It's Purgatory Basket Friday! Our community project for today: find a sample you haven't been able to make up your mind about, give it a second chance.
As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you aren’t participating in the community project.
I'm wearing Tom Ford Santal Blush. I said when I reviewed it in 2011 that I liked it, thought it cost too much, and didn't think I'd lose any sleep over it. Sure enough, it hasn't kept me up once. All the same it's been taking up space in my purgatory basket for several years now so I'm giving it another try. And yes, it's even nicer than I remembered, but no, I still don't think it's worth the price. It is going with its (likewise spendy) cousin By Kilian Sacred Wood in the 'no' basket, and I'll go on happily wearing Diptyque Tam Dao.
Reminder: next Friday, 10/10, wear a fragrance you discovered via a blog or other online review, and link to the review if you can. Bonus points for not linking to a review on Now Smell This, since everyone commenting here already knows about Now Smell This — hopefully this will help all of us expand our perfume reading!
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2014, where I'll try to always have the next six or seven weeks mapped out in advance.
I’m wearing Slumberhouse Pear & Olive. I’m about where you are with Santal Blush: I like it fine, I just can’t figure out what all the fuss is about. I wish I got more olive and less pear.
I am way behind on Slumberhouse…need to drag out my samples. Don’t like pear in general though.
I like pear-flavored vodka. It’s not a perfume note I get psyched about.
Scent twins! I feel pretty much the same way about it. It does get a little less sweet as the day goes on, but it was straight up pear-flavored candy this morning. The one thing I can say for it is that the pear isn’t that shampoo-ish pear that comes up so often.
I think it’s still a no for me.
I had an exactly same reaction! I read so much about this perfume and was extremely surprised when I finally got to try it. It’s not unpleasant but I still can’t understand why others raved about it so much.
I’m with you, more oily olive, please. When this opens up it is so juicy that it never fails to makes me salivate. I get the same juiciness from PG Jardins de Kerylos, though that one goes on to be fig and coconut instead of pear and olive… still, to me they are kissing cousins.
I’m wearing Chanel No.18, which I’ve decided is interesting but not something I will ever want to own. I’m not a great fan of the Exclusifs, they are beautiful sure, but ultimately not me. Cuir de Russie excepted.
I like them but I guess I’m not a huge fan since I don’t own any.
I’m guessing Cristalle is your favourite?
Yes, the old Cristalle. And Bois des Iles (which I don’t really count as a real Exclusif). I’d own 28 La Pausa if it came in a much smaller size, and I like Bel Respiro too. Have not tried the new extraits though, I hear they’re lovely.
Mine would probably be Cuir de Russie, which isn’t a real exclusif either. Cristalle is another favourite. It never fails to lift my spirits. I think I would like La Pause if it would last. As it is, I can barely smell it.
Agreed on La Pausa – so, so pretty, but stays for several minutes at most.
Peak purgatory for me is Prada Amber. I got a sample of this and wore it over a long weekend once, and thought it was just fine but that something about the way the orange folded into the syrup was too medicinal for me. Some particular scent memory, maybe. I put the sample away.
Then Katie Puckrik reviewed it this summer and made it sound glorious — and, notably, didn’t mention orange once. I wore it several days in a row after she reviewed it, from the same sample, and I smelled what she smelled, an alluring patchouli-benzoin. I was so pleased I’d figured it out, especially thinking it could be a great affordable staple.
I pulled it out again a few weeks ago, and I’d lost it — got the weird orange Dimetapp. I’m trying it again today — weird orange Dimetapp. I even listened to Katie’s review again this morning, but I couldn’t smell what she describes anymore. So, into the no pile it goes, I guess — there are too many lovely ambers in the world to let this one toy with me so much.
Stellar reviews by perfume bloggers often make me revisit perfumes as well, especially as my taste develops. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
What does everyone do with their no pile? Do you give them away to friends, or just let them languish somewhere?
I try to give them away unless I think I want a particular sample for reference later.
I give the no ones away as reverse fairy godmother offerings on the Perfume Posse, usually as a small box of 2-3 dozen samples
I can’t wait to amass enough samples and things to give them away. Not there yet!
Let me know when you feel like doing a downtown/ Brooklyn circuit. If we hit Twisted Lily, Osswald, MIN and maybe even Aedes and Atelier then you might be able to reap at least a dozen free samples. I currently have lots of free time on weekends….
I really need to come up and play with you guys one of these days!
I give mine away — randomly to unsuspecting friends and fam if they are relatively accessible, otherwise to a particular perfume pal or in swap/freebie packages.
I save the fruity florals and other “traditionally inoffensive” samples (meaning non-skanky. Personally, I find many fruity florals offensive…) for my favorite 10-yr old neighbor. I remember how i used to love goodies like that at her age, and her mother gave me the go-ahead. Unfortunately, somehow I seem to accumulate random pink lip gloss even faster that perfume samples, so she gets those, too.
Anything challenging, really interesting, or mature I save to round out split and swap boxes.
That’s the truth – there are so many frags to like there’s no point agonizing over one that you don’t like.
