Same old thing: say anything you like — what perfume you’re wearing today, the fall or winter fragrance you can't wait to wear, the summer fragrance you'll miss the most, whatever. Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer.
Note: image is Lavender Draw [doubled] by geishaboy500 at flickr; some rights reserved.
Oooh… I can’t wait to wear Un Rose Chyrpee, Coco, Youth Dew, Natori, and too many others to think of right now.
I’ll miss Fleur d’Oranger 27, Cristalle Eau Verte, Tuberose Gardenia, and Vanille Galante.
I’m wearing Fleur d’Oranger 27 today and I should mention that I still have at least two months left to wear summer scents (yay), but also to wait to wear cool weather scents (boo). Of course, we do get weird days in Texas when it is cold early.
Cynthia, what did you think of the Cristalle Eau Verte? I’m a big fan of the original EDT, haven’t tried the reformulation.
I love the opening of the Cristalle Eau Verte – it’s very juicy and fresh, which I think probably means that it has nothing to do with the original Cristalle. It also fades very fast on me, so it’s a good thing that it only comes in 3.4 oz, as I can see going through it quickly.
As much as I love the CEV, I don’t know that I’d buy it again since it doesn’t have any lasting power on me at all.
CEV lasts several hours on me–4 or 5, proving once again that different body chemistries have their own ideas. It turns into a wonderful mimosa on me toward the end. The middle is a little iffy, it amps up some musk, but lucky for me, the musk wafts off.
GAH – why won’t it last longer on me? It’s even humid here, that should help right? Maybe there’s something in the middle that I’m anosmic to? I’m going to have to lotion up and spray liberally next time and see if it “comes back” in the dry down. I want mimosa in the end, too!
Does this mean your test the other night was successful? Or are you just looking forward to testing URC?
My test was very successful – soon a nice decant of URC will be mine. Of course, you could look at it as being unsuccessful as I now have another expensive scent to keep in stock – lol.
all I have to say is : mu-wahahahaha!
oops, that slipped out…
Ladies and gentleman, meet Daisy, enabler and temptress extraordinaire…
bowing , waving, throwing kisses to the crowd…
I also love Youth Dew. I wear it all year long. It is yyyyyuuummmmmy.
Hi all, Today might actually get warm, (it’s usually cold and foggy in the summer) so I’m wearing Eau d’ete by Parfums de Nicolai today.
BTW, has anyone smelled the Guerlain Voyage collection? I think there are three scents, Moscow, New York and Tokyo. I’m interested in the Moscow, which is to be a gourmand (vanilla, plum red currant, lemon and pine needles) or Tokyo which appears to be a tea scent, kind of green & floral?
I did smell them at Saks, but I don’t recall being impressed. However the SA let me sniff something she said was coming out in September that was fantastic.
What was the frag coming out in Sept that smelled so good?
*sigh* I can’t for the life of me remember the name. I’m not even sure if she told me, but I’m going back to the Saks in Boca Raton Florida in September to find out!
ST – the opinions in the blogosphere appear to be divided on this Guerlain set. Marina at PST liked New York, Patty at Posse like Moscow and Denyse/carmencanada (GdM) liked Tokyo. Robin has not weighed in yet, I think. As for me, I liked Moscow the least – too sweet without enough balancing weirdness for me. Tokyo smells really lovely, and I see what Denyse means about delicacy/quietness rarely being appreciated enough, but I didn’t think it was special enough for the price – lots of fresh, floral, gentle tea fragrances out there. I liked New York the best, but, as has been pointed out, it is pretty much a airier, smoother version of Guerlain AA Winter Delice, which I also liked, so no surprises there. Huge, vat-like bottles, in case you haven’t seen them.
I have not smelled them. I decided it was no longer fruitful to chase down obscure Guerlains — they never seem special enough for the price.
Good to know, thanks Erin. I usually don’t go for mass-quantities unless I know it’s an adored scent that I’ll buy again.
Wearing Kenzo Amour Florale…sample from a Sephora order. There’s something vaguely soapy about it on me and I don’t see wanting more than the sample — BUT — the frangipani note is heavenly and suddenly this morning I’m obsessed with buying a frangipani fragrance. I’ve tried the EDP and parfum versions of Ormonde Jayne’s Frangipani and it’s beyond gorgeous but so ridiculously fleeting on me that I have forbidden myself to buy a bottle. So, now I’m looking at Chantecaille’s Frangipane or Annick Goutal’s Songes…anyone have suggestions for other beloved scents that feature frangipani?
No, sorry — you’ve covered my favorites, the OJ most of all.
Saffron James L’EA is a frangipane scent.
Thanks for the suggestion!
I second Saffron James Le’a. It’s gorgeous, and does a great job of replicating a couple of the plumeria (frangipani) varieties common in Hawai’i.
Speaking of which, how was your vacation?
Well, it was good while it lasted. Halfway through, we had to come back to the mainland because of a family crisis (aging parent stuff). So let’s just say that what we had was great! Very nice of you to ask – thanks.
Oh, what a shame! Hope things are better.
Chasa – was there no significant difference between the OJ EdP and Extrait? OJ don’t do samples of their extrait versions, so most people havn’t tried it! You have to buy to see! Would be interested in your opinion on the matter……….
Blimunda, I didn’t perceive a difference — but I suppose I’m not the best to ask because OJ Frangipani is a scent that disappears on me…or maybe it’s just my nose that “loses” it quickly, but in any event, I only get fleeting but delicious glimpses of it. I got the EDP sample from OJ when I ordered a bottle of Woman and then I got a decant of the parfum later to see if I experienced it differently. Sadly, no (though I’m still tempted to order the darn stuff…it’s very beautiful even if elusive on me).
Chasa – lucky you that you received your Kenzo sample. Evidently, they were out of it when they shipped my latest Sephora order [and substituted some anti-frizz hair product in it’s place
].
I’m wearing Le Parfum de Therese today. Me likey!
I usually just wear what I feel like, but these last couple of weeks of with the humidity of DOOM I haven’t worn perfume most days. It’s nice to get back to it now that it’s cooler.
Nice!
LOL at “humidity of DOOM” – that’s what I have here today, and hence, no perfume! I’m off tomorrow, so I’m thinking after today’s hiatus, I might do some sampling. I’ve had the envelope of all of the Delrae scents sitting unopened all week!
Humidity of doom is in my neck of the woods as well! Only we’ve been having really cool days + humid = fog fog fog! I’ve been at a complete loss on what to wear, since the temperature swings from 50’s/10’s in the morning, all the way to upper 80’s/30’s by late afternoon. Argh!
Almost time for Encens Tranquille, Ambre Noir, Winter Woods, Sweet Oriental Dream and all the other cold-weather scents!
All lovely fragrances! You have great taste…have your tried SSS Champagne be Bois and Tabac Aurea? Both perfect for fall.
Since I received my sample of Champagne de Bois at the beginning of the summer, I’ve been wearing it all summer (not the sample – I bought a bottle). It never even occurred to me that it was more of a fall/winter scent! But I love fragrances that can span the seasons.
I have CdB and want to get Tabac as soon as she reopens the shopping…..
I can’t wait to pull all my cold-weather stuff out too!
I’m trying Padparadscha from Satellite Paris today, sample from Luckyscent. Somehow the summer scents I’ve been wearing (Element of Surprise, Fig Tea, and Din-Dan) aren’t appealing on a cold, wet day. I can’t wait to wear Terracotta, and Champagne de Bois, and Ormonde Woman, which all seem to say “fall” to me.
ah yes, I bet you are eagerly anticipating that Champagne de Bois!!!
Yes, indeed, you enabler you!
I’d like to know what everyone likes to wear for a romantic evening in or out.
Love OJ Ta’if for romantic dinners out. Fifi Chachnil is a great let’s-stay-in-tonight fragrance.
Agree with you on the Ta’if.
I never heard of the Fifi fragrance-I look forward to checking it out-thanks!
last I knew there were decants of Fifi available on scentwiki….I think it was Suze who had it. (she’s a doll, totally trustworthy)
Parfum d’Empire’s new 3 Fleurs is my new romantic fave…primarily because my husband loves it! Tuberose, rose, and jasmine are the heavy hitters in this very heady, bright floral. It’s my next FB purchase.
I must test that one, it sounds right up my alley.
For a special night? The original Fendi, or Magie Noir (vintage).
I also love Donna Karan’s Black Cashmere. I used my very last few drops not long ago and I’m so bummed! I wish they’d re-issue that one (without reformulation, of course)
SmokeyToes, I’m pretty sure Black Cashmere edp is available. It’s listed at http://www.donnakaranbeauty.com/ and a Google search for “Black Cashmere Perfume” turned it up at least one discounter.
Many thanks LIza! I’ll get right to searching!! I thought it had been discontinued.
Yay for both Magie Noir and Black Cashmere…
I dreamt about Magie Noir last night. It must be a sign that I need to wear it! Either that or I somehow associate it with too much red wine and chocolate cake.
SL Daim Blond because it’s like skin, but better.
I love SL DB, such a great winter scent. It lasts forever on skin too.
Night out depends on where we’re going – if we’re going to a nightclub, I like to wear trashy fruity-florals or other loud scents – Badgley Mischka, Obsession,. If it’s to the movies or theatre, something really subdued (like Hermessence Vanille Galante, DKNY Be Delicious) or nothing so I don’t bug other people. Dinner means something that won’t interfere with food smells – so a nice white floral (Tuberose Gardenia, Pure White Linen Breeze) or a comfort or spicy scent (Brit Red, Kenzo Amour) is good. Night in – something sexy – Shalimar, Youth Dew, Coco, Une Rose Chyrpee, Obsession Night.
