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Lovely, friendly perfume lovers thread

998 replies

MissBattleaxe · 13/07/2016 22:26

This thread continues from our perfumistas thread which is now full. It is a lovely and friendly thread in which we discuss all things perfume-y, and ask for tips and share opinions and SOTDs ( Scent of The Day). Do drop in- we're not cliquey and we all smell nice.

OP posts:
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ThenLaterWhenItGotDark · 03/10/2016 09:44

Chance, by perfume virtuosos and many bloggers etc, is considered to be exactly as you describe it. A bogstandard over the counter drugstore scent. I was reading up on it only last week to check the perfume-path of the half bottle I snagged on.ebay. It was aimed for the late teen early 20s market, and the review I read was scathing about this, as, in their opinion, the quality and lack of wow in the Chance range meant that Chanel did not value that particular demographic.

Whether all that is true or not (and dd 13 is definitely more drawn to the range than I ever will be) my mantra would always be, if you love it, and it helps you to tell your own story through perfume, then it doesn't matter if it cost 500 or 5. Look at me with my 'bleeeeargh, get this off me' reaction to Chanel 22...yet I could drown myself in Yardley Jade.

Badders-love your story!. Cinnabar is a close relative of Opium apparently. And according to the Luca Turin book I am currently reading Lauder is the best non-perfume-house perfume house and very much overlooked for that reason, and also because people, as with wine, think that the only good stuff comes from Europe. I imagine Opium's formulation has changed over the years, most have had to. I smelled Ysatis about 5 yrs ago in John Lewis and thought 'what? this isn't what I wore in the 80s!' Then I nabbed a vintage bottle from ebay and wow..talk about taking me back in time. So rich and full somehow.

I don't like all Chanel by a long shot. 19 is something I cannot ever be without, 5 I dip in snd out of very rarely. I don't like the Coco/Mademoiselle range and whilst loving 31Rue Cambon, Coromandel and Sycomore at first sniff, a couple of the other esclusifs left me very underwhelmed.

It was dd's birthday yesterday and among other gifts, she received a bottle of perfume. Called Pink Sugar Sparkles. And yes, the name is perfect for it. Dear lord above, but it's rank.

Badders123 · 03/10/2016 10:30

I think that's my issue with Chanel - I know I am supposed to love it - so iconic, so classy and yet....
Give me a cheap Avon perfume any day over Chanel!! Smile

MissBattleaxe · 03/10/2016 11:10

I agree about Chance. It's perfectly pleasant but that's a very big price tag and it's a bit meh.

I also agree about some Avons ( although not all). I currently love Avon Perceive Oasis and have stocked up a back up bottle in case it gets discontinued. It's about £6 and smells like Chloe- all those roses and peony! It's stunning.

OP posts:
Badders123 · 03/10/2016 11:39

I wore one called night musk for years...got loads of compliments on it!
Sad day when they discontinued it :(
Just been shopping with my mum and she has bought some obsession :)
On offer £35 for 100ml in boots ATM if anyone needs any!
I have also worn next perfumes and there are some quite nice ones!

Cockblocktopus · 03/10/2016 11:54

I wear Chanel 19 (though rarely now) and 5 (my most used perfume) and would like a bottle of sycomore. I do not like mademoiselle or chance possibly because girls in my school were bloody swamped in it.

I have heard great things about some of the aerin Lauder perfumes but never tried any and I don't think I've ever tried Estée Lauder either. no snobbery or reason, I just haven't!

Badders123 · 03/10/2016 13:51

Haven't tried chance,
Tried all the others though.
It amazed me how few scents I liked tbh.
Vast arrays and I maybe found 3?
Maybe I'm just difficult 😀

SlinkyVagabond · 03/10/2016 17:25

The fashion house perfume I cannot stand, grabs the back of the throat and makes me sneeze is J'adore. Lord it's foul.(not Angel foul, but bleugh)
I cannot get away with Avon. Most smell alike (apart from soft musk(my sisters scent-no I don't like it. And timeless, which is lovely) Have you seen that Kenzo is doing a scent for them? From sniffing the page(got to be a better way than that) it seems to be light and flowery.
Sotd was a dab of vintage Chanel number 5. I don't know what happened but half way through the day I smelt very sour. The perfume is fine. Think it was a chemical thing.

