A repeat of a poll we did in 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2019: tell us about your most-hated perfume, your most recent scrubber, nasty layering combinations you've discovered, perfumes you'd prefer to never smell again, or anything like.
Please, DO NOT read the comments if you're at all sensitive about your own perfume loves. Someone else is bound to hate them! If you do read, be gracious about other people's choices. This is meant to be lighthearted.
Note: top image shows the Kohler Transitional Single Control Faucet, $99 at Costco.
I’d be happy to never, ever smell Dior’s Poison again. Talk about an appropriate name.🤮 The flankers, Tendre and Hypnotic were aces, though.
Le Labo’s Santal 33 is a close second, although I don’t encounter it as much in Paris as I did when I lived in NYC.
I agree wholeheartedly with Santal 33 being a scrubber. I smelled like a dill pickle in that one. Didn’t work at all on my skin!
Whenever I smell it, in all its screechy, high-pitched glory, I reflexively look for the nearest exit! Its popularity is a source of unending discomfort.
I also got pure pickle out of Santal 33.
Yep, I got superpickle out of Santal 33.
I didn’t get pickle from Santal 33, but I did get a screeching headache.
I agree that Tendre is better than the original, but I also love the original.
I’m with ya on Poison.
Aw I adore Poison, but I didn’t live though its heyday.
I love poison but never would wear it. Santal le labo is a torturous spike to the medulla oblangata. My super annoying 43 yo cousin who thinks she’s 18 just discovered it a few years ago.
Totally agree about Poison.
Sayitisntso, you must have had a rough 80’s…that scent was EVERYWHERE. I love it, but know many people who couldn’t/can’s stand it.
Hypnotic Poison smelled like my dad’s achy muscle liniment to me. Such a bummer, since it had one of the best perfume bottles ever.
I need some of your dad’s achy muscle liniment
Ahhhhh 11 hours sweet sleep.
JM myhre and tonka had to run to restroom at Nordstrom to get off immediately comes to mind.
The same thing happened when I tried it at Sephora. There was no restroom so I tried to get it off with make up remover, lol.
we are so inventive.
I am with you on JM. This was not the worst scrubber on me, but makes the top 10 for sure.
agreed !
I’m amused by the collective dislike for JM Myrrh and Tonka. It is my mom’s current signature scent, and to me it smells good, but that could easily be bc she is the one wearing it, so positive associations. I’ve never tried it myself. I may have to steal a spritz now.
Having a lazy weekend here. Enjoying the temperature in the 20s, a bike ride and a cold drink in my hand right now. Also reading through the 3rd book in “His Dark Materials” series.
I don’t remember what my last scrubber was but I certainly didn’t enjoy Kilian Roses on Ice and Masque Ray-Flection 😔
I’m wearing Queen of the Night by Grandiflora today.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSRuvrBj5SZ/?utm_medium=copy_link
Gorgeous photo and perfume!
Thanks a lot
Wow! That photo is beautiful! ❤
I’m happy that you like it.
A lot of people hated “The Amber Spyglass” but I loved it. It really tied the stories together, and Mary Malone might be my favourite character in the entire series. I hope you like it too.
I’m halfway through the book and I like it so far.
I liked it but it was admittedly my least favorite. Oddly, although I do like the books better than the series, the series made me appreciate Mary Malone more.
You smell fantastic! I’m hoarding my sample and still trying to decide if I’m sophisticated enough for The Queen. 👑
Crossing my fingers that you make up your mind soon.
SL Participe Passe – it hung on for days and wouldn’t let me go!
I fear that this is the most basic of perfume questions but I’m going to throw it out there anyway. There is a smell that I associate with some cheap or more generic department store perfumes. For example, after reading about Dominique Ropion and loving many of his fragrances, I got a bottle of Chopard Enchanted. I knew that it wouldn’t be a particularly great fragrance given the price, etc. but the notes all sounded to my liking (plum, jasmine, patchouli). Low and behold, it has THAT smell!
Am guessing you dislike cashmeran, or too much cashmeran might be a better way to put it.
That makes sense. When I was looking at the notes again, I wondered about the cashmeran. It reminds me of an overly oaked wine. All I taste is the oak and not the other subtle notes/flavors.
I know exactly what smell you are talking about
Thank you! I don’t feel so crazy now.
Hello everyone!
I’m having a restful weekend in. I found a bottle of Shiseido-era Feminite du Bois this week so I have a single spray on as I tidy.
I don’t sample much enough for scrubbers (same have a pretty high tolerance) but the Floraiku rose made me roll my eyes hard.
Stay safe everyone.