Bless your heart for wearing quiet things to the theater. One of my absolute worst scent memories was getting stuck sitting next to a woman who had just drenched herself in Opium before heading out to the movies. Ack.
I just came across an article in Chow, a foodie blog, about whether or not it was proper to wear scent to a restaurant. The latest in an ongoing discussion.
It is one of the the things that I think about and it depends on the restaurant, type of food, etc. and sometimes I do go without fragrance or I wear a skin scent that doesn’t have much, if any, sillage.
Wine-tasting, on the other hand, always involves me going fragrance-free so as not to interfere with the wine-sniffing. Which I totally don’t get and my wine palate is crap, but I’m trying to educate myself to some extent.
You’re right, I was thinking of a night in my favorite Japanese restaurant with my husband (with shoji-screen booths!), so perfume doesn’t really affect other people except him. I’ve found that a good scent to wear to the theatre (if you wear one at all) is Bulgari Omnia, which half the population can’t smell, anyway.
SL Sa Mageste La Rose: sexy, playful, beautiful.
If I know it’s a romantic evening, it’s JHaG Citizen Queen.
Divine by Divine for dressed up dinner out. OJ Woman for evening in.
Something oriental, not too sweet and it definitely needs to have some edge. Jo Malone Dark Amber & Ginger Lily or SL Chergui, just one spray under my clothing – perfect.
Sounds like we have similar taste in cold weather scents, at least! Chergui is about the only SL I’ve tried that doesn’t dissolve into a gooey sweet mess on me.
My question is:
How often is it love at 1st smell?
I’ve had several fragrances that I thought were so-so, or even disliked, eventually grow on me to the point I thought they were bottle-worthy. I’d be interested to hear how often you find this to be the case.
Great question. I had that happen with Idole. First reaction was it’s too boozy and too sweet but when I retested a few weeks later I fell unbelievably hard. Similar reaction to Douce Amere. With Chinatown, I change my mind every time I smell it. Curious…with which frags did this happen to you?
I had a “Ew, God, what is that” reaction to Narciso for Her when I sprayed at the perfume counter, but 20 minutes later was in love. Others took more than one wearing include L’Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons (initially seemed ho-hum) and La Haie Fleurie (initially seemed way too sweet) and Iris Nobile. With Iris N, I sprayed it on a card and wasn’t tremendously impressed, but opened my purse the next day and thought was smitten – had to try it again on my skin. Loved it ever since.
I really need to retry Iris Nobile… I love iris and SOTD is Hiris, which for me anyhow works for all seasons…
Now you’ve made me want to re-try La Haie Fleurie again. My initial reaction was “way too sweet”!
Funny, with Idole it was exactly the other way around for me. First smell: love. Second smell: … boiled carrots?
Eau des Merveilles is one that I’ve been slow to warm up to. Now I love it.
Oh, love at first smell are so rare, at least for me! And Many initial loves are quickly dismissed…. Also, I find my tastes changing a lot depending on the time of year – and the more I sniff, the more my impressions vary!! I was starting to feel a bit freaky about it
!
I am new to trying higher quality perfumes…Last fall I ordered Hermes Ambre Narguile based on a blog review, and i LOVED it so much. I couldn’t believe it actually, I am looking forward to winter to wear it again.
Very often! And sometimes, the opposite occurs – love something on first smell, then find it “meh” later on. So important, IMO to try scents at least 3 times before purchasing. Dzing! is an example of “what the @#$% is that” when I first tried it. But I gave it a couple of other tries, and it turned into MUST HAVE!
Then again, I was head-over-heels the first time I smelled Dzing!…
I felt the same way about Dzing! I almost never have love at first sniff. Dzing!, Liaisons Dangereuse, and Yvresse (when it was still Champagne) might be it. Most of my favorites are ones I didn’t like at all at first.
When I first smelled Dzing!, I didn’t like it, but not because I found it too odd–I didn’t find it interesting enough! I was in the midst of running through the entire L’Artisan line for the first time, at breakneck speed (rookie mistake), and was disappointed because I’d heard so much about how weird/different/awesome Dzing! was. I don’t know what I was expecting; I had built it up so much in anticipation that I probably wouldn’t have been satisfied unless a clown and several elephants had jumped out of the bottle and launched into a trapeze act. It wasn’t till the third try that the switch flipped. So I suppose Dzing! would be love at third smell.
Love at first smell is elusive, and love at first smell that lasts beyond that initial burst of hearts and arrows is even rarer, in my experience. I’ll tentatively volunteer Chanel No. 5 as a success story–but how boring is that?
Happens to me quite frequently too. Seems like many grow on me over time. Full-on love at first sniff seems kind of rare!
It happens to me quite a lot. For instance, I snagged a sample of Chanel Coromondel last March. I wasn’t that crazy about it. Then after reading Kevin’s review this week, I tried it again, and now I can’t wait until I can afford to buy a bottle. It’s lasting power is so much better than the most of the other Exclusifs I’ve tried, with the exception of #22. This fall I’m looking forward to L’Artisan’s Havana Vanille and TDC Oriental Lounge (although that one probably won’t arrive here until much later). After being on a perfume buying frenzy through May, I haven’t bought a thing since–not even a sample. I’ve really had to watch my wallet and it’s been killing me that I haven’t tried anything new recently.
I must try Coromandel!
If you change your mind about curbing the spending, Filomena, you can always join the Coromandel split.
This happened with Hermessence Vetiver Tonka. It made no real impression at first and yet, to my surprise, I found myself always reaching for the sample this summer so I definitely see myself owning a bottle eventually.
Hermessence Ambre Narguile, Amouage Dia and Jicky parfum on the other hand, were all lust at first sniff.
Same here on Vetiver Tonka! I tried it about three years ago and wasn’t crazy about it, then rediscovered it this past spring and totally fell in love — and had to buy a bottle.
I have to say that I mostly love what I love at first sniff. It has to be some kind of ~transcendant~ experience when I smell it. If I’m still objectively weighing it, it’s a no-go. Though of course I’ve had my share of times when I’ve re-evaluated something and found that I liked it, my initial impression usually being uninformed, but I’ve noticed that I don’t LOVE these fragrances as much as I do the ones I adore the first time.
But! I no longer buy at first sniff, and will always try something several times before buying. I’ve also had those times when I love something at first, but discover that I hate a note (ugh, melon) or the drydown (why did you forsake me, A La Nuit??) or had problems with longevity (Keiko Mecheri anything)…
That’s a good policy to have, and it’s one that I stick to as well. For example, a couple weeks ago I badly wanted to like Timbuktu, which revealed an absolute patchouli BOMB on my skin, which I hadn’t smelled at all until 5-6 hours after application. Yuck. And I *like* patchouli, by itself!
That is a good policy. I no longer buy at first sniff either (well, most of the time)… I try to use up a sample vial before I buy, even if I think I adore the scent. Because 50% of the time, by the time I get to the end of the sample, I no longer MUST own the frag, even if I think I love it at first.
YES, I agree with this. I also try to decant or buy a partial bottle after I sample. I only buy ones that I can’t find in smaller quantities this way (the Delraes for example), or are on sale for crazy cheap.
For me, I’m generally in the love it at first sniff or don’t bother group. Once in a while, I like something better upon repeated testings, but it doesn’t turn into love.
I rarely fall in love at first sniff. Rarely. I’m pretty distrustful of top notes, first off. Second, I’ve had so many lemmings that fizzled out, I know myself better.
That said, I tried Parfums de Nicolai Sacrebleu for the first time last week, and fell hard.
I fall OUT of love at third sniff. I have no idea, and I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ll try a sample of something and love it. Then I’ll do another sample–lovely. Buy a bottle, three days in the fragrance turns entirely different. Not just a little, it’s like I’m wearing something else entirely. Jardin apres le Mousson? I got not a bit of melon until day 3, where suddenly, all the melons in the world moved in an rotted. Am I alone?
I had the exact same experience with Mousson. Smelled like a typhoon for three solid days and then melon mania — argh.
Same here. Loved it for a week, bought it, and then – as you say, Melon bloody Mania.
I’ll ask the obvious: is it an issue of spray vs dab, or have your samples been spray as well? I’ve had a few seem quite different sprayed than dabbed, but not so much as to put me off them. But I’ve had my share of “oh, I like this well enough for an office scent” mistakes…where after 2-3 wears, it’s just blahhhh.
It’s spray to spray. It’s as if the same bottle was refilled with something else overnight. And it’s not just one fragrance. It’s many of them. Of course, as I don’t buy anything I don’t like at first sniff, it never works the other way–meh to Wow! Time is generally 3 days, and then switch. Usually I buy a decant until I’m sure, but it’s just plain odd.
maybe you love the thrill of the chase? fear of commitment?
I dislike about 95% of what I try, but of that remaining 5%, I’d say it’s divided pretty evenly between love at first sniff and love that creeps up on you. I loved Philosykos, CdG2 Woman, and Bandit right from the get-go, but L’Air du Desert Marocain was a sleeper — I actually wrote “interesting, but don’t need” in my notes! Needless to say, I wound up craving the stuff.
Here’s a follow-up question: Do the love-at-first-sniff scents hold up over time, or does the romance fizzle out like a schoolgirl crush?
Most of my love at first sniffs have lasted for decades! Until reformulation…..
