Part 5- And the perfumes just keep on coming...

[shoeprincess2]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/1711275-Part-4-All-you-ever-need-to-know-about-fragrance-continues

Shiny new thread for some shiny new perfumes (and classics and niche brands)

flora can I ask why you don't like Tauers? Thanks for pointing me to his site btw, the little sample set looks v nice. Dying to try rose chypree and l'air du desert marocain.

Wilting, where are you? The Tauer site won't ship to the UK.

Ah no, I'm in Ireland :(, prob the same.

Hmm, he may be lumping Ireland in with "Great Britain" or "UK", or he may be more discerning, I'll have to try ordering and see. Will let you know how I get on. Fingers crossed!

Stb Florabotanica. I like this though it just smells like pure flowers to me, but such nice well balanced ones! V clean.

Where in Ireland are you, Wilting? DH is a Roscommon man.

SOTD was Olfactive Studio Lumiere Blanche. Soft, milky, musky - I smell coconut, but that's not one of the ingredients. Ah well....

Wilting, what follows needs a 'pseuds corner' pretentiousness warning, but here goes: I think the Tauer element I dislike is something that I smell as 'heavy burnt sweet rottenness', a bit like wet ashes after a bonfire or synthetic rubber combined with decaying fruit or fungi in a wood warm, damp wood. There is also an element of sweet green tea plus a pinch of cumin and a suspicion of raw egg, all sprinkled with old-fashioned face-powder. There is also some soft suede... To me, the whole mixture is too heavy, sweet and cloying; rightly or wrongly, I sense it lurking as an undertone in many Tauer scents. It's possibly some kind of amber or labdanum - I am not a great fan of other strongly amber scents, either. I love the fresh /sharp/crisp openings of many Tauer perfumes, and I do like Une Rose Chypree in small doses (though I would not wear it in the daytime).

None of this is a criticism of the perfumes. It's just a statement of my tastes.

flora: I feel exactly the same (I remember telling someone that when I put a Tauer on I felt like I was painting myself with opaque paint rather than spraying myself with perfume). The only Tauers I like are L'Air Du Desert Marocain, and Maroc (I can appreciate Lonestar, as well, but like.. not sure). With those I dislike nearly everything else but the last phases, which last for ages, so are worth keeping my samples for.

Chocs thank you for the samples! My Eau de Cartier definitely smells different but I think it's gone off, rather than been refilled. Mine seems to have lost a lot of the opening notes but they smell similar after 15 mins or so. The opening of the one you've sent is lovely and fresh, whereas mine is very sour and synthetic.

SOTD is Lipstick Rose, very nice but wish it was stronger and lasted longer.

Flora- that is a beautifully articulate description. I personally love Tauers, but I totally agree with your description. I love how he makes Bergamot kind of chalky: it's almost thirst quenching.

Fuzzy- you are welcome! I love Eau de Cartier so I'm glad to meet an fellow fan of it.

Flora- your samples arrived today. Many, many thanks. I shall blog away. (I am an official Mumsnet Blogger Network blogger now, I've got a badge on my site and everything!)

Frugal I've read the Turin and Sanchez book and couldn't believe that the mainstream perfumes can be changed (and not admitted that changes had taken place). I read upthread where you mentioned the possible 'cheapening' of some mainstream perfumes. OMG! It is true unfortunately. My Brother treated me to a FB of Diorissimo (I used to wear it a lot when I was younger). Smelt almost the same in the beginning but the big shock was the drydown - horrible synthetic nauseous jarring note of fake Lily of the Valley. Such a shame. I actually washed it off and can't wear it again and it's a Dior - is nothing sacred?

Ladame Dior have not treated their classics well - I think the consensus it that they have been ruined. I still like Eau Sauvage, but am using an older version that still has some oakmoss. New mainstream Diors are so empty-headed that I'm not bothering with them at all - their boutique line is much more interesting, but very uneven. But just as a tip, La collection privee by Dior is worth seeking out - there are some gems there.

If someone gave me a giftcard to Sephora, I would have a hard time deciding what to buy. I'd probably eventually pick a dusty masculine classic or something by Hermes or a FB of Chanel 5 EDP. The mainstream feminines atm are having some sort of a race to the bottom - shampoo, candy and cupcake smells: not the stimulating, intriguing, alluring, and soothing olfactory journeys that my personal perfume collection always allows.

