It's Slow Burn Friday! Our community project for today: wear the perfume it took you the longest to love, or the longest to buy, or the longest to find.
What did you pick? As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you’re not participating in the community project.
I'm in L’Artisan Parfumeur Bois Farine, which I thought was pencil shavings (yuck) when I first tried it. It was still pencil shavings when I tried it later (meh) and it went right on being pencil shavings through first like, then love.
Reminder: next Friday, 10/30, will be the Halloween Special: wear the fragrance that would match your fantasy Halloween costume (or your real Halloween costume, or one you've worn in the past).
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2015, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: top image is Le Jardin de Lorixa - Caesalpinia pulcherrima [cropped and frame added] by Bibliothèque des Champs Libres at flickr; some rights reserved.
SOTD is L’heure Bleu. When I was younger I never liked it. I rediscovered it a couple of months ago and loved it and wondered what I didn’t like about it originally. Maybe I was just too young to appreciate it.
The same for me for L’Heure Bleu. I am in love with it now.
Hera, all the years I have collected perfumes, I had never tried Mitsouko. I recently tried it and like that one too…but not as much as L’Heure Bleu.
Did you try extrait? I want to try it too.
I haven’t tried the extrait but I’m sure it’s beautiful.
Here are a number of scents I used to be too young to appreciate. I couldn’t handle weirdness at all, once upon a time, and now I delight in it (which is why I love Lutens so much).
My SOTD is also L’Heure Blue – it took me so long to learn to love this classic.
I loved l’Heure Bleue immediately, but hated Insolence, which uses a lot of the same notes.
Guerlain Shalimar is my SOTD.
I’d been smelling this in department stores off and on since I was in my teens, always wondering why this fragrance was so popular. I’d take one wiff, and just think to myself “I could never wear this”.
When Guerlain Parfum Shalimar Initial came out, I loved it (and still do). I bought a full bottle the day I tried it out. One day in the Guerlain boutique in EPCOT, I tried a squirt of Parfum Initial on one arm and Shalimar on the other. I would smell each wrist at different times during the day, then I started to appreciate the beauty of each. I went back to the boutique the next day, and put Shalimar on both wrists, and I started to realize the beauty of this scent.
Still not sure it was for me, I ordered a small decant of Shalimar when I got home. Then, about a month later, I purchased a full botle of the EDP. It was finally a love for me. It only took me about 25 years!
Like you I love Initial- I still don’t understand why they discontinued it? It should’ve not been a Flangere but may be a release on its own. I also like you took a long time to warm up to Shalimar but I prefer the vanille flanker over the original-but in all fairness I don’t think I really gave the original a try. Thanks for the inspiration
I meant flanker not flangere- oh spell check >:O
Barqs, years ago I wore Shalimar because my boyfriend at the time loved it (it probably reminded him of his former girlfriend). When we broke up, I stopped wearing it. Then again, recently, I started trying out all the classic Guerlains of yesteryear…Shalimar, Mitsouko, Samsara, l’Apres Ondee and I ended up buying a bottle of each one.
I have been in a Guerlain state of mind since (although I do vary what I spritz ).
I love Samsara as well – which Shalimar did you buy- the EDP or the EDT
I bought the EDP.
Same here! I’ve mentioned before that I really didn’t get Shalimar until I found a bottle of vintage EDC with a much more pronounced leather note, which put everything in balance. Prior to that I really didn’t care for any Shalimar descendants either; the combo of bergamot and powdery vanilla just smelled jarring and wrong to me. But now I enjoy both Shalimar and her children (like Dior Mitzah).
vanilla -insensee cologne is another , in my opinion, child of Shalimar.
Hi, scent twin.
I planned to wear No 22 in extrait: I bought it only a month ago, but it’s part of a much longer story of me and aldehydic florals. We don’t get along, so still working on No 22, but determined to get there.
I forgot the plan, however, as I was late to the airport. I’m on the plane at the moment, wearing some Nanban and having just bought a new bottle of SL Fleurs d’Oranger that I think is perfect for Southern Spain.
Enjoy your trip — that’s worth skipping this project for I’m sure!
Thank you, Robin. I’m so happy to finally see Alhambra. Still annoyed I forgot about the project, though.
Have a great time! I hope you have some gorgeous weather, great food and beautiful sights.
Thank you. I’ve just arrived in Granada, so excited.
Have a lovely trip Anniky, Fleurs d’Oranger couldn’t be more fitting.
Thanks! I think FdO is fitting, too, and luckily Brussels airport stocks Lutens export line.
Oh gosh, enjoy!! So envious.
I’m almost envious of myself – I’ve been thinking about this trip for years…
Have a wonderful time!
Thank you! I’m sure I will.
I love southern Spain! The light, the wine, the food…oh, I’ve been away too long. Do tell us all about it!
I have been elsewhere in Spain, but never in the South. I’m extremely excited, as I’ve always loved the culture and history of the region. Will report back!
Have a great trip!
Oh, Spain! That is next on my wishlist. Have a fantastic trip!
Hope you are having a wonderful time. I am so looking forward to going there for the first time in a few weeks, and will be really pleased to hear all about your trip – especially the Alhambra which must be quite incredible.
I remember the day when I was strolling in New York City and Saks had these beautiful bottles in their display for the new No 19 Poudre that came out. I bought a bottle straightaway only for the next couple weeks to think to myself why did I buy this? What was so special? So I returned it. I still had a small sample that they had given me and I kept it took me about three years to finally come around, and realize that I was draining my sample, I love the scent, but maybe I only love the scent that comes out of the small sample and not the actual bottle. Strange but that’s how it works sometimes
I have loved No. 19 Poudre since it came out (even though it didn’t get much love from others). Poudre and Hiris are my two go-to scents when I am in a quandary as to what to wear.
Buy it, decant it!
I’v recently started like 19 Poudre too! Neither 19 edt or edp work on me so it would be nice if its a long term love and eventually converts to a bottle!
Oh – and my initial reaction to it – when it came out – was meh! Now I love the iris, soft powder, clean green subtlety.
Bois Farine for me, too! It made me nauseous the first time I smelled it, it was so nutty and completely different from any other perfume. But then after a couple of days I had a distinct craving for an almondy smell I knew I had smelled before. And I realised it was BF! It’s my Saturday go-to, DH and my kids love it, too.
Hey twin!!
I’m wearing Jour d’Hermes. I love Ellena’s work as a rule but my first sample smelled so industrially green, it was stifling. I ended up staying my sample for that glorious dry down though,, then buying and nearly dragging a small bottle. Even so, I think the absolue is prettier and probably the one I’d but when I run out.
I think the Absolu is prettier too, but doubt I’ll ever manage to drain my bottle of the original.
My god this comment. You can tell I’m still tired
I’ve really only got one choice for today because I’m out of town and the only thing I brought with me is my little solid of Lush Smugglers Soul. It does fit the theme though. I wanted it from the moment I saw it announced on this site. I waited patiently at first and then not so patiently later on for it to come to North America. I emailed Lush at least three times trying to pry a release date out of them but alas, nothing. I finally got my chance when my sister was in Japan earlier this year. I asked her to bring back solids of Smugglers Soul and Kerbside Violet which she did. Thanks Sis. I had waited over a year for it. Could it possibly live up to my expectations? The answer: in the few months I’ve had it I’ve used at least a third of the tin. That’s an unheard of rate of usage for me but I love this stuff. Please Lush, for the love of God, bring this stuff to your North American customers!
