Seychelles Follies

Seychelles Follies

I will have these shoes. I have to ship them to my parents’ house in the U.S. because Piperlime sucks, but oh well. I’m hoping they go on sale soon, because $80 is a bit too much for me to spend on “fun” shoes as opposed to “practical” shoes, but I’m not really sure I can hold out for a sale. These shoes are like a soothing balm; whenever I get upset about something, I think of purple suede wedges, and immediately feel better.

Esprit Laced Granny Shoes

Esprit Laced Granny Shoes

I saw these in person today, at an Esprit store. I was actually there searching for a certain type of purse, which probably has a name but I don’t know it; clutch with a long strap? Anyway, they didn’t have anything close to what I was looking for, but these funky (ew, I shouldn’t use that word) shoes caught my eye from across the store. They’re so cute in person. I’m not sure they’d be comfortable, but they’d look awesome peeking out from under a pair of dark jeans.

UGG Classic Short Boot

Ugg Classic Short Boot

Ugh. (HAR HAR) I’ve never liked Uggs, which turn everyone’s feet into those of a badly drawn cartoon character; but there have been several moments in the past week when I would gladly trade my high-heeled, non-insulated leather boots for a snuggly pair of flat-footed, fur-lined Uggs.

I have some Sorels (purchased on advice of this blog post; check eBay for good deals) that kept my feet super-happy during a seriously cold 2008/2009 winter, but it seems extreme to wear them now, as the temperatures are still almost in the Celsius teens and the rain isn’t very heavy. Then again, I’ve been fighting the temptation to break out my long, down-filled parka already, so I guess I’m just seeking comfort wherever I can find it.

Apparently this is a tough perfume to locate, although I found it at my local mini-Sephora (I live in a country with no real Sephoras, only Sephora sections inside department stores. Sob). According to the only review I could find, “notes are tomato leaf, blood orange, water lily, coral orchid, narcissus, tulip, birch”. Sure, why not? I like semi-soapy perfumes—I used to wear Clean and Clean Provence, but mini-Sephora doesn’t carry them—and to me, DKNY Energizing has that “just out of the shower” smell. Not exactly, because a too-strong soapy scent (like Ivory soap or dryer sheets) stings my eyes. But I love soap+citrus.

Fresh Hesperides

Citrus is definitely a theme in my, uh, perfume library? Perfumery? Whatever. I like citrus, it seems. Hesperides is apparently unique among citrus perfumes, as it was created to be longer-lasting than most. I’m not sure about that, as I’ve found other Fresh citrus perfumes to last longer (see below), but it smells good going on, and that’s enough for me. It almost smells like candy, but it stops short of being overly sweet. I think it’s a bit of a weird perfume, but I like it, and the bottle is huge.

Fresh Sugar Lemon

I was unsure about Sugar Lemon at first. Although I gravitate toward citrus perfumes, the lemon put me off. I thought it would be too sweet. But a friend bought a small bottle and after shopping with her and therefore smelling her all day, I wanted my own. It’s sweet going on but it mellows out as it dries. And it lasts better than Hesperides.

Fresh Memoirs of a Geisha

Not sure how I ended up buying so many Fresh perfumes. Anyway, Memoirs of a Geisha was released in 2005, to promote the movie. I actually bought the bar soap first, I think because I liked the scent and the soap was discounted for Sephora’s Christmas sale. I eventually bought the eau de toilette itself. Apparently it’s considered to be a fruity floral fragrance (say that three times fast). I knew that it was a step outside my soap/citrus comfort zone, but it’s light enough that I don’t mind the floral parts. It’s not too old lady and not too teenage girl. I still have one bar of soap left; maybe someday I’ll use it.

Calvin Klein euphoria

Another left turn from my usual preferences, but this one grew on me. At first sniff, I immediately thought of my army of great aunts, and I almost expected to smell cigarette smoke and coffee behind the perfume. But somehow, this is another outside-the-box perfume that grew on me. When I wear it, I feel like I’m wrapped in a layer of scented silk. It smells great as it warms up with my body heat. However, it requires much care in application, because it’s easy to overdo it, and any bit of cloth that you touch will smell of euphoria for days afterwards.