Re: Tauer, I love orientals, and Tauer makes them really well. (As a teen, I poisoned the world with a trail of Obsession.) But for people who have different olfactory preferences, his 'fumes can be a nightmare. I love Tauers because I can take almost unlimited sweetness, and vanilla works well on my skin. And I like most woods and incenses (though pure myrrh makes me heave). I also like the contrast - I'm a slim blonde, and apparently people expect me to like translucent watery things (in fact, my nightmare perfume is Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche). I'm not overly fond of fruity smells (with a handful of exceptions), and most sweet gourmands (Angel lookalikes) miss the darker and more burn, bitter and smoldering aspects of perfumery that I really enjoy. Although I'm currently having a fling with aldehydics, I'm uncomfortable with many vintage feminine classics (they smell too formal to me), and most of modern feminine fragrances are a pass for me, but I do love wearing many 1970s and 1980s type masculines. So it's modern niche perfumes for me all the way. And when you smell a lot of them, they can get a bit samey. Tauers have a distinct style, and that makes them special for me.

SOTD: Sweet Dreams by A Lab on Fire. This is the proto-Acqua Allegorica Nerolia Bianca - same perfumer circa ten years earlier. His excellent interview here. There is also a rare Chris Sheldrake (the father of many Lutens classics, currently at Chanel) interview on Basenotes. The two are some of my favorite perfumers - too bad that a lot of it seems to be corporate copy.

I'm leaving for a very long trip - trying to decide which perfumes to pack

Frugal: Have a good holiday! I tend to just choose one thing whe I go on holiday, so that when I come back that perfume will remind me of it. Also will be a happy reunion after missing all my other stuff..

SOTD: Habanita EDP. It's really wonderful. Dark resiny, spicy, sweet. hard to describe..

Sorted out the mystery fume samples now. Will send to Fuzzy (as seh's the first on the list) today. Sorry about the crap looking packaging! Did it in a hurry just now while being harassed by DS..

Very interesting views on the Tauers. I'm quite wary of sweet, my skin always seems to heighten it but I do like oriental I think. I might go for some samples from StC first as it would be a terrible pity to spend my month's budget on all Tauers if it turns out they are too sweet for me or I don't like the base.

When buying, do you tend to go for 2ml sprays or the 1ml capped samples?

Have just finished reading thread 1! What a read! Really enjoyed it. Going to try some of the green recommendations on it I think. Never read 40 pages of thread before... Spent week with my nose stuck in the phone.

Sotd, chanel 19 edp, love it but it disappears so quickly on me. I might invest in the body lotion to see if I can improve the longevity.

Wore balenciaga paris to bed last night but I just don't like it. Can't really put my finger on why. Too formal maybe?

Wilting well done - 1 thread down, 3 more to go - there are such enormous differences in how we wear and react to perfumes - Chanel No. 19 EDP is a 12+ hour perfume on me, if I wear it evening I can still enjoy a delicious drydown...

Iirc Balenciaga reminded me of swimming pool chemicals for some reason.
I tried to make a decant of Dior Leather Oud for a friend. Wasn't successful, just didn't get enough juice out of the bottle even with a syringe... In any case, I'm swathed in earthy leather. I love this perfume, it can be daunting, but it simply feels great on me.

I'll be away for a couple of months, so it's really almost like a move. (I have homes in two different countries and tend to spend the summers up North - waves to Toys or did you n/c?) So took three (small) FBs and a sachet of my current favorite samples. Traveling light? That's for amateurs...

Have a really good summer Frugal! And many thanks - over the past 4 threads, you have shared so much useful info and thoughtful insights with us.

What you said in today's previous post is interesting, and made me think about WHY we wear scent. Obviously, there are many reasons; two of the most obvious are 'seeking another dimension' and 'to escape from, or otherwise provoke contrast to, everyday reality'. You say you are a slim blonde and yet you like sweet, rich, smouldering scents. I am tall and hourglass and the sort of brunette whose v dark hair goes white early. Physically, I might perhaps be expected to favour the kind of big bold voluptuous earthy scent that we can imagine Boudicca daubing herself with, but in fact I like clear dry fresh 20th cent green scents (though I HATE the current Chanel 19 and Chanel Crystalle).