Smugglers Soul is the only one of this collection released in Aus. Still waiting for the rest…. sigh….. (at least we still have Grass and Flying Fox gels for the time being. I dont understand their distribution theory)
I totally agree. I don’t understand their distribution theory either. Why they discontinued so many scents for the United States market, but continue to sell them in Europe or the UK, but also why they have fragrances that have never been released in the U.S. It seems that all of the fragrances that I loved from them were discontinued, leaving things that I am mostly uninterested in. And scents that I am intrigued by, I can’t even get samples of. It’s ridiculous.
And why we still don’t have the latest batch of perfumes!! Makes me nuts.
In 1986 I used up 2 entire 4-mL samples of Hermes Bel Ami trying to figure out if I could get past that strange bitterness to the leather underneath. I wanted to own that tortoiseshell cocktail-shaker bottle but the scent just wasn’t me. A quarter of a century later, on a hunch, I ordered a big decant of what’s now vintage Bel Ami, which I’m wearing three big spritzes of today, and I should have known: it was love all along.
that sounds a bit like a boyfriend I had once upon a time.. 😉
Perhaps one has to grow into the great perfumes.
And the not-so-great boyfriends.
The best laid plans… I was in a hurry this morning to get on the road so my cousin wouldn’t miss his flight. When it rains in Texas, everybody panics and forgets how to drive. I’m wafting heavy waves of Amaranthine, which is gorgeous in the warm, tropical air and was instant love for me.
I had planned to wear Lonestar Memories, which I still don’t love but don’t hate nearly as much as I did at first. The first time I tried it I practically scrubbed the skin from my arm trying to get it off. It’s an interesting scent that I have no need to possess in large quantities. These days, I’m compelled to occasionally sniff my sample and I think I could actually wear it on the right day. Actually, it would probably suffocate me in this damp so it’s just as well.
Hey that’s exactly what happens when it rains here too! 🙂
and I’d want to sit next to you whether you were wearing Amaranthine OR Lonestar. Both fabulous IMO 🙂
I had a similar initial reaction to Lonestar Memories. I thought it smelled like someone threw wintergreen lifesavers into a campfire. Those were the only things my nose and brain were connecting to smelling it. I persevered. I tried it again after several weeks of exploring jasmine perfumes and had my scent epiphany. There is a very camphorous and green jasmine note intertwined with the smoke. It has been love ever since.
I’m not surprised it hit you the same way 🙂
I was just appalled the first time I sniffed it that it was supposed to evoke Texas, what?!? Now I sort of get it but think the delightful Andy should spend more time here and create a regional flanker or two.
I love Amaranthine. Maybe I’ll finally get a bottle this Christmas.
I am wearing Balenciaga Le Dix vintage. I was curious about this scent for a very long time , I looked for it everywhere but no luck and then a very nice person sent me a small bottle , I knew I had to have a bigger one, I got one on Ebay. This is a big love for me.
Oh, nice pick!
Shalimar also. I’ve been wearing Guerlains since high school **coughmany,manycough** years ago. But I never liked Shalimar; my favorite was, and is, Vol de Nuit. Fairly recently, an NST commenter sent me a sample of vintage Shalimar edc and I fell in love. Go figure. 😉
I keep hoping eventually I’ll fall in love with Chamade, which really I ought to love. But don’t.
Bois d’Iris by Van Cleef and Arpels. I smelled it at Bergdorf’s when it first came out circa 2009 and adored it, but was a) incredibly poor at the time and b) could not fathom the idea of spending $200 on a bottle of perfume. I still can’t particularly fathom it, but five years later, when I finally let myself indulge in this “hobby,” after having smelled it every single time I stopped by the store, I went for it. Not my standard approach and probably the most I’ll ever spend on a bottle of perfume, but BdI and I are happy together.
Hope you’re all well!
Oh, I covet that one deeply – you smell absolutely wonderful.
Thank you Sheri!
BdI is a beautiful fragrance.
I am in complete agreement.
VC&A are very oddly priced. 75ml for $200, but 45ml for $100. Whats with that? I mentioned it to the SA when I wanted my California Reverie in the smaller bottle- which was sold out- that if one bought two small bottles for the same price it was 15ml more! So she sold me the big one for $179. Dont ask dont get 😉 But still- odd.
I also have BdI- you smell lovely! 🙂
VC&A California Reverie got me through the incredibly hot L.A. summer (now indian summer – 94 degrees today). It makes me so happy, and really nails a certain Joan Didion in Bel Air vibe.
When you really love something it’s money well spent. You smell gorgeous BTW, I like Bois d’Iris a lot too.
Thank you Austenfan!
I love this one, but haven’t bought a bottle (it’s a bit faint on me). I should re-try it in fact, to see how it compares to my latest iris loves.
It’s a lot less austere than Iris Nazarena, and has a slight hint of something gourmand in the base. It’s also less present if that makes sense. More like a comfortable veil than a statement.
This shows that one shouldn’t be doing two things at once. You know the fragrance, so my explanation is superfluous.
Hypnotic Poison edp. Less play-doh and more jasmine than the edt. Ive loved it since I first tried it a couple of years ago, and would always spritz some in a dept store. It was never available at online discounters in the smaller bottle but I just found some and am now the proud owner of a bottle all of my own (for more than a third less than the steep Aus asking price)
Great scent, agree!
Oh, thank you for the comparison of edp to edt. I’ll definitely have to try the edp.
The scent that took the longest to become love is Dune. Not sure how old my sample is, but long enough that it predates my spreadsheet by at least a year. I don’t have enough left to wear today though, so SOTD is Eau des Merveilles. Loved this at first sniff over a year ago, and the Friday challenge got me off my duff and into FB ownership. I know that doesn’t sound like a very long time to go from love to own, but I usually have no self-restraint whatsoever. 🙂
Did you create your own template/spreadsheet/database? I want to start keeping one and I’d love any suggestions of good pre-existing set-ups so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Hi there! Probably too late responding for you to see this, but yes, I made my own spreadsheet. It’s still evolving as I figure out which data points are helpful and which aren’t, and I used Apple’s Numbers app, which is a bit clunky. Am planning to convert it to Excel very soon.
Okay, the trouble with an ipad is that I can’t see the post I’m responding to while I type. You asked for suggestions on a template – if you want, once I get the thing imported into Excel I could email a blank with just the header row to you, and you could take it from there. I’m in the land of the geeemayle using scgrether. Let me know if you’d be interested.
I forgot the assignment and am wearing love at first sniff Séville à l’Aube! Happy Friday!
It took me about 4 years to love Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant. The first dozen or so times I tried it, it made me gag. I just couldn’t smell this warm, fuzzy, comfy oriental everyone else seemed to love. One day I tried it for what was meant to be a final time (and I was prepared to give my bottle away if I didn’t like it) and I FINALLY smelled what everyone else was smelling. I love Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant now but it took me a LONG time to get it and love it.
