A quick reminder that our next swapmeet will be a week from today, on Saturday, 9/14. You can read about the last one here, or scroll through the swapping tag to find all the related posts.
Today, our standard open thread poll: talk about anything you like — the perfume you’re wearing today, the perfume you're going to wear as soon as it arrives in the mail, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Note: image is rain_on_grass_seeds_2560x1024 [cropped] by Iain Cuthbertson at flickr; some rights reserved.
The weather is lovely today here, more summery, but every day I see more and more signs of the upcoming Autumn.
The perfume I’m wearing today is Orlando by Jardins d’Ecrivains.
I can’t wait to buy Atelier Cologne Silver Iris! It’ll be available in Poland any day/week.
What perfume are you going to wear in the Autumn? Or what kind of notes you favor at that time?
Hi, Lucas! I love autumn, it’s beautiful here in the midwest US. September is special because it runs cool to hot and the maple trees get a “bleached” look to their leaves, right before they turn color. And the light changes. I received a bottle of Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser last spring and it will be perfect for fall; it smells like a dark vanilla campfire and I keep yakking about it on various blogs. Spice notes are my fall go to. But today I am house bound and wearing a generous amount of Portrait of a Lady, a big boss rose for sure!
I really like when I walk along the park, or I go somewhere when there are some trees growing and I notice that leaves slowly change color. I like Autumn when it’s so colorful, but when it gets rainy and days are gray I feel a little bit down then.
I often reach for iris in the Autumn, so AC Silver Iris will be perfect when I get it.
Have a good, fragrant weekend.
The parks in Europe are so beautiful – enjoy your walks, Lucas!
Thank you! I hope you’ll get a nice Autumn there too!
I love fall weather–such a beautiful transition–but becoming a teacher has made my September associations all about new students and returning to the long hours of work!
But October, OTOH, gets my full love, once I’ve settled back into the routine! And for October, aside from the fuller fragrances that don’t overwhelm in the cooler weather, I also like to wear Bill Blass Nude for the apple/pear fruitiness! Feels like harvest. 🙂
I see. Here in Poland the school has also started on September the 2nd and teachers are back to work. Only university students have a break until October.
The smell of harvest sounds funny!
Hello dear Lucas, it is bright and sunny here today, and the best part — it is in the low 70s. I can’t wait for the crisp cool autumn air!
I have an exciting morning planned – checking out a new (for us anyway) grocery store; however, because we’ll be in my teeny tiny car and my mom abhors perfume in any form, I will be sans perfume until this afternoon. SOTD will likely be JM Blackberry & Bay!
It was 25*C here where I live at noon, feels almost like summer again!
Have fun at the new grocery store – I always liked doing grocery shopping!
Have a fragrant day with Jo Malone later. Unfortunately the brand doesn’t fit into my aesthetics.
It won’t be ‘autumn’ in Texas for another two months or so…. LOL! So I keep wearing ‘summer’ perfumes. Really loving Atelier Cologne Sous le Toit de Paris lately… thinking about buying the 30mL. I know you’re an Atelier lover too.
I wish we had a warm weather for so long as you do in Texas.
Sous le Toit de Paris is a great perfume and those 30ml petit flacons are just adorable. I say go for it!
Cool enough this morning that I could wear Songes. am on my way up to Boston to celebrate my birthday with friends and will then buy Dzhari once my bus gets back to NY. My buying schedule got messed up–I sampled Lilas et Natcisse from Soivohle only to discover it was on clearance so of course I bought a little bottle (it’s swoony gorgeous). I was planning on buying Dzhari for my birthday, Tsukimi in Nov, and Ta’if in Feb as bottle number 50 to celebrate 5 yrs cancer-free. not sure I’ve got the willpower to skip Tsukimi….
Happy Birthday Goddessrena!
Happy birthday dear! Many fragrant returns!
What an awesome plan! You may just have to double up one month – you’ve earned it!
Happy birthday Rena, and congratulations on your 5 years!
