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

988 replies

shoeprincess2 · 13/11/2012 13:23

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

OP posts:
cardoon · 19/12/2012 14:09

Have pm'd you cointreau..

ThatsNice · 19/12/2012 14:10

Sporting two samples today! On one wrist fracas (rather yummy) and since that has considerably worn off, now have diptyque l'ombre dans l'eau on the other .. both very very different and I'm liking both, diptyque more I think!

I also got my perfume oil smell-a-like Noa today. I actually have two. Only ordered one! Honesty got the better of me and I've mailed them to tell them and see what they say.. Wink

flybynight · 19/12/2012 14:44

florascotia, I have been exploring green/chypre frangrances via loads of STC samples, and you are welcome to them if you are interested.

I've got:

Jacomo Silences
Balmain Vent Vert
L'eau Martin Margiela
Piguet Bandit
Guerlain Sous le Vent
Chanel Bel Respiro
Guerlain Cuir Beluga
Tom Ford Moss Breches
Lutens Iris SIlver Mist
Parfumerie Generale Bois Blond
Chanel 31 Rue Cambon

The wee box I.m keeping them in smells heavenly.
PM if you would like them and I'll post probably after Christmas.

DonaAna · 19/12/2012 14:52

Yep Cointreau I agree the focus of mainstream is on marketing.
This creates brainless eager-to-please perfumes that fade quicky (their big moment is the 15 seconds on the smelling strip).
I'm fed up with that trend and don't spend my money on them.

Flybynight has some really gorgeous fragrances listed! (Hope you have found something that works.) Nice you too. What I love about less-known perfumes is the huge variety of styles and moods available.

flybynight · 19/12/2012 14:58

I found Serge Lutens Borneo 1834, DonaAna

More woody and spicy than I was expecting, but utterly intoxicating (once you get past the rather overpowering first 30 minutes).

I'm hoping that Santa will oblige. Or failing that, my husband.

ThatsNice · 19/12/2012 22:11

I have a coffee date tomorrow and I am nervous, lol! Don't know whether to go for my favorite go to 'little black dress' perfume, Tom fords noir de noir, or something else very light but subtle, don't know what?! Want to make an impression without giving him a migraine wondering what the hell I'm wearing, lol!! Wink

florascotia · 20/12/2012 08:13

Gosh, thanks, flybynight, that is extraordinarily generous. Will get in touch!
Can I offer you something - eg wee department store gift voucher towards a future perfume purchase - in return?? I should be passing through Glasgow tomorrow or Saturday and could pop into House of Fraser/Debenhams/John Lewis, if you have one of those near you.

DonaAna · 20/12/2012 08:30

Nice Noir de noir is a really great choice. Classic with a twist, subtle and slightly mysterious. Go for it! I often pick a rose fragrance for those kinds of situations. Men often tend to like simple and uncomplicated things like roses or vanilla. I would not pick anything too sweet, spicy or anything aldehydic - the latter often smell a bit aggressive or demanding (or, worst case scenario, just dated).

And Night, I'm so happy you found Borneo! Just the name is so intriguing, isn't it lovely to wear something so unique. I've always loved this review on Basenotes (I used to live in Brazil, and Borneo makes me think of rainforest floor and tapirs):

"Indeed, the more time passes, the more opaque is the scent, it gives the impression that you're in the middle of a dark rainforest, but close to a cocoa farm (who has been to Ilheus, here in Brazil, should know what I'm talking ). The scent reminds a lot this environment. This is because the dry down enter the galbanum and laudanum notes, leaving the frag resined and incensed."

I'm wearing Puredistance M again. This is such a luxurious scent. Perfectly unisex, lush and extravagant.

shoeprincess2 · 20/12/2012 09:33

Morning perfumistas! Today's scent is Le Maroc Pour Elle- very incense-y. In fact, it reminds me of one of those little shops that sells handcrafted jewellery, floaty skirts and incense sticks. Only one squirt was required- very heady and perfect for a winter's day. Tomorrow is my Christmas meal out and after much deliberation and testing, I have decided to wear Coromandel.

Yesterday, I was in Debenhams and it was interesting how many people were wearing Calvin Klein Euphoria. It seems to be the go to scent for winter. There was also the distinct smell of Womanity, which I still think is very much like marmite! I have a bottle of it lurking in the back of my drawer- I can't bring myself to wear it (it was bought as a gift)

OP posts:
flybynight · 20/12/2012 11:12

Absolutely no need, flora (that's one of my dd's name). I loved playing with them, and I would love to pass them on. Do remember to send your address though!

kiwigirl42 · 20/12/2012 14:17

I'm a poorly possum today so Teint de Neige and touch of Lipstick Rose

DonaAna · 20/12/2012 14:27

Oh poor thing Kiwi! I'm still a bit under the weather and have trouble smelling things.
I guess I might smell Loretta and Aromatics Elixir and maybe Coco but that's about it...

I smelled TdN on someone at the opera last week - it really worked there. Lovely dusty/powdery/deep vibe.

vacuuming · 20/12/2012 21:42

Who was looking for cheap Chanel No. 5? I was in Lidl today and they had a perfume Suddenly I (or 1 maybe) and it is a No. 5 dupe. They had a Coco Mademoiselle dupe that I saw in there before. It cost 4 quid in euros so probably even less in stg.

