Sunday, May 06, 2007

Successful Mini Sniffa!


Four of us met at the Arizona Biltmore Fashion Park - pattyaz, spell_me (from MUA), L. and myself. We started off the day with coffee and chit chat followed by a mini swap! Each of us brought fragrances and samples that needed new homes and we were delighted to be able to re-home most of them.

We then headed to Product which carried some of the iProfumi di Firenze line but not the newer offerings. Therefore, we sampled Zenzero, Caterina de Medici, Florentia 22, Florentia 16, Ambra del Nepal, Cedro and others. None of us purchased here as the SA was not super knowledgeable or aware of the new scents available. (This is more of a cosmetics shop than a fragrance boutique.) Despite spell_me's and my plan to split Florentia 22, we just weren't that impressed with it today and therefore decided against it.

From there we proceeded to Saks Fifth Avenue where we stopped momentarily at the Jo Malone counter. Each of us found one that intrigued. Today Verbenas de Provence had me swooning. I literally could buy a new Jo Malone every time I shop there. Others we liked were Amber & Lavender, Nectarine Blossom & Honey and Black Vetyver Cafe. We also tried the new Paris springtime at the YSL counter and none of us were impressed enough to buy it.

We meandered to the main fragrance counter and spoke with Paul who completely took care of us!! He had us sniffing for a good 1/2 hour, mostly Annick Goutal and Bond No. 9. A few hits and purchases - Bond No. 9 Scent of Peace, Annick Goutal Les Nuits d'Hadrien, Jill Sander Style, and Bond No. 9 West Side.

My purchase was quite a bit more than I anticipated but I am happy to say that my long-term love/hate relationship with Le Baiser du Dragon has finally materialized into extreme like. I purchased 1 oz. parfum in this gorgeous scent! (Often parfum is the truest formulation, especially for Cartier fragrances.) Paul and his team were extremely good to all of us. He truly exemplifies what great fragrance customer service can be. Thank you Paul!

We decided to sit at another cafe to chat, sip tea and have a bite to eat. L.'s husband joined us as we discussed our findings of the day, swapped more samples and prepared to go home. I thoroughly enjoyed our little get-together!! What wonderful women I am fortunate to live close to!! As we exited, we called ourselves the original "Fab Four", in the hopes that our Sniffas will continue to grow. Thanks gals!! Enjoy your new fragrances and samples. ;-)


Image: my own, from left to right - me, L., pattyaz and spell_me

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had such a great time with you guys today, T! Thanks again for organizing our gathering!
Linda

Victoria said...

Oh I am so jealous!!! What happened to Marion? I was hoping she would join you.

I have the Florentia 22, so if you decide you want decants let me know. :O)

I'm coming to the NEXT one!!!

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

My pleasure L. It was fantastic!! And such a great way to spend more time together. Enjoy your Les Nuits!

xo,
T.

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

Victoria! You must join us next time! I did not hear from Marion but let me know her username and I'll contact her next time. Thank you so much for the Florentia 22 offer. ;-)

xo,
T.

Divina said...

I am so glad you had a great time! I'll be vicariously joining the adventures of the fab four through your writings ;) Well, fab five when V joins you guys! Btw..I'm lovin' your shoes girl...

violetnoir said...

Ooh, it sounds like you "Fab Four" perfume mavens had a great time together! I love the photo.

Did you test an IdPF called Costa Mediteranee or something like that? I tested it with my dear perfume friend, H, on Saturday and thought that it may have possibilities.

How about New York Fling in the Bond line? I had not found a Bond to love...until Saturday. It's fresh and pretty and perfect for warm weather. I also can't wait to test Coney Island.

Hugs!

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

Hello D! I am sorry to say that the iPdF scents you wanted to try were not available at the Product store. However, I did get a large sample of Bobbi Brown Beach and a sample of Bond No. 9 Fire Island for you! They'll be going in your package this week. ;-)

Thank you for your compliments on my shoes! They're quite comfy, I must add. ;-)

xo,
T

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

R.!

The only thing to make it better would be if you, D., IrisLa and V joined us!! And perhaps colombina, Robin, Karen D., Karen A. and others from the east coast. (I know I'm leaving out way too many to count!)

Unfortunately the new iPdF's were not available, much to our dismay. The shop owner was not even aware of them and made some excuse about magazine ads being way ahead of actual releases. (That was my first clue that she had no idea to whom she was speaking, or the depth and breadth of our knowledge!)

I'm glad to hear you found something to love in New York Fling! I haven't tried that one but continue to adore the boozy West Side. I'll have to give NY Fling a sniff next time. Have a wonderful day!

Hugs!
T

Divina said...

Good afternoon!
Wow, I now have even more to look forward to - I haven't had the chance to smell a Bond yet, you see. Speaking of packages, I sent yours today! I'll mail you details tonight, gotta run to several unpleasant meetings now. (ugh!)

Anonymous said...

Tamara, thanks so much for putting it all together! I had a wonderful time! Have you been wearing your Baiser du Dragon yet?

Such a fun group of ladies! I really enjoyed meeting you, Linda, and Patty. Fragrance people are just the NICEST! At Product: I couldn't help but notice how everyone maintained such warm and sweet smiles when the shop owner warned us against the horror of rubbing the wrists together!

Thank you again for a delightful time!

Suzy/spell me

IrisLA said...

So nice to see a photo of your sniffa and mini swap. Isn't it delightful to meet with other fragrance lovers? Even with someone you've just met, there's so much to talk about!

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

Hi Suzy!

I wore the Baiser on Sunday and adored it! I cannot believe how my taste has changed (see my original review).

I enjoyed meeting you too!! We are so fortunate to live close to one another. LOL about the woman at Product. I get the sense that not only does she not like fragrance, she is irritated by them. Did you notice when she said, "Oh, someone must have sprayed the ginger one! I can smell it" in an irritated fashion?

Thank you for joining us, Suzy!! You are a delight. ;-)

T.

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

Hello Iris,

Yes, we definitely had lots to discuss over the 4 or so hours we were together!! I adore spending time with you all.

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

Thank you D.!! I will throw in a few extra Bond No. 9 samples for you then. Thanks for getting my package out so quickly! How fun!

xo,
T.