Friday in NY, and today I reached for Balliamo from Bottega Veneta. After a pretty full week, this one just felt right. Balliamo literally means “let’s dance” in Italian, and there is definitely something more relaxed and playful about this fragrance — but still with that polished Bottega Veneta character I’ve really come to enjoy. It opens bright and energetic with pomelo, citron and fresh pepper, giving it a crisp citrusy spice right away. Then the fragrance becomes much more interesting. There is myrtle, lavender and white fig in the heart, which gives it this green, aromatic and slightly creamy quality before it settles into cedar, vetiver and Ambronova. What I like is that it feels fresh without being simple. The fig adds a little richness. The pepper keeps it lively. And the cedar and vetiver give it enough structure that it still feels completely appropriate for an office day. With temperatures a little cooler here on Long Island today, it also feels like a very comfortable way to finish out the workweek. Maybe that is part of Friday for me. Polished enough for the office. Relaxed enough for Friday. And just a little reminder that life should have some fun in it too.

Found myself with a very rare hour of down time this afternoon, and just happened to be close to Nordstrom's. I figured I'd stop in and see if I could get my hands on a sample of the Armani I Will fragrance that everyone is so excited about. I'll talk about that separately, but TLDR I think it's boring. After talking with the sales clerk a bit, I mentioned that i was a fan of Iris notes, and that I was hoping to get a sample of Gypsy Water Absolu. Unfortunately, they were out, but then she told me they had a tester of the new Creed Iris Debonaire that is set to release on September 8th. She was kind enough to give me a little decant, and I've been wearing it all afternoon. I have talked in the past about my dislike of Creed. I get the appeal, but I'm just not a fan. I really hate their pricing structure, and in the past, I've resolved not to buy their stuff. All of that to say, that Iris Debonaire may be my new favorite perfume. It's up their with Black Orchid, Gypsy Water, and Iris Obsidian. I can't stop sniffing my arm. It's an absolutely lovely fougere with a really sophisticated French Lavender note in the drydown. According to the marketing, the Iris used is specially made specifically for this fragrance. Whether that's bullshit or not, I don't know, but it works. This stuff is incredible. We'll see how it works performance wise. I want to wear it tomorrow, but it's going to be 110, and I don't think powdery iris works very well in that kind of heat, so I'll have to wait a bit until I have an office day or day at home when i don't have to go outside much. But wow. This might end up being an actual bottle purchase if I can save up and get a good discount.