Badders123 · 03/10/2016 17:30

Agree that's not nice.
Angel is vile, as is alien.
Didn't like JPG classic either.
I seem to like either dirt cheap ones or really expensive ones - no middle ground for me!
One perfume I absolutely loathe is YSL Paris - my cousin wore it in the 80s. It smelt as bad as I remember!

Badders123 · 03/10/2016 17:31

Timeless! I used to have a little bottle of that when I was about 12!
In a bottle in the shape of a standard lamp...do Avon still do that? Mad bottles!

ThenLaterWhenItGotDark · 03/10/2016 18:36

Hee hee, they don't, but I can assure you that, having vintage Avon as one of my ebay searches, there are still plenty of madster bottles in circulation. How'd you like your Moonwind? (my personal favourite) a bottle shaped like an ironing board or a turnip? No problem!
The one perfume that actually made me feel ill was Tresor. Or possibly Narcisse. It was something that was big in 92-93 and a woman I worked with wore it. I need to sniff both again (very quickly) to see which it was.
My vintage Diorella arrived. I am having a migraine today so hsven't studied it properly though on first sniff I don't get skanky pants or beef salad (yesterday's perfume/Luca respectively) Just get another swoony grande dame rush of loveliness. Will report back tomorrow.

As I lay in bed moaning earlier I thought of a game we could play...I know we often talk about our desert island perfumes but how not many of us could choose just one so....I will let you do a Top 10. What 10 perfumes would you take with you? Then we can play Last Scent Standing where we all take turns to eliminate one until we are left with, in theory, the Holy Grail. You won't be allowed to eliminate any you don't actually know though. Who's up for it? (On a thread years ago we played Last Man Standing and the final, oddly, iirc was between Lucius Malfoy, Guy Garvey and Gareth Malone! )

Badders123 · 03/10/2016 18:45

Vintage Avon you say!?

Ooooh I'm in!
Right.....
Knowing by Estée Lauder
Cinnabar by Estée Lauder
Opium by YSL
Obsession by Calvin Klein
Nightmusk by Avon
Lamaint by coty
Sun moon stars by lagerfeld
Stella by Stella macartney
White satin by yardley
Samara by guerlain

FrustratedFrugal · 03/10/2016 18:55

Here's my list, and I need a temperate climate desert island:
La Pausa, Chanel
A mega bottle of Huile Prodigieuse
Divine Bergamote, The Different Company
1932, Chanel
Miriam, Tauer
Chanel No. 5
Vega, Guerlain
Mitsouko, Guerlain
L'Air du Desert Marocain, Tauer
Beyond Love, By Kilian

OCSockOrphanage · 03/10/2016 20:41

My choices... this may need time to consider.

Vetiver Tonka, Hermes
Eau des Merveilles, Hermes
Dzing!, l'Artisan Parfumeur
Jicky, Guerlain
Osmanthus, Roger & Gallet
11 Semma, Odin
Chypre 21, Heeley
Untitled, MMMargiela
Y, YSL
Another Oudh, JHaG

And please could my luxury be my electric toothbrush and a never ending supply of toothpaste?

