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!!!

can you imagine the kind of like where you live very close to the guerlain boutique on the champs elysee? [Grin]

What do I live very close to? Hmm, a great big hill where every year the locals ritually hurl a load of cheese down it for yokels to chase after.

It's not quite the same.

Mm, I'm getting cheese, whiffy tramp, grass, soil, maybe a waft of cupcake from GetOrf's kitchen window...yep, it could work

Dona Ana - Ivoire de Balmain - where to start? I think it is quite "complex" and very long lasting - it still smells quite strongly on me now, hours later, but has "settled down" and I am getting more of a patchouli (?) base, with maybe a hint of vetiver (I am not a fan of vetiver, but this hint is OK). When you spray it on at first it is flowery, but a bit dirty (hence the sweaty knickers comment from DH!). It's also a bit soapy/powdery, as it settles, but still has an "edge" to it - quite different from anything else I have.

It's quite difficult to get hold of in UK - I got my bottle for a tenner in TK Maxx and picked up a bottle of the Eau d'Ivoire here in Paris in an odd, junky shop, for about the same price. I like it a lot. I also wear Vol de Nuit, Chanel No 22, Lux by Mona di Orio, Annick Goutal's Nuits de Hadrien and Grain de Soleil by Fragonard....quite a mix! (But not all at once, obv.)

UltraBOF, if you like patchouli then you might like Voleur de Roses that Dona mentioned upthread. It's my evening dress type perfume. It really does smell like rain and wet soil in a rose garden. I bought it without reading the blurb but for once it is exactly right. Artisan market it as a mens or unisex scent . I wore it yesterday in honour of the thread...normally I loathe patchouli too as it reminds me of cheap joss sticks in student rooms at university. Today I am wearing Ombré dans l'eau, which has a similar concept but smells of blackcurrents and tomatoes in a high Summer rose garden. It's almost a bit too realistic on initial application (the tomato is very strong and greenhouse-ish for me) but the drydown is good. I wear Chanel 19 every day to work but have an excessive collection of rose type samples. Frederick Malle Une Rose is also lovely if anyone likes rose but feels that most of the high street rose perfumes are too sweet or light. There is quite a nice Byredo rose one too. I have the Jo Malone Red Rose which smells just like smelling a real rose but I feel it is far too one note and lacking in any sort of complexity and silage.

Thanks, I will try it.

Oh, one thing I meant to ask: I notice that a lot of these scents are Eau de Toilette, and I was under the impression that EDT was a bit wishywashy, if you like, and that you need Eau de Parfum if you want a fragrance to last more than a short time. Am I wrong?

I have a friend who lives near you, Getorf.

We will be moving on next year, sadly, as my contract finishes and my lovely boss has declined to renew it for another year.

Belsize thanks for reminding me of Byredo's Rose Noir. Wearing it to bed as I type.
MrsSch I think I need to get Ivoire - I love green fragrances and would like to give it a try, it's a classic - I think the edge might be galbanum, a bitter green resinous plant you can find in Chanel 19. Belsize, I love Ch 19 too, might wear it tomorrow. Selecting perfume in the morning is one of my favorite rituals.
BOF hope you like AN - again a perfume that both novices and experienced perfume lovers tend to like.

This thread is dangerous for me too - need to buy some samples and have mentally made a list of new bottles I need (Ch 19 extrait, Tabac Blond and Oud Ispahan at least = a fortune). And need to go to Sephora to see whether they have a few mainstream releases I have missed.

If you need something very exquisite, I recommend Rubj by Vero Profumo.

EdT vs EdP - it depends on the perfume. I have extrait de parfum (the strongest concentration) of some and it doesn't always last. Sometimes you even don't want the perfume to last all day (linear perfumes get boring after a while). And often EdT, EdP and parfum are slightly different formulations. For example, I love Terre de Hermes in parfum formulation but Eau Sauvage in EdT.

Sweet, heavy, ambery orientals stay on the skin for the longest time. It's more difficult to make a light floral or citrus truly lasting. If you have dry skin, you can make a perfume last better by moisturizing the skin first with Cetaphil or jojoba oil. Or spray your hair or clothes.

EdC is the most fleeting of all. Colognes are meant for quick splashing and refreshing, they can disappear in half an hour.

Thanks- I do have quite dry skin, that's a good tip.

Looking at my emails, it would appear that last night I hit eBay for a sample of Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather too .

This is going yo be like the time I discovered a really sweet pair of designer shoes in a sale for six quid. It kicked off a two-year shoe-buying obsession that must have cost me hundreds. That pair of shoes turned out to be damned expensive in the end .

Reading this thread with great interest I am sorely tempted to try a sample of coromandel too. It sounds right up my street! I have struggled for a few years now searching for a 'me' perfume. The closest I've got is an Avon perfume called little black dress. My partner loves it on me but as much as I like it too, I'd like something too alternate it with. Any suggestions please?

DonaAna - I love the fact that you choose a perfume to wear to bed!

I nealy always pick a perfume for bed. Often the more fleeting and evocative ones.

