Flankers make me cranky*. When a flanker is bad, it debases the coinage of the original. I recently spoke with a perfume sales assistant who refused to believe I smelled so lovely because I was wearing Boucheron Jaïpur Saphir. This is because I was not wearing Boucheron Jaïpur Saphir. I was wearing plain ol’ Jaïpur and said so — only to be told: “There is no Just Jaïpur.” With the dizzying rate of flankerizing and discontinuation as well as misinformation from friendly and seemingly authoritative sources, what hope has the average person of keeping this stuff straight?
Almost as irritating to me as a flanker that fails to live up to its predecessor is the sequel that succeeds on completely different terms. Dior Poison’s second flanker, Hypnotic Poison, for example, is a creamy, girlish dream of a fragrance, reminiscent of such wholesome smells as suntan lotion and root beer floats. I’m sure it would have sold at least equally well under another name. Why force a family resemblance where there is none? The only reason I can think of that is consistent with my experience of the perfume industry and buying public is that flankers must be cheaper to make. Presumably Dior saves on the bottle design and less thinking was required all around from the marketing team. If imaginations in the business are so impoverished, though, why not just take a cue from cosmetic companies like Make Up For Ever and Bare Escentuals and offer similarly packaged products with women’s names? At least such scents would have a ready-made customer base of Rachels and Olivias and Sophies. (Even if it was a white floral musk, I’d be more likely to take home a bottle of Eau d’Erin than a set of false eyelashes with neon feathers.)
I told you the topic makes me cranky, and when I get cranky, I start ruthlessly eliminating prospective candidates for a post. Five great flankers? I won’t include Chanel Coco Mademoiselle: too dissimilar to the original. No Thierry Mugler Angel adaptations: too similar to the original. Yves Saint Laurent M7 Fresh? Too, uh, I don’t know… improbable. Dior Fahrenheit 32 is too confusing for those of us who are used to dealing in degrees Celsius. Bvlgari Omnia flankers: just too many of them. My Jaïpur, Guerlain Shalimar Eau Légère and Givenchy Amarige d’Amour are all discontinued; there is enough perfume in the world that I promised myself long ago I wouldn’t go chasing after Yves Rocher Rose Ispahan or ancient limited editions of YSL Opium. But I’d also promised a list of worthy flankers to Robin and so I forged on. Here is that list, after much exasperation. Please comment if you know of another flanker likely to improve my mood.
Cartier Déclaration Essence: Very similar to the original Déclaration, this 2001 flanker in the dark blue bottle is by perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, author of the original. Interesting to see how Ellena’s devotion to minimalism plays out when he is sequelizing an already stripped-down scent: Déclaration Essence elaborates on the sweatier elements of the original by adding a deep, oily-smoky drydown of costus and immortelle. I prefer the flanker, where the richness of the base throws the flintier, more mineral aspects of the top and heart into relief. For drinkers of Pouilly-Fumé.
Hermès Concentré d’Orange Verte: Well, there’s definitely some confusion about this one. In Perfumes: The Guide, Luca Turin words the review of Eau d’Orange Verte (1978, by Francoise Caron) so that readers may assume the scent is a reformulated, less concentrated version of the 2004 flanker. Note lists for both fragrances differ widely from source to source — surely the papaya and mango the Basenotes pyramid gives as the heart of the original Eau belong to the milkier flanker? — while some websites list Jean-Claude Ellena as the nose for the Concentré, rather than Jean Guichard. As in many cases, it is profitable to ignore the research and consult your nose. I like the mint and the flatter, less acidic sourness of the flanker, but many, like Robin, will miss the bracing opening and chypre drydown of the original Eau de Cologne.