BaronessBomburst · 03/10/2016 22:28

I don't yet have 10 perfumes I like enough to wear.
That's why I joined the thread.
The stuff I wore in my youth, such as Mitsouko or Ysatis, just doesn't smell the same anymore.
So far I've got:
Lanvin - Arpege
Chanel - Coco
M&S - Isis
Tauer - L'air du Desert Marocain
Tauer - Incense Rose

Body Shop - Night Jasmine

user1471503992 · 03/10/2016 22:57

I haven't been able to try the Chanel exclusifs but so far I'm not a fan of the regular lot. Coco is gorgeous on my clothes, but on skin is bland and disappears. No 5 smells like wee on me. I don't mind the new Eau, but wouldn't go nuts for it. I'm very new at perfume, having been fairly unperfumed for about 8 years, and I've been working my way through sample sets thanks to you knowledgeable people. I like Who Knew and Dirty Honey by 4160 Tuesdays and L'Air du Desert Marocain, but I have so far not found any mainstream perfume I go for. Am I just training my nose and will eventually start to appreciate them?

Calminaqualm · 04/10/2016 06:15

I enjoyed compiling my top ten! My final choice is:

Inevitable Crimes of Passion, 4160Tuesdays
Songes, Annick Goutal
Soir de Lune, Sisley
Beyond Paradise, Estée Lauder
Truth or Dare, Madonna
Premier Figuier Extreme, L'Artisan Parfumeur
Blood Oranges, Shay & Blue
Diorissimo, Dior
Rome 1963, 4160Tuesdays
Cassis en Feuille, Miller Harris

SlinkyVagabond · 04/10/2016 07:10

Hmm, tricky.
Shalimar
Mitsouko
Chanel no 5
Ginger Cosmetics to go/Lush
Untitled MMM
Chanel for Gentlemen
White patchouli Tom Ford
4711
Sublime Jean Patou
Serge Lutyens (I can't remember which one)

On the flip side I found some of the little bottles from boots last night, including a mystery Givenchy one. Couldn't smell it to start, but put the tiniest dab on. It woke me up two hours later with its horribleness. I scrubbed it with coal tar soap, what a relief.

ThenLaterWhenItGotDark · 04/10/2016 07:33

Oh! I posted mine last night, or thought I had, evidently phone didn't like my choice! (I am very predictable ha ha)

Anais Anais- Spanish boys in grotty student residences, big Bonnie Tyler hair and dodgy 80s music. Rarely wear it, but always have a bottle (especially since a kind perfumista pointed out to me that I needed "originale" and not the latest sweet sickly version.

Chanel 19- am still dying to get my hands on a pre-90s sample, I don't trust vintage Chanel on ebay and Perfumed Court won't ship here. However, I fell in love with it in 84 when my university roommate wore it, and then the girl I lived with in Spain also wore it. So it kind of followed me around without me ever wearing it. It is still so sublimely perfect and when I pass someone in the street wearing it, it is breathtakingly beautiful.

80s Ysatis. Wore this for a few years, and nabbed an almost full vintage bottle after smelling the purple-boxed monstrosity that purports to be it now. So rich and full, it will soon be Autumnal enough to crack it open.

Givenchy III- my first grown up perfume. Along with Dioressence, the ones I go for when I want to power-dress in a perfume sense.

Vent Vert- my new love. Am going to end up sourcing a full bottle of the old stuff. This will be on a need-to-know basis as far as Dh and my credit card are concerned.

Cuir Cordoba- Keiko Mecheri- I don't often (as seen from my Sotds etc) even try new perfumes. I am a vintage girl at heart. This came in my Nose samples and initially I was indifferent. I bloody luffs it now, and sooner or later, I think will need a FB of this. Can't remember which reviewer said it (Scented Hound possibly) but the analogy of putting your nose in a lady's glove drawer and getting that mix of powdery perfume and the leather, is perfect.

80s Paris- again, like the 19, it reminds me of Spain, and again, it wasn't me wearing it. I was chatting with the friend who did wear it on FB earlier this year, and reminiscing (we haven't seen each other since 88) and she bought some on the back of our conversation- said just opening the bottle blew her away in memories. I've smelled many rose fragrances and most are too naturally-soliflore-clean-innocent roses. This is rose with something big and naughty and very 80s thrown in.

L'Heure Bleue- it's a comfort food thing.

80s Rive Gauche - moved onto this after the Anais Anais and before the Ysatis.