OHHHH! Great find! I will join you wearing Feminite du Bois!
I found it in this store that has literally every discontinued rare perfume from the 80s and 90’s, but his pricing was absurd*. Yet the FdB was priced less than the Lutens version. Feeling lucky.
*He had a bottle of New West for Her for an eye-watering $500, and the 90’s Antaeus for $300. 🙃
New West was fantastic but not worth 500 dollars!
Wow, that store sounds like a museum!
Wow, I would look and sniff but that’s it. Although the Shiseido sounds like an absolute steal!
Those prices! YIKES!
Low these many years ago, I sprayed some low-end perfume in a K-Mart, remember those? I think it might have been Jaclyn Smith’s California. In five minutes I was having a full-blown massive allergic reaction, sneezing, runny burning eyes, running nose, itchy tongue and ears, hives on wrists – I ran to the bathroom and ran water on my arms where I had sprayed, and my face for a good twenty minutes. Ugh.
Oh no! How awful!
SL Le Participe Passe. I know many people love it, but my experience was terrifying! Never, ever again!
Happy weekend, everyone! 🌞
Ah! I remember that experience!
It joined my list of abominable scents, (sorry if anyone loves them) :
-Perris Monte Carlo Ambre Gris,
-Eldo Secretions Magnifique
and now
-SL Le Participe Passe.
I laugh, so many folks hate Secretions Magnifique and on me it’s leather and fuzzy kittens. Kingdom is the same.
More for you to enjoy, ST! 😀
Smokeytoes, I love it too. On me it’s the smell of my childhood, the Atlantic Ocean with a touch of cream. Definitely full bottle worthy.
I remember well your post about SM! That was one for the ages…
I know there have been others, but the scrubber that sticks most firmly in my memory is Imaginary Authors Bull’s Blood. Oh dear god, such a horror, and with such tenacity! SOTD is Cristalle EDT, and I’m, er, enjoying? the sounds of more demolition in the back yard. Goodbye, weed-infested paths! So long, non-functioning water feature! It will be ugly out there for a while as various crews get their various tasks accomplished, but it should be enjoyable again by mid-September.
Yes that was a horror!!! I think that was the only time I threw sample in the trash rather than try to re-use it
I have been determinedly working through my samples, and you know there are scrubbers among them. I don’t even have any specific names — perhaps I’ve blocked them out as a defence mechanism — but far too often I’ve experimentally put one on and recoiled in horror.
What I’m wearing right now is… well, remember those little booklets of wax samples Serge Lutens used to have? I got five in Paris in 2010, and I still have them, and they’re still good (the ones I haven’t used up), so I am wearing a smudge of Rose de Nuit. I know the wax damps down the top notes, but what’s underneath is so, so good, a heady, single-minded rose garlanded with greenery.
I don’t make a note of a horror unless there’s a good chance I’d be tempted to try it again, e.g. “That sounds like my ideal perfume!”, or “Prettiest bottle ever!”
Rose de Nuit is fabulous.
This is entirely body chemistry driven, but Shalimar, while glorious on others, is pure burnt rubber on me. I have to try it on once a year to make sure it still hates me. It does.
Every once in a while I get the burnt rubber.
I get petrol.
I did too on a more recent version. But for some reason I loved it!
I’ve just starting dipping my toes into Shalimar via rehomed samples of a few of the Vanille flankers and definitely got petrol from 2/3. Tried on the Souffle while dipping through The Bay today and got lemon petrol 😂
I get Porta-Potty and melted vanilla ice cream from Shalimar. We are never, ever, ever going to be friends.
ELO Secretions Magnifiques. I was placing a Luckyscent sample order and figured I’d see what all the fuss was about. It couldn’t be THAT bad, could it?
…yes. Yes, it could. (Gross description forthcoming) It smelled like a bloody Band-Aid that had fallen off in an overchlorinated swimming pool. I scrubbed it off and sent it to a similarly curious friend and she was also horrified. Oddly enough, we both had our significant others smell it (without telling them our opinions or any of the notes) and both the guys liked it!
ELO Secretions Magnifiques smells great on me, but imagine the difficulty I had explaining the notes to my MIL, when she asked what it was….
Yikes! I’d just call it a milky floral…
I actually like it too. It smells horrifying for about a minute if you rub it on your thumb, but turns into something nice after. I think a lot of people psyched themselves out with it. Most people haven’t smelled death or molten metal. It smells like neither, and I do love the smell of molten gold. It does have crazy longevity. I sore it to work once, and no one found it offensive.
I also thought I could find the beauty in it, but it was monstrous, unspeakable. That’ll teach me.
