Thwarted!

By Tom The post office strikes again... I would like to be writing about the new Annick Goutal musk scent for this week. I would like to be writing that it's just wonderful and a full bottle is a must. Or that it ain't all that and a bag of Doritos (well, I wouldn't like writing that but were it the case, Tonstant Weader, I would do so) and you can safely strike it from your list of things that you need that nice Ms. Tio to ship to you. I would like to do this but I can't, since the large decant I got from the Perfumed Court has been sitting somewhere in the bowels of the Beverly Hills Post Office, a mere two blocks away on Maple Drive since the 16th of May. I might add that numerous calls to the 800 number (since the BH branch clearly considers itself like clubs like Hyde or whatever restaurant Ashton is invested in this week and does not answer anything as plebeian as a phone call- grrrrr) have made no dent in the resolve of the local office to keep me from my AG. So in order to keep my blood pressure somewhat below my vaunted if ill-served zip code, it was a visit to the back of the cupboard to see what hasn't been played with lately. The result was a perfect scent for the long Memorial Day weekend, which had arrived with cold weather and showers; something that in Los Angeles would be like Paris Hilton opening a big summer movie version of "Steel Magnolias" In the Shirley MacLaine part. And stealing the movie. After all that, if you're still conscious, you might be wondering what I grabbed? Perfumerie Generale Aomassai. One that I haven't been wearing lately and I don't know why. The caramel-comfort of it all is wonderful in the damp chill, with just enough wood and citrus to make it more-than-foody. If Colombina had done nothing for me than introduce me to this, I would still owe her a debt of gratitude I also ran across some samples I cadged from ScentBar by Stephanie de Saint-Aignan, one of their new lines. Tobacco Mucho lists citrus, guiac and leather, but after it's initial lemony opening I get an Eau de Fier-like smokiness with tar and a clubby leather; it's not over-the-top mind you, and fairly unisex. For those of you who mourn the Annick Goutal, you might want to send away for a sample of this. Well, actually if you are a leather and smoke completist, this may be for you as well, it's light enough to wear anywhere. Un The au Sahara is written of as green tea and mint. I do get mint, but not a bit of tea. I do get some of that wonderfully woody, boozy amber that I find in Ambre Russe, but not in the intensity of the Parfum d'Empire fragrance. Which frankly for most people might be a good thing: I love AR, but I'd be afraid to wear it through a sobriety checkpoint. The spicy, dry patch that grounds the scent is quite lovely as well. Le Pot au Roses was the only real "meh" of the three I sampled. They say roses and rice powder, I got sweet face powder and violets. Tennis anyone? These three as well as the rest of the line (all 11 0f them) are available at Luckyscent, $135 for 50 ml. Is it possible for postal customers to go postal?