Happy birthday! I too love Lilas et Narcisse – one of my favorite spring-y perfumes. I own the little 15mL bottle. heaven!
Happy Birthday!
I agree with Noz— you deserve to double up! Congrats on remaining cancer free for 5 yrs! Keep up the good work!!!
Congratulations! And I aree with Noz and Daisy: maybe this month you’ll have to double up!
Happy Birthday, Goddess! Congratulations on beating cancer! I wish you a great, many more birthdays to celebrate throughout the coming years.
Your perfume choices sound intriguing. I had to use the NST search to find out about Tsukimi and Dzhari. Enjoy your birthday and your perfume purchases!
It will be summer in Texas for at least another two months, no matter what the calendar says. With temperatures still in the 90s, if not the 100s, I’m still buying and wearing aromatics. I’m waiting on some fragrances from Thymes, which were on sale because they are being discontinued.
Oh, I will have to check out their sale! Really want the Temple Jasmine, but that’s new so probably not on markdown.
I’ve almost used up my Temple Jasmine shower gel. I’ve really enjoyed it over the summer.
No SOTD yet, as I’m about to douse myself in Off (it’s really humid today). Saw an interesting fragrance-related discussion this week. One of my other online addictions aside from perfume blogs are the Live Chats on the Washington Post site–don’t follow them live, but read the transcripts at the end of the day. On Wed, the dining critic hosts a chat, and one of the 1st commenters sounded off about people who wear too much fragrance in restaurants. It was amusing later on in the discussion when the columnist revealed that he felt guilty for having applied Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille that morning.
When I was a waitress, I used to think I was allergic to perfume. Every once in a great while, I’d get one of those big ladies (big personalities, mind you, not necessarily size!), with big perfume–some BWF. I’d lean in to hear their order and I could feel my eyes water, my throat close up, suffocating on the sillage! Only through researching the HUGE variety of scents out there have I discovered that I’m just not a BWF-gal, and clearly not at all allergic!
Good to know about the restaurant critic chats. Tables can be so close together in DC restaurants, so I guess it’s possible that a perfume with a lot of sillage carry over.
I’m addicted to the Capital Weather Gang blog myself. They do the best weather reporting and posts on a range of weather topics, and the regular commenters are congenial.
If i’m not mistaken, it was Luca Turin who commented on how the Guerlains, and Shalimar in particular, agree so well with food. I have payed attention to the subject ever since, and I agree on Shalimar as a good choice for dining out when the focus will be on the food (which is always, in my househild :)) I also think white flowers tend to smell poisonous (or at least not edible at all), and this might be the reason they really do clash with food sometimes.
Solanace, I often pass through the mezzanine of a building where award dinners and the like are often hosted. Once I smelled what I thought was a big white floral perfume and soon realized the scent was coming from bouquets of yellow lilies on the tables a story and a half below. Can you imagine trying to eat your fish or chicken at the same table with those lilies, LOL? I’m sure the caterer or event organizer never made that mistake again!
Hi! I was in Saks yesterday trying some scents I’ve been wanting to try and I took a peek at the D&G Velvet collection where the sales guy picked up Velvet Vetiver, sprayed and I swooned. Vetiver is not a note I’ve explored, and yet…this was really beautiful. It also has black fig (love to get Robin’s take on this scent as fig seems to be a love of hers) and so it is more on the sweet side, but not too sweet, just right in my opinion. I’m making a list of all the vetivers out there that are loved to see if this is new note I might start wearing more.
Any suggestions for vetiver on the slightly sweeter side?
PS. I like my fragrance to stay with me, and that’s one downside of the Velvet Vetiver, it doesn’t last as long as I’d like (not to mention the crazy price tag of $200 for not even 50ml!)
Thanks!
Sounds like something I’d like to try — most unfortunately, no easy access to Saks. Will see if any other stores have them on my next mall run.
