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stonepicnicking_okapiThe third installment in my adventures in vintage perfume sniffing. This week I tried:
Indiscret by Lucien Lelong
Arpege by Lanvin
Cocktail by Patou
Femme by Rochas
Vent Vert by Balmain
Scandal by Lanvin
Commentors to these posts have often mentioned their mothers, and my mother was an Estee Lauder fan and wore Youth Dew my whole life. When I started wearing perfume, I wore White Linen and then Beautiful, both by Estee Lauder. Perfume went along with the high heels and the hairspray and the make-up and the pantyhose and everything else associated with female adolescence.
The first three in my list [Indiscret by Lucien Lelong; Arpege by Lanvin; Cocktail by Patou] are all florals or ‘white florals,’ which are what Beautiful and White Linen are, but strangely none of them brought back any memories. And none of them was remarkable or, for my untrained nose, remarkably distinct from one another.
Now, Femme by Rochas is a girly perfume. Fragrantica calls is ‘a real masterpiece with the warm of a woman’s gentle skin and notes of plum.’ Really? Wow. It does smell very sweet. Fragrantica goes on to say it isn’t for everyone but aimed at ‘a femme fatale.’ Well. Whether it’s femme or femme fatale, I don’t think it’s me. :) Too soft by half.
The last two were, by far, the most interesting of the week.
Vent Vert by Balmain, as suggested by the name, is a green, ‘fresh spicy’ scent. It calls to mind grass or meadows or bright flowers. I am going to keep this one. It seems like something I could wear.
Scandal by Lanvin was even more interesting. I sort of recoiled when I first sniffed it. It has a sharp soup-herb scent (I read this is ‘clary sage.’) at first and then smells a bit like men’s cologne, but a bit altogether different. Definitely not something I would wear but I enjoyed sniffing it and wondering about it and I may keep it for that reason, especially with Hallowe'en coming up. It is classified as a ‘leather’ scent, and I was happy to try one of that class of perfumes.
And because I couldn’t resist another 221b, have BBC Fem!Johnlock at a crime scene with John being pun-tastic. Warning for abuse of hypen to get the final 'b.'
---
Sherlock paced restlessly about the crime scene, nostrils flared, eyes darting, head swiveling, giving every appearance of a bloodhound in much need of a cresol-soaked handkerchief.
She halted abruptly and pronounced,
“Indiscret.”
If John found Sherlock’s deduction a bit underwhelming, she didn’t show it. “Yeah, I’ll say. I mean, nothing wrong with fancying the girl next door, but when you live beside a convent—yeesh!” She shuddered, then looked down at the pair of bodies and shook her head and said, ruefully, “Not a habit I want to pick up, thank you very much.”
Sherlock rolled her eyes, gave John a look of loving exasperation, and said,
“Not the affair apparent, John. I smell a vintage perfume called ‘Indiscret’; it was launched in 1936 by Lucien Lelong. Indiscret is a white floral with notes—”
John raised a hand. “Yeah, I remember. A bit niffy, all the same.” She stepped carefully around the bodies. “But Sherlock why would Sister Scholastica would be wearing vintage perfume? I don’t think the vows include exceptions for a dab or two about the wrists.”
“You’re finally asking the right question, John!”
“Yeah?”
Sherlock reached down and yanked away coarse dark wool.
“That’s not Sister Scholastica!” cried John. “That’s Father Damien!”
Sherlock smiled. “John, this is going to be our most interesting case—!”
John smirked and added, “—bar-nun!”
Indiscret by Lucien Lelong
Arpege by Lanvin
Cocktail by Patou
Femme by Rochas
Vent Vert by Balmain
Scandal by Lanvin
Commentors to these posts have often mentioned their mothers, and my mother was an Estee Lauder fan and wore Youth Dew my whole life. When I started wearing perfume, I wore White Linen and then Beautiful, both by Estee Lauder. Perfume went along with the high heels and the hairspray and the make-up and the pantyhose and everything else associated with female adolescence.