I also took a very long time getting to know Samsara and now I love it. I have a vintage bottle which is divine. But I still find it rather “industrial” smelling at the start and it’s all about the dry down, it becomes a sandalwood beauty after about 30-45 mins.
SOTD is an instant love, Mariella Burani original edt – dont’ know if this will make sense to anyone, but this is my Chanel No. 5. I don’t like No. 5 but I love Mariella Burani and this smells to me like what No. 5 should smell like in my book…. 🙂
I wonder if I’ll ever love Jungle L’Elephant! To me it smells like cinnamon candles and butter. Yuck.
I’ve never noticed butter, but when I was first testing it out, it smelled like a hazy strange raisin-y BBW candle mess. Maybe the butter you smell is what I was finding to be a heavy, hazy, oddness. Dunno. Either way, it IS a strange scent, but one I love now. Although, full disclosure, I would never wear it to the office, it’s an at-home scent for me.
I love the dry down of samsara as well.. Sandalwood bliss
Maybe I’ll eventually love it too. Raisin-y BBW candle sounds just about right. The last time I tried it, though, I thought it smelled pretty good at about the six-hour mark. Haven’t been tempted to buy a bottle, cute as it is, but maybe I’ll get another sample.
When I was in college, I spent 3 years getting samples of Kenzo Flower Le Parfum from Sephora before I bought a bottle. I finished and replaced 3 or 4 [big] bottles before it disappeared from stores, and continued buying it from the Kenzo website (until it disappeared from there too), and then from Amazon. The last bottle I got from Amazon was the wrong concentration (oops) and I didn’t like it as much and never finished the bottle… which means fortunately I had some left to wear today! My tastes have evolved since college, but it’s still kind of fun to wear something I used to love so much.
I’m wearing Aromatics Elixir, EDP and bodylotion. It took me a while to get past the opening which I still think of as Fierce (!) (like Piglet’s Heffalump), but the drydown is one of my favourites in all of the fragrant world and these days I love the opening notes as well.
I can’t remember how long it took me to fall for AE. But I was pretty determined as I loved the review of it in the Guide so much.
If we’re talking Aromatics Elixir then it took me about 20 years to appreciate what it has to offer. 😉 I still find the opening a challenge (I apply by spraying on a cotton ball and then gently dabbing said ball on myself.) But the drydown is just gorgeous! I am sure it used to smell better than it does now, but I have a “new” bottle that I just bought last year and I really enjoy it.
I love the clout this fragrance has. And I loved Luca’s reference to Lauren Bacall in his review. Very spot on imho.
I struggled with this one too! I have the perfumer’s reserve of this and the regular industrial strength and will wear both when the weather cools off!
I have the perfumer’s reserve as well. I prefer the original though.
I keep getting samples of Black Flower every time I order from Dame Perfumery. I’ve never tried it because…VANILLA! I thought that although it doesn’t quite fit today’s theme of “the perfume it took you the longest to love, or the longest to buy, or the longest to find”, it probably is the perfume it took me the longest to TRY. Anyway, I was right…VANILLA! I really don’t like vanilla.
My slow burn fragrance, FM Vetiver Extraordinaire, represents a whole genre: vetiver fragrances. It has taken me a long time to appreciate them, let alone like them. But now I own a decant, Diptyque Vetyverio, this 10 ml. manufacturer’s travel sample, and a full bottle of Lalique’s Encre Noir!
My thanks to NST swapper Elisa P for this addition to my vetiver collection. 🙂
Glad you’re enjoying it! It’s a good one. I went through 2 travel sprays over the years but stopped reaching for it so was happy to move it along. Encre Noir will be my next vetiver exploration.
I’ll include some when I send your L’Ambre 🙂
Thanks! Excited to try it.
It took me a long time to come around to rich vetiver fragrances too, but now I love them.
Vetivers were love at first sniff for me, although oddly Vétiver Extraordinaire is not one of my favourites. I can’t remember why, but I do remember feeling a bit underwhelmed trying it a few years ago.
Have you tried the 2 MPG vetivers? You might like Racine.
No, I haven’t, and now I must try them! I’ve been good about buying full bottles lately, so have given myself permission to order as many samples as I want. 🙂
While you are at it, Etro Vetiver is interesting too, and very wearable.
I’ve never been a vetiver person but VE is my favorite. I almost made an offer on that decant myself 🙂
😉 Vetiver is really pushing me outside of my comfort zone. Oh, I have a small bit of Vetiver Pour Elle, and I like that, too!
I first sniffed Iris Ganache in 2007 when it came out but didn’t buy it until 2012 when it was getting discontinued. I loved it at first sniff but had a real hard time crossing the $200 threshold. Once I heard it was getting discontinued I pounced ASAP–love was worth the cost
This was another one I struggled to love! Now I’m still happy to have the decant, glad I didn’t get rid of it, but also glad I didn’t fall hard.
Mine is Mitsouko – I had sampled several times and been totally puzzled and thought it was too Guerlinadey. But then I saw a full bottle of EDT at an estate sale and, well, it was Mitsouko, I couldn’t really not buy it. Now I wear it ALL THE TIME and it’s definitely love. It is the first time I have experienced what many of you have mentioned, getting a very different impression from a spray than from a dab. I’m so disappointed to find out that is a real thing! Because it makes me doubt all my previous vial samplings…
Fortunately for my pocketbook, I still don’t love Mitsouko. 🙂
Funny how that is, but sometimes spray vs. dab really does make a difference. That’s great that you love Mitsouko so much, and you may be liking it a lot to b/c you have an older bottle?
No idea how old the bottle is – it’s a tester but it doesn’t seem particularly aged. Anyway, I’ll take it!
Mitsouko for me too. It smelled too sweet (like the smoker’s lollies people have mentioned here a few times), but a couple of years later I tried a Sisley perfume that reminded me of Mitsouko, and I rather liked it. So I tried Mitsouko again and promptly bought the edt. I haven’t tried the edp, but it’s on my list to try some day. Nor have I tried any older formulations – I fear that way lies madness 🙂
The only perfume I’ve struggled to like* has been No. 5. It was given to me as a Hanukah gift by the father of a family I babysat for in Manhattan. I was impressed and touched but not by the perfume. I rarely wore it and don’t know what happened to it. Many years later an admirer gave me another bottle, and I was as disappointed as he was that I didn’t care for it. I am going to try one last time next month. *I haven’t liked other perfumes, but I haven’t cared to pursue them either.
I didn’t love Chanel No. 5 (I never disliked it, but just didn’t care for it) till I got to try some vintage extrait. Of all the flavors nowadays I would recommend some vintage extrait OR EDT if you can find it, or just get some Chanel Eau Premiere (which isn’t the same, but which is so pretty and well worth loving and gives you that Chanel ego boost without the struggle of Le Monstre.)
I like No. 5, but don’t love it. I wear it anyway because it makes me feel special. I don’t know if it’s the scent so much as what’s going on in my head. Knowing that I’m in Chanel makes me feel sophisticated, important, and powerful among many other positive feelings. It’s great for my self esteem. But, as far as the scent itself is concerned, I find that it layers well with nearly everything.