Possibilities: Hermes Vetiver Tonka (sweetest I can think of), Chanel Sycomore, maybe Etat Libre d’Orange Fat Electrician, Parfums DelRae Panache, Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental, Jo Malone Black Vetyver Cafe.
Straight up vetivers are also really fun to layer with, often go nicely with solifores.
Exciting! Thanks for the recs. I’ve read a little on your blog about some of these, and added to the list. The Hermes one especially is top of list. I’d really like to be able to try Guerlain’s Vetiver Pour Elle, but it seems to be not available anywhere. If I sample and fall in love, then what?? I will also try the straight up versions as I want to better understand the note and how it unfolds.
Saks actually gave me not one, but 2! samples of the Velvet Vetiver. Such a treat!
Hope to see you review it soon.
Atelier Cologne’s Vetiver Fatal definitely has a sweetness to it — it’s plummy — but it’s also deep and spicy. It’ll wear great right into fall, I think. There’s definitely enough oomph to it. Additionally, it’s very long-lasting, at least on me. I get 7+ hours out of it. I’m a huge vetiver fan, and I love the stuff. 🙂
Been meaning to visit Atelier down on Elizabeth street (my first frag from them was Vanille Insensse, I purchased a FB and it was a mistake) I’ve learned since to “sit” with a fragrance for a bit before outright purchasing… but sometimes that can be tough while you’re in the shop 🙂 I actually recently gave it away! and now I’m feeling bad about that as I’ve read from some of the posters on this blog and others how you can come back to a fragrance again and love it. Live and learn…
I will definitely try their vetiver. Love that it is lasting on you! Thanks.
Floragal, are you familiar with Vetiver Ambrato from Bois 1920? It’s a nice one and it’s sweeter, just like you want.
Hmmm. I’m not at all familiar with many scents! Thanks!! I will check this out too.
Vetiver is one of my favorite notes, and like Robin said, Vetiver Tonka is the sweetest vetiver that I can think of too.
Tom Ford’s Grey Vetiver from the non-exclusive line is a great vetiver for the price with a lot of smokiness in the top if you are interested.
Yes, the Tonka one I will definitely be trying very soon. I’ve actually got a Hermes store down the street from my work, not the friendlies bunch, but I can visit for a whiff.
The D&G vetiver is suppose to be more of a summer scent (maybe because of the fig?), and I get that, but vetiver comes off as being more autumn to me than summer. Would you say vetiver’s in general are better for cool, or warm months?
I think it can work both ways, Guerlain’s Vetiver Pour Elle is a go to Spring scent for me b/c of the florals and citrus (altho the formula’s been changed a bit), but a nice smoky deep vetiver can be cozy and warming for autumn. I haven’t tried the D&G.
Floragal, I have a decant of Guerlain Vetiver pour Elle but it disappointed me because the white musk overwhelms the other notes. It’s worth trying AG Vétiver and Chanel 28 La Pausa. The latter is a lovely iris vetiver. 28 is not tremendously long-lasting, either, so I spray a bit on fabric or hair (e.g., nape of neck) to hold onto it.
Iris is another note I need to get to better know. Thank you!
Chanel uses high quality iris, so it’s a good place to start. Iris is such a great note – enjoy your exploration, Floragal!
If no one’s suggested it yet, Tauer’s Vetiver Dance is one I like. It opens a little peppery and herbal, but it’s got some floral notes in the heart, mostly lily of the valley, and the drydown is a little sweet and spicy with vetiver and tonka. The drydown is a little bit like the Hermes.
Was wondering about this one, especially since I’m a LOTV fan. I’m familiar with Tauer, but haven’t tried any of their fragrances.
Thks!
I love Jo Loves Pink Vetiver. I don’t know if you’d consider it sweet enough.
Never heard of that one! I’ll put on the list.
I’ve got the Velvet Vetiver on this morning and my husband seemed to approve so that’s a good sign. I was wondering if he’d find it too masculine.
I can’t believe no one has recommended the granddaddy of all vetivers, Guerlain’s Vetiver. It’s marketed as a masculine, but no such thing! It has a tonka base, so it definitely has some sweetness.
