The usual open thread: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, the perfume you'll wear to the fireworks, the last scrubber you encountered, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: image is fireworks2 by Aunt Owwee at flickr; some rights reserved.
I’ve been testing a couple of new samples.
ELdO Like This smells so damn good but…I don’t want to smell like it. Weird.
LAP Nuit de Tubereuse: I don’t like tuberose but this one smells great, maybe because it’s more about the root and the dirt. It’s not a negative criticism, but I’m getting *celery* from it! Anyone else getting that?
Concerning your take on Like This–I don’t think it is weird at all. There are many smells I like but not on me. I LOVE the smell of chocolate, for example, but I do not want to smell like chocolate. I tend to feel that way about many food smells, such as berries, melon, banana, pear, and so forth. I do like spices and vanilla in my perfume just fine, but maybe it is because those are actually seasonings, not food per se. You use them in you food, but you do not chow down on vanilla pods or cinnamon sticks.
I keep thinking that this one will be the comfort scent I’ve been looking for. To me, comfort scents are just for my own pleasure, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t want others to smell it on me. I can just enjoy smelling it.
I feel this way about many oft he incense and wood fragrances….I love them, especially the incense, but I’d prefer them as room sprays or candles.
I too really liked ‘Like This’, but while wearing it I felt a sort of cognitive dissonance. It’s pretty, interesting, unusual… but I don’t want to smell like it either!
Maybe if it were reincarnated as a candle, or shower gel : )
I haven’t tried NdT, but I get a distinct celery note from Dzongkha… and I always have to defend it when I say that, lol, bc oddly it *isn’t* negative.
I get celery too! So much, that I had to pass it on.
Thanks Boojum and Carlos. Good to know my nose isn’t out of whack. NdT is such a surprise because I don’t like celery or tuberose and yet I’m awed by it. Note to self: don’t prejudge–try everything.
I also love the NdT.
Celery’s weird. It pops up in odd places, like Pink Sugar Sensual (which I hate to admit, but bought….unsniffed [I know horror the thought!]) Anyhow, at first I was a confused by its appearance, “What’s that strange, bitter smell?” Then I figured it out, and then, as now, I justify the entire purchase (and the fragrance) by the fact. It gives it an unusual edge…and I’ve found it to be oddly comforting, cooling, nearly herbal.
How funny about NdT – I DO like tuberose quite a bit, but the rooty/earthy/mildew stuff in the top just about kills me. I like it very much after an hour or so.
I like the top notes least, too, but I sure love what it does later! Don’t get any celery, BTW.
I see what you mean about celery, Suzy Q. It’s not that celery/BO thing I get in other Duchaufours like Timbuktu, fortunately. Personally, I don’t think it’s actually celery, but rather a novel accord that my brain can’t identify and it’s thinking, “What the heck is that? Is that celery?!?” Sort of an ophthalmic illusion.
It seems different the second time I’m wearing it, too. Though I do like it at this point, this is definitely one where I need to use up the sample before deciding whether or how much more to get.
I do not get any celery in LAP NdT, but get tons of celery in the opening of Creed Les Floralies. i always start laughing : D
I have been wondering about the definitions of FB, decant, sample, mini, etc. How large does a sample have to be before it is no longer a sample, but a decant? How small does a bottle have to be before it is a mini rather than a FB? I pondered this the other day during the quarterly damage poll. I figure the smallest size FB of extrait regularly available is usually 1/4 oz., so anything less than that is a mini, but what about EdT and EdP? I also figure that 2.5 ml or less (not in the actual bottle) is a sample, particularly as many manufacturers sample vials these days are larger than the traditional 1 ml, and that 10 or 15 ml is a decant, but what about 5 ml? Decant or sample?
Of course there are no rules, and as for me, I would call 5 ml either a large sample or a small decant, which isn’t very helpful!
To me, a mini is 5 ml or less, but is in “official” packaging.
I think of official bottles 10ml and under as minis. Certainly, I’ve come across a lot of 7.5ml bottles sold in miniature sets.
I go higher yet, and count 15 ml bottles as minis…and I think my Mandragore “mini” was something like 25 ml. And who am I to argue with the manufacturer? 😉
Chanel could offer 50 ml “minis” of their Les Exclusifs! 😉
Hello everyone!
It was my birthday earlier last week which means that I have some birthday money waiting to be spent so I’m currently contemplating a bottle of Cuir De Russie. I’m just trying to decide between a vat of EDT (which I’m familiar with) or the extrait (which I’m not).
I also gave my OH some samples to try. He used to be pretty indifferent to fragrance but he went out and bought a bottle of Dia Man after I gave him a sample last year. This time I included the masculine Ormonde Jaynes, some Czech & Speake, Aqua Di Parma, etc. But the one that he really sprang for was Sycomore. It was hard to let that one go but I figured that if he likes it enough to get himself a bottle then I can always help myself to an occasional spritz, right? 😀
Hope your birthday was wonderful! I do love the Cuir de Russie extrait but haven’t tried the EdT in some time, so I will be no help at all. Do agree on the Sycomore, LOL…
Thanks Robin. I did have a brilliant time this year even if I do feel the size of the house now, lol. No regrets, was totally worth it 😀
Happy belated birthday!
Thank you! 🙂
Happy belated birthday – and how wonderful to have a husband who loves Sycamore! Very convenient!
Sure, you can sneak a few spritzes of the Sycomore, and your OH can sneak some spritzes of your Cuir de Russie.
Could you tell me where to find Cuir de Russie or Bois des Iles in extrait? I have heard they exist, but I have not seen them. The NM in Houston has the Les Exclusives at the Chanel counter, but only in the 200 ml vats.
No such worries about CdR. I let him sniff that one with words “Lots of men wear this one. Even Hugh Grant, I believe” but he deemed it too feminine.
I’m in UK so I won’t be much help but here those extraits are available from larger Chanel boutiques rather than department store concessions which stock Les Exclusifs. I’m sure some US folks will chime in soon enough, though!
Funny thing–I sniffed Cuir de Russie at the Chanel counter, and thought it smelled more masculine (but wonderful, or course). I bought it for my husband (I buy all his fragrances) and gave it to him without mentioning that it is supposed to be a feminine. He has this thing about not wanting to wear anything that is supposed to be women’s fragrance. He wears it quite happily in his ignorance, and it smell terrific on him.
Oh, I’m with you. I think that Cuir De Russie would be fantastic on a man and I’m also always careful about not mentioning any possible gender bias so this was all his own conclusion. I might see what he thinks of Bandit.
I’m also looking for the LEs in extrait. The only one I can find on their website is the Gardenia, but I’m interested in Bois des Iles or Bel Respiro. The Chanel boutique here has odd hours, so I haven’t been able to ask them.
The other strange thing is that different department stores seem to have very different collections of perfume house testers and FB. The NM in San Francisco has a huge selection of the Guerlains in extrait, with (aack) *spray* parfum testers at the ready! My local NM had nothing like it. The even had the new Cologne du Parfumeur to try.
If anyone knows which of the Les Exclusifs are in extrait, and where to find them, I hope you’ll chime in. Be well.
I’m almost certain that as far as the more exclusive Chanels go, it’s only the four classic ones (CdR, BdI, No22 and Gardenia) and which are available in extrait. The rest of the Les Exclusifs are only available in edt. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
Happy Birthday!
Sycomore is great stuff – I’m sure a few spritzes can be shared!
I haven’t tried any of the exclusifs in extrait, so I am turning a blind eye and waiting for those smaller bottles of some of the edts in the fall – just kind of pretending the extraits don’t exist. Although I would love to try Bois des Iles…. (no, no I wouldn’t!)
Funny how spellcheck goes completely nuts on NST postings.
Thank you!
Yup, I’m waiting for the smaller sizes of LEs too and, since Sycomore was among those among those mentioned, I’m not rushing to buy that one just yet.
Sorry I’m late in wishing you a happy b’day Abyss – hope it was wonderful!
LOL. I feel exactly the same way about those extraits, Tama! Are the LEs coming out in smaller sizes in the fall? Is it really true?
According to Patrick at the SF Chanel boutique, 5 of them will be available in (I think) 100 ml in September. I saw the promo flyer, so, fingers crossed!!!
Looks like they are getting ready for the new “smaller” sizes because the LEs went up $10 on Chanel.com…..Gahhhh they are no longer a lovely, even $1/ml price! 🙁
Maybe the 200 ml size will stop selling and end up at the discounters? I know, pipe dream…
I hope that Beige will be one of them!
As I recall, one of them is Beige.
Oh, I hope, I hope that one of them will be BdI – *fingers crossed*.
I don’t think so. As I recall from my brief glimpse at the list, it is Beige, Coromandel, Cologne, Sycomore, and Bel Respiro. But don’t quote me.
I hate when people call one ml a decant. It’s a sample!
Ugh – or, even worse, a purse spray! There are sellers who do that on eBay all the time – it really irritates me to click on the auction and realize that it isn’t a purse spray, just a measly 1ml sample.
SOTD: Thanks to Mals and her baseball article I am re-trying Poe’s Tobacco by Tokyo Milk, because even though it sounds very autumnal by the notes (Tobac, Tea Leaves, Amberwood, Autumn Apple), when I tried it in cold weather it seemed more like a warm-weather scent. Now that I have it on again, I think it is pretty multi-purpose. The scent is lightweight and airy, probably because of the tea. Not candy-apple-ish at all, just crisp, with an underlying warmth. It is not the sultry or sweet tobacco of, say, the Costamor Tabacca – this is more green (fresh? clean? both things I don’t like but that work here). I bought it unsniffed at some point, was mildly disappointed, but am now enjoying it.
I am anxiously waiting to see if the vat of Mugler Cologne I got on the evil-bay is the real thing or a bottle of green water. After my excellent experience with the Eau de Joy, I’m feeling a bit braver, but this was an incredible deal – $40 all told for 10.5 OUNCES. lol. The seller had good feedback, and has several up for grabs, with feedback on the same item as well, so I guess a case of tester bottles fell off a truck.
Oh, will keep my fingers crossed for you for the Mugler!
I was wary of sampling Poe’s Tobacco because of the apple note, but it’s crisp rather than sweet, and I really like the tobacco and tea. I ended up buying a bottle of it and enjoy it in the fall.
Looking for a rec!
Lately, I’ve realized that I love a completely different evening perfume for wearing around the house (compared to those that I like wearing to work, or during the day, or around other people). I’m looking for that perfect, elusive comfort scent. Here are things that have worked: Tea for Two, Tolu, Back to Black, Prada L’eau Ambree, IUNX Eau Sento. Things that didn’t work that I thought would Tobacco Vanille (too sweet) and L’Artisan Safran Troublant (too dry; not sweet enough) and CDG Zagorsk (too… literal).
Any recs? I’m looking for something dense-ish, maybe a bit feminine, and just barely on the sweet side of neutral.
My fav evening scents are L’Heure Bleue, Shalimar, LL Rose 31, Badgley Mischka, Coromandel, Angelique Noire. I don’t know if those will be helpful, but I find them great in the evening!
