The Worst perfume ever!

[anniewoo]

Was in HOF today and as i have no money at the moment to spend (despite their sale) decided to cheer myself up with a spray ( or two) of their posh perfumes. Big Mistake- sprayed Serge lutyens Tuberose Criminale- and it was!!!! Well the smell was criminal- like camphor, moth balls mixed with wintergreen , that awful muscle rub stuff. Jesus wept and it lasts and lasts and lasts. Can't kill it off, despite Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio on my other wrist. You have been warned.....Though i do dare you!!!

Now you ladies are getting the point of sampling - the excitement of new territory. I have one of the skanky sets and there are some gorgeous things there.

Haven't tried Florabotanica yet. Am not holding my breath. I have low expectations for mainstream releases these days - Chanel's Coco Noir for example was really underwhelming.

Wearing Parfum Sacré from Caron right now. Did I mention I love incense?

This is a treat.

surrendertochance.com/chanel-coromandel-les-exclusifs/

Boffy, 30ml of Coromandel here

exclamation is rank and poisen too vom.

I've have received gifts of perfume by Britney Spears, Diesel and Next, which I have used to spray in the loo, as I hate waste.

Oh, thanks, Pinot. Does anybody know if you'd get slapped with import taxes by customs if you order something from the States?

DonaAna, none of the usual widely available Chanel fragrances appeal to, or suit me, are the Les Exclusifs so different that they're worth trying ?( I fancy Cuir de Russie and Coromandel )

I ordered something from Austria and was OK recently. If you did get customs, I'm guessing it wouldn't be much as the value is quite low. Is that how it works? A percentage added type of thing?

I love Guerlain perfumes. Depending on my mood/time of year it's either Après l'Ondee or Motsouko.

Yes they are MrsArse, especially the two you mentioned - worth ordering.

There is an import duty risk for orders from the US - specific limits for each EU country (but the good ladies at StC can split orders if you ask). I'm in Italy - can someone explain the UK rules?

I've always wondered whether there is a good UK-based source of perfume samples (other than Les Senteurs). First in Fragrance is based in Germany and Alla Violetta in Italy, no import duties, but their inventories are not as extensive.

Anything under 15 pounds excluding shipping has no duty or VAT. That's about 23/24 dollars. Over that the duty calculator website is good here.

Thank you very much for that advice- I shall go and further investigate and inform DP in good time for Christmas

Thanks Belsize! Anything ordered from within the EU is import duty free.

If there is no Chanel boutique near you, Place Vendome Haute Parfumerie in Belgium has amazing service, magnificent freebies and it's import duty free. Orders via e-mail. Because of the incredible treats they include with orders, I order from them although I could walk to the nearest Chanel boutique and spend the best part of my day queuing there.

Right, so if the perfume costs $66 (I think that was it), and this says the total landed value is about £53- does that mean the product and taxes included? Or is that fifty-odd quid ON TOP of the price of the perfume?

Great tip, Dona, thanks. I'll look into that too.

Coromandel smells like a chain smoking woman wearing leather and 70's perfume. Am I right? Please, admit it.

MsArse, the Chanel Exclusifs are really nice and worth trying IMO. The only one that smells more like their mass lines is Beige - I actually like that too and could imagine it as an (expensive) everyday perfume whereas the others are far more distinctive. Cuir de Russe is very masculine. Bois des Iles is lovely for Winter, it's not the sort of thing I would normally chose based on my other perfumes but there is something about it.

Thank you, Belsize and Dona, you enablers, you. < writes ever longer list of hideously expensive fragrances to try >

Oooh I just ordered the Chanel testers - I worked out the duty etc and it seems to come to 48.05GBP. I figured that I will probably like more than one :)

BlackSwan, yes, and cocaine. All so me

DonaAna, you really helped me! My 1ml decant of Fracas just arrived and I adore it. On application, it is identical to Jo Malone Tuberose, a very white floral with a hint of fruit. On dry down, it's much more wearable than Tuberose: less powdery, more sultry, it's confident. I expected strong aldehydes (which go musty on me) but this settles with a buttery depth. It's like the twinkle in a film noir starlet's eye. Thanks, this just made my day!

Oh I am so happy - have managed to match a few more people with quality perfume.

HyvaPaiva, Fracas is the reference tuberose - great choice.
Insanity, hope you enjoy at least some of the Chanel Exclusifs (if not, I think you may find some takers here). They are a great introduction to really good perfumes. If they seem too refined for you, let me know - Chanel is known for elegance, but there are many earthier alternatives too (for example, Borneo 1834 by Serge Lutens is a dirt-fingered country cousin of Coromandel, and Patchouli Imperial by Dior is a more distant relative).

BOF the landed price is the total that includes your purchase price - when buying perfume, you often don't need to pay the import duty, but do have to pay the VAT (high in Europe and different in every EU country; small or not charged in the US); rule of thumb, custom clearance adds about 25% to purchase price. Additionally, your freight handler may charge a small customs clearance fee.

If you believe Luca Turin, Coromandel smells like powdered white chocolate The 1970s smoker lady description is closer to Cuir de Russie or Tabac Blond - but imo the perfumes I recommend just smell fantastic .

I'm wearing First by Van Cleef & Arpels right now. On me, it smells very soapy and pure - simultaneously virginal and matronly. The heart is a lovely flower bouquet, impeccably elegant after 5+ hours of wear. Quality juice, but not very me - I prefer dirtier perfumes.

DonaAna what have you started? I went to sleep last night, planning what samples to order from StC... So, I have purchased samples of:-

• Coromandel
• Tom Ford Violet Blonde and White Patchouli (pretty mainstream, but hey ho)
• Must De Cartier
• Fracas

Will probably place an order once a month, as I am trying to rein in the monthly spending. Perusing the site has kept me entertained whilst breastfeeding my 4 week old!!