My bestie got a sample of that and live videoed me so I could see his reaction and it was also underwhelming although he did say it got worse as it went, finishing with “teenager sweat.” Yuck.
Blackberry and black current are terrible notes on me – they smell like cat urine. My mom begged me to scrub off my perfume when I tried her Blackberry and Bay cologne from Jo Malone. I was happy to comply!
Thanks so much for your condolences on Tuesday. They helped make a terrible day a little brighter. You are all such wonderful people!
My SOTD is Earth Mother – it’s cool and rainy, so I jumped at the chance to wear it and not gas myself out.
Sorry if this has already been posted, but I think this is great – a sample set of 5 Lush travel sprays is now available. https://www.lushusa.com/gifts/all-gift-sets/lush-classics/9999960748.html I hope they do this with the online exclusives that I would love to try but refuse to blind buy 100 ml!
I was just at LUSH earlier today. I got a bar of Sleepy. I did not even stop by the perfume section 😱. The only one I don’t have at least a travel spray of is Pansy. I agree that it’s a great gift set!
My last scrubber has at least cured me of blind buys, at long last. I thought I had tested AA Teazzura previously, but it must have just been on a blotter. On me it smelled like fibers from industrial carpeting -!
Fortunately, I was able to pass it along to a local perfume pal, and on her it smells relaxing and summery. I got the rest of the boring-to-her Meteorites and I don’t mind smelling like violet candy at all, especially considering the alternatives.
Industrial carpet – ugh!
Violet candy sounds good to me!
Industrial carpet is a new descriptor for me! Hope I don’t come across it.
I have quite a few scrubbers but here are some winners
1. SL Miel de Bois. OMG!!! I blind bought it and that was an absolute nightmare. The bottle leaked in transit and I had to keep the envelope in garage until trash day – I was afraid of putting into recycling for the fear is wild life ravaging the bins. My garage smelled for months!!!
2. A few years ago I started exploring ouds and attars. I ordered a few from this fairly reasonably priced fairly popular middle eastern vendor that gets good reviews. Each and everyone of them was a smelly nightmare.
3. LM Hard Leather. Just pure nightmare of raw leather. Others got rose, but none for me.
4. Dusita Oud Infini. Rose mixed with cow dang. I sprayed it while hosting a BBQ and cleared the room pretty quickly – everyone spent the rest of the time outside.
5. SL a la Nuit. People were opening window while riding in the car with me in the middle of winter.
6. Andy Tauer did our attar a few years ago. His work really agrees with my body chemistry but this one was another room cleaner.
7. Abovementioned JM Myrrh and Tonka. Just hits my nose with something so chemical.
The list can go on and on, although at this point I know what to be careful at, so there is less chance of me spraying myself with a scrubber. I have not encountered many scrubbers since pandemic because I have not been out trying fragrances.
Miel de Bois is SO polarizing, isn’t it? I loved it a first sniff and still do — I bought a bottle! — but it’s on the most-hated list of a lot of people.
I have a bottle too. I think it has made every scrubber poll we’ve done! And I do get why people dislike it.
It smells like dirty diapers on me. :-0
This list and meredifay’s physical reaction is why I don’t test on skin while out and about.
I’ve got a bell jar of Miel de Bois, I love it, but I can also see why a lot of people don’t. It leaked in my luggage, so I understand the effect on your garage
. I could get still get a trace when I ironed a cotton dress two years later.
A la Nuit a scrubber?????!?!?!?!?!?!?
Lol! I love it when you pop in kevtronic. You should do so more often 😀
Hahaha love your reviews!!
Hi all, happy Saturday! My SOTD is Shiseido’s Feminite du Bois extrait.
My scrubber was Secrete Datura by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier. It had nuclear staying power. No amount of alcohol, deodorant soap, and deodorant could remove it. I may have removed 20 layers of skin in the process.
You smell great!
OMG. I had a bottle of that, Secrete Datura, years ago. I miss it! Not enough to replace, but every once in a while I come across a perfume that goes flower to gourmand, and it gives me a pleasant reminder of wearing the SD years ago.
Oooh, I had a sample of Secrete Datura too! I liked it. Not enough for a bottle, but it was not a scrubber. It does have nuclear staying power though.
SOTD is box of eels edt. Hasn’t gotten enough love from me this summer.
PSA PSA no relation to house of many fragrances.
Ormond Jayne 20% off with SUMMER20. today and tomorrow.