SOTD is Chanel 31 Rue Cambon. About a year ago, I got a bunch of samples of Chanel perfumes – as I journeyed down the perfume rabbit hole I figured I should know about Chanel. The aldehydes threw me off at first. I was persistent with a few (Cuir de Russie, Cristalle), and then realized that I really like Chanel perfumes. However, there are a few that got put away and I have been meaning to revisit now that I understand aldehydes better.
It is good – very good. Not on my FB wish list, but talk to me after I wear it a few more times
That one did not even make it into my purgatory basket, LOL! It is not me.
This one would have been a perfect scent for me for this occasion: as I can see it now from my records I tried it exactly two times and had an opposite reaction – liked it the first time and disliked the second.
Wearing vintage Murasaki on one hand and Baume du Doge on the other. I can see wearing Baume some more since it is a good cool weather scent with all its spices, though probably still not FBW. Murasaki is still not me. Apparently, my way of dealing with the purgatory bag is just to throw things in, and just ignore them and let evaporate so I don’t have to think about them ( although, judging by the dust, I’m not thinking about them anyway)
I would like a little decant of Baume du Doge, maybe 5 ml.
Vintage Murasaki! My mom’s scent. She passed away last year, but when she was first diagnosed of cancer 7 years ago I bought her a ridiculously priced bottle of it on eBay – it was my way of trying to return some of the happy past to her. You don’t hear it much discussed, and I would have trouble even describing it, other than it was the scent of my mom for a long, long time.
If you want my samples email me– my yahoo address is my screen name
Just sent you an email!
I absolutely love Murasaki! The vintage is better but I have the new as well and while the first spritz is vaguely different, the dry down is the same. Your mother smelled wonderful, so nice to have a scent to remind you.
That was really thoughtful of you to do! I am sure your mom appreciated it, and you must have some wonderful memories of her smellng great.
I dabbed on some Liaison de Parfum Stay With Me. I like it well enough, but just can’t decide if it smells that different from other things that I currently own with some of the same notes.
Ah, have not tried that line yet. Did you test them all? Good? Bad? Indifferent?
Marni EDP. The wood is pretty at the beginning and I really like the rose when I can actually discern it, but even though it’s not really there, I keep smelling apple, and that really doesn’t appeal to me. I’m not sure this was really purgatory because I kinda knew right away that it wasn’t for me, but I keep wanting to change my mind.
Money saved! I wonder when Marni will do another scent…
Marni didn’t work for me either- I couldn’t really smell it very much.
It doesn’t really stand out on me either. After 3 hours, I’m at the point where I can’t tell anymore if I’m smelling perfume on my wrist or remnants of soap from my hand. Oh well.
Marni wasn’t for me either but I gave my sample to my Mom who seems to always rock the stuff I cant.
I have Marni in my “maybe one day” box: I thought it was nice when I tried it but I never felt compelled to wear it.
My pick today is Malle’s La Parfum de Therese. When I last smelled it, it was this love/hate thing. On my drive in, I’m loving it! This is fantastic! What was I thinking? I should buy a bottle right now!
But now, a sort of “bubble-gum-accord” has set in. Ah.. there it is. That’s why it doesn’t quite work for me.
Oh, I also have a backdrop of #19 going on.
My staple summer scent. Love-love-love it
I have a complex relationship with this one: first I didn’t like it. Then later I tried it again and thought I loved in – until 90 minutes into the development when some unpleasant note suddenly appeared on my skin (though I should admit that I’m amazed by the fact itself that some perfumes have something unexpected to show after hours on skin).
Yep. About 90 minutes I get this weird bubble gum sour thing going on.
Wearing Séville à l’Aube. It’s very enjoyable, I just can’t decide if it’s 50ml-fb-enjoyable. If it came in a 15 ml size it’d be a no-brainer.
Isn’t that so often the case!
There are so many perfumes that I’d bought in 15-20 ml bottles. Even 30 ml is still kind of doable!
I keep saying that brands should do more perfumista-friendly bottles.
Elie Saab Le Parfum Eau de Toilette, which is lovely, but a little too generic. I’d be interested in trying the EDP though.
Still generic, in my opinion. Perfectly wearable but why to bother when there are so many more interesting perfumes?
The edp is less generic, in my opinion, but not as easy to wear. Quite aldehydic, which might be a plus or a minus for you.
I’m wearing Andy Tauer’s Sotto la Luna Gardenia. It wasn’t working for me the first time and I’m afraid it still isn’t. It does not unfold into gardenia on my skin. At all. For me, it’s close to Tableau de Parfums Ingrid at the base. All I’m getting is raspberry and “spiky wood” and some kind of paint-thinner note underneath. I’ve really tried it on paper, handkerchief, skin, skin with lotion. Shame, I do love a lot of what Andy Tauer does, but this one is just not… not it.
I do like this one, but I totally hear you on the Tauers either working well for you or being complete misses – I have that issue as well. And sometimes it’s the ones I think I’ll like that I really, really can’t manage.
It’s one of the things I really like about Tauer!
I’m wearing Possets Adamus. Now this wasn’t in a purgatory basket, it was just lost. I had gotten several Possets samples, a couple of years ago and then lost the little bag they came in. I found it again this week, and I wanted to wear Crude Texas, because, well, Texas… However, it had dried up. So I went with Adamus. I don’t know if it’s the age of the sample, or the vegetable oil they use as a base, but unfortunately, the fragrance is already gone, and I’m going to have to reapply something else. I have weird skin, and EDTs and colognes often last longer than EDPs, Parfum, or perfume oils.
