Monday, January 01, 2007

A Good Year for the Roses

Happy New Year!

I have roses on the brain today, I guess because of the Rose Bowl and the Tournament of Roses Parade and all that, so I decided to start 2007 by sampling rose perfumes. Rose can be quite heady and old-fashioned, but it's still a favorite note of mine. Here's what I have lined up to try:
Les Parfums de Rosine Poussiere
Les Parfums de Rosine Rosa Flamenca
Les Parfums de Rosine Rose d'Ete
Micallef Rose Aoud
Frederic Malle Une Rose
Serge Lutens Sa Majeste La Rose
Bond No. 9 West Side (if my sample ever arrives)

My sampling plan for the beginning of January falls in line nicely with one of my resolutions, which is to sample what I have before I order more samples and decants. Sounds crazy, I know, but I am going to try. I may have to stop reading the perfume reviews on other blogs to make my plan work! Nah, that won't happen...but I will have to get better at just making lists for when I can order again. That's going to be one seriously long list, considering I already have several going now.

Another of my resolutions has to do with the makeover I had the other day at Trish McEvoy. I'd been wanting to seek professional help for a while (sadly, this kind of professional help probably isn't the kind I actually need), and the makeover went really well, so I don't want it to go to waste: Which means, I am going to use what I bought, and do my level best not to buy more stuff I don't need. I put all my other makeup away in a box. I've always stuck to the theory that if you put something away and forget about it for a long period of time--a year, say--then you probably don't need it. This excludes sentimental stuff, of course. Nobody really needs the award they won in the third grade for reading more books than anyone else, but you know, why not keep it?

Another area where I tend to buy without cause or reason: books. This year, I will try to read all the books I bought and haven't read yet, before I buy new books. (The only exclusion being book club books--and don't mention the word "library" to me, as that generally means dirty books with smudges of other people's lunch and who knows what else in them. I'm sorry, but it creeps me out.) I have stacks of books I haven't read, and I have a wish list (for myself, so I don't forget) about three miles long on Powells, and it's ridiculous! Lots of times I buy books that aren't on the wish list! I'm sick! No more, this year.

Along with these I have all the requisite stuff: lose weight (Hello, Weight Watchers), exercise (my company has this thing where if I exercise regularly four days a week for ten out of twelve consecutive weeks, they give me $150...I'm easily bought), clean house even when company isn't coming over, cook at home more (see first resolution), cure cancer, drive successful talks for peace in the Mid-East, find an energy alternative to oil, figure out the whole global warming thing. You know, the usual.

Any resolutions to share, friends?

*photo from Wikipedia