Not the Guerlain Bee. And other current stuff.

/ cookie queen

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Hey there APJ.

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I was in Prague last week.  My husband (mental age 23, real age just turned 60) and we went away to celebrate his big birthday in peace.  We rode more than 120 km on old bikes through the streets of Prague, discovering the beautiful city, especially fun over the cobblestones. That was all in 2 days.  As we cycled round we came across a Guerlain store, lovely windows, full of bee bottles and the parfum bottles.  I am not a true Guerlain girl and am just not interested in the tons of news stuff, including the Aqua Allegoria series (pastel colours!) nor the bottles that they are in.  If the bottle sucks you can be sure I am not gonna be interested.  I was recently talking to The Candy Perfume Boy about how incredibly important packaging is…..  Talking of CPB, I hope you have all listened to the recent Fume Chat podcast, it is back.   I did get however get excited about seeing Jicky in the window, and decided to return the next day to go in and try all three versions of it.  I had never tried it.   Yeah, yeah ,whatever.  The SA was marvelous and I sprayed hefty doses of the EdT, EdP, and the Parfum, and left.  I rather liked the parfum, but not enough to fork out the dosh.  I could not detect one single tiny hint of lavender in any of them, and would much rather drown myself in Chanel`s Boy, and I have Shalimar which is Jicky enough for me.  And anyway,  I have my own bee.

Not the Guerlain Bee.  And other current stuff.

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My new bee.  

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As I lay in bed pondering blog posts, perfumes, music, cookies …..this arrived in my Messenger from a good perfumista friend.  Ja wohl.

I successfully got through my second radio show, having made a few improvements on my first one.  A long way to go but progress is progress.  The August show will be psychedelic music or music that mentions psychedelics.  Just right for the summer, and the playlist is coming along nicely.  Feel free to throw in any suggestions in the comments.

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I recently bought Chanel´s Paris – Deauville, the 50ml bottle.  Bitter and green, elegant, and with patchouli in the base, longer lasting than a normal cologne.  Fantastic in the heat.  And lovely bottle.

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I am reading Jon Savage´s 1966.  “Exploring artists such as The Beatles, James Brown, Dusty Springfield, The Supremes, Love, The Velvet Underground,a dn The Who, and taking in figures like Pauline Boty, Andy Warhol, Stokely Carmichael and Ronald Reagan. 1966 goes deep into the social and cultural heart of the decade.”  Savage is a superb writer.

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Fab pop music of the week?  Billie with Justin of course.

Music tips?  Book tips?  Should I persevere with some of the Guerlains?

Peace Out Bussis.

CQ.

 

 

33 thoughts on “Not the Guerlain Bee. And other current stuff.”

  2. The musk in Jicky gives me a stabbing headache. Haven’t tried it for years though, maybe it’s not as screechy now. Never owned or loved any of the AAs. Very envious of your bottle of Deauville though. I think it’s fantastic.

    Very excited about the upcoming psychedelic episode. Songs in that vein which I love are Venus in Furs, Arnold Layne, Strawberry Fields and The End.

    You bee is wonderful!

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    • The EdP was extremely screechy. The parfum was nice, but nice is not enough. And I could not really smell the EdT with the EdP freakingout all over the place. Yeah, Deauville is just great.
      Venus in Furs is on the playlist. Probably the original album version, although I may play the Lou Reed with Jane Scarpanotoni on cello version. There will be Doors. xxxx

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  3. I think if you’re not a Guerlain person that’s ok. Just wear more of the Paris-Deauville. I’m finding that I’m reaching for mine every afternoon when the morning perfume has worn off!

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    • I am not, nope. I will double up on the Chanel though, you are quite right in your advice. I think Deauville will be nice in the winter too, as a reminder of summer. It lasts sooooooo long on me, I am amazed. xxx

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  4. Listened to your second show and loved it! Deliciously eclectic playlist.
    For your psychedelic show I’m throwing in The Psychedelic Furs ‘Heaven’ and The Leopard’s ‘Psychedelic Boy’.
    Cheers.

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    • Oh yes. Psychedelic Furs. Have not listened to them in years. Don‘t know the Leopards. Will check that out. Thanks a lot for listening!!! That is at least 9 people now …. ❤️

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  5. I am not a Chanel girl, much more of a Guerlain girl, although I don’t care for the classics like Jicky or the AA’s… or the million little black dress flankers.

    I do like your bee though. 🙂 And 1966 was a very good year.

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  8. Great bee, Val! I used to tell myself that Shalimar was Jicky enough for me, too but then I got a vintage bottle of J (made in 1985), and it’s a masterpiece in its own right. Surprisingly, Le Galion Special for Gentlemen (2014) is rather similar to this vintage. As for suggestions, maybe try Vol de Nuit when you have a chance. Vintage is out of this world but I also love the current edt.