Mine have held up for many years, but not indefinitely. Part of the problem of course is that I was a single scent girl for so long… easy to get tired of something you wear every day for months or years. The other thing was that having kids (specifically, the 2nd kid) changed something, whether my skin chemistry or my nose, so anything sweet is amped way up. Fortunately, I have the same problem w/food, so sweets are no longer terribly appealing.
I loved Diorissimo the first time I smelled it, MANY years ago! Same is true for Cristalle EdT. But certainly there are others I’ve lost interest in.
Many of my favorites have taken a several sniffs to appreciate. But the first time I smelled SL La Myrrhe, I was smitten!
I fell head over heels for Omnia green jade and purchased 65 ml. Now I’m glad that I need up to eight sprays to smell it for at least 4 hours. So it soon will be gone. Not that I dont like it, its just not that appealing any more.
Kelly Caleche my SOTD I tryed and my first thougt was SWEAT. And then at the second try it was beautifull balanced leather and I love it so much.
second cold rainy day in a row…..gloooooom
So the SOTD that jumped out of the cabinet at me was my good friend Fifi. I couldn’t say if it is “weather appropriate” but it sure fits my mood. Summer humidity can go, that’s fine by me….I love fall ….really look forward to slathering myself with my favorite gourmands and rich woods….yummm….so give me that crisp weather but no snow.
Yes, I don’t mind crisp fall weather, if only we could skip winter altogether!
Can’t wait to wear Kenzo Amour!!! Still enjoying MAC Naked Honey- one of my favorites every! Love the honeysuckle- that is SUMMER to me!
Love K. Amour
I am still searching for my wedding fragrance. I’ve been looking for a few months now and it’s been a great journey. I came across such a variety of different, beautiful, original, weird, happy, sexy, so-so, blah and downright awful fragrances in that time but the one I keep coming back to is Amouage Dia which was love at first sniff and which is what I’m wearing today. Perhaps what I’m looking for is, almost literally, under my nose
When is your wedding?
This October but I’m looking something that I will be able to wear at any time of the year so steering clear of anything overtly seasonal.
Dia works then!
Dia is lovely, and it’d be a great scent to wear at your wedding. Best wishes to you!
Thank you!
Congratulations! Do wear whatever makes you happiest and feel beautiful. I chose to layer Joy and AG’s Rose Absolute on my wedding day because they made me feel that way. Dia is a sparklingly beautiful scent!
I am petsitting at a friend’s this week and discovered I wanted to smell like her countertop cleaner. I felt a little less disconcerted when I discovered that the line, Cucina, does make a hand lotion in same scent (lime zest and cypress).
I will miss Carthusia Mediterraneo and Bvlgari’s The Blanc. I can’t say I’m looking forward to cold weather, but wearing Ambre Noir and Tabac Aurea again will help when the bitter winds start blowing.
I will have to look for that cleaner, sounds lovely!
I know exactly what you mean! I bought a Caldrea cleaner (Italian pear & cypress) that I wish I could wear as a scent : ) Makes doing the dishes more enjoyable too.
So, I go to this forum, where somebody started a conversation asking “What is Art?” and I’m just thinking, oh no, that’s just asking for trouble. I’m an art student myself and I know that question always causes controversy.
So then, somebody says “Art is eye/ear candy.”
And answer to them: “I wouldn’t limit it to just two senses.” Meaning it can appeal to ALL the senses.
Then this member, who has a knack for contradicting me, says “I don’t think ‘smell art’ would be pretty successful.”
And I’m just thinking man oh man, then what the hell is perfume?! I pointed this out to him, and also the explanation behind top notes, etc. Which definitely shut him up in the end.
Just had to share this with you guys~
YAY TATI! You tell ’em !!!
Why do I think he was imagining “scratch ‘n sniff” ??? LOL
Excellent!
I think that limiting your enjoyment of art to sight and sound is, well… limiting! Especially when scent tends to evoke stronger emotions, memories, etc. than hearing and seeing.
LOL @ scratch n’ sniff! I work in an Art Center and the image of some of our stuffier patrons scratching the paintings and sculptures and then taking a big whiff is cracking me up! hehehe
careful with those nudes!
Love it! Glad that shut him up.
Great story – thanks for sharing!
Great story, Tati. Thanks for sharing! So art = candy for the senses. Succinct and it works! I guess you could also go so far as to say, candy for the soul.
Yes, smell was designated as one of the lesser senses, along with taste. Too base and common for high art. But perfumery, culinary arts, and wine tasting have gotten more recognition lately. But I’m still waiting for a tactile art form!
Love at first sniff for me was Hermes Jardin Sur le Nil, The Unicorn Spell, Monsieur Balmain, Prada Infusion d’Iris, No. 5 Eau Premiere, Madam Rochas and Le Dix (both of which I bought unsniffed based on the NST review, so glad I did). Today in Boston the humidity FINALLY broke, and it’s a perfect day. SOTD is Dzing, which took me a few tries to appreciate, but now I adore it.
Same happened to me with Dzing! LOVE IT now!
Hence the name, Dzingnut?
Now that autumn is on the horizon, I’m starting to crave those spicy fragrances that I love so much. I’m currently in love with Serge Lutens Arabie (see? I like them strong and spicy), but I also love Ava Luxe Kretek, Serge Loutens Rousse, and Ambre Noir from Sonoma Scent Studios.
Here’s my question for all you perfumistas. My favorite fragrance note in the world — almost a fetish! — is cinnamon… but I’m really allergic to cinnamon oil. I just tried I Profumi di Firenze’s Arancia e Cannella yesterday, and it’s heaven to my nose, and battery acid on my skin. Does anyone have any recommendations for other spicy perfumes that could at least EVOKE cinnamon, that might not burn holes in my skin? Many thanks!
Sinfonia di Note Fleur di Santal is surprisingly cinnamon-y
It smells like Musc Ravageur with a dollop of extra cinnamon . My winter favorite !
Hi Robinhoo
How about the new Laura Mercier Minuit Enchanté Parfum? It’s kind of deeper/darker than the original Nuit Enchantées. The top notes: juniper, mace, ginger, clove buds & pimento berry, middle notes: tuberose, rose absolue, jasmine absolue and peach nectar. Dry-down is vanilla, musk, labdanum oil, benzoin resin, amber, myrrh, guaiac, cedar, sandalwood and agarwood.
It doesn’t have cinnamon, but gives the impression of a warm luxe spicy scent. I tried it the other day and LOVED it. It lasted 8-9 hours on skin. I think it’s a Nordstrom’s exclusive?
I’ve been curious about that Laura Mercier… I love the cinnamon in Organza Indecence and Kenzo Jungle Le Tigre…but both are getting hard to find at a reasonable price. (I haven’t tried the new OI, which is easier to find and more affordable.)
I, too, like spicy scents, but definitely combined with wood, so not sure that these will suit, but my favorites are:
Idole de Lubin
Frapin’s Caravelle Epicee (sp?)
I don’t think there’s cinnamon in either one, but they’re both spicy in that “cargo hold of an old spice trading ship” kind of way.
You’ve probably thought of this, but why not spray in hair or on clothing/scarf?
Ok, this clearly borders on TMI and only is feasible if your underoos are cottony and inexpensive (like hanes or fruit of the loom etc) not anything fancy or spendy—-if a perfume is too harsh for directly on skin or you need it to last all day—before you put them on, put a couple up-close sprays of fragrance up near the waist band…once it’s not wet you can put the undies on. Hopefully that will keep you from having the battery-acid reaction and the good news is that warm against your bod, frangrance will waft up all day. The bad news is that you can get a waist-band-polka-dot stain on your hanes—but don’t go running around outside in nothing but undies and it shouldn’t be a problem.
oh, and once you decide if you can sacrifice the undies….I get cinnamon out of Une Rose Chypree…..others just get hot spice and bay leaf…..but we know it’s cinnamon, yes we do.
As always, Daisy, you have me cracking up!
Thank you guys so much for the wonderful recommendations! I made a list, and now I’m off to The Perfumed Court for some sample-shopping!
I’ve never thought about perfume on the waistband of the undies, but now I’m intrigued (and amused, lol). Robin, I think I’ll decant my sample of the glorious Arancia e Cannella into a spray container so I can spray it on my hair, as you suggest.
Thanks again, everyone!
The cinnamon that most of us eat is not ceylon cinnamon bark, it’s from the acacia tree. My guess is that you are allergic to one of them, but not the other, in which case, you can check notes and may be able to buy a fragrance with the other. Cinnamon oil could be a concentration that’s too high, but a EDT may be wearable.
When I was allergy tested I found out I was allergic to Balsam of Peru-an ingredient in many of the spicy perfumes we love and a relative of cinnamon. I rotate my perfumes frequently and take a claritin when I wear something I know may really aggravate my allergies. Sometimes if you stay away from the offender for a while and go back sparingly, you can do ok.
You might try Lagerfeld Jako if you can get hold of it. It’s sold as a man’s scent but very unisex. It doesn’t have cinnamon in it but it evokes this for me.
I live in Florida, and the weather is still pretty warm (though admittedly cooler than July). I am loving the drydown of Tea for Two at the moment, and I’m thinking that this means that a new era in my perfume hobby has arrived. This will be my first winter, so I am seeking out slightly smoky, woody scents (that still smell femme on me). Something cuddly. Yay! Another reason to sample!
And tomorrow or Sat, I am taking my first ever trip to Saks and Nordstroms, to smell more frags. Pretty exciting (I live in a small town, so its a bit deal for me). However, I realize reading this post that I’ve compiled a long list of things to try that are more for SUMMER. Oye!