I’m wearing Kelly Caleche. I’ve had a mini bottle of it for several years and it was always nice enough, but I didn’t really love it. Now I’m eagerly waiting to sniff Cuir d’Ange, and although you noted in your review, Robin, that it didn’t exactly remind you of Kelly Caleche, I thought it was worth revisiting just to compare them.
That’s what I put on today. Not a love for me either–liked it mid development, but the drydown was too sweet & got on my nerves. Curious about Cuir d’Ange too.
Lonestar Memories. It was my first scrubber but I keep eyeing it and feeling like we should be friends. I am working outside this morning so it should wear well for that.
Ok, i have identified the problem – my nose. It smells like Youth -Dew for the first few hours then slightly more wearable than YD in the later stages. I admire Youth-Dew but can’t stand it on my skin. I usually grab a blotter, give it a good spray, then put it under the liner of my big leather tote. Lonestar Memories will become a scent with which to scent my leather bags.
It is fascinating how differently we perceive odor and how individual chemistry changes how things smell. Lonestar Memories is one of my favorite Tauer’s and when I apply it I smell wintergreen lifesavers placed on a campfire and then later in development I get lots of green jasmine. I own Youth Dew in vintage, new, cologne and lotion and perfume strength and have not noticed a similar note but now I am curious and am going to experiment tomorrow!
It has got to be my skin. When I sniff the LM bottle I get a nice, extra smoky version of Stetson (which, by the way, I love; even the current cheap thin incarnation).
What a great description! I get none of that, but I also love Lonestar Memories.
My purgatory basket choice today is (don’t throw things at me…) Mito edp. In theory, I should love this. And I do like it. But it’s just lacking something for me. It’s like a beautiful setting with the jewel missing. Reminds me of Vent Vert in part, and TF Fleur de Chine. But sorry to say, Fleur de Chine excites me where Mito does not. It’s clear Vero beats Tom Ford on quality of materials, but the aldehydic opening in FdC gives it that sparkle that Mito is missing. Maybe I’ll have to try it again on another purgatory day.
I didn’t love Mito either, and I feel vaguely guilty that I didn’t. Because it’s… good. Really, it’s very… good. Quality stuff, well-put-together, solid, attractive, but it’s missing that elusive quality that makes me swoon.
I thought Mito was good but citrus chypres are a category that sort of only gets so good…
Well, there’s that too. Mito reminded me a bit of Cristalle with more white flowers… since it’s more pronouncedly white floral I like it better than I do Cristalle, but then again I don’t like citrus chypres in general.
I tried Mito only once in the store so all I can say I liked it but I’m not sure if I would want to wear it. One day I’ll test it more. But recently I was surprised by how much I like Fleur de Chine! I have a decant of it but it might become actually a FB one day.
Robin, Santal Blush is my favorite Tom Ford fragrance. It is pricey, but worth it to me.
My sample SOTD that I am giving a 3rd, 4th, and 5th chance is Deliria by L’Artisan. I am trying to like it so much, but there is something about it that turns me off a bit. I guess it is because I compare it to L’Artisan’s Amour Nocturne (love this one so much). At this point, I think I will give up on it. It is FB worthy to me. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!
Santal Blush is my favorite Tom Ford as well. I don’t actually own a bottle, though. A travel size would be perfect!
I think it has tons of fans. Actually, I’m a fan, I just wouldn’t spend that much.
Wearing Hedonist today. Although I usually love honeyed scents, this one seems thin and reedy to me somehow. I think that maybe I have trouble with the peach in it. I don’t get along well with Mitsouko, and I had problems with the edp version of Rozy. Is it crazy that now I’m thinking that I need to explore more peach scents just to verify that I have a problem with the note?
You are clearly way over the line in crazy territory. I’d be way more likely to find a note I liked to explore but if you’re exploring peach then you should try Flower of Immortality, Peau d’Peche, and Peche Cardinal
I don’t think it’s crazy at all! You’re striving for accuracy and precision!
And it actually makes sense, because you might be able to identify peach combinations that are particularly offensive OR times when peach is ok.
Not crazy. I’m trying to narrow down a couple of notes that bug me too.
Of course you are crazy – but who isn’t?
I really dislike prominent peach note in perfumes. So, in addition to those recommended above, I can suggest Annick Goutal Le Mimosa, Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey and By Kilian Playing with the Devil.
There is a note or combination of notes in Yvresse and Rochas Femme and, if I’m remembering correctly, Amouage Jubilation 25, that instead of peachy, smells “raspy” to me. I wish I could find a less synesthetic way to describe it, but raspy/scratchy is the best I can do. JM Nectarine Blossom &Honey and Annick Goutal Petite Cherie and Micallef Rouge #2 all smell perfectly nice to me, so it clearly isn’t all peach. (I really wanted to love Yvresse and Femme, though.) I don’t think you’re crazy, or per Undina, not any crazier than the rest of us.