Agree, there’s something floral about Guerlain Vetiver that makes it sweeter. I wish Guerlain would make a slightly softer version of this one in place of the white musk heavy Vetiver pour Elle.
Unfortunately, with Wasser at the helm, I’m afraid we’re going to get more white musk, not less! 🙁
Yeah, I guess that was basically a rhetorical wish. 🙁
I’ll pipe up with Diptyque Vetyverio since it seems like no one’s mentioned that yet! I can’t really recall its staying power (it is an eau de toilette), but I think it was slightly sweet. Definitely very pretty. Worth a shot!
Happy weekend, all! My students return on Monday (we’ve started late due to budget cuts). I’m exhausted from a week of mind-numbing meetings–MANY changes this year to my building, my own job, and statewide with new education standards. It’s going to be a hard year, but I have to believe it will get better! Maybe next year we will be able to rehire a few people. . .
No SOTD yet today. I’m gonna sneak in a few chores this morning and then go over to Mr. Spicebomb-Microfiche’s place to hang out for the afternoon. He’s going to try to convince me that watching a football game is worth my time! 😀
Hi Marjorie, I don’t think I ever found out how you made out with your missing package of fragrances from Barney’s… I hope that they turned up, but if not, how did you end up remedying the loss?
No–it appears to be gone!
So, I had to make several phone calls–first to FedEx, then to Barney’s and finally to my credit card company. At this point, FedEx has done an investigation and confirmed that the package was delivered. Barney’s has filed a complaint with them, and my CC has reversed the charges for the time being. Now, I must wait for the claim between Barney’s and FedEx to be settled before they will send me new perfume.
So, still waiting for my lovely new bottles! 🙁
What a bummer! Glad to hear the charges were reversed, and that Barney’s is on top of it. Maybe they can throw in some extras for the inconvenience and long wait…. 🙂
Wow, what did they lose?
Marjorie can probably tell you more (although she might be sick of rehashing it at this point! :)) but it was more a case of a purchased number of frags from Barney’s never arriving at her home. They said it was delivered, but she never got the delivery. Sounds like it was maybe stolen?
Looks like this sad story is moving in a better direction, however 🙂
I ordered 100mLs of L’eau d’Hiver and Lipstick Rose. NOT an inexpensive or minor purchase! Very bummed to have the delay, but I am optimistic that it will work out eventually. Unless the delivery guy didn’t learn from his mistake. . .
Floralgal’s got it right–looks like it was stolen from my front porch. FedEx didn’t apparently think to put the box at, say, my back door, which is obscured from view. . . grouch, grumble, growl!
Bet they won’t just leave it this time…they’ll have you sign for it (another pain in the neck when you’re at work!)
Glad to hear that you’re still seeing Mr. Microfiche. I hope that you enjoy the football game, or at the very least, you enjoy hanging out with Mr. M. I never got into football. The only sport I follow is baseball, and I started watching it as an adult after I saw Ken Burns’ nine-part series on the history of baseball on PBS in the mid-90s. Baseball has a zen-like quality; it’s not as violent as some other sports; and there is very little trash-talking during post-game interviews.
I hope that things get easier at some point this school year.
Here’s hoping Marjorie Rose and Mr. Microfiche watched the Oregon – Virginia game. Go Ducks!
Yes … it looks like Oregon trounced Virginia.
Yup, that was the game! I admit, I didn’t pay it much attention, though! Mr. Spicebomb/Microfiche seemed to enjoy explaining it to me, anyway. 🙂 I think I enjoyed the baseball game we went to, better! Maybe football would be better live. . .
The weather is hot today in New Orleans. That is no surprise for me, though.That’s how its supposed to be here in the South right now. I am ready for the beautiful October weather to be here.
