Budding perfumistas walk this way- Part 2 of the Worst Perfumes ever

[shoeprincess2]

As the first thread is nearly full, I've set up Part 2

CointreauVersial I'm going to get a sample of Un Bois Vanille too - I tried it ages ago in a shop but forgot to think about it at the time!

I tried YSL M7 Oud absolue yesterday and really liked it. Trouble is, I have a bell jar of Ambre Sultan and that sort of covers it for me with ambery, spicy, woody scents. Must use it faster

Great package Cointreau!
The official reformulations bother me much more than potential pirates. They are done for three reasons:

1. original ingredient is extinct/ astronomically expensive/ unethical (civet and other animal-based ingredients ; Mysore sandalwood; natural oudh ie agarwood)
2. original ingredients are deemed allergenic or toxic (many natural oils, for example citrus oils or cinnamon, are skin irritants; this is the problem with oakmoss, the basenote in chypres and fougeres)
3. it's cheaper for perfume companies to give you synthetics than costly natural plant-derived ingredients; because many people are not very quality conscious, they happily accept cheapened and diluted formulas

If you love a perfume now, you should buy it. Perfume formulas are constantly being changed and the same bottle with the same label may smell very different next year. This has already happened to most classics but it may also happen to your current, modern favorite.

Re Dahlia, iirc it has a musky base. A lot of different musks are used in perfumery. People smell musks differently and some of us are anosmic to some of them, so perfumers often add a handful of different ones to make sure everyone smells something. I perceive one musk as intensely unpleasant (somewhere between vomit and fecal - Bulgari Black, Body Kouros, current Vanille Tonka) - many other friends perceive them fifferently. A friend gets an intense, unpleasant fabric softener feel from many white musks - laundry detergents and other household products are full of cheap musks.

I've just been thinking about musk also. Its an accord I dislike as it tends to give me a headache (think body shop white musk - instant migraine!) The drydown of Prada Candy is just starting to give me a headache and make me feel nauseous. And its lasted through a shower!

Definitely not a musk girl.

cointreau can I ask who your eBay seller is? I can't seem to find ( are you in. UK?) and that is a list I would like to try as well....

DonaAna, that's interesting about different musks. I have to say it didn't smell particularly musky that I disliked, maybe violety?? Ivan not good at identifying different scents/notes (not too sure of correct terminology either, lol!) I actually quite like musk but accept if there are many different ones, its quite plausible I may have stumbled across one I dislike.

And a big fat .. Doh .. from me too calling it black dahlia, its black orchid rolls eyes at myself mixing them up

I wonder if its ylang ylang I can smell? I detest the stuff. My friend used an aroma blend on me last year that had ylang in (which I initially liked) but as the top and middle notes wore off, I was left with just the ylang.... Bleurgh..

I did a side by side - left hand, right hand experiment and YSL Nu is remarkably similar to Miller Harris La Fumee.
La Fumee is a little bit smokier, but not a lot.

Pocketandsweet - I've sent you a PM.

Marking place. Have racked up a £500 wish list since reading these threads, but am managing on 3ml samples from Surrender to Chance instead. I don't actually want a 50 - 75ml bottle of anything - but I do want a nice bottle, so that's my dilemma.
Current fave is ELdO Tom of Finland - must try the Tilda Swinton on next month's StC order. Also enjoying Jasmine et Cigarette, but it doesn't last long. Just ordered Tauer's Lonestar Memories sample from Scent & Sensibility. Want Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather but the saleswoman was a bit snotty and it is really very costly. 3ml sample I think.

Just for fun, I sprayed the 'leather soaked' version of Angel, which was so popular, the testers were empty. Sheesher - I don't know how I ever wore that stuff. Suffice to say that there was no discernible leather at all and the tester ribbon lasted 5 mins before i had to chuck it in the bin.

Ladies, had stepped away from this thread as I was becoming quite obsessed and spending too much on samples!

