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!!!

Yes ! Hot tar on the road is gorgeous, and the smell of flicking through new catalogue pages, like a 70s Grattan or Kays and the plastic of a beach ball or a Wendy house. All lovely.

My 22 Beginner's Niche samples from Surrender to Chance have arrived today - I'm on Cuir de Russie - first thoughts, it seems soapier than I was expecting, maybe with a baby powder aspect now I've had it on for a couple of hours. There's so much to go at, I've got no idea which one to try next. Possibly Ambre Narguile.

YY to tar, plimsolls and hardware shops. Dont forget creosote. If it was possible to "eat" the taste of it I would!

Angel byThierry Muegler

Noooooo!
Not creosote!
Next door have just done their fence & it makes me feel sick.

I've just rediscovered an old bottle of Arpege that was lurking at the back of a drawer.......bliss.

YY to catalogue pages and creosote. Not sure about beach balls or wendy houses!

Enjoying the thread. My favourites are Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir, Penhaligon's Elixir & Tom Ford Black Orchid. Are there any similar ingredients in these & can you recommend any other scents I might like?

I love sniffing balloons and certain plastic wrappers. The wrapper of a Boost bar is especially good, the chocolate is nothing special but the plastic is divine.

Thierry Mugler Angel -- bleurgh. It is eau de old lady.

Have been too busy to post, but three suggestions to any newbie perfumista willing to explore selective and niche perfumes.

1. This is a great book for someone just starting out. Great, easy to read suggestions (both mainstream and niche), lists some of the greatest perfumes ever made, with emphasis on modern unisex niche which is much easier for someone new to perfumery than starting with classics. And much quicker to take in than the Turin-Sanchez. Inexpensive and fits in your handbag. No, I did not write it but it is full of perfumes that I love and would recommend.

1. The ultimate Christmas present. Do yourself a favor and make sure you will get one.

1. Olfactoria's Travels has some helpful advice for anyone just starting out, here and here.

Oh, and three perfumes for people who are into rubber and creosote.
Bulgari Black; Etro Gomma; Tauer Lonestar Memories.

Oh Dona, bugger, now I want that coffret.

A coffret for those who are on a budget but would like to explore good perfumes. There is a catch - the flacons are difficult to reseal, try sellotape. There is a male coffret too if your tastes are more unisex.

I spent the morning in Les Senteurs and Selfridges the other day (almost passed out with the fumes by end of morning). I tried A LOT and got a few samples.
Ones that really stood out for me were Teint de Neige (though now I've worn the sample I couldn't buy it - just to much like baby powder) and Guerlain Tonka Imperiale - almost chewed my arm off trying to smell it closer. Tho I laughed in SA's face when he asked if I wanted a bottle at £158!
I liked Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille but really need a sample as I found the tobacco note quite overpowering and really need to make sure I can bear it.
I came home and have been wearing Serge Lutens Louve ever since to calm my brain down. I'm angling for a bell jar of this for Xmas. I've already been through 2 spray bottles and still love it.

So I think Louve and Shalimar (esp. pure parfum) are my favorite perfumes, with Tubereuse criminelle coming in close third.

I'm wearing my sample of Ambre Narguile today and first impressions are that like it a whole lot more than the Cuire Russie, it has a warm, slightly sweet tobacco-y smell to it but funnily enough it now seems to be heading a little into Poison territory - am I imagining things ?

MrsArse, if you mean the classic Poison, despite it's scary Evil Stepmother reputation it's a sweet candylike perfume with cinnamon and vanilla in its base. Ambre Narguile is a huge cinnamon-vanilla dessert. I can wear it but have grown a bit tired of it. Am thinking of giving my small bottle away.

After a trip to town, I'm wearing some Puredistance M. This smells seriously good. So good that I may need a sample.

Kiwi, I wear Tonka Imperiale quite often in the winter, but the weather is still too warm for heavy ambers and gourmands. Teint de Neige is very popular in Italy, also as a room fragrance, and last week I found that our Nanny had bought a pack of baby wipes that smelled of Teint de Neige

Thank you, Dona, I used to wear Poison back in the mid-eighties, so that must be what I'm picking up ( and yes, now you say it, I can smell the cinnamon ).

This may be one of the more obsessive and nerdy admissions I've ever made but I'm thinking about ticking off fragrances I've tried, in The Guide, and making my own notes - otherwise I'm going to forget which ones I like and might want to buy again. Favourite so far is definitely Coromandel, and Selfridges' Beauty Hall is only a week away - mmmmmmm.

Yes, very worth doing so - or having a small notebook. (Some people even start perfume diaries or blogs to record what they smell.) You can then start giving your own words to certain smells.

I just read an abstract of a scientific study: what differentiates perfumers from regular people is that through a lot of practice and learning they have huge areas in their brain devoted to scent-related memories and words. We all can smell pretty well without working much on it - being able to describe and recall what you smell is the tricky part.

I retried Sevlle A'Aube today. Still don't quite get it, but it was more lavender than the dreaded camphor today.
I also sprayed some Coeur De Vetiver Sacre. I like this quite a lot actually, in fast when I recommended a vetiver this is the one I meant.
Also Tom Ford Tuscan Leather. Like it a lot.
There was also a new Eau des Mervelles flanker, L'Ambre. It's lovely. Saltier and brighter than the original.

I tried Next's new perfume London yesterday. I smelt it on one of their shop assistants and commented on how gorgeous it was. She said its very similar to Chloe.

Anyway, sprayed some on my good self and didn't stop getting compliments all day, it is GORGEOUS!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE Angel too!!

Frederic Malle's "French Lover" is called "Bois d'Orage" in the US. I think it probably came out at the "cheese eating surrender monkeys" time in bilateral relations, which is why it was renamed!

I'm tapping my toes waiting for the second half of my Surrender to Chance order to arrive - two of the eight samples turned up about ten days ago, but no sign of the rest......

Moonblushtomato - my everyday "splash it on and forget about it" perfume is from Next - it's called Just Pink. The name says it all, really, it couldn't be described as sophisticated, but it's a lovely smoky rose.

Who was looking for a chocolate-y scent? I love "Tartine et Chocolat" by Givenchy. Completely different to my usual roses and ambers. I've had a bottle for about 15 years and sprayed some on today. Absolutely gorgeous and not overpowering even when fresh.

Angel smells ghastly.

Today's sample is L'air du Desert Marocain - verdict, smells like Church. Specifically, catholic churches, with incense and a hint of smoky candles.

Tartine et Chocolat is a kid's perfume, I thought...?