. I gazed longingly at the Sarrasins and Louve bottles through the closed doors.
But...do not cry for me.
Later that day, I met Mr Christopher Sheldrake himself.
The man responsible for my beloved Fumerie Turque and Ambre Sultan.
I wanted to kick myself for not choosing to wearing one of his scent creations. I had foolishly worn Frederic Malle's Iris Poudre.

I told him that I was a huge fan and he seemed startled by the fuss. I am guessing that he is blissfully unaware that he has a huge cult following on the fragrance board at Makeupalley.

He is full of charm and it was a delight to hear him speak on the art of perfumery.

So in honor of my latest crush...
A Fragrance of the Day Poll

What fragrance did you choose today?
What is your favorite Sheldrake creation? (This is for the perfume junkies)
What is your latest crush?

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman

Disclosure: This Paris trip was made possible by Chanel.