Part 4- All you ever need to know about fragrance continues

[shoeprincess2]

Well, we're nearly all full.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/1665844-Part-3-Fully-fledged-perfumistas-share-your-fragrances

Well, after spending the week smelling like food (tomato puree, flour and various other uninspiring smells), went shopping and had a spray of the Guerlain Vetiver Cologne for men
Haber and Frugal I'm sure you will both love it. Bearing in mind the approaching summer and the need for lighter fragrances and our shared love of men's colognes, it is a first impression of Eau Sauvage with a little more greenery, drying down to an O de Lancome with the teeniest suggestion of Pino Sylvestre. Delish and so summery.

Frugal where can I find the Mono D'Ori Oud that you have mentioned a few times? Still continuing my search ..... By the way SJP really does smell like Narciso - happy days. Day off cooking today - have finally finished, so tonight will be mostly smelling of Eau de Chardonnay .

Merle - I don't post much on this thread - I mainly like reading!

I'm not so good with Boots fragrances. So many of them are quite heavy these days, and post-children, i can't do that.

I think the poster recommending Chanel no 19 is on the right track. Perhaps you jsut need to spend some time sniffing lots of things to find what your next purchase will be?

Does it have to be purchased in Boots? If not, you have a lot more choice.

A lovely, widely available, Iris is "In Peace" by Space NK. Sold in Space NK! But if you already have the Prada, maybe you don't want more of the same?

I thought you might like the new Hermes scent: "Jour d'Hermes". It's very lovely, very light; a classy, feminine, floral. I think it might be just the sort of thing you like, actually. Also, hermes do a whole "Jardin" series of perfumes. I think you might like those as well. But my guess is that you'd like "Jour" more.

Problem is, that is not available from Boots.

The hugely popular modern feminine scents are Paul Smith "Rose"; stella "Stella" and marc Jacobs "Daisy". for a few years now, these have been the popular cultural interpretation of what a feminine, well-put-together fragrance is. Have you tried those? These are available in Boots.

Having said the above, I sense that their moment is passing. But it probably is worth smelling them, because whatever comes next will certainly have a connection to them. And having a sniff of these will help you define what you really like about the perfumes you really like.

By the way, I have found it really hard to reply to you because I am a scary Iris fan!! I've had to sit on my hands not to just post a list of my favourite Iris perfumes, and my favourite florals. i feel a real sense of affinity with you!

the cat I realise I have stumbled into an arena of experts, the like of which is beyond my imagination [shocked]. You mean there are lots I of perfumes which smell of Iris? I know nothing. I know what I like, but can't really articulate why. (I am the same with beer).

At the minute an luxury purchases do have to be on the points, but I can still make a list and start testing for when I become rich and/or my birthday.

Fuckit sorry about AS. I always think of it as amber pizza because of the oregano I quite like it, but will re-wear ambers perhaps in November... You might like woody orientals better than very sweet and ambery orientals. I have worn L'Air du Desert on and off for a couple of years but have still not gotten tired of it.

Ladame samples for Mona's Oud Intense here or directly from the Mona di Orio webshop. Expensive, but reputedly contains real oud an has last me a long time. Alla Violetta samples are really good, it's one of my favorite perfume shops.

Haber also try Terre d'Hermes, especially the parfum concentration if you can find it. Not everyone likes it, and it is and Iso E Super bomb, but I like it in the summer.

I was going to sample Gris Montaigne at Dior but instead walked past Sephora and spritzed some Nerolia Bianca (why spoil a good perfume with a silly name?): I cannot get enough of the slightly raspy petitgrain I think this will be my summer perfume this year. Will probably buy a FB at the duty free later this week

CatfromJapan welcome, quite a few iris fans on this thread.

Merle, try Dior Homme.
It's a great iris and definitely on the feminine side.
Boots should carry it.

Merle don't be intimidated. I knew nothing about perfume a few years back Now I think I have at least six iris perfumes on my dresser

Iris is multifaceted and versatile, and I tend to prefer the cooler more carroty variant (28 La Pausa, Zagorsk, Iris Silver Mist, Le Labo Iris). Unfortunately iris both as a natural and synthetic is a fairly costly material, so many iris perfumes are very expensive and difficult to find - you may already have found the optimal iris perfume. Hermes Hiris is worth trying if you see it somewhere, was it discontinued? Zagorsk is inexpensive too, but availability is limited.