I’ve never liked No 5 myself. It smells like a sink filled with watery dishwashing liquid. The florals are too weak and detergent-y and I’ve tried every variation (edt, edp, extrait, vintage, etc). I just don’t get the love. I think (in my opinion, no offense) the love is simply about the Chanel brand in people’s heads. Wearing Chanel makes you feel fancy, special and rich and therefore the scent must be amazing (when I really don’t think it is!) When I smell it on others it’s fine, not bad or anything, but I can always guess when someone is wearing No 5 by the cool, aldehydic, detergenty-y aroma.
I have other Chanel samples, not bottles, that I do love. It’s one of those ironies of life that the Chanel I like the least I had bottles of, but none of the rest. ????
If that’s the case, then give it the one last try you planned. And if that doesn’t work, trade it off or send it to eBay and use the cash toward something you love. You’ve obviously been more than fair in evaluating No. 5 and life is too short to be surrounded by “meh.”
It took me a long time to come around to Chanel No 5 – and I had an edt gift in the early 90s that I gave away …. But now I just love it so much.
Well, I picked up the wrong spray sample and sprayed the perfume liberally on wrists and neck. Then it registered that the scent was NOT the one I wanted to wear today. So it was more like FAST RANDOM mistake perfume instead of slow burn.
What I put on: Tom Ford Noir pour Femme
What I wanted to wear: Caron Parfum Sacre
I got a partial bottle of Parfum Sacre extrait on eBay for a crazy low bid. In the description I think they said it was and EDT by mistake but super sleuth here really examined the photos with a magnifier and could see the word “extrait” on the bottom of the bottle. Well I got it and not being a rose lover decided that it was just too much, so I traded it away. A year or so later, a kind soul from here (Haj!!!) sent me a small decant of Parfum Sacre and I was absolutely smitten. Moral of the story: try not to trade away the good stuff!!
You smell great regardless. TFNpF is such a sensual scent-you will be turning some heads today with that many sprays and will probably not have to reapply 🙂 <3
Parfum Sacre is gorgeous and a keen eye can get good deals on ebay for sure!
I’m wearing Shalimar Eau Legere, because I wanted to wear a version of Shalimar and I thought this would go best with the remnants of what was on this shirt. (It really doesn’t. 🙂 ) I had a hard time learning to love Shalimar. The question is why I felt I needed to do so. But when I finally did, I fell hard. I have lots of versions of Shalimar now – the vintage extrait, Eau Legere, the original Ode a la Vanille, the Sur la Route a Mexique, and even the Parfum Initiale (I thought it was pretty, I’m sorry they discontinued it.) Now I don’t like a Shalimar when it isn’t sufficiently Shalimar-y (sorry, Souffle, I’m looking at you.) I learned to like its lemony vanilla with a hint of Pledge? or at least the inside of a drawer at my grandmother’s house.
How do you find Eau Legere_ i have been wondering…
It’s long discontinued. Bottles pop up on ebay every now and then (and I will probably be selling at least one of my backup bottles before Christmas).
Yes, exactly! eBay or another perfumista.
That´s a very good question. Come to think of it, I thought very highly of ´the best Guerlain´ and wanted to have it connected with my own image, which of course sounds very silly now, but I´m good, since I can enjoy its delightful company for the rest of my life…
As planned, I wore Chanel Beige today. (Not as part of the project.) This used to be at the top of my buy list. It was easy to wear and pleasant, and I had categorized it in my mind with Daim Blond and Bottega Veneta. Apparently my nose is much more in tune now because I have nothing but a big bunch of freesias in my face. It reminds me of the college dorms in the mid 90s when all 50 of the girls on my floor wore either Bath and Body Works Freesia or Sun Ripened Raspberry. So, I guess I’ve done the opposite of the project. This is one that I’ve slowly come to dislike.
What I should’ve chosen is Mitsouko. My Aunt brought a new bottle on vacation in 2009 and I wore it every day for a week, but I just couldn’t get into it. It was so strong, nose-tickling, and headache-inducing until it got to the base notes. When I got home I got a sample anyway and tried it on and off but still didn’t enjoy it. Three years later I was in Paris and I decided to spritz from a tester. It melted into my skin like we were meant to be together. It stayed on my scarf for weeks and made me deliriously satisfied. Not happy, just as if I were finally a complete person. Then I got back to the US and tried again…It wasn’t as unpleasant as the first try, but it wasn’t the same as the bottle from Paris. I swear they have better formulations, better water, or something over there. So, my slow burn is Mitsouko, but I’m not buying a bottle until I return to Paris. Which could be a lifetime away.
That’s funny, you chose “the opposite, the one you’ve slowly come to dislike!”
I liked Beige at first, too. It does, however, make me think of shampoo. But it’s pleasant. I can see growing to dislike it, though.
Oddly, if I had a shampoo that smelled like Beige I would think it to be darn good stuff. It’s not awful, but freesia has never been my thing. (Which is such a shame because hawthorn certainly is.) I was going to treat myself to a bottle when I go to Vegas in December, but it’s off my buy list. I’m going to have to find a different souvenir.
Oh, I know that mid 90s dorm shower smell!! I don’t like Beige either mostly b/c it’s rather boring for the price point. Honestly I think the extrait version of Allure is better if you want to go that Chanel-esque inoffensive route…..
What I smelled today is probably less boring than what I knew Beige to be several years ago, I just don’t really like it anymore. I am so glad I did not spend $$$.
I have Allure in extrait; It was part of a holiday set I bought in 2011, but I’ve never tried it. I’ll give it a try tomorrow.
Twins! Although I chose Beige for a different reason. I just recently bought a decant of it and a few other Chanel’s Les Exclusifs line after so many rave reviews on this blog and others. Previously, I had little interest in anything by Chanel. Something about the brand just doesn’t appeal to me. Now that I’ve tried these, I am pleasantly surprised. Will I ever require a FB? Remains to be determined. I do really like Beige at the moment though. It will be I interesting to see if it loses its charm for me as it has for you. For now, sniffing happily.
This makes me want to try Beige! Because I was one of those girls in college wearing Bath and Body Works Freesia. It was my first “signature scent” and it might be nice to have a grown-up version 🙂
Mohur for me today. I had received a sample early in my perfume-exploration journey in a sample draw. At the time, I hadn’t even heard of Niche, I was so new.
So I’d tried this and thought it was nice, but didn’t quite know what to make of it.
Over time, I ended up using up the sample and by then had fallen in love with it.
Then ordered the discovery set and used most of it in a few months.
Then I wanted more but by then, NV wasn’t shipping to Canada and of course it isn’t carried by anyone here.
Heartbreak!
Finally, a trip to Paris brought me together with a full bottle and I couldn’t be happier.
Mohur will definitely make one happy. Gorgeous stuff.
Timbuktu. The first time I tried it, maybe six years ago, I could barely smell it, but I kept sampling it occasionally and trying to understand what everyone else loved about it. Various notes—not necessarily pleasant ones (sour green mango, lots of vetiver)—stood out at different times, but finally a couple of years ago I wore it and just kept noticing it occasionally throughout the day and it was beautiful. It’s much better at a distance, so to speak, when I’m not constantly sniffing my wrist and trying to dissect it and pick out individual notes. I finally bought a bottle earlier this year. I think I like it best in the summer.
I hope this happens for me with Timbuktu! I will try to remember your strategy of smelling “at a distance” – I don’t do that enough with any fragrance.