Oh, have fun on your shopping trip!
I’m in FL too and look for those days cool enough for my ‘warm’ scents – Kenzo Amour, B#9 Chinatown. These are really the dog days now, but I don’t care…am testing Les Nereides Oriental Lumpur today. Wow is that spicy!
Usual SOTD: Lauder Bronze Goddess (all I can tolerate lately in this mugginess!)
I’m wearing Laurence Dumont’s Vanille Bourbon today. It has a kind of smoky drydown I like and it’s rainy and cool today so it fits. I got a few Dumont samples when I bought a bottle of Dumont Tendre Madeleine (smells like madeleine cookies, total comfort scent). The Vanille Orientale is also quite nice.
Meant to say that I’m already in fall mode, fragrance-wise, since I’m already wearing stuff that is obviously too heavy for summer!
I have a sample of that, I’ll have to pull it out!
Wearing Parfum d’Empire’s new 3 Fleurs from a sample. Need a bottle of this VERY SOON. Waiting for a good online deal to woo me…but I may cave earlier. Still have some left in the sample, so I can probably wait a week or two.
Can’t wait to try it!
We’ve had such a dismal cool summer in the UK, I’ve never got out of winter perfume mode. Worse, all the frags I’d lined up to try in hot weather are still waiting. We had about one day when it was hot enough to reach for a cooling scent (I made it to Sous le Buis), but for the rest of the time it’s been ambers and irises.
Aw, that made me sad!
Nina, it has been like that in San Francisco, too. I wore my summer frags on some days just in sheer spite but I know I didn’t get the best out of them.
I just ordered a slew of samples and received the first four yesterday. Yesterday I wore Chanel Cuir de Russie EDP. It is beautiful, but too heavy for me. I managed to wait about 3 hours before squirting the other juices around myself, I wanted to do one each day, but it was killing me! But I TOTALLY got overwhelmed by the new smells. The other samples were Chanel Bois des Iles EDP, Matsouko EDP, and Caron Parfum Sacre oil.
Thanks for opening up comments for randomness.
I’m such a newbie, and i’m still searching for the right descriptive words. Matsouko freaked me out. I don’t know when I will wear it again. I’ve never smelled oakmoss before, and didn’t know how to process it. I loved the floral notes but the bottom reminded me of some type of odd vaseline (still learning here!). Everytime I would smell it, I thought I was actually going to see something on my arm. I think I will try it again in a month or so. I liked the Perfum Sacre, but it needs its own day alone for me to get to know it. Today I have on Bois de Iles. It took me some nerve to put it on, I was so intimidated last night, but it’s lighter than I expected, and still decidedly Chanel. I like it, though I think it smells a little dirty underneath, I don’t know if its the vetiver or tonka bean though, which would it be?
I can’t wait for my other samples to arrive!!! Sorry to write so long, just excited
Ahh, Bois des Iles. Beautiful scent but too much for warm weather..I do think you’ll appreciate it more in the cooler months. Great taste for a self described ‘newbie’ – you’ve mentioned trying on some heavy hitters there! Good for you for not being afraid to jump right in! It’s only perfume – if you don’t like what you’ve sampled, go scrub it off!
I was wondering if it would be better in another season! Thanks, I will have to try it again this winter.
It’s not so much taste, as it is a lot of reading online and finally starting and finding out firsthand what different notes smell like. It reminds me of drinking fine wine, the sorting and savoring.
Don’t give up on Mitsouko too easily. The first time I tried Mitsy it was definitely a “NO” , I was a brand new shiny newbie at the time …but someone encouraged me to try it again….after I had several months of smelling and sampling under my belt…and I found that I really liked it! Now Mitsouko is one of my very faves. It’s funny how your perceptions of fragrances will change in just a few months. Whenever you get a sample that you don’t really like—I recommend hanging on to it for a while and try it again in a couple months.
I haven’t given up, I’ll go back to it after I get it out of my head. My husband liked it the most of the 4. He said it would go well with lingerie. It’s the first Guerlain. I read a quote that said he (Guerlain) put the scent of the bottom of his mistress in every perfume, so I thought it funny my husband said that and liked it… When I ordered it, I knew it would be something special.
That’s happening to me with Tom Ford Black Orchid. I have only smelled it on paper and never wanted it near my skin until last time I smelled it – I though, ooo, maybe! Need a sample.
You might also want to try different concentrations of Mitsouko–this was recommended to me by Rapple, I believe. (And it was just today, wasn’t it? I have a mind like a sieve.) She also suggested trying the vintage Mitsy instead of the current formulation.
Michelle-have you tried the CdR in winter when it’s much cooler? I find it very wearable in winter months.
If it makes you feel any better, I’m struggling with a sample of Mitsouko too… There’s something in it that’s also in Tabac Blond and that makes me nauseous — I think of it as Eau d’Aeroflot (no offense to any Russkies on here, but back in the good old/bad old days, those domestic flights had a very distinctive barf-covered-by-disinfectant pong). Let me know if you reach nirvana, ’cause I’m still down here feeling queasy!
I remember my first response to Mitsouko-“ICK! Who in their right mind would wear this?” Several years later and I adore it!
I have a different problem with Mitsouko (after trying my sample – the more modern version) – is that it is very pretty and “smooth” but just uninteresting. Nothing at all offputting like some have commented, so is my nose maybe not picking something up? Maybe I need to try the older version or a higher concentration?
Hi Always!
I think the “off putting” ingredient for most folks was the oak moss in the older formulations of Mitsouko. So if you’ve got the newer versions, that has been greatly reduced, which changes that grand old dame significantly!
Hmm, my sample is the new EDP. It’s actually quite lovely for the first half hour, but then the nastiness commences.
Like you, I’m find Mitsouko EDP perhaps a bit too much. I have a sample from TPC and have more or less decided not to buy a full bottle. Having worn the EDP quite a lot I’ve gone back to the EDT and have got my Mitsouko back down to a whisper, a suggestion. That is enough for me. Sometimes in the perfume blogosphere you get a feeling that the EDP of a fragrance must always be better than an EDT, but I just don’t believe this any more. Just wear what you like, and what suits.
That would interest me, annemarie, thanks for the suggestion. I find Mitzi suffocating at full strength. Maybe I’d find a Guerlain that suits me finally if I go to the lightest concentration.
SOTD: Malin + Goetz Synthesized Musk perfume oil. It’s typically what I reach for when I don’t know what to wear and I don’t want to leave the house with nothing on, so to speak. Love its earthiness and cozy vibe. Can’t believe I actually took a shine to something with such a noticiable patchouli note but there you go….never say never.
I do the same with Body Time Egyptian Musk
I love BT’s Musk, such a great easy to wear scent. I mix it with Laura Mercier’s Vanilla body cream + patchouli leaves by Montale for a slightly sweet/musk scent.
Oooh, that sounds nice!
I’m layering no.19 over timbuktu to give it its former leathery goodness. It works great/
Interesting, will have to try that!
I miss the leather in No. 19 too. And I’m not even a big leather fan…
Hmmmmmmmm!
I went to the Bond No. 9 counter at Saks yesterday to try some things. Left with Brooklyn on one arm – liked it quite a bit – has a bit of a boy feel but nicely spiced. The other arm was Fire Island, which was total suntan lotion and outdoors. I got a sample of that for my friend who has a family home on Fire Island. Also got samples of Coney Island and Saks for Her – I sniffed the Saks in the store – holy toledo!!! It is a heady white flower bonanza! I’m either going to really like it or it’s going to make me faint. Not sure which to put on today of those two – it is sunny for once. I am conflicted, because I bought a gardenia yesterday and don’t want to conflict, since it is scenting the room so nicely.
Update on the Buxtons – Black Angel is my favorite of the three I’ve tried. I didn’t feel so much like I was wearing a straight-up man’s cologne, and it made me smile for several hours. Still have a few to get to. Almost every one starts with bergamot and citrus – he is very much a citrus dude.
I just tried Black Angel a couple of days ago–I really liked it too. The only other Buxton I’ve tried so far is Around Midnight, which I also liked, but it reminded me a little of Bond’s Silver Factory… something sort of incensy/jasminy.
Okay, so I tried the Coney Island when I went on my pre-shower beach walk. It is super-sweet, fun and really weird and more ozonic than I usually like – I won’t need a bottle but I’ll be enjoying the sample.
After my shower I tried the Saks for Her – not as overwhelming (dabbed) as I thought it would be and actually rather nice. The notes are jasmine, tuberose, gardenia, vetiver & vanilla. Power-burst up top of florals, followed by a soft vanilla/flower balancing act, followed by a nice rubbery-ness. Like it.
I wish Coney Island would stay in the margarita phase. It’s the melon-ozonic drydown that ruins it for me.
I know – but maybe because I was at the beach it didn’t bother like it usually would. I like Fire Island better, though.
The Perfumed Court have a sale on for 5ml/8ml samples……….aaargh! The exchange rate from $ to £ is so much better these days so I splashed out on 8mls each of Le Labo Patchouli and Sienne L’Hiver. I’m lemming both of them, but figured Patchouli will be a success since I love Bulgari Black SO much. Fingers crossed – i can’t wait! I’ve discovered that I love surprises arriving in the post……..!!!
I like it too! It’s fun, getting a surprise for yourself!
Someone else who loves Sienne l’Hiver! <3 That's definitely one frag I've missed over the summer months.
