Today we're helping Lizzie, who has an urgent perfume problem: she recently lost almost all of her perfume collection, including hundreds of samples, in a fire. Her renter's insurance is covering some replacements, but there are two fragrances she can't find easily in the US and that she needs to find substitutes for so that she can wrap up her claim: Parfum d'Empire Ambre Russe and Theo Fennell Scent. She needs suggestions that are up to 50 or 75 ml in size and cost up to $75 each. Buying online is fine, but eBay and international sources are not.
Lizzie says her favorite perfumes are rich, dark and mysterious, and that few perfumes intimidate her, but many are too understated or bland for her taste. Here is what we know about Lizzie:
She's a librarian in her late 20s, and is from the US Midwest.
She loves reading (obviously), traveling, watching Chinese cinema, and growing orchids.
Her personal fashion taste could be described as opulently gothic in theory (if she had the money), but closer to quirky hippie in reality.
Lizzie loves perfumes with notes of incense, spices, (dirty, sexy) musk, amber, tuberose, jasmine, lily, sandalwood, tea, oudh, cedar and leather. Here are some of the fragrances she loves:
Comme des Garçons Ouarzazate: she loves the ethereal spices and incense, like a warm desert breeze. This would be her holy grail if it was only a little more substantial.
Parfums MDCI Enlevement au Serail: If this didn't cost so much, she would have bathed in it by now. She loves how smoothly the notes blend to create a perfectly harmonious new scent without coming across as too old-fashioned.
Hermès Iris Ukiyoe: She honestly didn't think she'd like this, but on her this scent is spicy and warm, yet detached and contemplative. She could wear this anywhere.
L'Artisan Tea for Two: Her favorite winter scent — she is so sad they discontinued it. The delicious gingerbread tea scent was to die for.
Bvlgari Black: Quirky yet comforting, another everyday scent for Lizzie.
Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan: She adores the skanky, smelly musk in this one — it makes her feel sexy. She even sometimes dares to wear it to work.
Kenzo Amour: Her first purchase as a perfume addict, and she still loves the sweet woods, spices, and warm rice steam of Amour.
Lizzie is wary of anything with too much powder, iris root, or any overly green or aquatic notes. Perfumes she actively hates are rare, but there are many that bore her. A few perfumes that have sent her reeling are:
Molinard Habanita: Sounded perfect in theory, but went totally wrong on her skin. Way too powdery and cloying, gave her a splitting headache.
Estee Lauder Youth Dew: Almost made her gag when she tried it in the store. She couldn't hit the shower fast enough.
Byredo M/Mink: Lizzie loves a little fragrance adventure, but she thinks she'd be arrested if she went around smelling like a serial killer all the time. The stench of blood was a little too much.
What say you?
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I’m so sorry about your collection! That’s tragic.
Sonoma Scent Studio has some great affordable, smoky amber/woods/incense scents. Check out Winter Woods, Tabac Aurea, Fireside Intense.
Spicebomb is kind of like Tea for Two Lite — not as smoky but a great mainstream scent.
And for leather, maybe try Knize Ten and Putain de Palace (sweet floral with a dirty musky/leather base).
Good luck!
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll have to check out Spicebomb- I live practically next door to a Sephora, so it should be easy enough to scout it out.
Of the Sonoma scents, which is your favorite?
I second Spicebomb,although over here the price recently shot through the roof!!
Whenever someone recommends a Tea For Two-like scent, I always mention Jacomo #8. It is spicy tea without the smoke of TfT. And it can be found at discount easily online.
Oh how awful! I’m so sorry to hear about your loss and, oh man, what a miserable hassle. Very best wishes.
In the spicy ambers under $75 category, have you tried Prada Amber Pour Homme Intense? Especially after about an hour. And maybe Smell Bent’s Horny Little Devil, although it’s strong on the cinnamon.
Oh the horror! You’ve just lived one of my worst nightmares. I hope everyone is alright.
Off the top of my head, I’ll offer my old standby: Gucci Rush. Notes include gardenia, freesia, jasmine, vanilla, and patchouli. It is spicy and sexy, even though it kind of reads like a light floral. I don’t detect the individual flowers. I think I’ve read that there’s a little peach in there too, although I can’t find that listed now. A 1.7 ounce bottle is $72 at Sephora.
I’m going to take some time to think of more. (And call my insurance agent to make sure my collection is covered.) I am so very sorry.
I actually used to love Gucci Rush! But then I had to take a long car ride with an extremely smelly rescue dog (long story), and had only a little sample of Rush to cover up the stench. I’m afraid that rather killed my love of the scent, but it might give it a second chance now that you mention it.
Someone beat me to my idea: Putain de Palaces! The name alone was enough for me to try a sample!
SO SORRY for your losses!! I hope your new collection outshines the lost one in time, and brings you a wealth of new favorites!
I know someone else going through replacement woes with an insurance company, so you have my sympathies.
I can’t imagine an insurer worrying about a perfume style/note for note replacement. (Although if you have a true replacement policy, maybe you can make a case to be able to purchase a vintage vial).
I think the problem with Moulinard is the refomulation of classics with a lower quality of ingredients than the original.
Apothia “If” and I Love NY Vamp, are fine tuberroses, which may fit into your price range.
There are some great Serge Lutens cedar and sandlwoods available on internet discounters for around $70.00.
ELO has a scent Fils de Dieu which has a sweet rice note
I’m very sorry for your loss…that sounds horrible.
For that spicy gingerbready scent, a la Tea for Two, how about Serge Lutens Five O’Clock Gingembre?