You smell glorious and thank you for the tip!🥰
I recently tried pairing imaginary authors Sundrunk with lush’s Sun to see if I could get a slightly brighter citrus and oh my gosh no that did not work! Could not get it off fast enough! Currently wearing just the barest amount of saint Julep as it doesn’t last very long on me and I am seeing a friend with a sensitive nose later on today.
You might want to try Shawn Maher’s SunDazed. There is a ton of sun soaked Neroli note which is simply amazing. I am generally not a fan of Neroli but this one was something else. He sells samples as a set and you can find individual samples via American Perfumer.
Ooh, thank you for the recommendation! I’ll look into them the next time I need some samples!
Shalimar Eau de Cologne for me. I’ve put some of my scents in the ugly bookshelf and have discovered I’m missing some fragrances. Concerning. I thought I’d packed them all together. Of course, I didn’t do a full list. But I don’t see my bottle of Eli Saab L’Eau Couture, which makes me wonder what else might be missing. It’s not something I wear often, but sometimes I like to mix it with Kiss Me Intense. Hmmmm….
Une Rose Chypree is a scrubber on me. I despise Eau de Citron Noir. My husband sprayed it again in a Sephora a month or so ago. I turned up my nose, just as I did the first time he tried it over a year ago.
I didn’t like Citron Noir either. The guaiacwood note overwhelmed everything else.
Swiss Arabian Oud Abyad – bought in Morocco and wanted so much to love it and to remember a wonderful trip….but……I hate it!
I hated Citon Noir.
I’ll fourth it. Citron Noir came across as too peppery on me. May it was actually the guaiac that bothered me. Anyway, didn’t care for it at all.
I hope you find the missing bottles!!
Fingers crossed that your missing bottles turn up! 🤞
I think this will get me drummed off of NST, but I hate Chanel #5. I’ve tried to like it. I thought I would learn to appreciate it. I thought it would grow on me. Nope nope nope.
There is something about Chanels house base that just doesn’t work for me, I’ve never found a one I liked. Guerlain? I can wear almost everything from them, but Chanel is a massive fail on me. It really is individual skin PH.
I have a perfume friend who doesn’t like Chanel either. She thinks it’s the aldehydes. She can tolerate Sycamore.
No 5 smells like a urinal cake on me but I love it on others, like a golden aura. I prefer to wear the Eau Premiere myself.
Was just going to suggest Eau Premiere!
I feel like I should start a project to find your perfect Chanel 😆.
Yikes!
Have you tried Coromandel??
I dislike most Chanels and love most Guerlains as well.
I’m with you on not liking Chanel No 5. I’ve realised that I’m just not that fond of aldehydic perfumes. Some work, but others smell soapy.
I have a hard time with a lot of Chanel also. In fact, my most recent scrubber-adjacent experience was with Paris Edimbourg. I was able to resist scrubbing it off, and it was even nice at first, but it just turned into something unpleasant on my skin.
I also dislike #5, but have had some good success with #19. Sycomore is pretty good, but Coromandel was a bit too much.
Chanel No 5 is a no go for me too. However, No 19 is heavenly.
I’m an aldehyde hater too.
You aren’t the only one who doesn’t like No. 5!
A few years ago Brent Leonesio of Smell Bent did an experimental fragrance called Accident. It was supposed to smell like an auto accident and largely succeeded. I picked up notes of rubber, blood, Band-aid, something that gave the impression of glass, asphalt, and aftershave (from the imagined EMT). I appreciated it as an art piece but thought it was unwearable as a fragrance.
Today I’m wearing Messe de Minuit.
This reminds me of someone’s (can’t remember who) comment on the sitcom CP, for David from Schitt’s Creek who bought the perfume that smelled like the aftermath of a car crashing into a tree.
That was me!
The frag was Chris Rusak’s After Every Ounce of Joy (Leaves My Body) or AEOOJ(LMB).
Very interested to try this. I like the idea of scent as conceptual art, and given that I’ve already tried one frag that is meant to smell like a car crash, I’m interested to try a second so I can compare them. I agree with you though, it is not something I’d want to wear.
Beaufort 1805 was memorable, in that it made me gag. Vero Onda and Lavs Io-whatever both gave me allergy attacks complete with a metallic taste in the mouth. Le Galion Chypre gives me an instant headache, as do several Mugler Alien flankers. But my most recent unscrubbable scrubber was Spicebomb Night Vision. Doesn’t just the name tell you that it will be bad? Yes it was. Take every masculine mallrat scent, dial it up to 11, add nuts. Ugggggggggh
SOTD is Smell Bent St Tropez Dispenser Gold, which is hands-down my favorite sunscreen scent.
…and now it’s time to close up the house and turn on the air purifiers, according to PurpleAir and my scratchy throat. It’s another smoky day here.