Oh, and sampling is an affordable and addictive way of wearing very expensive and unique perfumes.

Frugal: Never thought of Zagorsk as an Iris perfume.. Maybe I concentrate too much on the pine and incense notes.

The lawn in front of my parents' house is full of violets. They smell gorgeous! Tempted to get a sample decand of Violetta or La Violette.. Anyone tried both? I want a powdery, sweet one in the vein of Parma Violets

Actually, Violet Blonde and Lipstick Rose already kind of fit the bill..

Too bad Toys I have just mailed your package - I could have slipped in some violets had I known!

Violets and iris are chemically related, as ionones (=violet-smelling synthetic which all violet perfumes are based on) and irones (=iris-smelling molecules) are close to each other. I think that when people speak of iris perfumes smelling as powdery, they recall this association (ionones have been used to scent face powder for a long time).

If anyone has a hard time keeping track of various parts of the orange tree (trust me I do!) an excellent article here. Orange trees are heavy with flowers around here, the scent is especially heavy and narcotic when it rains...

I'm after something violet based myself but it's new to me so I have no idea where to start looking. Any ideas ladies?

Yes I definitely enjoy woody notes Frugal - I have always loved the smell of pure cedar essential oil.

Couldn't get the online payment thing to work so rang Les Senteurs today and ordered a few more samples plus a full bottle of LADDM. Am so excited to receive it. The woman on the phone sounded just like I imagined she would - all reserved and French

I think more than anything I like exotic, unique smelling perfumes. I don't want to smell like anyone else. I don't want to blend in to the back ground. I want to wear a scent that people remember and that transports me away with its deliciousness. I definitely do not want to smell like a synthetic bunch of flowers.

Am going to try Arabie after my bath tonight. I have rather high hopes for Arabie. It smells very deep and heady and spicy when I sniff the vial. Mmm.

Those violet smelling perfumes sound intriguing. Shall be keeping an ear out for what people seem to like.

Apres L'Ondee - this is the benchmark iris/violets.
Best place to start.

Agree with Coffee - some more violets for you here and here violet lovers

Never mind, Frugal! If you'd like a decant of the Diorella (for example), can do a little swap once I get some decanting gear sorted (is e-bay the place to look?).

Apres L'Ondee is one of those I have wanted to try, but at the same time don't want to, because too many people like it Well, not really.. Is it still available in shops anywhere or is it an internet jobbie?

I've got a SL Fleurs D'Oranger sample, but do not love it. Which is your favourite Orange tree scent?

SOTD is L'eau d'issey pour Homme that I've pinched off DP.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! I've made a (potentially expensive) List...

Violets and iris are chemically related, as ionones (=violet-smelling synthetic which all violet perfumes are based on) and irones (=iris-smelling molecules) are close to each other.

This is really interesting as I love violets but find iris incredibly difficult. Perhaps I should persevere! They smell very very different to me.

Yatagan sounds amazing.

Blimey....you all have been busy. It's going to take me an hour to catch up reading ;). I see lots of mention of Violets.... A pet love of mine ( and DD2s name) . I hope to get time to catch up tonight but if no one has mentioned there is a lovely ( in my opinion) violet Eau de cologne at M &S online. It is by Berdoues ( perhaps spelt slightly wrong sorry on phone and not near bottle). I had to buy it without smelling in before but because it was so inexpensive I thought it was worth a try. It's lovely. Looking forward to catching up later.

Right, having discovered that Jovoy is but a hop, skip and a jump from where I work, I am heading there next week to have a sniff of L'Air du Desert Marocain.

Was in a taxi yesterday and the driver was raving about my perfume (Coromandel).

I have heard many lovely things about Coromandel Mrs Schadenfreude. Shall have a sniff when in London.

Have tried my Arabie. It's not completely unlike Coco Chanel if you ask me... I like it, but am not wowed. It reminds me of another perfume I used to have a tiny bottle of years and years ago too. Possibly Femme by Rochas...

Haberdashery- I am the same. I have tried Iris in all its forms and I really have a problem with it, but love violets.

I reckon iris smells of cardboard. Not in the least appealing!

It's funny, I love the dry cardboardiness and carrotiness of iris, but for some reason have major problems with violet. I love violet leaf (green, bitter) but really have to set my teeth to wear violet flower (YSL Paris is the nightmare perfume for me).

Wonder if the preference is hardwired in us somehow?