Escale aux Marquises (or, not really)

Let me start elsewhere.

I know that it's a stylistic approach I use so often that it may qualify either as being boring or as abuse. But this story indeed starts elsewhere.

I went to buy some stuff. Namely a tunic of fine white linen. This is a clothing item that probably exists only in my wild dreams because all that would have the right shape was made of slippery polyester satin, weird indefinable stuff that scratched from ten metres afar... and if it was the right material, it wasn't a white tunic but a shirt embroidered in faux mother of pearl. At the end, I wandered to a department store, got something in turquoise polyester (1) (I almost got a matching bra. Almost because I'm fat but that's yet another story).
The department store has a perfume and cosmetics department so I leered around in case there was something I had missed and I spotted Cristal Boreal on display.

The jewel that contains a lip gloss of marginal colour. Last year's limited edition. I wanted to get it but I forgot and on fleabay it sells for around $200. The shop assistant noticed me loitering, asked Can I help you, I said yes, I want this... and there it was. For 71 euros. Apparently, the shop assistant was glad to have sold old crap because I got a generous handful of freebies. Miniature coral red lipstick, for example, and I have an urge to actually wear it (my usual colours being gold and silver....) and some samples, including the Escale aux Marquises.

I actually tried that even in the store and I'm somewhat underimpressed. I'm not much of a citrus person and this one smells so strongly of lemon peel that it makes my eyes water. There's some petitgrain, a hint of myrrh and after a few hours, the adstringent quality wanes and the fragrance gets rather resinous. I didn't find tiaré in the composition, I'm easily overwhelmed by citruses (2).

I like the Cruise Collection as an idea. Alas, Escale à Portofino gets stinky on me and Escale à Pondichéry is nice but with no staying power - on the contrary from the citrus couple. If the Diors make a myrrh cologne next year, I'll be standing in the line. Now, should anyone want my sample, write a blurb in the comments, and excuse me for now, I have to adore my lip balm in a shiny box.

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(1) I should have gotten a tube of sunscreen, SPF 50, tan and turquoise do not mix well unless I would want to look as a beach volley instructor. Which isn't a way to go, trust me.
(2) Thinking of it, there are two prominently citrusy fragrances that I like: Nina Ricci's Bigarade, velvety bitter composition with so much petitgrain that in theory I shouldn't survive it and Montale's cold and distant Soleil du Capri. Cologne has to be myrrh and more myrrh to me. Green tea would be fine, too but I haven't met a fragrance that would have a decent staying power on me.

Shopping spree

On which I bought nothing, basically.

For some reason, when the new Dior fragrance, Escale a Pondichery, was announced, I became obsessed with that. It sometimes happens. I became equally obsessed with the Hermes eaux, Gentiane blanche and Pamplemouse rose. Gentian is one of my iconic flowers for some rather complicated and personal reasons (It'll be elaborated and re-elaborated in some of the upcoming botany rants, no worries). I expected a lot from the fragrance: sky turned a blazing copper bowl, cold wind on the top of the mountain, spruce resin and something bitterish in the air and then, an accord of the tiny and extremely cuteGentiana verna growing in the little stream. Or otherwise, the stately plant of Gentiana punctuata in the middle of the festuca grassland.
All I got was sand pushed down my throat and some adstringent roots.

Eau de Pamplemouse rose was better but still not my cup of tea. I simply don't like grapefruits.
The other stop was Sisley's. I tried all the three Eaux de Sisley and I remained unimpressed. No.1 is another citrusy splashy thing I wouldn't be offended with but I wouldn't buy either, No. 3 should be more citrusy with ginger for extra fun but oddly enough, I don't like citruses and detect them pretty well... and I can't find any. Sweet flowers, I read osmanthus as honey and violets, but, no ginger, no citruses. Weird. No. 2 however... hit something dormant. Grass and spruce resin! Our old summer house where I spent half of my childhood, with the half-neglected garden with the largest pear tree ever.... but somehow, in Eau de Sisley 2, there was the initial spruce and grass accord that didn't continue to the pear three and the best apricots ever and clematis pergola. Pity.
Then I discovered that they don't have Pondichery but that there's the older version of Miss Dior in the shelf, the one in pink box. In vain attempt No. Bajillion-and-twenty, I tried it. There's more lily of the valley than in the newest version (white box, dating described nicely by Helg, my information comes from her) but it's not the nice lovable one as in the miniature, undated, I snatched from my mom, nor is it what I remember from the huge bottle of Diorissimo I gave mom for her birthday many years ago. I want lily of the valley fragrance, damn, that will be so nice and sweet as the old Miss Dior.

I went to the department store to check for Pondichéry. Just in case. The Dior woman said that next week (they told me 'next week' last week, too, liars) and offered me the J`adore L`eau Cologne Florale, hot new summer thingy. I tested it some time ago and it didn't really impress me. Because it was on paper, I can add now. I already ranted about it somewhere or somewhere else because it's a good story but... citruses and white flowers not rarely react with my skin to cat piss. I thought the fragrance a benign summer splash, let the Dior lady spray it on my hand... and only then she told me that it's bergamot and whatever else and magnolia. Even before she finished, I smelled the stench of three days uncleaned litter box.
I needed some antidote so I went to try Nahéma again. I couldn't decide whether I liked it and I finally decided I didn't. I'm not a big fan of Guerlain, there's something that just doesn't appeal to me in their classics. Nahéma is a heavy floral with a touch of aldehydes - but forget the aldehydes of, say, Chanel No. 22 or Rive Gauche, these are decadent aldehydes that would smell like soap in a bathroom equipped with gold watertaps. But, too many heavy flowers, the citrus/white blossom combo that results in Eau du Chat effect is there, too, and after a few hours there come some weird roots or woods. I decided to sell off the one I have and pass on to somewhere else.

And it rained almost all day long, too.