I’m actually doing two pergatory selections – one on wrists, one on neck. One is OJ Orris Noir b/c there’s been so much chatter about OJ this past week. I get a softer version of OJ Woman, which I already have some of, so Orris Noir is a pass. The other is a revisit to 1000 Flowers Reglisse Noire, which is really so pretty on me. I am definitely considering this one for the small bottle.
Do you not like OJ Woman?
I do like OJ Woman – I have collected a few of the sample vials and also have a bottle of the bath oil. I always struggle with wanting a FB. (I wish I could just get one of the Woman travel sprays and one of the Tolu travel sprays. They are both so rich they’d last forever.) I suppose I mean that if I wanted nearly the same effect to my nose as the Orris Noir, then I’d just wear a very small bit of Woman. Occasionally I think the base in Woman is a bit persistent, but overall I really like it.
That OJ base hangs on forever and a bit. Sometimes it bugs me. I love Frangipani but after 7 hours of it, I want it to go and it doesn’t. Woman is my favourite, but I haven’t tried either Tolu or Ta’if in a long time.
Yes, I keep Woman away from all clothes! I love it, but I smelled it on my winter coat this last year from the previous winter… that’s staying power!
SOTD: Euphoria Gold Men Calvin Klein for men
Out of the purgatory basket (actually it is a box) came SL Chergui. Several people have mentioned it lately. When I first tried it, it was…okay. Today I liked the opening much more but there is something musty-smelling in the heart that spoils it for me. Ah, well, I have other Lutens loves!
ME TOO. I cannot do Chergui… reminds me of old houses.
I don’t necessarily get “old house” or musty from Chergui, but it just plain bores me. I love Serge and orientals, but this one does nothing for me.
Someone on a previous thread called Chergui “old people house smell”. I have the same problem with it. For the most part it smells great but there is this one note in there that smells like rancid hazelnut oil on me.
I know it may come as a surprise but if you spray more, you may find that you may like it. When I first tried it with a tiny spritz from a tiny atomizer, it smelled like bug spray to me. At the first Splitmeet, I saw that someone had Chergui to split and I figured, why not…if I love it, good for me, if i hate it, I know it will go to a good home. I love it!
I have Pretty Machine on one side and Feu d’Issey on the other – a silly combination. Pretty Machine goes from pretty! at first sniff to pretty boring! at the next, as it did before. While it seemed to smell of some off-brand juice first round, this time Feu d’Issey seems to smell of charcoal briquettes and baby pee — I for one am not surprised that it wasn’t a hit if that’s how it turned out on other people. Glad I got to try it for myself, however.
Hee. I never got baby pee, but milky-herby briquettes sounds about right.
Feu d’Issey!! (just saying. send it to me.)
I actually have a few samples. Happy to tradsies
I never really got all the love for Cartier Baiser Vole, so that is what I’m wearing today.
It’s pretty enough in the beginning, then I get a sour, watery, slightly metallic dry down that smells like flower stems that have been sitting in stale water for days.
Which of the BV’s are you wearing? It took me a while to make friends with the EDP while the EDT was instant love. I’m dying to try the extrait.
Mine was the EDT. That’s the only version I’ve tried.
Old vase water is what I get from the edt too. The edp and the essence however, have enough sweetness to cancel this out. I have the edp, which I think is a happy medium
The EDT is much sharper and greener than the EDP. `The drydowns are very different as well. I think most people love the EDP. V. did her review based on the EDP. It has a very plush and powdery drydown.
Might be worth a try, then, next time I’m in my local Bloomingdale’s.
So interesting that you mention the metallic dry down. The day I sampled it I felt like I had tin foil in my mouth and had to chew mint gum all day to counter act the taste.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who had that reaction!
I also disliked the drydown of whatever version of Baiser Vole came out first — it’s a musk material that always grates on me when it pops up.
Do you think that it’s the musk that gives that unpleasant metallic note?
Looking back, I think I overreacted when they first released this perfume: it is better than a lot of mainstream perfumes, but I still cannot bring myself to re-testing it.
I couldn’t quite bring myself to do purgatory Friday – I’m too happy and I’m in the mood to love what I’m wearing. The week has been lovely, and I celebrated the birthday yesterday with – surprisingly enough – Nirvana Black. I was in the mood for it and I’ve rarely gotten so many compliments. Genuinely surprised that the Olsen twins put out something so good….
Today it’s Ta’if, as the wonderful AnnS and several others recommended. Rich and womanly and definitely my favorite so far from my Ormonde Jayne discovery set.
Happy, happy, HAPPY weekend everyone!
Wait, where have I been? Happy birthday! I’m glad you had a good week and hope your weekend is even better.
Thank you so much MikasMinion!!
Same to you, and Happy Birthday!
Thank you Farouche! (I love your screenname!)
Happy birthday and have a great weekend!
(Ta’if is one of my most favorite perfumes ever)
Thanks so much Undina!
Happy Birthday! Have a fabulous day
Thank you Perthie (may I call you Perthie? It just seems appropriate
)
Happy Birthday dearest…we have a lot of October birthday celebrants in my family (both of my sisters, one of my nephews, several cousins)
Thank you, you sweet enabling, gifty lady you!
Happy Birthday – glad I can enable!!
Thanks AnnS! You’ve done your work well.
Well, since I seem to be unable to color within the indicated lines, I have skipped purgatory today and gone straight to heaven with Zelda.