Shalimar. I recoiled in terror the first time I tried it, but man, did I insist. For almost thirty years, I just kept spraying. Today I love Shalli in all its forms, with all my heart.
It took me over four decades. A vintage EdT was the gateway.
Mine was Eau de Shalimar.
I don’t expect I will ever love Shalimar. I think I dislike it more now than I did the first time I smelled it. But, I keep trying so maybe by the time we have another similar challenge I will eat my words.
If one can learn to love it after four decades there may be hope for me yet.
LOL! I hope you will eat your words, only in this instance, because Shalli is a good pal.
Grabbed BFMV today- my travel size is almost kaput.
Still recovering from vacation, which was hiking in the Grand Canyon. My back was my biggest concern and it hasn’t bothered me a bit, so I’m very grateful for that! My knees are another story…
I took a small decant of Box of Eels (from a generous NSTer!) and wore that every day since it smells even better during heavy physical exertion. I was the best smelling hiker around!
Happy Friday to all 🙂
I pray for your knees! BdI is gorgeous when properly heated up by the body!
I hiked in the Grand Canyon in the early nineties and remember how knackered I was afterwards. Well worth the effort though.
What is BFMV?
Black Flower Mexican Vanilla, from Dame Perfumery of Scottdale 🙂
Scottsdale, Arizona, that is
Last time I was in Scottsdale (1992!) I never noticed any perfume at all. Great Hopi jewellery though.
Another Shalimar slow-burner here. Also hated the bitter citrus opening which clashed with the floral vanilla. I would spritz it in passing at stores over the years and early this summer it just shifted to amazement, although I still don’t find it easy. But I do like it better in warmer weather. I didn’t wear it today, however because I don’t think it’s so work friendly. So I’m wearing the Shalimar inspired L de Lolita Lempicka which is easier, friendlier, and just plain yummy.
It took me over four decades to fall for Shalimar!
I’m in Tom Ford’s Black Orchid today. The rich fruity notes combined with the earthiness and patchouli really took some getting used to and I went through several samples before it grew on me and I finally bought an ounce last year. It’s really nice in the cool weather.
I’m wearing Comme des Garcons’ magnificent Avignon. I’ve had it on my purchase list for about 3 years but for some reason only got it a few weeks ago. Simply gorgeous stuff.
Keep thinking about getting that one too…
I’m wearing SL Sarrasins today. I’m one of those “sniff it and if you love it, buy it immediately” folks, but $310 for a perfume! It took me a while to realize that it was one of the perfumes that make me really, really happy when I wear it and that life is too short not to embrace the things you love. I got a bell jar last year.
Wearing Chamade, love at first sniff, but it represents the house of Guerlain, which was a slow burn perfume house for me, in year in my perfumista-ship. The wonderful Place Vendome showered me with Guerlains (samples and decants) such as Chamade, Jicky, Shalimar, Vol de Nuit. I smelled Mitsouko there which I know I will love too, in fact, I love them all. Love to read all your choices and it helps me to remind myself to give all perfumes in sample or bottle lots of time. You never can tell, that’s what we can tell.
Chamade is one of my HG fragrances!
My SOTD today is Givenchy Organza Indecence – It is nearly an act of god that I finally came around to gourmand vanillas after nearly half of my life detesting them. it’s not something I ever pursued but by the time I was like, hey, you know, that’s pretty gorgeous! I was sunk. As far as fragrances that I actively tested and then took me years to come around to getting a bottle: Natori edp, Chanel No 5, Chanel Cristalle, Annick Goutal Eau de Sud…. I could go on. Sometimes it’s love at first sniff, and sometimes things take a while. I still have a few fragrances I test once or twice a year to see if my nose will change. You never know.
I’m not into anything foodie or gourmand. Ever. Can’t abide smelling like food. But there are a few vanillic orientals I think are amazing and Givenchy Organza Indecence is one of them. There’s vanilla there and cinnamon but it doesn’t register as food, it’s still very much a perfume. There’s only about a half dozen vanilla orientals that I can wear that don’t register as gourmand to me, such as: Hermes L’Ambre, TDC Oriental Lounge, Fendi Theorema and AG Vanille Exquise.
I like the way you say that – not smelling like food. OI *is* a proper perfume and I avoided to far to long thinking it was just another cupcake. I think the load of cinnamon in it also makes it very appealing to me. It’s oriental, but dry-ish too. I also like Vanille Exquise very much!
Just the opposite of you, Sniffer, I must have the imagination of a hunk of granite. Never have I thought of food when I’ve smelled a perfume, though I haven’t gone out of my way to locate intense gourmands. Don’t recognize vanilla or lemon in Shalimar. Vanillas just smell “nice.” Have never noticed nutmeg or cardamom (though I hyperreact to cinnamon). Oh well, it speeds up the sampling process.
I tend to have a LOT of trouble with orientals and tend to feel silly in gourmands – but Organza Indecence is an exception. It’s terrific.
The only sugary gourmand-ish fragrance that you’ve actually almost brought me around to is Hanae Mori Butterfly…. almost, but not quite. I am ok nursing my sample when I want a hit of something like that. It’s better than the usual in that style for sure. It is very similar to that Olfactive 129 that is long gone by now – just a little extra something something that makes them sweet and gourmand-ish, but still solid top to bottom fragrances. No cupcakes or waxy candles. OI really bridges that gourmand and oriental well.
I feel silly in that one too. I just save it for home. 🙂
Silly is a great way to describe it! You made me laugh because I realized I would feel silly, too, in anything like a cupcake and therefore would never, ever do that to myself. I imagine someone in the office saying, “what’s that yummy smell, like cookies?” And I would feel ridiculous saying “oh, those cookies wafting through the air are my perfume!”
Good morning, all. It’s early for me, but in the spirit of today’s project, I got up about an hour ago and put on Samsara, a perfume with which I have a roller-coaster history. I bought my first bottle in Sydney the year it reached Australasia. Loved it, just loved it, but…was wearing it one day when the dear man and I had one of our rare but colossal fights. I can’t even recall what we got so cross about, but I do know that I took against Samsara, stopped wearing it, and eventually the bottle went nasty and I threw it away. A little while back, I remembered the slow sweet smoulder of all that sandalwood, bought bottle and and it became a love again last winter. However, I was wearing it when I ended up unexpectedly in hospital a couple of months back, and such is the power of scent associations that now I’m iffy about it all over again. They say that the third time’s the charm, don’t they? Here’s hoping Samsara can pull off another slow burn through negative memories!
Oh, I’m so sorry about bad experiences with Samsara! It is one of the best sandalwood scents so maybe the third time will be a charm for you. I recently purchased a vintage decant off ebay and it’s So Good!
I like Samsara – even the current edt, but it is…high pitched? I can imagine it twinning with intense experiences and easily becoming a ‘problem’.
I got all edgy and strung out and couldn’t settle to write, so I showered it away, but you know, I still really like Samsara on other people After my little sojourn in hospital, I found that it was on R’s shirt, and I loved it third hand too. Maybe I’ll fight back, but I note Siciliana’s comment below too. I could give it away: it’s not as though I’d be down to my last perfume….