L’Artisan Premier Figuier Extrême: Indeed, a less extreme, gentler fragrance than the original (from 1994, by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti). With fewer of the hissy green, vaguely cat-peeish notes fig “soliflores” generally highlight and the addition of a long-lasting, milky sandalwood drydown, this 2003 flanker is a softer, more abstract perfume than its progenitor. Nobody seems to be sure whether Olivia Giacobetti created the Extrême version; certainly the comforting and yet introspective feel of the scent would make it an excellent example of her style if she did.
Chanel No. 5 Eau Première: Headed for a powder-puff plushness similar to the original’s, this recent flanker updates the top and heart notes of the classic fragrance with considerably more citrus, a touch of spice and an increased emphasis on the creamier side of ylang-ylang. A friendlier, more golden scent, this pink-cheeked flanker may appeal to those who find the bright white elegance of No. 5 a bit too monumental to wear. Also, I have an unconventional recommendation: I sprayed it around at my aunt’s request before a home viewing and her house sold.
Givenchy Organza Indecence: This is a clear focus-group flanker. The younger women that every perfume company seems to target must have said they wore Organza for the radiant vanilla and were tiring of all that floral stuff. Take out the flowers, add some creamy citrus notes and a sifting of cinnamon on top and deep dark woods down below and put the thing in a hilarious bottle with a triangle for its genitals. Voilà! Initially this was a triumph for the unreliable Givenchy, although it may have stopped selling well at some point since it is now in limited distribution.
* In case you need it, there's a definition of the term flanker in the Glossary.
Note: images via Images de Parfums.
I'm feeling a bit crass this morning, but the only thing I am more tired of than a flanker is an ad showing an ejaculating perfume bottle.
A little more creativity guys?
Hey, come join me in the cranky corner! 🙂 Hermes seems to be particularly susceptible to this sort thing – check out the guy in the Eau d'Orange Verte review Robin did. Doesn't make me feel *that* great – but both the original and flanker are very nice.
Flankers are confusing: true. And like sequels, often disappointing.
A minor correction: the second flanker for Poison was actually Tendre Poison in the green flacon in 1994. Hypnotic was the third one in 1998.
And I think some flankers are worthwhile:
Vetiver pour Elle by Guerlain is -well- fantastic.
Opium Fleur de Shangai I know, you said no Opium flankers but…) is good for people afraid of Opium, without being trairotous.
Miracle So Magic is actually pretty nice (the green touch along with the delicate narcotic floral is very spring like)
Eau d'Eden (flanker to Eden) is one of the few watery florals that smells all right.
Pure White Linen Light Breeze sounds so diluted and in fact is very cute!
Elixir des Merveilles is a gourmand take on chypre which is good.
See, I had trouble with this, too, and had to send a correction to Robin: I believe Hypnotic Poison is the second *flanker* to Poison (but the third Poison *fragrance*, with Poison and Tendre Poison being the first two). It depends on how you count these things….
I wish I had tried that Vetiver Pour Elle. And I almost included Pure White Linen in this list, though I haven't re-sampled the Breeze version.
DH and I are house shopping, so I will be on the look (smell?) out for the scent of No. 5 Eau Premiere! It would be a nice departure from cookie-scented Glade candles, even though EP was foul on me.
I am very surprised that flankers are convenient (for the companies – and I suppose it must be so because there are just so many flankers out there).
I never tried the poison/omnia/dior cherie/… series beacuse I disliked the originals so much – so I would have guessed a flanker was a BIG risk…
There are few succesful ones though, at least for me, and I like them better than the original:
Bulgari eaux parfumées au thé blanc et rouge – I like them more than the “vert”, not in concept, but definetly in practice.
They are not too dissimilar, just enough that if you dislike one you can love the other and still see the relationship.
Hey, Erin! Long time no see! How's everything?
Great piece BTW! I too hate flankers when they are just blatant means of increasing market shares…FYI Dior Poison's second flanker was actually Tendre Poison, a early 90s green floral that I'm actually partial to (although I don't think it's your cup of tea judging by the posts I've read from you).