Right now, I am wearing my Shalimar Initial body lotion. I put some on this morning so I could smell this beautiful scent while reading and catching up on emails. Tonight we are going out to dinner with some friends, and I am undecided what to wear between Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile or Hermes Un Jardin sur le Nil. Both would be good for a hot New Orleans night.
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Jealous of your hot New Orleans night, although we’re having pretty nice weather here. Jardin Sur Le Nil would get my vote 🙂
Already with the Swap Meet??? I enjoyed the last one and plan to participate in the one starting next week. Between the heat and vacation, I am 2 months + late with one package to send out for the Posse PFG; I am definitely more disciplined when it comes to swaps. Thanks for the reminder, Robin!
Can’t wait for the Swap Meet as well!
Hey, we’re only doing 2 a year so it’s been longer than you think 🙂
I’m also late with a PFG gift — went on vacation right after making contact, and now am waiting to hear whether the person still wants the samples.
Hooray for the next swapmeet!
No SOTD for me til the evening–I start swimming (in a pool) with my daughter again today. Lots of fun, but the chlorine destroys any scent I try.
Same here! I have a number of inexpensive scents that I choose from in the morning knowing that what I wear will get knocked out by the chlorine in the pool in the afternoon.
Just stopping in to say hi, I haven’t been posting comments here that often as I’ve been really busy. I haven’t chosen a SOTD yet, but maybe a Guerlain.
Anyone know when the new Serge Lutens Iron Maiden lily come out? I want to try it!
Welcome back! All I know is September.
That’s more than I knew. I am so psyched!
Yesterday on Buzzfeed I read a tip on how to type special characters, such as é, which is so useful with perfume names. Hold down the e key (or other letter that you need) for a second, and a bubble will pop up with all the choices, which you can click on.
I’m on Apple and was never able to find this through the Apple Help function (it takes you to some thing more complicated). Did everyone else already know how to do this?
My standard poodle taught me that one day when he plopped his paw down on my iPad. I saw the bubble pop up and was so happy because I didn’t know how to do it either. I also found out that if you hold the zero the little circle symbol for degrees pops up. So now I can say its 70°. 🙂
LOL – that’s a GOOD dog, Poodle!
Good to know about the degree sign, too – thanks!
That’s one smart pup!
Cool…thanks for the tip!
Another Saturday, another trip to the vet. Why can’t my dogs get sick on weekdays? So the two weeks of antibiotics seem to have taken care of the UTI but now she’s vomiting. Which may or may not be from the two weeks of antibiotics. I feel so bad for the poor little thing. She got two injections today and one was ouchy and she yelped so of course I feel bad about that. She’s resting now so hopefully the meds will kick in to settle her tummy and she be perkier later.
It felt cool out earlier so my SOTD is Sensuous.
I’m looking forward to next weeks swap. I need to find new homes for a few things. I hope I’m not still dealing with sick dogs or parents by then and that I can take the time to enjoy it.
Sorry to hear about your doggy suffering Poodle!
I’m sending good vibes to both of you and I hope things will get much better soon!
Thanks Lucas. She was doing pretty good all week too so this turn is a bit of a surprise.
I don’t know about dogs….but when my cat was on antibiotics and they made her vomit the vet said to give her some plain yogurt. So maybe you can get a call to your vet’s answering service to ask for advice and maybe if plain yogurt would be okay to try.
(I have always heard that dairy interfered with absorption of antibiotics but I guess if they vomit them all up , they’re not absorbing either. )
Aw, I hope puppy gets better soon. It.Is.The.Worst when pets get sick.
The Worst. Agreed. Praying for Poodle’s poodle.
Hi Poodle, After 50+ years of owning pets (or, to be more accurate, being owned by them), I’ve learned that they will almost always need a trip to a very expensive emergency vet clinic in the middle of the night or during the weekend!
I wish good doggie health to your household for the rest of the year.
This is totally random, but any other perfumistas watching the livestream of the 125th IOC session in Buenos Aires? Can’t wait to see who will host the 2020 Olympics!
Later today, gonna make some decants I owe to friends. 🙂
Tokyo! That should be something!
