Cardigan: Dangerfield
Blouse: Michelle Tan
Skirt: DIY
Belt: Torrid
Shoes: Leghorn Rouge
Gosh, I’m getting a lot of wear out of this DIY skirt! I’m so pleased, because I usually don’t re-wear my home-made items as often as I probably should. It’s such a comfortable and neutral template to play contrasting colours and prints against. Like this floral blouse and the red love-heart cardigan. With a patterned skirt it risks becoming A Bit Too Much, but I think it works with the soft grey drapes.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I finally found a new fragrance – even without the help of my perfume guru Haz-Mo’s Ma who hit the nail on the head with Lancome’s Poeme, my previous “signature” fragrance.
I like the idea of a waft of scent that is so familiar that it encapsulates the memory of an individual.
My Mum used to wear Guy Laroche “Fidji”, and the year that I spent in London as a 19 year old I found that the best cure for homesickness was to walk down to the local chemist and take a quick whiff. Eau Du Mum.
As I’ve grown older my body chemistry has changed, and Poeme – though still lovely – doesn’t seem to *pop* on my skin the way it used to. As you know, I decided to take up the hunt for a new signature fragrance and got my heart set on a big boofy rose scent.
Thankyou to everyone who offered me their suggestions – over the last few months I’ve tried them all… and then some! And I’ve finally come to the sad conclusion that some kind of chemical reaction occurs when I wear rose that makes it turn sour. Not a single fragrance managed to escape my bad rose ju-ju. One fragrance that went particularly pungent was Jo Malone’s Red Roses. In the bottle it was exactly what I wanted; an unadulterated rose, fresh out of the garden. On my skin it turned, and became a really potent funk. And boy o boy did it STICK! I could still catch unpleasant whiffs eight hours after testing the fragrance.
Eventually it was that longevity that led me back to Jo Malone. I’d decided I needed to expand my criteria outside the realm of roses, and where better to start than with a product that didn’t even seem to be able to be washed away?
I systematically tested each bottle over the course of a few weeks – deliberately not looking at names, so as not to be influenced by my preconceived ideas – and ended up unexpectedly falling in love with the Iris and White Musk. I never would have touched a musk beforehand, but it just…. worked.
Since I started wearing it four strangers have commented on how nice I smelled (and The Sophisticate likes it, too) so I’m considering it a winner.
Back to fashion though:
I am still loving my red-bow belt.
I spent the whole day in heels (Maz you would be proud). Wedges. I can actually walk in them.
I’m rediscovering my old jewelery, including these cute leaf earrings that my brother gave to me.
Congrats on finding a new fragrance that you love, I was recently on the same mission & ended up with two totally different scents that I absolutely adore; Bvlgari Black & 7:15am in Bali by Kenzo; they’re both gorgeous but evoke totally different things & I find I am actually matching them to my outfits.
The Kenzo is for light dresses & warm days, the Black is for… well, black hehe, but also anything a bit more severe or sophisticated. I guess I need to look for a “jeans & tshirt” scent now too…?
Love your post! xxx
You’re not the only one that turns rose scents bad – I tried a few rose oils from BPAL and they ended up smelling like dead wet foliage on me. I found that white flowers, like jasmine, magnolia, and gardenia work best on my skin. Never tried musk though!
oh I loooooove those shoes.. want want want.. *grabby hands*
I’m glad you’ve found your scent. I tend to stick to Nina Ricci. LOVE the outfit! Everything goes really well together.
I love this outfit! The cardigan is gorgeous, I love the colour and the hearts, and the flower blouse is beautiful. 🙂
It’s strange how ones sense of smell and the way ones body takes in fragrances change over time isn’t it? I used to love musky smells and now I like sweeter smells – Anna Sui is a fave of mine 🙂
Aside from perfumes, those shoes and that sweater are so cute! the prints all work very well together. I’ve been meaning to get me a heart cardigan 🙂
PQP
I do love those shoes on you 🙂
So glad you found a Jo Malone fragrance that you loved, Lilli 🙂 I have the same one and it mixes really well with her orange blossom scent (you can spray two or more of her fragrances together to create you own fragrance & it really does work).
I love, love, love that cardigan. As always, you look absolutely lovely!
I can’t seem to find any cute print/patterned cardigans here in the US — not even online! Everything is either leopard print, or a solid color. I may just end up appliqueing and embellishing some cardigans myself.
charmingpumpkin.blogspot.com
Yay, so pleased you have found your scent. So important as a girlie! xxx
I’m a Jo Malone girl myself, too. I haunt David Jones and hang around the counter, probably alarming the attendants! But I do buy their perfumes a lot. I have three. Currently I wear the ‘Pomegranate Noir’. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Unfortunately so do my colleagues. Two peeps have since bought it after asking me what it was! I am no longer unique! Lols. I too tried the ‘Red Roses’ and hated it. To me it smelled like Turkish Delight – which I HATE!!!
Love Jo Malone too! I usually break out in rashes when I wear perfume but I’ve been wearing Jo Malone for a few years now: current fave is Pomegranate Noir then Blue Cacao…. Enjoy the fragrance! And please keep posting more outfit photos.
I’ve always loved the idea of a signature scent as well. For years I wore Michael by Michael Kors, which smelled deliciously of jasmine. The past few years I’ve been wearing Burberry London, and I love when people tell me they caught a whiff of it somewhere and thought of me! I get that all the time!
hehe… thumbs up on the wedges…. I love wedges, and find them to be a comfortable, yet flattering heel.