Wow, at the risk of fragrance-smearing, maybe the Samsara is bringing you bad juju. Try losing it, maybe your unfortunate experiences will hit the road. 🙂
SOTD Timbuktu. First time I tried it, I scrubbed it off. Moved it in the back of the closet never to be seen again. Could not get rid of it for a while, but it grew on me
Timbuktu redefines perfume. The nose has to grow into it! 🙂
Ditto — thought it was sour & gross. Now it’s yummy.
I spent the 80’s in Cristalle and never made friends with most of the big hair/Dallas/Dynasty school of the era. I still can’t stand Poison. So today I’m wearing Red Door. It belongs to that school, but the over-the-top ingredients are woods, rose, and clove, which I like.
I spent the 80s in KL Chloe and Prince Matchabelli Cachet (with a side foray into Xia Xi’ang and Tatiana), ducking the fog of Poison in dorm rooms…
I get on fine with Poison now, go figure. I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact that people don’t bathe in it these days.
Poison is gorgeous. I can probably appreciate it now because nobody wears it anymore and with a discreet application I enjoy it immensely. My BF in HS bathed in Poison, and, yeah, that kinda ruined it for the next decade or so. Every time we were in the car together I was gasping for air out the window, and I even had a much better tolerance for giant perfumes back then, because, well, it was the 80s! I was wafting some major sillage myself in LouLou and Lauren and later Amarige.
But now, I love me some of that big old grapey-tuberose-awesomeness of the original Poison. Those are some of my favorite bottles, too. I bought a tiny bottle of vintage Poison extrait a few years ago off ebay and it’s to die for!
I kinda feel that I have to blind buy vintage Poison extrait now…
Get it in the Esprit de Parfum, my favorite flavor of Poison and it is still relatively easy to find used older bottles on EBay.
I think you do.
You can easily find mini’s of it on ebay. I think you would enjoy having it in your collection, as you love tuberose so much.
SOTD is AG Le Chevrefeuille. It was the first sample I ever bought, however many years ago it was that I discovered NST and all that entailed – maybe 6 or 7 years ago? Bought it based on Robin’s review and my love of honeysuckle. I got a decant in a swap, but finally pulled the trigger on a full bottle a few months ago! So happy to finally have a huge bottle so I can spray away!
Oh yay!
Le Chev is a very beautiful and unusual honeysuckle. That tart citrus opening really makes it different.
My first niche purchase, still love it.
*polishing my enabler pin*
You should! I bought this solely based on your review!
So did I! Cristalle and Dioressimo were my wards against the nose-punching dreadnoughts of the era. I still am not a huge fan of the genre, but am willing to least sniff them cautiously.
For a long time since I was a teen, when I’d smell Cristalle at the Chanel counter (ususally when I was stopping by to pick up some Coco), I thought it was vile swamp water. But I didn’t care much for white flowers or vetivers for many, many years. Something clicked about 5 years ago after I began exploring those types of white flower/chypre/vetiver fragrances, and I loved it. Cristalle is one of my go-to fragrances in the summer for the past few years.
Was going to wear Memoir Woman as it took me maybe eleven tries to figure it out (“What is IN this thing??!?”). While I was figuring it out, I fell in love. 🙂 But it’s too hot today for Memoir, I’d die.
Different kind of slow burn was Safari, which I first tried from a parfum mini and found too sweet. I think the weather may have been a factor as well; I wanted (and thought it was) a cool green, whereas Safari is really a warm one. Tried the edp two years later and it was Big Love. I have three bottles now (all used, all wonderful).
I need to give my older sister props for wearing Safari when it first came out in the early 90s – she of the gourmet cupcake and “Light Blue” fragrance. I would never be caught dead in any fragrance my sister ever wore back then b/c well, we’re sisters. 😉 And I was totally devoted to Tea Rose and Coco… Anyway, I remember smelling Safari again about 5 years ago when I ran into it at a TJ Maxx… and well, it was love at first sniff for me. I bought two bottles, pronto. It smelled so much like No 19 with some sweet cream on top. But you are totally right about it being warm – I only wear it in the fall or spring. Whereas No 19 I only wear in the summer.
I wouldn’t have minded the IDEA of sharing a fragrance with my younger sister, but we didn’t like the same things. She forbade me Dune and cKOne anyway.
I don’t wear Safari much in the summer, unless to sleep in. It’s perfect right now.
I’m off to chaperone the band to an away football game… skipping tomorrow’s competition so I can stay home and hang out with my daughter, who’s home on fall break. 🙂
Enjoy the visit!
SL Bas de Soie was, eh, okay for a while, reminding me of expensive hand cream. Couldn’t seem to forget it though, and bought it about a year later. Sometimes nice is nice.
Chanel No5 for me, too. No-one in my family ever wore perfume. It was an unaffordable luxury worn by chic French ladies, not us sort of folk. The closest we had to a ‘cosmetic’ at home was a battered blue Nivea tin, and screechy cheap green industrial soap. I scrubbed myself with that soap by way of washing until my skin turned pink when it was my turn to take a bath in the same water used by my siblings (bleurgh).
So of course I went for No5 extrait when I first crawled in under the door at a Chanel counter in 1994. Chanel was chic, the French super-de-luxe of all that was luxe in this world. And No5 SMELLED LIKE SCREECHY CHEAP GREEN INDUSTRIAL SOAP I USED TO WASH MYSELF IN DIRTY BATHWATER as a child. I bought the extrait, obviously. I even bought the EDT later on. I wanted to be like the chic French ladies who were so unlike my folks with our filthy bathing habits
No5 never developed into anything but soap. Not Dove soap, or lovely fruity soap. Nope. Destitute, cold dirty bathrooms and lack of money soap from start to finish. I gave up and spent the next 20 years not thinking of No5 much, except that Chanel had conned millions into spending $$$ on Bliv.
Then I came across a 50s EDC and bought it just for the heck of it. Token vintage reference interest purchase. And this No5 blows me away! The aldehydes are a lot more subdued. I can actually *smell* hints of leather, jasmine, rose, some vanilla, vetiver and other goodies as the scent develops.
A bit of a turnaround after 20 years of abhorring the screechy soap that some No5s are, apparently. (Still don’t think much of the modern versions.)
Wow, that’s amazing, because your description of the screechy cheap industrial soap is Exactly the way I experience it! I’ve even tried vintage and still….that’s what it is for me.
Scent association is a funny thing. I grew up with fiercely aldehylic soap because there was nothing else. It was poor people soap, something you’d be given to share at a homeless shelter or a prison (not that we were that badly off lol). It in no way computes ‘luxury’ or ‘exclusivity’ or ‘chic’ for me. Or even a scent. Just screech screech scrub scrub.
The thing with the No5 of my younger days was that it had no depth or layers or development. If I dabbed a bit of the prison soap on my wrist it was exactly the same hours later.
The cologne’s obviously No5 but the aldehydes merely say hello and then let the rest do the talking. I find myself wondering how this can be the same perfume actually. Must’ve been a good year in Grasse 😀
That green soap sure left a memory!
