Le Labo Perfumes

Recently I decided that it might be nice to start wearing a scent again.  But although I love Calyx I wanted to try something new and different.  So, now I need a new scent; hence my experiment with Le Labo.  La Labo is  a perfume store based out of Grasse, France and NYC, NY.  You can check out the products they have to offer at their website.

Note the photo is from the Le Labo website.

Apparently this perfume is supposed to be very fresh because it’s mixed for each order.  The scent is based on essential oils and it is a perfume vice cologne.  The prices reflect this. One inexpensive way to try their perfumes is with a discovery set.  You can order three 5ml vials of their scents for $50 dollars plus shipping. 

I ordered my discovery set with Iris 39, Bergamot 22, and Fleur D’Oranger 27.  Although they promised to personalize the set, mine was sadly nameless-so I am not as sophisticated as the next gal.  The number behind the name refers to the number of components use to make the scent.

Iris 39was the first scent I applied.  I found the initial smell slightly overwhelming.  I thought I smelled like a church lady! But this scent eventually settled down.  I still am not certain how much I like it but I do know that this is a scent I would wear in the winter and it is a sexy romantic scent as well.  It’s very subtle and it reminds me of flowers mixed with sharply cut tulip stems, sharp and green.  I felt incredibly sexy and sophisticated wearing this scent.   UPDATE  The men I work with did not like this scent; however, several older/contemporary friends of mine love it.  So perhaps it depends on your age whether you could carry it off. 

Bergamot 22.  When I sprayed it on initially I loved it, five minutes later I wasn’t so sure.  There was a dry bitter scent underlying and slightly overpowering the bergamot scent.  Another five minutes and I loved it again.  The bitterness settled and now it’s just a light bergamot scent for a hint of something else.  I love Earl Grey tea so this smells a little like a tin that used to hold it, but a little more complex.  I think I like it and after wearing it for an hour I can say that I definitely like this!!)  UPDATE  The men I work with seemed to like this one!

Fleur D’Oranger 27.  I think this is my favorite scent- the citrus scent is subtle and it is absolutely suitable for a man or a woman.  It’s delicious and doesn’t smack you in the face. This is a scent that someone will want to lean closer to breath and sample the scent.  The scent is clean, like linen that’s been in the sun that had orange blossoms laid on them.  It’s evocative of long warm afternoons reading the paper and cuddling with someone you love.

I may order another set of different scents as my Christmas gift to myself.  These are worth exploring! A wonderful review of several additional Le Labo scents can be found at Robin K’s cool blog, Now Smell this. If you’re looking for a new signature scent, and you don’t think you want to go the route of Le Labo, I suggest you go over to Robin’s blog and read her comprehensive reviews on perfumes.Next week I will wear these to work and ask my panel of trusty male coworkers how they rate each scent as well.  I promise to post thier thoughts. 

Post edit
I have to say now that I do love the Iris scent and find it to be a very sexy fragrance.  The Bergamot is my second choice followed closely by the orange.  I didn’t get a chance to visit Le Labo when I was in NYC last week but I intend to on my next trip there.

Halloween Party (delayed posting)

 My friends, Deena and Joe, hosted a wonderful Halloween party at their beautiful townhouse in Old Town Alexandria. Here they are in their costumes, the Phantom of the Opera and his muse, Christine Daaé.

 Besides nibbling on delicious snacks and drinking mulled cider, mulled wine or other libations, the point of the party was to attend in costume and then walk through Old Town Alexandria.  Here is a link to an article about the event from the Alexandria Times.  Apparently the city police close down South Lee Street and huge crowds promenade up and down the street in costumes, parents, children, pets–all dressed up and walking. Most of the homeowners on Lee Street stock about 1000 pieces of candy to accommodate the crowd.

 Many of the people who attended the party know Joe and Deena through english country dancing lessons offered at Gadsby’s Tavern.  Quite a few folks who take these classes have historic costumes and they many were strolling on Lee Street in full panoply.  The lady in the lovely green gown was actually wearing a whalebone corset! Talk about historically accurate!

Now I was the other end of the extreme.  I went as an anime girl, but none of the party folks knew what anime was so I told them I was a naughty catholic schoolgirl-short plaid skirt, white kneehighs, chunky black shoes, white blouse and pigtails! I also added a chainsaw and a biker jacket.  Never let it be said I didn’t go all out or to excess.  I think someone snapped some picutres of me and one of the guest who came dressed as a priest!

     

New Home in December

I will be moving soon and I am getting pretty excited.

