What a weekend! Sniffapalooza Spring Fling has come and gone; there was much sampling, purchasing, and consumption of bellinis. My calves are killing me from all the walking. A recap of Day 1 follows. Sniffa attendees, please do comment on my coverage and add your own impressions!

Bergdorf Goodman highlights

• The Karens drew a larger crowd than ever before. It was like a small army of very well scented women, armed with Sniffa buttons and American Express cards. Only in New York!
• Sniffed the new Annick Goutal fragrance, Songes, which was beautiful on me for the first 10 minutes but quickly disintegrated into something that smelled distinctly like curry. On others this didn't happen; but on me, it was as if I had smeared Indian food all over my hand.
• The new Manolo Blahnik candle is phenomenal. It smells quite a bit like a men's fragrance from Versace (The Dreamer). What a lovely scent to have wafting through your home!
• Cartier's new one, Delices, is unlike any Cartier before it. On me, the cherry note was dominant, but it wasn't too sweet. The bottle is gorgeous. Mom took home the body lotion and the mini.
• Sira des Indes from Jean Patou is absolutely lovely but, like the Songes, it's just not for me. After a few minutes it began to morph into something strange, and I ended up having to scrub it off in the bathroom! At that point I started to think there was just something strange going on with my skin.
• Mom and friend Helen had their makeup done at Sisley and took everything home with them, including a serum with a ridiculous price tag. I was shocked, but egged them on at the same time. They work hard and deserve a little luxury once in a while!

Barneys highlights

• Serge Lutens was calling my name today. I went home with Chergui, which I had long been coveting, and the new one, Gris Clair. After loving it on my skin and being informed that there were only 5 bottles left in the store, I had to have it. It's quite unusual; very, very lavender, with some smoky amber at the end.
• Johnny from YSL was there; I am convinced that he can brighten anyone's day with a hug and a smile! We need more people in the world with that quality.
• Sniffed the new fragrance from Mandarina Duck, the Spanish clothing shop. Great for summer and definitely captures the essence of a store called "Mandarina Duck" (hint: there's some citrus in there, for sure).
• Sadly, Strange Invisible Galliano was not at the SIP counter this time around. Read about him here.

Caron highlights

• Oh, the urns, the powders, the shop itself! Walking into Caron is like walking into a quaint old salon in Paris. One could linger for hours, making quiet conversation and sampling the wares. I came close to caving on a fragrance, but my willpower prevailed.

Takashimaya highlights

• After a delicious Swedish lunch at Ulrika's, we invaded Takashimaya for a tea party and lots of sampling.
• Yosh Han was there with samples of something new and exciting called Phenomenon. I will be reviewing in a few days, once my nose recovers from all this work!
• Mom and Helen fell in love with La Base.
• I fell in love with Bois de Paradis and the discount at Tak made it too hard to resist. It is now on my shelf.

We missed the soiree at Malin + Goetz due to my jet lag. What a day! Recap of Day 2 tomorrow.

For more about Sniffapalooza, check out sniffapalooza.net.