Does this 'opposites attract' experience mean anything? Or is - as I strongly suspect - a sample of two statistically ludicrous?

Frugal: No, I'm still Toys. We might be heading up north at some point too.. Maybe bump into you at the airport duty free

I'm a sort of robustly built (slightly tree trunky legs), but in proportion, tallish brunette with a bob shaved short on one side (greying rapidly, but thinking about shaving it all very very short soon, anyway). I like spicy, smoky, leathery and gourmand perfumes the best. I've not got much love for citrus or fruity florals. So, it seems your graph is getting a bit messed up now, flora! Or I'm an outlier..

Flora, that's fascinating! I often look for contrast both in dressing and in perfumes; adornments are an added dimension, and they allow me to experiment with things that are normally not a part of me. Like today's hypermasculine trail of oud, or the retro old man perfumes I love. Reminds me of a friend during my arty student days - we were painting portraits and she chose to use green to shade and contour the side of face that remains in shadow. I can do harmony too - I actually think the cool-warm pulled-together but slightly smouldering aldehydics (Miriam, Vega, Ch 5 EDP, Ch 19 EDP, Noontide) are my 'this is me' perfumes.

Who did get to travel with me? I don't remember all the 'fumes I packed, but here are a few essentials (just in case someone thinks I've lost it, all except two are samples or minis, and everything fits inside one of those plastic airline pouches):
AA Nerolia Bianca
Tauer's Noontide Petals
Sweet Dreams by A Lab on Fire
RL Safari (thanks Toys!)
Mona di Orio Tubereuse
Chanel 5 EDP
Chanel 22
Bois d'Ascese
Cuir Velours
HdP Blanc Violette
LADDM
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud
Pulp by Byredo
Rose Noir by Byredo
Antaeus
Guerlain Vega
Guerlain Encens Mythique d'Orient
Aedes de Venustas EDP
Le Labo Iris
Le Labo Labdanum

Looking forward to duty free spritzing... Chris Sheldrake said that he likes Amor Amor I've always thought it's going to be the room spray in hell (to go with guestofaguest.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/diana3.jpgthis decor) - or maybe he was joking. Anyway looking forward to the obligatory duty free spritzes - maybe I'll try another of his recommendations, Chanel 5 Eau Premiere.

Ha Frugal! I was astonished too then the cynical side of me thought maybe he wanted to show a common touch?

Am a smallish plumpish blonde btw and atm I like greens, does that fit the theory floral ?

SOTD is Tom Ford White Patchouli - I got a sample from Sephora, and I'm kinda loving it- another to add to my long list of future purchases!

At the duty free, no Ch 5 Eau Premiere, so Coco Noir it is. Not unpleasant, and quite refined, but one of those timid 'Sorry, I'm wearing perfume, hope you don't mind me' things. What made me smile was sniffing Giorgio on a strip. I actually put the strip in my bag - I've never worn it but it's associated with a lot of good memories...

O my, o my, tried annick goutal's ninfeo mio in HoF today, have been researching galbanum perfumes and saw this recommended, it is wonderful. Love it. So much going on am actually a bit lost if I try to describe it. Green but warm, made me think of crushed nettles for some bizarre reason. Will have to procure a large sample to further my research, heh heh .

Also tried chergui, was hoping to try iris silver mist but HoF didin't have it. .ain thing I noticed was the same sweet note that sent me reeling from tobacco vanille. Not sure what it is, maybe a mix of honey and vanilla? It wasn't as out of control as the TV, much more wearable for me, warm spicy, sweetness below rather than on top. Get some musk too I think?

I was department-store-sniffing as well today. I tried Annick Goutal Eau de Ciel (meh) and SL Femininite du Bois, which is absolutely gorgeous (reminded me of something..... Diptyque Volutes, perhaps?). Lovely.

Iris Silver Mist is a Lutens Paris exclusive, you can order a free wax sample from Lutens or a sample/decant from Gerald at Crystal Flacon.

Found Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere at the 3rd store, quite pleasant.

SOTD Din Dan by Lostmarch- thanks flora! It smells like Lemon Sherbets. Very good in hot weather.

ah, thanks frugal. Will look into that. Buy anything in the airport?

I spent the afternoon wafting about in Valentino Vendetta. For some reason it reminds me of old 80's lipsticks. Not sure what it is that makes it smell like that but that's what i get from it