...

...Thank you Apicius.

...Wow. Fragrantica flashback. I always detested the vicious bullying there. Seems worse here.

...Thank you - what a good article!

...I lavish my home and loved ones with scent - I constantly have essential oils / scented candles on the go at home. I am burning a Sandalwood candle right now. I love scented fabric softeners (I think I have found a sublime combination at the moment - Radiant Colour Care liquid + Earth Choice Pure Soft = wonderful smelling laundry).I love smelling perfume on people. My garden is full of scented flowering plants and herbs and as I sit here now I can smell Mint, Gardenia and Mock Orange wafting in from my garden on the evening breeze.I think beautiful scents enhance my life and environment. By the same token, I find unpleasant smells physically distressing and kind of depressing.

...The 'Patience' Fisher & Paykel washing machine ad with the French bulldog and his bunny is just beautiful. A guaranteed smile.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2Rnk14_JEoWolfM - the sooner you advertise here, the better' cracked me up!

...Scarletting:Perfumecrazy:I just popped over to the 'F' word and all the fans are feverishly trying to figure out what perfume Katniss would wear... :lol: There are at least 2 threads devoted to this and as I am incredibly impressionable I started wondering what, indeed, the answer to that question is! Then I panicked and flicked back to Parfumo where sanity prevails. Phew.But Katniss wouldn't even wear a perfume? It'd waft to animals while she was hunting and scare them away. It would be an expense she'd never be able to rationalise when actual necessities are scarce. Not to mention it would remind her of the Capitol and all its excess. Don't even *think* of giving her a rose based perfume!Totally agree although she might be convinced to wear something for her promotional appearances as the 'girl on fire' (maybe). I must say, one poster called 'Beaker' made me laugh - they inserted perfumes but edited the names so there were things like;Britney Spears Boobytrapped Island Fantasy and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbombing of District 13. :lol: I almost spilt my tea.

...I just popped over to the 'F' word and all the fans are feverishly trying to figure out what perfume Katniss would wear... :lol: There are at least 2 threads devoted to this and as I am incredibly impressionable I started wondering what, indeed, the answer to that question is! Then I panicked and flicked back to Parfumo where sanity prevails. Phew.

...Funny article but none of them quite describe me.I remember when I first started, it was after I did an aromatherapy course and it confirmed what I already knew - 1. scents affect/enhance mood and 2. blending different notes is incredibly satisfying magical alchemy which presents infinite possibilities.I bought The Guide and starting reading about perfumes. I made lists of the classic, 'must try' perfumes. Then I researched online. Then I ordered samples. I remember sniffing and looking at the notes and trying to sort them out in my mind - what am I smelling now? Is this what violet leaves smell like?Once I had tried all the classics and modern popular scents, I started reading notes and imagining what different perfumes would smell like. I selected a few from Lucky Scent without thinking of the word 'niche'. They were artisanal to me. Artistry. Craft.Now I am as appreciative of a well crafted designer/celebrity scent (not an oxymoron necessarily - there are some very good ones) as a vintage or niche beauty. If it smells good - sign me up! But what keeps me sniffing? That's the question I get asked. Don't I have enough? I love such-and-such so why don't I just wear that?The answer is in the original seed of this passion - the infinite possibilities inherent in blending notes. There is always something new to try.

...Dulcemio:Gotta fly my uncoolness flag for a moment. IMO, the best parts of The Voice seem to be some of these low key ensemble performances. And this one features my girl Caroline Pennell, sadly eliminated. Fooey.They start a bit rough, but soon hit their stride.http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NTf46qqkOsAAww... the Voice is kinda cool. Or, at least, it is one of my guilty pleasures. I love the audition phase. Depends on the judges too - next season we are losing Seal and Delta Goodrem and gaining Will.i.am and Kylie Minogue. Hm.

