Monday, April 17, 2017

It Is All in the "S"

Sorry I haven't been here in a few days but I have been nursing the latest allergy attack along and really haven't felt like doing much.  However, I am bored with not doing much so I am ignoring the allergies -- seems like the thing to do!

One thing I have been doing the last few days is surfing the internet about skin care and how French women take care of their skin.  Several months ago I stumbled across an American skincare line that I really like, First Aid Beauty, and have sort of gotten on the skincare bandwagon.  My skin was never, even in teen-age years, tragic.  I never had a lot of problems with it and that hasn't changed.  The thing I have always had a problem with, however, is makeup.  I don't play nice with makeup.  So, I decided to see if I could improve my skin to the point that I don't actually need to wear much makeup.  I have been told by skin care "people" that I don't need it but I was never comfortable.  I always have always felt like I need to do something and I decided that something would be skincare.

So, I was doing a little study of the products that French women use and I ran across micellar water.  Now, I have used micellar water before but I wanted to try what the French women used.  Seems there are two brands --Bioderma and Vichy.  So, I ordered the Bioderma online because it can't be purchased locally and this is what I got--

cute little wrapping paper in a plain brown box

more packaging-- bottle wrapped in brown paper, tied with cream and black cord and nestled in copious amounts of black tissue paper -- felt elegant

Viola -- the bottle



Two days later I walked into Walgreens and found the entire Vichy line right there -- no ordering!!! That sort of thing always happens to me.

So, I have been doing the skincare thing but in reading about French women I learned that they always choose a signature scent and stick with it.

My aunt, who was very glamorous and a fashion buyer for a large department store, had a signature scent.  It was called Fleurs de Rocaille (Rock Garden).  This is a scent that I will never forget -- ever.  She wore it so much it permeated everything she owned.  I loved it.  At some point it became difficult to find so I asked my husband to buy me some on one of his trips to France.  He did.  It was wrong.  It didn't smell the same -- AT ALL.  Apparently there was a new (1994) formulation aimed at the American audience and that is what he bought.  I went to a perfumerie here to by some of the "original" stuff for my cousin and was assured it was the original formulation (1934)  but it wasn't.  I bought it anyway thinking I just couldn't smell anymore.

So, the other day when I was doing all my research on French women I started looking for this perfume.  It seems that the 1934 formulation was called FLEURS de Rocaille.  The 1994 version is FLEUR de Rocaille -- just one fleur.  So, I went to a site called Lucky Scent and found the 1934 version which is still being manufactured and I promptly had them send me a sample.  I was ecstatic when I got it in the mail today.

I just knew I was going to pop the lid off that tiny vial and be transported to my youth and be in the presence of my aunt again.  I didn't even smell it in the vial I just put some on my wrist and guess what -- it is WRONG.  It isn't anywhere near the scent that I was so familiar with. I was so disappointed! After a while, it was so strong I had to go wash it off.  So, I decided a little spritz of Chanel #5 was in order.  Even that was too strong.  I haven't really worn perfume in a long, long time for a lot of reasons and I guess my poor little nose just can't handle it anymore.  By the time I got the Chanel washed off I was sniffling and my eyes were running and, well.....

I guess I am just never going to be a French fashionista.

Update

 Ok, so we visited our cardiologist yesterday to get the lay of the land for the Hubs.  Seems there is an issue with one of the grafts from ...