Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Greetings and Salutations!


"I can't quit you, baby. So I'm gonna put you down for awhile."

Hello! I've been Fall Cleaning (my website) is that a thing???, but now I'm back, and I missed you!

If you've been a reader for years, you know there are tons of posts I have deleted. Tons. The blog has been running since 2012, and I just felt like it was time for a refresh. A lot of changes have taken place since the blog started, and I am so happy to have so many loyal followers who come to visit. I think it's wonderful to have formed online relationships with readers and other bloggers too. I look forward to forging new ones, and continuing those that have already been formed.

Make new friends, but keep the ooooold, one is silver and the other gold (sing it with me!!! or not... I know that's a little corny, but I'm okay with corny). 

It's been awhile, so I'll ask: what's going on with you?!?  I have been visiting blogs still, so I know somewhat, but I honestly have not been around to do so as much as I'd like. Work always has a way of getting involved with my free time! I know some of you can relate.

Over here, I for one am so excited that it's the start of a string of holidays, or the holiday season, if you will...Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then the New Year! I've literally been fighting with myself not to impulse-buy every cute Christmas item I come across when I'm out and about. There is always that one thing I feel that I 'have to have' but I use my self-imposed strategy of leaving the store and thinking about the item for at least 24 hours before heading back to buy it. I usually opt not to get it when I do that, and that's a good thing, for my pocketbook and my savings account. Well, I don't have a savings account. The interest rates are always too low to bother, but you know what I mean. There is one cute little snowman I may go and get for my bathroom though, he's been haunting my thoughts for awhile, saying things like, 'come back for me!! I need to live on your toilet lid.' That would be a first for me, but he matches my new shower curtain that I did buy at a cute little store I found, that's probably been there a long time, but I just learned about... a store that takes items department stores are trashing and sells them for way, super-dee-duper cheap. The shower curtain was in a bin for a dollar. Original price tag still on it for $40. Bargain-bin shopping at its finest. And yes, I did hang it up in the bathroom that is just off of my bedroom. That's the only Christmas thing up so far...the rest of the house has pumpkins and foliage, I swear. :)


One thing I haven't been cautious with though, when it comes to making purchases, is fragrance. I have this newfound love for perfumes that I just can't explain. I've gone most of my life rarely bothering to wear a scent, and now all of the sudden I am falling love with so many of them!!! I thought it was going to be a fad, but turns out there is no perfunctory in my newfound passion, in fact, it might be safe to predict that it is here to stay. It has been a few months, and there is literally no end in sight to my fascination with trying and buying new ones. I have learned, however, not to blind buy!!! Getting burnt twice was my cure (yes, it took twice). I quickly learned, although I 'knew it' before I 'learned it,' that just because a bazillion people love and rave about a fragrance, does not mean I will like it. 

That being said, I have a current insatiable lust for finding and smelling new ones to see how I feel about them. I'm spraying myself before work, after work, and even before bed. Sparingly, of course. I am not a walking cloud of  perfume. This is really just something I am doing for me and no one else (and honestly, who can smell from behind their mask anyway?). But with that being said, let me tell you, starting this kind of hobby during Covid-19 times was probably not my best idea; it makes no scents (sorry, I couldn't resist). Testers are behind counters or not at all available, so it is harder to try them out before committing to a purchase. Honestly, I am not sure why I have this sudden olfactory obsession, but it's comforting and I enjoy it, and that's a good enough reason for me. 

My current favorites, that I've quickly learned are old favorites for many (like I said, I'm late to the fragrance game) are Dior's Hypnotic Poison (oh my gosh, it smells so good to me!!!), Lancome's La Vie Est Belle (and one of the flankers), Viktor & Rolf's Bon Bon, Carolina Herrera's Good Girl and Good Girl Supreme (the latter is sweeter and my favorite of the two, though I love them both). There is also Dolce & Gabanna's The One, which kind of started it all...this was a fragrance I sampled years ago in a department store, and always loved, but did not buy until about a year ago. I used it repeatedly (which I learned in the perfume world is called having a 'signature fragrance'), and then one day decided to branch out and look for something new, and that was that. It is worth noting though, that I still love the D&G fragrance.

