Which L'artisan Parfumeur should I blind buy?

[ilovetosleep]

Inspired by the perfume threads on here I'm addicted to perfume but don't have much money to splash! I have discovered TKMaxx has loads of L'artisan perfumes but there's no where near me to test them.

I'm tempted to blind buy L'eau d'ambre. Do you think I'd like it based on my likes:

I own Prada tendre, Prada L'eau Ambree, Coco Noir, Eau des Merveilles, Chanel no 5, YSL Elle.

I have discovered recently and LOVE (but don't own) Coromandel, Elixir des Merveilles (Ambre is too sweet), Tom Ford Santal Blush, Samsara, Mitsouko, Obsession, MK Sexy Amber, Opium, Alien Eau Extrordinaire (don't like original Alien), Chanel Allure Sensuelle, Jo Malone Dark Amber and Ginger Lily.

Based on these which L'artisan would you try if any? Obviously I could just choose to buy one of the above which I have tested but I just feel the need to try one of the L'artisan Perfumes!

Thanks in advance!

[Branleuse]

i blind bought bois farine, as i thought it sounded nice in descriptions, and i sort of like it but it very much smells like school desks and pencil shavings. I guess thats the bois, but i cannot smell the flour. I had visions of cookie dough and homely smells.

I am layering it on top of my sandalwood perfume and that works quite well

[Filiboom]

L'eau d'ambre was the perfume I wore at my (winter) wedding! I love it, but it is a strong, heady perfume. I'm afraid I don't know the other perfumes you mention, but in case it helps, I wear the l'Artisan fig perfume as my every day and also like Miller Harris fleur orientale. I used to wear Coco by Chanel a lot.

I don't wear l'eau d'ambre much any more, but that's because I have two young DC and, for me, it's very much a fancy evening out perfume (which sadly are now few and far between).

Hope that helps!

[LovelyFriend]

I just posted on the other thread but Atelier Cologne do a great range of samples I've thoroughly enjoyed working my way through. The perfumes are really out of my price range, but 25 x 2ml samples for €25 has been pretty good value. I love most of them too. I might just buy myself another round of samples.
www.ateliercologne.eu/samples.html

[maybemyrtle]

I bought Tea for Two blind and I really, really like it. Spicy smoke, not too heady and perfect for autumn. You might enjoy that?

I also got a set of 4 dabbers for about a tenner - Caligna, Chasse aux Papillons, Timbuktu, Mure et Musc. Don't love any of them tbh, although on paper I should... It's a tricky business buying blind isn't it. Whatever you go for I hope you love it.

[ilovetosleep]

Thanks for the replies.

I love strong perfumes but I think I'm looking for something that goes from day to night... Maybe l'ambree would be too strong. I'm worried about the vanilla in it - do you think it is very sweet, filiboom ? I can't wear anything sweet. I don't know the other two perfumes you mentioned.

Tea for Two sounds lovely. Maybe a little too masculine? Can you compare it to anything myrtle?

I really just want to own Santal Blush and coromandel but I can't afford them :(

[ilovetosleep]

Actually Bois Farine sounds very nice too...

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

I wouldn't blind buy Bois farine. I thought I'd like it from the notes, but I loathed it.

[ilovetosleep]

Ok I'm torn between Tea for two and Mon Numero 10.

[ilovetosleep]

Is tea for two sweet?

[FrustratedFrugal]

I wouldn't blind buy, I'd get a bunch of samples. You are on your way of becoming a true perfumista. I bet you are into the experience and the sensual thrill of it, no way you'll be monogamous... I have just about all L'Artisans in samples and some FBs. They are intense but fleeting. Try Dzing and Bosphore, Mure et Misc and Timbuktu and Safran Troublant to get an idea, but don't blind buy!

[ilovetosleep]

You're right... I am hooked...but I wouldn't be able to afford these perfumes if it wasn't for TK Maxx and by the time a sample arrives TKMaxx will be all out...

