Are you familiar with the game "London/Paris"? It's a driving game. You drive on the side of the road appropriate to the city called. I was introduced to this "game" by the father of a babysitting charge as he drove me home one night. I believe he thought he was connecting with the younger generation. I was pretty sure that I was about to be disconnected from all generations I knew.
"London / Paris" came to mind this morning, because I started this morning's sampling with Creed Silver Mountain Water on my right wrist, then picked up the Chanel No 22 decant a friend sent me and spritzed my left. Aiy yi yi. It's kind of like having a floral syrup on my right, and powdery floral air freshener on my left. I don't think I'm helping either by running the sniffer by in quick succession, but I can't help it...kind of like not averting your gaze at a car accident.
I can't stop to do any serious picking out of notes or pay attention to dry down; I keep going back and forth, thinking things like "Grandma / modern teen" and "purposely dressed up / purposely dressed down." Paris! London! Paris!! London!! Gadzooks, I'm compelled to participate in this tennis match.
Clearly, I'm not constitutionally built to be an ambassador. I keep "hearing" the two different sides, but my head can't build a bridge. No wonder there's been so much trouble across the Chanel, er, Channel. We have two seriously different approaches to scent here.
Usually I don't finish these ruminations until the party's either over, or seems to have subsided into its final character. I may be at the sink before my last sentence. Hey, even something like Kingdon didn't drive me to scrub; I just held my arm at a safe distance, and revisited whenever ready. This particular experience has me bouncing back and forth like I'm some sort of voodoo doll being controlled by a maniacal outside force. Like somebody is driving me down the road, weaving back and forth across the yellow line. I'm outta here.
Somebody remind me I don't like this game next time, okay?
7 comments:
It took me a while to start appreciating the Chanels (I am referring to the more widely available scents found at dep. stores and not the exclusives found at the boutique, although a number of those left me underwhelmed as well). I have found appreciation for a number of them in the last couple of years and even love for a couple. Testing two different things at the same time can be a very strange experience! Glad you did it though cause your clever writing had me laughing :) I love testing flankers at the same time, as well as perfume smell-alikes for obvious reasons. What is even more interesting though is to test fragrances that share one or more notes and to 'see' those notes become more... visible with your mind's eye when going back and forth. I can't quite explain it very well I feel. Try for example No.19 with another iris scent (ideally one that has adopted a lighter hand with the note) or two perfumes with waterfruit.. Like Black Orchid with Allure. Seems like your post primed me for Chanel suggestions! heheh :) Hugs!
Hello, divine Divina,
Yes, in this case, I truly disrespected the Chanel by putting it alongside the Creed. I shall go back and try symbiotic/complimentary pairings, however. As it turns out, I *did* come to appreciate the Chanel in the drydown. (Update forthcoming.) The irony is that Bois des Iles is on my Top 5 of All Time personal hit parade, even as I find something like No.5 a scent that never becomes me. (In either sense of the word; I never feel it is a part of me, nor do I like the way it wears me.)
I will go back to No.19, as in theory/on paper it should be a hit. (I like iris; I like "green.")
I scrubbed and now have Une Fleur de Cassie on one wrist, and nothing else. I'm chuckling a bit, because there are two distinct directions I could go to find a shared note...one is the flower... ;)
Another wonderful post that brought a smile to my face :) Sometimes I go out with only one scent on one wrist with the knowledge that I'll probably pop into a store and sample something on my right... sometimes I don't mind them and sometimes I feel like the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the scent world!
That was hilarious and alarming both!
Do people really do that sort of driving game?!? And live to tell the tale, I mean...I recall every time I am in London I have to stop myself from checking the wrong side first at pedestrian crossings; I swear I never do it the correct way although there are big signs painted on the turmac...(duh)
Bois des Iles is truly wonderful although the materials issue is rather vexing.
Can you believe it? Yes, a big joke for some American drivers who are either young or reckless or both. It's not prevalent, though...it shouldn't worry you as you drive down the road!
I'm still trying to decide if I remain willfully ignorant on the Bois de Iles question. I smelled a fantastic "historical" perfume recently, and was torn when I was told it contained civet. Zoiks. I'm going to have to learn a lot more from you and Octavian etc. about the chemistry side of things....
My best London/Paris so far was in the perfume room at Liberty's (my RL scent Mecca) - "Vol De Nuit" on one wrist, Comme des Garcons "Rhubarb" on the other - it was "Catherine Deneuve! Zooey Deschanel! Catherine Deneuve! Zooey Deschanel!" In the end I had to find a sink and wash my hands thoroughly...
Lucy,
There's a pair...LOL!...
...thank goodness for soap & water. :)
Post a Comment