There are some fragrances I ADORE but cannot bring myself to purchase because they don't last very long (I cannot stress 'try before you buy' enough, for this reason alone). One in particular is a big bummer to me because I love, love, love, love, love it, but it doesn't even last an hour before it wears off. I cannot justify spending hard earned cash on something that has zero sillage, and minimal lasting power, at best. I always wonder though, why perfumers or brands would market such products. I can't imagine they will sell long once people figure out the staying power is null and void. I have also learned, though some think it is a fallacy, that fragrances work differently on everyone, so for one person a perfume may have long-lasting power, and for others it is a skin scent in a very short time frame. I do not know enough to vote either way, and can only speak for how a scent works on me.

I also learned that buying the biggest bottle is not always the way to go. Because I like fragrances so much right now, I'm opting for the smaller bottles (1 oz. seems to be best), so I can use them up faster. With my collection growing, I am thinking it's better to have quality over quantity (in terms of fluid ounces) because I have also heard that perfumes can go bad if they sit around too long. I am keeping my new treasures stored on a custom-made tray I created years ago, long before my perfume obsession (hurrah, a good use for the tray that has been unused for so long!!), that I keep in a cool, dark place (no direct light hitting them).

For more proof of my newfound perfume-hunting endeavors, one need look no further than my beloved Pinterest Board that I created to help me remember what I've tried, how I felt about them, and what I want to try in the future. It has 430 pins and 60 sections. See? Obsession. I actively search for perfume samples when I'm shopping (in person and online), and try on fragrances as often as I can. This is something I love right now, and honestly, I don't mind if this newfound passion sticks around for awhile. Fragrance hunting is fun.

That being said, I'll finish with the thoughts I used to start the post. When I have finished updating, the blog will have a few old things on it, posts I contracted to keep up for a certain amount of time, my travel posts (after I revise them), my prayer link (important to me), and one for a company that had a giveaway. Two giveaways were running when the blog was down, both were awarded the prizes, but the time on them was obviously, cut short (the first time that's happened since 2012, and I have had literally thousands of giveaways). One was hosted by Neon Earth (for a face mask) and one was hosted by me (Amazon gift card giveaway). I felt like it wasn't fair to Neon Earth that the post was cut shorter than I had intended (my timeline, not theirs) and so I will have a new post up featuring their face masks for the holiday season (and I will include them in the annual Holiday Gift Guide). There was also an Amazon giveaway I was helping promote for a blogger-friend, so that is back up too. As I go through old posts, I'll add those that still fit, or are still relevant in 2020 (almost 2021, can you believe?!?), especially those that are a good fit for the aforementioned gift guide, since it is getting to be that time of the year. Please bear with me through these changes.

If you have thoughts, please leave them below. If you have perfume suggestions, feel free to leave those as well. I'd love to hear about any I might be missing out on trying!! 

Truly, it feels good to be back. Wishing you all a wonderful day!

88 comments:

  1. There are a couple fragrances I’m really loving right now! Chance by Chanel is one, and I also love the Jean Paul Gautier, as well.

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    1. I tried the Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche today (the green one) and it smelled so good! I like Jean Paul Gaultier by JPG. There are a lot of other JPG scents I'd like to try too. I am especially curious about JPG La Belle.

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  2. I WISH I could wear fragrances. I love cologne, bit I have such terrible allergies, I can't wear anything. 😔

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    1. This is why I wear my fragrances sparingly. I don't want to bother anyone who might have an adverse reaction to them!!

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    2. Believe me, we appreciate it. LOL. EVen when we love it.

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  3. My blog is been here for 10years and I started to deleted my crappy contents too!
    Speaking of perfumes, it is one of my recent obsession and dominates my shopping cart. But I opt for small bottles especially if I am new for that brand or scent. Except Chanel No. 5, I got the full bottle :)

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    1. I haven't smelled that in years! I think I will revisit it the next time I am around the testers. So many people love it (and the Mademoiselle too!).

