Unusual or love/hate perfume suggestions

[PatriciaBateman]

I'm just really starting to get into perfumes (serious sample collection habit forming), and would be grateful for some suggestions from the more experienced than me that'll be just about everyone.

I like perfumes that provoke a strong reaction and/or smell very unique. My oldest favourite has always been Poison, and now I'm finding Alien very interesting (at first hated it, now starting to love it).

Anyway, I'm looking for more ideas to start a cohtroversial olfactory relationship with. Any suggestions much appreciated, the more extreme/unusual the better!

[Mungobungo]

I love the smell of poison, but on me it smells like cat piss. In fact most of Dior perfumes smell bad on me. Must be some weird chemistry going on.

[SilentlyScreamingAgain]

KENZO's Jungle L'elephant it's sort of a mixture of sex and burnt rubber:

www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Kenzo/Kenzo-Jungle-L-Elephant-70.html

This is like being hit in the face by a bunch of white flowers and old pants but in a good way:

www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Frederic-Malle/Carnal-Flower-1024.html

YSL's Nu the original formulation is like a sweet, damp, rotting smell but, again, it's amazing and would never be confused with anything else.

Fracas, a screaming floral:

www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Robert-Piguet/Fracas-2299.html

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

I'll throw in D'zing which smells like a circus and bulgari black which is vanilla and rubber tyres. Coromandel smells like lacquered wood.

Aziyade is like Jungle amped up and covered in dried fruit.

[mistermagpie]

I was coming on to say Jungle L'elephant! Although to me it's like Christmas pot pourri and tyres!

Have you tried anything by Byredo OP? Some real love/hate ones in their collection (not cheap though). Black saffron is my favourite, on me it smells like raspberries and leather,

[suchafuss]

Dioressence by Dior smells like leather and cigar smoke to me. I love it!

[SilentlyScreamingAgain]

If you don't want to be asked to leave restaurants Sheseido's Zen is subtle but disturbing.

[hollinhurst84]

D'zing is beautiful! Bizarre defintely
4160 Tuesday's does sample sets, they're v different to mainstream perfume

[MixedUpConfusion]

Womanity by Thierry Muglar. I love it, nobody else i know does.

[hollinhurst84]

I love womanity! Really unusual

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

Etat libre d'orange does plenty of weird scents. Like Fat Electrician I think they do a discovery set. Also recommend parfum d'empire and Andy Tauer for out of the ordinary smells.

[Loyly]

Like whatthefox said, try ELDO. Sécrétions Magnifiques is definitely the controversy you're looking for!

I love Womanity too.

[PatriciaBateman]

Thank you so much! Adding all of these to my sample wishlist. DH hasn't got me a Christmas present yet, so I'll present him with a "helpful" list. Can't wait!

[SilentlyScreamingAgain]

Don't buy any whole bottles. You've been recommended some of the Class As of the perfume world, take it slowly with samples and decants. Be careful out there.

[0nline]

You'll probably have to get from the perfume parlour (or similar) cos it was discontinued years ago, but New West is worth a sniff.

It smells like... the sea. In the summer. On a really good day.

I was walking past a perfume counter back in the early 90s when I started sniffing and followed my nose. First proper perfume I ever bought. Still wear it, but a dupe because genuine bottles go for eye watering sums on ebay.

I've gone a bit bonkers since discovering perfume parlour. Enjoying Eurolfa by Creed on husband, which is what he was wearing when we met 20 years ago. And Black Violets, Black Orchid and Jasmine Rouge (Tom Ford) are arriving in big spray bottle form soon (I hope). I got samples on a whim last time I ordered and loved all three.

I seem to have very expensive taste in perfume. I ordered loads of stuff I have loved for years. Classics like Beautiful, Diorrissimo, Coco etc. But the Creed and Tom Ford blew the rest out of the water. They smell all ... complicated and magical.

[PatriciaBateman]

Be careful out there

Haha, oh don't worry. I only had to read as far as "smells like a circus" and "damp, rotting smell" to realise how controversial it seems it can actually get out there! This is right up my alley though, so I'm very much looking forward to my 1 ml samples.

Also this "complicated and magical" sounds perfect. I like dark, sort of real smells, so "old pants, sex, and rubber tyres" sound intriguing. Will definitely be trying Sécrétions Magnifiques too.

[0nline]

I like dark, sort of real smells

Not the Jasmine Rouge, but both Black Violets and Black Orchid I would describe as dark.

They smell nothing like Poisen. But imagine that Poisen is a teenager, well BV and BO are Poisen who grew out of punching people in the face, and moved on, older and wiser, into hypnotising them instead. Darkly. In a complicated fashion. With an elusive note I can't place, but has me sniffing myself somewhat relentlessly. Which I suggest you watch out for, cos people in the supermarket can get all raised eyebrow about it.

[Winterc00kie]

Elie Saab - la parfum xx

[Dizzybintess]

Vivienne Westwood boudoir is stunning

[PatriciaBateman]

Poisen who grew out of punching people in the face, and moved on, older and wiser, into hypnotising them instead

I'm in love with this description. #1 on the wish list now! Many thanks!

[0nline]

Womanity by Thierry Muglar. I love it, nobody else i know does

Dammit. Knew I shouldn't RTFT.



As soon as I hear sea or beach I'm a sucker for a sample. Prime example, Imperial Millesime, currently sat in an order that still processing and certainly won't get all way over here before Christmas.

If I end smelling like a walking fig.... I am blaming you !

[GlobalTechIndustries]

Lace is quite good smell.
www.amazon.co.uk/Taylor-London-Concentrated-Cologne-Spray/dp/B00APFQC1Q/ref=sr_1_1_a_it/254-2842023-9055517?ie=UTF8&qid=1482197152&sr=8-1&keywords=perfume%20lace&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[0nline]

I'm in love with this description

I blame far too many hours on fragrantica .

Vivienne Westwood boudoir is stunning

I like so many of the notes listed for that... bar aldehydes. People always say "Chanel No 5" when they explain what they mean smell wise. And I fecking hate Cno5. Does it bear any relation to it ? Or am I just assuming I won't like anything with aldehydes in it based on an example that isn't the whole story ?

Thinking about it, I hate Shalimar for the same whiff I can't stand in Cno5, but Shalimar doesn't have aldehydes.

Maybe it is something else in both of them that puts me off so much.

[WelshMoth]

I've just discovered Tom Ford - had to travel 50 miles to smell his full range. Think old leather, tobacco, old vintage smells. Blew my mind!

[myoriginal3]

I second sisheido Zen.

Clinique elixir

Eau de cassis

[myoriginal3]

I go around sniffing myself when I wear them.