Another Sienne l’Hiver fan here. You know, maybe it would be OK in the heat – have you tried it? I haven’t.
For daily life, going around the city stuff, when I want to be more put-together, I found that it gets a little oppressive. I get hot really easily and that dusty-incense thing that Sienne l’Hiver pulses out doesn’t feel too good after a while.
But I can see wearing it in situations where I wouldn’t mind being kind of a mess, like somewhere outdoors — like hiking or camping or the beach. I bet it would compliment vast landscapes and open spaces, even with the sun bearing down. Of course the last time I went camping, it was bear country, so no fragrances allowed at all…
Thanks. I just might try it soon here on a warm weekend day and see. Bear country — aaack! Isn’t there some fragrance note that repels them?
I started the summer obsessed with incense, greens, and vetivers, mostly liking masculine stuff, and am now ending it obsessed with fruits and all the white florals I thought I hated. Lemming Amoureuse like crazy and lily-scents in general. I’m trying not to blind buy Donna Karan Gold but… it’s so cheap on eBay!
I’m still looking out for my perfect jasmine. I thought I’d be “done” by now but since A La Nuit (what I thought was like, the jasmine end-game!) didn’t work out, still on the hunt.
Oops, sorry! This was meant to be a new comment.
Ojeda – no apology necessary! As it happens, I am also looking for a wonderful jasmine scent – one of the perfume court sale items was Jasmine de Nuit by the Different Company! It was a toss-up between that and Sienne L’Hiver. So I shall read with interest the response to your question about jamsine scents now……..
The TDC jasmine! Thanks for the reminder. But I’ve got say, Sienne l’Hiver is *perfection* to me, definitely the frag I missed most over the hot months. I’ll all about supporting people getting more of it!
Ojeda – I’ve been looking for a “perfect” jasmine too, or at least a jasmine heavy scent (preferrably indolic) but without the other tropical flowers in it. At some point in my sampling, I realized that jasmine is also on the IFRA list and so it has either been greatly reduced in scents or replaced with synthetics.
Which jasmines have you tried and what do you think of them? I just tried Pavillon des Fleurs and while that was pretty jasmine-y, it was a little too tempered by the other flowers (ylang ylang etc).
I really liked Pavillon des Fleurs, with that really grassy jasmine and the other florals, but then I am definitely Not a Big Jasmine Fan. (Joy is a big Dirty Underwear Bomb on me.)
The Montale Jasmin Full is very jasmin-y. It doesn’t smell like poo but it is pretty full-on Jasmine.
I actually quite like indoles, but Jasmin Full is definitely #1 on my jasmine to-try list!
Oh my….now I have to go look…
Patchouli 24 is awesome! Definitely in my top 10. And I just tried Sienne l’Hiver last night! Love it. Such a comforting scent- I was instantly at home wrapped up in a blanket getting all cozy- I’m looking forward to wearing it in winter. And Patchouli 24 for that matter!
the neiman marcus near me now has the Tom Ford private blend collection, so i sampled a few of those this past weekend. Close to half. After reading the book that talks about the composition of each, that the SA gave me, the chosen notes are really not all that diverse between the scents. After a few hours, they all smelled rather similar also, and not that exciting. At $185 for a mere 50 ml, i give the entire line a thumbs down.
It is not my favorite line either. I know lots of people love them, but they mostly smell to me like unfinished mods for other fragrances…
I thought they were nice but was a bit underwhelmed. I was most interested in the wood and oud fragrances and will probably explore those a bit more. They are expensive but might be worth it if you found The One.
The oud was the only one I really liked. Other than that, nice, but not at that price.
Hi everyone! I’ve been a total basket case at work the past week or so and missed all these good posts! But I made if for this one.
Today as I needed some early cool weather and total confidence boosting fragrance, I’m wearing Magie from the Lancome La Collection – just gorgeous!
Also, my loves at first sniff: normally any major rose soliflore like SSS Vevlet Rose, AG Rose Absolu, etc. Otherwise, most of my HGs are ones I had to keep coming back to: AG Heure Exquise, Chanel No 19 & No 5, and most recent love: Guerlain L’Heure Bleue. B/c of an excellent swap with the wonderful Tama, I was able to discover the beauty of L’HB through a new love of Bulgari Black, as I think they are kind of scent sisters.
But my all time super duper love at first sniffs are: Chanel Coco, Guerlain Nahema and Chamade, AT L’Air du Desert Marocain, and SSS Rose Musc. THere was no question – the droplets didn’t even hit my skin before I was a goner!!!
And since I missed the whole post on Une Rose Chypree.. I must confess that no matter how many times I test this fragrance, it *always* smells like fried plantains from my fav Cuban restaurant in Portland. It is a no-go for me. Weird, I know.
LOL … I LOVE fried plantains … but not to wear! What an interesting association.
His Incense Rose has a “fried food” smell to me as well, so it must be something that he uses in his fragrances. I have absolutely no idea what it could be, but it cracks me up!
I get fried food from Diorella…
Hi Ann, I’ve sampled a few of the Tauer scents and to me they all seem to share a distinctive signature which could well be that ‘fried food’ accord you’re talking about! Unfortunately it’s because of that shared Tauerness that I can’t bring myself to like them. And I’ve tried for months testing, retesting, etc. Especially L’air du desert morocain, I really wanted to like it but it doesn’t do it for me.
…actually a friend plantain perfume sounds great to me.
Fried plantains. I love to eat but couldn’t imagine wearing them! Goodness I miss good Cuban food, wish I could find some on the left coast…..
There’s a Puerto Rican place in San Rafael called Sol Food – they have great tostones and then a sweet version the name of which escapes me. I mostly go for the beans and rice – to die for.
Smokey, where on the left coast are you? I may have a suggestion or two for you.
I’m in SF. If you have Cuban restaurant ideas, I’d really appreciate it!
Wearing Astor Place by Bond today. Looking forward to wearing Noir Epices by FM and a nice fragrance to wear out would be Baghari by Rober Piguet – very romantic.
Baghari *is* romantic!
One of the most eye-opening purchases I ever made was Quelques Fleurs Royale, because it smelled (and looked) distinctly like something marketed towards women, but was being sold to me (male) by a male sales associate. It got me thinking about how fragrances are gendered, and I’ve been told that long ago men often wore floral fragrances while women wore musky and woodsy/smoky offerings – a complete reversal of how things are now.
So my open question is as follows:
What are your favorite same-gender (as in fragrances marketed towards you) fragrances that you would most like or be most intrigued to smell on a member of the opposite sex? If you’re not attracted to the opposite sex, that’s fine, I’d still like to know your answer, because this is more about gender than it is about sex (although both are interesting).
Hi PTP – I think my number one I’d like to smell on a man is Vol de Nuit (Guerlain) – it is so amazing, powdery, floral, soft leather. It seems exquisitely sophisticated to me and a man who could pull that off would be amazing! After that: Lancome’s Climat, Donna Karan Signature, Lancome Magie Noire, JHAG Citizen Queen.
Hi PTP,
I’ve tried SL’s Daim Blonde, L’Artisan’s Voleur de Roses, and Lancome’s Magie Noire all on my hubby. They smelled wonderful on him. He is so patient and co-operative when I’m in “testing” mode.
It actually never occurred to me that Voleur du Roses was a women’s fragrance but I suppose it makes sense that it would be. I’m a big fan though
Looks like I’ve got a few new ideas to try out, and even better they’re probably entirely different than anything I’ve tried before, so the impressions will be entirely their own. Awesome!
And let me add to try Mitsouko, if you haven’t already! On my skin, it doesn’t smell “feminine” at all. I’ve always thought it smelled like something I’d like to sniff on a man’s skin.
QFR was all dirty undies on me (that jasmine!) until the very nice drydown, and I can’t imagine it on a man – at least, I can’t imagine the way it smelled on *me* on a man, but clearly not everyone turns jasmine into streetwalker panties.
I love rose-patchouli scents on men: Shaal Nur, C&S No. 88. (The CEO will not oblige me; he’s sticking with his Aqua di Gio.)
Apparently smelling like a prostitute’s undergarments is a great way to key into one’s feminine side… who knew?
Try to nick a sample of Le Labo’s Rose31 for him. It’s a well crafted rose-tinged, dusky, lightly animalic fragrance intended for men (but a woman can happily wear it). I do think it’s got patchouli, and it also has a slight touch of cumin – but it never veers into the ‘unwashed cab driver’ territory.
I want to smell Youth Dew on a man!
Where would I go/how would I trade a bottle of Parfum de Nicolai’s vanille intense? I’m leary about this, so if you can, be reassuring!
I really like Basenotes for trading. They have a rating system but more importantly there’s a community there, so it feels pretty safe because everybody’s kind of watching out for everybody else (buy/sell/trade-wise, I mean).
Hi sacre bleu. I might be interested in a trade – email me at krnszn@gmail.com and perhaps I have something you may want?
I’m interested in the Vanille Intense as well.
corvuscoax@yahoo.com
I’m wearing my new love, Parfums de Nicolai Sacrebleu, to write at the library on a cool rainy day. Must buy a full bottle for autumn.
How does everyone handle these weird transitional times, where the weather changes so often and you’re craving cold weather stuff too early?
Sacrebleu is one of my FAVORITES!!!! It’s been in hiding since winter, though. I miss it.
♥
SOTD is En Passant which totally doesn’t match the end-of-summer weather we’re having here but I don’t care. I just got a decant and I couldn’t resist!