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  4. thanks for sharing and I do have a couple of my own favorite fragrance and smell too; It is also a great gift for the upcoming holidays! keeping in mind~ Knycx Journeying

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    1. It really is a nice way to treat someone as a gift, as long as you know which fragrance the person getting it likes, or is prone to liking. :)

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  5. Hi Rosey - I suspect my blog will remain as is ... plenty of other things to do! My eau de parfum settled when I was 21 or so ... a friend's parents had been over to the Caribbean and brought back each a bottle ... I've never moved! Lanvin Arpege ... it's always commented on ... others people state they didn't like a change ... my skin obviously suits the Lanvin - strange but true ...
    Good to see you around again ... enjoy the Fall - stay safe and take care - Hilary

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    1. There always is so much to do, for sure. I enjoy having the blog, but the fairly short time I had without extra deadlines and things to do was really peaceful too. I looked up the perfume you mentioned, as I hadn't heard of it, and it sounds just dreamy. :)

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  6. My perfume suggestion is the one I always use. I love the smell and price of it also! It's called from Paco Rubane Million Lady!
    Ana

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    1. It does smell good! I'd like to find the Paco Rabanne, Olympea. People seem to love it, but I can never find it in the stores to give it a whiff.

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  7. Rosey! Glad you are back. After reading your comment yesterday, I went to search out your blog as I knew it had been a while, and it wasn't open. Neither was your profile. I was going to dig around today and see if I had your email. But you posted!
    I probably need to refresh my site a bit as well.
    Ready for some holiday cheer.

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    1. Hi Alex. Thanks for checking up. First time I've done that since 2012 and it was refreshing to take a break, for sure. :)

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  8. I am a Bvglari Noir girl. Its the only parfume I can stand.

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    1. I've tried some Bvglari and really liked it. This one I haven't heard of, but am going to def. look for it. Thanks for the suggestion.

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  9. I haven't bought perfume in decades I don't think. My daughter lives with us and it causes her migraines.
    I am glad to see you back.
    I haven't blogged in a couple months either.
    Think I am regrouping too.
    Hope all is well.
    Love, sandie

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    1. Oh my gosh, I just saw your post on the baby squirrels. That's so amazing. I bet you were sure surprised to open up the grill, lol!!

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  10. Yes, just like you. I opt for smaller bottles as well in that way I won't get stuck with the same scent for a long time since I tend to change depending on my mood. :)

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    1. Yes! I wake up every day in the mood for something different! Having a variety on my tray to choose from ensures one will match how I'm feeling for the day. :)

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  11. I love perfumes. And I like purchasing them whenever I am out for my trips. I try the strong ones though. I liked the giphy :)

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    1. That's a good idea to purchase fragrance on trips. Then you have a special scent attached to each of those memories!

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  12. I don't wear a lot of perfumes. But I do love the lotions from Bath and Body Works! I tend to wear those because it also moisturizes my skin.

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    1. I love their wallflowers. I have some of the lotions too though. Strawberry Poundcake and Candy Apple (Christmas Season) are my faves!!

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  13. I am not so much into perfume but I do love light scents

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    1. I like both the lighter scents and the heavier ones, depending on the day and my mood at the time. :)

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  14. I adore Chanel #5 and always have a bottle to wear on a special occasion.

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    1. I know that so many people love this one. I recently tried the Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche and thought it smelled pretty. I'd love to try the Coco Noir too.

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  15. I love fragrances but rarely wear them because they mess with my allergies. I understand the blog cleaning. I need to do a bunch of fall blog cleaning too. I've deleted a lot but need to redo links, etc.

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    1. It'll take me awhile to go through, but I think that's better than having a lot of old posts that are no longer relevant. Good luck w/the redo on the links. I know that can be time-consuming too.

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  16. I'm glad to hear that you are back! When it comes to fragrances, I have been wearing the same one for 20 years.