Timbuktu sounds great, Dzing sounds too sweet. I hate anything that is to vanilla-y or things described as chocolatey/caramelly - that's gourmand, right?

[ilovetosleep]

Frugal (I remember you from the Korean thread!) Can you recommend me anything else that I should try that isn't too niche that I might be able to sniff in my local stores? Preferably cheap ;)

[maybemyrtle]

Just to throw in that I found Timbuktu too soapy, and I don't mind soap but this was too much, sorry. Mure et musc was too sweet for me (in fact if you would like a 5ml mini to try it let me know, I won't use it).

Tea for two may lean masculine but its not (on me) overly so. I'm trying to think of something to compare it to - maybe a similar vibe to fumerie turque but less heady, no leather/patch or anything that rich. Lighter, drier, airier, if that makes any sense at all?!

[maybemyrtle]

Sorry missed the q, tea for two is not sugary sweet but it has a light sweetness in the mix. I don't like sweet fragrances per se.

[hollinhurst84]

I don't find Dzing sweet (am not a sweet perfume fan and I adore it)

[CointreauVersial]

Timbuktu - I also find soapy, and Mure et Musc is exactly what it says on the tin (and not my thing - jam and musk - yuck). Tea for Two is lovely, not sweet but smoky, lots of tobacco, and probably my favourite from the brand, closely followed by Batucada, which is warm and citrussy.

Why don't you buy some decants? For the price of a full bottle (which will take you ages to get through, and you may not like) chose a selection of small samples, and wear something different every day.

I also like Coromandel, and fine Clinique Aromatics in White similar - and a lot cheaper.

[Filiboom]

Just to add. I don't like too sweet and am not that keen on vanilla. Have just tried it again to work out what it smells like - unfortunately, in rubbish at picking out notes, but remember I love it (and that it is distinctive - I'd say amber really is the defining note and, certainly for me, it's definitely evening only, or very special day perhaps). For what it's worth, I don't know many of the other l'Artisan perfumes, but I do remember really disliking Mure et Musc. I'd say just give it a go (but I'm also a few glasses of wine down and remembering my wedding day...).

[Filiboom]

Oh, and based on all the descriptions, I really want to try Tea for Two.

[Filiboom]

(Should probably have never opened a perfume thread - could prove expensive....)

[ilovetosleep]

Yikes. I just blind bought Fragonard santal in a mad panic trying to spend £25 on beauty to get the m&s advent calendar before the kids finished their breakfast ...

[cressetmama]

Quick quirt of Safran Troublant, from a Nose sample, just for reference purposes. I like the immediate punch of saffron, but not the rest, IIRC.

[Branleuse]

just going back to this because ive now decided, after initially being not overkeen and disappointed, that bois farine is one of my favourite scents ever.

Ive just ordered
www.amazon.co.uk/LArtisan-Parfumeur-Boite-Parfums-10/dp/B00LN4IS1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449335998&sr=8-1&keywords=l%27artisan%20parfumeur&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

to try out some of their others

[AwkwardSquad]

I blind-bought 'Seville a l'aube' from TK Maxx and I love it. I liked it to start with and it's really grown on me.

If you have the money to experiment, check the Fragrantica website for reviews, then go for it. If you hate it, you could always ebay the bottle. The prices for L'artisan Parfumeur in TK Maxx are a bargain, get it while it's there!

[Branleuse]

i didnt like seville a l'aube as much as i thought i would. The orangey is without zing and a bit like sweets. A bit sickly. Ive only got a sample. I may need to try it again though.

Ive just bought al oudh and my god its amazing. I wouldnt blind buy it though. Make sure you like good carnal sweaty ouds, but I could just sit here and sniff myself all day now.

Some of the reviews have likened it to sweaty buttcracks and men after the gym. I think yeah... but in a good way

[pinkhousesarebest]

I have worn tea for two for 16 years and love it. It has been discontinued and so am gutted to realize it was in TKMaxx. Have stockpiled but stocks are running low. if anyone has bought and doesn't like it, I would be delighted to buy it off you.