...Scarletting:Listen to the coolest music in the world:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en0p1Y35p3wDo you know what? This is a crazy - my grandmother grew up on the banks of Lake Baikal in Siberia. I kid you not. How random is that. She, however, did not play ice music on the lake (I'm almost certain). What an amazing thing to see. The sounds are incredible - that 'twangy' bass effect coming from a slab of ice is mad. Some of the sounds are a bit like those Caribbean steel drums.

...Scarletting:Nevermind, I'm so silly. In the amount of time I typed that I should have just checked, they totally have a streaming service! Eeee! I have other online radio I listen to but this includes the videos too!www.abc.net.au/rage/videoOh perfect! What a great find - Rage on demand. I wouldn't have ever thought to look for this. Oh well, that's me sorted... :D Right now I am listening to Founder 'The Tom Cruise in you' on Rage.

...Lol. Well, that makes me a Grinch too. But there are 2 types of people in this world: those who put up Christmas lights and those who wholeheartedly appreciate those who put up Christmas lights. Thanks again for posting that pic. You have some great pics on your page too - very clever. And some extremely adorable animals who need no adornment.

...Sorceress:Walking my dogs I saw a neighbor's home decorated and their lights looked like this...it reminded me of a constellation...Sorceress - It really does look like a constellation suspended in the night sky. I like this time of year and stumbling across Christmas lights when out at night. Bless those good people who bother.

...Triffid:Perfumecrazy:This is a hard one! I thought I had some ideas until that last clue which has totally thrown me. Did anyone else type 'pole' into the search field? Lol. Maybe that was just me.Still thinking...Me too, north pole, south pole, pole star etc etc. I thought my previous guess was spot on, by the way. hmmphhh!I'll throw this out there just to keep things moving (no pole included, though - maybe she's wearing nipple pasties?)"Snow Diamond" by Miro.We have cold, we have gems, we have Miro who is also a famous painter who liked using colour.Ooh... you could be onto something. I am on the edge of my seat here. now I really need to know.P.S Glad you thought pole as well. :lol: I guess ice is also a stripper tool? Maybe marshmallows? (so I was told by my partner after a buck's party :shock: ). What else do strippers use? Agent Provocateur do lingerie. Hmm... still thinking.

...Oh yeah!... Well spotted. That's a definite nod to them. Rage is a real Australian institution isn't it? I still watch the Rage episodes with the special guest hosts. Depending on the hosts you get some really cool, alternative videos that I haven't seen in years. I love that. It's so nice to suddenly see an old REM video or The Pixies or The Breeders or Siouxsie and the Banshees or some other great 80's/90's band. I've also seen some pretty obscure new bands too so I've picked up on some interesting new music along the way as well.

...This is a hard one! I thought I had some ideas until that last clue which has totally thrown me. Did anyone else type 'pole' into the search field? Lol. Maybe that was just me.Still thinking...

...Scarletting:www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnhPMdIsOBcEven if you don't like the music, the video is just too much fun.That is brilliant! The music is kind of Kraftwerk-esque I guess. The video is really clever - one minute I was laughing and the next minute I stopped and thought, hang on, there's actually a message in this about the world for kids today. It's like watching my little brothers' games (even the wrestling ring -they had one of those) in the early 90's transposed into the 00's internet culture. And the cat race was super cute. :lol:

...Brilliant. Thanks ZeZe! Postage is $7.95 which is pretty good. The unit prices are comparable to the U.S. ones. And it's in WA. Good on them for starting up something like that in Oz. Very clever of you to find it. Totally agree re: samples v store testing. I just can't get a clear enough impression from a spritz in a store. And, invariably, a couple of hours later one really gorgeous scent will emerge from the morass and - for the life of me - I will not remember what I spayed on that spot. Love samples because you can live with the scent for a while and really get a feel for it.Thanks again ZeZe. Now, all we need is Scarletting's pre-loved perfume store and my niche store and we will be set! :lol:

...Promise and the Monster - compelling! Son Lux - very dark and gothic - fascinating. Mirah - just beautiful and vaguely reminiscent of Sarah Blasko (whom I also love - maybe reminds me a bit of her voice on 'Explain'?)Happy to get more suggestions any time.