Again. Still. My sample is on its last leg =(
I need a FB of this for sure. I am rationalizing this by convincing myself to buy Zelda now and Onda VdE later…much later… because Onda is a pricey gal and Zelda’s a bit more economical…I have almost swayed myself. I can be very persuasive…
I should be in politics because I can BS with the best of ’em!
Hope everyone’s visit to purgatory is productive =)
Do you need more help with reasoning?
I think you should go for Zelda now because it’s a smaller brand: while Vero Profumo represented in a wide range of stores in Europe, En Voyage can be found just in several small boutiques and online. They need your love and support!
(Not only I’m not affiliated with any of two brands, but I don’t like Zelda and haven’t tried Onda VdE)
Did it help?
Sold! (I’m SO easy! Lol!)
I am wearing Anubis which I purchased through Indigo perfumes, along with Moon Bloom. These two scents are totally different but I love both of them.
Filomena, have you tried Angelique? I have a FB of Anubis
I’m wearing Paloma Picasso for purgatory day. When I first tried it, it was all coffee grounds and smoky leather and verged on making me queasy. But there is so much about this scent that I SHOULD like that I thought I’d give it another go.
I do like it better today. The coffee grounds are still there but don’t seem as aggressive as my first wearing (possibly because it’s cooler out now) and the civet is wearing better in the cooler weather as well. I think that may have been what made me queasy in the heat.
It reminds me a bit of Animale, which I love in very small doses. I may actually get a little more of Paloma and wear it again during the cooler months. She and I just might get along. I do love my ’80s power perfumes.
I actually could use a “purgatory basket”. My samples are spread around different dresser/bureau drawers in little plastic bags. I had a see-through cosmetic bag that I used to put all my samples into, but the volume of samples overtook the available space in the bag.
Hie thee to a gun show (or just shop online) and grab some plastic ammo boxes. .22LR fit the little 1ml vials and 20GA/3″mag fit the 2ml sprays nicely. They make traveling with lots of samples easier too (maybe not on a plane, I can see ammo boxes frowned upon by TSA). It’s a bit inconvenient to lift the samples out to read the labels but they are upright and won’t leak so the trade off is ok.
Ammo boxes – brilliant! I use a multi-compartment thingy from Storables made of clear, heavy-duty plastic that is really intended to hold bottles of nail polish. About a dozen of the 1 ml vials will fit in each compartment (or about 5 of the 2 ml spray vials). Great for display, but no lid so not good for travel.
I use clear pocketed hanging jewelry organizers. Double-sided, lots of pockets, and all the labels are readable. I have 2, but one will hold a couple hundred samples.
This is what I use. I have one for sewing notions and one for samples. Handy!
Great idea!! I use that green florist foam; that stuff to put fake flowers in? It comes in blocks and you can push in any size vials in any design you want.
Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac, which I had previously thought was too traditional-man-cologne for the price (I have a big ol bottle of vintage Aramis that I spent all of 9$ on to represent that category).
But, this time I spilled it on myself, and the beginning smelled better than remembered. (I guess I am generally too conservative with little dabber samples?)
I wish the medicinal aspect stuck around, because a couple hours in, I am back to traditional man cologne, albeit a quality one.
SOTD is VC&F Vanille Orchidee. I’ve had about 2 or 3mls for some years now but was cautious to try it because when I got it, the line was still hard to find and rather pricy, and I didn’t want to fall in love with a perfume whose price wasn’t nearly as endearing or worth the scent.
While it wore gently with minimal sillage and lasted about 5 hours on my perfume devouring skin, it is still lingering beautifully on my clothes and given how much more reasonable the price is if you shop around, I would really like to add a small bottle to my collection. It’s sweet, floral and a bit woody all at once and I am really enjoying it just as I thought I would.
So glad I gave this beauty a chance. While looking for it, I came across my decant of EL Amber Ylang, and I think I will put that on this afternoon. The temperature’s dropping as I type and it sounds perfect after a warm bath.
I, too, am heartened to see the VC&F line now at discounters – they’re solid scents, just not worth quite the full price. I bet you could find someone to split a bottle of Vanille Orchidee next split meet if you don’t want to invest in the entirety.
I was waffling on whether to try Cruel Gardenia or Bulgari The Rouge, today. Both of them have been hanging out in the purgatory basket (really a shoe box) for years and years so I sent them to the no pile–if I haven’t even wanted to sniff them for more than five years, I should assume that is a no. Instead I am wearing Anat Fritz which is kind of a blah woody lavender on me. Another one for the no pile.
Today is Guerlain Chamade. Oh why oh why can’t I love this frag? I’m a huge fan of almost all Guerlain’s, something about their base works wonderfully on my skin. But this one? No no no. I try and try and each time I am disappointed in both it and myself, like I’m the one who has failed a classic scent. Into the final NO pile it goes, I’m giving up on it and not brow beating myself one more time. Life is too short for perfume mis-fires, on to something I love!
You know, every time I’d tested Attrape Coeur over the course of a few years, I just couldn’t stand it. I won’t say exactly what I thought it smelled like b/c I know it’s a well loved Guerlain by most and I don’t want to offend anyone. But sometimes a fragrance just doesn’t work no matter how hard you sniff. It’s too bad you don’t like Chamade, but there are so many wonderful, lush green fragrances to wear that you aren’t going to miss it.
