“Wild Geese That Fly With the Moon on Their Wings …..” CQ’s Favourite Things 2019.

/ cookie queen

.

Val the Cookie Queen.

.

Hi Guys.

Into the last month of 2019.  Time for a round up of my favourite things.  It has been a busy year but when is it not?  Let’s start with books and end with perfumes huh?  Feel free to jump straight to the scents.  Here we go …….

“Wild Geese That Fly With the Moon on Their Wings …..”  CQ’s Favourite Things 2019.

Favourite Books.

I read a few.  Becoming by Michelle Obama and How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan are the two that come to mind first.  Both excellent.

IMG_1155.jpg

Favourite Music. 

I have had a fantastic year with music as host a live radio show once a month, which might become twice.  It has made me fall I l love with music all over again, and listen with new ears.  I went to see Brass Against in Vienna earlier in the year and that was my absolute favourite gig of 2019. I  Discovered Dizraeli this year, rapper, poet, and musician,  from Bristol.  Great stuff – I have played him on my shows and will continue to do so.

IMG_1160.jpg

Favourite Movies.

I go to the movies a lot, although rarely to mainstream films.    Free Solo was one of my two favourite films this year, although I think it was released in 2018.  It is a documentary film, profiling Alex Honnold, and his free solo climb of El Capitan.  Inspiring.   Blinded By the Light, the other.  Directed by Gurinder Chadha, and inspired by Sarfraz Manzoor`s life, it is set in Thatcherite Britain, and tells the story of Javed, a British-Pakistai Muslim, and how his life is changed by his discovering the music of Bruce Springsteen.  It is absolutely brilliant and especially at the end, when we see all the real life people that the actors played.  First class.  And I love Bruce.

IMG_1159.JPG

 

IMG_1153


Favourite thing I did?

Turned my bloody Facebook page off.  I have not quite deleted it yet, as I use Messenger, but I will.   I feel free without it.  I take a look around once a week, on the desktop, (and have not missed a thing as of yet) and post my blogs there.  But really …. ?   I am absolutely not knocking anyone who’s uses it, far from it, just not me.  I am DONE.

Favourite Cosmetic. 

The Chanel Baume Essentiel Multi-Use Glow Stick.  Transparent.. Absolutely fabulous stuff.  It is like a wet slick on the skin.  Not pearlised, or coloured.  Sheer, and dewy, and absolutely perfect for older skin.  I cannot praise it highly enough.  Bought a back-up, something I never do.

IMG_1151.JPG

And Finally My Favourite 2019 Perfumes. 

Frederic Malle – Rose & Cuir.  

Chanel Exclusif – 1957.  

Hiram Green – Lustre.  

IUNX – Talc.  

Jorum Studio –  Trimerous. 

(Late to the party discovery of the year goes to L’Artisan Passage d’Enfer.)

IMG_1156.jpg

 

Those APJsters, were a few of my favourite things.

I am taking a short break from APJ and will be back in the new year.  Roll on 2020.  A new decade.  So exciting!

Yuletide Bussis.

CQ

PS.  CQ´S SCENT OF THE YEAR.  Frederic Malle.  Rose & Cuir.  No question about it.

 

50 thoughts on ““Wild Geese That Fly With the Moon on Their Wings …..” CQ’s Favourite Things 2019.”

  1. Very nice post Val! I enjoyed reading about your favorites and thank you for sharing. Now I have a couple movies to check out and some new music to listen to! Recommendations are always appreciated!
    I also purchased 1957 and Lustre this year. I e read so much about Rose & Cuir and will have to sample it one day soon.
    Wishing you a fabulous Christmas and holiday season, and all the best for 2020! xx

    Liked by 1 person

    • I have used more than half a bottle of the 1957. A dry down from heaven. It is really exquisite. It would have been first, but then Malle/Ellena release the Rose & Cuir! Both divisive in their own ways, the Malle just squished the Chanel out of the way. Hahahahaha. The best of modern perfumery.
      Yes, I love the Lustre too. Very easy to wear and makes me feel good. Also has an fantastic dry down.
      I with yo a great Christmas too! And thanks for all the support and love. xxxx

      Like

  3. I compulsively check Facebook and there’s never anything remotely vital to keep up with. It’s a habit, that’s all.

    Loved reading your favourite things. I watched Free Solo because of you and it was great. I’ll see if I can rent Blinded By The Light over Christmas.

    My perfume of the year is also Rose et Cuir. Nothing comes close but I realise it’s not going to play well with everyone.

    I think Station Eleven is the best book I read this year.