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  17. Glad to see you back blogging. Most of the perfumes I wear have been mentioned already.

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    1. There are so many to try. I get excited when I go out to buy, but I wish there were more options in our area. Once you've been a couple of times, you've pretty much smelled everything they have in our stores. I need to shop in a bigger city. :)

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  18. I don't wear perfumes anymore since I found out that some people are extremely sensitive to them, including my doctor. When I did wear it, I always liked the lightly scented ones. My grandmother always wore White Shoulders perfume, and sometimes I recognize it when I'm out. Scents can bring back so many memories!

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    1. My grandma wore something by Avon. I can remember the bottle, and the way it smelled, but I haven't been able to find it. Moon Dust, Moon Drops, or something like that... it makes me smile to think of her. She only wore it when she was going out. She'd break out her lipstick too. Good memories. I had such a wonderful grandmother. :)

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  19. Versace has my favorite fragraces. I also have always loved Ralph Lauren's Romance.

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    1. I wore Bright Crystal to work yesterday. I have Dylan Blue too. I am interested in exploring more of the Versace fragrance line.

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  20. Welcome back, my friend! Perfumes... I tend to just rip the samples out of magazines to see what I like best. I do like Chanel. I also like most of the Marc Jacobs fragrances. These days though, I'm more into perfuming myself with Bath and Body Works "Love" scent. Though they don't have it in a spritz, I do use the lotion and body oil. Allison is a big fan of it too.

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    1. I have been wanting to try the Marc Jacobs Decadence perfume but I can't find a sampler. I'll keep my eyes open for the Love scent. I haven't seen that one yet!

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  21. I don't know if cleaning a website is a thing,but I think it does. It's a great idea to do some refresh on it.

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    1. I would like to get it all done at once, but it's quite an undertaking. I am mostly through 2018 and headed backwards to see if there is anything I'd like to keep. Quite the job, indeed.

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  22. I love the thing about Fall Cleaning ! Hope you are having fun so far. I also love different fragrances especially the ones from Chanel

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    1. I was walking past a neighbor and had a bunch of test strips in my hand. He said, 'Something smells good. Really good!' I was thinking there was no way I could figure which of the 10 strips smelled good, and that it was probably a mix of them all, ha! There definitely was a Chanel in there though. :)

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  23. I hear you on the perfume obsession. For a while in college, I cycled through so many fragrances trying to find my signature scent. Then I landed on L’eau D’Issey by Issey Miyaki and fell in love! It’s such a perfect light scent. When I wanted something more heavy, it was Lady Million by Paco Rabanne. And currently, for everyday use, I’ve found that literally ANYTHING from the Margot Elena brands are stunning.

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    1. I have tried the L'eau D'lssey!! I haven't heard of the Margot Elena line though, and will be keeping my eyes open. Thanks for the tip. :)

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  24. I'm pretty sensitive to fragrance, but I would love to find one that agrees with me!

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    1. I hope that you do. I'm really having fun with this new hobby. :)

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  25. I love small bottle perfume too. I know that next season I will love another fragrance for sure!

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    1. It's always pretty warm weather here, so I have to play with what works and what doesn't. I have found that I like some of the heavier perfumes just the same, just not if I'm going to be outside a lot that day. :)

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  26. I thought it's just a picture then it moved! I'm wheezing, I thought it's broken. Anyways, I haven't tried that perfume but I'm quite interested in it.

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  27. We have been in business for 11 years. 12 in December! Where does the time go? We also deleted a bunch of irrelevant content.

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    1. I've only made it to the first part of 2018. It's going to take awhile .:)

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  28. My favorite perfumers are D&G's Light Blue and Tommy Girl. I've been using them for years. -LYNNDEE

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    1. I know those two! The D&G I remember clearly. The Tommy Girl...it has been a long time, but I do remember thinking it smelled pleasant!!

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  29. I did not know much about fragrances before, but after seeing this, looks like I have a lot to learn haha!

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    1. I have just started to learn. There is so much for me to discover too!!