Shalimar extrait is the way to go! Nothing beats it for comfort, and it’s my favorite “sleep” scent.
Odd too, I only wear Shalimar if I’m in deep repose, or, well, sleeping. Shalimar feels weird in public.
Thumbs up on the Coromandel.
Great recommendations! I have a friend who wears L’Heure Bleu to bed. How about Paestum Rose?
Nice list Ann! I heartily second it with the exception of the BM and LL Rose as I have not tried it. I would also add Black Cashmere as an evening scent as well, love it. Ooh maybe Chaos as well…
Ann gave you some great recs and I would only add Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille to her list. My skin amps sweetness, and it’s not too sweet on me. A wonderful comfort scent.
Yosh Ginger Ciao in the new edp form. It was a blind purchase for me and I recv’d it the other day and love it for the reason that it is a very different perfume.
Do I have this right – you want an evening perfume to wear around the house? Something dense and comfort-y?
I never see anyone mention Sarah Horowitz’ Untitled No. 3 and I am loving that this season. But given that you like a lot of vanilla, I’ll flog my all-time favorite vanilla, Montale’s Vanilla Extasy. It has some fruit that lightens it up JUST enough to be appropriate for any time of day – and it makes me feel so happy!
I saw your comment to my post above. You haven’t tried Like This yet? I’d call it a comfort scent for sure. It’s kind of sweet but less so than, say, Back to Black. Go for it! Three dollars for a sample–what have you got to lose 🙂
First things that sprung to mind were Féminité du Bois and Jo Malone Dark Amber And Ginger Lily. I think Felanilla might work too, I find it less sweet than Tobacco Vanille.
I agree with Felanilla! Also nominate Micallef Note Ambree and Montale Blue Amber.
This really doesn’t fit your taste per se, but I wear Nuit de Noel in the evenings. It’s very heavy, but the dry-down is my ultimate comfort scent.
Yes, yes, Paestum Rose, Angelique Noire….and I would add PdE Ambre Russe (especially in winter/fall), and Mimosa Pour Moi (this has been a regular cozy evening frag for me this summer….for some reason it really does cozy well!)
I love wearing Montale Sweet Oriental Dream, Mazzolari Alessandro, Bourbon French Lady Evangeline, Strenesse, Spiritueuse Double Vanille or Shalimar to bed. Sometimes I’ll wear some Angel body oil since it’s light, moisturizing and doesn’t have one tenth the sillage as the EdP, or if I’m feeling romantic, some NR Musc oil or No. 5. Thanks, Marilyn, for such a fine idea that works every time. 🙂
PG Coze and Ineke Field Notes from Paris are great in cooler weather. I tend to rotate my stronger, sexier and vintage scents at home rather than having one home scent or try new things, but I like your idea of having a perfect comfort home scent.
ever try Fifi Chachnil?
I was going to suggest that, but thought my Nuit de Noel suggestion was strange enough…LOVE Fifi!
Oy! How could I forget Fifi??? It is soo beautiful! Yes, evening for sure!
My favourite for wearing in the house is Mechant Loup from L’Artisan. It’s a dense, rich, nutty comfort scent but it has an edge to it – it’s not as sweet as Bois Farine, which I find has a peanutty quality to it (still lovely though! So you may want to try that too!)
I also find some of the Andy Tauer’s to be great evening home comforters! L’Air de Desert Marocain and Incense Extreme in particular.
Le Labo Patchouli is a quirky slightly vanilla scent, but with burnt styrax that gives it a fuzzy, electrical soldered kind of edge! It’s often seen as the ‘companion’ scent to Bulgari Black – which is another great evening scent you should try for home use…….
I wear Tea for Two and Back to Black the same way–although I choose them on grey, rainy days, too. This might be an obvious choice, but have you tried Barbara Bui? I also like Organza Indecence and, when that feels too sweet, Costume National 21.
SOTD: Kenzo Flower La Cologne – super pretty rosy powder scent. Definitely for powder or “Kenzo Flower” lovers.
My question: has anyone out there smelled that new Clarins eau des Jardins? Any comments?
I need to go try both of those!
I totally caved and bought La Cologne unsiffed as I like original Flower and Flower Essentielle so much. My reaction to it is multiple: it definitely smells like a descendent of Flower (none of the green snapped twig in the original though, and much less thick); the review from Octavian on 1000 Fragrances is dead on; it smells like soft rosewater baby powder; it performs for about 1.5 to 2 hours. II’ve been dousing myself with it regularly today in our dry heat, and I realize just in the last hour or so that if you took the Zeste out of Rosine Zeste de Rose, you’d get something very similar to La Colgone, with more powder. It smells like a pale Rosine, or a much much less sweet Drole de Rose. Just a tad – a comparison to Drole’s powdery nature is apt, but no sugary violets. It is very very pretty, but casual. Like a piece of gauze. Remember those summer gauze dresses everyone wore in the late 70s and early 80s – like a guaze dress in a bottle, lol. Or imagine a big poofy powder puff with rose and orange blossom on it. It’s well done.
Damn, and I have been SO good this year. Thought I had sworn to never again by unsniffed….but this is a mighyt fine testimony and sounds right up my alley.
Given my strong like of the original Flower, I thought it was a safe bet. Normally I don’t do unsiffed either. If you like Flower, you’ll most likely like La Cologne. It is more like Flower Essentielle though.
I smelled the Clarins but only on paper. I thought it was in a similar vein to that latest Chance flanker – a fruity thing with that fake ‘freshness’. The Chanel smelled like apple shampoo and I think the Clarins must have grapefruit in it because I picked up a teeny bit of sweatiness (grapefruit and I don’t really get on) from it.
Thanks for the comments! It sounds like it may be iffy it I’ll like this… but below, sounds good. Sigh – I’ll just have to treck out to the mall to test it!!
I got a sampel of the Eau des Jardins last week. I quite like it – it is very fresh/juicy fruit in the opening ( I am too much a newbie to pick out many notes, but I did definitely get orange and grapefruit) but dries down into a woody, vetiver note. I used up my sample in short order, given the lovely sunny weather we are having here in the UK. I would defintely recommend a sniff. In fact, now that I really reflect on it again I may need a bottle!
whoops…’sample’
Duly noted! Now I am back to square one!!! Two conflicting sets of comments to make things more interesting for me!
SOTD Eau de Cartier. We’re moving everything out of our downstairs so we can have our hardwood floors refinished. The entire first floor is hardwood so it’s a lot work and we’re hot. And tired.
Has anyone tried Micallef’s Watch perfume. I like jasmine as well as vanilla but I’m just not sure about this “unexpected mix” which is how it’s described. Am guessing it’s sweet, but just how sweet?
Both Micallef’s Note Vanillee and Mon Parfum are among my favorites so I’m wanting to explore the line a bit further. They have several aouds that sound quite interesting as well so if you have experience with those as well, I’m listening!
I love Mon Parfum!
Tiara: I happened to have a sample of Watch here so I pulled it out and put it on. I knew nothing about it, but I guess it’s exactly what you say it is: sweet jasmine and some vanilla. It doesn’t seem especially strong, but there’s nothing about the combination that seems strange.
I do love Micallef; Gaiac is one of my favorites, and their Rose Aoud is fantastic. My sights are set next on White Sea, which I like a lot more than Red Sea or Black Sea. Jewel is very nice and extravagant, but in very limited edition I believe.
Ah, Joe, you tried Black Sea and didn’t like it as well as White Sea? I loved both but prefer the black. We can play chess some time! 🙂
I just tried Black Sea for the first time yesterday, and it was an instant love. I also got Aoud Gourmand, but I’m on the fence with that one.
Watch is a sweet dense scent, the vanilla isn’t foody at all….not a lot of sillage , just a jasmine cloud around your person.
Based on these comments, I’ll go ahead and order those samples. Pleased to hear Watch isn’t bizarre or foody but that “unexpected way” description had me a bit worried. Thanks for the info about the various “Seas” and Gaiac as those also sound interesting!
I am love, love, loving L’Artisan Nuit de Tubereuse. It’s a vegetal sexy and I am so smitter with this perfume. I have been wearing it a little over 2 weeks straight now with an exception here and there. But this is my favorite perfume and purchase of the year thus far.
Second runner up is Ginger Ciao in the edp.
Have a fantastic weekend perfumistas and perfumistos!
~Daw
My name is not Daw but it is DAWN. Sometimes the N sticks on my keyboard. ;0
I smelled the Nuit on paper only. Next time I’m at the counter I will definitely try it on. I liked it but had no more skin to spare that day.
I’ve been bit by the NdT bug as well – LOVE it!!!!!
I wore NdT yesterday and have been enjoying it — it’s a very unusual perfume. I have to look at the list of notes again because there’s something in it that reminds me of Thai basil; it’s almost foody. But yes, a very nice fragrance. L’Artisan hit a winner. But I can see it not being for everyone.
Dawn, I think “vegetal sexy” is a very good description for NdT!
SOTD: Al Oudh layered with Saat Safa (an attar from Al Rehab).
It’s a dense combo for this warm weather, but it just feels right. It’s hot in Saudi Arabia, no?
I met my first scrubber the other day–Lil’ Angel, the Gwen Steffani fragrance. I feel lucky that I’ve just now met my first true scrubber, and hope to never experience one again : ) Fortunately I found a wonderful MUA’er willing to swap me for something I want!
I live on the Gulf Coast, so it is warm here most of the year. I also tend to like a lot of warm, dense scents, so I often wear “warm” fragrances in warm weather. If you like it, wear it. There are a few fragrances I do not wear in hot weather because they seem suffocating, but mostly I find it is a matter of application. The hotter the temperature, the lighter the application.
Very true–a small dose goes a long way!
SotD: Dior Eau Noire. I woke up wanting helichrysum… or Indian food… I’m not sure which. At any rate, I’m in an Orientalist mood. Just ordered Shafiyat and Sharif perfume oils from Attar Bazaar, and chose Nour, Naim, Safia, and Mysore Sandalwood for my free samples. I’ve been wearing their Tunisian Frankincense for years, and now it’s time to branch out.
Do report back on your new attars!
I love Eau Noire. I wish it were more readily available in the U.S. The last time I sniffed it a NM, they had an old crusty tester and NO STOCK. The SA could not tell me if and/or when they would have it again. I hope it doesn’t get discontinued before I acquire some!
Nothing more frustrating than a tester on the counter and no bottles in the house.
I’ve just gotten into wanting to try attars. I’m totally intrigued! I found someone on MUA to swap a few with, but has anyone tried any? What is your experience? Any recommendations?
I have several from Al-Rehab, which are really good, and I’m loading up my cart with “samples” from Attar Bazaar as we speak!
Personally, I find that they’re great on their own, and add depth and complexity as layering tools.
I’d recommend:
Saat Safa, rose, musk, woods (spicy and fairly dry)
Mubakhar, which is a Bakhoor scent–similar to Saat Safa but sweeter–which I oddly find more masculine
Al Sharquiah, a very sweet, citrusy scent, delightful in small doses.