That whole Beaufort line was unwearable, I ordered the sample kit when it first launched, ugh.
You sent that one to me!!!! I put it on my skin!!!! (But in fairness, I think I passed it on to someone else . . .
) I am laughing. Laughing!
Pixel!! – “Take every masculine mallrat scent, dial it up to 11, add nuts. Ugggggggggh” — I’m dying laughing: now I **must** try it!! I remember noting that name when Fragrantica featured it – thought it was a marketing department’s brain dump!
SOTD = Bortnikoff Tabac Dore
… from a basenotes split. Ashtray tobacco, but I do need to wear it again at hajusuuri levels.
No new scrubber rants and it’s probably because I generally don’t test on skin.
In the good news front, I was pleasantly surprised to win a $250 gift card to Brighton Collectibles! There was a 6 week promotion where you have to show up at the store once a week and each visit counts as an entry to the grand prize (VIP trip to headquarters in CA) and 1 winner per store of the gift card. Since it was not difficult to show up, I made sure to max out my chances and it paid off!
We got a note at work regarding our pandemic stance. No change in frequency of going in to the office other than extending the assessment period for hybrid working. Vaxxed and un-vaxxed have to wear masks again unless one can remain socially distanced. Un-vaxxed will need to be tested at least twice a week and can also not attend meetings / conferences with 25+ people. Just imagine the outcry from the employees. The note was issued on Friday and it took a few hours for the company to shut down comments; it’s not a good look when we also all just got an email about enhancements to our Diversity & Inclusion program, which will now be called Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. In any case, some of the comments made sense such as if the Delta variant is also impacting the vaxxed, why aren’t they being tested as well? Overall, the message was tone deaf again and there’s no acknowledgement that we’ve mandated returning to the office too soon and that perhaps the better answer is to push back the rollout. I am enjoying the 1-2x going into the office other than the commute and having tomdodge the homeless in certain parts of the city.
I’m sorry, but it’s all just a bunch of crap. If you’re doing the same job at home, why go back to an office? It’s just so backwards to demand people come back in. No reason at all for me to ever go back to an office in the job I do. Not living my current employer, but I’ll never go back to an office. I’m not client facing, no reason to be in an office other that maintaining a sense of control. I’m not worried about my health, just no need to ever deal with office politics again.
In-office, sure, but the politics is there no matter what. I am not customer facing either and have the flexibility. I do feel bad for the ones who cannot work remotely.
It’s just so backwards. I worked at home back in 2005, and it was good then. I’ve had three interviews, all demanding 100% in office as soon as they can. Sorry, but I’ve had a second taste of freedom, and I’m not going back. Nevermind the free internet my employer gets from me. It’s such a win for everyone.
It’s employment at will so employees are free to leave if things don’t go the way they expect. One person in the office is leaving in 2 weeks to work at another company via 100% remote work. His group was going in 3x a week.
Yay you for the gift card win! That’s a pretty generous prize.
I’m sorry about the office woes.
Thank you. I was really pleasantly surprised at the win! The office will hopefully right itself.
This must have been the week for tone-deaf COVID-related emails from the higher-ups. We have received two (one yesterday, one a week ago Friday) from our very new second-in-command, who is also my immediate boss. Not a good start.
I know, right? This one came from the highest ranks of the organization.
I fear this will end in a segregated society. Hopefully more enlightened heads will prevail. Meanwhile congrats on your win!
Thanks. You’re right about the segregation. Also, there are many reasons why some people have decided they don’t want the vaccine and to automatically group them as “x” is wrong.
What a great win, congratulations! I looked them up, and they have some really pretty stuff.
They do! I first encountered this line in Oregon and used to do mail order only.
Congrats on your gift card win!
Thank you, especially since it was a complete surprise!
Hooray for the win!
Thanks!
Congrats on that win! I’d rather have that than the trip….
We think alike!
My off and on yuzu quest incented me to blind buy PdE Yuzu Fou. It was a cumin bomb on me that I was happy to swap off to an NSTer and her hubby who both loved it.
SL Jeux de Peau just smelled like the maple syrup instant oatmeal packets of my childhood on me. Thankfully it was only a sample!
I hate to list this one as so many love it, but Jungle L’Elephant was heinously strong on me. It was just too much of everything. Now, why I love a biggie like Opium but not JLE, I have no idea.
