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!!!

Ok, I've posted up thread a bit looking for someone to do the hard work for me! I like Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir & Penhaligon's Elixir and to a lesser extent Tom Ford Black Orchid. I would like something new, but along those lines?
I now know the perfume notes of each I think so is there a way of finding something similar? Just google or a bit on a specific perfume site to enter an ingredient(s) and find similar?
Thanks

DonaAna posted a link to this site, which gives you suggestions of perfumes to try based on your ones you know you like www.fragrance-editions.com/fatest/index2.asp?id=6140&type=F

Ginger, you seem to like oriental and gourmand scents. You like unisex perfumes that have oriental, woody and incense notes, and possibly some chocolatey, dessert-like perfume. It's difficult to give exact recommendations, as everyone's taste is a bit different. But if / when you go sampling, ask to be steered toward the lighter oriental, woody, incense or gourmand perfumes. I don't think there are shortcuts to finding great perfume - you should sniff quite a few on strip and then try them on at skin.

Because mainstream feminine perfumes are mostly very sweet and light fruity florals these days, and your taste is more unisex/masculine, the best selection of gourmands and orientals can be found among niche brands. If you can sample Tom Ford Private Blends somewhere, they might interest you. If you like the chocolatey feeling in Black Orchid, you should try Chanel's Coromandel. And perhaps also try out the Incense Series by Comme des Garcons or L'Air du Desert Marocain by Tauer. And if you kind of like CK Shock for Him (men's department, one of the ugliest bottles around), you should explore the Serge Lutens range (each of them is very unique, so you should sample many). You may also find other perfumes you love at the men's department - lots of woody orientals out there.

I'm wearing Yatagan by Caron as I type. Another love/hate perfume, a classic masculine which I love. Although I started out as an oriental lover, and have enjoyed some insulin shock gourmands, my taste has become gradually drier and more bitter. The strong herby wood here is what I often crave. This is possibly one of my favorite perfumes ever.

Thank you so much. Was having a look last night & was wondering about CDG Kyoto and Sequoia. Have only ever bought perfume from high st shops so far & budget is limited at the moment due to mat leave so will try & get some samples.
Have noticed that the bottles for some of these aren't as pretty, not that it matters if I love the scent.
Thanks again.

Ginger if you're looking at Comme des Garçons you might take a look at White.
No idea why it's called that, it's a spicy pomegranate scent.

Either CdG Sequoia or Palisander (cannot remember which one) is very similar to Pomegranate Noir, almost a dupe. Maybe too similar, you might not need both.
CdG is an arty/ minimalist/ hipster brand so no, they don't do conventionally pretty bottles - their target market is different.

People often forget that perfumes are a luxury. Many luxury products have been democratized - a beggar I saw on the street the other day was wearing terrific aftershave - but within perfumery, there are still true luxury products. That is, perfumes that are neither affordable nor accessible to the masses (the average consumer may not even understand what's special about the most luxurious perfumes). It's a bit like wine - there are easy to drink mass-market wines and then there are rare vintages that require special knowledge.

My Narciso Rodriguez EDP sample arrived in this morning's post. Tis lovely, powdery and very like SJP's Lovely which I'm a secret fan of.

Yes, Tartine et Chocolat is aimed at children. Still love it though.

Now that I've actually spritzed myself with the Narciso Rodriguez it suddenly seems to smell a bit like Karvol

Damn you skin chemistry.

I just bought a used bottle of LouLou off ebay to relive my youth. I cannot believe I used to baste myself in this in the late 80s. I would never wear it now. It's so loud! I have been wearing a little on my wrist just around the house for old time's sake, but I would never unleash this on the public!

I can't help being fond of it though, I used to love the box, the bottle, the advert, everything. But now.... oooof, way too much.

Isn't it funny how your perfume tastes change as you grow older?

You are right, Youoldslag - it'll be a cold day in hell before I wear Ysatis de Givenchy again, but oh, how I loved it back in the day.

My Surrender to Chance samples arrived, and I have lined them all up on pieces of blotting paper and had a good sniff. Chanel Coromandel and Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille smell very promising, but Fracas - OMG, I was nearly bowled off the sofa. I think I'll try that one on a day when I'm not planning to see anyone; I'm not sure I'll be able to cope with the 1000 megawatt pungency.

My fave nuclear scent back in the day was Obsession. I had Poison too, and coveted Opium. I've tried so many - Je Reviens, no.5, Eau Dynamisante (a favourite in early 90s) Eau Svelte,.. Ones I can't stand are Eden (cacharel?), L'Air Du Temps, Yvresse (remember when it was called Champagne?) Samsara, Le Jardin and Amarige. Worst offender of all time has to be Youth Dew. Ugh.
Ysatis was worn by an old friend so happy associations there.

Gaultier makes me leave shops if I can smell it on someone - makes me physically sick. as does Angel. Gaultier thing started nearly 20 years ago when I was pregnant with dd1 and I never got over it.

I used to love the smells of Champagne/Yvresse on my friend, but on me I can't bear anything peachy, just awful.

Obsession is quite nice in moderation- I wear it for an evening out but only use one squirt. It's quite enough!

I don't like Eden either, but quite like L'Air du Temps, and Amarige.

Angel is just awful- so many people wear it and it just smells like they've rubbed a bar of Dairy Milk all over themselves.

I had a friend who wore Knowing by Estee Lauder when she was just 18. Waaayyyy too much!

One of my Surrender to Chance orders arrived at weekend! The Different Company Sel de Vetiver. I love it, but doesn't seem to last long on my skin Not keen on the initial 'hit' but settles beautifully

Have ordered samples of....

Tauer Perfumes L'air du Desert Marocain
Hermes Terre D'Hermes
Tom Ford Private Blend Tobacco Vanille
Tom Ford Private Blend Tuscan Leather
1 x Chanel Coromandel (Les Exclusifs)
Caron Yatagan

The samples are very small. What is the best way to experience them? I read something further up about smelling on paper first or should I just go straight to applying on skin?

I'm glad you liked the Sel de Vetiver, Northumberlandlass.

Yes Thanks Coffee - good shout

If you like a perfume but find it does not last long enough, there are a few tricks:

1. spray on hair or clothes (however, check first whether the liquid stains)
2. moisturize your skin first with an unscented moisturizer (ideally, jojoba oil), then apply perfume.

Ginger if you have very small samples, you might go directly for skin. There is always a risk you will deeply dislike something - if you think that is an issue, stick a strip of paper in the vial first and give it a good sniff.

I wore Malle's Cologne de Bigarade in the morning. Like many other colognes, it is quite fleeting, so I will get to pick something else for the rest of the day. Am thinking of going for Amytis by Nabucco, a lovely and lush oil-based perfume.

Sel de Vetiver is great, as are many other perfumes by The Different Company.

Sel de Vetiver sounds amazing. I'm adding it to my list.

Chanel Coromandel....mmmmmmm....mmmmmm.....

I've been sniffing myself all day. I'm rubbish at describing scents but it's woody, warm and spicy, not overpowering, feminine without being cloying. I wasn't expecting to like it, as I'm not a fan of patchouli (dusty old hippy smell) but it is Very Nice Indeed.

It's gorgeous, isn't it, Cointreau ? I think it may be my favourite new perfume so far. I've just dabbed some Bandit on - bloody Nora, it's strong, definitely smells leathery but a sharp leather rather than a soft, warm leather.

Bandit sounds like a 1970's aftershave Magnum would wear.

Agree cointreau! Cheap sounding name but I bet it cost a bomb!

It's supposed to be a classic - 5 hours later and it's still thermonuclear.