Just finished splashing about with the Jatamansi bath milk, so not sure what to wear after that…
Still deciding what my SOTD will be. Just got part of an STC order yesterday, with a decant of Seville a L’Aube, and a sample of Tauer Reverie au Jardin. I like both, so I’m a little torn on which I want to wear today.
I’m heading to an estate sale down in Richmond, about 30 miles or so from where I live.. it was the only one within 100 miles of my zip code on estatesales.net that mentioned perfume. Apparently it is a 4-day sale that started Thursday, so I hope I’m not too late.
Went with the Tauer for SOTD. I really like the fir note in it. Anyhoo, on to…Adventures in Bargain Hunting!
I went to the estate sale, and I bought a pretty much full 100ml bottle of Chanel Égoïste Cologne Concentrée for $65. As I browsed about I looked it up on my phone to see how good a deal that is, and it turns out that is a pretty great deal. On eBay this stuff is apparently going for anywhere from $300-700.
Then I stopped by TJ Maxx before I went home, and I found a full, unboxed bottle of TM Alien Aqua Chic on the clearance shelf for $9.
Oh, nice find, congrats!!
Thanks! It was pretty much a blind buy, too. Luckily I really like it, but I figured if I didn’t, I could probably get a really good swap out of it. 🙂
Yes, I think that’s always a good idea. Someone here will love it!
Sample of Corps et Armes today. It’s a little nice and herby but a little lemon pledge so far?
Looking forward to swap meet and trading out some of my cuckoo vintage finds to good homes… (Organza Indecence, the old (80s) Chloe, the old Ysatis, and yesterday found old No. 5 EdP perfect for trades…)
truthfully; I am rather fond of lemon pledge and it’s fragrance
……I just wish someone else would apply it to my wood furniture…..
😉
Forget the Lemon Pledge and dusting – just spray on some Philtre d’Amour!
the lemon pledge part turned out to be a brief phase…
Today it feels like fall…..I started out with great lashings of Amouage Beloved and it was fabulous….this afternoon I’ve added a few spritzes of Viktoria Minya Hedonist….. do I have sillage? Damn right I do!
I can smell you all the way from here.
::::waft waft waft::::: pretty good, eh? 😉
SOTD – Pacifica Mediterranean Fig. I picked it up on a whim yesterday after reading a positive review, and it is definitely helping to ward off dreary weather blues. A well-spent $20.
Question – I realize the answer to this question has a lot to do with what perfume one is using, but how much is too much? How do you know when you’re wearing too much perfume and when it is just right? When you spray or dab it on, how many spritzes or dabs to you use, and where?
This has been bothering me for a long time. I like to smell my perfume throughout the day, so I tend to be liberal, but I don’t want to be *that person*, you know?
Well, you’re right that a lot depends upon the perfume and how fast your body burns thru it.
It is always best (when going out in t he world) to err on the side of caution. And perhaps the best thing to do is to make yourself a decant spray of your favorites and have a little reapplication during the day. The best place for all day being able to smell myself is on the chest— and I even put a spritz directly on my bra. Fabric holds scent a lot longer than my skin.
As for how many sprays — try having two sprays and after about half an hour– ask a friend how strong you smell….can they smell you from across the room, down the hall….or just a few feet away or maybe only if they are standing right next to you. That might help you gauge what sort of sillage cloud you really have.
I wondered about this for years and have generally been an under-applier, for the reasons you mention. My standard used to be two spritzes of most perfumes: one spritz shared between my wrists, the other on my chest (so as to catch on to clothes, as Daisy says). In recent times, depending on the perfume, I have become bolder and often add a spritz to the midriff area and maybe one at the back of my neck. Once you have smelled lots of fragrances in lots of different seasons and moods, you get a feel for how far they project.
Natalie did a terrific series of posts on this – ‘the sillage monster question’ – on her blog. Here’s the first:
otherperfumeblog.com/2012/02/14/the-sillage-monster-experiment/
Warning: may make your eyes water!
