Unusual or love/hate perfume suggestions

[PatriciaBateman]

I'm just really starting to get into perfumes (serious sample collection habit forming), and would be grateful for some suggestions from the more experienced than me that'll be just about everyone.

I like perfumes that provoke a strong reaction and/or smell very unique. My oldest favourite has always been Poison, and now I'm finding Alien very interesting (at first hated it, now starting to love it).

Anyway, I'm looking for more ideas to start a cohtroversial olfactory relationship with. Any suggestions much appreciated, the more extreme/unusual the better!

Actually I think it's l'eau de cassis. It's by a French parfumerie and is difficult to find.

Musc Ravageur by (?) Frederic Malle is animalistic musky darkness. I only wear it if I want some. It's too earthy and 'fuck me hard' for every day.

Boudoir is nothing like Chanel no 5. It's filthy - in a good way. Smells like you spent the whole night having sex, and then smoked a cigarette on the walk of shame home.

I find Skin on skin is a challenging perfume - quite repellant for the first few minutes then develops into something much lovelier.

Mitsouko .. I hated my first sample but I adore it now after perseverance!

try Opium or some of the Poison variants? Hypnotic Poison is gorgeous.
Chanel Cuir de Russie is amazing but £££
Second Boudoir and Skin on Skin, also try some guerlains, vol de nuit or chamage perhaps?

Ooh try Jicky (Guerlain). Chanel no 19 smells weird on me (in a good way!)

Jo Loves Pink Vetiver.

It's addictive.

Chanel Christal smells like cat piss on my sister if that's your thing

I really WANT to be a perfume connoisseur but I fear my nose is too unsophisticated. I love the sound of things and then think it smells 'orrible

BUT one frangrance I love and lots of people hate is Clinique Aromatics Elixir. Powerful patchouli.

Oh definitely try 4160 Tuesdays. Really unusual scents and they do little mini bottles. I love sex goddess. The lace and chocolates is way too sweet for me but interesting and unique.
You may like shalimar- I love it but it's abit of a marmite one. For me it's a perfect winter scent.

If you like Poison, try Loretta by Andy Tauer for a punchy, modern take.
For weird stuff, if you can get hold of Comme des Garcons Synthetics series, that's great, too.

You might also want to pick a certain note - say leather, rubber, incense or tuberose - and sniff though lots of different perfumes that use it in different ways. For example, with leather, you can go pick soft suede with Bottega Veneta, fruity darkness with Histoires de Parfums Marquis de Sade, hyper butch masculinity with Dior Leather Oud, and clear skies and piney tarry woods with Yatagan. Experimenting with masculines is great too.

Have you read Perfumes - the A to Z guide yet? If not, that's your Christmas sorted out

I have a lovely, long list now. I might post back here with my complete novice reviews once the samples start arriving. It's a most welcome and enjoyable Christmas diversion, that's for sure.

Jemima, I'm wearing Sex Goddess today! Prefer the Lion Cupboard though.

OP - Salome smells like sweaty knickers after a hot day in the city and a quickie in the lift.

I was going to mention that book Frugal. I have a copy on my bedside table, not that I make the time to sit and leaf through it. It taught me a lot about what makes great perfumery, and why women don't have to smell like fruit and flowers.

Having said that, my philistine nose fails to appreciate frangrances that are way outside the norm, as much as I want to be daring.

I mean, I laughed at MrsSchadenfreude's description above but don't understand the appeal!

I am SO unsophisticated

Love Boudoir! It does smell like a good night of sex!!

Before I opened this thread I knew someone would have mentioned ELDO Secretions Magnifique!

Discovery sets are definitely the way to go, OP, and another recommendation for the A - Z. I buy it as presents for friends, I love it so much.

Santal blush tom ford
Shanghai lily tom ford
Hypnotic poison
Black opium
Obsession
White patchouli tom ford
The new Chanel no5 (eau)
Coco
Pure poison
The new summer tom ford but can't remember the name
Samsara

I think I'll have to treat myself to some new decanted. I haven't for years, because I usually dislike almost everything I order

I see there's a UK one but the selection seems to be fairly limited. Any recommendations? Is ordering from the States still the way to go?

If you are in London, Blooms in Covent Garden is a delight with very knowledgeable staff.

Juliette Has A Gun (niche perfume house in Paris ) does a nice little sample set for c.10 euros, redeemable against an order. Oil Fusion is popular, I believe (not keen personally ) -- it includes a sample of that.

As does Ormonde Jayne, a London House, although their samples are quite a bit more expensive.

eBAy is also good for samples and old/discontinued fragrances.

Also try NOSE --
nose.fr/en/brands/fragrances
you go on the website, answer a few questions about what sort of perfumes you like and they pick five samples and send them to you. (can't remember how much it costs --10-15 euros or thereabouts, I think) then when you get them you can score them and build up a personal profile.

Etat Libre D'Orange does some weird and wonderful scents, including the aforesaid Sécretions Magnifigues and Like This - Tilda Swinton.

And yes, you must read Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez's 'Perfumes- The Guide' , I'm only sad that it has not been updated for quite a few years now. But it's witty and intelligent and will probably cost you far more than the price on the cover!

Marc Jacobs decadence is gorgeous

Encre noir by Lalique......... very dark & disturbing .....

there are so many perfumes that I love, i'd probably have a whole cupboard full if I could afford it so my list is....

dior, lor it smells absolutely gorgeous but is pricey, it only comes in one sized bottle costs £99.50 for 40ml

ysl black opium, I love all 3 options you can get of this perfume, they all have a unique smell to them, and I literally feel like i've had a drug hit when I smell them

dior poison girl, a bit similar smelling to the ysl black opium but sweeter

ysl parisienne, very floral and sweet smells like fresh flower on a summers day absolutely gorgeous

Armani emporio she, it smells beautiful one of my all time favourites

Armani si, beautiful smell and lasts for ages

tom ford, black orchid, orchid, neroli potofino, white patchouli I could go on.

chanel allure, simple and beautiful

chanel chance

rock and rose by valentino, but it's been discontinued in the shops , but you can get it on amazon

well those are just a few, I could go on and on and on lol

So my first sample arrived - Musc Ravageur by Frederic Malle. A 2 ml sample in a little black drawstring bag.

As soon as I opened the envelope I thought 'oh my, I'm going to like this,' because the scent hit me straight away.

Dark, warm, spicy with something like fresh male sweat. The smell seems very masculine to me, like it belongs in a man's wardrobe of old shirts (in a good way). It conjures up feelings of a sort of cosy, magical, intimacy.

I don't know if I could wear it myself though, just smells so masculine to me, might see if I can persuade my DH to try it (wonder if it might smell completely different on him).

If you like Music Ravageur, order a bottle of L'erbolario Meharees (it's an Italian brand, should only cost you £15-20 for a new bottle on ebay). It smells almost the same - slightly sharper and a little more synthetic, but really quite close. I decided to compromise with this so I can get spendy on other stuff. :D

I'd also second the recommendation for Tauer perfumes - they are all unusual but amazing. L'air du Desert Marocain is probably the most well-known, but the whole line is fantastic.

If you are in London, I'd also recommend Les Senteurs - it's a really lovely shop. They carry a great selection of niche perfumes and are super-knowledgeable and nice. If you tell them what you like they'll give suggestions, and they sell samples as well.