TWRT 1.28.11

This Week's Random Thoughts ~

It’s been a long time since I’ve TWRTed (sounds like one of those icky bodily function words like Snart) but I have a few spare moments today so I figured I’d bless ya’ll with my random musings :-)


I heartily concur with Brian’s sentiments below about luxury perfumes. I know from speaking with several perfumers that the supposed “rare and better” ingredients really aren’t; the vast majority of perfume ingredients are purchased from the same company for essentially the same prices. When we buy luxury perfumes we are simply paying more; not getting more. Now, I personally have a few expensive perfumes which I adore and that’s why I paid the price, but for heaven’s sake, the majority of these really high-end luxury perfume price tags are just ridiculous. And, to add further insult to consumers, think about the fact that many of the high-priced niche lines do not spend a dime on advertising or expensive store front locations in Paris, London or NYC. Not to plug my own business (yeah, this is definitely a plug) but thank goodness for decanters.

Perfume of the week: Tauer Un Rose Vermeille...an absolutely luscious raspberry gourmand oriental. Makes me think of a raspberry macaron. I get very little rose from this – just a touch at the start – but the crux of the perfume and especially the dry down is a delectable gourmand. And I normally steer clear of gourmands. For comparison’s sake, imagine Bond No. 9’s Broadway Nite or FM Lipstick Rose with a much stronger raspberry gourmand dry down. Thank you Andy!

Why is Chanel Cuir de Russie on back-order at the main Chanel website? I ordered some 2 weeks ago and it’s still on back-order. Doesn’t that seem weird?

I enjoyed The King’s Speech but didn’t think it was ALL THAT. I also expected to enjoy Black Swan but only thought it was so-so. I so adore Natalie Portman, though; almost no matter what she does. An unexpected stand-out for me was The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams. I lovelovelove Amy Adams and hope she wins best supporting actress (although that young girl from True Grit, wow, she’s a phenomenal talent at age 14!). But back to The Fighter - I grew up a few towns away from Lowell, Massachusetts and could not stop laughing at the unbelievably authentic Lowell accent they managed to portray in the film. Now that I’m no longer in Massachusetts, I hardly hear the accent (and somehow don’t have one myself; I got outta Boston unscathed, which I think is wicked awesome...ok, only folks from MA are going to get that) so hearing it authentically on the big screen was a hoot. Other movies never get the Boston accent right; not even Ben Affleck’s The Town (people from Charlestown, MA, just don’t quite sound like that).

I appreciate that others love Kurkdjian’s Absolue pour le Soir but on me it is absolutely the most revolting perfume I have ever smelled. I mean, I seriously feel ill when I’ve tried to wear it. It is foulness pushed to the max – civet-like, unclean private parts – I’m nearly gagging thinking about it. But, all gagging aside, I’m glad Mr. K finally created something that smells dissimilar from laundry detergent. Polarizing is a good thing, so much better than “meh.”

I think I should have lengthier reviews coming soon for a few perfumes I’ve been wearing a lot lately: YOSH Omniscent in eau de parfum and Le Labo Poivre 23. I never paid any attention to YOSH before but Omniscent in edp is a big oriental lover’s wet dream; it’s bright and happy. I hesitate to review LL Poivre 23 because it’s one of those ridiculous city exclusives (only available in London and $400 bucks) but this has become one of those luxuries I decided I had to have. Yes, it’s pretty much all about pepper and it is a peppery oriental, but on me it dries down with a prominent floracy and I swear I smell lots of ylang ylang in the dry down. I love it.

I cannot wait for Annick Goutal’s Le Mimosa to launch. As you might already know I love mimosa and I am absolutely certain AG will make a perfect mimosa for me. Sure, it will be sheer, but it will also be green and bright and utterly perfect for summer (or so I hope, but aside from Mandragore AG has never failed me).

Sandwich of the week: I don’t eat sandwiches anymore now that I’ve sworn off useless carbs (no white flour, bread, potatoes, rice, etc.) And, no, whole wheat doesn’t do you much good either (I know you might think this sounds crazy but look into it; carbs are carbs which all effect your body in the same fashion). So, I found low-carb tortillas which are my savoir. This week I made a delectable wrap with a low-carb tortilla containing shrimp salad, avocado slices and razor thin cucumber slices soaked in vinaigrette dressing beforehand. (It's not lost on me that the above photo is a carb loaded macaron, but I chose because macarons are amazing and also because it reminds me of Tauer's Une Rose Vermeille; so there).

American Idol: Of course I’m watching. You know me, a total geek. I think J. Lo and Steven Tyler are doing a decent job. But don’t the contestants seem mediocre so far? The judges have put through many who I don’t think would have made it in the past years. And where are all the rockers? I still have a crush on Bo Bice.

As much as I love Oprah I think there’s an issue of overexposure lately. Same for Bertrand Duchaufour, his rock star status is only serving to make me more critical of his work; which I generally think is “meh.”

Book suggestion: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. A great page-turner.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!