Don’t beat yourself up Kelly Red. I’m a confirmed Guerlie-girl, and I *used* to love Chamade. I actually have two bottles of extrait (one new-ish and the other vintage), and in the last couple of years, I’ve gotten so that I really dislike the green. I find my tastes slowly and subtly changing about these older scents. I never thought I’d say that!
I *love* Chamade… a new love for me and another stone in your enabler’s pin. I’m still working on my sample, but I’ll be tracking down a bottle soon enough.
You’ve got my email. Holler when you’re ready and we’ll talk if you’d like.
I’m not much of a Guerlain fan, but Chamade is one of the few that I *do* love.
Ha! I will take your Chamade sample.
I sprayed it on myself once while visiting NYC and havven’t been able to get out of my head.
Okay, CM. mals86, or Squirrely, which every one emails me first at
schallauATaolDOTcom can HAVE my almost full bottle as a gift from me. Good perfume karma goes around and around.
I do not like it, will not wear it again, but can not bear the idea of just tossing it, so one to someone who will love it.
Bottle claimed! I’m thrilled it’s going to a new home and to someone who loves it. Chamade deserves to be loved.
Just not by me LOL
Now, when you gave away, I assume, an EdT bottle, would you like to try the extrait? If yes, e-mail me your address.
I don’t like Chamade either, and I’ve tried to numerous times. Its just too bitter.
Purgatory SOtD: Shalimar blah, blah, blah Route de Mexique. For all that I’m a confirmed Guerlain lover, I’ve never loved Shalimar beyond a mild, “it’s okay”. Until… a dear NSTer sent me a decant of vintage cologne in a swap. Instant love! She gets a stone for her enabler’s pin, because of course I bought a bottle.
I’ve had this sample for a while and found it loud lemon and vanilla, not much else. Put it away and pulled it out for today thinking maybe now that I’ve seen the Shalimar light, I’d love it. Nope. Still loud lemon and vanilla. I’ll stick with my vintage cologne.
I only like Shalimar Light (either version). Period. I’m done. No Route de whatevers, no Parfum Initials, nothing else. DONE. (I have two bottles of SL and I don’t see the need to try anything else.)
I hear you Mals. I’ve got an old bottle of edt and one of the cologne. Also DONE!
I actually like the Mexique version. It’s the birchtar/buring coal (or whatever) that gets to me in the modern shalimars. Mexique is all vanilla on me and that’s ok by me. I often wear it at bedtime.
I think what you’re calling birch tar is whatever they’re now using to replace the civet. I don’t hate the Mexique version, but it did get too sweet as the day wore on. Just go polish the pin you got for the cologne I bought!
Rapp – I have an old, probably 80s Shalimar edc, and it is more complex than the recent current (probably late 90s/early 00s) Shalmiar extrait. The old Guerlains are just unbeatable. I find that some of the newer iterations of Guerlains, flankers, etc, are suffering from weird plastic syndrome. Some attempt to add a skank? to the new when they can’t use the old ingredients. I don’t like much of their new forumlas. The current Vol de Nuit extrait is a faded polaroid of the original.
Been participating and reading for a while, but posting for the first time today. SOTD: Prada Candy – first time I tried it I wasn’t crazy about it. I got some weird berry note in the opening and a candle-like dry down. Wore it a few times and have made friends with it…so much so that I am considering a small bottle.
Welcome!
Hello and welcome! I’m a fan of Candy but wish they’d done better flankers.
Welcome…I’m love Prada Candy…the original.
Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille. I get none of the wonderful woodiness people talk about, just the most pedestrian vanilla. Sure it´s my nose.
I don’t get woody until the very drydown, and I have to stick my nose right next to my skin. But I love coconut and vanilla, so I still adore this scent.
Thanks.
Re: Un Bois Vanille – I felt like a walking Yankee candle.
Lol – that’s hilarious. Strangely, I know exactly what you mean.
I don´t know Yankee candles, but yes, it does smell like a candle to me!
I cheated a little today. This isn’t one I tried and was on the fence about. This is one I’ve been meaning to try and meaning to try and it keeps getting ignored for other things. Anyways, it is SSS Sienna Musk and I love it! It’s warm and spicy and perfect for this cold, rainy day. It’s warm and spicy but not too sweet. The spice is very dry, maybe from some clove, but the muskiness gives it warmth. Love it and I’m so glad I finally tried it!
I like Sienna Musk as well. Just in case you don’t know, the shopping cart should return to the SSS’s site by the end of October – and they have very stylish 5 ml purse sprays for all scents.
I am fond of Siena Musk, too, and I have the lovely and perfectly sized 5 mL purse sprapy. The only problem I have sometimes is that it is stronger than it intially seems when you start putting it on, so I tend to overspray if I don’t stop myself at ~1.5 sprays….
PSOTD is Hermes Hiris. In theory I should love this, but it’s … it’s … I don’t know what exactly. I get lots of iris root at first, and now that I’m five hours in I’m getting some of the promised wood … and it seems to be quite tenacious yet faint (as Victoria over at BdJ observed) … but it’s just not grabbing me. There are lots of other irises that I like better.
