Part 3- Fully fledged perfumistas- share your fragrances

[shoeprincess2]

Part 2 is nearly full!

I've worn and admired Beyond Love all day. The other day I felt she is too aloof and cerebral, but she's a real seductress. I fell for the oldest trick in the book - play hard to get

Today Beyond Love has been warm and cool in equal measures. Alleged ingredient list here - and if it is to be believed, lots of naturals were used. Tuberosa, jasmine, coconut, clary sage over a musk base. Simple but magnificent - I've smelled a few tuberose absolutes, they tend to be complex (as you can smell in Loretta). This is a must-smell for a tuberose lover - halfway between Loretta and Fracas.

The perfume lasted for about 7-8 hours but has faded to a skin scent now. Even at its height you could wear this around other people, possibly even at work.

Thanks Cointreau and ProFumo I've registered with Crystal Flacon so am just waiting for my confirmation before I can email.
In terms of perfume history mine goes:
CK Eternity and Obsession
Ysatis (which I loved back then) and Amarige
O de Lancome
Eau de Merveilles Hermes (still love this)
Chanel No 5 and Allure
I wore Dior Addict on my wedding day!
Currently rotating Burberry Body, Chanel Chance, No 19 Poudre (think I should have bought 19) and Miss Dior
I have no idea if there is any consistency at all amongst these?

Shop you are dangerously close to being a perfume sibling - snap on Obsession, Eternity, Amarige, O - all old favorites mine. No. 19 is a current favorite and I still wear Amarige, but I also have a strong unisex/masculine vibe, loving leather perfumes and many classic masculines (Eau Sauvage is my current O and Habit Rouge is a light and debonair masculine oriental, much less ball-busting than Obsession). I like most perfume groups, but insipid fruity florals tend to bore me. My main comfort zones are ambery, oriental, leathery, and green perfumes and classic citrus colognes during. Summer. I love tuberose - Ysatis has that too.

Watch out, this is a dangerous addiction... But welcome anyway!

Oh and with Crystal Flacon, easiest just to find the email address of the seller from the listing and email directly (or pm them). Crystal Flacon is terrific, I've never had any problems and have puchased exquisite things from the vendors there.

Mmmm tried to find his email address but couldn't see for looking!
Thanks for the welcome. This could become a new interest!

Just dabbed on some L'Artisan Jour de Fête to get started with the almond theme. Olivia Giacobetti is a maverick perfumer (Hiris, Premier Figuier, Philosykos, Dzing!, Safran troublant, En passant...) and this is another fantastic one - almond, vanilla, wheat - sounds leaden, but she makes a translucent weightless perfume out of heavy-sounding materials. To me, this smells like sweet, sappy birch twigs at when the first pale yellowish-green leaves are about to emerge. A comfort scent from my childhood, and the perfect early spring perfume.

Quick dash round the Trafford Centre in Manchester today, they have the Chanel Exclusifs at Selfridges there now!

Sniffed Iris Nobile Sublime- less citrus and more ambery than the EDP, lovely, although thought the EDP was brighter, and the body milk is to die for!

Also had a quick sniff of the the new Jimmy Choo one- smells like everything else, boring, familiar fruity floral.

Wearing Fleur Nocturne sample, feel really let down by this now, as although the smell is the exact one I have been chasing, it doesn't last at all and had virtually no projection, gone in about 30 minutes. Not understanding how so many of the reviews can describe it has having heavy silage.

What do people think of Dior Pure Poison? My fragrantica searches for a sweet gardenia/jasmine pure smelling white floral seem to bring this up as the closest match to Fleur Nocturne, maybe being a Dior it will have a bit more staying power, the only real difference seems to be the addition of amber, which I love anyway.

ProFumo, how does Beyond Love compare to Carnal Flower?

Isabelle I haven't smelled Carnal Flower and Beyond Love side by side but in my head CF is leaner, meaner and greener - Beyond Love is cool/warm, has some green aspects but also white flower voluptuousness and the softness of coconut. (Coconut sounds awful in this context, like a pina colada from hell - but actually it's subtle, just gives the scent some flesh and curves.) If you happen to see BL somewhere, definitely worth sampling.

The best prediction of staying power is the fragrance family - the heavier the fragrance, the longer it usually lingers - orientals tend to have the heaviest molecules and hence it's easy to get 12+ wearing time. I have a touche dipped in castoreum (don't ask - poor beavers) and have kept on my dresser since last September, ie, 6 months. It's a sticky tarry substance and the smell is still perceptible. If you dip a touche in something very volatile, say a citrus essence or a delicate white flower absolute, it will be gone in hours or days.

I have not tried Fleur Nocturne but disappointing wear is all too common these days. Many perfumes are top-heavy, created to bloom on the touche. This is why skin testing is really important. I know Poison and Hypnotic Poison (both wear well) but (to my shame) haven't tried Pure Poison and Midnight Poison. Dior has gone downhill - their offerings are a mixed bunch (I got 30 min wearing time from one of their boutique perfumes). Go ahead, test it, and let us know! Has anyone else worn Pure Poison?

Ok, so have a Les Senteurs basket with the following samples in:

Orange Star
Eau d'hadrien
Orange Sanguine
and Carnal Flower

Havent clicked 'buy' yet and am a bit scared! Have only ever smelt the types of perfumes you get in Boots/department stores and I really dont know what to expect. In some ways I am sort of hoping that I hate all of them and decide to stick to mainstream, otherwise this could get expensive... but on the other hand I am worried that if I am disappointed, my tastes just are not sophisticated enough! Want to give them a chance though and open my mind (nose?) a bit when it comes to fragrance.

