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!!!

I got an overdose of Loulou as a teen (my best friend loved it) - it's a classic but I don't like it. Do not really like most fruit and berry aromas in perfumes - one of the few exceptions is Mure et Musc by L'Artisan.

Obsession,Eden and LouLou.

Badvoc you really like full-blooded orientals! You should try some ambers, Cinnabar is great. Try Obsession first, like everything else, it has probably been changed.

She is weird! but i will try your idea first. Thank you. DA

Happy birthday Badvoc! good excuse to treat yourself (hint, hint) Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on

Ambre de Cabochard is a good, warm spicy scent. I wasn't expecting much as it was under a tenner but it has become one of my favourites- amazing for the price and doesn't smell cheap.

YSL Opium. Migraine inducing.

Thanks so much for the Buddha's Fig tip, MsArseBiscuits. I adore fig perfumes.

Dona, yes I can smell Molecule 01, it does have a hint of Terre about it, possibly seems quite warm but I think it does resemble the tail end of Philosykos too.
I'm loving The Guide, the only problem being that there are so many I'd like to try ( Amougage Gold sample on its way .... )

Youoldslag, I'm adding Cabochard to my giant list, thank you.

UltraBof, Tresor is absolutely vile, I hate it, so sickly

Haberdashery, my pleasure, I love figgy perfumes too, tried loads - don't like Premier Figuier ( too cat urine for me but I have a load left, been kept in its box, give me a shout if you want it ) , like Fico di Amalfi, love Un Jardin en Mediterranee and Philosykos ( with apologies for all the spelling mistakes and missed accents ).

I think I may be getting myself Coromandel next time I'm in Selfridges in Manchester

Amber de Cabochard,mmm must try. Have gone off the main one. Is th 50 year one better?

Tresor uuugh

I am really enjoying this thread and now have a few ideas to try...

I have many scents I like, associated with memories and linked to creativity , I went to art school and have always been a daydreamer...I am now mainly a gardener/ designer and would love a fragrance that reflected me .

I like geranium/ black currant and tomato leaves, wood smoke, Stockholm tar, leather, beeswax, grapefruit , warm cat fur, wet summer pavements, hay, roses, moss, oiled woollen jerseys, oil paint, horses, pipe tobacco.

I am prone to liking aftershave but would like to smell interesting rather than manly.

Any ideas ( liking the sound of Ombré d'eau so far)?

I forgot about loving cloves and black pepper.

Wiggly great list! I suggest you go on to Le Labo and order some samples, you might find them interesting

I love benzoin in all it's black, spicy, treacly gorgeousness. One of those scents that just acts directly on my brain.

Anything by Jean-Paul Gaultier... reminds me of my mother - but that might just be because she uses it abundantly to unsuccessfully "masK' the smell of 40 fags a day...

Wiggly you are my kind of girl - modern niche perfumery is full of unisex lovelies developed for you. I love all the notes you mention...
Tar - Lonestar Memories by Tauer Perfumes
Tomato leaf / Rhubarb - Aedes de Venustas edp - plus try the Jardins series by Hermes
Hay - one of my favorites, Dzing! by L'Artisan! Chergui by Serge Lutens; Yerbamate by Villoresi, Pohadka by YS Uzac; plus one of the Cartier exclusives, L'Heure Fougueuse; if you like dainty violets, Eau du ciel by Annick Goutal
Geranium - Geranium pour Monsieur by Frederic Malle
Tobacco - Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford, Jasmin & Cigarettes by ELdO, Tabac Blond by Caron, 1740 Marquis de Sade, plus don't forget the cheap Tabac
General feel of smoke: you might like Eau des Iles by Maitre Parfumier et Gantier and Antaeus by Chanel
Grapefruit: Pamplelune by Guerlain
Moss: two main perfume groups, chypres and fougeres, have oakmoss as their basenote.
Black pepper: Poivre Samarcande by Hermes
Cloves: Opium, Bellodgia by Caron

MmeOvary i love benzoin too and like Bois d'Armenie by Guerlain. Iirc Eau de Soir by Maison Kurkdjian is also heavy with benzoin. Do you like immortelle?
MrsArse if you like Iso E Super you should explore the Hermessences (at Hermes boutiques).

One of the nicest daily decisions coming up - what perfume am I going to wear today (very inspired by Wiggly's olfactory profile).

Ovary, correct name of the Kurkdjian benzoin perfume, Absolue pour le Soir.

Dona Ana - what do you think of Creed?

Creed is not my cup of tea - too close to mainstream, not special enough - but they have their fanatic followers.

Hermessences, you say .... I wonder if they have samples at the Hermes concession in Selfridges, if so that's them and Coromandel in one fell swoop. Thanks Dona ( think I'm going for Molecule 01 again today )

They might MrsArse - they are modern minimalist style, not to everyone's taste. Poivre is full of Iso E Super; it and all others are light, transparent and elegant, except Ambre Narguile (thick, warm and ambery).

Coffee I was asking about Vetiver! Thank you. Will see if I can find some samples.

Thank you, Dona, I'll investigate, it seems that despite me being the least minimalist person you could possibly imagine, I'm quite drawn to Ellena's fragrances. I do really fancy Ambre Narguile, I think I'm going through a warm fragrance stage.

I like to wear light, fresh perfumes at work ( hospital ) as I reckon there are so many unpleasant smells around that I have a duty to be an oasis of smelling good. If, on the very odd occasion, I forget to put perfume on, it always feels really wrong, I feel very 'unfinished' .

Chose the wrong perfume - Havana Vanilla from L'Artisan sample. I like warm and sweet when it's cold outside, but this was jarringly, intolerably, heave-inducingly sweet. Tried to wash it off twice - no luck. Then covered it with M7 Oud Absolu (a decant from a male friend). Am now radiating cozy warmth. Love this. Understated but great.

MsArse to me, many Hermessences (a gift set of four at 70 GBP is great value and you get to pick the ones you like) smell of "air-conditioned luxury" - I sometimes wear them when it gets really hot. Ambre Narguile is pure apple pie coziness. Sometimes too foody, sometimes just right. Hermes Jardins perfumes are good budget alternatives for Hermessences. Another superb warm classic to try is Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens.

Thank you Dona not least for summing up the fabulousness of Wiggly's "olfactory profile" and expressing my thoughts so well about modern niche perfumery.

I haven't tried any of the scents you mention, but I will seek out some samples. I actually have benzoin resin which I bought when I was trying to make my own perfume. I had lots of fun and discovered how much I love spicy, woody, notes: benzoin, labdanum, wenge...I love Opopanax candles (Diptyque) so naively thought that if I bought the essential oil that would smell the same. Er...no

Have I mentioned Must De Cartier? I would happily have my house smelling of this too.

I was lucky enough to win a bottle of Premiere Figuieur (sp) by L'Artisan Parfumeur but it's a little too strong for me. I occasionally spray the tiniest bit though and quite like it.