And we're off! The Top 20 Women's Fragrances of 2011: A Scents of Self Production (Angel)

*Current Fragrance: Clinique Aromatic's Elixir
*Currently Listening: "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John

As I talked about in an earlier post, I'm helping the lovely Ari from The Scents of Self in a project to get as many people as possible to examine the top twenty women's fragrances of 2011. In a effort to keep things "scientific" (read formulaic & to prevent me from straying too much of topic), I've given myself a set of five things to explore.

1) Prior experience: This means more than just, "I spritzed it on me once walking through Dillard's 15 years ago." I've either had to have owned it, seriously sampled it or had a very close connection with someone who wore the fragrance up for review quite a lot.

2) Thoughts now: Well, that's pretty self explanatory.

3) Could I see myself wearing this perfume? If so, for what occasion?

4) Given a yes to number question 3, would I actually buy a bottle of this now?

5) Al's thoughts. He's not really "fragrance fussy" so his opinion is good to get. Don't worry, if he's not available, I'll find someone else  to offer up their "snifferpinion."

Once I'm done reviewing all the fragrances, then I'll start taking my guesses as to why  they are all so popular, collectively.

So - I raise a...ummm....pint glass with a quote about beer by Ben Franklin filled with Coke (no, seriously) to toast this 20 post process....

Raise Your Glass!

1) I've spoken about Angel before, when I did my review of Womanity. Here's what I had to say: "So, Womanity. It was actually the second Thierry Mugler fragrance I've tried. I feel that if we're going to talk about any Mugler, we should say talk a little about Angel. I initially bought a bottle of Angel probably around 9 years ago. I was in love with it's heady gourmand scent as we as its' striking star bottle. For quite some time it was my 'I'm going out' scent. Somewhere along the way I developed a not so healthy relationship with Angel." It'd like to think of it as a 'patchouli and chocolate pound cake' - heavy, dense, on the verge of being COMPLETELY gluttonous. It was, I think, 'the scent that launched a thousand gourmands'. I feel the same way about Angel the same way I feel like mayonnaise, honestly. I say I don't like it, then I crave it, then I overdose on it (mental image of myself laying sprawled across the floor with empty mayonnaise jars and Angel bottles surrounding me...pretty damned funny!), and end up swearing it off again until I crave it."

For the fragrances I have prior experience with, I'm trying to find pictures from that time in my life. This will be fun for all of you, and at times outright mortifying for me. Enjoy!

Our Rehearsal Dinner

 2) My thoughts now. The first thing I wrote in my fragrance journal when I first spritzed it on was, "It smells like Angel." No Sh%t Sherlock!! Perhaps I should elaborate; I feel like a lot of things smell like Angel, but Angel doesn't really smell like a lot of other things. My nose picked up the the tropical fruits in Angel a lot this time around. The best way I could describe it now would have to be patchouli & caramel cotton candy with daiquiri powder sprinkles, but I kept looking for a better descriptor, something a bit more esoteric...then I had it.... in BIG letters...

You Better Work!

 Yup, I'm putting it out there, that I think Angel is the perfume equivalent of a Drag Queen: awesome, loud, proud, and just a little too much. (Although I think I really do like Drag Queens more than I like Angel, truth be told.)

3) I could see myself wearing Angel now, but I've got other things in my arsenal that I really do love that fit the same fragrance bill. (More on that later.) What for? NOT for daytime wear. Out to dinner...drinks. Nothing overtly casual. Chic, but FOR SURE not stuffy. On me it would go well with an all black outfit (it's loud enough on it's own), but with bright colored accessories.

4) I really don't think I would by a bottle of Angel now: I've already explained my propensity to overdose on the stuff from time to time, and given my addictive personality, I don't think it's wise. (Come on, my vices are perfume, sweet tarts and champagne...) I recently purchased a pocket spray of Bond No. 9's Nuits de NoHo, which I've nicknamed "Icy Angel." On its' first night out it went for drinks with DF at the Omni Parker House. (Outfit: all black (billowy top and slacks) - very Halston 70's with nude fishnets, all gold accessories and a floppy black fabric clutch.)

5) When I first let Al sniff it Angel, he automatically recoiled, "What's that!? It's much stronger than what you normally wear." 

I recounted with, "Angel, I used to wear it out a lot right around when we first got married." 

"Yeah, but it's really strong. Stronger than anything you normally wear now."

"Dude, I wear Lust out to dinner ALL the time." (Yes I call my husband "Dude" from time to time. Also, I feel that I should introduce Al's best friend PPP & MPMSM who are often our dinner companions and always comment on how nice I smell when I wear Lust.)

Angel (one of my favorite bottles)

*Currently Listening: 38 minutes into MPMSM's 70 minute self done Whitney Houston House Mix. "It's Not Right But It's OK"

**Photo credits: 1) thescentsofself.com 2-5) my own, 6) sephora.com