Perfumes, all in good odour ... and not

I've been enjoying perfumes old and new this Christmas and New Year season. My all-time favourites remain Versace's Crystal Noir and Forever by Laura Biagiotti.

 

I was a bit disappointed that my Crystal Noir seemed to lack potency, more like a mild eau de cologne than a proper perfume. Manufacturers do change their formulas but I felt that this was a dilution too far. Then I realised that I must have bought this bottle at least 12 years ago and didn't get to use much before getting sick and moving abroad so it has actually faded naturally in all that time. It's annoying because the bottle wasn't exactly cheap. So I have been spraying it quite liberally to get more oomph. I forgot that, by contrast, my bottle of Forever was pretty new and, being used to the weaker perfume, I absent mindedly sprayed myself liberally with that on New Year's Eve, didn't notice its strength at the time because I spent an hour and a half outdoors in the cold watching fireworks. I woke the next morning with a headache that worsened all that day till I finally realised that it was the perfume that was causing it. All my clothes and bedsheets smelt of it and even my morning shower hadn't diluted it much either. 

So pay attention to what you are doing. Big smells need small doses.

As an aside, I have had much greater success with a lovely scented tea. I like to get a spiced tea for Christmas and this year I bought one at the Christmas market in Monaco. This "Macaron Violette" blend from Maison Bourgeon has a scent that I can only describe as ravishing. A mix of green and black teas with violet and jasmine flowers, rose and cornflower petals, mallow, and safflower oil, it has a scent so pretty, so soft and delicate, so intoxicating that its effect on me is like catnip to a cat. I want to roll in it! I wonder if it would make good pot pourri? 

 

I've been addicted to violet, either the candied flowers or the essence in sweets or other foods, ever since I ate a hand-made voilet flavoured lollipop from a stall on a beach in Brittany one summer, aged 13. Violet is like a drug to me. I don't want rehab; just give me the number of a good local dealer!

As another aside, for Christmas one of my sisters gave me some more things for my garden, such as seeds and hanging tubs. Ever practical, she gave me a sack of compost, too! I've never received compost as a gift before. I think I prefer the smell of the tea!

 

In bad odour

Talking of leaving bad smells...

I welcome all comments that are relevant. If you are advertising your site or product and it's trans related then I don't mind, although making additional comments of the actual contents of my post would be nice. 

But don't be crass and thoughtless. I'm looking at you, Chat Urbate. Posting your links to your saucy site under my report on the TGirl bar at the Erotica Fair is one thing; doing the same under the obituary of my beloved friend Bobby whom I miss very much is about as insensitive as it gets, so I've deleted all of your selfish ads. 

Film star Brigitte Bardot, who died a few days ago, gets no tribute either. Active for animal rights yet spewing hate against the LGBT community and foreigners. Er, you want exposure and adulation, yet most of your fans are foreign so you hate them? You can't have your cake and eat it. This is what we always find with extremists: no consistency in approach. According to Ms Bardot, animals deserve greater rights; some humans deserve none. I find that people who treat others right tend to treat animals right, too. 

 

Witchy time

Today is a public holiday in Italy. In a centuries-old tradition, a kindly witch called the Befana brings children sweets and in previous ages it was usual for people to give and receive presents today rather than on Christmas Day. Obviously, it's only the good children who get sweets; the bad ones get garlic. If you're lucky, Befana will sweep your floor with her broom before she rides away on it. 

My Befana doll that, like a Christmas stocking, is filled with sweets

So, as I didn't get to do anything at Hallowe'en last year because of caring duties, I'm ending my Christmas Dressathon, aka Dressmas, with a stint as Befana, the kindly old witch. More in the next post. Now where did I put that broomstick?

Sue x