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Perfume lovers - vol. 6

999 replies

FrugalFashionista · 19/02/2014 19:57

This space is for anyone who wants to talk about perfumes - ask for recommendations, tell us which scent you are wearing today (=SOTD), list your favorites...

Continued from here

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teta · 08/03/2014 11:10

Lady Rose lion is SOTD for me today.Apparently its meant to smell very similar to vintage Mitsouko.I am feeling sombre today in light of the missing plane,as its a route and airline that dh flies often on business.I really don't like it though and will have to wash it off.
What size samples don't have the fairy wands?.I am going to place an order from Surrender To Chance and prefer the normal dab vials ( but really don't want to order bigger vials in case I absolutely hate some).

FrugalFashionista · 08/03/2014 11:48

The plane stuff is scary. I still remember when the AF plane went missing between Rio and Paris, we often flew that route and the plane disappeared on a stretch where everyone was normally really relaxed or asleep.

Windymill you seem to like raspberry rose, vanilla, fruitchoulis and floral orientals. I'd suggest some of these. I feel the dirtier roses - patchouli roses and rose ouds - smell more adult in a good way. And you could try Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather, it's a MN fave and has a raspberry note paired with very stylish smoky leather. The same house makes Noir de Noir, an exquisite dark rose. Malle's Portrait of a Lady is a possibility too, it's a voluminious patchouli rose. Byredo's Rose Noir is a pretty and subtle dirty rose. Une Rose Vermeille by Tauer is the scariest raspberry rose out there, jelly roll intensity sweetness. All of these are cheap in sample sizes and expensive as full bottles, but worth it imo. (But do not buy blind.)

First by Van Cleef & Arpels is a great choice, a very classical 'fume. The same perfumer, JC Ellena, has become very famous. Many Hermes perfumes and In Love Again by YSL are by him too so do sample them. Aqua Allegorias are the most accessible Guerlains, easy to sample too.

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teta · 08/03/2014 12:34

Nearthewindymill I was also going to suggest In Love Again as well.Also Urara's Tokyo Cafe by 4160 Tuesdays ( my new addiction).Secondly try the Fragantica website to find scents with similar elements to your current ones.

Housewife2010 · 08/03/2014 17:04

SOTD is SL Jeux de Peau. I was helping out at a cake sale this morning & thought that its the warm, spicy bready notes would make it a good choice. I'd wanted to try it for ages & it was part of my STC order with a hated fairy wand. I applied it direct to my wrist without the wand & it's lovely. I may order a larger spray sample next time as I've been sniffing my wrists obsessively all afternoon.
Does anyone else update their fragrance on www.fragrantica.com? I've been doing it since last summer - my little obsession every time I go on their site. I usually have that site open when I'm on this thread so I can get extra info on the fragrances that everyone is talking about.

Blaineisnotanappliance · 08/03/2014 17:11

SOTD is un rose chypre-its stunning and I only wish I could afford to buy a bottle!

FuzzLightbeard · 08/03/2014 17:31

Another one here who gets the rage with those stick vials. I also get annoyed with dab mini bottles and have done the same as Stokey and decanted my favourites into travel sprays.

SOTD is Jean Patou Sira des Indes, a gorgeous creamy floral and banana combo with lots of sandalwood underneath.

FrugalFashionista · 08/03/2014 18:03

It's International Women's Day here, we have been outside enjoying the mild sunny day and now have a bunch of mimosa flowers in the kitchen, smelling tender greenish sweet. Going matchy matchy with two generous sprays of Mimose pour moi by L'Artisan. L'Eau de l'hiver and Farnesiana would be great picks today as well.

Blaine so happy you found a great perfume! If anyone has unloved Tauer samples or anything vintagey, send them her way!

Jeux de Peau and Sira des Indes are great picks too. I'm getting really curious about Tuesdays perfumes! I'd love a good jammy rose!

I haven't ordered samples for a long time but have had a growing hand-scribbled list. Today I finally caved in and placed an order at Alla Violetta (including 8ml of Tuscan Leather). I also ordered a decant of a discontinued perfume that I've been dying to try from STC. I then made an inquiry whether my favorite decant seller might be interested in shipping me some things. I think this happens every spring - I want to try everything new... If it all works out, I'll receive samples and decants of 20 different perfumes for the price of one full bottle. I love variety, so for me this is a much better deal than one FB.

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thecatfromjapan · 08/03/2014 18:04

cosikitty I have a full bottle of "Un Jardin apres le mousson" and I have a real love/hate relationship with it because of that decaying melon note. It reminds me of Brixton market in the summer - at the close of a hot day - many years ago.

Your noticing of of it has made me laugh. Smile Marks and Spencer used to do a perfume called "London" which also had a faint trace of that very same note. And again, I loved it (it had a similar beguiling light deftness) and loathed the faint rot-beneath-the breezy floral ...

Loved that last post from Frugal: reading this thread always makes me want to grab a pencil and write an "I must try this" list.

I went of to Liberty today, and tried on a lot of Comme des Garcons scents - following Frugal's advice to try and make-my-own "Tea For Two". It was a lot of fun. I loved the incense perfumes.

On a mournful note, M and S are definitely discontinuing the Lyn Harris line. I like "La Poudree" (I have no fear of the "old lady" vibe powdery scents carry with them, being well into that territory myself), and wear it on its own or with florals. I am going to miss it very, very much.

I also visited Anthropologie in the hope of a new line of collaborative perfumes there - I loved their team-up with Le Labo - but no joy.

To return to the thread: I really like the sound of all those perfumes you gals have been discussing. I particularly like the sound of the Noir de Noir and the Tauer's. Smile

Blaineisnotanappliance · 08/03/2014 18:10

Does anyone have Quelque fleurs and can tell me what they think of it? I am considering ordering some samples when dh gets paid but need to choose carefully as finances tight at the moment. Am attracted to its history and also that it is apparently Dita von teese's favourite scent-I am a big admirer of hers!