I just can’t get past the name: Al-Anon, Alateen… Al-Rehab?
I didn’t want to say it…
I tried saying it al-reHAAHB which is better than al REE-hab.
Did it help you? Didn’t help me even though I automatically “pronounced” it that way in my head… I’m more of a visual learner, so the sight overtook the sound. 😀
Yeah… I don’t think they market much to an American audience : ) I discovered them through a sample sent with a Montale purchase from Yemen—I never would have found (or tried) them otherwise.
Geez! I can’t take you guys anywhere! 😉
You can dress us up, though. And we smell really good.
I have tried the Amouage Homage and Tribute Attars (from LuckyScent). Homage was nice, not drastically different from Gold or Dia, except of course for being more concentrated. Tribute smelled like a cold ashtray on my skin. Yuk! I waited a few hours to see if it would change into anything better, but it did not.
same experience with Tribute, however, I adore Homage
I fell deeply in love with hina attar many years ago. It is a rich, red, extremely heady attar which incorporates dozens upon dozens of aromatic ingredients, including sandalwood, spikenard, and (non-staining) henna. If you’d like to read about it, here’s a link: http://www.whitelotusaromatics.com/fragrant/hina.html Attar Bazaar’s hina is a good attar to start with, but there are many variations. Happy exploring!
Many thanks!!!!!
Dixie: Check this recent PerfumePosse post on attars. March has me chewing my fingernails thinking about placing a sample order. I’m afraid to fall down the attar rabbit-hole.
http://perfumeposse.com/2010/06/15/strange-new-love-majmua-attar/
I am trying to understand chypres. I get the oakmoss definition part, and I love it, but I am amazed at how many chypres I just cannot stand.
And aldehydes….honestly, I don’t really think I have the slightest idea of what this smells like. What are the classic aldehydes scents?
Probably the best know classic aldehydes (really aldehylic florals) are Chanel no. 5 and Arpege. Guerlain’s Liu is also an aldehyde, and from the same era. I think everyone was trying to copy Chanel. More recent examples are Rive Gauche and White Linen.
I do love aldehydic florals, but they can be such an acquired taste. 50Roses has a good representative list – Chanel No. 5 has a big overdose of aldehydes, and I think I’d call it the definitive aldehyde scent. A few more: Guerlain Vega, Le Labo Aldehydes 44 (haven’t tried that one yet), the inexpensive Bill Blass Nude that gets a lot of love here, Chanel No. 22, Lady Stetson, Divine L’Ame Soeur, L’Interdite, the original Dolce et Gabbana, Hermes Amazone, Climat, Calandre, and a whole HOST of others.
Hey, send me an email, JF – I think you’ve still got my address – and I might be able to set you up with a few samples.
OH! And I think Angela did a whole series on here a couple of summers ago on aldehydes… go do a search on them and read them, they’re very informative (and well-written, of course).
You’re a dear, but you have been MORE than generous lately, and truly, I have sampled many of these already….the Divine especially was straight up hairspray on me!
Newer chypres are not at all the same as older chypres…but don’t know if that helps you figure out which ones you like or don’t like.
Chypres are probably the most difficult category of perfume to like, or to understand. Furthermore, there are different subtypes, such as floral chypres, leather chypres, fruity chypres, and so forth. I struggle with chypres also. For example, I love Parure, but not Mitsouko (or at least not the current formulation), although both of them are chypres and both are made by Guerlain. To add to the confusion, we now also have the category of “modern chypres” which are supposed to be chypres without oakmoss, which is severely restricted by the new IFRA regulations. It almost seems as if the term “chypre” is coming to mean “not citrus, floral, or oriental”.
Hey 50_Roses, you are right on at least for me on your definition of Aldehydes and Chypres.
THe other day I was commenting on a Chypre and I swear I was afraid to post, Its like I never can pin it completely down.
But I think after so many time smelling these things I do have an inkling of a clue hehehehehe
The problem I have with Mitsy, and I like it though I don’t care enough for it to wear it often or buy a FB, is that for me the peach fights everything else the entire time. That may well have been the point, but for me the peach just doesn’t belong.
If you haven’t already, track down some vintage Coty Chypre– this is the original, and provides a quality baseline against which to compare all other chypres. (That is, if you like it and decide to persist!)
I just ordered some from TPC, thanks for the suggestion!
I asked the same question about aldehydes last year and the answers I got were more confusing (they can smell like anything but are very distinctive – huh?). The scents 50_Roses lists are pretty good indicators, and several Chanels have a bit of an aldehyde “signature”. Smell the stuff on this list and you’ll start to see what it is.
An excellent modern aldehyde is SSS Champagne de Bois. The aldehyde is that fizzy almost champagne smell (and I think that’s a close description to their smell in other perfumes) in the opening.
I can see why people love SSS, and I want to love them, but there is something in that base that just does me in. I have been told she uses a sweet musk, and that is probably it, since I don’t care for musk at all in the first place, and my skin amps musk something fierce.
I tried my samples of SSS a few months ago and decided to wait until the weather is cooler because I was worried about that base. They all seemed to smell quite similar to me as well and a bit off. Perhaps it is that base and am I’m amplifying it. They showed such promise that I’ll certainly try again.
She does use musk in a lot of them – Laurie loves musk – but Champagne de Bois isn’t one of the ones with musk. I too hate musk and my skin amps it. I also think that what some might be confusing as a sweet musk is actually the labdanum and sandalwood base that she uses a lot.
I find CdB more of a summer scent with it’s aldehydes, light jasmine and sandalwood base. It’s not too heavy at all for me, but then I’m an Oriental lover.
Her new scent, Incense Pure, also isn’t one of the musk scents. That one concentrates on all of the great incense and wood notes. Voile de Violette is another one of hers you might try for summer – much crisper and greener than the labdanum/sandalwood or musk base ones.
I always think of chypres as the olives of the perfumista world – definitely an acquired taste for a lot of people. I didn’t think that I liked them for a long time but things started clicking into place in the last couple of years and now some of my absolute favourite fragrances (Bandit, 31 Rue Cambon, Jubilation 25) are from that family. I still don’t adore every single one but I do appreciate many and my ears always perk up when I see the word in the description.
Of course, as already been said, these days “chypre” seems to simply mean patchouli in the base and have little in common with the classics which have what I think of as that very distinctive inky heart.
“The olives of the perfume world” – I love that! Chypres do seem to be an acquired taste, and there is a wide variety of them. I love some, and others leave me cold. Just like any category of perfume.
I Love olives *and* chypres – makes sense to me!
Inky heart. God bless ya, I believe you have identified that which I love in the chypres that I adore….and I get it a lot in my favorite Carons, especially. I love that musty Caron base….is it March or Louise who call it Crypt Keeper? I need to go daub on some 31 R de Cam, to see if I can smell the ink. I get mostly orange out of that one, but am curious to see if I can find some ink now!
Yup, it’s as if there’s a tough little kernel in the middle which the chypre fragrances seem to share. Not so much a specific smell but more of a structure or a feeling.
31 RC is a funny one because there’s that whole thing about it being a modern chypre with no oak moss but still smelling like a chypre. It dries down all fuzzy and soft but, to me, it still has that slightly musty, different era chypre quality especially in the peppery opening.
Aldehydes run from bright and fizzy to a sort of soapy smell. But I don’t think of the two being drastically different, just on a continuum of really fizzy (ELdO Vraie Blonde) to really soapy (Baghari), and every variation in between. I feel like some of the classic aldehydes are in the space between, like Chanel No. 5. If the aldehyde isn’t a dominant note you may not even be able to tell it’s there, which may be what throws people off in trying to identify them.
Aldehydes are my baby. I could talk about them all day…. sigh…
Oh, me too. I find that I’m enjoying them very much this summer. (Wore L’Ame Soeur and Eau Premiere and Vega to various rec league ballgames in June, and they worked just FINE.)
Hi JF – I totally love aldehydes, but to back up all the above comments – they are an acquired taste, and like you, I didn’t smell them right away. I’ll tell you why you don’t smell them in fragrances: you’ve been smelling them all your life in every old bath product, shampoo, baby product, and detergent! The “white” smell of “soap” that we are all used to is the smell of aldehydes. (The smell of all our soaps begins with Chanel No 5 & No. 22, lol!) Your nose is so used to smelling aldehydes that you don’t even realize you are smelling them all the time. Do an exercise: get some samples of Chanel No 5 and even No 22 if you can, even Lady Stestson if it is easy to get to. Go to the store and smell Ivory soap, the original white Dawn dish soap, Johnson’s Baby Magic or creamy baby wash, the original Bounce dryer sheets, and Dreft detergent soap flakes. They *all* have aldehydes in them. Now, go back to all the fragrances that everyone above it listing and smell them again. You’ll start to smell them soon – they are the big elephant in the room that no one notices b/c he’s always been sitting there!!!
Great descriptions! I’ve learned that I have trouble with the perfumey or effervescent aldehydes, though I’m building a tolerance for them (I now love Calandre and adore CdG Stephen Jones!). There are aldehydes that add a powdery effect, too, aren’t there? Those are easier for me to like.
ooooh, I love powdery scents, will have to seek the powdery ones out, as well!
Then run, don’t walk, straight to Guerlain Vega!
Hmmmmm…after this and all the other wonderful descriptions and references, I am starting to wonder if aldehyde isn’t the scent I tend to think of as “hairspray note”? Or more generally, a chemical smell?
I have always disliked the numbered Chanels…5 especially…because to me they smell of chemicals. Beautifully scented chemicals, but they don’t smell “real” to me.
These and some of the other perfumes mentioned which I have tried also remind me of all the spray things we used to use back before they were banned, especially spray on deodorant. Anyone else old enough to remember those days??
On the other hand, I really love the smells of soap and such….I put Bounce sheets all over the place, and keep bar soaps in all my drawers, even at work! Maybe I should search out soapy aldies!
Yes! Yes! Yes! See, you already know what the big fat soapy aldehydes smell like. And yes about the deoderant too! Soapy, sparkly, powdery — all add that non-natural boost to the florals and woods. Your awareness of the “fake” aroma is correct. For lack of a better analogy- it’s like putting salt on things – potatoes, watermelon, chocolate, whatever – it boosts things up. There are some much more refined uses of aldehydes in fragrance – sometimes they are just background fuzz/sparkle for supporting notes and make them jump out. But you are already on the right track for sure. It’s like the difference between whiskey and water and whiskey and soda…..
“Fuzz” is how I think of them too. It’s often the sneezy stuff that the non-perfumista folks would probably describe as “perfumey”.
Baghari, is a right nose-tickler, which I kind of like about it but it seems to put plenty of people off.
Hairspray note is a good way to put it. When I first grew to love Chanel No. 5 (after decrying it’s existence for years, shrieking “Cat pee!” when in it’s presence) it was because the combination of the jasmine and rose with the hairspray (aldehydes) made me think of my mother. She always smelled of hairspray and perfume before she went out and I always thought she was so beautiful and glamourous. What’s funny is, my mother never wore anything that wasn’t gardenia, so it must be the hair spray note that really tugs at my heart. 😉
Octavian has a wonderful post on aldehydes on 1000 fragrances – I think this is it: http://1000fragrances.blogspot.com/2010/03/origin-of-aldehydes-and-chanel-no5.html
Paloma Picasso is another exemplary chypre that is worth sniffing.