    That glow stick looks fabulous!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. OOOH! I love end of year round ups Val.
    Working on my own currently.
    You know I hardly ever listen to music. It occurred to me about September this year. It used to be so integral to my life. Now, I have to force myself to invade my space with sound. So, since September I’ve been trying to put music on in the car. I confess the most played is ABBA: Arrival, Super Trouper and The Visitors albums.
    We also used to see movies but that has largely fallen by the wayside in recent years, Netflix and Jin’s Korean streaming service seem to be our watch of choice.
    I’m having real trouble picking 2019 faves. I did buy a few bottles though sop they will probably get the gong.
    We’ll miss you next fortnight.
    Portia xx

    Liked by 1 person

    • Love your year end faves Val! One of these days I will try Talc. Hope you are enjoying your new home. I cannot honestly say that I have a favorite perfume release of the year. Will mull that one over. Have a great week ahead.
      Sandra xo

      Liked by 1 person

    • I had no trouble picking my faves because they were the ones I bought. And if I had not thought they were amazing I wouldn’t have …….
      That is interesting what you say about music. I can only listen to it on my own. The car. And the gym. I think my nerves are f***ed – because if I listen in a car with other people in it, so chattering and loud music at the same time? I wanna smack my head against the windscreen. But I work on my playlists I the gym. I can stay there forever with my headphones in and listen to sounds. I do in fact.
      I love going to the movies because I then sit still and concentrate on the film. My attention span at home is much less, and I find it hard to concentrate on a film. I get up a hundred times to do stuff …. I go about three times a month between about Oct and March. Highly recommended. Love Abba. And you. xxxxx

      Like

      • You and I both Val, the gym and music playlists. Therapeutic in many ways!
        And I love movie theatres for same reason, I need to go more often as well.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Great list. Haven’t watched many movies this year so some for the holiday break. I’m lemming that Chanel highlighter now. I absolutely don’t need any makeup but my 51 year old face likes the idea so maybe a Christmas present. (I’m doing a year long no buy starting in January so if I want it I gotta get it now!!)

    Liked by 1 person

    • I have not needed make-up for years, at least not a new product – I just replace what I run out of. But this came highly recommended and it really is fantastic. It is the last thing I apply. When I first got it, and would notice in the car mirror I had forgotten to put it on, I would get out and go up three flights of stairs, and put it on. It is that gorgeous.

      Like

        • I just saw your response to Matty, you have transparent. I am going to order transparent as well as my Christmas gift to self! Thanks for the recommendation Val. I’ve found my skin looks best with dewy glow and highlights as my skin is getting more mature, and this Glow Stick will be perfect.

          Liked by 1 person

          • That is exactly it. It is perfect for older skin without looking shiny and pearly – which is awful. It is like a slick of glass. Way cool. I use a stippling brush or my fingers to apply. As I mentioned less is more. Let me know. xxxxx

            Like

      • So, where and how do you apply this stick? Do you wear any other makeup with it? I normally use the Guerlain Meteorites Perles if I want a fresh/alive looking face with no makeup. Otherwise if I am putting on eye makeup, blush and powder, I use Hourgless Ambient Lighting powders and blushes over regular moisturizer. I never wear foundation.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Apples of my cheeks and up towards the temples. I put it on with my fingers. And the bridge of the nose. Can use on your brow bones too. I put mine on top of my foundation most of the time, but under it is good too. Less is more. Andit stays all day and through a gym workout. You can always look at a tutorial for highlighters ……..

          Like

  6. Great lists!
    Rose & Cuir is in my best of the year too–thank you for making me smell that, because you know I’d not have otherwise. Jorum Trimerous, and Carduus, too. But then there’s St Clair Casablanca (which was new to me this year) and Chris Rusak’s 33 and Io, the lovely lazy comfort of Papillon’s Bengale Rouge, the gorgeous biomass weirdness of silencethesea, oh, and the Bogue unfiltered sample set was a delight…

    Best books? Both non fiction: Robert Macfarlane’s Underland, and Christopher De Hamel’s Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts which is both stunningly beautiful and charming.
    Barely been to the cinema. Facebook? Nah.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Cinema is so good. And you do not have to travel 50 minutes each way to go like I do, so try it. It‘s a great thing, and there are so many great films. Your perfume choices are both great and interesting! I love the crossovers that we have. I will wear N°19 today in fact. Big hugs. xxx

      Like

  7. I love both 1957 and Lustre, no regrets with those purchases. I can’t name a favorite purchase for 2019 though. I’ve enjoyed all my new acquisitions. I think JD Duality has been most worn.
    You’ve all had me curious about Rose & Cuir, it’ll be on my next sample purchase.
    That Chanel glow stick might just be my gift to self for Xmas!