BUT - I have finally decided that I love Chanel Sycomore.....although I can't seem to find out how much it costs on the internet (never a good sign). But while reading about Sycomore - Lalique Encre Noir keeps being mentioned...and I see there is a Lalique Encre Noir Pour Elle.....has anyone tried it? views much appreciated

NL

Hello, I've found you again..
Am wearing a spritz of my Chanel no19 Poudré sample this morning, I love it, lasting power is not great but it's nice and delicate. The original no19 is my go-to classic but it doesn't smell as good as it used to (er, can it really have been 20 years since I first bought it?! oh dear)

I can't wait to get No5 again but I'm still waiting until I'm 40 - I was about 15 last time and it probably didn't suit me then.
I also had Rive Gauche! Great bottle but I wouldn't wear it now.

Had no idea there was a leather soaked version of Angel, I don't actually mind the original but that sounds foul...

Bit worried as I ordered some Guerlain and other samples from Surrender to Chance a month ago and they still haven't arrived in London. It was US First Class Mail so there's no way of tracking it, I just know they sent me an e-mail to say it had been dispatched, but this was about the same time as Hurricane Sandy...
Has anyone else had problems with StC deliveries??

Itsafineline Escentual sells a coffret of ELdOs that is great value, but the samples are quite small - you may need the bigger ones.

I need to smell the Leather Angel too. For some strange reason YSL Nu is difficult for me to get. I'm not sure I've tried it, but would love to. (Last year I was pleasantly surprised by Cinema, which was a great everyday fragrance - it contains heliotrope and is sweet, so may not work on everyone, but I really loved it.)

Going old lady today and wearing vintage Chamade by Guerlain. Spent some time on the tram yesterday in close contact with Roman ladies of certain age, all smelling of vintage treasures - Carons, Guerlains, forgotten great perfumes.

I can also recommend Alla Violetta Boutique for ordering some spray samples. They do a quick delivery via UPS (EU-based, so no need to worry about import duties) and give so many interesting freebies on the side that you immediately forgive the cost of shipping. They have a great selection of niche fragrances. Right now they offer a great incense sampler.

Someone was looking for a good hyacinth. Bas de soie by Serge Lutens is a spine-chilling rendition - daunting but really worth trying. One of those perfumes that really stand out and feel completely different from anything you've ever tried.

I guess that is what keeps me hooked - every now and then experiencing something that smells completely new and unique. (But I also enjoy good craftmanship and great ingredients - it's like fashion: sometimes you need something totally new and outrageous, other times just something that slips on without a fuss and is well-made and comfortable.)

Which reminds me that I really recommend Opus and Sartorial by Penhaligons if you'd like to cross over to masculines a bit but want something nicely crafted and easy to wear.

When I was running this morning I came across an old man who wore an amazing orange cologne. I'd say Eau d'Orange Verte by Hermes. Lovely.

Northumberlandlass Encre Noir pour Elle is a sweet mess, nothing like Encre Noir.
Nu was discontinued and then brought back last year in a different bottle.
The original Eau de Parfum bottle was joke anyway, so just as well.
Haven't smellt the new one though, so don't know if it's changed.

Spaghettina I'm sorry about delivery problems. Although I really love StC (and they are the best source for variety and for vintage versions), ordering anything from the US is difficult - hence I'm always looking for EU-based companies and mostly use them. But when I've used StC, they have always shipped quite promptly, there have been no delivery problems and their customer service is great (if anything is broken/spilled/missing, they promptly refund or replace it).

Are you in Italy Spaghettina? Time to tour your neighborhood profumerie - mine has Vol de Nuit, Chant d'Aromes and many other older Guerlains in huge ancient-looking 500ml or 1000ml flacons. You might need to check out several, as some of the profumerie only carry sad limited modern duty-free type selections - but others are treasure troves with discontinued jewels, dusty buried bottles and great classics. I have a wonderful customer relationship with the keeper of the one closest to me - he does special orders for me and also alerts me about new releases. He gives me big discounts every time I buy something and a bagful of samples to try new releases. I very rarely need StC, as almost everything I would ever need is probably available either at the neigborhood profumeria or one of the others nearby.

The modern No. 19 is much paler than the original. I have a small sample of the vintage stuff and a bottle of the current reformulation. Which is still nice but sadly lacks oomph a bit.