I’m meeting up with some Vancouver Basenoters tomorrow for a shopathon and am compiling a list of fragrances I must smell. Is that weird? I’m worried I’ll get distracted by all the shiny bottles and I’ll forget to sniff the ones I’m interested in.
NO, NOT weird at all!! I do the same thing!! And then get distracted by all the shiny, but then I have the checklist to put me back on course.
“Distracted by the shiny”! I love it.
wearing today: Oud 27, but I almost wish I had not. I really wanted to love it after reading Kevin’s wonderfull review, but it’s been bothering me all day. All I get is Pinesol.
Summer item I miss: Un jardin sur le Nil layered with Kiehl’s coriander essence, Christalle EDP
Winter items I look forward to: Coco, Asja, Coromandel (loved the review yesterday), Gris Clair, Flowerbomb
Wonder if Oud 27 would wear better in the cold weather? I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would either though.
Oh! Gris Clair! I am having to practically chain myself down to keep from buying a bottle.
Trying to make my sample of it last.
well, I know who is getting my gris clair samples in the next swap…I have 2…one is a nice roll on….but I reallllly don’t like it…I’ll make a note to send them to you.
Ooh ooh ooh!! Yay!!!!!
Miss Daisy (bats eyelashes toward the Super Enabler) – if you have two samples, may I have a teensy bit of one? I’ve wanted to try this one forever, and it’s been recommended to me a couple of times as well.
What would you like?????
I think I could split one in half….all that lavendar….ack!
Aha! Lavender! Now I know why I had to go wash GC off… funny, I didn’t really smell it, but boy did it get my head pounding.
Can’t stand Gris Clair! It’s like being in a hospital ICU – in Provence of course.
the most horrifying fragrance possible in this dimension would be a mix of saffron, lavendar, mimosa and salt ……but I reserve the right to add offensive ingredients to the stew at a later date. Oh, let’s just go wild and throw a block of chewy patchouli in the pot as well…now stir …and run away!
SOTD is AG Eau du Fier. I thought it was discontinued. It can still be bought at the AG shop on the Rue Castiglione, Paris.
It’s amazing; any Lapsang Souchong or whiskey lover should try it. Smoke, citrus and somewhere in the background, dried apricots. I love it.
Have been wanting to try that one for a while and keep forgetting! Thanks for the reminder, it sounds wonderful.
It is wonderful. I had given up all hope of finding it. There is a great review of it on Bois de Jasmin. Googling it again one day I found a post on Basenotes that said that it was still sold in Paris. I guess you can probably still get it online from their online shop if you send them an e-mail. They have more products in the shop than on their site.
Thanks for the tip! I think that Bois de Jasmin review was what got me wanting it in the first place … What a shame it’s so hard to find now.
Awesome scent, wish I had a bottle.
You really ought to get a sponsored trip to Paris, don’t you think?
I was hugely pleased to see that bottle sitting there on the counter. It’s not discontinued, just in very limited distribution. Not to tempt you any further; it’s the Goutal shop that is closest to the Jardins du Palais Royal.
Thanks! I did hear they’d brought it back in Paris. Some day, perhaps, I’ll get a bottle. Not in any great need for more perfume, truth to tell. But love Fier!
Well, I’m a little late for this one–but I have fallen in love with Sisely #1–it’s gotten generally crap reviews and it’s hugely expensive for what it is–but it is lovely on me and both Saks and NM are out of it. So now I’m lemming it hugely, trying to justify the price. Should I go take a cold shower till this passes?
that whole shower thing never works….for one thing: after your shower you’ll want to put on a fragrance and that’ll just remind you that you really want some Sisley #1 —personally, I understand. I fell in love with #3 first sniff! Had to have it…found some on ebay.
I just checked ebay and found #1 for 85.99 but didn’t check the shipping….Reirien.com also has it for I think, $ 97 …..Fragrancenet.com has it for 117 but don’t forget to use the “basenotes” code to get 15% off and they have free shipping.
Ahhh, an excuse! You are a danger to me, and I love you for it. Sisely #1 is within reach! Thanks so much.
hmmm…I think my previous comment was removed? or perhaps I changed screens to fast…how about this? If the dept. stores are out of stock and you decide you want some sisley #1; try ebay, or a couple of the reputable discounters.
$97 at reirien.com!
that’s what I said! and my comment disappeared! also saw it for 85 on ebay buy it now. 7.95 ship.
Robin, I thought you removed my comment because I named the stores?
I didn’t remove it…it tripped the filters & went in the spam queue, and I found it there this morning and approved it. Sorry about that!
Adding that I think the filter picks up anything that names more than some # of websites. Which is sensible, but doesn’t always mean spam.
ahh, I see….so the filter thinks I’m being TOO helpful. You know of course that I have no affiliation to any perfume store ….unless you count my intense desire to shop at them. You’re probably wondering if I have luckyscent on speed dial….nah, but it’s an intriguing idea….
Thanks for risking the spam filter for me! I have had some bad luck on ebay as far as scents go, so I don’t go there anymore, but ReiRien was a find for me! Thanks so much for your help.
no problem QC, I willingly throw myself on a Live Spam Filter to ensure my fellow perfumistas find the best deal. It is quite a risk; you know those spam filters have very sharp edges….
I’m wearing TF Tobacco Vanille today and it is just delicious. I’m a total oriental girl so I’ve been enjoying my new bottles of Wazamba and Back in Black, can’t wait for fall but unfortunately in SoCal that is another 2 months of blazing heat away, so I just sit at my icy air-conditioned desk and pretend it’s fall already.
Wazamba just about fried my nostril hairs — given that you bought a bottle, I assume it smells better on you! How is the Kilian (I keep calling it “Back in Black” à la AC/DC)?
Oh yeah, I meant Back to Black (all I can think of is the AC/DC song Back in Black, which came first). It is wonderful cherry pipe tobacco, with lots of honey and almonds, smells a lot like Rahat Loukhoum in the middle drydown phase, with tobacco prominent in the top and base notes. Yum!
I hadn’t even noticed that you’d done the AC/DC thing too in your first comment! Anyway, sounds like it’s worth at least a sniff — thanks!
every time I read Back to Black I HEAR AC/DC in my head screeching “back in black!!” ….cherry pipe tobacco….sigh…..now I want to try it more than ever!
Shoot, that’s enough to make *me* want to try it, and I’ve been very underwhelmed by the ByKs.
My local nice fragrance store (Kuhl-Linscomb in Houston) recently got the Eau d”Italie line and the very kind SA gave me a sample set of each fragrance in it. I love so many of them! It’s still hot and muggy here and they are very refreshing. Baume du Doge is wonderful, and so is Magnolia Romana (very light and delicate, good for this weather), but my FAVORITE by far is Paestum Rose. What a fabulous scent! It’s a bit like Tauer’s Incense Rose but more etherial and light and sparkly. I want to buy all three bottles mentioned–uh oh!
Well it is “nice” but I meant “niche”!
Aargh (I mean, thanks for the tip) .. .someplace else I’ll have to check out. I saw that they had some other line we were talking about the other day (maybe LucyB), but I didn’t know if there was anything else there worth making the trip for.
Fall is my favorite season. I teach college, and have to be on the train by 7 am. Any suggestions for fragrances to wake me up and keep me feeling comforted and inspired during the day, that I can put on that early?
Jill S
Maybe Cabaret? I find it comforting and easy to take in the morning.
Caron Eau de Reglisse? I find it a good combination of bright/wake-up scent and comfort scent. Of course, if anise is not your thing, forget it!
I hope people aren’t too tired to start on a new thread. . . but I keep meaning to ask what a bath-powder-loving perfumista can do, when so few scents come in ancillary products nowadays? (And when they do, it’s a body lotion or body cream). My climate has long, hot, dry summers, and I love to cool and refresh myself with a dusting of powder as the day goes on– but of course, I’d like it to smell of my chosen fragrance, not baby powder. What would be compatible with, say, EL PC Tuberose Gardenia or other summery tropical florals, or Aliage or other green/galbanum types, or Fidji (d/c, I know, but I’ve still got some), or Divine. . .? At least I can still get Chanel no 22 bath products on *bay, at a desperate price.
I’ll ask the same question of wintery fragrances too, just not as urgently. Chanel still sells all kinds of ancillaries in no 5, thank goodness.
I like the Black Orchid Cassis by Arbonne that they had as a special fragrance for last Christmas season. It came in a powder and shower gel. I got a set on ebay for $14.99. This stuff was so expensive before so this is a steal and it smells nice. Perhaps it’s a start.
I’ve heard of people putting their favorite scent on a cotton ball and putting it down into unscented powder. You might try that!
SOTD- Kenzo Indian Holi. Inexplicably, I fell head over heals for Guerlain’s Cruel Gardenia, and it hasn’t smelled the same to me since that day. I’m afraid if I do find my bespoke fragrance, I’ll stop being interested in perfume. It is like a journey that never ends. So I’m enjoying the ride.
You mean you loved the Guerlain, then smelled it later & didn’t love it anymore?
yes strange isn’t it?
I only got to try Un Jardin Sur Le Nil last week, at the end of the Summer. If I have tried it before it would have been my summer perfume for this year. =)
I can’t wait to wear Bvlgary Black-
Next summer!
It’s still hot and humid here… so I’m going with floral chypres all the way, baaaaybeee. Ivoire smells great in this weather, and so does my L’arte di Gucci (dabbed, ONLY, lest the shade of Joan Collins haunt me all day). And I did, 15 years late, finally finally snag a bottle of Victoria’s Secret Victoria. The top notes are just wa-rong (maple syrup + acetone+ chlorine), but the rest of it smells just as lovely as I remember it.