Housewife2010 · 08/03/2014 18:13

M & S are now doing Shay & Blue instead. I was excited at first until I realised that it was a long drive to the branch that sold it. I could order it (particularly when they have a 20% off promotion) but I want to try them first. Also. I'm realising that decants are the way to go when you're being promiscuous with perfume, unless you absolutely adore it.

Apatite1 · 08/03/2014 18:15

I have a full bottle of Un rose Vermeille that's been sprayed twice! If anyone wants a swap, I'm your gal. It was a gift and I'm not really a rose gal.

SOTD le Labo vanille 44. Smokey vanilla goodness.

coffeeinbed · 08/03/2014 18:22

I'd love to try Nuxe parfum.
I adore the oil and have used up many a bottle.

krankykitty · 08/03/2014 19:10

I'm wearing Elie Saab le parfum today. There's a particular "soapy" note in it, that was also in one of my favourites, the Dolce and Gabbana with the red box/lid. Anyone know what other perfumes might be similar?

NearTheWindymill · 08/03/2014 19:33

Thank you. I'll give some of those a try.

Apatite1 · 08/03/2014 19:34

Oops, my inbox is now full of people asking for the Tauer. I have a short wish list I'd swap it for and please note it's an expensive perfume for the volume so I would like to swap something of similar value. Please message me if you want to know my swap list. And note that Un Rose Vermeille is a full on raspberry and rose bombshell, I wouldn't recommend swapping for it if you've never sniffed it!

NearTheWindymill · 08/03/2014 20:36

Have reviewed and googled some of those suggestions. Many don't look too "available". Where would you suggest to find a good selection? Hermes I can go to the Bond Street Shop, The Guerlains, YSL and Tom Ford Harrods I think. Bryredo at Libertys.

I shall have to have an afternoon in Town I think - good job I'm in SW London.

cosikitty · 08/03/2014 20:48

Kranky I think the soapy note is probably orange blossom or aldehydes. I used to love the D&G too, the new one is nowhere near as good. It was quite unique and haven't come across anything else with quite the same soapyness recently. There used to be a john Galliano scent this one that was very similar, but I think that too is discontinued. Readers of fragrantica say this one is like chanel 22, that is quite soapy too but not that similar in my opinion.

I went to Boots to do some sniffing for my voucher purchase. I tried Dune to remind myself what this was like. it's good, but a bit too similar to Chanel Allure which I already have so didn't really need it. I tried lots of others but my favourites were Prada Amber and Narciso Rodrigeuz. I bought the 30ml bottle of the latter as I don't have anything similar to this in my collection. It's very subtle and a soft musky rose, seems to wear close to the skin so far so will be great for day time.

I also have samples of Atelier Colognes Vetiver Fatal, and silver iris, I just LOVE the first of these, it's my favorite perfume right now, just can't stop sniffing! The iris one is nice too, it's very different to other iris ones I've tried as it's slightly sweet.

Stokey · 09/03/2014 07:46

Nearthewindmill if you're going into town, all the big stores on Oxford st have a pretty good selection. Certainly John Lewis & HoF on Oxford st would have the Tom Fords, Guerlains, Hermes etc. Think HoF have Serge Lutyens too. Libertys has a Le Labo counter as well as Frederic Malles and other niche scents, and Fortnums has a whole floor of expensive perfumes.

Blaine would you like my Rose Chypree sample, about half left? I also have a sample of his called Ingrid which you're welcome to

NearTheWindymill · 09/03/2014 09:00

I'll give Oxford Street a miss I think if I'm really treating myself. I'll see what I can find between Libertys and Fortnums. Rather looking forward to it now. I haven't set foot in Hermes since I worked in the City Grin

cosikitty · 09/03/2014 09:29

kranky just checked and you can still get the john Galliano EDP on Escentual.

ScienceRocks · 09/03/2014 09:50

Wearing Alice from my Tuesday samples today. Like this one a lot more than I did Katy yesterday, which was too sweet for my nose but thankfully disappeared quite quickly. This one is flowery and warm, really nice in the sunny weather we are currently enjoying. I think I like it even more than Tokyo.

krankykitty · 09/03/2014 12:13

Thank you Cosikitty! I agree the new D&G is nothing like the old version. That used to be quite loud at first but dried into a clean comforting yet intriguing smell. Will try the other suggestions thanks - what narciso Rodriguez did you get, from what I remember the edt and EDP were quite different

FrugalFashionista · 09/03/2014 14:58

Quickly reporting my SOTD - once again Defile New York, Histoires des Parfums.

Cosi I agree about aldehydes or orange blossom!
Windymill enjoy perfume shopping! Use my ideas as a starting point only (Tom Fords, Byredo, Malle are a great starting point), we all have really individual tastes! If you sample a lot of perfumes, take along a paperback book and stick the smelling strips between its leaves (if you are really detail-oriented, write the name of the perfume down on the strip). This way you can walk away and think a bit and then return and make a choice - it is easy to get overwhelmed! I smell through a lot of strips first and then test the most promising candidates on my wrist. How the perfume behaves on my skin is the ultimate test, and every sales assistant should accept that you'll try something on skin before deciding.

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Apatite1 · 09/03/2014 15:30

I recommend a visit to les senteurs if you live in London:

shop.lessenteurs.com

I'm lucky to live close enough to stroll there on the weekends, spending an hour sniffing my way through is my idea of heaven!

FrugalFashionista · 09/03/2014 15:42

Apatite you are very lucky!
A great article on mimosa here - our house is still filled with their delicate smell, nicer than any perfume...

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