The Place: The Perfume House, Portland Oregon
After spending more than an hour dabbing, spritzing, and scribbling my way through a series of heavy-hitting classics, I finally exclaimed, “Show me something green!” The staff at PH have an endless supply of both patience and knowledge. Tracy, the beautiful and sophisticated daughter-in-law of the famed proprietor, has helped me each time I’ve visited, and she seems to know how to put the right thing in my hand at the right time. After the heady florals and orientals (and floral orientals), smelling Via Camerelle was like hitting reset on my nose.
Yesterday I responded to Olfactoria’s question, “What are your fragrant regrets?” by answering that, while I don’t actually regret buying Via Camerelle, my $75 might have been better spent elsewhere.
Maybe. Maybe not…
In the Green category, I’ve got decants of Chanel Bel Respiro, and No. 19. Where the Chanel’s present a bitter, vivid, verdant green, Via Camerelle is a tender, almost sparkly, pale green. It brings to mind coastal towns, but there aren’t any watery or ozonic notes—I think that it’s merely complimentary to the idea of a seaside retreat. There’s a zesty lemon-grapefruit edge on it that I enjoy, although I do wish that it lasted longer.
I left the house this morning with no fewer than five spritzes, and on my lunch break four hours later, I sprayed on at least five more. The sillage is minimal, and it fades away to a pale musk after an hour or so.
At the moment, I’m dancing around the purchase of three exquisite, expensive fragrances. Hunker down and re-calibrate; that’s where I’m at. And I turn to Via Camerelle to get me there; nothing to regret about that.
Try a sample from The Perfumed Court, or, for a full bottle Beautyhabit or, beginning 2/2/11, Luckyscent.
beauty on the outside 
It is great you found a good purpose for an “almost-regret”. In this spirit I will go through my little stash of regrets again, times and attitudes change. Maybe I swing back to the reasons why I bought them in the first place. 🙂 And than you for reminding me of many lovely Italian vacations, I could use the warm sun today, even if only in my memories.
*wishing that I was on vacation in Italy*
B., this little number gets quite a bit of wear, due to, as Marina accurately pointed out, olfactory fatigue! It’s a perfect little “cleansing” number that helps me to approach the *important* stuff with clarity 😉
And, despite its somewhat more masculine reasons, Mr. Howe wears it willingly!
So you bought it out of olfactory fatigue. I think it;s a very respectable excuse 🙂 My curious mind wants to know which 3 fragrances you are thinking of buying? 🙂
Olfactory fatigue! That is exactly it Marina— that’s the perfect way to describe why I bought it, and how I use it.
Oh, there are no surprises here:
1. Bois des Iles, which is practically free these days 😉
2. Memoir Woman
3. L’ Heure Fougueuse
In 2011, I will buy all three (full-bottles which will not be split!), but I’ll probably acquire Memoir first.
Now… it’s just a matter of showing restraint with my perfume budget to make it happen!
I have some fragrances like that too, which hardly last, but somehow they are so uplifting that I forgive them. 28 La Pausa is one of them.
Yes, the Les Exclusifs as a line come to mind—I think that if I wore several, then wore Via Camerelle, I would not be able to distinguish which was an LE and which was not (I have not tried all the LE’s), as far as prettiness and lasting power go 🙂