My bottle of Shalimar Light is calling to me from the washstand cabinet, where it sits with the rest of my cool-weather perfumes, though.
Really, no Shalimar Light in the summer? I think of it as season-less.
I find it too heavy. Feels like the ol’ hippo on the chest when it’s humid out (i.e., nearly all summer). And then, too, it’s plenty drrrrty on me, so I have to be careful with it anyway!
Wish it was dirtier on me!
SOTD is Annick Goutal’s Encens Flamboyant, which I’m giving another test-drive. It was unpleasantly moldy on me the first time, but while I’m liking it better now, I still don’t need it. Whew!
Has anyone here ever changed their opinion about a person because of his or her perfume? Or am I the only superficial, snap-judgmental one? A friend of mine is house-sitting for someone I know a bit about but have never met, and I had totally written her off because of her hideous shoe collection — wildly expensive, but hideous. Then I saw her perfume collection (no, I wasn’t snooping — much — since they were all out in the open), and the Le Labos, Bois d’Encens, etc. instantly elevated her in my esteem. I was reminded of a co-worker a while back, a woman I was always butting heads with until one day I noticed a slip peeking out from under her skirt, and somehow my respect expanded tenfold — all because of a slip!
This is probably going to sound nuts, but when it comes to style, fashion, and now of course perfume, I divide people mentally into two groups: people who are playing “the game,” and people who aren’t. Most people just want to look nice and smell nice, or maybe have some brands to show off; they don’t necessarily express themselves through style. That’s cool — I say they’re not in “the game” and so it would be wrong of me to judge.
BUT if someone is clearly trying to make a statement through their style and, in this case, perfume choices, then it’s GAME ON. Learning that someone I know uses niche fragrances or has thoughtfully chosen a commercial/designer fragrance (and not just for the brand or because it “smells nice”) would definitely earn them “cool points” in my estimation.
That’s a good way of categorizing — amateurs and professionals!
But then – how do you decide if someone is trying to make a statement through their style? “Looking nice” can actually involve some very careful style choices. I guess I’m thinking of those “less-is-more” people who “look nice” with their minimalist style – a few basic colours, simple styles, restrained choice of jewellery, make up and perfume. They might actually be playing the game in a very clever way. I’m not challenging your categories, just thinking aloud. You’ve raised a really interesting point.
For me it’s not about simple versus not-simple; both can be expressive and chic, or not be, depending. I should clarify: I only really look — and I mean look as in appreciate and evaluate, as one would in an art critique, not in a negative judgy way — at people in my style tribes: hipsters and fashion-rebels, if you’ll excuse the annoying marketing terms. A woman whose little black dress is a Calvin Klein sheath is different from the woman whose little black dress is an Alexander Wang zipper cutout… thing. I relate more to the latter, and I pay attention to the latter. She’s more likely to be a “fashionista” (and I use that term cautiously; I specifically mean the eclectic fashion-interested real girls who take their cue from the the runways and each other, not the media; see Susie @ stylebubble as a prime example) and therefore knows the same set of ideas filtering through the community at any given time. How she’s interpreting those ideas (and they’re very specific ideas, you can always spot ’em) is what I’m looking at. Anybody else outside of that narrow category, who is dressing well (or not-too-well, which I prefer) is someone I can appreciate, but I’m not going to sit there and just rest my thoughts on how she paired those skyscraper Marni wedges with that thrifted dress and that DIY bangle…
Ah yes, I see. Thanks.
I was at the theatre in London a couple of weeks ago and someone was wearing a really old school oakmossy scent and everyone around us was like 20 years old at the most and I thought, “one of these 20 year olds has good taste in frags!”
It’s finally early days spring here in New Zealand. Wearing Etat Libre d’Orange Charogne from a sample today. Really liking it.
I have not tried that one!
It is still hot in the Texas Hill Country (heading for a record, I think), so I’m wearing La Casse aux Papillons and looking forward to L’Artisan’s Oct. release of Havana Vanille. Also love an old Annick Goutal, Passion,and Bvlgari’s Omnia, which I think of as a fall fragrance.
I like Omnia in the fall too.
Wearing In Fiore Maia perfume oil today, it was really hot and it’s a fresh, yet soothing floral blend. Looking forward to the new Natori and hoping it’s as good as the first one. Wondering which kidney to sell so I can have a bottle Amouage Epic AND one of Ubar.
I have not tried Epic yet! Still lusting after a bottle of Jubilation.
Sadly the Epic was meh for me, too much pink pepper (and I am so sick of pink pepper!).
Oh dear.
…and Epic man was like dipping my arm in a bucket of saffron…ack! Eau de Athletic Tape. >P
I’m wearing Napa Valley Cielo today. I had fallen out of love with it, but now I’m back “in like”. I live in the California oak woodlands, and this fragrance really does smell like home!
If it were a wee bit less sweet, I’d love Cielo. I should try it again though, it’s been a long time.
You know, it’s not really that sweet on me, and I really enjoyed the fig (and what I think is the grape leaves) yesterday. However, the honey IS clearly discernable and that’s what stops me from absolutely loving it. Honey is tricky for me, in fragrances and food.
Its winter here in australia so I am very envious of you all wearing summer fragrance, reading this is making me think longingly of ananas fizz, it just doesn’t work for me in winter and I can’t wait to wear it again! its cold here at the moment so i have been wearing ambre narguille a lot alternating with my sample of tuberose criminelle that arrived two days ago which I love (even the beginning!! strange but addictive!)
Me too! Spring has finally arrived-although for me that means all weathers,cool, warm, rain and dry, and all on the same day! So today- all of the above- i have on original EL Private Collection- cant place into a specific weather, temp catagory. Where do you order your non cosmetic company fragrances from?- i cant find any obscure perfumes that are mentioned or reviewed on this site.
Sounds like you might be in Melbourne too! I buy lots of my samples and decants of ones I like and are impossible to get in australia from the perfumed court, its hard to get full bottles but at least I can get a little decant of things I like (I tend to get off things before i get to the end of a bottle anyway!) .the shipping is pretty reasonable especially at the moment as the exchange rate is okay and they only take a couple of weeks to get to australia.
No not Melbourne, further south in Hobart- luv Melbourne and fly over as often as we can- which is not often enough.I would have been in nearly every perfume shop in Melb- that i can find but have not come across the perfumed court! I currently use 2 net sites that are reliable but still dont have those obscure perfumes that i read about and would love to try.
Oh goody, Hobart. My home town, tho’ now I’m in Canberra. I think you are lucky to have St Cloud perfumery. There is stuff there I don’t see in Canberra over the counter, and I admire the way St Cloud has survived in a small city AND with a major retailer just across the road. I bought my Escale a Portofino there. I’m loving it for spring.
It was St Cloud that started my obession with perfume in the late 70’s!!
It is always worth a visit when im in the city-i work on the Eastern Shore so only get in at weekends. Visited Canberra late last year but couldnt find the shopping CBD- is there one or was it just us and our lousy sense of direction?
Ha! So you missed the ‘Canberra Centre’! Which is the big shopping mall in the CBD, but nowhere near any of the monuments and attractions. Commerce and culture do not mix in Canberra. The Canberra Centre includes quite a few upmarket boutiques but nothing much in the way of perfume except for a sprinkling of niche fragrances at Mecca Cosmetica. So you didn’t miss much. David Jones has the usual department store fare, including quite a good selection of Guerlains, but not much that you can’t get from St Cloud, I think. DJs in Sydney has a huge perfume section. Try that if you can get there.
I grew up on the Eastern Shore. Know it well, or used to.
We found The Canberra Centre but thought there must be a shopping area like we have here. The Eastern Shore hasnt changed- it never does. Eastlands doubled in size recently!But is still a small shopping mall compared to mainland malls.
Sorry-just reread your reply and the perfumed court is a net site- will try it thanks
Hi Hamiltos, I live close to Melbourne and have been looking for someone in Australia that would be interested in trading/swapping samples/decants via post. Let me know if you’re interested! If not just ignore me LOL.
Hi
sorry its taken a while to reply my internet went down for a while
Yes definately interested!
I’m wearing CB93 Reinvention today, very green, I could wear it almost any day. I have two of his, this and Eternal Return, and they DON’T LAST! Does anyone know how to make these stay longer? Reinvention is just about the love of my life – it’s like Jacomo Silences but not so intense green and I really want to be able to enjoy it longer each time –
Are you wearing the perfume oil or the water formula? I have better luck with the water formula, because I use it as a body spray and then it gets on my clothes…tends to last longer that way.
Late Rant:
My gardenia are in bloom and when the light green buds blossom into the delicate snow-white flowers I can’t help but stick my nose inside the petals and inhale. And inhale. I suppose the smell of the flower depends on the plant varietal; the gardenias I know have a tropical, creamy, delicate smell, with a sprinkle of brown sugar, and a whisper of hesperidic notes. Maybe a hint of liquor, but no blue cheese, no tuberose and definitely NO jasmine.
I tried many “gardenia” fragrances and am so sad that – even though some are truly beautiful compositions- none was able to capture the intoxicating smell of the real thing. They don’t even come close!!
I know that gardenias are among those flowers which do not deliver their scent, no matter the technique used (BTW, I am so curious to know why this happens – especially since the non-cooperating flowers usually have a very strong smell!!). I thought that in an era with head-space technology and the likes it would be possible to capture the secret of these flowers. Maybe it is, but it might be too expensive and less convenient than mixing tuberose and jasmine and put the label “gardenia something” on top!