I’ve committed to living in DC for the foreseeable future. Although I moved here kicking and screaming, I was surprised to find I like it here. The easy transportation, museums, Art galleries, cultural events, and friends who live in nearby towns make this a nice place to live.

The original reason for being here doesn’t exist anymore. That fills me with grief that was incapacitating at times. But I have the choice to be sad, lonely and miserable or to move on.  I survived August, September and October and it no longer hurts to breath and I no longer feel like I have a huge hole in my chest. Now I simply want to move from where I live to start fresh. So I am moving…on.

I’ve chosen to do buy an apartment in a part of the greater DC area.  The unit is located in a safe area, lots of galleries nearby and it’s close to work and friends.

It has gorgeous bones, and it has 10′ tall ceilings, high large windows with northern light to paint by and floor to ceiling bookshelves.  When I walked in and saw the bookshelves I knew I would put in an offer. So once some work is done in the bathroom (new tub and tiles) I will be moving out of my apartment and into my little slice of heaven.

Last Friday Night

Last Friday night our model was Adam. While Adam has amazing musculature and definition, I am not a huge fan of painting him. For some reason, his chest always seems puffed out as well as his abdomen, in a very odd way. Adam does not have a beautiful body in the classic sense. His body fat is low enough that you can actually see the grain of some of the muscle tissue -perhaps that’s why painting him disturbs me so much?

I really disliked the way I massed his figure and I kept wanting to wipe the image and restart it. But Rob and several other folks in the class said it looked great, so I left the painting alone. Once I got the painting home and really looked at it I realized I did capture the pose correctly.

Since this was the initial lay in, everything is fairly crude. The idea is to capture the general lights and darks and keep the edges soft-to allow reworking later.

The background was a mid pea-green. the lighting wasn’t as dramatic as the last model but it really showed off Adam’s definition. Normally I wouldn’t paint a basic background in so soon, but Adam’s hair and skin tone are orange-ish and if I don’t have some type of green in now, I think I would have problems later.

Monday morning-

I spent Monday morning in line at the Arts League at 3:30am (yawn).  Apparently, students of Rick Weaver, Danni Dawson and Robert Liberace all gather and wait for the few available slots.   We’re the hard core uber fans.  I arrived at 3:30 in the morning and I was still number seven in line.  Why? Because it’s difficult to get in their classes.  Rick Weaver had a painting in the last Smithsonian Portrait Competition at the National Portrait Gallery here in DC, both have won awards in competitions hosted by the Portrait Society of America.  A testiment to their excellence is that both have won prestegious awards in the International Portrait Competition from the Portrait Society of America; Rob won the Best of Show in 2002 and the Grand Prize in 2003, Rick Weaver won Best of show in 2003.

So with the number seven I am sure to get into the class I want.  Yeah!!

In Stiller Nacht

When I lived in Germany,   I sang with the Rhineland Pfalz International Choir (second soprano).  Lately, I’ve been thinking about a song we performed called In Stiller Nacht (In the Silent Night).  Although the title is similar to Silent Night (Stille Nacht) this song is one of the german folk songs that Brahms set to music.

I was told that the song was originally a poem which was written during the reformation in Germany by a an individual who was going to be executed the following morning.  This is what he wrote in the still of the evening.  It’s so very sad and yet, if you listen there is an incredible majesty and sense of longing in this song. 

In stiller Nacht zur ersten Wacht
ein Stimm beginnt zu klagen
der nächt’ge Wind hat leis und lind
zu mir den Klang getragen.
Von herbem Leid und Traurigkeit
ist mir das Herz zerflossen.
Die Blümelein
mit Tränen mein
hab ich sie all begossen.
 

Der schöne Mond will untergeh’n
dem Leid nicht mehr mag scheinen.
Die Sterne fein im Glitzerschein
mit mir sie wollen weinen.
Kein Vogelsang noch Freudenklang
man höret in den Lüften.
Die wilden Tier’ trauern auch mit mir
in Steinen und in Klüften.

My sister posted the following translation:

In the quiet night, at the first watch,
a voice began to lament;
sweetly and gently, the night wind
carried to me its sound.
And from such bitter sorrow and grief
my heart has melted.
The little flowers – with my pure tears
I have watered them all.

The beautiful moon wishes to set
out of pain, and never shine again;
the stars will let fade their gleam
for they wish to weep with me.
Neither bird-song nor sound of joy
can one hear in the air;
the wild animals grieve with me as well,
upon the rocks and in the ravine

Here is the youtube I found of the performance. It’s a home-grown video so there is some background noise, but it’s beautiful and very heartfelt and moving.  There are other verisions on youtube, but most the american ones don’t understand the context of the song and they really rush through it as a result.