I'm a perfume blogger- Ask me anything

[MissBattleaxe]

I've been blogging about perfume since 2013. Ask me anything. No snobbery, all budgets and nothing is off the table.

@Nowisthemonthofmaying Some lovely big heavy-hitters on your list! Midnight in The Palace Garden has amazing longevity, doesn't it? Have you tried Evil Max or Crimes of Passion? (both 4160 Tuesdays) Vol de Nuit is an absolute classic. If you like that you might also like Dryad from Papillon Artisan Perfumery or Lancome Magie Noire.

@Catcrazy008 I love Jil Sander Sun. The nose is Pierre Bourdon who also made Dior Dolce Vita, so give that a try. You could also try Fragonard Soleil which is beautifully sunny with lots of orange flower blossom.

@JimmyPanda If you like Gucci Rush, then you could try something else peachy such as J'Adore, Lancome Tresor or Rihanna Rogue.

Wonderful, thanks so much!

@Subtledifference My favourite perfumes have both been discontinued - Nina Ricci Les Belles de Ricci Liberty Fizz and Gucci 2.in the pale pink box. Both smell of tomatoes in a greenhouse.
Can you recommend anything similar please?

Firstly I LOVE tomato scents. You can find this note in Shay and Blue Dandelion Fig, Demeter Tomato and DKNY Woman (which is ultra zingy).

Secondly, Liberty Fizz is a bit like YSL In Love Again which they discontinued but then brought back in a capsule range along with Yvresse and Y.

Hi MissBattleaxe
Thank you for this thread.

I was gutted that Dolce & Gabana discontinued By. It was so heady and held many wonderful memories.

Do you know of anything similar? And how likely / often does a discontinued product come back on the market?

Thanks

@Sagradafamiliar and @Celticrose yes, Champagne was the original but the Champagne (drink) producers made a legal challenge and so Champagne became Yvresse. I don't know if it's been reformulated but I still love it. A friend of mine wore Champagne in the 90s and smelled wonderful. It gives me happy vibes.

@PuzzleRocks I've never smelled By but if you like the lavender and coffee combo I can recommend Valentino Uomo, which is fabulous and has a great sort of prickly bottle.

As for discontinuations, there doesn't seem to be any pattern. For instance, I was gutted when they stopped making Gucci Envy as were many others, but Gucci won't budge. On the other hand, Aqua Manda, Aqua Citra, Babe, Tribe and Goya Rose have all been made again. Another case is Avon Timeless, which they discontinued but had to bring back because of the customer uproar.

You just never know really.

Thank you, I will give that one a go. Much appreciated.

My favourite is Creed Aventus the price is ridiculous which I could find a copy of it or something similar, another I used to love was Nina Ricci Ricci Ricci however it was discontinued. Everything I like goes !

What do you think of old classics, Youth Dew and Blue Grass?

Two questions please:

1. I really like 'fresh' perfumes including L'Eau D'Issey and Aqua De Gio - which other might I like?

1. Back in 2003 I recall trying Armani Sensi. I was a poor student and couldn't afford to buy both that and J'Adore so never bought it. When I remembered it years later, it had been discontinued. Are there any clones of Sensi?

Hi OP, this thread is so interesting!

Why is it that certain perfumes smell great on some people and not on others. Alien smells fab on me but awful on my sister, yet she smells amazing with Coco Mademoiselle and it makes me smell awful.

Is it body chemistry or is it reacting to something else you might be wearing do you think?

which1 I absolutely bloody loved Sensi, I first bought it in duty free on the way to my first girls holiday to Greece, I was gutted when it was discontinued the closest I’ve found to it is YSL cinema but it’s not the same. Hopefully MissBattleaxe will be able to help us!!

Thank you so much for the recommendations! I actually have a tester of Evil Max, having led through my samples drawer, so might give that a try tomorrow. My other 4160 Tuesdays favourite is the Lion Cupboard, although I've gone off it a bit after my DP said it smells like Jagermeister (thanks for that )

Will look out for the others for sure. Loved reading your blog entry about the chypre workshop, I'd love to go to one of those! I know from experience trying to blend essential oils that perfume mixing is a lot more complicated than you imagine.

@MissBattleaxe thanks so much!! I’ll definitely try them. Another one for you. My mother used to love Indian summer by Priscilla Presley. Any idea of anything similar?

@MissBattleaxe - I can’t work out if I got skimmed over on this epically interesting and busy thread, or whether you’re working out how to break it to me that Sui Love by Anna Sui is gone forever and was such a niche smell nobody else liked it enough to make anything similar? If that’s the case, tell me gently and I’ll set up a little shine for the half centimetre still left in the bottle! Thank you!

My all time favourite is the original Gucci, in a square chunky bottle. It's been discontinued sadly, along with the aftershave.

They were both very heavy and spicy. I have tried all sorts to find similar to no avail. The closest I have found are Liz Earle No.15, doesn't last as long, not as heavy, and surprisingly one from Primark, I think it was Black Oud.

While trying so many I think it's the Oud and Amber that I like. Any suggestions? TIA

I am another who doesn't know much at all about notes but know what I like and am very picky about scents - most stuff I've ever smelled in department stores I didn't like. I went on a quest for a new wedding day perfume and despite a trip to Selfridges ended up falling back on my old friend Coco Mademoiselle.

I've also done a "scent profiling" at Penhaligons and ended up with their Endymion and Malabah scents. I do know I love citrus smells (I always pick the citrus oils when I have an aromatherapy massage, even when I test them blind) and am not keen on most florals. The scent I loved the most on someone else was a very spicy, musky one which she told me was Jean Paul Gaultier, but either I never found it or it smelled different on me.

My questions:

1. what do you think of the quality of the Penhaligons perfumes?
2. what scents would you suggest I try out? I'm in London so can try in person hopefully.

@which1 have you smelt Inis? I dont know who makes that. It is similar to a jo malone one called seasalt (i think)

What a great thread!
Pre pregnancy I used to love all the sweet scents (D&G- The one, Hugo Boss- Femme, Versus Versace, Escada - Turquoise Summer) then morning sickness kicked in and I found everything I used to wear nauseating!
I was hoping it would wear off post pregnancy but my son is now two and I haven't wore perfume for almost 3 years!
I feel like I'm ready for a new scent and have been to a few counters for suggestions but I can't find anything that doesn't make me feel sick.
Fear not, I don't stink as do I wear deodorant daily and regularly wash my clothes and funnily enough these sort of scents don't make me feel sick?
Might be a strange one but can you recommend any perfumes that just smell clean- like soap? or fresh laundry? etc. TIA!

Thank you Definitely and Rue31. Shall check them out.

@sodrained 141 Fragrantica users reckon Zara Vibrant Leather is very similar. (and cheaper)

@UserThenLotsOfNumbers I love classics like Youth Dew and Blue Grass. I like to keep Blue Grass in the fridge during a heatwave. lavender and geranium never go out of style IMO! Youth Dew is brilliant and very affordable. Apparently Mae West wore it in her dotage.

@which1 Try Jo by Jo Loves- all grapefruit and zingy, or the classic Elizabeth Arden Green Tea, Le Jardin Retrouve Eau des Delices (based in Paris but ship to UK and do sample sets), Inis Energy of The Sea, Monotheme citrus ones in M&S (try the lemon) or the trusty 4711.