Scarletsalt, before becoming a perfumista, I bought a lot of perfumes in duty frees - often blind. Then I ordered four samples from Les Senteurs - more based on their fascinating names than any real knowledge - and did some sniffing in a Chanel boutique, and the rest is history.

That said, maybe one of every ten perfumes I come across are compelling enough to be worn a second time. Your samples sound lovely (but be warned - Orange Star can be daunting!), really hope you'll enjoy them! I'll need to try Orange Sanguine - blood oranges are in season now and I love them. Eau de Tarocco by Diptyque is also very good if you happen to see it somewhere.

Why do I prefer niche over mainstream? I get slightly more unusual and memorable perfumes. Their role is not just to mask bad smells/ help me to conform into a group - they are a statement of individuality. They do not smell as clichey, I can't smell them on passers-by. In general, I also get better quality, though there are many exceptions - a cologne strength is never going to offer full day wear, no matter what price tag. And I get beautiful drydowns - perfumes evaporate in a measured, elegant way, not leaving a sour acridness.

There are, however, well-made budget perfumes. Yves Rocher and L'Occitane and Gorilla Perfumes at Lush are often decent.

Thanks ProFumo, I love your posts by the way!

Go for it, Scarlet! Eau d'Hadrien is on my wish list at the moment. Guaranteed you won't like every new fragrance you try, but I'm coming to realise there is a roaring trade in swaps and eBay sales.

I have just tried Eau D'Hadrien and it's wonderful (thanks ProFumo!). I was less impressed with Eau Vitaminee- it smelt of orange juice and nothing else.

But Eau D'Hadrien- Mmm. I might put that on the wish list. It's like O de Lancome but different enough to justify having both. Now I know I like hesperides there's no stopping me, although I do like heavier stuff occasionally like patchouli (Borneo 1834), Obsession (but just one squirt) and Molinard Habanita, just for now and then.

I think I have decided that i'm not keen on Fredric Malle although I have only tried three. They all seem to have a thick base note in common that I find very heavy and thick, stuffy even, like having all the windows shut!

ProFumo, you make every fragrance sound so tempting. I'm now adding Jour de Fete to my bottomless list!

ooh cross posts Cointreau! I just tried Eau d'hadrien too!

Scarletsalt, thanks! Before you press "buy", perhaps go to your local store and try the following citruses 1. 4711 (dirt cheap), 2. Guerlain Eau de Cologne Imperiale (may be at the men's department) 3. Eau Sauvage by Dior (also men's deparment) and 4. Acqua di Parma Colonia Assoluta and 5. Happy by Clinique. If you are happy with any of them - quite a few of them are stellar - no need to discover niche options.

I started ordering samples home because I did not like the department store shopping experience (I was clueless - had no idea what was good and what to pick - and the scary orange ladies just pushed the newest releases).

MmeSlag, do not write off Malle before you have a verdict on Bigarade Concentree The rest may not be in your preferred style (imo Malles are best for someone who is looking for modern and stylish interpretations of florals - these are not your grannys bouquets), but that one you should sample if you happen to see it somewhere.

Bigarade is bitter orange / Seville orange - to me, really mouthwatering.

Profumo, I did have a little spray of beyond Love a couple of weeks ago, and as I recall it was very smooth compared to CF, but i didn't really pay enough attention to it at the time. Maybe I will try it again before splashing out on a full bottle of Carnal Flower?

Trying Coco et Vanille from Coudray tonight. It is very yummy, sort of a slightly floral vanilla and coconut, a bit like Bois de Vanille with a touch of floral. I think if you enjoy the vanilla in Shalimar, but find it a bit old lady you may want to try this instead as it's much more modern. It is VERY sweet, I am enjoying it tonight, but not sure it is something I would want to wear a lot, it's a bit too gourmand for me. It's good value though from Les Senteurs, not too pricey compared to most.

I daren't smell any more Frederick Malle's, I am afraid I might love them all, so modern yet classy and different!

And Dominique Ropion has made lots of the perfumes I love! Will definitely have to try Pure Poison as this is one of his too according to my research.

Can I just ask a quick question? Are the les senteurs samples recorded delivery? It says on the website that they deliver by recorded delivery, but I wasnt sure if this applied to the samples as well? And is it just £3 charge for the samples?

SOTD: Liaisons dangereuses, By Kilian. The smell of confectioner's sugar and rose halva. Opens with a lotioney vibe, a bit mature and matronly on my skin, let's see how it develops.

Secretsalt, haven't used Les Senteurs recently, does anyone else know?

Isabelle looking forward to a Dominique Ropion miniseries! I love thematic smelling. There are so many perfumes - it's easy to get overwhelmed and lost. That's why picking a theme (a perfumer, a note, a perfume family or subfamily) gives some direction and purpose. A great theme I once did was to smell a bunch of perfumes with 'noir' in the name - they were extremely varied! I really wanted to include Hello Kitty Noir but was unable to find it - iirc it was a Sephora US exclusive

A list of Ropion's work here. He's been everywhere!
He's done some of my favorites - Amarige, Geranium pour Monsieur, and my early love, Safari by Ralph Lauren (I miss this and have ordered a mini to re-experience it), and a titillating überniche release "What we do in Paris is Secret" (smelled it at a perfume fair and have been hankering after it ever since). But he is also responsible for some of the most queasy things I've ever smelled - Armani Code pour Femme, Alien and Amor Amor by Cacharel < green in the face emoticon>
Do you ladies have Ropions among your favorites?

scarlet - yes, Les Senteurs use recorded delivery, I had to sign for some samples last week. And yes, it is £3.