I remember enjoying that when it first came out; will have to revisit, thanks for the suggestion and the link!
Thanks also for asking these questions and generating such an interesting discusssion, JolieFleurs!
Yes, thanks, N. I want to understand aldehydes better!
SOTD: Eau de Sisley #3 – wonderful in hot weather. Love this one. Also really into Mandragore this summer, and my newfound love, Nuit de Tubereuse.
I forgot about those Sisleys – I remember liking 1 and 3 quite a bit but the price put me off. Maybe I’ll revisit them.
Try Amazon to compare deals on the Sisleys. I just ordered a large bottle of the #3 for $99.97 (less than $100 – the new free, right?). Ha ha.
Funny, I bought a mini bottle of Mandragore, thinking it would be nice and refreshing in the summer, and find that I’m not wearing it at all. I pick it up and something in my brain just says, NOT THAT. At the moment, my 15yo daughter has absconded with it, so all may be well.
That you like the Mandragore, makes me happy! 😉
Makes me happy, too! Thanks, V! Have you received the AC sample yet? Hope it arrives unscathed.
SOTD: Customised ‘Fire of Isis’ from AromaSanctum – frankincense, myrrh, spices with a bit of patchouli. It is an oil, so great lasting power with moderate sillage. Sounds an odd choice for summer but was just perfect today!
On a somewhat unrelated note, I was passing the Perfume Shop the other day and smelled the new Peter Andre Conditional. It started out reminding me of Polo (Green bottle) so not bad but then in turned into the scent of the sawdust that they used to use at school when someone had been sick. Granted, I only tried it on paper but def will not be trying on skin.
LOL…doesn’t sound like anything I want on my skin either.
I am trying out Bond No. 9’s Montauk. Not as good as Silver Factory, but still nice.
I didn’t like it as well as SF either.
SOTD is really “Scent of the Body Part” LOL. The collar of my sweatshirt still smells like the Cristalle EDP I put on last night after my shower. (Yes, I’m wearing a sweatshirt…. Down here in the south, I need to keep the A/C running to keep humidity low, but then I always get a chill when I’m working at my desk!)
My arms smell like the vintage No. 19 I put on this morning. And the tops of my hands – despite numerous washings – still smells of the PdE Ambre Russe I wore to bed! LOL
Speaking of Chanel… I’ve got questions and comments a plenty:
As I mentioned above, the LEs went up in $$! : (
Does anyone like the LE Gardenia EDT? It gets generally trashed in PTG, I think.
And can anyone confirm if Eau Premiere is being discontinued? Someone mentioned it on the quarterly damage poll and it’s been on my mind.
Has anyone heard anything more about Bleu de Chanel?
And I finally figured out recently that one of my cat’s fur smells just like the faint drydown of vintage chanel no. 19. I have no idea why or how… I think it’s her natural fragrance! 🙂
Another convert to the cat fur!!!
M. – sorry I can’t answer any of your questions, but one of my cats smells like the faint far drydown of Chamade. At first I thought is was because I had picked him up while wearing it, but I haven’t worn it in quite awhile and his fur still smells like that.
That is SO cool!
Yes, and it’s the extrait base that he smells like! That one’s a character too – he loves cabbage (actually most vegetables) and hummus, and wags his tail and growls like a dog! I got him from the Humane Society when he was a year old and I think he was raised with a dog.
He sounds special. Wish I could meet him!
The top of my dog’s head doesn’t smell like any particular fragrance that I could name – but if someone could capture that smell, I’d buy and wear it for sure! It’s a deeply comforting scent and can de-stress me in no time flat.
Sticking my nose in my cat’s fur is exactly what I do to de-stress! Aren’t they great? 🙂
Hi mjr! I’m skeptical about the EP rumor based solely on the expensive ads I see for it. As for Bleu, Octavian trashed it recently.
http://1000fragrances.blogspot.com/2010/05/bleu-de-chanel-new-masculine-fragrance.html
I made this comment the other day about Eau Premier: the SA at our local Macy’s said it is their best selling Chanel. Our Macy’s would cater to the most average shopper (we are not high end in my neck of the woods), so that is telling I think. Perhaps they would just be getting rid of the jumbo size? But I could be totally wrong, lol!!!
Wow, that is among the most scathing reviews I’ve ever read. I’m almost sorry I asked! 😉
Scent of the Body Part – that’s funny!
I may be under the influence of your fluorescent bunny, but now I’m imagining new scented cat breeds 🙂
Haha, I wish I could figure what my sweet grey boy’s fur-fragrance is. I know it’s out there, I just don’t know what it is yet!
Today, I wore Marc Jacobs Fig Splash to my nephew’s 18th Birthday Garden Party, and got some nice comments from his friends about my perfume – which made me feel fab!
I’ve been looking for a new holiday scent, and was hoping you guys and gals could point me in the right direction.
I’d love something creamy, salty, floral, but light on the coconut. Imagine sitting at a harbourside bar (Turkey/Greece/Spain) with skin still warm from a day’s sunbathing, lingering vanilla sunscreen with sweet scented jasmine and honeysuckle blowing in on the warm night breeze.
I’ve tried Bronze Goddess, MH Fleurs de Sel, LL Fleur de Corail, Philosykos, but nothing seems right.
It would also need to be something I can pick up at duty free on the outward journey, so nothing too niche or heartbreakingly hard to find.
Any ideas?
Try Bobbi Brown Beach or Bond 9 Fire Island. Not sure what you can get at the duty-free though. I have a bottle of the Lily Pulitzer Beachy that I got for a song and it is not fabulous but very serviceable as a summer beach scent.
Thanks Tama!
I’ll hit Evil-Bay tonight and see what I can pick up. I only have 12 more sleeps ’til vacation!
Enjoy your vacation!
Yes, enjoy! Fire Island came to my mind, too. Another one to consider is Hermes Vanille Galante, which is a salty lily fragrance, believe it or not! It’s become one of my warm weather staples.
Thanks H!
I managed to snag a sample of Fire Island on Evilbay. Cardamom and Neroli sound amazing…just hope I don’t have to spring for an FB (I heard that TPC are no longer carrying Bond).
I have a cute little 7ml sample of Vanille Galante, so I’ll take that along with me too.
X
Love BB Beach! Fire Island, too.
What about Estee Lauder’s Bali Dream? One of those travel exclusives found in duty free shops. Notes include coconut, honeysuckle, jasmine and orchid.
I second the Bobbi Brown Beach – it smells exactly as what you describe you want. I love it and the lasting power on me is very good. I am not sure where you are but I *think* Heathrow has it at the Duty Free, Terminal 3. You could always call and purchase it to have waiting for you!
Thanks guys! Knew I could count on you 😉
It sounds like Bobbi Brown Beach is one to check out. Leaving from Glasgow, so I think they have it there…
X
And where are you going on this fabulous holiday?
Hi Joe! Were off to the Canary Islands… nothing too exotic, but its our first family holiday abroad in 5 years, so everything has to be *perfect*. Hoping the right perfume will keep the memories alive too.
Pafums de Nicolai Just en Reve is just about the prettiest holiday summer vacation fragrance I can think of. It is a clear, summery floral with just a dash of coconut to give it some cool, wet, roundness. It dries down just a touch sweet with some vanilla. It is really nice and you won’t smell it coming and going.
Thanks AnnS!
I may have a sample of this somewhere, I have a few PdN’s but haven’t paid much attention so far. Time to revisit, I think.
Try Ineke Balmy Days
I will wear Gucci pour homme II tonight to a birthday party.
I have a huge bottle of it, and as I can’t seem to make progress using it (It lasts a lot on my skin and the bottle never seems to go down) I am planning it on using it as a deodorant too! A man has got to make room in his collection!
My next purchases: blue mediterraneo Bergamotto di calabria, and I am saving for tom ford’s oud… I am planning on getting both on my next trip to the US in october.
My secret wish: finding M7 fresh on perfumania at sume mall in Miami…
And now a question: any place in the Miami area to find great discontinued perfumes?
Any ability to order from online discounters while you’re stateside? I bought a bottle of M7 Fresh from one of them last year (yum).
Boojum, well I don’t know, it is a little tricky.
I could try it though.
But I rather buy on impulse in a store.
I mean I already had the M7 back then (not the fresh one) so I think I rather try something new. 🙂
(rubbing my hands in anticipation!)
kaos: Do you love that Bergamotto? I find it to not have any lasting power at all and I don’t like it nearly as well as several of the other Blu Med line. It is nice though… perhaps just one of those that one needs to really apply generously and often!
Joe the thing is that I have not even tried it!
The one I like the most is the Arancia the capri, and I am a sucker for anything citrus, so I figure I’ll love it. 😉
I did try the Tom Ford last year though, but I had already bought too much hehehehehe.
Wearing just a bit of Jardins de Bagatelle. I love it!
Last scrubber – unfortunately – was Le Labo Iris 39. I’ve been trying iris scents and remembered that I’ve had a sample of that for quite some time. The first half was swoon worthy, but after that the musk became old lady stale perfume on me. Blech!
Haha! I just decided that Le Labo is one of my absolute favorite irises. I wouldn’t mind a whole bottle of that!
Yeah, I’ve noticed that you love quite a few that don’t work on me. I just don’t like musk at all though, especially the sweet synthetic stuff that is the base of so many modern perfumes.
Which only makes sense, as Joe is one of my closer STs. 😀
I have been exploring Iris as well and was rather blown away by FM Iris Poudre. Iris? Powder? nooooo, but it was Nice!! I also like Yves Rocher Iris Noir as a kind of introductory iris. And that one is pretty cheap.
I have a sample of the LeLabo, but I don’t think it did that to me.
I can’t find my sample of the FM isis – I might have to order another one! There are a LOT of irises out there as it was the note du jour a couple of years ago. Tuberose this year…. 😉
My fav “irises” are AG Heure Exquise edt and the current No 19 edt. Both have a very nice lovely iris accord, and since they are wrapped in other florals the iris doesn’t get all weird or sour. The Ferre (2005) has a nice iris accord too, but it is paired with a green violet, so it tends to favor the violet.
Thanks Ann. The AG is more about the jasmine on me, but my skin tends to amp the hedione chem. that is used for jasmine. I forget about 19 though. Need to revisit that one.
Eek, I think you passed it on to me… I’ll have to go check.
Hi Rapp! Just a bit of JdB in the summer *is* perfect! I’ve always thought it smelled like a perfect summer day.
And… I don’t care for that LL iris either. Just a tad sour or something on me, which is weird, but that’s the way it is. I get a sense that we are close scent twins!
You’re as close as anyone I’ve found on here. Daisy is pretty close too except she loves rose more than I do. Angela is another one. We all seem to love the old classics (what’s not to love?!?).