I like to smell my own scent, and I like it to last, so I tend to spritz liberally. However, I feel that whether or not folks have an issue with it is as likely to do with the type of scent as to how much it projects. For me, it is easy to think tuberose or orange blossom is over-applied–both are such sweet, heady fragrance notes, that a little goes a long way. I avoid scents with either as a dominant note because I’m so aware of them!
OTOH, I don’t imagine anyone would be turned off from the earthier notes–iris or black tea for example, no matter how noticeable they are–they simply don’t go up your nose the same way! Of course, probably gonna get a reply to this proving me wrong!
My sense of smell must be morphing due to my health issues. For the past several years, while I was still very ill but recovering, I was very much enthralled by diva fragrances — Montales, Kenzo Jungle Elephant, Amouages, etc. I was completely anosmic for Mitsouko.
Then, at some point, I became completely anosmic — couldn’t smell or taste anything. Then I got my sense of smell back and besides loving my diva fragrances, found that I also needed comfort fragrances. I also have some in-between-those two worlds perfumes. In my collection, I now have a number of very light/gentle perfumes. I have used Oolang Infini day and night almost exclusively for a couple of months.
My health has been going downhill again and I needed to go into the hospital on Friday for a horrible test (just one day) and it will take awhile to recover from the fatigue and stress of that. But when I went to bed Friday night, I found I wanted to wear a different scent for sleep. I ended up wearing Jubilation Woman, which I really couldn’t stand before now! I’ve kept a large sample of this and some other Amouages for a couple of years. (I’m an Amouage ho and have a couple of full bottles). Now I’m starting to love Jubilation, but it doesn’t last more than an hour on my skin! Maybe I’m anosmic to some of it? I don’t get any peach. I used to hate the cumin and now I barely smell that.
This makes me wonder whether when we don’t like the way a perfume smells on us, if others perceive it the same way? Or if someone loves a particular fragrance, will they love it on everyone? I tend to think that my skin chemistry turns many fragrances into cat pee and I think I would smell like that to others.
I’m sorry that this post is so long. I’m curious as to whether others here have experienced changes in how they smell things as a result of their health, medication, etc.
Sorry to hear you are unwell – all the best for those results.
I have not had the life experiences you have had so cannot comment on how one’s perceptions change because of changes in health. The question as to whether perfume smells the same on different people is about the oldest question in perfumery. I steer a middle path. I think that perfumes smell more or less the same on all people – otherwise you would never recognise a perfume on anyone. (And we have all smelled Chanel No 5 or J’Adore or Youth Dew on someone and recognised it straight away. That would never happen if perfumes smelled radically different on different people.)
On the other hand I guess many of us have also noticed that a perfume smells different on other people compared to ourselves. A male friend of mine wears Rose 31 much better than me. And then again if you spray Aromatics Elixir on two blotters and hand them to two different people, one may declare it a masterpiece and the other may be revolted. So it’s not just skin, it’s also a case of how the brain reacts to scent, and scent memory is a big part of that.
One of my worries is that a perfume that I love on myself may smell terrible to people around me. A lot of people find Elie Saab piercing and artificial but I love it unreservedly. Am I scaring the horses with it?! On the whole I generally believe that a perfume you love and which makes you feel happy, complete, and comfortable in your skin, will probably (hopefully!) smell good to other people because you wear it well. It ‘suits’ you, in an elemental way. That said, I think it vital not to wear the same perfume remorselessly every day, just in case the people around you are desperate for a break from it!
All good points, annemarie! I basically agree with your response and would add that clearly there’s a huge experience/culture piece to how we perceive scents and how they are perceived on us. I had an anthropology professor who pointed out that this is true with our experience of colors. There are cultures that don’t have different words for, say, blue and green. It doesn’t mean that they don’t see the variations between the two, but that they don’t consider them separate types of color, either. This impacts their descriptions and perceptions of sameness or difference, however, when it comes to nuances of color. He suggested that the creation of the 64 box of crayons may have permanently influenced how our culture perceives color by creating names for variations that didn’t used to exist. It is easy enough to presume that scent would have analogs to this.