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    • Glad you like the bee. 😉 I will sit quietly and wait for some vintage stuff to come to me. I can well believe that in the case of the older Guerlains that vintage is better. Your comment home running last night to unearth a few xms of vintage VdN EdT and have a few sprays. Drop dead gorgeous, big time. I will try the current EdT next time I am in Vienna. I guess I could find it in Linz too ….. Thanks for the timely reminder to go and look in my black box with stuff I forget I have in it. xxxxx

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      • Wow, you’ve got a real treasure chest, Val! Could it be that you have some Parure or Chant d’Aromes hidden in there somewhere? Their “pour homme” are also quite good, especially Habit Rouge (edc or edp, edt is too grassy) and Vetiver.

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  9. Nice bee, Val! And isn’t Prague varied and fabulous? I would love to go back.

    I do have to defend the Guerlain AAs, at least I think some of the earlier ones were great, HerbaFresca for instance. And AA Pamplelune was more or less my signature scent for years. All that said, Shalimar and several other classics haven’t worked for me, so I’m more eager to try the classic colognes than the orientals.

    Need to listen to the new episode of Perfumechat, I assumed they had stopped making those podcasts altogether.

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    • Hi there Ingeborg! Fume Chat took a year off, everyone thought it had stopped. But no, Thomas and Nick are back with series two. I listened twice. I love hearing them together.
      I have heard on several occasions http the Pamplelune is beautiful, I should give it a go. I was of course overwhelmed by all of them at once in the store. The bottles might look better one at a time too. But hey? being so picky Is part of the perfuita behavior, mine at least!
      Yes, Prague was really beautiful. I was so glad we took the bikes. Gave us total freedom to go everywhere and see so much of the city through the side streets. Could lock them up whenever and walk around. I would really love to go in the winter, I know they have fabulous Christmas markets too.
      xxxx

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  10. Glad you had fun in Prague with the Bike King! I found Deauville very pleasant though not FBW as such – agree that it would be grand in the heat. Jicky fell somewhere between janitorial and lavatorial for me, but in a classy way, if that is possible. On the subject of bees, I once interviewed a man called Herr Doktor Hummelsieb (‘Bumblebee-Sieve’). Still makes me smile. As bee tattoos go, that one is very fine.

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    • Hi V!! I am sorry you had to find out about the bee on APJ: I was too scared to tell you. 😉 Classy bog cleaner? I totally get that. Hummelsieb? That is name to lust after. Brilliant. Nothing is FBW any more to be honest, but …….. Bussis xxxxx

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  11. Great bee. I do not own a single Guerlain. I’ve tried a number, but nothing clicks. But its always good to get some perfume sniffing in with the biking and celebrating!

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    • Hi there Amy! Yeah – it was an added bonus stumbling across the Guerlain store. I would be quite happy with no Guerlains, but enjoy what I have OK. On the other hand no Chanels and I would have no perfume collection. I am so happy with my bee …… Mwah. xxxxxx

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  12. Heya Val,
    Well, I am surprised that Jicky didn’t float your boat. TBH I thought you would adore it. Also a pity you don’t like the Aqua Allegoria bottles, I think them a very fun and clever refurb of the classic bee bottles and they look so pretty in a row. The CHANEL eau series is basically along the same lines as most of the AAs, pretty, simple, cologne-ish and wearable scents with white musk underlay. There are some exceptions which could have been pillar fragrances for Guerlain like Lys Soleia and Ylang & Vanille.
    If I didn’t like the bottle there’s little chance I’d buy the frag too.
    Psychedelia is Nana Mouskouri: Over and Over, Dusty Springfield: Windmills Of Your Mind, Aquarius and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds to me. Yeah, pretty mainstream stuff but I’m not very music avant garde. Loved your radio show, it’s a bold new world for me.
    Currently wading through James A Michener The Drifters. I read it when I was a young teen and it formed so many of my thought patterns (another thoughtful present from my Dad who also gave me The Naked Civil Servant and other amazing choices). It’s interesting reading it again 35 or so years later and finding integral parts of my personal credo written into a novel.
    HA! I ramble.
    Love you
    Portia xx

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    • Hi Honey! In fairness to Jicky it was all of it at one time and the steaming around Prague on a bike. I will give the Parfu, another go at some point, It just felt to me that it as trying to be like Shalimar. And I do love Shalimar. I also dug out a few xls of VdN vintage EdT last night, which I had kind of forgotten about. I think that is very beautiful and may put Tara to work finding some. I remember loving the Parfum too. So I am not a total lost cause. I may well adore a Jicky when it is not 36 degrees outside and not trying to evaluate it whilst riding over cobblestones and in-between a million tourists.
      I do not think they look pretty in a row, that is exactly what I did not like. Maybe in a supermarket in the toiletries department, Way too plasticy. Well – perhaps that is true about the Chanel Eauxs, but I like the bottles. Hahahahahaha.
      Yeah – really. Bottles are very important huh?
      The Guerlain store on Prague was very lovely though. Beautifuly laid out and impeccable service. I would have love to have spent more that just a few minutes there.
      I will be interviewing you for my show at some point, when I have learned how to do all the stuff. I love pop and mainstream too, after all, that is what we all remember. What is more mainstream than Billie andJustin?
      I love you too. Ramble more. xxxxx

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  13. Hi Val, Your tour of Prague sounds great. We love the city but haven’t been back for a while. Love the bee BTW. Great post.
    Sandra xo

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