Guerlinade. 😉
Yep! lol!
For the day time, I am wearing Tom Ford for Men. When I get to the club to spin tonight, I am going to layer on some Tom Ford Private Blend Italian Cypress over it. It’s really hot here and I am wearing a tropical-ish outfit tonight (espadrille sneakers, light gauzey pants and a tropical shirt) – so it feels right.
I hear that Italian Cypress is really nice.
I haven’t put anything on yet today because I can’t make up my mind. We were going to go out for Greek food tonight, but then my mom got sick and we’re not going, so I was focusing on something that wouldn’t compete with the food. Now, I don’t need to worry about that, but I can’t decide.
I almost reached for La Chasse aux Papillons, which has kind of become my default, don’t-have-to-think-about-it scent for summer (31 Rue Cambon was it for winter), but I’m thinking that I should dig out something else that hasn’t been getting any love lately.
Now, I’m just trying to decide if I want to grab Jasmine White Moss or maybe Marc Jacobs or start digging and spray the first thing that grabs my fancy.
Oh, live dangerously – grab at random and spritz!
Well, I grabbed at random and spritzed, but it didn’t turn out very dangerously – my random grab was 28 La Pausa. It’s nice though because I always forget how much I love it – the first five minutes always give me that moment of thinking that I could be happy with a signature scent. Of course, I’d have to break up with the other 5-10 scents that make me feel that way, lol.
Just the other day I sampled a scent that was, for me at least, the scrubber to beat all scrubbers–Iris Silver Mist. I have been trying an enormous number of samples the last few months. Some I have loved, some I have liked, some were just OK, and a few I actively disliked. The ISM, however, was the only one so far that has actually made me feel ill. I sprayed a little on one wrist, sniffed–and was immediately repulsed. I cannot imagine wanting to smell that all day. I was extremely disappointed, as it gets a lot of love around here. I thought I would like it, as I like 31 Rue Cambon and 28 La Pausa, which are supposed to have big iris notes. In fact, I was so sure I would like it, I got the 2.5 ml spray (from TPC) rather than the 1.5 ml. I also got samples of DK Iris and l’AP Iris Pallida, and while I do not love either of them, I do not dislike them. The Iris Pallida in particular seems quite wearable; surprisingly warm and soft, although not FBW for me (a good thing, considering the price!) it is I think I could wear them if I am in the right mood, and will no doubt be able to use them up. The ISM, however, is now residing in a zipper bag, so it cannot leak out and contaminate its surroundings. I thought of trying to layer it with something to improve it, but cannot bear to even think of putting it on my skin again. It took a long time to get the smell out the first time.
Hm… I find that I don’t know what’s going to trigger a need to scrub (except that Lauders are pretty reliable for that, on my skin – my aunts wear them and they smell wonderful). Thank goodness, the proportion of real “I can’t stand this, get it OFF ME!!” scents is very low, maybe about 1 to 2% of the stuff I try.
I was worried that I wouldn’t get on at all with ISM – but I found it rather pleasant although not something I felt the least desire to buy. Iris PALLIDA was a scrubber on me, though: Ghost of old sweaty guy with stale cologne, and dried shaving cream in the creases near the ears. Bleargh.
I’m sorry, don’t you just hate when that happens?
I have 2.5 ml of that too and haven’t tried it yet but I’ll admit your comment spooked me further.
I’m sure it’s just an acquired taste but even if it’s not your kind of thing so be it.
Sometimes you can’t help what you don’t like.
(or hate!)
I’m always dissapointed when a perfume makes me shudder..
🙂
If you are concerned, spray it on a piece of paper or something first. If you do try it on skin, maybe try the back of your hand. It always seems to me to be easier to wash something off from there than from the wrist. Maybe soft tissue (such as the wrist) holds scent better then harder skin. You never know, you might love it. A lot of people here seem to love it.
I agree about the back of the hand. I have to really like something before it gets skin space on my wrist.
I like quite a few irises, but ISM is definitely hard to wear and like. I would definitely recommend dabbing and not spraying. As much as I love Un Rose Chypree, I have to dab that one as well – or it just overwhelms me, as do most DelRaes.
Oh, ditto that URC! It’s much better dabbed.
Just one pin drop of URC does it for me. Same for Maroc pour Elle… AT frags are very rich indeed!
I must be a nutter because I can spray U.R.C. 3 times on my neck and lay in my bed and swimming in it, with a smile on my face.
But I guess to you guys ,my swimming is your drowning. 😛
ISM is a toughie! I tried it pretty early on in my perfumistaness and I think if you are not an aficionado of iris to begin with, the sheer rootiness is not going to sit well. When I tried it, I envisioned wearing it to a very avant-garde art opening or something. I appreciated it, but set it aside for a while.
I noted a couple of irises that I have liked above – it is a hard note for me, though.
wearing L’Air de Rien today. Boyfriend doesn’t like it.
I always get a kick out of that name–the air of nothing! I haven’t smelled it, but in the back of my mind I expect it to have no smell.
Isn’t that one famously skanky? I still haven’t smelled it yet – I’m fascinated by the idea of it smelling like Jane’s brother’s head, as I absolutely love the smell of a little boy who’s been playing outside. My younger brother’s head smelled wonderful when he was little, and both my sons’ heads smelled likewise terrific – but my daughter didn’t smell in the least the same. And I notice that my older son has begun to smell simply sweaty when he’s been playing outside; he’s 11 and perhaps getting older changes that particular body smell.
I’ve been put off trying it because my husband likes very sweet or very girly-floral scents on me, and I think he’d be repulsed.
Mals, if I still have it, I’ll fish out my L’AdR toxic vial and send it to you along with the much more lovely Parfum Sacre intense sample I have sitting on my dresser for you!!! Then you can see what all the fuss is about. It’s a love it or hate it fragrance.
OOOH!
Mals, if Ann doesn’t find her L’AirD sample, come see me at MUA (givemesomescents) and I’ll send you a sample of LdR and Parfume Sacre!
But
I
do
like
your
comment.
It made me smile.
In all good fun, Dixie, I am going to make a joke at the expense of the L’Air de Rien – you boyfriend doesn’t like it b/c it smells like another man’s socks. 😉 I applaud if you enjoy L’AdR — it smells like my husband’s smelly socks to me!!!
For years and years I thought of my grandmother’s perfume, Avon Cotillion, as the worst thing I had ever smelled (save Opium, which I hate worse, please don’t throw tomatoes, it’s not you, it’s me). And then recently I was missing her – she died four years ago, at the age of 92 – and went and bought a small vintage bottle for about $3 on ebay. Surprise, surprise –
It actually smells quite nice. I can’t find any notes for it, but I’m guessing it’s an aldehydic floral with a bit of amber and moss in the bottom. It in no way smells as musty and unpleasant as I remember, and I’m wondering whether a) my tastes changed or b) her bottle was old and had sat out on her dresser in the light for so long that it really had gone off, and she was frugal so she wore it anyway. I suppose both are possible. Anyone else remember Cotillion?
OH! And today I’m testing Andy Tauer’s new one, Une Rose Vermeille; I won a sample in a random draw on his blog. It is lovely, and I’m hoping to review it next week. Rose and/or gourmand lovers, prepare yourselves for the lemming invasion…
How sweet about your granny’s perfume..
I’m glad you came around to enjoy it in a way that lets you keep her near. And as for Andy’s new rose perfume~
OH….DEAR.
😉
I am afraid, very afraid!
Candied roses are quickly becoming my new fragrance crush <3
Tamara, I, too like candied roses! Have you tried Ormonde Ta’if? It is among the best. I’ve been also wearing Montale Roses Musk recently, and while it is not exactly candied, it is a great, true rose scent with only a touch of musk and, to my nose, a fair degree of sweetness. At least it feels sweet in our hot and humid summer!
Hey SneakyPie,
As I mentioned before to you,
I just think that screen name is adorable!
And yes I have tried Ta’if but IDK , maybe I’m anosmic to it because I swear, I huff and puff and cave my dang chest in trying to smell it.
I cannot though 🙁 I wonder why? Isn’t that odd?
And your description makes me really wish I could.
Maybe it was because it wasn’t a spray sample?
But yes , I am feelin’ candied roses big time!
Do you know of any others that you’ve tried and loved?
Have you tried M.Micallef’s Rose Aoud?
Heaven in all it’s pink glory. 🙂
Tamara, thank you for the compliment! As you probably know, Sneaky Pie Brown is a cat and a co-author of a series of books that I read a couple of years ago (mysteries). I am not sure what happened to the actual cat with that name, but I just loved his picture and his name 🙂
Wow, I am sorry that Ta’if didn’t work out for you so well. It was one of my faves this past winter. Micallef Rose Oud is definitely on my list to try very soon!!
How clever you are to use such a name, it’s cute as all get out!
My 16 yr. daughter makes fun of me because I didn’t think of a cool name to put on here. hah.
And I wanted to say that you bringing up Montale Roses Musk makes me want to really try it as I love Montale but thats one I haven’t got around too yet.
Have your tried White Aoud. Delicious in a non-gourmand way. Sweet roses with saffron in there, I love it!
To die for IMHO 🙂
I love Montale White Aoud! It’s my favorite in the Aoud series. You might not believe it, but it’s one of my comfort scents, and I like wearing it to bed. The saffron is, indeed, very strongly present there. That’s how I found out that I liked saffron. I recently tried Red Aoud, and it’s a richer, deeper scent and somehow sweeter.
Other roses with prominent saffron that I like are Dark Rose by Czech and Speake (with oud as well) and Rose Kashmirie by Parfums de Rosine. By Kilian Rose Aoud also has saffron, but it is a very different scent in its softhness.
If you like saffron, you should try L’Artisan Safran Troublant. Also, my personal favorite with saffron is more of an orange-rose-saffron cologne: Diptyque L’Eau de Tarocco. Again, more about orange up top, but it does have rose and saffron in it, and it’s light enough to wear in warm weather. I really love it so much.
I do that too! I know exactly what you mean about W.A. being a comfort scent.
I love when it stays on my sweaters and t -shirts and lingers..
It really is amazing in all it’s swirls of lusciousness.:)
I’ll have to try the others you and Joe mentioned.
Oh, lucky you!
Oh you lucky dog – I hadn’t visited the blog for a while and completely missed the draw. I’m on the fence about that one – love his roses, not fond of almond notes. I still need to try Orange Star – I plan on ordering a sample soon, since I NEED my bottle of Reverie.
My sample of Rose Vermeille came in his cute little 5-sample tin – along with Orange Star, Incense Rose, URC, and Le Maroc pour Elle… so I got to try OS and LMpE which I’d never tried before. Orange Star is NOT for me. I think I’m going to do a giveaway for that one and probably IR, which is too orangey (or something) for me.
Wasn’t that nice of Andy?
He’s a doll and a half! He remembered me saying on the blog once that both my mom and I were fans of vetiver, so when he sent me something he included 2 samples of Vetiver Dance.
Aaaargh – you helped kill my lemming for Coupe de Foudre and now you’re going to ignite another one?