Oops…my apologies, I completely ignored the price limitation, and Serge Lutens is a bit pricey. But samples can be had for about $4 on LuckyScent. (not affiliated)
FragranceNet has that one discounted too!
Fnet does have Lutens discounted..but shipping is molasses slow..if that’s not an issue..definitely order!
Oh man, so sorry Lizzie. That’s terrible. I hope the insurance helps you get your collection restarted again ASAP.
I haven’t smelled either of the particular scents you mention, but Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan sounds like maybe it would be in your wheelhouse and it can be had on FragranceNet for the price point you mention. Not affiliated with them, just a satisfied customer!
I’m not familiar with the specifics you mention, but Eau de Bax by L’Occitane is $72 for 100ml and a beautiful spicy amber.
Or have you tried Costume National 21, it’s also a spicy, slightly milky scent, very beautiful in a wintery way.
I’m sorry to hear about your collection. That sucks. I third Putain de Palaces. ELdO Rossy de Palma or Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme might be good, I guess depending on how you feel about rose. Serge Lutens Cuir Mauresque might be a good one for you too, and I think you can find it for pretty good prices on Amazon sometimes.
Hi Lizzie. My deepest sympathies. I went through the same thing a while back.
As far as replacing the Amber Russe and Theo Fennell Scent for your claim, would STC or TPC or any decanting service fill your needs? I noted that LuckyScent is sold out of Amber Russe, 50 ml for $75. Perhaps it’s worth your while to contact them or Scent Bar in LA? I checked out MIN in NY, but they don’t carry either of these at present. If someone here has a decant or split, would that work? Do you have a specific date by which you need to resolve this?
I’d be happy to keep looking for you. I have no idea how familiar you are with all the various resources, so I don’t want to inundate you with info you already have.
Sorry for your huge loss!
Thirding Putain des Palaces (if you find the name as awesome as I do) and if the Lutens’ can be found on discount, I suggest Chergui, Ambre Sultan and Boxeuses. Also, have you tried Chanel Coco and Hermès Ambre des Merveilles?
While I can’t recommend a specific fragrance, have you tried the Tokyo Milk Dark fragrances? I love the edge of the fragrances that I’ve tried. Also, although I have never tried them, I always think of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab when I think of gothic.
If you’re looking for a spicy tea, I would recommend Tokyo Milk Dark Bulletproof. I didn’t like any of the rest, but I like and wear that one.
If you like perfumes that don’t bore you, I would recommend you sample Slumberhouse. You might not actually want any of them, but they are nothing like anything else, and they are all down on that dark/spicy/gothy end.
So sorry for your loss!As a “mad perfumista” myself,I can imagine the loss you feel!
Question:Was it possible for you to insure the perfumes as a seperate “collectible”?Asking,because I tried to insure mine like that,eventually just had to settle for a higher amount for household content,which is fine,except I have some really irreplaceble perfumes like Nombre Noir and a recent exquisite find:Iris Gris.Sealed,boxed,unused.I wish I could insure them as works of art!!
Have you tried Geisha Noir by Aroma M?
I’ll second L’Occitane Eau de Baux and anything from Sonoma Scent Studio, especially Sienna Musk, Winter Woods, Fireside Intense, and Incense Pure. Olympic Orchids has a very nice amber, Olympic Amber, and two good studies on chocolate, California Chocolate and my favorite, Seattle Chocolate.
I would also put in my vote for the SSS perfumes and add to this list: SSS Joie Ensoilleille (which I probably mispelled), and Amber Noir (which I have not tried but have been dying to try for quite some time). I also really love Seattle Chocolate from Olympic Orchids!
Musc Samarkand by Les Néréides which is discontinued but can be found for less than an arm and a leg.
It’s hard to find perfumes for under $75 these days. I thought Parfumerie Generale was in that range, but no longer. I agree SSS is a GREAT option. I also love the 2-ml mini bottles from Aftelier, which are $50 to $55. It sounds insane, but they are concentrated extraits made with wonderful natural ingredients. I love Cuir de Gardenia, Tango, Shiso and Honey Blossom. I would also recommend that you try Estee Lauder Azuree and Clinique Aromatics Elixir. In addition, the 15-ml size of Via del Profumo perfumes are around 46 euros, or $64 at this minute. Mecca Balsam, Sharif, Hindu Kush, Grezzo, Milano Caffe, Tawaf and Tabac are wonderful. So sorry you had to go through this. I hope you find wonderful new perfumes!
Perfumes Lizzie should try:
Guerlain Samsara
Bvlgari Jasmin Noir
Estee Lauder Sensuous
Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir
Tom Ford Black Orchid
Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison
Bottega Veneta
Thierry Mugler Alien
Hi Lizzie,
As others have mentioned, l’occitane and discounts at Fragrancenet are good ways to go. I also found a pretty amber musk oil at Wholefood…Nemat I think, for about $10.
I have a small amount of Ambre Russe left in its bottle (which I very rarely wear, not since I spilled a decant of it on my bedroom table). If you’d like, shoot me an email and I would be happy to send it your way! I’m ailingc(at)gmail(dot)com.
So sorry for your loss and all the hard work it had brought. I have no clue about US pricing, but my five suggestions are Donna Karan Signature, Juliette Has a Gun Mad Madame and Midnight Oud, Floris Mahon Leather and Friedemodin Feu Follet. Best of luck!
My favorite perfume of all time is Muscs Koublai Khan too! Two of my favorite dark, complex, mysterious scents at a reasonable price point are: Paloma Picasso and Bal a Versailles.
Best of luck!