YouOldTinsellySlag · 20/12/2012 23:20

No Lidl's Suddenly Madame Glamour was preferred by testers when compared to Coco Mademoiselle. It's not a dupe of Chanel no 5, nor of Coco. It's a grey area as to whether the testers preferred the smell of it, or thought it WAS Coco.

YouOldTinsellySlag · 20/12/2012 23:22

The only thing I can smell today is eau d'Olbas Oil. It has menthol top notes, with a drydown of....oh I don't know. I can't smell a thing.

Damn these winter colds we all seem to have.

DonaAna · 21/12/2012 07:48

Suddenly Madame Glamour is a Chloe-esque take on Coco Mademoiselle.
Decent stuff for the price, top notes slightly more papery and frail and it does not have the lasting power of the original. I have a bottle but never wear it. They also have Chalon which is a dupe of Tresor and X-Bolt or something that is a dupe of the masculine Boss. All worth exploring if you are really short of cash (I have a not-so-secret Lidl fetish and go there regularly - but not for perfume).

Personally, I am not a fan of El Cheapo perfumes. To me, perfumes are a luxury item, and a two-quid budget luxury is not what I'm after. I much prefer a sample or smaller decant of something truly exquisite or a bargain vintage bottle from eBay (Exhibit A). Those can be had for very little money too but won't make me feel cheap. I prefer wearing unusual, unique perfume that people on the streets won't recognize or have access to (say Loretta, Puredistance M). Once you know a little about perfume, you will know so many truly outstanding perfumes that you really won't have enough skin time for mediocre stuff.

Hope that doesn't sound too stern - I have tested Lidl perfumes after all Wink But I guess many of you have already personally experienced that there are so many less-known great perfumes... Some of the superb classic masculines for example are bargainous... Yatagan won't break the bank.

DonaAna · 21/12/2012 10:52

I've been hankering after Aromatics Elixir for a few days now and on my way to the big food shop I sprayed some.

This is the Fernet Branca of female perfumes. Something even my clogged nose can smell. Soapier than I remembered but also has some underlying smokiness too. (This is a strongly femininized version of the herby 1970s style masculines that I love - Yatagan, Antaeus, Eau des Iles, Jules etc.) Fascinating, a classic. Would not mind a 10 ml bottle - just like a mini of Fernet Branca (I once saw a lady at an airport duty free buying 10 minis - I asked where she was going and she said Tanzania. She was anticipating a food poisoning...), there are moments when this comes handy.

My short list of great mainstream choices this winter: Chanel No. 19 EdT, La vie est belle by Lancome, and Aromatics Elixir.

Bonsoir · 21/12/2012 11:04

DonaAna - what you recommend for a man who has been wearing Penhaligon's Endymion (and still likes it) but could do with a change?

DonaAna · 21/12/2012 13:52

Endymion has a clean and clear bracing fougere note but gets spicy and oriental later...

If he loves the clear opening, I'd go for a classic fougere.
Some of the very best ones are the quite inexpensive traditional ones - these would work for a traditional, conservative man -
Azzaro pour homme (perhaps the best)
Paco Rabanne pour homme
Caron pour un homme
Possibly also Wild Fern by Geo F Trumper
Or if you can find it somewhere, Fougere Royale by Houbigant (it's the father fragrance of this genre, lovingly restored recently)

If he is sexy, ironic and self-confident, the best choice would be the French niche brand Histoires de Parfums - their
1725 Casanova (a modern fougere, really my favorite)
I particularly love the half-bottle that is literally a bottle cut in half.

If what he really loves about Endymion is the soft spicy tail end, if he can carry off opulent and if he needs a good warm winter fragrance, and if budget is not tight, I would get him the 17.5 ml silver vial of Puredistance M. I wear it often and my DH (who always steals my most expensive frags) has been circling it greedily... Grin

Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens is also a good winter amber for a man who loves sweet and spicy: I feel it has dried oregano scattered over a warm sweet amber. A delicious mixture of sweet and savory.

Bonsoir · 21/12/2012 14:02

Grazie mille, DonaAna. I think I'll go for 1725 Casanova... lots of shopping options locally!

DonaAna · 21/12/2012 14:40

Excellent Bonsoir! 1740 Marquis de Sade is worth sampling too.

I just realized I missed the Micallef perfume advent calendar :(
Seriously, I could not imagine anything more lovely...
Let's hope they do another one next year.

Bonsoir · 21/12/2012 14:52

Thanks!

Bonsoir · 21/12/2012 18:23

DonaAna - I have a 120ml bottle of the 1725 Casanova - you are absolutely right, it's a perfect follow-on to Endymion. I went to Jovoy to be sure to find it - super easy.

Thank you again!

DonaAna · 21/12/2012 18:46

Lovely Bonsoir - it has many of the same notes but in a very elegant and self-assured form. Hope it will be appreciated. It's not a linear perfume, which keeps things interesting, and the dry-down is a treat.

cardoon · 21/12/2012 20:31

Bumping for cointreau Grin