I’m in Molecule 01 + Mandarin from a sample. It’s very close to Orange Sanguine to my nose, very juicy and fun. Since I have OS, don’t need this one. But it is fun! 🍊
I don’t get along with l’elephant either. I had high hopes and the disappointment was intense
But the bottle is just so cute! I have a mini
LOL 😂
I also got the maple oatmeal vibe from Jeux de Peau, but I loved it and bought a bottle. Too funny!
Jungle is the only perfume my H has asked me to scrub
Your Jeux de Peau description brought flashbacks of when I tested it myself: I had a childhood friend who ate French toast with salt & pepper, which is what JdP smelled like to me – add in eating said F toast in a smoke-filled cafe.
I finally stopped into L’occitane. Got a lotion of Herbae. Smells a lot like Jo Malone Blackberry and Bay at a somewhat lower price.
Interesting!
I buy lots of samples, so am happy to be adventurous – it’s only a few dollars. There have been lots and lots that don’t appeal to me, and only a few absolute shockers over the years. I tried something recently that actually made me feel nauseous, that hadn’t happened before!
On a much more pleasant note, I tried the two new Amouages yesterday. They are both really nice, but I wouldn’t rave. Material is a light amber, and Boundless is a bit spicy with a citrusy opening. I’d happily wear them both if they fell in my lap.
Did you get samples for testing at home? 😉
Sadly not, some places are not very generous with samples. I had planned to walk by again today, but the weather has turned horrible – this is a day for indoors.
Those Amouages sound pleasant, look forward to trying them.
Back from my travels and happy to report that I bought a bottle of Chanel No5 Eau Premiere along the way. I really really can’t stand No5, so I was really surprised when I liked this sniffing at the duty free and was able to find a 50 ml bottle on the way back. I would have preferred a smaller size but as it turns out this is a fleeting scent, so have to constantly reapply!
As for scrubbers – the entire Dior exclusive line. Ugh. Not for me.
Congrats on the Eau Premiere!
Thanks!
Will you be going to a warmer climate again this winter?
I really wish but alas remote work is over for us. But hopefully I can get away for a short vacation
Eau Premiere is fabulous!
I’m really enjoying it
The OG No. 5 and I have never clicked, either. And I’m OK with that.
I’ve never encountered some of the more extreme scents people are listing; the two scrubbers that come to mind fir me are Daisy and Philosophy’s Falling in Love. I like both for about two minutes, and then, YUCK. With FIL I am pretty sure it’s the blackberry note. Not sure what goes off in Daisy.
You just saved me from blind buying FIL! I saw it for a great deal, but won’t risk it now.
I also hate Daisy!
Philosophy perfumes have never worked for me, either.
We’re home from camping (so much fun!) and I’m clean and wearing my Jean Nate after bath splash. I’m excited about my garden harvest – lots of basil ready and peppers, tomatoes and zucchinis coming.
Let’s see. I don’t have that many scrubbers, but I sample a lot and find lots of “meh.” Scrubbers of the past were Angel, and other patchouli heavy fragrances, Profumum Acqua di Sale, too much sea/salt, and anything super potent.
Wish I had a good sunny spot for tomato growing. Even the “gourmet” store-bought ones have been disappointing this year.
Read somewhere that a great way to elevate a BLT is to swap out the lettuce for fresh basil.
Nice idea on the basil! I also like to add avocado for a BLAT. Interestingly, my tomatoes have done way better here (Seattle) than they did when we lived in Colorado with more sun.
Love Jean Nate! I used to use the body powder.
I’m kind of amazed by how complex it smells when I splash on enough of it. Really great.
I’m with you in finding lots of “meh.”
They always sound so promising, but then… the letdown.
Tomatoes are hit or miss for me this summer at the grocery stores. Usually I can find something tasty at this time of year without any problem.
Bogue Douleur stands out as the most vile scrubber ever, I was frantic to get the sickly sweet vomit smell off me asap. Serge Noire gets honorable mention for being the most foul BO smell imaginable, I walked it immediately outside to the trash bin sealed in a ziploc bag.
Wearing PHI Rose de Kandahar.
That was what came to my mind as well. Douleur. Horrible. I mean like seriously not a scent but a sort of toothpaste and rot jumble from hell. But there were others by MEM that were nearly as traumatic. Maybe Maai? I can’t remember now.
Agree with you ladies on Doleur and Doleur 2. Big fan of Bogue thou, so both MEM and MAAI are favs!
Ah! Meant Bogue! I like MEM actually too.
I think my least favorite I have worn this year was Midnite Special. I kept it on in the hopes it would improve but alas it did not. Everyone around me that day agreed as well. I told them it was just one sample and no one will ever have to smell it again.
Today’s soup: Coco Mademoiselle. Not a scrubber. But very strong – I used up 2 samples!