Do you know the story of Dioressence? That the perfumer, Guy Robert, had been handling a supply of ambergris, the real stuff, and afterwards went to the bathroom to wash his hands. Later when he smelled his hands he was enchanted – inspired with an idea that became Dioressence. Read the whole story here (scroll down): http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/christian-dior-dioressence-fragrance.html
I don’t like no.5, but I love this story! And I hope you now treat yourself to fabulous soap too 😀
Really enjoyed your depiction of a childhood view of out-of-reach luxury goods (and their wearers). The pitfalls of longing….
I am wearing MH Fleurs de Sel. I liked it right away after sampling, but didn’t buy a bottle . Then, when I was ready to buy, it just sort of seemed to disappear. Not a whole lot later, I found it on a discounter’s website, so I bought it and am really happy that I did.
That took me a long time to buy, too. For one think, it has limited distribution, an bottles available in the U.S. were expensive. I think it was the recent change in packaging that made me hunt in earnest.
My slow burn is more a note than an actual perfume for me, and that’s the amber note. In my early perfume days I had no tolerance for amber scents and so I started off with Prada’s l’eau ambree and now my collection includes Ambre Russe among other amber powerhouses. I find this scent cozy and just perfect for fall and into winter.
Oh, you know same here for amber, and that’s a great idea for slow burn. I couldn’t really think of any perfumes where I really changed my mind on whether or not I’d enjoy wearing it, but definitely there are notes I’m coming around on and amber’s def one.
Aside from those that I haven’t succeeded in finding yet 😉 I spent the most time searching for vintage Caron En Avion. It was much more difficult to find and win than Tabac Blond. Oddly, there are TWO on ebay today (at much more than I paid, though),
I haven’t tried to open it yet, partly because the cap is puzzling, and partly because I also have a less old but easy to open bottle. I was wise to wait, as I can see from the current ebay listings that you have to slide off the metal sleeve in order to be able to turn the stopper. Now I hesitate to the seal…
I feel En Avion is underrated. I’ve sampled the current version, which is not as rich as the old perfume is worthwhile in terms of maintaining some of the weirdness.
And what I am actually wearing is Le Labo Ylang 49. I keep coming back to that sample… it could turn out to be a slow burn.
This is a scent I associate with my grandmother. I always imagine her packing her trunk and moving across the world from Europe to New Zealand with this perfume. I have strong associations of this scent with being allowed to look through her jewellery box, or going on drawing expeditions with her, or trips to the museum….those kind of pocket adventures you have as a child that linger in your memory. I loved how the perfume was complex and spicy but also sharp….like her intelligence. Thanks for reminding me of this. I wonder if my love of classic perfume and orientals are a kind of genetic memory link.
I wouldn’t be surprised. What wonderful memories, and what an amazing woman she must have been. En Avion was the perfect choice.
I keep getting the feeling I should try this. But I haven’t had good luck with Carons and my skin chemistry, so I hesitate….
Just a little sample… 😉 And you could try it on paper, too, just to entertain the nose.
Mine is Rive Gauche. I ignored it for years, but about five years ago I spritzed it randomly as I was walking past the YSL counter. To my surprise I recognised it immediately. It reminded me of someone I once knew, but – frustratingly – I could not remember who. Someone from my childhood, an older woman who had left me with the memory of someone trying too hard to be elegant and using a lovely perfume to make up for an otherwise rather ordinary character. So I had a three way reaction to Rive Gauche – appreciation of its quality, personal dislike of it nevertheless, and also a tinge of embarrassment at the judgmental attitude my younger self had taken towards this person, whoever she was. I hope I can now exercise a bit more tolerance and understanding for people around me, but the young can adopt some very superior attitudes!
Anyway, since that spritz I have occasionally tried it again sometimes in store, always wondering who that woman was, until a generous Facebook friend sent me a sample of vintage Rive Gauche. Then I would actually live with the stuff, and I did. Gradually the memory began to wear thin; it was never a strong memory anyway, just an impression.
Finally I bought a large decant of modern Rive Gauche (a bit hissy in the top notes but still wonderful). Even then I wore it slowly. Finally in the last month or so I’ve really started to love it. I’m blowing through that decant pretty fast now. Repeated wearing has now effaced the memory of that ghostly woman . I never think of her when I smell Rive Gauche now.
Rive Gauche to me is in the same league as Chanel No 19, which I’ve worn for years. The glittery metallic quality differentiates it from other greens and chypres, I think. Nor does it have the sour, winey quality that other rose fragrances have for me.
Looks like I’m talking myself into a FB doesn’t it – probably at least 30 years since I first smelled it, not knowing what it was.
Wonderful perfume, wonderful story – yes, you should!
Yes indeed, except that I’m saving for a FB of Lutens’ A la Nuit. 🙁 Oh well, I have decants of each so plenty of time to decide.
Love yours story, and yes the young can be quite judgmental. Love Rive Gauche, although I don’t own a bottle.
Totally forgot about it being Friday and went with nice and easy Wood Sage and Sea Salt. But if I had remembered I may have gone with Eau de Merveilles, which I thought was really strange but now has been on the buy list for a least 6 months.
The only shop selling L’artisan in my locale was discontinuing the line and I bought a 50ml of Bois Farhine (one of the few that was left) at a good price. I generally like nutty notes and peoples’ descriptions of it always sounds so appealing, but my nose seems to register only only a dry salty desiccated peanut butter. I am hoping I will eventually grow into it!
My most dramatic turn around was for Guerlain’s Vetiver. It went from a scrubber, about 4 years ago, to a I-can’t-function-without-this! I ascribe part of the reason to slight changes in formula – my favorite is the most recent tall rectangular bottle.
Another slow burn was for Infusion d’Iris edp. I tried it, once in a while, for some months – and I couldn’t even smell it! Then I started liking Infusion d’Homme for a while. Then eventually I tried IdI again and started finding it increasingly appealing. It’s probably now my most used perfume and perhaps even my favorite iris.
Late to the game but I did end up putting something on today that probably qualifies as a slow burn–I dithered about Aerin Evening Rose for quite a while, feeling like the price was too much to pay for what it is (not really a showstopper, just the Goldilocks rose for me–not too light, not too dark, just right.) Almost pulled the trigger twice, but wound up glad I held off when someone in one of the Facebook groups put her partial bottle up for sale. I think I ended up paying $30 for 15ml which is as much as I wanted of the perfume, and also as much as I wanted to pay for it! Very happy ending.
I fell hard for the Amber Musk which still surprises me because it is just soooo not my thing but I bought a bottle and wear it happily.
Have been wanting a bottle of Sycomore since summer ’13. But someone remarked recently that while wearers love their vetivers, coworkers and family members often don’t. I was dreading possible flack from my husband.
So today I pulled out my Sycomore sample and stealthily (I thought) spritzed my wrists. In a mere minute or so my husband asked “What is that smell?” I told him and offered my wrist. “Ooooh…I love that!”
Problem solved. 🙂 Eager to get to Saks NOLA at Christmas.
Good for you!
I’m not a vetiver fan myself, but I am glad you and hubby feel the same about it.
