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

Thanks for the tip kiwigirl- I have emailed Jo Loves, as curious about the pink vetiver. Today, I popped into Boots and put Chanel No 5 on one hand and Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere on the other. So far, I really quite like the original no 5. It is settling down to be quite powdery on my skin. A real feel good fragrance, that I can imagine makes you feel like quite the powerhouse in the workplace. I'm on maternity leave, so am feeling formidable in the house [smile}. Well, not really...

Well done, scoring samples! It's always worthwhile to write to perfume houses directly - especially emerging ones and those that have launched new fragrances.

Feeling formidable during maternity leave - quite a feat Shoeprincess Chanel No 5 is a fine thing - I wear it much too rarely.

I have a large amount neglected Parfumerie Generale samples. They do some great and original gourmands. I've been off gourmands during the hot summer, but now the weather has turned rainy and stormy, and delectable perfumes feel great. Wearing Jardins de Kerylos as I type. An interesting mixture of green sappy fig (I smelled fig leaves in the park the other day - they are scratchy and sharp-smelling, not necessarily the most comfortable underwear - but I love bitter leaf smells) and creamy coconut.

I've just been over to the Jo Loves website too, thanks for the tip kiwi! I've requested samples of Thai Lime over Mango, and Pink Vetiver... was curious about the Gardenia too.

Re. Turin/Sanchez and No19 - as it's my default favourite the description of its being like the "cold shoulder of an ice queen" came as a bit of a surprise. Somewhere else I think I read it described as a "cold little bitch" of a scent, even worse! I get where they're coming from I suppose...but can't put my finger on why. I've always liked it (prefer the EdT) because it's crisp and green but lush and feminine too. DonaAna, what do you think?

I don't get it - to me the No 19 extrait de parfum is very mellow and womanly (almost too restrained for me), eau de parfum subtle and sophisticated (am wearing it almost daily), and EdT a bit sharper but sharp just in a distinctive, not nasty way.

Then again - perhaps I'm a cold little b of a person

I received a wonderful bundle of decants today - some Aedes de Venustas, Trumper's Spanish Leather, Narcisse Noir, Iris Silver Mist and Puredistance M. Plus a lovely bonus - a sample of Tom Ford's Jonquille de Nuit. Very difficult to decide what to wear...

Ok, it is Narcisse Noir by Caron (extrait de parfum) today.
What an amazing thing. So many perfumes claim they are noir - they are not.
This is a fresh, gentle and innocuous veil of florals with a sinful base that whispers pure sex (civet, I think). I love this.

Trying this is like discovering that your grandmother was heavily into bondage. Or uncovering a family secret.

I love older Carons. Farnesiana, En Avion and Tabac Blond are all great (but the new reformulated cheapos unfortunately aren't - except for Yatagan, which I love).

Leather and civet - some of my favorite notes.

Today is........Jicky day!!

My sample of the EdP arrived a couple of days ago, and I've been sniffing it on paper, but today I took the plunge and tried it on skin.

And it's a thumbs up! There was a strange topnote beside the lavender that I wasn't keen on, but that disappeared within a few minutes, and I'm enjoying it so far. BUT, it stayed fairly close to the skin and has almost disappeared after only 6 hours, which I wasn't expecting - maybe I didn't put much on.

It's definitely a perfume that a few months ago I would have rejected at first sniff; I'm so enjoying this foray into "new and different".

The "ice queen" descriptions of Chanel No 19 ring true to me, funnily enough, because the only person I knew who wore it was just that - a tall, skinny, bitchy ash-blonde who was the girlfriend of a flatmate years ago.

She borrowed a scarf of mine, and when I got it back it smelled so strongly of ice queen I had to wash it before I could have it near me. The smell still conjures her up years later. I'd probably like it otherwise!

Cointreau - I see what you mean. That would put me off too!

That scarf story has reminded me, my DD comes home from nursery with her hair reeking of white musk [boak], other days it's patchouli/amber (I'm not good at telling the difference), which is really strong and doesn't go away until we've washed her hair. The good thing is this means she's been cuddled or held at some point, but I find it a bit weird to have her smelling so strongly of someone else's loud and skanky perfume.

DonaAna - Narcisse Noir sounds amazing,I've never tried any of the Carons. Methinks another trip to Mazzolari is in order...

Cointreau, I'm tall, skinny and ash-blonde
Bitchiness is subject to discussion. But no, I didn't borrow your scarf

I'm amazed that I like No 19 so much, because I generally like warm, dense, voluminous and complex perfumes not to mention some really tacky gourmands. But then again, I'm still discovering what is out there - and I definitely like green notes.