Mals took that desire out to the shooting range and off’ed mine too!
…cue the evil laughter. I’ll even rub my hands together villain-style if you like.
You lil’ smart a**! 😛
ha
Mals,
That reminds me of this aluminum christmas tree my grandmother would put up at Christmas with red balls. I hated and we all gave her grief for it. What did I buy on ebay a few years after her death? An aluminum tree. It gives me such comfort and joy now.
So funny how that works…..
Awww… Granny’s (tacky) tree.
I was just so surprised that the Cotillion smelled way better than I remembered, and I do really think my “Bambaw” wore hers past its “best by 1970” date. Or whatever the sell-by was.
SOTD: LL. I knew I’d at least like it, since I love Angel and LL is supposedly a flanker. And it’s alright, with a nice licorice kick that makes it more interesting than most florientals.
I’ve been slowly sniffing my way through the list of ‘100 fragrances every perfumista should try,’ since I’m new at this and want a methodical approach to my madness 😉
So far the LL is my favorite of the dozen or so that I’ve sniffed, though it does fade quickly and doesn’t really drive me wild enough to think about getting a FB.
There’s been many others I’ve tried recently and worn for at least several days, again because I’m going through that list, and because I want to sniff a representative sample of what’s out there. So I tried RL Romance, Light Blue, Clinique’s Happy, Miss Dior Cherie… none captured my fickle heart, and I can’t really say I detest any of them, but I *strongly dislike* the RL Romance.
I also got my first niche samples and found several beautiful little shops that sell the harder-to-find lines 🙂 A bit of Ambre Sultan spilled onto the paper bag that the samples came in, and I couldn’t stop sniffing that for days, then I sniffed Obsession and loved it, despite how it reminded me of high school, so came my nifty discovery of the week: I love amber.
Niftier still was the CdG incense series, which I smelled on paper but absolutely loved. I don’t see myself – at least now – ever wearing Avignon, since I was raised in Europe and the smell of a Catholic church brings up memories of … a Catholic church, and standing through mass on aching legs in a sweaty crowd at Christmas, being bored, feeling guilty, nauseated at the paintings of brutal crucifixion scenes, etc.
But happily, I’ve only ever been inside Russian Orthodox churches as a tourist, and thus I could wear Zagorsk far better, though it still makes me slightly uneasy.
The other three are heartbreakingly beautiful. They make me think of travel and faraway lands, and their smell just opens up the space around me and gives me this feeling of expanse and freedom, especially Quarzazate.
Ah, I loved the Zagorsk, and wanted to love Ouarzazate, but there was something sour about it. Kyoto didn’t work for me, I haven’t tried Avignon bc of the Catholic thing, 😉 which leaves Jaisalmar yet to try. What did you think about that one?
Jaisalmar smells – to my newbie nose – like the spice rack at the Indian food store, and I think it’s the richest and most exotic of the lot. It’s less sweat than Kyoto, and ‘louder’ and more distinct than Quarzazate, if that makes sense.
So glad you’re finding things you love to smell!
If you don’t mind, I’ll throw out just a couple for you to try, knowing you love amber: Chanel 31 Rue Cambon, Guerlain Attrape-Coeur, and Teo Cabanel Alahine. They are all rather floral, but richly so.
ALAHIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE! <3<3
Thanks mals, I’ll add those to my list 🙂 Do you think ambers work better during cold weather, or are they fine if worn sparingly in heat and humidity?
Well, it depends on how much heat and humidity – I famously wore Coco last year when it was 100 degrees outside with about 90% humidity and it worked for me, but I didn’t repeat the experiment. I also (in)famously spritzed myself with Halle on the same kind of day and thought that I might have to saw my arm off to get it away from me. Of course, that mistake was compounded by getting into a hot car which made it bloom even faster.
There are some cold-weather scents that bloom wonderfully in the heat and some that go cloying – sadly, it’s almost impossible to know which is which ahead of time. I try not to experiment too much when I know that other people will be subjected to my fragrance choices.
Hey, I’ve worn Coco edt in the summer too!!! It all depends on how much you apply!!! I find that Magie Noir (vintage or not) smells great in the summer. It kind of gets all undulating in the heat.
I got into a hot car with Halle, too. Man.
I really like them in cooler weather. Although I think 31RC could be used sparingly in the summer, and I’ll admit to a tiny spritz of Alahine on my elbow at bedtime… AC, not so much. It’s so rich that it might just kill you. Oh, and another one? the bottom of Tauer Une Rose Chypree is a gorgeous ambery thing.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhm!
Yes Mals, yes it is<3<3<3
Interesting angle concerning your comment–I am Protestant, and therefore have no associations between incense and church–and I LOVED Avignon. I am working my way through the incense series slowly, as I have ordered several dozen samples within the last few months. I have been in a Russian Orthodox church exactly once (in Alaska), also as a tourist. It was on a Sunday afternoon, and the smell of the incense from the morning service was fabulous. I just wanted to stand there and inhale. If Zagorsk is anything like that, I should love it too.
Smelling Avignon leaves me – literally – cold. I think it’s because the cathedrals here are made of stone, and that lowers the temperature inside by some 10 degrees… I remember going into a church during a sunny day in spring, while I was sightseeing in a nearby town, and inside it felt like it was winter and bellow zero. I can’t disassociate the sense of cold from the smell, like a lot of people can’t eat sweets with rose water because to them it tastes like soap.
Zagorsk has this foresty, woodsy feel to it too that I really love. It reminds me of a warm wooden church surrounded by snow 🙂
When I was in college, our choir did a tour of Europe, and I remember how FREEZING my feet would get, standing in one place on those stone cathedral floors while we sang. Brrrrr. You just don’t get that sort of thing in the US…
I’m with you 50-Roses! I was raised Protestant so I don’t have negative associations with incense. I love Avignon.
Hermes Ambre Narguile is a wonderful, easy to love amber.
I suspect you’ll also like Armani Prive Ambre Soie and Bois d’Encens and Etro Shaal Nur and Messe de Minuit.
It really is isn’t it? Initially I thought it might not be ‘ambery’ enough, but it’s just right. Ambre Sultan is a gorgeous smell, but after about half anhour its like Enough!, but it just doesn’t stop for hours and hours and hours. Now that you’ve made me think about itI will have to get another sample of the Hermessence AN. Thanks for bringing it back to my attention.
You described my reaction to Avignon perfectly! It is the only if the series I have tried but the queasy Christnas Eve Midnight Mass feeling is too much to get past. I will have to get on to the others though.
SOTD: testing Sisley Eau de Campagne and loving it. I only spritzed it on one wrist, so after I come back from running errands, I’ll have room for something else… but I don’t like to compete with myself in public. 😀
I love Eau de Campagne and I’m not surprised you do too. 😀 They say it’s been reformulated, so I’m afraid to buy it; it’s available pretty cheaply on eb*y.
I bought some from a Basenoter, so not sure if it’s reformulated or not. The bottle sure looks new. I love it, too, Boo, and I’m glad to hear that you do!
Oh dear, was hoping you knew if yours was pre- or post-reformulation. Thanks again for the sample… it’s really hitting the spot on this muggy July day.
Oh, that’s right! I sent it to you! I really think it’s a newer bottle, but I don’t know for sure.
Oh yeah my SOTD is Keiko Mecheri’s Oliban, quite ideal for this 67 degree mild summer weather were having.
Gotta love frankinsense. ( I don’t think I spelled that right 😛 ) ha
Close though…frankincense.
Why thank you Robin.
SOTD is a sample of Un Bois Vanille. Expected to like this but it’s too sweet for my taste. Reminds me of a Kraft caramel.
Also sampled Cinq Monds Rituel de Java this week. Definitely FBW. Starts out just a bit too masculine (has that Barbasol thing going) but quickly softens up into a very fresh unisex scent. I’m an incense lover and this one isn’t too much for warm weather.
After posting here about my reservations I finally tried swapping. So far so good! Does anyone know where to find 2.5 ml glass atomizers with a cap? Not loving the capless ones.
Thanna, I’ve been using 2.5ml plastic atomizers with caps from Accessories for Fragrances. Looks like they’re currently out of stock, but those are my favorite because they snap together easily.
Looks like I might go with the plastic for that size. Ordered all my other supplies from Accessories for Fragrance and their CS is fantastic.
SOTD is Ormonde Champaca today, from a sample. Is it my imagination, or is it really very similar to Ormonde Orris Noir? (I didn’t order Orris Noir and Champaca at the same time, and I doubt there was was a mix-up.) Hmm, Champaca starts off very nicely. It is spicy and greener than Orris Noir, but it soon becomes verey reminiscent of the latter. It disappears after a couple of hours.
I can’t speak to those 2 specifically (haven’t tried them enough), but have noticed a definite “signature” in a couple of the OJs.
I have noticed a signature in the drydown of several of the feminine OJ frags, in much the same way as most Guerlains smell like Guerlains. Champaca, Orris Noir, and Sampaquita in particular converge on a very similar type of aroma. Even though they list different notes on their site, I think they end up smelling very similar on me after an hour or so. I don’t really mean that in a negative way–it is a gorgeous drydown, warm, woody, and spicy, and I like it very much. I just wouldn’t have any reason to by more than one of them. I did buy Ormonde Woman, however, which seems to stay on a slightly different track. Tolu also had a different drydown from the others–warmer and sweeter.
Ormonde Woman and Orris Noir are very similar in the base, to my nose. I mean, I like it, but I actually confused them, at least twice.
Thank you, all, for your comments! It’s good to know I am not going crazy in the summer heat. I still like Champaca very much; it is more to my taste, actually, than Orris Noir. I completely agree that Ormonde Woman and Tolu feel different. I like both although I am not sure I am brave enough to wear Tolu just yet.
Testing this afternoon: Paul & Joe White on one arm and Blue on the other.
White is a really nice, light, almost powdery floral. Seems like there might be a bit of heliotrope in there, but definitely hawthorn. I like it. It would be a nice summer floral for warm weather.
Blue is altogether different and I can’t place what it reminds me of. Very strong, and almost like an old-fashioned Guerlain like Jicky, with an animalic base. I need to read up on what’s in here. It doesn’t have huge sillage, but it has a lot of personality. Much more unisex than white.
I realized exactly what Blue reminds me of after reading Bois de Jasmin’s review and comments: Shalimar. There’s definitely a Shalimar vibe in Blue. And Shalimar is one of the Guerlains that I have the most difficulty with.
I’m trying D’Orsay Tilleul for the first time today. I’ve been on the fence about linden – loving some fragrances with the note and finding others not so great. However, it was instant love for me with this one! It reminds me of being a child playing outside on a perfect sunny day, without a care in the world. Apparently, this fragrance has been around for a long time, but the current verson was created by none other than Olivia Giacobetti!
H: Linden is a note I really haven’t explored much, at least not intentionally. Now I’m a bit curious; and many around here have mentioned linden favorites.
My fav linden is the Trish McEvoy Citrus Petals, which is sadly, discontinued. Also the Jo Malone French Lime Blossom is a very pretty linden floral. There is another one that I can’t remember now for anything! It is so pretty and refreshing though!