The first three in my list [Indiscret by Lucien Lelong; Arpege by Lanvin; Cocktail by Patou] are all florals or ‘white florals,’ which are what Beautiful and White Linen are, but strangely none of them brought back any memories. And none of them was remarkable or, for my untrained nose, remarkably distinct from one another.
Now, Femme by Rochas is a girly perfume. Fragrantica calls is ‘a real masterpiece with the warm of a woman’s gentle skin and notes of plum.’ Really? Wow. It does smell very sweet. Fragrantica goes on to say it isn’t for everyone but aimed at ‘a femme fatale.’ Well. Whether it’s femme or femme fatale, I don’t think it’s me. :) Too soft by half.
The last two were, by far, the most interesting of the week.
Vent Vert by Balmain, as suggested by the name, is a green, ‘fresh spicy’ scent. It calls to mind grass or meadows or bright flowers. I am going to keep this one. It seems like something I could wear.
Scandal by Lanvin was even more interesting. I sort of recoiled when I first sniffed it. It has a sharp soup-herb scent (I read this is ‘clary sage.’) at first and then smells a bit like men’s cologne, but a bit altogether different. Definitely not something I would wear but I enjoyed sniffing it and wondering about it and I may keep it for that reason, especially with Hallowe'en coming up. It is classified as a ‘leather’ scent, and I was happy to try one of that class of perfumes.
And because I couldn’t resist another 221b, have BBC Fem!Johnlock at a crime scene with John being pun-tastic. Warning for abuse of hypen to get the final 'b.'
---
Sherlock paced restlessly about the crime scene, nostrils flared, eyes darting, head swiveling, giving every appearance of a bloodhound in much need of a cresol-soaked handkerchief.
She halted abruptly and pronounced,
“Indiscret.”
If John found Sherlock’s deduction a bit underwhelming, she didn’t show it. “Yeah, I’ll say. I mean, nothing wrong with fancying the girl next door, but when you live beside a convent—yeesh!” She shuddered, then looked down at the pair of bodies and shook her head and said, ruefully, “Not a habit I want to pick up, thank you very much.”
Sherlock rolled her eyes, gave John a look of loving exasperation, and said,
“Not the affair apparent, John. I smell a vintage perfume called ‘Indiscret’; it was launched in 1936 by Lucien Lelong. Indiscret is a white floral with notes—”
John raised a hand. “Yeah, I remember. A bit niffy, all the same.” She stepped carefully around the bodies. “But Sherlock why would Sister Scholastica would be wearing vintage perfume? I don’t think the vows include exceptions for a dab or two about the wrists.”
“You’re finally asking the right question, John!”
“Yeah?”
Sherlock reached down and yanked away coarse dark wool.
“That’s not Sister Scholastica!” cried John. “That’s Father Damien!”
Sherlock smiled. “John, this is going to be our most interesting case—!”
John smirked and added, “—bar-nun!”
no subject
Date: 2019-09-10 02:40 pm (UTC)I've always fancied being a femme fatale, but possibly not in the way it's generally meant ;)
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Date: 2019-09-10 02:51 pm (UTC)Well you certainly went on a killing spree this July! :)
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Date: 2019-09-10 07:23 pm (UTC)And yes, neat little sketch at the end...entirely appropriate punning.
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Date: 2019-09-10 07:25 pm (UTC)These perfume folks take themselves a bit too seriously. They leave themselves open for puns. Expect a 'Scandal' one next week :)
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Date: 2019-09-11 01:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-11 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-11 03:39 pm (UTC)I wrote a fill from a prompt at give_satisfaction, the Wodehouse kink meme, wherein Bertie buys a cologne that smells terrible on him, but irresistible on Jeeves. It's based (if I can remember at this point) on Monsieur de Mochoo. "Eau de Lust"
no subject
Date: 2019-09-11 05:11 pm (UTC)Sounds like an excellent prompt (and fill!)!
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Date: 2019-09-11 06:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-11 08:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 01:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-11 09:55 pm (UTC)I loved reading your descriptions of the scents - you bring them vividly to life ^__^
no subject
Date: 2019-09-11 09:57 pm (UTC)Thank you! It's a fun hobby.