That is a lot of Coco Mad
I never spray anything on until I’ve smelled it on a card first. I haven’t rushed out to try much lately but being an Hermès fan I try to sample the newer ones out of curiosity. Citron Noir, Le Jardin Sur La Lagune and H24 would all have been scrubbers – there is something bitter and acrid in these three scents. The sample cards got tossed very quickly!
I agree on all three counts.
Good, I did not like Citron Noir or Lagune so will skip H24 since you both agree.
Citron Noir was a scrubber for me too.
It takes a lot for something to register as “scrubber” for me. Even when I don’t like something, I find myself sort of enjoying exploring the weirdness. Occasionally I’ll try something lying about on a perfume counter in a department store, and then really regret my choice. It has been so long since I have been in a department store, however, that no particular perfume comes to mind. A long time ago I had a very bad encounter with Coco Noir (other people complained about me in a shoe store that I had stepped into.) after applying it in Nordstrom’s. And, it gave me a headache. But among my all time worst perfume encounters was with MEM’s Douleur!2. I felt like crying!
I am in the opposite of the MEM today, a perfume that has such an edgy name but is in fact a little, blue-eyed kitten of a jasmine scent, Nuit de Cellophane.
You smell lovely!
I know. I am sorely tempted to buy a full bottle of this peachy floral. An NSTer sent me this decant. I almost said don’t bother, so underwhelmed by SLs have I been of late. I can see how if someone was expecting an edgy, cellophane nights-evoking scent, they would find this bauble missing a lot. But minus the SL PR, it is pretty.
And when I say MEM, I mean Bogue. Oy!
A blue-eyed kitten of a scent sounds really hard to resist!
My list:
Poison
Poeme
Eternity
Diva
White Diamonds
Giorgio
Opium
Michael (Kors)
Truth or Dare
Fracas
Blonde
Sounds like BWFs and you don’t get along at all.
So true, Jalapeno. Dislike gardenia, jasmine, tuberose, neroli, and vanilla.
Not long many scrubbers for me, but one of the Burberry fragrances was one, can’t remember if it was Brit or another one. I think it was a yuzu note that got to me. I tried a cheapie at Target a few weeks ago, a definite scrubber. I think it was Crystal Rose.
Interesting, I think of Brit as so easy-going!
My 2 recent scrubbers are Angel Nova, which smells fruity for 3 seconds and then attacks you with ambroxan. The other one is Jennifer Lopez Promise, which is just a mess of black pepper. I also hate the whole MMM Replica line. I recently tried the new Autumn Vibes, and it was too woodsy masculine for me. I did like Lipstick On many years ago, but it wasn’t a $100 like.
Today I wore Vanilla Farfulue. Its so muggy here, I needed something crisp and soapy.
I don’t like any of the Replicas either, they all smell synthetic in a bad way.
I’m with you too about the Replica perfumes, also overpriced I think.
We’re both in the “Nope!” camp for Replica.
Anything sweet violet is a scrubber for me – Jul et Mad Stilletoes on Lex was like an ice pick between the eyes – but one of my biggest scrubbers was Mugler Alien. I know so many people love it but I don’t get jasmine, just plastic coated grape kool-aid.
I love Alien, but I am always surprised when other people like it.
Clinks Alien bottles; I don’t reach for it often, but my older bottle sings “I am a wonderful perfume” arias to me and makes me want to wear it more.
Just catching up on some comments on my last day of vacation. I can’t stand anything that’s heavy on tuberose. Tuberose just suffocates. Currently in some vintage no 5 edt right now. Not sure what I will be wearing after my shower though.
Enjoy your last vacation day Dawn!
A few months ago, I blind-bought a mini bottle of Worth Je Reviens. Horrible! I’ve heard the new formula is very different from the original, and I hope that’s true, because otherwise I can’t imagine how that odor could have been popular once upon a time.
I also have a small bottle of Bulgari Black that I’m trying to appreciate (at least I know what it smells like now!), and my mini bottle of Angel from the early 2000s is still very full. I’m glad I know what it smells like, but I never want to wear it.
I tried to jump on the Bvlgari bandwagon, but just couldn’t. My male coworker wears it though, and it smells great on him.
BB has never tempted me, it sounded weird, but it is loved by many.
Black gave me a terrible headache the one and only time I ever tried it.
A vintage Je Reviens is not the same as, especially, the 1980’s edt.
Good to know! I’ll try it if I ever find a vintage version.
Two scrubbers I remember very well are PR Lady Million and Dior Sauvage, they left me traumatised, it was something in their base especially and while sometimes I forgive a so-so opening I can never stand a bad drydown. Obviously they didn’t need me to be popular.