Northumberlass Encre Noire pour Elle is completely different from Encre Noire and a huge disappointment (I have a sample of the former courtesy of Mr. Profumeria and a bottle of the latter). Encre Noire for men is a mixture of vetiver and Iso E Super - good but less nuanced than Sycomore. Have you explored Crystal Flacon - it's a site where perfume lovers sell decants from their bottles and a very good way to keep perfume purchases affordable - Sycomore can be found there for a very reasonable price. In my opinion, 5-10 ml of any perfume is a very good amount.

Last time I purchased a Chanel Exclusif it was 110 or 120 EUR for a 75 ml bottle (they also do a bigger bottle size). If you are able to buy it a duty free (not all airports sell Exclusifs), you will save the VAT amount. Place Vendome Haute Parfumerie in Belgium sells Chanel and Guerlain Exclusifs by mail order if you e-mail them (they will send you about a dozen large and exquisite samples with your order - really recommended - truly a treat, worth every penny - and a lovely Christmas gift).

Oh and for all Tuscan Leather fans, this seller may have affordable UK-based decants.

Thanks Coffee & DonaAna - appreciated. I might see if I can find the Encre Noir aftershave for a sniff.

Haven't looked at Crystal Falcon..... Thanks !!

has anyone tried any fragrances by Monotheme? M & S stock them now and they sound interesting but of course my lame local stores don't have all the interesting new beauty/fragrance things so need to order online. Especially interested if anyone has smelt the citrus ones ( bergamot and zagara).

Thanks DonaAna - yes, the ELdO sampler set is a real bargain from Escentuel as they give you a voucher for the full cost of it, to take off a purchase of a full bottle. However, it is out of stock so I am in a big sulk. I shall wait. I CAN wait, but I hate to.
Spaghettina I had a StC order right in the middle of Sandy. They sent an email saying it might cause problems, but my parcels arrived to the UK in the usual amount of time. (14 days) StC seem to always split my order into two parcels. I'm trying to keep the cost to around $25 to avoid import tax. This is really difficult, 'cause as DonaAna says, they really do have the best gear. Basically, my paypal balance is being frittered on samples.

There is also Alien soaked with leather. That tester was completely squeezed dry, so I can't report on it. I quite like Alien, especially at Christmas.

Spaghettina - you need to email them and they will replace the order. They have great customer service

I twitched when Dona mentioned Alla Violetta (from EUR9 delivery to UK) upstream and wondered how she knew what site I was browsing lol!

Chamade definitely has hyacinth (and aldehydes) in the opening. The impression is of blinding, almost inhuman purity, and then the perfume makes a U-turn and becomes very sensual and warm. A fine, nuanced perfume, but does not feel right on me. This really belongs to my mother's generation. I can admire this but somehow this remains cerebral and intellectual and does not sweep me off my feet.

Fineline does the Etat Libre d'Orange e-boutique offer a similar voucher? Escentual do not always restock - I once bought the last set of something there and when my friends went back for it they never got it again.

Kiwi I can read your mind
Alla Violetta is my favorite online perfume store. They are unbeatable if you love modern niche and their spray sample vials are really good and generous. And I love getting surprise freebies.

So, I have been looking up the fragrances which I really like and these are the accords that I am drawn to:-

-Powdery
-White floral
-Soft spicy
-Woody
-Earthy
-Musky

The notes I am drawn to are:

-Patchouli
-Tuberose
-Frangipani
-Vetiver
-Amber
-Tonka bean

So, I think that all of the Chanel Les Exclusifs are worthy of trying. I defintely go for the Woody Floral Musk fragrances. I shall make a note of these (in my little notebook- how geeky?)

My order from Dueto has just arrived- yaaaay!

I ordered a bottle of Golden Boy, and they have sent me a free leather wallet, and three samples of EDP- City Love, Golden Boy, and City Oud. I have just sprayed the Golden Boy tester, and it is every bit as gorgeous as Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather, for nothing like the ££££££s. I can't recommend it enough. I will let you know how I get in with the other two samples.