My last one would be a massive tie between all the ones I've recently tried, but never worn for any length of time to build a perfume-memory: Coromandel, Sycomore, 31 Rue Cambon, Eau du Sud, Heritage, Fracas.....I'm going to go with Eau du Sud because I think that is one I'll splash out on a FB of sooner or later.

FrustratedFrugal · 04/10/2016 08:03

User1471 just keep on trying stuff and wear what you like! Classics and vintage perfumes were difficult for me to appreciate at first (Chanel 5 smelled soapy and a bit like hairspray) but I've gradually learned to love them.

I almost put Y and Eau de Sud on my desert island list. Very happy to nab a spray or two from fellow travellers Wink

There's this mismatch that many of my perfumes are quite civilized and indoor oriented. If we will sail on a raft and live in a treehouse, I might bring Yatagan and Eau des Iles instead...

BaronessBomburst · 04/10/2016 13:40

My original and not yet empty 80's bottle of Ysatis is sitting in my mum's bathroom cabinet!
So I have just been informed.
There's something else in there too but she can't remember what. My money's on Mitsouko or Shalimar.

AnotherPinkiePieStory · 04/10/2016 13:59

Such a good idea. So many wonderful ones. I'm working on my list now! My preferred fragrances are quite summery so I'm set for a tropical island.

thenlater what fab posts. It reminds me that I no longer own so many of my fave perfumes and I should as they will remind me of good times. Maybe I should be pleased that I didn't wear perfume during my year traveling!

teta · 04/10/2016 14:20

Mine are :
Guerlain Nahema
Chanel Cristalle
Chanel Beige
Montale Jasmine Full
Piguet Rose Perfection
Houbigant oranger en fleurs
Annick Goutal's eau d' Hadrian
L'artisan Parfumeur Fleur de liane
Van cleef and Arpel California Reverie
Friedemodin Jardin Mystique

         For a tropical desert island.
SecondSunrise · 04/10/2016 15:54

oooh can I play? I was on a perfume thread ages ago but haven't been posting much due to various reasons.
My ten:
Ambre Loup - Rania J - intense gingerbready Amber

Beige - Chanel Exclusifs - smooth spring warm flowers, no sourness or screeching here.

Attar de Roses - Keiko Mecheri - jammy perfect rose that lasts all day

Isles de Lointaines - Keiko Mecheri - tropical flowers

The Peradam - Apoteker Tepe - luminous rich powdery orris, lily and sandalwood.

Bijou Romantique - Etat Libre D'orange - Fuzzy velvet benzoin monster

L'Ambre des Merveilles - Hermes

Jeux de Peau - Serge Lutens - Strange croissant woody spicy creamy..

Black Orchid and Noir Pour Femme - Tom Ford - spicy fuzzy floral

ThenLaterWhenItGotDark · 05/10/2016 13:12

Oooh lovely! I'll wait until the weekend to see if anyone else joins in, then make a list and we can start (sadly, and with difficulty) eliminating them.

My 3 day migraine has finished, so am well and truly perfumed-up today....because I have Diorella on the inside of both wrists (a thing of beauty and going straight onto the need-a-FB- list- my word but these old Diors are wonderful!) I have Apres L'Ondee on the back of my left hand, Bel Respiro in the crook of my elbow and Cuir de Russie (Chanel) near the top of my arm....

Now.....Bel Respiro is amazing, and wonderful though it's settling into powdery sweet now, possibly a bit too sweet for me, but I loved the initial twang. Cuir de Russie is not as long lasting as I imagined a leather to be and not a patch on my wonderful Cuir Cordoba....and I think possibly, the decant lady, like the Chanel 22 person last week, has sent me the wrong thing.....unless Apres L'Ondee is almost identical to L'Heure Bleue, she has sent me l'HB.

Can anyone who has both help me? This is deffo L'Heure Bleue, sure of it.

Badders123 · 05/10/2016 18:49

I'm still loving knowing! 😂💞

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