I’m in Hanae Mori ‘Butterflies’ parfum, I got a BUB (sigh).
Agreeing with your scrubbers!
We agree about many perfumes 😀
I definitely didn’t like Lady Million, but I don’t recall it reaching scrubber status.
I was taken by surprise as it’s supposed to be mass appealing as a designer fragrance, but I adore Calandre.
Songs of the Day: https://youtu.be/a1dXRszirZA
https://youtu.be/4V90AmXnguw
What do these 2 videos have in common? Oddly enough, they are both kind of in sync with this Weekend Poll, and that is purely by coincidence.
No scrubbers for me recently, thank goodness! Historically, though: the entire line of Clean perfumes, Bvlgari Black, Shalimar, and nearly all of the MMM Replicas. The only Replica that didn’t bug me is the discontinued “Tea Escape”, which reminds me of green tea flavored Pocky.
SOTWeekend = Reminiscence Patchouli EdT, from a brand new bottle. I’m digging it!
You smell amazing! Reminiscence Patchouli is a classic for good reason.
Thank you allo! I am absurdly pleased that I got my hands on a bottle for an excellent price.
Those songs are a blast from the past 😃
Congratulations on your new bottle, I got it too some months back, you smell great, such a rich, earthy patchouli.
Thanks Aurora! The bottle is a nice heavy one, with elegant lines, too. Reminiscence did an excellent job all around with Patchouli. But it is for SERIOUS patch lovers only!
Pocky lemming – maybe the Green Tea will help me understand Pocky’s popularity. Stopping by Asian market next week! Also, you’ve never found a Shalimar love??? Not even the vintage ’80’s lemony edt?
Nope, never have gotten along with Shalimar. Back when I was about kindergarten-aged, I took an experimental sniff from one of my aunt’s bottle of Shalimar and recoiled in horror. I have no idea what concentration it was (it was a clandestine sniff).
Vincent Price!
Yep! I *knew* that you would notice that! 🎈✨🎊🏆
SotD Montale Intense Cafe from a travel spray gifted by a wonderful NST along with a swap, I believe. Speaking of swaps, some other wonderful NST’ers know that the very few perfumes in my collection I found unwearable were: Fille en Aiguilles, L’Elephant, and Participe Passe. Those kind of spice bombs (note to self to try Spicebomb) rank right up there with Cinnamon Brooms, the sillage of the Yankee Candle Store, and other “Christmas” scents as Not. My. Thing!! Having said that, I will add I have never actually scrubbed. I have perfume-eating skin and a determined and positive nature that make me *want* to like whatever I’ve spritzed. But those three just gave me the feeling I was a dog in the manger for someone who would love them, so best to pass them on.
Also, I love Poison, Alien, Giorgio, Margaretha Ley, and other notable room-clearers I’m not thinking of right now. I must be mad, because I also found Serge Noir and Arabie delightful, so spicy in and of itself is not the problem. I love reading everyone’s scrubbers!
I can sort of see (sniff?) similar spicy notes in FeA and L’Elephant. My bottle of the Elephant is hopefully mellowing out and maturing as it hangs out in my Perfume Wardrobe.
Wearing Diptyque Tempo today to continue painting the house. Ran out of paint so I’m done for the day. More later this week.
Fwiw, I am really mad on your behalf with that seller and realtor.
Thank you lillyjo, I appreciate your support. It’s taken me a few weeks to calm down and stop crying, but I’m finally coming to terms with it.
Nuit de Bakelite was a scrubber for me. Something in it was too sharp and sour on my skin. I tried it on the same day or shortly after the start of our last split meet, and someone (Allo, IIRC) was hosting a split so I didn’t want my comments on it to be too harsh because 1) clearly some NSTers really liked it, and 2) I didn’t want to hamper a successful split. But oh man, that frag did not agree with me AT ALL!
Sadly, I had a similarly diagreeable note in Kierin’s Sunday Brunch, which I had wanted to love bc 1) I am a Mathieu Nardin fangirl, and 2) I was hoping if I got it, it would be a good stand in for Tea Tonique, which he did for Miller Harris and which I can’t find in the US for a reasonable price (they have a similar profile). But now I’m guessing I wouldn’t like TT either.
Worst case of vile BO was Frederic Malle Orange Bigarat. Iewwwww
Also horrible to me -but no scrubber because I would never want it on my skin – is the original female version of Jean Paul Gaultier. Makes me sick.
SOTD is Memo French Leather. Thinking of buying a travelspray of this lemony beauty.