The Year of Sniffing Dangerously

For the three of you that are reading this blog that are not coming in from one of the perfume blogs may not have read about the latest scandale in the perfume blogger world: PayolaGate! I gather the gist of it that some blogger was offered cash and prizes to write nice things about some random perfume, then apparently questioned when other bloggers liked it. Were they paid?

I wish the original person would weigh in with A) what company it was and B) how much they were offered, because lets face it, unless the offer was made via smoke signals or a trenchcoat-wearing parking lot encounter, there has to be a paper, cyber, or phone trail to back up the bloggers claim.

But no, now it has become a dust-up that's almost laughable. Laughable because I know at least a few of these bloggers, some personally, and I don't see any of them suddenly buying a castle in France. Or more importantly, buying a castle in France and mentioning that they will need the culinary, artistic and conversational skills of your dear Pansy, so quit that job and here's a ticket to France on LVMH.

Note to any perfume companies out there: I may be able to be had. But to quote Margo Channing: "I'll admit I may have seen better days, but I'm still not to be had for the price of a cocktail, like a salted peanut."

Any takers? Didn't think so...

A quintessentially Los Angeles moment...

Walking down Beverly Boulevard after having some ice cream at "Milk": a muscular semi-biker dude chatting on his cell phone on a smoke break. Bicepts bigger than my head, tattoos, ripped jeans, painted on blue-grey t-shirt and biker boots.

And foils because he's having his highlights touched up.

Five trends that must be stopped

5: Uggs

I know the reason that these have stuck around for so long: face it, if all your life the only thing it was chic to wedge your tootsies into were heels, you'd be thrilled that something this comfortable was in fashion. Unfortuanatly, these clunky suede boots are hideous, and completely ridiculous worn someplace like Los Angeles. I'll bet they're looked upon as ridiculous in Australia.

4: Low-hanging pants. I had thought that this statement would have died off years ago, but I am still seeing it on young men. They apparenty feel it makes them look Gansta, but it really makes them look like the recent recipient of a gang-bang. Not butch. Oh, and kids? One day much quicker than you'd like your ass will be down that far naturally. Enjoy having a high, tight one while you can.

3: Tummy tops. Especially if you have a tummy. Girls, they make Paris Hilton look like she has a gut. Those of you who don't exist on a diet of Tequila and Marlboro Lites are not going to be well served by this look.

2: Juicy Couture. I don't know about you, but im my neighborhood they are usually worn by people about whom the possibility of being thought of as "Juicy" dried up during the Carter Administration, or by young girls who want to look sporty, like they were about to work out at any moment. Of course, noboby would dare actually do something as outre as sweat in these. Usually worn with a t-shirt with the logo of that notorious anti-Semite, Von Dutch, which also needs to stop.

1: Bluetooth headsets worn when you aren't at the wheel. You may think that it makes you look important and ready to work. It really makes you look like some dementer Lieutenant Uhura impersonator. Stop it.

March at PerfumePosse went out, in the middle of the worst Nor'Easter in history to post a very witty FU to eBay today, so I am linking to it. Because of all of the traffic I get here.

For those of you who have not heard, eBay has decided that perfume decanters can no longer sell their wares on that site. Apparently, some manufacturer got testy. Well, luck for us, the dacanters in question have decided to give a hearty FU to eBay and are setting up their own websites to sell decants.

The question as to why manufacturers would even care boggles the mind: not everyone lives in a city that has department stores that stock this stuff. Even if they do, some people might not want to brave the sometimes rude sales people who are going to try to force them to buy the latest SarahJenniferBritney while they are merely trying to see if the new Bond No9 is really worth that astronimical price.

Personally, I have rarely bought anything that was not from a decant first. I live literally a mile from Neiman-Marcus, Saks, Barneys and Rodeo Drive, less than a mile from Robertson Boulevards tony shops and a little over two miles from the nice people at ScentBar, Apothia and Santa Maria Novello, and I still bought decants. Why? Because sometimes I don't want to have to ask. I want it shipped to my house so I can smell it, live with it, then show up at any of the above mentioned stores and buy.. and I have bought. So who is the loser here? When it comes right down to it, the manufacturers. The rumor is that Bond No9 was one of the ones creating the biggest stir. Well, they are dead to me. I don't especially like the sales people at Saks (where it's sold in Los Angeles), I don't have a charge there and they are look at you when you ask for a sample as if you'd asked them for their kidney, braised in white wine and capers.

So if it's true, Bond, you've just become that much more exclusive. Congrats on that.