Fragrances........

...or you could just take a bath?

Jimmy Scouse and Michael Madison walk up to a perfume counter and pick up a sample bottle, Jimmy sprays it on his wrist and smells it, "That's quite nice, don't you think Michael?", "Yeah, what's it called?", "Viens a
moi",
"VIENS A MOI, what the f**k does that mean?" At this stage the assistant offers some help. "Viens a moi, is French for 'come to me'" Jimmy takes another sniff and offers his arm to Michael again, saying, "That doesn't smell like
come to me Michael. Does it smell like come to you?"

Badda boom...

That reminds me of an oft told bit of humor from customers in the Aromatherapy Shop that I work in. The owner of the store makes all of our house blends, (Any of us working there can and do make custom blends for anyone who walks in and wants one). One such House Blend she simply named "Sex." It's a blend of Patchouli, Ylang Ylang and Lime essential oils. I have often heard someone say after smelling it "That doesn't smell like sex to me."

I'm very much into using pure essential oils in many different ways, but I also like to spritz good perfumes under my arms instead of using antiperspirents. The better perfumes are all made with pure essential oils instead of synthetic fragrances, and use fixitives to slow down the evaporation rate (essential oils are highly volatile). Some of my favorite Perfumes: Opium (Makes me feel like, as Elizabeth Taylor said in Butterfield 8 "...the Slut of the World"), Shalimar (my friend Jimi likes to remind me that this was Joan Crawfords favorite), Samsara, L'Air du Temps (leaves a nice scent trail). Some days I use far less expensive means to mask my body scent, such as Body Misters from Shadow and Light, like "Passion," "Tantra," "Ritual," or "Sage and Smoke." But they don't last as long as say Opium (nor are they nearly as intoxicating).

As far as essential oil body scenting, I like strong ones to do the job, but that I also find pleasing, such as Jasmine Sambac (one of my favs) or Ylang Ylang or Rose (very expensive) in Jojoba, Vitamin E and Beeswax. Vetiver or Sandalwood essential oils are also strong and vaporize slower than most other oils and are heady but grounding, sensual, and considered aphrodisiac (as also Ylang Ylang and Jasmine). I love using them, especially if I'm feeling open to some new adventure.

Because scent is my line of work, I have a lot to say about it, so I better stop now before I become too much of a bore.

Oh, Stacy Amber! More please! I find this all fascinating.

I used to wear patchouli when i was in college. In spite of its hippie reputation, has anyone noticed the goth crossover? I smell it on goths a lot here. I love the earthiness. People would call me "dirt boy," though i'd be dressed in funereal black. Undertaker...

What I wear most often is Avignon. It's from the Incense series by Comme des Garcons. There are five fragrances in the Incense collection, but this is the only one that actually smells like church. Notes of: Spicy Olibanum, Myrrh, Labdanum, Cedarwood, Oakmoss, Musk. It never fails to have people glued to my neck.

For day I like YSL's M7. Goes on strong but lightens up nicely for sunny warm afternoons. It's super sweet though, so haters of Angel wouldn't like it.

Then there's Westwood's Boudoir, which is only for night, and only for special occasions. Notes of: white vibernum, mandarin, bergamot, tobacco flower, cardamom, coriander, Florentine orris, English red rose, vanilla and sandalwood. A reviewer online described it as smelling like a very expensive perfume sprayed on someone who's been having sex all day. Very true. Chi Chi and I once discussed how different it smells on men vs. women. Indeed, most fragrances do, I'd guess.

Oh, and by the way Anna Nicole, I told Jimmy it *did* smell like come to me. Vegan come actually smells - and tastes - quite different and better than that of meateaters. One might say it's like Chanel vs. Old Spice. Exxxquisite.

"Vegan come"!!! Ohmigod
just watch out for the asparagus.

Oh I am loving this topic...
I love aromatherapy oils - back in my Blighty days i was obsessed with them... Ylang Ylang and Rose Geranium...and I love patchouli but am embarrased that I do really..
Boudoir on me smells like Charlie!
I love that Incense one that Messy Michael wears....yummy!
So... what new fragrance should I try/buy?

You said you liked Guerlain's Vetiver on men. I have been wearing it for years and it really is gorgeous for spring and summer. It is completely suitable for the lady as well.
I love Cristalle for summer too! But if you're boreds with it,
try "Antonia's Flowers" which is made in East Hampton from freesia. I think you can just about only get it at Barney's now. Every time you wear it people will swoon with joy.