    Like

  8. I am not sure how I have managed *not* to try 1957. Must remedy that someday soon. You are right, of course, Trimerous is beautiful! I also love Lustre. Rose and Cuir I have to try again . . .

    Liked by 1 person

  9. That Pollan book looks great, must track it down asap. I also stopped listening to music years ago, after being obsessed with it in my youth. My life is filled with a huge silence, vibrating with the incessant clamor of my brain and the noise pollution of the TV that my husband watches constantly at full volume. Maybe drowning it out with some music would help.

    I also rarely see a movie, probably because I don’t watch TV or read newspapers and have no idea what is in theatres.

    Facebook is a bear. On the one hand it’s like eating chocolates, filling you up with empty calories; on the other hand it fills the empty spaces of my introverted boring life. It’s a love/hate relationship. I would just pull the plug but would then lose touch with a few people/groups that matter to me.

    Favourite perfumes of the year: Hiram Green Voyage 2019, Papillon Perfumery Bengale Rouge, Goldfield & Banks Velvet Splendour and Arte Profumi Samharam (released in 2017 but discovered this year). I love the drydown of Lustre, once past the alarming bug spray citronellol opening.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Oh my goodness, you suffer with me! “The noise pollution of the TV that my husband watches constantly at full volume”. I have my very own sitting room in my house, where I play classical or spa music and read, and occasionally watch HGTV. It smells fantastic with my room sprays and perfume. A haven just for me (and my dog).

      Liked by 1 person

      • Amen. As women we need this desperately. A space to be on our own. Noise affects us differently to guys. That is a fact and needs to be considered. Even our scalps react in a different way.

        Like

        • Agreed, there are studies that conclude that women are more sensitive to noise than men and we experience noise as stressful. Congratulations on making your own space in your new apartment Val, we all need a little peace and comfort in our lives to decompress and re-charge.
          How exciting Hiram Green has exciting plans in the works! I am such a fan of his perfume. Shangri-La has been a long-time love. I will wear Lustre today and enjoy every minute of the drydown!

          Liked by 1 person

    • I do not listen to music at home, nor in the shop when I work. But I do have the radio on most of the time. BBC Radio 4 or BBC World Service. Find a movie theatre that shows independent films or foreign language, or the non-blockbusters. It is a joy to turn off for a couple of hours. Try it. I see what Kathleen has written below — I also have my own room. It is the second bedroom in our new apartment. I have the desktop in there for blogging and for watching BBC TV. I would hate to be without it. Indeed stepping into my bugpit is like being in England.
      Ha! I like the opening of Lustre just fine, but but am amazed every time at the beauty it turns into. I am in touch with Hiram a lot, and he has some exciting stuff in the pipeline. And give your husband some bluetooth headphones for the telly.
      I won‘t pull the plug on FB yet. But never on my iToys again. Making the effort to turn on the desktop to use it is ideal for me. And a pain in the ass ——. 😊

      Like

      • I have actually seen a couple of documentaries in the theatre this year, now that you mention it. My husband has bluetooth headphones but doesn’t always wear them, if it is really driving me insane I go downstairs and insist he put them on. My refuge is the upstairs master bedroom where I have a reading couch, the dog and I hang out there together a lot.

        I am very excited to hear about new developments with Hiram, I follow him on FB and he has become one of my top three perfumers I follow avidly.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. I’ve read and reviewed about 70 books so far this year. Probably the highlight for me was some of the indigenous authors that I read: Tony Birch, Tara June Winch, Melissa Lucashenko and Bruce Pascoe among them. I was also deeply impressed by Bri Lee’s Eggshell Skull. For a fun read, especially if you’re into music, I can recommend Daisy Jones and the Six, which is presently being made into a TV series.

    I didn’t get to see many films this year, but I loved Joker. Surely Phoenix is going to win the Oscar for that performance. On TV, I loved Ghosts, Killing Eve, Gentleman Jack, Spiral, Informer, Years And Years, and Giri/Haji.

    Musically, my favourite new song was an instrumental by The Comet Is Coming called Summon The Fire. If you like sax, this is a mind-blowing stomp. Live music was highlighted by concerts from Leo Sayer, Ian Moss, John Butler and an incendiary blues guitarist called Matty T. Wall. We do OK for a small town, when it comes to live music.