I like Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere as well, much better than the 90s Chanel No. 5 flanker. Eau Premiere doesn't work that well on me, though I probably need to test it a bit more–so far on my skin it smells like luxurious baby shower gel, which can be a good thing on certain occassions I suppose (for the record L'Heure Bleue smells like expensive talc powder on me ;-p)
My flanker guilty pleasure is Givenchy Amarige d'Amour…I like the green black currant opening, although formally its a fruity floral. Oh well.
Hugs and talk to you soon!
That is my understanding too: Tendre Poison was the first flanker, Hypnotic the 2nd, then Pure Poison & Midnight Poison. And next up: ? Something, I'm sure.
Be glad they didn't use this theme for Diesel's Only the Brave.
Oops…can't do math this early in the morning! Dior's second addition was Tendre Poison and the second flanker was Hypnotic Poison! I stand corrected!
I have to desagree that m7 fresh it's not a great flanker to the original. I have both, and i like to see that the concept of freshening the original m7 was well conducted, avoiding that the original one was transformed in something generic, aquatic or citrus soft. In M7 fresh, the opening is a rich and creamy bergamot and grapefruit. You can detect the ginger and the vetiver more clearly in this version, and you can see (in this case, sniff), that the rooty and woody base of the original one is still ther, but it was transformed from a fresh perspective. I like it and I cannot see why i don't deserves to be named M7, afterall the concept remains there, on the core of the fragrance, but transformed from a very elegant and distinct freshness.
I like organza indecence exactly in the way that erin told. I hate the floral punch of the original, but i love the creamy spicy woody transformation. It's a shame that is so hard to find. It's a great fragrance for cold days.
Flankers to an existing perfume feels cheap to me. Can't come up with an original name? Slap something in front of the words “Cool Water” and bam instant hit. Think that's cheap? Cheaper: slap a color by the name i.e. Dunhill Black
Usually adding Extreme, Intense and such really boils by burittos because it feels like they are lying to you. It's really NOT extreme! ive the men some EdP's for Odin's sake!
Declaration Essence is the BEST flanker I've come across. Bois Bleu is also a good flanker to Declaration, it's more citrusy but isn't all too great.
YSL likes their flankers, too with Opium, Kouros, etc.
In the long run, coming up with a new name for each fragrance can be daunting. Most of the good ones are taken. There will be a day where perfumes are named like the trend in band names: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, They Might Be Giants…. heck we already have Only The Brave!
A flanker that i love and think it was a shame that was just a limited edition was dior homme intense. Indeed, the dior homme family is just perfect for who likes the original but wants different versions for different ocasions. The Cologne version succed to maintain the soft suede sweet base, but amped up the citrus and iris and, surprisingly, transformed the fragrance in a more refreshing and easy to wear version. In the Intense version, you can see that the notes were reorchestrated to produce a more formal version, producing a gourmand that it's not too sweet, not too woody and neither too powdery. You can note that the iris opening that a lot of people hate was cutted to just the 15 minutes of the opening, and then it transforms to a comfortable and classy woody gourmandy, with touche of white chocolate, a hint of iris and a comfortable woody base.
I believe that that's a fairly old Hermes ad. I'm glad I didn't have to produce the mask between the liquid and the orange background. Digital pre-press made these ads much easier to do and we had a rash of sodas and juices exploding fom their containers.
I must say one thing. If I could ejaculate like that this late in my career, I wouldn't need the cologne.
For me, the greatest flanker iever was Eau Sauvage Extreme, which confused me (in the days before flankers were common) by being more or less entirely unrelated to the original scent, being instead an ink-dark herbal chypre. So good. I can't imagine why it was discontinued.
See? I am counting perfumes, not flankers. :-))
Obviously the progeny must end at some point!
Hi Erin, fun article. So the SA actually said “There's No Just Jaipur”??? I'll refrain from add'l comments, I'm especially cranky today.