I love wearing "Michael" (tuberose base) especially when time & again Michael Maddy-one says, "What are you wearing? mmmm!" and I go "MICHAEL!!!" (NO... it's not that vegan stuff... Hew!)

I caught my first two husbands with Vetiver...only I use the essense oil from Keihls on 2nd ave. It used to drive Kitty into a state of pure bliss at the front door of Jackie.

Anna, call me next time you go shopping for fragrances! Right now, my du jour is Gucci Rush, but I always fall back to Coco by Chanel. It's absolutely classic.

Anna & Betty, try Jo Malone...she has a unique sense for olfactory combinations, and she's a Brit too! I love my Lime, Basil & Mandarin, but the Black Vetyver Cafe is very very seductive, perfect for that presentation of nice girl on the outside but a tigeress on the inside.

Vetiver has been mentioned quite a few times, and as S'tan mentioned, it is not just for men. The Aromatherapy store I work has as many women as men buying Vetiver. We used to have a mens aftershave called "Vetiver and Rum" and it had quite a following of both men and women. But alas, the company that made it went out of buisness. It was a synthetic, but a good one. I have an essential oil distilled from wild grown Vetiver from Java that is like a lush, wet, fertile forest and Sooooo sexy! There is also very good Vetiver oil being distilled from Vetiver grown in Haiti. Vetiver from India is also excellent as always. Vetiver and Jasmine are my two favorite sex oils, especially together. Together they are so voluptuous!!! But really the synthetics don't come close to the depth of soul that the pure essential oils do, nor do they have the botanical chemical constituents unique to that plant, such as Vetiver's natural grounding ability (it has massive rooting system that secure it firmly to the earth) or it's aphrodisac nature.

And I also love Mandarin with Vetiver, or Mandarin with Jasmine. I have seen so many people open up a Mandarin tester and giggle. It's nature seems to lighten up the emotions to a more childlike state. It's uplifting but also sedating. I equate it with the 6 of Cups in Tarot (Jasmine I would put with the Lovers card).

Does anyone remember"Ginseng" by Jovan? It was released in 1977 I believe, and I loved it, but everyone thought they were smelling marijuana when they smelled it on me.

past fragrances..

My signature scent -
1) Paris - YSL

Nighttime (anytime) -
1) Green Tea - by Thymes
2) Dolce and Gabbana

Daytime (anytime) -
1) Beautiful - Estee Lauder

Winter (nighttime) -
1) Egyptian Musk (custom) - Garden Botanika, before they went under... kept in the fridge so that it won't go bad (well, too quickly)..

Summer (day/night) -
1) Liz Clairborne for Men
2) Rosewater - any 5th Ave. custom fragrance boutique will do.


Fragrances to get...
1) Mademoiselle - Chanel (good for spring/summer, day or night)..


Fragrances to find custom...
1) anything scented like gardenia, cos i have a small (ok absurd) gardenia fetish
2) anything by YSL (pref. to rive gauche)... just be careful to get the "younger" scents, cos otherwise, you'll end up smelling like old money old lady.

Scents you'll never catch me dead in -
1) any "earthy" scents.. i'm offended that we have lost the love of citrus and flowers, in favour of stuff like sage and all that.
2) any oils... no offense to those who love them, but i'm not a hippy, and intend never to be accused of one.

My best girlfriend Jackie Bigalow got me this bottle (well it was 1/2 empty but hey, it's the thought) of "Charlie".
I love it.
Got to make it last though.
I only use it on special occasions.

