awesome

Happy New Years + Quebec City Day 1

Posted on by elemonated

Happy New Year everyone! I hope your celebrations went well.

We decided to go visit Edgewater and see if we could get a glimpse of the NYC fireworks this year, as well as get shabu-shabu. The display wasn’t as big as we had hoped, but the food was good and we were in good company.

IMG_20160101_240421940 (2)

We then drove off to Canada, final destination Quebec City! We stopped by in Montreal for breakfast. Shout-out to the two random guys in a car that offered me weed. I appreciate the sentiment, hope you had a great New Year’s. I did not accept, by the way. We stopped into Second Cup before heading off again.

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My favorite gourmands

Posted on by elemonated

I don’t wear a lot of gourmands. I’m an ethereal or incense floral kind of girl. I’m also a fan of the weird stuff, like the fish market Etat Libre D’Orange Secretions Magnifiques and the fermented Byredo Pulp. That being said, tis’ the season! It’s cold and dark and dreary (or it would be if not for global warming), so wanting a bit of warm creamy sweetness is to be expected.

This is a list for people who probably aren’t really into gourmands. No big vanilla bombs to be found, I apologize. Read More

The new Annick Goutal boutique on Madison Ave.

Posted on by elemonated

It’s a good day when you can kick back with the lovely people of Sniffapalooza and the NYC fragrance community and get buzzed on perfume.

Mr. Chokkattu and I stopped at Lladro first, but I forgot to take pictures of the pretty porcelain, brand new candles and a new votive. No matter, they had three new home fragrances. Gardens of Valencia and Mediterranean Beach are both florals, Mediterranean is heavier on the musk, and I Love You, Mom is a gourmand, floral on top of chocolate and honey.

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Updates!

Posted on by elemonated

This is Milo, aka star of @frenchiebutt on Instagram. I love him.

Why does WordPress keep changing its writing format. It’s like it’s in college trying out its sexuality. Or in high school trying out different outward identities.

Anyway, I haven’t posted in a while, and this is just to keep my blog from looking too empty. Otherwise I’ve been busy with school (I’m slotted to graduate in January if I pass this semester!) and work/not-working and pining for puppies and just everything.

Posts I have in mind that will hopefully come soon:

  • Articles about cool things if I can get them out in a timely fashion
  • A comparison on purported leather frags; some of which are lies I tell ya.
  • A comparison on cold weather gourmands, possibly.
  • The post on the preservation of New York City’s Chinatown that I still haven’t gotten to.
  • Maybe a mini-bio or two of people I like reading about, like Danny Meyers, Elizabeth Holmes

Alright, I have an exam in less than 4 hours, I should go.

❤

WCW: Hedy Lamarr

Posted on by elemonated

Google featured her on Monday for her birthday, but since today’s a Wednesday, I thought I’d save her for Woman Crush Wednesday!

Not only is she iconically gorgeous, “the most beautiful woman in Europe” helped the WWII effort against Axis powers by developing jam-proof radio guidance systems for torpedoes and selling war bonds to people, as well as contributed to daily life by improving traffic lights and an Alka-Seltzer type carbonation tablet.  Read More

Starting off November with a bang

Posted on by elemonated

Picture from the NYTimes article linked below

Drinking three glasses of champagne ‘could help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease’
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/drinking-three-glasses-of-champagne-every-day-can-help-prevent-alzheimers-disease-a3109626.html
The article has been amended to say that it’s three glasses of champagne a week, not a day! Which is good because I don’t think anyone was trying to push someone to expensive alcoholism in the pursuit of avoiding mental degradation. As someone with a grandmother with Alzheimer’s, and have a terrible memory in general, I feel like I should probably start drinking champagne just in case. Preventative measures and all. Read More

House of Matriarch Blackbird

Posted on by elemonated

Blackbird was created by Christi Meshell and first came out in 2012. It has since amassed a cult following. House of Matriarch has also gathered similar praise, as it went on to win so many awards I think it would just be easier for everyone if you just clicked above for their website.

But Blackbird: Niche leather! Oud! Cannabis! All of the hype flavors on one train. Rave reviews, including one gentleman I recall reading the reaction of who didn’t necessarily see the pleasure of wearing fragrance until he smelled this on a friend of his. So I was glad when a friend recommended we try this one together. I’m a little late to the hype train, I do live on the other side of the US after all, but I figure this stuff probably has a mild following so I’m not too far behind.

BLACKBIRD Perfume

Well let’s give it a go shall we? Read More

Sniffapalooza Fall Ball 2015!

Posted on by elemonated

Finally getting to this post!

Sniffa Saturday Haul!

I’ve been indulging my fragrance hobby for more than a year now, but only fairly quietly in the safety of my own home and in the awkward embrace of the internet. However. This changed last Friday when I attended my first Sniffapalooza event; the free kick-off at Twisted Lily, my own local niche fragrance Mecca that I’ve purchased from before, but ever only online. The website’s treated me well though, some of my old posts like 6 Scents 6 Selves, my UNUM review, my Twisted Lily favorites review, and my Ineke A-H reviews were sourced from Twisted Lily (click on each word for a different Ineke review!)

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Woman crush of the week: Tracey Stewart

Posted on by elemonated

I know I’m supposed to wait until tomorrow, but I have time now that I don’t know when I’m going to have later on this week, so I just wanted to make a short post high-lighting how cute I think Mrs. Stewart is!

(Also, I WILL put up a post detailing my Saturday at the Sniffapalooza Fall Ball, hehe. Once I get some time and regain some energy!)

Tracy Stewart Counts Her Sheep, and More – NYT

You may have heard that John and Tracey Stewart are opening up a Farm Sanctuary branch in Middleton, NJ. Read More

1989* Mitsouko

Posted on by elemonated

Update: Someone has since informed me that the box is only indicative of the box design year and helped me figure out that this is actually a 1989 bottle using this website! Thanks!

Because I’m the luckiest woman alive, Mr. Chokkattu gave this pale, pasty, stressed-out version of me 1983 Mitsouko Eau de Parfum.

Cute little 7.5 mL bottle!
Cute little 7.5 mL bottle!
The lovely golden outer shell!
The lovely golden outer shell!
Inner box; so pretty!
Inner box; so pretty!
1983 on the box!
1983 on the box!

I’ll post a review when I feel like I’m dying less, but if I am unable to convey my excitement given my current state of exhaustion, know that I am close to crying.

If you want to learn more about Mr. Chokkattu, he also has a blog, plus I have a whole post about him during our time in Iceland.

I love him I love him I love him.