My fave two flankers are Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and Amarige Mariage. I think both have added Patchouli for a dry spikey edge which I love.
Hey, nice to have someone who knows how these things get made! Personally, I'm okay with pop exploding, because it does that anyway: I drink a lot of soda water and I always manage to soak myself with the 2 litre bottles. (Refreshing!)
And yikes! Pretty funny 🙂
I don't have anything to contribute, except to say it's always good to see an article from you, as I really enjoy your writing style.
Holy cats, I hadn't seen that bottle and just checked it out! Good gracious….
How many bottle colours have they got left? 🙂
Good luck! Hope you get something bargin-priced (though I'm not wishing ill on any seller in this market.) But foul, eh? Perhaps it smells better on curtains and lampshades…
I think the “Poison” name in particular probably initially scared off quite a few potential customers. And so many people don't seem to be able to smell the original Omnia, that the name may have worked against Omnia Crystalline (which I find VERY strong and musky, by the way, not what I expected from a light “Asian” flanker at all).
I like Thé Blanc and Rouge, too. Have you tried the Thé Vert Extreme?
I completely concur SirSlarty! It's so true! They all seem to take the easy and cheap path and go with the tried and true where originality is a forgotten concept.
And wow! I love Organza Indecence and I did not like the original at all. The only reason I tried it was because of things I read on here. So for me, their marketing strategy works in the opposite manner for which they hope. If I didn't like the original, there is a better than excellent chance that I won't even consider the flanker(s). And OI is such a different fragrance and it deserves its own bottle design and a better name too – such a waste!
maybe Poison Antidote???
Thanks! Everything's great around here, though I'm having computer/internet problems (gasp!) so I'm having to beg, borrow and steal comment-answering time. How are things with you? I actually much prefer Tendre Poison to the last two Poison flankers, both of which I avoid. I like the green bottle, too, though “Tendre” always seemed like a goofy name for a Poison to me.
And don't feel guilty! Amarige d'Amour was great. Wanted to mention it in the Wednesday poll on fruity florals, but my computer difficulties prevented me…
OMG Gary Fred, thanks for the laugh! Too much 🙂
Daisy, there was a great commenting section on this in Robin's Pure Poison review…
Hey HB! Oh, I was just being silly, M7 Fresh is actually great, as you say. Nice review, btw.
Thanks – see, its not just the focus group girls! 🙂 OI is very nice in the cold weather, and is fairly unisex, if you ignore the silly bottle.
Hi Erin. I'm not opposed to them, necessarily, but I think the only flanker I own is Concentré. I like both it and the original Eau, but Eau requires frequent application because it's so fleeting, yet Concentré can be too cloying on me; it's great in very crisp weather though.
I do have my eye on a flanker that I finally got around to trying a few weeks ago: Chanel Allure Homme Édition Blanche. I need to sample at least once more, but I think it's decant if not FB worthy. It should be explored for anyone who'd like a natural lemony buzz without any 'eau de Pledge' accord.
I've heard that Body Kouros is nice, but I've never tried it. I also have a nice sample of Habit Rouge Eau Légère, which I believe has many fans.
I'm curious about what AG will do with the reported Mandragore “Intense” that's supposedly being developed. Love the original, but it too can be fleeting.
Haha! I guess that ad doesn't bother me too much — one person's ejaculation is another's Champagne bottle or orange zest spritzy imagery. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Yeah, what is up with the lack of EdPs for men? And why does “Extreme” so often seem to mean “Mild”? Glad we agree on the Declaration Essence. I haven't come across some of the older YSL flankers in a while: Live Jazz, some of the Cinemas, etc. I don't remember them being terrible, anyway.
What about perfumes after song names? I'm in an Elvis Costello mood, so “Beyond Belief” sounds good to me. (And there has been a few perfumes that certainly suit “Brilliant Mistake”, which has the immortal line: “Her perfume was unspeakable, it lingered in the air”)
I just recently purchased my first flanker – Secret Obsession – and I definitely like it better than the original.