Jicky is great - not for the faint of heart though. Six hours is a decent amount of wear time. Rule of thumb, the sweeter and heavier and the more oriental, the more wearing time you will get (this is by the way why perfumes often have basenotes - substances used to create basenotes have less volatililty and linger around for a longer time). So aldehydes and citruses and aromatics and light florals by definition are not meant to be long-lasting (although there are some tricks to do increase their wearing time - I think hedione in Eau Sauvage for example - but not sure - am not a perfumer).

Chanel No 19 EdP on my skin is a 12-13-hour experience (and it evolves throughout). One of the reasons why I like it so much. But when you become really addicted to perfume, some fleeting 3-hour scents make sense - this allows a separate morning, afternoon and evening perfume.

I love No. 19 but I am no Ice Queen! Not in looks or in personality. I like to think I do have a aloof, mysterious, austere side to me though (yes, I do - honest!) and I suppose No. 19 chanels that.

Chanels. Geddit?

Hahahaha

Today I have been wearing Cartier Baiser Vole. According to Fragrantica, there are only two notes: green and Lily. It's certainly both of those and nothing else.

I really can't decide what I feel. Certainly not love at first whiff. It's fine, but for that budget I'd want something I was crazy about.

YouOldSlag- Baiser Vole is nice, but very expensive for what it is. You might as well purchase a bottle of Florentyna White Flowers from M & S (similar smell and cheap as chips). Nicer than the original Florentyna.

I'm saving up for a bottle of Cristalle. I keep trying stuff to see if it comes close, but nothing yet. Certainly not this!

Can anyone tell me what it is about Coco Mademoiselle ( and the cheap Lidl version) that I can not bear? To me ( or on me maybe) it is like cat pee .... I have no idea if that disappears after initial application because I have to wash it off. What would that note be. Not unrelated I have a full bottle of the Suddenly stuff which I would be happy to send to anyone who doesn't feel this way about it AND a teeny tiny ( very adorable) sampler of Coco Mademoiselle too.

I'm not wild about Mademoiselle either, and I usually love all Chanel, and I like Coco.

interesting discussion regarding cat pee note here

and here on basenotes

thanks kiwigirl... Interesting but I'm not sure I've figured it out. Puzzlingly I really like Aromatics Elixir which several people in that first link identify with cat pee. Maybe I am not describing it well. I would love to know what it is though.

Go and try Acqua Allegorica Pamplelune by Guerlain. If you smell that as cat pee, you are definitely one of the people who perceive grapefruit notes as cat pee.

Now I'm even more confused. I have tried the Guerlain and thought it ok but it didn't excite me. Definitely not cat pee like though. My absolute favourite everyday perfume is Eau Vitaminee by Biotherm. Too me it is overwhelmingly grapefruit and I love it. The only problem is that it is sooo light and disappears quickly ( although more lasting if combined with the body lotion). What the hell is it in the Coco Mademoiselle then? No takers on my lush bottle of Suddenly then ;). The sample of Coco Madmoiselle is seriously adorable it looks just like a dolls house a sled down bottle of the parfum. I will never wear them it seems a shame to bin them.

Sized down - it should read.

DonaAna - are you sure it wasn't you? White scarf, Oxford, c.1988???

Pocketandsweet - that reminds me, I used to wear a lovely grapefruity fragrance - YSL In Love Again. I haven't seen it for years.

Ooh cointreau have not heard of that will try and find that. I was also lying in bed last night remembering all the perfumes that I used to have samples of when I was teenager and I need to find Y by Yves st Laurent and Ivoire de Balmain to smell them again. Although with reformulations it is difficult. I wore Nocturnes by Caron in my twenties and when I smelt it again a couple years ago it was nothing like I remembered .... Made me feel sad

I stopped by a jo Malone counter today. I was trying pomegranate noir which was way too masculine for me. The assistant sprayed a few more from me and I went home with a spray of what I thought was blue vetyver. There is no such thing. It must be either vetyver, black vetyver or the bluebell one I guess. It is a really light scent, lineny, it smells cold if that makes sense. Any ideas?

Nope Cointreau - haven't been in Oxford in 1988 (was slightly too young to be anywhere then - spent that year mostly sulking in my room, and wouldn't have appreciated No 19 back them) I was a mean little thing in the making though - a few years later I discovered Dune and Amarige - true mean girl perfumes.

Pocket, I have several samples of CM and a full bottle of Lidl Suddenly Whatever (bought as a jest - but it really is an okay perfume, particularly considering the price). I don't smell either of them as cat pee. But Coco Mademoiselle is worth sampling and discovering - I like it and would wear it more (used to wear it to work and meetings - I kept one of the samples in my airline travel pouch), but it's one of the best-selling feminine perfumes in the US and something I smell frequently on others here in Italy too. But someone else on this thread, make a swap?

Am seriously in love with Narcisse Noir. What a shame that Caron perfumes have lost their luster in recent reformulations (the modern bottle of Tabac Blond is deeply blah) - tracking down vintage bottles is difficult and expensive.