Wearing Yves St. Laurent Cinéma edp, a bottle of which arrived just today from the Swapmeet. (Thank you, LisaInDenver!) I’d bought a decant on sale quite a while ago, and didn’t dislike it, but found it kind of meh. I’d read reviews that called it a vanilla and cinnamon comfort scent, but it seemed kind of wimpy to me, with a floral note (the mimosa, presumably) that I was unfamiliar with, and not sure I really liked. I wore it a couple of times and kind of forgot about it. I decided to try it again on a warmish day this summer, after I’d tried L’Artisan Mimosa pour moi and liked it but found it very fleeting, and went through almost all of my decant in short order. Cinéma really works better for me in warmer weather, when it blooms as a warm floral, as opposed to a light oriental. Of course, I like a big perfume, and I don’t think even I would wear it on a 100 degree day. But I’m happy to have a bottle (it’s a really pretty bottle, too), and as summer seems disinclined to really go away here in So. Cal., I should have at least another couple of weeks to make a dent in it.
I just swapped away a bottle of Cinema because it’s all mimosa all the time on me, and L..A. heat only amplified it. So fascinating the way different notes of the same juice bloom uniquely on each person.
I totally agree – when I used Cinema as an oriental type it was just disappointing, but when I had started appreciating yellow florals, and started wearing it in warmer temperatures it worked beautifully!
SOTD = Guerlain Cuir Beluga
Checking in very late…I just left Twisted Lily and I am on my way home. Twisted Lily hosted a Sniffapalooza event and I met up with coolcookstyle Daisy and ElisaP! I also met a perfumer Paula who currently sells her creations at the Brooklyn Flea Market. – I am excited to learn more about this line! I saw Leah whom I met at my first Spring Sniffapalooza last year, as well as a perfumista from New Hampshire named Banshee.
Since confession is good for the soul and makes the damage poll more bearable, I am confessing to buying 3 bottles: Isabey Lys Noir, Patricia de Nicolai Ambre Cashmere Intense (enabler pin to my dearest Lucas) and Rania J. Ambre Loup (enabler pin to clarissa). I also scored a bunch of samples – Maria Candida Gentile Lady Day, Tauer Sotto La Luna Tuberose, Carner Barcelona Palo Santo and Francis Kurkjian Aqua something or other.
I will be purchasing something at Bergdorfs tomorrow. I will be using gift cards so it is free!
Wait, the challenge. So technically Cuir Beluga was not a slow burn – it was just not remarkable when I smelled it on paper at Saks a few years ago. At the first NST Splitmeet, I got a decant from Daisy and then I was hooked.
For my more realistic slow burn, it would have to be FM Carnal Flower. Peeps, I was skeered to try it! I got a sample at Bergdorfs and sat on it for many months. I finally got the courage to try ONE sprtiz and it overwhelmed (ha! It was summer), then I tried it in winter and HELLO! It was like smelling a florist’s fridge! I ended up getting a decant (which I am still working through) from a basenotes splitter and I have a back up travel spray. I glanced at the decant this morning – does that count?
Sounds like you had a ball!
Carnal Flower is another I have come round to 🙂
My definition of slow burn today is the slow burn of unceasing true love. When I was in high school in SF I got a job as a Macy’s SA just so I could play with perfume and cosmetics and get the discount.
In those two years before college, I fell in love with Shalimar, Chanel #5, Dioressence and Rive Gauche. Now, several decades later, I adore them all still, and wear them with great happiness (vintage when I can find it). New flirtations come and go, but those four always stay.
One new challenge to the love affair though, is the old lady aspect. When I began wearing those four, I was a teenager, it was the late ’70’s and none of the four fragrances were considered young even then. It was kind of contrarian to wear them and I liked that. Now however, I am solidly middle-aged and the “maturity” and old-fashioned aspects of each of those scents is – if I’m honest – not exactly enhancing.
Perhaps if I were part of a couple it would not bother me, but as a single woman in her 50’s, I really don’t enjoy the “old lady smell” comments that made me laugh when I was a teen. I will always enjoy smelling “my four” though.
I enjoy my vintage and classic scents more at home, anyway, when I have time to appreciate them. Usually, I wear lighter scents in public, or none at all. It’s not so much about my image as appropriateness to the occasion and not invading other people’s space with heavier perfumes. In the days when those perfumes came out, smoking was prevalent, and they had to hold their own against the strong smell of tobacco. Urban air pollution has declined, too. People’s sense of smell is more acute these days, with cleaner air.
I forgot to say, great choices!
Do you know, I find Dioressence very contemporary somehow – the sort of scent that people would fall over to buy if it was released by a niche seller. Granted, I never smelled it back in the day.
I know what you mean though about the potential ageing effects of some of the classics though. I can’t really wear EL’s Beautiful for that reason.
It’s nice that you got to enjoy them when you were able to scoff at the detractors – I can see how one might be less keen on wearing a scent when one could be easily assimilated into a negative stereotype.
This has been a fun thread to finally sit down and read.
SOTD is my new Hermes ambre d’ merveilles- received yesterday from a lovely nst swapper!!
But I digress, the slow burn is Guerlain Encense mythique. As many of you know, if was created and available in Dubai and a few other Mideast locations. The fragrance stores in Saudi Arabia OMG if I knew then what I know now…
Anyway, I couldn’t find the fragrance anywhere, tried Harrods when I heard that was a possibility, went to the Guerlain Pavilion at Epcot at Disney in Florida which was a place I don’t want to be. The sales assistants sighed and said no and they had no locations; I did leave with a beautiful bottle of Bois d’ Armenie. Several months later I was checking out the fragrance department here in Southern California south coast plaza Nordstrom and there was a bottle of Encense mythique on the sample tray!!
I put on my eyeglasses to check for certain and then started to spray and the bottle was bone dry. Dry. I asked the SA if they had another bottle or tester. She didn’t know and offered to call the Guerlain buyer. The buyer called me later that day and said alas, there would be no testers, but they could procure one from France, I said no because I really wanted to buy it untested. Months later, my sister and I met up in NYC for some shopping and the 45th anniversary of the Allman Brothers concert. We went to Aedes for certain, where I left with a bottle of Agonist Dark Saphir. When we headed to the airports my sis headed to La Guardia and I headed to JFK. And there it was at the duty free spot in terminal 3 along with a boat load of others!!! I had 10 minutes to get on my plane. One sniff and the credit card was out and the bottle was mine!!! And I love it. And if I shared the story of the Hermes bracelet with elephants on it ..Oye ve!
what a great story! I’m so happy it ended well.
Haha, Azemour les Orangers! I tried it multiple times after I received it in my Olfactif sampler and thought it smelled like rotting orange rind! I also wasn’t used to chypres at that point, and I traded it away.
However, I knew I must be missing something because Robin kept talking about it, and was feeling slightly sad I let it go — finally it came back to me in another trade (probably not the same one) and realized I was totally wrong! Now I love it (and wouldn’t mind a bottle!). 😀
My longest to love was John Varvatos Artisan. When it first came out I got excited by the review on here and decided to buy it unsniffed. But I thought it was harsh, like detergent, so I sold it on. Then a couple of years later I tried it again in duty free and really liked it, so a few months after that, I bought a bottle… and barely touched it. After a long time, I rediscovered it during a hot spell, and it just seemed perfect to me, for that time and that weather, and I wore it everyday. I was completely infatuated for that whole summer.
I was surprised to see when flying recently, that it was still widely available, and was even on top ten best seller displays. I knew it had flankers but I’d assumed they were “2nd attempts”, to try and leverage the name and bottle design of a not very popular scent.