There's that men's cologne that comes in the cheesy plastic cigar. Cuba, is it? It's pretty good juice, actually – smells a lot like Le Male (which has its own imagery issues going on…)
OK, I have to say that the whole flanker concept really annoys me. I always interpret it as company greed or plain ol' laziness. I don't need to experience every iteration of a scent. Just give me the one you think is best, and then I'll decide whether or not I like it. Don't give me 10 different versions. And I also agree with your contempt (too strong a word? ha ha) for the silly “flanker” naming of completely different scents. I loved and wore the original Poison in the 80's. I discovered Hypnotic Poison a few years ago, but have never associated it with the original Poison. It's nothing like it. I tend to boycott flanker scents. It gets way too confusing and there are enough scents out there that I don't need to be smelling every version of Euphoria or whatever. It's tiring.
Very interesting, HB, this is one I have wanted to try, but can't seem to find anywhere. I like the rather sombre, “hollow” iris of the original, but this sounds very nice, too. One of the problems of actually enjoying a flanker is that it inevitably gets discontinued.
Gald to see others confirm my theory that a flanker's name can sometimes do more harm than good…
I like Eau Sauvage, of course, but “ink dark herbal chypre” sounds fabulous. They seem to be extremely stingy with the distribution of the Eau Sauvage flankers. I've only seen the Cuir Fraicher one once. It seems like the sort of thing that would have been a hit had they but promoted it.
I did not mention this, because she was very nice, but she actually appeared to be the Boucheron SA (she was at the Boucheron counter, anyway.) I like Mademoiselle, too. I kind of can't help myself. I've been interested in trying the parfum version Victoria of Bois de Jasmin mentioned some time ago.
Thanks so much! I always enjoy your comments, so the feeling's mutual…
I think Organza Indecence is the only flanker I actually own. No, Avon Imari Seduction is a flanker but I never tried the original. Both tiny bottles and I am clinging to the OI. I need to try the Amarige flanker(s) and some of those Poisons.
The spanish firm Loewe did already name a parfum after a song: Carlos Benaïm did for them their last femenine fragance, called “Quizas, Quizas, Quizas”, ¡and they bought the rights for the songs for ten years!
I once asked somebody from the LVMH parfum division about their lack of originality regarding names, (to be precise, I asked then about the never ending Poison flankers) and he did confess that it was complicated and very expensive to find global, unregistered names for all their new launchs!
Hi Erin! No problem, it's just me and my crazy love with m7 line rsrs
Hi! I think I am rather opposed to them in theory, but I find myself quite impressed by ones that do fulfill a need (usually for more longevity, as you suggest.) i like the Edition Blanche, too. Right around that same time, A*Men Pure Coffee came out, too, and I agree with Kevin and Chandler Burr on both of these flankers: not terribly original, but just very good and wearable. Habit Rouge Eau Legere was *very* nice, but went the way of all good flankers and has now been replaced by Habit Rouge Sport, which is at my local Guerlain boutique. I'm sort of afraid to try it…
You're right. Only the generic flankers remain the market, and the best ones never stay so fair. That's so unfair 🙁
Silly and extensive bottlet that take up a lof of space in the wardrobe. If i could find, i'd have the mythical version, but i've never seen it anywhere
Body kouros is a great example of a flanker that has little in common with the original. In this case, thanks god, because body kouros is a great gourmand incense, while kouros to my nose is a big NO rs
I've never seen it in the reissues bottle either, but I notice they are sometimes just using the original Organza bottle now, not the original Indecence “flasher” bottle. You're right, the blown-off dress version does take up a lot of room. For some reason, though, it makes me chuckle.
Very interesting about the copyright issue!
Only one of the great injustices of the perfume industry… 🙂
I like the original stinky Korous, but you're right, they don't have that much in common. I think Body Korous might be one of those rare flankers that sells better than the original……
Group hug!