Well, I re-tried a sample of L’heure bleue EDP and for the first several seconds I get pure cat box. Then it settles in and becomes about as lovely as it gets. Stlll too much of a vintage for me though.
Today I dropped off two more paintings for a juried show. Getting stuff ready and transporting it is really nerve wracking for me. Came home and ate cookies. Then saw an email from Sephora advertising baby bottles of Tocca perfumes so I treated myself to a.68 oz baby bottle of Collette.
20 minutes later….Ack!! I feel like I’m trapped inside an old lady’s handbag with a car air freshened, a mummified stick of juicy fruit and some pressed powder circa 1972. Time to scrub off the LB. Maybe one day I will appreciate it but for now it goes back to the island of misfit toys.
LOL!! That’s a hysterical description of L’HB! I love the stuff, but I can see how you got all that.
I’ve been re-trying L’HB time after time after time… Still no.
Baby bottles – now I have a mental image of a Playtex Nurser full of perfume.
Lol
Nom nom nom..
I’m wearing two perfumes on different backs of hands
1. Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 Khôl de Bahrein
2. Prada Infusion d’Iris Absolue
I was interested in comparing them because they are both dominated by musks from the “baby powder” family.
I found the original Infusion d’Iris boring most of the time but useful for very hot summer days when that’s what I need. For that purpose, I prefer the original, and rather than the baby powder coated Absolue version.
Khôl de Bahrein is similar to Absolue but in a more nougat-woody direction rather than an iris direction. I really wanted to like it because I love the name, but I don’t.
It’s interesting that very few purgatory perfumes have graduated to heaven today, isn’t it?
I’m not surprised: in all the years I liked/wore perfumes I turned 180 degrees from dislike to love only on one perfume so far – Chanel No 19.
It’s true, the only 180 I’ve achieved is Shalimar. We haven’t seen many go from like/not sure to love, either.
Not from the purgatory box, but from the back of the pack is my SOTD: 31 rue cambon..
I love this one, but I’m loving many these days!
Hopped in Saks earlier today and visited Diptyque to sample their new Essences Insensees which I found to be very pretty on paper. The bottle is just the most beautiful glass.
I would totally blind buy that Diptyque if not for the stupid, wasteful atomizer. The bottle is gorgeous.
Wearing Serge Lutens L’Orpheline. Struggling with the unge to scrub it off. It makes me nervous. Can’t say what it is, just not a comforting scent this one.
I really like L’Artisan and Chasse aux Papillons should be a nice summer scent, but I find it lacking something, or maybe my skin just eats it. I tried but still in the pergatory pile.
Today, rescued from the iniquity of sample purgatory is Cartier Panthere. I like it, but it is a bit fleeting and was all over and done with after a two hour walk through the local botanical garden. It has a lovely, but fragile finish. I do not think a full bottle is in my future.
Two Chanel Exclusifs: Jersey (applied late at night, several hours before going to bed) and Sycomore (SOTD).
I like them both, but I do not like them enough. In Jersey I detect a rather unpleasant sharp note which appears and disappears within half an hour since application. After that, this scent becomes really lovely – a very cozy lavender. And the staying power is excellent.
As for Sycomore, I smell burning wood and something green and sour. It is a bit too weird for my taste. Still, I think it grows on me.
Finally coming back to comment further on Liaison des Parfums’ other scents. When I tested Resist Me, it smelled kind of generic on me. Nothing very unique seemed to stand out, although I liked the list of notes. I found No Matter What to be a bit too masculine and I didn’t care for the oud and amount of patchouli (together with the oud) in
I Dare You. Stay With me is starting to smell better and I am liking it more now.
Thanks!
Decided to re-try Eau d’Italie Paestum Rose because I’ve been on an incense and rose kick – nope, still don’t like it. It goes in the no pile. So I am wearing Mancera Roses Vanille as my SOTD. Happy Friday!
Bottega Veneta, the original women’s EDP. This will be my fourth and final time sampling it, finished the vial.
Smells like when I singe my arm hairs fiddling around with candles.
UGH!! YMMV
I’m wearing Bottega Veneta today as well. I like it. But I do not love it. Then it starts annoying me. But it’s interesting. And a little bit annoying… Should I spray it some more?..
I love the bottle itself and hoped to grow to love the scent but it looks like my mini bottle is all I need from this scent (and then some).
Hello Undina!
Do you get the singed hair note ( I think it is actually the variety of patchouli used) ?
I also smell the singed hair in Serge Noire – definitely interesting but not what I want to smell of.
I’m not sure how to describe the note (probably not exactly singed hair but I can see from where it comes for you) but it’s the same, just harsher, in Armani Prive’s Cuir Amethyste – which isn’t that surprising since it’s the same perfumer who created both (shame on him for self-plagiarism!). I’ve never tried Serge Noire (can I still keep my perfumista card? Pleeease!
) so I cannot comment on that part.
Interesting, I have to research that perfumer. Thanks for the info, my fellow perfume-ologist!!!
I think I just posted about this the other day, but: I don’t get singed hair, but the leather goes sour on me. The Eau Legère, though, is lovely.