Linden is instantaneous scent-memory-evocative for me. I have never figured it out, quite, but it kind of personifies summer warmth – when the leaves and grasses are dry and hot and the weedy flowers are the only ones that haven’t drooped.
I have an ancient Linden body splash made by Fresh before it was actually called Fresh – it is what I think linden should smell like. Joe, if I remember I’ll send you some next time.
Ooh.. I agree about the instant memory of linden. It’s actually not helpful if I want to get anything done that day because it puts me back to lazy summer days of laying about in the yard, under the trees, and reading all afternoon. Or just laying on my back looking at the clouds go by and dozing off under a tree – so I only wear linden blossom scents when I’m planning a big, fat, lazy afternoon.
And I can send you both samples of Tilleul, if you like! After wearing this for a while, I’ve come to an interesting comparison. It reminds me of En Passant! If you just take out the linden and add lilac and a pinch of that baked bread smell, you would have something very close to En Passant. And it sort of wafts up to my nose in unexpected waves, just like En Passant does. Giacobetti is a genius, in my book!
How does Tilleul compare to L’Artisan’s Mimosa guys?
Can anyone give me a nose up on these two?
I just figured L’ didn’t last as long .
I haven’t smelled either but I’ve been meaning too.
Tamara, I will have to put them both on and compare. I will tell you that the Tilleul “sent” me in a way that the Mimosa did not. And I’m one of the world’s most devoted L’Artisan fans!
I’d love some Tilleul and I’ll send you some of mine. We haven’t swapped in a while!
Sounds good!
That’s really nice of you, H. Let’s do that for our next swap. Note that I’m testing Royal Palm right now: it’s very nice but not making me crave. However, I’m testing SMN Ginestra on the other hand and that one I LOVE beyond belief. I have become such an SMN fan the last six months.
I’m pleased that you like Ginestra. It’s unique and wonderful, I think!
Ha, where I had about the opposite reaction. I think RP will be a good fall comfort scent, but the Ginestra, while opening quite nicely, is pulling a Melograno on me. Nice start, but then they bloom into something huge and headache-inducing. Some of it could be the weather, so I’ll try it again on a nicer day… but if it doesn’t work out, I know where to send the rest of my sample. Now I’m curious to retest the Lavanda Ambrata and see if that veers into headache territory too, or if that one is safe.
I love linden, but found D’Orsay Tilleul too sweet for me. Maybe I should try it in warmer weather. I haven’t given up on finding the dusty, hazy, sunny linden that reminds me of my childhood, though. In fact, I’ve got a sample of Masaki Matsushima Art coming from TPC — it’s got a linden middle note.
Just checked the Tokyo Milk webpage – I though I recalled one having linden. They do – it’s Waltz No. 14, which was reviewed here before, for anyone looking for a cheap linden fix.
I’m running out the door so no time to read all, butIn reply to some earlier comments. I have gotten #19 and # 22 pure perfume from the Saks NY store. Ordered over the phone. Got Cuir de Russie and Bois de Iles pure perfume from Chanel website about a year and a half ago. Don’t think thy have them online anymore. This was before they had the Exclusifs online, but I would try Saks
Thanks!
I have a bit of a dilemma to pose to you kind, knowledgeable folks. I hope someone here can help!
So… I bought a FB of L’Artisan’s Nuit de Tubereuse from Henri Bendel over a month ago because I totally fell in love with it, and for the first few wearings, I think everything was fine.
But, in the course of wearing it more, my skin has been reacting horribly (itchy & red) just in places where I’ve sprayed it on my skin, every single time I wear it. Allergic reaction, I guess… (I have other allergies, but have never had a skin reaction like this before).
I’m heartbroken!! Maybe it’s silly to ask but: will my body ever get past this??
What should I do? I don’t know if I can live with only wearing the fragrance sprayed on clothing or sheets… (Not even sure if that’s a very good idea). Should I sell it so that someone else can give this almost-full bottle a good, loving home? I’m really at a loss… Any ideas will be VERY welcome!!!
I accidentally posted my reply too far down. I can think of a couple of things you might try to attempt to save your beloved NdT from the giveaway pile. See my comment below.
Do you take alot of medications?
The reason I ask is because I do and I have found it just makes my skin much more sensitive to fragrance, even stuff I’ve never really had a problem with before.
Medication makes your skin thinner, scar more easily and not hold a perfume as well as it could.
I’ve even broke out in hives which never happened previously.
It does suck. And very sad too.
if it doesn’t bother you too greatly to do so, spray it on places people won’t see, your back, your chest, tummy.
I do that sometimes, even though it is hard not to want a fragrance you love to be swirling around your face so you can smell it more.
I hope you don’t have to sell it or give it away.
Take care!
The first day I wore NdT, the glands in my throat swelled. One would think that would put me off, but alas, no.
The third time I put it on, no problem. I guess it depends on a lot of different things, but I say, “Don’t give up yet!”
Of course, if your throat begins to close, disregard above advice ; )
Poetria,
I totally sympathize with you. I have the same reaction as you do to various fragrances-usually with patchouly in them. The best thing to do is not to wear the offending fragrance for a while and let your skin heal. When you wear the fragrance, take a claritin (it doesn’t make me sleepy). Then don’t wear it for a few days.
I find that if I don’t wear fragrances with offending ingredients then my skin is ok. If I wear fragrances that are allergen producing too many times in a row then I’m an itchball and have to stop wearing fragrance for a day to give my body a rest and start with something light like Fragonard Fleur d’Oranger or Apres L’Ondee.
If you rotate your fragrances, you won’t have to get rid of your Nuit de Tuberose. I can still wear my beloved Mazzolari Patchouli but only occasionally.
Hope this helps.
Thank you all for the suggestions and sympathy!!!
50_Roses, I don’t think it’s sun or a new soap/lotion/etc… Wearing NdT on my clothes seems to be okay though, so I might keep doing that – thanks for the suggestions! 🙂
Tamara, I don’t take medications on a regular basis, but that is a really really interesting point about how it can affect the skin. I will definitely have to keep it in mind! Thanks for the tips 🙂
Dee, that’s kind of scary that NdT made your glands swell up, but good for you for trying again. I keep trying too, hoping it won’t affect my skin next time, so thanks for the encouragement. Maybe next time will be different!! (But yeah – throat closing up, not such a good thing) 🙂
Dixie – Thanks for the suggestions – rotating perfumes and taking Claritin when I do wear the NdT might just be the ticket! 🙂
Thanks again, all, for the tips & encouragement. Maybe I can make this work! 🙂
I’m wearing L’Ombre Dans L’Eau today. It actually survived my sweat and body heat; in fact, I think it smells better for it. My decant is almost gone, which makes me sad. 🙁
That’s one I really love in the summer – it stands up to heat, humidity and AC, which is no mean feat!
Agree, it is wonderful in hot weather.
By any chance does it only happen if you go out in the sun? Some perfume ingredients are photosensitizing. If you put the perfume on skin, then expose the skin to bright sunlight, you get a rash. If that is the case, you can probably still wear it if you will be indoors, or perhaps in the winter when the sunlight is less intense (and less skin is exposed!) You might also consider whether you have recently started using a new lotion, soap, or other skin care product that may be reacting with the perfume (and which you were not using the first few times you wore NdT)? Otherwise, you may have developed an allergy. You could probably still wear the perfume if you sprayed it on clothes, especially an outer layer that is not closely touching the skin. I once gave away a bottle of Cinnabar because it gave me a red, itchy rash. It turns out I have a skin sensitivity to cinnamon, and Cinnabar apparently contains a lot of it.
Note: this comment was meant to be a reply to Poetria above. I accidentally posted it too far down.
No worries – saw your comment and replied above 🙂 Thanks again!!
SOTD: Suzanne Lang, Cashmere. Whoa, mama! It’s delicious.
Also in the sample haul:
Amouage- Epic (NO)
L’Artisan- Premier Figuer (YES)
M. Micallef- Aoud Gourmet (dunno)
By Kilian- Liasons Dangereuses (definitely)
Penhaligons- Opus (No, no, no)
Yesterday’s haul:
M. Micallef- Black Sea (LOVE)
10 Corso Como (underwhelmed)
Etat Libre D’Orange- Like This (not for me, but nice)
Il Profumo- Chocolate Frais (a bit boozy)
L’Artisan- Piment Brulant (Yes!)
Nicolai- Vanille Intense (not my fave)
Penhaligons- Malabah (Oh heck yeah, I may bathe in this one)
free samples, all SL:
Five O’ Clock Au Gingembre (will definitely wear in fall)
Datura Noir (buying a bottle for sure!)
Chergui (lovely at first sniff, must try on skin)
Un Bois Vanille (answer is unclear, please try again)
Your awesome SP!
B.K. L Dangerouses smells sooooooo good on my hubby.
His skin brings out all the rose jammy goodness.
On me it was too musky.
Nice score on the free samples 🙂
Wow, I didn’t think of it as something that would work on a man, maybe because my skin amps up the bit of sweetness so much. Nice! It would definitely be something I would want to smell on my luvah. 🙂
I dig how you said luvah 😛 ha!
I know I thought L.D. would be my thing but nope , he smells better.
He always smells good with stuff that has sweetness in it, his manly manliness evens it out I guess. 🙂
He’s a journeyman electrition and when he goes to work the guys bag on him but he likes that he smells better than all of them!
SOTD is Lancome Magnifique. Cheap ad department store as it is, it has something. Not yet sure if that somethig overcomes its flaws yet. I have a full bottle because I broke the ‘try it three times before you buy’ rule, so plenty of time for me to make up my mind. The pretty bottle may have impacted on my ability to judge the actual juice.
Recently discovered L’Air De Rien thanks to you all here who took part in the skank discussion, and it was love at first sight. Think a full bottle may be in order, generally unheard of for me.
Can’t remember what I did with my time (and money) before I found NST.
Note to everyone in Melbourne, if you haven’t been to Peony in Hawthorn, you should really go. And no, I am in no way affilitaed with the store, except as a happy new customer.
Oh, thanks for the tip about Peony. I don’t get to Melbourne so much any more and when I do it’s usually just in and out of the CBD. But I’ll try my best.
Even though I haven’t actually physically been into the store I have to say the service I received (when the phone is answered) was not very positive. It’s a shame really because niche perfume shops are few and far between in Australia!
I am sorry that you didn’t have a very positive experience at Peony. I hope we have the opportunity to assist you in the future and answer your queries in a timely manner.
For my birthday (which was last monday), my mom bought me Vanille Galante 😀 I was SO happy. So, that’s probably what I’m going to wear tomorrow.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday… I love Vanille Galante.
Ditto this!
Adding more birthday wishes…hope it was fun!