    Fragrance-wise I didn’t try much in the way of new frags this year; I’m trying my best to cut down on acquisition and start getting through my collection. That’s not going to stop me from vintage-hunting, and my favourite find this year was a ginormous bottle of 1950’s era R&G Farina EdC.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I am going to look into all of those books Greg, thanks. And the music. I love Leo Sayer. I went to see him back in, oh gosh, about 1978? When Adam faith was managing him. Saw him twice in fact. Nah – no vintage for me, unless it alls into my hands. Then I really enjoy it. Thanks a lot for so many tips. xxxx

      Like

      • It was only by seeing Leo live that I realised just how many hits he has had and over such a long period. And, unlike his equivalents today, he wrote nearly all of them. In fact, he started out writing for Roger Daltrey. He’s in his 70s now, but he can still put on a good show.

        This weekend I’m going to see another potentially good concert: Lloyd Cole. Remember him?

        Liked by 1 person

        • Of course. Rattlesnakes. Perfect Skin. Thanks. I’ll play them on my show. I had forgotten. Any other tips message me on Instagram @armadilloscookiequeen. Great stuff. Hope the gig is good. I went to see the Lumineers last month. Do you know them? xx

          Like

          • Yep, heard The Lumineers on the radio just today. Their new song makes it at least five well-known songs I can think of named Gloria.

            Like

  11. I so admire you turning off Facebook, and reading and seeing as many films as you do. The DJ-ing sideline is a perfect fit for you and I am glad you enjoy it as much as your audience will surely do.

    You have made me wonder where my own time goes? Okay, gigs, knitting, home repairs, and messing about on Facebook!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Oh my gosh V. You are so busy it puts me into a coma. Yeah, I love the film time of the year. And I don’t read as much as I think I am going to. I have so many books around that I have not finished or indeed started. I tried to knit once. xxx

      Like

  12. Happy holidays and happy New year, Val!
    Never had a Facebook account and have unsubscribed myself from everything recently. I am craving silence and simplicity in my life at the moment. Not even reading or listening to music. I knit, watch a bit of TV, post on APJ, babysit my furry granddaughter and communicate regularly with family and friends. And work a stressful full time job.
    No 2019 perfume releases that blew me away …..but then again I am so far behind in sampling what’s new! Can’t keep up with new releases! LOL 🤣 😂

    Liked by 1 person

    • I only bother with the new releases that interest me. Which is basically none. Well, the five I got the year. I have heard about the St Clair scents, and if something came my way I would certainly try them. I could have tried some at Crikey´s, bit got waylaid by other stuff. I am much more into you know, niche-y stuff, created by known perfumers. Giacobetti, Ellena …… I get as much joy out of my Vero´s as I ever did, and that totally fills the niche/artisanal hole for me. Full time work needs to be balanced by peace and silence. I so agree. Have a great festive season and a “Guten Rutsch in Neue Jahr!” —- a good slide into the new year. Thanks for your never ending support. xxxxx

      Like

  13. Hello Val.
    Love your list on 2019 and lists from the commenters.
    2019 did not quite turn out quite as I expected at the start of the year so I continue to seek refuge in cinemas, theatres and any other distractions I can find. So here’s my list:

    Movies: The Joker, Irishman, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Paraite, The Farewell and Pain and Glory are just some that come to mind.

    Theatre: Angels in America, Prima Facie, Cypress Avenue, Anatomy of a Suicide, Things I Know to be True, Lehman Trilogy, The View Upstairs. Secret River, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman and quote a few more from the Edinburgh festivals.

    TV: Total Control and Years and Years.

    Music: I think I have discovered a new band, for me anyway, from our recent Australian music award show: The Tesky Brothers. Need to explore more of their music.

    Haven’t really tried too many 2019 perfume releases that made an impression but I now have a sample of C&R to try based on your love and Portia’s review. I also need to try 1957…

    I know I haven’t commented much but I do visit APJ regularly and I thank you for your contribution throughout the year.

    Tim

    Liked by 1 person

    • I will check out the music as soon as I get I to the shop this morning Tim. It’s great to get recommendations. Thanks. I wish o could go to the theatre – just not part of my
      life in Austria. Guess I could try opera.
      I should see The Joker, but somehow was put off by, hmmmm, dunno. Too violent , sad …. I will though. Yeah. I will.
      C&R is very divisive. More people have or than love. I Love the cold smokiness of it in my clothes the next day. And spray enough, one tentative spritz only works with Portrait Iof a Lady. Thanks for commenting.
      Yeah – sometimes life does not turn out as planned, well, basically never. ☺️ And places of refuge are essential.
      Off to make dough and check out The Tesky Brothers. ❤️

      Like

Comments are closed.