I like that one, too. It's been trashed in some quarters, but I thought it was just fine.
In case you couldn't tell, the concept tries my patience, too. 🙂
It seems particularly funny when they flankerize a scent like Euphoria, which I always think of as just an Angel re-hash in the first place.
The Amarige flankers are funny because none of them smell remotley like the original. And then there's Extravagance D'Amarige, which is like Coco Mademoiselle in that it just seems to have developed a critical mass and divorced itself from the original scent entirely.
agree: Body Kouros is great. eucalyptus, frankincense, amber… lovely.
Hi Erin,
I try to like Coco, but it “sits” on top of my skin, and gets quite sweet. If you get the chance, try the perfume of Coco Mlle. I recently purchased the Perfume version and it's lovely. Very smooth, rich and long-lasting. Was very satisfied with it. I recently purchased the soap, and it's scented my entire closet! Even the cat smells good….
Or another Elvis hit “Accidents Will Happen”….. 😉
Can only imagine what Brian Ferry's Slave To Love would smell like… wonderful tune!
The only flanker I own is L'Artisan's La Chasse Extreme, which I prefer only because it smells better on me than the original.
I have a historical question, however: When did flankers first appear? I don't remember any back in the '80s, so was it a '90s invention? Do you know what the first flanker was?
I always wondered if that Cuba thing was any good because it's ALL over the discounters and there are like 38 flankers.
I actually love the original “stinky” Kouros too. Such a civet bomb. It's great when I feel the need for an *extra* pair.
I agree, what about Givenchic
If I remember, is that the comment thread where people proposed “Baby Poison” or “Rat Poison”?
that must have been before I found NST …..I'll have to go look around for that. It's not that Poison (and it's kin) are so bad, it's just that the 'devotees' that I have known seem to wear a bit much at a time…
maybe “A Little Less Poison” or the french version Moins de Poison…or as I heard one poor devil say 'Poisson”
I hope someone will jump in with the answer, because I haven't the least idea. They seem relatively recent to me, too, or their proliferation anyway. Perhaps they began sort of as an outgrowth of various types of concentrations? It seems that the formulations of EdT, EdP and parfum versions of various scents from several houses have been different for some time. But that's a shoot in the dark…
Well, it's certainly fine for something that costs $15 buck or something, though it's not likely to become your signature scent or something. Cracks me up that it has flankers!
A Little Less Fish? I guess that's what we will all want from our perfume…
Apparently, it's too late at night. I just wrote “something” three times in one sentence…. Sorry!
Don't remember that one?
That's a good one – you should see if you can get the rights for the name or whether you'd have to pay big bucks (or get sued!)
My cat smells more like the name misspoken above: “Poissons”. But thanks for feeding my curiosity – gotta try the parfum, I guess.
Everybody huddle in! And congrats to Robin for keeping this one of the nicest places on the internet…
I remember it as sort of licoricey, gourmand-ish. But those notes sound great, as well. I'll have to re-try it.
It's the sort of perfume that puts (more) hair on your chest, that's for sure.
one would hope 🙂
Hmm, building on your theory, it could also be an outgrowth of the masculine/feminine versions… A quick Google search didn't yield much info, but Basenotes seems to have some Sport versions of men's scents that date from the '80s.
(snickering wildly)
The first real flanker I remember is Tendre Poison, because the first Poison sales were down and they wanted to revitalize them. But you're right, Cartier in the 80's had sport variations od Pacha and Santos and Santos Extreme. I also remember Tuscany per uomo Forte and Giorgio Beverly Hills for men Extreme. Guess once more we can blame the 80's.