That’s completely fascinating about the colour! And I am sure you are right about how people from different cultures perceive smells.
It makes perfect sense that some illnesses and some medications affect one’s sense of smell. (And I certainly hope that whatever medications you take cure you of that awful illness).
Some people swear that ambroxyn is an incredibly sexy smell and that Essential Molecules 1 is the most wonderful fragrance ever. I can not smell it all. I also have problems smelling a lot of lily scents. I am however, very sensitive (and migrane program) to a note I call cheap white musk. There is also a scent in several niche fragrances to which many people are devoted that I call nail polish/petrochemical.
It also makes sense that some peoples skin chemistry affects fragrances. We know that diet, hormonal issues, etc, affect the smell of bodies in sensitive enough ways to affect our attraction to insects (mosquitos supposedly have little interest in vegetarians) and dogs (what did you think they are sniffing your crotch for?). So it is logical to think that it can effect perfume interactions as well. And of course the extent to which are skins are moist or dry will effect the evaporation rate of various chemicals in perfume (i.e., sillage).
Long reply. What I really meant, is that you are making total sense. Get well Bring a sample of those amouges with you for future tests, and use them as a smelling salt).
Definitely noted changes once I was postmenopausal–TDC Bois d’Iris which was close to being a signature became a bit scr and unwearable but I can now wear much bigger scents, especially things with withm tuberose which I really couldn’t wear before
Another sorry you have not been well!
Many of the same questions have niggled me for some years. There are some fragrances I looooove and which when I proffer my wrist to others, they detest. For instance, Chergui is my one and only true soul-mate, though I do not like to wear it daily. Most people I have asked strongly dislike it on me. I’m not sure if they dislike the scent – or just dislike it on me though. Maroc Pour Elle is another. While other people find those too sweet on me they really like Dzing which I find too sweet and also a little one-dimensional.
My boyfriend adores Incense Rose on me, while I find it to be cold, acidic and ashy! Comme de Garcons 2 is another that most people like on me, and I sometimes like it but am often ambivalent.
Then I have days when I go perfume smelling and almost everything sends me through the roof with delight, and other days where it’s just one olfactory disappointment after another: /
But when i read this:
‘Then I got my sense of smell back and besides loving my diva fragrances, found that I also needed comfort fragrances. I also have some in-between-those two worlds perfumes.’
it seemed to me that your taste has simply been expanding rather than morphing unpredictably. Aside from the patches of anosmia that affect you.
I definitely think some scents diverge widely on different people: Aromatics Elixir is nauseating on me – but I have admired it on others! Also I read there is a certain word – which I have now forgotten – for people whose skin is like a blank canvas. Perfumers like to test their perfume on such people, and the perfume smells on them the way the perfumer intends it to.
Just skimming through the posts and wanted to say I hope you feel better soon. My quick answer to your question is I notice my nose gets wacky at certain times of the month actually. Hormones. There are days usually mid cycle where things just smell off to me. I first noticed it with lavender. It takes on an onion type of odor to me then. I’m sure other scents are affected as well so I never judge a perfume until I’ve sniffed it at different times.
Speaking about how physical changes affect your response to fragrances, I used to wear perfumes only on the weekends for most of my working life, because of other people’s allergies. However, about eight years ago I went on antidepressants and completely stopped wearing any scent at all. Within the last year I weaned myself off of the pills, and all of a sudden my interest in wearing perfume returned.
How interesting. Like you’ve had a sort of sensory awakening? Enjoy it. And I hope your new pill-free regimen is working for you.
very much looking forward to the next perfume swap – it will be another opportunity to revise and clean out my perfume closet of the stuff I greedily ammassed over the years, but no longer use or enjoy, and to maybe make another perfumista’s soul happy by passing the bottles on.