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!!!

Oh dear will try link again:
surrendertochance.com/guerlain-mitsouko-vintage-pure-parfum/

You could pick up a few other little samples while you're there too Frantic. You know just to make the postage worth it .

MsArseBiscuits!!

Thank you so much. The Premier Figuier arrived just now and I smell lovely. You are a lovely person and I am off to send you something gorgeous right now.

Biscuit, not Biscuits. Sorry!

Haberdashery, I am so glad that it's ok, I know I bought it ages ago but couldn't remember quite when. I think us perfumeaholics should stick together.

(Are you stuffing George into a jiffybag ?)

I'm doing my best. He's struggling a bit, though.

I used to get an Avon one called 'Flower' by Cynthia Rowley. I loved it but now they don't do it. Have one bottle that I'm making last!!

That annoys me about Avon. They spend all their money bringing out cheap new scent after cheap new scent then discontinue the few actual decent ones that they do well.

Is he, Haberdashery ? The berk, tell him to buck his ideas up or Mitchell gets the gig.

IThis morning I walked past someone who was drenched in Angel. In my mind I waved my fist furiously at them, in reality I just wrinkled my nose slightly.

TBH I find most perfumes nowadays quite horrible. It got worse after I had DD, could not bear the strong smell of some perfumes and as a result, stopped wearing all of mine. I can only stomach Jo Malone scents as they are not too overpowering.

Many thanks to everyone who answered my query. Special thanks to, ohsiena, the second link worked beautifully. I will, indeed send for the sample (and possibly more as they might make lovely stocking fillers for my dds )

Jo Malone has beed dubbed somewhere 'perfume for people who do not like perfume'.

Happy that Premier Figuier found a new home!

For me, judiciously used perfume is always pleasant, even if it's Code by Armani But I do not believe in drenching oneself in perfume. I'm a light sprayer (often trying to get half sprays) and light dabber. My private experience is that when price and quality go up, the perfumes generally get more refined. My MIL is very sensitive to perfume but she loves 28 La Pausa by Chanel.

Much worse, in opinion, are scented household products. Some of them are very pungent and horrific. I try to go for neutral or unscented ones and we do not use fabric softener.

I've never understood the point of loud, strong going-out perfume. (My idea of hell is a disco filled with vanilla perfume and screechy cheap white florals.) It may have made sense in cigarette smoke filled restaurants but I use the loudest, strangest perfumes at home and wear more discreet, close-to-skin scents when going out.

Frantic try Surrender to Chance for vintage Mitsouko. Mine is from them. Restrictions on oakmoss will change most remaining chypres and fougeres (some perfume friends have been panic buying vintage stuff as a result).

Surrender to Chance is a new shop. It used to be called The Perfumed Court, but there were problems (disagreements between three owners; two of them left to start StC). The Perfumed Court still exists, but many clients have reported delivery delays, so I'd stay on the safe side and use Surrender to Chance, Luckyscent, First in Fragrance, Parfumeria Neroli, and Alla Violetta (all of whom are good and reliable).

Wearing today Cuir by Mona di Orio. If other leather perfumes are too girly, this is the real thing. Feel very butchy. It's slowly fading away, so I'll get to choose something different for later.

Stevie, this perfumista agrees with you. There is still good perfume but it's not always easy to find.

Sorry, typos and missing letters galore, a busy day (and I blame iPad).

Totally agree on the scented household products, DonaAna. Some fabric conditioners etc smell absolutely horrific. The only one I can bear is the original Ecover one which is just lightly herbal and fresh and non-perfumey.

MsArse, expect a little Surrender to Chance sample parcel. I hope you like it.

Ok - so ran up to Fenwicks at Newcastle at lunchtime!

I have had a squirt of Chanel Sycomore and come back with Tabacco Vanille & Tuscan Leather on sticks (although I realise that I need it on my skin to see how it develops).

My head is spinning !! I am blown away by the intensity of both Tom Ford ones and waiting for Sycomore to develop.

This is SO much fun

Oh Haberdashery, that is so thoughtful, thank you very much, I don't do emoticons but I think you deserve this

Northumberlandlass, it is exciting, isn't it ? There's so many lovely things to try, I've got a bottle of Cabochard coming from eBay to feed my leather habit and I'll try Tuscan Leather when I'm up in Manchester next.

Oooh Lass - just don't get addicted now

I went for a conceptual scent - Blood Concept 0. This smells of wet concrete, paint thinner, surgical tools, and leather. No flowers. I wear this sometimes to calibrate my senses. When I learned a bit more about perfume, they stopped being clothes and accessories - right now the experience itself counts. (If you want to play with conceptual scents, try the Molecules and CB I Hate Perfume.)

Ebay is not a great place for samples these days but these might interest some of you: set1, set2 (am not the seller).

I fear it may be too late!

I'm not really enjoying the Tabacco Vanille - but the intensity is amazing. I may look into the Tom Ford ones more.

Blimey...conceptual scents! so so much to learn.

Frantic I'm so glad that link was useful. I went out this morning and bought my mum Miss Dior Originale (the new Miss Dior is the old Miss Dior Cherie IYSWIM). It's not a fragrance I like much, too sharp and green, but I thought of you Frantic and how one day I may long for this smell to remind me of her so I'd best cherish her while I can.

Squoosh it may have been me you wanted to shake your fist at- whilst out I tried Angel on one wrist and Shalimar on the other. Boy did I stink.

I was giving Angel another chance, as everything I read about it suggests it would be something I like, but it's just too much skank on me. It's deep down dirty skank and not in a good way. I've tried to wash it off but I can't get rid of it.

I was loving Shalimar, it was more of a soft lemony vanilla powder, with a hint of underlying skank (DonaAna what is that skanky smell in fume?), but then it just disappeared on me. Some perfumes seem to do that on me.

I also tried Estée Lauder Tuberrose Gardenia Private Collection (on a strip) which seemed to be a lovely rich tuberose, although a few hours later the gardenia is coming through stronger, but I don't think straight up florals are for me.

I also scored samples of Robert Cavelli and Prada Candy. Not my choices just the only samples she had. I will enjoy trying them though, so always worth asking.

Skanky smell can come from many sources. In the past, it was often an substance derived from animals (musk, civet, castoreum, ambergris). Nobody or very few use real animal-derived substances any more (too rare and costly, plus ethical concerns), but synthetics have been developed to emulate them.

When learning about perfume, Perfume Shrine and Bois de Jasmin offer great articles that help to give words for what you smell. Here's the article about animalic perfumeryfrom PS.

As a rule of thumb, if you don't enjoy skank, avoid vintage French perfumes. (also scan Basenotes and Fragrantica for animalic and dirty).

Oh and Lass, Tobacco Vanille can be suffocatingly intense and warm. I couldn't imagine wearing it in Italy when it's hot, but it felt soft and comforting in wet snow last winter. Some people prefer warmer perfumes (orientals, ambers, vanillas, jammy flowers, thick leathers), others cooler (chypres, aldehydes, lavendar-based perfumes, greens, citruses, light, fresh, transparent perfumes, even aquatic notes). By testing around a bit you will learn more about your personal taste and preferences. This fragrance wheel may help you map you out where your comfort zone is. My home base is the burgundy 'Oriental', so many of my recommendations lean a bit warm.

Wow - thanks DonaAna (again)

I've been looking at this thread title for a couple of weeks, watching the number of posts get higher and higher. I have been flat out with major work crises, and only had time to open the thread today. I have had a wonderful time reading everything. DonaAna you are a legend. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us and for painting such beautiful pictures, with words, about smells. I have done a Surrender to Chance order today, too.