I just saw on Basenotes, from 1983 Yves Saint Laurent pour homme Haute Concentracion, probably it was the first, and this days it's ridiculous brands not making EdP for men, Lalique, Boucheron did them and they were amazing…Maybe the extreme/light/whatever variations attract more buyers than the classic designations…
I'll preface this by admitting that I know just about zip about perfume history, so this may be way off base…but earlier in the century (the last one, not this one) weren't there fragrances that had waned in popularity or had been discontinued…then later were brought back only 'reformulated' and often under the guidance of new noses? So even though they might have the same name, the scent was somewhat different?? Seems there was a blog here not too long ago that involved this.
Anyhow, my belabored point is that perhaps these 'same name but rebirthed' fragrances would seem to be the antecedents of the modern day flanker.
Just thinking.
My knowledge of perfume history is near zero, buy the book Perfumes The Guide by Luca Turin& Tania Sanchez states that Flower by Kenzo smells like the original Royal Bain by Caron, Let's not forget the Opium/Youh Dew war, or that Rive Gauche is an allowed copy of Calandre by Paco Rabanne.
I am eagerly awaiting my copy of the Guide!!!!
It sounds like copys and flankers have been around pretty much as long as commercially successful perfumes have been around. In auto racing they have 'drafting' in the perfume world there is 'flanking' and in the movies there's 'Rocky 1,2,3,4…'
I just found another flanker to Organza – Organza First Light. I need to spritz it tonight cause I can't remember what it's like.
Jaipur is discontinued?!
Now don't get me wrong… I have always loved Calvin Klein Eternity, have worn it since it was new, one of my staple feel good scents, always have a bottle on hand…but it has a slew of progeny–none nearly as good in my opinion–although I have the Eternity Rose Blush.
Eternity
Eternity Rose Blush
Eternity Purple Orchid
Eternity Summer
Eternity Moment
Eternity Love
is that it? am I missing one? hmmm, still that's quite a bit of bottle sharing.
In fairness to Dior, Cuir Fraicheur was launched as a limited edition, so it wasn't meant to be promoted widely. I saw it at the Gatwick duty-free shop in late 2007 when I was returning from London, and like a big idiot I didn't buy it, and now I never will. It was really good (though I never tried it on my skin)–that bright Eau Sauvage freshness with a dark, slightly dirty leather-amber undercurrent. I felt like I'd spent enough on scents during the trip (almost $400), but obviously I should have shelled out another $90 or whatever it was.
I don't take any notice of flankers. They're boring.
That reminds me of a funny 'incident' on MUA last month: someone was asking about Vétiver pour Elle and I said, 'There's only one Guerlain Vétiver and that's the original one.' And everyone who'd missed the point in my post proceeded to list all the flankers. LOL!
I miss Jaipur, Jaipur Saphir and Boucheron Femme reviews here!
My sister gets irked when she goes to buy her Eternity and they practically won't sell it to her because they want her to buy a flanker!
and there are so many!!!
I always have a back up bottle of Eternity–especially important since my 17 yr old now wears it too. She gets loads of compliments on it at school…has been told that she “smells awesome” on a number of occasions.
I hope your sister stops buying at department stores…it's gotten so that Eternity can be picked up at the discounters for around $35 for 100ml, not only that but I saw a NIB bottle at scentsplits for $29 —the best part: no annoying SA's shoving flankers in your face! grrrrrr
I have to say, like some of the other posters have already suggested, “Givenchy” does well with their flankers—there's usually a strong enough connection to the original frag, with something new introduced. This assumes you already know what you're in for when buying an original Givenchy frag; it will be viscous, richly textured and loud and a flanker will be a slight variation on that.
Does anyone remember Guerlain's “Un Air de Samsara” from the mid'90s? I read in Perfumeshrine that it bears no resemblance to Samsara, but for me, it's Samsara stripped of all its heaviness and is a lovely, crisp bright sandalwood-based scent. I was wearing the sample (given to me soon after its debut) at work one day in the summertime; my then manager (whose wife is a famous nose) took notice and remarked that it was very “discreet.” Unfortunately it was long discontinued.