Ooooh, how unjust!
Well – end of the rant.
Can’t wait this evening to see if some new bud has blossomed!
I don’t really understand either why they can’t come up with a headspace gardenia that lasts…but it doesn’t seem to have happened. Shame.
I sampled the new Shiseido Zen for men today (remember reading about it here in a new perfume post and was curious to give it a try) but unfortunately it was ALL melon. The top had a nice juicy melon note though which was sort of ok but sort of meh at the same time. A touch of spice in the middle and a thin muskiness in the dry down – it was overall a bit of a disappointment. It kind of reminded me of Paris Hilton for men just a better quality version of it. Ok yes I did once own a bottle of Paris Hilton but it was a looooong time ago and before my perfume obssession started, so don’t hold it against me!
And slightly unrelated, I was shower thinking the other day if Serge had done an aquatic/fresh scent yet and if not, was wondering if he ever would and what he would do with the whole genre?
I’m not a huge fan of aquatics generally (and I know I’m not alone!) but would be fascinated to try a serge rendering of the theme.
Anyways, I’ve bored you all long enough!
Oh, does not sound like I need to try the Shiseido, so thanks for the warning.
On the Serge: you know, several high end niche brands have done aquatics lately, so I’m pretty sure now that there’s just nothing they can do to make me love one! Hated Hermes Mousson & L’Artisan Liane, and can’t remember the others now.
Hey wait – I thought you liked Aqua Motu, Robin! And what do you think about Magnolia Romana and Brezza di Mare and Lotus Blossom & Waterlily and Embruns d’Ambre and Midnight Sea Li Altarelli and even Fire Island?
I love all of the above, including Fleur de Liane.
I love Aqua Motu. And still have a soft spot for the original New West. But in general, they’re exceptions, and I do think part of it is that so many people copied New West that now anything aquatic smells cliched to me. Thought Lotus Blossom & Waterlily was nice (but not heavily aquatic) but didn’t like any of the others you mentioned.
Oh, well. I guess I’m in a relative minority here, liking those fragrances. I’m wearing Brezza di Mare right now and just loving it! Haven’t tried New West, though…
Oh, I doubt that makes you a minority!
My brother, who lives in LA, has a lime tree in his backyard whose flowers I was able to smell. beautiful! Not lime-y, but more like gardenia. Anyone know any frags that use limeflower as prominent top or middle note?
Have you tried Jo Malone’s Lime Blossom?
will try!
Also, look for frags listing linden blossom, I think. A little search here on NST would probably turn up a few.
I want a real gardenia perfume too!!! Or even something with magnolia. I would love something that had JUST the magnolia top note in Curious (without all the stuff that comes with it).
I’m wearing the purple Mariah Carey fragrance (bought it just because it was on sale for $15…now I’m regretting it– because even among the sugary fruity florals, I have others I like more). I’m excited to wear more Hypnotic Poison as the weather gets cooler. I guess I’m going to miss Estee Lauder Pleasures Exotic. Definitely not a falltime scent.
Acqua di Parma has just launched Magnolia Nobile, but I haven’t smelled it yet.
I’m fond of Chanel Gardenia – and the EDT in summer. I’m also impressed by the Yves Rocher EDT – and its price! But neither last very long. Since I find the Goutal gardenia EDP cloying – and it’s so easy to make gardenia cloy – I keep returning to the Chanel.
Yo Daisy, what did you think of the Brin de Reglisse sample I sent you? And the Jatamansi?
Hey Monsta! Brin de Reglisse is an odd fragrance! Lots of salt and celery. I wore it on a day it was pretty warm outside but not overly humid and here is the weird thing: when I was indoors, I didn’t like it but then when I was outside I started noticing that I smelled pretty good! I thought it was because it was just different in the dry down etc etc…but then when I was back inside—it went back to being a salty celery stick! Presto chango outdoors fragrance!
Jatamansi smells like the green Zebra stripe gum! No, I’m SERIOUS! Does anyone here remember Zebra striped gum….sheesh, as a kid I could gnaw my way through an entire pack in a single afternoon! When I read your comment…I dashed to the cabinet to find the Jatamansi sample to dab some on the back of my hand because I suddenly needed a hit of childhood cavity creating Zebra striped gum. Yay, I’m ten years old again! (holy cow! I have a pretty big butt for a 10 yr old!) Thanks for the sniffies! How are yours? find anything interesting?
I’m still kind of on the fence about Theorema – want to try it in colder weather. Even the summer version felt like a winter frag to me. And the Mandregore was interesting – I love it on a man but not on me. But I’ll keep it for the cold season to try again. The Eau Suave reminded me of Diorella for some reason, in that it seemed aftershave-y.
I have this problem with Diorella and White Linen alike – I associate both with childhood – and not in a good way. I’m not sure which adults wore these scents, but whoever they were, for me they represented the Establishment, and I was in full tilt rebellion at the time. My scent was Coppertone – really.
childhood associations can be rough. Did you read the letter at PerfumePosse today? A wonderful but also sad tribute. I realized that I’m kind of glad my mother never wore perfume! In fact I have only one older (now passed) relative who regularly wore scent but I am not certain what it was…. Except for Old Spice on an older man my parents knew—so Old Spice = old man….sad, because it’s really a nice scent.
My dad wore Old Spice aftershave. I like it, but I don’t think I would buy it either for myself or The CEO, just because it smells like my dad, and that would just be weird. (On the other hand, it doesn’t smell like itself these days.)
I read that post on PP today too, and later wondered why it was called “Ode to My Mother” when the author commented that she’d rather smell like a NYC subway than the scents her mother wore -No. 5 and Fleurissimo, not exactly your Cheap Drugstore Crap frags.
It did actually take me years-n-years to learn to love No. 5, at least in part because my own mother wore it. Vintage parfum changed my mind. But to be honest, one of the reasons I like it is that it’s a little bit like a mask for me: it smells beautiful, expensive, and aloof, and does a great job of hiding my personality when I feel the need of some type of emotional barrier.
Monsta—keep in mind that Theorema has been discontinued.
Well you can always find some. The beauty of the Internet…
I got a free sample of Onice by Omnia (not related to Bulgari) some months ago, and your description of Brin de reglisse makes me think of the Onice–like sipping anisette with a celery swizzle stick, standing in a flowery meadow. Not my cuppa.
Totally remember the Zebra Stripe gum! Now, see if I remember the comment next time there’s a day warm enough to break out the Jatamansi sample I’ve been meaning to revisit. It seems fall weather is settling in with a vengeance already though, so it may not be this year.
I cannot wait to wear Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice when it gets colder.
What’s that like? Several of the spicy frags I’ve tried recently seem to be some version of gingerbread with cinnamon pine cones, and I wondered how Winter Delice is.
I think my last comment vanished into cyber space! I am enjoying my new bottle of Wazumba…co workers HATED it! Sampled BK Back to Black….I LIKE!!!! <3
Sorry about that! Just got a sample of Wazamba, can’t wait to try!
Cool. Do let me know what you think.
I have a confession…..sometimes when I am cashiering at my part-time job I’ll tell customers they smell good—even if I am not crazy about their scent. I use it as an opening to ask them what they are wearing. I’m just always curious and want to know what people are wearing, even if I don’t like it. I would never say. “Your perfume stinks. What is the name of it?” Instead I say, “You smell good. What are you wearing?” I sort of feel dishonest. And yes, many times I do like the scent, but other times I lie. Actually, I’m surprised how infrequently I do smell perfume at all on other people.
Anyone else dishonest out there?
LOL wristwaft – you have just described exactly what I do and how I do it! I can’t believe there is someone else in the world that that does that. Part of my job involves cashiering too and I always say if I notice someones wearing a scent (and you’re right there’s not many) “You smell good, what perfume are you wearing?” when I’m actually thinking, “God that smells horrible, I wonder what it is?”
But because I’m male I don’t want to look sleazy so half the time I secretly get a female co-worker to ask and they usually begrudgingly oblige while rolling their eyes.
Lately, most women seem to be wearing Britany Speares Curious here. And the guys I don’t need to ask – it’s ALWAYS Joop Homme.
And here I was thinking that I was unique in the world!
The fact that we (at times) falsely compliment people on their choice of perfume leads me down another random road. When I read perfume ratings/comments such as “I get so many compliments when I wear this fragrance”, or “People are always asking me what fragrance I am wearing”, I gotta wonder…Are we perpetuating the sale and consumption of crappy perfume by not telling people the truth? Based on my own disingenuous behavior (and apparently others) I am beginning to believe that there are probably many people out there who think they smell better than they do,and thus continue to buy stink. Bottom line, we should wear scent that makes us happy…and not depend on the random comments of strangers to affirm our choice of fragrance. And why should it matter to someone what I, a lowly cashier, really thinks of their SOTD.
LOL … I do this too. Yeah, it’s kind of dishonest sometimes, but it would be awful to ask someone what they’re wearing and say they smell terrible (unless it’s a close friend or family member and you know they want your honesty). Also, I just like any opportunity to talk about perfume. I love it when someone asks me what I’m wearing.
I do that all the time! I also like to test my knowledge of scents by asking them, “Are you wearing – ?” And then because I’ve already intruded, I compliment them even if I hate the frag. I have the guilty feeling that I’m making them more certain than ever that they smell good, and therefore they should keep wearing the putrid stuff.