For me, perfumes are a hobby. Unlike clothes, they are compact and have resale value (I've sold or traded some mistake purchases). For me they are a bit like books - like having lots of them around. That said, an enormous collection fits into two dresser drawers.

BOF Tuscan Leather is great too. One of my main loves is leather in perfumery. If you like that, you have to try a few classic male perfumes. I often wear them either eith very feminine clothes or when I want to be very cozy and comfortable.

Phoenix sorry, I don't know Avon perfumes. Being able to recommend requires that I recognize the main group or main notes of a perfume.

Basking in the glory of Chanel 19 extrait de parfum right now.

Sorry, atrocious typing today (on phone).

I like wearing perfume to bed especially if I am trying out a new one. If you like it the next day, it's a good one, and you also know it lasts a long time. The perk of this habit is that my pillow always smells lovely too.

I know I am coming in late to this party! apologies

I have found Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver - I find myself drawn to it, but it was commented that it is for men. Any thoughts? or any suggestions of a Parfum with Vetiver that I should try?

Thanks

YY to feeling an obsession growing with this.

Damn my obsessive personality!

Lass I wear Grey Vetiver often and I am a boring heterosexual mother of two. Vetiver is one of my favorite ingredients, a great raw material. You are allowed to wear it just like you are allowed to wear trousers, jeans, a smoking jacket or brogues I read somewhere that 30% of perfumes labeled as aftershaves are actually used and worn by women. There are many great vetivers: Tom's Grey Vetiver, Sycomore by Chanel and, Encre Noire (the masculine version) by Lalique for example. The last one has perhaps the most beautiful bottle I own.

"Male" perfumes were created to lure American men straight males in. Men who have more culture and background in perfume-wearing have much more varied tastes. I once sat next to a very masculine bearded Middle Eastern man on the tram and he radiated classy, seductive waves of rose and jasmine. So sexy...

For all women who want to explore the masculine side, great and easy-to-wear men's classics are Habit Rouge by Guerlain (most of my women friends have fallen in love with it - such a classy perfume!) and Eau Sauvage by Dior (ditto - a must if you love radiant citrus). Here in Italy, more and more perfume departments are becoming unisex - you get to choose what to wear without antiquated gender boundaries. Many men I know are crazy about jasmine and iris. And if you like violets, try the original Fahrenheit by Dior.

For me, the most difficult male perfume type to wear is classic fougeres - I associate them with my father. That said, I have a bottle of 1725 Casanova and wear it quite often - the heart is one of the most delicious things ever. One of the greatest fougeres I know is Azzaro pour Homme (may need some of it for winter).

And a random totally unrelated mention - does anyone wear Douce Amere by Serge Lutens? A masterpiece.

Thanks Dona,
I have really fallen for Vetiver - having said for years that I was a 'floral' type. But I've only started reading about perfumes and basenotes etc. I discovered that most of my favourite floral scents had Vetiver as a basenote - so I have been googling like mad!

It's my 40th in December and I am hoping someone will buy me Grey Vetiver - it's now on my list!!

I will now try and get some samples for Habit Rouge & Eau Savage....thanks so much

Lass almost every department store should have HR and ES (on men's side) - they are very easy to find. They are not strongly vetivery - here are some more vetiver perfumes worth exploring.

Years ago I bought a curious packet of grassy stems in South America. I've kept it in my underwear drawer - turns out it's tufts of vetiver.

The sample of Coromandel that I ordered from eBay has arrived, blimey, it's the first Chanel fragrance that I have ever really liked, it's so warm and soothing, just beautiful. Of course the bad news is that I now want a bottle, I'm probably going to end up destitute but smelling good.

Thank you DonaAna

I only ordered my samples on Friday . Coromandel being one of them. I am now short listing the next selection of samples- Grey Vetiver and Habit Rouge are on there, as is Baiser Vole. Douce Amere will have to go on as well. I wonder which perfume I can wear for the annual office Christmas meal? I wore Black Orchid last year, which drew a lot of interest. So, it has to be even more fabulous and intriguing. DonaAna- will Douce Amere do that job?

Hello again.
Week, I went to John Lewis and went to the guerlain counter and tried;
Nahema - didn't like it! Smelt of damp earth to me...
Samsara...sickly
The new one...smells of cherries which make me retch
Mitsuko...liked this one but not enough to buy it! :)
Shalimar...like old talcum powder
So, back to the drawing board :(
Also checked out the Chanel counter...didn't like any of them!
Might have to go back to my old faithful..opium.

Badvoc, you don't like the classic classics which is fine (there is not much for me either in a mainstream department store - good orientals have gone extinct or niche). If you liked Mitsy, you might try smelling more chypres - particularly Femme by Rochas. If you love Orientals, you should try oriental spicy, oriental woody and amber fragrances (for example Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens or Ambre Narguile by Hermes) and you should definitely also try L'air du desert marocain by Tauer Perfumes (samples at Les Senteurs). Also check out this list and this list for inspiration.

Shoe if you like anise, Douce Amere is a great choice. If warm christmassy gourmands/orientals, Nuit de Noel by Caron or Ambre Narguile by Hermes.

MrsArse happy you liked Coro