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  30. It's nice to clean out and declutter after taking a break to you have a clean slate to start fresh on. D&G's The One is hands down one of the prettiest scents I've ever worn and one I will probably wear for the rest of my life haha...it has such a romantic feel to it. I love it!

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    1. It is going to take a long time to sort through old posts, but that's okay. :) Just visited your website and saw the best looking dessert!!! That apple pumpkin coffee cake looks good!

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  31. Oh fragrances! I'm fascinated with these! I particularly love Chance by Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Givenchy.

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    1. There are so many to try!! It's definitely a hobby that is not going to lose steam due to lack of variety!

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  32. I've been wanting to clean up my website as well. It's one of those things I haven't gotten around to just yet. There is so much to be cleaned up from some old posts for sure.

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    1. Yes, I totally understand. It may take me a very long time to go through the old ones, but I think it will be worth it. :)

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  33. I love trying out new fragrances! I need to get a few new ones myself, I've been stuck with the same ones for the past few years.

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    1. I find myself seeking them out in every store that sells them these days. :)

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  34. It is important to refresh the blog especially since you have had it for some long and your ideas have changed since it first stated. I totally love Dior and like you I love Hypnotic Poison

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    1. That perfume was love at first whiff!! It is the one I have been reaching for the most lately. I am considering buying the bigger bottle!

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  35. I love mild but manly perfumes. Thanks for sharing this post. - Dan "Jay" Reyes

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    1. There are a lot of great colognes out there too!

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  36. I love buying and trying new fragrances. I collect them so it's kind of my hobby and a fetish. I always buy big bottles, and I especially love expensive and exclusive ones. Crazy right? :)

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    1. Not crazy at all. I have my eye on some of the niche brands right now too.

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  37. Yay I finally got on your blog. I'm shocked. I see you're cleaning house and that's a good thing. Out with the old and in with the new.

    Have a fabulous day and weekend, my friend. ♥

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  38. Wow. You really got into the smelly stuff haha but I guess with Covid 19 about, now is the time to experiment with new things that don't leave you out and about with lots of people, even though the samplers hide behind the glass like you say.

    Welcome back to blogland. Good luck with spring cleaning. The cat gave his a good spring cleaning. Going through them little by little and reverting some from draft and leaving many there.

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    1. Your rhymes! It must be hard to get rid of anything!! I've tried rhyming a time or two at your place, it's not as easy as it looks!

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  39. I've been deleting old content too! I feel like it's a great way to refresh and stick with my current niche.

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    1. It is refreshing. It's going to take awhile to go through it and get things back up, but that's okay.

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  40. So many fragrances out now in the run up to Christmas and some sound really nice - also always make a nice present. Also welcome back to blogging

    Laura x

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  41. Welcome back, Rosey! My favourite fragrance is chocolate.

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  42. I need a good bloggy clean out too, as mine has been live since 2007 now and is very cluttered. I'll add it to my list. Mich x

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  43. Glad to see you back! Sometimes a good old clean out is exactly what's needed and it sounds like you know the direction you are heading in now. Good luck!

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  44. So I just filled out this long comment, and poof.

    I'm glad you're back! It is hard with blogging and working. Easier with my other job considering I was most of the time at a computer. I'd spend time at home doing class things, so it evened out.

    Still looking for jobs. Williams Sonoma has me on, but is doing some kind of background check. I've passed this with other companies, so I don't know why it's taking them so long. I broke up with Costco. Then had an interview as a social media expert at a place that makes crafts. I could see me doing that. We shall see. Applied to 3 art teacher positions. They aren't quick about getting back with me though.

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  45. I’m a Dior fan and have always loved J’adore 💖

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  46. Floral and vanilla scented fragrances are my favorite! Welcome back! A good time to refresh before the holidays.

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  47. i have a bit of a problem with perfumes and body sprays. I always get samples and then buy big bottles and never seem to use them all, so the collection just grows

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  48. i love perfumes...and I am not ashamed to say that whenever I order anything from Sephora I choose perfume samples. I love samples too...

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