Things are fine with me. Getting really tied up with the demands of my life so I feel bad for not being able to update my blog…but the next best thing is to read & leave comments on other fragrance blogs so that's all I can do right now. (Hopefully I will have more time in a few weeks!)
I'm surprised that you like Tendre Poison…honestly I only like the first two Poisons and the rest? Not so much. (I think I might have made a spoof on my blog about none of the Poisons have anything to do with each other.)
BTW generally I respect Chanel for not polluting the market with countless flankers (compared to the others), although the Allure Homme spin-offs are getting on my nerves. Last year a Chanel SA at the Bay told me that Edition Blanche is almost a cross between the Homme Sport and Homme Sport Cologne Sport (try saying “Chanel Allure Homme Sport Cologne Sport” 10 times in a row, anyone???)…much to her displeasure I tossed away the test strip after a few minutes (I got bored, sorry). I know the Allure Homme franchise is huge but to me there are just too many variantions on the same idea…
You're right – they warned us! I did the same as you: saw it once, liked it, didn't purchase and have sadly never seen it again. Limited editions are a bit of an enigma to me: some seem to stick around forever, while others disappear immediately, even if they warranted re-issue or permanent collection status.
Hope your life calms down soon! I agree about Chanel, though Allure flankers on both the men's and women's side seem to be ever-increasing, unneccessarily in my view (and yours too, I guess.). Chanel does have a tendancy, though, to offer different concentrations that are quite different in formula: Cristalle in EdT and EdP, for example. They're kind of like flankers in disguise…
I remember that one now, I just don't remember what it smelled like. Please report back if we should all sample it…
Interesting theories, all. Sadly, as usual, there's probably nobody specific to blame for the current situation, LOL….
From what I understand, yes. In Canada, anyway, you can only buy in at discounters and specialty shops, as Boucheron counters don't sell it any more.
Calvin Klein seems particularly prone to flanker bug. Even their relatively unsuccessful scents (sales-wise, I mean) seem to have spawned flankers: Truth, Contradiction, etc.
Admittedly, most of them are boring (because not original) and the proliferation of them gets confusing….
The original Boucheron pour femme is a subject of great sadness around our household, since the original version was pretty much my mother's signature scent. It has been reformulated, and while still good, my mother mourns the pre-reformulation scent, which I haven't been able to find a bottle of. Maybe Angela, who is good at hunting up “vintages”, will tackle a review…
Your last sentence is very accurate – and funny!
Some perfumistas speak of Un Air de Samsara with great fondness. Sadly, I never tried it. Certainly, Samsara could stand with a little lightening up, particularly if it was cleverly done. Too bad about the discontinuation…
so we're bombarded by flankers and now flankers-in-disguise, pseudoflankers???? I know perfume companies do this but it bothers me….if you like the EdT but you'd like it a little more lasting and concentrated then you should be able to get the EdP ….it should be that easy. But no, you sniff the EdP and so often it's very different! It's way too much for my tiny little brain.
I know, it's like they whipped out their trusty Roget's Thesaurus, nodded to each other with sly satisfaction, and started slapping names on perfumes.
The original was lovely. Of course, when I first smelled it I was too young to appreciate it. I had a few bottles (I was a SA then) that I gave away!
I did, but I liked it much less than the original thé vert (both in concept and in practice!).
My favorite green tea remains l'AP thé pour un été… even if it is a bit to sheer…. 😉
Oh, I love that one the best, too – sheerness and all.
Well, I think sometimes the changes are created because of the very difficulty of extending the wear-time of a fragrance with fleeting ingredients. But other times – and I note this particularly with Chanel and Guerlain – they seem to do it to make a luxury version out of the EdP or Parfum version.
HA! Yes. It's surprising they don't have a CK Lucid Truth. (Having been exposed to a lot of high school and undergraduate writing, “lucid” is the word I most often associate with thesaurus-inspired poetry.)