SOTN: Carnal Flower. I’ll say it again: Amazing!! I felt like something that encapsulated beauty, so CF is what I chose. I highly recommend spraying it on while listening to Me’Shell Ndegeocello’s “Beautiful” on a golden summer evening as I did 🙂
You are tempting me to put on some CF myself…
Oh and hey, I’m heading to Chicago next weekend- and folks wanna recommend good places to go for fragrance shopping? I’m staying on Michigan Ave, so obviously all the stores there will be fair game, but I am a bit curious to see what’s around! I’ve never seen the Hermessences anywhere and wouldn’t mind trying a few of those…
The folks at the Chicago Hermes boutique are extremely nice and generous with samples!
You know what else I need to hunt down? Some of those Dior colognes! Eau Noir!! Those MUST be somewhere in Chicago!
I know it’s so early here… 7am. I am already wearing Bond no.9 Nuits de Noho!!! What a gorgeous jasmine… I keep saying that every time I apply Nuits de Noho and can never get enough of it…
It’s a bit hard to know what to wear to celebrate your country’s independence, when you’re currently living in the country that independence was won from … and when you’re also making dinner for your husband’s previously estranged but now close father and his girlfriend who’s a bit too conservative for either of your taste. (We have to practice saying “oh my goodness” instead of “oh my god” or just “oh shit” every time we’re going to see her.) But she’s a nice woman, and family is family.
But I need something that’s a bit centering and a bit exciting, and a bit … smoky. And that’s what lead to me choosing Burning Leaves for today. The sillage isn’t high enough that it will bother anyone, and I’m going to wear what I want to wear.
Today I spontaneously was inspired to create a playlist for perfume on my itunes. I know, so silly, right? But if anyone has ideas of songs (I’ve got quite a large collection, so there’s always a chance … ) that mention perfume, or fragrant materials or … anything like that, please, feel free to share them with me 🙂
Perfume by Sparks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFrFhwMQMXg
Perfect!!!
I found a site called Songsets (www dot songsets dot net) that lets you search for songs by words in the lyrics. If you type in “perfume” in the Song Words search box, it brings up a list of 718 songs that contain the word perfume. You could also try searching for fragrance or incense or aroma or whatever else you like.
what an excellent resource! I’ll be having fun with that for lots of of my topic-based playlists, LOL!
I know that feeling…NH transplant by way of marrying an Englishman!
Hope your dinner goes well and that you don’t have any translation issues. After more than 10 years, my mother-in-law and I still find ourselves staring blankly at one another either in confusion or irritation whilst speaking the ‘same’ language!
Happy 4th to my fellow expat Americans wherever you are and to those still on US soil have a hot dog for me!
It’s been an amazing experience living over here, but sometimes I do miss my home! I think there will always be people that you just can’t connect with … but you’ve just got to try, and find some safe topics to talk about!
A playlist! How clever! I’d never thought of that.
I like making playlists for different things – moods, events, various topics or things that I like – it’s nice because when I open up my itunes, I’ve got all these options for what to listen to already all together. And then if I’m trying to make a cd for someone or something, it really narrows down my selection, and helps me find the sorts of things I’m looking for.
I love fragrance so much, so it should definitely have its own playlist!
Happy 4th to my American NST friends and happy weekend to everyone else! I’m starting out today with Le Labo Fleurs d’Oranger in continuing my quest to try everything orange blossom. This one is pretty enough, but haven’t found my HG OB quite yet.
based on my newfound obsession with pacifica products, I would suggest you try their orange blossom. I haven’t personally tried it but I really like their other stuff, and the price is decent
That would be awesome if it turned out that I fall in love with that one – the prices for that line are so reasonable. Thanks for the suggestion.
I haven’t quite found my HG OB yet, either. Let me know what you find – I have a feeling it is going to be something cheap and simple, like the Yves Rocher, which I only have a solid of. I’ve tried LeLabo, Serge, Penhaligon, etc. The LeLabo is very very close.
I feel like kind of a dork to say this, but so far I like the Jo Malone OB the best. I liked the Penhaligons’s one also, and wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it since I’m usually underwhelmed by their stuff. I didn’t know that YR made one and will have to check it out – at least the price will be right!
I really love that Le Labo OB. I have a bit of Penhaligon’s on the way for comparison and I’ve never tried the JM. I also need to pull out my sample of Serge Lutens, but I’m very happy with Le Labo. That fragrance never fails to make me happy.
After showering and feeling rather ‘meh’ about the LLFdO, I was in the mood for something else. I decided to go with Lubin Gin Fizz and that was a good move on my part! 😉 LOVE this! I will be on the lookout for a split! *Fingers crossed*
Yay! Just be forewarned, your sample is vintage, so may or may not smell like what’s currently available.
Good to know Boo, thanks!
I often see the vintage Gin Fizz on ebay; for example, eurofinegifts often lists it, and it seems reasonable – maybe less than new, even. Just a bit of enabling here 🙂
I appreciate that Noz – I will vigilantly keep watch for it!
Hey NK, if you don’t mind my asking –
how different is the vintage Lubin Gin Fizz vs. the current one?
Drastically so much that only the vintage is the good one or is it just a matter of taste?
Thanks to anybody who wants to tell me-
~T
I’ve only tried the vintage, so can’t compare… I mentioned it just in case there’s a difference.
Hi Rustic Dove,
For Orange Blossom scents you may want to try Fragonard Fleur d’Oranger and Bourbon French Orange Blossom. Neither are too expensive.
Thanks for the tip Dixie! Will look for them.
Hi RD, do you like Dior’s Escale a’ Portofino?
That’s a great OB scent with cypress in it to give it a lil’ bite and it’s refreshing in the heat.
Hi T – Yes, I did try the Portofino and it was refreshing. It reminded me very much of L’Occitane’s Bergamot The’ for some reason and I already have a bottle of that.
Hey you should try 88 orange scent blossom, a beautiful combo of orange blossom and lilac. And Boucheron Femme is a lovely orange blossom floriental.
Mmm the BF sounds really good!
I appreciate the suggestions Val!
I just made a list of the OB scents suggested by the kind folks here. Thanks again!
also- believe it or not, the victoria’s secret orange blossom scent is really nice, much different than the sugary crap they’ve been putting out lately. I believe it’s called Lace, and it’s not that expensive..
I just wanted to say thank you guys for suggesting things, I was part of the monday mail a few weeks ago, and you all gave me some great suggestions to try. My wallet is hurting a little, but these ideas kept me busy for a while and i’ve found some great new scents. I think the one I like best-someone suggested Pacifica’s Gardenia scent which led me to try their waikiki pikake, and i fell in love with that.
I tried fracas for the first time, and was saddened to find that it turns to -of all things- bubble gum on me. My wallet, however, breathed a sigh of relief.
Very often things that are recommended or that you think you’re going to like/love, disappoint, but they do often lead you to something that you DO love. As they say, the joy is in the journey. 🙂
absolutely, i have some fun fragrances, and new suggestions… now all I need is an unlimited budget!
Bubblegum? Sounds perfect for the tween crowd. I thought Sacrebleu smelled like marshmallows on me. I once tried The Unicorn Spell, which was described in The Guide as iris and violet, but what it smelled like to me was enchilada sauce! Now, I like enchiladas quite well, but I do not want to smell like them. I think I would have preferred bubblegum.
I know what you mean! I think it’s the violet. On my skin, violet literally turns into curry. Not a tasty, zippy thai curry but a heavy indian curry. how odd! on my friend, it’s pretty little flowers.. chemistry is so puzzling
Thanks for the update, Sweet Dreams! There are always so many interesting suggestions in the Monday Mail posts, and I always wonder what the people end up with. It’s very nice to know that you found a winner.
Happy Independence Day to my fellow American NST readers! I’m testing two roses this morning: DelRae Coup de Foudre and Micallef Rose Aoud. Just put them on. First impression is that the CdF is too fruity for my taste, and that the Rose Aoud is gorgeous but needs to settle down!
Rose Aoud is one of my favorites H.
I’m really, really liking it!
H: I’ve decided I really like all the citrus in Coup de Foudre. Also, the drydown of the Micallef is amazingly beautiful, but yes, it’s a bit harsh when first applied.
I’d be interested to hear how the Micallef Rose Oud compares with the BK Rose Oud. I love my small sample vial of that one but have been RESISTING, hoping for a purse set, or even better, an exploration set of the planned oud series 🙂 There is something wonderful about the combination of rose and oud…
No SOTD yet today – it’s still slightly early here on the west coast! I had a personal sniffapalooza yesterday and finally went to the fancy mall nearby with NM, Saks, Hermes, etc. I want to encourage anyone who is a bit worried/embarrassed/nervous about going to fancy stores and snooty SAs to just do it! I waited too long to go and they are closing down the Saks store soon and all that was left was 1 room of clothes, so i didn’t get to try all those Bonds I wanted to : ( Luckily, the had Natori at Bloomies, which was on my sniff list (didn’t care for it ), and Womanity too (loved this one). And the people at Hermes were so nice – finally got to sniff all the Hermessences and Voyage and Terre d’Hermes. I got large samples of Rose Ikebana and Vetiver Tonka, and they were out of Voyage spray samples, so he gave me the most darling Voyage mini!
Also, my boyfriend (who hates perfume!) found me this link on one of his “free stuff on the internet” sites – free Womanity sample!
http://esampling.womanity.com/us/
Wish we had an Hermes here… nearest to me is Chicago. 🙁 Jealous of the Voyage mini; I still haven’t managed to smell that one.
Say no more, dear Boo! I’ll send you some Voyage. 🙂
Oh, thanks M!
I was so surprised we had one – I never go to that mall and was looking on the Hermes website for something (probably to look at that Voyage bottle!) and thought, hey, let’s see where the closest one is! And there it was. I’ll have to go back again soon and get some more samples – they give you these huge 4 ml samples for the Hermessences. And they were happy to let me sniff and spray away as much as I wanted without trying to sell me anything!
I’m so late getting here! Sometimes life interrupts perfume. 😉
I’ve been sampling some frags from Smell Bent this weekend. Prairie Nymph was fun; honey with some carnation and a tiny bit of something that smelled like fruit (it was clementine). Saddle Warmer was an instant scrubber, though. I didn’t smell any peach in it, just rough, sharp …. something.
SOTD = PdN Weekend at Deauville. Plenty of citrus and spice with a lovely oakmoss. There are floral notes in there between the citrus and the oakmoss, but blended into what smells like a spring flower bouquet.
Prairie Nymph sounds so nice.
I love honey and carnation, so it sounds good to me too. I sniffed By Kilian Back to Black in Saks a few weeks ago, and I thought it smelled just like honey–very nice, but not worth the price.
Buy the travel refills! $70 for an ounce of juice isn’t a fabulous price, but it’s doable. That’s what I did – I think that I signed up for the Saks email newsletter and got a coupon for 10% off plus free shipping, too.
I wore Tommy Girl to march in the 4th of July parade. I’m not sure what else goes with the new summer uniform of the Denver & District Pipe Band Irish dance corps: 3/4 circle navy blue satin skirt, patriotic T-shirt of one’s choice (mine was blue with fireworks, featuring lots of little white stars), and sparkly poodle socks. You know you’re a dancer when you’re willing to wear that outfit in public.