Me as Burning Bush singing Tori Amos’ Leather on Saturday night at a club in Tokyo, although I wasn’t actually wearing any leather scents – rather, something cuddlier and tamer – Laura Mercier’s Lumiere D’Ambre, which is an incredibly enveloping amber that I had immersed my whole person in and which one person said smelled ‘intimidating’ but which another begged to know the name of. It’s suddenly got significantly colder here, and I needed WARMTH. Not that there isn’t enough red in this picture already.
The Black Narcissus 
Love the pic!
It’s utterly ridiculous but I also couldn’t help liking it. I finished the book and then the last few weekends have all been big cabaret balls ups in Tokyo: I think probably we just had to let off steam or something after being cooped up in the house under pressure for so long. I can imagine people wondering what happened to the old blog – and I really want to get back to writing nice long pieces – but I am just burnt out. Completely. This last event was the last though : hibernation begins from now, and I want to calm down a bit.
Love this. Will I recognise you when we next meet?
the dowdy reality is the norm – don’tcha worry. somehow the lure of the alter ego has been the order of the day though since the intensity of the year- four weekends in a row of antics in Shinjuku: life has been very cinematic, but I am ready for a more normal hibernation now!
Hope you have a good rest soon! I was tempted by Lumière d’Ambre after reading your review. You don’t have to be doing late night Tokyo cabaret to wear it presumably?
I don’t remember reading that on the bottle (and in truth, it probably wasn’t quite ‘out there’ enough for the show we were doing); the perfume is not edgy or niche smelling, rather just gorgeous: like an idealised version of both the old Obsessions with some Guerlain Heritage edp thrown in. REALLY smooth and delightful, though: if you fancy just a simple comfort scent without too much peripheral psychology (this is not an intellectual perfume by any stretch) I would heartily recommend it. Really cosy.
I miss antics in Shinjuku! I miss antics anywhere. Being on the wagon is boring af. I am intrigued that someone found your amber fragrance intimidating. I also like that you didn’t wear leather when you sang Leather. I am interested in doing the opposite of what one’s first instinct might be. I kind of want to go to a den of sin wearing something like Chamade.
What an utterly divine idea.
I just wish I could carry that perfume off – I adore it x
I think i can carry Chamade off, but my husband doesn’t like that or any florals on me. He says I smell like an old lady. He’s like, “just stay where you belong with the Hard Leather and the Peau de Bete and call it a day.”
!!