Ok Anna Nicole, get a pen and paper and after researching the scents I will tell you about, I promise you will find a winner. MY FAVES....... Well one of my absolute favorites is OZBEK available only at Barney's. This fragrance is lush beyond belief with the main note being night blooming jasmine. This is a heady scent that is perfect for hot weather. I suggest this scent for sticky nightclubs or steamy sex sessions. It gets better when you sweat. It is sweet and seductive, and the bottle alone is a masterpiece. OZBEK is a special fragrance that shouldn't be worn every day. Anouk Gouital's PETIT CHERIE is also really splendid. It's another one of those lush, almost "wet" fragrances that is comprised mainly of Japanese pear and white flowers. Men want to eat this off of you. It is very organic in its smell, and when it has time to sit on your skin, it has a faintness that is pleasing and not disappointing. I guess I mean it smells even better when it fades a bit. Chanel #19 is glorious. It was Coco's private scent until her death, and then it was offerd to the masses. It is complex and heady and a wonderful evening scent. I think it's the best Chanel fragrance except for maybe their Gardenia that is only available at their boutiques for the most part. Dior's HYPNOTIQUE POISON is also fabulous but in a completely different direction. Mainly burnt vanilla and amber, this scent is simplistic but a great man magnet. It's the vanilla that keeps 'em sniffing around like dogs. For a designer scent, it has a "paganistic" East Village chick feel to it. Princess Zoraya and I are both fans. Gucci ENVY is a great everyday scent. It is bold without being offensive. It's a cheery kind of smell that is good for the workplace. It's feminine, floral, and has the tiniest bit of a bite. if you love a fragrance with some SNAP to it. The two I would really suggest are Moschino's CHEAP AND CHIC and Ysl's IN LOVE AGAIN. Cheap and Chic has a dryness to it like a good martini or a great champagne. You can smell it. It really comes to life tho because it is balanced by a big dose of citrus and florals. It's bold. In Love Again is grapfruit at its best. It is crisp and clean in a modern sort of way. I adore both for the summer. Penhaligon's fragrance boutique at Sak's offers a LILY OF THE VALLEY that is unbeatable. Its a one note kind of fragrance, but is really beautiful in it's simplicity. Narciso Rodriguez just came out with a fabulous fragrance that is slightly musky but still very feminine. It is named after the designer and has a good lingering quality. If you are feeling very "earth mother", Jo Malone's WILD FIG and CASSIS is very "lady of the woods". I have worn all of the fragrances I mentiones and would swear by any of them.

Dammm gurl... i was waiting for you to log onto to this topic... i worship your advice on this (even printed this out so I can shop with a list!) The Ozbek sounds fab (take it this is cherub Rifat Ozkeks own line.. Bless! You do know he used to live in Liverpool! course he did!)... can't wait to try that.... Diors Hypnotique Poison a man magnet eh!! hummm have to try that one... although I always thought that it was the scent of Messy Bonnies dirty knickers that were the true man magnet (i could be wrong)...

Sweetie,
Hon, you forgot to mention "Charlie".

Being a man I like men's cologne, but trust me I want to buy somethin' girly in the fragrance department (double meaning not intended, a happy accident). Now I own the following: Eternity for Men Summer version, Acqua di Gio, Burberry Brit, Kenneth Cole Black, CK One Scene, Romance Silver For Men, and Allure Homme Sport. Can you help me in finding something for my feminine side?

the places you all gather at must smell divine.
i'm getting some...perfume i mean

Tom Ford's BLACK ORCHID is divine!!! I wrestled with the $135 price tag for a couple of weeks before I decided I just could not live without it. It is being marketed as a women's fragrance but I have to say it appeals to me as a men's fragrance much more than a women's. It's a really dark, sensual, sophisticated scent. Main notes are black truffle, ylang ylang and vanilla tears. The first blast is really powerful, but as it settles it takes on the decadent feeling of sampling naughty edibles in far away places. Sounds strange but it smells like it was meant to compliment coffee and cigarettes. It has a lush, sexiness that I can't keep my nose away from. If anyone else has this fragrance I would love to hear your comments. It has me hypnotized.

Sweetie,
Do you mind not "Gay-ing" up The Motherboards!

my stars that's like saying would you mind not "gaying up" the ice palace on fire island

I think Calvbin Kilen need to make two new scent, one based on my farts and one based on my crotch sweat---what do you think? Too gross?

P-U Biscotti. Don't go stinking up the pretty Fragrances topic. Now, where were we... Sweetie, I hate to say it, but I must agree. It really is Divoon. I don't pick up the "man's crotch" odeur it's being marketed as having, but it is really lovely.

My 'young boy' wears
"Terre D'Hermes" which I love....
I recently bought Apparition for men Ungaro for my jamaican guy.Love it.

I have from Bath and Body Works from their Aromatherapy line the following: Lavender Vanilla and Sandalwood Rose, I have bottles of bubble bath in those fragrances as well.

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Messy Messy Andrea Biscotti...go take a bath you stink.