Agree – I get something unpleasant from BV original (in my case it’s screechy hairspray smell) but Eau Legere is lovely.
I get St Joseph’s aspirin for children from BV original, the Eau Legere is much better to my nose.
Agree with all three of you!
I like BV, but I really like the Eau Legere better. The green does more for the formula I think, than the plums in the original.
Bear, that’s interesting, and I’m relieved to hear that you did not like it either. It seems to be very popular among NST commenters; so there must be something in it that different noses interpret very differently.
I don’t remember if it smelled like singed hair to me. All I can recall is finding it a bit harsh and synthetic. I generally like leather perfumes, but BV did not work for me at all.
Hello nozknoz!
Yes very harsh – but immediately upon applying, it had the singed hair note. I’m happy I have company in finding it “off”.
The reason why I continued to sample it, was because I felt – I MUST be missing something.
NAH!!! Just different strokes for different folks!!!
Puredistance Black was my scent from the Purgatory basket. I like it, it’s long wearing and interesting, BUT it is really expensive, and I have other incense sandalwood scents that I like just as well.
This also may be a rare thing that is too masculine for me. My first thought was I should compare it to Kinski–I don’t think they smell the same, but they’re in the same wheelhouse. Money saved.
I like Black but always feel it would smell so much better on a guy.
I wasnt up for the challenge today. When the alarm goes off at 4am for work I don’t need ‘maybe I won’t like this’, I need happy! So I doused myself in MPG Tubereuse instead
PG Harmatan Noir. I’ve tried it a couple times, sometimes it’s wonderful and sometimes it just smells synthetic. Still on the fence.
And Sweet Anthem Ella. WOW that’s a lot of clove up top! I’m not a huge clove fan, but I find this strangely addicting. It could have gone into home candle territory, but the smoky note hovering in the base is enough to keep it in the comfort scent category without smelling like a Yankee Candle. Verdict: I like it. A lot. It’s going to be a great fall scent.
I haven’t tried Ella but it sounds great. Sweet Anthem are really hit or miss for me and my fall sampler went AWOL in the mail but I will try Ella is it’s still around next time I order.
I thought my fall sampler went missing in the mail as well, but it finally arrived at the end of last week. Hopefully they’ll have all the bugs worked out by the next sampler!
I have two purgatory boxes, one trending up, one trending down. I chose at random from the “up” box, and was relieved to see that it was appropriate for both the weather (hot) and today’s activities (mostly cooking): Annick Goutal Eau de Hadrien. I’ve applied it twice already today, and it’s gone again. The lemon smells better each time I try it, though. I’d wear it if someone gave me a bottle, but for the money, I’d just as soon wear 4711. Well, back to the kitchen. Have a great weekend, everyone!
I love 4711! It is softer than EdH, likely b/c it has more orange blossom. There is something very bracing about hadrien. I have an old bottle and I wear it, but it’s not my fav cologne, and it’s not my fav of AGs colognes either. I think the Eau de Sud and also the Hadrien nuits are more complex.
The fragrance descriptions in today’s comments are great. Catbox! Old gum! Paint thinner!
I am trying Annick goutal Le Jasmin from an old sample today. I’ve tried it many times, and I love jasmine flowers, but Le Jasmin just gives me mothballs and rubbing alcohol. Rats.
SOTD = Atelier Cologne Sous le toit de Paris
Perish the thought that this was a purgatory basket perfume! I love this one soooo much I could bathe in it. I recently bought a 200 mL bottle for the Splitmeet and I still have 100 mLs plus my original 30 mLs. I’m considering bringing this with me on vacation (New Orleans!). I think it is just absolutely perfect in any weather.
If anyone is interested in getting some of this and/or Blanche Immortelle, check out the Splitmeet thread from 2 weeks ago and email me (click on my username).
I need to re-test it now: when I tried it I thought it was nice but it didn’t leave any strong impression on me. Since you like it so much, I have to try it again!
Hey Undina! We’re scent twins for the most part and I would be tickled pink if this ends up on the “preferred” side of the like / impressionable spectrum.
If New Orleans is still really humid when you go then Sous Le To it is great for cutting through it
Humid and hajusuuri don’t mix although I know I have to be prepared for that.
Late to the party, I did a combination of two community projects and retried my SL Cuir Mauresque. Whoa! It is like having a rhinoceros indoors! It is quite gorgeous, but just too much if you can’t get out in the open :). I can still smell 24 hours later. Happy weekend everyone!
I played the game yesterday but was unable to post. At the risk of banishment from this board, I admit to pulling out of purgatory a dabber sample of Chanel No. 5 edt and a spray sample of Chanel No. 5 edp, tried both, one on each hand. Although I love and wear many classic aldehydic scents – vintage Le Dix is my favorite – and like and enjoy Coco and No. 19 and some of the Exclusifs, I have never understood the love for No. 5. Perhaps it’s just too abstract for me; as I can’t detect a single flower, fruit or any other natural note on my skin in either the edt or edp, it doesn’t conjure up any memories for me and doesn’t ‘take’ me anyplace. I confess: I. Really. Don’t. Like. It. Whew! There, I said it (wipes brow). Will remove it from purgatory and send it to heaven in care of a relative who adores it. Hope I’m still allowed here . . . I like all of you