Versace Bright Crystal

A friend gave me this as a birthday gift. I was a bit concerned—even the giver acknowledged that perfume is a very personal thing—but I do like this one. The giver felt that it smells like spring. It is a light, bright scent. Apparently it’s feminine and floral. It’s another perfume that I consider to be outside my norm (although the more I think about it, the more I realize that I own just as many perfumes in my norm as out, so maybe my norm is just an illusion). I don’t think to wear it very often, but then again, I go through phases with scents. Maybe I’ll be contrary and wear Bright Crystal this winter instead of euphoria, which is definitely a cold-weather scent.

DKNY Be Delicious

I don’t wear Be Delicious, because I think it’s too young for me. I do like it; I had a little roll-on sampler a few years ago, which actually might be in an old makeup bag somewhere (I have a lot of makeup bags, for someone who doesn’t even wear eyeshadow 99% of the time). It’s sort of a borderline citrus, borderline soapy smell to me. But I doubt I’ll ever buy a full-size bottle.

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom

I just read a review of this perfume, and I have to say I’m interested. Citrus+floral sounds like it’s right up my alley. And although I have more than enough perfume already, I’ve kind of been itching for a new one. And I always need an easy Christmas gift idea when my boyfriend’s parents start asking.

I don’t think I ever bought one of those little white tubs of this magical stuff. I remember seeing it at SuperTarget once, but I don’t remember using it.

Despite my fashionista failures, Europe has since accepted me, enough to at least grant me temporary residence and work permits. I walk past four of those fancy-schmancy European drugstores on my way to my office each day. Shiny new tubs of Soft are available to me for less than €5.

The drugstores, by the way, do not resemble the old-fashioned apothecaries that the Lucky announcement invoked so much as they resemble your local strip-mall Walgreen’s. And they don’t smell like anything at all, except maybe sweaty people when it’s hot outside and there’s insufficient air conditioning (sometimes related to the fact that the building was built in the 17th century, sometimes related to the fact that obstinate northern Europeans don’t like to admit that it gets hot here, too).

Nivea Soft doesn’t smell like sweaty people. It smells like some kind of soothing medical ointment; something you’d put on a burn or diaper rash. It’s not herbal in the least, which breaks with the whole “cute European apothecary” ideal. I imagine nurses using it.

I find the smell very comforting. I’m a recovering Bath & Body Works user; a mere nine years ago, every centimeter of my bathroom shelf was crowded with lotions and body sprays with names like Juniper Breeze and Cucumber Melon. A mere three years ago, carefully hoarded bottles of discontinued Sparkling Green Apple lotion still sat in my closet.

Then one day, I decided that I was tired of smelling like fruits that sparkled for no discernible reason. I would eschew all scented lotions, save Burt’s Bees Milk and Honey (quite runny, but absorbs nicely and dries to a mild vanilla-ish fragrance) and Origins Ginger Soufflé Whipped Body Cream (which, despite its corny name, is a fast-absorbing moisturizer with a non-cloying, spicy smell). I tossed my B&BW lotions—which were probably to old to use anyway—and devoted myself to a life of Aveeno and Suave. OK, I still occasionally treated myself to an overpriced travel-size tube of Bliss hand lotion at Sephora every once in a while—it has this awesome lemon fragrance—but otherwise, I was done. Done!

I like my daily lotion to be clinical, a medical treatment with no perfumes or flowers or fruits sullying it. This is ridiculous, of course—that medicinal smell is a perfume itself—but it’s like eating broccoli instead of chips or drinking water instead of soda. It’s something I can get self-righteous about.

All that smell stuff aside, Soft is actually a nice lotion that absorbs well, with no greasiness. It absorbs well enough that I can use my purse-sized tube on the train and not have to worry about leaving handprints on all the railings. I use it regularly at work, and there haven’t been complaints from my colleagues yet. Maybe they, too, are thinking of nurses carefully applying ointments to sooth dry, irritated skin and to—I think it’s fair to say—improve the moral fiber and general quality of the patient’s mortal soul.